Monthly Archives: July 2012

Jul 31 2012

The Tunnel (2011)

The Tunnel is another of the suddenly popular ‘found footage’ films which seem to be pouring onto our screens. But what sets this film apart from all the others is the use of more than just a handheld, shaky camera. The Tunnel sees a journalist and her camera team head down to the abandoned railway lines under Sydney. Their aim is to uncover the truth about why their government abandoned plans of recycling water using the old tracks in order to put an end to the drought.

The ‘found footage’ approach is nothing new, what with such films as Cloverfield, Paranormal Activity and of course, the one that started it all, The Blair Witch Project. One thing all these films have in common is shaky and often annoying camera angles. What The Tunnel does differently in that respect is to use better equipment. Because they are journalists and professional camera men, they have the best equipment which means better quality shots and less needless and irritating shaking. They do have a handheld camera which they flick to occasionally for the night vision but apart from that, the use of a quality camera is something refreshing and needed to this genre.

The use of unknown actors is another trait of ‘found footage’ films. The Tunnel is no different and director Carlo Ledesma picks his cast wonderfully. The chemistry between the main four is something you notice right off the bat. It is as if they are a team and have been working together for years, the dialogue seems easy, the banter works and there seems to be no forced emotions.

The only bad point to this film would be its initial pace. It does start rather slowly with interviews with two of the main cast who are reflecting on their experience and telling us what happened and how they felt. This is not a good idea as the audience now knows that these two characters survive the events in this film as they are telling the tale. The interviews also seemed to slow the pace of the film, sometimes going into needless detail. The interviews added a slight sense of realism but more so gave the feeling of watching a documentary. The film could have done without these interviews or at the very least cut them down a bit and move the pace of the film on.

Overall the film produced some excellent moments, some making you jump, other just down right spooky. If you are not scared easily by films I would suggest you give The Tunnel a try. After the initial documentary stage of the film comes the adrenaline pumping horror/thriller aspect, and it is done wonderfully.

The film’s numerous positive aspects by far out weight its negative. If you manage to stick out the interviews and build up at the beginning of the film then you will be rewarded with a found footage horror like no other.

Written by Oliver Willis

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Jul 25 2012

Act of Valor (2012)

Act of Valor sees a team of Navy SEALs embark on a mission to find and rescue a CIA agent being held captive. That is the plot summed up in under 25 words, but the basic plot is not the real story here, its the soldiers themselves.

Normally, when watching a war film, you will be expecting to see the usual American epic about some American soldiers who overcame overwhelming odds in order to preserve their way of life. This is where Act of Valor differs from the norm.

The main aspect of this film which I most enjoyed was the real life tactics which were used. Instead of seeing some soldier doing a James Bond run, where he runs in front of numerous guns and never seems to get shot, we see real tactics being used. Some of the manoeuvres they manage is actually shocking and the way they can infiltrate an enemy’s position with such stealth is quite frankly a little scary.

The reason the tactics and action scenes in this film appear so authentic and accurate is because the main cast is composed of active duty soldiers. These men have performed these manoeuvres time and time again and when they do it on camera it looks no different to when they do it in real life, except the actor lives.

The only slight drawback to this film, in my opinion, would be the acting of the main cast. I understand that the main cast are soldiers and not actors but that really does become apparent right from the beginning. But as the film progresses so does the action. These soldiers are then portraying their lives on camera and gradually becoming more comfortable to watch, mainly because the acting is minimal for them during the middle and end of the film as they are in combat. But as I said this is the only small negative I would point out in an otherwise positive experience.

The cast and crew were obviously going for the authentic and realistic approach, and my god did they succeed. Not only did they use active duty soldiers to bring realism to the tactics and dialogue but they even used live ammunition for a lot of the gun fights and explosions. You can identify this almost immediately, the gun shots and explosions not only look fantastic but they even sound completely different. I noticed the camera angels also contributed to this effect. They used a lot of first person camera shots, looking through the eyes of the soldier, seeing what they are seeing. I think this worked wonderfully, especially in the night scenes where the soldiers were using night vision goggles.

So overall I really enjoyed this film. The action scenes were fantastic, the tactics were chilling even if the acting was a little off. The last point I would like to address is the use of not only the active duty soldiers, which I have mentioned, but the exclusion of big actors. Using unknown actors was an excellent choice, especially as they were going for the authentic, real approach and from my experience one of the many things which can snap the audience out of the moment and remind them that this is fake is George Clooney or Brad Pitt showing his face on screen with an army hat on. Not cool.

So if you like war films, if you like blood pumping combat then you will love Act of Valor. And for you women reading this thinking, “great, another 90 minute testosterone filled war film” think again. You get to see these soldiers for who they are, not just killers, not just someone doing their job but husbands and fathers, you see how their families cope, you see the real life and thoughts of today’s modern soldier.

Written by Oliver Willis

Jul 17 2012

Voted Off the Island: 10 Shows That Got Cancelled

Don’t you just hate it when you get into a show just to have it cancelled by the all-powerful networks that are in charge of the fates of your favourite characters? Unfortunately, the studios are in it to make money, so when a show is underperforming, it gets the axe to make way for more promising fodder. Of course, shows can get cancelled for other reasons, such as scheduling conflicts or contract issues, but where does that leave us as the viewers? If you were in love with one of the following 10 shows, you might want to find another show to obsess over.

“GCB“

“GCB” was clearly in place to help fill the overly dramatic shoes left behind by the ladies of Wisteria Lane. Despite a heavy-hitter cast and tons of marketing, the show could never really take off. Looks like Kristen Chenoweth better find another guest spot on “Glee.”

“The Ringer“

I hope that Sarah Michelle Gellar was getting paid double to play two separate characters in the CW’s mystery/drama, “The Ringer.” She’ll need it more than ever now that the network has ditched the show after two seasons on the air.

“Napoleon Dynamite“

FOX has had hits with cartoon series “The Simpsons” and “Family Guy”, so why not with “Napoleon Dynamite” too? It turns out that Napoleon isn’t as funny as a cartoon character, so he’ll need to return to his life of farming and llama-feeding.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition“

Hey, I’ll be the first to admit that I couldn’t watch “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” without shedding a few tears. But as heart-warming as the show was, it also got a little repetitive: Sad family + house demolition + “move that bus!” = me crying every time. The show got cut and my Kleenex budget is thankful.

“Best Friends Forever“

A show about a sad BFF moving in with her friend and her friend’s boyfriend sounds funny… for about five minutes. The concept couldn’t stay afloat with better buddy comedy offerings, so I guess it was more like “Best Friends for a Season.”

“House“

Tons of fans are crying foul, but I don’t mind that “House” will be cancelled. It had a good run, and it started getting really ridiculous. It went from smart medical drama to overly cheesy and completely unbelievable soap opera in about two seconds. “Grey’s Anatomy” might wanna take a few notes.

“Are You There Chelsea?“

The Chelsea Handler brain child starring Laura Prepon as a younger version of Chelsea herself fell flat, a lot like other female-driven shows like “Whitney” and “2 Broke Girls.” Unfortunately for Handler, the other two shows were renewed, while hers will be shelved indefinitely. Back to the talk show!

“Alcatraz“

I watched a few episodes of this drama/mystery while on a long flight, and it seemed really entertaining. Then I realized I was on an airplane, and a Styrofoam cup of Coke also seemed pretty exciting. I couldn’t follow it when I tried watching at home, and it looks like I’m not the only one. FOX says “Sayonara” to the inmates.

“Terra Nova“

It was the most expensive pilot to ever be made, but the show about dinosaurs could never live up to the massive hype. So what you’re telling me is that the general public isn’t interested in dino-dramas? Who knew!?

“CSI: Miami“

I was under the impression that any “CSI” show could do no wrong, but it appears that low ratings cursed Horatio and the crew. I’ll miss all of the cheesy one-liners and blatant use of sunglasses as a prop.

If your favourite show made the cut list this year, never fear! With the invention of Internet TV, none of these cancelled shows will be gone forever. Plus, it just frees up space on your DVR for new shows!

When Todd Lam isn’t browsing the internet and watching TV, he is usually found writing for www.cabletv.com.

Written by Todd Lam

The Tunnel
Jul 10 2012

The Tunnel – Blair Witch meets Raw Meat

The Tunnel, starring Bel Delia, Andy Rodoreda, Steve Davis and Luke Arnold, is the brand new Australian found-footage thriller where a terrifying fear is about to be unleashed.

When heading into a tunnel you are normally sure that there will be a light at the end of it. But the government abandoned train tunnels under Sydney are a dark, twisted maze where the shadows move and you have the feeling something is watching.

In 2007 the New South Wales government suddenly and inexplicably abandonned a project to recycle water found in the disused train tunnels beneath Sydney, despite being in the midst of a drought.

In 2008 investigative journalist Natasha (Bel Delia) is convinced of a government cover-up and is determined to prove her theory right by any means possible. Natasha and her team Peter Ferguson (Andy Rodoreda), Steve Miller (Steve Davis) and Jim Williams (Luke Arnaldo) descend into the subterranean labyrinth of the city – but as they hunt for their story, a much bigger story is hunting them.

The Tunnel has been recognised by Variety as, ” Taking a Chapter from The Blair Witch Project and a page from 1973 cult item Raw Meat” while HorrorAsylum described it as “Terrifying and effective”.

The Tunnel is out on DVD in the UK from August 6.

Written by Oliver Willis

Haywire
Jul 4 2012

Haywire (2011)

I would normally open a review with giving a brief and simple overview of the film but for the life of me, Haywire does not make that so simple. In short it is about a black-ops agent who gets betrayed by her employers and then seeks to exact revenge.

That is a simplified version of what the film is about, but honestly, i was unsure who was betraying who for most of the film. Even when it finished i was left wondering what on earth just happened. I am normally good at following complicated plot lines, but this was not so much complicated, as just messy.

So the needless complication of the plot was probably my only negative i am going to give this film, most of it was rather impressive and refreshing. The cinematography was an aspect of this film which i found most impressive. The camera angles were unusual, not the same straight shots etc that you’re used to seeing in your average action film. It didn’t do the quick shots which are common place in fighting scenes to give the impression of the fight be faster than it is.

Instead a lot of the action shots were still, allowing the viewer to see everything that is going on. As the lead actress, Gina Carnao, in an excellent martial artist it was quite something to behold as she took down villain after villain.

The fighting itself was probably the most realistic i have seen in a very long time. No moves added in for show, no useless back flips, just hardcore action the way it would go down in real life you’d believe.

Another point i would like to draw attention to is the use of sound. A lot of the film was done without too much dialogue. The action scenes were just that, action, they didn’t talk to each other, didn’t taunt each other, just both concentrating on not being the one to die. This again added to that sense of realism. How many times have we seen the bad guy taunting the good guy when on the brink of victory, only to have the good guy cut him off mid sentence with the usual epic come-back. Well not this time, you talk you die it would seem.

I believe the cast was another interesting point. They were an odd assortment of actors, not usually seen together. We are talking about actors such as Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender and Channing Tatum. Now these are some big names in Hollywood, but i felt they were, mostly, unneeded. The parts did not seem to call for them to play and i didn’t see their inclusion in the film as something i could not picture a less well known actor doing. The exception to that would be Michael Fassbender and maybe Channing Tatum. Their roles seemed to fit them, i couldn’t picture anyone else as their characters, but with everyone else, i could.

Don’t get me wrong, the film was good, had some rather refreshing takes on the action film scene. The only thing that seemed to kill it for me was the needlessly over-complicated plot. It could have been done to the same effect, or even better, by making it simpler, maybe i would have had a better response to it, but who knows. The bottom line is, Haywire is a good film, i would recommend you watch it if you’re into your martial arts, but its definitely not something to write home about.

Written by Oliver Willis

Jul 1 2012

We3

Grant Morrison excels at giving us the unexpected when it comes to comics, he’s brought us such ideas as a Jack Kirby inspired tale focusing on Indian religion, the death of gods in Final Crisis and even the Death of Batman himself, but We3 falls far short of the mark and even seems eerily familiarly. Sure the concept may seem new to comic readers who have only read american comics, however I can’t shake the feeling that I’ve read something like this before from Japan, in anime form.

Essentially the story is Homeward Bound meets Robocop and follows three animals: a dog, a cat and a rabbit, who have been turned into walking weapons through the use of advanced cyborg machinery, the animals are on the run from the government after the program they’re a part of looses its funding. The story then follows the animals on their quest to find a home, all the while the government are trying to track them back down and kill them before the public finds out what they’ve been doing.

Despite it’s familiarity the execution from Morrisson, and long time collaborator Frank Quietly, in We3 is some of the best I’ve ever seen. In fact We3 may be the most cinematic graphic novel I’ve ever read. The whole series reads like storyboards for a movie, Quietly even manages to create a 3D feel to the images on the page. A perfect example of this is within the first few pages where we see the We3 animals performing an assassination whilst still under government control, it’s a beautiful double page spread with their target in the background and bullets littering the foreground. Quietly uses possibly the only acceptable form of blurring in comics, something that is vastly overused in the industry, to put the bullets out of focus and force our perspective of the scene.

Naturally with the main characters all being animals Morrison tries to use this to his advantage and pull our heart strings, however he doesn’t just rely on cute imagery. The animals all received a rudimentary speech box and special training in order to communicate with their government handlers. Naturally the Dogs speech patterns most closely match our own, followed by the Cats, then the Rabbits, their communication is still far from the land of Disney’s talking animals however. Morrison has crafted a language of only a few words for each animal, something they’re not used to putting together into sentences, that is just within the realms of possibility, and its from these fragments that we’re left to figure out what the animals are thinking. The technique works surprisingly well dragging the reader down to think like the dog, cat and rabbit in the story and see the world on their terms instead of the humans.

Other than a few words from our protagonists, and the often shoutings of their pursuers, We3 is a book with few actual words, but it still manages to be a noisy comic. Quietly presents us with visceral, violent artwork that practically screams itself off the page and into the real world so much that when reading the book I started to hear the sounds, and growls, of the We3 world. When coupled with the cinematic nature of the series its surprising no companies have tried to make the story into a motion comic, though I don’t know how well the violent aspect of the story would be accepted. Thats right We3 isn’t just all about cute animals escaping their government captors its also about a battle royale of our three main characters verses the army, as well as a few other animal experiments, along the way.

The fight scenes in We3 are truly amazing, they’re peppered with just enough science to make us think they could exist in the real world and each animal has their own style which shines through the artwork. Everything is fast moving, which it has to be for a series that only lasts three issues, and keeps us guessing what tricks the animals will pull out of their hats next. The big set piece of the story is when ‘We4′, a giant dog, is set onto We3 and our heroes are forced to work together to beat this new adversary. During the fight the woman who taught We3 to speak sacrifices her life in order to save our hero dog, and I can’t help thinking shes a surrogate character for Morrison himself who is a vegetarian and no doubt has wondered what it would be like to talk to animals at some point.

During the story there are obvious themes of Man vs Animal, however the ending makes me think Morrison was instead trying to get us to think about Nature vs Technology. The surviving members of We3 manage to escape the government and find a happy home with a homeless man by taking off their cyborg suits, or ‘Coats’ as the dog calls them. The moment when the dog realises that all the technology and machinery he’s been wearing for the story up to this point is really profound, and just to hammer the point home it’s one of the few, almost, complete sentences the dog manages to make. In a time when we’re constantly finding ourselves attached to more and more technology, be it phones, tablets, even TVs, it might be worth noting that it is not a part of us, we do not rely on it as much as we would be led to believe.

Conclusion

We3 is a fairly predictable story of three cyborg animals trying to escape the government, however its execution is what makes the story really worth reading being one of the most cinematic and visceral graphic novels on the market.

3.5/5

Extras

The Deluxe Edition of We3 adds 10 whole new pages to the series which enhance the story rather than bring anything new to it, as well as over 25 pages of making of material. The most in depth and revealing extra is the breakdown of a CCTV sequence near the beginning of the series which details just how much care and attention went into the layout of each panel on the double page spread, as well as giving us a little bit of input from Morrison who I wish was present more in these extras. If you like seeing the evolution of character design, and even the We3 logo the deluxe edition is definitely the version of the book you want to buy and it’s good enough to add an extra half a point to my score above.