Entertainment Maven

The Raid Review (TIFF 2011) – Iko Uwais is going to own you!

The Raid Poster — The Raid poster is not the property of Entertainment Maven

Midnight Madness kicked off last night with Indonesia’s The Raid, which looked to have all the makings of a high paced action film. Director Gareth Evans and rising Indonesian action star Iko Uwais had previously worked together on Merantau, the story of a young man’s journey from his hometown village to the big city, and his fight against black market goons specializing in selling young women. I had recently enjoyed Merantau and was very excited for the second offering from Evans and Uwais.

It was quite shocking during the introduction to The Raid, when some of the cast and crew were brought onstage and the microphone was passed to a young boy claiming to be the 28 year old Iko Uwais. Dressed in jeans and sneakers, standing about five foot two, Uwais was very unimposing on stage. However, that is not the case on film. In The Raid, Uwais is a no nonsense killing machine, and his hobby appears to be kicking people in the head, rendering all of their major joints useless, kicking them in the face and then shooting them in the neck. Did I mention that he is one of the good guys?

The Raid begins quickly, with a nervous Rama (Uwais) leaving his pregnant wife for a police assignment. Rama and a group of 20 or so other officers will be infiltrating an apartment complex, in order to take down one of Jakarta’s most notorious criminals. We are introduced to the main villain and begin to understand just how villainous he is, as he executes five men on screen, four with a handgun, only to run out of bullets and casually opt for a hammer to finish off the last man. The police officers surreptitiously get into the heart of the complex and are about to push on, when the lights are turned off and a loud speaker, which can be heard throughout the whole complex, casually informs the apartment tenants that anyone who kills a police officer will get free rent for life. Out of the woodwork comes a ‘who’s who’ of neighbours from hell; drug dealers, killers, and the mentally deranged, all of them armed to the teeth. A firefight ensues and the officers find their numbers greatly reduced. The fate of the remaining officers lies in the hands of the rookie cop, but expert combatant, Rama.

I hope I don’t gush too much, but I absolutely loved The Raid! Sure, seeing the movie at a film festival on opening night and listening to the crew must add some excitement to the experience, but I can’t recall ever seeing an action movie like The Raid. I went in expecting a martial arts film with a few thrills, but I was way off. The Raid is a claustrophobic, relentless, ultra-violent action film that had me on the edge of my seat, when I wasn’t cowering in it.

There is no doubt in my mind that Iko Uwais is the next action star waiting to take the world by storm. Uwais’ success is a combination of his onscreen charisma and his expertise in Silat, an Indonesian martial arts style, which is a combination of lightening fast palm strikes, joint manipulations and throws. At the beginning of the film, Uwais unleashes a flurry of Silat blows on a punching bag. The crowd erupted in applause, hungry for more. It wasn’t even a person, just a punching bag. That’s how good this guy is!

The entire film was masterfully choreographed by Uwais and Yayan Ruhian (who also plays the very unsettling villain named Maddog). The sound effects and score are perfect for the claustrophobic and frenetic pace of the film. I haven’t heard bone crunching sound effects this good since The Brotherhood of the Wolf. Also, the score adds to the madness of the fight scenes, as the music often rises to a menacing crescendo near the end of important brawls.

I don’t want to compare Iko Uwais to Tony Jaa, because they bring very different things to action cinema, but one inevitable comparision is that they both bring refreshing style and buckets of talent to the bigscreen, something that the action film world sorely needs. I hope that the director, Gareth Evans, and Uwais team up for at least one more film. I can only imagine what success lies down the road for both of them if they stick together. They are a deadly duo.

I could go on about The Raid, but really, you need to just get out there and see it. If TIFF tickets are still available, then seek them out. Otherwise you will have to wait until 2012 to see The Raid, and that would be such a shame. Also, Uwais might come to your house and break your face.

TIFF 2011 – Just Around the Corner!

It’s almost time for one of the best film festivals on the planet! If you’ve been following Entertainment Maven then you know that I will be covering/reviewing the entire Midnight Madness segment of the festival, that focuses on wicked, weird and wonderful films from around the world. Midnight Madness features the programming of Colin Geddes, who in the past has unveiled exciting horror, martial arts, action and black comedy films. If you like to stay up late, experience a few thrills and don’t mind being shocked once in a while, then Midnight Madness is probably for you.

In addition to the Midnight Madness program, I will also be attending and reviewing seven other screenings, for a total of 17 films in 11 days! Gasp! Make sure to check in with Entertainment Maven throughout the festival (September 8 – 18) to see which films impressed and which ones fell flat on their faces. Below is a list of the seven additions to my lineup. Check out the Midnight Madness preview here. If you need to buy tickets or just want to see what is still available, then check out the TIFF website.

Let the madness begin!

388 Arletta Avenue

A thriller set in Toronto, in which a married couple are unknowingly under constant surveillance. Will the privileged couple discover the true nature of the voyeurs or will they fall victim to their own paranoia? The interesting thing about this film is that every single shot is from either a surveillance or handheld camera.

Intruders

A film that promises to transcend the horror genre by taking a fresh look at the primal fear of the unknown. Clive Owen plays a father who cannot protect his daughter from a faceless intruder named Hollow Face. The film blurs the line between real and imaginary as the family searches for a way to protect themselves from their unseen assailant.

The Moth Diaries

A vampire story set in an all-girls boarding school. Like Intruders, The Moth Diaries will walk the fine line between the real and the imaginary.

Alois Nebel

This is my dark-horse pick of the festival, an animated film out of the Czech Republic. The trailer for Alois Nebel just oozes atmosphere. The film follows a troubled train dispatcher haunted by memories of the Cold War.

The Sword Identity

Although it will probably contain some excellent traditional fighting scenes, The Sword Identity is being billed as a philosophical or historical essay on screen.

From up on Poppy Hill

From Goro Miyazaki, the son of the great Hayao Miyazaki, comes the director’s second feature length film. From up on Poppy Hill tells the story of a group of teens that stage a protest in an attempt to save their clubhouse from being demolished, in order to make way for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

A Letter to Momo

Seven years in the making, A Letter to Momo is a hand drawn animated tale about supernatural events on a small island and young Momo’s attempt to find the source of the disturbances.

The House of the Devil review – Slow methodical horror done right

I don’t know if there is a profession that is more delectable to movie madmen, stalkers, serial killers, and monsters, than that of the babysitter. If you are a a lone, attractive female looking to make a quick buck, then you can watch over some brat kids for a measly $5-$10 per hour, and there is at least a 10% chance that your night is going to turn into a sequence of horrifying events! It doesn’t sound like a very good deal, but characters in films don’t always make the best decisions, and as a result, the horror film world has been saturated with banal babysitter brutality for decades. That’s why I’m very happy to report that while The House of the Devil utilizes the babysitter cliche, it separates itself from the crowd of generic slashers that also depict the horrors of the babysitter.

The House of the Devil is the third offering from young horror director Ti West and features a great cast. The film stars Jocelin Donahue as Samantha, the babysitter, and Greta Gerwig as her friend Megan. Add to this, Tom Noonan, Mary Woronov and AJ Bowen as a variety of suspicious characters and the audience is in for a treat. The story is set in the 1980’s and begins with the adorable Samantha securing an apartment that she desperately needs. However, she only has a few days to come up with the $300 deposit or else she will be stuck with her inconsiderate roommate, who is more interested in sleeping with her boyfriend than hitting the textbooks. A fortuitous glance at a school message board discovers a babysitter job. Samantha, without a dollar to her name, inquires into the position and is told that there is work for her tonight, if she wants it. It’s a relatively easy decision. Samantha and her friend Megan set out in Megan’s car into the countryside at night, to check out the babysitter position. Unfortunately for them, the film is not called The House of the Babysitter.

One of the main points of praise that I have read about The House of the Devil is that the director has done a great job of re-creating the feel of horror movies from the 70’s and 80’s. I agree with this point, but it is not what impressed me the most. What I really enjoyed about the film was the uncertainty of when, or if, I would be scared or shocked. Many horror films let the viewer know from the very first scene if the film is meant to be a casual horror film, an extreme exercise in terror, or somewhere in between. I had a very difficult time getting a read on The House of the Devil until it was over, and this was a very good thing. Too many times horror films are not as successful as they could be, because of audience expectations. If a zombie eats someone’s brain in the first five minutes, the audience mentally prepares for worse acts of horror in the following scenes. The House of the Devil greatly succeeds in leaving the audience unprepared by utilizing a very well timed gradual buildup to the horror. I will not spoil the fun and say whether the film is relatively tame or shocking, just that it is a fun ride.

The cast do a great job. Tom Noonan, who towers above the college girls, and Mary Woronov are subtly creepy and really help to create the atmosphere of uncertainty. I’m looking forward to seeing Jocelin Donahue in another lead role sometime soon. I’m also excited to see AJ Bowen in You’re Next at TIFF in about a week. The soundtrack is appropriate and sounds like something I would throw in my Walkman if I got the chance.

The House of the Devil is not a perfect film, but it has a lot of positive qualities, from the atmosphere to the acting, that really make it worth checking out. If you end up enjoying the film then keep an eye out for Ti West’s next entry in his unofficial trilogy of terror, The Innkeepers.

Demon’s Souls Ps3 – One of the hardest and most addictive games ever made

The Entertainment Maven started off as a resource for all things entertaining, and it still is to some extent, but it has become clear that my major area of focus will be genre films. I just never anticipated how much fun it would be to immerse myself in the film world. However, that does not mean that I will completely shed the idea of reviewing other forms of entertainment. True to my word, I dug back a couple of years in the Playstation 3 archives to share with you one of the greatest video games I have ever played in my life; Demon’s Souls.

Demon’s Souls was developed by From Software and published by Atlus. I personally love both of these companies, From Software, for their wonderfully immersive dungeon hack-and-slash romps, King’s Field 1 & 2 for Playstation 1, and Atlus, for being one of the best publishers over the years of Japanese strategy role playing games, Disgaea for example, that companies were convinced North American audiences would not enjoy. Demon’s souls is an action-RPG in which you singlehandedly take on a horde of demons that have decided to make the land of Boletaria their personal soul harvesting ground. It is up to you to stop them, and if you fail, don’t worry, it will only cost you your immortal soul.

When you pop Demon’s Souls into your system and sit down to play, make sure you have the rest of the day free, for two reasons. Firstly, the game mechanics are tight, the graphics and environments beautiful and in game accomplishments are intrinsically rewarding for the individual with the controller in their hands. You don’t just play the game to get to the next level. This makes putting down the controller a very difficult thing to do. You’ll think, ‘Why should I go to school/work/the gym when I am accomplishing something real and truly important at home?’

The second reason why you should free up your day before playing Demon’s Souls is that you are going to die. A lot. With approximately 25 levels of monsters to fight through, you will be one of the lucky ones if you die less than twenty times a level. This may sound completely demoralizing, and death is as frustrating as it always has been, but I assure you that with most deaths comes increased motivation to level the score with these ghastly demons.

If you like RPGs and you’re willing to give a difficult game a shot, then pick up Demon’s Souls for PS3. It can be found for a fraction of the cost of a new release game. Also, the sequel Dark Souls, sure to be one of the best games released in 2011, is set to come out in October. It would be an impossible task to hope to survive in Dark Souls for more than a second, without the prerequisite skills that need to be picked up in Demon’s Souls.

A Dream Date with Freddy at the Toronto Underground Cinema – Rue Morgue’s Festival of Fear

As a casual guy, one who enjoys horror movies, sports, beer, pizza, etc., I’ve never been into fancy dates, with their luscious bouquets, impeccable clothes and extravagant bills. However, on Friday night, all of that changed. I dressed to impress, spared no cost and checked myself in the mirror a number of times. I had a dream date with the son of a hundred maniacs, Mr. Freddy Krueger himself. Also, I made sure to shave. I didn’t want to give him easy one-liner material before he sliced my face off.

This special night at the Toronto Underground Cinema coincided with the ever popular FanExpo, happening at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Thanks to the murderous madmen at Rue Morgue and their frightening Festival of Fear, anyone who parted with a mere twenty dollars was treated to a screening of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, and a Q & A with Freddy himself, Mr. Robert Englund.

I knew this would be a busy event, so I decided to show up at 6:30pm, 90 minutes in advance of the screening. I was about the 50th person in line. A group at the front looked like they had camped out overnight. Their eyes were weary and they were sitting on the ground. On second thought, maybe they just hadn’t been sleeping all that well. Bad dreams?

When everyone was settled in their seats we had some prizes given out through a raffle, including a Freddy style sweater. This was followed by a great introduction to Nightmare 3 by a local film critic, and some nostalgic and hilarious vintage horror movie trailers. Also, we got an early look at some of the upcoming programming for the Toronto After Dark Film Festival, including a trailer for the Canadian made film, Monster Brawl. I can’t wait for TAD, under half the programming has been announced and I already think it sounds like an amazing time.

I’m not going to go into very much detail regarding Nightmare 3. It is still great and still has some of the best lines, coolest effects and most grisly kills in the horror genre. Unfortunately, there were a couple problems during the screening. The theatre was a little hot and there were a few projector malfunctions. However, I think that these issues can be chalked up to the heat outside combined with the packed house, and the fact that the reels of film we were watching were 25 years old. The guys at the Underground are great and I’m sure they will address these issues, if they can, in the future.

Finally, on to the best part of the night. Freddy, Mr. Robert Englund.

Englund walked onto the stage to a thunderous standing ovation. It was a special treat to get to sit in on a Q & A session with Englund. He was very charismatic and interacted wonderfully with the crowd. I filmed a short segment of the session, but the quality of the video is abysmal, because I watched the stage with my eyes, rather than with the camera. Below are some highlights of the session, but I should mention that I am just providing the paraphrased jist of the questions and answers. This is not a transcript.

Q: What do you dream about?

A: Guys I am so lame. When I was younger it was snakes and then when I was older, the Alfred Hitchcock paranoia, cops in the rearview mirror. Also, girls with pigtails because of the little girl in the opening scene to The Bad Seed, which I saw when I was nine years old. However, now it’s mainly things like balancing my checkbook.

Q: What is the craziest piece of Freddy merchandise you have ever seen.

A: In a very expensive private art gallery in Russia, during the 1970’s, Chinese pieces of art were very popular and I came across a pill bottle with a picture of Freddy on it. The caption on the bottle said ‘Take one, and see me tonight’.

Q: How did you get the part of Freddy?

A: I was going to a bar where Wes Craven was going to be and I opened up the hood of my car when I got there. I put grease in my hair, and rubbed cigarette ashes under my eyes. I sat at the bar the whole time while Wes was describing the plot of Nightmare 1 and stared at him like a maniac for the entire time he was talking. I got the part.

Q: Will you ever put the glove back on and reprise the role of Freddy?

A: Guys, you have to listen to me. There are some very good movies that are out there. Black and white movies. Get out there and watch some of them, catch up on what you have missed. That’s the beauty about the language of film. While someone else is off reading a book, you can watch six movies in that time and catch up. – This answer was rather odd. I understood that Englund was trying to recommend older films, because there is some great stuff out there, but he never provided a yes or no answer to this question.

This was by far the greatest moment of the night:

Q: Mr. Englund, sir. It’s an honour to be here and meet you. I have a Freddy Glove here from 1984 that my brothers would always terrorize me with. I was just wondering if you would put on the glove and sign it right now.

A: Jeers from the crowd, ‘Ask a real question!’, followed by Englund turning his back to the questioner, bending down and grabbing his ankles and giving the questioner a face full of Englund derrière. It was just for laughs and the questioner was told that he would get his autograph AFTER the Q & A.

That’s it. Thanks to Rue Morgue, Toronto Underground Cinema and of course Mr. Robert Englund.

It was a night to remember.