my thoughts on.... '[REC]2'

so not too long ago, i wrote a glowing review of the Spanish horror film '[REC]'.... i was so excited about the film that i wanted to see the sequel as soon as possible.... last night i had the chance to check it out and i have to say that i was pleasently surprised.... as a rule, you all know that sequels tend to be overshadowed by the original films.... and the second one in the series is usually the weakest.... suffering from the 'sophmore jinx'.... granted, '[REC]2' is not as good as '[REC]', but it's pretty damn close and a great example of building on the original film and pushing it to another level.... taking an already familiar storyline and picking up right where it left off to help the viewer get a bigger sense of what happened after the first film ended.... where this film succeeded was in the clever way it carried on the use of first person filmmaking and to tie it all together with the first film.... it felt a tad bit contrived, but overall it was well done and left me still wanting another film.... (there are two more in the works, FYI).... a stamp of quality on a film is when i want to add it to the Joel DVD library and i want to add both of these films.... i think they'll hold up to repeated viewing.... it is a welcome inclusion into the zombie/virus/mutant/rabies/possesed lexicon.... more in line with the recent trend of the killers running full speed rather than shambling around.... that increases the tension and 'edge of your seatiness' in these films.... not too mention the x-factor that you don't exactly what's wrong with these people until the end of the first flim and it's not clarified until midway into this film.... i'm not sure that i bought into the explaination, but it's original and kept things feeling fresh....

okay, i've strayed a bit from where i was going in the beginning.... so let's stop and go over the storyline.... *SPOILERS!*.... this film picks up right where the first one left off.... we're still not sure what's happened with Angela from the first film, but there's a SWAT team about to enter the building to find out what's happened.... they're all outfitted with cameras to document the entire situation.... after they breach the building's entrance, they find the large pool of blood at the bottom of the stairs and begin to investigate where all the tennants have gone.... the leader of the squad makes them head to the penthouse where he feels the cause of the outbreak occured.... the SWAT team soon realizes that the head of their team is a priest who believes the virus is actually a form of possession.... they begin to gather evidence and look for the thing/person who started it so they can destroy her.... the situation goes from bad to worse as the team slowly begins to get picked off one by one.... as their camera no longer works, we pick up on three teens who've snuck into the building and are being chased by the virus stricken killers.... it just so happens they're videotaping everything.... that's about where i'll stop.... i think the rest is something that just needs to be seen....
this film is above average for this oversturated genre.... it is a well put together film with plenty of tension, scares, excellent special effects and beaufitul cinematography.... you'd think with first person perspective filmmaking that they'd rely on S-VHS cameras or something.... but with these two films, it's high quality 32 mm that is being used.... so you get the hand held feeling, but the big budget picture quality.... a nice combination.... the few actors from the first film that are still alive as either virus victims or actually alive, re-appear in this film.... no re-casting here.... they use the same building and it's one of the additional characters in the film.... it's such an amazing building that it lives and breathes on its own.... i do kind of have to wonder about the ending of this, i'm curious to see if they can pick up where this left off and continue on with a plausable conclusion.... i'm fairly sure that the sequels (at least one of them) is a prequel.... either way, i'm betting they'll be worthwhile....

now, the first film i gave a solid 5 out of 5 stars.... this film gets a good 4 out of 4 stars.... it has its flaws, but i can easily look past them because of the strength of the original film and the quality of this one.... i'm still not 100% sold on the possession/virus outbreak scenario.... it just all seems like they're trying too hard to be original in this sub-genre of the zombie film.... but perhaps in this oversaturated genre you have to do whatever you can to keep things fresh.... and they made such a strong impression with everything in these films that you can look past any shortcomings.... or at least i can.... i am very impressed and enjoyed this and the original film quite a bit.... now, if the rest of the world could get the memo about what makes a good film, we might just have something worthwhile....

if you enjoy this film, i hope you've already seen: '[REC]'

my thoughts on.... '[REC]'

the DVD cover above states that this film "The movie that inspired 'Quarantine'".... that's not exactly right.... 'Quarantine' was a direct re-make of '[REC]'.... so much so that it's practically shot for shot.... it even has a very similar building, fire station, etc.... now, i saw 'Quarantine' first.... and i like Jennifer Carpenter, being a fan of 'Dexter' and all.... i actually enjoyed it.... i gave it 4 out of 5 stars and you can find my review on this blog (you can also find the DVD in my library).... it's not a popular opinion that i have, nor the most popular DVD library.... i find that i'm in the minority most of the time with 'Quarantine'.... perhaps if i'd see this film first, i might have felt differently.... but the re-make didn't taint my opinion at all.... it was kind of a 'Let the Right One On'/'Let Me In' scenario.... both were very good, both we're worthwhile films.... however, one still ended up being superior to the other.... and that's what happened here.

if you've read my blog long enough, you'll notice that i use certain phrases and words on a regular basis.... you may see that if i see something and call it a 'movie', that means that it was not something that i feel is art or worthy of high praise (generally).... but if i use the word 'film', it's like the ultimate compliment.... that means that i loved it.... that being said, what i'd like to go over again is my phrase "pitch perfect filmmaking".... my definition is a film that is as close to perfect as you can come.... everything about it is solid.... cinematography, script, direction, acting, etc.... that it's art.... that it will stand the test of time.... like someone with 'perfect pitch', the film hits all of the notes correctly for the entire length of the film.... i feel that '[REC]' is an example of pitch perfect filmmaking.... and that's not always the easiest thing to accomplish in the horror genre, it just doesn't lend itself to being art.... now, i would argue that it has a whole lot more art to it than people give it credit for.... however, i once again am in the minority....

for nearly the past decade, the French have been continully putting out high quality horror films.... however, i'd not seen anything from Spain that reached out of my home entertainment center and grabbed me by the ears and said, "SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP!".... i was seriously wondering if they would.... everything i'd seen up to that point just hadn't come close to impressing me.... '[REC]' changed all of that.... in a really big way.... this film made me jump at some of the scares and the last 15 minutes were terrifying.... leaps and bounds beyond the re-make in those accomplishments.... some of you may stray away from this because of the hand held shaky cam style filmmaking.... but in this situation it just adds to the terror.... because you're experiencing it first hand, as if you're Pablo the cameraman.... also, the actors in this film put themselves into the action with 100% commitment.... even though the overall scenario has been seen before and the reason behind the killings are a bit silly, it doesn't matter.... they sell it.... i wish i hadn't avoided this film for so long, but i didn't want to come into it with 'Quarantine' still fresh in my mind.... i'd heard so many good things about this that i wanted my brain to be open to viewing it as if i'd known nothing about it.... in hindsight, i'm glad i waited.
'[REC]' takes place in a single evening when a reporter is doing a 'fluff' piece on the local firemen.... she's staying the night at their firehouse and showing what their lives are like.... the daily grind, the in's and out's, and the occasional call to an emergency.... things start out quiet enough, but soon a call comes in that a woman needs help in an apartment complex.... so they load up and head down to the location, with the reporter and her cameraman in tow.... at the apartment, they find the tennants all in the lobby trying to figure out what's going on.... they direct the firemen and police to the woman's apartment and of course, the reporter and cameraman follow.... they find the woman dazed and motionless in her apartment.... as they try and question her to find out what's wrong, she suddenly attacks one of the firemen.... everyone flees the woman's apartment and head downstairs to re-group and tend to his wounds.... when they try to get outside to get him further medical attention, they find that they've been sealed in by the emergency teams outside.... soon they're informed that there is a possible biohazardous situation in the building and no one can leave until they figure out exactly what's going on.... being in an enclosed space and having murderous tennants on the loose, things go from bad to worse as things begin to fall apart.... meanwhile, the camera never stops rolling.

if you've seen 'Quarantine', my plot summary in the previous paragraph is probably a bit of deja vu.... but the two films are actually quite different in tone and feel.... i feel like the pace and tension are a lot higher in '[REC]'.... it never seems to have a dull moment... things just come at you one right after the other until you're exhausted and unsure if you want to go on.... but curiousity and solid filmmaking carry you the rest of the way.... and the payoff is well worth the trip.... i don't want to give away the ending, however i will say that it's not quite the same as the re-make.... i think it's more effective.... the only problem i had with it was that they kind of inject a twist on the storyline that is confusing.... i felt like once they entered the penthouse apartment for protection, that we were suddenly watching a different film.... not a bad film, but one that isn't quite the same as the previous one.... perhaps the sequel will delve deeper into the ending of this one and explain things to me.... maybe i just missed it....? it really doesn't matter, i crapped my pants regardless.... and i still gave it a well deserved 5 out of 5 stars.... i truly loved this film.... it as amazing.... it has spawned 3 sequels, 1 that's already been released and 2 more that are in production.... i don't honestly know if you can milk this long enough to make a franchise out of it.... i also don't know if you'd want to make a franchise out of it.... part of the horror of this is NOT knowing what happens and NOT knowning exactly what the cause is of the outbreak.... this is a bleak film and bleak films generally don't result in sequels.... not the smart ones.... the good news is that '[REC]2' has gotten pretty positive reviews, so i have hope still....

so all in all, i highly recommend this film.... it's, as i said at the beginning, pitch perfect filmmaking.... everything about this movie is spot on.... you couldn't ask for a stronger start to my love affair with Spanish horror.... i just hope that you give this a chance and that you don't mind subtitles.... dubbing would ruin this.... just watch 'Quarantine' instead, if you don't want it subtitled.... this is only available to rent on Netflix right now.... unless you have another method, that's the way to get it....

'[REC]2' is already lined up for my viewing this weekend.... i'll be sure to let you know what i think.... if i survive.

if you like this, check out: 'Quarantine', '28 Days Later' and '28 Weeks Later'

my brief thoughts on.... 'Blindness' (2008)

Mark Ruffalo and Julianne Moore should be more than enough to instill a lot of confidence in the filmgoer to see this film.... i love them both and look forward to each film that comes out with them in it.... the idea of them together just sounded too good to be true.... the great thing is that they waited for the right project to work together.... this has a great script, great direction, and great cinematography.... it has a bit of a zombie movie feel, but with blindness being the disease not zombie-ism.... it's a very dark and sad film, however that just makes it that much more powerful.... and everyone in this film commits themselves 100% to the project.... i got wrapped up in the storyline from the opening scene and i didn't look away until the very end.... and even after that, i kept thinking about what i'd seen.... the idea of being struck down with blindness for no reason is horrific.... but being the only one with sight is almost worse.... this film presents what depths of inhumanity people will resort to when put in a difficult situation and little to no choices.... some of what occurs on screen made me sad to be a part of the human race.... i know that it was only a made up story, but i found myself cringing in some spots and wanting to look away.... this, to me, is an example of excellent filmmaking.... if you can illicit a physical or emotional response from your viewer, than you've created something special and unique.... 'Blindness' succeeds on this level and so many others....

on a normal day like any other, someone is suddenly struck with blindness.... there is no logic or reason as to why, but soon more people are blinded.... soon the entire city is blind, all but one woman.... during the course of the outbreak, the city has moved the blind people into a quarantined building.... eventually even the caretakers are struck blind and the people are forced to fend for themselves.... none of them know that one of them can see.... and she works hard to keep it a secret, despite all the horrors she sees occuring.... things continue to fall apart, until the entire city is basically destroyed.... more happens, but i am not going to be the one to ruin the ending of a great film....i'm so happy to see an original idea in a sea of re-makes and re-hashes of older movies.... the theme is similar to other end of the world films, but the way it's presented is what makes it different.... you can tell that a lot of time, thought and energy went into the production of this film.... it would be a welcome addition to anyone's DVD library and is a film that has a shelf life.... a long shelf life.... i was happy to give it a 4 out of 5 star rating.... i really thought this was something worthwhile and i always love seeing Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo.... they're excellent at what they do and seem to bring a certain reality to each of their performances.... this may not be the feel good film of the year.... but despite that, you'll find that the ending is solid and well done.... i can't even think of anything that i didn't like about this film.... it wasn't exactly perfect, but it was a damn good try at it.

if you like this, also watch: 'Right At Your Door', 'The Signal', and 'Dead Air'

my very brief thoughts on.... 'Mulberry Street' (2006)

After Dark's '8 Films to Die For' are kind of hit and miss.... i don't base my decision to watch a movie based on if it's one of their's or not.... but this particular one caught my attention.... even if the premise seemed kind of bizarre, it got good reviews and it was enough for me to want to watch it.... and it started off really strong.... the cinematography in this movie is excellent.... it has a specific feel to it and it's the perfect feeling for this type of movie.... sadly, the premise of it drove this movie into the ground....

let me give you the short version.... it's hot, it's in the city, a bunch of people live in a neighborhood where rats bite someone and soon everyone starts turning into giant rat/zombies.... the rest of the movie centers on the people in the neighborhood trying to save their own lives....
i really tried hard to like this movie.... like i said, it was really well shot.... the script was decent.... even the special effects were pretty damn cool.... despite all of that, this movie just doesn't hold water.... the idea of giant rat/zombies just seems to dated.... like something out of the 80's, but with modern effects.... the sad thing is that it just doesn't have the same charm as those movies did.... i gave it only 2 out of 5 stars.... i just shudder at how much worse it would have been if it wasn't for the way it was shot.... and i think if the giant rat/zombies would have been infected humans with some kind of craziness or actual zombies, this could have been a really kick ass movie.... maybe not a ground breaking piece of horror, but a good addtion to the zombie/crazy human genre.... so that's it.... if you decide to watch it, make sure you have plenty of rat traps and booze.

better versions of zombie or crazy people movies (minus the giant rat/ zombies): 'Dawn of the Dead' (2004), '28 Weeks Later', and 'Undead'