17 October 2014
16 October 2014
Film Review - Annabelle (2014)
Horror
Distributor:
Warner Bros
Rating: 15
Release Date: 10th October 2014
Director:
John R. Leonetti
Cast:
Annabelle Wallis, Alfre Woodard, Ward Horton, Tony Amendola, Eric Ladin, Brian Howe
I love horror movies, and have over the years probably watched more than is healthy for me. With this in mind I feel I know as well as any what elements to look for in a good one - elements which are often missing from modern excursions into the macabre. Current filmmakers appear to believe for a film to be scary you simply have to throw in plenty of gore and CGI frights. What they forget is that human imagination is as effective as anything Hollywood's technical wizards can create. Before modern SFX, directors of the 1930s like James Whale and those from the 1950s and 60s such as Hammer stalwart Terrence Fisher, created cinematic chills through the art of suggestion which are still disturbing viewers today as much as eighty years later.
Amongst the torture porn and found footage trash that saturates the modern market, the occasional film which captures the atmosphere of those glory days still appears. Films which play on the emotions and natural fears, that are common to everyone and which we can all relate to - such as being alone or of the devil. Director John R. Leonetti's Annabelle (2014) is one such film.
Mia (Annabelle Wallis) and her husband John (Ward Horton) live the idyllic Californian life with their baby daughter on the outskirts of Los Angeles. However after their neighbours are gruesomely murdered by the members of a satanic cult, and they themselves are beset by a series of strange events culminating in a fire which devastates their house, they relocate to an apartment block on the other side of town. But the bizarre occurrences only intensify in their new home, seemingly related in some way to a vintage doll which John recently bought for Mia - a connection which the young couple are about to discover to their cost.
Annabelle may not win plaudits for excellence. However it is undeniably fun, with many aspects spot on in their ability to focus on the classic horror elements: 'possessed' dolls, the devil, concerned priests and the symbolic power of the Catholic church, women and children in peril and the old staple of ineffectual husband who's never there when he's needed. All these come into play in writer Gary Dauberman's clever script, which racks up the tension with some suitably creepy set pieces, until the marvellously taut finale which literally takes the central characters to the edge, and then .......
Only a talented writer or director can reference past landmarks, without their homage being ridiculed as little more than a weak reflection of past glories. Annabelle is the perfect example of Dauberman and Leonetti's skill in this, capturing the essence of classics like Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Exorcist (1973) and The Omen (1976) - as well as the devil dolls from Ealing's Dead of Night (1945) and Child's Play (1988) - yet giving the elements an imaginative twist. Though the age old battle between good and evil has been seen many times before, this duo reimagine it with such style that it all seems terrifyingly fresh and realistic.
In the end of course, those behind the camera are only as good as those in front. With this in mind the cast do not disappoint. Though all who appear turn in believable - and in the case of Tony Amendola as a sympathetic priest Father Perez, unnerving - performances, it is Wallis as Mia, the distraught mother at the story's centre, who steals the show. Her mounting desperation, culminating in sheer terror as she finds herself battling for the soul of her daughter against powers from beyond, is one of the best displays of sustained fear seen recently on the big screen.
The most memorable experiences in life are those which mine our deepest, most primal emotions. Annabelle does just that, to disturbing effect.
★★★★
Cleaver Patterson
15 October 2014
12 October 2014
10 October 2014
7 October 2014
Film Review - Like Sunday, Like Rain (2014, Raindance Film Festival)
Genre:
Music, Drama
Rating: 12A
Screening Status:
UK Premiere
UK Release Date:
TBC
Director:
Frank Whaley
Cast:
Leighton Meester, Julian Shatkin, Billy Joel Armstrong, Debra Messing
After breaking up with her boyfriend and losing her job and home, a desperate Eleanor (Leighton Meester) lies convincingly to land a job as a nanny to a gifted 13-year-old boy named Reggie (Julian Shatkin).
Eleanor is in her mid 20’s and at a loss, she doesn’t know what to do with herself and takes the nanny job as a stopgap before she figures out her next move. On first impressions Reggie is a total brat, a spoilt rich kid who isn’t in touch with reality. However as Reggie and Eleanor’s friendship develops, you see how he is able to help her overcome her break up with musician Dennis (Billy Joe Armstrong, yes the guy from Green Day) and support her, whilst she struggles to deal with her wayward family and her dying father.
Relative unknown Julian Shatkin plays the role of Reggie with remarkable maturity and intelligence for someone of his age. There is undeniably chemistry between himself and Meester, which for a 20-day shooting schedule, shows the strength of them both as actors.
Leighton Meester is rather tremendous as Eleanor and if we didn’t know it already, the role shows that she is capable of being much more than Blair Waldorf. Though still on the Upper West Side, we see a different side of her and she plays the role with true class and sincerity.
The big question that everyone will be asking is “can Billy Joe Armstrong act?” And the answer is, “yes, erm kind of”. Admittedly he is playing a broke, greasy musician type, so all he had to do was learn to act poor, but he definitely didn’t embarrass himself in the process. Apparently he was really nervous about being in the movie and kept forgetting his lines, which is kinda sweet. Debra Messing (Will and Grace) is also rather formidable as Reggie’s emotionless mother.
Despite Billy Joel’s acting, no Green Day is featured in the movie, but there is lots of music provided by Reggie’s cello and a score composed by British musician Ed Harcourt. Music also plays a large part in the bonding and discussion of Reggie and Eleanor throughout the movie.
Director/writer Frank Whaley is an actor and probably most recognizable as being Brett in Pulp Fiction, the man who gets ceremoniously killed in the infamous Ezekiel 25:17 scene, he was also in 90’s classics Field of Dreams and The Doors. This is the fourth film Whaley has directed/written in a 15 year period since 1999’s Joe The King and he is still consistently working as an actor, most recently in bit parts on TV shows Gotham and The Blacklist.
We were lucky that Whaley was at the screening and he gave a short Q&A after the film. Whaley talked about first meeting Meester, and her really connecting to the role and being very open to him about her upbringing (which has famously been reported on). It seemed that the role really spoke to Meester on a personal level and Whaley instantly wanted her for the role, even though a better-known actress was available.
Whaley also talked about how Harold and Maude was an influence in making the film, in an unlikely friendship with an age gap. And, yes we know that Meester isn’t 80, but there is a timeless quality to the film, that is reminiscent of the 70’s classic.
This is a consistently good film with a charming plot. It’s intriguing to see the friendship of Eleanor and Reggie play out, the influence they have on each other and the journey both of them take throughout the timeframe of the movie. I’m not sure what plans there are for a cinema release, however I urge you to seek it out and enjoy it.
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