Tyson, 2008

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, 2006

Paranormal Activity, 2007

Chalk this one up as the year's biggest disappointment. I should've known better than to believe the hype -- not that I envisioned in any way that this would be, as it has been described, "the scariest movie of all time". But I certainly thought I'd be at least a little bit scared. So much so, I watched the thing in the daylight, like a wuss. I had visions of Blair Witch, hoping against hope to be crapping myself here as much as I did in that movie.

No such luck. I think there is one genuine scare in this movie. The rest is smoke and mirrors silliness that will scare you only if you've never seen another ghost movie in your whole life. (The similarly filmed Lake Mungo was a hundred times scarier than this, and yet there's no hype surrounding that poor little movie. Where is the justice?)

I almost want to hand it to the filmmakers -- that they could spend $11,000 and build the necessary hype to win back $22 million in the film's opening weekend. You want to say, well done. But, then again, they've spent the money and duped audiences into coming along to something particularly boring, and a little bit stupid. So, instead of praising them, you want to hit them a bit.

Among the film's many issues is this: In a 90 minute film touted as so scary you shouldn't see it alone, why do the scary parts take up about 10 of those minutes? Are we going for a less is more effect? If so, we failed. I've seen scarier, more searing images in music videos.

What else sucked? The passivity of these characters is a good start. Ghosts are clearly in their home, running amok at night, but do Micah or Katie think to go to the police? Get help from actual authorities rather than ONE psychic? Nope. "I'm gonna solve this!" Micah says, more than once. And how? By just filming more shit. Even when the pair find a photograph in their attic that couldn't possibly be there if not for actual ghosts, or the possibility that Katie is lying and psychotic, they still just put it aside as creepy and keep filming. No taking it to the police, getting lab tests, finding out for sure what the deal is. Apparently, capturing spirits on film is a way to get rid of them.

That was the most frustrating part of this movie, and the one thing that made it so unbelievable. These creepy things happen, our couple acknowledge them, and for the most part just go back to day to day living when the sun's up. Why isn't Katie freaking out MORE that she was filmed waking up at 3am and standing by her own bed, staring at her boyfriend for three hours? Why were these people not more creeped out by the powder footprints in their hallway? How did they think MORE FILMING was going to work to ward of this apparent demon? Why does Katie get increasingly angry at Micah for filming yet does nothing herself to curb the issue at hand? Why doesn't Micah point that out to her? Why doesn't Micah, who spouts often about saving her, get her out of the fucking house and take her somewhere she can actually be protected? Why doesn't SHE point THAT out to HIM?

Further, this is an unseen, unknown, unexplored enemy. We know nothing about it, nor what it wants, apart from the possibility that maybe it's following Katie -- she saw something when she was eight, then when she was 13, and now again. There's no explanation as to why what she saw at eight was "a mass"-like shadow and this is not, or, why it didn't harm her or those around her the last few times it showed up. So, with no knowledge of this monster, it's hard to care one way or the other what it does. Particularly when it's battlers don't really trust in it either, at least not enough to really do something about it beyond Ouija boards and powdered floors.

Then there are the scares. I don't think these guys have studied their ghost flicks, their Argento, or their Asian ghost classic like A Tale of Two Sisters and Ringu. Bumps in the night aren't scary. Footsteps running through hallways aren't scary. Unseen chases and screams from other rooms just aren't scary. They might be slightly unsettling now and again, but not scary. And this film promised scares. I kept waiting for something big to happen -- when Micah entered the attic, when Katie wandered to the pool swing, when the psychic rushed outside due to the "aggravation" he felt inside. Waiting, waiting, for the big hit. Only to be met with more footsteps and door slamming or nothing at all. Bo-ring.

So, what's the point? Horror needs a point. This does not have one. And much as I tried to make it all a metaphor for the couple's relationship -- the angrier they get due to lack of sleep and stress, the more the demon feeds on their energy and whatever. But this failed, too, because the demon was around when she was eight. So, it's not really created evil from such a scenario. What is it? We'll never know.

Oh well, at least the filmmakers made some money. Good for them. And the bit where Micah gets dragged out of his bed did give me a genuine jump. But soon after it -- daylight again, and more arguing. So much teasing, absolutely no sustenance.

It Might Get Loud, 2009

Okay, so witnessing the makeshift band -- featuring Jack White, The Edge, and Jimmy Page -- performaing "The Weight" at the end of this movie might just be my favourite movie moment of the year.

The guys sing and play, with White putting a crazy carnival twist on the vocal that I freakin' loved, and as they're finishing, the camera pulls back to reveal the movie crew standing and watching.

This tiny concert, with its audience still, admiring these great musicians, really defines this film. You watch, in awe, of what these men can do. Whether you like their music, whether their particular music speaks to you, you come away with an appreciation of their art, their dedication, and the power of music.

I enjoyed it, from the history lesson, to the lessons in guitar craft and musicianship, it's all fascinating. And it's so beautifully shot -- Edge on the beach, Page on the grass, White in suit and tie in the Tennessee fields. These are three very different aesthetics that present these men perfectly. Each story comes together so that we know and respect them, what they do, and where they've come from.

It's more fascinating that all three pretty much got to where are based on the same drives, similar upbringings (albeit in vastly different enivornments), and with similar elements of luck that brought guitars into their lives in the first place.

If I can criticise, however... I was slightly disappointed that the eventual get together of the three men wasn't more rousing. These guys seem almost reserved with each other. I would have liked to have seen more of the meeting, unless it really was as unenlighteneing right the way through as it seemed in the snippets we get onscreen.

Also, while we learn all about the men and their music, we get very few warts. But perhaps the movie doesn't want to go down darker paths, which is fair enough. But it leaves the viewer feeling cheerier than White's bleeding hands during a Raconteurs show might suggest, or Edge's discussion of IRA terrorism, or even subdued, skiffle player Page's suddenly flaming purple trousers. What did all that mean? The interviews lack grunt, I suppose, as does the eventual meeting. Maybe it's just me?

It doesn't really get loud, it has to be said. But it's nonetheless very interesting.

Last Ride, 2009

Bronson, 2009

In the Electric Mist, (2008)

This was really good. Tommy Lee Jones is made for a New Orleans setting. HIs face, his walk, his slow drawl -- he fit in so wel amongst the Confederate soldiers, the blues men, and the very obvious Louisiana natives used as extras and bit-players here.

It's a mystery -- who is killing young women in the small fishing community of Iberia Parish. There are a wealth of suspects, and JOnes as Sheriff Dave Robicheaux must narrow these down while battling his own demons, that stem from an old murder freshly dug up, and the ghosts of the Confederate dead that haunt him in his weaker moments.

This is a fantasy/drama, and it's done well. The misty bayous are something to see, and these characters float about within, each intriguing in his own way. It's not the hardest of mysteries to solve, but with so many players, the writing here is keen enough to keep them all necessary, and wrap them all up.

I enjoyed it. I'd see more movies with Jones as this character. Quiet, swampy, good.

Balibo, 2009

So, probably one of the more confronting films I've seen in a while. For several reasons, mainly because it pulls no punches in it's portrayal of the Indonesian army and the devastation is unleashed throughout East Timor, and also because it highlights the ignorance of the average Australian towards this story and its impact on our politics, our national identity, our media, and, really, our very humanity.

While I was aware of the store of the Balibo Five, I knew very little about Roger East, the AAP journalist who went to East Timor to investigate their deaths. His story is deeply connected to theirs, and I was impressed at just how the filmmakers here tied the tragedies togeter. We get a sense of East's dedication, and of the ethics and, sadly, naivete, of the five missing men. These dual plots are cleverly interwoven, and although we aware of the outcomes, the filmmakers here have made their film suspenseful, and revelatory.

It's very hard going, and rarely a light moment. What I found most engaging, and somewhat a break from the heaviness of it all, was those moments where I found myself watching Anthony LaPaglia acting. I know they say you can tell good acting when you don't notice a man acting, or whatever, but strangely, I was so enthralled by LaPaglia that I sat there are watched him, trying to figure out just how he does it.

Like his performance in Lantana, in which his work is probably some of the most amazing ever put on the Australian movie screen, here he is mindblowing in his honesty, his emotion, his heart. He really is an incredible performer.

So, yeah -- watch it, learn something. I did -- mainly not to be so ignorant of our political history and the lives effected by bungled decisions and misinformation. SOmeone has to learn, because apparently the government won't.

Resurrecting the Champ (2007)

My themes again -- writers, journalism, history, profiles, true story.

But, this really wasn't the explosive drama I was hoping for (though, to be honest, not really expecting). It's a good story, it's told well -- all the relevant surprises are kept well-hidden, and are revealed so that they are effective. But, something about this film felt slightly drab, as though they wanted Joaquin Phoenix and settled for Josh Hartnett. As though, it meant to have punch, but couldn't quite get in the ring.

Not that Harntett doesn't do a good job. It's not his fault the script grabs only now and again (particularly when Peter Coyote finally arrives), and it's not his fault, either, that the story of the man foiled might not have been as exciting as the story of the foiler himself.

Still, I enjoyed it. Samuel Jackson is great, as always, and though it's not awesome, it's far from shitty.

Lake Mungo, 2008

It would appear the Aussie crime kick I am currently on as far as my reading material has crossed over into movies. I have a massive stack of DVDs from the shop here to choose from -- Public Enemies, Resurrecting the Champ, Tyson, Winged Creatures, big movies about big themes, the stuff I love. Yet, as soon as I saw that one on my pile was set in the country Victorian town of Ararat, I jumped on it.

(There's also a new Aussie one called Coffin Rock here, and then there's Balibo -- so a veritable field day for me.)

I don't know what it is, exactly, that's drawing me to Australian crime, a topic I've all but ignored in my reading life. For some reason foreign settings, particularly in the US, have always been of more interest. Maybe I'm craving familiarity? Don't know. Whatever the case, after reading a book on detectives in Wagga, and then the horrendous Snowtown murders, I'm reading all about the Silk and Miller killings in Melbourne. I'm finding myself strangely enthralled reading about places nearby -- Melbourne suburbs, for example.

So, yeah, when Echuca was mentioned in Lake Mungo, I felt right at home.

I'm happy I picked this one for another reason -- it was very good. I was skeptical about the documentary style, but the more this one went along, the more impressed I became at how well the actors handled faking their 'interviews'. And that's all this is, a bunch of interviews strung together with bits and pieces of live and taped footage in between, which eventually unravel a reasonably gripping mystery.

It's extremely well put together as far as timing and stroytelling. I was in, I know that.

The premise, very basically, is a girl drowns in a dam and then begins showing up in photographs and video footage taken by her brother. Is she a ghost, or is something else going on? Turns out, the answer to that question is not near as important as what happens next. The plot twists and turns, and reveals new information all the time, fleshing out the story and it's characters into a well-rounded drama about a damaged girl and her helpless family.

It's not a horror film, it's a very effective ghost story, that's more about the ghosts within than those floating about the house. Part-way through I was wanting to turn the lights on because there are some shots here that are rivalled in their spookiness only by those Asian masters of ghost-y films.

One spot, in particular, was so tense, I almost broke out into a sweat. The tension, though, dissipated naturally -- this is not a film where things jump out at you, even though you expect them to. The filmmakers here have done a great job in letting you feel something when you watch, but never really releasing that tension until that one key moment where it matters.

And those are the best scares -- quiet, subtle, to the point where you're left wondering what it is about you that's making you so tense, because the movie's not doing anything really scary at all. Really enjoyed this one.