Film Review: 'V/H/S'

V/H/S   
Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, David Bruckner, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez, Ti West
Cast: Adam Wingard, Joe Swanberg, Jason Yachanin, Chad Villella, Joe Sykes.
Art directors: Lanie Faith Marie Overton, Raymond Carr
Cinematography: Ti West, Adam Wingard, David Bruckner, Glenn McQuaid
Running time: 93 minutes


Aahh, the found footage horror! That already much maligned, copied and cliched staple of the modern horror genre has some life in it yet, apparently. Not so long ago, it was 'Chronicle' which seemed to be the last film capable of  telling a genuinely gripping story in the  genre(or is that medium? After all, as a comics fan I never tire of informing people that comics are more than just a method of dispensing tales in the superhero genre. Anyway.....), before that 'Lake Mungo' had significantly veered from the gruesome path carved out by the likes of 'Cloverfield', 'Apollo 13' & 'Grave Encounters' to introduce a more subtle, eerie and suspenseful tale of grief, loss and freaky doings. Now, subverting the standard beyond anything I've seen before, we have 'V/H/S', a found footage anthology like no other from the twisted minds of Ti West and co.
 
    Although I already had an idea I may have enjoyed  'V/H/S', given its legendary rave reviews from last year's festival screenings, I was still unprepared for exactly how much fun it would be to watch the static cam segments wrap around each other and unfold before me.  It was more a rabbit hole of films within films, webcam footage playing on videotape and recorded onto DVD's to be edited on a computer. Of course that last line is just a bizarre thought I had while watching the film, but it also kind of proves my point about how engaging the film was to watch as an 'event', as much as a movie.

    These stories within stories work so well that even those segments that felt slightly less fresh and inventive than the others still have a genuine purpose to fulfill in the overall story, and so their flaws became easier to overlook. Strong echoes of non-found footage chillers such as  'Ring', 'Vacancy', 'The Signal'(whose writer & Director appear here on: ) and even the more recent 'Cabin In The Woods', as well as just about every other haunted house, vampire, alien abduction film there has ever been don't make the film feel any less inventive, either. In fact, what sets 'V/H/S' apart is that its structure allows for a pretty much relentless pace, eschewing much of the usual dull and pointless exposition, while sacrificing overcooked character development  in favour of delivering short, sharp, nasty & scary shocks in as many ways as possible. In a format which often leaves viewers with that unique form of motion sickness that only incredibly shaky, handheld footage on a big screen can provide, I find it's best to get straight to the story anyway. Also, before we even get time to catch our breath after each of the vignettes reaches its conclusion, we land back in the freaky world of the framing tale and our interest in the overall narrative is piqued once more.

    One aspect in particular that interested me was that despite on the surface utilising a more or less obsolete format, there are enough modern references in each of the film's segments to make me wonder if an occult glimpse of the future was even one of the plot points. The various recording devices we see include a nanny cam sewn into the mask of a bear costume, a hi-tech spycam concealed in the lenses of an ordinary pair of over-sized glasses, while plain old, ordinary, everyday webcams are employed in a very creepy sequence which manages to tell its story entirely through online conversations between an archetypal alone-in-the-house girl and her apparently long distance boyfriend. These inventive and relatively modern methods of video recording appeared to comfortably contradict the film's retro feel, which I felt lent a slightly off-kilter and mysterious air to the film. When the characters of the original, framing narrative settle down to watch the other segments on old VHS tapes, I was never sure if they were in fact watching some form of 'broadcasts from the future', a bit like the psychic dreams seen in John Carpenter's cerebral schlock classic, 'Prince Of Darkness'.  Either way, I doubt they could be more freaked out by the contents of each tape, given their contents and the circumstances in which they find themselves watching. So, in conclusion, and in case you didn't notice how much I clearly like the movie, let me just say that I would recommend it to any fan of the horror genre, and/or 'Found Footage' medium, without hesitation.

"Batman: Earth One" by Geoff Johns & Gary Frank Review

'Batman: Earth One' by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank & Jonathan Sibal(inks) & Brad Anderson(Colours) is good, solid and entertaining alternate account of Batman's origin, his world and its inhabitants. Along the way there are surprises, familiar faces in unique situations, and the inevitable promise of more to come in future installments.
    Almost gone are the billionaire zen jedi type we know as Bruce Wayne, and his very old school English Army trained medic butler, Alfred. In their place we meet an angry young (but still very rich) man and his reluctant, ex-MI6-style spook caretaker, who along with calling himself the butler out of sarcasm, appears to have been the one to train Bruce in the many ways there are to win a fight, and to stop at nothing to do so.

Set in the first few months of the Batman's career as an overdressed vigilante, the story follows but does not pay slavish attention to the known facts of the early life of the Batman. Orphaned outside the cinema in a childhood incident which eventually shapes and foreshadows the rest of the young mans life, he swears to become a symbol which strikes fear into the hearts of the cowardly & superstitious criminals of Gotham City, etc, etc.

Since the events that unfold are set long before any of the Batman's sidekicks( and other co-dependents) in the war on crime who populate the modern comics make their appearance, it is left to the nascent forms of his rogues gallery to provide some familiarity and suspense for us old timey readers. Many of the script cues and plot devices felt cinematic in execution, while Johns appears to have a lot of fun fusing different elements of the world together in order to create some new paths to cross. Intriguingly, where there is usually just  lone, idealistic crusader Harvey Dent in the many previous origin tales, there is now Dent and his twin sister, who appears to have had one or two trysts with the younger Wayne. As a lifelong fan of the Dark Knight I cannot wait to see where that part of the saga goes. Although there are few comics readers who are unaware of the basics of 'The Batman's' world(I heard about one once. Once.)there are many who will notice the big (and full of potential) changes in important aspects like Thomas & Martha Wayne's' family tree, along with the positioning of characters like The Penguin within the story.

Writer Geoff Johns, of course, is no stranger to redefining DC's Pantheon of Superheroes, and seems to do so as much for his own enjoyment as for readers intimately familiar, and otherwise, with the characters. Secret Origins('Green Lantern', 'superman', 'Justice League')and crossover events('Infinite Crisis', 'Blackest Night', 'Flashpoint') have long been Johns' forte', as evidenced by his sales and experience.

  As a comics reader, I find that his long runs on monthly titles 'JSA', 'The Avengers', 'Green Lantern' & 'The Flash' to be some of the best examples of graphic storytelling in the 21st Century so far, which isn't to say he doesn't have his detractors, although I am clearly not among them. A couple of times reading 'Earth One' I did notice straight lifts from other sources such as Chris Nolans' 'Dark Knight' film series, but not enough to get all Alan Moore about. Pretty much all superhero legends have been built over several  decades, so every time a new idea sticks it's usually because it's a good one in the first place. Geoff Johns is a writer who knows how to use other ideas to add to his own perfectly, without spoiling the recipe, which I think is the secret to the telling of a good superhero story. The themes of sacrifice, need for justice and lost innocence are all present and correct in 'Batman: Earth One', alongside a few engaging subplots such as the street rehabilitation of fame seeking Harvey Bullock, who appears here like a reality TV age version of Kevin Spacey's glamorous 'technical consultant' character, Jack Vicennes from 'LA Confidential'.

   

 

Although there is a heck of a lot of violence and death in the story, those who have commented that this is not the Batman as created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane clearly haven't read the early stories of the caped crusader. Along with fellow Batman greats like Jerry Robinson, Finger & Kane created an anti hero who was every bit as dark as the world he sought to protect and was as unafraid to get his hands dirty as those he sought to capture.  It was later on, in the fifties and sixties, with the hysteria caused by Frederic Wertham and the resultant changes enforced by the Comics Code Authority,  that the more cuddly, batshit Batman we think we know and love began to take shape.

Meantime, the knowingly camp Sixties TV show Biffed, Bammed & Kapowed its way off the screen and into the pop culture history books to bolster the willfully wacky and wild image of the Batman in the public's eyes. So, this may not be Batman as you picture him, but the genius of the character and his world are in their capacity for reinvention, which is as evident in 'Batman: Earth One' as it is in much of Frank Miller, Dennis O' Neil or Alan Grant's work, as well as 'The Dark Knight Rises', Tim Burton's duology, or the recently completed 'Batman: The Brave & The Bold' cartoon show. The Batman is nothing if not adaptable.

  The artwork, too, deserves favourable mention, Geoff Johns' frequent collaborator, Gary Frank, is as outstanding as ever. His city street, building and vehicle design work is flawless, while all faces & figures are instantly recognisable from their mainstream counterparts, even while undergoing the necessary changes to suit the storyline. It's testament to Gary Frank's artistic skill that, as soon as I seen Jim Gordon's face, I totally balked at the state of the rest of him. Shabby clothes, dull eyes, defeated posture; if it wasn't so obviously an 'as-close-to-the-real-world-as-possible' take on Batman I'd have thought he was possibly the Bizarro-Commissioner Gordon. Our understanding of Alfred's place in this world, too, owes a lot to Frank's talent for imbuing his character's faces and eyes with heavy emotion, while the crazed need for justice, and the acknowledgement of his one in a million chance of getting it, are apparent in every single drawing of Bruce Wayne as The Batman.

The inks and colours, by Jonathan Sibal and Brad Anderson are just right, and as good as one would expect to see in such a prestigious(and expensive!) hardback comic book. The tones and colours employed are just right to keep the story grounded and in shadow, something  necessary when telling such a street level tale. Sibal has been the inker for many of Franks' other projects for DC & Marvel, while Anderson is a new name to me, and going by this I look forwarfd to seeing his other colour work.

 So, if 'The Dark Knight Rises' has whet your appetite for more tales of the Batman, particularly a modern and unseen take on the character akin to Nolan's films you could really do a lot worse than shell out the required £20 or whatever to buy this book!

  

FUck The Boondock Saints!

For all those people who buy into the idea that 'The Boondock Saints' is the little film that could, let me just say: IT IS FUCKING SHITE!
 It's not so much a film as a never-ending parade of mix n match lads mag 'comic' sketches and situations. There is literally no character development, every single part in the film is an overblown stereotype, from the Saints themselves(Sean Patrick Flannery & Norman Reedus); two apparently genius-level wiseacre brothers who work in a meatpackers; Willem DaFoe's 'Fag' hating, yet gay FBI agent; Billy Connolly's Stone Killer turned curmudgeonly father figure and Devendra Banheart as the world's least funny Mafioso comic mascot(maybe he just looks like DB, though.).
 In between we get Ron Jeremy's method acting as a sleazy Italian mobster who gets shot while having a wank, plus no end of glorified extras with terrible Eurotrash accents, the appearance of confusion personified and all the acting sensibility of an Oliver Reed chat show appearance from the 1980's.
 Troy Duffy lost his standing as 1997's new darling of Tinseltown because he is an arrogant, moronic pseudo-Oirish twat. I personally would love to see a genuine version of the popular legend, where Harvey Weinstein is humbled by the efforts of a talented writer/director, a genuine talent who succeeds despite a petty Miramax vendetta against them. Just watch 'Overnight'(2003) and you'll see that Duffy deserved to get dropped through his own hubris, ego tripping and frankly disgusting treatment of his friends, family and everyone around him. If you really must watch 'The Boondock Saints', I beg of you to do so as part of a double bill with the documentary, as I think that is the only way a viewing of 'TBS' could possibly be worthwhile: as a study in the depths of humiliation and toe-curling self-delusion that sudden, and very close to unearned, recognition can give to people.
  Of course, there is the possibility that documentary was heavily edited to give the wrong impression, so if you're still not convinced, simply read any interview Troy Duffy has given & you'll see what I mean. Remember: 'THE BOONDOCK SAINTS' IS SHITE!(and the sequel and comics somehow manage to be even worse)

Forgotten Treasures #1 Deee-lite "Dewdrops In The Garden"

Few bands seem as stranded in their time as the early 90's international club-pop combo, Deee-lite. Comprising of Ohio-born Lady Miss Kier, Russian Super DJ Dmitry(not from Paris) and Japanese DJ Towa Tei, they had already had a huge 1991 hit in Europe and North America with 'Groove Is In The Heart' whose bassline(provided by Funk Legend Bootsy Collins) few 90's clubbers could fail to recognise though, to be honest, I can't even remember the name of its parent album. 'Dewdrops In The Garden', however, is another story altogether. Containing the comparatively minor hit, 'Picnic In The Summertime', it is an album that is much more than the sum of its parts, which happened to include samples from then recent electronic geniuses like The Orb and Carl Craig alongside the more standard beats and riffs from Jimmy McGriff, The Clash, Marlena Shaw, The Detroit Emeralds and Earth, Wind & Fire.
  To me, the record is one of the most hallucinogenic commercial pop albums of all time, with tracks like 'River Of Freedom' proving they had well more than twice the dancefloor chops of their previous efforts. To me, It stands beside De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Happy Mondays, Soul II Soul and even Massive Attack as a true aural representation of the early 90's music and fashion zeitgeist, albeit with slightly less sales.
 Neat tricks, like in  'Somebody', where the 120bpm beat slows down to about 55 while subtly changing to a human beatbox rhythm, abound in an atmosphere of pure euphoric trippiness that revels in synths, samples and layered sounds akin to the aforementioned 'Orb' albums. At the same time, every song somehow evokes exotic clubs and the type of fashion boutiques it played endlessly in without being completely repugnant for that fact. Remixes from Johnny Vicious and Junior Sanchez were intended to beef up the originals, but I feel that they have aged rather badly whereas the originals have more than stood the test of time. If that isn't the mark of quality, I really don't know what else could be!
 I discovered the album around the same time I was beginning to realise dance music was a lot more than the Happy Hardcore rubbish and elitist snobbery I'd been exposed to in my school days. Chemical Brothers remixes of Primal Scream and Manic St Preachers had opened my eyes, then records like Leftfield's debut lp had me searching for more and more machine music that didn't just sound like disco records played at 78rpm, distorted through a vocoder. While many new dance records were so cool they cost an arm and a leg everywhere, the charity shops around my part of town were full of records from the first wave of house whose previous owners had moved on to whatever else.  This left tons of compilations and any combination Bomb The Bass, KLF, Phuture, Public Enemy, 808 State, New Order and Todd Terry singles and albums for me to find on my endless digging excursions. Daft Punk and the Chemical Brothers' first lp's were just around the corner and everyone was into Orbital, Cypresshill and The Prodigy while I was still kind of in a gothpunk phase, trying desperately to prefer the darkness of Killing Joke, Joy Division, The Cure, Nine Inch Nails, Ministry and Front 242 to the wave of sunshine soaked trippy house, indie and hip hop music I was hearing and finding all over the place.
 Of course, once I had a girlfriend it was a bit harder to secretly enjoy my angst while listening to 'She's Lost Control' or ponder the eternal questions of unrequited love while 'Pale Blue Eyes' drifted from my stereo.
 Together we went to see the Chemicals, had a blast at Megadog and made abortive plans to get to Glastonbury. Before long, almost all my music was about positive vibes and even the older music I liked took a similar spin, with Talking Heads, Blondie and The B-52's making more and more appearances on my turntable alongside Aphex Twin, Drum Club and Orbital.  Many of my nights in the summer of 1995 were spent on microdots or Mick Jaggers while listening to 'Dewdrops' and consuming ever-bigger lumps of hash or increasingly exotic breeds of grass. we bounced around many a Glasgow landmark while at least one of the gang had it on the personal stereo. The Necropolis at dawn, The University courtyard at 2am, Byres Road as the pubs spill out: 'Dewdrops' represents a flashback of all these things and so much more. Even as I got deeper into dance music, 'Dewdrops In The Garden' remained a favourite, even asserting its relevance again in 1996 when DJ Misjah & Tim sampled 'Picnic In The Summertime' for their techno club smash, 'Access'. If any one album can fleetingly recreate the feelings I had in the first six months with that girlfriend, it would undoubtedly be 'Dewdrops In The Garden'. Songs like 'Party Happening People' with its thirties piano loop, flute, drippy synths and Amen Brother beat are still utterly fantastic to,my ear and 'Picnic In The Summertime' is still the song I think of when the city gets so hot you can feel the heat of the tarmac through your trainers. If you like tripping, house and techno music, jolly ranchers or being in love, you need to hear this record!

River Of Freedom http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqezvGiT3NU

Party Happening People http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GESkGp9v2i0

Picnic In The Summertime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6HqRTiHJm8&ob=av2e

DMT  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcOspCxPEeo