Oct 25: Sinister

"Found footage helps a true-crime author realize how and why a family was murdered in his new home, though his discoveries put his entire family in the path of a supernatural entity."

Directed by: Scott Derrickson, Rated: R, 110 minutes

Sinister is a movie that starts off incredibly well but builds up to a rather lackluster finale. It's in no way a game-changer in the horror genre but it still manages to provide a good chunk of new ideas and a twist on a somewhat familiar mythology. Of course, a large majority of the scares are the gimmicky pop-out ones, but the overall dread the movie creates, with the help of a terrifying score and great sound work, still leaves you on edge.

"Creepy" children and an awkwardly tall post-pubescent boy are scary anymore. 

Ellison Oswald (Ethan Hawke) is a true-crime novelist. He's written a handful of books but cannot seem to recapture the success of his first book, Kentucky Blood. After a family is murdered in the backyard of a house, Oswald decides to move his family to the location, in hopes of uncovering secrets behind the murder and get into the mindset of the murdered family. Oswald discovers a box of old Super 8 films in the attic only to find out that they are actual footage of the murder that took place previously in the home as well as a few others. With the help of a local college professor (Vincent D'Onofrio), Oswald realizes that the murders are connected and that the source of evil behind each of the gruesome events is the pagan god, Baghul, a deity who uses images as portals into our world, only to kidnap children and feed on their souls. Oswald puts his own family at risk and needs to figure out a way to 

stop the evil.

If you look closely you can see him riiiiiighhhtttt there. 

Sinister's greatest strengths are the sounds, the actual Super 8 films, and the performance of Ethan Hawke. The score is incredibly unsettling and its constant dissonance becomes a white noise that distracts, making each scare more effective. Each movie-in-the-movie is just as scary, and the grainy, "found-footage-ness" of each makes them feel all too real. As for Hawke, he carries the film to a level that not only gives the movie a good chunk of credibility, but actually has someone who can act at the center of it. Most horror films suffer from terrible acting and with Hawke in the role, it escalates to awesome. Even with all of these strengths, however, Sinister has plenty of flaws. To start, the first 45 minutes are terrific but the last 45 are rather boring and lead to a very expected and almost laughable ending. Another problem with the film is that as Oswald looks into the films until the wee-hours of the night, he makes a lot of noise. Only once does he wake up his family, even after making enough racket to sound like an earthquake. Also, not once does Oswald turn on any damn light. As for myself, if I hear a single bump in the night, I go around turning every damn light on in the house. Because as we all know, lights keep away the boogeyman and pagan gods. Each of these things annoy the f**k out of you, and once you notice them, it takes a hell of a lot away from the movie. 

I idolize Ethan Hawke, but dammit man, turn on a light. You're smarter than that!

Sinister is still worth watching. With all the shit in the horror genre that comes out lately, it's a shallow breath of fresh air. One thing many horror movies these day suck at doing is creating a score that's somewhat memorable and just as scary on its own as it is with the accompanying movie. Christopher Young delivers a great score that blends both music, sound effects, and voices. Of course, director Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) also manages to create great images that crawl across the screen and his attention to detail is admirable. Even with its flaws, Sinister delivers some solid scares and gets under your skin. Had the ending been changed a bit (and  not as rushed), Sinister could easily have been a new classic, and Baghul could have begun his initiation process into the ranks of Michael Myers, Freddy Krueger, and Jason Voorhees. Unfortunately  for now, he's gonna have to wait in line behind Jigsaw and just ahead of f**king Toby (Paranormal Activity). 

The Good:

the sounds, the music, the direction, and Ethan Hawke's performance

The Bad:

a script that has plenty of stupid moments and a apparently has a fear of turning on the lights

The Ugly:

the ending... it really could have been so much better

7.3/10

Discussion Question:

Do you think that in this day and age, we can see a horror villain as memorable as the classic three? Or are we too saturated with lackluster horror films to have any single character stand out? 

Trailer:

April 14: Lord of War

"An arms dealer confronts the morality of his work as he is being chased by an Interpol agent."

What do you know? Another Nic Cage drama that's a damn good film. Hear that Mr. Cage? A DRAMA you made is terrific. Keep that in mind with your next career decision. Lord of War is an excellent look inside the world of arms dealing and the toll it takes on one man and his family. Cage plays Yuri Orlov, a down on his luck New Yorker who realizes that, next to food, guns and ammunition are the world's highest commodity. Yuri eventually turns his arms dealing into a world-wide enterprise, peddling guns and ammo from Russia to Africa and everywhere in between. As his notority increases, an Interpol agent named Jack Valentine (Ethan Hawke) makes it his mission to apprehend Yuri. With a growing family and a cocaine addicted brother (Jared Leto), Yuri is conflicted at whether or not to give it all up or keep on trafficking. 

Yes, he'd have to even give up his boats 'n hoes. 

   Cage delivers as excellent performance in the leading role. His "gravitas" fits the career criminal aspect and his hairline reminds you that he's just like the rest of us (but better in every way). He's suave enough to get away with all the illegal shit and smart enough that you can believe he could actually pull it off. He's unhinged just enough to know you're watching the real Nic Cage but still grounded enough to deliver a great performance. He has a few scenes where he loses his shit and screams the only way Cage can, and a hallucination scene that is reminiscent of The Wicker Man. However, there leaves a lot to be questioned when he bags a supermodel wife and is supposedly brothers with the lead singer from 30 Seconds From Mars. 

Okay, there are SOME similarities. 

   Overall, I would highly recommend Lord of War. It's a great blend of genres that combine war, drama, suspense, and even some comedy. The film gives great insight to the black market world of arms dealing and makes you wonder how much of it's actually happening around the world today. Yuri is definitely a bad man, but Lord of War allows you to cheer for him and hope he succeeds. Lord of War works well because of the performances from the entire cast, especially cage. With a great soundtrack of classic 70's and 80's rock songs and one of the best opening sequences I've ever seen, Lord of War is definitely worth your time. 

The Good:

seeing Nic Cage in a setting he works wonders in... a drama

The Better:

a great story that delves into the underworld of war and how everything is really connected

The Best:

a film that's both political and controversial, without feeling like it's shoving itself down your throat

Overall: 8.2/10

Trailer:

And as an added bonus to the end of this edition of Nic Cage Week, I present, "Cage Does Cage". 

Fear not, for Nic Cage Week will return for it's third installment this July. 

March 10: Daybreakers

"In the year 2019, a plague has transformed most every human into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival; meanwhile, a researcher works with a covert band of vamps on a way to save humankind."

   First off, take a look at that poster. It's pretty awesome. Just need to state that right away. Daybreakers, as a film, is just as cool. It's bloody, it's violent, it's original, and it has a good chunk of badassness. Ethan Hawke stars as Edward Dalton, a vampire scientist who goes rogue (he joins humans, not eats (or falls in pedophilic love with) humans) and finds that there may be a cure for vampirism. And, as the world's blood levels run low, a cure or blood replacement is very important.  It's never meant to be taken seriously and it relishes in that fact, going over-the-top with the action and style. It's fun, and in a time where a new vampire movie hits the market every time a Twihard hits puberty, Daybreakers is a breath of fresh air. 

Thankfully, teenage tears do not contribute to box office dollars. 

   Now, Daybreakers is not perfect. It has it's faults. None of the acting is incredible and, even Hawke, who I am a huge fan of, overacts at times. Sam Neil, who plays the villain, is his usual self and, as time goes on, he continues to show that he's just going to keep being himself in every thing he does. Which isn't horrible, but gets the slightest bit repetitive. However, everything does work very well when combined together. It's a great combination of Equilibrium, From Dusk til Dawn, and Blade. Oh, and it has Willem Dafoe. Playing a guy named Elvis. Yes, Elvis. 

All vampires need swords. 

   Overall, I enjoyed Daybreakers a lot more than I thought I would. Vampire movies are getting disgustingly stale, and finally watching something fresh and original in the genre gives me hope that vampires, as a "species", are not ruined (also see 30 Days of Night). The action throughout is intense and fun, the gore and blood is just enough, and the suspense keeps you interested, at the edge of your seat. The special effects are hit and miss while being mostly good, but the style of the film itself gives plenty to the dark, moody setting. I would definitely recommend Daybreakers. 

The Good:

a very, very original story

The Bad:

just an OK script with about the same quality of acting

The Ugly:

knowing that more films like this won't be coming along as often as every Twilight movie we're all polluted with

Overall: 7.5/10

Best Quote:

Elvis: "Living in a world where vampires are the dominant species is about as safe as bare backing a 5 dollar whore."

Trailer:

Feb 9: Reality Bites

"Generation X Graduates face life after college with a filmmaker looking for work and love in Houston."

   Reality Bites is a movie that has characters that are absolutely full of themselves and insanely pretentious. The film is set in the mid 90's as a group of Generation Xers attempt to find meaning in life and love after graduating college. This attempt shows a cast full of a naive, pompous and arrogant people thinking they are meant to solve all of the world's problems, while being better than everyone else. If this movie was filmed today, I have a feeling it would be all about those f**ked up individuals we call hipsters. 

I hate you. I hate you so much. 

   I wasn't part of this demographic, leaving college for the real world in the 90s, so I don't know if Reality Bites is a great insight to what people were like then. The whole film feels very dated, as so much of what was going on at the time of the movie is not really relevant today. Sure, college graduates these days tend to have more ideas and desires than they do job opportunities, but that doesn't justify a whiny movie. This is actually the third or fourth time I've seen Reality Bites, and I guess it's that, as I grow older, I realize the film is really full of itself. 

Just pucker up your duck lips and post that shit on Facebook. 

   Now, not everything about Reality Bites is conceited and/or pretentious. The soundtrack is one of the best things going for the film and, unlike a lot of the movie's subject matter, has aged very well. The acting is good. Ethan Hawke, who plays the lead guy, is good as always; but, because of what the script wrote him as, he' a complete asshole. Winona Ryder is her usual self, seemingly better than everyone else but has more than enough problems all her own. Here, in 1994, she looks exactly the same as she does now. I think her, Keanu Reeves and Sean Connery are all in on some secret society that has access to the fountain of youth. Either that or they're all vampires. 

They were vampires before vampires were cool. 

The Good:

Great soundtrack and a decent first attempt at directing by Ben Stiller

The Bad:

Self loathing pre-hipster era twenty somethings that can't find happiness in anything... and a lot of complaining

The Ugly:

A film that has so much dialogue about anti-establishment and free living should not have such a massive amount of product placement

Overall: 5.5/10

Best Quote:

Lelaina: He's so cheesy, I can't watch him without crackers.