Genre mixing and the alien creature film fest 2011

The alien creature invasion is a fairly standard and popular sci-fi sub-genre, but this year seems to have brought us more than the usual number of these types of films. With the recent popularity of films like Signs (2002), The Host (2006), Cloverfield (2008) and District 9 (2009) we are now seeing a major surge in the amount of films being made in this sub-genre. These somewhat low budget films with compelling human stories have been very successfully appealing to a growing audience of not only Sci-fi fans, but also action, horror, thriller and fans of other genres. That is because more than ever, film makers are blending different genres using high concept story ideas and low tech filming styles to add realism and suspense.

Signs was a low budget but very moving and compelling story that mixed a family drama in rural America with the high concept of aliens invading earth. It was Independence Day (1996) set in a small farming community where the invasion is seen only through glimpses of blurry television screens and then later only quick glimpses of the aliens are seen as the family barricade themselves from an alien attack.

The Host was an awesome Korean film which took the Godzilla concept and retooled it with a family drama, to very moving and exciting effect, also giving this movie a unique visual style. A single father family of five children takes matters into their own hands when a genetically mutated creature kidnaps their youngest daughter and the government is of no help. With dark humor and realistic performances by the mostly unknown actors, the budget was well spent on making the creature look quirky and realistically menacing.

Cloverfield was a mix of low tech and high concept; taking the Godzilla creature concept and mixing it with a low tech Blair Witch Project (1999) home video documentary filming style. It was an innovative idea that was well executed and the results were extremely suspenseful. A group of college kids, who are videotaping a farewell party for a graduating student, become unsuspecting witnesses and impromptu video documentarians to the aftermath of a rampaging creature that levels New York City.

District 9 also used the same idea of mixing a high concept of aliens landing on earth with a do-it-yourself documentary filming style in an apartheid era township ghetto environment in Johannesburg, South Africa. This also worked and was very effective in telling a compelling story that had the added benefit of having a very unique look. This low budget film benefited from a cast of unknown actors and minimal visual effects that were seamlessly integrated into the action.

Clearly, Hollywood and film industries from around the world have taken notice and we are now seeing a lot more of this genre-mixing trend. This year’s films are a reflection of this. We’re only half way through the year and already this summer we’ve seen a rash of films dealing with alien creatures landing on earth and mixing it with other genres like the War film (Battle: LA), the Comedy (Paul), the Western (Cowboys & Aliens), and the urban gang film (Attack the Block), and there are more to come. 

Apollo 18 uses the high concept moon landing film and mixes it with a super 8 video documentary visual style, to add suspense to the unseen alien attack  as in The Blair Witch Project meets  Alien (1979). 

The Norwegian film Troll Hunter, which was recently released on Blu-ray & DVD, takes the illusive mythical creature of legend and fairy tales concept, like Bigfoot and Lock Ness monster, or in this case giant trolls, and marries it with the found documentary video camera footage of Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield to achieve a high concept, low tech hybrid. 

These films are achieving great results with a much lower budget because the suspense is built up with minimal special effects. Most of these films feel more realistic because they use an unknown cast of actors, and the low budget can be used to make the fewer special effects shots needed, more special and realistic, because you’re only seeing glimpses of the alien creatures and the human story remains the center of the film.

Many of these genre mixing films this year have been very innovative and contained excellent human stories.

Battle: Los Angeles, see my previous blog, mixes the modern warfare film genre with the sci-fi alien attack on earth concept. Results are an excellent and a very unique looking, suspenseful sci-fi war film.

Paul takes the alien landing concept and turns it into a buddy road comedy. 

Super 8, see my previous blog, takes the coming of age teen boy’s family drama in a small town setting, and mixes it with an alien escaping a toxic train derailment and government conspiring to keep it secret backdrop. It’s a mix of E.T. (1982) and The Iron Giant (1999).

Attack the Block, see my previous blog, takes the aliens landing on earth genre and mixes it with some horror and the urban street gang genre of young hoodlums defending themselves and their housing estate tower block in South London, England. This is a great low budget film with unknown young actors and non-actors that increases the suspense with very low tech alien creatures that are scary because, apart from their eerie, green glowing fangs, it’s difficult to see them in the dark.

Cowboys & Aliens, as the title would suggest, is pretty self-explanatory as a Western mixed with aliens on earth. However this film is not low budget and has big name actors; high concept and high tech does not always mean success. The story is a unique concept based on a comic book that has people from a small gold mining town being abducted by Aliens and then going out on a rescue mission to save them from the 'demons'.

Troll Hunter is a mix of illusive, mythical, giant troll creatures and the found documentary video footage of a group of student adventurers who are on a quest to prove that this legendary fairy tale creature from Norwegian mythology actually exists. Using a group of mostly unknown actors and a moc-documentary style with dark humor, Troll Hunter creates a sense of realism that adds to the suspense and excitement of the film.

JP

Super heroes at large

The recent spate of films about amateur, super-hero wannabes is becoming a popular new genre that makes fun of the super-hero movies but also has serious messages about corruption, power and the responsibilities of the average citizen, and can be quite moving. It’s usually about well-meaning, ordinary people who lead a very boring, mundane existence and are forced by circumstances to act in extraordinary ways. 

There is usually some threshold of frustration that will be crossed when the idealist with an over developed sense of justice decides that this is the last straw and something must be done to fix it. But who will it be? No one else seems to be willing or up to the task. Having spent many years reading comic books and watching super hero movies, they have developed a fantasy vision of who their ideal persona or alter ego will be.  They also crave recognition and fame but are usually too shy or anti-social. The only recognition they get, is as nerdy, creepy outsiders; people to stay away from. They want their alter-ego to justify who they are in real life.

Hero at Large (1980): The first movie of this kind I saw, and still have fond memories of, was back in 1980 when Hero at Large with John Ritter was released to very good reviews. This movie was about an out of work, frustrated actor who had done a gig for a commercial wearing a super hero costume. Forgetting to take off the costume one night he walks into a convenience store to pick up some groceries when someone tries to rob the owner. Witnessing this from the back of the store, the actor, realizing he is still wearing the costume, decides to help out and use it to foil the robber. The story makes it to the papers and the actor likes the attention his costumed hero is getting, so he decides to keep the costume and tries his luck doing some more good deeds around town.

This self-styled vigilante had all the prerequisite personality traits needed to be a good super-hero but sort of fell into it by accident. It’s a wonderful, heart felt, feel good movie and John Ritter is great as the actor/super-hero. It’s difficult to find this move on any video format so if you do find it hold on to it.

Mystery Men (1999): This is an underrated film that is very funny with Ben Stiller and a huge cast of big name comedians and actors. This movie has a group of ordinary guys in costumes working together to fight crime and stars Janeane Garofalo, William H. Macy, Hank Azaria, Greg Kinnear and Geoffrey Rush. The characters in this film do possess some abilities but they are very ordinary abilities made to seem like special powers but are not so special.  It’s a hilarious send-up of the super-hero genre and quite endearing.

Galaxy Quest (1999): I will include Galaxy Quest in this list because, if you think about it, it’s sort of the reverse situation of the ordinary person becoming a super-hero but with the same concept. In this case a group of has-been TV actors, leading very dull lives, start out as heroes of a TV show and end up being anything but when confronted by the real villains. They don’t have any powers but are considered heroes by their fans and when they are made to actually live out their television personas for real, the results are hilarious. When these actors, who have their differences and rivalries off screen, find themselves in the actual life and death situations that they have been portraying on television, their reactions are not as brave and heroic as they had been in their TV show. They are shown to be very human and ordinary and must go to their fans for help.

Kick-Ass (2010): This movie kicked ass as a mix of teen-angst comedy and action super-hero movie in equal parts. Filmed in Toronto it’s like watching a Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill movie and a Spider-man movie rolled into one but better than both. This movie is funny but has some serious action scenes and is way better than you would expect from this kind of low budget film. An ordinary guy in a homemade costume gets himself in way over his head when he confronts a gang of real criminals with guns. Luckily he is rescued by a group of more experienced avengers in costumes. Together they manage to deal some serious blows to the criminal underworld.

Super (2010): This violent, low budget movie is quite disturbing and uncomfortable to watch and is a bit of a gore fest, especially the last third of the film, which reminded me a lot of Martin Scorcese’s Taxi Driver (1976). A mentally unstable, middle aged nerd man, with an over developed sense of justice, tries to get his recovering drug addicted wife back after she leaves him for a hip night club owner by making himself into a self-styled, violent super-hero character, the Crimson Bolt. Like in Taxi Driver he wants to lash out at the unfair corrupt world he lives in and in the process he actually does save his wife from a nasty drug dealer but you get the feeling that, like at the end of Taxi Driver, this man is just an immature, whining misfit, who is battling himself as much as he is criminals. Still it’s a powerful and poignant story but not for the squeamish.

If you enjoy these types of movies about well-meaning characters with overactive imaginations also check out these more recent super-hero wannabe installments.

Defendor (2009)

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

Griff the Invisible (2011)

JP

Win Win

A very funny but serious movie about a middle class family trying to make ends meet in the economic recession while also doing the right thing.  The story is almost identical to the movie The Blind Side (2009), with Sandra Bullock, for which she won an Oscar and was based on a true story about a middle class family, who takes in a homeless boy from the ghetto, and through his new family’s encouragement and nurturing, goes on to become a top athlete in the NFL. 

Win Win is not based on a true story and is told more from the father’s point of view, played by Paul Giamatti recently from Barney’s Version (2010), Lady in the Water (2006), Sideways (2004) and American Splendor (2003), who is a lawyer and coaches a high school wrestling team. It too is about a middle class family who takes in a runaway boy from a broken household, and through their nurturing and encouragement, discovers the boy’s hidden wrestling talents. In this movie the boy already has a known track record in the wrestling field, but it’s not known to his new family until he volunteers to be part of the high school wrestling team. Both these stories are about people in very difficult situations, who find support, friendship and even love where they least expect it.

I liked this movie because of what it had to say about how the influence of money can corrupt people’s better judgments, especially in financially trying times. Everyone in this movie has money problems and they all have different ways of dealing with them, with sometimes comic results. The father, Mike Flaherty, makes a somewhat questionable moral decision that appears to be helping someone else but is actually only helping himself with his financial troubles, which leads to a string of events that are both humorous and moving, revealing everyone’s true nature. In trying to be something he is not, he gets himself into troubles he did not expect and is not prepared for.

It brings up questions about why it seems so easy for some people to make money but is such a struggle for others and it goes back to what motivates us as individuals? Mike is a lawyer by trade but has a passion for wrestling. Unfortunately our passions don’t always make us money and we must work at other job to make a living.

Win Win is directed by Thomas McCarthy who also directed such great Indie films as The Station Agent (2003) and The Visitor (2007) which are both similar comic but moving films about people in difficult situations finding support and friendship where they least expected it.

If you like these kinds of movies I also recommend you see the excellent, and one of my favorite films, Lars and the Real Girl (2007) and Pieces of April (2003). Enjoy.

JP

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Despite what some critics may have said about the new reboot of the Planet of the Apes series being misguided or unnecessary, this is a good solid start to what I presume will be a new set of prequels to the 1968 Planet of the Apes franchise. This is an excellent origin story that is rooted in both the Planet of the Apes mythology and reality based contemporary science fiction. 

A genetic modification drug is being developed that will cure Alzheimer’s and increase intelligence in apes.  This drug is being tested on apes but when the results seem to yield some violent side effects the experimental program is shut down and a new born chimpanzee, whose mother was a test subject that had to be put down, is taken in by one of the scientists, Will Rodman, played by James Franco recently from 127 Hours (2010), Howl (2010) Milk (2008) and the Spider-man movies (2002 – 2007) to be raised secretly as a human in his own home.

What makes this movie stand out and so different from the original series is the modern contemporary look and that the apes look so much more menacing and realistic compared to the actors in costumes and masks of the original. Thanks to Weta Digital and the motion capture technology that was used and pioneered in Avatar (2009), the apes actually look like real apes. The line between the ape make-up and human emotion is completely erased now, making these apes so much more apelike but at the same time also more human.

The original series had a very unique visual style and design that you instantly recognized as being The Planet of the Apes but this movie, being an origin story, does not yet have that iconic look of the Apes culture from the original because they have not yet developed it. That will likely come in the next installments.  This may be why some critics are not feeling this movie yet. Aside from that though, you cannot argue with the time and effort that was taken to develop the story and make it as emotionally authentic and heart felt as it could be.

The filmmakers have taken a fresh new approach to the series and it has definitely paid off. The movie is very satisfying on many levels and stands on its own merits. The absolute stand out performance here is from the actor Andy Serkis who also played Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001 – 2003) and King Kong in Peter Jackson’s remake King Kong (2005) and is getting critical acclaim for his performance in this movie as the orphaned chimpanzee named Caesar.  

We see Caesar raised from infancy into a brooding but intelligent adult ape who finds himself in a frightening and dangerous situation when he is eventually locked up and forced to live with fearsome, abused, unintelligent primates at a shelter for abandoned zoo and circus apes that is run like a prison. Abused by his human keepers as well as the alpha male simians in the shelter, Caesar must use his intellect to survive and win over the apes to help them escape their human captors. How he does this is the high point in the film and a defining moment that is exhilarating to watch. It is a shocking scene because you don’t see it coming and at the same time it’s beautifully tied in with the classic series.

Will is forced to use the experimental drug on his own father to save him from the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease thus taking the experiments into the human trials phase. But the drug eventually has a devastating effect on humans and the same drug that has made the apes intelligent is now also the cause of the human’s downfall.

This new series is going to be very exciting to watch for a new generation of filmgoers as it develops over the next few installments because the filmmakers, as Andy Serkis and director Rupert Wyatt insist, are dedicated to the powerful emotional authenticity of the story and making it as realistic and truthful as possible. 

What’s remarkable is how close and similar the story of this Rise of the Planet of the Apes is to a new documentary that was released recently called Project Nim (2011), which is about a real chimpanzee who is taken from its mother to live with humans as an experiment to find out what apes are thinking by teaching it to use sign language. In this documentary the intelligent ape eventually becomes too violent to live with humans and is sent to a shelter for abandoned animals. This true story does not end well for the chimpanzee but is an extremely interesting and poignant tale of human cruelty to animals despite their good intentions.

JP

The Devil's Double

A fast paced action thriller, loosely based on the autobiographical experiences of Latif Yahia, a captain in the Iraqi army who was forced into service as the look alike, body double of Saddam Hussein’s evil, sadistic eldest son Uday Hussein.

Everything about this movie is captivating; the movie is gorgeously photographed and set in exotic locations with Malta standing in for 1980s Baghdad, the style of the film is sort of a middle east version of Scarface (1983), the story of two headstrong and determined people struggling for control over each other,  but what makes this movie even more captivating is the brilliant and central performance by actor Dominic Cooper, recently from Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and An Education (2009) who plays the part of both Uday and his double with such natural nuance, that never during the film do you get the sense that it’s the same actor. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dominic is nominated for an Oscar for this role. This is the first stand out performance I have seen this year that was truly impressive. 

The story is similar to that of Gladiator (2001) in that it’s about an army captain who must deal with the jealous eldest son of the head of state, who is appalled by and doesn’t trust his own son’s behavior. Latif’s story is very compelling because he is a very decent, loyal and humble person who had plans to help his family and go into business with his father when he was forced, under threat of his family’s death, to become the brother of this psychotic maniac who had the power and money to indulge his every depraved and perverted craving with anyone he wanted, and did just that. Latif was a witness to unspeakable horrors while in the service of the Hussein clan’s inner circle, including brutal rapes and murders of innocent young girls, which affected him so much psychologically that he attempted to kill himself several times during his ordeal.

The movie is done in a gangster action suspense thriller style and attempts to touch on many of these true incidents that Latif witnessed. Uday was feared and hated by Iraqis even more than Saddam himself and there were many assassination attempts made on his life which Latif, as the body double, was on the receiving end of. In fact the term used for his job, ‘fiday’ means bullet catcher. According to Latif the violence in the film was toned down and we are not seeing even half of what actually happened. 

This movie is not for the squeamish but it’s well worth seeing for many reasons and it’s a story worth telling because it’s the first time we are seeing a major movie about the Iraqi ruling clan and by extension about the practices of many Arab ruler and their families. With many Arab dictators now under attack by their own people in violent revolutions, it makes this movie even more urgent and topical. The story is so powerful, has such a distinctive look, and is set in such a fascinating place and time, plus it has one of the best performances by an actor, that you will not be able to take your eyes off of it.

Latif has written several books about his experiences and is an outspoken critic of American policy in the Middle East which he blames for the deteriorating political stability in the Arab states.  For additional information about Latif’s experiences see his blog by clicking the link below.

http://latifyahia2006.blogspot.com/

Also watch BattleGround: 21 Days on the Empire’s Edge (2004) an excellent and moving documentary by Stephen Marshall from the Iraqi people's and some American soldier’s point of view, including an Iraqi rebel soldier who was tortured and shot after the uprising by Saddam Hussein’s regime but escaped with the help of American soldiers. Now after 13 years in exile he is returning for the first time to see if his family is still alive.

Iraq in Fragments (2007) by James Longley is a documentary that is completely from the POV of the Iraqi people. Filmed in four different parts of the country, it has some of the most beautiful and unforgettable images of Iraq and Baghdad ever filmed. 

JP

The Names of Love

A French romantic comedy of politics and an attraction of opposites romance between an ultra-conservative, repressed, middle aged ornithologist and a much younger but crazy, spontaneous, liberal minded, sexy, left wing activist, who uses her body to convert fascist right wing conservatives.

If this isn’t an original enough story for you it will definitely not be easy to find one more audacious than this but the movie works and I was pleasantly surprised by its charms.  I was actually in a bad mood for some reason when I was forced to see this movie over another, but by the end I was glad I did see it because I loved it and it completely won me over, putting me in a much better mode. Thank god for French romantic comedies.

Done in the style of the early Woody Allen films with characters talking to younger versions of themselves that only we the audience is meant to see, the movie starts by giving us the whole family history of the unlikely couple. It’s a lot to take in at first and becomes a little confusing if your not paying attention but don’t worry it’s well worth the effort.  It’s all done with so much humor and charm and the characters are all so eccentric and well-drawn that it’s fun and crazy at the same time. 

The actors portraying the couple are so well suited to their roles and are completely natural and believable even in the most hilarious situations. Arthur Martin (Jacques Gamblin) is a conservative, serious professional with no sense of humor when he meets a beautiful young woman Baya Benmahmoud (Sara Forestier) who is extremely judgmental and passionate about politics and helping people in order to change the world, but can’t keep a job because she’s so absent minded and unpredictable. He is attracted to her precisely because she is so completely foreign to his sensibilities and despite her overbearing and free spirited manner she manages to bring out a more open minded and playful side of him and he starts to enjoy life for the first time. 

The film’s obsession with names has to do with the fact that in society we are so concerned with our family origins but our names in many cases are no longer a reflection of who we are now or where we come from.  We therefore are treated to all kinds of awkward situations revolving around racial and cultural identity, immigration and family politics. But in a couple of memorable scenes that everyone can relate to, the couple starts to work together in inventive ways to harmonize and defuse a tense situation and the results are hysterical. It’s one of those moments of revelation that’s funny and moving at the same time where you go Ahaaaa! Bien sure! How romantic is that.

This movie has the same whimsical charm as movies like Amélie (2001), and Soul Kitchen (2009) and is a must see film well worth the effort of reading subtitles and I am looking forward to seeing it again. 

The actress Sara Forestier won the César award (French Oscar) for her portrayal of Baya in this film.

JP

Attack the Block

This is the kind of movie that looks like it’s going to be a joke and just wants to make fun of alien invasion movies with cheesy effects and bad dialogue but I was pleasantly surprised by this film, which turns out to be much better than expected and is rapidly gaining critical acclaim.

A UK Indie film produced by the same company that made Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007), this movie is actually one of those sleeper hits that comes out of nowhere like District 9 (2009) or Kick-Ass (2010) and surprises everyone with its humor, engaging storyline and character development. On top of that the film is full of action and very suspensefully paced and edited together with a great soundtrack. 

A mix of would be super-heroes, a street gang of young hoodlums who rob the locals and end up defending themselves and their housing estate tower block in South London, England from alien creatures that arrive one night looking for payback after the gang kills one of their much smaller females.

At the beginning of the movie you feel no sympathy for these obnoxious, hooded, misfit street kids who get their jollies mugging a woman at knife point, but by the end of the movie we the audience have completely changed our opinion. We get to discover their lives and their environment intimately while they battle a horde of furry black aliens that only they seem to be aware of.

The movie is mostly about the group of street kids and their relationships to each other and the tower block they live in which quickly gets overrun by creatures from outer space that are quite scary and unique looking with their black fur and glowing fangs. Expertly filmed and acted it will make you laugh and surprise you with its heart but never lets up the action and suspense.

Similar to Super 8 (2011), which is also about a group of kids doing battle with aliens and finding out about life in the process, but this time in an urban city setting. The kids use whatever they can find at hand and are forced to quickly improvise weapons as they go. They end up helping the very people that they were robbing at the beginning and regretting the decisions of their gang lifestyle.

I liked this movie because it blends several genres; Sci-fi, action adventure, suspense thriller, horror, urban gang, and comedy, and succeeds with flying colors. It’s funny, moving and exciting at the same time. With the chases and the death toll rising, the tension quickly builds and before you know it you are so much closer to the characters that you miss them when it’s over.

The style of the film is a mix of urban night time gang warfare, like The Warriors (1979), with a family or gang of kids defending their turf against aliens, like Signs (2002), The Host (2006) and Super 8 (2011). The results work pretty well with lots of humor coming from the unknown cast of local English street kids.

If you like this kind of movie also see the above mentioned excellent movies like The Host, Signs, District 9, Kick-Ass and Super 8.

JP

Life in a Day

A YouTube project produced by brothers Ridley Scott and Tony Scott, who form the production company called Scott Free, the English directors behind such movies as Gladiator (2000), Alien (1979), Blade Runner (1982), Legend (1985), Top Gun (1986), American Gangsters (2007), Thelma & Louise (1991), Unstoppable (2010) to name a few. 

Similar in concept to visual documentaries such as Baraka (1992) and the recent Babies (2010), this documentary follows people from all walks of life and from around the world in 192 countries on a single day in their lives. We see a collage of revealing short moments during a typical day in summer on July 24, 2010 including the daily routine of waking up, eating breakfast, going to work or play, until the time they finish their day at midnight. At the same time we get to hear people from different cultures talking about their loves, fears, and hopes.

The film footage was filmed by the actual people in the film and then sent in to the Director of the documentary, Kevin Macdonald who also directed movies like Touching the Void (2003), The Last King of Scotland (2006), State of Play (2009) and recently The Eagle (2011), to be compiled and edited into what we see on screen. The results are very candid and interesting glimpses into real people’s lives.

We glimpse moments with people in different stages of life from birth, childhood, working, courtship, wedding ceremonies, tragedies, eating habits, illnesses, old age and death. What is remarkable is how, no matter our background, age or location on the planet, we are all pretty much the same; doing the same things and feeling the same way about them. 

It reveals our similar fears, loves and hopes and as one girl said in a heartfelt monologue to her camera while in her car, even though nothing remarkable happened to her that day, ‘I want people to know that I am here, that I exist’.

Among the many spectacles, we get to see a young man from Korea traveling around the world on his bicycle who wants to see North and South Korea reunited. 

We see a man fainting while videotaping the birth of his baby. We see another person navigating street obstacles on his way through the city using the practice of Parkour; running, vaulting, jumping, rolling, and climbing over walls, subway turnstiles, fences, windows and other city environments.

We get to see a person from Kabul, Afghanistan showing us a more peaceful side of life in Kabul streets and markets away from the war footage.

People are asked to answer questions like ‘What do you love?’ What do you fear?’ and ‘What is in your pocket?’ One guy says the thing he loves most is his refrigerator because it’s cool, it sits in a corner and doesn’t talk back. Many times during this documentary I found myself laughing out loud at what people say and do. Unfortunately there are no labels on the screen to indicate where in the world we are, unless it’s mentioned by the people in the videos. But part of the fun is guessing.

Overall I found it quite enlightening and worth watching more than once. This could easily be a project that could be repeated every two or three years and the documentaries would definitely improve over time. If you like YouTube videos and these kinds of globe-trotting documentaries like I do, it’s worth seeing.

JP