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Artax88
Reviews
Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993)
Mild comedy, lame thriller
I am writing this review hating and loving Woody Allen's movies at the same time. There are his movies that, in theme and structure, seem very similar to me, like Manhattan, Annie Hall and Whatever Works, which also were the movies that first introduced me to his filmography. The awkwardness of his main characters never really struck a chord with me, which is the main gripe I had upon viewing Manahattan Murder Mystery.
The alliterative title intrigued me as it suggests a movie in the crime/thriller genre. Hoping this movie wouldn't fall into his usual comedy/romance/drama type of film I was soon very disappointed to find familiar romantic themes like jealousy, infidelity and the resulting, reoccurring matrimonial arguments at the center of the movie rather than a thought-provoking plot. Even though the main characters, Larry and Carol, take on the task of resolving the case of a suspected murder by their neighbor, the film never quite feels like a crime movie. The camera puts the viewer right at the center of the investigation while we watch the scenes unfold from behind of a flowerpot, through a door-frame or a rainy car window. But, unfortunately, the camera not only zooms in on the suspects but more frequently sways to and fro between our main characters during their relentless arguments. While Woody Allen again plays the same role he most often appears to play, I found his hectic, gibberish talking and awkward gestures more off-putting and overdone than in his other movies. By comparison, Dian Keaton's role as Carol was more compelling as, for example, compared to the moment Allen proclaims at the height of the action "Adrenaline is leaking out of my ears!" in the same monotone voice he uses while talking in the conjugal bed. Other common Woody Allen themes are present. Like the title suggests the film takes place in his beloved New York and of course classic movies (e.g. Double Indemnity) appear and are discussed, which I always enjoy about his works. Furthermore, some of the major scenes take place in a cinema which serves as a good setting and is a welcome sight after witnessing tiring disputes in their apartment. After many a quarrel about their further procedure to solve the case and clumsy investigations, that, for me, failed to attach a comedic aspect to the movie the story reaches a rather anticlimactic finale after which the case is rapidly summed up for the viewer.
While I like many Allen movies like Zelig, Match Point and Sweet and Lowdown that differ from his generic formula. Sadly, Manhattan Murder Mystery, for me, was not one of them. If you are a fan of his works chances are you will like this movie, but, in my opinion, it is neither a funny comedy nor a gripping thriller. Still I will keep on working my way through his films in hope for another one or two positive surprises.
Stereo (2014)
Gripping thriller, not for the weak
I had the chance to see the German movie Stereo early during a Sneak Preview. The impression with which I left the cinema was largely positive mainly due to the strong performances of Jürgen Vogel and Moritz Bleibtreu as well as some nice shots and camera work.
The story starts with Erik, played by Jürgen Vogel, receiving a ticket for speeding on the way to his girlfriend Julia. Together with her daughter they lead a quiet life in the countryside. The plot starts to unfold when one day Erik's work as a motorcycle mechanic is disturbed by the arrival of gypsies and the appearance of a mysterious hooded man, who is played by Moritz Bleibtreu.
From here on the story convinces with some nice turning points and surprises, although some of them can be easily anticipated as the plot progresses. The most interesting part for me was the development of the relation between Erik and the character played by Bleibtreu, which worked really well. With the focus on these characters I could not help myself but feel disinterested in the fates of Erik's girlfriend and her family (not to mention the gypsies).
One of my main gripes with the movie is therefore the slow and boring family scenes. Some of which contain slow motion shots combined with a soundtrack that I did not find fitting. Still the music convinces in many other parts of the film and underlines many great shots, notably during the outdoor scenes.
In my opinion, another flaw of the movie is its overdone profanity. While I enjoyed the comedic remarks by Bleibtreu's character a lot of the misogynistic comments and portrayals found in the film seem overdone. I think the movie could achieve the same result, i.e. depicting the bad guys as really evil men, with a more subtle tone, especially since we have Julia's family as a stark contrast. Furthermore, I found the performance of Erik's adversary Keitel with his strong Austrian accent convincing enough to also justify a more unobtrusive dialogue and imagery without watering down the characters too much.
All in all, Stereo is an entertaining and gripping thriller. It manages to compensate for its slow parts with good performances by its two lead actors and the development of the relatable characters they play. The plot will keep you interested to see what's next despite rather predictable twists and revelations. You should not be easily offended by strong language and explicit images though.
The Battery (2012)
An entertaining and insightful zombie film
The way I found out about this indie, zombie gem was through a short AMA director and star Jeremy Gardner did last year on reddit. After finally checking it out today, I decided to write a review about it not only because I like zombie flicks in general but because I think a $6,000 low budget movie like this deserves some resonance from its fans.
The setting in the Battery is such that the two main protagonists Ben (Jeremy Gardner) and Mickey (Adam Cronheim) find themselves traveling the rural areas of zombie infested New England while being well equipped with food, water and other necessities. The only thing they lack seems to be company. So the film focuses mainly on the character interaction between Ben and Mickey, who never appear to be in real danger because they are always on the run from it.
This is where the movie stands out from other zombie movies, it takes its time to show the different sceneries and places in which the two main protagonists find themselves and constantly being on the move, there are plenty. Each shot is captured great, sometimes showing the characters at distance from another throwing a baseball and at other times lying side by side crammed in a car.
As the viewer you notice pretty soon that the two of them are very different types that would not be traveling together if the zombie apocalypse did not force them to. They must learn to cope with each other and become a team in order to survive the always looming danger of the undead. This is also what the title implies. One might think it stems from the batteries used a plenty in the movie but according to Gardner it rather "refers to the dynamic between a pitcher and catcher on a baseball team".
While other movies or most prominently the TV series the Walking Dead also shift their focus on the human interaction and turns the zombie menace into a backdrop, this is the first film I saw that does so wholeheartedly. Despite their convincing make-up, the zombies only get little screen time. This works in favor of the character development and grants more importance to the sound, especially during the later scenes where the presence of the zombies can only be heard.
The sound effects and soundtrack are really well done here. Listening to the songs on his Discman Mickey has found a means to escape the harsh reality and put some distance between him and Ben. Arguably letting your guard down by being distracted with loud music is a stupid thing to do during the zombie apocalypse. But even here the movie shines with a humorous scene where Ben imitates a zombie in order to scare Mickey and teach him one of many lessons.
Some humor can be found in the dialogs and the way Ben behaves. The writing is not always consistent though and the acting falls out of place here and there. Examples are (Spoilers!) a not very convincing frightened Mickey being held hostage and a gunshot wound that does not bleed nor need any further treatment other than tying it off.
The story unfolds slowly and only little is known about other survivors, Ben and Mickey's history and the zombie outbreak overall. The editing is well done for a low budget flick and ties the funny, thrilling and heart-wrenching scenes together seamlessly.
The Battery won some prices on indie festivals and, in my opinion, deserves a place in every personal zombie movie library. By almost solely focusing on the human interaction it is different to other serious or comedic, gory zombie movies out there and brings some fresh air into a genre that did not surprise much lately. With its nice shots, strong soundtrack and relatable characters this stands as one of the better zombie films even though I fear it might not be for everyone due to its slow pace and lack of action. I can wholeheartedly recommend this gem to everyone who isn't into this genre just for the gore.