Dive Deep (Aquaman, 2018)

Sure, you know Aquaman can swim fast, talk to fish and punch hard. But what do you really know?

This holiday season, we have the full story of the savior of the seas. Born of a lighthouse keeper from the surface world and the Princess of Atlantis, Arthur Curry has long dealt with the heartbreak of the death of his mother, believing it really to be his fault.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!! when his half brother Orm sets his sites on uniting the kingdoms of Atlantis and destroying the surface world, the princess Mera seeks the aid of Arthur, who has avoided his Atlantean heritage.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!! See, there is a magical trident that Aquaman will need to defeat his half brother, so he and Mera go on a big time treasure hunt.

BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!!! There is a guy called Black Manta who wants revenge on Arthur!

BUT THA- Oh, you get the idea. They have packed a ton of stuff into this film, making it a bit of a mess. It is such a busy film full of story ideas it can make you wonder if any of those stories could have better room to breath in their own film. However, one gets the sense that they had multiple assignments with this film. They had to fill in the back story not just of Arthur, but of Mera, Orm, Atlantis and a magical trident.

And yet, the film is a lot of fun. The whole little side story in which Arthur and Mera are trying to find the trident National Treasure style is fun excitement. And the film sets up a simple but good message for Aquaman to learn. The effects are really good, which is important, because the entire sense of design depends on it.

The real highlight of the film is Atlantis. It is a lush and colorful undersea kingdom. The use of undersea life in the designs of their vehicles and architecture is wondrous. This is DC film embraces the whimsy of it’s conceit to give a unique corner of the DCEU. There is also a real attention to small detail in all the underwater sequences that make is easy to forget people don’t breath or talk underwater. We get Aquaman in his traditional outfit and you know what? It looks great.

But it is not just the design and effects that the film has going for it. Now, Mamoa has limited acting range…but the filmmakers have filled the movie with a cast that keeps this from being an issue. He can do his brash and confident guy thing, because he is supported by top notch talent like Temuera Morrison, Nicole Kidman and Patrick Wilson. Wilson really carries a lot in the relationship between Orm and Arthur. He somehow manages to give a heart to a megalomaniacal maniac king. His hatred of Arthur is in a misguided blame for the loss of their mother, and Wilson sells this well.

And then there is James Wan. Wan is without a doubt one of the strongest directors in action films today. Even his giant action scenes are easy to follow. He balances sequences with multiple simultaneous leads exceptionally well (such as when Arthur and Mera become separated and have their own individual fights).

Aquaman manages to overcome a lot of odds, being far more entertaining than the elements ought to allow. So, in spite of a busy storyline, Aquaman is a rollicking fun adventure.

December 24, 2018 0

Haunted People Chapter 3 (Insidious Chapter 3, 2015)

James Wan has seen himself become increasingly in demand. His regular collaborator is Leigh Whannell (who plays Specs in the series). Whannell is the writer behind Wan’s Saw and the previous two Insidious films. Adding the duty of first time director can be a risky proposition, though certainly not a new situation in horror franchises. Elise has proven a pretty popular character, and seeing as she met her demise in the first film, the creators kind of painted themselves in a corner.

The solution, of course, is to set this film in a time before Elise came back to help Dalton and his parents. Set between her first meeting with Josh and the first film, Elise is now “retired”.

But a young woman asks for her help. Quinn states she has tried contacting her dead mother. Elise relents a little, trying to reach out, but when she realizes it is not Quinn’s mother, she is quick to end things. But nothing has ended for Quinn. After getting hit by a car, Quinn is stuck at home with her father and brother. There is a growing dark threat in the house, and finally, after having exhausted his skepticism, her father Sean pleads with Elise to help free his daughter from this threat.

While there are some borderline silly moments (Elise has some action hero moments while in the spirit realm) the film stays pretty close to it’s predecessors. Visually, the spirits are every bit as unnerving and creepy. The makeup and use of shadows shows Whannell to have learned a lot from his close work with Wan over the years. The sound design is not quite as top notch as the prior two entries, but it is strong enough to keep the film’s identity as part of this franchise.

What we get with Chapter 3 is a well told scary story, built within the existing world of the Insidious films that feels very much a part of that world, allowing for a series that remains cohesive and largely enjoyable.

October 31, 2017 0

Haunted People Chapter 2 (Insidious Chapter 2, 2013)

In the first film, it was established that part of what made young Dalton such an easy target was that his father had a similar experience with the same spirit as a boy. Opening in the first film’s tragic aftermath, Insidious Chapter 2 jumps back to that story.

Younger Elise is helping Lorraine save her young son Josh from a frightening spiritual attack. Here we are introduced to an associate of Elise’s named Carl. When the film picks back up in the present, Carl comes in to try and help the family finish what was started in the first film and save Josh.

The film gives us more background into the old woman (who turns out to not be a woman, but a serial killer who killed at the behest of his mother). The ghosts and spirits are as visually striking as in the first film. The same year he released this film, he released the Conjuring. Wan really knows what he is doing with his modernized ghost stories. I really enjoy his sense of style and his commitment to the realities of his haunted cinematic worlds. And again, the sound design is every bit as powerful in Chapter 2 as it was in the first film.

Chapter 2 flows pretty organically from the original film, avoiding a feel of being a tacked on sequel. Wan is a solidly dependable horror creator, giving real life to a genre of horror that was somewhat stale.

October 31, 2017 0

Haunted People Chapter One (Insidious, 2010)

Director James Wan made his name in horror with Saw, which launched a thousand torture themed horror films, though often made by less skilled people. But in 2009, Wan found himself creating a more unique form of horror. He accomplished this be exploring an older school of fright, the supernatural thriller.

Insidious tells the story of a young family, headed by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne. Rose’s Renai is staying home with their young baby and she is the first to notice strange occurrences. But they start to get more frightening, to the point of seeing things and hearing aggressive and angry voices. Josh (Wilson) is struggling at work, and coming home late, all the while thinking his wife is just unnerved by the new house. But when their son Dalton falls into a coma, things get more desperate. Josh’s mother steps in to help the couple, but she quickly comes to believe Renai. They call in help from an old friend of the mothers, Elise. Elise is a known psychic and has a paranormal support team.

It is revealed that the house is not haunted, rather Dalton is. Dalton is able to astrally project himself. Elise explains he has been likely able to do this so long, that it never scared him. However, it leaves his physical body available and other spirits are trying to get back to his body by keeping Dalton from returning.

The film is visually striking, with a beautiful combination of old school gothic horror and modern scary monsters. The primary two spirits attacking Dalton are an old woman with a long black dress and veil and an old school gargoyle type of demon who looks truly ghoulish.

Along with the visual designs of the ghosts and demons, the real star of the film is the sound design. Much like Hitchcock, Wan gets how important timing of stings and the volume of your surroundings can play in frights. The use of sound is near perfect in this film, with noises that can be emotionally unnerving.

The film has a good cast. Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson provide some good humor to lighten the intense atmosphere, but not at the expense of seeming competent. Wilson and Byrne are very sympathetic as the couple. The standout is Lin Shaye. She has a warmth and kindness, but also a strength. This is one of her best roles (and no surprise they keep bringing her back to the films).

Insidious is a solidly made modern horror film that pays homage to classic horror and ghost stories.

October 30, 2017 0

Home Repairs (The Conjuring, 2013)

Ed and Lorraine Warren are semi-famous paranormal investigators. They are devout Catholics and very serious about their work. But they were most prominent in the 70’s and 80’s. Ed actually passed away in 2006, but his wife has carried on their work. They were one of many investigators of the home of Amityville Horror fame. James Wan thought their work would make for an interesting horror film.

The Conjuring is based on the case of the Perron Family. They moved into a home in Rhode Island, only to find themselves facing something very dark. The Warrens come in to investigate and discover the family is being tormented by a demonic force, specifically the spirit of a long dead witch. Lorraine has visions of the dead, while Ed and his crew of investigators observe the house.

The Conjuring is very moody and stylized. You feel compassion for this family in the grips of true horror. The Warrens are kind and gentle with the family, but firm with the spirits of the house. Of course, the film versions of Ed and Lorraine are a bit more glamorous, played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. And frankly, they seem a little less…unhinged, than the real Ed and Lorraine do in some of the video footage I have seen.

The atmosphere is truly creepy, with many scares throughout the film. But the reason it is so effective in it’s tension is how engaging all the performers are. Wan has produced a solid thriller with the Conjuring. It is interesting to see Wan move from the gore soaked slasher territory of Saw to the more spiritual based (and largely traditional) approach to horror. While the visuals are modern, they manage to evoke the old school haunted house horror films of a bygone era.

October 26, 2017 0

This House Is Not Cleansed (The Conjuring 2, 2016)

2013’s the Conjuring was not the first attempt to bring Ed and Lorraine Warren’s adventures to the screen. Catholic ghost hunters and demonologists, Ed was a former cop and Lorraine proclaims to be clairvoyant. Their work began in the early 50s and by the time Ed Warren passed in 2006, they claimed to have investigated over 10,000 cases. the 1991 TV movie the Haunted was based on one case, as was the 2009 Haunting in Connecticut. James Wan brought us 2013’s the Conjuring. An unnerving and powerful thriller following the Warrens as they try and help a family be free of a demonic presence.

It was a surprise hit, and I suspect part of the surprise is that people did not expect it to be both engaging and hopeful. Wan made his name with the first Saw. Saw was a rather bleak film, where people were forced to endure torture to survive and gain a better appreciation of life. While the message was “don’t squander the gift of life”, the series proceeded to fight that very message after Wan moved on. The Conjuring introduced us to Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), a dedicated Christian couple determine to save the Perron family from the demonic.

The Conjuring 2 looks at a couple cases that made the Warrens famous in the 70’s. It begins with their investigation of the house at the center of the Amityville Horror. Their experience while investigating (in which Lorraine wanders the step through the eyes of Ronnie Defeo, Jr, who murdered his family) causes Lorraine to question if maybe they have knocked on the doors of hell once to often, are they pressing their luck? She asks Ed about stopping. Ed is more hesitant, not because he does not love or respect Lorraine, but he is still certain she has her visions for a reason.

Meanwhile, we are also following the Hodgsen family in Enfield North London. Peggy’s husband has walked out, leaving her to care for their four children. 11 year old Janet starts to hear a voice, but then it progress, she awakens in other parts of the house. There is pounding on the walls, things start to move, and most frighteningly, the spirit seems to have started to speak through young Janet. The Warrens are brought in by the Catholic Church to determine of this is a hoax, or a true case of demonic activity.

Unlike many horror entries, the Conjuring Films are not about waiting for people to avoid death. Instead, they focus on the hope and faith of the Warrens to help the families. They want to bring safety and redemption to the Hodgsen family. They find that young Janet is desperate to be believed. She has been abandoned by friends, cut off from her sibling by the time they have arrived. Both Ed and Lorraine connect with Janet by telling her how hard it was when they first saw spirits. One of the first things Ed calls for is bringing the family together (the other kids were not staying in the house with Janet and her mother). Ed buys Elvis records for the kids, because it was something they all loved to listened to before their dad left. When the record player does not work, they all sit in the living room and Ed leads them in a round of of I Can’t Helping Falling in Love…when the children and their mother join in singing, the song becomes more than a simple love song. It becomes a song of dedication to each other. To stand together.

It ends up being greater terror than they could have anticipated, but the Warrens cannot turn away from this family, even when it appears that, just maybe, they are being taken.

Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are engaging as the Warrens. The chemistry is there, and their love and compassion for others pours from the performances. I do not know if the film versions of the Warrens are accurate to the real life Warrens, but I tell you this, I really like the Warrens in these films. But they are not the only performances of note. Madison Wolf is compelling and heartbreaking. Her fear makes you want to do whatever you can to protect this kind hearted child from whatever evil is attacking her. Simon McBurney’s Maurice Grosse starts out seeming like your typical researcher excited by the potential for himself. But you find he is genuinely concerned for Janet and has very personal reasons for wanting to prove the existence of an afterlife.

Wan, along with screen writers Carey and Chad Hayes, have given us a story where everyone is likeable. You do not have characters that you want to see get their comeuppance, because there is not need for that. This is the battle of good versus evil on a higher reality.

Wan shows himself a master at thrills , building tension and delivering startled jumps. People will often complain about Jump Scares, but that is really more because they are often used cheaply. Wan delivers on the promises. Few things are as creepy as a child’s toy playing on it’s own. And there is a sequence that uses that very effectively. Outside of two moments where the Crooked Man is an obvious computer generation, the spirits are creepy and unnerving, providing powerful menace.

Wan and his crew have given us a second very effective story. It is chilling, yet full of hope and even love. The Warrens are a charming couple, the family sympathetic. Good horror is hard to do, good uplifting horror can be near impossible. But the Conjuring 2 pulls it off.

June 13, 2016 0