A Double Feature of Horror

Two movies came out in the 80's, both great horror films, though they are only related tangentially. The first of these films was 1981's The Evil Dead, a relatively unknown film compared to its sequels, specifically 1992's Army of Darkness. Both feature the man who could kill with his chin, Bruce Campbell. But neither of these films really compared to the success that was 1984's Nightmare on Elm Street, a horror classic that actually built up tension as well as delivering plenty of gore. Now when I said these films were just a little bit related I mean in one of Nightmare's scenes The Evil Dead is playing on the TV, which was then referenced with a Freddy Kreuger glove in Evil Dead 2, quite a cool legacy.

First let's look at Evil Dead, the quintessential B horror film. The movie starts out creepy enough, a good location of an abandoned cabin the woods with dripping pipes and an evil history of the cabin. There's some decent camera work and all that to create a fairly good atmosphere, then shit gets really crazy.

First we have the tree rape scene. I will say nothing more, because anything else is extraneous, it is truly horrifying. Then when the girl is recovered from this traumatic experience she becomes a weird zombie thing and is trapped in the cellar, though not before biting one of the main cast. One of the things I really liked about the film is that Bruce Campbell is not the obvious protagonist, at least not a first, he seems more like the guy who dies in self sacrifice last or something.

The others die or get zombified relatively quickly after the event, and then it just becomes a matter of how much liquid they can spray on our hero, as well as just how much violence they can fit in, while still maintaining the eensiest bit of horror and tension. It's pretty much all gone though, especially once they get to the things just attacking from every direction, including a zombie stabbing a character with a pencil, it's just kind of silly.

That's the movie's strength though, and especially where it differs from Nightmare. It embraces the silliness, and the gore and all that and becomes a much better movie and series for it, unlike some of the later Nightmare sequels, which turn the former terrifying antagonist into a wisecracking joke of a villain.

Talking about Nightmare it is a genuinely good horror film which features Johnny Depp (In a first role) being completely obliterated in a geyser of blood. The way the film builds tension is like all the great ones, by not showing the villain, always cloaked in shadows and unknown until the climax of the film he was all the scarier for it.

I mean sure, nowadays everyone knows Freddy Kreuger, something the remake took for granted and was much the worse for it, but then it was such an effective scare with someone targeting us when we are at our weakest, asleep. Using nightmares as a tool added an extra depth to the scare, because by having nightmares about the film, an intended consequence, it added more impact to them because it was possible you would die in real life. Not actually, but you know.

Anyway I don't have an enormous amount to say about either of these films, other than to recommend them to all lovers of horror and thriller too, and especially the connoisseurs which prefer something a little dated, and with just that tad bit of humor, though not too exaggerated like Nightmare 4-8.

May (2002)

Before I delve into the film, let me detail why it has been so long since I've updated. I suppose it's a combination of factors, as it so often is, primarily just how down I was feeling previous to a camp last week. Another thing is just how much work I had to procrastinate, which is always a strain. Then finally there is just the simple lack of enthusiasm, but honestly if anyone reads this and gets some enjoyment I will feel happy, so without further ado I present May, a film which was incorrectly advertised.

The film starts off fairly innocently, well that's not entirely true. The film begins with the protagonist stabbing herself with scissors, then quickly cuts to her and her mother finding a doll. Then the real plot begins, with the titular character, May, working at a veterinary hospital with a fairly weird co-worker and a boss who doesn't respect her.

We see May's obsession with a man as well as her unhealthy collection of dolls, but the movie is not really horror at this point, and isn't really until the last 20 minutes. That is why it was advertised wrong, with the poster and the trailer and everything clearly stating it was a horror, when it should have been advertised as a romantic comedy with a twist ending, which would have added much more impact.

I digress however, and complaining about it now won't exactly change anything. The actors are all fairly decent, with the suitably awkward main character really carrying the show (She also played Carrie in the ill fated remake). The film received moderate critical acclaim, though some critics really despised it, and audiences never watched it, so it remained largely unnoticed, though its developed a small cult following.

Overall I recommend seeing it, though don't go in expecting a masterpiece, it surely isn't. Compared to other horror films of the time however, it was some what of a breath of fresh air, adding an interesting subversion to the genre, and delivering scares without just bump frights.

Well I hope to write more movie stuff over the next couple weeks, mainly as a way of procrastinating and taking my mind off all those things in the world which are just a bit too big.

Grave of the fireflies

I'll be brief since I have so little to write about this masterpiece of a film. Directed by Studio Ghibli this 1988 film is the tale of two orphans attempting to live in World War II Germany. Lot's of laughs. But mainly tears, so many tears. It is one of the strongest anti-war films out there, but also a warning tale about pride and learning to accept your mistakes, a fact which is often missed by critics who just see the admittedly powerful imagery directed against the pointless war.

The key point about the film is the little moments that it shows, the happy relationship the two children share, even if it is in the brief interludes of incredible depression. One of the most telling and for me touching moments of the film is when the little girl asks for her favorite candy, and is crying when she thinks there are none left. Then the big brother looks deep inside the can and finds a few pieces and some scraps, the little girl looks very carefully at what is left, and eats the scraps putting away the rest. This incredibly poignant scene is one of many, and just seeks to show how masterful Ghibli can be when it is in its element.

This is not a happy film though, it is an incredibly depressing film where in the end there is no happy ending. They both die, this is stated in the first minute of the film. The buildup to it though, even though you know the end result is what makes it so sad. I personally felt so much anger at the characters because many of the events could have been prevented, but where not because of basic human flaws. The tale makes much more sense and becomes much sadder when you here that it was based off a real account from a man who grew up in the period and blames himself for his sister's death.

This is an amazing film though, and I think everyone should watch it at least once, even if you don't believe that cartoons can be made for adults, maybe this film will change your mind, and will almost certainly change your heart, if only for a little while.

Fanboys

Fanboys is an indie film wrought with troubles in its production. Originally it was going to be released in late 2006, then they wanted to reshoot some scenes so went with early 2007. Unfortunately cast members being busy delayed the release until late 2008. This also meant their were a lot of edits to the film, perhaps too many. Apparently some of the more sensitive moments were changed for some of the crude comedy which seems out of place with the rest of the film, and it shows.

There's one scene early on where all the guys are forced to strip at a gay bar, that could have been cut really easily, and  nothing would be lost, not even comedy considering how unfunny that sequence was. These random sequences do drag the film down a bit, but overall I really liked it. This is apparently a differing opinion to the critics given its 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, but it is a great Star Wars movie.

That is what the film is really about, fanboys, the rampant devotion of the titular characters is shown throughout the film, not necessarily in a positive light, but in an honest self evaluation. The creators of the film were obviously huge fans, from the use of original sounds to the constant references, and choice of actors it shows a nerds devotion to the art of Star Wars.

It also shies away from the obvious "the prequel's sucked lolololol" jokes, aside from one minor comment at the end, and this makes it a much better film. It embraces the cheesiness of Star Wars, but also shows just how much any given media can mean to fans, as the events that drive the film are because one devoted fan just wants to see Episode 1 before he dies of cancer. This is the serious plot point that could have used more time, though it does kind of undercurrent the film, and there is a lot of more subtle hints at it throughout, thought they could have been expanded upon.

Some of the fanboyness shines through , like when they stumble upon Lucas' private sanctuary, with all the original props, it is an amazing sight. The reverence they treat the films with is what sets this apparent from parodies like Scary Movie and the like, it embraces the subject matter lovingly, though not without good humor, instead of insulting it. Overall this is what makes it the better film, and definitely one I would watch again, as the loving reverence reminds of an age past, when the original trilogy was all there was, and we loved every last moment of it.

Those That Service Us

They live life everyday, bored of their seemingly tepid existence. All this is compounded when one clerk, Dante, is bullied into coming in on his day off. This classic 1994 film by director Keven Smith is one of the defining movies of the indie movement, and it's development is amazingly entertaining. He maxed out 8 credit cards by pretending to be his boss, and work night and day to make sure the film got done. Overall he got about one hour of sleep for many night, nearly driving himself insane.

The film has its problems, and its limited budget shines through in numerous instances. The most obvious of this is the fact that it is in black and white, a trend that ended just more than 25 years before this film came out, but the incredibly limited budget made it the only option. The actors are also, not the highlight of the film, the limited budget meant friends and family of Smith's had to come in and 'act', but sometimes the silences are obviously the actors forgetting lines, and some of the reactions seem stilted.

This is also Smith's first real film, and the camera angles and the technical stuff are all obviously amateur. Despite all of this, I still love the film. This is a result of the dialogue, it is so well written that the rest of the movie is excused from its many faults. The movie is funny, it's full of pop culture references that are more than just quotes, and has a loving knowledge of comedy.

It is also a very human film, from the customers who come in just wanting a pack of smokes, to the main characters Dante and Randal who are characterized as normal people, they contrast each other extremely well with Randall openly spitting in the customer's faces, sometimes literally, and Dante bottling up his anger until it bursts at the climax of the film.

This is what makes the writing so impressive, it just seems like a group of friend's talking, because that is what it is. You don't need to make up dialogue when your typical conversations fit the characters, and it adds realism because they are the kind of conversations that go on. It also helps define the target audience and makes it so much more enjoyable by drawing you in. For example the Star Wars conversation in the middle sounds exactly like something we would say, in fact I'm sure I've had a similar discussion in real life.

Clerks is one of my favorite 90s films, I feel it really represents the decade. The Seinfeldian nature was right at its peak, and the conversations are so real, that the faults of the film just fade into the background as the witty dialogue takes the show. I suppose I love the film because if it comes to that I could see me in that position, it's not favorable but it is a distinct possibility, and that makes it real, and a real movie like this is strictly superior to all those with painstakingly written dialogue, that it stands as a gem in a shit.