As Above So Below

I have long since grown tired of the "Found Footage" horror film format. Granted, it's not as unpleasant as the torture porn trend, but is only a notch or two below it. The entire film is shaky cam, rendering entire parts of the film pretty much incomprehensible. It's supposed to make a film more visceral, but in fact takes me out of the film, making things feel even more fake. It's a shame too, because As Above So Below has an intriguing premise that is ruined by a film format that only gets in the way of creating any sort of mood or dread. 

The film opens with a young Archaeology student, Scarlett (played by Perdita Weeks), sneaking into Iran to examine some caves that are about to be demolished. She finds what she's looking for in the nick of time and escapes with a clue to the location of the Philosopher's Stone. This leads her to Paris, France, where she meets up with Benji (played by Edwin Hodge), who will be documenting this adventure, and her friend George (played by Ben Feldman). She convinces George to help her translate some key items to discern the actual location of the stone. They determine it is hidden in a secret room in a forbidden section of the Paris Catacombs. After recruiting a trio of Parisian hipsters to show them the way into that section of the Catacombs, they set off. So far, so good for me. It was playing out more like contemporary Indiana Jones or The Goonies than a hardcore horror movie. 

As they progress into the Catacombs, they encounter increasingly strange things, including a bunch of pale, creepy, chanting weirdos in a room that is bright red. This is never addressed later in the film and has no payoff whatsoever. I think it's intent was to be foreboding, but instead it was just confusing. The tension does pick up a bit as the group delves deeper and deeper into the Catacombs. Tunnels start looping back on themselves, or reappearing after they go through an opening, only to be reversed. As tunnels collapse behind and around them, they have no choice but to continue deeper and deeper into the Catacombs in order to try and find a way out. 

It's from here that things get progressively stranger and creepier, although not to anyone who has seen the trailers. It's not much of a spoiler to say that things that caused inner turmoil for the characters start materializing in front of them when it's spoiled in every trailer for the film. It's a shame too, because if you're not expecting it, these would have been some of the creepiest moments in the film. Instead, it falls flat because we've seen it all already. 

In the end, As Above So Below, is moderately entertaining with an intriguing plot that was ruined by both a tired concept and an ill-conceived marketing plan. The main characters are likable enough to make the film enjoyable, but what it lacked was a consistent feeling of dread or foreboding to make the film effective as a horror film. The first half of the film worked much better for me than the second. The first half had mystery and a sense of adventure. The second half descended into a half baked paranormal horror flick that created more confusion than tension, made all the worse by shaky camera work that makes things pretty much incomprehensible at times, with an ending leaving the audience perplexed and unsatisfied. It had an intriguing premise that was poorly executed, which is a shame.  

Revisting Dead Poets Society

When I was looking thorough my extensive collection of Blu-Rays and DVDs, trying to figure out which films I wanted to revisit as a tribute of sorts to the immeasurable and sudden loss of Robin Williams, I knew this one would be first. It was clear to me because the first thought that came in to my head when I found out he had died, well the one immediately following "Oh God, please no!", was "Oh Captain, my Captain," the common refrain from this film adopted from a Walt Whitman poem. This was a film that I get the feeling an entire generation of kids took to heart, seeing it mentioned time and time again in remembrances of Mr. Williams. I knew that watching this one was going to wreck me even more than usual and I was right, but it needed to be let out anyway, so I powered through. I should say this writing is going to be filled with spoilers, so if you have somehow not seen this fantastic piece of cinema yet, please go watch it and come back. We'll wait. 

Now then, where do I start? I'll do a brief recap. The film centers on a group of teenage boys who attend an exclusive New England Prep School and the impact their influential and inspiring teacher John Keating (played by Robin Williams, in one of his most memorable performances) has on them. He teaches the boys in unorthodox ways, in the views of their rigid, uptight private school standards anyway. He exclaims, "Carpe Diem! Seize the day," something they take to heart. He has them rip out an obnoxious introduction in their text book that reduces judging poetry to a simple math formula, and rightly so if you ask me. He encourages the boys to think for themselves and develop their own opinions. He has them each stand on his desk in an attempt to gain a new perspective on the world.  One student in particular that is effected by these teachings is the new student to the school, Todd (played by Ethan Hawke). He starts out the year introverted and unsure of himself. Slowly but surely, Keating encourages him to come out of his shell and express himself.


A group of these students are so taken with this message, find out that not only did Keating go to the school, but was a member of a club called "The Dead Poets Society." Inspired, they start the club up again, having meetings in a cave outside school grounds. One student in particular, Neil (played by Robert Sean Leonard) in particular takes this to heart and starts actively defying his stern father (played by Kurtwood Smith) who is determined his son is going to be a doctor and forbids his son from participating in extra-curricular activities and focus on his studies. Despite this, Neil tries out for the school play, "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and manages to land the role of Puck. He forges a note of permission from his father rather than ask him his permission, which in the end only makes things worse. His father finds out and pulls him out of school after the play's opening night, blaming his son's misbehavior on Keating's influence. He takes Neil home and informs him he's enrolling him in a Military school no ifs, ands, or buts about it. That night, in a fit of despair, Neil kills himself. It's a devastating moment that has immediate consequences throughout the remainder of the film. 

The final act of the film has the remaining students in the class essentially forced into signing a document stating that Keating's teachings were unorthodox and responsible for Neil's actions. Keating is fired and ordered to leave school grounds. He arrives to collect his things during class. Todd is there, visibly distraught that the best teacher he's probably ever had is being forced to leave, along with the guilt he feels with giving in to signing the document. He confesses as much to Keating, but is reprimanded to sit down and be quiet. Keating is ordered to leave the classroom. Before he leaves, Todd summons the courage to stand up on his desk, crying out "Oh captain, my captain." Several other students are inspired to follow suit. Moved, Keating thanks the boys and leaves. I've seen the film a few dozen times and it's a scene that has never failed to make me tear up. 

I'm not sure I quite grasped the impact this film had until Robin Williams passing. As I looked through the various posts, this was one of the most frequently referenced, along with Aladdin. As both came out within a few years of one another (Dead Poets Society was released in 1989, Aladdin in 1992), they clearly both had a significant impact on my generation. Even Jimmy Fallon, when paying tribute on the Tonight Show, stood on his desk, proclaiming "Oh Captain, my Captain." It's clear that the film's themes of living life to it's fullest, seizing the day and thinking for one's self made the mark they should have and a lot of people took them to heart. While Robin Williams made several significant films, many of which I love and intend to revisit as well, this one will always be my absolute favorite. Oh Captain, my Captain, indeed.

Need for Speed

By no means is Need For Speed anything that would be mistaken for high art, but if you go into it with the right expectations it can be a lot of fun. If you go in expecting a lot of high octane, crazy stunts pulled off by equally insane characters and a plot that is designed to hang said stunts on, it's a blast. If you're expecting anything deeper than that, you're setting yourself up for disappointment. The film is an adaptation of the EA games series and is for the most part a successful transition, pulled off with mainly practical effects, a refreshing change from the CGI overkill we are usually exposed to. 

The film centers on Tobey Marshall (played by Aaron Paul), who is released from a two year prison sentence seeking revenge on wealthy ex-partner Dino Brewster (played by Dominic Cooper) who is responsible for the death of their mutual friend, Pete (played by Harrison Gilbertson) and set up Tobey for the crime by fleeing the scene. After he gets out, Tobey gets his crew together to head across country to a major street race he knows Dino will be at. His crew includes Finn (played by Rami Malek) and Joe (played by Ramon Rodriguez) tailing him in truck outfitted with all kinds of tools as well as the ability to fuel cars while they're still driving (which is demonstrated in a fairly hair-raising stunt piece) as well as Benny keeping an eye out from the sky in his Cessna plane. For his cross country journey, Tobey borrows a silver Mustang from a friend, but it comes with a hitch in Julia Maddon (played by Imogen Poots), who is to go along on the journey to ensure the car is returned once the adventure is over. 

The middle portion of the film, as the gang is going cross country, attracting attention of law enforcement and then trying to dodge them as well reminded me a lot of the 1978 car stunt classic Smokey and the Bandit, and the movie seems aware of this too, especially in the interplay between Paul and Poots in the Mustang. I love that movie and because of that, I probably enjoyed this more than some others might. Among the highlights in this section is a lengthy chase through downtown Detroit between Tobey and the Detroit PD and a scene in Monument Valley with the Mustang dangling from a large helicopter. Is this realistic? No, probably not. Is it spectacular? Yes, very much so. If you can appreciate such ridiculous stunts in a movie, you're going to have fun with this. If not, this may not be for you.

Of course, the film ends with the climactic race and showdown between Tobey and Dino. This really isn't a spoiler since we all knew it was going to end up like this. The film throws in a few little curve balls to make things more difficult for Tobey and company, between Law Enforcement and Dino's goons. But we know all too well where this film will wind up. The most surprising thing about it is while this film is similar to the Fast and the Furious films, it never feels like it's full on ripping them off. At least not to me. Yes, both films take place in the world of underground street racing, but that's where the similarities really both begin and end for me, aside from having some similar plot elements to the fourth film Fast and Furious, where an argument could be made, perhaps. But even the execution is way different between the two films. 

Overall, I would say Need For Speed is a fun time if you're looking for some fun over the top action. If you can go in expecting to see some cool car stunts populated with some colorful characters I think you'll get your money's worth. It's not deep, but it's fun and you know what, I don't see anything wrong with that. 

Boyhood

 

I've long been a fan of Richard Linklater's films ever since I first saw Dazed and Confused way back when. It grew even more when I saw Before Sunrise and that film's two subsequent follow-ups (which I blogged about earlier this year). However, I think Boyhood may be his crowning achievement. The film was shot over the course of 12 years with the same principal actors throughout. It was a gamble that paid off magnificently, resulting in a very special film that traces one boy's life from age 6 to age eighteen.

 

The film traces a young boy named Mason (played by Ellar Coltrane) who lives with his sister Samantha (played by Lorelai Linklater) and his mother (played wonderfully by Patricia Arquette.) His parents are divorced and his father (played by Ethan Hawke) is an infrequent fixture in his life as the film begins, although he is around more as the film goes on. The film moves from one major life event to another. His mom moves him and his sister to Houston so she can go back to school. She winds up marrying one of her professors (played by Marco Perella) and they move again. The professor descends into alcoholism and becomes abusive so they move yet again. The film goes on like this as we trace the adolescence of Mason as he grows up right before our eyes.

The performances in the film are impeccable, especially by the four leads. Patricia Arquette is amazing as the mother, turning in her best performance. Her character has to be a rock for her kids through all the dysfunctional ups and downs of their life and perfectly portrays someone trying to be an adult, but is just as confused and lost as everyone else. The real stand-out though is Ellar Coltrane, who is fantastic from the first scene as Mason at the tender age of seven when he started shooting the film. There isn't a single false note in his performance and it's incredible for someone so young.

 

The film itself is very honest about life and contains a great deal of wisdom. There were countless moment in the film that I recognized, that were accurately captured. The struggles in school, your first party, your first break-up, your parents getting remarried. It never shies away from the difficulties in life and I love that. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of funny scenes to balance it out as well. There were also the cultural touchstones that I remembered, playing Oregon Trail at school (although they were playing a newer version than I ever did), the Harry Potter books midnight release parties. You can even trace the years through the changing technology, from the Technicolor iMac computers to the various types of cellphones and iPods that the characters have at different times.

 

Richard Linklater, who both wrote and directed the film, has created a film that I think will stand the test of time. Yes, some of the surrounding aspects will age over time as happens with all films but I feel it will stand with other films that strive to capture a sort of spiritual truth. My one little criticism is not even directed towards the film but towards the MPAA, revisiting my argument at the end of my Stand by Me post. The film is rated R, mainly for language because of their ridiculous, arbitrary rules. Like I mentioned with Stand by Me, this is a fantastic film that should be seen by teenagers. I think they would relate to a lot of the things portrayed in this film and it would be one they would relate to. I know a lot of the theaters showing the film are not enforcing the R rating and I applaud that. Boyhood is a fantastic film that is likely to be the best film I see in 2014. I said it, I'm calling it now. Best film of 2014.

National Lampoon's European Vacation

"I think Dad's lost all sense of reality."

 

After the box office hit that was National Lampoon's Vacation, it was only natural that we would get a sequel. And where better to send the Griswolds than overseas, which brings us to National Lampoon's European Vacation. This one has a reputation for not being as good as the original and while I admit it's not as iconic as the original film, it still has enough hearty laughs in it to be a worthwhile time.

This time around, The Griswolds win an all expenses paid trip to Europe on a game show by accidently giving the correct answer. Soon enough, Clark and Ellen (played again by Chevy Chase and Beverly D'Angelo) are off to Europe with their two kids, Rusty and Audrey (played this time around by Jason Lively and Dana Hill) in tow. Starting in London, the family has such cultural adjustments to make such as dealing with driving on the left side of the road and roundabouts. This leads to, among other things, an amusing run in with Eric Idle, after Clark hits him while he's riding bike. He's clearly very hurt, but shrugs it off as if it's nothing, slyly mocking the overly polite British stereotype (he even references the infamous, "It's just a flesh wound!" line from his Monty Python days). The kids on the other hand are having trouble dealing with being in a country that only has three channels (Rusty panics when he finds out there's no MTV) and Audrey bemoans being away from her boyfriend, Jack (played by William Zabka).   

After a quick (and unfortunate) stop at Stonehenge, the family continues on to Paris, with such amusing moments as the kids being faced with having to make their way through the entire Louvre in 15 minutes before it closes, to which Audrey faints at the prospect ("Are you happy now, Dad? She's dead!"). From there, the family moves on to Germany (which ends with them being chased out of the country by villagers with pitchforks), and then on to Rome.

There are moments in this movie that really struck a cord with me as very familiar. One example is the scene where the Griswolds are walking by Notre Dame in Paris. Clark and Ellen are ahead of the kids, enjoying the sights while Rusty and Audrey are fighting over the Walkman. I laugh at this scene every time because I've had that exact fight with brother, with my parents not caring. 

Unfortunately, there are also elements in this movie that never quite worked for me, such as Clark taking Ellen to a topless burlesque show in Paris. Yes, he flirted with Christie Brinkley in the first film and everything, but him cheering them on and asking for encores always rubbed me the wrong way somehow and was never particularly funny to me. There's a similar scene in the Germany section of the film where Rusty hooks up with a girl and as soon as their alone, she immediately takes her top off. It's just another example of a bizarre sense of sexism in parts of this movie, made all the more odd since it was directed by a woman, Amy Heckerling. To be fair, this installment in the series also has my favorite Audrey, played by the late Dana Hill. While her character does spend a fair amount of time pining for Jack, she also does a bit of growing over the course of the film especially when she finds out Jack has been cheating on her. It's a more well rounded performance than the other actresses gave in the other films, and helps balance out some of the more sexist moments listed above.  

While National Lampoon's European Vacation doesn't rank with the first one or even the third one, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, it does make for a reasonably amusing time, with enough good laughs to make it a worthwhile sequel. I don't think it deserves it's reputation as a bad movie and while it has some elements that have not aged well, that could be owed to the time it was made (1985).

National Lampoon's Vacation

"Hey, hey, easy kids. Everybody in the car. Boat leaves in two minutes... or perhaps you don't want to see the second largest ball of twine on the face of the earth, which is only four short hours away?" 

One of my all time favorite films has always been National Lampoon's Vacation. I've always joked my Dad was Clark Griswold (memorably played by Chevy Chase) and on his better days he really was. So naturally, I could always relate to these films and the son, Rusty (played here by Anthony Michael Hall).

For those who, after 31 years, still haven't seen this movie, the film tells the story of a wild road trip taken by all American family the Griswolds. In addition to father Clark and son Rusty, there is the mother, Ellen (played by Beverly D'Angelo) and daughter Audrey (played by Dana Barron). They travel from Illinois to Los Angeles to visit the amusement park Walley World (basically Disney World). What they encounter is one disaster after another, including having an obnoxious Aunt Edna (played by Imogene Coca) hoisted on them along with her hostile dog, Dinky, losing their money and accidently launching the car rather spectacularly off the road.

Of course, the family continues to press on despite each road block, determined to reach the finish line in their quest for fun, even if poor, hapless Clark loses his mind in the process. The thing is, so much of this film is just an exaggerated version of what real road trips can be like, just turned up to eleven. There wasn't a single moment in this film I couldn't relate to except maybe Christie Brinkley showing up in a red Ferrari, as she does several times in the film, driving alongside the Griswolds and flirting with Clark (the rest of the family is always asleep or otherwise distracted). Anyway, I have yet to have something like that happen to me, but that's ok.  

It really is Chevy Chase that owns this film, never afraid to play what a total doofus Clark Griswold can be, but at the same time make him completely lovable. Chase has always been charming and witty in film roles and a bit of a smooth operator. Clark is the complete opposite of everything he had played in films up to this point. Clark so desperately wants to be Father of the year, but his efforts bring nothing but disaster and it's hysterical. Then, towards the end he reaches the end of his rope and gives what would become a series staple: a profane rallying cry, in this case telling his family they're not giving up and no matter what they will make it to the amusement park and they will have fun.

It's also amazing how edgy this film is, even today 30 years later. From scenes of the kids learning about porn, masturbation and pot from their cousins to the scene where the family gets lost in a bad neighborhood in St. Louis that skirts some questionable racial stereotypes, among others that I don't want to ruin for people who haven't seen the film yet. It definitely still deserves it's R rating. 

Nonetheless, National Lampoon's Vacation remains one of my favorite comedies and is no doubt one for many others. The film spawned three sequels, National Lampoon's European Vacation, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, and Vegas Vacation. There's also set to be a fifth film, focusing on an adult Rusty taking his family on their own road trip. I'll admit it, I'm looking forward to it.

Stand By Me

"Do you guys wanna go see a dead body?"

When I started writing about movies I loved as a kid, I knew I'd have to tackle Stand By Me sooner or later. I first saw this movie when I was roughly the same age as the boys in the movie and for me, that was the perfect time to see it. Even though the film takes place in the 50's, the themes of growing up are truly timeless. It's been a favorite ever since. Very few films have left as indelible a mark as this one. 

The film is told largely in flashback focusing on a group of four friends, Chris Chambers (played by River Phoenix), Gordie Lachance (played by Wil Wheaton), Teddy Duchamp (played by Corey Feldman), and Vern Tessio (played by Jerry O'Connell). One day while they're hanging out in their treehouse, Vern asks them if they want to go see a dead body. Turns out Vern overheard his older brother Billy (played by Casey Siemaskzo) talking to one of his friends, Charlie Hogan (played by Gary Riley), about finding the body of a missing local boy. The two decide not to do anything about it, so Vern and his friends decide to go find it and claim the glory and reward for themselves. 

Of course, Billy and Charlie crack in record time, confessing to gang leader Ace Merrill (played by Kiefer Sutherland) about the dead body. Wanting the reward money for themselves, they set off to retrieve the body themselves. Ace and his gang are a bunch of thugs and bullies who participate in such pastimes as Mailbox Baseball, which is exactly what it sounds like. A confrontation between Ace's group and the four boys is inevitable.

The bulk of the film focuses on the journey of the four boys as they progress towards their destination, which proves to be both more physical and emotionally arduous than they anticipated. Teddy is taunted by a junkyard owner over his mentally ill father that Teddy idolizes despite the fact that his father held his ear to a hot stove. Gordie works through his grief and survivor's guilt over the death of his brother Denny (played in flashbacks by John Cusack). Chris is struggling with being seen only as a thug like his brother and never being given a chance. And Vern, well he's largely the comic relief but he does have a moment when he has to face his fears and outrun an oncoming train across a train trestle. The power of these scenes are how the other friends pick each other up and support each other. This is especially clear in the relationship between Chris and Gordie, how they support each other push each other to do better. 

Narrating the film is adult Gordie, played by Richard Dreyfuss. He provides a great tone to the film, bringing just the right weight to the events and injects some humorous asides as well. There is also an extended cutaway to a story aspiring writer Gordie tells his friends around the campfire that somehow works, largely because it's largely Gordie narrating the action. 

The film is punctuated with a bunch of golden oldies, with artists such as Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Chordettes and of course Ben E King's title track. It's a perfect mix of songs and the soundtrack was in fact the first CD I ever bought.

The one big injustice with this film is the fact that it's rated R. The only thing that could possibly be objectionable is the language, which isn't even that frequent and such an argument is ridiculous anyway because I can confirm first hand when they're alone, that's exactly how thirteen year old boys talk. This film is perfect viewing for boys of a similar age and I think it would be a deep and meaningful experience for them as it was for me, despite what the MPAA thinks. It should've been PG-13, end of story. 

Stand By Me is a masterfully told film with a lot heart and truth by director Rob Reiner and screenwriters Bruce Evans and Raynold Gideon. It's based on a novella, "The Body," written by Stephen King and appeared in the book "Different Seasons," which also included novellas that became the basis for The Shawshank Redemption and Apt Pupil. Stand By Me was the first of the group to be adapted and for me, 28 years after it's initial release, still reigns as the best. The film is fantastic beginning to end and is highly, highly recommended.