Salvage - UK- Directed by Lawrence Gough
Synopsis: A mother estranged from her daughter tries to make things right amidst a sudden and deadly military takeover of their neighborhood.
About twenty minutes into Salvage, I turned to my friend sitting next to me and whispered, "If this is a monster movie, it has some of the best characterization I've ever seen." Salvage is definitely a monster movie (not a spoiler), and it does have great acting and sharply written characters. Unfortunately, that's about all it has.
When the movie ramps up the action, all logic seems to fly out the window. It's a real shame too, because Neve McIntosh is outstanding as Beth, the mother, and I can say without a doubt that it's one of the most three-dimensional roles a woman has ever had in a horror film, indy or otherwise. She feels real--the character is introduced in a scene in which a very adult mistake on Beth's part causes unnecessary heartbreak with her teen daughter, Jodie. She struggles with that indiscretion, as well as more damaging, timeworn mistakes and the effect they've had on her relationship with Jodie. By the time Beth becomes a fiercely protective animal at the end of the film, it feels completely earned.
But...this is a monster movie we're talking about--one in which the military behave as trigger-happy idiots, doing whatever actions the screenwriters need them to do at that given moment to ramp up the thrills, reality be damned. I'd give that a pass, maybe, if the monster was cool, but he looks like a rejected make-up idea from a DTV Wrong Turn sequel. He's a lumpy-headed mutant that roars like Godzilla, murders people like a rabid gorilla, but always takes the time to use proper bathroom ettiquette when he has to go. Yes, between kills, the monster pees in the potty. Good boy.
The bathroom scene encapsulates everything that's right and wrong with Salvage. Beth hears someone relieving themselves through a closed bathroom door, thinks it's Jodie, and goes to open the door, only to see Jodie standing across the room from her. Jodie gives a barely perceptible headshake to let her know that her mother should definitely not open that door. The monster is in there, pissing. It's a solid moment of acting between the mother and the daughter, ruined by a ridiculous, unbelievable situation. Salvage is the very definition of a mixed bag.
Rampage - Canada/Germany - Directed by Uwe Boll
Synopsis: An unremarkable teenager goes on an unprovoked killing spree.
Don't let anyone tell you that Uwe Boll has finally made a good film. He's made one that isn't laughable, but Rampage is not good--not by any stretch of the imagination. Boll still has too much love for slow-motion violence, bad camera work, and lousy soundtrack choices, and an incredible tolerance for terrible performances. Rampage may feel competent, but barely.
Not content to let the story play out at its own pace, or perhaps not confident in his own abilities to create a slow-burn sense of dread, Boll dishes out violent flash-forwards during the actors' inane improvised conversations at the beginning of the film. These never feel like foreshadowing (they aren't artful enough for that), but promises to the audience that, trust me, these characters will shut up soon, and we can get down to the killin'.
Rampage is an ugly, irresponsible film--a repellant, sociopathic male power fantasy that assumes we've all wanted to be the guy that could get away with killing all those jerks out there on the street. Thing is, I'm not a sociopath, so, no, I don't want to kill everyone I see. Uwe Boll is a person who once responsed to negative reviews of his video game movies by offering to fly critics to his location so that he, an amateur boxer, could knock them out in a boxing ring. It's a violent response to a trivial issue. Rampage is that response times one thousand, simmering with misplaced anger and hatred towards the middle class. It seems destined to become the new favorite film of disaffected, violent white trash fifteen-year olds across America.
I don't believe cinematic violence causes real world violence, and, personally, I happen to like a lot of violent films. My issue here is that Boll has created a film without subtext or satire, immoral and lacking remorse, offering not one iota of intellectual or philosophical insight. A character study about the worst cold-blooded killer in history can at least offer us some moments where we reflect on the unusual psychology on display. Rampage just isn't about that. It's about the thrill of putting a bullet in the head of the guy that got your coffee order wrong. It's a thrill that I can't force myself to relate to.
A Serious Man - USA - Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
Synopsis: Larry Gopnik experiences a troubling cycle of small victories followed by huge personal tragedies.
I'm a Gentile, and I loved A Serious Man. I comprehend the "what can ya do?" attitude of the film, but not in the way that it might resonate with Jews (in much the same way that "Catholic guilt" doesn't resonate with me, but I can understand it). As far as character studies go, they don't get more well-crafted than A Serious Man.
Michael Stuhlbarg carries the film with what is sure to be the break-out performance of 2009. His Larry Gopnik is desperate and patient, often at the exact same time, and it makes for an interesting combination of character traits as the Coens (playing G-d) continue to pile heartache upon heartache on poor Larry. Watching Gopnik's personal drama unfold is painful, but the Coens get us from scene to scene easily with plenty of strange characters and well-timed comedy.
Tonally, A Serious Man reminded me a lot of 2001's The Man Who Wasn't There, but Billy Bob Thornton's character in that film, Ed Crane, is a simpleton. Gopnik is smart, but he's no more effectual than Crane at controlling his own life. There are forces at work bigger than Gopnik, and they were there before he was born (illustrated by the Coens' odd prologue, set centuries beforehand), and will continue to go on after he is dead (illustrated in a powerful way by the Coens' not-exactly-an-ending ending). In many ways, A Serious Man feels like the most personal work yet from Joel and Ethan Coen, and I look forward to seeing it again so that I can give it some further thought.