|
LAND OF THE DEAD
As a zombie horror film fan, I have waited for another zombie flick created by George A. Romero for many years. That's why I couldn't wait to get into the theater for this one! I had been following some of the news on its development, and had heard rumors here and there. For one, I knew that the zombies begin to "think" in this movie and that it takes place after the dead have pretty much taken over the world.
I had no problem accepting the fact that zombies could think or even organize. What many zombie fans have forgotten is that in "Return of the Living Dead", the zombies WERE smart ( and even ran, but that's a whole other debate for a whole other set of movies ). What was really agonizingly annoying was how they chose to show this. One zombie character in particular, and I won't give too much away for those who do want to see it, is the "leader" of this band of zombies, complete with emotions and a high level of intelligence for a decaying brain. The portrayal of this character really spoiled what could have been a very interesting zombie film. And though Romero has supposedly always tried to infuse a subtle political statement in all his "dead" movies, this one ends on a very cheesy note.
WAR OF THE WORLDS
Remakes are always a bit scary. There's always that fear that it won't live up to the original, or maybe even on some level that it will outdo the original ( that you might have loved in the first place ). From the moment the aliens appear ( with a slightly new take on the invasion theme ), it's fast paced, high suspense for the next hour and a half! With lots of direct nods to the book ( right down to the basic design of the war machines and the red weed ) and a couple of subtle nods to the original movie, War of the World packs in enough story to make this a whole new incarnation of a many times redone in many medias fresh. In fact, the hysterics shown in the movie give a bit of insight into the minds of what people must have felt when they believed a real alien invasion was occurring following the original radio broadcast of War of the Worlds in 1938.
If I have one complaint, it is the very end. Not how the plot with the aliens is resolved, but how the story for the main character and his family is resolved. Truly a copout and takes away so much from the movie with those last two minutes of footage. I find it hard to believe that test audiences would not have complained about such a prim ending. But other than that, this is definitely on a must-see list.
DARK WATER
Ever see Kramer vs Kramer? Well take that and try to add some horror overtones and you've got something close to Dark Water. This is such an ill-fit for a movie, marketed as a horror film, but really it was more of a family divorce drama with a few horror-ish elements thrown in to fool you. Ever been the only other person in a room with a couple and they start to argue? That sort of awkward feeling is the feeling I had watching this whole movie. The acting was good, heck, John C. Reilly was the most true-to-life landlord I've ever seen in a movie. But the whole thing just did not deliver.
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
When I heard that Tim Burton was "remaking" this
classic, I was skeptical. Why remake such an already timeless
piece? Fact is that he did not like the original,
and although I did not agree, I was curious to see
where he felt it should have gone.
Starting with the name, it was decided this would
follow the book a bit more closely. Focusing more on Charlie
and his family than the old Gene Wilder version
which focused greatly on Willy Wonka himself. That
being said, Tim Burton also decided to integrate a
bit of background family history for Willy Wonka,
give us some insight into his obsession with candy
and chocolate. Though I'm not sure we really
needed it, it does provide for a bit of dark comic
humour ( especially when it comes to his monster
braces that his dentist father insisted he wear .)
But through it all, the trademark surreal imagery
and Danny Elfman composed theme music tells us that
this is definitely a Tim Burton film. ( Which is
more than could be said for Planet of the Apes ).
Johnny Depp chose an interesting way to play the
character. A weirdly creepy, not-so-friendly version of the
character we once knew. But at the same time, that
was cause for much dark laughs. Really, the movie has
something to entertain most age groups. But many
who loved the original may find themselves
dwelling on that and the differences, especially
in the Wonka character.
THE DEVIL'S REJECTS
When Rob Zombie entered the movie arena several
years ago, his first attempt ( House of 1000 Corpses ) went
through production hell before it was actually
released. Now it has already attained cult status
in the horror film community.
This follow-up to that film went through a lot
more smoothly, but despite being a follow-up, it's also a very
different film. Forget what you know about
"sequels". The name of the movie is not, after
all, House of 1000 Corpses II.
The story follows the Firefly family ( but
really, the three "cult" favorite, Otis B. Driftwood, Baby Firefly
and Captain Spaulding ) as they escape the law
following the events in the first movie. It does
not however have that acid trip, touch of
supernatural that the first did. This one is more
of a buddy travel movie with lots of violence.
Rob Zombie's filming style has improved greatly
since the last movie, and he does some interesting character
manipulation about halfway through.
Definitely worth a viewing if you're into horror
at all.
Stephane Morrell
Laurier CIM Group
MCSE,CCA
-Do not meddle in the affairs of dragons, because you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup.
|