Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
It was my hope when starting Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) that this series would turn out to be the inverse of the Elm Street films. That is, whereas with that series the odd numbered films were far and away better than the others, hopefully with this series it would be the even numbered ones. And that is true to a degree. The even numbered Friday the 13th films are at least moderately enjoyable, unfortunately the same cannot be said for the rest of them. There is also not really a centred marketing approach or narrative through line in these films like the Elm Street ones. The DVD edition I have of this is actually quite comical. The front obviously has the title Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter on it, whilst the first sentence on the back goes to lengths to explain that this is “the fourth – but not final” film in the series. Say what now?
The issue with this series for me is the sheer lack of ambition. Whilst I quite enjoy Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, there is very little that feels like it has not just come straight from all the other films. Though there is a brief revenge sub-plot that does actually feel new. But it is almost comical just how quickly that is dispensed with. Even though I bag the plot and repetitiveness of these films, this is better than most of them in that regard. I really like the start of the film, as the fuzz and ambos clean up after Jason’s rampage in the previous film on a delightfully dark and rainy night. Then it moves onto a really atmospheric section in a hospital. And let’s face it, outside of an isolated cabin in the woods, a hospital is about as excellent a slasher setting as you can get. But from that point on, the film settles back into what is essentially the exact same plot as the first few films – teens sexing and Jason killing. Unfortunately you can’t help but thinking that if the film had of been based more on the revenge sub-plot I mentioned earlier, told from that point of view, this would have been a much more interesting watch.
I don’t really have any issue with films following a formula. Hell, I am a James Bond nut. But these really should build up more of a sense of both story and character. In each film, the first 45 minutes are achingly slow and not much at all happens. This is where there should be slather of atmosphere and character interactions built. But each film meanders along, not really doing anything until the killing kicks off in the second half. Nostalgia wise, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter delivers a couple of classic appearances on the cast. Both Cory Feldman and Crispin Glover appear. The film really has to be seen for Glover’s dance moves at one point which are essentially the 80s distilled into a bite size morsel for you. As for Feldman… well wow. If you have seen this film, that sentence will probably be pretty self explanatory. If you haven’t though, let me just explain that it involves a half cocked head shaving sequence to kill the big bad. It is all rather woeful, albeit with a brutal kill at the end. And it has to be said that the very last shot, with creepy sorta bald Feldman, is exceptionally badass.
Unfortunately Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter sees this series continue on a pretty painfully formulaic run. Fortunately though, despite that, the film is enjoyable enough. It is not going to wow you, but it will give you 90 minutes of pretty mindless escapism. And there are worse things in the world than that.
Verdict: Stubby of Reschs
Updated franchise ranking below:
- Friday the 13th Part 2
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
- Friday the 13th
- Friday the 13th Part III
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Worth Watching April 2014
April was a relatively quiet month for me on the Worth Watching front, at least in part because I was so busy writing in-depth reviews for the site. The watching on the side tended to focus on political docos for whatever reason. Overall it was all pretty positive and even the one film I don’t think is worth watching is not a complete write off. As always, love to hear your thoughts on these in the comments section below.
Worth Watching:
- The Lego Movie (2014), Phil Lord and Christopher Miller – Whilst I like this film overall, I think that a lot of people have been too willing to overlook its shortcomings. The first 20 minutes is a blast – subversive, hilarious and a touch political. But for most of the runtime the plot is pedestrian which leaves the whole thing never as subversive as advertised. Just see the treatment of the film’s only female character Wildstyle. However it is one of the most beautifully designed films I have ever come across and the detail in the world-building is great.
- Capitalism is the Crisis (2011), Michael Truscello – This is really informative and relevant if you live in the States, Australia or any similar ‘Western’ country. The film is really slick and well put together which is great for a doco on a topic such as this. Sometimes it does feel a touch academic and hard to follow as the ideas jump around a bit. But you get used to that and begin to grasp key nuggets of info. As our systems seemingly become more and more impervious to the power of those they exploit, films like this will hopefully help to play an ever more important role. Well worth a watch.
- Home Alone (1990), Chris Columbus – Like seemingly all of my childhood favourites, this one holds up cause the script is really damn good. Such a great sense of life to this film. The soundtrack, all the performances especially Culkin’s and a simple yet fun story all help to make this so much fun. Not to mention the deservedly iconic (and really brutal) battle of wits at the ending.
- The Grand Budapest Hotel (2013), Wes Anderson – One of the director’s more accessible films, it remains delightfully almost entirely style over substance. And that is more than alright given I can think of maybe one other contemporary director with a style as unique in a visual sense (Malick). The story is straightforward and playful with plenty of humourous absurdity. Great performances from a huge cast as well, led ably by Ralph Fiennes and newcomer Tony Revolori.
- Capitalism: A Love Story (2009), Michael Moore – Perhaps not his best film, but Michael Moore can really put a film together with the best of them. His use of popular music is probably as good as any director working these days. He is also exceptionally clever and able to distil information in a way that some find glib but I find inspired. Annoying how much of this, especially the interconnectivity between the public and private sectors, is highly relevant to Australia at the moment. It is a real shame that this is Moore’s most recent film. We need voices like him working and bringing this relevance to major audiences.
- Noah (2014), Darren Aronofsky – I can see why some have rubbished this (giants!), and the flaws are plain to see, not the least of which is a number of weak performances. But this is also a big budget film more rich in ideas than any I have watched for some time. Ideas from the biblical to the very contemporary (and some that are both). Aronofsky’s visual vision comes though and pretty much all of those flourishes, a bunch that shouldn’t work, really do. Russell Crowe carries the film, just as his Noah carries the weight of the world on his shoulders in the film. Also his beard is phenomenal.
Not Worth Watching:
- Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism (2004), Robert Greenwald – I had heard a lot of really good things about this film. So I was pretty surprised to finally watch it and see that it is all a bit cheap looking and unfortunately does not really teach you anything you shouldn’t already know. The cheapness of the film is actually a little distracting it is so prominent. There are some good points in here about the blurring of the lines between news & commentary and the fact that Rupert Murdoch is essentially Elliot Carver. All in all though it is a little boring, un-dynamic and more than anything, obvious.
If you only have time to watch one Noah
Avoid at all costs Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Worth Watching April 2011 and Worth Watching September 2012 (includes a review of Moonrise Kingdom).
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Trailer for your Weekend: They Came Together
Woah almost totally forgot a trailer for this weekend. Here it is, though don’t get me wrong, simply based on what is on display below They Came Together (2014) looks pretty woeful. It sort of seems like a really obvious approach to material that needs a little panache and originality to really succeed. But there is one simple reason why I will still be keen to see it when it comes out: Amy Poehler. If you are a fan of Parks and Recreation (if you haven’t seen it, please give it a try), then you will know that Poehler is possibly the best comedic performer working today. Any movie she is in, not to mention one rocking a reasonable supporting cast headed by Paul Rudd, has a great chance to be hilarious. So here is hoping Poehler and co can make this way better than the strange, bad, trailer suggests.
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Worth Watching November 2013 (includes a review of Parks and Recreation Season 3) and Trailer for your Weekend: Tammy.
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Doomsday Book
The South Korean triptych film Doomsday Book (2012) features three short films from two directors, taking a whimsical look at the apocalypse. Whimsy and the apocalypse don’t seem to mix you say? Well on the evidence of this film, you would be right.
Given the title, it is fair to say I was expecting a very different tone to what this film served up. It starts off with a light, comedy of errors segment, examining family relations. This part is delivered jaunty soundtrack and all. The same segment then flirts with the prospect of being an intense ‘patient zero’ focused look at the zombie apocalypse. In the end the first of the three segments lands with a thud. Really not working as either something fun or something intense. In fact it does not particularly succeed as being something of anything. With most films such as this, it is the job of the first short to intrigue the viewer enough to see where the filmmakers take us for the next segment. This doesn’t do that and instead it feels like a gimmicky stand alone short that would not realistically be able to cohere with anything that follows. And it doesn’t. You can dig down and find some thematic connective tissue between the three shorts, but it would be a very big stretch for you.
After holding zero anticipation going in, briefly the second segment ‘The Heavenly Creature’, holds a bunch of promise. A robot, utilised by a monastery, begins to exhibit signs of spiritual growth. But this promise is rubbished by something that cripples the entire film – really terrible writing. It is a shame that a story idea with such subtlety and scope is ruined by a script that is just plain dumb and lacking any of the required philosophical nuance. In fact most of the ‘philosophy’ here just sounds like a reading from Buddhism for Dummies. Along with a great central idea, ‘The Heavenly Creature’ also brings the other only real highlight of this movie. The robot, and the effects throughout the segment look really great. It is a wonder if they could do such a good job on the relative ‘straight’ special effects like this, why not take a straighter approach to the entire film, rather than aiming for the absurdity that is delivered. By the third segment, where a giant 8-ball meteor brings the end of the world as we know it, the film is too far gone to be any kind of a success. In fact throughout this section the film takes it up (down?) a notch from being not very interesting or well made, to verging very close to being incompetent.
Tonally all over the shop, the few good ideas in Doomsday Book are buried deep below terrible scripting and misjudged atmospherics. The reality is that it starts off by misjudging tone and it never recovers at all. A film dealing more or less with the end of the world that manages to establish absolutely no stakes results in a pretty miserable watch.
Verdict: Schooner of Tooheys New
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: The Tower and The ABCs of Death.
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