Dracula Untold (3/10): There is nothing untold about it.

“My father was a great man, a hero, so they say. But sometimes the world doesn't need another hero, sometimes what it needs is a monster.”

If you are going to make a film about the origins of one of Hollywood’s most fearful monsters then you better have a solid script that focuses on the character development of Dracula rather than overstuff the film with special effects and action scenes. Director Gary Shore may have tried to give us an origin story, and he even gave it the title Dracula Untold, but what he really does is deliver another cliched and familiar action film. We really don’t learn anything new about this classic character in the film other than the fact that he was a good fighter and a loving family man who sacrificed himself to protect the people he cared for. I would argue there isn’t much of a unique idea in that premise and that the title untold is a bit deceiving. There just isn’t anything unique or appealing about this character to claim that you are delivering an origin story. The only thing Shore tries to do here is humanize the monster and make him seem engaging. Instead of trying to focus on the character however, Dracula Untold delivers one action scene after another relying on its computer generated special effects. The film might captivate some audiences who are looking for a fun time, but there is nothing memorable or legendary about it. I can imagine a documentarian making a film about Hollywood’s portrayal of Dracula and mentioning all the films that have centered on this monster but leaving this unremarkable film out of the list simply because it is easy to forget and it never seems to be a film about Dracula really. You can add Dracula Untold to the never ending list of tiresome and uninterestingly generic vampire films. The only pleasure I got from Dracula Untold was that it made me feel good about my decision of not having seen I Frankenstein.  

The script for Dracula Untold is probably responsible for the failure of the film because the cast did a pretty decent job. I thought Luke Evans delivered an interesting performance. He has some entertaining action sequences and looks the part as well. Dominic Cooper might not be menacing in this film but he gave a decent performance. Sarah Gadon was beautiful as Dracula’s wife and inspiration. I did’t have an issue with the performances at all, but it was mostly the overload of action scenes that didn’t manage to keep me interested. They seldom do (Hercules might be the only exception this year and it wasn’t a film I was crazy about either). I didn’t care too much for the CGI either so there was really very little this film had to offer me. I was just disengaged with the story and found it overly generic and too familiar. If you are going to give your film the title of Dracula Untold, you might as well give us something original and unique that hasn’t actually been told before. 

My Review: Enemy (8/10)

"Chaos is order yet undeciphered."

Denis Villeneuve's latest film, Enemy, opens with this very interesting quote about chaos and I can't think of a better one to explain  this intense and intriguing film. Enemy is a movie that requires your full attention and it is definitely not for the casual viewer. At first glance the story may seem chaotic, but Villeneuve is reminding us to pay close attention because there is an order to this surreal film if you decipher the symbolisms and meanings behind each scene. There have been many different interpretations as to what this film is trying to say, but I believe Villeneuve has made it possible for the viewers to put the clues together and understand the true meaning of his film. He has stated that it is a film about Jake's subconscious and the poster also points to that so I am not entering into spoiler territory when I make these claims. Enemy will be a divisive film because it doesn't follow a classical narrative structure and many people might find that misleading, but others will absolutely love trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together and solving this intriguing thriller. I think that the most important element for the audience is what they interpret the spiders to be since they play an important role in this film. However, even if you don't understand the chaos at first (which I didn't) Villeneuve sets such an eerie and creepy atmosphere with the cinematography and score that the film can still be enjoyed. The mystery completely sucked me in and I loved all the twists. I never saw the ending coming either and it left me completely perplexed, but after thinking about the story and reading some interpretations I was fascinated by the resolution. Enemy will either make you want to go back and rewatch it immediately to pick up on the clues, or it will turn you off completely and make you want to wipe out your memory. Enemy in my opinion is a great film and Villeneuve continues to show his versatility as a director.

The screenplay was adapted by Javier Gullon from Jose Saramago's novel (The Double) although he included some clever surrealist elements like the addition of spiders which aren't part of the novel. We are introduced to Adam (Jake Gyllenhaal) giving one of his lectures as a history professor. He gives a speech about totalitarian governments and how events repeat themselves over the course of time. His life is pretty dull as is his relationship with his girlfriend, Mary (Melanie Laurent), but things take an interesting turn when he watches a movie that a friend has recommended. After watching the film, he realizes that there was an actor in the background that looks exactly like him. He looks the actor up on the internet and decides to call his number. A woman answers the phone and believes it is her husband that is on the other line. Not only does Adam resemble this other actor, but they have the same voice as well. Adam tries to explain who he is, but the woman named Helen (Sarah Gadon) seems to be deeply disturbed. Her husband, Anthony (Jake Gyllenhaal) arrives and finds Helen troubled so he asks what's going on. After she explains to him the situation Anthony decides to meet with Adam in a hotel room and that is where the psychological thriller picks up and the mystery thickens. 

I've been a huge fan of Villeneuve ever since I saw his Canadian film, Incendies. It still remains my favorite film of his, but he has shown an impressive range with his latest films. Prisoners sort of felt like a conventional thriller with a straightforward narrative although the cinematography and the performances made it stand out. Enemy on the other hand is very different and audiences expecting a similar thriller will be disappointed because it is more of a psychological surreal thriller resembling some of the films from David Lynch. Enemy succeeds in most part thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal's brilliant performance as he plays two distinct characters giving each one different depth. It also benefits from an ending that some have called the scariest they've seen on film. I wouldn't go that far, but I thought it was shocking and unique. Villeneuve has really messed with his audience, but he did it in a positive way because it makes you want to go back and watch what you missed (unless you hated it and thought it was silly which is also a possibility with films like this). The tone of the film completely captured me and I was engaged once I got past those disturbing opening minutes. The entire film has a lot to do with the lecture Adam gives and whether you liked this film or not it does have order once you decipher all the chaos. Enemy is a clever film that will stick with you and it is so unique that it's hard to compare it to other films.

My Review: Cosmopolis (2/10)

¨There's a poem I read in which a rat becomes the unit of currency.¨

Oh David Cronenberg what have thy done? Despite making some great films in the last few years (such as A History of Violence and Eastern Promises) Cronenberg has directed what is in my opinion the worst film of 2012. Cosmopolis is 100 minutes of complete torture, I did not enjoy the experience one bit and was hoping the pace of the film would pick up or that there would be some cool pay off at the end, but neither of those things happened. I can honestly tell you that I considered walking out on this film so many times, but for some reason I decided to stay with it. This is a film I will not be revisiting ever, although I know that in order to understand it completely several viewings need to take place because it is based on a philosophical novel written by Don DeLillo that is hard to follow. The film is very slow paced as you follow the main character for almost the entire film inside his limo talking to several different characters that jump in and out of his vehicle. The dialogues are really profound and pretentious as everything they are talking about serves as a sort of metaphor or symbolism on capitalism. If to understand the dialogues in the novel you need to read them over and over again, imagine how much more difficult it is to understand everything that Cronenberg is trying to throw at you in these dialogues where you can´t pause and go back to make sure you listened and interpreted things correctly. The entire film seems to be anti-capitalistic or at least a form of protest against cyber-capitalism and economics in general. The movie does seem to share some parallels with the Occupy Wall Street movement that took place. I don´t see how anyone other than those people who have read the novel will understand everything that is going on here. I am not even sure if Cronenberg understood everything that DeLillo was really trying to say in the novel, or if he simply had a different interpretation of things. The film is heavily pretentious and it was just a torturous experience for me, which is too bad because I really enjoyed some of his previous work (especially his films with Viggo Mortensen).

The film centers on Erick Packer (Robert Pattinson) a young billionaire living in Manhattan who decides to get on his limo and drive across town to get a haircut. Despite being warned by his security official, Torval (Kevin Durand), that the President is in the city and that the streets are completely jammed by traffic and protestors, he insists on taking the limo and getting his haircut. Therefore he spends almost the entire day in his limo, only getting off sporadically to grab a bite to eat or talk to his wife, Elise (Sarah Gadon) whom he encounters on several occasions during the day. While he is in the limo he´s always talking to someone who he happens to come across, some who work for him and seem to be his advisors, while others some sort of acquaintance like Didi (Juliette Binoche). He even has a doctor get in the limo and do his daily routine medical checkup (including a prostate exam) on him while talking economics with a colleague. Erick encounters all sorts of people and even an angry mob that is protesting in the streets (reminiscent to the Occupy Wall Street movement), but it is something he´s willing to do in order to get his haircut. Torval even mentions to him that someone is threatening his life, but Erick continues to move on. The entire drama plays out as a sort of metaphor on economics and capitalism, but the dialogues are really hard to follow as there are so many symbolisms and metaphors which I found very heavy handed and philosophical.

Near the end of the film there is a heavy dialogue scene between Pattinson´s character and Paul Giamatti´s that I was hoping would pay off for all the effort I put into it by sticking with it, but not even the dependable Paul Giamatti saved this film. I know some people liked this film, and I’m guessing because they probably had read the novel or are into all these philosophical and economical debates that Cronenberg is trying to raise, but I really had a hard time understanding everything that was going on. I wasn’t a big fan of Cronenberg´s latest film, A Dangerous Method, but that film is a masterpiece compared with Cosmopolis. I really disliked this movie and wasn’t entertained with any of the characters or the dialogues they were having. I couldn’t connect with this film in the same way other people who enjoyed this might have. I would much rather see Pattinson in Twilight again than watch this film; that is how much I hated this film. I hope Cronenberg returns to his A History of Violence days instead of making these pretentious philosophical movies that seem not to answer any questions in particular. Or maybe I just didn’t get it, but I am not willing to sit through a second viewing of this film and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone either.

  

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