Dir - Doron Paz/Yoav Paz
Overall: GOOD
Utilizing a less-frequented yet once tried and true horror movie monster based off of traditional, Jewish folklore, The Golem is a uniformly good updating of such material. Nearly a hundred years after Paul Wegener's seminal silent film The Golem: How He Came into the World was released, brothers Doron and Yoav Paz plus screenwriter Ariel Cohen have concocted an entirely original story here, not to mention an entirely different visualization of the title creature. While the look certainly breaks the long established mythology of a giant, stone/clay, Frankenstein monster prototype, it is still effectively creepy and intimidating. The Paz brothers stage everything quite seriously and cautiously, which is helped by excellent performances across the board. Such a deliberate tone gives the film tremendous weight and even when the story indulges in violent set pieces, there is an emotional undercurrent that is never lost. It is not just the through-line of the historically misguided demonization of the Jewish people, but also the desperation faced by such impossibly hopeless persecution, the loss of a child, and the testing of one's faith both personal and collectively. The fact that it manages to be a solid and stylish supernatural monster movie on top of everything else is all the more impressive.
Dir - Mitzi Peirone
Overall: MEH
The rather ardent debut Braid from writer/director Mitzi Peirone boasts a unique premise, but unravels a bit too pretentiously for its own good. There is style in spades, from the inventive, ADD-ridden camera work, showy set design, twisty narrative, and overall arc of lunacy in the story itself. Said arc bleeds everywhere into the presentation and unfortunately it makes for a bit of a meandering result. None of the three lead characters are remotely sympathetic, coming off as both deplorable and insane, depending on when the script needs them to be. The twist is not as clever as it otherwise would be, appearing both arbitrary and confusing instead. Tone-wise, it becomes more mean spirited and nasty, even tapping into torture porn in a few instances. It is a film that does not so much as leave too many open doors in its wake, but one that confuses its themes to the point of being unrecognizable. Whatever Peirone intended is certainly impressive to look at much of the time, but it is also murky and somewhat aimless in the end.
Dir - William McGregor
Overall: MEH
Heavily brooding with depressive atmosphere, Gwen is the full-length debut from English filmmaker William McGregor. Though it only flirts with contemporary horror elements with a small handful of startling shots and images, its oppressively dour tone asserts itself rather dominantly. A slow-boil with no actual payoff to speak of, things begin rather miserably and only progress in such a direction. The presentation is utterly void of humor and given such material, the cast pulls off the rather impressive feat of portraying their characters compassionately in such hopelessly dour circumstances. The technical aspects are all admirable, from the purposely unassuming cinematography to the haunting, cold sound design which only utilizes a conventional musical score in very sparse instances. Sadly though, the film is just that; sad. McGregor does not seem to have any other motive than to exhaust the viewer with a gradual and monotonous stream of miserableness. The movie becomes a chore because of this, instead of perhaps the hypnotic, provoking meditation it may have been designed as.
No comments:
Post a Comment