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And I Lived (2005)
A gritty style which feels closer to reality than the typical Hollywood teen flick
***Contains Spoilers*** Inspiration can come at very unusual moments and in very unusual places. For filmmaker Ryan Dacko, the screenplay for "And I Lived" was written while he was on Coast Guard deployment in Antarctica. It would seem the South Pole has some benefit for unleashing creative juices, for "And I Lived" is an intriguing and entertaining drama.
Set in a small upstate New York town, "And I Lived" is a tale of young love challenged by the rigid conventions of class warfare. The local high school is evenly divided between the rich kids (who dress in white) and the not-rich kids (who dress in black). Race and ethnicity doesn't matter, as both sides have their share of different hues and heritages. Before you can say "Capulet and Montague" (or "Sharks and Jets"), a taboo love bubbles up between rich girl Elaina (Lori Schaufelberger) and poor hunk Kevin (Matt Clark). Their respective socio-economic communities frown upon this union, and the rich kids eventually resort to violence to keep Kevin on his side of the tracks. But can true love overcome the challenges of disapproving friends and mismatched bank balances? Shot on what appears to be no budget whatsoever, "And I Lived" betrays a lot of the tell-tale signs of films made on the cheap. But in a way, this contributes to a gritty style which feels closer to reality than the typical Hollywood teen flick. The rich kids are not insanely rich, but rather they come across like the spoiled offspring of parvenu parents - the cash is there, but not the class. Likewise, the poor kids have the unpolished and unapologetic air of the working class. You can tell in the way they walk and gaze that they have highly mixed feelings of their situation (they are not ashamed of who they are, but they damn well would love to move up in the world).
Emotionally, "And I Lived" hits all of the right buttons. All of the genuine moments of teen angst are here (the jealousies, irrational rivalries and suffocating lack of individualism within the high school environment), but mercifully it never devolves into a syrupy love-will-conquer-all message (one can easily imagine the next wave of students making the same stupid mistakes without deviating one iota).
The young leads are attractive and charming, which also helps considerably. Fine support comes from Kim Chesterton as Kevin's unhappy ex-girlfriend and Dave Bianchi as a one-time poor kid who crossed over to the wealthy side when his mother married money. And pay attention to the music score by Matt Tyson and Gary Judge - it's quite eccentric and effective (how often do you hear a rock-and-bagpipe version of "Amazing Grace" played over a drag racing montage?).
"And I Lived" may cover familiar territory, but filmmaker Dacko brings a degree of sincerity to the production which makes the story feel fresh. Perhaps he might want to set up a screen writing camp in Antarctica - the polar environment may encourage other filmmakers to tap out their own worthwhile screenplays.
Highwaymen (2004)
Fantastic Car Film
It is great to finally get a film that doesn't run to the safety of digital video, computer special effects, and loud music.
"Highwaymen" finally gives us a thriller, that avoids all the crutches of the mainstream film-making that we have seen in the last few years. The stunts are all metal cars crashing into each other - no fancy effects (i.e. Nic Cage jumping a bridge in a digital mustang during the cheesy "Gone in 60 seconds" remake). Here we have car doors getting ripped off and then actually being replaced with second-hand parts by the characters in the film - a realistic car chase film. Finally.
The music, by Mark Isham, is very simple and very scary. It brings back memories of "Halloween" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" - when filmmakers knew how to use frequencies to build tension. There are no Brittany Spears or Metallica singles on the soundtrack, indicating that at least one filmmaker still can hold his own, and not fall to the popular vote when designing a film's soundtrack.
The acting is excellent - Jim Caviezel is great.
The cinematography is first class - and shot on film, which is refreshing when much of the movie takes place at night and many filmmakers get scared and run to video nowadays (Michael Mann "Collateral"). Great land scapes and long empty roads are brilliantly photographed by cinematographer Rene Ohashi.
By far the best are the sound effects. All the car engine sounds are greatly accurate - from the Barricuda's Hemi to El Dorado's big block - all sounds are accurately placed and brilliantly timed. This, and all the great car-talk within the dialogue makes for a true car film that anyone who loved the old car chase films of the late 60's to the late 70's, would greatly enjoy this one as well.
Highwaymen (2004)
Fantastic Car Film
It is great to finally get a film that doesn't run to the safety of digital video, computer special effects, and loud music.
"Highwaymen" finally gives us a thriller, that avoids all the crutches of the mainstream film-making that we have seen in the last few years. The stunts are all metal cars crashing into each other - no fancy effects (i.e. Nic Cage jumping a bridge in a digital mustang during the cheesy "Gone in 60 seconds" remake). Here we have car doors getting ripped off and then actually being replaced with second-hand parts by the characters in the film - a realistic car chase film. Finally.
The music, by Mark Isham, is very simple and very scary. It brings back memories of "Halloween" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" - when filmmakers knew how to use frequencies to build tension. There are no Brittany Spears or Metallica singles on the soundtrack, indicating that at least one filmmaker still can hold his own, and not fall to the popular vote when designing a film's soundtrack.
The acting is excellent - Jim Caviezel is great.
The cinematography is first class - and shot on film, which is refreshing when much of the movie takes place at night and many filmmakers get scared and run to video nowadays (Michael Mann "Collateral"). Great land scapes and long empty roads are brilliantly photographed by cinematographer Rene Ohashi.
By far the best are the sound effects. All the car engine sounds are greatly accurate - from the Barricuda's Hemi to El Dorado's big block - all sounds are accurately placed and brilliantly timed. This, and all the great car-talk within the dialogue makes for a true car film that anyone who loved the old car chase films of the late 60's to the late 70's, would greatly enjoy this one as well.
Dog Soldiers (2002)
Traditional Horror is back and it's badass!
I was recommended to watch this one by a good friend who, like me, shares the enjoyment of a good movie with a great story. This is just that. Being former military it was great to see the soldiers portrayed so accuratly, their technique and dialogue is text book quality. Very important to the realism of the situation. Also, as mentioned in other reviews, no CGI!!! Hat's off to the director, I always say, computers should be used to enhance film, not to take the place of it. Here you have a movie shot on film, using buckets of blood and splatter tubes, and guys in wolf costumes. Are you listening, George Lucas?? Take note, this is what film can do, pull you inside for two hours and never let go. It's real. it's organic. It's "Dog Soldiers". One hell of a good time and a bloody great film!