Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI
‘Jason is going to kill you!’ – a delightfully to the point tagline
Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI (1986) is a refreshing rebirth for the series. By both integrating itself into the rest of the series and having a sense of humour without being too ludicrous, the film is one of the most enjoyable films in the series.
Gross
In a change for the series, the opening of the film is atmospheric and genuinely scary. Riffing on Frankenstein (1931), the film opens in a foggy, dark cemetery, the vibe well and truly heightened by solid use of the soundtrack. Further inviting comparisons to the James Whale classic is the grave robbing that takes place in the early part of the film as Tommy (another ‘creepy not Feldman’) opens up the tomb of Jason Voorhees to ensure he is well and truly dead. Jason’s maggot infested body is one of the visual highlights of the series up to this point and the reanimation of his corpse (erm… spoiler, Jason comes back) is a wonderfully schlocky scene combining the slasher genre with some more supernatural elements. Specifically it is a bolt of lightning that gives Jason life, reinforcing the Frankenstein correlations even further. But it never feels derivative in that sense, rather it feels like a really fun homage. Another point of difference and a very important one for this film is that the kids actually make it to camp this year. That sets up the most intense elements of the film, which balance the humour this film brings to the table. This is taken some pretty intense and shocking places which is a change from the constant over the top body count with no real stakes that has occasionally featured in this series and also does in some parts of this film. It also delivers one of the lines of the series when seemingly nearing death, one little dude enquires of another “so, what were you gonna be when you grew up.”
‘Creepy not Feldman’ mach 2
One of the reasons that the film does feel like a rebirth of the series is that it manages to engage with the earlier films, rather than completely starting over. The inclusion of the character of Tommy connects the film to number IV. Even though the series at this point has almost done away with bothering with narratives for the films (which is not always a totally bad thing, as in this case), that connection at least gives a sense of some narrative substance. At least one character in the film has some motivation. What this film does better than any other in the series and better than a vast majority of slashers that attempt to do the same, is inject humour into proceedings. When it works well in this film, which is a reasonable amount, there is an awesome and genuinely funny schlockiness that manages to avoid veering into the silly. Even those aspects which absolutely could be silly, such as the James Bond reference in the opening credits manage to avoid that.
As a general rule, slashers that also try and be funny are the absolute worst. Not so Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI, which manages to maintain some focus on the slashing and not totally concern itself with making terrible 80s jokes.
Verdict: Stubby of Reschs
Series ranking thus far:
- Friday the 13th Part 2
- Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
- Friday the 13th
- Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
- Friday the 13th Part III
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Trailer for your Weekend: Dinosaur 13
Trailer is rather late this week. However given it is a long weekend here, I am still technically posting this on the weekend. As a kid, I was a huge dinosaur geek. In fact I still am a bit of a dinosaur geek. Dinosaur 13 is an intriguing dinosaur related doco currently doing the rounds on the festival circuit. It looks at the discovery of Sue, the most complete T Rex skeleton ever found and the raft of issues that followed. Seems it is not always as simple as finders keepers. The film looks like it will be a great ride, from the beautiful settings to some pretty high drama. Any other big dinosaur fans who are hanging out for this one, or anyone managed to catch it at a festival already?
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: The Blockmaster (includes a review of Jurassic Park) and Trailer for your Weekend: Monsters Dark Continent.
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The Incredible Shrinking Man
The title The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) screams awesome B-movie schlock. However the reality of this Richard Matheson penned, Jack Arnold directed film is a little more contemplative and thought provoking than that.
Don’t get me wrong, there are still awesome battles between our shrunken hero and a ‘giant’ spider, but this is a fair way from Honey I Shrunk the Kids (1989) territory. The film wastes no time breaking with the convention you might be expecting, as a borderline meta voiceover is revealed to be the Shrinking Man himself, speaking in the past tense, so I guess we can presume that he survives the ordeal. We see the main character Scott Carey exposed to a kind of mist whilst lounging around on a boat and then the action shifts to six months later. There is a subtlety to the start of his change as initially his clothes do not fit right, he loses his appetite and then his wife no longer has to get on tip toes to kiss him. From there Carey endeavours to find a medical cure for his predicament, with mixed results. The film has that 50s sense of a great emotional scene. At one point as Scott is down about things and concerned his wife should leave him and she responds ‘as long as you’ve got that wedding ring, you’ve got me. Then right at that moment Scott’s wedding ring clatters off his shrinking finger. The second part of the film morphs into more of an adventure film as Scott becomes trapped in the basement, facing many tense dangers, not the least of which is a spider which resides in the same room. I like this latter section of the film, it is a nice change-up from the almost domestic drama feel to the first half. The entire film, even this more adventurous later period is played very straight. So what could have been a very light hearted look at a man shrinking becomes a cerebral look at the terror that would surely invade your psyche if you were literally shrinking. Where would it end?
The Incredible Shrinking Man comes from that era of film where such care was taken with each aspect of production before a film was released. This is evident right from the opening credits, which have a distinct James Bond feel to them, as a silhouette of a man gradually shrinks as a song plays. Perhaps not as common for the time was the presentation of the main character. His physical condition really affects him emotionally (in a very realistic way) which leads to him lashing out increasingly at his ever-loving wife Louise. So great is the strain on Scott, that he explicitly contemplates suicide which is pretty forward and shocking for a film of this vintage and is part of a seriousness that makes the film so original. The effects are a mixed bag watching them today. The parts where Scott is onscreen by himself, dwarfed by his former everyday surroundings, look great and were presumably achieved through practical and set dressing techniques. Also impressive, but more dated, are those instances where the shrinking man is onscreen with another person or an animal. There is a ghosting on many of these effects, with Carey appearing see-through at times. It is not particularly distracting, but I guess in an age where CGI would make that sort of thing exceptionally simple, it does stand out. Without a doubt the boldest and most shocking part of this film, one which bucks convention throughout, is the ending. The tension through the second part of the film builds and all the while I was expecting a conventional Hollywood ending. Instead, without giving too much away, the film delivers possibly the most un-Hollywood ending ever. Rather, it is an introspective and philosophical end that leaves you thinking about it in the days after the film finishes. I loved it, would have to be one of my favourite endings ever actually.
This is well worth checking out for any sci-fi fan or hell, even any fan of philosophical and thought provoking films. Didn’t think I would be writing that. It has some minor issues, but overall it is easy to see why it is considered such an all time classic.
Verdict: Pint of Kilkenny
2014 Progress: 15/101
Progress: 111/1001
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: King Kong and A Very Different Idiot (featuring reviews of The Forbidden Planet and The Naked Gun).
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The Rover character posters
David Michod’s The Rover (2014) is a film that a lot of people are interested in. Opening over the next few weeks and currently being featured heavily at the Sydney International Film Festival, it is one of the top couple of most anticipated film releases out of this country for 2014. A major reason why people both here and abroad are keen to check the film out is that it is Michod’s first film since Animal Kingdom (2010), the Aussie gangster flick that was seen all around the world and re-launched the career of Jacki Weaver, which so far has gained her a couple of Oscar noms.
I was not totally enamoured with the rather distant first teaser for the film, but I am still very excited to check it out when it opens. I have avoided the second trailer, to try and minimise my knowledge of the film before I see it. However, I am a big fan of these couple of character posters that have been released. I really like the idea of having the same words applying to the close-up shot of both these pretty big name actors. Gives you a flavour of the plot without spoiling anything at all.
First up is Aussie favourite Guy Pearce, who returns to work with Michod after also being seen in Animal Kingdom.
Whatever you think of him, it is great for Michod and Australian film in general that someone with the profile of Robert Pattinson features in one of our features. This look is a long way from Twilight (2008).
Are you fans of these posters? Keen to check out Michod’s new film?
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Dead Europe and Nymphomaniac character posters.
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A Million Ways to Die in the West
This poster is actually funnier than any joke in the film.
As seems obligatory when reviewing A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014), I better begin with my feelings on Seth MacFarlane. I never really watched Family Guy at all, that whole phenomenon just totally passed me by. As for Ted (2012) I was actually pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed that film. MacFarlane definitely does seem to divide opinion. Quite a few reviews of this film seem to essentially be, I hate MacFarlane, and therefore I hate this film.
If reviews of the film seem to focus quite strongly on MacFarlane, well it is not exactly a surprise. When you write, produce, direct and star in a film, you can expect a lot of credit if it is brilliant, but you best prepare for derision if it is rubbish. And A Million Ways to Die in the West is rubbish. Surprisingly though it is deeply unfunny. I was expecting a few hearty laughs even if the film itself wasn’t particularly cohesive, but next to nothing registered with me. The film makes no real attempt to combine the Western and comedy genres, outside of the opening credits. This is a comedy, vaguely set in the Ol West of John Ford. Very vaguely. There is little plot to speak of, this is all about the jokes really. There is a recurring thread through the film essentially making the point that the old west of beloved Westerns is basically the worst time and place in history. That is an idea with heaps of potential. None of which really gets mined here, save for the occasional titter at one of the titular deaths (thought those get pretty old pretty quickly too). The plot there is focuses on a love story between MacFarlane and Charlize Theron. One that the audience is all of a sudden meant to find quite genuine and affecting toward the end, but nothing in the preceding 90 minutes will make you feel that way.
I was surprised that the incredible cast (Silverman, Theron, Ribisi, Neeson, Seyfried and so on) really did not elevate the material at all. MacFarlane casts himself in the lead role and the film is poorer for it. He has shown his voice work to be serviceable in the past, but he has zero presence or weight on the screen. I know this is not Oscar baiting drama here, but if the lead cannot emote or provide any depth, then the film will struggle. But really no one is good here, even the usually always incredible Theron seems pretty disinterested and not really fussed about being involved. All of the issues with this film and any comedy really, could be at least partly forgiven if the film was funny. No such luck here, in fact the film is actively unfunny. The slapstick for example bombs terribly, yet MacFarlane persists with peppering it through the film, so he obviously thought it would come off. In the end the characters in the film start laughing at MacFarlane’s jokes, presumably in the hope that the audience would laugh along with them. Didn’t work for me though, or anyone in my screening for that matter. The script is to blame, lacking any real wit with and also any of the zaniness that made Ted bearable if inconsistent. I am pretty befuddled as to why MacFarlane would turn out such conventional rom-com dirge, but he obviously thought it would bring him a big audience. In addition to the highly conventional script, this film also looks a lot cheaper than Ted. A comedic Western must be something approaching a costume and set designer’s dream. But there is nothing particularly creative and just as with MacFarlane’s acting, there is really no weight to any of it.
A comedy Western with this cast has potential in spades. But not with this script it doesn’t. Which is a shame because it has been a lean year for comedies so far. Unfortunately though, this was such a non-event that I don’t think I could even recommend this for big fans of MacFarlane’s other work.
Verdict: Schooner of Tooheys New
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: Worth Watching August 2012 (includes a review of Ted) and The Searchers.
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Live Tweet Review: Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
Has been a really couple of busy weeks, so I have fallen a little behind on reviewing the Friday the 13th films. So to start the catching up, I thought it would be a good idea to live tweet Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning (1985). Check out the results.
Updated franchise ranking below:
- Friday the 13th Part 2
- Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter
- Friday the 13th
- Friday the 13th Part V: A New Beginning
- Friday the 13th Part III
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Worth Watching May 2014
Here we go with Worth Watching for May, a month that saw another pretty heavy focus on docos, though I mixed in a little body building to go with the political ones. Aside from that there were new release blockbusters ranging from the flawed yet ace to the utterly abysmal, plus a dash of European blandness. As always, share your thoughts with me in the comments section below on these ones.
Worth Watching:
- The Corporation (2003), Mark Achbar and Jennifer Abbott – A great history lesson on the corporation and what that can tell us about what they have become. Rights fought long and hard for have been increasingly wound back for individuals and granted to corporations. It is hard to go wrong with great talking heads like Zinn, Chomsky and Michael Moore. We are gradually waking up to the practical and real effects of allowing corporate power to continue unchecked, but less and less is being done about it. Scary. “There ought to be a principle higher than making money.” A statement that should be so obvious, but in this age of the corporation it isn’t. A world where rainwater can be privatised is not a world I am fond of.
- Generation Iron (2013), Vlad Yudin – A brief history of Mr Olympia makes way for a focus on the 2012 tournament. Some of it seems a little scripted and Mickey Rourke, whilst great on the voiceover, is occasionally hard to hear. But the film nails the craft, sweat, tears and science that go into a pretty unique sport. There is no ‘caaahming’ moment here, but it is still worth checking out if you have even a passing interest.
- How to Make Money Selling Drugs (2012), Matthew Cooke – A stylishly done, mock ‘how-to’ guide to doing what the title states. Working its way up through the levels of the drug trade, the cautionary aspect to the film comes from just how frightening the scene is. Mainly concerned with the nature of selling, but does briefly touch on the failed War on Drugs. Well worth a look.
- Godzilla (2014), Gareth Edwards – Some script issues stop it from being the great Godzilla film I was hoping for. But it’s still a very good one. You can see Edwards’ touch all over this, which is a good thing. And the monster itself looks absolutely stunning, better than I could have ever imagined. I thought some of the nuclear allegories were really well handled in the film too. Like so many have mentioned though, this film could use a whole lot more Godzilla. But I’m looking forward to a sequel where we will hopefully see more (and more of the awesome fighting sequences too).
Not Worth Watching:
- Transcendence (2014), Wally Pfister – Terrible. Has a fantastic start and a smattering of interesting ideas. But never threatens to be anything other than utter cliché. First half is blighted by silly villains, but by the second you’ll be wishing they would come back. Incredible how many great performers this film wastes – Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Rooney Mara. Only Paul Bettany comes out of it looking good. It’s not their fault though. It’s the tepid script that has no idea what kind of film this wants to be that kills it.
- Barbara (2012), Christian Petzold – Pre fall of wall Germany is such a dense, rich setting for a film, but you wouldn’t know it from watching this. It starts in a totally uninvigorating manner and never gets going, partly because you don’t invest in the romantic relationship(s) supposedly at the core of the film. All it really succeeds in doing is being simultaneously arthouse and cliché. It’s exceedingly slow paced with a clunky script, meaning that the dashes of worthiness, such as the lead performance, are buried.
- Bad Neighbours (2014), Nicholas Stoller – There are plenty of reasonably funny moments, but overall this is just another below average comedy. Risqué comedies just don’t know how to push boundaries these days. Can we please stop using rape as something risqué. It’s not boundary pushing its just offensive. There are some ok performances from Rose Byrne, Dave Franco and Zac Efron. But overall there is nothing really worth bothering with here.
If you only have time to watch one The Corporation
Avoid at all costs Transcendence
Related beermovie.net articles for you to check out: The House I Live In and Trailer for your Weekend: Generation Iron.
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