THE RAID REVIEW

Watching The Raid at this year's JDIFF, I recalled a quote from action-icon Sylvester Stallone, regarding his stance on the genre itself. He said that action films should have a physical effect on you. That you should leave the theater with a thumping heart, sweaty palms and a sky-rocketing energy level. Stallone succeeded in giving me that exact feeling with his 2008 sequel, Rambo; a film that's thrilling, crazy violent and yet smart and emotional. Gareth Evans may have read that exact same quote too, as The Raid is surely the most intense and physical action film since Stallone's Rambo.

The Raid begins slow and silent, with our hero Rama (Iko Uwais) preparing for his early-morning mission to the slums of Jakarta. With his calm preparation over, Rama kisses his pregnant wife goodbye and sets off. The film wastes no time in diving straight into the titular raid, as the next scene is Rama and his fellow team members hauling-ass to the tower where the cities crime-lord is living among dozens of addicts, thieves, murderers and other assorted low-lives. Splitting into groups to two, the team enter the building and are shortly confronted by the swarms of villains that stand between them and their goal. 

While The Raid is, at first glance, a little light on plot, don't be fooled. It's smart and well-written with a tight storyline that's kept moving at breakneck speed. Admittedly, I was surprised at how much care and attention was given to the film's characters and story as opposed to the often poorly-written-with-amazing-action films that plague the genre. Here we have a fully realized hero, villain, supporting characters and honest and realistic motivations...as well as amazing action. 

And speaking of amazing action, The Raid contains some of the greatest displays of martial arts to ever grace the silver screen. Using the martial arts style Silat, Rama destroys enemy after enemy in gloriously gruesome and incredibly choreographed ways. The team moves from guns to knives to their fists as the action gets better and better, building to new heights of Holy-Shit madness. The action is also technically flawless, as the editing, direction, stunt choreography and soundtrack all come together to create action-exquisiteness. It really has to be seen to be believed. 

I'd heard that director Gareth Evans' first film, Merantau, cemented him as a talented filmmaker on the way up, but with his work here, I'd be surprised if people don't hold him up against the likes of John Woo in the future. The Raid is a masterpiece of action cinema. You have never seen anything like it. 

CHRONICLE REVIEW

WARNING: this review contains minor SPOILERS!

The found-footage sub-genre has long been a staple in the horror world. There are countless entries and it seems recently we've been inundated with piss-poor efforts such as Apollo 18 and Paranormal Activity 3. It's also one of cinema's biggest enigmas. Each new found-footage film seems to get an all-round beating from audiences across the globe only to go on and make millions and millions of dollars (I'm looking at you, The Devil Inside). And so it was with genuine reluctance that I entered the movie theater this morning to catch an early showing of 20th Century Fox's Chronicle.

Chronicle takes the found-footage basic rules and applies them to the other hugely popular sub-genre; superheroes. The film begins with Andrew (Dane DeHaan), the lonely, isolated high-schooler, setting up his camera in the mirror. Stomping and shouting outside his bedroom door is his abusive alcoholic father, Richard (Michael Kelly). This is where we learn the reasoning for the camera; Andrew tells his father he's going to continue to film everything, both inside and outside the house, perhaps in hopes this warning will curb his father's beatings. It's a very interesting idea and it makes for a hell of a better reason than the usual "the world should know what happened here today" bullshit. Later we're introduced to Andrew's cousin, Matt (Alex Russell) and his friend Steve (Michael B. Jordan), just as the trio discover a mysterious glowing stone buried deep in a cavern near a party the boys are attending. The glowing stone seems to emit some type of radiation that then gives the boys their super-powers such as flight, invulnerability and psychokinesis. It's here that director Josh Trank fast-forwards to get into the meat of the story, not concerned with telling us where the stone came from or what it is.

The next 30 minutes or so play out roughly as we'd expect; one super-powered prank after another, each showcasing the boy's growing strength and control over their abilities and the abilities themselves. Each fantastical stunt builds onto one another until we reach the film's astonishing climactic set-piece. And it's here that Chronicle really soars. The finale is so well-realized that it'll leave you with your jaw on the floor. Trank applies a few sneaky tricks to work around the questionable constant-camera technique that plagues found-footage films (really, why would you keep filming in the midst of a battle, chase or disaster?) including S.W.A.T. cameras, news helicopters and CCTV cameras. Chronicle most resembles the classic hero archetype in it's final moments. It's the epic battle between good and evil. It's the birth of a hero and the death(?) of a villain. By the end, you'll have forgotten all about the found-footage angle of the film, which is a success in my books. Instead you'll be sucked into the character's story and their all-too-relatable emotions (and the great special effects, of course).

I find that one scene in Chronicle captures my delight with the film perfectly. When the trio first learn they can fly, they quickly soar to the sky to play a game of 1,000ft-high football. As they're wizzing through the sky, we get some really beautiful footage of the clouds and the landscape below, with the sun setting far in the distance. It reminded me of Warner Bros.' original teaser trailer for Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie in which we first heard the tagline, "You will believe a man can fly". Chronicle has almost had the same effect on me as Donner's superhero classic. I feel like a kid again, one that daydreams of shooting through the sky, faster than a bullet, away from my troubles and strife's. That's kind of the point of it all. And director Josh Trank, Dane DeHaan and the rest have created a wonderful superhero story and a piece of pure escapism for all of us who ever dreamed we could fly.

JOE CARNAHAN IS REMAKING DEATH WISH. THIS IS GOOD NEWS.

Earlier this week the LA Times, through an unknown contact of their's in Warner Bros., announced that The Grey director, Joe Carnahan, will be writing & directing a remake of Charles Bronson's violent classic, Death Wish. And just tonight, Joe himself clarified a few things. Yes, he is doing the film. Yes, he will still make Killing Pablo. And finally this Death Wish will take place in the city of Los Angeles. In my eyes, Carnahan has proved himself to be a really great filmmaker, so I've confidence he can bring this story to life again in his own way. But with that said...

I have a love/hate history with remakes; some I genuinely love (My Bloody Valentine, The Fly, True Grit) and some I fucking hate (The Fog, The Taking Of Pelham 123 & Prom Night) but my one thought toward any remake that stays unwavering is this; Can the story work in our world today? Let's face it, we live in a pretty fucked up planet. Crime is at an all-time high. Our politicians have cheated & lied to us and the global economic meltdown has had a massive effect on us. So it's this thought that I think right now is the perfect time to remake Death Wish. If there ever was a time, it's right now. Michael Winner's original is dirty, gritty and violent. It shows us a side of New York we don't want to know; somewhere dark and frightening. And it worked so well in capturing the audiences thirst for justice. Bronson's Paul Kersey was the man we always wanted to be. The one that stands up to the bullies and criminals and scares them away with a ferocious "Fuck You". He's almost the righteous character, cleaning the streets and making it safe again. Making it the world we want to live in. If Carnahan can recreate this story and alter it in his own way to fit the modern world, we could be looking at a really great film.

In this world, we as an audience need guys like Paul Kersey to shit-kick the bad guys so as we don't have to in real life. And right now, more than ever, audiences need that 90-minute release. So don't let us down, Joe. Give us a gritty, urban vigilante tale for the modern masses.

DO WE REALLY NEED THE OSCARS?

This week, the nominees for the 84th Academy Awards were announced in Los Angeles. The reaction to the nominations have been varied; some are surprised, some are shocked. But the general attitude most have to this year's nods seems to be that of total and complete apathy. So while some people ponder as to why Nic Refn's Drive received but one nomination, I'm going to tackle a far more important question...do we really need the Academy Awards anymore?

The Oscars has always been the center of attention to those in Hollywood. Ever since it's pilot ceremony in the Roosevelt Hotel on May 16th, 1929, the show has been a time for producers, directors, actors, writers, crew and cast to get together and nominate each other for various awards. The original ceremony ran for 15 minutes and AMPAS (Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences) handed out 12 awards as well as an Honorary award for Charlie Chaplin and his work in The Circus. Shortly after the award show, Louis B. Mayer spoke out about his creation of the awards. He said, "I found that the best way to handle filmmakers was to hang medals all over them...If I got them cups and awards they'd kill them to produce what I wanted. That's why the Academy Award was created". A lot can be taken from Mayer's statement, but could it confirm that the Oscars has always been a thinly-veiled show of vanity, not the celebration of cinema many take it to be?

Not a lot is known about the Academy's board of voters. As of this article, I've not found any information about the 5,783 cast, crew & producers that make up the group. A lot has been said in the past too about the committees political leanings and it's habitual isolation of filmmakers who disagree with their favourite policies, presidents or financiers (something I won't get into, purely because I'm not learned on the controversy), but it raises interesting questions. Was there another reason behind not giving Martin Scorsese a Best Director award until 2006's The Departed? Was the Paddy Chayefsky/Vanessa Redgrave incident at the 1977 Oscar ceremony a telling look at the show's inner workings (he scorned her for her politically-driven speech about "Zionist hoodlums" rather than merely thanking the Academy)? Perhaps there is a 'right way' to play the game as a filmmaker in Hollywood. A way that leads you to the back door, or to Oscar 'glory'.

During the awards season, there is always the same point that needs reinforcing and reiteration. Great cinema is great cinema, regardless of whether it's cast & crew receive little gold men for their work. A film like Drive, which I mentioned earlier, does not need a plethora of awards to affirm it's quality. It's a work of art, created by a storyteller and performed by a wonderful group of actors. Sure, it's nice to see your hard work recognized by your peers, there's no denying that, but the idea that a film's reputation lives and dies during the Oscar race is ridiculous. And that's not a bold statement, there really are people that believe if a film has been nominated for an Oscar, it is better than a film that has not. So it's this reason the awards are totally redundant. Drive, Shame, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, etc, are all fantastic films. And while they were largely ignored by AMPAS, we, as an audience, know that these are truly great films and we don't need a committee of right-wing suits to solidify that.

So maybe this year we'll all try something a little bit different. Instead of staying up all night to catch the 84th Academy Awards, we'll rent, buy or go to a good movie and get swept away in it's story and forget who gets what in which category.

LET'S TALK: TEASER TRAILERS

The most powerful tool at any studios disposal is undoubtedly the teaser trailer. Throughout the history of cinema, studios have used the teaser trailer to entice audiences all over the world to find the answers to the questions proposed in their sixty second clips. Teaser trailers work phenomenally well in planting an idea in our minds of what wonderful things we might see in our local cinema. They tells us, "We can't show you. You must see it for yourself".

And so with the release of 20th Century Fox's superb teaser for Ridley Scott's Prometheus, I've decided to take a look back at some of the greatest teaser trailers of our time. From horror, to sci-fi, to superhero epics, these trailers not only excite and intrigue, they often go on to become more popular and revered than the movies they represent. Find the list below.

SUSPIRIA 

Showing only about 25 seconds of footage, Suspiria's teaser is probably my favourite of all time. It's a beautiful and terrifying compilation; showcasing the wonderful lighting and direction but also giving you a the briefest taste of the horror that lies ahead. And that closing image of the slashed-up old hag dribbling blood while holding a knife above her head...really great stuff. The perfect teaser. 

HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES 

This teaser was released by Universal before director Rob Zombie had even begun principal photography. The ad was meant to pique the morbid curiosity in us all by hinting at the "worst crime in American history", similar to that of the poster of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre which proclaimed, "Who will survive and what will be left of them?". Mostly released on VHS copies of other horror titles, the teaser for House of 1,000 Corpses is extremely effective. The imagery is extremely macabre, with hundreds of little wooden crosses surrounding investigative teams as they pull body after body out of the dirt. And what's even better is that the way the teaser is shot, it's almost as if we are an onlooker at the scene, desperate to know but excluded from the grizzly details. And the only way to find out said details? Go and see House of 1,000 Corpses. 

SUPERMAN RETURNS 

Regardless of the quality of the completed film, the teaser trailer for Superman Returns embodied everything a fan could ever want from a big screen adventure for the man of steel. Each hallmark in the life of Kal-El is brought to life by director Bryan Singer and we get a test of how his life will eventually go from small town boy to savior of the world. The accompanying John Williams music takes the trailer to another level; one of cinematic wonder so strong it'll leave you with goosebumps. And massive plus points for this teaser ending with our hero in an almost meditative state above the planet earth. Beautiful stuff.

PSYCHO 

What a great little quirky teaser! For such a dark, terrifying film. A fantastic piece of advertising; director Alfred Hitchcock gives us, the audience, a tour of the set of his newest thriller, Psycho. The motel, the house, the grounds, all are explored as Hitchcock remains deliberately secretive as to what kind of crime actually took place here. Was it a theft? Rape? Murder even? Of course, Hitchcock eventually indulges us and shares some of the building's secrets. And right as he's explaining the ghastly murder that took place in the motel's bathroom...well, watch and see. It's a powerful teaser trailer that sucks you into the mystery of it all and leaves you with more questions than answers. 

TOBY JONES, SIENNA MILLER JOIN BBC2'S THE GIRL!

A quick one; Toby Jones (The Mist, Infamous) will play legendary master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, in BBC2's upcoming drama The Girl. Joining the British actor is model-cum-actress, Sienna Miller. Miller will play Tippi Hendren, the star (and object of desire for the director) of The Birds & Marnie. 

The TV film is said to be focusing more on Hitchcock's infatuation with the actress and their relationship on and off screen. A seeming friendship with mutual gain that ended in bitterness and animosity. The Girl should make for wonderful television. Consider me intrigued. 

PETER WELLER JOINING STAR TREK 2 = PERFECTION

The hard working folks at Variety got wind that Peter Weller is joining the cast of J.J. Abrams hotly anticipated, Star Trek 2. The actor is, of course, known to you and I as Robocop; the greatest police officer of all time. Er, at least in film. Weller brought his wonderful presence to Robocop and it's sequel Robocop 2, as well as standout episodes in 24, Dexter and the mind-bending sci-fi series, Fringe. Let me explain why this is such terrific news. If you've seen the aforementioned episode of Fringe (titled White Tulip), you know how magnificently humble & wise Weller comes across in character and presence, so if Abrams has cast him in a role aboard the mighty U.S.S. Enterprise, then we should rejoice. After the announcement that the director will shoot his latest film in 3D, my hopes were slightly dashed for the sequel. But with this I find them rejuvenated! A fine actor for a fine sequel? I do hope so.