Halloween (2018) Review

It’s been 40 years since the murders took place in Haddonfield, Illinois during October 31^st of Halloween and this series has been continued and transformed numerous times.  It looks like another transformation is in order, but to return to the same tone and atmosphere that made the original film not only a horror/slasher classic but a game changer for the genre.  This is Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green (mainly comedy director and longtime collaborator with Danny McBride) and written by Jeff Fradley, Danny McBride, and David Gordon Green with Blumhouse backing this project (Miramax licensing the series to them) comes a uniquely quasi-sequel/redirection of the entire series once again.  This also marks the 5^th time Jamie Lee Curtis has return to the role that started her career and made her that film generation’s scream queen.  We also have John Carpenter coming back as both producer, consultant, and composer with his grown-up son Cody and Daniel Davies to craft a new spin and sound to the familiar, haunting soundscape of the series.  Does all of these ingredients and creative choices help to craft a sequel worthy of the original or does it play it safe to provide a reliably tense but predictable slasher horror film for the new generation? Let’s head into town and look at the story behind the case.

The story picks up decades after Michael Myers (Nick Castle) was shot down and wounded by Doctor Loomis (Donald Pleasance) with Laurie Strodes (Jamie Lee Curtis) being the lone survivor of the night he came home.  The shots only wounded him into unconsciousness long enough for the police to find him and place him under arrest.  Laurie Strodes finds some comfort but having seen Michael Myers get up numerous times from the multiple stabs and shots sustained to him, never truly forgetting how he was pure evil, driven by his desire to kill and nothing else…a true boogeyman.  Michael Myers is taken back to the institute asylum far from Illinois to be contained and treated if possible for decades, while life in Haddonfield returned to normal and soon forgetting about the terrible night as time passed onward.  But not for Laurie Strodes, as she never truly moved on from that trauma and the friends she lost to the boogeyman.

It is the present and Laurie resides out in the middle of forested areas around Haddonfield, a tired yet determined woman that is considered crazy and dangerous by her own daughter Karen (Judy Greer), her husband Ray (Toby Huss), and her granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak).  She suffers from PTSD, due to her obsession with the day that Michael Myers is free and comes back to kill again, so she prepares with an assortment of arsenals and safeguards for the battle against pure evil to come to her and the town.  Her family though live a normal, stable life with typical daily problems of work and daughter being an honor student with a loving boyfriend.  It seems like just an average day in town, especially as the Halloween spirit is in the air.  That is until a fateful event happens in just a quiet, lonely highway away from Illinois.

We see that Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney), older and scarred from the events of the first film is being contained in a modern, state of the art mental asylum as a crime researcher and podcaster Aaron (Jefferson Hall) and his assistant Dana (Rhian Rees) stop by to cover the tragic events that occurred and understand the kind of evil, psychopathic person that Myers is.  He not only feels the presences of the mask but re-kindles the strength and desire to break free, as he finally escapes and starts to kill again, starting with the reporters as his first victims and the mask he longs for.  Thus, a final showdown between the Shape and Laurie draws closer as he comes home again to kill once more as Laurie is the only one with the knowledge, gear, and will to stop him at all cost.

This is a straightforward retcon of all the Halloween films in the veins of Godzilla every time that series gets rebooted (essentially ignoring all but the first film for continuation of the series, Halloween has done this a few times as well).  This explores another direction for the story, especially in shaping and creating a cast of characters that do matter to the conflict and you at least feel some care for their fate.  It is also uniquely self-aware of the troupes and clichés that have plagued this sub-genre of horrors for decades by loading it with comedic reliefs and odd mundane humor that mostly works in easing the horror down before hitting hard with a moment of brutal violence.  They also made Michael more human than in pervious outings as he does get visible hurt but still moves through wounds like a force of nature, adding some much-needed tension to the stalks throughout the film.  It strips the series of all its messy continuity, back stories, and even the sibling’s connection between Michael and Laurie for a basic but still entertaining slasher film at its very core but updated for modern day sensibilities and audience mentality of cinema.

Where the film truly shines is in the way it starts with its dark and foreboding atmosphere set up by the journalist subplot that re-introduces Myers as well as Strodes in this sequel storyline.  They do a pretty good job grounding and showcasing how damaged, yet strong willed Laurie has become from the traumatic night.  Her family (specifically her Daughter and Granddaughter for at least the first half) have compelling character drama amongst each other that was quite engaging to learn and really understand the motivations as well as the reason for conflict between Laurie and Karen.  When Myers does his stalker killing routine, it’s raw and violent as it gets by being both subtle and delivering full on brutal kills that reestablish how dangerous Myers can be in these films.  This accumulates to the showdown at the end, which truly plays up the suspense very well and provides a thrilling climax, even if the finale comes to an abrupt close and utilizes some odd editing to leave it open for a sequel.

For every quality moment, there are a few flaws that stick out like a sore thumb and bring the film down from being a truly quintessential horror film of this season.  There are some duds with the comedy that undercuts the horror elements of the film as well as suffering from the very troupes and clichés of the genre that it lampoons and satirizes at times.  A few of the subplots literally go nowhere and ultimately end up being pointless as well as confusing as to how they fit into the main conflict overall, specifically the investigative journalist as well as Michael Myer’s doctor Dr. Ranbir Sartain (Haluk Bilginer) with one of the oddest yet intriguing character moments thus far.  The film does feel like it lacks a proper end to the story, as if they wanted to bookend it with this one but left the door open enough to have someone make another story from this film.  Overall, the story is the most exciting and entertaining follow-up to the original film in this series with enough horror, suspense, and humor to keep audiences engaged and provide a compelling new entry in the series, despite a few missteps with the humor and overstuffed subplots that go nowhere in contrast to the simpler, exciting main plot.

Let’s get to the cast, starting with the lead actors in the cast from the heroine to the villain himself.  Laurie Strodes is once again played by Jamie Lee Curtis and it is a different interpretation of the character that is handled more along the lines of paranoia and a wreck loose.  This adds some compelling drama and character depth to her that truly reflects the actress herself and what the character has gone through in this incarnation in contrast to the other films.  It is very timely and quite ironic to have a female character that truly represents the strength and will that women have continued to display in today’s cultural zeitgeist but still maintain the entertainment value as well of this genre.  That is a credit to the charismatic and reliably great performance from Curtis in the role that made her famous 40 years ago.

We have an interesting but really cool setup for the return of The Shape himself with Nick Castle providing the Voiceover of his breathing to the killer with James Jude Courtney being the physical presence of Myers out of and in mask.  In the past films, Myers has always felt like a cartoon super killer as each film got ridiculous hence why he is being discussed here as this Myers is a fantastic combination of the natural demeanor yet terrifying force of nature from his strength to kill from traditional weapons to his own bare hands.  This plays beautifully with the inspired cinematography in truly putting the fear of death and suspense back into the character from 1978.  So, it is back to basics with the character and the film as well as the genre is better off for it.

The supporting cast range from some dependable and quality character actors in pivotal roles to the young, hapless victims waiting to be knifed in this outing.  We have Judy Greer as Karen Nelson/ Strodes and she starts out as one dimensional protective mom but eventually is given some back story and depth to her motivations to really round out the mostly nagging moments she has in the film.  The granddaughter Allyson Nelson (Andi Matichak) is okay in her respective role in the story but doesn’t really get much to do that affects the story or even ratchets the tension other than provide more body bags for the film.  The other supporting character deputy sheriff Frank Hawkins (Will Patton) is dependably good as the straight-laced but likable authority figure in the story.  The prominent supporting cast are range from good to just decent, despite the focus kept on Laurie and Michael themselves.

The rest of the cast range from atypical archetypes to the few odd performances to sticks out for better and worse.  The babysitter Vicky (Virginia Gardner) is fine in an ode to the original formula of the series and provides some humorous moments with the kid Julian Morrisey (Jibrail Nantambu), who literally provides one of the funnier jokes in the film.  The boyfriends Cameron Elam (Dylan Arnold), Dave (Miles Robbins), and guy friend Oscar (Drew Scheid) are also okay but not remarkable and are either wasted opportunities or snuffed out pretty quickly in brutal but goofy fashion.   With doctor Ranbir Sartain (Haluk Bilginer), he provides the oddest performance attempting to match the Loomis character and taking it to an extreme that is both intriguing yet out of left field stupidity that felt contrived and existed solely to get one character to one location.  Everyone involved in the cast were ultimately really good with Curtis and the actors for Myers as the standout among a cast of reliably good character actors and newcomers playing the archetype roles of this genre well enough within the context of the story and genre expectations.

Let’s get to the technical elements of the film, starting with the cinematography and editing which are the staples of this genre.  The cinematography is shot by Michael Simmonds and they bring some back some of the cinemascope-style visuals to the shots in the film, despite the use of digital and different sensibilities to shot compositions but it looks appropriately dark as well as providing those traditional holiday iconographies extremely well in the set design.  There is an effective use of space in some of the horror sequences from Michael stalking the neighborhood for victims to Laurie’s hunt for him throughout her home (a fantastic inverse of the hunted becoming the hunter) to create and utilize tension throughout the film.  As for editing by Tim Alverson, there is a good use of long takes and shots that contain actions in the background, shallow focus of the shots to really add to the feeling of dread to the film as well as pacing the story well enough to be engaged and entertained from start to finish.  This is exceptionally shot and edited that honors the sense of dread and tension of the horror in the film as well as not compromising how effective horror can be with its use of ambiguity and the right amount of gore/blood effects to really instill fear in the killer once more.

This leads to the use of special effects as well as the kills themselves by Myers, especially for a return to this genre of horror.  The choice to not only imply the kills but show the after effects of the kills instead of the act really feels like a mix between the clean kills of the first film and the bloody, inventive kills found in the second film.  Especially when the effects on them look great and definitely provide some pure violent horror in a visual, visceral way to really establish just how dangerous and strong Myers can be.  The use of practical effects for the kills with some minor enhancements with CGI blood (only apparent in 1 to 2 scenes but mostly just a slew of well done, real effects for the kills) that feels like a proper and welcome return to kills that really have weight to them when they happen (not with the characters themselves to be specific).  It looks good overall in the cinematography, editing, and visual effects as well as some pretty brutal kills despite some being cutaways and only seeing the aftermath in effective but also disappointing ways.

We finally get to the most exciting element of the technical aspects of the film, sound design and score by the writer/director himself, John Carpenter.  The sound design is mixed effectively to provide that visceral punch to the kills as well as being of high quality as expected in this genre of films.  However, the score really makes this film feel like a great natural continuation of the original film, thanks to the contribution of John Carpenter with his son Cody and composer/collaborator Daniel Davies.  The use of heavy sounds from the guitar and percussions along with the synth based piano and themes really provide an intense yet balanced blend of traditional and electronic driven music to make the simple themes of the original film feel more aggressive with the added musical depth to it.  It sounds great and features a music score worthy of the series by adding to the original themes as well some new compositions to fit this follow-up to the original film.

There was a decent amount of skepticism with the announcement of a new Halloween film that would ignore the sequels and other reboot attempts as well from fans and critics alike.  However, as more was revealed of the film from casting to direction and the blessings of Carpenter for this film, that turned people around and got the hype train going for this film to release in the month of October.  Does it succeed in revitalizing a stagnant series once again with mostly satisfying results? A resounding yes as this quasi-soft sequel takes the series back to basics in its genre formula and the horror it instills in atmosphere, dread, and tension instead of just relying on creative, gory kills to keep viewers interest in the film.  This is exactly what the series needed to not only be brought back once more for newer audiences, but serve as a mainstream reminder of what quality horror films can be if they put effort into developing characters and the world to provide for a playground for the story to take place in and effectively fulfill those genre expectations in spades.

Score: **** out of *****

Halloween is an entertaining, return to form sequel for the series in getting it back to what made it so scary and creepy in the first place.  The character writing is some of the finest in the genre particularly when the focus is on the Strodes especially Laurie played by Jamie Lee Curtis, who shines in this role once more as well as being developed in a time that makes her character timely with today’s culture as well as resonant effectively in that regard.  The majority of the cast are pretty solid to just ok in their respective archetypical roles for this type of film with a few odd ball moments of comedy that either adds levity properly or zaps the tension out of the scene in an unfortunate way.  The technical aspects of the film are absolutely top notch in every aspect especially the editing and score of the film from the legendary composer himself along with his son and longtime friend to craft a heavier, aggressive sound to the classic themes.  The kills and the climax are fantastic moments of tension and dread that the film displays effectively, despite the abrupt end to the film as well as the subplots that go nowhere or add to the main conflict of the story here.  This is the night he came back home and it is going to be one to remember for horror fans of the series and the genre alike.

Sony Pictures' Venom Review

Out of the slumbers of the void and back into the light once more, October has arrived and a certain popular Marvel Character is being brought back into theaters with his own, solo origin comic book action thriller film.  That character is the iconic anti-hero and nemesis of Spider-Man called Venom, with Rubin Fleischer as the director as well as Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Kelly Marcel, and Will Beall as the writers for this new take on Eddie Brock and his encounter with the alien goo known as Symbiotes.  An interesting comic book factoid on the character himself, Venom was created by Todd McFarlane with David Micheline and sold to Marvel for use in the Spider-Man universe, who would serve as an inspiration to another popular anti-hero, Spawn.  With the numerous production drama reports, Sony Pictures insistence on making their own cinematic universe without Spider-Man but with his supporting characters/villains/worlds, and the fans demanding for the character to be done right, the enthusiasm is certainly there to make it a hit upon its release.  But with the recent critical evisceration yet mixed to positive response from viewers in general, the big question that lingers in everyone’s mind even supporters, how did this even get made in the first place?  Let’s discuss this with our own conscience and lay out the story to untangle our confused minds.

We follow an unlucky but tenacious reporter named Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who just lost his job at a TV station due to asking a mysterious yet confident CEO Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed) of the Life Foundation regarding the secret projects going on with the recently discovered meteor that crashed in Malaysia and houses the infectious alien entity known as the Symbiotes.  6 months later, Brock is approached by a scientist known as Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate) about the experiments going on with the Symbiotes to create hybrids from the homeless people, for the next step in evolution.  He investigates the matter and in doing so during a break in of the Life Foundation’s facility, the Symbiote latches onto him as he escapes from the place with evidence of the illegal activities taking place in their San Francisco HQ.  Brock discovers that the alien has done more than just absorb itself into him.

Brock is bonded psychically to the creature referring itself as Venom (voiced by Tom Hardy), that takes pleasure in causing pain and killing people as well as feasting on their corpse, particularly the head.  This gets the attention of not only Drake and his militia, but also his ex-girlfriend Anne Weying (Michelle Williams) trying to reconnect with him and get the help he needs.   However, Venom has other plans for Brock that involves getting him a ride off Earth while another Symbiote travels to America for that same purpose.  As they get closer to their goals, they become stronger and form bonds to their hosts.  What transpires is a story of conspiracies and the duality of man and monster to become the iconic yet terrifying villain/anti-hero, Venom.

What was written before the review revisions after seeing the film, was more exciting than what happens in the film as the story has one of the dullest first acts reminiscent of the early days of comic book films that don’t get to the good stuff until the film is almost over.  It takes about an hour before we see Venom in the film as well as the awkward, weird direction going on with the way the characters act as well as the unnatural, cringe inducing dialogue at play here.  Also, how does it take a certain Symbiote, Riot half a year to get from Malaysia to San Francisco via Airplane? Never explained and just an annoying plot hole that represents the lack of foresight and multiple inputs put into this hacked up script.  It also doesn’t help that most of the characters are very much one note and contribute very little to the plot or the character of Eddie Brock besides plot conveniences or contrivances.  To elaborate, we take so much time having to establish the symbiotes as well as making sure Eddie Brock is likable, that the film barely has time to even get to the one aspect of the story that was compelling and done well in this snooze fest of a bland corporate thriller story, despite very little time spent on it.

It would be the odd yet fascinatingly funny dynamic between Brock and Venom providing most of the only real quality that the film can call its own, despite feeling like an accident instead of intentional.  They are truly funny and the conflict that resides between them about hurting others and eating them made for some interesting character moments that are never truly developed.  That’s because we must focus on generic evil genius plot no. 42 for most of the film as the villain Drake feels like a cartoon villain with his insanely broad plot for world domination as well as non-characters that add nothing to the plot at all especially regarding the female love interest.  The story when looked at closely, is strangely lazy and reeks of the broadest possible way to make this character exist without crucial elements of other characters and setups, for this film to exist at all.  There is only one final aspect of the story to discuss and that would be what they are trying to setup in the future.

You can clearly tell there is a sense of desperation and yet clear passionless drive to make their own universe of films evident by the lame yet very promisingly goofy post credit scene to tie it in.  There is only one scene, with an extended preview action scene for another promising film but without going into details, it has the goofiest wig and bonkers acting seen thus far in the film.  The story has logical problems, changes in motivations that make no sense (Venom changes his mind about his plans for a desperate attempt at an arc? Really?), characters acting moronic and dumb for some unintentional hilarity, and it has a climax that is CGI blobby mess that lacks any sense of tension or threat to the hero as well as being brief and anti-climactic.  In other words, it becomes more enjoyable to laugh and admire its mistakes rather than the very little successes it pulls off.

Let’s get to the cast with the focus mainly on Tom Hardy and the rest of the cast explored together as they contribute very little to the story.  Tom Hardy is a very versatile actor and performer, one of the few talented actors to really inhabit and transform himself into the role.  He is clearly the one person who not only cares in his completely zany performances but tries to make the character his own, despite how bonkers he gets with overacting his mannerisms and dealing with the CGI transformations that would seriously look goofy and unintentionally funny without it.  It doesn’t help that he goes for an awkward Bronx/Brooklyn accent that just comes across as comical and hard to take seriously as someone who is supposed to be a transplant from New York City.  However, the conundrum of this performance is that he truly is the one character we at least latch on to and empathize with out of the whole cast of characters.

When he gets attached to Venom, the film comes to life and shows its potential, despite how he only shows up in the 2^nd/last act of the story.  The character is surprisingly goofy for being a murderous alien creature, but he is portrayed that way in the comic books of today.  Venom is truly a fun opposite for Hardy’s Brock to act from, especially in the second half where he psychically communicates this needs and desires to him in the most auspiciously funny ways.  It is surprising how humorous the character comes across, especially when we learn of his reason to stay on Earth that not only feels corny as hell but makes the character even harder to take seriously or find menacing, made clearer by the 180 degree turn with his motivations for a lazy attempt at an arc.  Both Brock and Venom played by Tom Hardy is zany, quirky, and insane with his performances but man, it makes for some misguided yet entertaining hilarity throughout the film.

The rest of the cast are very much afterthoughts or just plot devices to get our characters from point A to B.  Riz Ahmed as Carlton Drake is a typical insane yet assertive genius that would make any employee question why they are working for a madman in the first place (that is seriously what happens in one scene).  Michelle Williams as Anne Weying is just a bland, generic MJ style girlfriend for Brock that adds very little to the plot and her romance with him is very awkward and lacks any believable chemistry between them.  Jenny Slate as Dora Skirth is just your typical scientist with a moral/guilty conscience to get our “hero” to the next story beat and upon doing so, is tossed right out of the story unceremoniously.  There are also a few bit players in odd roles as well as some fan service name calls (Jamison is named as a survivor of the shuttle crash, like in the comics and animated series) but they barely matter in the main story overall.  As stated before, there is not much for the supporting cast to provide for the story other than plot conveniences or contrivances to move the plot along.

Now, we get to the technical aspects and boy does this film feel oddly constructed in this area, starting with the cinematography/editing for the film.  This was shot and visually crafted by Matthew Libatique (funny info, also a cinematographer/DP for the recently released musical drama A Star Is Born) and it is kind of bland and generic in its modern setting as well as downplaying the iconography of San Francisco surprisingly.   However, the editors Maryann Brandon and Alan Baumgarten have literally created one of the most awkwardly paced and disjointed film edits yet, with scenes that go nowhere and the motorbike/car chase going on way too long to be intense or engaging to sit through.  They also let comedic moments go on for too long for the punchline to settle into the audience, creating awkward humor rather than being naturally funny.  This problem pertains to the action set pieces as well, especially the very little we get in this film shockingly enough but the sluggish first act makes Venom’s appearance after the hour mark a breath of fresh air despite how crazed and ultimately anti-climactic it ends up being by the climax.

So, the action set pieces in this film are very sparse but also poorly handled and suffer from the major edits made to make it suitable for young kids and teenagers.  There are really only 4 major action beats with a few odd sparks of it, mainly from Riot, the Symbiote baddie of the film.  The decent ones out of the bunch are the apartment throwdown and Lobby faceoff with SWAT as those provide enough impact and power to really show how much Venom is a force to be reckoned with, even without showing his insatiable taste for human heads.  The terrible ones are ironically the advertised ones being the car/motorbike chase (too long and monotonous,  despite being cartoonishly strange to watch) and the last battle between Venom and Riot (absolutely CGI puke infested mess that is mercifully short but ends up being an anti-climatic punch up) are prime examples of set pieces that rely way too much on CGI and provide the opposite of entertaining and energetically cool to watch.  Funny enough, all these set pieces occur in the second half of the film and that is a lot of runtime to sit through before you get to the good stuff you paid to see.

It might be strange, and yet the film already is but let’s mention the costume/wardrobe design for Venom.  It was pointed out that Riz Ahmed goes from being businesslike in appearance to slack wearing comfort clothes that are shown unzip as the film progresses (the only meaningful character development and arc given to generic bad guy # 28).  As for Venom, he looks fine despite not resembling anything like the comic version, mainly from not being tied into Spider-Man at all.  As for most of the clothes for the other actors, not much to discuss as they are mainly modern-day wear and are strangely business world type wear, creating a uniform look that lacks any distinctive characteristics further adding to the lack of remarkable visual identity to any of the characters outside of the random minor detail.

Let’s finally get to the last aspect of the film before we wrap this up, focusing on sound design in the uses of it throughout the film as well as the score/soundtrack itself as it serves an interesting point to add to the overall opinion on this film.  All the sound effects sound weighty enough to give the good action beats some weight to them as well as providing some creepy moments that veer closely to a horror film.  As for the score, it was composed by Ludwig Göransson(who recently scored Marvel’s Black Panther), but unlike that film’s unique and defined musical identity, this one lacks that creative passion by just relying on the typical epic sounds found in most typical comic book films.  And finally, a special mention to the oddly stylistically dated rap songs that are just as mesmerizingly awful in quality as the film itself, with the theme song done by Eminem that feels like the rap equivalent of edgy, dark rock emo songs akin to the similarly shaped soundtrack for another Marvel film back in the 2000’s Daredevil.  It is not a remarkable component of the film to discuss other than the weirdly crafted rap songs for this film that add to the backwards mentality of the existence of this type of comic book film today.

That lies at the heart of why this film is fascinating and grabbing people’s attention in all the wrong ways, as Venom is charmingly a byproduct of the cynical studio production line of comic book films made by people with no love or respect for the source material or character and just throwing darts drunkenly at a board full of moronic ideas and seeing what sticks to it.  This is not a quality film but a misguided and strangely constructed mess of a film that has characters acting illogical for plot conveniences as well as the story lacking any sense of urgency until Venom decides to show up about halfway through the film.  The visual look of the film is shockingly dated and bland with neither the cinematography or action set pieces really defining how this film is different from other Marvel films today or even comic book films back in the 1990’s.  That is not all, we have one of the most insane and board performances from Tom Hardy that truly gives it his all and comes across as the only one that is trying to have fun with this material.  Venom is the epitome of what comic book fans and film-goers had to put up with for decades and a reminder of how this genre has truly evolved beyond it for the better.

Score ** out of *****

Sony Pictures’ Venom is a uniquely bad “guilty pleasure” throwback film from an era of comic book films that have evolved the genre formula and expectations for the better.  Tom Hardy performances as Brock and Venom are the main and only genuine yet accidently done parts of the film that work.  It’s just a shame the film around that character is dull, lacks any sense of agency to the story, and is filled with bland, one note characters that exist for the plot and not to add the world or Eddie Brock as a character, especially if this is supposed to jumpstart a cinematic universe of Spidey’s supporting cast and villains.   The art direction throughout is very cookie cutter bland and lacks any sense of visual character to define it from the rest of the comic book films out there.  The action set pieces are too few and far apart from each other to keep the story from maintain any kind of excitement or engagement for long, especially when it lacks the violent grit and gory intention, only to be neutered by studio mandate.  Is it poorly made and misguided? Yes.  Is it fun to watch it fail on so many levels? It is.  In that context, it becomes unironically funny to watch this film with a bunch of pals, drunk enough to see it, and enjoy the oddities of this film and how it can exist in today’s world of comic book films that truly respect, honor, and spiritually adapt them to work on the big screen.  The exact opposite of what this film does but there is a clear audience and love for this film but probably not in the way Sony Pictures would have wanted. 

Searching Review

It is a good time for surprisingly quality films to come out featuring Asian actors/actresses as well as minorities in general, from the charming Romantic Comedy Crazy Rich Asians to the sharp, thoroughly engaging racial drama BlackKklansman, this month has released some great films onto the viewers everywhere.  Well, we might have another one just coming out called Searching, a crime/mystery thriller from writer/director Aneesh Chaganty with second writer Sev Ohanian, following a father played by John Cho looking for his teenage daughter after she disappeared one night from supposedly attending study group.  The film has been getting praise and love from its festival circuit run and it is sporting the novel style of technology visuals of Apple/PC to visually convey this crime story akin to certain Crime TV shows and most importantly, the horror/thriller series Unfriended.  Can this film inject something different into this formula or at the very least, make the concept and premise compelling and well written/directed?  Let’s boot up the computer and search through the clues by looking over this case’s story.

We follow the calm, loving father David Kim (John Cho), a single parent that looks after his teenage daughter Margot Kim (Michelle La) after his loving, caring wife Pamela Nam Kim (Sara Sohn) passed away from an illness specifically lymphoma, a year ago.  They both lead seemingly happy lives from the outside, with friends and their social lives brimming with normalcy.  However, one day, Margot goes to a study group late at night while her father goes about his routine with assurance of where she is.  However, the following morning, Margot never comes home from her night studies with her friends and David becomes worried that she disappeared.  So, after calling the police, David starts his journey to find his daughter through the local law enforcement agencies.

David gets into contact with Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing), a veteran investigator that works indirectly with David to find Margot through different means and understand the reason behind the disappearance.  Despite their vigilance, the case is going cold by the day as there seems to be very little physical trace of her presence.  However, the only traces she left of her existence is through her digital activities and prints via her laptop and social media.  Told through the perspective of computers, phones, and technology in real time, the search goes digital as David becomes desperate to find her and understand the reason/circumstance behind her disappearance.  What transpires is a mystery where perception can truly shape a person’s life online, where the line of truths and lies are blurry, and the true reason for her disappearance will shake the foundations of this father’s life.

This has one of the most intriguing and tense mysteries that has been written for film in quite some time.  It helps that this crime story has an emotional arc and heart to it in the complicated relationship with Margot and David, as they are both affected in tragic ways by the passing of Pam, wife and mother.  Many of the red herrings and misdirection come from the emotional turmoil found in both characters.  But it is also refreshing to see a father that is both relatable and likable as well as understanding when his character goes through the harshest emotional beats of the story, challenging his notions of his feelings for his daughter’s life.  It is this very core element of the story that keeps the film from being too reliant on its own unique, visual storytelling gimmick that has become popular in the genre of horror/thriller but it must be noted that this is a crime/mystery thriller with no supernatural horror element to it at all, despite what the conflicting advertisement might convey to viewers online.

Which perfectly leads to another aspect of the film that not only feels timely but serves to give the film its own unique identity in the history of film, its exploration of social media and the growing use of technology conveying our lives to the world.  While films like The Social Network explored one aspect of social media, this film encompasses all of them as well as the search on different computers going from PC to Apple randomly.  It is for all intents, a true tech noir story that is reliant on the investigating elements of this story and slowly but surely understanding the circumstances behind Margot’s disappearance.  It does have flaws that keep it from being perfectly executed, where the second half isn’t quite as engaging as the first half of the film as well as breaking its own established rules of perspective to wrap up the story and provide the answers awkwardly despite ultimately being worthwhile to see the truth unfolded.  Its story is mainly driven by not just the mystery but the emotional conflict/core of the film being David’s search for the truth and understanding the turmoil that drove Margot to become distant towards him after the death of Pam, her mother.

The cast is relatively small but fully developed and performed by either newcomers or acting veterans in the film.  The main draw and heart of the film is John Cho as David Kim, who has to act mostly on his own and with very few characters but he conveys the desperation and turmoil of a father looking for his daughter effectively well.  He has to deal with many character shifts and changes on his own and he handles it efficiently well.  The other highlight of the cast is Detective Rosemary Vick (Debra Messing) investigating the disappearance of Margot voluntarily and she provides a very solid and remarkable turn as the determined officer with her own baggage as a mother to deal with.  Everyone else are in bit roles especially Joseph Lee as Peter Kim, David’s hockey obsessed, weed smoking but devoted brother and Michelle La as the distant, emotionally vulnerable daughter in her feature film debut all turn in solid performances throughout the short time they are in it.  It is mainly VO work and isolated performances but the committed and emotionally resonant core of the story allows these characters to really feel believable and interesting to follow.

Let’s get to the technical aspects of the film, starting with the cinematography and style of the film, as it builds upon a very creative and inventive approach to the horror/thriller genre.  The style developed by Juan Sebastian Baron is through the technology and social media software on hand from iPhones to Facebook, Tumbler, Instagram, and Youcast.  It is quite a unique way to convey the investigative nature of the film especially as it maintains the perspective on David’s search and the characters he interacts with to find Margot.  We stay on him for most of the film with only a few breaks from his point of view near the end of the film to unravel the mystery while entertaining, does betray the concept of seeing the story through one characters POV a bit.  Still, this is a very clever and concisely done way to convey a traditional crime mystery story with technology and social media with a bit of film wizardry to maintain the illusionary trick.

This plays also into the editing from Nick Johnson & Will Merrick, as they must convey the crime story as well as allow for this online world to be relatable and real to the audience.  The beginning of the film is essentially the heartbreaking, emotional life sequence of the animated film UP done in a very stylized way but still effective in setting up the characters and the relationship they have for each other.  As the film goes on, we see David’s routines and working on the computer until Margot goes missing.  For most of the film, we intercut between David investigating the people that knew Margot with the occasional news report that attempts to parody the sensational atmosphere of the news but does so that feels a bit incredulous and goofy in its execution overall throughout the film.  The film moves at a good pace without feeling any real lulls as it devotes enough time to developing David’s character arc with the investigation storyline through the editing.

Lastly, the sound design of the film is very minimal with only a few musical cues and theme to drive the character arcs throughout the story as well as the use of traditional computer sounds.  The musical cues and themes were composed by Torin Borrowdale and they fit rather nicely with the moments of clarity as well as a wonderfully distinctive and calm theme to establish the emotional core of David and his family.  It is however mainly just ambient noise and computer sound effects for most of the film, adding to the believability of the world itself.  Every sound has a reason to be hear or seen but it does allow for music cues to kick in for the purposes of conveying an important clue/revelation to the case and the emotional moments of David painfully reminiscing on happier times with his family.  Just like the visuals, the sound design is utilized to benefit the story but also to ground the world without feeling too gimmicky or illusionary to the creative choices made.

With the growing use of technology integrated into our lives by transplanting it onto social media, comes a new way and fear to commit crimes that are potentially more harmful than having it occur in real life.  This is what makes Searching a timely and engaging film made, with a personal story that showcases how manipulative and dangerous technology has made our ability to connect with each other and the secrets we place unknowingly online.  It also conveys a compelling and refreshingly emotional journey for John Cho as he works through the lies and deception to find his daughter, giving the standard yet well told mystery story weight to it through the depth and care given to the script as well as the actor himself.  It does falter in its ending as well as the way it gets to that point being a bit incredulous to accept but the emotional core and how it holds the story together is what allows for viewers to truly forgive the moments of contrivances and the ending of the story.  This is one case you will want to watch unfold before your eyes.

Score **** out of *****

Searching is a unique, fully realized conceptual crime mystery thriller that builds on its predecessor in the techno driven POV and builds an engaging, emotional story within the gimmick.  It has evolved the concept as another, legitimate means to convey a mystery that could have worked on its own, without the gimmick itself.  The cast while personal and intimate in size, are absolutely great in their respective roles with the standouts being Debra Missing as Rosemary Vick and the character arc she goes through but the MVP being John Cho, displaying his emotional versatility and commitment to a character that is mostly on his own.  The style and technical qualities to the film really add to the story and world conveyed here despite some issues with plot points being contrived in the second half and the climax might not be as satisfying as getting to it.  However, the film is a first-rate thriller and one that conveys a different approach to telling a familiar but well told mystery that hooks you in and keeps you invested until the revelations take the viewers by surprise, in an engaging and entertaining way.

Crazy Rich Asians Review

With the summer ending for this year of films, we have the anticipated film adaptation, based on the popular book trilogy from Kevin Kwan called “Crazy Rich Asians”.  It has been too long since an Asian driven film was made and released through the studio system based on another book, the engaging and sensitive family drama The Joy Luck Club and now we have this film coming out in theaters instead of streaming services where the romantic comedy/drama have found great success these days.  Directed by Jon M. Chu, not only does it star the latest Asian actors and newcomers from both America and Britain, we also have a focus on all aspects of Asian culture inherent to the story and the characters inhabiting this film.  Does it transcend those barriers and inherent cultural identities to tell a truly relatable and charming romantic tale of family and relationships for a modern time or does it fall into the trappings that have made this genre of films stagnant for years?  Let’s take a trip to the lands of Singapore, China and look at the talk of the town with the story.

The story introduces us to the Young family with Eleanor Young (Michelle Yeoh) buying a hotel in London, England as she is married to a royal prince of British descent with Nick Young and Astrid Leong-Teo as young children seeing how their world views would be defined by their mother’s use of her prestige and power of their name and wealth.  This leads us to the main focus of this romantic tale on Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an Asian American NYU economic professor who teaches game theory but she has also been in a long term relationship with the grown up Nick Young (Henry Golding).  Nick’s best friend Colin Khoo (Chris Pang) is getting married and has invited him to be his best man at the wedding, with Nick inviting Rachel to come along to meet his family as well as his mother specifically.  This bit of news explodes on social media and reaches his family, piquing everyone’s curiosity and interest in the Asian American outsider that is dating the most popular bachelor of Asia and heir to the Young’s estate as well as their wealthy business ventures.  Rachel enthusiastically goes with Nick to Asia for the Wedding and she learns in a first class, expensive cabin on an Airplane to Singapore just how powerful and rich Nick truly is over in Asia.

They start their trip with the enjoyment of the pleasant food culture of Singapore with the engaged couple as well as Rachel reconnecting with her best friend and former college roommate Goh Peik Lin (Awkwafina), who actually gives her the rundown on how powerful the families are and not just on a wealthy level, but in regard to respect and influence of their family around the world, akin to the inherent nature of royalty.  However, Rachel meets with Nick’s mother, Eleanor and she is very cold and distant to anyone that has not been groomed within a native family with prestige and respect, with a clear disdain for Asians growing up in America with that country’s values.  On top of having to win the affections of Nick’s mother, Rachel learns about and connects with Nick’s extended family from Astrid Leong-Teo (Gemma Chan) to Oliver T'sien (Nico Santos), Shang Su Yi (Lisa Lu), Eddie Cheng (Ronny Chieng), Fiona Tung-Cheng (Victoria Loke), Alistair Cheng (Remy Hii), Alexandra 'Alix' Young (Selena Tan), and Felicity Young (Janice Koh), as she discovers just how eccentric, manipulative, and truly fantastical the world she has found herself in over in Asia.

This is a classic fairytale romantic comedy for a modern time but giving enough dramatic heft and conflicts to give the stagnant, formulaic genre some new perspectives as well as a great ode to the romantic comedy classics of yesteryears from the old days of Hollywood.  It pretty much follows the traditional beats of the genre well but does so with passion and the help of a stellar cast of actors/actresses with a wonderful chemistry to make their characters truly shine in the film.  It also has universal, relatable themes of family, marriage, love, relationships, and the clashing of values and cultures of natives with immigrants especially in Asian society.  The main romance between Nick and Rachel is truly charming and endearing to see them together, thanks to the capable script from Adele Lim with Peter Chiarelli and the committed, affectionate chemistry between Wu and Golding.  They are the beating heart of the story and their conflicts with each other as well as with Eleanor and her stern, family values are what gives the dramatic elements of the film weight and resonant strongly especially with those that always seem to have to choose between those we love and family we trust wholeheartedly.

Let’s get to the comedic elements of the story as it harkens back to the traditional style of comedy that was more reliant on satirizing gender roles and societal culture with wit and style.  That’s what you get with the writing for this film and it shows how much fun it must have been to provide some great natural humor with the family members of the Youngs interacting with the other families that are lower in statuses and power.  Rachel is also given a few humorous beats with her friend Goh Peik Lin (Awkwafina) providing some great cultural opposite comedy with her lifestyle and family always berating her failing in America unlike Rachel.  You would think they would have some low brow humor that would be crass thrown in but that is kept to a minimum thankfully with a reliance on character interactions and cultural satire to provide most of the quaint, humor with only the beginning montage being modern with its humor but it provides the laughs in the right places and becomes dramatic when the story calls for it.  It was important to distinguish these story elements as it is a balancing act between the two tones and styles, with the director/stars/and writers handling with finesse and respect towards the source material it is adapting here.

As the story is truly about Nick and Rachel’s romance and the personal family drama of winning acceptance with Nick’s mother to be considered apart of their family, we also follow the other family members in Nick’s extended family line with the focus on his favorite cousin Astrid Leong-Teo.  Her story is one surrounding a marriage where she and her husband Michael Teo (Pierre Png) want to be happy but strangely, not with each other.  It is with this storyline that it does go into soap opera territories that is compelling and does provide some decent heartbreaking romance drama, but it really doesn’t affect the main plot in a meaningful way.  Most of the family is essentially played mainly for humor and comedic relief.  While it helps to see how the other family members are for comedic scenes and effect, the dramatic subplot with Astrid isn’t given the time to be impactful or feel important to the main storylines.

Let’s get into the cast themselves, starting with the leads playing Rachel, Nick, and Nick’s mother Eleanor.  Constance Wu is truly phenomenal as the female lead for this story, portraying the innocent yet curious character she is for most of the film and truly handles both the humor and the eventual dramatic beats to truly be a well-defined and positive view of Asian American women as an actor and character.  While Wu truly carries the entire film, you can not down play how charming and amazingly charismatic Henry Golding is as Nick and while he does tend to be on the sideline for the majority of the second act, he truly clicks with the cast and Rachel to provide some natural humorous moments as well as making the romance believable.  In a role that is completely different from the other characters she plays especially as a former action star, Michelle Yeoh provides some classic stern motherly qualities with delight and truly imposing especially as the one person who questions Rachel’s intentions and her love for her son.  Those were the lead actors that are a part of the main storylines and played wonderfully by them.

We now get to the supporting cast and the ones that truly standout from the ensemble in either a comedic or dramatic role in the story.  One of the memorable comedic relief characters is Goh Peik Lin (Awkwafina) and she is truly very comfortable in the role as well as providing some good-natured humor with the lead characters as well as the dynamite chemistry with Constance Wu.  Astrid played by Gemma Chan (From the TV show Humans) is wonderful as the disenchanted wife and provides perspective on marriage through her character that is refreshing to see in a romance film, despite the issues with the subplot in general.  Everyone in the cast is great in their respective roles and scenes be it for comedic or dramatic purposes but a special mention towards a veteran actress Lisa Lu as Shang Su Yi, providing actual credibility to the culture represented here as well as a surprising respect for Asian talents from the past.  Those were the cast of the film and they were all marvelous together, as they elevate and make the script come to life on the big screen confidently.

It is now time to focus on the technical aspects of the film, starting with the use of cinematography and editing especially for this type of film set internationally as well as utilizing comedy throughout the film.  The DP for the film was Vanja Cernjul and his team showcases the beauty of Singapore along with the street/night life with the crew on hand.  They really make each locale from the opulent houses and resorts to the inner streets of Singapore pop out vividly as it is always very bright and colorful for most of the film but only goes muted in colors or cool within its color tones when the drama takes center stage.  As for the editing of the film by Myron Kerstein, it moves briskly with a lot of humorous and lively energy in the first half with the second half slowing down to allow for the character dramatic beats take over when the storylines come to their climatic movements.  The film is shot beautifully with its use of colors and lighting as well as the editing matching the fast and kinetic pacing at play here for its humor and world but slowing down enough for the drama to develop the characters/storylines.

Now we get to the aspect of the film that truly comes to life and that is with its art design/direction starting with the set design itself.  The production design was done by Nelson Coates along with art direction by Leslie Ewe, David Ingram, and Gary Mackay as well as set decoration by Andrew Baseman.  They deserve mentioning as the setting and world the characters inhabit are nothing short of stunning as they take many inspirations from the Queen of Versailles and so on to represent the wealthy dynasty of the Asian families with an Asian stylistic look to it.  Each locale in the story harkens back to the larger than life, spacious places of the old Romantic comedy films that utilized those art designs to showcase the powerful status of the character’s world as is the case with the Young family.  It is simply gorgeous and truly brimming with creative ingenuity and love for that era of filmmaking set design found in the romantic classics of old, enhanced by the stylings of Asian architecture and culture permeated into the look of the setting.

There is one more aspect of the art direction that must be mentioned and it is the visually eye catching costume work done for this film.  The designer of the many costumes for this film was done by Mary E. Vogt, who has designed so much iconic costumed looks from many genre films such as Dune and Batman Returns to name a few of her credits.  It seems to be a fusion of Asian and European designs to match the character traits and personalities as well as the inclusive but close knitted nature of these Asian royal families’ world.  Every character is very much distinctive and truly bursting with character in their costumes that truly defines them in their exquisite dresses/casual wear of the women and tailored/flashy looks for the men.  The costuming work for this film is truly top notch and worthy of accolades and recognition for every costume that were designed and wore in this film. 

Finally, it is time to look at the use of sound design and the soundtrack/score for this film as it was shot on location around Singapore as well as the expected use of popular songs throughout the film.  Well, the sound design is handled well enough especially for a studio production as the natural sounds of Singapore are heard along with the actors coming through clearly and the effects are appropriately applied for comedic or dramatic moments.  The score was done by Brian Tyler and his score uses an interesting mix of Jazz and traditional orchestra for the parties and the dramatic scenes effectively.  There is a notable use of pop songs and such for certain montages and it fits those scenes just fine but really the score provides some great variety to the soundscape of the film. At any rate, the sound design is fine along with a great companion score as well as some proper use of pop songs for certain scenes and montages.

There was some skepticism regarding the overall quality of this film before seeing it as it ran the danger of being bland or generic romantic comedy with an Asian cast/crew attached to it especially with the unproven talents of the writers and the unremarkable film work from Jon M. Chu.  However, as soon as the credits rolled, this was proven misplaced as everyone on this production brought their A-game to their respective roles in front and behind the camera to create a very charming, endearing modern day romantic comedy that is relatable in its humor, drama, and characters but with the added bonus of exploring and representing the cultural values and belief of family and respect for lineage/heritage through the lens of Asia.  It also helps to have a wonderful ode to Romantic cinema of old in its lovely, distinctive characters, witty and dynamic script, steady direction, and extraordinary looking film from the costumes to the world the cast inhabits.  This is a surprising quality modern film entry for the romantic comedy genre and a well-made one at that.

Score: ***** out of  *****   

Crazy Rich Asians is a loving update of the classic romantic comedy formula for a modern-day audience and it works on numerous levels that allow for a quality, entertaining comedy/drama of family and romance as well as providing a different look at Asian culture and characters that is rarely explored in storytelling and media.  It deftly handles the use of comedy and drama well especially as the film starts out in a fun, energetic vibe but transitions to the grounded and all too relatable family drama that feels earned and resonates powerfully on an emotional level.  The cast is truly fantastic as an ensemble but elevated by the inspired and wonderful casting of the lead characters from Constance Wu to Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh at the core of the main story. The supporting cast are likable and provide some truly great humorous moments along with the use of witty and dry humor throughout the film akin to romance cinema of old.  It is also a gorgeous looking film from the cinematography to the art direction of the whole film’s setting and costume design.  If you wanted a modern day romantic comedy to rival the classics for a new generation, this film is more than up to the task to do so.