(Not So) Weekly Movie Review #12: Solomon Kane (2009)

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here once more for another (Not So) Weekly Movie Review. Today I review Solomon Kane, adapted from the stories of Robert E. Howard about the titular demon hunter and directed by Michael J. Bassett. I'm actually a fan of Mr. Bassett, having really liked Deathwatch. I follow his blog as well, and am pretty excited for Silent Hill 2. So, when this movie finally showed up on Blu-Ray here in Brazil, I couldn't resist.
     Like Deathwatch, Solomon Kane is all about atmosphere. There is something ethereal to the film, regarding the lighting and enviroments surrounding the story. It really captures the tone of what a "sword and sorcery" tale should be. Michael really shows love towards the genre, by capturing the essence of such stories and bringing his own original view of Kane's journey. Sure there are quite a few clichés on display, but most of the time they don't detract from the experience.
     Speaking of Kane, James Purefoy was perfectly cast. He nailed the role like... I can't really think of an appropriate metaphor here. Anyway, he brought a certain depth to the character that made the movie much better. This is, after all, a character-centric piece. The acting in general was also pretty good, but James really stole the spotlight as the hero with a dark past.
     The score was great as well. It's not as memorable as it could have been, but it served its purpose. The soundtrack helped add a sense of scale that the film's budget would not allow, much like the original Star Wars. More on that later. The end theme in particular was also pretty nice.
     Well, I'd like to say that this a perfect movie, with everything a fan of the genre could want, but alas, it's not. Mr. Bassett has proven that much can be done with a smaller-than-usual budget. However, the end of the film could have been better with a bigger budget and greater sense of scope. Even so, it was a decent finale for a great movie.
     Michael really did Howard's character justice with this film, and he deserves credit for that. This is a must-watch for fans of the original Conan The Barbarian, and fantasy literature/film in general. I regret that it had such a limited release. Sure it made a few slips towards the end, and it could have been amazing with a bigger budget, but overall, I give it a 7.5/10.  I just can't wait for Silent Hill 2. Could it finally be the one to break the video-game movie curse? Now here's a trailer for Solomon Kane.

Chainsaw Cheers,

-Optiluiz out...

PS: The film's narrative progression actually felt like that of a tabletop RPG. I like that.

PPS: Reposting this review in the future, I'm sorry to say that Michael J. Basset has driven the Silent Hill sequel intro a shallow grave.

(Not So) Weekly Movie Review #11: Harry Potter (2001-2011)

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here once more for another (Not So) Weekly Movie Review. I thought about doing something different this week, since I haven't watched anything in theatres since Paranormal Activity 3. That's why today I'm reviewing the entire Harry Potter series. So... yeah, get ready for that.

     Well, I won't lie to you, I did not look forward to watching the movies as they came out and I was never a fan of the series. I never even touched the books. Heck, I have admitted to hating Harry Potter on several occasions. Up until this point, I had only watched the first two because someone practically tied me to a chair and made me watch them on VHS, years ago. 

     However, when the last one came out, I was writing  the first part of my epic post-apocalyptic adventure saga script, and I noticed a few similarities between my story and that of Harry Potter. Then, after a friend of mine revealed that he was a big fan, I decided I would watch them all. So in three days, I marathoned all of them. All eight films in a row. 

     I did not have high expectations regarding this series. I was always more of a sci-fi kid than a magician or sorcerer, so when I watched the first two, I was prepared to not like them before they even began. This time, however, it was different. On the first day, I watched the first three films, and my first impression was: "How the heck did I miss this?" It wasn't quite Lord of the Rings, but it was still something unique. It seemed as though the films were getting better with each installment. My favourite of the first three was the Prisoner of Askaban, which seemed to have more style than the previous ones. However, I still don't like the first one very much. It reeks of BBC afterschool specials...

     Anyway, the next day, I proceeded to watch the next three films, and was once again blown away. Things got a bit convoluted, yes, but it seemed that everyone had gotten used to their roles, and everything moved along more smoothly than before. The story slowly got better, and even though the telling of it was kind of heavy-handed at times, I was enjoying myself. Harry, Hermione and Ron are all very likeable, and you really root for them during their adventures in and out of Hogwarts. Not to mention the excellent supporting cast, which really brings life to their magical universe.

     And then came the last day. It took me a while to find the penultimate film, but I eventually managed to do so. Suddenly, everything went dark and gritty on me. This wasn't the same world as the other films, it couldn't be. But then I stopped to think, and I realized that the characters weren't the only things maturing and evolving as time moved on. The world had grown up with them, and I, as a viewer, didn't want to accept it. It was a beautiful feeling of nostalgia (even though I didn't really grow up with these characters and their universe), and then I realized what the heart of the series is. It's about growing up, maturing, and ultimately, facing the loss of loved ones. Then the movie was over. And I remembered I had five minutes to get to the theatre so I could see the last one.

     It was quite a run, but I made it in time. There were some people wearing wizard hats sitting in the last row, and a few kids. Other than that, the theatre wasn't really full. I then proceeded to watch the end of an era, the end of a part of many people's lives. It was awesome. In every sense of the word. Sure, there were pacing problems, and at times it felt like a really drawn-out and expensive mini-series, but it had heart. I heard some girls crying in the corner by the time the film was over, and I felt kind of sad that I had almost missed this experience.

     Harry Potter was the embodiment of the movie franchise concept done right. Every form of story-telling rolled into one mostly cohesive tale. It's sad to think that this is the last time that we'll visit Hogwarts, but at the same time, it was one heck of a ride. One that I almost missed. Overall, I give the Harry Potter series 8/10. And that concludes today's review. I leave you with the trailer for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. Have a nice week.

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out...

PS: The 3D wasn't very good, but maybe it was the theatre's problem, not the movie's. 

PPS: I did not read the books. Sorry.

PPS: My favourite character was Snape, obviously.

(Not So) Weekly Movie Review #10: Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

Greetings!

     Optiluiz here once more with another (Not So) Weekly Movie Review. This week, I review Paranormal Activity 3, directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman, and based on a true stor- Oh come on, what kind of sucker falls for that these days? You'd think people would be less gullible a decade after Blair Witch. Oh well. Anyway, this film is"found footage" from the 80s regarding mysterious events in the same family from the other Paranormal activity films.
     I actually do like the Paranormal Activity series. I actually like the whole "Found-footage" genre (when it's used right), mostly because it adds a layer of immersion that's very hard to emulate with regular movies. I think that it's slowly starting to stagnate, but that doesn't mean there can't be anymore Blair Witch Projects in our future.
     I've seen all the PA movies in theatres (As of 2015 this is no longer the case, I missed the 4th one, and I don't regret it). I loved the first one and found the second one to be just watchable. I went into this one expecting more of the same, but in a good way. I guess that's exactly what I got. These films are very formulaic, but the demented game of "Where's Wally?" that they play with the spectator is quite the experience. Yes, this movie is scary. Yes, you will hear screams in the theater. Or laughs, if that's how they deal with that kind of thing. Maybe both if it's a weird day.
     What I loved about the first Paranormal Activity was the mystery aspect of it, and how unexpected the events taking place were. The second film was scarier, but lacked that sense of expectation, and the wish to know more about what is going on. This film, however, finds a nice balance between the two, though it never quite lives up to the first one. The story is fine but, with some revisions, and a better ending, it could have been better. At least it's better than the Poltergeist rip-off that was the second film.
     The acting is believable and the effects are used subtly enough to seem realistic most of the time. The overall execution may be fuzzy overall, but this is a solid movie. I think the series should just give it a rest now, though. I doubt it could survive another round of sequelitus. It may not be that original, but I think Paranormal Activity 3 deserves a watch, if not in theatres in your living room, as this is one of the few franchises that doesn't lose impact when watched at home. I still think that there were some themes in the film that could have been explored a bit better, but all in all, I give it a 7/10.

     That concludes this week's review. I'll leave you now with Paranormal Activity 3's trailer. Have a nice week.

Chainsaw cheers,

-Optiluiz out...

PS: Most of the scenes from the trailer aren't in the movie. Go figure.

(Not So) Weekly Movie Review #9: In Time (2011)

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here once more with a Weekly Movie Review. After much commotion, I've finally decided that this week's movie will be the sci-fi thriller "In Time", written and directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Justin Timberlake opposite Amanda Seyfried.
     In Time chronicles a future where no one ages past 25, and so, to avoid overpopulation, time (i.e. the time that's left for you to live) replaces money as currency. In that scenario, the rich can live forever while the rest of the population earns only enough for subsistence. When Timberlake's character uncovers a conspiracy regarding the distribution of time, he tries to fight the system and change the oppressive status quo.
     You've probably noticed by now that I love science fiction. I think you can express a lot more through fiction, futurism and allegory than through direct story-telling. The story of In Time is, obviously, a very old one. With a working class hero fighting against a faulty system which ignores the vast majority of the populace. It's a tale as old as time, but still relevant today.
     Despite the interesting concept, In Time isn't the solid sociopolitical allegory it could have been. Though the acting was pretty good (I'm only now learning to accept Timberlake as an actor and not just a pop music idol) and the overall story was decent, It wasn't enough to create a a good movie. It's not so much the individual elements themselves that were bad, but the execution of the film as a whole.
     My biggest gripe was with the script. The dialogue felt forced at times, and there were way too many time puns. Seriously, you could have a drinking game in which you would take a drink each time someone makes a joke (intended or not) regarding time, though alcohol-poisoning would be inevitable. Other than that, the directing was pretty bland, and so was the production design. The future never looked so much like the present. Actually, I don't think technology evolved much after hundreds of years (the anti-aging technology and organic wrist-watches aside).
     I've always said that I get angrier at mediocre films than bad ones, because the mediocre ones had a chance at being great, but failed. I'm angry with this film. There was so much wasted potential for the story, so many concepts to be further explored, but in the end we get a rather cliché rags-to-riches/Robin Hood mix with some romance thrown in. This is one of those cases where the source material wasn't bad at all, but the people in charge weren't creative enough to do something special with it. Oh well.
     Even so, it's not an exceptionally bad movie by any means. It's thought-provoking at times, and the action scenes were okay, othar than this one car crash with horrible cgi which I would rather forget. Timberlake's, Seyfried's and Murphy's performances were pretty good, and I expect great things from them in the future. Overall, I recommend this if you've got nothing better to watch, at least it's better than most things in theatres at the moment. I give it a 6/10.
     That concludes this week's review. Have a good one, readers. Be back on Friday for more humorous shenanigans. I leave you with the trailer for In Time.

Chainsaw cheers,

-Optiluiz out...

(Not So) Weekly Movie Review #8: Attack The Block (2011)

Greetings!

     Welcome to yet another edition of our (Not So) Weekly Movie Reviews. This week, I'm reviewing Attack The Block, a British sci-fi/horror/comedy mash-up of pure joy. It's directed by Joe Cornish and stars... People you've probably never heard of before (Besides Nick Frost's brief but memorable role). But that's okay, it's better to be taken by surprise when it comes to good movies.
     Like most films about alien invasions, this one starts in a lower class neighborhood of London, where a gang of racially diverse teenage boys are wrecking havoc upon th- Oh wait. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie begin like this. Oh well, a few points for originality!
     The overall plot is pretty simple; a group of youngsters try to defend their lower-class neighborhood from an invasion of hostile (but primitive) alien creatures. What's special here, originality notwithstanding, is the execution of the premise. The humor, gore and drama all fit together nicely, and form a very coherent film. However, it should be noted that I may have a slight bias towards British humor and British films in general, so it may be that this is just an acquired taste. One thing I should note is that this is not that similar to Edgar Wright's films, unlike what many critics have claimed. It's a very different blend of genres this time around. I think Wright's movies focused more on the comedy, but Cornish's film is equal parts funny, scary and dramatic.
     The direction here is top notch, and so is the acting. Everything seems believable and down to earth (pardon the pun). The aliens themselves are creatively designed, and are menacing at the same time they are kind of funny and weird. Another strong point is the soundtrack, which blends traditional sci-fi cues with hip-hop. It may be a light-hearted film at times, but it's a good one, and you can tell everyone had a good time making it.
     I can't really find that many faults in it, other than the whole subjectiveness of the humor. I really liked it, and I recommend it to people who like comedy, sci fi or just creative films in general. I'm looking forward to watching Cornish's future movies. Overall, 9/10, and great for days when you're feeling jaded with Hollywood's usual crap.
     That concludes this week's movie review. I hope it was informative. Thanks for reading. And now I leave you with the trailer for Attack The Block.

Chainsaw Cheers,

-Optiluiz out...

PS: The Warriors + Alien + Boyz In Da Hood = Attack The Block!