karlykins1967 Reviews

The Happening (2008)

No aliens, ghosts or monsters here. Something far more frightening...

[7/10 · 21 September 2008]

As stated in the summary above, if you are watching because you like some of M. Knight's previous efforts and perhaps are ready to make comparisons with some of his other 'hits' then prepare to be disappointed. Thankfully there's no ghosts, creatures, or aliens present in this one - and all the better for it, says I!! I have to admit that generally speaking I am not a fan of the director's output. Personally I find "The Sixth Sense" far from being the 'modern day classic' as some describe it; thought the 'twist' ending in "The Village" could be seen a mile away, and generally find the man's movies overrated and trite. In his defence however, I did like the pairing of Mel Gibson & Joaquin Phoenix in "Signs", which was an enjoyable outing - so it's not all bad! With this film though, there seems to be a general air of disappointment elsewhere in the IMDb comments, which I think is unjustified. Perhaps people feel let down due to the overall lack of an overt 'entity' that threatens the characters. Conversely, I found the invisible and natural quality of the threat quite sinister indeed and considered the environmental elements in the plot to be a very believable master-stroke. For a film that is shot almost entirely in daylight, and with nothing dark or monstrous or other-worldly hot on the character's heels, there is a remarkably strong sense of dread and fear of the unknown that saturates "The Happening" and works really well in the film's favour. Mark Wahlberg turns in a very human performance, miles from his hardened Bourne 'identity'(!) and the young child in the story was well selected and played. The entirety did not feel either overlong or overwrought, and levels of reprehensible over-sentimentality are kept to a fortunate minimum. If this is a mark of Mr. Shayamalan's future direction, then here's looking forward to his next project. "Hats off" to you, sir - for an engrossing film well made!

The Objective (2008)

Stunning, but don't expect any neatly presented answers!

[9/10 · 21 September 2008]

For me, this was simply one of the best viewing experiences I have had in a long time, and believe me I watch a helluva lot of films! The cinematography was glorious, with astounding landscapes shot perfectly; also the score and sound effects track was simply out of this world, giving the film incredible ambiance and atmosphere throughout, and conjuring up perfectly a sense of esoteric mystery and making the unseen threat seem almost palpable in the desolate surroundings. In contrast to some of the other viewers' postings here on IMDb, I thought the acting was very realistic and believable, and the script well structured with good dialogue. Sure, the small company of soldiers here didn't have all the flashy catchphrasing and smart character interactions ("bughunt", "we're on an escalator to hell - going down!!") that we all love from "Aliens" (as has been pointed out in other postings) but that was because it wasn't necessary nor would have been appropriate in the scenarios in "The Objective". Also, more films than "Apocalypse Now" have utilized to good extent the voice-over narration technique, and this is one of them. There's no more dialogue here than necessary, and like the other soldiers in the company, the audience is given just enough information in the voice-over to allow them to piece together just what they "need to know". The main problem some viewers seem to have with this film is that the plot line leaves the audience thinking at the end, with no easy answers and nicely tied-up resolution. That is a great thing - it is not lazy film-making whatsoever. I feel sad for the person in the postings who had to ask such inane questions as to why the key character was shown at the end where he was and doing what he was doing and how he got there (note how I neatly sidestepped giving anything away then?!) The answer is: because it is a FILM and as such, constraints like time, budget and artistic convenience mean that not every single action needs to (or should) be shown to us. Many things in life itself are not totally explained or resolved to the individual - and just as here, it is up to each viewer to come to his own ultimate conclusion and piece together a few fragments of their own. Bear these comments in mind before viewing, and if you are a viewer who enjoys a neat and tidy happy ending, then please look elsewhere. Otherwise, enjoy a simply excellent piece of film-making and cinematic experience!!

Red Room 2 (2000 Video)

Red Room 2 - well worth a look inside...

[7/10 · 20 September 2008]

Four people introduce themselves to camera then participate in a game-to-the-death for a large sum of prize money. It all takes place in a couple of small rooms (one of which is Red!) and there is much dialogue and characterisation over action. The entire effort is short and none-too-subtle, but well played with conviction by all involved. Obviously it would seem that budget was limited on "Red Room 2", so some of the effects do look a little low-tech, shall we say (if you watch, you'll know just when I mean!) That being said, my attention was held completely from start to finish and felt that ultimately the film was well worth the time spent watching (and now writing about it!) One thing I should mention, by way of explanation to some of the levels of gratuity contained in "Red Room 2", is that recently I subjected myself to possibly the ultimate in gratuitous shock-fest "cinema", having watched something called "August Underground's Mordum" (which I wholeheartedly do NOT recommend). I mention this in order to explain that after having watched (or perhaps words like "suffered", or "endured" may be more appropriate) the aforementioned effort, absolutely anything that can (and was) presented in "Red Room 2" seemed really rather laughable by comparison. The difference in the two films being that "Red Room 2" was a well -made, -scripted and -acted work of (admittedly bizarre) entertainment; whilst "AUM" was just utterly repugnant imagery for the sake of it, without merit and void of value. Yes, "Red Room 2" is indeed gratuitous, as described in an earlier posting here, but after one's initial revulsion at the scenarios the contestants herein find themselves, it actually becomes strangely engrossing. It also helps that being a relatively low-budget production in appearance (which can be a good thing, in my humble opinion), the viewer's repulsion obtained by any of the film's shock "effects" is soon replaced by mild amusement - well it was with me! All of that being said, I found the film very engrossing and well worth the effort. You could see what the makers were trying to express, and yes, it is something a frequent film-goer will have seen before - namely just what are the extremes TV programmers will go to in order to obtain a rating, and simultaneously, just what level of degradation will any participants stoop to in order to win. Also, it all begs the query of the viewer - how much depravity and humiliation will you watch in the name of entertainment? Again, not subject matter we haven't seen presented previously, especially in the super-dark humorous style of "Series 7: Contenders" (highly recommended, by the way), but nonetheless interesting and engrossing (if you can forgive the cheapish effects!) Now, if only Endemol or Channel 4 could get the layabouts in the Big Brother house to indulge in this form of extreme gamery, then at least that programme wouldn't be so devoid of any value, and the wanna-be housemates would know what it's like to really EARN their prize!! THAT - I would watch... meanwhile, give "Red Room 2" a spin!

August Underground's Mordum (2003 Video)

Viewers beware!

[4/10 · 19 September 2008]

Well, I watch lots of horror and psychological horror, but this takes the biscuit - and not in a good way, either. Why do we watch films? In my case, for entertainment. Also, in this instance, out of curiosity. I suppose there must be a little bit of darkness inside of me somewhere that wants to see just how much I can take and at just what point my psyche will say "enough is enough" and make me reach for the "off" button. One has to wonder what the intentions of these filmmakers were. Having extensively read IMDb forums (where a lot of people air their multifaceted views) I have to say that yes, this film works insomuch that it in no way glamorises the violence (latent within so many of us) that is displayed herein; yes, it is perhaps the most appallingly perverse presentation on screen of depraved humanity with acts so disgusting that even the most hardened realist would struggle to imagine these scenarios; and yes, as a decent human being you wonder why all of this would ever be put to film. Perhaps the answer is that the makers, ToeTag Productions, wanted to create a cult-like, ("underground", even!) following amidst the curious amongst us which would work in their advantage to promote their abilities as a kind of utterly repulsive "portfolio" of their Special Effects capabilities, in order to gain work in the field. Otherwise, I can really see little ultimate point in this, beyond as I have said, to simply allow the masochistic amongst us to see just how much one can take. The film is disturbingly realistic, with much shaky, "Blair Witch"-style blurry and extreme close-up camera work, and with little storyline and dialogue other than excessive swearing. I personally managed to get through it all (and I mention that with no sense of pride or boasting whatsoever) but felt relatively emotionally "soiled" afterwards. I suggest the average viewer take caution in their decision whether or not to subject themselves to the atrocities herein, and ask themselves whether it is indeed worth indulging those dark tendencies inside to test their personal levels of endurance by watching this, when the contents of the average newspaper surely hold enough snippets of real-life horrors without perhaps having to indulge in August Underground? Good luck to all takers. As an afternote, I would say that I do agree with comments aired later on in this space, by "endsetsky-music" - whilst I have always been very much anti-censorship and agree/d with freedom of choice, I have to question whether this material would indeed be dangerous in the hands of a susceptible individual, whose boundaries of perception between "right" and "wrong" may just be blurred enough to see something admirable or copy-able in the actions portrayed in this film. I don't necessary agree that exposure to violence makes one more likely to commit further violence, but I would say that in our present society there is most certainly an unfortunately strong desensitization in younger generations due to overexposure of extreme materials that I truly believe leads to a downgraded set of moral standards and a skewed perspective on acceptable behaviour. (And no, I am not a devout religious acolyte, just a level-headed, thick skinned northerner!) And finally, as "endsetsky-music" correctly mentions, one has to question the set of values held by the people who devise, create and distribute this material. This is not the work of genuinely creative individuals - it is simply a parade of atrocities for their own sake. Other "defenders" of the film say that it is an accurate portrayal of the existence of real serial killers/torturers, in that it is not "beautified" for a regular audience's palate. Yes, lots of mainstream Hollywood films could be said to desensitise their audience by "sugar-coating" their portrayals of base acts with good camera-work, acting and lighting, etc - but one must remember that your average moviegoer wants to be entertained in some way, removed from daily routine by being immersed in a cinematic experience. Whereas most films succeed in this instance and can make the viewer leave the auditorium questioning what they have seen and how they viewed scenes and subjects presented to them, this film just shows humanity at its' lowest ebb. Yes, real serial killers probably had/have a similar sense of diminished morality that gives them some form of satisfaction from this type of behaviour, and no doubt things of such repulsion occur in reality on a day to day basis - one only has to look into the news headlines (...Josef Fritzl, anyone?) But as a form of diversion and/or entertainment, I would seriously question anyone who could watch this more than once and find any single thing redeeming in it. Anyway, enough - you get the gist. Try "Dodgeball" instead - I would, anyday of the week!