First re-play review! Much shorter and less structured, this is where films I've seen are seen again. Here it's either an improvement, a fall or just the same. Let's go!
The much anticipated remake of Sam Raimi’s cult horror hit is... short of good. And on second viewings, it's still the same.
For someone who’s
new to the scene, Uruguayan director FEDE ALVAREZ handles the movie like a pro.
The horror sequences are tense and impactful, hard to watch and of course very
gory. However, it seems to be a bit too serious instead of fast-and-loose like
Raimi and therefore has no distinct “signature”.
I can blame the
script for enforcing this tone, but it has a great element - letting these kids
coming to this isolated cabin because one of them needs to deal with drug
addiction and they won’t leave it since everything could be hallucinations.
EVIL DEAD, despite its predecessor’s image and that B-movie title, manages to
have a bit of depth (and plausibility!) thanks to this subplot.
The cast
The phenomenal JANE LEVY (Mia)
Acting is
*extremely and unexpectedly* good. This is JANE LEVY’s show for sure. She has
such presence on-screen that all her emotions - panic, bored, scared-to-death
and even possessed (literally) - are tangible. Other don’t seem to get much
ground to play, their pretty faces come and go... some rather violently. The
main man SHILOH FERNANDEZ is, unfortunately, not as memorable as the supporting
guy LOU TAYLOR PUCCI, who is more relatable and show a range of
emotions/expressions.
The art
department deserves an applause for all their efforts. Most of the crazy horror
happenings on screen are practical and some manage to effectively conjure fear.
Well, more disgust than fear. Okay, a few shots are enhanced by CGI but
thankfully they are not severe like the remake of THE THING. AARON MORTON’s
photography is moody and effective, with washed out colors that ensure the only
thing that will be emphasized are blood, pus and dirt. Combine with the sounds,
this is like, ahem, a perfect marriage that finds glory through guts.
To brand it as
“the most terrifying film you will see” is perhaps a little bit much because
besides some changes EVIL DEAD doesn’t offer anything that force the original
to head for the hills. Still, just have fun, be grossed out and take note of a
rather amazing performance from JANE LEVY.
Pre-screening event at Studio Movie Grill – City
Center in Houston. The movie opens on CHRISTMAS DAY.
Honestly, my
blog’s comeback deserves a better movie. Read on below.
PRE-TRIP
A really gorgeous poster
I will say this:
I love trailers that play the “show, don’t tell” card with music that
accompanies the images. Set to the song "Dirty Paws" by Of Monsters and Men, here is a beautiful trailer about a man who daydreams to live a life
better than the one he’s trapped in.
For the past
decades, remaking WALTER MITTY has been on many minds, including MARK WATERS, RON
HOWARD and STEVEN SPIELBERG, with OWEN WILSON, SACHA BARON COHEN and JIM CARREY
set to star as the titular character as the project gets passed through hands.
Good to see
things have finally settled down, with funnyman BEN STILLER sitting at the helm
and being WALTER MITTY. Yes, I’m very
surprised. Yet, what I see so far is great – a movie with a powerful message
and looks beautiful in communicating it. Worthy cinematic journey alert!
9 out of 10.
POST-TRIP
BEN STILLER (Walter Mitty) and SEAN PENN (Sean O' Connell)
Tsk tsk...
After such a
promising beginning – a showcase of impressive camera-work from STUART DRYBURGH
(NO RESERVATIONS), warm musical score by THEODORE SHAPIRO (TROPIC THUNDER) and a
fantastic fantasy sequence – WALTER MITTY begins to collapse.
And collapse is
what our character, nicely played by BEN STILLER in a subdued performance, is
experiencing as his workplace – LIFE Magazine – is in transition from print to online.
Knowing this, famed photographer Sean O’ Connell (SEAN PENN in a memorable role
that lasts minutes) sends 25 negatives that will make the magazine ends with a
bang. One problem though, the 25th negative is missing. A quest is given to
Walter and this too could be a chance for him to woo Cheryl Melhoff (KRISTEN
WIIG in a role so in-the-background that without her the movie is still fine).
BEN STILLER (Walter Mitty) and KRISTEN WIIG (Cheryl Melhoff - or the invisible love interest)
Had most of the
quest happened in Walter’s daydreams and then raised the question “will he
finally be able to accomplish his goals”, I will accept the title THE SECRET LIFE
OF WALTER MITTY. What we have here is THIS IS WHAT I THINK IS AN UPLIFTING AND
INSPIRING MONTAGE FOR YOU THROUGH THE EYES OF WALTER MITTY.
Only him is happy
Blame it on the disconnected
and tedious script from STEVE CONRAD, who (strangely enough) wrote the touching
and tear-jerking THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS. Uplifting viewers should have been
right up his alley but he seems lost here, perhaps because of deviating so far
from the source material and as a result its true meaning. The movie is
conflict-free, moving at a pace that it finds
comfortable, saying the things it finds
suitable and showing the things it finds
fine. As for the audience, the movie asks “what audience?”. It doesn’t care
about the clichés regarding “nerdy guy into a cool man” it throws at you or the
sentimental moments with product placement that it thinks mean something. Shame
how the execution is purely self-indulgent for a material that holds such a
universal message about living life the right way. How strange when a movie
about a secret life does not refer to that secret life for the majority of its
runtime? At least the work to integrate a modern setting into the story is
commendable.
A fantasy sequence that works
However, if you
look the movie as separate segments – like each negative on a reel – WALTER MITTY...
works (!) It message comes through clear as day and loud as thunder, you will
feel hopeful and fulfilled. As one movie, the movie is like a car with three
wheels. Now there’s nothing hopeful and fulfilling about that, unless you’re a
tow truck driver.
Dat beard
That’s not to say
the movie has no redeeming values. ADAM SCOTT is really fun and convincingly
unlikable as the evil manager with a goofy beard. From a technical standpoint,
it’s not crazy to say WALTER MITTY may earn Golden Globes or Oscars for
Cinematography, Music or Visual Effects. The fantasy sequences are really well-realized.
The photography, mostly top-down shots and wide angles, is breathtaking. Finally,
a score that has presence and well-placed rock songs. As a visual storyteller,
BEN STILLER knows what he’s doing, I guess.
One of the many beautiful frames
Nevertheless, the
lumps are just too big to ignore. Perhaps audiences will love WALTER MITTY
because of its message, its humor when it works, its pokes at other movies (THE
MATRIX and BENJAMIN BUTTON) and its “holiday-hopeful effect”, but upon inspection
there is a big, big problem. For a movie about a man’s secret (is it really
though?), WALTER MITTY just can’t hide the fact that he’s lost and just
straight-up disappointing.
5 out of 10.
Where is this movie?
MOMENTS THAT
LINGER
Walter’s first
daydream at the train station.
Space Oddity
cover by KRISTEN WIIG
A continuous shot
of Walter traveling from New York to Greenland.
