Creep (Review)

Since the start of this new decade it is quite apparent indie filmmakers have taken over the landscape. Sure, blockbusters and releases by major Directors will never die out, but this truly seems to be an age for the independent market. Not just independent studios mind you; dozens (if not hundreds at this point) of films have come out with a DIY effort. The Duplass Brothers, Mark and Jay, seem to be one of the heads of this new paradigm with Mark giving us yet another outing in Creep. Not only is Creep another successful outing for a Duplass but it is another showcase that independent is where you go for your craving in horror.

Creep follows Aaron (played by Director/Writer Patrick Brice), a cinematographer who goes to the woods to film eccentric Josepf (Mark Duplass). What follows are a series of moments and events that go from odd job to true nightmare for Aaron. Since this is a horror film of the ‘found footage’ type this reviewer was going in for the typical tropes and scares that come with it. While this film does not break new ground in terms of story structure, it must be said Brice and Duplass honestly make a tense film. They actually revolve the scares around the limitations of ‘found footage’ rather than filling the frame of jump scares or stupid, CGI creatures.

It also must be said that with Brice and Duplass being the only figures both in front of and behind the camera this film has a lot more care put into it. In front of the camera we will mostly see Duplass as this unnerving figure whose overall plan for this helpless cameraman gets clearer and sinister as the camera rolls. The film relies more on sort of twisting how the story goes to confuse the audience a bit. So expect a good amount of false leads and the two characters pointing out faults in narrative logic as it goes on. Having said that this film can be incredibly easy to read in terms of where it goes from point A to point B; so be prepared to fully see where the end leads if you are good at predictions.

It should be stressed again how these two are able to make a ‘found footage’ film scary to watch. Since this genre of horror has been played out pretty much anything you can think of has been done to death. While Creep does not change the game with this genre there are nice, subtle touches to keep it separate from the rest. Brice certainly has a great eye for shots so expect some excellent framing throughout and a good sense how a camera should naturally move around. There is also a good sense of pacing where Price and Duplass let the scenes breath and it is more unnerving to linger on moments rather than have quick editing.

Again, Creep is not the most original horror film nor does it do anything incredibly outrageous to change the game. But what Creep does is slight, almost unseen touches to make it an incredibly successful horror film. The performances are genuine, the camera work for a ‘found footage’ film is effective, and these two guys just understand how a film like this works. Creep is another testament to how today’s age of indie filmmaking is changing the landscape of movies. Cause even a slightly predictable movie like Creep can wind up being excellent if you just try a little bit harder.

The Nightmare (Review)

Our bodies can do a lot of weird things when we sleep. We dream, we can sleep walk, and we can literally scare ourselves to death. One thing that has always been fascinating though is sleep paralysis: where the body can literally keep us frozen despite being fully aware of what is going on. New documentarian Rodney Ascher felt there was a compelling story to tell in regards to this bizarre choice our bodies can make. In The Nightmare, Ascher does not give us a story but several to showcase how truly nightmarish it can be.

Instead of giving us a lecture on what makes sleep paralysis happen Ascher is more content giving us visual interpretation of the nightmares these people have. The film jumps from talking heads to actors recreating these moments which gives Ascher more breathing room to be creative. So get ready for nonstop moments of people in beds, pretending to be frozen in place, while actors covered in black slowly creep in front of them. This kind of structure allows Ascher to ratchet up the scares when it comes to things like the sound design or give us some unique camera angles. As someone who gets sleep paralysis from time to time, but not to such a terrible degree as these men and women, it becomes a wonder how any of them cope with such horrible visions.

Unfortunately the film starts to lose its draw after the first couple of retellings. There is no denying Ascher and his team took a lot of care into recreating these terrible visions. But the film moves at such a glacial place it starts to get boring once we see the same ‘shadow men’ and people starting wide eyed into the distance. In fact, it becomes apparent the human mind is not very creative when it comes to sleep paralysis. It feels like something out of a Stephen King novel where an omnipresent being hovers around all of these people. Apart from a few instances where someone’s nightmare goes off the rails the films becomes stagnant far too quickly.

There is no denying Rodney Ascher is a great, new voice for documentaries. With his previous film Room 237 and now The Nightmare he has a great sense of finding unique topics to cover. Unlike his last film though, there is not enough visual appeal to keep it going to the finish. Had this been an effort to make a short documentary, or in the very least cut down the number of participants, this could have had the recipe to be an effective combo of being a non-fiction horror film. As it is The Nightmare will probably be more effective seen in unrelated chunks online rather than its original intended form.

The Babadook (Review)

Children in movies are, by definition, annoying. No matter what genre, no matter the story, and no matter the circumstances; kids are just the worst when it comes to cinema. Even good movies like It Follows or a classic like E.T. gets on my nerves with how much whining I’ll hear. So when people were saying way back in 2014 that the small boy in the Aussie horror flick The Babadook was absolutely grating I hesitated to give this a shot.  On the one hand the people were right in how child actor Noah Wiseman is worse than nails on a chalkboard. But what makes The Babadook truly outstanding is how it casually makes an about-face and turns a solid horror movie into something much more.

If you don’t already know The Babadook is the titular monster. He is a child’s absolute nightmare from a children’s story and God knows how any publisher thought that was a good idea to print. At first you expect this to be a typical creature feature where the monster attacks the Mom and her child is inevitably in danger. You would be absolutely right but only for the first half of this picture. Very slowly you start to realize this creature is not just a physical danger but also, and mostly, a mental danger. For you see the single Mother, played by Essie Davis, is going through some troubling issues what with her husband dying a horrible death a few months ago. Even if by the end of this film the creature becomes a real entity for the most part we can imagine that all of this is an excuse to really go to town on her child.

Look, I’m not advocating at all that abuse is okay or even punishing your child ala spanking. But Noah Wiseman plays such a perfect, piece of shit kid that it is hard not to advocate some kind of violence. He is breaking things all the time, screaming CONSTANTLY in your ear, and cannot shut up about this “imaginary” monster. It was a close decision to NOT turn this movie off because of how frustrating it is to see this widow trying to keep her son in line. But something weird starts to happen. Eventually the tone of the film switches to its horror state and we, somehow, start rooting for this kid. Mostly because we end up realizing that everything this kid was doing was for a reason which is a trope I personally do not enjoy in films. Somehow we are loving it that this kid turns ‘Home Alone‘ on us and can match wits with this creature.

This movie does a successful job by giving you the creeps. Once the Babadook starts messing with this Mother’s head the film’s tone becomes ‘dread’. Not only does she start hallucinating some truly awful stuff but the quick cutting doesn’t make things better. There is a newscast from a nightmare she has that ends in the creepiest image ever that I don’t wanna spoil. But even to this day I am thinking about that image and I get goosebumps. The titular monster itself is a fascinating thing to look at too. Like a shadow he slinks in the darkness and that design of the top hat & cape makes him stand out from most of today’s horror creatures.

Ultimately though this movie is about how a woman tries to keep her sanity in the darkest of moments. The Babadook might end up being a real creature who poses a real threat but at the end of the day this is all a metaphor for depression. The more she thinks how awful her life is the more power this monster has control over her. It might make scenes of her bad mouthing her son somewhat funny because you don’t expect such horrible things being spouted to a young kid. (And, again, it isn’t like the bad mouthing is not justified.) But then when things get real this becomes a movie about child abuse more than a horror movie and that’s where the genius comes in. Get rid of all the supernatural elements and all you get is a widow mother on the verge of a mental breakdown. If Jennifer Kent doesn’t get more chances to put a spin on more horror tropes then the world isn’t fair.

Hopefully this mildly spoiler filled review doesn’t dissuade you from giving The Babadook a shot. It is a genuinely creepy film and that is a rare commodity these days with the horror genre. But what Jennifer Kent does is spin this creature feature into a complex story about loss, depression, and coping with your child. Again, it can’t be stressed enough that Noah Wiseman portrays the most annoying child in the history of cinema. But stick with this for more than half its run time. Trust me, you will not regard sticking with such an unruly beast before getting to the real terror.

Unfriended (Review)

Comedian Dane Cook had a nice observation on how all of us love to turn into critics when we see a trailer in the theaters. Whenever we see a taste of what movies are coming soon we always judge critically even if it is nowhere near the final product. Admittedly, and shamefully, this reviewer is known to do that many times and it came no different with the new, found footage horror film Unfriended. The trailers for this film, in this man’s humble opinion, looked completely dumb and seemed to be another pointless horror entry for the new millennium. After viewing Unfriended it certainly comes across much better than its advertisements, but it will mostly be a hollow victory.

Unfriended takes the novel approach of telling the story all through webcams and browsers. So whenever vital information is given it is through Facebook messages, Google searches, and anything else that is ‘hip’ in today’s tech savy generation. The one thing you can give Unfriended credit is sticking with its gimmick and also showing us what is probably the worst of today’s generation of teenagers. Every single character in this are incredibly unlikable in different aspects and, despite sounding harsh, it feels so satisfying to watch these idiots suffer. It is doubtful that Writer Nelson Greaves was going for anything too deep when he wrote this but it does give some thought while watching how much technology has degraded society to a degree.

The only problem with these aspects is that it quickly becomes frustrating to watch a film totally dedicated to the internet. After the first ten minutes you will basically see all of the film’s tricks, such as creepy ‘glitches’ or the constant texting between the two leads. Plus the film can never quite decide on how some of the tech works. Director Levan Gabriadze will tune characters out on Skype so we can see various web searches or text and it becomes frustrating that no one is calling out how the main lead is ignoring them. Also, never before has the goal of making you hate the characters succeed and fail at the same time. It is satisfying to see these people get what is coming to them but they are still assholes (for a lack of a better word) who have no redeeming value making it impossible to care about them.

The biggest issue on a whole though is the pacing of the film. For a film that does not even hit the ninety minute mark it certainly drags at points. Again, reading text or various websites can only go so far and by the halfway mark it becomes a slog to keep reading. Unfriended also uses various tricks such as loading screen, broken webcams, and an unnecessary venture to Chatroulette to build suspension. You know what is worse than experiencing bad load times on a real computer? Watching people go through the same thing in a film.

You have to give Unfriended credit for sticking to its guns when it comes to the gimmick. Levan Gabriadze made sure this was as real to life as possible to showcase a horror film in today’s computer age. But Unfriended suffers from all the typical tropes of horror films especially in terms of characters and plot. The gimmick itself honestly loses its luster barely a quarter way through and this ultimately could have worked better as an entry in an anthology series on TV in a shorter length. Initial thoughts from the previews seemed to be confirmed then; hopefully there will be a gem in the next batch of previews at the movies.

Moving Out West: The OH MOVIES Story

So I got good news and bad news guys.

Good News: I’m moving to Los Angeles! I got a job with a major network and I am now (FINALLY) working where I wanna be. It took a lot of effort but I cannot stress how excited and happy I am.

Lost River (Review)

Many actors think they can easily go behind the camera and create their own film. We have seen it time and time again with very mixed results. For every Ben Affleck (Argo) and Clint Eastwood (Unforgiven, Mystic River) giving us some cinematic gems we have the opposite in Eddie Murphy (Harlem Nights) who shows he should stay far away from the Director’s chair. Last year, Ryan Gosling tried his hand at becoming his own auteur with the debut of Lost River. Does this show any promise that Mr. Gosling can become a hot, new commodity as a filmmaker?

It Follows (Review)

A lot of filmmakers try to pay homage to what influenced them to get into the industry. Unfortunately when people decide to do that it never really works because you cannot outdo your idols. When you watch a movie like It Follows you can instantly tell Director David Robert Mitchell loves horror films from the 1980s. It Follows feels like a time capsule but also feels remarkably fresh in today’s age of bloated, and non-scary, horror films. Because of its retro outlook it makes Mitchell’s sophomore outing one of the best horror films to come out in years.

Spring (Review)

With the horror genre struggling these days we cannot rely on the major studios releasing anything in terms of quality. Some of last year’s “gems” like Annabelle or yet another Paranormal Activity showcases a lack of creativity. Which is why the independent scene is so important because that is where all the scares are. Go to your ‘Video On Demand’ services and you will see a bevy of horror films just waiting for you to explore. A more recent outing you will notice comes in the shape of Spring; a European romance with a sinister twist.

My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (REVIEW)

In 2013 acclaimed Danish Director Nicolas Winding Refn released his next film Only God Forgives. It was a follow up to his last outing in Drive, which astounded people and elevated his career to new heights. So, of course, the pressure was on him to make everyone happy and continue his newfound success. During the making of his new film Refn’s wife, Liv Corfixen, decided to film the entire production process and to see how his husband is coping mentally. While My Life Directed does showcase some of the problems affecting Refn it mostly fails making it meaningful.

Against the Sun (Review)

If there is one thing the public loves it is a good survival story. Put any number of people in an ‘against the odds’ kind of plot and you already hooked the viewer. Especially if we have a story set during any time of war because if there is one thing Americans love is war stories. Type the words ‘World War II’ & ‘Survival’ and you will get tons of media that recounts some brutal situations soldiers got in to. Brian Falk’s Against the Sun is yet another entry and honestly, like the characters involved, it more than likely will be lost in sea.

Against the Sun quickly gets the ball rolling as we witness the plight of three Navy airman (Jake Abel, Garret Dillahunt, and Tom Felton) lost adrift in the middle of the Pacific. While this is based off a true story it certainly does not help this feels like any other lost at sea tale. We go from start to finish with the typical plot points from an arrogant leader, to trying to find food, to the evitable storm that plagues these men. While these three look the part, there is nothing here to make these men memorable or distinguishable. Brian Falk and co-writer Mark David Keegan definitely respect the real survivors but because their tale is pretty typical they do not add any dimension to make us care.

Two people that do try and add something to this picture are Cinematographer Petr Cikhart and Editor Sean Albertson. For a good spell this film is shot amazingly well and Cikhart’s history as a documentarian certainly helps. The day scenes have some beautiful, sweeping shots of the ocean and Cikhart does some innovative things like filming underwater to get some unique angles. Albertson then does some magic by cutting pretty quickly so looking at only three men the entire length is not too boring. It is always difficult to make a film with one setting interesting but to give credit where credit is due Against the Sun is visually appealing.

Actually Against the Sun is visually appealing to a point. A good two thirds through this and the budget seemed to drop dramatically as poor CGI and green screen is used throughout. Let’s put it this way: The sharks from Jaws 3D look more realistic than this film’s. Try as he can, Cikhart can only do so much when the film goes for the cheap so late. That and it must be said that the night scenes involved are infuriatingly dark. It is one way to be realistic but considering we cannot see some key plot moments because of the non-existing lighting maybe it would not have hurt to have some kind of light on these guys.

Unfortunately Against the Sun is one of the more frustrating, true stories to be made. No matter how beautiful this film can look there are countless things that continues to stall it. The characters are not interesting, the writing is too predictable, and the CGI is SyFy Channel level bad. If you are into survival stories or even a WWII fanatic this might be for you. But with so many damn options available you can watch, read, listen, or even play much better stories than this.