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ninfanwill
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Monsters (2010)
Technically a great film but it left me bored most of the time.
This review has been a little too long coming now but I've been way too busy to get to it until now. I guess I wasn't really missing much because the end result is mostly boredom on my part for Monsters. Going in I was expecting a big monster movie, what I got was just going. Two people going on a boat, two people going into the forest, two people going into a city, and so on and so on. There's virtually nothing going on for most of the movie and it didn't really start getting interesting to me until the last 15 minutes or so. It starts out with a group of soldiers attacking one of the giant octopus/spider looking creatures. It's all in night vision and a little hard to get a grasp on what exactly is going on. Fair enough though, it is an attack by a huge alien monster. We then move to photojournalist Andrew. He's looking through the rubble of the latest attack searching for a girl. He soon finds her in the local hospital and we find out that she's his bosses daughter Samantha. Andrew is then tasked with getting Samantha back into the US from Mexico, even if he doesn't really want to at first. Now we watch for the next 60 or 70 minutes as they travel by train, boat, bus, foot and truck trying to get to the giant wall the US has erected at the border. I won't bother giving away anything that happens because there isn't a lot of it so why ruin the few things that actually happen.
The film succeeds on all levels except one and that's the pace of the film. The acting is great and the character interaction is very believable. The movie looks great and the monsters are incredibly well done. Even with so many things going for it I still found myself to be really bored. Literally nothing happens for most of the movie. We just watch as Andrew and Samantha travel through Mexico to the border. There's the occasional scene of some tentacles attacking trucks or a plane rising up from the water but it's usually just some odd sounds from the forest and then Andrew and Samantha rushing onto their next mode of transportation to get out of there as fast as possible. There's plenty of great scenery and it's beautiful to look at but after a bit you start wondering if anything is going to happen.
There's a great scene where Andrew and Samantha are stopped in a city and they travel out at night where there's a large memorial set up for people killed by the aliens. It's an incredible scene but it's over just as quickly as it began and then they're back to just sitting in a truck looking melancholy and staring into space. Thankfully I've got some patience because the end of the film was where the payoff was.
Once Andrew and Samantha finally hit the border things start to pick up. The film grabbed my attention and wraps up really nicely but it also left me wondering what to think. Is the first hour or so worth the last 20 minutes? I think that I'd have to go with yes on that one but I certainly wouldn't praise the film as much as I've heard up till this point. Apparently uber low-budget with Gareth Edwards even creating the special effects himself, the film is a testament to what a person can do. The overall story is interesting although I wasn't really into the characters storyline and the monsters look amazing. Technically speaking the film is amazing with great performances, impressive effects and a beautiful backdrop. Personally I just wasn't feeling it though. I was bored through most of it and anyone going into the film expecting giant monster mayhem will probably end up like me. Change your expectation of the film and you should be able to enjoy it.
It's a good film but marketed in the completely wrong direction. I honestly thought it was a giant monster movie and that's not what it's about at all. This one is character driven and it's a good thing that Whitney Able and Scoot McNairy put in such good performances or I would have stabbed myself to death before the end of the film came. Hang on until the last 20 minutes and you'll be treated to some goodies as well as an ending that will have you thinking about where everyone is going when it's done.
Evil Things (2009)
'Found footage' film that manages to stand out from the crowd.
Lets get one thing out of the way first, it's obviously going to remind you of Blair Witch. Seriously, can any 'found footage' movie not get that comparison. About halfway through the movie I got really worried that it was going to end up the same way as well as the kids wander into the woods and wind up getting lost. Thankfully that's not how it worked out.
Quick rundown on the flick. 5 students, Cassy, Mark, Leo, Tanya and Miriam, head out to Miriams aunts house to celebrate her birthday. It's way out in the boonies and it's quite the trek up there. Along the way they keep being followed by a mysterious van. Eventually they make a turn that the van doesn't and arrive at the house. They're shook up from the van incident and things begin going up and down. When they finally manage to have a good time, something bad will happen. We already know they're all missing so you can figure out what the end result of the movie will be.
The acting is well done which is a good thing because thats what's carrying the movie. You get a crappy performance and you get a crappy movie. I believed it all. If they were scared, you could feel it. If they were laughing, I was laughing especially during one scene where Cassy (Laurel Casillo) is pretending to be Leos (Ryan Maslyn) mom. I was laughing out loud and it emphasized the impact of the film. I really got into the performances and experienced the emotions with the characters. As for the villain of the piece, you never see him. I like that aspect of the movie, actually, I like that in any movie. When you can't see or hear the villain it seems to make them that much more evil. You're mind makes up who this person is and what their motivation is and what you think in your head is probably going to be much worse than what a filmmaker could show you. I always find it much more effective.
While I did enjoy the movie, it's not without its problems. It's a 'found footage' movie but it has a soundtrack at certain parts. Nothing too obvious but it's there. It helps to build the tension and is effective in its use but it goes against the entire 'found footage' concept. There's also another part that works against the 'found footage' aspect but I won't go into it as it plays an important part of the film. I wouldn't want to ruin anything.
It's also a bit slow to start. I found myself getting a bit antsy, wondering when something was going to happen. They're on this long drive into the country so it's understandable that not a lot will be happening but I think some people may be turned off by this. Once everything starts to head downhill the film picks up and I was on the edge of my seat. Like I had said earlier, there's a point where they head out into the woods and get lost. I immediately was overwhelmed with a feeling of "Oh no, this is how it ends up right? I'm watching a new take on Blair Witch." I mean, I was worried that this was the end of the film. It doesn't end there and I'm glad it didn't. That would have destroyed the movie right there and I had really been into it up to that point.
The final scenes are tense, creepy and even gave my heart a jump at one moment. It's a slow burn towards a great explosion at the end but haters of Blair Witch will never be able to get through it. It stands on its own but if the 'found footage' movie isn't your taste then it's not going to sit well with you. I personally love these kinds of flicks and really got into this one. I was up and down about this one for a while. The soundtrack and other moments that go against the 'found footage' idea bothered me at first but it's these things that wind up making the movie that much better and that's the point, to make a great movie. It's not going to be everyone's cup of tea but I got into and really enjoyed it.
Pandorum (2009)
A great addition to the sci-fi genre.
I have been waiting to see this one for too long now and finally got to see it last night. It was worth the wait though because this was a great addition to the sci-fi genre. I've heard comparisons to Aliens and I guess I can see why, but then again when you set a movie in space and have some sort of creature involved you're instantly granted the Aliens comparison. By the end of this flick it certainly makes a name for itself and stands on it's own. It was a head trip of a movie that left me wondering who was crazy or if I was the one who was crazy! Ben Foster as Bower is the first to wake up followed by Dennis Quaid as Payton. They're vaguely aware of where they are and what they're doing but it's still pretty fuzzy. They begin thinking that they're the only ones left alive on the ship but soon realize that not only are there other survivors, there's also some very strange human looking creatures that are out for blood. Pieces of the story are slowly revealed as the characters remember more about what's going on and you start to get the bigger picture. We also learn about pandorum which is a form of insanity brought on by hyper sleep. It's here where the movie starts to mess with your head. You start wondering who may have pandorum, or maybe everyone has it, or maybe you have it! It's a great twist to the movie as it threw me off balance in what to expect. Unfortunately it becomes clear who has what too soon and took away a little from the ending.
Speaking of the ending, the big reveal at the end was satisfying. I personally didn't see it coming but I was so involved in the movie that I hadn't even been thinking about it. This made it a surprise for me but it may be too easy for others to figure out. While the plot may not drop any great twists onto the general viewing public, the performances of all the characters are strong enough to carry this one. I like a good spaceship flick and this one doesn't disappoint. The creatures in the flick look great as well and while they are a definite threat, it still felt as if they were only a nuisance in the grand scheme of things. I don't think the movie would have suffered one bit if you had taken them out as there's enough human characters ready to backstab each other that the tension would still be there. The creatures only end up adding to this tension which isn't a bad thing.
You're confronted on every side by questions this way. Obviously you can't trust bloodthirsty monsters but some of the remaining survivors don't seem to be a much better option. While this may not be the most original movie out there, I still recommend it. Sure we've all seen the creature on the space ship flicks and I'm sure that lots of you will see the ending coming miles away but with strong acting and a great look and feel to the movie you'd be missing something if you didn't add this to your collection.