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Reviews
Red Riding Hood (2011)
Greatly Missed Opportunity
As I exited the theater, my friend summarized it well; "The trailer wrote so many checks the movie didn't cash, but easily could have." I don't think a better summary exists. Your enjoyment will depend on what you are looking for. I expected a film more in the vain of Sleepy Hollow, something stylish and exciting with suspense, intensity, tremendous atmosphere, however a loose interpretation of the source. The film was, indeed, stylish. Hardwicke has a great eye for cinematography, Red Riding Hood is mostly beautifully shot. I was distracted by the mainly shaking sequences, but that might be more to do with the fact that I am fighting a head cold and they made me sick. The costumes and sets are beautiful as well (though you'll note that their "snow" is just white sand), and has brilliant lighting. All in all, it is a very solid film from a technical aspect, which is why I gave it so high a rating. The performances were adequate, and most of the cast is terribly wasted. The biggest problem with the film is that it doesn't know what it wants to be. I firmly believe that this film was Hardwicke trying to prove she can do more than Twilight, but found herself trapped by the same teen romance melodrama that gave her the stigma to begin with. There is little suspense, and the resolution is anticlimactic, tepid, and boasting all the drama of a rerun of Scooby-Doo.
AVPR: Aliens vs Predator - Requiem (2007)
So Gruesome its Rating is in the Title
Twentieth Century Fox releases AVP-R on Christmas because it is their Christmas present to us for the abomination that was its predecessor. The only thing that they could have done more was to let us watch it for free on Christmas morning in our jammies.
Gone are the "Hunter's Moons." Gone are inane alliances with humans and greenhorn predators who don't even know what they are doing. Gone is the feeling that every character in the film is a difference race because they were trying way too hard to be politically correct.
The strengths of this film stem from its directors' background in special effects. These people are geeks, making a movie for geeks. With their background comes the nostalgia that most of the film is shot in camera, meaning a minimum of digital effects and a maximum of make-up, puppet, and prosthetic wizardry. The alien sound effects, as many know, came from remastered original follies, attempting greater authenticity. It was a fast paced ride that never came up for air. Once the action began, it did not stop. Some would say this was a directorial weakness, not building up enough suspense. I contend that even the same audience that gladly sat through entire half hours of nothing happening in the 80's shuffle their feet now. The truth is there is nothing to build suspense for. We know the creatures. We know the history. We know the word "versus" is in the title, now give us our monster movie and wrap it in a plausible enough scenario that we care. The Strause Brothers achieved this, populating their town with every-folk, giving you a solid feeling of what would happen should Aliens and Predators drop down on Main Street USA.
The film does have its weaknesses, notwithstanding. While I surmise none of the action and gore ended up on the cutting room floor, I feel many scenes adding depth to the human cast were left by the wayside. The interactions between some characters feels awkward and forced, that perhaps there is a deeper connection being told somewhere on another screen, and all we're allowed to see is the end product. My only true gripe with the film is that, and I don't think this constitutes any sort of a spoiler as this follows the precedent of the first, but as in the first AVP the aliens grow rapidly. I almost think they mature in a span of fifteen minutes, as was the case prior. While this is not consistent with the Alien series on a whole, it is consistent with AVP and therefore permissible. While I will say nothing of the ending, I will warn that it contains a reference to the established film continuity that is very vague, and if you are an average movie goer unfamiliar with the other movies, you will likely walk away scratching your head. But that's okay. That's why we have Google.
End of the day, you will read many negative reviews from people who would find fault with a movie that materialized via magic onto the screen directly from their own imagination. This film stands head and shoulders above AVP, and the Strause Brothers should be commended for making such a valiant attempt at transitioning from creating creature effects to telling a story, and telling it with the fans in mind as much as possible. This film is our present from Fox. Don't let anyone spoil the surprise. Open it for yourself.
The Making of 'Nightmare on Elm Street IV' (1989)
Nightmare births dreams
Simply put, The Making of 'Nightmare on Elm Street IV' changed my life.
It wasn't a seminar, a motivational speaker, or even a self-help book that helped guide me toward my future dreams, but rather a wiry dreamstalker in a ratty sweater and clawed glove and the special about him.
Most everyone reading this review is familiar of the goings on of Freddy Krueger, resident of nightmares on Elm Street. Suffice it to say, as a young child I found him quite terrifying, and was plagued myself with horrendous nightmares about him. My parents, bewildered, found out about this humble TV special and decided to have me watch it. Their thought, and a logical one at that, is that when I saw for myself that it was all make-believe that I would lose my fear of Freddy.
That did...to an extent...happen, but something as well that my folks simply didn't foresee. This was the first time I had seen how a movie was made, more importantly the special effects of them. I was bedazzled by everything I saw, and that day I was first inspired to follow suite.
Now I am an adult, and looking back I am grateful for this special. I have dedicated years of study to film making and special effects. I am even working on a Nightmare on Elm Street fan production. My hopes are to one day go to film school myself, and then branch out into directing my own productions. Maybe, just maybe, the day will come that my work will inspire a child just as this modest promotional tool inspired me.
Big Fish (2003)
Leaves a Fishy Aftertaste
"Big Fish" is an exciting film for me as a fan of Tim Burton, because it truly showcases everything that makes him a good storyteller--a grim reality sugarcoated by fairytale fantasy, vivid and quirky characters, a great deal of soul and heart, and top notch acting by people not afraid to act. It is my hope that audiences will see in this film everything they loved in Burton's earlier ventures.
I cannot praise the cast and their performances enough. Characters who were supposed to be believable were, and characters who were obviously larger than life were just that.
***SPOILERS AHEAD, TURN BACK IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW***
I will be frank, however, that I did not care for the ending. I was so incredibly built up for the end to reveal that all of these stories were real, that Will had wrongly accused his father all these years, that the final ending was such a tremendous let down that I even suggested others not see it right after. I suppose what started my build up was the line, "I don't want to ruin the surprise ending" in reference to how he was going to die. My idea for a surprise ending is that it all was true, instead we're left with an old liar who had to make up a more exciting life for himself than what he had just to get by. This is to me the downfall of the film; its message. The message is that a sweet lie is better than a dull truth. As a person who abhors dishonesty I am having a hard time sinking my teeth into this fish.
So in summary, up until the last ten minutes of the movie, Big Fish is a masterpiece. And if you don't mind that ending, then great. In the end, every critic must dtand aside and remind his reader that what makes a movie truly good or bad is not that they liked it, but that the audience did. So go on out, and decide for yourself.