Day 339 - House on Haunted Hill

House on Haunted Hill (1959) directed by Robb White

House on the Haunted Hill is a kind of cheesy horror movie that is actually pretty good with a diabolical (although kind of ridiculous) plot, surprises and some cheap scares. Running at just 70 minutes, it gets to the point right away by introducing the entire cast, premise and first shock within the first five minutes and doesn't let up till the very end. That's exactly how I like these kind of films, tight and concise not wasting a single moment.

A wealthy man and his wife invite five guests over to a haunted house and will give each person $10,000 if they decide to stay the night. Obviously the set up sounds super suspicious but that does not stop them from agreeing, though perhaps they wish they hadn't when strange and creepy stuff starts to happen in the house. A murder occurs and soon the guests realize this is no simple game and they must figure out exactly what is going on. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, but I am eerily reminded of Les Diaboliques. I have no doubt that this film borrowed its sneaky plot from the French classic. You'll simply have to watch one movie or the other to know exactly what I mean, but I really appreciated the ending for being surprising and unique.

Of course this wouldn't be a horror film without some of the obligatory scares and this film has a couple of them. There is one pop out moment that is rather jolting and could easily be the best scene in most horror films. Some of the other scares border on tacky including a dancing skeleton but it is amusing in a very good way. It's not difficult to see the fakery of it all but it is still pretty darn good and gives the film a certain charm. Overall this is a great film for its genre because it accomplishes exactly what it sets out to do, entertain and scare, even throwing in a clever plot to boot. In comparing this film with Les Diaboliques, I would say on many levels the French film is better, but for pure entertainment value House on Haunted Hill takes the cake. It should be noted though they are clearly different films despite the obvious similarities.

Grade: A-

Day 338 - The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games (2012) directed by Gary Ross

I missed out on the whole Harry Potter and Twilight craze so I wasn't about to miss out on the biggest book in recent years with The Hunger Games. I finished the trilogy pretty quickly and have been eagerly waiting for this day for months. I haven't done the whole waiting outside of the theatre thing since like the new Star Wars movies, but today my friends and I waited outside for a couple hours like a bunch of nerds. With all the movies that I've been watching on my own the past year it reminded me how fun it was to go out to these big opening days.

In case you've been living under a rock I'll give you a brief description of the movie. In a dystopian future there is a central capitol city and twelve surrounding districts that are ruled under the Capitol's iron fist. Every year each district must supply two tributes, a boy and a girl, to participate in the Hunger Games where they will fight to the death for the Capitol's amusement, Roman gladiator style. 24 people enter the arena but only one will make it out. The hero of the story is Katniss Everdeen, one of the strongest female protagonists in recent memory. (She would kick the crap out of that whiny Bella Swan.) She is accompanied by fellow tribute Peeta Mellark who serves as a love interest despite the fact that there can only be one winner which means one, or mostly likely both, will not survive.

Half the fun in watching a movie of a book you've read is in seeing how it matches up with what you imagined when reading the book. I was curious to see how they portrayed characters and how certain scenes would translate onto film. First I'd like to say that Jennifer Lawrence is a perfect fit for Katniss. She is a strong and compelling young actress playing a character with similar traits to Ree, her highly praised role in Winter's Bone. She's pretty much exactly what I imagined Katniss to look and feel like and she plays the part well. I can't really say the same for the other characters as nobody looks like what I pictured. That isn't to say that anyone was miscast or anything, just that they're just different from what I imagined. For instance, I imagined Haymitch, played by Woody Harrelson, to be kind of a fat slob. Even when Harrelson is trying to be a slob he still looks cool doing it and he is definitely not fat here. I know they are trying to put more emphasis on the love triangle angle between Katniss, Gale and Peeta but it seems like they are trying to do what Twilight did by having the other guy (Gale) be a super hunk. Meanwhile Peeta, played by Josh Hutcherson, kind of looks like a doofus. Who still slicks their hair back like that anyways? What is this, the 60's?

A lot of people assume the biggest challenge in adapting a book into a movie, particularly a futuristic sci-fi world no one has really seen before, is in the visual imagery, but in my opinion a bigger challenge is in translating heavy internal dialogue onto the screen. The books are written in the first person with Katniss as the narrator so we know exactly what she is thinking and feeling. In the film we can't read her thoughts and it would be lame to have a voice over going throughout the whole thing, so we have to interpret a lot of her thoughts and feelings through her actions and short dialogue. I feel like a lot of Katniss's thought processes and motivations aren't clearly defined in the film. It is easy for me to say what she is supposed to be feeling in a scene because I've read the book, but I feel like a lot of stuff would be missed or looked over by someone who hasn't. For instance, I wasn't entirely convinced of her sudden romantic interest in Peeta. In the book it is a continual struggle for her to accept him, but here it just comes too suddenly without that much build up. Her alliance with Rue and her feelings towards her also felt kind of rushed which kind of muffles the emotional impact of their scene together.

SPOILER:
The significance of the berries at the the end of the book is detailed almost ad nauseam. In the film I felt like it was completely ignored. I understand the need for brevity and the tough task it is to trim down a book into a screenplay, but this was a huge part of the story and a key link to the second book. When it is down to Katniss and Peeta as the final two, I would have loved to see a longer scene with more emotional struggle, but the scene ends so fast and without much of the punch.
END SPOILER

Overall I feel like the movie is a faithful adaptation to the book, but it seemed to be missing its emotional core which would have made the film so much better. Regardless it is still a fun and exciting movie to watch. While I felt the character development was kind of lacking, I did think the film did a pretty good job in the action/fighting/surviving department, which is what I suppose the casual fan wants to see in a movie anyways. I probably had more fun than most because of my attachment to the book, and I wasn't really even that attached, so I can imagine how the true fans must have really dug it up. Now I have to wait another year for Catching Fire.

Grade: B

Day 337 - The 39 Steps

The 39 Steps (1935) directed by Alfred Hitchcock

The 39 Steps provides the template for many of Hitchcock's future films (most notably North by Northwest) where an innocent man must go on the run to prove his innocence all the while uncovering a larger conspiracy. The film opens with the protagonist Richard Hannay watching a show in a theatre when suddenly shots are fired. In the ensuring panic, he brings home a frightened woman who turns out to be a spy being pursued by assassins. Later that night Hannay wakes up when the woman comes stumbling into his room... with a knife in her back. She gives him a map and tells him to run and so he does. Naturally Hannay is accused of her murder and of course the only way to clear his name is to follow the clue that she left him. What follows is the familiar story of every day man turned spy complete with all the familiar thrills and spills and of course the obligatory love interest he meets along the way. Is there ever not a romance angle involved in these movies?

One thing I just realized other than how much Hitchock loved this forumla is how much he loved trains. It seems like just about every film he's done involved a train scene. He even has a movie called Strangers on a Train! In The 39 Steps, just like North by Northwest, the hero finds himself hiding out on a train where he meets the girl. I've ridden on the Amtrak a couple times; it didn't really seem like a place to pick up hot girls. Sigh. The reparte between the two leads is nice though not particularly outstanding. I did enjoy the scenes where he plays along with her fear and belief that he is a killer by falsely admitting to it, partly out of fun but also to get her to behave.

Overall the film provides a nice dosage of spy thriller and romantic comedy. I suppose you could call The 39 Steps a sort of North by Northwest lite. There aren't any particularly outstanding moments or even memorable scenes (though escaping the train was a nice touch) but was still pleasing throughout. The movie is also a brisk 85 minutes, a fraction of the running time of North by Northwest, though also a fraction of the fun as well. Nonetheless, this is a solid early entry into a familiar genre that Hitchock helped popularize.

Grade: B

Day 336 - Revenge of the Nerds

Revenge of Nerds (1984) directed by Jeff Kanew

There would be no American Pie without Revenge of the Nerds, one of the original teenage raunch comedies. Of course there would be no American Pie 14: Sorority Chicks Visit Middle School and Nerds Invade the Playboy Mansion or the any of the slew of crap over the years either but that is besides the point. What separates Revenge of the Nerds and American Pie from the cheap imitators (and unfortunately their own sequels) is a sense of heart that makes the film more than just immature boys thinking about boobies. Instead they tell stories of boys becoming men, not through sexual realization but through simply growing up. At its very core, they are coming of age stories that use boobs as window dressing. I'll just get this out of the way first though. Revenge of the Nerds is not as good or funny as American Pie, though I can imagine the kids from the 80's must have felt the same way about this movie as I did in the 90's with AP.

The title for Revenge of the Nerds tells you basically everything you need to know about the film. Sometimes I like titles like these so I know exactly what I'm getting into when I watch it unlike say the super ambiguous title John Carter. A couple of nerds are new to college where they find themselves being mercilessly picked on by the jocks and scorned by the hot sorority girls. The nerds try to form their own fraternity but when the Alpha Beta frat and Pi sorority makes life hell for them, they enact their revenge. This means some sabotaging pranks on the guys and some panty raiding of the girls. It is a typical teenage raunch comedy that we have all grown accustomed to. Imagine a geekier version of Animal House.

A couple of quick comments though. The character of Booger is an obvious rip off of Jim Belushi's character in Animal House which kind of begs the question, how is this guy a nerd? Also, what is it about 80's comedies and their portrayals of Asians? Another typical token Asian character here. The sexual pranks are kind of goofy and meant to be harmless, but if you really thought about these scenes, you'd realize it is borderline sexual predator rape stuff!

Anyways, Revenge of the Nerds is sort of a standard comedy but has enough heart to turn it from mediocre to pleasantly enjoyable.

Grade: B-

Day 335 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) directed by Shane Black

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang is one of those self important films that likes to remind the audience how cool and clever it is. Fortunately for the film, it really is that cool thanks to its sharp and witty screenplay, though not nearly as clever as it thinks itself to be no thanks to a plot that is almost as confusing as The Big Sleep. But like The Big Sleep and other hard boiled detective stories, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang isn't so much about the plot as it is about watching cool guys do cool things.

The story is narrated by Harry Lockhart, a petty thief that gets caught up in a Hollywood story of detective work, dead bodies, scandal and bad guys with guns. He is assisted by private detective Gay Perry who rivals Omar Little in the awesome gay tough guy category. The third wheel is Harmony Lane, Harry's obligatory love interest who finds herself caught in the middle. This is all I can really say of the plot because I couldn't even describe it to you if I wanted to, but like I said, none of that matters anyways. You simply watch the film to watch Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer be awesome and they are.

The highlight of the film is the screenplay which is full of funny little nuggets. "Look up idiot in the dictionary. You know what you'll find?" "A picture of me?" "No the definition of the word idiot, which you f*cking are!" This is the type of crass sarcastic humor that has populated films in recent years that can come off completely wrong (Kevin Smith) or be totally awesome (Quentin Tarantino). It is awesome here because the lines are delivered by awesome dudes like a gay Val Kilmer and the always cool Robert Downey and fits well with the overall feel of the story. It is like one of those classic Raymond Candler hard boiled stories updated for modern times.

I don't think I can say it enough times, but Val Kilmer kicks ass in this movie. I'll be your huckleberry.

Grade: A- 

Day 334 - The Hours

The Hours (2002) directed by Stephen Daldry

Why would anyone want to watch such a morose film about unrelenting depression? I know this sounds kind of hypocritical given my praise for such films as A Single Man and Shame but for some reason the deathly serious tone of The Hours sort of rubbed me the wrong way. Don't get me wrong, I think this is a good film, but it made me wonder why would I even watch such a thing?

The plot is sort of complicated. There are three sort of parallel narratives involving three different women. The first is the author Virginia Woolf who lived much of her life in constant depression. She is working on her novel Mrs. Dalloway, which is about a woman who is planning a party. This is reflected in the other two narratives, one involving Laura, a pregnant housewife in 1951 who feels trapped in her life. She finds difficulty in even the simplest of tasks such as baking a birthday cake, or loving her perfect husband and son. Fast forward to the present (2001) where Clarissa, which happens to be the name of the protagonist in Mrs. Dalloway, is throwing a party for her former lover and close friend, a poet and author who is going through the advanced stages of AIDS. All three women feel immense pressure and a gaping hole in their lives. Some of it has to do with expectations placed upon them, Virginia as a renowned artist far removed from normal society, Laura as a suburban housewife with nothing to look forward to, and Clarissa having to care for a dying man she still loves. Perhaps some of it has to do with their partners in life. All three characters display moments of bisexuality (in fact Clarissa is an open lesbian) in kisses with the same sex (or in Clarissa's case with the opposite sex). Whatever the case, what is clear is that all three women yearn for a personal freedom they cannot possess. The principle characters go about their day, though not all of them will live to see the end of it.

The Hours is a film that revels in its own melancholy. There are no moments of laughter or joy, just constant sadness. Characters spend inordinate amounts of time staring blankly into space with longing faces. There are occasional outbursts in case you could not gather that these characters are depressed. It is not a fun film to watch. But it is a well made film with nice art direction, music, direction, and most of all terrific performances. It is a star studded film with Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep and Juliane Moore as the three women and Ed Harris as the dying poet. They are all convincing and moving.

I do have a curious question though. Nicole Kidman won Best Actress for her role as Virginia Woolf, but I wouldn't have really picked her as the main character of the film and thinking back on it, she may not have even had the most screen time. I would argue that Juliane Moore's character Laura was actually the central character (she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress). I wonder how the nomination process goes for these films because I see this happen frequently in movies.

Anyways, solid film, though not one I would be itching to see again, unless you just enjoy soul sucking rain on your parade.

Grade: B

Day 333 - 21 Jump Street

21 Jump Street (2012) directed by Phil Lord & Chris Miller

21 Jump Street is smarter, funnier and sweeter than anything I would have expected from an obviously ridiculous remake of an obscure TV show whose lasting fame would be of jumpstarting Johnny Depp's career. I've never seen the show nor do I have any idea of the general tone of it, but I'm assuming "loose remake" would be an appropriate term to describe the movie. It is a good thing too because following an idea too closely can seriously limit new ones. Instead writers Jonah Hill and Michael Bacall have written a screenplay that only uses the premise as a vehicle to tell their hilarious jokes and surprisingly smart story.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum play the classic Odd Couple, a pair of unlikely friends whose outer differences will cause them to fight but whose inner similarities will ultimately keep them together. In high school Schmidt was an unpopular geek while Jenko was the handsome (but dumb) jock. In an early scene we see Jenko laugh at Schmidt when he unsuccessfully tries to ask a girl out to prom. Unfortunately for Jenko, he can't go to prom either because of failing grades. Seven years later they both find themselves in police academy with the same problems, Schmidt too chubby and insecure, Jenko too dimwitted. Naturally they make the perfect team and become best buds, though both are seen as jokes and outcasts patrolling a park on their bicycles like a couple of doofuses. After their first near bust, the duo get assigned to an undercover operation where they must infiltrate a high school (as students) to investigate a new drug.

Whenever these types of situations come up in movies, whether it is time travel or reliving the past, the whole idea is doing things differently. When their identities accidentally get switched (because they can't remember their undercover names), Schmidt must get in with the popular kids and Jenko must hang out with nerds and both must adapt to their new roles. Suddenly the cop movie becomes a surviving high school coming of age movie. Of course it is rather silly to think of two grown men coming of age in high school, but one of the things that makes the film so good is that it doesn't take itself to seriously. Imagine 26 year olds trying to win the approval of 17 and 18 year olds and you'll realize how preposterous it all sounds. One of the running jokes in the film is how old Jenko looks. Of course Channing Tatum would never pass for a high school kid, but that is the whole fun of the movie isn't it?

This movie is funny, in fact one of funniest films I've seen in a while. As I said before part of the fun is in the film's own self awareness. For instance during a car chase we expect several different vehicles to blow up but they don't, playing with the audience's expectations and pointing out how silly the whole process is. There is also a good dosage of (good) crude humor involved, making the film surprisingly vulgar, not settling to be labeled as a safe buddy comedy. The jokes are wicked and often side splitting. It is also helped by solid performances. This is the first true comedy I've seen Channing Tatum in and he is surprisingly very funny and seems comfortable in this role. Jonah Hill is of course a natural comedian whose observational and ironic humor comes off naturally. Ice Cube, who plays their boss, is also great in a smaller role.

Grade: B+