April 04, 2006
Film Day - Fuck Yeah!
This past Friday was a working holiday, so I took the Metro to Hollyweird and hit up the Arclight for the premiere of "Brick" and "SLiTHER". Both were fantastic movies, and for entirely different reasons.
"Brick" totally exceeded my expectations. I've been on a crime-fiction kick lately, and have had no shortage of Hammett/Chandler/Westlake/insert name here novels protruding from my ass-pocket, jacket pocket, or backpack at any given moment. My girlfriend sprung the trailer on me early on (like a couple of months ago before I decided to go noir/hardboiled fiction-crazy), and I wasn't too jazzed about it. Then I started reading more about it, and the idea of the film intrigued me more and more.
What was set to be essentially a detective novel based in a high school ended up being an extremely well-executed concept, thanks to the efforts of the cast and crew. Joseph Gordon-Levitt has been gradually working his way into some genuinely good films that showcase his abilities as an actor, and "Brick" is no exception. I almost wondered what such punchy dialogue would have sounded like coming from a gang of Hollywood it-guys, but decided against it because doing so would be a massive discredit to the cast of this film. The cinematography and score all added to the experience, and I'd love to see it again in theaters before it fades away, like all great films seem to do nowadays. Definitely a must-buy on DVD, and go see it if you have the chance.
Now, "SLiTHER". I'd been kinda creaming over this one after reading a few different interviews of the cast and crew at various film sites and seeing the teaser trailer. Since most film studios are eaten up with remake fever (even "The Hills Have Eyes", in the hands of Alexandre Aja, wasn't as great as I had hoped Considering that the original wasn't that astonishing either save for a genuinely creepy Michael Berryman, I still give Aja props), I welcomed the idea of another good horror-comedy. While not on par with "Shaun of the Dead" (hey, fuck off, I'm a sucker for British comedy and the little I've seen of the show "Spaced" was epic), it was still a hilariously entertaining and disgusting little breath of fresh air.
Everyone played their parts to maximum effect, and it seems like the gang had a blast making this one. Nathan Fillion stepped into the shoes of the reluctant hero a la Bruce Campbell, and did one hell of a job. James Gunn, the director, pulled out all the stops and balanced great one-liners with genuinely disturbing horror like a pro. And yes, I enjoyed the Gunn-penned Dawn of the Dead remake (director's cut of course), even though it had nothing to do with the original aside from zombies and a mall. Note to fellow horror/film geeks: IT'S OKAY TO LIKE AN ORIGINAL AS WELL AS ITS REMAKE. I have to give major props to Gregg Henry, though. His character's demeanor and dialogue had me in stitches in almost every bit he was in, save for the random old man with the "That looks like something that fell off my dick during the war" quip. Plus, film geeks have to appreciate all the homages that Gunn throws into the mix with this one. You can't watch five minutes of this film without seeing something that alluded to another film.
Plus it was cool to hang around the area where Psycho and Crazy intersect. Between bums, junkies, hookers, punk rockers, drunks, street urchins, and the quintessential Hollywood and Vine bizarros, you can't go wrong there. Also, Amoeba Music kicks ass.
Anyways, I'm rambling. If you're a horror movie/comedy fan, go see SLiTHER. If you're a hard-boiled fiction/mystery fan, go see Brick.
Posted by Jake at April 4, 2006 07:44 PM
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