Trailers that are Better than the Movie - Rules of Attraction

So, I have this habit of gathering movie trailers off the Internet, and much like the previously written about Cliffhanger trailer, it's amazing how many seem to be more kinetic or emotionally involving than the movie itself.

One such trailer is for Roger Avery's incredibly frustrating, occasionally brilliant Rules of Attraction. Here's a movie filled with an abundance of fantastic moments, but that's held together by some of the most excruciatingly offputting characters ever put in a motion picture.

Avery is trying to explore the moralistic cesspool that forms when teenagers run off to university and are bombarded by drugs, sex, alcohol, independence, and a different party every night of the week. It's shocking, sometimes true to life, and occasionally disturbing, but when Avery isn't stylistically pushing new ground (and Rules of Attraction does have an incredible opening), he's giving screen time to a group of hyper-sexed, obnoxious characters who seem more like aliens from another planet than even the most drugged up students I've ever met.

So, in order to promote the whole messy affair, the trailer focuses on style over substance, and manages to say everything about university life in 1 minute and twenty seconds that the movie says in an hour and fifty minutes.

You can find the trailer on this page in the top right corner.

http://movies.virginmedia.com/synopsis/default.asp?filmid=2395&sec=syn

First off, yep, it's a takeoff of the trailer for A Clockwork Orange; classical music, this time Russian Dance from The Nutcracker, interspersed with white words on a black screen, and in-your-face imagery. And much like that trailer, this one is trying to engage the audience, letting them know that the film is provocative and contains an abundance of ideas.

What makes this trailer work so well, is that by hinting at how depraved the movie will be, complete with suggestive, but non-explicit images, the audience members have already thought of at least ten things that are more disgusting or button-pushing than the movie could possibly focus on. Since the trailer offers little in the way of character, the possibilities for the plot are endless. All we know is that moral lines will be crossed, and personal comfort levels will be challenged. The trailer works like a Rorschach Inkblot Test automatically taking our brains to the most primal places of our subconscious, getting us to imagine the worst possible things that could occur on a university campus.

Unfortunately, the movie isn't half as provocative as the trailer. Having these ideas visualized is more akin to having obnoxious teenagers screaming, "look how messed up my life is" for two hours than offering anything resembling though-provoking material. It's shocking at first, but then you just go...yep, another sex scene...yep, more drugs....yep, violence. Avery seems to be interested primarily in bombarding the audience with shocking moments, but after a while the shock fades away, and with no characters to connect with, the movie loses its footing. It all becomes numbing, and a case could be made that that is the point - to bring the audience to the same emotional level as the characters, but by the end I had lost interest.

The trailer manages to accomplish everything the movie cannot - it's thought provoking, shocking, provocative - and it manages to do it all in a comfortable time limit that doesn't wear out its welcome.

Tv Shows I'm Watching - Heroes (Episode 19)

Episode 19 - .07% - *** out of 4

Big plot points included.

After it's super-sized hiatus, Heroes finally returns with an episode that....doesn't actually accomplish a whole lot. Sure, there are some big plot developments toward the end of the episode, but personally this kind of felt like a filler episode to me.

First the good points. Once again Claire's dad is the most interesting character. Having been captured by his own organization he devises a telepathic escape plan with Matt Parkman. It's a suspenseful plotline, provides real stakes for the characters, and has some inventive displays of superpowers.

I also like Linderman's inclusion in the storyline. After months of people mentioning his name ominously, Malcolm McDowell has managed to turn this potentially one-note villain into a complex character. His speech, in which he puts the upcoming New York disaster into context (it's only killing .07% of the population, but will lead to positive world changes), brings to mind the moral gray areas Claire's father has travelled through as well. His decision to bring Micah into the mix might actually mean that Nikki's storyline could get interesting in the near future.

The mediocre storyline follows Isaac's final stand against Sylar. Essentially playing into the prophecies of both his own paintings and also Hiro's time travelling journey to New York, Isaac dies at the hand of the superhero serial killer. I wanted to feel like this was more of a shocking plot point, but frankly I haven't been able to muster much care for Isaac since the story began. I'm sure this isn't the entire end of his character's arc (he hints that he has left clues for others), but it certainly feels like closure. What bothers me most about this death, is that the potential conflict brewing between Peter and Isaac (over the death of Simone) has run it's course. They had a little fight, and that was it. What was the point of killing her off then (other than getting rid of a boring character)?

I was also mildly interested in Claire's meeting with Nathan, her biological father. It was an awkward scene, but one that managed to convey both Claire's disappointment, and Nathan's cowardice.

Now, as for the bad, I was vastly disappointed with the Peter's dead fakeout. After taking a shard of glass to the back of head, Peter dies. Of course, the audience knows that since he has Claire's powers all anyone has to do is take out the shard of glass and he'll be A-okay, but nope...instead we have to watch character after character mourn because Peter's dead. Suresh is sad, Peter's mom is sad, Nathan's sad, Claire's sad (until she finally smartens up and pulls out the glass). It's just tedious because the audience is twelve steps ahead of everyone else.

Also, I'm going out on a limb here, but I don't think Suresh could really take out Sylar with what I will now dub as "The Bulletin Board of Doom!". The guy has like four hundred super powers, but not one can prepare him for the raw power of a rolling bulletin board? Uh huh.

With only a few episodes to go I'm worried that there isn't that much momentum. The "Let's Save New York" plotline really feels like an afterthought for everyone. I'm hoping that this will change quickly.

What I Rented - Eragon

Eragon tells the story of a young man, Eragon, who is magically given a dragon by a captured princess. After his uncle is murdered, he finds that he is part of a thought-dead group of mystical warriors called The Jedi....sorry....The Dragon Riders. Under the guidance of an old disgruntled Dragon Rider named Obi-Wan....wait....Brom (Jeremy Irons) he has to rescue the princess, join a rebel alliance, and take down an evil empire.

So, yeah...originality isn't Eragon's strong point, and the constant feeling of "Haven't-I-Seen-That-Before" intrudes on the movie at least once every two minutes. On top of being two steps away from a plagiarism lawsuit, there is absolutely no sense of pacing. Big moments arrive with little buildup (including a final battle that feels incredibly rushed) and characters have no time to be anything other than "good" or "bad".

That being said, there's still a goofy charm at work in Eragon, and while it isn't particularly good, it is at least entertaining and watchable. Jeremy Irons has fun as the wise elder, and his relationship with Eragon provides many of the film's best moments. The director, Stefen Fangmeier, allows the fast paced action to take a break during their scenes, and Irons manages to inject a bit of life into a thinly written character.

When the film finally decides to venture out from endless Star Wars references and create a mythology of its own it's actually quite clever. I liked the rules of the Dragon Riders; how the life of the dragon is linked with the rider; how they have a telepathic link; how magic can arise from their connection. It's enough to make the relationship between Eragon and the dragon unique; which in this movie is the equivalent of being given a glass of cold water in the desert.

Eragon never really finds its own voice, and that keeps it from being anything more than a pleasant Friday evening rental.

Star Rating ** out of 4

Hot Fuzz

The "Second" film is one of the toughest projects any creative team must endure. How does one follow up a successful film, knowing that fans are expecting something that is contradictory - an entirely new film that still reminds them of the first one? Hot Fuzz, the new comedy from director Edgar Wright, writer/star Simon Pegg, and actor Nick Frost, manages to do just that.

After the wonderful genre-bending Shaun of the Dead, which somehow managed to be a hilarious parody of zombie films, a scary horror film, a romantic comedy, and even an emotional tragedy all rolled into one, they have taken on a new genre - police films; or more specifically testosterone injected police films like Point Break and Bad Boys II. And much like their previous film, they aren't interested in just making a spoof. Hot Fuzz plays around with the genre, and dives headfirst into the adsurd, but it simultaneously manages to be one of the best buddy cop films since Lethal Weapon.

Sergeant Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) is the best police officer in London. He's so good, that he makes everyone else look awful, so his superiors ship him off to a small, peaceful town where the biggest villains are the grafitti spraying teenagers, and the tacky performance artists. But, soon after he arrives, a series of gruesome accidents befall several townspeople, and Angel, always one to sniff out a crime thinks a conspiracy is afoot. The only problem is, the other police officers, especially his new partner, movie obsessed Danny Butterman (Nick Frost), haven't encountered a murder in more than twenty years.

The jokes start slowly, and the movie takes time to build its story. Hot Fuzz isn't in a rush to bash you over the head with self referential in jokes like most parodies. It introduces the characters, the small town, the locals. It's all very British. But, ever so slowly, the American police film sensibility starts to intrude on the locale. It starts with a fast paced foot chase that Michael Bay would be proud of, it continues with an unlikely friendship between two vastly different partners, and ends with a.....well....I don't want to ruin the joke, but needless to say, these guys haven't tossed aside gore-filled mayhem just yet.

The result is a spoof that is intensely funny (I laughed consistently throughout the last half hour), but also suprisingly sweet (aside from the impalements and decapitations). Even though they are having fun with the police genre, Wright, Penn, and Frost, manage to create a movie that is more emotionally involving than most of the big budget Hollywood action flicks. You really want that central friendship to work out! Quirks and all, these characters are fun to watch, and seeing them embrace their inner action star provides a genuine level of excitement that is one part thrilling and one part absurd. It's both playful homage and the genuine article.

Their second film manages to embrace the spirit of their first while still taking new risks. With Hot Fuzz, these guys prove they are the real deal.

Star Rating - **** out of 4

What I Rented - Bobby

Emilio Estevez certainly has a lot to say in Bobby about the infamous night Bobby Kennedy was shot at the Ambassador Hotel. With a sprawling cast and multiple storylines (very reminscent of Robert Altman's Nashville) he attempts to create a snapshot of America on the eve of June 6, 1968. It doesn't always work, as there are just too many stories, and several come across as shallow and cliched, but when it does get things right, as it does in its last act, Bobby manages to convey how fragile the American dream truly is, and how those who fight hardest to protect that idealism often fall victim to its shortcomings.

Instead of focusing on Robert Kennedy as a three dimensional character, Estevez uses him as a symbol of optimism. Through old news clips, Bobby, is seen as a hero who will guide America through Vietnam, and bridge the racial divide. It's a smart decision on Estevez's part, because the film isn't about who Kennedy was, it's about how so many people needed a pure hero, regardless of reality, and put all of their hopes and dreams into what he could potentially achieve.

The stories in the hotel reflect this viewpoint. There's the Mexican restaurant worker (Freddy Rodriguez) who longs for a day when he won't be mistreated because of his skin colour. There's the retired doorman (Anthony Hopkins) who lives in the past because the present is cruel and unforgiving. There are the two young Kennedy volunteers (Brian Geraghty and Shia LaBeouf) who spend the day tripping out on acid because they can't imagine what the future holds for them. As each character, including many others, gets ready to watch Kennedy's speech at the hotel, they begin to realize that he may be able to guide them out of their ruts.

These stories unfortunately don't have time to offer much in the way of depth and often hit one note repeatedly. It feels like Estevez is more interested in using these characters to create a cacophany of political and socialogical ideoligies. From each character's story, arises an issue that Bobby Kennedy's political agenda can solve. It's at this point, about an hour in, once the characters start to become mouthpieces for political viewpoints that the film starts to wear out its welcome.

Fortunately, Estevez is able to get back on track for a well-done ending, showing that there is method to his madness. With all of these political ideas floating around creating a sense of wide eyed optimism, it is hard not to feel everything that was lost when Kennedy was shot. The stories converge with the assassination, and Bobby shows how quickly thoughts of peace and unity devolved into a struggle for survival that night. The horrors everyone hoped Bobby would shield them from, infiltrated their "safe" world, leading to a very different future for America.

Bobby isn't a great movie, and the large cast isn't handled well, but there is passion behind it, and the emotional ending is haunting.

Star Rating *** out of 4

Top Ten - Most Unique Sequels (Part Two)

And now...part two of the most unique sequels of all time!

5. Gremlins 2: The New Batch

On the surface this looks like another madcap journey into insane Gremlins action. Billy finds Gizmo, Giz gets wet, mogwais eat food after midnight, and wreak havoc in a media mogul's skyscraper. But, Joe Dante doesn't seem interested in making just another sequel. Instead, he uses the plot merely as a framework for a constant barrage of jokes, taking the dark humour of Gremlins 1 and amplifying it to bizarre heights. Of course, simply adding humour to a sequel doesn't make it unique. What makes Gremlins 2 unique is that the humour is so deconstructive, ridiculing sequels and film structure entirely. It may be the first postmodern sequel to a film that wasn't originally a spoof. Not only are there countless movie parodies (ranging from Rambo to Busby Berkeley musicals), but the film takes fun potshots at its predecessor. Leonard Maltin shows up as a film critic who lambastes Gremlins before being killed, and Phoebe Cates is allowed to mock her critically reviled Christmas speech from the first movie with a ridiculous story about Lincoln's birthday. Then halfway through, during a tense moment, the film reel burns up, halting the movie so that the Gremlins can make finger puppets on a white screen. In order to get the story up and running again, it's up to Hulk Hogan to scare the Gremlins into restarting the projector. Dante clearly realizes that Gremlins 2, by it's very nature, would be identical to the first one if played straight. By deciding to throw in everything including the kitchen sink, Dante hilariously sabotages the film franchise and makes a true live action cartoon.

4. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

Jay and Silent Bob popped up in each of Kevin Smith's films before Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. In Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Dogma they had a small storyline that existed beneath the main plot. When Kevin Smith finally let them helm their own movie, he decided to make it the culmination of every film he had ever made, a sequel to all of his previous films. This could create a couple of problems, especially since guys like Jason Lee played a lead character in both Mallrats and Chasing Amy. Keeping true to the idea that this would be an official sequel to all previous films, Smith has Jason Lee show up to play both characters. Then upping the postmodern tactics employed by Gremlins 2, he ends the film in a Hollywood studio...mixing real actors playing themselves (Ben Affleck and Matt Damon), with actors playing characters (Will Ferrel as a wildlife Marshall). It's all sooo complicated, but tons of fun if you have followed Kevin Smith's previous films. (I imagine it would be fairly nonsensical for first time viewers). By the end, it actually feels like a fitting conclusion to Smith's Jay and Silent Bob series...a sequel to four separate movies.

3. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Universal Studios had a pretty awesome collection of horror movie icons with Frankenstein's Monster, Dracula, and the Wolfman. In order to spice up some of the previous sequels, they decided to pit different monsters against one another in the films, so a film like House of Frankenstein found a way to incorporate all three villains into one movie. That in itself is enough to get on this list, but then someone at Universal had an insane idea - take their top comedians, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello, and throw them into a monster movie with all three horror icons. What could have been a disaster ends up being one of the most innovative, and funniest horror comedy sequels of all time. The genius of it all is that it never forgets that it is a real sequel to these scary horror flicks, and the villains are all played one hundred percent straight. They haven't changed from one movie to the next. The humour comes from Abbott and Costello being terrified by the fact that they are being constantly attacked by these nightmarish creatures. Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein is on this list for successfully cross breeding two seemingly opposing genres, incorporating three movie franchises into one (four if you consider the Abbott and Costello comedies a franchise), and managing to actually be a fantastic movie.

2. New Nightmare

The Elm Street franchise took a quick nosedive into the ridiculous. Wes Craven's Nightmare on Elm Street was a genuinely scary low budget horror flick with a frightening concept (a serial killer slashing his victims in their dreams), but the sequels turned Freddy Krueger, a child molester nonetheless, into some kind of comic anti-hero. Classy! After the pathetic Freddy's Dead (in which Freddy is killed off in 3D), Wes Craven must have felt like his scary concept had been butchered. So, what to do? Well....why not make a sequel that exists in the real world, where the cast and crew of the Nightmare on Elm Street flicks all play themselves. Heather Langenkamp (who played Nancy in parts one and two) plays herself, as does Robert Englund, John Saxon, and even Wes Craven. Instead of following any of the previous plots, New Nightmare decides to be a sequel to the entire franchise. The story, which sounds less ridiculous in the movie, has to do with the fact that by ending the Nightmare franchise, the evil of Freddy Krueger escaped into the real world. To harness it, Wes has to make a new Nightmare movie, but Freddy has decided to terrorize Heather's family, and possess her son, before that can happen. Reality and Fiction become intertwined as Heather's life starts to transform into the first Nightmare on Elm Street movie. As complicated as it sounds, the important fact is New Nightmare is the scariest and most creative film in the entire series, surpassing (in my opinion) the first one. While most producers these days decide to reboot franchises to add new life (Batman, James Bond), Craven did it through innovation, and a story that doesn't discredit the previous six movies.

1. Escape From the Planet of the Apes (spoilers for the Planet of the Apes series)

The writers of this third Planet of the Apes movie really had to work for their money, trying to find a way around one of the biggest plot problems ever created. How do you make a sequel to a movie called Planet of the Apes when the entire planet blew up at the end of the last movie? Ingeniously, they decided that the heroic ape couple of Cornelius, and Dr. Zira (along with "who the Hell is that" Dr. Milo), upon trying to escape the planet were caught in a time vortex, amusingly created by the nuclear explosion, that sent them back in time to Earth circa 1971. It's good cause it's cost effective, but also because, in my recollection it's the first sequel that is simultaneously a sequel to the second movie, and a prequel to the first. That's right - A prequel/sequel!! As Escape From the Planet of the Apes takes shape it tells the story of Cornelius and Zira becoming celebrities in modern America. But soon, they are seen by paranoid government officials as being a threat to mankind (probably because apes end up taking over the world and enslave humanity), so they are hunted down. Before the tragic ending, they manage to save their only child and subsequently put into motion a series of events (covered in the fourth and fifth movies) that will lead to the very same events from the first movie. It's the first curve in the Planet of the Apes vicious circle.

In my opinion these are the ten most unique sequels I've ever seen; movies fighting against the status quo. If anyone knows of any others please share below.

Top Ten - Most Unique Sequels (Part one)

In the next month, or so, there will be a handful of sequels coming out, once again signalling the arrival of the summer movie season. You know the drill; walk into the theatre, watch the storyline from part one or two move ahead (following the same style as the previous film), and leave feeling pretty good about life (unless the sequel sucks). It's a tried and true test of making lots of money. So, I'm always intrigued when sequels take some risks, and create an entirely new viewing experience for the audience. Sometimes, these risks are organic; continuing the story from the previous movie in a new and unexpected way, and sometimes they are bold choices; tossing aside previous storylines to create something all together new. Either way, these are the top ten most unique sequels I have ever seen.

10. Out of Sight

Alright, it's not technically a sequel, and it wasn't advertised as one, but that's why it's so much fun when you find out...Out of Sight kind of is...to Jackie Brown. Out of Sight is based on a book by Elmore Leonard, and like many authors he writes fiction that sometimes takes place in the same world. So, one character from one book will enter into another book, often as a supporting character. It's very difficult to achieve this effect in a series of movies because, unlike a book, unless it's not a direct sequel or a movie by the same director, the creative team gets shuffled around, and the character is often played by another actor (note the constant, jarring cast changes in the Stephen King Castle Rock movies). Well, in Out of Sight, despite the fact that the creative team is completely different, Michael Keaton returns ever so briefly to play the same character he played in Jackie Brown, Ray Nicolette. It's not earth shattering, and Keaton's appearance is really just a cameo, but it's enough of a connective thread to establish that Jackie Brown and Out of Sight take place in the same world. It's the first time where I felt like the expansive world created in an author's books was fully realized on screen.

9. Dawn of the Dead

George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead was a huge hit, but the downbeat ending didn't make it an easy candidate for a sequel. The character arcs were complete, the political message commented on the tumultuous racial violence of the sixites, and everything seemed to wrap up...not nicely...but with some sense of closure. So, 1978 rolls around, and Romero decides to revisit the zombie film with Dawn of the Dead. Instead of following characters from the first film, Romero creates a new cast. This had been done before in sequels (Godzilla films and monster movies), but the best part of Dawn of the Dead, is that Romero takes the zombie infestation to another level (they've taken over most of America), and uses this in order to make a political comment about the 1970s. In Dawn of the Dead a group of survivors hole up in a shopping mall, create a mini-utopian society, and watch as it is threatened by a biker gang and zombies. While Night looked at racial intolerance, Dawn looks at America's love affair with commercialism. That's not to say these films are in-your-face with their politics (they are about scares and gore first and foremost), but with each new Dead film Romero uses the zombies as metaphorical devices to comment on an American issue.

8. Mission Impossible (spoilers below)

I suppose there have been sequels to television shows made before (The Nude Bomb as a sequel to Get Smart), so it's not a completely original idea. The reason why Mission Impossible is included on this list though is that it completely screws over fans of the show, using their knowledge of the television series to create one twist after another. You can almost hear director Brian De Palma laughing maniacally behind the scenes. I had followed the eighties' version of Mission Impossible, so I was aware of the format. A group of ragtag specialists, under the heroic leadership of Jim Phelps, complete a series of crazy missions against foreign enemies, often ending in success. Mission Impossible takes every series cliche and turns it 180 degrees. Those ragtag specialists, including big names like Emilio Estevez and Kirsten Scott Thomas: dead in the first twenty minutes. Successful missions: the first one fails colossally. Missions against foreign enemies: kind of, although the big setpiece in the movie has the heroes breaking into CIA headquarters and stealing top secret American codes. And the heroic Jim Phelps: well, here's where the movie probably pissed off most fans...Phelps is killed off, only to return at the end where it's revealed that he is the villain!!! That's right, the hero of two television series, spanning eight seasons across three decades is the cold blooded, out for a buck murderous villain. Mission Impossible knows what the audience is going to expect when they walk in the theatre, and does everything possible to throw them off course.

7. Back to the Future II (spoilers below)

For the first half of the movie, Back to the Future II seems like a pretty ordinary sequel. Picking up exactly where the first film left off, Marty and Doc Brown travel into the future to save Marty's kids. It's all kind of ho-hum to tell you the truth, but then Zemeckis and Bob Gale decide that it's best to make the last half of this sequel absolutely insane! So (try and follow along) Future Biff steals a sports almanac, takes it back to 1950s Biff, creating a rich, power mad 1985 Biff. Marty and Doc must go back to 1950 (the same day Marty just got back from in the first movie), steal the sports almanac from 1950s Biff, while ensuring that they don't encounter their past selves, which will mess up the entire time continuum. What follows is a sequel that exists literally overtop of the first movie. During the mission to recover the sports almanac Marty accidently puts his past self in jeopardy. So, while Past Marty is playing Johnny Be Good at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance (a scene from part one), Present Marty is trying to make sure 1950s Biff's henchmen don't interfere with the song. The second movie manages to end almost exactly where the first movie ended (minus five minutes). It's exhausting and hilarious how the two movies weave in and out from each other, and Zemeckis juggles the complicated plot with a sure foot.

6. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978)

Billed as a remake of the 1950's classic science fiction film, Philip Kaufman's Invasion of the Body Snatchers suddenly becomes an unexpected sequel about half an hour into the movie. By now, the ending (without the coda) of the first Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie is extremely famous. Kevin McCarthy slams against a car window screaming, "They're here already. You're next! You're next! You're Next..." In the "remake" Donald Sutherland and Brooke Adams are driving down a busy San Fransisco Street. Suddenly, Kevin McCarthy hurtles himself into their car window screaming...you guessed it, "They're here already. You're Next! You're Next! You're Next...". Seconds later he's dead, and our new main characters start to understand the warnings of his statement. Sure, people can argue, that the scene isn't really the same as the one in the first movie at all (different time, city); that it's paying homage instead of continuing the storyline. But, the remake takes the horrors of the first movie, and shows what happens next; what happens when the invasion takes hold. In a way, the horrors implied in McCarthy's warning turn into the horrors unleashed upon humanity in this Invasion, and it's a brutal continuation. So for a remake, that manages to become a sequel (something hinted at in John Carpenter's The Thing as well), Invastion of the Body Snatchers rounds out part one of the most unique sequels list.

The second part of the list will be up shortly...

Grindhouse

I mentioned in my review of 300 that it felt like “an exercise in excess rather than a rollicking journey into depravity.” I suppose the best way to truly explain that statement is to encourage people to see Grindhouse. It’s vile, repulsive, nauseating, shocking, depraved, and the most inventively entertaining movie I’ve seen in years. If you can’t handle extreme gore (and there must have been at least ten people walk out of the theatre when I saw it) then this movie isn’t for you. Yes, I know it’s two movies side by side, but for some reason I don’t know if either one would work without the other. The manic passion of Robert Rodriguez’s splatterfest Planet Terror helps ignite the simmering fire of Tarantino’s deliberately paced, sledge hammer of a movie, Death Proof (which by far has the most intense ending). I’ll try and review them separately though…

Planet Terror – Finally, Rodriguez lets loose with a balls to the wall (quite literally at times) comic gorefest. I’ve been waiting for him to make a movie as chaotic and bizarre as From Dusk Till Dawn for years (yeah, Sin City was pretty cool, but just didn't have the same rush for me), and Planet Terror answers the call.

After some toxic zombie gas is unleashed on a small Texas town, the locals start to get a bit bloodthirsty. It’s up to the local, recent amputee go-go dancer Cherry, her gun loving, knife wielding ex-boyfriend El Wray, a sedative obsessed doctor Dakota, the local sheriff, and Texas’ best barbeque chef to take care of business. What follows is a mind numbing array of hideous visceral gags, hilariously clichéd character arcs (the secret recipe!), and a script that moves from one location to the next with astounding speed and ferocity. It’s the kind of movie that finds time for a sex scene in the midst of a zombie siege.

Now, in these kinds of movies I’m constantly looking to see if it can possibly surpass my gross out quotient. I have a fairly high tolerance level for gore, so something has to be pretty disgusting in order to make me squirm. Well, I’m pleased to report that Planet Terror has some nice little tricks up its sleeve that made me wince (oh man…that broken wrist).

And all of this action is supported by characters who, even in their two dimensions, are interesting and unique. The eclectic cast is ready for anything, playing each ridiculous moment as seriously as possible, with the occasional knowing wink. I mean, how do you play a scene where your ex-boyfriend rigs together a machine gun leg for you?

Planet Terror is a brutal blast of goofy energy, that only lags a bit at the ending when the plot kicks in. Otherwise, it’s a fantastic bit of gore cinema that keeps topping itself with one bizarre set piece after another.

Death Proof – After an intermission with some fun fake trailers (Eli Roth, you are a sick man!), Tarantino unleashes Death Proof. After the rollicking fun of Planet Terror, it takes a pretty long time to get used to the slooowwww pace employed in this movie. A group of girls plan a night out at a bar, go to said bar, and meet a former stuntman (Kurt Russell) who may have an ulterior motive. There’s a lot of flirting, dancing, and drinking…there’s also a lot of dialogue, so much so that I was starting to get antsy, wondering why I was being tortured to sit through one more conversation.

And then Tarantino shows his hand. Death Proof is the most manipulative film Tarantino has devised thus far. While Rodriguez tries to fill all ninety minutes of his movie with jam packed entertainment, Tarantino is working on creating a cumulative effect. In a way, Death Proof is a redneck version of Psycho…or…maybe because of the level of homage at work here…a redneck version of Dressed to Kill (I mean there are numerous De Palma references). I got the feeling that Death Proof was trying to be boring; spending so much time in the mundane lives of these characters, that when the film strikes back, it’s not just a simple moment that washes away quickly.

When the film finally kicks into gear (about forty minutes in), the effect is incredibly intense. The kills in Death Proof aren’t just tossed aside; they are brutal, emotional, and not easy to shake. There aren’t a lot of surprises along the way, but I do have to say that I certainly haven’t gripped my armrest that tightly in a long time.

The last twenty minutes are insane….

And I couldn’t do the film any justice without talking about Kurt Russell who gives one of his most exciting performances to date. Without saying too much, his character change at the end is a brave, unconventional choice, and Russell dives right in, unafraid of looking foolish. It makes the last scene, in particular, ten times more brutal.

Overall, Grindhouse is one of the most exciting movie going experiences to hit mainstream cinemas in a long, long time. By diving headfirst into exploitation filmmaking, Tarantino and Rodriguez haven’t changed the face of cinema, but they certainly have put most modern American horror flicks to shame.

Star Rating **** out of 4 stars

What I Rented - Rocky Balboa

“I think you try a little harder when you’re scared,” says Rocky right before the climactic bout of Rocky Balboa. Coming from Stallone, who hasn’t had a hit film in nearly a decade, that line is the key to understanding the entire Rocky franchise.

These are the movies that Stallone has invested his heart and soul into over the years, and the best ones are the ones he had to fight for. At times it’s become impossible to separate the actor from the character. The story of Stallone refusing the big paycheck because he had to star in the first Rocky movie is now legendary, and it’s his guttural, wounded performance, that made the first movie so compelling. He might not be the greatest actor in the world, but it’s almost impossible to find someone who invested more of himself in a role than Stallone did in Rocky. He risked everything, and you can feel the fear pushing him; allowing him to tap into dark, uncomfortable corners of his psyche.

But, the first movie was huge, and Stallone became an overnight success story. Fame, fortune, and plenty of jobs followed, and the Rocky sequels never felt as urgent or insightful as the first one (when Stallone stopped being the underdog, the character stopped being an underdog)…until this one.

Rocky Balboa isn’t a great film (we have seen the same story five times before after all), but boy does Stallone inject it with an enormous amount of passion. This movie works primarily because Stallone is taking a risk again and you can feel the fear pushing him. If Rocky Balboa fails his career is over!

To make it work he goes back to the basics, and using his own experience as an aging action star, writes a simple, but honest script. Sure it resolves some of the conflicts a little too easily (one simple speech is enough to transform Rocky’s son into a thoughtful kid), but Stallone sells even the most unabashedly emotional moments with a wonderfully sincere performance.

The fact that the first hour barely touches on boxing, but is still compelling says a lot about how much time and effort went into creating a movie with characters worth investing in. Rocky finds himself trying to help out a single mother and her kid while his own son tries to distance himself further and further from the Balboa name. It’s low key and charming; everything the sequels tossed aside.

The plot doesn’t offer too many surprises, but because the characters are at the forefront, the final fight is still an edge of your seat bout. This movie ends the series in the best possible way, and once again it’s nice to root for the underdog; both Balboa and Stallone.

***1/2 out of 4 (it should really just be ***, but dagnabbit sometimes you just want to give the underdog a ½ star more)

TV Shows I'm Watching - Lost (Episode 3.15)

Episode 3.15 – Left Behind

Alright, after writing about this episode, which aired all of a couple hours ago, I will be officially caught up in all things Lost.

Main Story - *** out of 4

It’s Kate and Juliet in The Defiant Ones as they are exiled to the jungle, handcuffed together. Apparently, due to a bunch of mysterious decisions made in the Others chain of command, that also somehow included Locke (yeah, after getting a few answers the last couple of weeks, we’re back to vague), the Others vacate suburbia. Oddly enough, their plans don’t include Juliet, who as the title implies, is left behind with Kate.

So here we have the two women vying for Jack’s affections trying to survive against the smoke monster. It’s pretty suspenseful, and despite seeming like nothing new is added reveals quite a bit about the nature of the monster. The Others don’t know much about it, and that wall we saw a few episodes back repels it.

I also have to admit, that after two seasons of being moderately bored by Kate, I have found that she has at last earned my attention this season. The writers have put her in the center of a couple of romantic triangles, and each one has been nicely handled. Kate’s reconciliation with Jack at the end of this episode is a brutal example of how what isn’t said can be extremely harsh. Kate breaks down, obviously hoping to receive some form of comfort from Jack only to have him ask about Juliet. It’s soap opera material handled with a subtle touch.

And as for Juliet, I am amazed at how sympathetic and weary I am of her. Clearly she is an outsider to some degree amongst the Others, but her lies and constant need to control everyone is still mysterious. And the way she took Kate down at the beginning of the episode shows she is no pushover.

I suppose the episode is slightly underwhelming just because it doesn’t give us another huge twist like the past few episodes. It ends with a hint of more conflict, and feels like the gears are in motion for a new storyline to take shape in the next few weeks.

I did enjoy the comedic subplot back on the island about Sawyer being told he had to be a nicer person or people were going to vote him off the island. There has been a nice bond between Hurley and Sawyer in recent weeks, and I liked how Hugo gets the upperhand on Sawyer.

Flashback - **1/2 out of 4

An interesting, but not too involving flashback basically explores aspects of Kate’s personality that we already figured out much earlier; essentially that her mother didn’t see the whole murdering her husband thing as an act of kindness.

The only new aspect is that she teams up with Sawyer’s ex-girlfriend in order to talk to her mother. It’s another one of those random coincidences that will hopefully be explained later on (I mean , I think by now everyone is connected to everyone and nobody knows it yet). I have to admit that this is actually fairly clever. Kate has been away from Sawyer for a few episodes now, so it’s nice to remind the audience of that relationship, even if it’s not in your face.

Maybe down the road the flashback will hold more significance, but right now, it’s a decent one that gently reminds the audience of that other guy in Kate’s life.

TV Shows I'm Watching - Lost (Episode 3.14)

Episode 3.14 – Expose

Serious plot elements will be discussed, so if you haven’t seen it, I urge you not to read.

Main Story - *** out of 4

Nikki and Paulo, probably the two most hated Lost characters of all time (sorry Ana Lucia) finally get their episode to shine, and well…it’s not that bad, in fact it’s pretty darn good. It’s not going to change anyone’s opinions about these two, but it certainly knows how much fans hate them, and acts accordingly.

Expose is primarily about bad decisions and their repercussions. Nikki and Paulo’s condition at the beginning of the episode is a result of a slew of bad decisions, Charlie finally talks to Sun about his role in her fake abduction, and in the Edgar Allen Poe-ish ending the entire camp makes one horrendously bad decision. But I suppose the worst decision of all is from the writers, who thought that the audience would simply accept that Nikki and Paulo had just been hanging out on the beach, out of camera range for two seasons. This episode can easily be seen as both an apology and a rationalization of their thinking process.

The main story is, at its core, the apology, and the writers do this by killing Nikki and Paulo off. There you have it folks...Nikki and Paulo are found dead at the beginning of the episode. It’s an admission of guilt signaling that there really wasn’t any reason for them to be in the show at all, and because the writers know just how hated these two truly are…death is only the beginning their horrible fate. The writer’s have funneled up all that fan hatred and unleashed it on these two saps, who suffer the worst experience of any character thus far, including Dr. Arzt…

Flashback – *** out of 4

…who makes an appearance in the flashback, which actually seems like a rationalization of Nikki and Paulo’s existence. It’s as though the writer’s wanted one last try to prove that they weren’t insane.

The flashback is a look back at two seasons of Lost through a different point of view to show you that Nikki and Paulo were there all the time. They were just off looking for some stolen diamonds.

“See,” the writers seem to be saying, “they were scouring the jungle on their own away from the main storyline. That’s why you never saw them!” Uh huh.

And then, the funniest joke is of course throwing Dr. Arzt into the midst, the only other character on Lost who just showed up out of the crowd. I suppose the reason Arzt’s appearance wasn’t so jarring was that it was still season one and the story hadn’t developed that much beyond the beach. But it’s like the writers are saying, “you accepted Arzt, why not Nikki and Paulo? It’s the same thing”.

It’s a playful flashback that provides a few interesting moments (so that’s why Paulo used the washroom!), but establishes Nikki and Paulo as nothing more than two ill-fated cameos on a show that didn’t need more castmembers.

At least the Nikki and Paulo chapter is closed for good….at least….I think it is…..

Tv Shows I'm Watching - Lost (Episode 3.13)

Episode 3.13 – The Man From Tallahassee

Main Story - ***1/2 out of 4

Picking up exactly where the last episode left off, Jack’s rescue party begins to wonder whether or not he needs saving at all. Kate decides to confront him, and discovers that things have changed since she talked to Jack the last time. Soon, the Others get the upperhand on the rescuers, but John Locke manages to sneak off, and has other plans. He confronts Ben.

The majority of the episode involves a heated exchange of ideas between Locke and Ben. It’s the first time the two characters have been able to speak freely to one another, and although both still have hidden agendas, and volumes of secrets, the conversation is thrilling. They debate the nature of the island, fate; all the ideas that have been bubbling up in John Locke’s mind for the past two and a half seasons. It’s fascinating to watch, and I think when the viewers look back on this episode they will find that the true nature of the island was revealed here, albeit cryptically.

The episode ends with one of the coolest surprises so far…and don’t read on it you haven’t seen the episode, but without revealing too much……alright that’s enough warning…it did seem a little inevitable that something like this would happen. I assumed that one of the main reasons for telling such serialized flashback stories (like Jack’s relationship with his father, and Locke’s with his dad) was to one day prepare for the main story and the flashbacks to collide. The Man From Tallahassee appears to have done this, but the question remains, is this merely another Yemi situation (an illusion of some sort brought on by the island), or is it real? I’m sure the upcoming episodes will start to explain that in greater detail.

Flashback – ***1/2 out of 4

I was worried that when we saw how Locke became paralyzed it would be anticlimactic. I mean, I’m sure any consistent Lost viewer has theorized numerous ways in which this could have happened, so did the writer’s find a way to surprise? Even though everyone I’ve talked to always assumed it had something to do with Locke’s father, I still think this episode managed to make Locke’s “accident” intense and shocking.

The flashback finally shows just how far Locke’s father will push back when he’s cornered. While we have seen just how manipulative he is in the past, we have never seen this form of cruelty before, and it is something.

And that moment where Locke finally meets up with his wheelchair is pretty powerful.

What I Rented - Love Me If You Dare

Love Me If You Dare is a film so at odds with itself, that it left me breathless, angry, frustrated, and mesmerized, often simultaneously. It’s a romantic comedy, as told by somebody who probably believes that Seven is a poetic tale of lost love. It bounces along with a dash of whimsy, and an innocent veneer, trying to cover the fact that it’s really about two psychotic lovers, trapped in a vicious mind game.

It all starts innocently enough, as two alienated children, a boy, Julien, whose mother is dying of cancer and a Polish girl, Sophie, who is racially taunted by her classmates, devise a game of dares in order to empower them in a world that seems Hellbent on keeping them down. At first they are childish games, swearing in front of the teacher, toppling over a wedding cake, etc…, but as they grow older, the game begins to take on an obsessive, and disturbing nature.

Soon, their relationship becomes defined entirely by the dares they play on each other, and as they begin to realize that they are in love with one another, they recognize that they have no way to communicate it. This frustration begins to manifest itself through the game, and the dares begin to take on a passive aggressive nature that leads to shocking cruelty.

It’s at this point where the movie began to lose me. All the characters have to do is say three simple words to one another, drop the game, and presto chango…happiness, but Julien devises a far more horrible plan. After daring each other that they won’t speak for a year, Julien tracks down Sophie (after four years) and tells her that he has made a mistake. He takes her out to dinner, brings out two rings, and asks if she will do him the favour. She agrees, thinking that he has finally proposed, but nope, he wants her to hold on to the rings for his marriage to another woman. The reason for his ruse; because Sophie dared him that he couldn’t find a way to hurt her. Ouch.

At this point the games become abusive, although both seem to find excitement in the manipulation. But miraculously, it all leads to a finale that is actually horribly touching. I disliked these characters immensely, yet somehow the way in which they find each other is fitting, and emotionally moving. If only the pathway that lead them there was clearer..

I think for me the problem with the movie is mostly in its tone. It’s dishonest. It bounces along with such joy, asking the audience to forgive these characters’ devilish actions, that it fails to recognize how sick and twisted they are. There’s never a moment where the true nature of their…let’s face it…crimes is exposed.

Love Me If You Dare wants to be a jaunty fairy tale, but ends up being a disturbing look at two disillusioned lovers who seem more intent on destroying one another than being together.

Star Rating - ** out of 4

TV Shows I'm Watching - Lost (Episode 3.12)

Episode 3.12 – Par Avion

Main Story - *** out of 4

Claire and Charlie take the center stage in Par Avion. Charlie, having recently been handed down a death sentence by Desmond, is trying to live for the moment, but finds that living for the moment might actually kill him (it sucks when fate is out to destroy you – hey….wait…didn’t Charlie have that taped to his hand in the first episde). Charlie’s antsiness is difficult since Claire thinks she may have found a way off the island thanks to some nature programs and some birds.

Meanwhile, Kate and the gang encounter a bizarre new obstacle on their way to rescue Jack; a force field wall that kills anyone who passes through it. There’s a nice moment when they actually do realize it’s pretty lethal.

The two plots compliment each other nicely. Claire’s story gives her character some time in the spotlight, and attempts to reignite the sparks between her and Charlie. One of season two’s most unsuccessful subplots involved the two of them fighting all the time, so it’s nice to see them finding a way back into each other’s lives.

And the force field wall story helps to build up the mythology of the island, and show that Locke maybe isn’t as stupid as he appeared to be in the last episode. He had what in his pack? The force field wall poses several new questions that I’m sure will take three seasons to answer, but I’m in no rush since the story is obviously heading toward a big revelation or two – especially after that doozy (yeah that’s right…doozy) of an ending.

Flashback - ***1/2 out of 4

Unlike most episodes, the big twist is revealed in the flashback, and while it’s probably not a huge surprise for most people (especially since it was telegraphed in a big way last season), it makes for quite an emotional episode. We learn a lot more about Claire’s family, when Claire, in the driver’s seat, ends up in an accident that puts her mother in a vegetative state.

She meets her real father, and then has to contend with what she is going to do about her mother. It’s a very sad episode, showing that Claire is essentially an orphan, trying desperately to cling onto false hope regarding her mother. When a pregnant Claire finally breaks down in front of her comatose mother, it’s all painfully tragic, and manages to explain why Claire is often distant and solitary.

It’s a much needed flashback that finally gives weight to Claire’s presence on the island.

What I Rented - With a Friend Like Harry

With a Friend Like Harry is a great little slow burn thriller. Despite the fact that the story isn’t incredibly original, and follows a predictable path, it still finds unique ways to build suspense. Instead of big edge of your seat thrills and chills, it’s a movie that uses tiny gestures and awkward line deliveries in order to create an overall sense of unease.

Two men, former schoolmates, run into each other by coincidence at a rest stop bathroom. Michel, a family man going to a summer home with his wife and children, doesn’t recognize Harry, a wealthy playboy, at first. But Harry certainly remembers Michel, especially the high school poems and stories he wrote. As Harry begins to immerse himself in Michel’s life, it becomes clear that he has an ulterior motive.

Director Dominik Moll guides this film with a sure hand, and although the pace is slow, it’s never boring; rather it’s unsettling. Each of Harry’s lines, as spoken by Sergi Lopez, cuts deeper and deeper into Michel’s psyche, filling him with confidence and doubt at the same time. Harry pushes each gesture of goodwill just a little farther than most people would dare. When he praises Michel’s high school poem, it’s flattering at first, but when he begins to recite it word for word it’s creepy. Yet, Harry always has a good reason for everything, and a zest for life that Michel hasn’t experienced in ages due to family responsibilities. Michel leans toward him in the hopes that some of his raw excitement will rub off on him.

The dynamic between the two is fascinating, leading to a conclusion that actually surprised me, but not in the usual way. It’s surprising in that it manages to effectively end the story in a thrilling, albeit entirely low key manner that doesn’t betray the previously established tone.

The plot never finds a way to be as inventive as the character work, and because of that the movie doesn’t take off completely. The shocks are hardly surprising (until the end), and at times With a Friend Like Harry feels like it is adding suspense sequences to appease potentially restless audience members. It’s actually less disturbing in the scenes that are supposed to be big set pieces.

But for once, I didn’t find myself all that upset by being a few steps ahead of the movie. It’s just a joy watching the main characters subtly try to figure each other out. Sometimes it’s nice to have a thriller interested in the small moments.

*** out of 4

What I Rented - Blood Diamond

Blood Diamond explores the nature of African conflict diamonds through the bold in-your-face directorial style of Edward Zwick. It proudly wears its message on its shoulder, and never apologizes for moments that lean toward the melodramatic. In short, it’s that rare modern Hollywood film that actually gives a damn, and even though, at times, it tends to brush up against action film clichés, there’s a passion lurking in every cut that pushes the film toward its emotional finale.

In the mid nineties, Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) is taken from his family to work the diamond mines in Sierra Leone. While enduring this slave labour he finds a extremely rare diamond, and hides it. Denny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio), a diamond smuggler, finds out about Vandy’s discovery, and forms a shady partnership with the man in order to recover it. Their journey leads them into the chaos of civil war, forces Vandy to come face to face with the horrors that have befallen his family, and allows Archer to explore his corrupt nature.

The most startling scenes show just how quickly violence erupted in various parts of Africa during the nineties. Zwick doesn’t shy away from showing the brutality of this war, and the unpredictable nature of when and where a strike will occur adds an underlying tension to even the most serene of scenes. In the most horrific element of the movie, Vandy’s son is taken under the guidance of rebel forces, and is programmed to become a cold blooded killer.

But, ultimately it’s the human story between the main characters that provides the heart of the movie, and the script allows Vandy and Archer to evolve as the story progresses. Each man fuels the other man’s journey, Archer shows Vandy the darkness in the world, while Vandy shows Archer the light. It’s not a complicated character arc for either, but both Djimon Hounsou and Leonardo DiCaprio make it rich and fulfilling. DiCaprio in particular has the unenviable task of making the corrupt and highly manipulative Archer a likeable character. His natural charisma turns even the most mundane of lines into a revealing moment.

Blood Diamond is a welcome blast of topical Hollywood cinema in a year that seemed to pump out far too many vacuous films.

**** out of 4