- Joined
- Mar 13, 2011
- Messages
- 41,748
- Reaction score
- 22,773
I have no idea how there are posts on this page above that talk about The Raid and Jackie Chan, but cool. I'm down. I had hoped The Raid would win in my week since I don't know how many people had seen it, but maybe I'll bring in a "second chances" vote next time around.
On to Maniac. Hm. I never saw the original. I think I like the idea of Elijah Wood as a villain more than I do the execution of it. I did like him in Sin City, but that was because he didn't say a word and just did his little thing with his nails. In this, he had to speak, and half the time it sounded more campy than genuinely creepy. Something the audio was distorted when he was speaking, as if the ADR was muffled or they tried to obfuscate his voice for some reason. In certain scenes, it was acceptable, but when just in conversation with a woman like the French girl, it sounded lazy.
Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this movie. It was a classic example of "style over substance" except the style didn't work on me either. There were some decent choices the director made including the soundtrack (cough cough Q Lazzarus, nice touch since it's about a dude skinning his victims) as well as the other music used (or not used) throughout. Visually, it was off putting how dark it was much of the time.
The cinematography was a decent choice, as the whole thing was shot almost entirely in in first person mode. Bold choice. It worked and it didn't. It actually removed a lot of suspense, because we never really wondered if and when he was going to kill. It was just ho hum he's gonna kill that girl, let's see how long it takes him. I guess in that way it took away from the traditional slasher vibe because it was all just a matter of time. It did make me think and want to have a digression that could have already been covered (who knows, we've already had 160 posts in this thread) about that this movie could put people in the driver's seat of a serial killer. It could make the audience feel like they're the ones killing, since the whole thing is shot in first person. It was very voyeuristic, and it never quite made me feel uncomfortable but I could see how people would not like that part of it. Something else I picked up on was possibly the feeling of helplessness that the audience could face with this flick, watching it unfold in first person and yet being able to do nothing to stop it.
Plenty of gore, huh. It didn't skimp on blood or brutality or anything like it. It seemed like one of those "bloody for the sake of being bloody" movies more than anything. "Watch as we scalp this woman while she's screaming, that sounds like fun."
I had a serious case of deja vu when the French girl came by to take pictures of his mannequins. I feel like this was in a movie before, I don't know what one though. Midnight Meat Train? I can't think of what it was, but it seems very familiar. Maybe I have seen this movie before after all, because I distinctly remember the scene about meeting a strange woman and taking pictures in front of a mannequin shop. Scenes in this movie keep reminding me of others, like when he washed his hands with steel wool, all I could think was The Machinist. I also got a vibe of Closer where they're in the art gallery doing whatever they were doing in that movie that made me angry. Then, the scene in the parking lot where he cuts her achilles tendon - I'm pretty sure I've seen this after all. I may have watched it on IFC casually and it didn't stick with me other than "oh hey look, there's Elijah Wood killing some girl and Buffalo Bill-ing her." Didn't leave an impression on me then, and sure isn't leaving one on me now.
More than anything, this movie kind of irritated me. It didn't really devote itself to being anything beyond what I could argue was a gimmick in the first person cinematography. I mean yes, it's at its core a slasher horror flick, and it tried to become something more, like part Psycho and part Silence of the Lambs and part a handful of others. It never took that step, as if it was trying to just stick to being creepy. It's "look at how weird Elijah Wood is" for 80 minutes. Was the audience trying to make us sympathize with him? Was there ever a time they wanted us to think he may not be a bad guy and was just conflicted? I never had any moral questions about him, even with the stuff about his mother and her...lifestyle...or him "falling in love" I guess. Also, this may be nitpicky but if he takes his medicine in pill form (not the spray he gets later) to stop his ridiculous urges, how come it takes effect immediately? Is it more a psychological effect that he takes his medicine and thinks he'll be fine, compared to it actually being useful? Or is it just another movie thing, kind of like the "hand over the eyes when someone's dead" thing?
At the end of the day, we knew he was going to end up killing French girl. Yes, I actually learned their names - Frank and Anna. I think there were others but who cares, they died. I was almost surprised they killed Frank at the end, but nah not really. I figure he'd end up dying thinking of his mother, they really pushed that hard. And look at that, that's what happened. Predictable, disappointing, and just not special. Good for them, they used first person for the point of this, but it's definitely not groundbreaking for me. Maybe I'm desensitized, but it didn't gross me out or freak me out. It was just...meh. One of the weaker choices we've had in the SMC, but there's one upside - Manborg is next. I'm pumped for that one.
5.5/10, and only because of the cinematography. Otherwise, pass. I think I'm about out of gas on not that great horror movies in the SMC, they just...don't do it for me.
On to Maniac. Hm. I never saw the original. I think I like the idea of Elijah Wood as a villain more than I do the execution of it. I did like him in Sin City, but that was because he didn't say a word and just did his little thing with his nails. In this, he had to speak, and half the time it sounded more campy than genuinely creepy. Something the audio was distorted when he was speaking, as if the ADR was muffled or they tried to obfuscate his voice for some reason. In certain scenes, it was acceptable, but when just in conversation with a woman like the French girl, it sounded lazy.
Overall, I wasn't a huge fan of this movie. It was a classic example of "style over substance" except the style didn't work on me either. There were some decent choices the director made including the soundtrack (cough cough Q Lazzarus, nice touch since it's about a dude skinning his victims) as well as the other music used (or not used) throughout. Visually, it was off putting how dark it was much of the time.
The cinematography was a decent choice, as the whole thing was shot almost entirely in in first person mode. Bold choice. It worked and it didn't. It actually removed a lot of suspense, because we never really wondered if and when he was going to kill. It was just ho hum he's gonna kill that girl, let's see how long it takes him. I guess in that way it took away from the traditional slasher vibe because it was all just a matter of time. It did make me think and want to have a digression that could have already been covered (who knows, we've already had 160 posts in this thread) about that this movie could put people in the driver's seat of a serial killer. It could make the audience feel like they're the ones killing, since the whole thing is shot in first person. It was very voyeuristic, and it never quite made me feel uncomfortable but I could see how people would not like that part of it. Something else I picked up on was possibly the feeling of helplessness that the audience could face with this flick, watching it unfold in first person and yet being able to do nothing to stop it.
Plenty of gore, huh. It didn't skimp on blood or brutality or anything like it. It seemed like one of those "bloody for the sake of being bloody" movies more than anything. "Watch as we scalp this woman while she's screaming, that sounds like fun."
I had a serious case of deja vu when the French girl came by to take pictures of his mannequins. I feel like this was in a movie before, I don't know what one though. Midnight Meat Train? I can't think of what it was, but it seems very familiar. Maybe I have seen this movie before after all, because I distinctly remember the scene about meeting a strange woman and taking pictures in front of a mannequin shop. Scenes in this movie keep reminding me of others, like when he washed his hands with steel wool, all I could think was The Machinist. I also got a vibe of Closer where they're in the art gallery doing whatever they were doing in that movie that made me angry. Then, the scene in the parking lot where he cuts her achilles tendon - I'm pretty sure I've seen this after all. I may have watched it on IFC casually and it didn't stick with me other than "oh hey look, there's Elijah Wood killing some girl and Buffalo Bill-ing her." Didn't leave an impression on me then, and sure isn't leaving one on me now.
More than anything, this movie kind of irritated me. It didn't really devote itself to being anything beyond what I could argue was a gimmick in the first person cinematography. I mean yes, it's at its core a slasher horror flick, and it tried to become something more, like part Psycho and part Silence of the Lambs and part a handful of others. It never took that step, as if it was trying to just stick to being creepy. It's "look at how weird Elijah Wood is" for 80 minutes. Was the audience trying to make us sympathize with him? Was there ever a time they wanted us to think he may not be a bad guy and was just conflicted? I never had any moral questions about him, even with the stuff about his mother and her...lifestyle...or him "falling in love" I guess. Also, this may be nitpicky but if he takes his medicine in pill form (not the spray he gets later) to stop his ridiculous urges, how come it takes effect immediately? Is it more a psychological effect that he takes his medicine and thinks he'll be fine, compared to it actually being useful? Or is it just another movie thing, kind of like the "hand over the eyes when someone's dead" thing?
At the end of the day, we knew he was going to end up killing French girl. Yes, I actually learned their names - Frank and Anna. I think there were others but who cares, they died. I was almost surprised they killed Frank at the end, but nah not really. I figure he'd end up dying thinking of his mother, they really pushed that hard. And look at that, that's what happened. Predictable, disappointing, and just not special. Good for them, they used first person for the point of this, but it's definitely not groundbreaking for me. Maybe I'm desensitized, but it didn't gross me out or freak me out. It was just...meh. One of the weaker choices we've had in the SMC, but there's one upside - Manborg is next. I'm pumped for that one.
5.5/10, and only because of the cinematography. Otherwise, pass. I think I'm about out of gas on not that great horror movies in the SMC, they just...don't do it for me.
