DIR: Ti West
(2009)
"People make mistakes, it happens." Well not in this case they don't Ti West has served up a dish of 80's throwbacks to the extreme. Starting with the trailer and poster, House Of The Devil embarks on a whole bunch of homages to the horror genre. Completely unoriginal though somehow satisfying, we get something special. In our current climate of slasher films and dare I say 'torture porn' this film offers the viewer a toned down suspenseful period piece; if one didn't know any better they would 100% believe what they were watching was made in the 1980's as absolutely everything in regards to that detail is perfected.
Samantha Hughes is a broke sophomore college student who desperately needs to come up with some money to move out of her shared dorm room and into the perfect place for her. She comes across a 'Baby $itter' flyer and answers the ad. The residence in question is situated out in the sticks, getting there she learns the job is not exactly as it seems and despite the pressured efforts of her best friend to leave, the generous payment is too much to refuse. It's the night of the big lunar eclipse and what begins as fairly innocent turns into something completely not.
From the television news presentation to the props, the hair, and the clothing, the dialogue and phrases used, the music and vehicles, everything is perfectly accounted for in terms of 1980's continuity. So much design has gone into the production of this film and its for good reason; if House Of The Devil was set in modern times it wouldn't have the same viewing pleasure and perhaps even be regarded as rubbish, mainly because as horror fans we have seen it done so many time before. Because of this gimmick we are able to accept the storyline and overall package given instead of it being just another lame knock off and/or remake.
As a horror fan I believe we should never know where the story is leading and with this we immediately have an understanding and a hope where is shouldn't lead and that's exactly where the movie makes a major mistake, the final act is too cornball and predictable. But I guess works fine as a film making the Grindhouse circuit in the era its set in.
House Of The Devil gives us exactly what Rob Zombie has been thriving to achieve but Ti West is able to pull it off so much better in that regard.
6.5/10
Sunday, February 28, 2010
SHUTTER ISLAND
DIR: Martin Scorsese
(2010)
When everything in your life is going wrong and you feel like nothing is worthwhile anymore there is always something that is concrete and that something is a good film. Shutter Island is an example of a damn good film, just when you think cinema has gone into a downward spiral along comes a fantastic filmmaker to address the wrongs with just one masterful right.
Now to start Shutter Island is not an original idea as it is based on a popular book by Dennis Lehane and the idea of insanity presented in this context has been shown in similar degrees specifically as a staple episode in genre based television shows making it arguably the only real setback if there ever needs to be one. Because of this you are able to dissect the film as it plays out and are guaranteed one of the possible twists you've settled on will be proven true at the climax of the film. However with that being said there are only two plausible outcomes for conclusion and in my opinion its made very clear that the one presented is done so without doubt, no matter what ambiguity the audience may lust for. I've read so many times of how the ending is unclear but it's simply not true, having not read the novel I can't comment on its interpretation but what we are given onscreen is a solid outcome.
The film opens with the emerging image of a ferry traveling through some amazingly heavy mist. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels who is sickly aboard the crossing ferry with his newly appointed partner U.S. Marshal Chuck Aule played by Mark Ruffalo. They are headed to the Asylum located on Shutter Island. A patient by the name of Rachel Solando has gone missing and it is up to these two men to find her. As the story progresses and unfolds it is made clear that Teddy has other motivations for being on the island. Not only that but another mystery is presented in the clue of two questions, one of which suggests a 67th unexplained patient.
Scorsese allows us to not only watch the film but to also take a journey and at times allows us to feel like a character riding alongside the chaos. He's able to use much respected old-school basic camerawork (a technique that so many filmmakers these days forget to use, something we can all blame The Matrix for) which works with amazing effect to draw us into the nightmare of Shutter Island. Unfortunately I will admit there are two noticeable scenes that stick out due to obvious unnecessary CGI which is disappointing because I really can't understand what prompted its use. What should be applauded is the closeness to Kubrick's directorial style; I swore at many times along the way I felt like I was watching a lost Kubrick masterpiece. The cinematography is amazing a true pleasure for the eyes; in a gloomy kind of way and the soundtrack fits superbly well and even that too is minimal and luckily not overused.
There are some disturbing scenes shown in the form of flashbacks and/or dreams. They begin as a clever way of confusing the audience into believing a certain story element but then come together very clearly to show the basis of a characters insanity and their willingness to accept a substituted reality.
Shutter Island admittedly is not for everyone, it is a long, not slow but rather drawn out structural film, it takes itself very seriously which in this case is actually a good thing. One thing alot of people may not be able to grasp is that about halfway through the story changes alot of its foundry details which then too get muddled and re-clarified in the last leg of viewing. But to judge that as bad film making is simply lazy, something humans beings are well known for doing; dismiss anything they are unable to comprehend.
But alas this movie asks us only one question; What is real?
8.5/10
(2010)
When everything in your life is going wrong and you feel like nothing is worthwhile anymore there is always something that is concrete and that something is a good film. Shutter Island is an example of a damn good film, just when you think cinema has gone into a downward spiral along comes a fantastic filmmaker to address the wrongs with just one masterful right.
Now to start Shutter Island is not an original idea as it is based on a popular book by Dennis Lehane and the idea of insanity presented in this context has been shown in similar degrees specifically as a staple episode in genre based television shows making it arguably the only real setback if there ever needs to be one. Because of this you are able to dissect the film as it plays out and are guaranteed one of the possible twists you've settled on will be proven true at the climax of the film. However with that being said there are only two plausible outcomes for conclusion and in my opinion its made very clear that the one presented is done so without doubt, no matter what ambiguity the audience may lust for. I've read so many times of how the ending is unclear but it's simply not true, having not read the novel I can't comment on its interpretation but what we are given onscreen is a solid outcome.
The film opens with the emerging image of a ferry traveling through some amazingly heavy mist. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels who is sickly aboard the crossing ferry with his newly appointed partner U.S. Marshal Chuck Aule played by Mark Ruffalo. They are headed to the Asylum located on Shutter Island. A patient by the name of Rachel Solando has gone missing and it is up to these two men to find her. As the story progresses and unfolds it is made clear that Teddy has other motivations for being on the island. Not only that but another mystery is presented in the clue of two questions, one of which suggests a 67th unexplained patient.
Scorsese allows us to not only watch the film but to also take a journey and at times allows us to feel like a character riding alongside the chaos. He's able to use much respected old-school basic camerawork (a technique that so many filmmakers these days forget to use, something we can all blame The Matrix for) which works with amazing effect to draw us into the nightmare of Shutter Island. Unfortunately I will admit there are two noticeable scenes that stick out due to obvious unnecessary CGI which is disappointing because I really can't understand what prompted its use. What should be applauded is the closeness to Kubrick's directorial style; I swore at many times along the way I felt like I was watching a lost Kubrick masterpiece. The cinematography is amazing a true pleasure for the eyes; in a gloomy kind of way and the soundtrack fits superbly well and even that too is minimal and luckily not overused.
There are some disturbing scenes shown in the form of flashbacks and/or dreams. They begin as a clever way of confusing the audience into believing a certain story element but then come together very clearly to show the basis of a characters insanity and their willingness to accept a substituted reality.
Shutter Island admittedly is not for everyone, it is a long, not slow but rather drawn out structural film, it takes itself very seriously which in this case is actually a good thing. One thing alot of people may not be able to grasp is that about halfway through the story changes alot of its foundry details which then too get muddled and re-clarified in the last leg of viewing. But to judge that as bad film making is simply lazy, something humans beings are well known for doing; dismiss anything they are unable to comprehend.
But alas this movie asks us only one question; What is real?
8.5/10
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