Drag Me To Hell

Drag Me To Hell

2009

Directed by Sam Raimi

I thought this was a fun and funny horror flick. The story follows a bank loan officer who is pressured to refuse a credit extension to an old woman. The old woman ends up cursing Christine and Christine is stalked by an evil spirit with the intent of dragging her to hell. A straight-forward story-line, but it is one that Raimi has quite a bit of fun with at the same time. 

One of the things that I enjoy about Sam Raimi's style is that he can make something horrific and hilarious at the same time. There is a scene early on in the film where Christine and the old gypsy woman are fighting in her car. Christine manages to push Mrs. Ganush out of the car and has the door locked. Mrs. Ganush disappears and Christine pushes her head against the window to try to see where the old lady has gone. I'll post the clip below to better illustrate this part of the film. 

Drag Me To Hell is filled with these great fright-filled gags and it made the whole film a fun one to watch. The plot may be a bit predictable at times, but the humor and frights are so clever they more than make up for this little short-coming.

Rustin Allison

The Howling

The Howling

1981

Directed by Joe Dante

I am not sure what to make of this film. I enjoyed parts of the film. I thought the creatures looked great, and some of the effects sequences were very well done. I enjoyed seeing Patrick Macnee in another role (he's famous for playing John Steed). Some parts of the film just seemed too silly though. I enjoyed the humor of the film... it's just that some of the more serious moments came off as just plain silly.  

Here's what I enjoyed about the humor: the intercutting of a Disney Big Bad Wolf cartoon with a werewolf attack was really funny... in a dark sort of way. I didn't like how some of the people in the Colony acted. I felt it gave away the secret of the Colony way too early. Also, the love scene by the fire just looked way too fake. This may have been intentional... but to me it just looked bad and distracted from the film.

Rustin Allison

The Night of the Hunter

The Night of the Hunter

1955

Directed by Charles Laughton

This is the second time that I have watched this film. The story follows two children who are stalked by a murderer who poses as a preacher. The film has some great shots with some beautiful imagery. I really like the still that I posted above. One of the scenes that I absolutely love is where the children are floating along the river and different animals are shown watching their journey.

The film combines both religious and sexual imagery in a very expressionistic way. There is one scene in particular where Robert Mitchum's character is leaning over Shelley Winters in bed. The whole room is lit to make it look like a church interior. One could write quite a bit about how these themes are presented.

This is a film that deserves repeat viewings. The film is filled with beautiful haunting imagery. I also really love the score to the film. There are some great songs that are sung by the characters in the film that really add to the overall enjoyment of the film. 

Rustin Allison

Robinson Crusoe - Book 4

Robinson Crusoe

1719

Written by Daniel Defoe

I am still trying to get through the 100 Classic Book Collection. I haven't made too much progress since January, but I have made it through 4 books now. 

It is amazing going back and reading these novels which I know so much about bu tI have never read. I knew the basic plot line of Robinson Crusoe, but it took reading the book to fill in the details. One thing that did amaze me while reading the book is the time span. I thought Crusoe was just shipwrecked for a few years, but it turns out he was stranded for most of his life. It is only in the later years that he encounters Friday.

Rustin Allison

A Mighty Wind

A Mighty Wind

2003

Directed by Christopher Guest

Two words: Mitch and Mickey. 

I really enjoy the mockumentaries directed by Christopher Guest. The films are mostly improvised and this improvisation adds to the documentary feel. The heart of this film are Mitch and Mickey (played by Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara). They are a folk duo who re-unite for a tribute concert. They are both hysterically funny, but there is a sense of melancholy to them. They also get to sing the great Oscar nominated song, "Kiss at the End of the Rainbow." Everyone in this film is great and it is one of those films that gets funnier with repeat viewings.

Rustin Allison

Coraline

Coraline

2009

Directed by Henry Selick

I just saw this film during a preview weekend here in the UK. We have had to wait a little while longer to see this film here, but it was well worth the wait. Coraline is a film that everyone who has worked on it should be proud. 

I have always been a fan of Neil Gaiman's work and Henry Selick did a great job adapting the novel in a film. The film looks fantastic and there is such amazing detail put into every scene. Stop-motion involves such patience and hard work that it is hard to imagine just how many hours (well, days and years) it took to finish the film. 

The voice acting in this film was also very good. Teri Hatcher deserves applause for her chilling portrayal of the Other Mother... sweetness and light with little bits of dark and evil spilling through at just the right moments. I also enjoyed Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders performances as the old actresses, Miss Forcible and Miss Spink. They added just the right amount of eccentricity to their parts.

I did see this film in 3D and thought it looked great, but I could not see a reason just to see it in 3D. This is a film that would look great under normal viewing and I can't wait until I have it on DVD so that I can enjoy all of the little details that were added to this film.

Rustin Allison

The Searchers

The Searchers

1956

Directed by John Ford

Well, I was told in one of my film classes that if there is one classic Hollywood western to watch this should be the one. The Searchers is a much darker film than I had originally imagined. John Wayne is the main character but he comes off as much more of an anti-hero than I would have imagined. His character is racist and relentless in his pursuit of his kidnapped niece. The Searchers left me feeling a bit strange after watching it. I think that this mainly had to do with the portrayal of Native Americans. Yes, they are stereotyped, but I think that this was John Ford's attempt to show how racist people have been towards the Native Americans. Most of the characters (even the sympathetic ones) has such a hatred to the Comanche tribe that they are in conflict with during the course of the film.

Rustin Allison

Red Eye

Red Eye

2005

Directed by Wes Craven

This is a film that really surprised me. I was expecting a lower quality film, but finished the film really enjoying myself. Red Eye doesn't take itself seriously enough so that the little things that don't really make much sense are treated a bit humorously. The movie is really great at keeping the suspense level pretty high for the majority of the scenes. 

One of the things that I did enjoy about the film was that it had its own universe of characters... not just the main roles. The passengers on the plane all have their little nuances and roles to play much like the neighbors do in Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window.

Rustin Allison

Persepolis

Persepolis

2007

Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi

I had heard about the graphic novel that this film was based on in several of my religious studies classes, so I was quite interested in seeing the animated film version. Persepolis is the coming of age story of a young Iranian girl during the period of the Iranian revolution when the shah was ousted out of power. The original graphic novel was written by Marjane Satrapi and she co-directed the film version. 

The film obviously keeps its ties to the graphic novel, but it also has a great early film feel to it. The edges of the frame are often in shadow and there are many shots where the camera iris closes to focus on one of the characters or something important. Most of the film is black and white with just a few sequences in color. 

Overall, I really enjoyed this film as it allows a personal look at a time and culture that I know very little about. That is one of the joys of cinema... to see different perspectives and experiences.

Rustin Allison