Reviews

"YELLOWJACKETS," from it's brilliant pilot, has been one of my favorite shows in years. The mystery, the characters, the multigenerational structure have all worked in creating a binge-worthy piece of episodic content that's near impossible too stop watching or stop thinking about. Now with "Sic Transit Gloria Mundi," Showtime has cemented the promise of a second season that fans and even casual viewers will not be able too resist. The finale was a bold leap too be sure, and one that undoubtedly will baffle some.

"YELLOWJACKETS" has flirted with so many different tones throughout the entirety of it's first season. It was a teen drama, a teen comedy, a survival story, a family drama, a detective thriller, a mystery, and peppered throughout; a dose of surprisingly effective and chilling horror. Yet "Yellowjackets" always stayed grounded enough and cohessive enough too be atleast plausible. I bought it and was intrigued.

With this twist-heavy finale, the creators have fully, unabashedly embraced genre. Characters have seemingly been categorized for upcoming events. There's a schlock, pulp nature too the last act that wasn't even alluded too in the preceedings. I found this both exciting and frustrating. A character's sinister gaze too the camera after a Hitchcockian reveal. A shadowy cult emerging from the blue. The origin of "The Antler Queen" being teased in a chilling little ceremony. Each of these threads a cliffhanger. Questions that we'll have too wait and see if Season 2 has the clout too answer. One thing's certain, the rules of the game have changed!

It needs too be mentioned: "Sic Transit Gloria" features the death of a main character in the 1996 timeline (Jackie... the captain and surrogate leader of the team), and it's hard getting past the execution. We the audience could assume Jackie wasn't making it out unscathed (and we never had an adult version too confirm otherwise), but the way in which it was handled lacked logic and impact. Why would she be sent outside of the cabin AT NIGHT, unprotected, and also be willing too do so? This just makes no sense from any angle. The fallout between Jackie and the group beforehand didn't seem serious enough too warrant a death sentence! It was forced, far-fetched, and let the character of Jackie down, as well as this audience member.

You could argue that "Yellowjackets" hasn't progressed it's plot far enough after one complete season, and so many questions remain. But what we got was totally riveting. Riveting in a way that has me yearning for a second season. This finale thankfully runs through that same vein.

Caveats aside, "Yellowjackets" has been a wildly entertaining ride, and remains a show I'm more than a little obssessed with. This finale has only amplified my intrigue. The stakes have been raised. The pulp has been layed on thick, and like it or not the writers are not afraid too boldly "go there."

"All hail The Antler Queen."

"Kill List" is really a tale of two films. The first is a mysterious hit-man story that grows increasingly spastic up until a violent last act twist, and the second is, from the ground up, a self indulgent experiment in manipulating an audience. The writer/ director is Ben Wheatley, and there's no doubt he has had a hell of a time toying with us. I just didn't have nearly as much fun watching it.

Wheatley sets up his story as an impressively acted kitchen-sink drama. It's slow in the beginning, and does a great job establishing it's characters. I was instantly drawn to these people, especially Jay and Gal (the two leads played by Neil Maskell, a great screen presence, and Michael Smiley). We soon learn (rather vaguely) that they are Hit men, and that Jay has been left emotionally and physically broken from the last job he pulled 8 months back in Kiev. He hasn't "worked" since, but Gal persuades him to take on a high profile job... to complete a contract that will entail clipping a Priest, a Librarian, and lastly a member of parliament. They carry out their deeds with shocking brutality, as Jay becomes increasingly unhinged.

"Kill List" does a terrific job at upping the intensity at a smooth, subtle pace, and Wheatley nails the tone. Even when "Kill List" eludes that it's only a crime drama, the atmosphere is a constant whisper that something is not quite right. Through sound and nuggets of surreal Lynchianisms... "Kill List" becomes an otherworldly mystery, and we are baffled. Scenes like that of the Hit List being signed in the blood of a deep cut and Jay's visit to his family doctor are stark, disturbing reminders.

But then there is the final act twist, at which point "Kill List" becomes what it was always building too; a horror film. That isn't spoiling anything though, since pretty much anything you've already read or have seen on the film has given away it's genre-bending nature. Unfortunately it's here where the film fell apart for me. The finale isn't a devious turn of events or a shocking twist, but rather something that just happens for the sake of it. The movie leading up to this freak show was an oddity sure, but a developed one with great characters and promise. I felt cheated. "Kill List" fails as a horror movie in the end because it was only scary before it tried to be. The horror scenes are half baked and instead of going for the throat seem content playing almost as homage. "The Wicker Man," "A Serbian Film," and 28 Days Later" came instantly to mind. Did I mention it wasn't scary?

Since all of this tomfoolery does away with coherence (the little there already was) and the established film that I really liked... "Kill List" stands as well made, scatter-shot nonsense that is made more frustrating because of it's expertly crafted build up. Maybe if I'd gone in blind it would have shocked and surprised me? This movie has it's admirers. I'm guessing the cat wasn't yet out of the bag.

28 Weeks Later is one of the best worst-case-scenario films. While it doesn't surpass the first film, it more than lives up to every expectation set by 28 Day Later and is a great sequel.

The second installment of what is all but a confirmed trilogy takes place six months after all of the infected from the first movie have starved and died… again. American forces have moved in and are now attempting to rebuild and repopulate England starting at the Isle of Dogs in London. Amongst the civilians now living in complete safety and quarantine is a man named Don, who fled a refuge under attack 28 weeks prior where he lost his wife and was the only survivor, or so he thought.

Don's children, teenage Tammy and twelve-year-old Andy, come to live with Don in the quarantine some time later. The mischievous kids finding it difficult to live in their new surroundings break out of quarantine and attempt to find solace in their old home, and it's there that they find their mother; alive, infected, but not symptomatic.

And from that point on, the movie snowballs into the usual catastrophic, apocalyptic, epidemic scenario film. Sort of predictable, but enjoyable none-the-less (and it's the very formula that always has people coming back for more). The biggest difference of all with 28 Weeks Later is that this film is actually good. It's atmospheric and frightening. There is a fair bit of gore, but it never gets lost in its own indulgences. The film is well acted, well produced, and well worth it. When this film gets moving, it's one hell of a ride.

The only problem with 28 Weeks Later is that there are far too many clichés surrounding a survival horror movie that it's hard not to get bogged down in at least a few. There's the rag-tag group of survivors, the rogue military escort, the looming presence of a hidden evil enterprise, the "why in the hell would you do that??" situations, and many more that it's a futile attempt to encompass them all. Thankfully, 28 Weeks Later does enough of them right that it's hard to stay mad at it for too long.

Survival horror movies are unique in the sense that no other film genre has as many clichés to avoid and/or reinvent, and there are an astronomical number of ways to muck it all up. That said, 28 Weeks Later navigates through the pits of plot holes and stupidity well enough that it manages to become stylish, frightening, and above all else enjoyable. 28 Weeks Later is essentially the blue print for all survivor horror movies to come for the next decade, and makes me wonder where the hell Danny Boyle was six years ago when Resident Evil was in production. While not quite perfect, it really doesn't need to be.

Personally, I'm just happy knowing that the end didn't involve blowing up a giant mutated something or other with a rocket launcher with only three minutes left before the mansion/facility/island blows up. (If you've played and Resident Evil game, you know what I mean).

4/5

While it does at times tiptoe on the line of being an epic and brilliant work of cinema, SPIDER-MAN 3 is also a big case of overkill. There's way too much going on, and it just seems to keep on coming.

After a somewhat shaky series of opening scenes (with that voice-over narration by Maguire still being as lame as always), the movie quickly finds its balance. It isn't until the symbiote subplot (involving the black Spidey suit) gets into full swing that things become a little too hectic. Director Sam Raimi pulls off an incredible feat by making the never-ending onslaught of subplots balance as well as they do, but the pieces still don't fit to the extent that you'd hope. There's enough plot here for two or three different movies, with plenty of obstacles for Peter to overcome and an ample amount of baddies for him to fight. But in putting the four main plot lines together (i.e., revenge against Sandman, Peter's relationship with Harry, the symbiote suit/Venom, and problems with MJ), the whole experience becomes overwhelming. There's not nearly enough time to absorb all the intertwining threads, no matter how hard the filmmakers obviously try to make it work.

That's not to say this is a bad movie. Far from it. In fact, despite its shortcomings, this picture still marks one of the most fun times I've had at the movies. It wasn't even until after I left the screening that I started to realize how many problems it had. I bet a large percentage of moviegoers will feel the same, being so taken aback by the constant action sequences and stream of story lines that they never even get a chance to notice the film's problems. That's the good news. Bad news is, there's no way these issues will go unnoticed upon repeat viewings. While SPIDER-MAN 2 seems to just keep getting better with each consecutive viewing, I see this one coming up short. It's still less problematic than the first film (which already feels a bit dated), but it just can't compete with the damn near flawless second.

One of the few complaints I had with SPIDEY 2 was the "raindrops are falling on my head" sequence. It was silly and awkward, not fitting well with the rest of the film's style... Well, this sequel tops it. After the symbiote takes over Parker, there's a lengthy montage sequence of him (now turned emo) strutting down the street, dancing around and pelvic thrusting at women. It's basically him hopping about to music while looking like a jackass. And it gets worse. He goes with Gwen Stacy (a hot but disappointingly extraneous character) to a club, where MJ is currently working, and basically reenacts the scene from ANCHORMAN where Will Ferrell starts randomly playing the trumpet and hopping across tables. There are slight differences, of course; this one involves a piano and groovy dance moves. But the outcome is the same, leaving audience member's mouths agape at the uncomfortable hilarity. They really should've saved that scene for the DVD outtakes. Then it'd at least be fitting.

Fortunately, the whole movie isn't plagued by scenes like these. It's only rarely that things start getting ridiculous or cheesy to the point where you can't help but roll your eyes. The other problem comes in the way of bits of awkward dialog and rushed character development. There's about an 80% hit rate where everything in the script is as smooth as can be, but that last 20% block does hurt the a few vital aspects of the storytelling. Particularly when it comes to fleshing out character motives and emotional conflicts (something that was given almost complete focus in the first two movies).

At least the action sequences stand strong as some of the most spectacular since... well, SPIDER-MAN 2. They take full advantage of the characters' abilities and surroundings, and then fuse the two together to create a number of downright breathtaking moments. The CGI isn't quite flawless yet, but it's still a visual feast for the eyes. The only disappointment is the use of Venom. He does get some time to shine in the movie's third act (or possibly ninth, taking into account how many different stories overlap), but Topher Grace removes all of the character's menace. It really hurts me to write that, considering how wonderfully handled everything was concerning Brock's character before that point. But alas, despite Grace's strong and amiable efforts, his voice is just too awkward coming out of Venom's mouth. And all they needed was some slight voice alteration to fix the problem. Drats.

SPIDER-MAN 3 may not be a flawless endeavor, but it's certainly epic. Raimi and company reach for the stars, and instead end up making it halfway across the universe. It's one bumpy and crazy ride getting there, but when things go well, they go really damn well. And while some movie trilogies end on a note that make you yearn for one last installment to redeem the series (I'm looking at you, X3!), we should be so lucky to get a conclusive finish to the SPIDER-MAN series. Almost brings a tear to my eye.