“Green Room”
This is one of the most suspenseful, taut, and
intense films I have seen in the past two years. Jeremy Saunier delivers
one of the most realistic horror films to come down the pike and he
does it without resorting to cheap scares, supernatural
artifices, or a faceless killer. This is about human drama taken to an
extreme- the violence is sudden and gory, the emotions are real and
intense, and there’s no such thing as a one-dimensional character no
matter what you may think of the players involved.
This is what horror should be- it should defy the cookie cutter
definitions often placed on the genre and it should terrify us. It
should dig in deep and do very bad things to our brains.
The “Ain’t Rights” are a touring punk band living
out of a van as they wind up some tour dates promoting their latest
vinyl album- because these are “true” punks, living the lifestyle and
refusing to “sell out” with social media or downloads
and being everything “punk” is supposed to be about. When their most
recent gig cancels, they wind up picking up an extra gig a little out of
the way in a backwoods “skinhead” bar. They’re not entirely in their
element and the danger signs are all there, especially
when they open up with a Dead Kennedy’s cover designed to antagonize
their audience. But the band kind of wins some respect and the skinheads
start moshing to the rest of their set- and the band is getting cleared
out so the headliner can take the Green Room.
They just forgot their cell phone, so a quick little run inside-
And that’s when things go to hell real quickly. As
witnesses to a murder scene, the band is quarantined to the Green Room
once again and the Nazi’s are stuck trying to figure out the best way to
get rid of them without drawing attention
to the bar. Tensions escalate quickly as the band gets a certain
measure of control- but they’re trapped and the Skinheads surround them
and it’s only a matter of time until something gives.
Anton Yelchin headlines the protagonists and
delivers the best performance I’ve so far seen in his young career. He’s
a confused young man who doesn’t know how much danger he really is in-
and when blood is shed, we know that absolutely
no one is safe in this film. Patrick Stewart gives a chilling
performance as the leader of the Skinheads, a cool and collected
businessman who seems more concerned with the dangers of a possible fire
hazard than he does with the well being of any individual.
He doesn’t waste time twirling a mustache in this film- everything he
does has a purpose and he truly has a sense of the dangers facing him
and his group.
But truly standing out in his performance is Macon
Blair. The long time Saunier collaborator delivers one of the most
nuanced performances as the bar manager. He’s a man who believes in “the
Cause” but experiences the conflict of his actions
with his humanity. The responsibility for much of the films experiences
rest on his shoulder- he makes several early calls that will ultimately
lead everyone down a dark rabbit hole and he’s faced with the
consequences of those calls.
Don’t expect to feel good while watching this film-
don’t expect that you will walk out of the theater cheering or high
fiving one another. You’ll be stunned, horrified, a little confused, and
maybe worn ragged by the experience. And that’s
what a horror film is supposed to do.
5 out of 5.See this in the theaters before it leaves!!!
Captain America: Civil War
The American political climate is tense and fevered
and very dangerous. And the story of Civil War reflects the very same
climate we are currently faced with- the idea of liberty vs. security
and what it means to the individual as opposed
to the group. There is an idea that the needs of the many outweigh the
needs of the few- so when the Avengers are faced with the consequences
for their heroism, each member of the team must make a difficult choice.
Do they comply with oversight regulations
or are they going to be the ones who make the decisions for themselves?
The choice is easy for Tony Stark- whose character
arc from the first film is a series of glimpses in to the repercussions
of his inventions and the violence it has brought to the world. He needs
to make it right and if there’s some sort
of oversight, that will relieve him of a sense of responsibility. And
he urges the other members of the Avengers to sign the same Accord- but
Steven Rogers, Captain America, tells Stark that the same oversight that
may feel better about having the Avengers
under control might send the Avengers on missions where the team
doesn’t feel it’s needed. They may refuse to send the Avengers where
they are needed. Rogers realizes that signing the Accord removes his
choice- and he refuses to comply.
That alone is an interesting premise for the film-
but the stakes are increased when a desperate Zemo uses the split in
order to enact a long devised plan based on the information available
from the first several films of the Marvel Universe.
He has a way to trigger the Winter Soldier, he has access to
information that will implicate the Soldier in a terrible crime, and he
has the unwitting help of several World Governments to keep our heroes
on the run or divided.
Look, we get a lot of guest appearances throughout
the film- nearly all the Avengers show up, we get Ant-Man fresh off his
own successful venture, we get a brand new Spiderman all set to debut in
his next feature film, and we get The Black
Panther as he gets set to pounce on his own film debut with Marvel’s
next wave in 2017. But the film boils down to six characters who will be
long affected by the consequences of this war- Iron Man, Captain
America, Black Panther, The Winter Soldier, and Zemo.
These are the people most heavily involved and revelations peel back
the layers of respect and friendship between Stark and Rogers, exposing
divided loyalties and personal animosity never truly seen. Zemo is a
brilliant, patient, and methodical villain. The
Winter Soldier (Bucky) is a man who is clearly suffering from years of
abuse and brain washing- and The Black Panther is a man driven by
vengeance but open to the idea of justice.
4 out of 5.
