Celluloid #131

In Theaters


Weekend (2011) Haigh - A love story between Glenn and Russell. They meet at a club on a Thursday and go home together. After the awkward morning after, they end up spending the afternoon together as well. Glenn finally reveals that he is leaving for the U.S. (P.S. this film is British) the next day. Glenn is significantly more political while Russell is more reserved and closeted about his sexuality. There are lots of conversations about being gay, and specific issues affecting that community that somehow don't come across as preachy. I also appreciate the fairly realistic portrayal of drug use in this film. Overall an enjoyable indie romance. 4/5

In Home


Evil Dead (1981) Raimi - Five friends rent a cabin in the woods. One of the former tenants happened to be an archaeologist who reproduced some type of Book of the Dead - causing the woods to come alive with evil spirits. Cheryl essentially gets raped by some tree limbs and roots and then one by one the friends all turn into the undead, except for Ash, which isn't very consistent. Gets really gory by the end, but the special effects are ridiculously bad. 3.5/5

Friday the 13th (1980) Cunningham - This summer camp is apparently cursed. Jason was  a kid at camp who drowned while his counselors were fucking. Now his mom is out for revenge and trying to prevent the camp from opening. Hilarious to see Kevin Bacon in a small part, but I kept yelling at the "last girl" for being too much of an idiot. 3.5/5

Celluloid #130

In Theaters


Abduction (2011) Singleton - This could have been a perfectly fine thriller, but just ended up being too dumb. Taylor Lautner can't hold a movie together - he's just a dopey smile and muscles. The dialogue is really dumb and the plot gets super ridiculous (ex. declaration that there is a bomb in the oven seconds before it goes off). I was fine with the premise of a teenager discovering his picture on a "Missing Children's" website, but this delves into weird government secret spy territory. Also, the teenage romance is unwatchable. I wish she would have just gotten left somewhere. 2/5

the Room (2003) Wiseau - What to say about this cult favorite? Worst movie ever? Actually, probably not because the production value is better than I expected. However, this is certainly a great unintentional comedy about a man (Johnny - played by the director) and his fiancee who cheats on him with his best friend. The dialogue is hilariously bad, lending itself to many quotable moments. The sex scenes are also laughably bad (and one sequence is even repeated). I don't know...I feel like you should know what you are getting yourself into with this movie, but it is a "so-bad-it's- good" classic. ??/5


Take Shelter (2011) Nichols - A man keeps having nightmares and daytime hallucinations about a huge apocalyptic storm, followed by a variety of horrific events. Curtis starts expanding his backyard tornado shelter. He knows he's being irrational, but can't shake this feeling that something terrible is about to happen. His wife and young deaf daughter mean everything to him, so he feels the need to protect them  at all costs, even though they have real pressing issues. As a viewer, one gets caught up in constant tension about whether Curtis is actually losing his mind. Deliberately paced, with memorable and scary imagery. 4.5/5

In Home


Haunting (1963) Wise - A professor interested in the supernatural comes across Hill House, where stories indicate that it is haunted. He has a few people come stay at the house who have had some connection to the supernatural (ESP, poltergeists, etc). Eleanor's mother has recently died and she feels like she is finally free to live her own life. Up until this point, she feels like nothing has happened and Hill House is the thing that she has always been waiting for. Eleanor is quite sheltered and fears being left out or being alone. The house singles her out for destruction, but she still wants to stay. While not very scary, this film has held up pretty well. 4/5

Interview with the Vampire (1994) Jordan - Starting in present-day San Francisco, Louis is being questioned by a journalist about his life  - which happens to have started more than 200 years ago as a vampire. Back in 1700s Louisiana, Lestat becomes Louis' maker after he loses his wife and child. Lestat wants a companion, and Louis wants something other than his tragic life. Lestat is far more bloodthirsty than Louis, who prefers to spare humans when possible. During the Plague, Louis almost kills a girl after her mother dies, but instead Lestat turns her too. In a way, she is like a daughter to them, but even more aggressive than Lestat. I liked seeing Kirsten Dunst as a young thing, but something about this film fell fall for me. 3/5

Rabid (1977) Cronenberg - A woman who gets injured in a motorcycle crash has to undergo an experimental operation. She survives, but develops a need for blood. Her victims develop the same bloodlust. At first the community thinks there is some mutated outbreak of rabies, but in reality victims are turned through a bizarro stab inflicted through Rose's armpit. An early example of Cronenberg's penchant for body horror and a welcome twist on the typical vampire story. 4/5

Scream (1996) Craven - Casey and her boyfriend Steve are killed by a masked murdered obsessed with horror films. After their deaths, the focus is turned on Sidney, whose mother was killed just the year before. In a key scene, the rules of horror are explained (sex=death, vices=death, etc) just as Sidney is having sex with her boyfriend. In another reflexive scene, Randy is yelling "look behind you" while he's about to get stabbed himself. I hate Matthew Lillard, but I like that this film keeps you guessing. 4/5

Test Pattern #9

Breaking Bad (Season 4) - Season 4 has only solidified Breaking Bad's position as the best show on air. Walt and Jesse are locking horns again, but both afraid of Gus and the power he has over their lives. Hank is recovering from his injuries, but still able to get dangerously close to discovering the meth lab and producer. Skylar is actually pretty down with helping out with money-laundering; a welcome change from her bitchy persona of the last season. I really think this might be the best season yet. It started off with so much great tension, to the point that I was worried that it wouldn't be able to maintain that emotional height throughout the season. Basically, I was wrong...some episodes might be quieter, but it all pays off with the finale. I can't wait for next season already.

Louie (Season 2) - I don't really like stand-up, but something about Louie CK and all of his self-depreciation works for me. I enjoyed Season 1, but I think this past season was even better, and darker. Louie seems to be addressing topics that affect many working in the comedy business (aging with Joan Crawford, joke stealing with Dane Cook, selling out, etc). However, some of the highlight episodes center around surprising laughing because you are uncomfortable moments (the decapitation and the bum bath scored by classical music come to mind). Also, anything with his daughters is pretty much amazing...ONE DUCKLING!

Skins (UK) (Seasons 1-3) - I've been pretty vocal about my love of teenage drama in the past, so it was really only a matter of time before I would succumb to the lure of Skins. The first two season follow a group of 17 year-olds in Bristol. The center of the group is popular Tony. There are some virgins who need to get laid, a romance with a teacher, eating disorders, a love triangle, a stalker, a pregnancy, a death, excess drinking, and fucked up family lives all around. It's really only one step removed from a traditional soap opera, and takes some pretty ridiculous turns, but by the end of the second season, I couldn't help but feel emotional about Jal and Sid and all of their futures. Apparently Skins changes casts every two seasons to introduce a new group of friends. I'm only halfway through the "second generation" that centers around Tony's younger sister Effy. Effy is pretty, but far less charismatic than Tony. Also, this group of friends seems more unlikely than the first group and the main drama focuses on two boys fighting for Effy's affection. In addition, you have girls exploring their sexuality, twin rivalry, Asperger's, growing up sheltered with a super religious mother, a new immigrant from Congo, excessive fucking in nearly every permutation, etc.

Sopranos (Season 2-6) - It's a great show. I cried when several people died, and with the exception of one, I had seen all of those characters commit really awful crimes on-screen. It's powerful how much you get sucked into this world, and Tony's convoluted sense of how life should be lived. Edie Falco as Carmella and Michael Imperioli as Christopher are the main highlights in all of the series. Carmella can be a materialistic bitch, but she has so much inner turmoil that she is probably the most sympathetic. Christopher starts off as the go-to guy for offing enemies, but he morphs into something much more than a cold-blooded killer. The ending was frustrating for me, as I'm sure it was for most people watching it, but I appreciate that this show often defies convention both in story and format.

True Blood (Season 4) - While I would still never recommend this show to anyone, Season 4 was a serious step up from the last couple seasons. The new "supernatural" introduced this time around was all the witches, and I found them easier to go along with than maenads and even the werewolves (all though they are still around, and better in limited doses). Bill and Eric's rivalry over Sookie finally comes to an apex, and then gets really weird. Jessica and Hoyt finally split up, and Sam's brother is thankfully out of the picture. I was glad to see less Tara and more Pam. Whatever happened to that Werepanther storyline? Anyway, it's also possible that this show isn't really getting better, but rather that I am getting used to its bizarro twists and introductions.