Innocence in Blood

LET ME IN

Director: Matt Reeves

Writer: Matt Reeves

Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloë Grace Moritz, Elias Koteas

2010 | United States | R | 115 mins

★★★★

When a film of such stark power, horror, and beauty comes along like Let the Right One In it seems incomprehensible how mainstream audiences cannot embrace subtitles and ultimately rule that a remake is necessary. Normally a hack director is hired so that audiences with attention spans of goldfish can forgive any mistakes and blasphemies against the original when these remakes are pumped out to cash in. But Matt Reeves is not a hired gun, nor is he unfamiliar with the source material, and he actually cares about what cinematic audiences think and feel.

Los Alamos, New Mexico. 1983. Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee), an only child caught between the divorce of his parents, faces growing up on his own against the pressures of bullying and friendship. Spending time alone in the apartment courtyard, Owen meets Abby (Chloë Grace Moritz), a girl seeming to be around his age who moves in next door. The two forge a friendship that satisfies both their needs to feel accepted, but Abby hides a secret that only blood can quench.

Based upon John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel and screenplay for Let the Right One In, Matt Reeves faithfully adapts the story of belonging and growing up with minor changes to properly set the film in America. Taking place during the Reagan era, Reeves' adaption and attention to detail is astounding and the Cold War politics play a subtle key of tension to the backdrop and atmosphere of the film. These changes add a great depth to the film. A few scenes from the original are axed, such as the cat lady scene, but not without reason. The performances by both young actors are expertly realized and a strong anchor to the emotional impact the film presents. A few things this retelling has specifically over its 2008 predecessor is Greig Fraser's absolutely gorgeous cinematography and Michael Giacchino's beautifully haunting film score reminiscent of 70's gothic horror, both of these excel beyond expectations.

At the time of its announcement Let Me In was pointless and seemed like a blasphemy against the brilliant original, but now after witnessing Matt Reeves faithfully and sure-footedly spin his take on this tale of adolescence with a vampiric twist, the film is more as if another director had a shot at adapting John Ajvide Lindqvist's novel, rather then just a remake. While still not as wholly impressive as the Swedish masterpiece, Let Me In retains the emotional resonance and purity of horror without tarnishing the original. 

All contents copyright 2010 Tyler Baptist

Of Wife or Witch...

SEASON OF THE WITCH

Director: George A. Romero

Writer: George A. Romero

Starring: Jan White, Ray Laine, Ann Muffly

1972 | United States | R | 104 mins

★★★★

George A. Romero wasn't afraid to take artistic risks and explore different genres of filmmaking early in his career, even if they did ultimately still involve horror elements. After dabbling in bleak horror with Night of the Living Dead and comedy in There's Always Vanilla, Romero next decided to tackle dark drama. Season of the Witch (also known as Hungry Wives and Jack's Wife) was his third film and is a highly underrated exploration into the horrors of mid-life crisis through the eyes of middle-aged housewife.

Joan Mitchell's (Jan White) life is spiralling away from her. Her husband Jack (Bill Thunhurst) is constantly away from home on business and her teenage daughter Nikki (Joedda McClain) is rebellious and soon leaves home. Seeking solace through close friends, Joan is introduced to witchcraft as a means of exploring her own path via a local tarot reader and soon embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Haunted by nightmares of being alone and her fantasy of being loved, Joan uses her new-found calling as a witch to seduce a young man (Ray Laine) to fulfil her neglected desires.

Season of the Witch is a slow-burn exploration into the desire to be loved by those around you when those around you seem to ignore that you even exist. While working with an extremely low-budget and inexperienced actors, Romero still manages to flesh out enough social commentary and subtle nuances of lost hope into this story of self-loathing that multiple viewings are encouraged to truly appreciate the layers present. Using the theme of witchcraft to bridge Joan's self-discovery allows both alienation and empowerment to be reflected upon the viewer, and work as a connection into Joan's character and her struggle with her family's sudden disconnectivity.

Often overlooked by reviewers who consider it 'amateur' or 'boring', Season of the Witch is neither of these and is a rather haunting portrait into the confusing and dark world of mid-life crisis through the eyes of a woman. Low-budget production values and amateur acting still can't hinder the talent a young Romero had with creating contrasting characters and realistic situations that any family can experience, and the horrors of wanting and needing. Whether you're a horror fan, a Romero fan, or are just looking for interesting and challenging 'lost' cinema, don't pass up this forgotten gem.

All contents copyright 2010 Tyler Baptist

Dark Bridges Film Festival Day 3

Sunday September 26th marked the third and final day of the Dark Bridges Film Festival. Opening the festival was the Saskatchewan Shorts showcase which featured local short films varying from zombie comedies to an end of days Western and everything in between. Black Field, the first feature of the day hails from Manitoba and takes a turn in the festival as a serious period drama with some tension. The preceding short films included the wonderfully animated The Thomas Beale Cipher and Without Wings. Black Field tells the tale of two lone women left to look after their family farm when a lone strange appears and breaks things apart.

Tyler Baptist: "Quiet, beautifully shot, and richly character driven. Black Field's slow burn story of sisters alone to fend for themselves is disquieting and powerfully realized by Danishka Esterhazy." 3/5

John Allison, the Dark Bridges festival director, advised those in attendance, as well as in advance of the festival happening, to not seek out any information on the next feature, but to go in with an open slate. This was an Irish black comedy titled A Film With Me In It where a series of accidents go from bad to worse for a starving actor. The opening short film No Escape, a little German robbery thriller, had a great concept but a lackluster pay-off.

Skot M. Hamilton: "Neither dark enough, nor funny enough, to succeed entirely and trying to purposely pigeon hole itself next to black comedy peers. A Film With Me In It manages to avoid being totally mediocre through a few strong central performances, but does waiver beneath the weight of its overall drabness." 2.5/5

TB: "A fantastic set-up for a black comedy with a few great laughs and winces along the way, but in the end feels rushed and too tidy." 3.5/5

Adrienne Brody once again reinvents his career portraying a strung-out drug dealer in the new stoner-comedy High School. Preceding the film was a short also portraying high school life, entitled Worm, but this time from the point of view of a narcissistic teacher and much darker in tone. High School details a Grade-A student and his stoner buddy who get the entire student body to ingest pot brownies.

SMH: "A typical drug comedy about absolutely nothing. Immature, exhausting, and derivative. One could assume that the filmmakers were counting on the short attention spans of their target audience to ignore that they've already laughed at these lame jokes in the last six stoner comedies they've seen." 1.5/5

TB: "As unrealistic as stoner comedies are, High School takes the cake. Convoluted, unfunny, and actually getting high before watching would probably not make this any better or help pass the time." 2/5

And finally bookending the entire festival weekend took us to the far East. Junkios Shamisen, a live-action and animated multi-media short, told a fable of revenge with a Kabuki twist. Finally, the closing picture packed a wallop with the Korean kimchi Western The Good, The Bad, The Weird. The festival audience fully got into the film and were laughing and cheering throughout, thus ending the festival on a positive note.

SMH: "Relentlessly fun! This is the type of action-adventure picture that Hollywood should be pumping all of its money into. If North American's weren't so frightened of subtitles this could dominate the box office and deserve to at that." 4.5/5

TB: "As big as blockbuster action can get. The Good, The Bad, The Weird is a wild Western mash-up that delivers the laughs along with the insane action and doesn't let up for one dull moment. Epic, entertaining, and pure fun!" 4.5/5

That wraps up the first annual Dark Bridges Film Festival, but listen below for an interview Skot and Tyler conducted with festival director John Allison.

John Allison Interview


All contents copyright 2010 Skot M. Hamilton and Tyler Baptist

Dark Bridges Film Festival Day 2

Day two of Saskatoon's first installment in to the Dark Bridges Films festival opened with a bang despite a less than desired turnout on September 25^th. Due to an early showtime and a myriad of other early Saturday issues (Hangovers, work, etc..) Day two opener Werewolf Fever was seen by a only a fraction of the audience it deserved.

Surface and Remote were openers, and both drew more more from the sci-fi end of the pool then one would expect from a movie preceding a Werewolf-slasher-comedy. In Werewolf Fever A group of unwitting and heinously stupid twenty somethings jockeying a greasy burger joint do battle with one of the most hilarious on-screen creatures since Rawhead Rex.

Skot M. Hamilton: “A blast of an indie horror flick for which the word “Romp” was invented.” 3.5/5

Tyler Baptist: “An absolutely hysterical and entertaining mash-up of the werewolf genre and 80's Canadian sex comedies (minus the sex, and in this case that's not a bad thing!) Werewolf Fever is a howl!” 4/5

After the slapstick comedy and gore of the entertaining low-budget Werewolf Fever, the festival took a turn to the darker side with the next feature, Long Pigs. Opening the film was a short cannibal-themed Western starring Ken Foree of Dawn of the Dead fame called Dead Bones. The juxtaposition between the comedy and the now dramatic and sinister nature of Long Pigs, a documentary-style glimpse into the life of a cannibalistic serial killer, was unexpected by the audience.

SMH: “Despite issues in the pacing and acting departments (problems that seem to plague these lower budget Mockumenteries) Long Pigs is reasonably tight package with big pay-off. Man Bites Dog it's not, but a really respectable effort.” 3.5/5

TB: “Sinister satire and an interesting concept, but Long Pigs doesn't engage like it should and too many plot holes and pacing issues ultimately leave it to be rather boring and uninspired.” 2/5

From there we began the “Dead-walk-the-Earth” marathon starting with shorts 36 Sous Sol and the outrageously funny Inferno Of The Dead. By this point the number of festival goers had grown quite a bit, a handful of whom had shown up in full undead garb. Needless to say, 2008's Spanish favorite [REC]'s built in fan base had finally arrived. In [REC], a television crew witnesses the beginning of an unknown outbreak that has seized an apartment complex.

SMH: “Just as fresh as it was upon it's release despite a North American remake and other imposters vying for its limelight, [REC] losses nothing to multiple viewings. It is still just as jarring, exciting, and intriguing as ever.” 4/5

TB: “[REC] will scare even the most jaded of horror fans. Intense, claustrophobic, and extremely well executed. A masterpiece of modern horror.” 4.5/5

Now that the entire audience was shaking in their seats after being put through the paces with [REC] the festival is not going to let that sense of dread let up as we continue the story with [REC]2. But before the onslaught of tension and terror began we continue the undead short film theme with Alice Jacobs is Dead starring the lovely Adrienne Barbaeu and followed up with the intense, bizarre, and crazy Argentinian exorcism opus Deus Irae. Then it was time to follow a SWAT team into the quarantined apartment in [REC]2.

SMH: “Delving further in to the back story of any genre film is a risky situation, and [REC]2 launches head long in to its own with reckless abandon and is at the end of the day at least as strong a film as its predecessor for it. A retread would have been the easiest route, but Plaza and Balaguero make a really surprising and brave gear shift that most wouldn't have had the guts to commit to. Really smart genre filmmaking.” 4/5

TB: “Just as good as the first film if not better, [REC]2 amps up the scares and delves further into possession, claustrophobic terror, and intelligent horror filmmaking. A new horror franchise worth buzzing about.” 4.5/5

Finally it was time to let up from the scares, but not the undead, with some campy humour. Opening the midnight film were The Elusive Man and Game Night, two twisted shorts that had the audience busting a gut. Then came The Karate Kid as if written by Lloyd Kaufman and featuring zombies. The director Gary King and main actress Christina Rose were present to introduce the film and answer a Q&A following this campy low-budget zom-com which the audience seemed to thoroughly enjoy.

SMH: “Unapologetic gag a minute Schlock-o-rama that plays like the Zucker Bros gone twisted. A genre mash-up that will please underground cinema aficionados from all ends of the spectrum.” 3/5

TB: “A campy, sophomoric, and slapstick spoof featuring karate-zombies, quite a few laugh-out-loud moments and a surprising amount of heart not commonly seen in the genre. Worth a look.” 3/5

Skot and Tyler had the pleasure of interviewing both director Gary King and actress Christina Rose at the first annual Dark Bridges Film Festival. Listen to those interviews below:

Interview #1 (Before the Death of the Dead screening)

Interview #2 (After the Death of the Dead screening)

All contents copyright 2010 Skot M. Hamilton and Tyler Baptist

Dark Bridges Film Festival Day 1

The first Dark Bridges Film festival kicked off September 24^th in Saskatoon, SK at the gorgeous inner-city gem The Roxy Theater. The audience was small but poised to take in some adventurous fare from all over the globe and all over the cinematic spectrum. The festival is a first for Saskatoon, a three day extravaganza featuring twelve features and twenty-six short films in total.

Opening the evening was the energetic short Red Princess Blues, followed by the even more frantic Uncle Jack, a duo of openers guaranteed to give the audience whiplash.

The first feature, Neil Marshall's Hack and Slash Centurion opened the festival and proved a stimulating kick start for the meager but excitable audience. “Centurion” follows the few remaining soldiers of the 9^th Roman Legion who are being hunted down by a ruthless Pict tracker because of the death of the Pict leader's son.

Skot M. Hamilton: “In typical Marshall form we are treated to an over abundance of style and an almost amusing lack of substance, luckily he knows how to make that a good thing somehow. In league with films like 300 in that it knows how to use being dumb as an asset rather than a hindrance” 2.5/5

Tyler Baptist: “Gory, action-packed warfare epic. But ultimately overly predictable and overly mundane like Marhsall's last effort Doomsday where it becomes just an homage to the genre rather than something new.” 2.5/5

In stark contrast to the first batch of high-octane fare we were treated to some more subtle work in a more pronounce horror vein. Wilted and Off Season set the pace for this set, the latter proving to be one of the most impressive short thrillers in years and certainly a highlight of the evening. Dawning, the second feature details an awkward family get-together turned sinister when a blood caked stranger wanders in to the picture.

SMH: “A largely effective and subtle thriller which is at its precipice and at its weakest all at the same time. Commendable for engaging in high concept, but it's a concept only marginally achieved.” 3/5

TB: “Finally a horror film where characters and well crafted drama add to the destructible nature of unknown surrounding evil. However the high concept played with is not fully fleshed out in the end.” 3/5

Finally ending the first night of the festival in true midnight fashion are two varying short films with a Lovecraftian twist. Dan Coolo: Paranormal Drug Dealer is ultimately an unfunny miss, but Necronomicon proves to be a hilarious good time at its under two minute running time. The midnight feature capping it all off, El Monstro Del Mar, is an Australlian mash-up of the Russ Meyer vixen, 50's monster movies, and Lovecraft's Shadow over Innismouth.

SMH: “At once sexy, hilarious, inspired, exciting and a consistently good time. In a word: wowy.” 4/5

TB: “Hot babes, practical Evil Dead-like sea monster effects, and a short and simple story make this a modern B-movie romp. A ton of fun and not to be missed!” 3.5/5

More coming as we tackle Day 2 of the Dark Bridges Film Festival.

All contents copyright 2010 Skot M. Hamilton and Tyler Baptist

Blood Bonds

WINTER'S BONE

Director: Debra Granik

Writers: Derba Granik and Anne Rosellini

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Garret Dillahunt

2010 | United States | R | 100 mins

★★★★★

The cold that encompasses the landscape of the Ozark Mountains is as familiar as the tension between the bloodlines existent in these rural regions of Missouri. Both this feeling of frigidity and the haunting awareness that you alone can only account for your own survival is what is deeply rooted in the structure of Winter's Bone and the story of Ree Dolly, based upon the novel of the same name by Daniel Woodrell.

Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence), a 17-year old girl forced to care for her younger siblings because of an absent father and mentally unstable mother, is now up against losing her family's home if her meth-cooking father does not show up for a court appearance. This adds more fuel to the already burning fire that is destroying the Dolly family as poverty barely lends them enough to eat and the cold winter is all-consuming. Having to grow up too fast Ree has to seek the answers to her father's whereabouts which will uncover darker secrets that haunt all the bloodlines in cold rural Missouri.

Having read Daniel Woodrell's novel, Debra Granik captures the cold icy grasp of family betrayal so hauntingly layered that Winter's Bone will send chills down your spine with its tense portrayal of a girl forced to carry her family on her back. The adaption is extremely faithful and Debra and co-screenwriter Anne Rosellini flesh out a tale of blood and family to the screen as expertly as Woodrell carved the original story. Jennifer Lawrence gives an absolutely flawless and strong willed performance. Her portrayal of Ree Dolly is so believably true to the nature of the character and the mental scars her life has inflicted on her that every emotion is masterfully and minutely executed that her pain and perseverance enters your very soul. John Hawkes, who plays Uncle Teardrop, is both menacing, calculating, and tender when it calls for it. Every cast member plays their role with such conviction that not once does the viewer leave the atmosphere heavily created by the film.

Winter's Bone is a film so rare these days where feelings and ideas of pain, hope, family, and trust are every bit as real as they are cold and encompassed by one's surroundings. Debra Granik and crew have crafted a film of enormous emotional suspense that stays true to the novel's almost backwoods noir and triumphs as powerful cinema that fully latches onto the viewer. I hope that we can see another female director nominated at the Oscars this year, and most definitely nominations for the cast as well, because Winter's Bone is the best American film of the 2010 thus far and will grab you with its powerful tale of family bonds.


All contents copyright 2010 Tyler Baptist

"Српски филм (AKA: A SERBIAN FILM)" - A movie for his whole family...

A SERBIAN FILM

Directed by Srdjan Spasojevic

Written by Aleksandar Radivojević and Srđan Spasojević

The so called sub-genre known as “Torture Porn” is a dicey topic for cinema aficionados, film makers and critics both mainstream and whatever-the-hell-stream I'm rafting down alike. To me, it's most often a term of dismissal used by lazy critics and populist pundits vying for a pat on the head from the daytime talk show automaton circuit who love nothing more than to pass moral judgment on the most obvious targets (although that has a tendency to boil down to everyone past their own front step). Since the term was established as a mainstay in the public's limited cinematic vernacular I've been developing a suspicion that these sheltered, self-assured puppets are waiting with baited breath, twisting in their seats at the anticipation of the next hot-topic picture knowing that that the more debased the movie, the taller their soapbox. Populist power perverts if you'd like.

Much like the media conceived “Grunge” movement of the 1990's, none of the self respecting artists who have had this ridiculous title thrust upon their work have really warmed up to it as it only serves to cheapen and generalize. Unfortunately, the damage doesn't stop at the tarnished reputation of the artist, it can also effect those under their influence. Those with a discerning approach will easily separate the caviare from the canned tuna, but unfortunately these days a lot of genre film goers don't know the difference between Romero and W.S. Anderson, and when faced with a talking head cramming an anti-sex-and-violence rap down their throat are far more likely to turn around saying “Yeah, right on, Sex and Violence” than “Actually, you're missing the point entirely”. In a most unfortunate turn of events , it would seem that a crop of new filmmakers are beginning to surface who are helping the industry establish a new narrative low by adopting the most base level traits of certain touchstone pieces and then filling in the gaps with crass stereotypes not actually emanating from their influences themselves, but from the false perceptions and exaggerated projections of their influences as perpetuated by their critics.

So what happens when art stops trying to better itself in the face of its enemies and instead submits to their comically low expectations? More specifically in this case, what happens to the future of horror cinema when it is content behaving more like fodder for a dateline exposé than either art or entertainment in any capacity?

Milos(Srđan Todorović) is a retired porn stud who receives an enticing proposition to be involved in one last shoot that will provide a good life for him, his wife and his young son. Wouldn't you know it, Milos is strapped for cash, and as disinterested as he is in saddling up again it's the only logical solution to his family's financial woes. His wife Mariia (Jelena Gavrilovic) is open to the idea, encouraging even, and the job came to him through a former co-star who despite being seen last in a full-length remake of the third act of BACHLEOR PARTY seems to be on the level, so what could go wrong?

He soon finds himself regaled with projections of pornography's ascension to true art by the Mystery pictures eccentric architect (and “Coffin Joe” look alike) Vukmir (Sergej Trifunović), who has hand picked Milos as a kindred artistic spirit of sorts. Before Milos has time to re-consider his employment options he finds himself in an abandoned orphanage as part of some morbid psycho-drama with a gaggle of strange women who wouldn't be entirely out of place cruising with Frank Booth. He is walked through these strange events via radio as cameramen race around getting coverage of every angle. He starts his time on set playing the role of voyeur to a twisted mother-daughter duo and in short order finds himself in the middle of the action. Then the magic starts.

From there the brutality comes on hard, searing and in truckloads as a veritable smorgasbord of depravity, and I'll admit with no shame that on paper at least “A Serbian Film” is as nasty as I've seen them come in terms of its design. Liberal doses of child abuse, a mid-coital beheading and the classic struggle between penis and too much teeth are all tame scenery on the road towards the films more controversial fair, a full inventory of which may see de Sade snickering and looking away. It becomes quite clear though once this well is tapped that only a cursory understanding of people as emotional creatures exists and that maybe some basic notion of an audiences desire for tension was entertained but not entirely grasped by first time Director Srdjan Spasojevic, as he hits almost all of the right notes, but it's not until he starts broaching another taboo that he starts playing like he means it and any feeling shines through the viscera.

Anchoring artistic, lyrical and narrative violence should either be heart or philosophy, two aspects that this sadistic little squimer hasn't any time to consider as it rends decency limb from limb all throughout its third act. To clarify, I LOVE a movie that rends decency limb from limb, but that level of severity must be delivered with intelligence and an appreciation for it's aftermath, and if not that it had better be damned entertaining somehow. “A Serbian Film” is at no point clever, accountable or good for a chuckle, it just does doughnuts like a monster-truck in a gore bog for an hour and half , so drunk on its superiority-through-excess mind-frame that we're left cleaning excrement and blood out of our eyes wondering “When the fuck is this going to end?”

Believe it or not, a competent cast and technical side are present and put in a valiant effort trying to save “A Serbian Film” from falling in to “Wacky Shit to Freak Your Mom Out With” territory. All of the principles are game to drive every inch of suffering home with convincing and gut-wrenching gusto, succeeding in building a palpable concoction of disgust, paranoia, and perversion, for what its worth. Nearing the third act the pacing becomes more frantic and the film gains a few more points through some really slick editing as it succeeds where a lot of quasi-subliminal, MTV-paced horror films descend in to utter nonsense. Unfortunately, these aspects are just more frosting with no cake to put it on.

I realize as I near the end of this review that I've spent more time dissecting the current trajectory of underground horror than actually putting “A Serbian Film” to task, but frankly that felt like a waste of my time and yours. For all of its intended shock it is a bore, for all of its “mature content” it is so unfathomably infantile on every imaginable level, and ultimately for all the envelopes it pushes it is a trifle compared even to its most low-rent peers. It's a shame really that a picture so determined to stretch out every moral boundary (and every, and I mean every, available orifice) doesn't have a stronger statement to purvey because the genre enthusiast in me always wants to side with the underdog rather than the Oprah-panel-applause-generator, but the only thing worse than a pundit rubbing their moral agenda in our collective nose is a filmmaker doing their best to completely validate everything one of these pundits has to say, and at the end of the day “A Serbian Film” accomplishes that at best. For its efforts in plumbing the depths of thematic indecency this film will likely garner praise from the gorehounds and will in the upcoming years no doubt chart on many a “sickest movies of all time” list, but for anyone who bases their viewing time on more than morbid curiosity this is a picture easily missed.

It is less a movie than a very sad declaration that “Torture Porn” may in fact exist outside of “They Shoot Horses, Don't They?” and “The Passion of The Christ” after all.

-Skot Hamilton