Lady in the Water – Film Review

Posted on August 10, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Starring: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas Howard, Bob Balaban, Jeffrey Wright, Sarita Choudhury, Freddy Rodriquez, Bill Irwin and Jared Harris

Rating: ★★

Lady in the Water plays like a modern fairy tale, meandering through familiar plot points with nothing really sticking. This is one of the weakest films Shyamalan has ever made. It’s borderline pretentious, with him casting himself as a world-changing writer and an entire plot point of a know-it-all critic who get’s it wrong and wastes half an hour of the run time before dying violently.

Everyone is doing their best with the script they’re given, but the characters just fall flat without any real impact. The whole group lives in an apartment complex and are all oddballs. There’s someone who is only working out with one side of his body, an animal lover who can attract all animals, a puzzle expert that does nothing but crosswords when on screen. They are given distinct character points, but beyond that there is nothing there. It’s hard to stay invested in the film when Shyamalan spends more time focusing on critics that were harsh on him previously, than building a fantastical plot.

The film already moves at a slow pace, going for a more tranquil and sweet story than something action-packed. Cleveland Heep (Paul Giamatti), the superintendent for the apartment complex where all of the story takes place, is given the task of finding the people who are connected to the magical world, when they don’t realise it. When he is first given the task, he speaks to the film critic who has recently moved in, and he tells him who they would be and is wrong about it. It takes way too long to go through this misdirection, and ends up just being boring. The critic is then attacked by the mythical creature, known as a Scrunt, while at the same time narrating his final moments, but is wrong again about how it goes down. It’s a bit too on the nose.

The score, by frequent Shyamalan collaborator James Newton Howard is fantastic. It’s full blown fantastical and sweeping through each scene. The music is the only great thing about the otherwise dull film. Howard won a few awards for the score, and deservedly so.

Lady in the Water is a really nice concept, with a really sweet idea at the centre. Ultimately, it’s presented in a really dull and boring way. The film drags all the way through, never really doing anything special. The characters are so lifeless that it’s hard to stay engaged. It’s no stretch that this is Shyamalan’s worst film.

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Kevin Smith – Favourite Storytellers

Posted on August 10, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Welcome to a new irregular segment on my blog, Favourite Storytellers. I’m going to be writing posts from time to time, taking a deep dive into storytellers, whether in film or books, that inspire me and I love. First up is Kevin Smith.

Most people who know me, know that I love Kevin Smith. He’s one of my favourite writers/directors of all time. His films are funny and heartfelt and no matter what your thoughts are on Tusk or Yoga Hosers, he made the films he wanted to make and that’s what being an artist is all about. No one can take that away from him.

I first found out about Kevin Smith through comics. I’d heard of Clerks, but didn’t know anything about it. I actually thought it was based in a comic store. When I first started reading comics, back in 2009, I picked up anything with Batman on the front cover. So I bought Batman: The Widening Gyre when it hit the shelves and loved it. Smith’s dialogue is great and unique. Sadly the second half of The Widening Gyre still hasn’t been released. Maybe one day.

When I was in university I stumbled across Kevin Smith again, with Comic Book Men. At the time it wasn’t released properly in the UK, but a reality show set in Smith’s comic book store sounded really interesting. I’ve seen bits and pieces of it now, but not the whole thing. Seasons 2-7 are on Amazon Prime, so I might start that soon. From what I saw of Comic Book Men, through youtube and clips online, I loved it. I then looked into Kevin Smith further and ended up buying a bunch of his films.

Clerks was where I started, because there isn’t really another choice. I liked it the first time, but it wasn’t until later when I worked at McDonalds that I really got it. Clerks 2, set in a fast food place, was even better. Slowly I made my way through all of his films, loving every one of them. His sense of humour mixed with pop culture references are like a comforting blanket whenever I end up watching one. I know so many of the jokes off-by-heart but still enjoy them when I see them played out.

Smith is also a prolific podcaster, and I listen to Fatman Beyond every week. It’s how I stay up to date with comic book news. I have had to leave a few episodes to one side, to avoid spoilers for the Marvel shows I haven’t gotten around to, but I will catch up with them as soon as possible.

The reason I love Kevin Smith’s work is purely down to his characters and dialogue. I know that some people don’t agree, but I think he’s an excellent writer and his dialogue is first class. It feels so natural when spoken on screen. It’s stylised in a way that really clicks with me.

My top films would be Clerks 1&2, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and Chasing Amy. All of them are funny as hell, and I could watch them anytime. I’m really looking forward to Clerks 3 and the sequel to Mallrats

I would also recommend his Batman comics, The Widening Gyre and Cacophony. They’re really good and it’s how I got into his work in the first place.

I’ve seen Kevin Smith 3 times in real life. The first time at London Film and Comic Con in 2017. I didn’t get to meet him, because his queue was too long and they never got to my number. I did get close, when Tabby was meeting someone (I think Richard Dean Anderson from Stargate). I could hear Smith telling someone that Jay and Silent Bob Reboot was on the way.

I then saw Hollywood Babble On, his podcast with Ralph Garman live in Birmingham in 2019, which was really good. One of the funniest nights out I’ve ever had. Finally I saw Smith again when he did a Q&A for Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, when it was released later in 2019. I loved the film and it was a great experience to see it in a packed screen with cheers and whoops at every reference to the earlier films. The Q&A was great as well, with long stories after every question.

I’m hoping he will tour Clerks 3 in the same way and bring it over to the UK. Hopefully this time I would be able to book a hotel so I won’t have to leave early.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

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What I’m Planning on Watching This Week

Posted on August 9, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Free Guy finally gets released this Friday. I’ve been looking forward to this for what feels like ages. I’m hearing mixed things, but I’m still going to go and see it. I’m hoping to do a double bill this Friday with Don’t Breathe 2.

The Courier is also out on Friday, but I’m not sure when I’m going to see that. Maybe Sunday afternoon.

I have The Nest booked in for tomorrow, the new Jude Law thriller. I’m not quite sure what to make of it from the trailer. It looks alright, but nothing too promising. I also have G.I. Joe: Snake Eyes booked in for Saturday. I don’t know anything about G.I. Joe, but saw the trailer for Snake Eyes before Black Widow and it looked like a decent Marvel-like film. I’m sure it will be entertaining.

On Wednesday, I’m going to see a secret screening at Cineworld. Have no idea what it’s going to be. I have a feeling it’s going to be The Courier, but if I could have anything it would be Annette – can’t wait to see that one.

It was my birthday at the weekend and I got a fair few films on DVD/Blu Ray that I’m planning on watching over the next week or two.

Most of the stuff I got for my birthday

After watching Suspiria, I’ve been making my way through Argento’s films. Over the last couple of days I’ve watched Inferno, Mother of Tears and Bird with the Crystal Plumage. Tenebrae is the next one. I also got a voucher, so ended up buying 3 more Argento films, Dracula, Deep Red and Trauma, which will be arriving tomorrow.

I asked for The Happiness of the Katakuris based purely on the cover. I didn’t even realise it was by Takashi Miike which is another selling point. The back says Dawn of the Dead meets The Sound of Music.

Ordinary People was a nice surprise. I can’t say I’m familiar with it, but it’s Donald Sutherland, so I’m sure it will be good.

The Gamera box sets was a bit a of a gamble. I’m only just starting to get into Kaiju films, after being a fan of Godzilla for years. I regretted not getting Mothra recently, now that the new edition is out of print and prices have sky rocketed, so I thought I may as well ask for these ones when people were asking what I wanted. I’m sure I’ll love them and looking forward to watching them.

I know that physical media is on the way out, but until everything is available on streaming services, I think there will still be a place for it. There is nothing worse than going onto Netflix to find something has disappeared. I also may be in the minority, but I like the special features on films. Documentaries about how they made it, or what inspired it. Commentary tracks can also be interesting, it’s essentially a podcast over the film.

Thanks for reading and until next time,

Ashley

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The Bird with the Crystal Plumage – Film Review

Posted on August 9, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Dario Argento

Written by Dario Argento

Starring: Tony Musante, Suzy Kendall, Enrico Mario Salerno, Eva Renzi

Rating: ★★★½

After writing a few films in the 1960s, Dario Argento moved to directing with The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, before going on to direct classics such as Deep Red, Inferno and one of the greatest horror films of all time Suspiria.

Before all of that, there was The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, a crime/thriller about Sam Dalmas, an American writer in Italy, who witness an attempted murder in an art gallery. His passport is kept by the police because they can’t rule him out as a suspect. He then starts his own investigation, along side the police to try and get to the bottom of a series of recent murders.

The sequences towards the beginning where you see the attempted murder tells you everything about the film. The twist that will come later is revealed early on in a way that’s so well done you will still be guessing about it later. Even though for the next few scenes Sam will keep saying there’s something about the incident that doesn’t add up, but he can’t quite figure it out, as he relives the attack over and over. It’s one of the best things a crime story can do, it gives you everything you need to let you work it out alongside the main characters.

With cinematography from Vittorio Storaro (who would go onto win an Oscar for his cinematography on Apocalypse Now) The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is a really stylish film. It’s a little rough around the edges, but still has some striking images and beautiful sets. Watching this, it’s no wonder that Argento would go on to create such deliberate sets with specific colours, framing and lighting in future films like Suspiria.

Like many of Argento’s films, this one is very violent with lots of up close and personal stabbings. The murderer kills with a knife, and through several brutal murders throughout we get to see the depraved nature of the murderer before all is revealed. It’s worth bearing in mnd that this is a fifty-one-year-old film, so the effects do look dated. It doesn’t distract from the overall story, so it’s not that big of a deal, but the gore is nothing shocking by today’s standards

Despite that though, there is still a creepy and unsettling tone throughout: A score, by Enrico Morricone (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly) that haunts every scene, a murderer on the loose who tries to attack the main characters on multiple occasions and there’s a painting that one of the victims sold, potentially to the murderer, that depicts a violent and sexual attack like the murders taking place. All of this is used by Argento to create a suspenseful and tension filled atmosphere.

The murder painting, leads Sam to the artist, trying to piece together the puzzle. While the scene is odd and memorable, with the painter living in the second floor of a house that you have to enter through the window, it does feel a little pointless. There are a few moments throughout that feel like they are there just to pad the run time, the painter scene being just one. The film isn’t that long, but it does have moments that drag.

Unlike Argento’s later work, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage is less of a horror film and more of a crime/thriller. The violence, death and tension is still there, but for the most part you join Sam on the journey to uncover the mystery. It’s a good mix of a detective narrative, with gadgets used by the police to narrow down their suspect, and suspenseful horror you would expect from Argento.

Like most Italian Giallo (pulpy horror films with lots of gore. Giallo is Italian for yellow – The name comes from the colour of pages on cheap fiction paperbacks) films, the acting is a real mixed bag. It’s common with Italian films from that time for people to speak in their native language, whether that’s English, Italian or anything else and the dialogue would be dubbed in later. It does mean the acting takes a hit, with some unnatural dialogue and awkward moments. It isn’t that noticeable in The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, but it’s still there. There is definitely a lot worse out there and while there is no award winning performances, they are all good enough to make the film gripping.

The Bird with the Crystal Plumage stands the test of time and is still worth watching over half a century later. It’s a great precursor to everything Argento would go on to create, and a good film in its own right. This is definitely something worth visiting, or re-visiting if you’ve already seen it.

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Don’t Breathe – Film Review

Posted on August 8, 2021 by ashleymanningwriter

Director: Fede Álvarez 

Starring: Jane Levy, Dylan Minnette, Daniel Zovatto and Stephen Lang

Rating: ★★★

Fede Álvarez made his directorial debut by with the Evil Dead remake. Remaking a classic for your first film is a bold move. It paid off as somehow he made a worthy remake of the original. After finishing with Evil Dead Álvarez wanted to make something completely different. Move away from the supernatural horror and focus on something that was a lot more grounded, with less jump scares and gore.

The result was Don’t Breathe an original idea that Álvarez wrote and directed. Three young thieves decide to break into veteran Norman’s (Stephen Lang, Manhunter, Public Enemies) house to rob him. Norman is blind and has a lot of money stashed in his house. The only problem is that once they are in there, Norman is in control. He may be blind, but he knows the inside of the house better than the three thieves and uses that to his advantage.

Don’t Breathe is a superbly made film. It’s tense, believable and doesn’t rely on jump scares to build horror. Sadly, there is one massive let down to it. The characters. None of them are likable, the three thieves chose to break in, so you feel no sympathy for them. The old man, Norman, isn’t exactly innocent either. In fact, one of the later scenes show Norman is as much of a psycho as Norman Bates. For the most part you don’t care about the characters or want either side to survive. It’s not impossible to have a film with unlikable characters, but a lot of the tension is lost when you don’t really care if they survive or not.

There is some attempt at character building with Rocky (Jane Levy, Evil Dead, Shameless). She is stuck in a bad situation and wants to move to California to give her little sister the best life possible. That’s her reason for breaking into the old blind man’s house, and while you do want her to have a better life, there are other options that robbing someone. It leaves you feeling passive and unengaged with the film. From almost the moment Norman appears, it’s clear he isn’t a good person. The tragedy of his daughter being ran over and killed doesn’t make up for the twisted person that he has become. Once the big reveal happens you lose all sympathy for him.

The concept behind Don’t Breathe works incredibly well. The main characters are stuck in the house without any means of escape while trying to avoid Norman at all costs. The use of sound is incredible and there are some tense moments, especially with the dog chasing Rocky into the car. The moments in darkness in the basement are also really creepy.

The film never outstays its welcome and doesn’t drag for a moment, it just would be nice for the characters to be more likable. Maybe if they were just breaking in because they heard the house was abandoned, like every other house in the neighbourhood, then it would be easier to want them to survive. During the film, for the most part you’ll feel they deserve what’s coming to them.

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