Review: Black Christmas (2006)

x-posted at Epinions



I don’t like remakes. Really, really I don’t. So when I saw that a remake of Bob Clark’s 1974 classic horror film Black Christmas was in the works, I was not happy. However, when I found out Glen Morgan was attached to it I felt a bit of hope. I admit it, I have a long time affection for Morgan and his frequent partner in crime James Wong. You might even go so far as to call it a crush. Ever since I discovered them through some of my favorite X-Files episodes I’ve followed both of their careers. Yes, I even like Final Destination.

While Wong was not involved in this particular film, Morgan did direct and have a role in the writing of the screenplay. As far as it goes, the film is entertaining. Even as a fan I have to admit that Morgan’s films are not necessarily brilliant but they are all competently done and I always find them to be great fun. Black Christmas is no different.

Granted, the remake cannot compare to the original but at least it’s not a complete atrocity (TCM remake anyone?). The story is more or less the same. It’s Christmas Eve and a killer terrorizes a sorority house. Girls begin to disappear and mysterious, threatening phone calls keep being made from their cell phones. Trapped by a snowstorm the girls must fight or die. Mostly, they just die.

Okay, the plot doesn’t sound hugely original and inspiring from that description. What makes it special is really the back-story and how it plays out. Revealed in flashbacks, the story of Billy Lenz is the most interesting part of Black Christmas. Billy is neglected, abused, ignored, and worse. As the boy grows into a man, he takes his revenge. What exactly is Billy’s obsession with Christmas cookies about? The answer is gruesome, I promise.

The biggest problem that this remake had was that it just never goes far enough. We never get enough of a sense of the characters, there is never enough time for the tension to build, it’s never quite as scary as it could be. Sometimes the issue is just misplaced humor that kills the tension a bit too early, sometimes it’s not enough time taken to develop a relationship. With a runtime of only 84 minutes I’m really disappointed that extra time was allowed for the development of, well, everything. The only thing I felt received enough time was the back-story. Perhaps that’s why it was my favorite part.

There is a lot about the movie that I did enjoy. The casting for one thing. That is one hot sorority. A fan of Buffy and Pete & Pete, I always enjoy Michelle Trachtenberg. Andrea Martin (a cast member from the original) is really fun as the housemother. Kristen Cloke (Glen’s wife!) makes an appearance as well. She’s in many of Morgan’s previous works including Final Destination, one of his X-Files episodes, and Space: Above and Beyond. All of the sorority sisters are absurdly attractive, even if they can be somewhat annoying. Like I said, I wouldn’t have minded more character development but at least they were all nice to look at.

I did enjoy the gore in the film. I have no complaints in that regard. Black Christmas is a slasher and it does not disappoint. It’s bloody, it’s clever, and its effects are all well done. The big climactic reveal wasn’t quite as disturbing as it could have been but that has more to do with the cinematography of the scene than any lack in the gore.

The cinematography I was not a huge fan of throughout. There were some really cool moments, some nice composition and several entertaining references to films like Psycho. Unfortunately I found a reoccurring problem to be with the framing. The shots weren’t close enough, they were too close, the angle was wrong, the framing wasn’t dynamic, etc. Several times I was just not satisfied with the image on the screen and it took me out of the film. I think the way it was shot had a lot to do with the lack of tension as well. A lot of times we saw either too much or not enough and, either way, the scary moment lost its effectiveness.

In the end, I was glad that I saw it. It was certainly a lot of fun to watch a Christmas slasher in the theater on Christmas. And while Glen Morgan may not always be great, he is always good. It’s a solid effort with enough going for it to make it worth the watch. If you can’t get your hands on the original, this remake isn’t a waste of time.

Review: Rashomon

X-posted at Epinions



When we watch a film, when we are a part of the audience, we take the role of the observer. We see what is presented to us and we make a judgment. In some films, the story is straightforward. We don’t have to work for understanding, it’s all laid out before us. In other films, there is ambiguity. Everything is not made clear, we have to take an active role in the observation and work to understand the information we are given. In either case, as an audience we trust in the fact that we are being presented with the truth.

What if it’s all a lie?

This issue of trust, truth, and ambiguity lies at the center of Akira Kurosawa’s masterpiece Rashomon. One of Kurosawa’s most famous films, Rashomon tells one story four different times. Which version is true? Which teller do you trust?

It all begins one rainy day when three men take shelter from a storm. As nature unleashes its fury two men, a woodcutter and a priest, recount the tale of a murder to the third man. Several days before, the woodcutter discovered the body of a murdered man in the wood. The woodcutter and the priest were then called before the police in an effort to discover the murderer. Also called to testify were an infamous bandit, the murdered man’s wife, and the murdered man himself through a medium. It is no simple case, as each witness tells a different version of events and all claim responsibility for the crime.

The story of the film evolves through the different characters. There is the frame story involving the men in the storm, there is the trial, and there is each person’s version of the events. The audience is brilliantly called as witness and judge through the trial segments. Each character is placed in the center of the frame and speaks to the camera. The police are silent observers; we sit in their place.

I feel that the film’s one real weakness is the frame story itself. I’m not convinced it’s completely necessary and I find its conclusion to be overly sentimental. I think the film would have worked just as well without it. As far as flaws go though, this is not a major one.

My personal favorite segment is the wife’s story. Machiko Kyo plays Masako, the wife. She is a beautiful and wonderfully talented actress (she also has a large role in one of my other favorite Japanese films, Kenji Mizoguchi’s Ugetsu). Between her emotional recitation of the events of her husband’s murder and the flashback scene, I find her segment to be the most engaging. I also find her character to be the only one I feel any real sympathy for. Perhaps it’s because I’m a woman but I find that in every telling, even when she may be behaving reprehensibly by certain standards, I feel sorry for her. She is the one the bandit attacked, she was forced into the role of the victim, and no matter how she is cast I feel sympathy for her.

Rashomon also features the always wonderful Toshiro Mifune. One of the most well known Japanese actors, Mifune starred in hundreds of films and chances are if you’re a watcher of Japanese cinema you’ve seen him. However, while I love Mifune and always enjoy watching him, he can at times be a little too over the top. I do think he is fantastic and charismatic as the bandit. There are just moments when I wish he would have taken the role a little more seriously. Sometimes he’s just a little too goofy.

Its unique structure is what makes Rashomon a classic. Its craft is what makes it a masterpiece. The sound design is impeccable, the cinematography inspiring. Visually, Rashomon has left a definite impact on many filmmakers. The black and white photography is gorgeous. The way that cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa plays with the light is phenomenal. Sunlight dances through the trees, across the characters' faces. When the woodcutter first tells the tale of the murder, the camera ingeniously introduces the story. In a series of pans, tilts, tracking and handheld shots, the camera follows the woodcutter but it does more. The woodcutter is not always the visual focus, the trees are. The wood is introduced as an observer as well, the great ancient tress standing as silent witnesses. While men are overcome by lust, greed, and corruption, the trees watch. They know the truth but they cannot reveal it.

Rashomon truly is a great film just as Akira Kurosawa is a great director. It’s also a great introduction to Japanese filmmaking. Kurosawa is known as the great American Japanese director. His films are accessible, they are entertaining, and they are superbly crafted works that can be appreciated by both the serious and the casual viewer. If you’re not afraid of subtitles check out Kurosawa, the experience will be a rewarding one.

Rashomon (1950)
dir. Akira Kurosawa
B&W
Japanese w/ English subtitles

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