Problemista is a love story about two strangers who up an unlikely friendship despite their distinct personalities. In its very surrealistically quirky depiction of a platonic relationship between Alejandro and Elizabeth, this film also explores the struggles of an immigrant finding ways to ensure his residence in the country. Moreover, Problemista has a lot of symbolism and motifs that are depicted quite flamboyantly through Tilda Swinton’s portrayal of Elizabeth.
Spoilers Ahead
What’s the meaning of Alejandro’s mother’s recurring dream?
As a child in El Salvador, Alejandro and his mother would often conjure imaginary situations together. His endearing mother, Dolores, believed Alejandro to be her perfect creation and was quite overprotective of her son. She often dreamt about Alejandro wearing a blue T-shirt and entering a mysterious cave deep inside a forest. It is implied that Alejandro must face a monster inside the cave, too. At the time,...
Spoilers Ahead
What’s the meaning of Alejandro’s mother’s recurring dream?
As a child in El Salvador, Alejandro and his mother would often conjure imaginary situations together. His endearing mother, Dolores, believed Alejandro to be her perfect creation and was quite overprotective of her son. She often dreamt about Alejandro wearing a blue T-shirt and entering a mysterious cave deep inside a forest. It is implied that Alejandro must face a monster inside the cave, too. At the time,...
- 4/20/2024
- by Shrey Ashley Philip
- Film Fugitives
Julio Torres’ whimsical comedy shows promise in its portrayal of the Kafka-esque maze of the US immigration system, but his ideas don’t always come together
As testified by numerous documentaries, many journalistic investigations and countless lived experiences, the United States immigration system is a purgatorial, deliberately confusing, dehumanizing hell. Getting here, let alone staying here, can be a confounding maze of dead-ends and Kafka-esque double binds, an impossible staircase of bureaucracy. The metaphors come easy; the system lends itself well to magical realism, as poignantly realized in the new A24 film Problemista, in which immigration is a literal maze of drab cubicles, an hourglass counts down one’s days till deportation, and applicants are physically disappeared by a bland visa denials.
Problemista, the winsome debut feature from writer/director/actor Julio Torres, is at its best when the erstwhile SNL writer and creator of the HBO show...
As testified by numerous documentaries, many journalistic investigations and countless lived experiences, the United States immigration system is a purgatorial, deliberately confusing, dehumanizing hell. Getting here, let alone staying here, can be a confounding maze of dead-ends and Kafka-esque double binds, an impossible staircase of bureaucracy. The metaphors come easy; the system lends itself well to magical realism, as poignantly realized in the new A24 film Problemista, in which immigration is a literal maze of drab cubicles, an hourglass counts down one’s days till deportation, and applicants are physically disappeared by a bland visa denials.
Problemista, the winsome debut feature from writer/director/actor Julio Torres, is at its best when the erstwhile SNL writer and creator of the HBO show...
- 2/26/2024
- by Adrian Horton
- The Guardian - Film News
“Elvis” director of photography Mandy Walker won Feature Film at the ASC Awards March 5, when the American Society of Cinematographers handed out its honors at the 37th annual awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Walker’s win in the feature film category could prove prescient; 17 out of the last 36 years found the ASC film winner winning the Academy Award. But it’s worth noting that Oscar nominees “Tár” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” were not among the ASC nominees.
In the TV categories, “The Old Man” took awards for Motion Picture, Limited Series, or Pilot Made for Television and Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Commercial, while “Barry” won Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series for its Season 3 finale and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” won Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Non-Commercial for its Season 4 finale.
In addition, several honorary awards were handed out. Egot winner Viola Davis...
Walker’s win in the feature film category could prove prescient; 17 out of the last 36 years found the ASC film winner winning the Academy Award. But it’s worth noting that Oscar nominees “Tár” and “All Quiet on the Western Front” were not among the ASC nominees.
In the TV categories, “The Old Man” took awards for Motion Picture, Limited Series, or Pilot Made for Television and Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Commercial, while “Barry” won Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series for its Season 3 finale and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” won Episode of a One-Hour Television Series – Non-Commercial for its Season 4 finale.
In addition, several honorary awards were handed out. Egot winner Viola Davis...
- 3/6/2023
- by Mark Peikert
- Indiewire
Elvis cinematographer Mandy Walker cracked a glass ceiling on Sunday, becoming the first woman to win the American Society of Cinematographers Award in the feature competition during the 37th ASC Awards.
The crowd at the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom erupted with applause and gave Walker a lengthy standing ovation as her name was called.
“This is for all the women that win this award after me,” she said to enthusiastic applause, and she looked for to more women breaking more glass ceilings. “Thijs is an inclusive, representative community,” she said, adding, “I didn’t cry, I thought I was going to cry.”
She thanked Elvis director Baz Luhrmann for allowing her to “create magic with him;” Catherine Martin for her “support and inspiration; and her crew for “dancing with the camera and flying with the camera” during Austin Butler’s performance as Elvis.
Walker’s bold lensing of Elvis...
The crowd at the Beverly Hilton’s International Ballroom erupted with applause and gave Walker a lengthy standing ovation as her name was called.
“This is for all the women that win this award after me,” she said to enthusiastic applause, and she looked for to more women breaking more glass ceilings. “Thijs is an inclusive, representative community,” she said, adding, “I didn’t cry, I thought I was going to cry.”
She thanked Elvis director Baz Luhrmann for allowing her to “create magic with him;” Catherine Martin for her “support and inspiration; and her crew for “dancing with the camera and flying with the camera” during Austin Butler’s performance as Elvis.
Walker’s bold lensing of Elvis...
- 3/6/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mandy Walker has won the American Society of Cinematographers feature-film award for “Elvis,” making her the first woman ever to win that award. She is only the third female nominee in the category, after Rachel Morrison for “Mudbound” in 2018 and Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog” last year.
Walker now has the chance to become the first woman to win the Oscar for cinematography, where she is also the third female nominee in the gender-neutral Oscars category that took the longest to nominate a woman. Her competitors at the Oscars include two who were also nominated by the ASC, Roger Deakins for “Empire of Light” and Darius Khondji for “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truth,” along with James Friend for “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Florian Hoffmeister for “Tar.”
“This is for all the women who will win the award after me, and for...
Walker now has the chance to become the first woman to win the Oscar for cinematography, where she is also the third female nominee in the gender-neutral Oscars category that took the longest to nominate a woman. Her competitors at the Oscars include two who were also nominated by the ASC, Roger Deakins for “Empire of Light” and Darius Khondji for “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truth,” along with James Friend for “All Quiet on the Western Front” and Florian Hoffmeister for “Tar.”
“This is for all the women who will win the award after me, and for...
- 3/6/2023
- by Steve Pond and Jason Clark
- The Wrap
The American Society of Cinematographers is handing out its 37th annual ASC Awards tonight at the Beverly Hilton, and Deadline is posting the winners as they’re announced. See the list below.
The night’s first prize went to Carl Herse for HBO’s Barry, which won for Episode of a Half-Hour Series.
The society’s nominees for its marquee Theatrical Feature Film prize are Roger Deakins for Empire of Light, Greig Fraser for The Batman, Darius Khondji for Bardo, Claudio Miranda for Top Gun: Maverick and Mandy Walker for Elvis. Fraser won the ASC’s top prize last year for Dune, en route to winning the Cinematography Oscar.
The ASC film winner has won the Academy Award nearly half of the time — 17 times in its 36 years. Bardo, Elvis and Empire of Light will vie for the Best Cinematography Oscar on March 12 against All Quiet on the Western Front (James Friend...
The night’s first prize went to Carl Herse for HBO’s Barry, which won for Episode of a Half-Hour Series.
The society’s nominees for its marquee Theatrical Feature Film prize are Roger Deakins for Empire of Light, Greig Fraser for The Batman, Darius Khondji for Bardo, Claudio Miranda for Top Gun: Maverick and Mandy Walker for Elvis. Fraser won the ASC’s top prize last year for Dune, en route to winning the Cinematography Oscar.
The ASC film winner has won the Academy Award nearly half of the time — 17 times in its 36 years. Bardo, Elvis and Empire of Light will vie for the Best Cinematography Oscar on March 12 against All Quiet on the Western Front (James Friend...
- 3/6/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The American Society of Cinematographers has unveiled the nominations for its 37th annual ASC Awards, honoring the year’s best in feature film, documentary and television cinematography.
The society’s marquee Theatrical Feature Film nominees are Roger Deakins for Empire of Light, Greig Fraser for The Batman , Darius Khondji for Bardo, Claudio Miranda for Top Gun: Maverick and Mandy Walker for Elvis.
Fraser won the ASC’s top prize last year for Dune, en route to winning the Cinematography Oscar. The ASC film winner has won the Academy Award nearly half of the time — 17 times in its 36 years.
On the small-screen front, the only program that made a return trip to the nominations was Hacks, which again is up for Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series.
Here are the nominees for the 2023 ASC Awards:
Theatrical Feature Film Nominees
Roger Deakins, Empire of Light (Searchlight Pictures)
Greig Fraser, The Batman (Warner Bros.)
Darius Khondji,...
The society’s marquee Theatrical Feature Film nominees are Roger Deakins for Empire of Light, Greig Fraser for The Batman , Darius Khondji for Bardo, Claudio Miranda for Top Gun: Maverick and Mandy Walker for Elvis.
Fraser won the ASC’s top prize last year for Dune, en route to winning the Cinematography Oscar. The ASC film winner has won the Academy Award nearly half of the time — 17 times in its 36 years.
On the small-screen front, the only program that made a return trip to the nominations was Hacks, which again is up for Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series.
Here are the nominees for the 2023 ASC Awards:
Theatrical Feature Film Nominees
Roger Deakins, Empire of Light (Searchlight Pictures)
Greig Fraser, The Batman (Warner Bros.)
Darius Khondji,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
The cinematographers of “The Batman,” “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths,” “Elvis,” “Empire of Light” and “Top Gun: Maverick” have received nominations from the American Society of Cinematographers, the ASC announced on Monday.
Last year’s winner, “Dune” cinematographer Greig Fraser, was nominated again for “The Batman.” Darius Khondji received the nomination for “Bardo,” Claudio Miranda for “Top Gun,” Mandy Walker for “Elvis” and cinematography legend Roger Deakins received his record 17th ASC nomination for “Empire of Light.”
The nomination makes “Elvis” cinematographer Mandy Walker only the third woman to be nominated in the top feature-film category by the ASC, after Rachel Morrison for “Black Panther” and Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog.” No female cinematographer has ever won in the category.
Also Read:
Cinematographer Roger Deakins Fears That Moviegoing Has ‘Changed Beyond Repair’
The nominations bypassed “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tar” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,...
Last year’s winner, “Dune” cinematographer Greig Fraser, was nominated again for “The Batman.” Darius Khondji received the nomination for “Bardo,” Claudio Miranda for “Top Gun,” Mandy Walker for “Elvis” and cinematography legend Roger Deakins received his record 17th ASC nomination for “Empire of Light.”
The nomination makes “Elvis” cinematographer Mandy Walker only the third woman to be nominated in the top feature-film category by the ASC, after Rachel Morrison for “Black Panther” and Ari Wegner for “The Power of the Dog.” No female cinematographer has ever won in the category.
Also Read:
Cinematographer Roger Deakins Fears That Moviegoing Has ‘Changed Beyond Repair’
The nominations bypassed “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “The Fabelmans,” “Tar” and “Everything Everywhere All at Once,...
- 1/9/2023
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Roger Deakins (“Empire of Light”), Greig Fraser (“The Batman”), Darius Khondji, Claudio Miranda (“Top Gun: Maverick”), and Mandy Walker (“Elvis”) were nominated Monday for the 37th annual ASC Awards (to be held March 5 at the Beverly Hilton and live streamed).
For the legendary Deakins, who finds himself in the underdog position for exquisitely lensing Sam Mendes’ underappreciated ode to cinema, this marks his ASC-leading 17th nomination. The two-time Oscar winner (“1917” and “Blade Runner 2049”) has won five times, tied with Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, the three-time Oscar winner, who didn’t make the cut for “Amsterdam,” which never got any critical traction. Fraser, last year’s Oscar and ASC winner for “Dune,” has two wins and three noms. For Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” he provided a gritty noir look. Miranda, an Oscar winner for “Life of Pi,” has three nominations, and is considered the frontrunner for taking us into...
For the legendary Deakins, who finds himself in the underdog position for exquisitely lensing Sam Mendes’ underappreciated ode to cinema, this marks his ASC-leading 17th nomination. The two-time Oscar winner (“1917” and “Blade Runner 2049”) has won five times, tied with Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki, the three-time Oscar winner, who didn’t make the cut for “Amsterdam,” which never got any critical traction. Fraser, last year’s Oscar and ASC winner for “Dune,” has two wins and three noms. For Matt Reeves’ “The Batman,” he provided a gritty noir look. Miranda, an Oscar winner for “Life of Pi,” has three nominations, and is considered the frontrunner for taking us into...
- 1/9/2023
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Mandy Walker’s bold lensing of Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis made her the third woman to ever be nominated in the feature category of the American Society of Cinematographers’ ASC Awards, which announced it nominations on Monday.
The feature nominees in the competitive 37th ASC Awards race are Walker; Roger Deakins for Empire of Light; Greig Fraser for The Batman; Darius Khondji for Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths; and Claudio Miranda for Top Gun: Maverick.
Walker is now in a select group of just three women who have been nominated in the ASC feature competition. Rachel Morrison was nominated in 2018 for Mudbound, followed by Ari Wegner, who was nominated in 2022 for The Power of the Dog. Morrison and Wegner both went on to earn historic Oscar nominations.
With his work on Sam Mendes’ drama Empire of Light, Deakins extends his record number of ASC feature nominations to a remarkable 17 noms.
The feature nominees in the competitive 37th ASC Awards race are Walker; Roger Deakins for Empire of Light; Greig Fraser for The Batman; Darius Khondji for Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths; and Claudio Miranda for Top Gun: Maverick.
Walker is now in a select group of just three women who have been nominated in the ASC feature competition. Rachel Morrison was nominated in 2018 for Mudbound, followed by Ari Wegner, who was nominated in 2022 for The Power of the Dog. Morrison and Wegner both went on to earn historic Oscar nominations.
With his work on Sam Mendes’ drama Empire of Light, Deakins extends his record number of ASC feature nominations to a remarkable 17 noms.
- 1/9/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
Tonight, the Wbc world super lightweight belt will once again have an owner in either Jose Zepeda or Regis Prograis.
It’s a crucial fight for Prograis, as it’ll be his first title shot since losing the Wba light welterweight belt — and the first fight of his career — to Josh Taylor in 2019. But he faces a daunting challenge in Zepeda, a veteran out of California with 36 wins,...
Tonight, the Wbc world super lightweight belt will once again have an owner in either Jose Zepeda or Regis Prograis.
It’s a crucial fight for Prograis, as it’ll be his first title shot since losing the Wba light welterweight belt — and the first fight of his career — to Josh Taylor in 2019. But he faces a daunting challenge in Zepeda, a veteran out of California with 36 wins,...
- 11/26/2022
- by Oscar Hartzog
- Rollingstone.com
The festival, set to run in Mexico from November 11-15, has unveiled the selections in its After Dark, American Specials and Green programmes.
Entries in the After Dark genre section feature films that have garnered acclaim at other festivals and include Matteo Garrone’s Tale Of Tales and the Latin American premieres of Robert Eggers’ The Witch (pictured) and Bo Mikkelsen’s What We Become.
The American Specials selections present Mexican permieres of Scott Cooper’s Black Mass and Marielle Heller’s The Diary of A Teenage Girl.
The Green strand presented by Discovery Channel showcases the Latin American premiere of Cyril Barbançon and Andy Byatt’s Hurricane 3D and the Mexican premieres of Louie Psihoyos’s Racing Extinction and Luc Jacqyet’s La Glace Et Le Ciel.
Festival top brass have also announced entries in the Cabos In Progress initiative for films in post that are made in or being produced with Mexico.
The selections...
Entries in the After Dark genre section feature films that have garnered acclaim at other festivals and include Matteo Garrone’s Tale Of Tales and the Latin American premieres of Robert Eggers’ The Witch (pictured) and Bo Mikkelsen’s What We Become.
The American Specials selections present Mexican permieres of Scott Cooper’s Black Mass and Marielle Heller’s The Diary of A Teenage Girl.
The Green strand presented by Discovery Channel showcases the Latin American premiere of Cyril Barbançon and Andy Byatt’s Hurricane 3D and the Mexican premieres of Louie Psihoyos’s Racing Extinction and Luc Jacqyet’s La Glace Et Le Ciel.
Festival top brass have also announced entries in the Cabos In Progress initiative for films in post that are made in or being produced with Mexico.
The selections...
- 10/20/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Robots. Ever since the dawn of science-fiction arose from the industrial revolution, it seemed inevitable that technology would play a major role in the future evolution of mankind. Or, perhaps, as some would suggest, skip evolution all together as human beings become extinct and the fruits of our scientific prowess take over as the top of the Earthly food chain. Wherever we fall on that debate, the ultimate question remains… what will the continued advancement of technology look like and how would humanity fit into the long-term picture?
Writer and director Gabe Ibáñez returns five years after revealing his first feature film Hierro (2009) with AUTÓMATA. He dips his quill into the rich ink pot that is science-fiction to tackle the difference between man and machine, or the similarities that emerge beneath the blinding veil of fear and hatred. This may sound all too dramatic, but at its core, AUTÓMATA is...
Writer and director Gabe Ibáñez returns five years after revealing his first feature film Hierro (2009) with AUTÓMATA. He dips his quill into the rich ink pot that is science-fiction to tackle the difference between man and machine, or the similarities that emerge beneath the blinding veil of fear and hatred. This may sound all too dramatic, but at its core, AUTÓMATA is...
- 10/9/2014
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Year: 2009
Directors: Gabe Ibáñez
Writers: Javier Gullón & Jesus de la Vega
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Hal MacDermot
Rating: 6.8 out of 10
Hierro is a beautifully shot, psychological thriller/horror from first time Spanish director Gabe Ibáñez, and the producers of Pan’s Labyrinth and The Orphanage. It confirms Spain’s reputation as a crib for awesomely atmospheric and visually powerful films, like the fully apocalyptic Before the Fall (2008), and I reckon we’ll be hearing quite a bit from the talented Mr. Ibáñez in the future.
But, despite the brilliant location, a volcanic, blasted and God forsaken island called Hierro (iron), which is the most Southerly outpost of Europe, this is a flick that promises fear and only half delivers. It’s never quite scary enough, and often shies away from the psychological or even real horror it promises. Well, except for the story resolution, when the heroine Maria...
Directors: Gabe Ibáñez
Writers: Javier Gullón & Jesus de la Vega
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: Hal MacDermot
Rating: 6.8 out of 10
Hierro is a beautifully shot, psychological thriller/horror from first time Spanish director Gabe Ibáñez, and the producers of Pan’s Labyrinth and The Orphanage. It confirms Spain’s reputation as a crib for awesomely atmospheric and visually powerful films, like the fully apocalyptic Before the Fall (2008), and I reckon we’ll be hearing quite a bit from the talented Mr. Ibáñez in the future.
But, despite the brilliant location, a volcanic, blasted and God forsaken island called Hierro (iron), which is the most Southerly outpost of Europe, this is a flick that promises fear and only half delivers. It’s never quite scary enough, and often shies away from the psychological or even real horror it promises. Well, except for the story resolution, when the heroine Maria...
- 7/15/2009
- QuietEarth.us
The legend of Countess Erszebet or Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary, the 17th century "Blood Countess", has it that she slew 650 young girls to bathe in their blood in a misguided rejuvenation program. Then, as her family walled her up inside her castle to prevent further misadventures, she vowed to return to life. And return she has -- in movies.
She starred in the 1971 French horror film, "Les Levres rouges" (Daughters of Darkness), portrayed by the lovely Delphine Seyrig, then re-appeared in August in the overwrought lesbian-vampire movie "Eternal". Her latest reincarnation in "Stay Alive" well befits modern sensibilities because she is the diaphanous villain in a video game. In the movie, gamers who accept the challenge of the underground game find themselves dying, one by one, each killed in the exact manner as their characters in the game.
"Stay Alive" is a passable horror-thriller for the young crowd, assuming a movie can lure them away from PlayStations. Because the Walt Disney Co. chose to release the film without a press screening or much marketing, the studio evidently doesn't think this movie can. While the movie should encounter a solid reception in home video, "Stay Alive" is imaginative enough at the conceptual level to have achieved with some promotion perhaps average or even above-average theatrical grosses.
The characters are rote creations, however, your typical foolish youths so familiar to scare movies. Yet the mix of 3-D game action with the atmospheric reality of New Orleans and Louisiana locations that startlingly replicate the game's physical design is a neat trick. The deaths themselves are routine by horror-film standards, while the gore never ventures beyond PG-13 territory.
The protagonist is Hutch (Jon Foster), whose buddy (Milo Ventimiglia) dies after beta testing a video game titled "Stay Alive". So naturally, Hutch and his friends have to play it. These include Abigail (Samaire Armstrong), a photographer who just happens to turn up at the buddy's funeral; tech guru Swink (Frankie Muniz); goth girl October (Sophia Bush); her hard-core gaming brother, Phineus (Jimmio Simpson); and via the Internet, Hutch's game-obsessed boss, Miller (Adam Goldberg).
So it's in-the-dungeon-with-14-inch-knives until the movie reduces its cast to three and then two characters. They have no choice, you see, because once "Stay Alive" begins, the game plays by itself.
Debuting director William Brent Bell, who wrote the script with producer Matthew Peterman, keeps the pace brisk and the pot bubbling. Cinematographer Alejandro Martinez, designer Bruton Jones and visual effects supervisor Kent Seki create just the right ambiance with 3-D action that looks like The Real Thing and real locations that look weirdly like 3-D action.
You do wonder, though, where Elizabeth Bathory will next appear.
STAY ALIVE
Buena Vista Pictures
Hollywood Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment and Endgame Entertainment present a Wonderland Sound and Vision production
Credits:
Director: William Brent Bell
Screenwriters: William Brent Bell, Matthew Peterman
Producers: McG, Peter Schlessel, James Stern, Matthew Peterman
Executive producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Douglas E. Hansen, Becki Cross Trujillo, Adam Del Deo
Director of photography: Alejandro Martinez
Production designer: Bruton Jones
Music: John Frizzell
Costumes: Caroline Eselin-Schaefer
Editor: Harvey Rosenstock
Cast:
Hutch: Jon Foster
Abigail: Samaire Armstrong
Swink: Frankie Muniz
Phineus: Jimmi Simpson
Detective Thiboudeaux: Wendell Pierce
Loomis Crowley: Milo Ventimiglia
October: Sophia Bush
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 91 minutes...
She starred in the 1971 French horror film, "Les Levres rouges" (Daughters of Darkness), portrayed by the lovely Delphine Seyrig, then re-appeared in August in the overwrought lesbian-vampire movie "Eternal". Her latest reincarnation in "Stay Alive" well befits modern sensibilities because she is the diaphanous villain in a video game. In the movie, gamers who accept the challenge of the underground game find themselves dying, one by one, each killed in the exact manner as their characters in the game.
"Stay Alive" is a passable horror-thriller for the young crowd, assuming a movie can lure them away from PlayStations. Because the Walt Disney Co. chose to release the film without a press screening or much marketing, the studio evidently doesn't think this movie can. While the movie should encounter a solid reception in home video, "Stay Alive" is imaginative enough at the conceptual level to have achieved with some promotion perhaps average or even above-average theatrical grosses.
The characters are rote creations, however, your typical foolish youths so familiar to scare movies. Yet the mix of 3-D game action with the atmospheric reality of New Orleans and Louisiana locations that startlingly replicate the game's physical design is a neat trick. The deaths themselves are routine by horror-film standards, while the gore never ventures beyond PG-13 territory.
The protagonist is Hutch (Jon Foster), whose buddy (Milo Ventimiglia) dies after beta testing a video game titled "Stay Alive". So naturally, Hutch and his friends have to play it. These include Abigail (Samaire Armstrong), a photographer who just happens to turn up at the buddy's funeral; tech guru Swink (Frankie Muniz); goth girl October (Sophia Bush); her hard-core gaming brother, Phineus (Jimmio Simpson); and via the Internet, Hutch's game-obsessed boss, Miller (Adam Goldberg).
So it's in-the-dungeon-with-14-inch-knives until the movie reduces its cast to three and then two characters. They have no choice, you see, because once "Stay Alive" begins, the game plays by itself.
Debuting director William Brent Bell, who wrote the script with producer Matthew Peterman, keeps the pace brisk and the pot bubbling. Cinematographer Alejandro Martinez, designer Bruton Jones and visual effects supervisor Kent Seki create just the right ambiance with 3-D action that looks like The Real Thing and real locations that look weirdly like 3-D action.
You do wonder, though, where Elizabeth Bathory will next appear.
STAY ALIVE
Buena Vista Pictures
Hollywood Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment and Endgame Entertainment present a Wonderland Sound and Vision production
Credits:
Director: William Brent Bell
Screenwriters: William Brent Bell, Matthew Peterman
Producers: McG, Peter Schlessel, James Stern, Matthew Peterman
Executive producers: Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, Douglas E. Hansen, Becki Cross Trujillo, Adam Del Deo
Director of photography: Alejandro Martinez
Production designer: Bruton Jones
Music: John Frizzell
Costumes: Caroline Eselin-Schaefer
Editor: Harvey Rosenstock
Cast:
Hutch: Jon Foster
Abigail: Samaire Armstrong
Swink: Frankie Muniz
Phineus: Jimmi Simpson
Detective Thiboudeaux: Wendell Pierce
Loomis Crowley: Milo Ventimiglia
October: Sophia Bush
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 91 minutes...
- 3/27/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.