Day 108: August 16th, 2010

VAMP



The first kiss could be your last.

Vamp, unfortunately doesn't get interesting or good until the second half of the film. As a horror film, it doesn't scare and as a comedy it gets no laughs. I found Vamp to be oddly trying to balance both and not succeeding very well. The overall feel of the film is off, but the last half or so is some neat stuff.

The entire town is overrun by vampires and we gradually see this as the night goes on and the characters become more desperate. The story is about two fraternity pledges who try to find a stripper to entertain their college friends. Things go awry when, of course, they are vampire strippers. If this sounds like From Dusk Till Dawn, then congratulations. From Dusk Till Dawn obviously borrowed many elements from this film.

As far as vampire films go, I'd stick with Fright Night and the Lost Boys, but wouldn't necessarily count Vamp out just yet. It's got all the essentials to be a good movie, the 80's cheese is pouring through here. I just didn't dig it as much as I would have expected. It might have been the production values, or again, that oddly balanced humour that fails. Putting aside the lame parts with people popping up that should be dead and other nonsense, the film is entertaining in parts. The pinks and greens that illuminate the street add to the surreal world these characters find themselves in.

To wrap things up, Vamp is a mediocre film. Not much else to say, if you're a lover of 80's horror then I would say this is right up your alley.

5.5/10

Day 107: August 15th, 2010

Captivity



I'll give credit where credit is due. I like the poster.

Captivity is the story and I use that term loosely, about a young female model who is abducted and tortured. She finds out she is not the only one being tortured and along with her new friend, try to escape. In a nutshell, it's a poor imitation of a Saw film.

Captivity suffers from many things, one being a lack of interest. Nothing interesting happens in this film. We are introduced to a character who seems to care about no one but herself and her little princess dog. She is abducted before we even really get a chance to see what kind of person she is. We are thrown into this situation too quickly and the gimmick runs short pretty quick. The repetitiveness of this film is ridiculous. Scene after scene is one torture/game after another. Thus the film becomes predictable before it should be.

Enter the second character who is captured. We never see his capture, so really, we can't trust him. As soon as we see this character I had my suspicions about him. Will the film surprise me in anyway? Of course not, it follows the predictable path it lays out from the beginning. The twists and turns are so obvious a blind man can see it coming from a mile away. Oh and the reasoning behind the torture is beyond pathetic. If you even call what they give us a reason.

This is worse than Hostel, and I didn't like that film at all. At least Eli Roth knows the genre he is playing with and his love of it helps create the much needed atmosphere. This film is devoid of everything it should have. No thrills, or suspense, no moment of giving up or breaking down. Captivity is nothing more than a film that you pass on a shelf and shouldn't think twice of looking at.

2/10

Day 106: August 14th, 2010

The Other Guys




Meet The Other Guys

This comedy film puts Will Ferrell back in the right direction. He still has some ways to go before becoming actually funny again, but with the help of his long time collaborator and new comer Marky Mark Wahlberg, we have a slightly funnier comedy than one would expect.

The Other Guys is in the vein of Hot Fuzz, only with less jazz and more stupid Ferrell humour. It takes the buddy cop action film genre and parodies it. Sam 'The Man' Jackson & Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson are two egocentric big time cops who will do more than millions of dollars in damages to the city just to bust some people running dope. Tango & Cash on steroids. Their untimely exit (you knew it happened, come on) gives the others guys a chance to shine. The other guys are of course Ferrell and Wahlberg. Two polar opposites that when together make for some laughs.

Wahlberg plays up on his bad boy rep as he berates Ferrell every chance he gets. This is a fish out of water style of film for Wahlberg who finally just seems to have found his footing in comedy. Specifically this style of comedy. Ferrell tones it down a notch, but does his typical long winded comedic bits at others. His backstory involving hoes and pimps was a huge misfire in my opinion.

Eva Mendes is the sexy wife who gets nothing to do but be the good looking woman of the film. Her role is minute and her talents are kind of wasted, she does the best she can with the material. I really dug Michael Keaton as the Captain. With this film and Toy Story 3, I hope he has the comeback his so deserves.

The comedy is really hit and miss. I expected it to be a lot worse. As far as McKay and Ferrell comedies go, it's pretty light. It's more grounded than their previous efforts and actually has a bit of plot to give the viewer. The Other Guys is a rental.

7/10

Day 105: August 13th, 2010

Rope



Sometimes those who have nothing find each other.

Rope, no not the classic Alfredy Hitchcock film, but a short about a man who must make a life changing decision with a piece of rope, is a mere 4 minutes long. Is that enough time to engage the audience, tell a good story and let the viewer be absorbed in the filmmaking aspect of it?

Rope is done very well for a film shot, directed and written by the same man, Ian Clay. The film has a rough and tough vibe to it that in some strange way connects with the character who is at a crossroad in his life. It's dark subject matter and the film doesn't look clean and pretty. It works for it rather than against it.

Great music that heightens the tension and pulls the viewer in. You can have a crappy looking film and people will still enjoy it, but if it sounds like crap, people will hate it. The music does it's job of creating a sense of emotion in the viewer as well as hide some obvious dodgy voice over recordings. The voice over is done in a room, it's obvious and should have been hidden better.

The dialogue is repetitive, some of it works some of it doesn't. It's hard to tell a story in under 5 minutes, Clay does it in 4. We get the basic idea of what is going on and why within the dialogue of this guy's head. His constant rambling is nonsensical and at times might make irritate you, but the overall message and theme are all present.

The film is not nicely tight up in a bow, it is left ambiguous. The question you must ask yourself at the end of the film is if you care whether or not this man decides to take his own life or not. If you don't care, the film has failed. If you do care, then it is a success. If you even make a conscience choice of whether or not he dies makes the film a success. When watching the film, you assume it will be left open ended and it is.

For a film on such a small budget and super small crew, I can't really fault it for anything that doesn't look great. The film actually does look good. The writing is good despite some lazy/nonsensical parts and the film is only 4 minutes, so give it a watch. You can spare 4 minutes of your time.

6.5/10

Day 104: August 12th, 2010

Precious



Life is hard. Life is short. Life is painful. Life is rich. Life is....Precious.

This is a film that might make some people a little uneasy. It deals with family abuse in the form of rape, physical and verbal violence. The one character it follows is Precious, an overweight illiterate teenage girl who is pregnant with her second child from her biological father. She is kicked out of her school because of her pregnancy and is enrolled in another educational institution called each one teach one. She wants to do better things, but doesn't have the will or motivation because of the constant abuse at the hands of her mother. She day dreams about being a big star and getting out of the hellish life she lives.

The film is raw with the material and doesn't really hold any punches. Lee Daniels second feature film shows vast improvement over the messy Shadowboxer starring Cuba good Jr. His grasp of the material and dedication to have the story be told is evident in his attention to translate the novel to screen. Daniels has put together a cast that care about the subject matter and the story as much as he does and is surrounded by the talent that is needed to pull it off.

Gabourey Sidibe is Precious, the troubled teen wanting more out of life. She shines in her first starring role and it's no walk in the park for her. The role demanded talent and Sidibe delivers what is needed. Of course the one who stands out the most is Mo'Nique earning herself a much deserved Oscar for her role as the abusive and sloth ridden mother. Her confrontation with her daughter after the birth of the second child is intense and will have you holding your breath in fear for the safety of the child.

Precious is a film that is driven by a strong story and an emotional cast that cares about the work they are doing. It's a glimmer of hope that keeps the story moving in a world that is hard edged and usually leads nowhere. It's not a relatively long film, but I did find myself checking my watch every now and then and some bits in the film happen without much clarification. Where did that one white boy come from in her Each One Teach One class? In any event, the final product is a good film with a message about hope and Tyler Perry finally has his name attached to something good in his career (Star Trek not included).

7.5/10

Day 103: August 11th, 2010

Identity



Identity is a secret. Identity is a mystery. Identity is a killer.

A whodunnit mystery that revolves around a group of people who are stranded at a motel after a storm hits. Identity is a strong film that just when you think you know everything, it throws another curveball. The film is surprising in it's predictability. Does that make sense? As the film progresses, it's obvious what the spin will be, yet it takes it a step further.

The film is wet and dark, it adds to the creep factor that is already there because it's set at a motel. Thank you Psycho. The film has Hitchcock and Agatha Christie written all over it. Ten Little Indians meets Psycho would be a good way to pitch the film.

Liotta plays his hot tempered role again and Cusack gives us the everyman who must take control of the situation. The chemistry between everyone is great and the mystery adds to the tension and uneasy tension that everyone has. Can they trust each other? Is everyone who they say they are? Why are they all here and what do they have in common?

Identity is a good addition to this genre of films and it serves it purpose. It gets things right and gives you a twist that's actually worth talking about. Recommended.

8/10

Day 102: August 10th, 2010

John Q



Give a father no options and you leave him no choice.

Being a Canadian, I can't really relate to the problem at the centre of this film. Affording health care is not a problem for me, but John Q somehow struck a cord with me. I'm not surprised that many people pick on this film, but I will strongly defend it. It's a good film, there I said it.

Let's look at the cast, Denzel Washington, James Woods, Anne Heche, Kevin Connolly, Ethan Suplee, Eddie Griffin, Robert Duvall, Ray Liotta. Sure some of these names mean nothing, but I'm surprised at the well rounded cast here. Denzel gives a strong personal and heartfelt performance as John Q. He's back into a corner regarding the life of his son and he's out of his league here. How far would a father go to save the life of his child. People criticize the film because everyone has problems and he has no right to endanger the lives of others, blah, blah. It's a father's love for his son. The greatest fear of parents is to outlive their children.

One scene that gave me goosebumps is when John is willing to kill himself to give his kid a heart. The moment he puts that gun in his mouth, a great scene. Cassavetes is quite the interesting person. Acting in Face/Off directing this and The Notebook and even Alpha Dog. He seems to have such a dangerous side, as well as being a big softy.

John Q is not ground breaking, but it's a film that spoke to me. Most of the film is unrealistic and narrow minded in it's message, but I dig it enough to recommend it to people. Hopefully people will put political views aside and watch a film about a father and his love for his dying son.

6.5/10

Day 101: August 9th, 2010

Eight Legged Freaks



Giant spiders eating people? It has to be fun right?

Eight Legged Freaks, how I wanted to like you so much more than I did. I wanted to have a good fun b-horror movie time, yet I was left with a film that doesn't really know what it wants to be. You have a poor lead actor and comedic scenes that fall flat. I thought an attack from giant spiders would be more entertaining than this.

For a movie down right that involves a town overrun by some kind of monster see Slither. It was funny, well directed and had Nathan Fillion. David Arquette needs to stick to supporting roles. He doesn't have the comedic timing, nor the charisma to lead a film like this. The supporting characters need to be more characteristic. The town sheriff was as close as this film got.

I suppose if you go into this film simply wanting people to get attacked by spiders then you'll like it. I don't really know what I wanted out of it, I just know that I didn't really get anything from it. It had some elements rights, but the whole package left me feeling empty inside. I was never cheering, never laughing or seeming to care about what happens to people.

4/10

Day 100: August 8th, 2010

Gangs of New York



America was born in the streets.

Martin Scorsese is probably my favourite director, he has the utmost respect for the art behind film, it's history and its future. He loves it to death and the man makes damn fine cinema. Not every picture he does is great, but every Scorsese film has something to say. The problem with filmmakers today, is they have nothing to say.

Gangs of New York was Scorsese's dream project and the film is grand, the set designs, the costumes, everything is detailed to the last drop. Scorsese's dream has come to life in this period piece that brings a legend out of the shadows and begins a director - actor relationship with another.

The film is full of great performances lead by DiCaprio but it's Day Lewis who steals the show as the scene chewing over the top performance of Bill the Butcher. He does the role with a delicious side of crazy and respect. The man is insane with violent rage. DiCaprio has moments of trouble where he loses sight of the role and is just Leonardo DiCaprio on screen, but for the most part he goes a formidable job playing against Lewis. Diaz does an alright job of not becoming annoying or dopey, which she usually does.

The violence is raw and restrained. We are thrown into a bloodshed in the opening act and the film plays out leading up to a bloody revenge. The climax is actually anti-climactic. Scorsese did this on purpose and it frustrated me when I first saw the film. I wanted the big grand fight. This viewing it didn't bother me too much and it made the cat and mouse style fight more heightened.

Gangs of New York went home empty handed on Oscar night, which is a disappointment because the set design is beautiful. Scorsese has a great film here that many people seem to dismiss. It's length is something to endure, but the revenge story could have been a huge disaster, if it weren't for that man behind the camera.

7.5/10

Day 99: August 7th, 2010

Leon: The Professional



If you want a job done well hire a professional.

Now, I've seen Leon a dozen times before, so why does it make it on this list? Well, it was the director's cut, which I have never seen before. Something like 20 minutes was added to the film which dives deeper into the creepy relationship between Leon and Mathilda.

The problem is that the film seriously halts to a drag during these scenes. It was interesting to see what I hadn't before and to see him take her on some 'practice' missions, but it all was seriously not really needed. The relationship between the two of them plays out nicely in the theatrical film, her getting drunk and professing her love to him was apparently too much for American audiences and it was cut. No real loss, you still feel uneasy about the relationship when she calls him her lover to the hotel manager. The other scenes are a little too much for this film and puts a driving stall in the narrative pace.

Oldman is fantastic as the antagonist, his over the top performance really lends itself to the evil that is his corrupted character. Reno is still as bad ass today as he was when I first saw the film. Leon is truly a professional who takes on a fatherly role to a kid who has no family. His love for her is merely that of a father looking after his daughter, even if there was no blood relation. Her love for him is pure crush. She has a strong man in her life now, one that invokes positive messages to her, even though he does evil things.

Besson directs the film nicely, he moves the story at a good pace. The added scenes in this directors cut were nice to see, but I would rather watch the theatrical film. Usually I do prefer director's cuts over the theatrical one, but here I find that is just slows everything down too much. It adds nothing really new, we know he teaches her, we know she loves him. It's just more of the same.

Highly recommend this film, the theatrical one of course. It's story of love is unusual of course, but it works because the child doesn't really know what she wants in life. The action is great, specifically the final stand off and the performances are better than most action oriented films. The Professional is a winner.

Theatrical : 8.5/10
Director's Cut 7/10