Economic Crisis = Hermit-like Movie Viewing

*previously published as a blog entry on RTH*

It is already October 9 so here is my next installment of my month-long Halloween-inspired film fest. I've got three movies to cover so I'm going to try to keep it brief. Here goes!

Day 4:
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
Director: John McNaughton
Writers: Richard Fire, John McNaughton
Actors: Michael Rooker, Tom Towles, Tracy Arnold

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer is a dark, fictional portrayal based on the confessions of real-life Henry Lee Lucas, a convicted murderer who claimed to have taken the lives of hundreds of victims. His true number of crimes has since come under much contention due to many factors including the inconsistency of his claims, faulty police work, and Lee's frequent recanting of details. Still, he remains one of the more infamous killers of modern time, no small thanks to this film. Director John McNaughton delivers a truly creepy and disturbed inside look at Henry (Michael Rooker), a man that we know has served time supposedly for killing his mother, and is sharing an apartment with Otis (Tom Towles), a small-time ex-con who was in prison with Henry. The film starts with Otis' sister Becky (Tracy Arnold) coming to live with the two men after she has apparently escaped a domestic violence situation. Henry and Becky "bond" over their shared abused pasts and Becky spends the majority of the film trying to seduce Henry much to his discomfort and Otis' inappropriate delight. Henry seems to use murder as a way to "blow off steam", to stave off the anxiety acting normal brings him, and he soon draws Otis into his world. Otis doesn't have the control that Henry does and acts on impulse, something that brings him trouble. What I find interesting about this film is the lack of a law and order presence. Typically in these kind of movies, we see the depraved acts and simultaneously, there is a parallel story of the detective attempting to solve the case. The closest we come to law of any kind is Otis paying his monthly visit to his parole officer, a character we see as clueless because we know what is really going on. The film focuses solely on these three characters and their relationships with each other. We aren't drawn to feel sorry for them but at the same time we are given clues as to how they came to be in the place they are. We see how their deep level of disfunction has made it impossible for them to draw any real meaning from their lives, as much as they try to connect with each other. McNaughton has a real talent for painting a gritty, unglamorous reality. There's nothing fun about this movie but it draws you in and forces you to look at a dark side of society you don't want to believe exists in real life.

Day 5:
Ils/Them (2006)
Directors: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Writers: David Moreau, Xavier Palud
Actors: Olivia Bonamy, Michael Cohen

The French film Ils, or as known by it's American title Them, is essentially a well-crafted home invasion thriller/horror film. I'm going to say right up front that I loved it. I have been watching horror films since I was a kid and very few movies have scared me as an adult. Haute Tension definitely had me on the edge of my seat during the "high tension" moments, but Them actually had me freaked out. To be fair, I have a real fear of someone coming into my home and attacking me so it was definitely playing on those emotions. Also, I watched this film by myself, late at night so what was I expecting?

The story follows Clementine (Olivia Bonamy) home from work as a middle school teacher. She lives with her husband Lucas (Michael Cohen) in a house they have recently purchased and are in the process of renovating. Of course it is out in the middle of nowhere and the house is a ridiculously large mansion with a million rooms, nooks and crannies, all bad things when someone is trying to kill you. Once you suspend your disbelief that they would be living in such a space, you can really buckle down and enjoy the ride. Soon after dark, things begin happening like strange phone calls, noises outside, and appliances turning themselves on to let us know Lucas and Clementine are not alone. They spend the rest of the evening being terrorized and tormented. For me, what makes this film work is that for much of the time, we have no idea who or what is launching this attack and then there is no terrifying reveal of a monster or depraved attacker, instead you see just enough to know what is happening but you have to wait until the end to understand why. This film comes from directing team Moreau and Palud, the same guys who brought us the American remake of The Eye with Jessica Alba, a B- horror flick that doesn't live up to its original Chinese version directed by the Pang brothers. Hopefully their next venture will be closer in quality to Ils.

One more thing to note about this film: The American film The Strangers seems to borrow many elements from Ils although the director Bryan Bertino claims to have been inspired by Helter Skelter more than anything else. I just want to comment that I think it's sad that Hollywood seems to think that U.S. audiences need to have these films spoon-fed to them in Americanized versions that generally are never as good as the movies that inspire them. When the original versions are released here in America, more often than not they are dubbed in English, such is the case for Haute Tension, as if having to read subtitles is going to ruin our movie viewing experience. Are we really that unimaginative a people? I like to think most of us are better than that. (Of course I realize that this way, the studios make tons of money, but come on.)

Day 6:
Bosque De Sombras/The Backwoods (2006)
Director: Koldo Serra
Writers: Jon Sagala, Koldo Serra
Actors: Gary Oldman, Paddy Considine, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Virginie Ledoyen

Here is an interesting film from Spain that does indeed star Gary Oldman, speaking Spanish no less! Actually, the majority of The Backwoods is an even mixture of English and Spanish as it follows two British couples vacationing in the countryside of Spain. Paul (Oldman) has recently purchased the home that once belonged to his mother, a Spanish woman who married a Brit, and he has grand plans for fixing it up and living there permanently with his wife Isabel (Sanchez-Gijon). They are joined for the weekend by Norman (Considine) and Lucy (Ledoyen) who are obviously having some serious marital issues that are leaving things between them looking rather grim. Paul and Norman trek off to do some hunting and in the process come across an abandoned house only to find a wild, somewhat deformed girl locked up inside. Paul insists they take her with them although Norman has serious misgivings being the indecisive and weak man that he is. This kicks off a chain of events that can lead nowhere good as the locals come after them and the missing girl.

This movie seems to get a bad rap but I really enjoyed it. One criticism is that it rips off the film Straw Dogs. Now I have to admit, Straw Dogs is one of those moves I'm always telling myself I need to see but it just hasn't happened yet. I did however, read an in-depth description of the film and while I can definitely see similarities, I feel like this is truly a different story that makes homages to Sam Peckinpah's classic. The story is deliberately paced so for some, it may seem a bit slow at times, something I appreciate if done well. The director really takes the time to develop the characters and give us a chance to get to know them and what's motivating their actions. It's not cut and dry as far as who's bad and who's good. We have a chance to see more than one side of the leader of the locals and while his actions are abhorrent, we're given a chance to see the humanity inside. Also, the movie is set in the 1970's possibly to further evoke the feel of Straw Dogs but instead of feeling like a period piece, it really looks like it could have been filmed in the 70's, even the acting fits the mold. The vibe of the whole flick is pretty well established by the opening credit sequence; I dig it.

By no means is this movie destined to be a classic, but I'm glad I bought it and I'm sure I'll enjoy further viewings. It's a solid picture and a neat little treat if you are a Gary Oldman fan. Just be ready to take your time and I think most of you won't be sorry.

Well, I didn't keep it as brief as I was hoping but that's ok! I'm still a couple of days behind and I will be catching up when I can. Until next time!