Devil: Has M Night had his Day?

"Going down?" the Devil logo leaves little to the imagination
Image courtesy of thepeoplesmovie.com

It's been a long time since The Sixth Sense and Unbreakable. And I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that since then, M Night Shyamalan's repertoire hasn't exactly been fantastic when it comes to movies. I needn't divulge further on Signs, The Happening and his more recent fan-angering, franchise betraying piece, The Last Airbender. So with those under his belt, M Night really needed to step his game up with Devil, the first of his series of Night Chronicles. But did he manage it? Well, a clear answer isn't too easy to reach, and you should decide for yourself, but here are my thoughts on it.

First of all it must be known that this film isn't under Shyamalan's direction, the mantle has been handed to John Erick Dowdle, a name that you probably haven't heard of. He's responsible for the direction of Quarantine (The remake of [REC] - but we don't talk about that) and The Poughkeepsie Tapes (a notably unsettling video-camera style horror piece). Now I'm sure many will agree that some of the aspects going into this film aren't exactly real breadwinners. But honestly, I was surprised by this one. I didn't go into Devil assuming it would be outright poor, but at the same time I didn't think it would be half as enjoyable as I found it.

Is this the face of the Devil?
Image courtesy of starseeker.com

The story is another take on a much re-used basis, a group of seemingly unconnected people, trapped in a space, facing death if they don't escape. Wonderful. Now, this wouldn't normally bother me, but I wasn't overly keen on the idea after having been recently subjected to Blackout (another trapped-in-a-lift film). I was worried that I'd be presented with a host of flashbacks and failed escape attempts leading up to an overall Deus Ex-Machina style finish. Now don't get me wrong, you're always bound to get something like that, and with Devil, you do, but you don't get it quite so simply. Sure, you get the bog-standard elevator story at the center, but this time with the extra addition of a religious coating (sounds tasty, right?). There's a narrative running throughout the film, telling a story about how the Devil gathers people to punish them for their sins one by one, the people in this case being those in the elevator. I was worried about the religious aspect actually, I normally hate it when films play 'The God Card', but luckily Devil didn't do it to the point where it was cringeworthy (see Knowing). There is an aspect of God prospering over evil in the movie, but there wasn't too much focus on it, which I can tolerate. After all it wouldn't be right to produce a film called Devil and not have it connect to God in some way, shape or form. It's not like I wasn't expecting to deal with that.

So we have a group of people in an elevator, awaiting punishment from Satan, unbeknownst to them. He proceeds to pick them off one by one, playing them against one another as paranoia sets in and they begin to accuse each other of all sorts. All the while, Detective John Bowden tries to save them in any way he can from the security room in the same building, using a one-way radio and what he can see on a security camera, he is almost powerless to aid them from their seemingly inescapable fates. The film is pretty slow boiling to begin with and whilst some declared the plot as 'obvious from the start' on the way out of the theatre, I personally think it's enough to keep you guessing for a decent part of it, after all Shyamalan is involved... there was always bound to be a plot twist.

Accusations begin to fly in the elevator
Image courtesy of Imdb.com

Looking at the mechanics of the film, it's easy to assume that it could be quite a boring ride. But what Devil actually gives, is a genuinely uncomfortable watch, that with the use of some great camerawork will shake you up and disorientate you to the core. At some points, I began to feel just as claustrophobic as the characters stuck in the elevator would've, which was a great experience. There was also a fantastic use of darkness throughout the movie, plunging the room into shadow with nothing but the sound of screams and flesh tearing to fill it. It was arguably a cop out to do these scenes in the dark, but I think leaving something to the imagination is much better than spelling it out so obviously, plus the plot would've been given away if it happened in plain view. Oh, and- fear not, gore-lovers! There's some pretty nasty shots thrown in for you as well, broken necks and sliced jugulars anyone? I should also mention that the opening shots are great too, a birds eye view of New York City is filmed beautifully, and played upside down, again adding to the disorientating atmosphere of the movie.

The cast is composed of relatively unknown faces which I always like to see in films, as sometimes I find the big-names distracting in certain movies. The familiar faces and more memorable characters in the movie were played by Chris Messina (Away We Go, Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and Geoffrey Arend (500 Days of Summer) but the rest of the cast did an equally fine job too, really aiding the films overall feel. Once you put the acting talent in with the unsettling camera angles, it actually works quite well. There's hope for Dowdle's direction yet, it seems!

The Verdict

Sceptics will decry this movie before seeing it, labelling it as another Shyamalan failure but I think in this case they're wrong. Whilst this isn't a ground breaking piece of cinema, it's a nice little time-killer and is easy to sit back and enjoy. Plus it's M Night's best work in realistically, about 10 years. Although it wasn't really worth that much of a wait. A simple premise with caricature roles, a few cheap jumps, a twisting plot and some great cinematography in places, this is a paint-by-numbers thriller. It's nothing special, but if you have the hour and a half spare, it wouldn't kill you to check this one out. We look forward to the next instalment in The Night Chronicles but for now Devil has earned itself a comfortable 5/10, Shyamalan isn't quite dead yet, but he's no threat either...

Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D - Zombies Get a New Dimension

Resident Evil: Afterlife 3D Poster
Image courtesy of IGN.com

Just the other day, I took the plunge and headed out to see Resident Evil Afterlife 3D, I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for by shelling out on a ticket, and that is more or less what I got. I was somewhat surprised with the overall outcome, although with low expectations, things always seem better than what they really are. Here's my take on the latest from Paul W.S Anderson's  zombie series.

Set several years after the T-Virus outbreak, wiping out 99% of all humanity, Afterlife sees Milla Jovovich return to the screen as zombie-killing heroine Alice, as she heads for a survival colony in a place called Arcadia. Along the way she picks up a few other survivors who are also looking to reach salvation. We also see the return of Ali Larter (Resident Evil: Extinction) as Claire Redfield and Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) is introduced to the series, shockingly, playing a prisoner. They work together to reach Arcadia alongside a cast so politically correct it hurts, with the likes of a British woman, an African American, a Hispanic male and an Asian male, encountering several difficulties along the way, predominantly in the form of varying sizes of creatures.

'The Executioner'
Image courtesy of overallsite.com

As far as movie plots go, this one is poor at best. Totally unoriginal and uninspired, thoroughly predictable from the opening minutes and unfortunately the film has no sense of irony about it to redeem itself. It seems to take itself rather seriously, but doesn't particularly have the goods to the back itself up. Normally, I'd defend this kind of film, calling it 'just a bit of fun' but, this is the 4th in a series that has declined since it's first instalment (which was passable as being 'a bit of fun'). It should also be noted that this movie, and the others in the series are definitely ones for the fans of the video game. Afterlife in particular featured more references to Capcom's popular franchise than any of the other films, which as a fan of the games myself, was rather nice to see including The Executioner (left). Although it does limit the scope for audience appreciation quite considerably. As (whilst not being one to judge books by their covers) when I walked into the cinema it was easy to spot the avid videogamers from the casual cinemagoers, it was fairly obvious who was going to enjoy the movie more.

Another downside was that the film was only 97 minutes long. But the issue I have isn't with the actual length of the movie, it's more down to the fact that about 80 of those 97 minutes were made up of slow motion footage. 11 years on since The Matrix and yet we still can't escape people smashing through plate glass windows at 25% of their original speed. So, in actuality the film is probably only about 15 minutes long. Admittedly, I feel a little guilty laying into the movie so much, zombie-flicks get something of a bad press as it is anyhow, and as a big fan of the flesh-eaters, I probably shouldn't encourage such slanderous behaviour. So, I'll focus on some of the positives of the film too. Every cloud, right?

Ali Larter and Milla Jovovich get all wet. No complaints.
Image courtesy of: fanboyz.net

Firstly, there's the visual aspect to the movie. Out of all the 3D films I've seen now, this was actually one of the best looking ones I've experienced. I appreciate that Avatar is allegedly the pinnacle of 3D, and whilst being visually stunning I much preferred watching it in regular old 2D. Whereas with Afterlife, I actually enjoyed the 3D gimmick. Slow-mo overkill aside, it was actually done quite well, and didn't overdo it too much when it came to the number one 3D movie convention of 'people-on-screen-pointing-things-at-the-camera'. Plus, watching a slow-motion bullet exit through the back of someone's head in the third dimension is a nice little something for the horror fans in the audience to enjoy. There was some great set design later on in the film too, with all-white set pieces, spliced with hints of red and black, the visual element really came to life in places. Secondly, there was the soundtrack, compiled by soundtrack connoisseurs 'tomandandy', there were some great scene setting sounds, which boded quite well alongside the imagery of hordes of zombies getting annihilated.

The Verdict

In fairness this has been the best 3D film since Avatar (Which I preferred in 2D anyway), not in way of story, but purely based on it's 3D visuals, what this film lacked elsewhere it made up in looking pretty slick in areas. But aside from it's somewhat impressive visuals, the film is pretty weak. To really enjoy it you'd need to leave your brains at the door upon entering it, but if you're a fan of the games, this one has some nods to them that should keep you appeased. The fight choreography is good, and I personally think that the leading girls make much better action heroines than Angelina Jolie ever has. But unfortunately that's simply not enough to save this film from itself. You know that something is seriously wrong when even a dripping wet, three-dimensional Milla Jovovich struggles to make it watchable. Afterlife is enjoyable in places, and it looks good, but it's a predictable, basic movie with nothing particularly special where story is concerned. Eye candy at best. 4/10.

Best of Foreign: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Män Hatar Som Kvinnor)

The Swedish Poster for the movie
Image courtesy of Obsessedwithfilm.com

The late Stieg Larsson's dark crime thriller had me gripped from start to finish. The film is the first installment in The Millenium Trilogy and is the story of Michael Blomvkist (Michael Nyqvist), a journalist for 'Millenium Magazine'. Renowned for his investigative skills, he is recruited by Henrik Vagner (Sven-Bertil Taube) the ex-CEO of a major capitalist corporation to track down a woman who vanished without a trace from her hometown Hedeby more than 40 years ago, who he believes was murdered by one of his family members. What follows is a mysterious and tense investigation into a web of deceit, religion and serial murder. During this time, Blomkvist meets the intriguing Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace), a skilled computer hacker and private investigator (hired to spy on Bolmkvist), with a background darker than the backroom of a soho strip club. They join forces and work together to solve the classic 'whodunnit' mystery of the missing woman, putting themselves in danger and growing closer along their journey deeper into the investigation. As Blomkvist becomes obsessed and isloated because of the case, they slowly unravel a series of clues, unearthing family secrets and solving a series of brutal murders along the way.

The film is atmospheric from the off, it's opening scene alone should be enough to keep you wanting more. The score has moments of beauty, and whilst it's played over some of the occasionally stunning, sometimes unsettling and eerie imagery, it makes for a powerhouse of an experience. It's directed by Niels Arden Oplev and he has definitely made his mark with the help of his talented cast Noomi Rapace (below) is particularly impressive as the titular Lisbeth. I should probably mention that the movie is in Swedish with English subtitles though they are no issue whatsoever, but if you are one of those people that somehow can't read subs and watch a film simultaneously (shame on you), the DVD release does come with an English audio dub, so you really don't have any excuse for not watching this one. Although I sampled the audio dub version, and simply couldn't bare it.

Manhandled: Noomi Rapace as the sexually abused Lisbeth
Image courtesy of beamesonfilm.blogspot.com

I only have a few real gripes with the film, one being that some scenes feel a little rushed and abrupt, in particular the final scenes after the investigation. But the rest of the film has clearly had so much care put into it, that I can excuse the final segment after the resolution for being a tad shallow. Plus at 180 minutes long and with so much covered in that time, the film can feel quite lengthy, much longer added and it could've potentially started to outstay it's welcome, but the timing was more or less just right in the end. The other gripe being the film's title, which I will explain in due course.

One of the things that intrigues me the most about this film is it's background. It's original Swedish title is  Män Hatar Som Kvinnor which literally translates into Men Who Hate Women, a title with a lot more relevance and history than it's much more marketable English version. Larsson was witness to a gang rape when he was just fifteen years old and he openly confessed that he didn't do anything to help. He pays homage to the victim in the story, naming his empowered female protagonist Lisbeth after her. This event in his life carries much more weight than just a name though, rape is a commonplace topic in the film, alongside Nazism, journalism and moral corruption in society (all issues occurring in Sweden which Larsson felt strongly about) and I think that going into the movie knowing this makes everything seem so much more true to life. The way he deals with the abusal of women throughout the story is crushingly brutal in places, but remains within reason and doesn't draw too much away from the story with shocking imagery (this is no Irreversible, but it isn't one for the naive either). That is why Män Hatar Som Kvinnor is for me, a far superior title. And thus comes my second issue with the film. The 'dragon tattoo' as mentioned in the title is an utterly irrelevant plot point in the film, I haven't read the book admittedly, so I don't know just how relevant it is to the original story, but in this adaption it's meaning is minimal, shown briefly in two scenes, with nothing more said on it, when I'm assuming it has more meaning than that. I also feel that this makes Lisbeth the focal point to the film, despite her coming across as more of a supporting role next to Mikael. This says one word to me... 'marketing', I mean, who'd want to see a movie with a foreign title? sigh.

Harriet, the missing woman, but who killed her?
Image courtesy of Guardian.co.uk

The Verdict

Title issues aside, the film is a treat to watch. With interesting characters and history and some very dark imagery, Män Hatar Som Kvinnor will have you gripped from the word go, and has a very strong impact, thus earning itself a solid 8/10. It has a fantastic mystery plot which will keep you guessing until it's climatic finish, but take heed, with brutal murders and sexual violence, this isn't your average episode of Murder She Wrote. Stieg Larsson's story is believable and with Oplev's directing it really comes to life, so if you're bored of Britain and have had enough of Hollywood, then I recommend you check out this Swedish thriller as soon as possible.

Spotlight - Best of British: Shane Meadows

The best thing to come out of the Midlands since... Noddy Holder?
Image courtesy of: filmmovement.com

One of our personal favourite directors over here at MGNC is none other than the infamously gritty British director, everyone's favourite skinhead since Phil and Grant Mitchell, yes, you've guessed it, it's Prime Minister of Grit Britain Shane Meadows.

The man is responsible for bringing us some of the most humane, fantastically written films about the lives of the working class, whilst simultaneously showcasing some of the crème de la crème of British acting talent (Joseph Gilgun deserves better than Emmerdale). Arguably the East Midlands equivalent of Martin Scorsese, his films are known for intimately showing us the breakdowns and the psychology of people and they are all undoubtedly brilliant.

We're taking this opportunity to enlighten you about this directorial great, because we have an ever-so-slight inkling that Meadows Fever is about to take over the country once more. As you should all be aware, the TV series This Is England '86 (follow up to his most well known masterpiece This Is England, obviously) has aired tonight on Channel 4. And in conjunction with this release, Film4 are starting The Shane Meadows Season from September the 8th showcasing some of his finest materials along with some never before seen short films about Shane's world.

Enjoy! We will.

The Warriors: The Real Gangs of New York

Here's one from the vault for you, a solidly iconic cult classic, The Warriors. Coming straight out of 1979, the film is set in New York City at a time where waves of somewhat fruitfully dressed gangs rule the streets, vying for the herald of being the best on the streets.

The Warriors Poster
Image courtesy of unionroom.com

The film follows the story of The Warriors, the charismatic, leather vest wearing, street fighters and their night on the run from every other gang in the city. They've been framed for the murder of Cyrus, leader of the most powerful gang in New York (The Gramercy Riffs). Whilst presenting an idea of a truce between gangs, making one community of fighters to run the city, above the law Cyrus is shot dead by 'The Rogues' leader, Luther, played by David Patrick Kelly the undisputed master of the ad-lib ("Come out to play-ay" anyone?). After the shooting, chaos undoubtedly ensues. The Warriors become the focus of the ultimate trophy hunt and for the duration of the movie, we see their fight for survival on the cold-blooded gangland streets, contending with all manner of foes - skinheads, baseball players, the police, rollerskaters and more. Between scenes there are the occasional wonderful little commentary segments issued by a nameless, typically 'jive-talking' pirate radio broadcaster, giving all the gangsters out there the low down on the streets, these parts give a great excuse to slip some fantastic music into the movie, Nowhere To Run by Arnold McCuller being one of the real highlights, and perfectly fitting for the gang on the run of course.

"Fuckin' A!" Ajax, played by James Remar
Image courtesy of quotableactionhero.blogspot.com

The cast are incredibly fitting in their roles delivering each and every one-liner with an air of perfection. My particular favourite being James Remar as Ajax (left), with such crackers as "I'll shove that bat up your ass and turn you into a Popsicle" and "I'm sick of runnin' from these wimps!" he fits the tough-guy persona fantastically and he can still be seen today as Harry Morgan in hit series Dexter. But James aside, the film marked a pinnacle in most of their careers. With occasional TV appearances and the odd film here and there, The Warriors marked the only real defining moment in many of their careers. Whilst being a great shame, there's something nice about knowing that they peaked at such a high point, and for a lot of them they will always be remembered as their colourful alter egos. 

Iconic Imagery: The Baseball Furies
Image courtesy of thebbps.com

The setting and soundtrack are fantastic; grey, decrepit, run down streets, subways laden with graffiti and gang symbols, these images coupled with some absolutely divine synth music make a wonderful partnership, strengthening the films artistic merit tenfold. The era and setting is clear as day but the film has aged fantastically considering it's not long turned 41 years since its release. It's one of the most iconic films to come out of the late 70's, and is most definitely worth a watch. If you were looking at picking up a copy of Kaya Scodelario's new movie Shank this is much more worth your time and money if it's gangs that you want to see in action. It's only 92 minutes so it's a short watch, but more or less every second is worthwhile, there's some great shots which is a treat for the eyes and the costume design is phenomenal, make sure you look out for The Hi-Hats and hallowe'en costume favourites The Baseball Furies (right). 

The Verdict

Don't let it's age put you off, this film is like a fine wine. I was in awe after the first time I saw it, and that feeling has never expired. From the stark opening shot of the Coney Island amusement park lit up at night, right up to the final scenes with 'In The City' by Joe Walsh echoing above, The Warriors is an action packed joyride from start to finish. It's one for the boys, full of wise cracks, broken backs and a great soundtrack, but the female film fans shouldn't disregard it either. A cracking movie, and well worth a look 7/10.

How It Should Have Ended: I Am Legend

Spoiler Alert: The following article contains detailed plot description which can and will spoil your viewing experience if you haven't already seen the film before. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville alongside his faithful companion Sam
Image courtesy of slashfilm.com

Frances Lawrence's adaptation of the novel of the same name is a good film, I'm sure any one who sees it will happily agree, but it is of course not without it's flaws. It's the third film conversion of the book, alongside The Last Man on Earth (1964) and Omega Man (1971) which are both worth a watch too if the idea of a post-apocalyptic world is your bag.

The film follows Will Smith as Dr. Robert Neville, a man immune to a virus that has wiped out civilisation and it follows his lonely battle to survive and find a cure, it looks at how he deals with the trials and tribulations that are associated with being the apparent last man on earth. Smith's performance is powerful and emotional, the story is tense and exciting and the premise is quite interesting too. I won't go into too much detail, but after some very intense chase scenes and the saddening loss of his companion German Shepherd 'Sam', amongst some very artistic and beautiful cinematography, the film reaches a climax where Doctor Robert is confronted with the infected people he has been eluding all this time (also known as 'Darkseekers') and has to make some snap last minute decisions to determine the fate of the other surivivors he has met, and in turn that of the world.

This is all well and good, and the scene itself is fantastic. It climaxes with Smith's character extracting an effective serum from a woman that was used for experimenting on as the Alpha Male Darkseeker (below) is smashing the plexiglass window separating them from ending their lasting hunt for him, he hands the vial of blood to Anna and Ethan, his fellow survivors and buys them the time they need to escape by pulling the pin on a grenade, taking his own life and those of the Darkseekers in the building with him. Perfect. An example of legendary martyrdom in favour of humanity. Silence, fade to white. This is where the credits should have rolled and where I always hit the stop button on my DVD. But the credits don't come yet.

The Alpha Male Darkseeker
Image courtesy of Screenviewer.blogspot.com

What follows is an unnecessary additional scene, showing Anna and Ethan arriving at a very suburban survival colony, laden with American flags and soldiers. I don't mean to seem nationalist, but I have a major dislike for these 'God Bless America' type endings that come with certain films. I didn't feel nearly half as much empathy for the survival of Anna and Ethan as I did for Dr. Robert, and I feel that the film should have ended with his death, closing his legend. The image of someone continuing what he started straight afterwards felt unnecessary and was actually a bit of an anti-climax after his heroic death, and being force-fed this idea of survival was uncomfortable. I would have preferred it to be left to the imagination whether he managed to save the world or not, I really don't think the film needed a drastically short extra addition and a 'happily ever after' scene. 28 Days Later got right what I Am Legend did not, and unfortunately the alternate ending doesn't live up to much either, injecting the wild and feral Darkseekers with emotions and humanity was the same mistake that ruined Land of the Dead for me too. Call me a depressive but sometimes I don't want to see happily ever after, life isn't always that easy so films shouldn't have to be to compensate!

Do you have any suggestions or thoughts on the ending of this movie? Don't hesitate to comment with your opinions. And be sure to look out for our next 'How It Should Have Ended' coming soon!

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: How To Make the Perfect Comic Book Movie

Entering this film I'll admit, that whilst being thoroughly excited I was also a little worried... several questions were buzzing around my mind, ones like; How loyal an adaption will this be? Can Michael Cera break the chains of bumbling, awkward nice-guy? Will the characters look and act like they should? Will this popcorn last the entire movie? In due course, they were all answered, and the results were more or less all positive, minus the popcorn.

Michael Cera and Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Scott and Ramona
Image Courtesy of Screened.com

I had a few initial shakes before the movie started, people seemed to find the Orange advert starring wild-eyed 'funny' man Jack Black far too hilarious... were they going to truly appreciate the subtleties and cult jokes in the movie they were about to see? But in time I discovered that this is one of the great aspects of the movie, there's enough in there to suffice your average movie goer, your retro-loving geek and your hardcore comic book fan. There was laughter across the room throughout, at both the all-rounders and the in-jokes, it was great to know I wasn't the only one who went into the movie already a fan of its comic book history, a huge relief after the fanservice overkill that was Watchmen.

Aesthetically, the film was perfect. Locations were spot on to their original designs, the colours and special effects were vivid and fantastic, costumes were superb. Edgar Wright and the team on board have created an excellent homage to Brian Lee O'Malley's comic, putting to shame some of the big budget Marvel movies *cough* The Fantastic Four *cough*. Sure at times the ordering of events wasn't exact, some of the lines were plucked from their frames and applied to other scenes and there were a few little segments that I wanted to see in there but didn't, but on the whole the conversion was brilliant, it wasn't ever going to be a perfect clone but what we've been given is a solid accompaniment and homage.

Alison Pill as Kim Pine
Original image courtesy of rioyanez.com

For me personally, the best quality about Scott Pilgrim was without a doubt the characters. The cast played out the roles exactly how I imagined them after my numerous readings of the books, Michael Cera was born to be Scott Pilgrim, he had a subtle swagger and great presence, his bumbling side only slipping through every so often. And there were some notably great performances from Kieran Culkin (Wallace Wells), Anna Kendrick (Stacey Pilgrim) and Jason Shwartzman (Gideon Graves). Undoubtedly though, the girls on screen stole the limelight. Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Ramona Flowers) has stuck another fantastic title to her ever growing résumé and Brie Larson as sexy, sultry, superbitch rockstar Envy Adams was just fantastic but my personal favourite of all the girls in Scott's life was Alison Pill (right) as the bitter-ex and official new found love of my life (sorry Sarah), Kim Pine. Though she had little screen time, she was fantastic in the role, crabby, frowning and perfect at cueing in the Sex Bob-omb songs. I look forward to seeing some more of her and the rest of the brilliant cast in any deleted scenes later in the ever inevitable DVD and BluRay release.

The Verdict

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is without a doubt one of my favourite films of the year and I simply cannot do it justice with a simple review, if you haven't already seen it then get out there and do so, and if you get a chance then give the comics a go too. With geeks, games, girls, great music and seminal visuals, Scott Pilgrim is a cultural treat for the 'indie' generation 8/10.