(Movie Review) Life - Humans Never Learn

Life (2017)

Sci-Fi, Horror

Directed By: Daniel Espinosa

It's fine to "rip-off" another movie or movies, it really is. Every film is pulling from something that came before it in some way or another, but if you are going to go so far as to market your film with the clear indication that you are going to do so at least have something new to offer the audience. The newest piece of sci-fi horror from filmmaker Daniel Espinosa Life wears its influences on its sleeve like a badge of honor and then fails to bring us anything more than lesser versions of those very ideas. 

To the film's credit, they waste no time getting into the main plot and what we all care about. It opens on the crew of the Internation Space Station (ISS) as they attempt to intercept a capsule returning from Mars carrying a soil sample that could be life-shattering. Within minutes of the movie, the crew is already examining the sample and discovering the first official proof of life beyond our own. It's a creature composed of cells that are both muscle and nerves, it's all muscle and all brain making it the "perfect organism", sound familiar?

This creature grows at a rapid rate and as you can probably guess, finds a way to escape the quarantine and hunt them throughout the station. It's one perfect organism against the crew but unfortunately for this movie, they never take the time to build the characters or the atmosphere and in turn, it's hard to really care who lives or dies or to ever feel any real suspense. The most character building we get is the information that one of the crewmembers wives has just had a baby, that's about as deep as it gets. 

Life brings one new wrinkle to the story, that they are in a zero gravity environment at all times in the space station. This is a cool visual gag that makes for some clever moments, but it's not enough to elevate this film to anything more. The story moves too fast for its own good so even though they are bringing a fairly cool new creature to the table we never get the time to grow scared of it, they take it from cute to deadly with the flip of a switch and expect us to go along with it. 

Centering a movie around an alien means the look of it is crucial and for the most part, the design works here with its weird tentacles giving it the appearance of swimming through the zero-g. The abilities they form out of its design also work well and make for the tensest moments of the film, but once the best gag is used they bring it back repeatedly making it lose its impact. They rush through the discovery of the organism to get us into the action faster but we need that build up to set us on edge. 

The cast of this movie is too impressive for its own good and with little characterization for any of them they don't have many opportunities to "wow" us. The film was sold on Jake Gyllenhall, Rebecca Ferguson, and Ryan Reynolds, and they are all certainly in this film. They are each quite good but when the most you get to build off of your character is that he has been in space for too long there is little they can do to just sell this on their presence alone.  

Despite its many shortcomings, I do believe this is a step in the right direction for studio horror. The film uses the R rating to its advantage and clearly lets the filmmaker do what he wants. There are some seriously cool ideas in here but they never grab one and focus in on it. It felt like the writers, Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick (Deadpool), kept coming up with clever ideas and then needing to find ways to bring the story back to its center after executing that idea instead of building it into the next step.

A few years back this may have been one of my favorite new horror films. It moves at a mile a minute and features some great effects work, especially the limited practical stuff they did. With the horror landscape the way it is these days, however, this just feels like an uninspired regurgitation of a handful of ideas we have seen done better in recent memory. If all you are looking for is an action packed alien horror film, Life may be just what you want, but don't expect to be given anything new. For me, let's just say I'm happy the new Alien movie comes out in two months.

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: Arrival

Arrival (2016)

Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Denis Villeneuve

The idea of how to handle the first contact with an alien race has been one of our favorite "what if" scenarios to explore in science fiction for as long as the idea has been around. Popular movies like Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind implanted the idea that if aliens were to ever come here, how we try to interact with them will be the most important hurdle to overcome. You can't get through an "alien invasion" movies these days without some form of this scene taking place, but what if you dedicated an entire movie to the reality of what that first contact would actually look like? Denis Villeneuve digs deep into this idea with his latest film Arrival, a realistic as can be alien invasion movie that explores the difficulties and importance of intelligent communication. 

When twelve mysterious UFO's make landing all over the planet the U.S. government enlists renowned linguist Dr. Louis Banks (Amy Adams) to help them create a dialogue with the mysterious aliens to try and find out why they have come here. With the help of theoretical physicist Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner)  and a team of other scientists and linguists, they attempt to open a communication that both species can understand in hopes of discovering why they have come here and what their intentions are. 

The film sells itself as an alien invasion movie, which it is, but mostly on the surface. What it turns into by the end is a message to the world about the importance of clear and open communication and how our natural isolationism and nationalism divide us as a race. The film spits in our face, calling us out for all of the truly idiotic tendencies we have all before wrapping it up with a hopeful message that we can still change for the better. 

It's no secret that one of, if not the biggest dividing factors of our people is language. The inability to communicate with someone is a key factor in the division of the world, and it always has been. This proves itself throughout the film as Dr. Banks and her crew is constantly being stonewalled by countries like China and Russia, who have no desire to share information or hear out others opinions on the matter. As you can imagine, this proves to be one of the most difficult obstacles for them to overcome within the movie. 

Villeneuve keeps this film from being a total bummer, however, by keeping the hope alive whenever it all seems lost. Even when the worst happens they somehow find a way back and by the end of the film he has driven home the message he wants us to receive: listen. He begs us to simply just listen to each other and hear out what we all have to say. The sharing of ideas and culture has always been the fastest route to progression for humanity. 

The story, for the most part, revolves around Amy Adams character Dr. Banks and she has never been better. With the movie hinging on her performance it is important her character feels authentic throughout. The way she reacts to first contact and being on an alien spacecraft had to feel real and she sells it in a profound way. Jeremy Renner's Ian Donnelly more or less plays sidekick to Dr. Banks but proves to be the perfect companion for her on this journey. The two leads are also complimented by great performances from Forest Whitaker and Michael Stuhlbarg as the military men running the show. 

As with all Vllienueve films, we can't get out of here without talking about the gorgeous cinematography on display here. Bradford Young (Selma) captures the massive scale of the film with limited space, as most of it takes place in an open field in Montana, and with just a handful of locations is able to convey worldwide panic. Story aside this is just a gorgeous film to look at for two hours.

Though the story has its twists and turns to make it a compelling and authentic piece of science fiction you shouldn't get too caught up with that as a viewer. Rather than sitting there trying to crack the big twists enjoy what the filmmaker has to say about humanity and how the ideas he puts forth can be used in our actual lives. Focus on all of that and let the clever plot of the story surprise you in the end. If you can do that, I promise you will leave with a ton of ideas and theories to wrap your brain around that focus on much more than just an alien invasion.  

Though you probably won't leave the theater with a smile plastered on your face, Arrival is more or less the movie we need right now. It manages to scare the living hell out of us while also showing us that there is, and always will be, hope for change. What may be broken now doesn't have to be forever and if we can overcome these simple hurdles than we will be far better off as a people. Science fiction is at its best when it holds a mirror up to ourselves in an unlikely situation, showing us how obvious it is that we need to change, and right now we need to change the way we interact with each other.

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: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (2016)

Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Directed By: Tim Burton 

Since the turn of the century, Tim Burton's work has been pretty much hit or miss. He has made fantastic films like Sweeney Todd but also churned out soulless stinkers like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Every time you thought he had lost his touch though he would release another brilliant movie like Frankenweenie, proving he still has stories that are more than worth telling. So when I first heard of him adapting Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children, a story that lends itself perfectly to his visual and structural style, I was totally sold that he was the guy to bring this all to life. 

Based on the book of the same name written by Ranson Riggs, the movie focuses on a teenage boy named Jake (Asa Butterfield) who has just witnessed the horrific death of his beloved grandfather Abe (Terence Stamp). His grandfather's last wish was that Jake goes to a secluded island in Wales to try and find the children's home Abe grew up in, run by the auspicious Miss Peregrine (Eva Green). When Jake finds the home and the people living within it, he comes to realize all of the crazy stories his grandpa told him as a child were all true and that these people with peculiar abilities are as real as he. It doesn't take Jake long to find that he is special as well, and when a malicious group of people threatens their existence it is his duty to help keep them safe. 

Though the film has its flaws, this is easily the best live-action Burton film since Sweeney Todd and a welcome return to form for the master visual storyteller. Within this story, he is able to show off his visual skills in a variety of ways, many of wich are much more conservative than his previous efforts. It may have something to do with the fact that Johnny Depp in ten pounds of make-up is nowhere to be found, but for the first time in the better part of a decade, Burton balances visuals and plot with an even hand.  

Yes, the story allows for his style to run wild, but it also constrains him from taking it too far and sacrificing the characters and plot in the name of pretty images. He was sure to stay true to the source material and keep the character arcs and plot points intact. By the end of the movie, I am actually able to care about Jake and Emma's (Ella Purnell) relationship and what the future has in store for them. Also, Eva Green is a force of nature on screen and from the moment she first appears in the movie she completely owns every scene she is in. Seriously, get this woman in more things now.   

That isn't to say he nails it all, with a huge group of unique characters to introduce some get left to the wayside. By the end of the movie we understand the special abilities of every kid in the home but that's about it. We don't get much more than surface level stuff outside of the main three or four characters, and that's fine. This is technically another YA adaptation and the main relationship is what matters the most, and he manages to get that right. 

The film also lacks a true and menacing villain to further the story along. Samuel L. Jackson plays the big baddie Barron and although he's fun in his moments, there isn't much to his character at all. Barron and his band of cronies basically serve as a simple force to move Jake's story along and push him closer to his fate. At least these guys are accompanied by some pretty terrifying monsters that are the catalyst for the big final action sequence. 

When it comes down to it this film is purely entertainment and not much more. The story clearly has some undertones and social issues to speak on but they are mostly lost in the big budget, big studio model. A lot of subtexts are sacrificed in the name of gorgeous visuals and bonkers action scenes, which in the end work because the scenes are so much fun to watch. If they want to make another two or three movies in this world then I am more than happy to watch them. This is a must-see for Burton fans and to anyone else just looking for two hours of good fun at the theater, this will serve you quite well. 

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: I Am Not a Serial Killer

I Am Not a Serial Killer (2016)

Horror, Thriller, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Billy O'Brien

With horror currently owning the box office, the age old debate has once again been brought to the surface of whether or not horror is still thriving. Spoiler: it is, and it has been for years now- you just have to know where to look. While Don't Breathe is sitting at number one at the box office it feels like a good time to remind fans that great horror can be found at anytime streaming on VOD outlets. For example, you can currently go and stream the new horror thriller I Am Not a Serial Killer while it is still playing in a limited theatrical run. I did so and in turn was treated to a weird, original new story told from a point of view we don't get to experience too often. 

John Wayne Cleaver (Max Records) has been recently diagnosed as a sociopath by his therapist, and despite the titles negative connotations, he has owned his new identity. He knows he has issues and that if the perfect sequence of events were to happen he would probably end up killing someone. He doesn't want to hurt anybody, though, in fact, the idea couldn't be less appealing to John, but he knows the potential is there. He follows a strict set of rules to keep himself from getting to that point but when a serial killer pops up in his remote little town his entire world is turned upside down. It's made even worse when he makes a strange discovery about the person performing these heinous acts and he now feels an obligation to do something about it. 

Seeing this story unfold from the point of view of John, a diagnosed sociopath, is what makes this movie so enjoyable to watch. We are seeing an original take on a classic small town murder mystery, told through eyes we rarely get to view anything from. Watching John handle his condition is fascinating enough to carry its own movie and learning how he has crafted his own set of rules, and how each of those rules keeps his bad habits at bay is a just one of many clever angles this movie operates on. 

Take that premise and use it as a baseline to tell a murder mystery and it gives us a take with are unfamiliar with. John's vast knowledge of serial killers and how they work allow him to catch onto the trail of his town's new infamous celebrity fairly easily and what he finds is totally unexpected. You may think you have the movie figured out in the first act but when the twists start coming and the film takes a slight sci-fi turn the outcome of the movie becomes rather unpredictable. 

Despite its cool and original premise, I Am Not a Serial Killer is not without its flaws. Watching John navigate his mental state is fascinating at times and pretty much everything dealing with the killer itself is totally engaging, but the filler in between can be quite clunky. There were a handful of moments where I began to lose interest in what was happening in the scene, or what I was watching didn't play directly into the story and slightly lost my interest. They do their best to create the strange relationship between John and his mother, who is aware of his diagnosis, but it often times comes off as a passing thought. 

The film succeeds with a clever premise and great performances from its leads. Max Records owns his role as the sociopathic John Wayne Cleaver, his unsettling demeanor and way of carrying himself creates the eerie atmosphere that most of the story operates on. The real treat though is Christopher Lloyd, who plays John's creepy old neighbor Crowley. Lloyd turns in one of the best performances we have seen from him ages and it adds a gravitas you wouldn't expect from a flick like this.

This is exactly the type of movie that totally justifies the changing landscape of releasing horror films. Though this is a clever new horror thriller it isn't a movie you necessarily need to see on a big screen. Yes, every movie is enhanced by being seen in a theater but this is also the perfect kind of horror movie to just pop on a Sunday afternoon and be surprised by. It offers us a new point of view in which to view a horror story from, and for that alone, it is worth the price of a rental. 

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 Mind's Eye

The Mind's Eye (2016)

Horror, Sci-Fi

Directed By: Joe Begos

If you are the horror fan who believes the genre is dead or dying because you've only seen the latest studio flick doing its best to mimic the latest trend then I suggest diving into the world of indie horror. Rather than mimic what's popular many of these filmmakers are taking influence from the masters of the genre and finding ways to create their own unique stories. Take, for example, the latest film from writer/director Joe Begos The Mind's Eye which plays as a giant love letter to the Scanners franchise and other films and filmmakers of its time. This could have easily been a cheap knock-off of movies people love but Begos took the influence and injected it right into the heart of a story that stands entirely on its own.

The film focuses on two people with extraordinary abilities, Zack Connors (Graham Skipper) and Rachel Meadows (Lauren Ashley Carter). Unbeknownst to most of the world, these two belong to a small portion of the population with telekinetic capabilities. When a sadistic doctor by the name of Michael Slovak (John Speredakos) finds out about their special talents he abducts them in hopes of harvesting their abilities for himself. The two manage to escape his facilities and now the crazed doctor will do whatever it takes to get them back. What he doesn't know is that the powers he has been suppressing in them are slowly coming back, and a man with a gun may not be able to do much when the person they are pointing it at can control their brain.

We are hardly seeing an acting clinic on display here but we still gets solid performances from both of the leads Graham Skipper and Lauren Ashley Carter. Doctor Slovak however, played by John Speredakos, literally descends into madness by the end of the film and the performance by Speredakos is so much damn fun. Watching him and Skipper go back in forth in the finale is real treat. I also have to mention horror community favorite Larry Fessenden also has a small role in the movie and we all know anytime he pops up it usually means you're watching a pretty good flick.

When it comes to sci-fi horror one of the keys to success is making sure the sci-fi aspect of the film isn't buried. Nothing is more disappointing than going into a film with promise of something like aliens or telekinesis and have them be an afterthought. Begos gets this, his low budgets haven't stopped him from interjecting tons of interesting science fiction elements into his horror movies. He also doesn't beat you over the head with exposition to make sure the audience is picking up on it either, he stages these moments in a way where we are able to pick up and understand exactly what's going on. We easily understand these characters powers and the extents to which they can use them without having to be told directly why. 

This isn't to say the film shies away from being a full on horror movie, telekinesis can be used in some pretty terrifying ways and we see more than a few of them on display throughout. Unlike Scanners though, a film this one is drawing huge influence from, they aren't just exploding heads all willy nilly the entire time, it's not so easy for this world's telekinetics. The Mind's Eye builds off of what that movie introduced and rather than try to imitate it turns it into something new. Instead of just exploding brains (which I'm not saying isn't in the movie) they can use their powers in a multitude of different ways, like wielding weapons or tossing bodies across a room in a ultra-violent fashion. If you are the fan that goes for unique kills and buckets of blood this movie is entirely for you. 

The story draws influence from all over the board, not just horror. the opening scene of film is it's own version of The First Blood intro. A drifter wanders down an empty road only to be stopped by police and thrown into the hellish situation that is to follow. You can tell Begos just wanted to make a movie with the feel of all of his favorites from the late seventies and eighties while shaping it into his own vision with some modern tendencies. He's not trying to pull on nostalgia as much as create a familiar atmosphere in which he can show us something new, and he succeeds at doing so. 

At the beginning of the movie a title card pops up that prompts the viewer to "watch this movie as loud as possible" and though they may seem like a cheap gimmick to some it's actually a perfect piece of advice. The sound design and score are incredible and it is only enhanced when you crank the volume to eleven. The film boasts a wonderful, old school synth dominant score that plays a key role in creating that familiar atmosphere for the viewer. Add that to the impressive and creepy sound design surrounding the telekinetics and violence, and you have a truly unique experience.

The Mind's Eye isn't the type of film that plays gangbusters to any type of crowd, but for the right audience (which I am a part of) this movie plays as a totally insane rollercoaster ride through hell that we never want to get off of. Begos is making the kinds of films we love and cherish as "cult classics" from the past, only in modern times. I have a good feeling with time each of his films will have a growing audience of dedicated fans. This is easily one of my favorite horror films of the year and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us horror geeks next. 

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