The updated list of Movies in this Entry: Avengers: Infinity War (2018), Black Panther (2018), A Quiet Place (2018), Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom (2018), The Nun (2018), The Predator (2018), Hell Fest (2018), BlacKkKlansman (2018), Overlord (2018), Susperia (1977), The House of the Devil (2009)
I have a hard time with the movie going experience and wonder if this is the same for others. It is not that I don't like to watch films on the big screen, it is a great way to see them. It is everything else about the experience. Start with the cost, a theater experience in my area is about $13-$15 depending on the theater. That ticket price I am sure is driven by the distribution model in place. Theaters have to take the larger giant budget blockbuster type films and run them even after interest for them has waned. Filling 4-8 screens all day, and long after the film has made bank. Still i can afford the ticket price. Now the fifteen dollar price for a bottle of water and a medium popcorn is ridiculous and I often bring my own snacks in my pockets to avoid that leaching. Certainly complaining about price is a small piece of squabbling. I spend more on beer in a month drinking expensive micro-brews that I do on Movie going in a year.
The second area to look at is kiddie time. Getting older I want to get into a film and have everyone keep there mouths shut during it. This seems particularly difficult to tweens and teens who come in the theater in packs and proceed to either not be able to handle the material in the film and squeal and yap at every tense moment or get bored and whisper throughout the film because they did not take their ADD medication. It my not be every time but a good number of viewing have been spoiled by these groups. Recently though I had a couple really good experiences where I thought for sure the kids coming in were going to be loud but they were not. So give credit when do, they don't always spoil the experience.
When it is a good experience movie going is really worth the price of admission. When the sound is not too high, I get a nicely centered seat and everyone is settled in and into the film it is amazing. The group experience can enhance the film and hearing reactions and post film chatter can be a rounding of the film. I always hope for that and recently have had a few experiences just like that. I have seen some really great films with solid movie going experiences and right now am feeling pretty good about the process, so complaint get laid aside and lets talk about what I have seen. This year I have gone to the theater to see film way more than I normally do. Here are some short reviews of what I have seen.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Having read all the various comics that covered this story I was seriously anticipating this film. I decided an afternoon show during the week would minimize the chance of children. When I walked into the theater I immediate saw my favorite position in the theater was taken, but it was a buddy of mine in the seat. He had the exact same idea as I and we got a great film and a decent crowd. That movie was everything I wanted, sure you could complain that there were so many characters that you don't get a enough of any. But I don't think that is really true. This was a story about Thanos and his arc was full and compelling. The action was great and the expected shocking ending was what I was looking forward to.
Black Panther (2018) - This was one of the best Marvel films to date. A well rounded story with solid characters and story. My wife and I never seem to be able to agree on a film when we go to the theater. One of us ends up settling or even both of us at times. This was a film we agreed on and both enjoyed.It was a fine origin story that was uplifting and with defined rounded characters great actions sequences and what felt like real consequences. (which is often missing in comic movies) It was the story we needed before the Infinity War, glad I saw it beforehand.
Annihilation (2018) - Such an interesting film, solid science fiction is hard to come by but that is what this is. Asking big questions about what it is to be human both in the characters drives to take part in the mission and in the affects of being on that mission this film was a real winner. It was also one of those times where a crowd member was a bit talkative. One of two guys just was not getting the plot and so the other kept whispering explanations to him. Ugh!
A Quiet Place (2018) - I have seen this film twice, the first in a theater as one of five audience members. I was blown away by how well constructed the film was. Sure any film can be picked apart because really getting the logic of a post apocalyptic monster movie correct is a hard thing to do. That said you can not come out of that film without appreciating the relationships of the family members in the film. You feel there pain and cheer for their triumphs. The monsters are great and the tension in the silence that is the film are really well done. The second time I saw this film was just this weekend, with my sister Lee. She will claim that she doesn't love horror movies so when I recommend something it better be good. She was also blown away by this film. We where is a full theater of recliner seating and there was not a sound in the place for most of the film. I hope Hereditary is this good.
Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom (2018) - It is the end of June and I return to the movies to see a summer blockbuster. This is actually a compromise film, my wife and I regularly can't agree to see a film but this one we could agree on. So off to see it not in 3D since Elisa does not really like 3D. I am not overly excited but have hope that this film will at least be a bit of fun. It does have a bit of fun, some tense scenes and lots of reminders of past Jurassic Park films. Really though this film was a mess, it was Lost World and with J park scenes thrown in containing none of the magic of the original. The story arc of the character Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is suppose to be a way to redeem her after the first J World film but it is really just a gimmick never coming full circle. There is a replacement Hammond in Benjamin Lockwood but he too is just a ploy. All the ploys are to get to the really large number of bad guys in this film. There seems to be a lot of evil in this film. Rafe Small plays Eli Mills the man supposedly spending Lockwood's money on saving the dinosaurs of Jurassic World but instead is collecting them for sale and genetic engineering, for weaponizing them. The sad part is he succeeds and the film ending is a warning about how man's greed and desire for power is more dangerous than the dinos. A bit of a downer.
The Nun (2018) - Like most people who watch and wait for horror I was very excited for this one. There was good promotion and although "The Conjuring" universe is far from perfect it has been producing solid horror entries. Add to that the Director Corin Hardy was coming off a very good effort in The Hallow (2015) and I was good to go for a trip to the theater. In a theater with several really too young children (12-14yrs) I was worried about them talking through the film since they chattered all through the previews, but they were well behaved after the film started. Apparently the Solomon Pond Theater does not enforce the ratings system since this is a rated R film. Speaking of the rating system I really have to question what makes a film an R these days. This film had disturbing images and some violence but in general was pretty tame. There were scares but primarily of the jump scare type. It did build a bit of dread and knowing that this character, Valak a demon that appears in other films further along in the timeline of the universe there was some question whether the demon would be defeated. Overall though I think there was a bunch of not so compelling story. father Burke and Sister Irene are basically doing the exorcist without the exorcism. All good but not particularly new or innovative. The real castle they filmed in which is in Romania was too brightly lit, or the cameras were too sharp. It had a look of sets and the mood of a dark evil place was lost in the lighting. The story was okay and some of the themes like the idea of perpetual praying was interesting if not under utilized. Some of the logic of the demon was a bit askew in that the demon took Nun form to fit in at the cloister but at the time our characters arrive there are no nuns left. Not only that but the demon creates hallucinations of nuns as it looks for a vessel to leave the building in. The blood of Christ bit was a device but could probably be explored a bit more. It served it purpose here but that is a nugget of in film historical potential. So some pluses and minuses in this paragraph of first thoughts. We'll see how it stands up on a re-watch.
The Predator (2018) - How can one take a solid action movie from the height of the 80's action period and totally ruin it? This is the question answered by the latest edition to the franchise. The original film is about machismo, a special unit operating as a well oiled team is confronted with a bad ass alien that is tougher than they are. Who in the group will meet the challenge? This film instead is a comedy, action, family drama that also has a special unit, unfortunately its purpose is to make us laugh not dread the coming of the seemingly unstoppable alien. Oh wait it is not unstoppable, in fact they just introduce a bigger and badder alien that stops the first one with ease. No one will survive this new one and its alien hunting dogs. Wait that is not true either, a scientist, (Olivia Munn) the military version of The Dream Team (1989) do it while balancing new relationships and old. I am not saying that this film did not have entertaining parts to it. Some of the jokes hit and the action is effective, particularly because the gore factor is pretty decent. but in the end to have the film be about a father saving his Asperger son who is the key to some alien genetic experiment was just too much to swallow. It fails to capture any of the dread of the original where soldiers are in a life or death struggle. Instead it presents an inevitable shoot'em up where there there is no feeling of stakes.
Hell Fest (2018) Off to the theater for this one as I try to support horror before it gets on streaming. Hell Fest is a simple slasher film about six friends who head to Hell Fest, a stylish scare attraction. While there our lead Natalie (Amy Forsyth) and her friends are stalked by a masked serial killer. Being set in a haunted amusement means that the killer blends in well and victims could just be part of the show. The conceit is further solidified by amusement employees play acting chasing down victims, so everyone is convince the stalker is just another one of them. The thin relationship setup id that Natalie and Brooke (Reign Edwards) are best buddies who have sort of stopped being as close as when they lived together. Brooke invites Natalie back for a weekend with the planned event to visit Hell Fest. So Brooke and her boyfriend Quinn (Christian James), her current room mate Taylor (Bex Taylor-Klaus) with her boyfriend Asher (Matt Mercurio) are taking Natalie along to have a date with Gavin (Roby Attal). This is a straight up slasher and the setting is great because even when Natalie knows that she is being stalked there is so much evidence that she is just getting scared from the park that she is not believed. When her friends start vanishing she manages to convince Brooke what is happening and the two hide in a horror maze to try to escape the killer. Like all final girls you have to stand and fight at some point and Natalie does just that. Who will survive the night? The ending which puts the idea out there that the killer can be just an average Joe is a bit disappointing. I don't really believe that serial killers live normal happy lives as this film suggests. There is nothing really unique about this film, it is solidly in the slasher genre and hits the beats it need to. With five writing credits it seems this film has been rewritten a bit but it still worked. Director Gregory Plotkin has no missteps but also does not distinguish himself in this film. Overall I thought it was okay.
BlacKkKlansman (2018) When my wife and I go to the movies to sit in the same theater we never see a horror film. It is something she can not tolerate, so there is a negotiation that takes place so that I don't have to see some dreadful relationship film either drama or comedy it does not matter I am trying to avoid that area. It's tough for us to get a film we may both want to see. I generally see horror and don't want anything that is too close to real life. She is all in on things that are real life and would never go to a horror film. So it is a pleasant night when we have a choice like BlacKkKlansman. It is a more exaggerated real life story but set far enough in the past so I am not annoyed. Mostly though we rarely miss a Spike Lee film and we both consider him someone with something to say.
The film is based on actual events, about a black cop Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) in Colorado who manages to infiltrate the KKK via phone conversations. Then his Jewish cop, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) surrogate actually goes on events with the Klan to eventually become their leader. set in the 1970's the film deals with race relation, the white supremacist movement, with a insightful eye and a good deal of humor. Lee does some great film making here and everyone should see this film. His technique in building tension and smart editorial and editing choices really take this film from good to great. Washington and Driver carry their parts well doing most of the serious acting in the film. But the collection of players around them gives them what they need to pull of the roles.
Overlord (2018) I have to admit I was somewhat excited for this film and went into it with middle high expectations. A period piece horror movie is not original but they put together an exciting looking trailer so I was up to see this. The five surviving soldiers of a squad, dropped behind enemy lines hours before the D-Day invasion must destroy a radio jamming tower before the troops land. Helped by a french villager (Mathlide Ollivier) they discover the location is more it seems. Run by the maniacal SS soldier Wafner the location is a lab where the Nazi,s are attempting to make super soldiers from the dead. Our protagonist Boyce (Joven Adepo) is a private over his head new to the army and new war he is in over his head. With veteran Ford there to push him he must find a way past his fear and against all odds succeed in not only knocking out the tower but defeating Wafner (Pilou Asbæk) and his undead army. Rated R for I am going to guess violence and images of war it seems like a strange rating. I guess since there are consequences to the violence that is why it was rated that way but really this could have been a PG-13 film. It is an Army movie in its structure and the super soldier parts remind me of Wonder Woman more than anything. Not particularly played for scares it is action based, guys on a mission with a running clock. Director Julius Avery does a fine job with the action in particular. There has to be talk out there about how the film is purposefully color blind. An integrated army where blacks and whites are serving together without a whisper of racial intolerance. Where the film is so based in World War II, it seems a strange choice. The segregated army of WWII is part of history. You could argue the fantastical nature of the film means that such sensitivity is not needed but lets look at it a bit closer. There are three black characters at the start of the film. The Sargent of the squad, or protagonist and another black soldier. They all make it to the ground from the amazing parachuting scene. The Sargent is seen being killed by the Nazi immediately defiant to the end. The second soldier is blown up by a mine well before the squad gets to the French village. Our protagonist is portrayed as inexperienced, soft and ill equipped for this mission. The Hard nosed vet Ford (Wyatt Russell) is in charge and the talkative NY soldier, a stereotype from every Army movie from my childhood and he are the competent guys. Even as we follow the character arc of Boyce to a place where he is a hero he does a lot of that growing by accident and not until the back third of the film does he have any real agency. Even with his arc it is Ford that sacrifices his life to complete the mission. Boyce is left to lie to his superior officers so they won't dig up the site and find the experimental serum that makes the zombie soldiers. So ignoring the race issue there is a weird design to the characters that sure seem to touch on it. Why not have the whole squad be black thus avoiding even this reading. It would make more sense historically and the same story could be told. Hell even the Wafner could have been more upset that people he considered inferior were beating him.
The House of the Devil (2009) - Friday afternoon I headed to Salem MA to see the two movies that are the entries for these days. Salem Massachusetts, The Halloween capital of the world has a wonderful Salem Horrorfest most of the month of October. I purchases tickets to see the Original Suspiria on the big screen as well as this film and the podcast to follow it. I am going to use the Susperia film as my entry for the 13th even though I saw them both on the same night, Am I cheating? At the time of it's release it was a delightful surprise from writer director Ti West. The throwback to a period when horror movies built up to an overpowering dread is captured in this well done little film. The story is simple, in the 1980's a young college women, Samantha (Jocelin Donahue) has a need to earn some cash quickly. She calls for a sitter job at a house in the country that will solve her financial problems. Things are not quite how she envisioned them when she and her friend Megan arrive to meet the couple, Mr and Mrs Ulman (Tom Noonan and Mary Woronov) they are strange but not too scary. Instead of sitting for kids she will be minding the house with the old mother upstairs. Now we know she should bail here but the money. She need $300 on Monday for the apartment that will take her out of her dorm room and away from the messy and very inconsiderate room mate. She negotiates a price of $400 making the job more than she can pass up. Megan (Greta Gerwig) is a smart and good friend.She senses the problem with the couple and is great at pointing out that they lied to Sam. she pleads with her friend to leave the job. Sam though sends her friend home until the end of the job and settles in for a night. What West does so well is create dread for the audience even though the character is unsuspecting of the danger she is in. Megan never arrives home and we see her fate and know from that point on that Sam is in deep trouble. This is only the end of the first act Samantha is a bit creeped out by the house, it builds and the reveals are well done to keep the tension growing. When she hears a noise upstairs and listens outside a bedroom door, all is quiet for her but the reveal of the interior of the room is terrifying. The stakes for the audience are being raised but the main character is still none the wiser. When the finale arrives the action is quick and well done. Sam is a fighter and manages fend off attackers at every turn. The ending is unexpected but follows the movie title well. Being a teenager in the 80s I had a real appreciation for the feel of the movie and the slow burn it is. The newer flash and cut method of film making sometimes gets on my nerves but West doesn't do that he brings us along on Samantha's ride without trying to shock us every two seconds. Donahue has to carry the film and does a great job of it. She is a 19 yr old character when she has to be and a fighter when that is needed, not that you can't be both. The McGuffin of the eclipse works well and Samantha realizes its significance when she has to, making for a really great climax. The post climax scene is a bit explanatory and probably was not needed. I got to see this film for the first time on the big screen last night as part of the Faculty of Horror section of the Salem Horror Fest.
Being at the Faculty of Horror Podcast Live was a real treat. I love the podcast, both Andrea Subisatti and Alex West not only do their homework on the film they are covering but they always add ideas that never occur to a hack reviewer like me. They add to my though about film which is the whole point of my writing here. I want to do a bit more than mindlessly watch. I want to force myself to think a bit more deeply about the films I enjoy. In The House of the Devil there were several ideas that they brought to the conversation so credit these intelligent woman for what follows. Hopefully I can articulate as well as they did in their place. First the idea of the placard at the beginning of the film. The satanic panic and the idea by Walter Benjamin who when writing about how film changed the aura of art. Alex West went into detail concerning his ideas concerning how art is viewed through the lens of changing technologies. He was speaking at the time of film becoming predominant in the 1930's and how generations of people will have new ways to view art and how those new ways also change the art. Connecting these ideas to the nights feature was about the placard at the beginning of the film. Ti West chose to include information firmly placing the film as a film about the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. But more than just a setting he is implying through the film that there was something to the fear people of the time had about satanic abusive cults. The story itself is just that, it is not a story about the panic but is a story about a satanic cult. So even though the scare in the eighties was really more about conservative fear of a changing world, this film lends credence to the idea there was actually something to fear. Of course I can't explain quite as well as Alex West did in the podcast, so subscribe to the Faculty of Horror and listen for yourself.
A less developed theme in the podcast was about Ti West's use of Mother figures in the film. In the beginning we see Samantha trying to rent an apartment. The older woman (Dee Wallace) owner takes the time as a mother to remember her own child renting a first apartment and she connects with that memory when interacting with Sam. Later when Sam in taking the job of babysitting it is revealed that she will be doing so for the Ullman's Mother, then again the leader in the satanic ritual is called Mother and the purpose of the ritual is to impregnate Samantha. All connecting threads in the film, a small theme running through it.
Overall I found the experience of seeing the film again on the big screen and meeting and listening to the faculty of Horror a really enjoyable night. Salem is a bit of a drive for me but I left work early enough to skip the bulk of rush hour traffic. The town in the month of October is busy with tourist from all over the world who come to explorer the themes the town is famous for.
I have a hard time with the movie going experience and wonder if this is the same for others. It is not that I don't like to watch films on the big screen, it is a great way to see them. It is everything else about the experience. Start with the cost, a theater experience in my area is about $13-$15 depending on the theater. That ticket price I am sure is driven by the distribution model in place. Theaters have to take the larger giant budget blockbuster type films and run them even after interest for them has waned. Filling 4-8 screens all day, and long after the film has made bank. Still i can afford the ticket price. Now the fifteen dollar price for a bottle of water and a medium popcorn is ridiculous and I often bring my own snacks in my pockets to avoid that leaching. Certainly complaining about price is a small piece of squabbling. I spend more on beer in a month drinking expensive micro-brews that I do on Movie going in a year.
The second area to look at is kiddie time. Getting older I want to get into a film and have everyone keep there mouths shut during it. This seems particularly difficult to tweens and teens who come in the theater in packs and proceed to either not be able to handle the material in the film and squeal and yap at every tense moment or get bored and whisper throughout the film because they did not take their ADD medication. It my not be every time but a good number of viewing have been spoiled by these groups. Recently though I had a couple really good experiences where I thought for sure the kids coming in were going to be loud but they were not. So give credit when do, they don't always spoil the experience.
When it is a good experience movie going is really worth the price of admission. When the sound is not too high, I get a nicely centered seat and everyone is settled in and into the film it is amazing. The group experience can enhance the film and hearing reactions and post film chatter can be a rounding of the film. I always hope for that and recently have had a few experiences just like that. I have seen some really great films with solid movie going experiences and right now am feeling pretty good about the process, so complaint get laid aside and lets talk about what I have seen. This year I have gone to the theater to see film way more than I normally do. Here are some short reviews of what I have seen.
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Having read all the various comics that covered this story I was seriously anticipating this film. I decided an afternoon show during the week would minimize the chance of children. When I walked into the theater I immediate saw my favorite position in the theater was taken, but it was a buddy of mine in the seat. He had the exact same idea as I and we got a great film and a decent crowd. That movie was everything I wanted, sure you could complain that there were so many characters that you don't get a enough of any. But I don't think that is really true. This was a story about Thanos and his arc was full and compelling. The action was great and the expected shocking ending was what I was looking forward to.
Black Panther (2018) - This was one of the best Marvel films to date. A well rounded story with solid characters and story. My wife and I never seem to be able to agree on a film when we go to the theater. One of us ends up settling or even both of us at times. This was a film we agreed on and both enjoyed.It was a fine origin story that was uplifting and with defined rounded characters great actions sequences and what felt like real consequences. (which is often missing in comic movies) It was the story we needed before the Infinity War, glad I saw it beforehand.
Annihilation (2018) - Such an interesting film, solid science fiction is hard to come by but that is what this is. Asking big questions about what it is to be human both in the characters drives to take part in the mission and in the affects of being on that mission this film was a real winner. It was also one of those times where a crowd member was a bit talkative. One of two guys just was not getting the plot and so the other kept whispering explanations to him. Ugh!
A Quiet Place (2018) - I have seen this film twice, the first in a theater as one of five audience members. I was blown away by how well constructed the film was. Sure any film can be picked apart because really getting the logic of a post apocalyptic monster movie correct is a hard thing to do. That said you can not come out of that film without appreciating the relationships of the family members in the film. You feel there pain and cheer for their triumphs. The monsters are great and the tension in the silence that is the film are really well done. The second time I saw this film was just this weekend, with my sister Lee. She will claim that she doesn't love horror movies so when I recommend something it better be good. She was also blown away by this film. We where is a full theater of recliner seating and there was not a sound in the place for most of the film. I hope Hereditary is this good.
Jurassic World : Fallen Kingdom (2018) - It is the end of June and I return to the movies to see a summer blockbuster. This is actually a compromise film, my wife and I regularly can't agree to see a film but this one we could agree on. So off to see it not in 3D since Elisa does not really like 3D. I am not overly excited but have hope that this film will at least be a bit of fun. It does have a bit of fun, some tense scenes and lots of reminders of past Jurassic Park films. Really though this film was a mess, it was Lost World and with J park scenes thrown in containing none of the magic of the original. The story arc of the character Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) is suppose to be a way to redeem her after the first J World film but it is really just a gimmick never coming full circle. There is a replacement Hammond in Benjamin Lockwood but he too is just a ploy. All the ploys are to get to the really large number of bad guys in this film. There seems to be a lot of evil in this film. Rafe Small plays Eli Mills the man supposedly spending Lockwood's money on saving the dinosaurs of Jurassic World but instead is collecting them for sale and genetic engineering, for weaponizing them. The sad part is he succeeds and the film ending is a warning about how man's greed and desire for power is more dangerous than the dinos. A bit of a downer.
The film is based on actual events, about a black cop Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) in Colorado who manages to infiltrate the KKK via phone conversations. Then his Jewish cop, Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) surrogate actually goes on events with the Klan to eventually become their leader. set in the 1970's the film deals with race relation, the white supremacist movement, with a insightful eye and a good deal of humor. Lee does some great film making here and everyone should see this film. His technique in building tension and smart editorial and editing choices really take this film from good to great. Washington and Driver carry their parts well doing most of the serious acting in the film. But the collection of players around them gives them what they need to pull of the roles.
Being at the Faculty of Horror Podcast Live was a real treat. I love the podcast, both Andrea Subisatti and Alex West not only do their homework on the film they are covering but they always add ideas that never occur to a hack reviewer like me. They add to my though about film which is the whole point of my writing here. I want to do a bit more than mindlessly watch. I want to force myself to think a bit more deeply about the films I enjoy. In The House of the Devil there were several ideas that they brought to the conversation so credit these intelligent woman for what follows. Hopefully I can articulate as well as they did in their place. First the idea of the placard at the beginning of the film. The satanic panic and the idea by Walter Benjamin who when writing about how film changed the aura of art. Alex West went into detail concerning his ideas concerning how art is viewed through the lens of changing technologies. He was speaking at the time of film becoming predominant in the 1930's and how generations of people will have new ways to view art and how those new ways also change the art. Connecting these ideas to the nights feature was about the placard at the beginning of the film. Ti West chose to include information firmly placing the film as a film about the Satanic Panic of the 1980s. But more than just a setting he is implying through the film that there was something to the fear people of the time had about satanic abusive cults. The story itself is just that, it is not a story about the panic but is a story about a satanic cult. So even though the scare in the eighties was really more about conservative fear of a changing world, this film lends credence to the idea there was actually something to fear. Of course I can't explain quite as well as Alex West did in the podcast, so subscribe to the Faculty of Horror and listen for yourself.
A less developed theme in the podcast was about Ti West's use of Mother figures in the film. In the beginning we see Samantha trying to rent an apartment. The older woman (Dee Wallace) owner takes the time as a mother to remember her own child renting a first apartment and she connects with that memory when interacting with Sam. Later when Sam in taking the job of babysitting it is revealed that she will be doing so for the Ullman's Mother, then again the leader in the satanic ritual is called Mother and the purpose of the ritual is to impregnate Samantha. All connecting threads in the film, a small theme running through it.
Overall I found the experience of seeing the film again on the big screen and meeting and listening to the faculty of Horror a really enjoyable night. Salem is a bit of a drive for me but I left work early enough to skip the bulk of rush hour traffic. The town in the month of October is busy with tourist from all over the world who come to explorer the themes the town is famous for.
Suspiria (1977) - This is a strange fever dream of a film remarkable for its lighting and soundtrack that is a work of art in the world of horror films. Written and Directed by the late great Dario Argento with shared writing credit with Daria Nicolodi. It is the story of Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) a dancer arriving at a prestigious German ballet academy at the same time that there is the murder of one of the students. The mystery of what happened to the student and the stranger mystery concerning the school unfold in the short 98 minute run time. Filled with colorful sets and lighting and a thumping score by the band Goblin it is a great film to experience in the theater. So being up in Salem MA the home of the salem Witch trials and seeing it as part of the Salem Horror fest it certainly was a treat. At times a bit dated it still holds up as a unique piece of art and a classic of the genre. Just the way that Argento approached the death in the film, like each was a set piece, a piece of art of its own. He stages elaborately with everything just in place to leave the viewer with a lasting image. It will be interesting to see how this film will be re-imagined in the remake coming out later this year. Part of the reason I came to see this was so I would have a fresh take on a classic, when I see the reimagining.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Blog email address: movies@edhovey.com