Flight 7500 teaser shows promise

Something spooky must be juuuust off-screen...

Surprisingly I'm actually looking forward to this film after watching the recently released teaser trailer. It might turn out to be a bunch of bunk, but whoever made the teaser certainly knew what they were doing. Looks like Grudge director Takashi Shimizu's Flight 7500 is set to be released late this coming summer. Ghosts on a Plane! Trailer below:

The (Unnecessary) Thing (2011)

My tagline: It's not necessary. Ever.

Being that The Thing (1982) is my favourite Carpenter film (and is still to this day, in my opinion, the best use of practical effects in a horror film), I shuddered when I heard that it was being remade last year. I suppose it's not in any way surprising given that Hollywood has nearly given up on creating new IP in the horror genre, but I had thought that The Thing might be safe. Foolish me. The bloated and festering cash cow has struck again!

When production began it was announced that this Thing would not be a direct remake, but instead a prequel, intended to both be it's own film and to setup events for Carpenter's original. That immediately posed problems in my mind and I avoided it in theatres, yet now that it's out on video I thought I'd give it a go. Here's my truncated thoughts on the film:

Totally pointless. 

This guy must have seen the dailies...

I suppose I should briefly explain why I find it so pointless. First and foremost, it's very existence nullifies the fantastic intro of Carpenter's original. The slow build of the first half of the '82 version begins in the very first frame of the film. Why is there a dog running across the tundra? Why are crazy Norwegians in a helicopter trying to blow it the hell up? Why is this minimalist synthesized Morricone soundtrack so incredibly awesome? The answers to two of those questions are spoiled by the prequel's very premise, as it tells the story of what happened at the Norwegian camp just prior to the start of the original. Call me crazy (go ahead), but I much prefer the mystery that the '82 version builds on, as before the alien even reveals its presence there's already the interesting issue of mad Scandinavian scientists at hand. Not to mention (spoiler ahead) that the prequel ends with the survival of a main character who plays no role in Carpenter's film yet would presumably still be around the Norwegian camp when the Americans investigate. But what if, you might ask, I've never seen Carpenter's version and have no intention to? Would the 2011 Thing be less offensive? After berating you I would answer no, no it would not.

"Help! I've been photoshopped to a low resolution monster!"

I will say that the 2011 Thing isn't an awful film in its own right. It isn't a hokey supernatural mash-up with teenagers and it doesn't rely on ridiculous plot twists or torture porn to get an audience reaction. It's fairly straightforward, and if you're going to crib material, you can do a lot worse than Carpenter's version. The problem is that it pushes aside much of the paranoia and horror found in the original in lieu of showing the "creature" over and over and over again. And man alive is the CGI bad. As I mentioned, Carpenter's version has some of the most impressive and disturbing practical monster effects I've ever seen. Sure they have their moments of iffiness, but they have a concrete, real presence that the prequel completely loses. If this movie had been made 6 or 7 years ago it would have been passable, but I've seen episodes of TV with more impressive effects. A suggestion: if your creature models are incredibly complex yet you do not have the money to fully realize that complexity, perhaps consider showing them far less frequently. It'll reduce the laughing and head-shaking syndrome your audience appears to have contracted.

So if you're a fan of Carpenter's The Thing, there's very little reason to watch this "prequel". It destroys the mystery, retreads exactly the same ground, and does so with far less finesse. If you are still oddly compelled to watch it, watch the original first and treat the prequel as a mildly interesting aside.

A final thought: testing blood one petri dish at a time to weed out an alien creature? Tense and effective. Checking each character's mouth for fillings instead? Not so much. Healthy teeth, the number one sign someone is a murderous shapeshifter from space.

Godzilla on Criterion Blu Ray... for real!

Wow, can't say I ever thought this would happen, but also can't say I'm at all disappointed. Godzilla/Gojira on Criterion Blu Ray! Here's a link to the details on the Criterion homepage. I'm REALLY hoping Criterion decide to release this cover art as a poster like they did for Hasu, which currently stands as my favourite film in the Criterion collection.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea 4K Restoration!

Looks like Disney has finally ponied up the funds to give 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, one of my all time favourite films from their catalogue, a proper restoration! Looking forward a great deal to its eventual release on Blu Ray. I'll fully admit that this is a bit of a strange film and certainly not to everyone's taste, but it will always have a special place for me. Along with Jason & the Argonauts, I'd count this film among the movies that really helped developed my love for movies when I was young. Then again, I'm also a big fan of Disney's The Black Hole so take that for what it's worth (c'mon, release that on Blu Ray Disney, I dare you!).

Here's a bit of info on the restoration process, courtesy of the AMIA (The Association of Moving Image Archivists).

Haunted House Films - Thoughts on The Uninvited (1944)

Original poster for The Uninvited

I've been wanting to see this film for quite some time but I've never come across the DVD, even at specialty shops. It turns out after a bit more research that there is no DVD, at least a legitimate one, in Region 1 (or possibly anywhere). Something to do with it being a Paramount film sold to Universal decades ago. It's really a shame because it means this classic remains unseen or even unknown by a generation of horror fans. Being as it is an appropriate time of year I thought I'd try and visit some classic and contemporary horror films that I've never seen before (there are some, shocking I know!), and The Uninvited was at the top of the list. I did manage to track down a watchable copy (I'm resourceful like that) and put it through its paces last night. If you'd like a synopsis of the film, check IMDB for a ridiculously detailed one (here). I'm just going to share some (mostly) spoiler-free thoughts.

Born in a decade still primarily obsessed with the classic monster film and tales of the occult, Lewis Allen's The Uninvited must have been something of a breath of fresh air for horror fans of the time. From what I understand, The Uninvited (adapted from the novel Uneasy Freehold by Dorothy Macardle) was one of the first Hollywood movies to tackle the haunted house genre with a story featuring actual spirits as opposed to folks in sheets or masks played for comedy or diversion (think all of the baddies on Scooby-Doo). For what can essentially be considered a fledgling effort into the sub-genre, the results are remarkable. Yes, it does suffer from overly... enthusiastic acting from time to time (the character of the sister is the worst offender), and yes, comedic moments and sometimes inappropriate scoring do distract occasionally, but much of that can be attributed to the era, and despite these issues it manages to entertain.

Winward House

In my opinion one of the most, if not the most, important aspects in any haunted house film is the house itself. In the best haunted house films the house becomes a character, not simply providing a space for the action but developing a unique personality of its own or personifying the emotional state of its owner or vistors. The very fact that most of these houses are named and are continually referred to by name suggests this is an important consideration to author, screenwriter and director alike. In The Haunting (1963 original, NOT the 90s remake), Hill House is devious, both playing with and tormenting its vistors while in The Legend of Hell House (1973), the house embodies pure evil, a twisted creation of its equally twisted owner. Windward House from The Uninvited is far less malevolent than either of these, yet it nevertheless takes on human characteristics, a sad and lonely sentinel keeping watch at the edge of the cliffs (an important location for the film's plot). Although much of The Uninvited was shot on a soundstage with either projected or matte backgrounds, the end result is still impressive, creating a spooky and believable atmosphere, creating perhaps one of my favourite set pieces of the entire genre (see below). I may at some point in the future bore you with my thoughts on the importance of spatial geography in relation to the effectiveness of a haunted house story (lucky you), but I'll spare you that for now and simply say that Winward House works.

Before I ramble on too long, I'll quickly say that the supernatural elements work as well. It would seem some of the ghost effects were added at the last minute at the insistance of the producers, who thought the haunting were too subtle. While you might argue that what is left unseen is often more frightening than what is shown (did Ebert say that? Was it someone else?), the effects are used very sparingly, and I'll be damned if they weren't better than so much of what passes for "ghosts" these days. Hollywood, time to look backwards to see what worked rather than forwards to a future rife with awful CGI scares. Equally as important is the sound; the first time I heard the disembodied sobbing I got a little chill up my spine.

So if you can overlook some of the 1940s conventions (quirky dialogue, music, etc.), The Uninvited has a lot to offer fans of the genre. For it's place as forerunner and inspiration to the works that followed (The Haunting, in my opinion, being the best) alone it's a must-watch, but that it's entertaining and atmospheric to boot make it all the more enjoyable and a perfect distraction for a cold and windy October night. Highly recommended (if you can find it, that is).

NOTE: For some excellent screen captures from the film, check out this link to one of my favourite blogs, The Obscure Hollow. The second shot down, the room with the skylights, is what I was referring to above as one of my favourite set pieces from the genre!

Midnight Madness Reviews... eventually.

I had intended to write reviews of the TIFF films I've seen at Midnight Madness the day following each screening, but I've been too preoccupied with other things (work, school and zombie games). I think, therefore, I shall just do a quick summary after the festival is over, highlighting what to see and what to avoid. So far it looks like most of what's been shown has been picked up for distribution. Or I might not. No one reads this stuff anyways.

The Raid

Who'd have thought that an Indonesian film directed by a Welshman would turn out to be one of the greatest pieces of action cinema I've ever seen? Honestly this film has some of the most fluid and kinetic violence ever put on celluloid, at least in my experience. The gunplay is brutal, but the martial arts are better. I think Roddy Piper might have competition for longest brawl.

From what I understand it's one of the only films ever made to feature Indonesian Silat martial arts. I won't even attempt to describe the fighting style, but suffice to say it looks frightening in motion. All I can really say is that if you like action films, do whatever you can to see The Raid.