Review - Buried (2010)

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good contained thriller and I know there are a lot out there but they all incorporate a large space. Even movies like The Decent take place in confined areas but the cave is still pretty big in area. Then, a short little Sundance film arose to the calling and its title was simply… Buried. When I saw previews for this I knew that the whole movie would be in a box and people should know that it only takes place in that box, but I also expected the movie to exceed in three major film components: sound, aesthetics and performance. Needless to say, it exceeds both of these things. The plot is simple, a truck driver is captured by ‘terrorists’ and is buried in a coffin unless he comes up with $5 million (?) in three or so hours. Maybe less. It’s a very intense piece and Reynolds still manages to be Reynolds during some breakdown moments.

THE SOUND

Sound makes for great atmosphere and considering you need good atmosphere to keep you on your heels, Buried’s use of sound is fantastic. Everything from the buzzing of the phone, to the clicking of the flashlight, down to the creeks in the wood… I have to say that I felt like I was in that box with him. The sound doesn’t just create atmosphere, there are times where the soundtrack isn’t present but feels like it should be, so the sound provides a realistic soundtrack to grip the audience. The creaking, the dirt falling, the scraping all contributes to make the audience feel paranoid that something is going to happen. There were times where I was just waiting for the whole coffin to collapse in on itself.

THE AESTHETICS

This sort of encompasses both the lighting and the cinematography, which was both phenomenal but the cinematography really nailed the tension and the visual. When you think about having a movie take place entirely in a box, what sorts of camera angles do you expect? You’d think there are only so many they can choose from but you are wrong. I don’t want to reveal anything just yet but some angles were brilliant and some pay homage to the late Alfred Hitchcock (I’ll get to that later). Also, considering that Reynolds only uses a lighter, a flashlight, a cell phone light and a glow stick… the lighting was very strong. It did a great job isolating certain parts of his body to reveal what’s going on. I’d have to say, when the lights went out I began picking at my thumb.

THE PERFORMANCE

Ryan Reynolds is really digging into different genres and I really respect him for doing this. He made a name for himself in the horror genre with Amityville Horror and now he tackled a pretty tough role playing Paul Conroy in Buried. It’s just him and a slew of assorted voices over the phone. Going into this, I wanted the performance to be amazing because it needs to be that way to keep the audience engaged in the character and to give him depth. Reynolds nailed it (no pun intended). I loved the character of Paul, I was with him in every little thought that crept into his mind and I felt terrible that he was in that situation. He gave the character depth and emotion and even in the darkest of times, you can totally see Reynolds being Reynolds.

There is one thing about this film that stuck out to me and I’m not sure if this is intentional or if I am just seeing things. This film seems to be a direct tribute to the work of Alfred Hitchcock. I noticed this right when I saw the poster for buried and how it bares a close resemblance to that of Vertigo. The main title sequence is done in animation; much like the way Psycho’s title sequence was produced. Also, certain camera angles scream Hitchcock but I won’t name the scenes. Even the fact that this is a contained thriller is something Hitchcock would do since he is the master. If this wasn’t a Hitchcock tribute, than what a coincidence the film is.

The only problem I had with it was that it didn’t make me feel cramped or struggling for air, which is good I guess. Also, I don’t want to reveal any spoilers but this may be one: to those who saw it, how did Dan Brenner not know that what was never found? I never caught onto that but it’s something that is still lingering in my head. Speaking of which, a good movie makes the audience member remember it and even though this isn’t horror… it certainly is a frightening situation that I can’t shake. I wouldn’t be surprised if this movie makes you claustrophobic.

The Monster of Twister

With thunderstorm season upon us, and considering that it was a light show of lighting here in Chicago last night, I figured that I would pop in Twister for some good tornado fun. Those who know me on a personal level will know that as a kid, I was severely afraid of tornadoes because of a certain incident that will be told a later time. Yes, tornadoes made me so afraid that at one point in my life I hear the sirens and I ran out of my bathtub, naked, to go hide in the cold cellar. Well, I revisited Twister… a movie that only added to my fear of tornadoes and I realized that there were two scenes in that film that play out like a horror movie. When it comes to real life horror, many people dismiss natural weather phenomena and specifically tornadoes. Tornadoes are probably one of the scariest things that Mother Nature can conjure up and they are the true monsters of the world.

In the prologue of the movie we are introduced to the young character Jo Harding. In these scenes she is scarred for life after she witnesses her father get sucked into the funnel of an F5, while she is powerless to do anything. What’s scary about this scene are the effects, the sound (especially the sound) and the fact that you don’t see anything. Once the report comes onto the TV telling people to get into the cellars, lighting flashes and strikes down all around the home; sparks fly and the wind is destroying everything. However, the most frightening part out of all of this is the scene where Jo’s father is trying to hold down the storm cellar door, as the F5 is right over it. You don’t see what’s atop the door; all you see is this fantastic bright light, wind tearing off the boards of the door and this awful screeching sound like a train derailing. When Jo’s father gets sucked into the vortex, it’s a shocker and you don’t expect it. Visually and sound-wise, this is a very powerful film and it bares several similarities in horror films where you don’t see the monster, but you see it kill the person. The art of not showing anything.

However, the most creepiest scenes in the whole movie has to be the drive-in sequence… and not just because they played The Shining. The sequence shows us that the tornado’s presents in there as the wind blows through the window, rustling up the drapes; almost as though death is upon them. The wind typifies the tornado as a monster that’s about to ravage the land in a blind heat of anger. I’d go even further to say that it’s almost poetic. When Jo, Bill and Melissa walk out into the open area of the drive-in looking beyond the camera, it’s haunting because you don’t see what they are seeing, you only have the wind blowing towards them. It’s as if they are staring into the eye of a monster but they don’t see the entire body. When we finally do see the F4 behind the screen, it’s dark and we only see flashes of the whole funnel because of the lightning. The sound is key in this scene because as tornado survivors will tell you, the sounds of the funnel are similar to that of a giant train running over your head. The sound alone gives the tornado this monstrous and gargantuan feel.

People will debate whether or not Twister is a good movie, and although I think it is a good thrill ride you can’t help but agree that those scenes in the movie are pretty intense if not scary. This is a Hollywoodized version of what a tornado can do but it’s pretty close as to how a tornado can sound and the damage that it can do.

Review - The Orphan (2009)

So I just saw possibly one of the strangest horror movies that I’ve seen in a couple of years. It was “The Orphan” and all I can say about this movie was: Wow!!!! What the fuck did I just watch and why did I like it so much? The movie centers on a family of four who is recovering from a miscarriage and the mother adapts a very shy young girl… unfortunately, this girl proves to be highly disturbed and she has a secret she is hiding.

From Blogger Pictures

First off, lets start with the horror aspect of this movie. This movie builds up so much tension and sets up so many different camera angles to a point where you think something will jump out at you but nothing really happens. But, there were a few ‘jump-out’ scenes and some events were pretty disturbing. I won’t give anything away but there is one really freaky scene near the end that involves a black light and for some reason it just gave me chills. Though, giving the material this movie can easily be a slasher/thriller kind of movie.

What I also enjoyed about this movie was that it was sad, it had a storyline to it and it had a real legit family issue and this was a real family trying to cope with things. There were very touching moments and even some really heartwarming scenes with Esther. You can sort of compare this to some of the Japanese horror movies when it comes to family issues and morals but some of the scenes, I won’t name them, were just down right funny and over the top.

From Blogger Pictures

All I can say about this movie is that it was a thrill right that had you saying, “What the fuck is going on” at almost every point in the storyline. The girl who plays Esther does a fantastic job of being downright creepy and sadistic and whether or not she is from Russia… she really had a good Americanized Russian accent. You have to go into this movie with an anything-is-possible mindset otherwise you’ll be disappointed. What I can say is, I wished Jimmy Bennett’s character died. Is that wrong for me to wish that? 

Review - Little Shop of Horrors (1986)

I know it’s not technically considered horror, but rather a black comedy or a musical, but it had a man-eating plant so I feel that I must talk about it… and I am of course talking about “Little Shop of Horrors.” Here are my initial thoughts on the movie that I love so much:

This is the kind of movie that I wouldn’t be embarrassed to sing-along with and it has great musical numbers and fantastic set designs that I enjoyed so much. If it weren’t on film that I could almost imagine it being on stage, even though it was. And the puppetry, what can I say other then Jim Henson did another wonderful job.

From Blogger Pictures

There are some pretty creepy and morbid scenes in this movie… which is Frank Oz’s style, that I got scared of when I was a kid, those include: any of the times that Audrey II eats somebody, that whole scene when he calls Audrey, the dentist scene and the ending when he crashes the building down. This is such a more amped up version of the Roger Corman classic.

Even the casting was brilliant, who would have thought that Moranis would have delivered or what about Levi Stubbs from the Four Tops? Hell, even the cameos by Bill Murry, John Candy and Jim Belushi.

From Blogger Pictures

I don’t how else to show my appreciation for this movie and the hopes to one day see it on a Broadway play. Hell, I owned a Venus Fly Trap that I named Audrey II and it loved flies and spiders… unfortunately it died. But her spirit will live forever in the little shop of horrors. 

Trailer - The Stepfather (2009)

From Blogger Pictures

So I saw the trailer for the upcoming thriller/horror movie called “The Stepfather” and I can say is… wow, does it look stupid? The plot is simple and it looks like it’s going to be very predictable. He’s either the killer, or, most unlikely, not the killer. My first impression on it was that it looked like a family dramedy that went terribly wrong about midway into the trailer… but it looked to me that that trailer gave away too much of the plot. Either way, I probably will end up seeing it. 

Trailer - Shutter Island (2009)

I saw the trailer for the new Martin Scorsese film “Shutter Island” staring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley, while viewing the midnight showing of “Public Enemies.” I have to say, Scorsese looks like he is switching gears from his usual crime drama or just plain drama clique and attempting to do horror/thriller. From the previews, this movie looks pretty cool and somewhat original… it reminded me of “House on Haunted Hill” but it looks like it could be promising. I like the plot and from the looks of the trailer, it must be a period horror set in the 40s or 50s. All I can say for now is: I want to see this just to see what Scorsese has to contribute to the horror realm. 

Review - Signs (2002)

Finally, after an hour and 30 minutes of editing I finally got around to making my video review of the movie “Signs.” It took a while and had a lot of hard work put into it but I finally managed to pull through with a good movie review. Here are my initial thoughts on the movie that scared me so much as a kid.

Trailer - Orphan (2009)

I went to go see a movie called “The Hangover” today and while I was viewing the upcoming attractions I saw a trailer for a new thriller/horror movies called “Orphan.” This is a movie about a sweet little orphan girl who turns out to be a serial killer or a psychotic or something… but the trailer made it look like it was good. I don’t know about this movie, it looks like its going to be a rip off of “Bad Seed” or “The Good Son” or even “Joshua,” and although the trailer looks appealing, I think it’s going to be awful.

My first impression on this trailer was: wow, I can’t believe they are going to make another child killer movie, because we don’t have enough as it is.  But, by the looks of it, the little girl who plays Esther seems like she will be having a great performance, which usually is the case. The movie may suck but her acting won’t.

Those are my first impressions.