LOVE IS THE DEVIL: STUDY FOR A PORTRAIT OF FRANCIS BACON

Director: John Maybury
Stars: Derek Jacobi, Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton
Year: 1998
Rating: N/R

Seeing full-frontal nudity of Daniel Craig, years before he would become James Bond, was reason enough to check out this film. I just wish I knew, now that a few days have passed, whether I actually liked it or not. There's no doubt about the strength of Jacobi's mesmerizing performance as the painter Francis Bacon; he's disturbing, masochistic, hedonistic, and self-indulgent (much like, supposedly, the real Bacon). And Daniel Craig, aside from being easy on the eyes, also does impressive work here as the sullen crook/con artist George Dyer, whom Bacon took in as both lover and muse for a time.

The two meet when Dyer breaks into Bacon's grubby flat, and is immediately discovered - and invited to bed - by Bacon. George moves in from there, more or less, and his relationship with Bacon over the course of the film goes from the sublime to the ridiculous; Bacon seems to need George as his sadistic, almost abusive lover one moment, then does nothing but devalue and humiliate him (Bacon doing so, often, in front of his creepy, mean-spirited circle of friends) in public. The film doesn't concentrate so much on Bacon's work as an artist, even as it went during the time the two men were together, as he does the destructive love story of the two men - one of whom only gets stronger and more famous even as he seems to suck the very life essence from the other. Director John Maybury does a good job of shooting the film in distorted imagery and colors, the film as abstract and gloomy as one of Bacon's paintings - and while this style works for the films subject, it would also have a way of putting off many viewers; it's just so ... odd.

In short, the film captures the mood and aura of Bacon's odd life and work - but here that's both a good and bad thing. Technically, the film works and fits perfectly as a portrait of this segment of Bacon's life, but somehow it just didn't come together for me overall. The performances are wonderful (even from an unrecognizable Tilda Swinton), but (for me, anyway) the film was just too odd to really enjoy. ** - Reel Mediocre

VAMPIRES IN HAVANA

Director: Juan Padron
Stars: Manuel Marin, Margarita Aguero, Frank Gonzalez, Irela Bravo, Carlos Gonzalez
Year: 1985
Rating: N/R
(in Spanish w/English subtitles)

Genuinely, terrifically surprised by how much I enjoyed this film, Vampires in Havana - an animated feature film from Cuba - is a saucy, sometimes sexy and often funny story with old-fashioned animation that will remind older viewers (lovingly so) of some of the crudely-drawn but endearing cartoons they loved as a kid. And somehow, it all works very well, in story and tone and humor.

For years in Transylvania, Professor Von Dracula (a vampire himself) has been working repeatedly on a formula that will allow vampires to be out and about in the daylight. Finally thinking he's hit the right formula after it works on a test dog, a relative of the professors - Count Dracula himself - is the first to try the formula ... and, for some reason, still bursts into ashes in the sunlight. The huge goof causes nothing but ridicule and shame for the professor in the vampire community, so much so that he retreats to Cuba and obscurity, where he can continue his work in private and without the taunting of his peers.

Years later, Von Dracula has finally - and for sure - found the right formula. Turns out he's been trying it out for years on his young nephew, and sure enough the kid - now a young man - grew up without even knowing he WAS a vampire. But when Von Dracula announces to his fellow vampires around the world that he wants to give the cure to everyone for free, gangs of rival vampires from Germany and America descend on Cuba and Von Dracula, seeking instead to steal the formula and sell the finished product to their own kind for an outrageous profit.

The film is a send-up of both gangster and vampire films, winningly skewering both. If you know anything about Cuban history or politics, the film also makes its subtle points about both - but can be enjoyed just as equally by anyone without a political bone in their body. I've even read that the English subtitles on the film leave something to be desired, leaving out a lot, but I really enjoyed the film nonetheless; while definitely not for children (due to the racy humor and some nudity), who'd be bored by the crude animation anyway, sentimental adults should enjoy the trip down memory lane the animation will bring, while at the same time getting involved in the story and characters, wondering what will happen next.

I really underestimated this one, and am glad to have watched it. It's well done and a good time - and, at just 80 minutes, fast-paced and comical enough to hold your interest with ease. Give it a try (maybe on Netflix "instant watch"?) if you get a chance. *** - Reel Cool

A TALE OF TWO SISTERS

Director: Ji-woon Kim
Stars: Su-jeong Lim, Geun-Young Moon, Kap-su Kim, Jung-ah Yum
Year: 2003
Rating: R
(in Korean w/English subtitles)

It's films like A Tale of Two Sisters, from South Korea, that really tend to put most American horror films to shame. Smart, inventive, surprising, and never fully quite what it seems, this is the tale of a pair of young women - sisters named Soo-mi (Su-jeong Lim) and Soo-yeon (Geun-Young Moon) - who come home after a lengthy stay in the hospital after the death of their mother, to live with their father (Kap-su Kim) and the woman he's now married to ... the girls' stepmother (Jung-ah Yum).

Soo-mi, the older of the sisters, is outspoken and opinionated - and fiercely protected of Soo-yeon, who is shy and introverted and walks around looking like a deer trapped in some one's headlights. And those headlights, as the girls move back home, seem to be those of the stepmother, whom the girls both fear and Soo-mi in particular loathes. From the time they practically enter their old home, the girls (again, Soo-mi in particular) seem angry at their father and resentful of their stepmother, leaning mostly on each other for support. But soon into the film, even on their first night back in their old beds, the girls find there's even something more going on in the home they grew up in; another presence in the house, presumably that of the girls dead mother, seems to haunt the girls in their sleep - and some strange, very creepy sightings and incidents start happening in the house. Tensions between the girls and their father get more tense - between Soo-mi and her stepmother in particular grow even more strained - and soon viewers learn just why the girls probably resent their stepmom so much; she was the nurse hired to care for their mother when the woman grew ill - had been a part of the household until their mom had died, and now has taken over the house for good.

Or has she?

That's about as much as can be said about the film without going too far, or giving away too much. A Tale of Two Sisters builds tension beautifully, director Ji-woon Kim only revealing just what you need to know, bit by bit, to get you through each scene of the film ... until close to the end, when you realize exactly what IS going on, and then have a freak out when you finally "get it" - and realize, if you were paying attention, that some hints were there all along.

And that's the main issue to remember here; you really, really have to be paying attention as you watch the film. That's no problem - the film grabs you in and holds you firmly throughout. But this isn't the kind of film where you can make constant stops for food or the phone or the john. Nope, this films deserves to be watched without interruption, and if you don't ... well, then don't be surprised if you are a bit confused when it all goes down.

But that's okay too, because the film is most assuredly worth watching a second time (which you may want to do anyway, to make sure of what you got out of it). Hell, even a third time. Building more on suspense and fear and creepy apparitions than blood and gore, A Tale of Two Sisters is brilliantly conceived and filmed - and very well-acted by a talented and wholly believable cast.

Steer clear of possible spoilers in other reviews, and catch this marvel for yourself instead. It has more intelligence and ingenuity than 90% of American "horror" films (especially those made today), and deserves to be seen for its sense of drama, suspense, and style. A wonderful, wonderful film. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See

WAL-MART: THE HIGH COST OF LOW PRICE

Director: Robert Greenwald
Stars: Lee Scott (President/CEO of Wal-mart), and a whole bunch of ticked-off people
Year: 2005
Rating: N/R

The first documentary reviewed for this blog takes a look at the biggest, most powerful, and evidently most insidious company ever run. Known for its gigantic stores, super-low ("unbeatable") prices and huge variety of stock from food to clothing to electronics to home and auto supplies and more, director Robert Greenwald throws a glaring and extremely opinionated light on the mega-giant retailer. And Greenwald's strong opinions seem justified, as this film only emphasizes and even expands upon all the bad things that have been rumored about the company for years.

First and most obvious: Wal-mart drives smaller (mom and pop stores, especially) out of business, as the smaller companies just can't keep up with the amount of merchandise OR the low prices in their shops. The film opens with the Hunter family, who have owned the the H&H Hardware store for generations - who, thanks to Wal-mart, had to shutter their store for good. It's just one example; the film throws more than a few at you, as well as some startling statistics about the retail giant's ability to land local government subsidies in order to build their stores, when the small business owner can't ... then renege on their agreement and leave the store they've built empty, moving sometimes only just across the county line to instead open their store there and NOT have to pay the local government (who gave them funds in the first place) back for their allegiance. In other words, they move into an area promising to bring jobs and money to that city or county's local economy - and it all just never happens.

But then there are also the employees that Wal-mart is reneging on; nowhere here do you see those bright, shining and smiling faces featured on commercial after commercial. For this documentary, past and present employees alike (though you can bet the "present" ones weren't working there for long, once this film came out) - including former upper management - cite incident after incident regarding Wal-mart's complete and uncaring attitude toward their own workers. Attitude that's reflected in low wages, lack of benefits, discrimination against minorities and women, intimidation, and the total squashing of anything even resembling unionization. Even as a pair of examples are shown from Germany, where Wal-mart legally had no choice BUT to accept that their workers had to be unionized, the workers in that country seem happier and live much better lives ... even as one woman expresses her wonderment about why things aren't the same for Wal-mart employees in the USA.

Then there are all the cheap toys and clothing Wal-mart carries - made in China by young laborers who work up to sixteen hours a day for something like seventeen cents an hour, forced to live in dormitories that are dirty and cramped, the aisles between the bunk beds barely wide enough for the thinnest of people ... even as Wal-mart deducts rent and utilities out of their paychecks for the "privilege" of living in these abominable conditions (oh, and if you choose to not live in the dorms, like one woman did? Well, good old Wal-mart will only charge you the rent - not the utilities). The film is probably at its most powerful here; I know I will never again handle a garment or toy in Wal-mart (if/when I ever do go back into one again) without thinking of this section of the film.

There's more - and it's all intertwined with archive footage of Wal-mart President and CEO, Lee Scott, lying and propagating all the crap about how loyal his company is to the consumer, its employees, and even the environment (this last one is even covered, in a way that shows Wal-mart couldn't give a damn about the environment). He's the ringmaster of a very nasty circus; one hit by lawsuit after lawsuit for violating federal laws regarding everything from wages to environmental issues and beyond.

This isn't a polished film, by any means, and it certainly present a one-sided viewpoint - but that viewpoint has more than enough evidence, statistics, and court-documented cases to back up what's said ... and after watching this documentary, I would dare anyone to ever look into the face of a Wal-mart employee again and NOT remember some of the issues brought up here. ***1/2 - Reel Cool-Reel Awesome

BLACK SHEEP

Director: Jonathan King
Stars: Nathan Meister, Peter Feeney, Danielle Mason, Tammy Davis, Oliver Driver
Year: 2006
Rating: UR

Though soaked in its share of blood and gore, Black Sheep also happens to be a funny and involving comedy from New Zealand that has the unique ability to gross you out, make you laugh, and care about its characters - all at the same time.

A very convincing Nathan Meister stars as Henry Oldfield, a young man who grew up on a sheep ranch who - thanks to a mean-spirited (and rather disgusting) trick his older brother Angus pulled on him when he was ten - is now completely terrified of sheep. His phobia led him to move away from the farm as soon as he was able - but now, fifteen years later, he's returned to the farm to sign away the rest of his rights to the property (which he'd co-inherited upon his father's death) to his brother, for a rather large sum of money.

It seems Angus (Peter Feeney) has found a way to breed the ultimate sheep - and he intends to present his genetic re-engineering to the world, making himself richer than he could possibly imagine. But meanwhile, a pair of environmentalists named Experience (Danielle Mason) and Grant (Oliver Driver) have snuck onto the farm with the intent of exposing Angus' illegal practices - and his genetically destructive abuse of the sheep. And when Grant gets his hands on a sinister-looking glass canister with what appears to be a mutant sheep embryo inside, the two are caught and chased through the woods bordering the farm property. Experience and Grant split up, trying to get away, but Grant makes the unfortunate mistake of smashing the canister open ... and learns, to his horror, that the mutant sheep inside is very much alive.

Soon after, Henry comes across his old friend Tucker (Tammy Davis), a rugged hunk whose been working on the farm nearly all his life. Challenging Nathan's phobia, Tucker gets the young Oldfield to take a run out on the farm with him (during which viewers can check out some truly breathtaking views of the New Zealand countryside) - but soon the two learn that the sheep (now infected by the single mutant sheep ... as well as by Grant, who's now become a were-sheep) are carnivorous mutants bent on eating them. When they hook up with Experience and their only means of transportation is run off a cliff, the trio have to cross miles and miles of countryside to try and warn everyone of what is happening ... with only a few tens of thousands of killer sheep standing between them and safety, and Henry trying to keep his sanity as his worst fears are met dead-on.

I really enjoyed this movie a LOT - partially because it gives you such a funny and likable hero in Henry (thanks to Meister's performance). But the film is also original, very funny, and so damned quirky at taking itself seriously (while still injecting a decent amount of humor into the story), you can't help but become involved with what's going on. While not for everyone - especially due to the blood and gore that comes along for the ride (the DVD version, which I saw, was unrated - presumably to guarantee more gore) - fans of films like Shaun of the Dead or even The Howling should appreciate the twisted humor of this low-budget comedy-horror treat. Well done. **** - Reel Awesome

DRAG ME TO HELL

Director: Sam Raimi
Stars: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, Reggie Lee
Year: 2009
Rating: UR

I had such high hopes for this film, having wanted to catch it in theaters. Directed by one of my favorite directors (Sam Raimi) and co-starring one of my favorite actors (Justin Long), being a horror film fan this was one I was really anxious to see when the DVD finally arrived from Netflix.

Surprisingly, I almost turned the film off a couple of times while watching it. But I stuck it out to the end, when - despite from some cool special effects - I found myself no more impressed or enamored of this misfire.

Alison Lohman is badly miscast as Christine Brown, a mousy young loan officer at a bank who's vying with a co-worker named Stu (Reggie Lee) - one who doesn't fight fair - for a promotion to assistant manager. Her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), seems to be accepting Stu's sucking up - and has in fact told Christine to her face that he's wondering if she would have what it takes for the position.

Fate, that very day, brings a haggard-looking woman with a thick accent named Mrs. Ganush to Christine's desk. Mrs. Ganush (played to perfection by Lorna Raver) is literally having her house repossessed out from under her, and there to beg the bank for an extension on her mortgage. Christine, feeling sorry for the old gal, takes the issue to Mr. Jacks - who, summarily, uses Mrs. Ganush as a test case for Christine, to see just how tough she is. And sure enough, to prove herself the right person for the assistant manager's position, Christine turns down Mrs. Ganush's extension - even after the woman begs her.

Things get a bit hairy, and security has to escort Mrs. Ganush from the bank - but that night, Christine pays for the humiliation she caused the old gal, when Mrs. Ganush attacks her in her car (quite possibly the best scene in the film). Their fight ends up with Mrs. Ganush mumbling a curse at Christine ... and from that night on, Christine's moments are filled with stranger, loud noises, ghostly apparitions of a horned-head figure, and a presence in her home that literally stalks her.

Even Christine's boyfriend Clay (Justin Long) thinks she's just suffering from shock, after the attack, but when Christine insists on seeing a spiritualist (Dileep Rao), she soon learns that she is, indeed, the victim of a curse - a curse that, unless she can figure out how to break it in three days' time, will result in a demon that will come for her, and literally drag her down to the bowels of hell.

Raimi, director of films like the Spider-Man series and Army of Darkness and the Evil Dead series, often blends a twisted or dark sort of humor into his most chilling or bloodiest of films. I don't know if that was what he was shooting for here, but with Drag Me to Hell the effort comes off as silly - the laughs, when they come, feeling unintended. Alison Lohman, seemingly cast because Christine Brown IS supposed to be the mousy type, is so wishy-washy and mousy here, it's hard to figure out how the hell she got to the point of being a loan officer at her bank in the first place. From the scenes where she's terrified to the scenes where she's finally getting up the strength and will to fight back, she just feels very unbelievable in the role. The gross-out horror stuff (mostly consisting of different kinds of fluids being spurted into a characters face/mouth) is just plain lame, more annoying than shocking - and even Justin Long looks pained in every scene he's in. Lorna Raver, brilliantly wicked as the gypsy-like Mrs. Ganush, is even a bit over-the-top in her performance at times ... as is Dileep Rao, as the spiritualist/psychic, who overacts at almost every turn. Even Reggie Lee, in the end, hams it up - making you wonder, as this seems to happen often in the film, if maybe all the melodrama is the result of Raimi's direction.

As this was one film I was so anxious to see, the disappointment cuts fairly deep that it's slow, silly, and (aside from some nice special effects, and a few jump-in-your-seat moments) not particularly original. Normally rated PG-13, I caught the "unrated" DVD director's cut - though there's no real need to. And definitely don't see this film if you're a cat lover; that's as much as I'll say on THAT point, for sure. *1/2 - Get Reel-Reel Mediocre

Letterbox vs. Pan-and-Scan

MR. MOTO TAKES A CHANCE

Director: Norman Foster
Stars: Peter Lorre, Rochelle Hudson, Robert Kent, J. Edward Bromberg, Chick Chandler, George Regas
Year: 1938
Rating: N/R

Peter Lorre remains, to this day, one of the best and most underrated character actors Hollywood has ever had. This film is part of his Mr. Moto series of films made in the 1930s and 1940s, where Lorre played the deceptively soft-spoken Japanese intelligence agent, often posing as an eccentric antiques dealer to infiltrate his setting ... or, in this case, as an archaeologist in the French-ruled village of Tong Moi, in Indochina. We don't know, at first, why Moto is there - or, for that matter, why soon after the film starts, an Amelia Earhart-like aviator named Vicki Mason (Rochelle Hudson) purposefully crashes her plane in the same village, parachuting down and pretending it wasn't planned so she can assimilate, too.

It all involves a plot to overthrow the current raja - a seemingly goofy and inept pudgy ruler named Ali (J. Edward Bromberg, the one actor who seems to be having a good time here) - and a huge weapons smuggling ring. Moto suspects Raja Ali's second-in-command, Bokor (George Regas), and continues to investigate and report - while a pair of bumbling documentary filmmakers stumble into the whole mess to complicate matters, the raja's primary wife is killed by a poison dart, and Moto dons the disguise of a Tibetan monk in order to save lives and solve the case.

Always a HUGE fan of the Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto films (politically incorrect as they are), I found this entry in the Moto series a bit lacking. Oh, the usual elements of any film in the series are there - spies, murder, touches of bumbling humor, and a finale that involves Moto kicking butt when it looks like he couldn't even take on a girl scout - but somehow it just doesn't all mesh together as solidly as other entries in the series. The film is fun, and entertaining - just nothing particular stands out in it. When it does work, it's entirely due to Lorre; the film would be nothing but a silly jungle adventure without him or the Moto character.

Worth a watch for those who like the series and make sure they want to catch them all - or for Lorre fans - but overall, a bit of a letdown. **1/2 - Reel Mediocre-Reel Cool

THE HURT LOCKER

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Stars: Jeremy Renner, Anthony Mackie, Brian Geraghty, Guy Pearce, Christian Camargo, Ralph Fiennes, Evangeline Lilly
Year: 2008
Rating: R

Set in Iraq, The Hurt Locker centers on a Explosive Ordinance Disposal team made up of three men whose everyday job is to defuse and disarm the homemade bombs that show up everywhere in Iraq, waiting for some unsuspecting soldier to detonate them. The first ten minutes or so of the film give you an idea of exactly the level of wire-taught tension you can expect from the rest of the movie, especially when SFC William James (Oscar-deserving Jeremy Renner) joins the unit.

James is fly-by-his-pants kind of guy, cocky and with no regards to the rules; he'll do things his own way, no matter what. This comes off as dangerous, early on, to the other two men in his unit - Sgt. JT Sanborn (Anthony Mackie - who, thanks to the hype for Renner, won't get the credit he's due for his performance here), and Spc. Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty, also terrific here). On his first day, James puts the lives of Sanborn and Eldridge in jeopardy by doing things his way - or, at least, that's how by-the-book Sanborn sees it, and he immediately takes an instant dislike to the very guy he has to trust every day with his life. It becomes obvious to both Sanborn especially, right off, that James gets a high out of his job; that he thrives on the danger, and every day he cheats death gets him the adrenaline rush he needs.

And there's plenty of ways to get that rush in Iraq, as every person or package or even pile of rubble on the street has the potential to be deadly ... plus, while James does the actual work of defusing the bomb, Sanborn and Eldridge - as well as any other military personnel - need to constantly scan the area surrounding them, looking for snipers or a nearby, seemingly curious civilian who might actually be holding the detonator for the bomb itself. The film plays on that, building scene after scene where the unit comes upon a new potential for death - and James becomes that much more addicted to his work. The film is a gritty, disturbing and wholly realistic depiction of life for this unit in Iraq, and will give viewers a real sense of why even men who are coming back from this war physically okay still have their mental demons to deal with.

Kathryn Bigelow's direction is amazing, bringing you right into the action without compromise; you will feel right there when James defuses a bomb, on a drunken night when Sanborn and James settle their differences, or even when James hits the streets of Iraq seeking some revenge (for something I won't say here, of course - no spoilers!). Best of all, the film doesn't depict either the military or Iraqi people in a good or bad light; there is no political statement of the war or Iraq here, and the film really benefits from just being a straight-on, involving story of the people forced to live this life every day, whether American or not. Renner's performance is truly deserving of an Oscar, but he's backed up by an equally-solid cast that all come together to make this one great film.

I usually don't go in for films about war - but after all the hype, had to see this one. Am glad I did; The Hurt Locker is a tense, emotionally involving and very well-made look at the daily lives of men who serve their country faithfully every day, just trying to stay alive long enough to make it home ... even as, for some, it only gets more addictive the longer you stay. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See

THE SKELETON KEY

Director: Iain Softley
Stars: Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hurt, Joy Bryant
Year: 2005
Rating: PG-13

After having seen maybe the last hour of this film multiple times on commercial television (and loving it more each time I saw it), I finally sat down to watch the whole thing on DVD. I kind of had an idea of why and how everything that happened, happens - but it was nice to have the back-story in full at last, and this actually made me appreciate this inventive and original suspense thriller even more. To this day, the twist ending remains one of the coolest I've ever seen in a film, not only because it does come as a surprise ... but because it also makes perfect sense within the context of the story, instead of feeling forced or tacked on.

Kate Hudson stars as Caroline, a hospice worker in New Orleans who has a habit of becoming emotionally attached to the dying patients she cares for - especially the older men, who remind her of the father she lost to illness before she had the chance to make amends with him. Disgruntled with what seems the uncaring attitude of the care facility she works for, Caroline begins seeking another job - and finds an ad in the paper for a live-in position caring for an elderly gentleman who's had a stroke.

Her best friend Jill (Joy Bryant) doesn't want her to take the job - it's all the way out in the swampy Louisiana bayous, about an hour outside town - but Caroline goes to interview anyway, really wanting out of her current gig. Driving out to the house, she meets Luke Marshall (Peter Sarsgaard), the attorney for Violet Devereaux and her invalid husband Ben, and together they go to the home to meet the elderly couple.

Ben (John Hurt) is wheelchair-bound, and cannot speak or move due to his recent stroke. Basically, his prognosis is not good and Caroline will basically be helping Violet care for him until he dies. The only problem seems to be, however, that Violet doesn't seem to much care for Caroline - but Ben assures Caroline that that's just Violet's way (typically southern and very old-fashioned), and soon Violet has the job and is installed in the Devereaux home.

On her first day, Violet gives Caroline a skeleton key that will open any door in the house, and a trip to the attic to fetch something for Violet gets Caroline's curiosity going; see, Ben had his stroke in the attic, supposedly when alone, and when Caroline finds a door in the back of the attic that her key won't unlock, she becomes obsessed with what is behind that door ... and about what really may have made Ben have his stroke, as Violet acts pretty odd when questioned about the entire thing. Eventually Caroline does gets that door open, and the odd and creepy things she finds in the little room behind it forces a confession from Violet about the prior owners - and terrible history - of the house.

It all involves Hoodoo - a more spiritual form of voodoo - and a terrible tale of murder that occurred in the house many many years ago, even before Ben and Violet came to live there over forty years ago. The story - and Violet's secretive, odd behavior - only add more to the growing feeling of "something is wrong here" that Caroline already has ... and when Ben starts communicating to Caroline behind his wife's back (as best he can) that he wants her to get him out of that house and away from Violet, Caroline has to dig deeper and deeper to find the truth about what exactly is going on.

That's about as much as can be said without giving anything away, but suffice to say The Skeleton Key is an excellent example of a moody, creepy suspense film that relies on story, characterization and atmosphere (as opposed to blood and gore) to get under your skin. Shot in Louisiana, the setting actually comes off as part of the story, making what you're seeing and hearing that much more believable. Kate Hudson, known much more for her romantic comedies, is truly effective and genuine here, turning in an excellent performance - as do John Hurt, Peter Sarsgaard, and of course the incredibly talented Gena Rowlands, who as Violet Devereaux can turn on a smile that will chill you down to the bones.

I love this film, its originality and well-crafted story and screenplay. You do NOT see the ending coming, yet when it happens it all fits perfectly into the story; very satisfying. Take care when reading reviews of this film, too, if you haven't seen it and want to; it'd be very easy to spoil what happens, and any potential viewer really needs to see the film unspoiled, for the fullest effect. I was never a big Kate Hudson fan until this film turned me around, but she's a real marvel here, garnering 100% of your sympathy and making you root for Caroline 'til the end. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See

UP

Director: Peter Docter & Bob Peterson
Stars: Edward Asner, Christopher Plummer, Jordan Nagai, Bob Peterson, Delroy Lindo
Year: 2009
Rating: PG

From childhood, Carl Fredricksen (voiced, as an adult, by Edward Asner) was fascinated with adventure. His hero, explorer Charles Muntz, was a world-renowned hero until accused of faking one of his most important finds; long ago, the man left to prove himself legit and was never heard from again. This does nothing to deter young Carl, however - who is even more thrilled when he meets a girl his age named Ellie who is just as much a Muntz fan (maybe even more so) than he is.

The first ten minutes or so of Up chronicle the meeting, romance, marriage and lifetime together of Carl and Ellie - up until Ellie's death, which is where the film opens. Today, Carl is an irascible old man, a retired balloon salesman who still has plenty of fight in him; he refuses to bow to the corporation that wants to buy his and Ellie's modest home, even as major construction goes on around him, and is extremely protective when it comes to trying to preserve his past and the memories that come with them. When an incident stemming from that sense of over-protectiveness threatens to put Carl into a nursing home for good, to save losing his home Carl does the one thing he knows how to do: take the house with him.

See, Ellie had a dream she'd never fully realized before her death. All she wanted to do, as a child, was to relocate to Paradise Falls in South America. The Fredricksens had, in fact, tried to save their money over the years for such a trip - but something else always came up (flat tire, damaged roof, etc.) that the funds were needed for, instead.

So with little else to lose, Carl decides to make Ellie's dream come true at last - by filling hundreds and hundreds of colorful balloons with helium and using them to literally sail his house to South America. And when the guys from Shady Oaks nursing home show up the next morning, it's just in time to see Carl AND his house take off for good.

Once Carl is high enough, he settles back in his favorite chair to relax - only to hear a knock on the front door. A bit confused (after all, the house is floating pretty high) as to who could be at his door, Carl opens it to find a young, chubby Wilderness Explorer scout named Russell, who got caught when the house took off while trying to win his Elderly Assistance badge by helping Carl. Like it or not (and he doesn't), Carl knows Russell is along for the ride - and from here on in, not too much can be said about the plot without potentially ruining the film for someone who hasn't seen it.

But that said, Up is quite possibly the best, most full-realized film to come out of Pixar. Carl is wonderfully eccentric and cranky, but as a character never falls into stereotype or for one moment is unbelievable. Ditto Russell, the little boy who only wants to do good and win the affection and attention of his father. Even a dog named Dug, that the two world travelers meet up with who can talk, is hilarious and fully believable as a dog - even though he can talk (by a method that is made realistic enough in the film so that viewers will have no trouble suspending their disbelief about it)! Up is one of those films that is exciting, funny as heck, beautiful to look at, and with enough emotional impact to both break and mend your heart. Unexpected twists and turns of plot that you don't see coming make the film a joy to watch until the end, and through it all you will root 150% for Carl and Russell (and yes, even Dug!) to see their challenges through to the end. A lovely, life-affirming and very funny film, Up is Pixar (and life) at its best. ***** - Reel Must-See

PENELOPE

Director: Mark Palansky
Stars: Christina Ricci, James McAvoy, Catherine O'Hara, Peter Dinklage, Richard E. Grant, Reese Witherspoon, Simon Woods
Year: 2006
Rating: PG

You have to love Christina Ricci.

No matter what, no one can argue that Ricci tries to challenge herself as an actress, often choosing quirky roles that - oftentimes - make the film worth watching simply because she's in it. As Penelope opens with "Once upon a time ... " you also know you are in for something a bit different - and here both Ricci (as Penelope) and the film (especially James McAvoy, in one of his most charming performances) more than satisfy; Penelope is a warm romantic comedy/fairy tale with a positive message about self-image behind it that doesn't hit you over the head as you watch.

The Wilhern family, long ago an established upper-crust British institution, nearly fell to ruin several generations back, when Penelope's great-great-grandfather ticked off the local witch - who, in return, put a curse on the entire Wilhern clan, declaring that the next female child born into the family would have a pig's face ... a spell that would only be broken when she grew up and found someone of her own kind (a blue-blood) to love her for herself.

For years onward, the Wilhern family only gave birth to sons (with one exception, which is outlined in the film in a pretty funny/cute way) ... until Jessica and Franklin Wilhern (Catherine O'Hara and Richard E. Grant) gave birth to Penelope twenty-five years ago, and freaked out when the baby girl came out with a pig's snout and ears.

A carotid artery in the nose made surgery an impossibility - and as a child, the publicity about their little "pig girl" got so intense, the paparazzi so out of control, that the Wilherns (well, mostly Mrs. Wilhern) went to the extreme trouble of faking Penelope's death, just to get the press off their back.

But determined to break the curse once and for all, Mrs. Wilhern hired a matchmaker the year Penelope turned eighteen, trying to find her daughter that one true love who would break the spell (even throwing a sizable dowry in for incentive). Now, six years later, Mrs. Wilhern and the matchmaker are still having their issues with finding the right man - as every guy who finally gets to see Penelope face to face runs screaming from the house, the gag order they pre-sign the Wilherns' only protection of privacy once their gone. Penelope, too, is quite tired of the matchmaking game; as badly as she wants the spell broken, she continues to hope her mother will just give up.

Not a chance - and in fact, one prospective suitor named Edward (Simon Woods) gets out without signing the gag order, actually going to the police to report he was attacked by the "pig girl." He is, in fact, thrown in jail overnight, the cops thinking he's drunk or nuts, and the next day Edward finds himself in the newspapers - and his family's good name (not to mention his own future with his father's business) in jeopardy.

Enter Lemon (Peter Dinklage, so terrific here) - a reporter who overhears Edward's complaint when he comes to the newspaper offices. Lemon, you see, lost his right eye over twenty years ago to Mrs. Wilhern, who caught him in her home trying to get a photo of Penelope - and now, with the idea that maybe Penelope is alive, his interest in getting the photo becomes an obsession; so much so, Lemon hires a scruffy, down-on-his-luck blue-blood with a gambling problem, named Max (James McAvoy), to sneak in with a camera, as a prospective suitor, and get the photo of Penelope that Lemon's been trying to get since the girl was a baby.

Max agrees, but after a disastrous meeting with a roomful of other suitors, Penelope now doesn't want to reveal herself right away. The two share a few visits at the house, talking with a two-way mirror between them as they laugh or chat of even play chess. By the time Penelope gets up the nerve to reveal herself to Max - having become smitten by him, as (it seems) he has with her - Max has grown to care for her enough that he later refuses to help Lemon ... but still refuses to marry Penelope, even though he's the one man who's come to visit her more than once - and his rejection of her (which seems confusing, as Max so obviously cares for her) causes Penelope to run away, to - at 25 - finally explore and find her way alone in the real world, at last.

Penelope is a charmer - a modern-day fantasy/fairy tale. A twist on Beauty and the Beast, if you will, that's genuinely funny, and as refreshing and sweet as lemonade in July. O'Hara is hilarious as Penelope's frenetic and superficial mother, and though Richard E. Grant isn't given much to do, he makes a good straight man at Penelope's father. Throw aside any searching for in-depth characterization or complex plot, and sit back and enjoy the ride instead; this one will put a smile on your face if you do.

Only complaint: evidently the original theatrical version of the film is 104 minutes long - 15 minutes longer than the USA version on DVD, which is what I watched. Having checked around, I'm sorry that the original version was edited for American shores; I hope to see it someday on region one DVD here, and have no idea (based on the comments I've read about the full film) why the cuts were even made. So be forewarned, if you see the 89-minute version that IS the only version available in region one here. And by all means, the film is worth your time - but by all means, if anyone reading this review knows how I can get the full 104-minute feature ... please yell. Thanks! **** - Reel Awesome

SHUTTER

Directors: Banjong Pisanthanakun & Parkpoom Wongpoom
Stars: Ananda Everingham, Natthaweeranuch Thongmee, Achita Sikamana, Unnop Chanpaibool
Year: 2004
Rating: N/R
(in Thai w/English subtitles)

The first effort by a pair of Thai-born directors is a solid and spooky film that - of course - is infinitely better than its American remake (the review for which, on this blog, you can read here). Shutter follows the story of a young couple, not too long out of college, named Tun (Ananda Everingham) and Jane (Natthaweeranuch Thongmee) - whose lives are changed forever on a single evening when, after going out drinking with some of Tun's buddies, Jane (who is behind the wheel) accidentally hits a young woman on a deserted road with the car.

It's Jane who wants to leap to the woman's aid, but Tun (fearing they'll be caught drinking and driving, as well) cajoles her into driving off instead. Distraught and guilt-ridden, Jane can't believe this side of her boyfriend's personality, but leaves the scene. And before long things get even worse, as both Tun and Jane start seeing ghostly images in their daily lives - Tun in particular, in his profession as a photographer, finds that many of his photos come back with either huge white, cloudy streaks on them ... or, in some cases, the partial image of a young woman who eerily resembles the woman he and Jane struck down.

A pretty simple premise, as it grows more and more obvious that the dead woman is stalking Jane, and especially Tun, and the film nicely builds up the under-your-skin creepiness as the young couple, individually, have a few too-close encounters with what seems the spirit of the woman they killed (even though Jane, after many phone calls, could find no record of such an accident victim that day after they hit her). As Jane looks into finding out what's going on and Tun gets more and more freaked out with each encounter, some shocking and long-buried secrets bubble nastily to the surface ... and people start to die.

Shutter is a nice homage to some of the better Asian horror films out there - complete with a menacing Asian ghost girl with long black hair and huge, staring eyes. The acting is very well done, in particular by the leads, and the most tension-filled or "horrific" moments of the film come from the way it plays with your brain over filling the screen with blood and gore. Certain scenes (including the ending) of this film were copied directly for the American version - but here they (as well as the entire film) work much better to create the spooky look and feel of the film. Shutter won't win any major awards, but if you're up for a night of creepy fun and a decent ghost (as well as revenge) story, you could do worse than this. *** - Reel Cool

CORALINE

Director: Henry Selick
Stars: Dakota Fanning, Teri Hatcher, John Hodgman, Keith David, Jennifer Saunders, Dawn French, Ian McShane, Robert Bailey Jr.
Year: 2009
Rating: PG

Dark, creepy, funny, and truly entertaining, Coraline is a real treat for adults and older kids alike (for younger kids, parents may want to give it a viewing first; some of the subject matter and themes could be fairly creepy for younger children). Based on a novel by Neil Gaiman and directed by Henry Selick (The Nightmare Before Christmas), the film is colorful and eerie, and has as its lead a young girl named Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) who is pretty much neglected by her busy parents ... until she gets a shot at a second pair.

The Jones family - Coraline, her mother Mel (Teri Hatcher), and father Charlie (John Hodgman) - have just moved into a new home ... a big pink mansion that's been divided into apartments. Both Mr. and Mrs. Jones are writers, currently working on big assignments that have left them so busy they haven't even made a dent in the unpacking yet - and seem to have even less time for their daughter. Coraline, in fending for her herself, gets to know her rather eccentric neighbors a bit - plus finds both ally and foe in the grandson of the woman who owns the building the Jones family lives in (though he and his granny don't live there themselves), named Wyborne (Robert Bailey Jr.); a boy Coraline's age, but truly annoying to her.

Then one afternoon Coraline stumbles across a small, hidden, child-sized door in the front room; one papered over with wallpaper and locked tight. Annoying her mom until she finds her the key to it, once opened the door's potential for adventure dies when Coraline finds the entrance bricked up.

Later that night, however, some peculiar mice lead Coraline to the closed door again - and this time, when she opens it, the girl is shocked to discover a dark, narrow tunnel leading to another door at the other end ... and when Coraline grows through it, shock turns to wonder when she discovers her home and parents again on the other side - now a perfect home, and perfect parents (with big black buttons for eyes) in which Coraline is the star. Her every wish is important and granted, complete with a new, "other mother" who can't do enough to make her daughter feel happy and loved. Coraline visits for awhile, eats dinner, and in general soaks up the attention before her "other parents" put her to bed ...

Before waking up the next morning in her real-life room.

No one she talks to about what happened will believe her, convinced she was dreaming, but a couple of other visits to this alternate world show Coraline that in this new land she has the same neighbors, friends, parents - only all of them dote on her, are exactly as she'd like them to be in her ideal world, and in particular she has a mother who simply does not want her to leave.

Ever.

But as always happens, when things seem too perfect there is just something horribly, horribly wrong behind it all - and Coraline finds out that her other mother wants to keep her in this new world forever, things go from weird to weirder. A sarcastic black cat who seems to be the same in both worlds (no button eyes) - and can speak in the alternative world - is Coraline's best shot at both finding out what's really going on, and escaping back to her real home and parents for good.

The stop-animation and overall look of the film is beautiful; it made me wish I'd gotten off my duff to see the film in a 3-D theater originally. The voice performances are all top-notch, and even Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French add plenty of creepy weirdness and humor to the film as Coraline's basement-dwelling neighbors, Miss Spink and Miss Forcible.

Imaginative and original, Coraline is a real treat that should appeal to anyone who has read Roald Dahl, or enjoyed Tim Burton films. It's an inventive and funny, really cautionary tale about watching what you wish for - as man, can things get jacked up when your wish comes true. **** - Reel Awesome

THE ORPHANAGE

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
Stars: Belen Rueda, Fernando Cayo, Roger Princep, Mabel Rivera, Montserrat Carulla, Geraldine Chaplin
Year: 2007
Rating: R
(in Spanish w/English subtitles)

Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona's debut is a suspenseful, touching and fairly spooky little masterpiece that is reminiscent of Alejandro Amenabar's The Others while being an entirely original story unto itself. El Orfanato (The Orphange) opens with sepia-toned memories of a group of orphan children, all close friends, playing a version of hide-and-seek, with little Laura being "it." Laura, we soon learn, is being adopted out that day to new parents - and when the film flashes forward to modern day, some thirty years later, we find the adult Laura (Belen Rueda, in a poignant, very honest performance) now has her own family (a husband and young son) ... and in fact, she and her husband have just bought the old orphanage Laura grew up in (long since shut down), in the hopes of fixing up the place to turn it into a home for special-needs children. The home is huge, near the edge of the sea, and fairly remote but a beautiful and ideal setting for the couple's plans - as well as a good place to raise their son Simon (Roger Princep), whom we find out is ill, himself.

Things go well until one day when Laura takes Simon out for a walk near the lighthouse, and in some nearby caves Simon discovers a new imaginary friend, named Tomas, whom he brings home to live in the old orphanage. Even though Simon has had imaginary friends in the past, there's something different with this one; soon Simon almost seems obsessed with Tomas, and begins making up new games that seem way beyond his age and ability. He also becomes more petulant and talks back to Laura. Worse still, a further wedge seems to be driven between the boy and his parents when he tells them that they aren't his real parents after all - that Tomas told him he's adopted. Which, viewers know by this point, is true (making things that much creepier). Even an old lady named Benigna (Montserrat Carulla) shows up, first asking questions about Simon - but then Laura even finds the old lady sneaking about on the grounds one night, though she gets away before Laura can talk to her.

Then, on a gray afternoon when Laura and her husband Carlos (Fernando Cayo) are hosting an outdoor party for some of the special-needs kids and their families, to show off the house, Laura has a huge argument with her son. Little Simon disappears soon afterward, without a trace, and during her search for him in the house Laura comes face to face with a small child - a child in tattered clothing, whose head is covered with a crudely-stitched-together burlap sack made to look like a face. When she's attacked by the child - who then quickly gets away - Laura becomes convinced that the kid was Tomas ... and that not only is he responsible for Simon's disappearance, but that there is also something quite supernatural (and very unsettling) going on in her home.

From here things escalate; as the months go on with no sign of Simon, Laura hears and sees things that come close to driving her mad when they bear no clues to her missing boy. Simon's disappearance has pretty much killed the business plan, too - after all, who would put their child in the hands of people who lost their own son in the same home? - and in fact, after close to a year with no word on their son, Carlos wants to call it quits and move far away.

But Laura's not having it. She knows, now, that there are forces in her home that have taken her child; are keeping him from her. And she won't leave until she gets Simon back.

The Orphanage is incredibly atmospheric, chilling, suspenseful, and creepy; more than a couple of times you will either jump in your seat, or feel the gooseflesh crawl up your arms. And if you're expecting the gore and/or high body count you often find in many American horror films, then yeah you'll be greatly disappointed (if not bored).

But The Orphanage is also poignant, touching, and ultimately real affirmation of a mother's love and devotion. Rueda, as Laura, is an accomplished actress who carries the film well on her strong shoulders, and anyone without at least a tear in his (or her) eye by the time the credits roll is a cold fish, indeed. This is a movie that may well get under your skin, all right - but somewhere, along the way, it also manages to sneak its way into your heart. ****1/2 - Reel Awesome-Reel Must-See