Starring Willem Dafoe as as mercenary poacher, The Hunter follows said poacher on a hunt to track one of the last remaining Tasmanian tigers in the world for some dickfaced shadowy corporation looking to profit from the creature's natural hunting neurotoxin. It goes without saying that Dafoe brings a strong performance, with some competent back-up aid from Sam Neill (utilizing his god-given New Zealand accent in this one) and Frances O'Connor (utilizing her god-given ability to play the hell out of a mothering character).
The movie as a whole is very moody and atmospheric, switching between Dafoe hunting out in the gorgeous Tasmanian wild and various shenanigans he partakes in with a local family that's keeping him up as he hunts. The locals (though very skeptical) all believe he's some scientist, but tensions arise the longer Dafoe stays and shit starts getting extremely real.
The movie has a very balanced sense of pacing, never staying too long in civilization or the wild as Dafoe keeps on swapping back and forth between the two like an undecided transgender. I would have preferred to see him completely in wild, making the movie one of those "one-man" powerhouses like Cast Away or 127 Hours. As it stands, the movie's alright. It's sappy in some parts, sad in others, but it remains engaging all the way through.
Score: C+
Friday, August 31, 2012
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Battle Royale vs. The Hunger Games
The first thing you should know about Battle Roayle is how people are instantly going to compare it to The Hunger Games because it's about a bunch of kids being forced to kill each other. The second thing you should know about Battle Royale is that the ONLY THING it has in common with The Hunger Games is that they're both about kids being forced to kill each other. And that's really it. The two films take drastically different roads to force the young to brutally slaughter each other and it shows.
Whereas The Hunger Games did a Running Man thing, the dystopian totalitarian government is broadcasting the killing to simultaneously keep the downtrodden in their place and provide the masses with... "quality" entertainment, Battle Royale has a more age-warfare vibe going for it with the dystopian Japanese government living in constant fear of it's youth full-out revolting against them so they randomly select a class of school children to kill each other to put those whipper-snappers in their place (eh, wot wot). Despite liking The Hunger Games concept a lot better than Battle Royale, the latter film is much better.
It all comes down to the execution, Battle Royale just hits closer to the morals and commentaries it's trying to express, where The Hunger Games stumbles through what Suzanne Collins was banging on about. And it's not like Hunger Games was at a disadvantage here, being based off a book, Battle Royale is also based off a book (one that I haven't read) and it seems to do a much better job at making the film feel like a complete experience rather than a hodge-podge of what was going on in the novel.
Not only does everything click better in Battle Royale, but it's a lot easier to follow the action. Hunger Games jams a syringe of caffeine into the camera before the action commences, ensuring a shaking, juttering experience to Battle Royale's smooth and tight camera work. And don't get me wrong here: I actually went into Battle Royale with my allegiances set defiantly on the side of the Mockingjay, but Battle Royale is just a whole lot better. Even if you don't like Japanese films, you should still give Battle Royale a shot: it's action-packed, filled to the brim with drama, and the subtext hits a hell of a lot closer to home.
(Hunger Games) Score: C
(Battle Royale) Arbitrary Score: B+
Whereas The Hunger Games did a Running Man thing, the dystopian totalitarian government is broadcasting the killing to simultaneously keep the downtrodden in their place and provide the masses with... "quality" entertainment, Battle Royale has a more age-warfare vibe going for it with the dystopian Japanese government living in constant fear of it's youth full-out revolting against them so they randomly select a class of school children to kill each other to put those whipper-snappers in their place (eh, wot wot). Despite liking The Hunger Games concept a lot better than Battle Royale, the latter film is much better.
It all comes down to the execution, Battle Royale just hits closer to the morals and commentaries it's trying to express, where The Hunger Games stumbles through what Suzanne Collins was banging on about. And it's not like Hunger Games was at a disadvantage here, being based off a book, Battle Royale is also based off a book (one that I haven't read) and it seems to do a much better job at making the film feel like a complete experience rather than a hodge-podge of what was going on in the novel.
Not only does everything click better in Battle Royale, but it's a lot easier to follow the action. Hunger Games jams a syringe of caffeine into the camera before the action commences, ensuring a shaking, juttering experience to Battle Royale's smooth and tight camera work. And don't get me wrong here: I actually went into Battle Royale with my allegiances set defiantly on the side of the Mockingjay, but Battle Royale is just a whole lot better. Even if you don't like Japanese films, you should still give Battle Royale a shot: it's action-packed, filled to the brim with drama, and the subtext hits a hell of a lot closer to home.
(Hunger Games) Score: C
(Battle Royale) Arbitrary Score: B+
Saturday, August 25, 2012
ParaNorman
It's been awhile since I've seen a kid's movie with as big of a heart as ParaNorman has. The movie is about a weird little guy, the titular Norman, who can see and talk to ghosts. The rest of the town he lives in, a small New England Salem-like hamlet obsessed with witch tales, has made him a social pariah. But when the fate of the whole town is put on line, Norman steps up to prove himself better than his tormenters and save everyone from a vengeful witch's curse.
And yet, even though ParaNorman is ripe with the paranormal (yuk yuk) the film is about a whole lot more. It delves deep into societal problems and human nature itself as the curse situation turns into something a whole more tragic.
ParaNorman is a thought-provoking, fun little flick that's has proved itself to be this year's best (so far) animated flick. Do not miss it, even if you don't have kids.
Score: A
And yet, even though ParaNorman is ripe with the paranormal (yuk yuk) the film is about a whole lot more. It delves deep into societal problems and human nature itself as the curse situation turns into something a whole more tragic.
ParaNorman is a thought-provoking, fun little flick that's has proved itself to be this year's best (so far) animated flick. Do not miss it, even if you don't have kids.
Score: A
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