MOVIE REVIEW: The Magnificent Seven

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Action, Western

Directed By: Antoine Fuqua

Unlike most movie goers, I am not at all opposed to reboots and remakes. It is a Hollywood 'trend' that has been around forever and when it's done right we have been given some all-time great films. The key is finding what worked so well in the original and re-adapting it for a new audience. John Sturges did this almost flawlessly when reimagining Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai for American audiences as an epic western named The Magnificent Seven. 

Now it's 2016 and the thought of another remake of this property actually feels appropriate. The social landscape has drastically changed in some ways, while staying exactly the same in others. There appeared to be a story to tell and I was willing to let Antoine Fuqua (Training Day) bring it to me. Unfortunately, whatever message this movie wanted to bring to the forefront was totally lost behind buckets of bullets and a crazy body count.

By now everyone is familiar with the basic story, it's been reimagined and riffed on countless times throughout the history of film. A peaceful town needs help driving out a violent, evil force and to do so they hire a group of cowboys to protect them. This time around the evil force is a vicious land barren by the name of Bartholomew Bogue (Peter Sarsgaard) who is gradually stealing the land away from these poor farmers, often using deadly force to do so. When the people approach bounty hunter Chisolm (Denzel Washington) about it he jumps at the chance to fight back against the notorious Bogue, he's just going to need a small team of highly skilled men to do it.

Antoine Fuqua's version of The Magnificent Seven is a fine action western. It delivers on the gun fights and the charisma, however, it falls short in the key areas that would make this feel like a true, authentic western. If you are simply looking for a giant "shoot em' up" outlaw flick than this movie is for you. The story starts and ends with extreme violence and you can't go more than ten minutes without someone being killed or injured in some sort of violent fashion.

Something felt off while I was watching this though, like some essential ingredients to the recipe had simply been forgotten. For starters, the score is dismal and anyone who knows anything about westerns knows that a giant, iconic score is practically a staple of the genre. I couldn't help but wonder in the most intense moments of the film how much more of an impact they would have had with a beautiful piece of music over top of it. The film does a good job to remind you of this when some of the original score takes over right as the end credits begin to roll. 

I mentioned how, for a remake to succeed, one of the key elements in doing so is understanding what worked about the original and bringing it into a new time or place. Fuqua understood the bare essentials of the story, he got seven badass dudes together to fight impossible odds, but he didn't seem to get what lied at the core of that story. It is a story about not so good people doing great things for the sake of being decent, it's as simple as that. I won't spoil any details but let's just say that Denzel Washington's character had unfavorable motives in the movie that basically counteract the entire purpose of its predecessor as well as the other six guys fighting alongside him in this new take.

Still though, with this movie being more action than western, I found more than enough to latch on to to enjoy my time with this movie. For starters, Vincent D'Onofrio disappears into his character making choices that feel like they belong in a totally different, better western all together. His performance is worth the price of admission alone and with Byung-hun Lee (I Saw The Devil) spewing more charisma through body language than other other character with heavy dialogue this film manages to keep you engaged the entire runtime. 

Somewhere in this movie it felt like Fuqua had a deeper story to tell but it was sacrificed in the name of gunfights and hollywood charisma. They brought together a truly enjoyable ensemble cast that, though their not given much in the way of character development, carry this film on their shoulders. If you are just looking for a good time, shoot em up western this is the film for you. For those looking for a more authentic, classic western maybe wait for Ti West's latest flick In a Valley of Violence, which is getting good festival buzz.  

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

Phantasm: The 4K Experience

Phantasm: The 4K Experience

Yesterday was the first ever "Art House Theater Day", a nation wide event commemorating all of the remaining theaters that cater to the art house crowd. To celebrate theaters all over the country coordinated a screening of the new 4K transfer of Don Coscarelli's brilliant horror film Phantasm (1979) along with a live streamed Q&A with the filmmaker and main cast of the film from fantastic fest in Austin, Texas. This was not only my first time seeing this wonderful film on a big screen, but also the first time any of us have gotten to experience it looking and sounding this incredible.

If you are reading this than you probably know the ins and outs of this movie fairly well, but for those who are unfamiliar Phantasm is a late 70's horror film with heavy fantasy and sci-fi influence. The story centers on Mike (Michael Baldwin), his brother Jody (Bill Thornbury), and Jody's best friend Reggie (Reggie Bannister) as they uncover the mysteries of their local mortuary. When their friend Tommy is killed, Mike discovers something weird is going on in that Funeral home and he wants to know what it is. Uncovering the secrets that lie within those walls is made near impossible by the mortician, known only as The Tall Man (Angus Scrimm)

It goes without saying that I, along with countless other horror fans, think this movie is a masterpiece in its own right. So getting the opportunity to see a new 4K transfer on the big screen, at the same time as so many other people who love this movie just as much as I do, was an incredible experience. Revival screenings can be a toss up too, you never know if you are going to get a crowd who loves the film, or a bunch of mean spirited kids looking to laugh at an old movie. Thankfully the crowd I saw it with was totally dialed in and loving the movie. One guy even brought his pre-teen son, who screamed in terror multiple times, to see it for his first time. 

You guys don't care about this though, you want to know about the new transfer, and who can blame you? When we all found out JJ Abrams Bad Robot company was heading up a new 4K transfer of the flick we all simultaneously exclaimed "FINALLY!". With all of these obscure and cult titles getting releases under companies like Arrow and Scream factory we were all wondering why Phantasm hadn't been done yet.

It was all worth the wait, you guys. The new transfer of the film is absolutely gorgeous, get ready to see this movie like you've never seen it before. If you are someone who gets nervous about HD transfers of older horror films, as they can sometime expose things that were never meant to be seen, you can rest easy because this does none of that. From the first shot outside the mortuary where you see Reggie and Jody you can instantly see how great of a job they did cleaning this up. The only shortcomings are a few exterior shots of Mike's home, they must not have had a quality master because those shots are particularly grainy.

One of the aspects of this film that made it so popular in the horror community is its iconic score done by Fred Myrow and Malcolm Seagrave. With a new, cleaned up audio track this music is louder and creepier than ever. Hearing that wonderful theme song blare through the speakers was easily a highlight of the night. The cleaned up audio also adds just a little more boom to Angus Scrimm's already bombastic line deliveries, 

Aside from getting to see one of my favorite horror flicks on the big screen I was also fairly intrigued to check out the live streamed Q&A with Don Coscarelli and the original cast after the show. Coscarelli gave some cool insight into how this new transfer came to be, starting with JJ calling him out of the blue one day over a decade ago just to share with him his love for Phantasm. He later came to do the transfer when he wanted to screen the film for his people at Bad Robot and all Don had was a beat up 35mm print or a DVD. Aside from that the crew basically share small factoids that we are mostly already familiar with, like the fact that they shot this movie on weekends over a few years to get it finished.

What really made the brief Q&A a great addition to the screening was hearing them all share some stories about the late Angus Scrimm. Having just passed away earlier this year they all had some really nice things to say about the wonderful actor, especially Coscarelli. Seeing them all pay respects to one of horror greatest icons was an experience I was happy to be able to have. 

If you missed the screening last night, be a little more patient, a Blu-Ray is coming though we still don't have an exact release date. The long awaited fifth movie in the franchise also hits theaters and VOD next week so keep an eye out for that. I know I am more than excited to have the Phantasm franchise be a large part of my Halloween season this year.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years

The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years (2016)

Documentary

Directed By: Ron Howard

By now there isn't much more to learn about The Beatles, having been dubbed one of if not the greatest rock band of all time there are countless documentaries, books, and interviews you can consume to get it all. That didn't stop renowned filmmaker Ron Howard from going out and making another one because, weirdly enough, there isn't as much directly dealing with their touring years. Yeah, we all know the stories of girls screaming so loud that the guys couldn't even hear themselves play, and about how they decided to stop touring after just a few years, but what happened while on the road? What events lead them to stop hitting the road all together? Howard's brilliant new documentary examines this in truly entertaining fashion.

Bringing together a massive collection of footage, photos, and live performances The Touring Years beautifully documents the progression of The Beatles, not only as a band but as individuals from 1963-1966, the small window of time in which they toured the world. Howard was also able to get both McCartney and Ringo to shed some light in present time about what exactly happened in those years. McCartney especially is quite candid with some of his stories and doesn't shy away from telling the honest truth. Ringo is basically just being himself but listening to him talk about how he had found a new family with these guys was a real treat.

Ron Howard and his team made sure that this wouldn't be like every other Beatles documentary you have ever seen, just recycling information we all know in a different framework. Though a good portion of the information displayed throughout this film is stuff you can learn on your own the way in which he presents it is what makes this film so engaging. Compiling tons of photos, interviews, and footage from those years he is able to tell a narrative story where you feel like you really get to know these guys. 

We really feel how young and innocent the four guys were when they first hit it big and came to America to play for the first time. You see them as a group of kids just having a blast playing their music, even if the screaming girls make it so they can't even hear themselves. Getting this feeling is what makes the back half of the film so profound, you see the progression of events that make these guys come to hate this experience. So much so, that when you see the footage of their final performance together, the famous rooftop set, you feel as emotional as the guys clearly are performing it. It really was the end of an era and Howard's film nails that emotion home better than anything else to come before it. 

The documentary grabs at us y bringing in a few iconic celebrities to tell heartfelt stories about their experience with The Beatles growing up. Whoopi Goldberg shares how this band helped shape her life and how a specific experience with them stayed with her for the rest of her life and played a huge role in how her life played out. These personal stories are just another entry point for us as viewers to get sucked into the time. 

Aside from the documentary taking you on an emotional ride with the band, there is also tons of footage and photos that have been cleaned up and restored for the first time ever. What this means is there are  moments where actual footage has been cleaned up with a new 4k scan that actually give us a sight of the young Beatles we have never seen before. It's jarring at times seeing the young guys in high definition when we have always known them in that time with the grain and fuzz. 

This leads to what is easily the most incredible part of seeing this in a theater, as I believe this is not available on the Hulu version. After the film had finished they played the full thirty minute set from the famous Shea Stadium show. This show is so famous for the fact that you couldn't hear any of the audio due to so many screaming teenagers. Well, Howard went out and put the time and money into not only giving it a new 4k scan, but also editing the audio. Somehow they found a way to separate the bands audio from the screaming crowd giving us, for the first time, a clean recording of their performance. 

The Touring Years shows us a side of The Beatles we aren't given as often as others. Rather than focus on the end of the band and what drove them to it this film shows us the relationship they had in the prime of their life. I felt their journey so much that when they played the famous rooftop performance at the end I had a small tear in my eye. I have been listening to their music for as long as I can remember and to see what all went into it is an absolute treat. The documentary is already streaming on Hulu now, but if you want the best experience you can have with this seek it out in a theater, the music really booms. Also, getting to rang out for an extra half hour watching a live Beatles performance is never a bad idea. 

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find em anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

Whatever, Found-Footage Doesn't Like You Either

Whatever, Found-Footage Doesn't Like You Either:

A Defense of Films Most Unpopular Sub-Genre

This past weekend brought with it the release of the surprise sequel to 1999's The Blair Witch Project, the film that kick started this whole "found-footage" subgenre. The new movie, simply titled Blair Witch, was not only met with poor critical reception but also found itself with a slightly disappointing opening weekend, with a box office of just $9.6 million (the movie cost $5 million, so in retrospect it's not so bad). So we all know what that means right? That means it's time for all the haters to come out of the woodwork to tell everyone how much they hate found-footage and how big of a mistake this new movie was. Only it wasn't a mistake, the movie is phenomenally made and a literal thrill ride in a movie theater. So why all the hate? What is it about this subgenre that the bad overshadows all of the truly fantastic films to come out of this? 

I'm not sure I'll be able to answer 'why' these people are so vile towards this kind of filmmaking but I can at least explain why this kind of attitude is completely unwarranted. If you are someone who gets motion sickness watching shaky cam then this article is not speaking directly towards you, I cannot blame someone for physically not being able to sit through these movies. I am addressing the fans, mostly in the horror community, who enjoy this genre at its best but cry for its death whenever a new film releases. 

The world of film is filled with all different kinds of genres and subgenres, some more popular and profitable than others but there is no denying one thing; In any genre of film there are far more bad films than great. This is a general rule with film, there is so much more bad than good out there that we have to be able to cherish it all for what it is. My point? Movie nerds never cry for the death of rom-coms or westerns whenever we get a bad one. So why does it have to be the end of found-footage every time a lackluster film is released?

A large part of this attitude, I believe, comes from the fact that this sub genre hasn't been around nearly as long as others. The pool from which to pick these kinds of movies is only a fraction of the size of most others that have been around almost as long as film itself. This means it is much easier for a fan to claim the amount of good here is far outweighed by the bad, but I strongly disagree. Since just 1999 we have seen a number of truly great films come out of this 'trend' that most moviegoers, including those who bash the genre constantly, would admit to thoroughly enjoying.

Take, for example, 2008's surprise hit Cloverfield which took this style of filmmaking and brought it into the big budget world. I remember when this movie came out, it was a huge deal among most young moviegoers and the secrecy around it make it a small cultural phenomenon. Still to this day I find far more film geeks who love this film than who don't, and for good reason. It was a huge movie made on a tiny scale that allowed us to feel like we were all really there in the city with them. 

That is a massive component to what makes these films, when done properly, so damn entertaining. Found-footage movies are meant to be an experience, one that feels more real than any other kind of filmmaking. This is what made The Blair Witch Project the most successful film of all-time and I believe it's a large part of what a lot of moviegoers fail to grasp with these stories. In order to get the full enjoyment and experience you need to allow yourself to exist in the world you are seeing and believe what is happening to be true. I'm not saying you have to leave the theater thinking you just watched a documentary, but a small suspension of disbelief can go along way.

There is even more to it than that though, and I believe the other major issue plaguing these movies is one that is effecting the film world as a whole right now. Most moviegoers judge the entirety of the movie universe on what they see in theaters. Now, fifteen years ago this would have been totally justifiable but with the rise of streaming services like Netflix and Hulu, as well as video on demand (VOD) platforms some of the best movies being made these days are seen on your home television. 

If you head over to Netflix right now and browse through the horror section you will find a handful of solid found-footage movies. Take for example 2015's Creep, from filmmaker Patrick Brice and starring the wonderful Mark Duplass. The flick is as simple as can be, made with one camera and two people they get more story and scares packed into 80 minutes than most straight forward horror films these days. Or, if you are like me and get unreasonably creeped out by the elderly then you shouldn't hesitate in popping on The Taking of Deborah Logan. This would-be documentary about alzheimer's quickly turns into truly unnerving piece of paranormal horror. 

Also, and I cannot say this enough, never be afraid to check out what's being made in other countries. Foreign cinema is where some of the most creative and fresh voices in filmmaking are and the found-footage genre is no different. Go seek out the incredible Spanish horror franchise [REC], the first two movies in the franchise deal out some of the best scares in modern horror, period. You could also pop on Netflix and see one of my favorite movies of all-time (no joke) Troll Hunter. This brilliant norwegian film will dish out a few nifty scares but more than anything else it's an absolute blast to watch. Boasting incredible special effects and a wonderfully charming story this could easily be the film to sway your judgment on the medium. 

I could go on listing the many other found-footage movies that I think are brilliant, but the haters will just retort with the ones that aren't, like The Gallows or Apollo 18. So I guess what I have to say to all of you is that you should take a step, look at the films you love and decide if you really think this kind of storytelling needs to go away. After seeing Blair Witch this past weekend, and with the satirical horror flick Found-Footage 3D coming out at some point in the near future, I am excited about seeing where else this genre can be taken.  

If nothing else, come away from this with the understanding that the found-footage genre is no different than any other form of filmmaking. The bad will always outweigh the good and if we can't truly appreciate the good because of that then why even bother in the first place? There were three bad superhero movies this year but there's no rallying cry for the death of superhero blockbusters that cost $200 million to make. Why then, should a style of filmmaking that is traditionally profitable and that cost so little to make be ostracized for its failures?

The chances of swaying even a fraction of you to my side is pretty much impossible, but at the very least I hope I have convinced even a handful of you to give these kinds of movies another shot. I especially hope to convince some of you to go and give Blair Witch a shot in theaters if you haven't already. It is a wonderfully crafted horror experience and too many are writing it off simply because of the style in which it was made. If this is the hill on which I choose to die than so be it, At least it's defending a bunch of films I really love.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find me anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!

MOVIE REVIEW: Blair Witch

Blair Witch (2016)

Horror, Thriller

Directed By: Adam Wingard

When The Blair Witch Project hit theaters back in 1999 it was nothing short of a phenomenon, the likes of which we will probably never see again. They had people convinced what they had seen was real, so how do you follow that up? You can't try to re-capture lightning in a bottle, but you can recreate a feeling by building off of what audiences loved the first time around. Making the film in secret doesn't hurt, either and writing/directing duo Simon Barrett and Adam Wingard did just that filming under the title The Woods. With clever marketing and an understanding of what worked so well the first time around Blair Witch is the sequel fans have been waiting sixteen years for. 

Ever since it happened, James Donahue (James Allen McCune) has been obsessed with discovering how and why his sister Heather went missing in the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland back in 1999. He thinks he may have finally found a legitimate lead when he discovers a video online of someone lost in those same woods. Thinking that there are answers out there, or that his sister might even be alive still, he gathers a group of his friends to go out there and look for themselves. Though they are all skeptical they head out with James anyways in hopes of finally setting his lifelong mission to rest. Unfortunately for them the woods, and the Blair Witch herself have different plans for them 

If the original film was a thrilling build up to an epic final shot than this new movie is an insane roller coaster ride that finishes as abruptly as it begins. Barrett and Wingard knew they couldn't recapture the tension and surprise the original brought, but they could get the scares. Not only that but they made sure to make those scares much bigger than the first time around. Once the group has entered the woods they begin to rapid fire these scenes, with some jump scares feeling a little cheap but most of them landing wonderfully. The cheap ones are easily forgiven as well when you realize they are there to simply build more tension for the crazy final act. 

When I say this film is a roller coaster ride I mean this is the best possible way. What you are seeing this time around is a thrill ride experience. The movie is here to scare the hell out of you, not to change the genre entirely. The original was also an experience of a different sort, giving audiences their first real glimpse at the found-footage genre while also tricking them into believing what they were seeing was real. Blair Witch doesn't get the opportunity to do that so they created an all new type of horror enterprise within the same framework.

What makes the film more than just this amusement park ride is the way the filmmakers build off of the established mythology of the original. They take ideas that were barely even realized in the first and bring them into fruition in truly terrifying ways. They build off of the story of the man killing all those children under the witch's control, we actually get to see that influence in action this time around. They also incorporate different types of horror here as well adding a few practical blood shots and an unnerving sci-fi element dealing with time. This is precisely what a sequel is meant to do; take what the original established and build off it to create a story that feels both familiar and totally new at the same time. 

There were two key elements in creating this feeling and they are the characters and the updated technology. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone will know that this is a hollywood film this time, they brought together a wonderful cast of characters. Some we are pushed to really like while others are made to be the unfavorables, giving us a connection to this story that we didn't have the first time. It being 2016 now they also step up their game technology wise, equipping our characters with plenty of HD cameras, high quality microphones, and even a small drone. These are all used in clever ways to show us new angles, and give us new sounds that we were not able to pick up in the original.

Though this film may be one of the most exciting horror rides you take all year they have some trouble sticking the landing. Following in the footsteps of one of the most iconic final shots in all of horror the ending of this movie was almost guaranteed to fall short of it. If you are hoping for a crazy final shot that blows the lid off of this movie you will be disappointed. Barrett and Wingard focused on the ride that gets us to the finale and when the ending does come it feels like the only out they had. 

The latest installment in the franchise hardly sets out to reinvent the wheel but it does a damn fine job of polishing it. Operating on the same framework as the original these guys crafted a found-footage movie that hits every beat it needs to and those who enjoy this style of filmmaking will have a great time. If you are someone who scoffs at this sub-genre of horror I still say you should give this a shot. Seeing it on a big screen, as loud as possible, and with a big crowd made this a wonderfully fun, and truly scary experience.

As always, thanks for reading and I am Zach Who Watches Movies. You can find em anytime on twitter @ZachWWMovies, smell ya later!