Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Innocents
A governess (Deborah Kerr) is hired by a well to do socialite (Michael Redgrave) to care for his niece and nephew. He has no desire to raise the children himself and gives her full control over them and the mansion they occupy. The governess is a bit apprehensive at first but takes on the job as a favor to him; it appears she has an attraction to the uncle. When she arrives at the mansion only the niece; Flora (Pamela Jenkins) , is there as Miles (Martin Stephens) is still away at school.
At first everything seems perfect as Flora and the governess get along without any problems. The joy is short lived after the governess is sent a letter telling her that Miles has been expelled from school for corrupting the other boys. Take that how you will. She feels she should talk to the uncle about the situation but upon meeting Miles she feels he is too charming to be as bad as the letter implied. Again things seem wonderful as brother and sister are united. It isn't until the governess learns that the previous governess had died; as well as the valet she was having an affair with Quint, that things start to change. She starts to see and hear things but she is the only one as the housekeeper and children are blind to any of it.
She also starts to take note of the bond between the siblings. They are close; maybe a bit too close. She learns that the children had seen some of the "acts" their previous caretaker and the valet were engaged in. Are they simply following what they saw or could it be the spirits of the dead have taken up residence in the children? Or is it all in her head? That is left for you to decide after you watch this film or read the story.
Kerr plays the role beautifully because you can't tell whether she's really seeing things or just mad. And Martin Stephens gives one of the few great performances by a child actor as Miles. You can't help but fall for his charm; much like the housekeeper and the governess herself do. You want to believe he is an innocent but he also gives off that tiny hint of something disturbed. In the end this is a great film. This is more suspense then anything so if you're expecting blood and guts then it's not for you as the film was released in 1961. It's all about turning the screws; if you will, on the tension. If you want an excellent psychological horror film The Innocents is the one. Normally I suggest the book over the film first but as most readers these days have become lazy and James's prose can be dense the film is a good start. Then if you would like to check the novella out go for it.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Let The Right One In
While Let the Right One In is not filled with gore there are gory scenes. The story focuses mainly on the two outcasts finding acceptance through each other. It's the development of that bond that is so intriguing with this film. I highly recommend both the book and movie. However if you decide to get the DVD do not get the Magnolia/Magnet version as the subtitles are not the same as the version released in theaters. They have been extremely dumbed down and make no sense with the scenes. Either find a copy from another region; wait for the re-release which is happening soon; or rent it off Netflix as they have the proper version. I have also heard they are making an American remake; didn't see that coming. Will it be as good as the original? Considering the story I doubt it will retain any of the unsavory elements that could hurt the movie rating so it's hard to say. I'll wait and see but won't hold my breath.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Trunk and I Reveal
The short begins with a girl waking up in surprise, surprise a trunk. To be precise a car trunk. How did she get here? It is revealed she is dealing with an abusive father still dealing with the fact his wife left. After he becomes physically violent with she decides to runaway and sneaks out. After several attempts she is finally able to get a ride. The man who picks her up seems okay; he even tells her he reminds her of his daughter he hasn't seen in many years. Just as he starts to tell her a story to reveal a bit about his past a tire goes flat on his car. As she waits for him to change the tire she begins to get worried about what he is really after and begins to devise a plan to get away. What will happen? You'll have to watch the short and see.
Overall while there are cliches; the tire blowout for instance, the story does keep your attention. While you might think it is going to be a horror story; ultimately it has a lot of heart to it. It takes and interweaves several negatives into a positive message which is rare these days. The cinematography is absolutely beautiful for a short; the exteriors are amazing. The only fault I had was some minor sound issues but again for a short it was still well made. I highly recommend Trunk. Go to the links provided and add coments.
Next we have I Reveal. This one has a more religious theme to it. While I'm not big on religious films again the story kept me intrigued. At the start Gabe; a young preacher, has "a vision" and during the process he is blinded. He has been chosen to relay a message by God.
When he gives the message to his fellow churchgoers they are not happy to hear it. It basically has to deal with the fact that the church has been pickng and choosing who they can forgive and who they will not. Naturally the church elders are enraged and warn Gabe about his action. But Gabe most endure a steadily increasing amount of strife as he continues to speak for God. One of his most difficult is seeking out his estranged wife who had cheated in him years before.
While he eventually recovers his sight any joy from that small victory is short lived by the new challenges before him. Will he be successful with his struggle or will he choose to ignore God? Again you will have to watch and see. Once again the film is shot beautifully. The story is constructed very well so you will want to see what happens with Gabe. Yes there are fire and brimstone type moments but there is never the feeling of being talked down to by the message being sent. Overall both Trunk and I Reveal are excellent shorts and hopefully just the first of more to come. Watch them both you'll enjoy them.
http://vimeo.com/10412600 Trunk
http://vimeo.com/10694330 I Reveal
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Neco z Alenky aka Alice (1988)
From there she is led into stranger and stranger realms. We have the familar drinking and eating size change scene though whenever she is shrunk she is represented by a doll with her likeness. As well as the sea of tears. In this scene we have a mouse dressed as a sailor swim up to Alice and take residence on her head. She is fine with this until he decides he wants to start a fire to cook his meal. While there are several scenes loyal to the book there are also several additions created by Svankmajer that fit together perfectly with the original story. Normally I don't like when directors feel the need to add something new to a classic story but Svankmajer's vision is right on with Carroll's world. To get a sense of the his vision just view the scene below with some of his wonderful creations.
We see familiar faces in unfamiliar representations. The Caterpillar is a sock pocket with false teeth. The March Hare is a very creepy looking stuffed wind up toy whose eye falls out every time he needs to be wound up. And the Mad Hatter is a rather simple looking wooden puppet. Overall the film has a solid pace and you will be eager to see what Alice is about to get into even though you may have read the books or seen the other adaptations. This version reimagines everything creating a fresh and rather unique view of Carroll's story.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Troll 2 Review Part Deux
How can you not love her? It only gets better from here. Well not better good. No there are many more special scenes played out during the movie which I do no want to spoil but I'll give teasers. Can you say random act of Jazzercise? Dead Grandpa Seth and a Molotov Cocktail. Seduction by corn; I kid you not. And what weapon could possibly destroy the evil Goblins and poor Creedence? You will have to see it to believe it. All I can say is if you watch Troll 2 you will have one of two reactions. 1 you will absolutely hate it and most likely not watch the entire thing or 2 you will fall in love with it. One thing is certain either way you will never , never forget this movie.