The Hole (2009) My
expectations for Joe Dante’s latest directorial effort were relatively low,
regarding his film’s checkered history, but I ended up being pleasantly
surprised. Although The Hole was finished three years ago, it failed to find
distribution in the States. It was
released theatrically in Europe, where it received mostly good reviews and performed
reasonably well at the box office, but seemed to vanish without a trace. That’s too bad, because American audiences
missed out on a nifty little 80s throwback family horror flick. It’s a nice little sleeper that compares
favorably to other titles in Dante’s resume, with his trademark blend of light
and dark elements. It’s refreshing to
watch a family flick that’s not afraid to go into dark territory that most similar
movies tend to shy away from
Perhaps it was The
Hole’s lack of bankable stars (Bruce Dern is the closest thing to a “big
name” as Creepy Carl) that worked against it, although this didn’t seem to stop
Super 8, which had a similar retro
vibe, from becoming a hit. Most of the
story focuses on the younger performers.
There’s some nice work by the leads as Dane (Chris Massoglia), his pesky
little brother Lucas (Nathan Gamble), and Julie (Haley Bennett), the girl next
door. The two brothers discover a
padlocked trap door, covering a seemingly bottomless hole in the basement. There are some good scares and suspense as we’re
left to ponder what lies within the hole’s murky depths. What secrets does it hide? Now that The Hole is finally available on DVD
and streaming, we can all watch and find out.
Don’t forget to look out for a (wordless) cameo by Dante regular Dick
Miller about midway through the film.
Rating: *** ½.
Available on DVD, Blu-ray and Netflix Streaming
Yobi: The Five-Tailed
Fox (aka: Cheon-nyeon-yeo-woo-yeo-woo-bi)
(2007) If Hayao Miyazaki had directed Lilo
and Stitch, it might look a little like this. This charming animated film by director Sung-gang
Lee combines Korean folklore with a sci-fi twist. The story focuses on a 100-year-old fox girl
who befriends a group of aliens that have crash-landed on Earth. Her capricious nature is the perfect metaphor
for adolescence. She detests humans, yet seems fascinated by
them, using her shape-shifting skills to blend in as a student at a school for
kids that don’t fit in elsewhere. It’s an
amusing, beautifully animated, frothy confection that will disappear the moment
that it’s imbibed, but it’s sure fun going down.
Rating: *** ½.
Available on Netflix Streaming
Frankenstein Created
Woman (1967) This truly unique entry in the Hammer Frankenstein series
stars Susan Denberg (in her final role), along with the ubiquitous Peter
Cushing as Dr. Frankenstein.
Frankenstein is still pursuing the elusive secrets of life, much to the
chagrin of his fellow townspeople.
During the course of his latest experiments, he discovers a means of
harnessing the soul, which he believes will be the key to conquering death. Frankenstein
Created Woman differs from the other Frankenstein films for a number of
reasons. Aside from the existential
themes, the “monster” of the story isn’t monstrous at all, but alluring and
genteel. Instead of creating a
disfigured creature, Dr. Frankenstein takes the body of a disfigured woman (and
the soul of her wrongfully executed lover) and makes her beautiful. What results is a conflict between souls, as
she exacts revenge on the people that killed her father and framed her lover for
the murder. Even Dr. Frankenstein is
more sympathetic this time around. He’s
still obsessed by his experiments, but seems genuinely concerned about the
welfare of his latest creation. There’s more
emotional resonance as he watches the tragic consequences of her actions
unfold.
Rating: *** ½.
Available on DVD
Iron Sky (2012) I
was intrigued and frustrated by director Timo Vuorensola’s sci-fi comedy about
Moon Nazis, which never quite lives up to its decidedly ridiculous
premise. At the end of World War II,
Nazis left Earth for the Moon, establishing a base on the dark side, away from
prying eyes. Similar to the Martians in The War of the Worlds, they quietly
observe, while plotting their ultimate invasion of Earth. Considering the film’s modest budget, many of
the computer-generated visual effects are stunning. The designs of the moon base and Nazi
machinery are rendered in fetishistic, loving detail, but much less effective
are the awkward attempts at social commentary. Julia Dietze and Götz Otto are
good as Nazi elite, and Udo Kier does his best, in a small, but wasted, role as
the new Furor. Stephanie Paul as a Sarah
Palin-esque president and Peta Sergeant as her adviser are less effective. It’s obvious from the DVD commentary that Vuorensola
and his crew put a great deal of effort into making this movie with limited
resources, but something seems to be missing from the finished product. Many of the jokes fall flat, and the overlong
third act plays like a dull Star Trek
parody (not surprising, considering that Vuorensola’s first film was the
appropriately titled Star Wreck). Iron Sky
isn’t nearly as funny or clever as the filmmakers seemed to think it is, which
leads me to wonder if the movie could have worked under the guidance of someone
more attuned to the subject matter. Maybe
making fun of Nazis should be left in the hands of Mel Brooks.
Rating: ** ½.
Available on DVD and Blu-ray.
No comments:
Post a Comment