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Reviews
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
A template for modern "horror" films
John Landis is fond of insisting that American Werewolf... is a horror film, and not a comedy. For the time, the sudden switches in tone between crude humour and gory horror were an unheard-of combination.
To look at the two elements of comedy and horror in isolation, then: the comedy is primarily of the fish-out-of-water type, with two New Yorkers adrift in the British countryside - lost, not just in the landscape but also in the culture. Abruptly, after a blackly comic scene in the Slaughtered Lamb, the horror kicks in with a vicious attack which kills one and leaves the other destined to transform into a werewolf the next time a full moon appears. And so it proceeds throughout the film, sometimes broadly funny, sometimes sickeningly horrific, and sometimes both.
Many people have a problem with the sudden changes in tone, and this perhaps depends what you expect from this film. If you want an out-and-out horror film, go and watch Nightmare on Elm Street. If you want a comedy, watch There's Something About Mary. If you're prepared to watch with an open mind, however, the stark contrast between styles only makes the horrific scenes more disturbing, as you're lulled into a false sense of security before being bludgeoned over the head.
Rick Baker's make-up effects stand up to scrutiny to this day. The werewolf transformation scene especially has never been surpassed in films of this type, particularly the hand stretching into a paw. The fact that this was all achieved before CGI makes it more impressive to watch. Nowadays it's possible to computer-generate anything that can be imagined and put it on the screen, but with this ability comes the temptation to show off. The most astonishing special effects were in the days when this was not possible and you watched, not believing your eyes, wondering how the hell they did it.
American Werewolf is an early film in the lineage of the Evil Dead films, and later the Scream films, culminating in every post-modern, self-referential, self-parodying excuse for a "horror" film that clogs up the video shelves at the beginning of the new millennium. The difference is that John Landis' film manages to be both scary and funny, while almost all of it's modern descendents fail miserably to be either.
Spaced (1999)
If you were born between 1970 and 1980...
...this is the show for YOU.
It's hilarious on many different levels, ranging from the ultra-obscure comic book/film/TV/music references to the downright slapstick.
The much-celebrated references may cause you to roll around on the sofa clutching your stomach laughing, or they may pass you by. It really doesn't matter. The programme is also incredibly touching. The writing and performances bring the paint-by-numbers characters (self-pitying cartoonist, lazy would-be journalist, tortured artist, drunken landlady, vain self-appointed fashion guru, weapons-obsessed idiot) to painfully vivid life, and no matter how cynically you may approach "Spaced" you will end up caring about these people and their relationships. But hey, even if you don't, there's still the pop-culture references to cling onto.
From Tim fantasising playing "Resident Evil 2" and blasting zombies in his living room (before reality takes hold), Daisy seeing herself in the future in true "The Shining" style, and Marsha seeing how she might have been had she not turned to drink and rock stars, you'll start laughing and you won't stop.
In fact, it doesn't matter what age you are, you will identify with the characters and you will care about them and you will laugh with them. A lot.
Which just leaves the evil hidden agenda behind the series: watch it, listen to the audio commentary on the DVD and it becomes clear that they will make you watch Evil Dead 2. Before you know it, grandmothers will be watching notorious horror films and LAUGHING.
For that alone we should be truly thankful.
Batoru rowaiaru (2000)
It's probably not possible to watch this film without your mouth hanging open
The story of 42 students set loose on an island, with a variety of weapons and equipment (ranging from the lethal to the useless), with the sole purpose of killing each other is not going to be considered by anyone an easy ride.
It may seem impossible to have this number of characters and make them distinctive, and indeed many of them are despatched before they can make an impression. This is perhaps why the device of their names (and numbers) flashing up on the screen as they're killed is so disturbing - on one hand, it reminds you that each one is a life that has just been ended. On the other hand, it resembles nothing so much as a shoot-em-up video game.
The different attitudes taken by the students is well-thought out. Many are reluctant to suddenly start killing - indeed, some kill themselves ("I'm not going to play this game") before they have to face the basic choice of kill or be killed. Some are pragmatic (and incompetent) and launch themselves into the slaughter, mostly to meet early deaths themselves. Some form fragile alliances based on their cliques and friendships. A few effortlessly switch to maniacal killing mode as if it was nothing.
All the characters, although many of them are very lightly sketched, are well-known types - you'll watch this film and recognise some people you yourself were at school with. This is perhaps the most horrifying aspect of the film.
The violence and the gore are strong, but no worse than your average Hollywood flick. Sometimes it seems almost as though the audience is being invited to revel in the carnage, but the truly brave aspect of this film is that it will suck in the violence-happy no-brainer audience with the prospect of schoolkids killing each other, and damn well make them use their brains for once. How would you cope? Would you kill or be killed?
Battle Royale is well worth seeing, though, because it will disgust you, horrify you, repulse you, involve you, and even make you laugh in places. But it will also make you think.
Lastly, I have to wonder if the fact that there were 42 students to start with was a sly nod to Douglas Adams' Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy? I hope not, because if this is the meaning of Life, the Universe and Everything, then we're all doomed.