Eden Lake (5/10): An uncomfortable but effective horror thriller

"Follow the blood!”

James Watkins’ feature directorial debut is an unsettling and gruesome one in which a young couple decides to escape the hectic city life for a romantic weekend at a remote lake side. The beautiful location will soon contrast with the horrors the couple will face as we get several early warning signs that things aren’t going to go exactly as they had planned. From the moment in which Jenny (Kelly Reilly) and Steve (Michael Fassbender) arrive at the town and are pulling up to a local restaurant another vehicle cuts in front of them and steals their parking space. The local people aren’t very friendly and there happens to be a group of young adolescents nearby led by Brett (Jack O’Connell) who act very disrespectful towards them. At first Steve and Jenny ignore them because they are here for a romantic and peaceful getaway, but after being provoked by these young kids he stands up to them. The kids are even more disrespectful and pretty soon things begin to escalate and brutal violence ensues. 

The film reminded me a lot of Alexandre Aja’s High Tension for its gruesome violence, and Michael Haneke’s Funny Games for its dark depiction of human behavior. Eden Lake is also reminiscent of 70’s horror films. There are many brutal and unrelentless scenes that made me feel uncomfortable, but I have to admit that I cared for the characters’ wellbeing so I was engaged despite having to turn my face away during some of the torture scenes. The film is well paced and thrilling and the performances are pretty solid, but I can’t recommend it because it was just too violent and dark. Why even watch this movie then, you may ask? Because of Michael Fassbender who I could watch in absolutely anything. He is one of my favorite actors, and this was one of his early films, but it one of his weakest roles. This film came out the same year as Hunger and Fassbender got all the attention for his role in that movie, so I had overlooked this horror thriller. I was also surprised to find out that Jack O’Connell had a supporting role here considering what a breakthrough he has had in the last year. His performance here is so villainous that I want to go back and watch Unbroken just to see him suffer. There is something wrong about wanting these young kids to get what they deserve, but they are so hateful that audiences won’t be able to help it. Kelly Reilly has also made a name for herself, starring more recently in the second season of True Detective alongside Vince Vaughn, and here she plays the lead character. She surprisingly stole every scene she was in despite playing a character who made some very poor decisions.

As effective as Eden Lake is, I still can’t really make up my mind if I cared so much for these characters of for the actors. I was engaged because I wanted Fassbender to teach the kids a lesson, but I can’t say if the film would work without a well known and likable actor. This British film has inspired remakes of several similar themed movies which in turn probably inspired this one and opened the doors for their new versions, such as I Spit on Your Grave (1978,2010) and The Last House on the Left (1972,2010). Eden Lake may seem as pretty much a standard horror film that follows the basic genre formulas and cliches, but it does have a shocking finale. It is effective and accomplishes what it sets out to do, but since it is not my type of film I didn’t get much enjoyment out of it and it did bother me that some of the decisions made by the characters seemed to be so ridiculous that they can only be explained as serving the plot. It is a very upsetting film and fans of the genre would probably be very pleased with it.          

My Review: Calvary (8/10)

¨ I've always felt there's something inherently psychopathic about joining the army in peace time.¨

Calvary is director, John Michael McDonagh's followup to 2011's The Guard which also happened to star Brendan Gleeson in the lead role. This time Gleeson plays a Catholic Priest named Father James who is   threatened during a confession by someone who we don't get to see. This man claims to have been sexually molested by a Priest several times as a kid and although Father James is a good and decent Priest he must take the fall in order for a statement to be made. Father James is given one week (or so this man claims) before being killed on the following Sunday on the beach. The father is troubled by this threat but he must continue doing his parish work during the remaining course of the week. We follow him as he has some deep conversations with the different members of the small Irish town they live in. It's a very interesting premise that hooks you from the start and has you wondering which of all the troubled people in the town might be the one who has threatened this goodhearted Priest. However the film works just as fine without that premise because the interactions between these characters is the true center of the story. These are all broken men and women who the Father interacts with and most of the conversations are deep and spiritual. Calvary isn't a film about religion, but it does have some important things to say about faith and virtues. It is very well written by McDonagh and the screenplay is rich in dark comedy; perhaps one of the best things about this movie. This is a film that could be very easily adapted to a stage play because the written material is superb and carries the movie on its own. Calvary also benefits from the beautiful scenery of the Irish coast line and a wonderful supporting cast. This is a film that sticks with you and one I wouldn't mind watching again. 

Brendan Gleeson is a fantastic actor and one wishes he continue to collaborate with director McDonagh. I remembered he also gave a fantastic performance in In Bruges, which ironically was written and directed by John McDonagh's brother. These guys are great writers and know how to include a lot of wit in their dialogues. The rest of the cast is fantastic as well. Kelly Reilly plays Fiona, Father James's daughter (I know you might be thinking what is a Priest doing with a daughter because I asked myself the same question, but we quickly find out that James was once married and when his wife died he became a Priest). She is going through some difficult times, and James is trying to help her find answers. Chris O'Dowd also gives a terrific performance as one of the members from the parish whose wife is having an affair with an African man, but he seems ok with this because he can finally enjoy his freedom. Aidan Gillen (from Game of Thrones) plays the Atheist doctor, while Emmet Walsh is an old writer who is well aware that he's approaching death. These are just some of the people that Father James deals with in his community and each interaction is very rich and profound. There is plenty of dark humor balanced with a great amount of spiritual questions. I was pleasantly surprised with how well the material was handled. I can't even remember when was the last time that a Priest was portrayed so well on screen. Calvary is a powerful film with great performances and some sharp writing, and that is why this is one of the must see films of 2014. All I know is that after watching this I was desperate to get my hands on The Guard which I haven't had a chance to see but definitely will now. I highly recommend Calvary.

My Review: Flight (9/10)

¨Nobody could've landed that plane like I did.¨

I don’t think Denzel Washington has ever made a bad film; he has created some wonderful and memorable characters and always makes every film he´s in much better than it otherwise would´ve been. Flight would have been an average film, but thanks to Washington´s performance it is one of the best films of 2012. This is Robert Zemeckis´s first live action film since Cast Away after having worked on three animated 3D motion capture films (Polar Express, Beowulf, and A Christmas Carol) and he´s back with a bang. I hope Zemeckis continues to work with live action films because this is what he´s really good at. He has made a number of successful films such as Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Forrest Gump. Despite being one of the best directors in the special effects department, he also knows how to make great dramas and stories that ring true. In Flight Zemeckis manages to mix special effects in the plane sequences with some great storytelling delivering a serious and emotional drama about a flawed hero. Zemeckis found the perfect man for his film in Denzel Washington who delivers each line with sincere and humane belief. Even his facial expressions showed so much about his character. This made the job so much easier for screenwriter John Gatins who didn’t have to shove every line of dialogue down the viewers’ throats because Washington´s performance made it easy for us to identify with him and his struggles. This performance has already earned a well deserved Golden Globe nomination for Washington and he simply continues to amaze me with his work.

I will be careful while I try to explain the plot because the film isn’t actually what you expect it to be about. I went into this film thinking it would be exclusively an action thriller where you had Denzel Washington playing the pilot who´s trying to save the day. The truth of the matter is that the thriller only takes place in the first few minutes; the rest of the film focuses on the drama that Captain Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) faces once he survives the plane crash and deals with some problems of his own. This is more of a drama than an action thriller but it works really well thanks to Washington´s portrayal of Whip. He turns out to be a flawed hero because despite saving about a hundred lives, he´s an alcoholic. Despite the fact that no pilot would have been able to land the plane and save the passengers, fault has to be found for the incident and the few lives that were lost. Despite his heroic actions, Whip flew the plane under the influence of alcohol and drugs. This is where Hugh Lang (Don Cheadle) comes in as Whip´s attorney who represents the Pilot´s Association and wants to put the blame where it belongs: in the technical malfunction department. Whip also meets a recovering alcoholic in the hospital named Nicole (Kelly Reilly) with whom a love story ensues. John Goodman also has a supporting role as Harling Mays, a friend of Whip who´s always getting him the drugs he needs. And so the story has been set for the drama to take place.

When I say that Flight doesn´t turn out to be an action thriller and ends up being more of a drama about a hero struggling over his own addictions, I say it in a good way because it makes the film stand out above the rest of films in its genre. It is a film that is difficult to categorize because it goes to some unexpected places and instead of being a movie about a flight incident it really is a film revolving around a character who we sympathize with despite knowing he has some severe addictions and issues he has to face. It kind of deals with alcoholism in the same way that Crazy Heart did with Jeff Bridges´ character. I have to say that John Goodman´s performance was also really strong. Despite sharing very few scenes with Denzel he did manage to stay at the same level and delivered some of the few comic relief moments of an otherwise pretty dramatic and serious film. Flight is one of the top ten films of 2012 and Washington delivers his best performance since Training Day. This is a film you will want to see because Zemeckis knows what he´s doing and he´s at the top of his game. I hope he sticks with live action films and continues to work with Denzel because the two together are golden.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/