Theater Experience | John Carpenter's The Thing

                While I still must watch several of his films, John Carpenter is one of my favorite directors.  Halloween has always been one of my favorite films—and seeing it in theaters was epic—and They Live instantly became one too.  Shame the latter wasn’t as successful during its theatrical run.   The film I had the pleasure of seeing in theaters recently has that in common with Carpenter’s satire, as critics of the time hated it and it flopped (when “Hollywood Accounting” is factored against gross).  Despite this, The Thing has found its audience in the almost forty years since its release, and it’s the textbook example of how to remake a film.

                While the audience wasn’t much larger than when I saw Kill Bill Volume 1, participation was vastly greater.  With Bill, the audience was sitting on their hands for a majority of the film, and it felt like I was the only one having fun; in retrospect, sitting in the back corner might have played a role in this.  They were faster on the draw with Trivia this time, and unlike January those who raised their hands knew the film, myself included (this time I won the big prize: two tickets and a free popcorn). As the film played, I heard cheers, oohs, and laughs at the few comedic moments.  From a personal standpoint, this improved my experience.  While the interaction started slow, by the time the blood test scene played out, the audience was 100% invested.  Carpenter had them in the palm of his hand.  I’m smiling just thinking about it. 

                The film looked amazing on the big screen.  Viewing the film in this manner allowed me to further appreciate Carpenter’s mise-en-scene.  From Dean Cundy’s masterful cinematography to Rob Bottin’s groundbreaking practical effects, everything was beautiful.  Although there were several moments where Bottin’s models looked fake, the suspension of disbelief wasn’t broken do to scene context (watch the film and you’ll see what I mean).  Morricone’s subtle-bass score also sounded amazing through the theater speakers.   With this watch, I managed to spot when two characters are assimilated—or at least where I’d argue they are—and the “Childs is a Thing” theory appears more plausible than before. 

                If you ever get the chance to see this Carpenter masterpiece in theaters, you won’t be disappointed.  It’ll be a fun night of crazy Nords, paranoid comrades, and bleak coldness.  Despite what critics of the time said, this film wouldn’t have worked without that tone.  

First Impressions | The Shape of Water

Guillermo del Toro is a director whose work I’ve always enjoyed.  Although I need to revisit Mimic, Blade II and his Hellboy Duology are among the better comic book adaptations.  His had made some artsy films, but until now I hadn’t watched any of them.  The Shape of Water is artsy, but showcases del Toro’s love of classic monsters and practical suits.

                Set in the early 60’s, the film revolves around Elisa Esposito (Sally Hawkins), a mute cleaning woman who works the night shift at a government facility.  An outsider, her only friends are Zelda (Octavia Spencer), a co-worker who translates sign for her, and her starving artist neighbor, Giles (Richard Jenkins).  Life seems normal, but one night a strange water-filled tube is brought into one of the facilities lab.  The tube contains a humanoid creature (Doug Jones) which was captured in the Amazon by a military team lead by Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon).  Curiosity awakes within Elisa, and she attempts to communicate with him.  Building slowly, communication turns to friendship, and friendship blossoms into romance.

                At its core, The Shape of Water essentially is an unofficial reimagining of The Creature From The Black Lagoon.  In that film, the creature becomes infatuated with the female lead and attempts to kidnap her.  He’s injured and presumed dead, but returns and is captured in the sequel.  Shape builds off these concepts, adding in elements of Beauty & the Beast as the infatuation becomes mutual.  Like the Disney version, our lovers are both outsiders, one because of his appearance and the other because of an attribute others might find off-putting (Belle is well-read while Elisa is mute).  This mutual perspective gives the two-common ground, allowing them to slowly bond.  Elisa identifies with the Creature, feeling his pain and seeing the Human in the Inhuman.

                The special effects department delivered when it comes to the monster effects.  The suit is amazing, remonstrant of both The Gillman and Abe Sapien.  While it appears to have some minor CGI touchups—mainly around the eyes—I can’t remember the last time I saw a practical suit executed this well; Hellboy II would be my guess.  It only looked off during the dream dance, but considering the fantastical nature of the scene, it could be intentional.  Speaking of which, that scene caught me off guard in a positive way.  At first I thought a plot twist was coming, but when the scene shifted and music began to play, I knew it was in her mind.  It comes out of nowhere, but I had a smile on my face the entire time.

                While always great, del Toro’s direction was top tier.  His love for the material and genre shine through.  No camera angle or shot length felt out of place, the tech elements are handled with care, and he coerced great performances from his main cast.  The director is considered a film’s author according to auteur theory.  With all the elements executed greatly, I’m not surprised del Toro won the Golden Globe.  It’s well deserved, as is the Oscar nomination that followed.  I don’t expect him to win, but it’s enough to be nominated. 

                The main cast delivered excellent performances.  Sally Hawkins had the difficult task of conveying her character purely through body language and facial expressions, but the Oscar nominee succeeded.  Without uttering a single word, the audience understands her thoughts and motivations, and we root for her.  Richard Jenkins is great as her artistic neighbor, reacting how anyone in their right mind would when thrust into this situation by a friend.  He’s also closeted, which plays a part in his subplot.  Without giving spoilers, it shapes how he reacts to situations involving the Civil Rights movement—he’s pro—and it ultimately why he agrees to aid The Creature.  Octavia Spender had me rolling with laughter.  Her facial expressions and delivery were well-timed.  Future comic relief actors should take notes from this performance.  From what I’ve gathered, her character is comparable to one she played in The Help, so much so that it feels like she was transplanted.  If so, it’s a minor example of typecasting, but one that works to the film’s advantage.

                Michael Shannon is detestable.  Although we understand his motivation and the stress that comes with his occupation, he is irredeemable.  It’d be one thing if he was purely the antagonist because of his job, as there’d be room for partial likeability.  In place of that, Strickland is also sexist.  It’s never stated blatantly, but it’s heavily implied through his actions and words (ex: not wanting his wife to make love sounds and his rape implication towards Elisa).  He’s a man who always needs to be in control, and by the third act things have spiraled far from that.  It burns at Strickland, driving him over the edge.  A nice bit of subtly is that two of his fingers—reattached following an early fight with The Creature—turn black as the plot progresses.  As his world unravels and he rots, so do his fingers.  I knew he would rip them off before the climax, and even with that knowledge I cringed when it happened.  Thank you sound department; you did your job properly.   

Doug Jones plays the Creature, delivering another excellent suit performance.  He is to practical suits what Andy Serkis is to motion capture.  Since he had no dialogue, his entire performance is based on body language and animal vocalizations.  While a handicap, like his co-star Jones manages to convey an effective performance, one that pulls at the audience’s emotions.  He is literally a fish out of water, in a world that he doesn’t understand and would never accept him, and we sympathize.

The film contains a subplot related to the Cold War.  The military’s plans for The Creature connect to their goal of beating the Soviets.  The Red’s aim to acquire the creature, or eliminate it if they cannot.  Without giving spoilers, this conflict tugs at one of the characters.  In the end, he must choose between his love for Science and his love for the Motherland.

All around, The Shape of Water is a well-crafted film.  The acting, direction, cinematography and romantic score are top tier, and it’s a feast for the senses, one I cannot wait to revisit once it hits Blu-ray.  While I normally am not in favor of it, if this film sweeps the Oscars I won’t mind.  The film is that great.

First Impressions | War for the Planet of the Apes

I’ve loved the Planet of the Apes series since childhood.  First catching the films on AMC, I was drawn into the depicted world, where Ape has usurped Man for dominance.  Since then, Fox has rebooted the series twice.  Tim Burton’s attempt was flawed, but fun.  Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a decent starter, but it possessed several problems—how do you not know a female ape is pregnant!  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is where the series caught fire again, as it was the best entry in the series since Escape.  A third film had much to follow, especially if was going to be the concluding entry in a trilogy.  While not perfect, the film succeeded in its purpose, and I’m still debating whether I like it or Dawn better overall. 

                Following in its predecessor’s wake, War for the Planet of the Apes picks up several years later. Ceaser’s troop has managed to avoid the Human military, although there have been engagements—the film opens with one.  Ceaser wants his people to live in peace, which puts him at odds with the Colonel (Woody Harrelson).  Our antagonist, the Colonel’s goal is to wipe the Apes out to ensure humanities survival, but not for the expected reason.  His reason is the Simian Flu.  While mentioned only in passing in the previous film, here it becomes important, almost a McGuffin.  The Flu not only increases the intelligence of Apes—which we see with Ceaser’s group and a new character called Bad Ape, who can also speak—but it decreases intelligence in Humans, robbing the infected of speech and higher cognitive functions.  This alone would be enough motivation, but it’s personal for the Colonel, as his son was affected and he euthanized him.

                While I wasn’t a fan of the flu concept when Rise was originally released—it came off as unnecessary—it’s grown on me, mainly in the context of a trilogy.  It’s a better explanation for why Human’s revert to a primitive state than the one given in Boule’s novel, which can be summed up as “The Ape took my house…I feel…odd now…banana good.” 

                A handful of Apes side with the Humans to ensure their survival.  Labeled Donkeys—a reference so obvious I don’t even have to spell it out—they are looked down upon by their masters, but are treated far better than Ape prisoners.  While I don’t see it as such, it wouldn’t surprise me if others viewed this as a comment on “Race Traitors.”  The Apes series has commented openly on real world issues before, so it wouldn’t be new.  If it was intentional, the payoff was expected.

Although War is in the title, there isn’t many fighting scenes as one would expect; most of the shooting is contained in two battle scenes, one during the opening and one in the third act.  While disappointing—I know one of my contemporaries was—it didn’t bother me.  Perhaps my friends review tempered my expectations, softening the blow when I finally viewed the film.  The film is short on action, but there is conflict, a struggle for survival between the Apes and Humans. One side wishes to exist in peace while the other strives to maintain the Evolutionary Status Quo.  The virus McGuffin heightens and presses the issue.  Like Rise, this makes the title metaphorical, but the execution is improved.

Part of the third act reminds me of The Great Escape.  Like the pow’s, the Apes are trapped in a camp, and their escape method involves a tunnel.  While they succeed where the Human’s failed, upon reflection it did seem too easy.  While the ending battle allows for some leeway, before that how did they manage to keep it hush hush?  One would think sentries would be keener.

                Ceaser’s arc concludes with this film.  We witnessed his birth and uprising, followed by his attempt to bridge interspecies peace.  He continues that goal to an extent here, but with age Ceaser’s has grown a slightly nihilistic view.  While he isn’t entirely without hope, it is fading.  Even though he is dead, Koba haunts Ceaser; in several scenes, hallucinations taught the Ape leader, showing the audience how Ceaser has fallen since we last saw him.  In the end, the past cannot be fully forgotten.  He has encountered well-meaning Humans, but he cannot forgive Mankind’s collective actions, even if he will not hold it against everyone.  In a way, Koba won.

                While I prefer practical effect, the Motion Capture was excellent.  While good before, the computer rendering has been taken further, perfected in comparison to the previous films.  I was blown away by how realistic the rendering has become.  If this is the future of Motion Capture, I might not mind its further use, even if my preference for makeup and suits remains.  Andy Serkis, Steve Zahn, and the rest of the cast gave great performances, complimenting the post rendering.  There’s talk in the film community of Serkis receiving an Academy Award nomination for Acting.  Some might argue that his work is more effect than acting—especially considering it can be tweaked in post even more than a normal performance can—I wouldn’t have an issue if it happened.  Even with post rendering, it is still a performance, as Serkis works off the other actors on set.  If given, hopefully it allows for the creation of a new awards category, one that honors Motion Capture and Voice Work. 

                The human cast is decent to meh.  Woody Harrelson is the lone exception.  He has a presence, holding the audience’s attention whenever he’s on screen, even if he’s not speaking.  The Colonel’s backstory monologue is the zenith of Harrelson’s performance.  The audience believes in every word he speaks.  Even though we don’t condone his methods, we understand his twisted logic.  I haven’t seen much of Harrelson’s past work, but if this is any indication I must dig into his filmography.   

                Matt Reeves returned to the director’s chair, handling the job well and allowing for technical and visionary continuity.  He handled the technical elements with care, and got decent performances from the actors.  His direction is one of the reasons I find it difficult to pick between Dawn and War.  I’m familiar with the two films he directed prior to entering the Apes series—Let Me in and Cloverfield respectively—but I haven’t watched them.  I will correct that sometime in future. 

                While not for everyone, War for the Planet of the Apes is a well-made film.  The story is engaging, the villain is relatable yet cruel, Motion Capture is perfected, and it concludes Ceaser’s story on a somber note.