travisk-11-189335 Reviews

I Saw the Devil (2010)

An eye for an eye is just the beginning...

[8/10 · 27 March 2011]

I SAW THE DEVIL begins by taking the viewer on a snowy winter drive down an isolated rural road. The driver is an attractive, young woman. That woman happens to be the daughter of the police chief and the wife of secret agent Kim Soo-hyeon, played by Byung-hun Lee.

Kyung-Chul is played by Min-sik Choi, best known here by his unforgettable performance as Dae-su Oh in OLDBOY. Choi is cinematically magnetic, an on screen presence similar to what Roy Orbison did for music… not very pretty to look at, but his talent more than makes up for his lack of the typical star look. Choi displays one of the most convincingly evil and intelligent characters since Anthony Hopkins first dawned the Hannibal Lector mythos. Choi's appearance in I SAW THE DEVIL may best be described as a stockier, Korean Benicio del Toro, the actor whom I would cast in the American remake, if I were willing to support such a thing… which I do not.

Yes, the violence is graphic, difficult to watch in places, but its not gory so much as being unflinchingly realistic and brutal. Many filmmakers would choose to cutaway just before impact, or to imply the severity of the torture, but Jee-woon Kim refuses to skirt around the reality of violence. This makes many of us uncomfortable, which is actually the point.

I SAW THE DEVIL combines the calculated suspense of Alfred Hitchcock with the gritty appeal of the film noir. The story does not succumb to the shallow notion of a purely good hero and a purely evil villain, instead showing both sides of both men. In the end, revenge is served, but not without great cost to both men. It's a bittersweet conclusion, enhanced by powerful performances and the director's keen eye for exhilarating visual choices.

Kaboom (2010)

Who is The Chosen Son and what the f *ck does it all mean?

[6/10 · 27 March 2011]

KABOOM is a comical science-fiction story about a group of college students, each experiencing a unique sexual odyssey. Laced with undertones of horror. The title is catchy, but if KABOOM were renamed to describe what the viewer should expect, it may go something like… "Donnie Darko Goes to White Castle While Horny and Tripping on Acid Made by David Lynch." Thomas Dekker (HEROES, 7TH HEAVEN) plays Smith, a sexually confused young man and the central character around which the rest of the crazy, hormonal universe of KABOOM revolves. Haley Bennett (THE HOLE, MARLEY & ME) plays Stella, Smith's lesbian best friend and lover to Lorelei (Roxane Mesquida), a strange, exotic woman with mystical sexual powers. Juno Temple (THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, ATONEMENT) plays London, a promiscuous pleasure guru who befriends Smith. Smith is haunted by visions of a troubled red-haired girl (Nicole LaLiberte, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS) and violent men in animal masks. KABOOM is a bizarre journey full of plot twists and shocking jolts of abstraction. Araki has employed a nearly over-saturated color palette and stark contrast in lighting to pack punch into the heavy, uncomfortable scenes, while keeping the lighter moments resembling an R-rated TV sitcom version of THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Araki's dialogue is sharp and witty, at times nearly too much so. His stock of supporting and bit characters span an array of modern stereotypes, but the humor works well enough to summon laughter, even during the less original moments. While the first third of KABOOM skates by mostly on raunchy humor, sex and nudity, the remainder of the film will have many scratching their heads and others applauding it as a pseudo-psychedelic work of modern art.

Jane Eyre (2011)

Graduates from required reading to accomplished cinema...

[7/10 · 27 March 2011]

Jane Eyre, played by Mia Wasakowska (ALICE IN WONDERLAND), has become a quiet, reserved young woman. Her mind, however, remains sharp and her words reflect this intellect in a humble manner working as governess for Mr. Rochester's (Michael Fassbender) French daughter. Fassbender is compelling as the slightly depressed, often ill-tempered master of the large and impressive Thornfield Hall, but there's also a vulnerability that allows him to see through Jane's humble disguise and see her for her true self. Judi Dench (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE) plays Mrs. Fairfax, the housekeeper for Thornfield Hall and occasional confidant to Jane Eyre as she attempts to decipher his encrypted attempts at showing his true feelings for her.

JANE EYRE was adapted into a screenplay by Moira Buffini and directed by Cary Fukunaga (SIN NOMBRE). Perhaps the first and most pleasurable element of the film to be noticed is the stunning cinematography from Adriano Goldman (CITY OF MEN), rich with picturesque landscapes dulled and dampened by the gray skies and misty airs of England. Closely connected to this visceral visual interpretation of Jane Eyre's emotional state, is the original music composed by Dario Marianelli (THE SOLOIST), classical and laden with the tormented beauty of the violin.

As for the story itself, JANE EYRE delivers a refreshing amount of suspense and mystery into a genre film which — in my opinion – rarely does more than put me asleep. As a viewer, I was immersed into Jane's dilemma, especially as it's connected to her troubled past as a neglected child. Another interesting element that makes JANE EYRE a relative success is the choice to break the narrative into a non-linear flow. This essentially plays three-card Monty with Jane's life, adding to the mystery for the viewer, which is already intrinsic to the story at hand… those familiar with the novel know what I mean.

Mia Wasakowska shows a more enlightened, fully mature side of her acting talents as Jane Eyre, reserving much of her characters' emotions in her withheld reactions, a pleasant step forward from the unremarkable ALICE IN WONDERLAND adaption where she fared most average. Michael Fassbender (INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS) shines without going over the top, as he usually does in his own unique way. This, I believe more than anything, is the brilliant curse of Fassbender, always promising a stellar performance that is just subtle enough to keep him off the viewing public's radar.

The pace of JANE EYRE, at a length of 115 minutes, is neither slow nor upbeat. The film clearly has it's peaks and valleys, both in pace and intrigue. At times, most often when Jane and Mr. Rochester converse, the film is dynamic with dialogue delivered with great timing and subdued intensity, yet at other times in between the drab story is made bearable only by the creative crafts of Goldman and Marianelli.

Read my full review at... http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2011/03/jane-eyre-the-review/

Sucker Punch (2011)

More than a popcorn flick, but far from perfect...

[6/10 · 27 March 2011]

For the most part, I enjoyed SUCKER PUNCH. Visually, the film is amazing, as Snyder's films always are, but I feel he's getting a little too comfortable with using his "trademark" slow-motion/bullet-time effects in EVERYTHING he does. I really would like to see him do something without that as a creative crutch. It worked well in 300 since it was primarily an action film, and WATCHMEN was long enough that these effects were merely occasional artistic flairs, and made sense. In SUCKER PUNCH, there's too much of this and it stands out, primarily due to the back-and-forth nature of this film's narrative structure, jumping in and out, from reality to fantasy, whereas these effects only appear in the fantasy segments. Otherwise, I liked the story (a positive message told through a very down beat story) and the film also benefits from a good, throwback, high energy, edgy pop soundtrack. The narrated bit at the end, however, was a tad heavy-handed.