Killer Joe

The tagline for Killer Joe, the newest film from acclaimed director William Friedkin, is “A totally twisted deep-fried Texas redneck trailer park murder story”. As ridiculous as that sounds it completely sums up this crazy little flick in more ways than one.

Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) is in a bit of a financial pickle, and along with his deadbeat Dad (Thomas Haden Church) comes up with a plan to hire local policeman/hitman Killer Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) to murder his mother so they can collect her life insurance money. When things go awry in more ways than one, Killer Joe demands that his payment for services rendered be the love of Chris’ simple sister, Dottie (Juno Temple).

I knew nothing of this film’s story before watching it, only that it had turned up on various “Top 10 Films of 2012” lists across the internet. Out of curiosity I rented it from the local Redbox and was enormously surprised at how engagingly deranged it was. I discovered that it was based on a stage play, which completely makes sense after watching it, and even though it features some horrific images and brutal violence it never stops being entertaining. In fact, as it played out before me I realized that it was basically a redneck version of Blood Simple. Not that that’s a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

It’s a simple story about simple people doing incredibly stupid things and dealing with the consequences in ridiculously stupid, and somewhat insane, ways. It is shot in a basic fashion to keep in line with its theater roots. The film, like a stage play, is all about the performances. I cannot stress how amazing the acting on display is here.

I don’t recall Matthew McConaughey ever playing a part like this before since as far back as I can remember he’s always been cast as the charming romantic lead (except in Reign of Fire or A Time to Kill), but being that I’m not a fan of his goes to show how awesome he is as Killer Joe if I’m giving him such accolades. He owns this film as Joe, who appears on the surface to be a calm and cool professional killer, but is basically a sad and lonely dirtbag who likes to intimidate and torture people just because he can due to the fact that he’s a cop. We get to see how brutal he can be (the final scene) and his awkward sensitive side (the dinner scene) and how twisted he can be (everything in between). He goes for broke and comes out aces. I have to give him props for accepting a role against type, especially after his acclaimed turn in Magic Mike. I think I will be paying a little more attention to his films in the future.

I’ve also never been a fan of Emile Hirsch or Thomas Haden Church either. But here they seem to be feeding off McConaughey’s craziness to amplify their own, and in turn give outstanding performances as the men of the completely dysfunctional family at the core of the story. Church’s sad sack of a father figure especially took me aback as he’s always playing the dominant male character or villain.

I’ve always known that Gina Gershon was a great actress (just watch her in Bound or The Insider), she only picks horrible movies to star in that never really give her a chance to show off her skills (Showgirls, Demonlover, Driven, Best of the Best 3). Here she starts off appearing to have a minor part that she’s slogging through, but at the halfway point she becomes a more prominent character and by the end she’s going toe-to-toe with Joe to compete for the title of Biggest Asshole of the Year. She comes out of nowhere and knocks her role out of the park, and even though she’s playing a horrible person she gives her character a small touch of sympathy that is welcome among all the double crossing going on.

The real reason to watch this movie is for Juno Temple. The only other movie I’ve seen her in was The Dark Knight Rises as Selina Kyle’s roommate, but as the simple-minded and innocent Dottie she proves that she has what it takes to be one of the new wave of crazy talented actors for the new generation. I never once saw her as an actress playing a part; she completely inhabits the role of Dottie and makes her a sweet and likable girl that doesn’t realize just how much everyone around her tries to control her life. Only when someone new attempts to remove her from this lifestyle does she begin to wise up and take matters into her own hands. I can’t wait to see what Juno Temple has in store for us in the future.

All of this would be for nothing if not for the original material written by playwright Tracy Letts and director William Friedkin. After seeing this I might have to look up some of Letts’ previous work for shits and giggles. Friedkin, who directed classics like The Exorcist (which I’ve never been a fan of) and The French Connection (awesome!), proves he still has what it takes to make a solid film after most of his other work has been less than stellar (Rules of Engagement, The Hunted, Jade, Blue Chips, The Guardian). It’s material that I’m sure he found fascinating since most of his projects are a little on the perverted side, and this film has plenty of that going on during the finale (I’ll never look at fried chicken the same way again). He makes everything seem real and believable and keeps the actors from taking their ridiculous shenanigans into camp territory, which is something this movie could have easily slipped into. The fact that he was able to make all these horrible characters somewhat likeable is a feat in itself. But his greatest moment is that at one point, after an orgy of violence and depravity, he turns this gaggle of selfish, devious people into a family unit for one fleeting moment. Superb stuff.

But all is not superawesomeamazeballs up in the world of Killer Joe, particularly the unsatisfying and haphazard final moments of the film. Some startling revelations about characters are revealed, some truly fucked up shit goes down and then the movie just sort of ends during a major beat in the story. 30 seconds more is all I asked for out of closure’s sake, but I didn’t get it. I have to admit that I was extremely disappointed by this choice on the part of the filmmakers. Does it ruin the movie? Not at all.

If you see this film at the Redbox I highly recommend it. It might not be for all tastes since it is based on a stage play which means it’s mostly dialogue scenes and no real action, but the story is great and it features some awesome performances by talented people. It does go to a very dark place, but if you can handle that you’ll find it a very entertaining and surprisingly funny dark comedy of sorts. I for one loved it regardless of the lackluster ending. So much so that it’s on my list of “Favorite Films of 2012”.

4 out of 5

The Cabin in the Woods

As much as I like horror films I do have to admit that they are growing a little stale. They all follow the same basic formula be it a slasher, monster movie or thriller. I’ve been waiting for something creative to come along for a while now, and even though there are some clever throwback movies floating around out there like the Hatchet films or Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, nothing of note has come down the pike… until now.

SPOILER WARNING: If you have not seen this movie do not read any further!

The story of a group of five college friends who go on a vacation in the woods together and discover that they are unwilling participants in a sacrificial ritual to appease an ancient God who threatens to destroy the world.

The Cabin in the Woods is the wake-up call to the modern day horror genre that Scream was back in the mid-90s. Writers Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard, who also directs, take all the clichés associated with movies of this type, mixes them up and satirizes as well as puts a new spin on them.

Why do characters in horror movies do such stupid things like split up during a crisis, have sex for no apparent reason or feel the need to explore dark basements after being warned of their dangers? Well, in the universe in which this flick takes place their every move is being controlled by drugs that are being pumped into the cabin to influence their decisions. Before getting to the cabin we see that each one of the characters is a smart, well-adjusted human being. Well, maybe not the pothead. But once they reach the cabin each is exposed to a drug to bring out a certain stereotype the audience associates with the slasher genre. One becomes the alpha male jock, one a whore, one the sweet guy and one a prissy little virgin. Every time they make a decision that isn’t acceptable they are given a drug to get the appropriate response.

But who is administering these drugs? That’s the crowning achievement of the film. We not only get to see the students as they are put through this surreal ordeal, but those who are controlling the situation from afar. Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins play two employees of the unnamed corporation who are in charge of making sure these characters do exactly what is required for the ritual to be successful. We also see that this is a global operation and the same thing is taking place in multiple countries. But these people aren’t written as conniving evildoers, but as regular everyday people doing the same job they’re done for years (and bickering about it too). At one point we see that they run an office pool to bet on what horrible cliché the cabin folk will choose to be the instrument of their deaths (all about the merman). These scenes are filled with Whedon’s trademark humor and clever winking to the audience, because basically Whitford and Jenkins are playing film versions of Whedon and Goddard who comment on all the stupid shit they cause in the cabin.

The different scenarios that the cabin folk can unleash upon themselves are another sly little nod to the horror genre. The characters unknowingly choose a redneck zombie family to be their means of slaughter, but we later see that some of the other choices available were Evil Dead rape trees, a giant bat, huge spiders, a Cenobite rip-off called Fornicus, a demonic sugarplum fairy, goblins, robots and… a unicorn. There were about 50 or so they could have chosen and we get to see the majority of them strut their stuff in the epic finale.

Another thing that makes the film work is the fantastic acting on display. Whitford and Jenkins are phenomenally entertaining as the goofy controllers of the ritual, and their co-stars in the office (Brian White and Whedon alums Tom Lenk and Amy Acker) are just as fun, but without the victims we would have no one to associate with. Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth, plays Curt the jock and does a damn fine job of it. Even before his character switches to the head guy mentality he oozes a charm that goes to show why he’s become leading man material in such a short space of time. The dude just has it. The same goes for Kristen Connolly as the (sort of) virginal Dana. She is so natural and laid back in her role, yet completely convincing, that you forget you’re watching an actor playing a part. Their co-stars Anna Hutchison, Jesse Williams and especially Fran Kranz as the perpetually stoned Marty are all great as well. Franz, of course, gets all the good lines (“Yeah, uh, I had to dismember that guy with a trowel. What have you been up to?”) and is the avatar for the audience due to his cloud of bong smoke allowing him to see what’s really going on around him.

Drew Goddard, who as far as I know has never directed a film before (he’s a writer by trade), shows a confidence that you don’t usually see in someone’s first movie. Everything is balanced perfectly, from the comedy to the horror elements, and he gets his stable of actors to turn in fine performances regardless of how big or small their parts are. He also has a very solid visual style that works wonders for the material. My only advice is for him to tell his cinematographer to light the exterior nighttime scenes a little better since it was hard to make out what was going on a lot of the time. He knows what works, and he had to walk a fine line to keep this story on track so that twists aren’t given away too soon, the cheese is never laid on too thick and that it never takes itself too seriously. If not balanced correctly the whole effect he and Whedon were going for would have come crashing down. Thankfully he pulls it off in grand fashion.

Clever, intelligent and most of all FUN, The Cabin in the Woods is a movie no horror fan, or film fan, should miss. Every aspect of it worked for me on multiple levels and I keep going back to watch it and am surprised each time I find some awesome new detail I had previously missed. Sure it ends up going to a dark place in the end, but I’ve never been this entertained by the end of the world.

I enjoy this flick so much I’ve named it my favorite film of 2012.

5 out of 5

ParaNorman

75% of the children’s movies released nowadays are pure shit. I hate to be so blunt but when crap like Ice Age, Alvin and The Chipmunks, The Smurfs and more like it are released and make millions upon millions I have to question the taste of the younger folk, and the parents, of the current generation. They offer no redeeming values, only crude jokes and boring sight gags. But while the IQ levels of kids’ movies continue to drop, production company Laika doesn’t seem willing to pander to children. Each of their films seems to be engineered to not only teach an important life lesson to the kids, but make sure that the parents taking their young ones to see their films are entertained on a whole other level.

Norman is a child who can see the ghosts that surround us all the time. No one believes that he actually sees what he claims to see including his own family. When a local hobo tells him to read a story aloud to quell the spirit that supposedly cursed their town a century ago, he accidentally unleashes her wrath and a number of zombies that only he can stop.

The stop-motion animation here is top notch. With each film Laika releases their technique seems to improve exponentially (Coraline was their first feature). The characters move fluidly and the filmmakers are able to pull off some pretty complex camerawork as well. The lighting is also extremely moody and gives this movie a unique edge. It's truly one of the most visually stunning stop-motion animation movies I've ever seen.

The voice cast is also pretty amazing. Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In) plays the loner title character and lends him more than just his voice, but a personality. You can see why in the end he’s able to talk people into doing what they do because he gives the character his heart. However, Tucker Albrizzi, who voices Norman’s friend Neil, steals the show with his goofy performance. The rest of the cast features Jeff Garland, Anna Kendrick, Casey Affleck (I had no idea it was him until the end credits), Bernard Hill, Jodelle Ferland, Leslie Mann, John Goodman, Tempestt Bledsoe (?!) and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (had no idea it was him either), and they give their all to their characters.

The story is dark and violent and goes to places I never expected them to for a movie marketed toward kids. Coraline tread down this path as well, and was just as successful. I’m sure the younger children found the subject matter frightening in the extreme (there are some pretty freaky things going on in these films), but Laika is making these more for the early teenager crowd and not grade schoolers. However, the morale of not being judgmental toward people who may act differently than the rest of society is a lesson people of any age can learn from.

It’s also a nice coming-of-age story for the main protagonist, who defies adversity to do the right thing and earns the respect of his peers. It’s handled well through some scares and some off-kilter humor that took me by surprise.

The story takes a little while to get going, just like Coraline before it, and I’m sure it bored some of the younger audience members. I know I was getting anxious for something of note to happen for the first 20 minutes, but nothing came. Some of the characters, like John Goodman’s crazy hobo, are a little annoying and throw off the subdued nature of the film. But once the zombies begin to show up the flick takes off and never really slows down. Laika pulled out all the stops to give audiences a visual feast for the Halloween season and they do not disappoint.

I really do not want to take anything away from anyone’s first viewing of the film by going into any more detail. I knew next to nothing about this film upon renting it other than it’s reputation, and I’d like to make sure those of you who haven’t seen it yet that read this blog go into it with a blank slate as well. It may not be a perfect film, but it has balls for a movie aimed toward kids and a positive message at its core that anyone can get behind. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.

4 out of 5

Lockout

I don’t mind ridiculous movies now and then. In fact, some of my favorite films of all time are completely cheesy and insanely stupid (Flash Gordon, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Jaws 3), but then one will come along that isn’t even remotely entertaining or fun. These films are a chore to sit through, and Lockout certainly qualifies for that description.

Snow (Guy Pierce), a soldier who was jailed for a crime he did not commit, is offered his freedom if he accepts the dangerous mission of rescuing the President’s daughter, Emilie (Maggie Grace), who has been taken hostage by escaped prisoners aboard an orbital space penitentiary.

Yes, this might as well have been called Escape from Space Prison starring an overly douchey Snake Plissken, because John Carpenter’s classic action thriller was the mold the writers used when coming up with this turd. They just swapped out Kurt Russell’s stoic character with Guy Pierce’s annoyingly quippy one and put the President’s daughter in place of the actual President. Creativity is not in abundance here.

I do enjoy most of the movies that Luc Besson has written over the past decade or so (The Transporter, Kiss of the Dragon, Unleashed, District B13, Taken), but once in a while he pumps out a turkey (From Paris with Love, Colombiana, Taxi, Bandidas) and his stock with me drops a few points. He directed some of my favorite films (La Femme Nikita, Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element), so I have heightened expectations when it comes to his projects. But Lockout is inexcusable. Nothing works here. Nothing at all.

From the opening motorcycle highway chase that is cut so fast and filled with such horrendous CGI that it’s indecipherable to the big finale HALO jump that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, this flick is an absolute mess. The editing would give Michael Bay fans seizures, the dialogue is abysmal, the characters are completely unlikable (Guy Pierce’s hero especially) and the special effects are some of the worst I’ve seen since Ultraviolet. Directors James Mather and Stephen St. Leger show absolutely no comprehension in regards to their chosen craft (they co-wrote this with Besson as well) and cannot even seem to get an established actor like Guy Pierce to convincingly act like he gives a shit about anything going on around him.

Guy Pierce is a fine actor. I’ve enjoyed his performances in many films (L.A. Confidential, The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, Memento, The Count of Monte Cristo), but even the most talented thespian knows when he’s at a loss from the start and it shows here in abundance. His dialogue consists solely of sarcasm and some of the worst one-liners I’ve ever heard. He’s clearly in this movie just to cash a paycheck.

Maggie Grace isn’t the best actor, but she is attractive which is why she keeps getting cast in Besson’s films (she plays Liam Neeson’s teenage daughter in the Taken series). She actually looked like she was trying to make her character work despite that she’s playing opposite a cantankerous character like Snow. She never manages to pull it off and the plot point that she finds this person attractive baffles me in the extreme.

The main villains, played by Vincent Regan and Joseph Gilgun, are uninteresting, underwritten and worst of all… non-threatening. They come off as parodies of better bad guys like Hans Gruber and The Joker. Their scenes are laughably bad, filled with hammy acting and over-the-top deliveries (mostly in the case of Gilgun’s insanely rape obsessed character) that would make Ricardo Montalban’s Khan weep from embarrassment.

There is plenty of action, but none of it is entertaining to watch. The editing style, quality of effects and horrible cinematography (by Mather) keeps the viewer from comprehending anything they are being shown.

I will reiterate, this movie is absolute garbage. It’s painful to sit through since nothing seems to have been thought out beforehand. Did Besson and his pals think we would enjoy watching a complete ass of a main character on his quest to save a bimbo in space from some stereotypically idiotic bad guys? There is no part of this movie that I can honestly say I enjoyed, and I like some crappy movies.

My advice is to avoid this like the plague.

0 out of 5

Premium Rush

Premium Rush is at it’s core a shiny new remake of Kevin Bacon’s bicycle messenger action movie Quicksilver from the 80s. It’s filled with fun chase scenes and inventive special effects, but suffers from some horrible acting choices and a hokey ending.

Wilee (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), one of the fastest bike messengers in New York, falls into the crosshairs of corrupt cop Bobby Monday (Michael Shannon) when he is tasked with delivering an envelope containing a mysterious ticket.

As bad as some of this movie is, when it isn’t trying too hard to be about something other than an action movie it’s quite enjoyable. The chase scenes are pretty cool and feature some interesting takes on the tried and true “Bullet Time” effect made popular in The Matrix. Basically whenever Wilee comes to an intersection crammed with traffic and other hazards we see his thought processes on how to proceed without crashing. For example, if there are a number of cars stopped in the intersection along with pedestrians and construction, time will slow down and we will see his paths for multiple scenarios. One might help him avoid being hit by a car, but he will run into a woman pushing a stroller. One might be great for avoiding construction work, but he’ll slam into a speeding taxi. One will suggest that he swerve around some trucks in order to get onto the sidewalk and pass unharmed on his journey. Sure it’s a little silly that he can work all these complex details out in his head within the space of a second or two like some idiot savant on two wheels, but since it’s presented in a clever way I was willing to just roll with it and I found myself enjoying those scenes. The opening also features some nifty effects work where we see Wilee get into a nasty crash in reverse.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is turning into a jack-of-all-trades kind of actor; one who doesn’t seem to stop working or limit himself to any one specific genre. He’s been in heady science fiction films (Inception, Looper), romantic comedies ((500) Days of Summer), serious dramas (50/50, Stop-Loss), silly summer fodder (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra), intense action films (The Dark Knight Rises) and random goofiness (Women in Trouble, Electra Luxx). The thing that separates him from Nicolas Cage is that he’s been great in all of them (well, maybe not G.I. Joe). He has a natural style that apparently makes it easy for him to slip into any type of role. He’s moving up my list of favorite actors.

On the flip side we have Michael Shannon as the villain who clearly comes from the planet of Trying-Too-Hard. I know the guy is a fantastic actor (Bug, Revolutionary Road, The Runaways), but here he’s overdoing it completely and his character comes off as more annoying and ridiculous than scary or menacing. His voice is also of a higher register than you’d assume after seeing his hardened features, so when he tries to throw a death threat in the hero’s direction it sounds like he’s just been kicked in the balls and is squeaking his dialogue. Bad choices on the part of Shannon and the director.

The supporting cast is decent. Dania Ramirez does what she can with her bit part as Wilee’s on/off girlfriend, however she doesn’t seem to be able to act and ride a bike at the same time. Wolé Parks plays the main competition for her affections as a roided out douchebag who seems to be able to afford to buy items way out of his price range when you find out how little these messengers make (an Escalade… really?!). Jamie Chung turns in a sincerely heartfelt performance as the person who is responsible for all the shenanigans taking place in the story, but for some reason she cannot pull off a convincing Chinese accent at all. It’s quite distracting.

Writer/director David Koepp, who penned the screenplays for Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, Mission: Impossible and Panic Room and also directed Secret Window, Stir of Echoes and The Trigger Effect, has a great eye for action and a knack for well written characters, but he needs to get his shit together when it comes to directing actors. I’ve seen the majority of his directing projects and they all suffer from this issue. He seems to let his actors walk all over him and go overboard. I’m sure Gordon-Levitt knew better than to go bonkers since he saw Shannon doing it non-stop during production. There’s always someone in his films that goes completely over-the-top and I’m not sure if it’s a conscious choice on Koepp’s part or if he just has no backbone to tell his thespians to reel it in or not. Whatever the case may be it always knocks his films down a notch or two in my book. If he can write great characters for other director’s projects and the actors cast to play those parts turn in amazing performances it is safe to assume that it’s his direction that is at fault. It’s a shame, because the guy is talented in many respects.

His script for Premium Rush is simple and to the point. Even thought there are multiple backtracks in the story to show off the past actions of the main players it never gets boring or too complicated to follow. The ending, however, is lame in the extreme. I’m not going to ruin it if you’re still planning on seeing the film, but I’ll give a hint… if you’ve seen Hackers you’ve seen the ending of this film. After seeing attitudes of the characters in the film towards each other I didn’t once believe that what happened would ever happen. What follows this event is even dumber.

Premium Rush is an entertaining waste of 90 minutes. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not great either. It could have been an awesome flick if some of the casting was different and some of the stupidity was eliminated. I recommend it as a definite rental, but not a purchase.

3 out of 5