Oneohtrixxx Reviews

Silent Hill (2006)

Well Done Adaptation by an Underrated Filmmaker

[10/10 · 22 April 2006]

Nearly 5 years ago, Christophe Gans created cinematic gold with Brotherhood of the Wolf, an excellent but rarely viewed film. Beautiful settings, colorful characters, and an excellent plot that resolves very well.

Now, with Silent Hill, Gans has upped the ante and delivered far more vibrant characters, and settings that are all as crucial to the story than the characters are. Although it is much more accessible than Brotherhood, it is not a film for everyone. Gans definitely struck gold by creating a film for video gamers, but so much for video gamers that general film goers may become confused when the film ends. I am a fan of video games, and I have played the Silent Hill games to completion. This review is from my perspective, as a gamer and film lover.

Radha Mitchell is wonderful as Rose, and a very underrated actress. Pitch Black and High Art were all very good films, but she really shines here. Rose's emotional turmoil when initially searching for her daughter within Silent Hill quickly transforms into determination as Rose deals with the evil that awaits her. Jodelle Ferland is great as Sharon and Alessa. Hopefully we'll see more of her in the future, as she is a fine addition to the few child actors who exist in film today. Laurie Holden as the female police officer Cybil is the perfect tough chick, but also portrays a caring and strong-willed individual. Sean Bean is a tad underused in the film, but the scenes with him and Rose in Silent Hill were very well done. The rest of the cast helped to serve a purpose in the history of Silent Hill, especially Kim Coates as the cop aiding Rose's husband in finding her and their daughter.

The film itself is not the typical "Boo" scare horror film, but rather an entrancing thriller, with a dash of hellish adventure. The surreal creatures are a highlight of the film, most notably 'Colin,' the Silent Hill school janitor turned contorted freak bound in barbed wire. Pyramid Head was a fine addition, a villain most Silent Hill gamers will recognize. His two big scenes are incredibly frightening, with the latter concluding in a very gruesome way. One major complaint from most viewers will be the ending. I enjoy films whose endings are left for the viewer's interpretation, and Silent Hill is no stranger to having a shocking and confusing ending. From my interpretation, the ending had to happen, and when you see Silent Hill, I guarantee your interpretation will be different.

Christophe Gans has made much improvement in his film-making by creating such a shocking, disturbing, and hauntingly beautiful film.

The Devil's Rejects (2005)

What Doesn't Kill You, Makes You Stronger

[10/10 · 23 July 2005]

Such is the case with Rob Zombie's newest addition to his director's credit, which from the likes of a film like this, will only get better. Rob Zombie did the unthinkable and I absolutely fell for it. Call me insane, call me sadistic, but I ultimately felt the deepest of sympathy for the Devil's Rejects. Yes, they carelessly murder a woman for her car and a traveling folk band for shelter, but when the vengeful and murderous Sheriff Wydell enters the picture, you can't help but feel sympathy for a family who were raised differently. Yes, killing is wrong, but it is what they do, something they cannot help. Revenge is a great evil and, to me, Sheriff Wydell is the true villain of the film.

Also, I was disturbed (in certain ways) by the film, but not because of the film itself, but because 2 people in the theater I saw it in repeatedly laughed at several scenes which were not funny at all. It took laughing at a helpless woman wearing her husband's face and running for her life to get these guys kicked out. No matter how you feel about the main 3 characters, the Rejects eventually transform into normal human beings. It is their torture at the hands of a ruthless pursuer that makes the audience realize that the 3 victims finally cherish each others presence rather than what they once used to do. The finale (magnificently filmed, accompanied by Skynyrd's masterpiece 'Freebird) is where we finally realize that all the family ever wanted was peace, but a love for murder arose. The flashbacks Otis has of Baby and Spaulding in the peaceful field, laughing and enjoying what life they have, is what Otis wanted in the end. This is when I forgave the misunderstood villains. Few other people will feel this way after viewing the film, but to me, it is ultimately the tale of a troubled family whose love for life overcomes love for crime, but too late to finally enjoy it.

2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Excellent, Excellent, Excellent!!!

[10/10 · 22 December 2004]

I cannot say excellent enough to describe the excellence of this film. From the beginning with the man-apes discovery of the weapons within their surroundings to the beautiful (and quite possibly, my favorite) ending with the birth of the star-child, I just found this movie entrancing.

Kubrick's style of making such an unbelievable situation seem real within this movie is awesome. Dave's blasting out of the pod into the ship's hatch in complete silence was fantastic, as was the disconnecting of HAL 9000. Such things make a movie excellent, indeed this film is excellent.

11/10!!

The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)

Fun, Imaginative, Tragic, and Bowie...

[10/10 · 15 December 2004]

I cannot express in words how many different styles of film making Wes Anderson combined into this masterpiece. At one point hilarious, sometimes even action-packed, while other times, you may feel a tear forming. Wes Anderson deserves major credit for this new addition to his excellent films.

The stop-motion animation, although underused, was extremely imaginative and is a lost art nowadays in movies that should be taken into consideration. The premise itself was great, but when you watch the film, you almost forget that the sole purpose of the film is to confront the jaguar shark, as you become connected with the characters emotionally.

Overall, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Jeff Goldblum, Seu Jorge (whose Portuguese interpretation of "Space Oddity" nearly drew me to tears with laughter) Cate Blanchett, and Owen Wilson, I applaud them for making such a great film better, Wes Anderson as well.

Excellent music, great acting, teary moments, and action-packed rescues make this a definite 9.5/10!

Plunkett & Macleane (1999)

What a great movie!!

[10/10 · 25 February 2003]

Why do you ask? Well I don't know. It just was so good! The music, the acting, the setting. It's almost like Brotherhood of the Wolf, without the wolf. I don't know why the "Ball" scene is said to be so bad, it wasn't bad at all. A Knight's Tale was much worse. It actually was not predictable, the end was very touching, and Chance is the most unlikeable villian I've ever seen. If you like movies like The Patriot or Brotherhood of the Wolf, than see this. And if you remember the Romeo Must Die and The Patriot previews, the music from the climax of this film is in those previews. Just FYI. Go rent, or even buy, this movie, it is that good!

10+/10!!!!!

Jason X (2001)

Out of an A, B, C, D, or F, I'd give it an X!

[1/10 · 17 April 2002]

I've seen all the Jason flicks. This movie would have been better straight to video. Yeah, the holo-deck scene with the campsite was funny, but so was the rest of the movie, when it didn't mean to be. The music was very poor, the acting was awful, and the scene where Jason turns into Uber-Jason is pointless. If the ending of this film indicated the making of an 11th film, the Jason movie fans should hang themselves in shame. Out of a 10, I give this a 0.1, only because of Lexa Doig.