DVD: Feast II - Sloppy Seconds (dir: John Gulager, 2008)

"How does dissecting it make any sense?"

Sloppy Seconds? Sloppy film. I am a huge fan of the first Feast movie, which proved to be an unexpected treat - a taut, claustrophobic under-seige movie that trod a fine line between real horror and moments of comedy, with a credible mix of characters and some clever narrative shocks. The trailer for Feast II showed that lightning was not striking twice, but the resulting film hurtles between being interesting, incoherent, offensive, inventive and quite frankly unhinged. Once past a rather long introduction to all the (stock) characters, in the style of Smokin' Aces, the action then hits a brisk stride, opening out the bar/diner scenario of the first film to a full-on small-town field of action here and creating a greater range of situations and the crucial ability to separate characters. Unfortunately, with a lot of unforgiving daylight action, the men-in-monster-suits creatures are not convincing, although the attacks are suitably gruesome. In this entry in the franchise, everything seems to have been thrown in to please some element of the horror audience, from surprisingly realistic ultra-violence to gross-out bodily-functions gags. The attempt to link the events and characters of this film to the earlier one does occasionally work effectively, particularly in the early part of the film, although the narrative runs out of steam half-way through before picking up again for the outrageous finale. Feast II is gaining a reputation for a particular scene in the second half of the film involving a baby, which is not only beyond outrageous but is also utterly extraordinary to behold and not for the faint-hearted. Yet this scene is perhaps the key to Feast II - it is a low-budget mess, made with bags of enthusiasm but with sufficient polish and creativity to make it watchable, and with the clear intention of simply entertaining horror fans with very broad minds who applaud the intention rather than the execution. Still, it's not every day you get to see a gang of lesbian-biker-chicks battling a horde of carnivorous beasts.....such is the magic of the movies.

FILM: Avatar 3D (dir: James Cameron, 2009)

"It is hard to fill a cup that is already full up."

In terms of characters, themes and emotional tone, Avatar is very much a James Cameron film, with frequent echoes of The Abyss, Aliens and (inevitably) Titanic. What is surprising is the lack of setting up - Avatar hits the ground running and is engaging right from the outset. Cameron's knack of crafting a narrative that constantly moves forward or intrigues is very evident here, making the running time feel comfortable rather than bloated. The richness, detail and immersive quality of the CGI and use of 3D is undeniably superb, and whilst it can never be utterly photorealistic (although this represents another leap forward) Avatar creates a fully-realised and credible world. The 'tree-hugger' moments are thankfully kept to the minimum, although Cameron is hardly subtle in getting his message across here. Careful and wholly successful casting (Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Giovanni Ribisi) in key roles gives the film dramatic weight, and whilst the actual plot is generally unremarkable, Avatar does provide a satisfying and fascinating journey for the viewer. For me, the only real weakness was James Horner's underwhelming score, but that came as no surprise and did not detract from the effectiveness of the film overall. Few films are ever likely to be developed and made on the level of budget and investment that Avatar enjoyed, but ultimately this is a tribute to James Cameron that he could craft a largely-CG film that cut through the negativity and once again showed the whole world what the cinema experience can give to the audience.

FILM: Where The Wild Things Are (dir: Spike Jonze, 2009)

"Looks like a Bob!"

For Warner Brothers, this must have been like a re-run of the Gremlins experience for them; the studio was expecting a nice, fluffy easily-marketable film for the kiddies, and instead got a frequently dark, occasionally distressing and often emotionally-confusing viewing experience. However, like Gremlins, Where The Wild Things Are is a delightful yet challenging film. It is clear from the very opening that this is not going to be an easy ride, as the emotional shifts are sudden and jarring, presumably intended to reflect a child's experience of the adult world. The move from the real world to Max's imaginary land is surprisingly seamless and credible, enahnced by the superb creature creations using physical costume and CGI-enhanced facial features. As Max is pronounced King and has to take the adult role for his child-like new friends, the weight of responsibilty and the narrative trajectories of the creatures' characters provide truly fascinating and engaging viewing, as well as food for thought. Young Max Records is surprisingly fresh and authentic in the lead role, with only a couple of moments failing to convince. Where The Wild Things Are is a very different, almost unique, movie, rather like its director who held out to create a very deliberate, demanding and successful film.

DVD: Terminator Salvation (dir: McG, 2009)

"We will not rest until all of it is destroyed."

The main reason that Terminator 3 and 4 (and to a degree the spin-off TV show) have been treated with generally flippant disregard is that they dared to exist without James Cameron at the helm. Rise Of The Machines did suffer by offering little that was new, in spite of some excellent lead performances (by the human characters rather than the Terminators) and its extraordinary nihilistic ending. Salvation, however, does offer a lot of new angles on the mythology, and the film impresses with interesting camerawork and surprisingly fluid direction by McG. The main difficulty that the movie has overall is that the set pieces work very well and are often truly spectacular, but the movie fails to hang together, coming across as too episodic to give it any real momentum towards a truly gripping climax that the film needed. Christian Bale provides a more militaristic take on John Connor, and whilst Bale is always credible and value-for-money, here he merely swings between growling and shouting. Sam Worthington proves to be the find here, although it is a great shame that his character's big narrative twist was given away in the trailer, as the element of surprise would have proved much more rewarding to the viewer (even though it is so very clearly signposted throughout). It was a bold move to bring the future action into daylight for the most part, and it gives the film a credible post-apocalypse setting. Although it pays lip-service to Cameron's 'philosophical' ideas that gave the first two movies their relative depth, as a summer blockbuster, Terminator Salvation is more than just big bangs and big robots (take note, Michael Bay). It looks as if Lionsgate has won the bidding war for the Terminator franchise - someone is probably writing Terminator vs Jigsaw right now - so it will be interesting to see if they do continue with McG's proposed trilogy.

DVD: Star Trek (dir: J.J.Abrams, 2009)

"I like this ship!"

It is to Paramount's credit that they finally had the guts to stop indulging the Next Generation actors and (almost) wipe the slate clean and start over with a budget that gave the movie franchise a fighting chance in today's market. Whilst Insurrection and even Nemesis were not necessarily bad films as such, they were more like average TV movies which had lost touch with the general movie-going public. Thankfully, the exuberance and spectacle of the 2009 re-boot remain intact on the small screen, making it a joy to revisit on DVD. Praise is due to Chris Pine and particularly Zachary Quinto as the new incarnations of Kirk and Spock, not for impersonating the 60s versions but for two finely-judged and detailed performances. Karl Urban nails Dr McCoy's demeanour from his first entrance, and the rest of the ensemble provide fine support, not just the crew members but solid performances by the likes of Ben Cross and Winona Ryder as Spock's parents and a brief but telling stint by Chris Hemsworth as Kirk's father in the truly stunning opening scenes. The special effects sequences are beautiful in scale and realisation, and Michael Giacchino's terrific score hits the mark every time. The time-travelling narrative excuse for the new timeline still doesn't quite convince, and the appearance of Leonard Nimoy seems fan-pleasing rather than necessary, but overall the shiny new Star Trek is hugely enjoyable. One can only hope that the inevitable (and now much anticipated) sequel will go into new territory, rather than go over old ground or already-used characters/villains.

FILM: Paranormal Activity (dir: Oren Peli, 2009)

"I think we'll be OK now."

Close, but no cigar. A decade after Blair Witch, its direct stylistic successor again proves to be a triumph of marketing over substance. The very clever and effective release-widening campaign, together with a killer audience-reaction trailer, has made Paranormal Activity far more successful than it really deserves, but it also mis-sells the film. What appeared to be an Amityville Horror for the reality TV generation is not a scary movie as such, more a traditional 'haunted house'/possession chiller, even reminiscent at times of audience manipulation in Robert Wise's classic, The Haunting. The simple premise and the genuinely claustrophobic setting works massively to its advantage, and the simple 'Night #' onscreen motif succeeds admirably in turning up the suspense and anticipation for the audience as the film progresses. However, given the limited opportunities that the setting and concept offers, nothing surprises, and all of the supposedly 'shock' moments are actually given away in the trailer, including the underwhelming and sudden ending. The two leads are reasonable, but the visiting psychic's performance is astoundingly dreadful. The lo-fi videocam look works for the most part visually, but sound-wise it diminishes the potential 'jump' moments. Paranormal Activity demonstrates that a good remake of Poltergeist might have some interest, yet I can't help feeling that if Sam Raimi had been given this movie to direct, they would have been literally scraping the audience off cinema ceilings. Catch it in a cinema with a lively Friday-night audience; it will look lame on DVD, and certainly Paranormal Activity will not bear repeat viewings.

FILM: 2012 (dir: Roland Emmerich, 2009)

"Sit down and buckle up!"

Dog? Check. Bird's eye shot of a plane trying to outrun a firestorm/pyroclastic cloud? Check. Everything stops for a heartfelt speech about the human condition even though the countdown is almost out? Check. If you've never seen a Roland Emmerich film or indeed any disaster movie in the last twenty years, 2012 may hold some surprises. However, the increasingly restless cinema audience at this showing said it all, and my goodness the film feels long (getting on for two-and-a-half hours). Obeying the 45-minutes rule (i.e. nothing really happens until it hits that time marker and then all hell breaks loose) almost perfectly, the selling point of 2012 is the special effects sequences, and indeed the scale of destruction wrought is awesome to the point of obscenity. Yet the film remains curiously unmoving, owing to its grating familiarity and the utterly naive storylining, combined with disposable filler dialogue that often leads nowhere or is deeply repetitive. Silly science aside, from even the opening shots of the planets clearly visible from each other, willing suspension of disbelief isn't enough as 2012 tests the patience of its audience and then completely insults it with some of the daftest sequences imaginable in its last 45 minutes. John Cusack is not the typical blockbuster star, but as expected does his utmost to ground his lead character in some sort of sustained credibilty throughout. Of course it is easy to tick off its hardly-subtle influences (Dante's Peak, Deep Impact, Speed, Emmerich's own Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow, and even The Poseidon Adventure), and in doing so 2012 demonstrates that the disaster genre really has nowhere to go except to ramp up the special effects setting to 'bigger'. If Emmerich does eventually make Independence Day 2, it will have to go into space for the most part, because there is nothing left for him to do to Planet Earth now.

DVD: [REC] (dir: Jaume Balaguero, Paco Plaza, 2007)

"It's out of control."

It is, of course, very Blair Witch, but better in every way, and a great viewing experience. From the early shocks to the frantic final half-hour, [REC] takes its straightforward premise and wrings from it every drop of suspense and jump value that it can from its taut running time. The attempt at authenticity works well, apart from a couple of glaring Idiot Plot moments, and the characters come across as mostly genuine and unforced. With some genuine shock moments, [REC] is efficient, relentless, and very enjoyable indeed.

DVD: Trick 'r Treat (dir: Michael Dougherty, 2007)

"Happy Halloween!"
"Screw you!"

Two years after the buzz generated by the trailer and occasional festival screenings, we finally get to see Trick 'r Treat. This is Halloween with everything but the kitchen sink: great design, surprisingly good cast on the whole who give it their all, and a nicely-constructed portmanteau narrative. For such a lightweight film, the tonal lurches from shock to comedy are frequent, sudden and quite demanding. It doesn't really live up to its reputation, although it is clearly made with real affection, but it is a fun viewing experience, and Trick 'r Treat is a film which would have been classic drive-in fodder.

DVD: Fast and Furious (dir: Justin Lin, 2009)

"We're all just along for the ride now."

The fourth in the Fast & Furious franchise hits the ground running and merrily bowls along with scant regard for plot and character but relentlessly aims to please and entertain, which it manages for the most part. Playing at times like a Bourne-lite for petrolheads, Fast & Furious is handsomely shot, making great use of location work but curiously lacking in the car-candy that has been a trademark of the series. The action sequences are, well, fast and furious, and utterly preposterous, with a seeming reliance on CGI which occasionally make the speeder-bikes in Tron seem photorealistic. Paul Walker and Vin Diesel frown a lot in this film, because they are clearly doing very serious character work here, but the easy-going banter between them comes across well. Fast & Furious is very silly and very entertaining - in other words, the franchise has returned to form, and the prospect of a fifth film - nicely set up at the end - is not unwelcome.