2000's, Cary Elwes, Danny Glover, Horror, James Wan, Ken Leung, Leigh Whannell, Michael Emerson, Monica Potter, Saw, Shawnee Smith, Tobin Bell
A horror movie that gave rise to a series of increasingly brutal follow ups, Saw was the benchmark of pushing the envelope yet retaining a story. Shot on a small budget and completed on a quick schedule, director James Wan and writer/ actor Leigh Whannell created a film that was grisly yet very well executed and with more psychological underpinnings than what followed.
Two strangers, prominent surgeon Dr. Lawrence Gordon(Cary Elwes) and photographer Adam(Leigh Whannell) wake up in an underground bathroom. They are both chained to pipes and between them is a bloodied corpse holding a cassette player and a revolver. Both men seem to have no recollection of how they arrived in this dank, disused place. Soon discovering that the room is filled with clues and objects that may be useful, the two men use the cassette player to listen to the messages left. A gargled voice explains that Lawrence's wife Allison(Monica Potter)and daughter Diana have been kidnapped and will be killed if Lawrence doesn't kill Adam by a certain time. Adam is urged to escape, though it seems the only way to do that is to saw off his foot and crawl to hopeful safety. Soon memories start coming back to Lawrence who realises something awful about their predicament. Him and Adam are part of an elaborate and disturbing game set up by The Jigsaw Killer(Tobin Bell). He is a man who puts people who don't appreciate life in horrifying situations involving torture to see how much they want to survive. As time keeps ticking by, we also witness a former detective named David Tapp(Danny Glover) who had previously runs in with Jigsaw, becoming dangerously obsessed with finding him. Both scenarios promise much in the way of horror and brutality for everyone involved with a killer twist.
Debuting director James Wan made a splash with Saw and its clear to see why. Wan possesses a keen sense of what unnerves the audience and a hold over a gloomy sense of style. Setting the film largely in one location was a great idea that paid off, with the flashbacks setting the scene even further for us in a gradual fashion. The cold, washed out colour pallet adds to the grimness of Saw; bathing events in an uneasy hue that makes your eyes almost readjust to the bleakness. Certain comparisons can be drawn to Seven, and that's quite a movie to take influence from. Saw however does it well and has its own twisted agenda going for it, so it is far from a copycat of the masterful aforementioned movie. Though later films would up the gore to excruciating levels, Saw itself is a bit more tame. There is definite gore and much unpleasant imagery to behold( like one unfortunate victim of Jigsaw in a maze of barbed wire), but it's often shown briefly or in ways that don't display everything. Take for instance when we see a victim of Jigsaw with a reverse bear trap strapped to her head. Instructed by the madman to retrieve the key to release her from sudden death, she must brutally kill a sedated man and find the object in his stomach. It would have been easy to make it a full on bloodbath, but Wan chooses to speed up footage and only display various parts do that our imagination does the rest of the work and makes us picture the horror. It's one of many scenes where you see bits of the gore but it's largely left up to us to visualise what is happening in the story in that particular grisly.
Once the film opens up in narrative terms, it feels more expansive and puzzling with the history of characters explored after what seemed like such a straightforward premise. Granted the set up is simple but effective, but Wan and Whannell are clearly interested in playing with the formula as well as injecting some pertinent questions on the nature of morality and desperation. Saw isn't without its flaws( sometimes the script shows that it's from a novice and a few times things can move too quickly to focus), yet this shouldn't detract from a creepy as well as horrifying film that knows how to get under your skin. It's hard to forget the clown like puppet that acts as the terrifying mouthpiece for Jigsaw, uttering the now infamous line " I want to play a game". This moment and visual has become synonymous with the film and rightfully so as it's chilling. One of the best elements in Saw is the score from Charlie Clouser. It has an industrial influence that hums away with an electronic pulse that underscores the mounting terror of the film.
Cary Elwes and Leigh Whannell head the movie as the imprisoned men. Elwes is all trying to remain calm under pressure with a seemingly sensible and arrogantly strait-laced head before really cracking up, while Whannell in an early acting role is the more showy and in your face, never seen that still for long. Occasionally both actors go a little overboard( especially Whannell in a few stretches), but what still remains is good acting as we buy into the shared terror between them that can't be denied. Sure no Oscars are coming their way for this, but they are acceptably good in their given parts and sell a lot of the horror we witness. They must be commended for holding our attention as the people who are basically on screen the most from start to finish.
Danny Glover is suitably intense as the obsessed and verging on full breakdown former detective who provides the other half of the story and an axe to grind with Jigsaw. Ken Leung provides more backstory to the case as Glover's parter in investigation and the two work well off each other. Michael Emerson, with his large eyes and uneasy demeanour, has us on edge with his delivery of a man caught him the game but not in the way you might think. Monica Potter on the other hand is just required to be terrified and not much else, as her character doesn't have much in the way of development. Props must be given to Shawnee Smith for her one scene that truly traumatises; the reverse bear trap one where most of her acting is through her eyes and they evoke such a feeling of desperation and visceral pain it's astounding. Despite limited screen time and mainly just the use of his voice, Tobin Bell creates one of horror's most memorable villains in Jigsaw. That voice will send unending shivers down your spine and it's down to that and Bell's embracing of the twisted philosophy of the character that you buy into it.
A creepy and nail biting horror that is both stomach churning and psychological, Saw is a definite recommendation for horror fans out there.
2010's, Frances O'Connor, Franka Potente, Horror, James Wan, Madison Wolfe, Patrick Wilson, Simon McBurney, Supernatural Horror, The Conjuring 2, Vera Farmiga
A successful spine chilling sequel to the first hit film, The Conjuring 2 continues with genuine scares, atmospheric events, inspired by the investigations of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. This time it's the Enfield Haunting that is explored and it delivers on both the scare front and having a depth that can often be missing in horror movies.
It's 1977 and in a council house in Enfield, London, the Hodgson family lives hand to mouth. There is harried single mother Peggy(Frances O'Connor) , who tries to do her best and her four children. When not contending with poverty or ridicule at the hands of either school kids or others, something strange begins for them. Following Janet( Madison Wolfe) playing with a makeshift ouija board, seemingly supernatural things begin to happen. She begins sleepwalking and communicating with something angry that claims to be a former occupant of the house. This is followed by objects being thrown about the house and terrorising the family in an abundance of ways. Terrified, the family flees to their neighbours and away from were the haunting originates. Meanwhile, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren( Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) are taking a break from their jobs, following their encounters in The Amityville house a year before. Lorraine was put through the mill when conducting a seance and terrorised by a demonic nun figure who predicted the death of Ed. Still reeling, Lorraine has taken time away to spend it with her husband and young daughter. Yet it's not long before news of unexplainable events in Enfield reach across the pond thanks to a media circus in England. The Warrens being experts in the field of the supernatural and haunting are asked to assist in investigating the unusual phenomena. After her experience a year prior, Lorraine is very reluctant to get involved in another case. Eventually, she and Ed travel to Enfield to act as observers and possibly help. Though they said they'd just observe, it becomes clear that Ed and Lorraine will have to really take on this force of evil as it gets more menacing. Upon entrance into the residence, Lorraine senses something deep and dark. The second oldest child Janet,seems to be the one most affected by the supernatural occurrences out of the family, leading to Ed and Lorraine investigating why the entity is using her as a conduit. The Warrens realise that they are up against an immensely evil being that seems to take pleasure in torment and may in fact be something relating directly to both of them. It's up to Ed and Lorraine to fight this malevolent spirit that threatens to terrorise all in its path with no end.
Horror maestro James Wan is directing once more and his imaginative flourishes and ability to really generate fear in an audience is in huge supply once more. Wan is gifted in how he blends real feeling for characters and putting them through all manner of terror. An attention to characters and suspense building is what I really dig about this movie. Among all the scares, there is depth to be gleaned and relatable moments, especially pertaining to Ed and Lorraine. They are a fantastic couple whose open minds and devotion to each other is really amazing to watch as they compliment each other so well. The Conjuring 2 ups the stakes by making the main form of terror feel more personal towards the Warrens. There is the dual threat of a figure that takes the form of a nun that predicts bad things and the seemingly evil spirit of an old man who once lived in the Hodgson house. Both are the stuff of nightmares and really get under the skin whenever they appear. The nun especially has one very goosebump inducing scene in which she toys with Lorraine and it's a doozy of a moment as it gradually begins to really unnerve the dedicated medium. Plus some sequences really stand out, in particular Janet sick at home and experiencing the full force of the ghost and Ed conferring with a possessed Janet in a one shot that obscures her. This visual trick is a nifty one as even though our view is blurred, you can see little differences as the demonic possession carries on and begins taunting Ed with inhuman glee. It doesn't show us everything, but knows the trick of showing us enough to keep you on edge. It's old school horror style at its finest. And speaking of style, the cinematography of moody blues and unusual camerawork really help us feel unsettled yet fascinated as we join this investigation. The colour scheme really highlights the period and setting, with the Warren's providing the light that is unwavering through the darkness of their discoveries. And people may being skeptical about how true these events are, which is interestingly portrayed here as if it knows they'll be naysayers. Amusingly, there are areas of the film that actually examine this in the form of investigator Maurice Grosse( Simon McBurney) and skeptic Anita Gregory( Franka Potente) but regardless of your belief or disbelief in the supernatural , you can't deny that it isn't one eerie and chilling film. The main flaw with The Conjuring 2 is that it does feel a bit overlong. Mind you, with that being the only real niggle with the film, I can't find much fault with anything else on display. The score is appropriately nerve shredding in the best way there is, with low sounds and sudden jolts the order of the day. Plus, you get great periods of silence that truly maximise the tension and force you to keep your ears peeled for anything changing.
Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga head proceedings with commendable and believable performances. Wilson is dependable, amiable yet equally as adept in bringing home the serious nature of the job, while Farmiga is graceful, quietly forceful and tenderly beautiful as the gifted Lorraine. The chemistry is a big highlight and what makes us truly care for these people who are clearly devoted to each other and stalwart in their belief to do the right thing. Frances O'Connor is subtly devastating as the vulnerable single mother going through hell with her children; she truly comes alive with fear and terror as events spiral against her thanks to the great acting from O'Connor. Madison Wolfe really gives it her all as the besieged Janet and it's amazing to watch such a young performer really hold the attention with a performance. She manages to be both very sympathetic and very alarming depending on whether she's herself or possessed. Whichever side she's portraying , Wolfe truly delivers fine work that is very memorable. Simon McBurney and Franka Potente, although assigned more supporting roles, at least get great moments as people on opposite ends of the believer spectrum.
Mixing creepy horror and human drama, The Conjuring 2 is an excellent sequel that features fine acting, eerie scares and a classy sense of horror that doesn't go for hack and slash( instead opting for psychological terror). You won't be having sweet dreams following this chiller.
R.I.P Diana Rigg
Posted by vinnieh in Rest In Peace
Diana Rigg, Rest In Peace
I just saw the news that the legendary Diana Rigg has passed away aged 82. For me she was always a class act, whether working in theatre, television or film. A striking beauty with an unmistakable voice, she exuded intelligence and glamour in all she did. I will deeply miss her but remember her immense talent.