For Friday the 13th: "The Vanishing" (1988)

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So, to be honest, I've never been a fan of any of the Friday the 13th movies. Sorry Jason fans, it's just not for me. So as an alternative to the obvious choice, if you're looking for something scary tonight (and aren't going out to see Insidious 2), check out this really creepy and disturbing thriller about another serial killer called The Vanishing, from 1988. I promise you, this movie will leave an impact on you (but stay away from the 1993 American remake- they completely botched the ending and ruined the effect of the original).

Trailer from 1988: 

Woody Allen to Receive Cecil B. DeMille Award

The Hollywood Foreign Press has announced this year's recipient of their lifetime achievement honor, the Cecil B. DeMille award. Woody Allen will be feted at next year's Golden Globes, to take place on Jan 12th, 2014. Although nominated for 11 Golden Globes over the years and having won 2, he never actually shows up at awards ceremonies, so it'll be interesting to see if he'll be there for this one. 

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Here's his only appearance at the Oscars in 2002: 

SPECIAL ANIME REVIEW: "Berserk: Golden Age Arc I: The Egg of the King" (2013) Dir. Toshiyuki Kubooka

Kentarō Miura’s “Berserk” manga series is a dark and brutal fantasy epic that began in 1990 and is still going strong to this day. It was very popular for being such an adult and graphically violent series, earning an anime show in 1997. Since the series is still ongoing, and the overarching plotline is still very unresolved, the show covered one of the lengthier story arcs that was complete, allowing it to have a beginning, a middle, and an end (albeit a bloody and depressing one). This was the Golden Age Arc, the story which covers the earlier life of the brutal protagonist Guts and his time spent among the mercenary Band of the Hawk, led by the brilliant and mysterious Griffith. This arc still seems the best place to begin for, fourteen years after the show ended, the “Golden Age Arc” movie trilogy chose the same exact storyline to adapt. This is a reboot of the story, meaning there are no ties to the previous incarnations in the anime series. All of the voice actors are different, the animation is different, and the music is different, although Susumu Hirasawa (who did the music for the anime series) did provide the movie’s title theme.

“The Egg of the King” begins with a war. It’s a fitting start for a mercenary’s tale, and that’s exactly what Guts (Hiroaki Iwanaga) is; a sword-for-hire. He manages to bring down a famously powerful enemy in a duel amidst the chaos, earning him the notice of the Band of the Hawk, an elite group of mercenaries. After initially being attacked by them, he’s recruited into their ranks by the uncanny skill and strategy of the leader, Griffith (Takahiro Sakurai). Griffith has a dream to rule his own kingdom, despite having come from humble origins (in medieval times the class system was big, making his goal unlikely to say the least). By winning battles and rising in the ranks among the nobility, it seems almost like his impossible dream could become a reality. Guts becomes his right hand in his unstoppable rise to power, something which reeks of fate and a sense of foreboding.

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The animation is somewhat striking in this, and probably what distinguishes it most from the show. A lot of characters are rendered using computer generated models, as opposed to traditional 2D animation. This was done for one reason only, and that was to stage the war scenes. There’s no stressing the difficulty it requires to animated hundreds of hand drawn characters in an epic battle scene, so for this movie the problem was dealt with using CG models. It allows for dynamic camera angles over a battlefield in which every character is performing simultaneous actions. As far as the eye can see in some shots, people are hacking away at each other. It gives the war scenes a sense of depth and chaos, but unfortunately at the cost of smoother character animations. While it’s hardly distracting, the more computer rendered characters often move stiffly and don’t seem as natural as they do when they’re stationary or animated normally. At times, it’s as though the individual frame rate takes a dip and characters seem to move in a strange slow motion. It’s not always the case, but it’s noticeable at times nonetheless. The rest of the animation is fantastic. Kentarō Miura’s character designs look as unique and memorable as ever, and the lush, colorful backgrounds bring vibrancy to an otherwise dark and bloody story.

Giving the short running time and the amount of story they adapted into a single movie, I was very impressed by the story’s pacing. Given that a movie’s pacing differs greatly from that of a comic or a show, I was surprised by how faithful they managed to be without feeling rushed or forcing every little detail into the plot. We are given all that’s necessary to move the story along and develop the characters. In fact, I wish the movie was longer. Part one of this arc is short and sweet, ending somewhat abruptly on the promise of more.

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I thought it nearly impossible to replace the actors from the show, but the voice acting here is very good, and each performer feels pretty natural in their respective roles. The story focuses heavily on the relationship between Griffith and Guts. The two of them seem different in almost every way. Guts is a lost soul who knows only how to kill things with his overly large sword while Griffith is a strategist and an expert fencer ruled by his desire to fulfill his dreams. Their relationship is a strange one, for in Griffith’s eyes he owns Guts, body and soul. There are others among the Band of the Hawk, such as the group’s female warrior Casca (Toa Yukinari), but their presence is reduced in the movie due to the short running time.

Taken into account that there’s an anime show and the original manga telling this exact same story, does this movie version do anything different? Not really. If you're one who's seen the show and/or read the comics, then there’s likely nothing here you haven’t already seen done (and done really well). That said, on its own merits “The Egg of the King” is a strong adaptation and perfect entry point for newcomers to the series.

A LOOK BACK: "United 93" (2006) Dir. Paul Greengrass

On today's 12th anniversary of 9/11, we take a look at a film from seven years ago that celebrated the heroes of United Airlines Flight 93, the hijacked plane that crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. At the time of this movie's release it was widely seen as being too soon and too painful for people to watch a docudrama that attempted to recreate the events that took place on that flight- but the film itself was an incredibly moving and respectful tribute to the brave passengers who tried to take back the plane. Made with no big name actors and skillfully directed with a high level of intensity and tension typical of Paul Greengrass, United 93 was one of the best films of the year in 2006 and maybe now enough time has passed for some more people to want to give it another look. It's a worthwhile experience.

Original Trailer: 

TRAILER: "Escape From Tomorrow"

This should be interesting. A movie that premiered at Sundance from first time writer-director Randy Moore, it's a surrealist horror film about the Disney theme parks, that Moore adopted a kind of guerrilla filmmaking style to create, filming inside Disneyland and Disney World without the knowledge or permission of the Disney people.  Many assumed it would never see the light of day due to legal issues with Disney (and the pretty negative portrayal of the parks), but it looks like it's actually scheduled for release in theaters and Video on Demand on Oct. 11th.

 

TIFF Round-Up #2: 'August: Osage County,' 'Mandela,' and More

The much anticipated August: Osage County premiered yesterday to what seems to be the most mixed response of any festival movie so far. Critics are divided on the dysfunctional family dramedy, with most praising the acting while criticizing the direction of TV vet John Wells. It's hard to gauge the reaction to this one overall, because it did play to a highly enthusiastic crowd that seemed to love it, so It may be more of an audience movie than a critics one. But many critics do admit to liking parts of it, while confessing it's entertaining if not groundbreaking. Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are receiving very strong praise for their acting though, along with other cast members, and Julia spent the morning charming the pants off the press at the post-film Q&A so she's still got some of that old magic. We're going to have to wait and see where this ends up with reviews when it comes out officially, but if I had to guess I'd say that if it's a hit with mediocre to positive notices, the Academy will eat this up, given the big name cast. Meryl Streep is probably guaranteed her 18th nomination (amazing, isn't it?)

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"This two-ton prestige pic won't win the hearts of highbrow critics or those averse to door-slamming, plate-smashing, top-of-the-lung histrionics, but as a faithful filmed record of Letts' play, one could have scarcely hoped for better." (Variety) 

"An entertaining adaptation, delivering flavorful rewards in some sharp supporting turns that flank the central mother-daughter adversaries." (Hollywood Reporter) 

"'August Osage: County' is a film of big, wild gestures, plate smashing, screaming, and tears, but not nuance, and it has all the effect of leaving one deadened, not moved." (The Playlist)

"A vastly enjoyable theatrical banquet, if perhaps not a profound one, is served up in a bit of a rush here, as if they can't wait to get to the next sitting in. But you certainly don't come away feeling hungry." (Daily Telegraph)

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Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom also premiered to mixed reviews, but praise for the actors, in what appears to be a similar reaction to August: OC (as I'm calling it). It was a movie that again played well with the crowd while garnering slightly lukewarm critical reactions to the film itself, which is kind of an old school biopic (think Gandhi) chronicling the life of South African leader Nelson Mandela. But the acting is highly praised, both Idris Elba and especially Naomie Harris (you might know her as the newest Moneypenny) as Winnie Mandela. In such a crowded year, I think it'll be hard for Elba to crack that Best Actor race, but Naomie Harris stands a much better chance at scoring a nom in Supporting Actress, where there's plenty of room so far. The bigger categories seem out of reach for this one though.

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"Director Justin Chadwick's CliffsNotes version of Mandela's 700-page memoir never opts for a light touch when a sledgehammer will do...But for all its failings, there is one thing about 'Long Walk to Freedom' that can't be denied: Idris Elba gives a towering performance, a Mandela for the ages." (Variety)

"The one thing that is well highlighted is the importance of Winnie...she has the biggest arc in the film, going from a feisty young beauty to a devoted campaigner to the cause." (The Independent) 

Elsewhere at Toronto, Philomena premiered to even better reaction than at Venice. My hunch that that movie is going to be a true crowdpleaser and awards threat seems to be proving correct, at least so far. And Jonathan Glazer's Under the Skin also continued to get rave reviews from critics as well as more grumbling from audience members, and was acquired by the new studio A24Films for release, hopefully sometime later this year.

New trailer for Mandela (gives you a nice look at the old age makeup here): 

Blu-Ray Pick of the Week: "The Fly" (1958)

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This is awesome! The original The Fly is a pretty great movie, entertaining in that 50's B-movie, mad scientist kinda way, but it actually still has its moments of creepiness, if you don't laugh at the human-with-a-fly head image of course. But it's totally entertaining (how could a movie with Vincent Price not be?) and would be a great double feature with David Cronenberg's 1986 version for genuine scares and gross out moments.

Original 1958 trailer (kind of a weird one, they were trying to be creative):