"MirrorMask" Movie Review

MirrorMask is an imaginatively conceived and brilliantly produced story of a young girl's journey of self-discovery by way of a hallucinatory adventure through her dreams. And oh, what dreams do come. It's doubtful that the most ardent absinthe drinkers ever had dreams such as these. Helena is the daughter of travelling circus owners, a performing juggler by necessity, but passionate about her drawing, which adorns the walls of her room.

While other children her age dream of running away to join the circus, Helena dreams of running away from it. Although her parents are kind and understanding, Helena's desire to find her own way is the cause of friction. After a particularly angry fight in which the girl wishes her mother dead, Helena is heartbroken to discover that a short time later, her mother was indeed stricken by a potentially fatal malady which will require a dangerous operation to cure. Helena goes to sleep that night, overwhelmed by her guilt and conflicted emotions, and enters a uniquely beautiful, disturbing and sometimes precognitive dreamworld in which both she and her mother are personified as twin entities, one dark and one light.

A match made in heaven between partners Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean (Sandman) and the Jim Henson Company (Labyrinth) gives birth to a masterwork of surreal imagery. Author Neil Gaiman, renowned for his Sandman series of graphic novels, was enlisted for the creation of MirrorMask by the Jim Henson Company, seeking to create a fantasy film in the style of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. The result is a delightfully satisfying treasure trove of beautiful visions, like an Alice in Wonderland for the 21st century.

MirrorMask also bears some passing resemblance to Cirque Du Soleil's Quidam, and of course to The Wizard of Oz, in its tale of a bored young girl who becomes lost in a dreamlike world only to return with a new perspective on reality.

Actress Stephanie Leonidas is charming as Helena, and Gina McKee's patrician beauty is perfect for her dual roles as loving mother and icy Queen of Darkness. MirrorMask is a must see, and is sure to be a must-own on DVD.

"The Fog" (2005) Movie Review

There's no justice for hopeful horror fans in this dreadfully disappointing tale of the justice-seeking crew of a ghost ship.

Despite the involvement of John Carpenter, the creator of the 1980 original verson of The Fog, and despite the advances made in special effects during the past 25 years, this remake of a belovedly hokey (but scary) horror classic comes as a disappointment, and for three quarters of its length it's a crashing bore.

One hundred years after the birth of a west coast fishing town by murderous and thieving founding fathers, the victims of a sunken clipper ship return to impose justice on the descendents of those responsible for their deaths.

Those changes that have been made from the original do nothing to advance the story or to add interest. Apparently, updating a horror film in 2005 consists of replacing effectively scary special effects with slick but tiresome CGI, replacing proven and popular scream queens and true stars (Jamie Lee Curtis, Adrienne Barbeau, Janet Leigh, John Houseman, Hal Holbrook) with a few teen idol TV stars.

Even Selma Blair, an actress whose presence in films like Hellboy, Pretty Persuasion and Cruel Intentions is a pleasure to see, doesn't help to make this return of The Fog any easier to get through.

The last 20 minutes manages to liven interests with some vivid imagery and a new retelling of the fate of the clipper ship Elizabeth Dane, but by then, most viewers will be too anxiously awaiting the end credits and an escape to the exits to really care.

"Saw II" Movie Review

Saw II wastes no time in delivering on the promise of its tag line, "oh yes... there will be blood," or in living up to the expectations set by its predecessor. The film opens with a scene of horrific torment and suspense in which a new victim of the kidnapper 'Jigsaw' is forced to make a gut-wrenching decision in order to save his life. Again and again throughout the film, the tortured pawns in a game of sadistic justice are sacrificed in unspeakably cruel ways as a result of their mistakes, past and present. The makers of Saw II have improved upon the original by maintaining a consistent level of tension moment to moment, and by casting far more effective actors in the lead roles. Tobin Bell's portrayal of Jigsaw is perfect in its understated presentation of an evil genius, motivated by a compulsion to punish, chastise and either reform or execute those who are seen as unworthy of the lives they've been given. A double-twist ending brings this second chapter of the Saw franchise to a satisfying conclusion, in keeping with the precedent set by the first film, though it's perhaps not quite the jaw-dropping blindside that made Saw I an instant classic. Donnie Wahlberg stars as a secretly corrupt cop who routinely frames various criminals as his own way of insuring justice, now trapped in a game of Jigsaw's creation, racing against time in a cat and mouse game to save his estranged son from death by deadly Serin gas poisoning. Dina Meyer as Detective Kerry and Shawnee Smith as Jigsaw survivor Amanda return from Saw I. The beautiful Emmanuelle Vaugier as Addison joins a cast of potential victims who gruesomely fall prey to their own inability to display calm, logic or humanity in their effort to escape the hellish trap in which they awaken to find themselves.

"Aeon Flux" Movie Review

Aeon Flux, a ruthlessly efficient killer, is the prime weapon in a rebel army's fight for liberation in a future society where nothing is as it seems. From her beginning as a character in a series of shorts on MTV's Liquid Television (an anthology of adult cartoons) through her role in her own regular series, Aeon Flux and her world were enigmatic and logic defying. Originally, her character was killed at the end of each episode, only to 'respawn' in subsequent chapters. She rarely spoke, and the nature of her love/hate relationship with her ultimate antagonist, Trevor Goodchild was shrouded in mystery. As opposites that attract and repel, Aeon was an amoral, anarchistic force of nature, while Goodchild was a dictator imposing mind control technology upon society to enforce his vision of utopia. The series' creator, Peter Chung, co-wrote this cinematic vision of Aeon Flux, and the story's shroud of mystery is finally lifted in a tale that retains many of the qualities of the animated series, while completely changing others, creating a far more conventional story line. Unexpected plot twists keep the story interesting, Chung's surreal inventiveness adds an entertaining "whoa" factor, and Charlize Theron as Aeon provides the expected eye-candy throughout. Theron's casting as Aeon represents something of a reimagining of the character, who was originally a hard-edged, steely eyed death dealer. With a lithe physique and a model's beauty, she looks fetching in the character's body suits and revealing costumes, but her face is so naturally expressive of emotion that the image of an amoral assassin is never truly realized. As the story unfolds, this paradox of actions and appearances becomes an asset that works to fine effect. Readers who have seen the trailer for Aeon Flux should be relieved to learn that the film is much different (and much better) than the preview suggests. It is however, as close in style and substance to the cheezy 1970's cult fave Logan's Run as it is to the sublime perfection of The Matrix. Aeon Flux is not the ultimate vision of a dystopian future, but in its willingness to blend pure imagination and a story with substance, and in offering an unapologetic vision of dangerous beauty, it's something to see.

"Casanova" Movie Review

In the words of the Catholic Inquisition, the crimes of Giacomo Casanova include "debauchery, heresy and fornication with a nun." Of course in the mind of Casanova himself, he's not a criminal heretic and fornicator, he's merely a philosopher who adores the beauty of women, and who finds great pleasure in expressing his worship in carnal ways, with an unmatched skill, as often as possible. That is, until he finds the woman who can express her own philosophy of love more inarguably than he, and who possesses unmatched skills of her own. So begins a delightfully funny, sexy, exciting and romantic tale in director Lasse Hallström's retelling of the storied life of the legendary lover. Hallström has directed many excellent films that always take a very heartfelt and sentimental view of human nature, as demonstrated in the highly praised Chocolat, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and The Cider House Rules. Casanova is the Swedish director's most playful film yet, full of irreverent humor, rich with excellent performances that are each perfect in their own way. Heath Ledger captures his Casanova's wit, cockiness, charm and his foolhardy compulsion to flirt with disaster in the name of love. The women in Casanova's life are each completely seductive in their own way, with Sienna Miller as the feminist Francesca Bruni who steals the seducer's heart, and Natalie Dormer as a notorious but secretly hot-blooded virgin, who saves herself for true lust, rather than true love. The story's structure as a recalled memory of old age allows for a humorously juggled mix of the improbable and the impossible, with characters frequently allowed to play over the top, particularly in the case of Jeremy Irons as the Vatican's watchdog Inquisitor Pucci.
Casanova combines many of the best features of the swashbuckling romantic costume adventures that have come before, and takes it's place with the likes of Dangerous Beauty, Don Juan De Marco, Shakespeare in Love and Tom Jones. Beautifully filmed locations in Venice and extravagant costumes by the best costumers in Italy add to the visual delights of this wonderfully realized fable.

"BloodRayne" Movie Review

Kristanna Loken, best known as the female T-X terminator in Terminator 3, provides the most convincing reason to see BloodRayne, the story of a half-vampire, half-human 'dhampir' on a vengeful quest. Sir Ben Kingsley appears as Bloodrayne's nemesis, the vampire Kagan, and Michael Madsen stars as the leader of a society of vampire hunters. Billy Zane and Michelle Rodriguez also co-star. It's unfortunate that the infamous director Uwe Boll persuaded Kingsley, Madsen and Zane to show up for filming but was either unable, unwilling or uncaring when it came to inspiring these actors with passion. None has a clue as to what is required to make their roles effective. In the absence of a competent director, Kingsley is ineffective, Madsen is inappropriate and Zane is incomprehensible. Nowhere does Kingsley display the qualities that would make his character Kagan fearsome or powerful. He's an imitation Bela Lugosi in an era in which Gary Oldman set the standard for old-school vampires with his chilling portrayal of Dracula. Ironically, one of the most effective scenes in BloodRayne is a sexually charged tryst between Rayne and one of her vampire hunting allies that comes out of nowhere like a sucker punch. It's a hot scene, almost pornographic, and it's indicative of the energy with which Kristanna Loken attacks her role. Given the lethargy of the rest of her cast, her commitment seems misplaced and feels out of synch. Comparing BloodRayne with the new Underworld: Evolution is to realize what might have been, given the similarity of story lines. Both are lurid, unapologetic odes to vampiric violence and vengeance, each with a nod to somewhat gratuitous sex by their beautiful female stars. When it comes to delivering a truly effective scene, the makers of Underworld go for the throat, while most of the particulars of BloodRayne go through the motions. Awkward editing and camera work undercut the production values of BloodRayne, and its poor script undercuts the potential within the story. Playstation and XBox gamers may be familiar with the dhampir character of Rayne, the character upon which this film is based. Fans of the game will have to readjust their expectations, as the time frame, the costumes, the weaponry and the very personality of Rayne have been reinvented to fit a medieval setting.

"300" Movie Review

Frank Miller's 300 is a beautifully rendered picture book come to life about one of the most celebrated battles in history, wherein a small band of Greeks defended a narrow passage against the onslaught of a Persian army in the Battle of Thermopylae.

Weaving ancient and legendary history into its own modern myth, 300 is an exciting heroic fantasy filled with unforgettable characters and indelible images.

The creators of 300 have produced a film whose look owes more to the sensual impressionism of Frank Frazetta than the stark, comic-book style of Frank Miller, but Miller's grim storytelling and his celebration of sacrifice in a cruel world make 300 uniquely his own.

By giving free rein to creative art direction and character development over historical accuracy, the film is more akin to The Lord of the Rings than to Ridley Scott's Gladiator or the 1962 film The 300 Spartans which greatly influenced Frank Miller as a boy. The appearance of David Wenham, who played Faramir in The Lord of the Rings movies, adds to the visual reminders.

The battle scenes are choreographed and presented in real-time and slow motion like a deadly ballet, and blood spatters freely throughout like crimson in a Jackson Pollack.

Zack Snyder, the director and co-writer of 300, is best known for his 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead. Not surprisingly perhaps, 300 contains a number of grotesqueries that also could have been at home in a horror film, including the leprous Ephors, keepers of a beautiful young oracle, and the historical character of Ephialtes (whose name in Greek means 'nightmare') who appears here as a horribly deformed outcast with dreams of fighting for Sparta.

Gerard Butler is perfectly cast as King Leonidas, the embodiment of the warlike ideals practiced by the Greek city-state of Sparta. Lena Headey (The Brothers Grimm, The Cave) is finally given a role in a movie worthy of her, and she is outstanding as Leonidas' proud and devoted queen.

300 was created in the manner of Frank Miller's Sin City with the majority of scenes filmed with live actors in computer generated environments. It's another brilliant success in a revolutionary style of filmmaking.

300 (2007)

Directed by Zack Snyder
Screenplay by Zack Snyder & Kurt Johnstad

Stars:
Gerard Butler ................ King Leonidas
Lena Headey ................ Queen Gorgo
Dominic West ............... Theron
David Wenham ............. Dilios
Vincent Regan .............. Captain
Michael Fassbender .... Stelios
Tom Wisdom ................. Astinos
Andrew Pleavin ............. Daxos
Andrew Tiernan ............. Ephialtes
Rodrigo Santoro ............ Xerxes

Rated R for graphic battle sequences throughout, some sexuality and nudity.

"1408" Movie Review

The film based on a short story by Stephen King rivals the author's classic from 1980, The Shining

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In New York's Dolphin Hotel, the building's owners can pretend that the thirteenth floor doesn't exist by calling it the fourteenth. They can deny entry into a particular room whose number adds up to 13. But there's no escaping the reality that Room 1408 is "an evil fucking room" that quickly drives its occupants insane to the point of death.

1408 is masterfully written, directed and acted, creating the best movie about a haunted place since The Shining in 1980. Like The Shining, 1408 is based on a story by Stephen King, and it displays that writer's classic trademarks. In many ways, 1408 is the more completely satisfying film, even though it's unlikely to establish the same kind of iconic stature in film history.

The conventions of the haunted house tale are as old and creaky and built upon formulaic blueprints as the spooky buildings themselves. 1408 certainly draws upon many often-used story elements, but as always, the pleasure is in experiencing how the story is retold and made new again.

It's interesting how much storytellers of humor and horror have in common. Whether it's in delivering a comic punchline or a short, sharp shock; a growing sense of giddy fun or a gathering sense of suspense and dread, timing is everything. The makers of 1408 got the timing down to a fine art.

Mike Enslin, the protagonist of 1408, is a writer who documents haunted tourist destinations in a series of books for fans of the supernatural. Following the death of his young daughter, Enslin is separated from his wife and going through the motions of maintaining his career in a succession of fruitless ghost-huntings and book-signing events.

The arrival of a cryptic warning to avoid a mysterious hotel room leads the skeptical writer to investigate and visit the location. He soon learns that there have been over 50 deaths in Room 1408 since the first horrific suicide there in 1912. Enslin is as skeptical as we, the viewers. The brilliance of 1408 is in how, step by step, in moments that escalate from the most subtle to the most shocking, we learn exactly how and why those deaths had to occur.

John Cusack is excellent in a role for which he is perfect.
If this movie doesn't freak you out, I don't know what will.

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1408
directed by Mikael Hafstrom
Starring
John Cusack ...............................Mike Enslin
Samuel L. Jackson ....................Gerald Olin
Mary McCormack ........................Lily Enslin
Jasmine Jessica Anthony ........Gracie Enslin
Christopher Carey .....................Fireman
Tony Shalhoub ...........................Sam Farrell

Rated PG-13 for thematic material including disturbing sequences of violence and terror, frightening images and language.