Reviews from the Vault: Let the Right One In (2008)

To new readers, Reviews from the Vault are reviews from my personal collection. This weekend being the opening weekend for Let Me In (America's adaptation of the recent Dutch film Let the Right One In), I figured I would review the "real" film and give credit where credit is due. Writer John Ajvide Lindqvist and director Thomas Alfredson's Let the Right One In is an award winning tale of love viewed through the perspective of a vampire caught in youth. Oskar (Kare Hedenbrant) is a timid young school boy who has recently encountered a new, strange girl in his apartment complex named Eli. Realizing that Oskar is a shy, nearly spineless boy, Eli (Lina Leandersson) makes it her aspiration to protect Oskar and teach him to stand up for himself against school-house bullies. The more Oskar peers into Eli's life, the more clear it becomes that Eli is far from an average girl, and far from human for that matter. In a time so cluttered with Vampire movies, television shows, and novels, one might find themselves hesitant to view such a movie as Let the Right One In. The film tends to stand on its own in this genre due to its originality of plot and characters. For being both young and first time screen actors, Hedebrant and Leandersson put on Oscar-worthy performances. The chemistry between the two characters is eerily realistic, and at times the actors do not need to speak in order for the audience to understand what is inferred. The film may be set in a different country, the actors may be younger than most viewers of the film, and the story may invlove a fictional vampire, but Let the Right One In depicts a journey of love and passion that we can all appreciate and relate to. A director's ability to make his audience sympathize and care for an otherwise monster shows true professional cinematography, which is indefinitely the case with Alfredson. From the top notch writing, directing, and acting, to the eerie setting and subject matter of the film, Let the Right One In is an instant horror classic that not only inspired an American remake, but earned 4 stars in my book.

Reviews from the Vault: Kalifornia (1992)

Dominic Sena's Kalifornia tells the story of a serial killer-enthused journalist named Brian Kessler (David Dachovny) and his partner Carrie (Michelle Forbes). The duo suits up for a road trip to travel the country stopping at famous murder sights as Brian writes his novel with the final destination being California. A white-trash couple-- Early (Brad Pitt) and Adele (Juliette Lewis)-- having had their sites set on California for some time, decide to ride along. As the trip continues, Early's twisted side becomes more and more apparent, leading Brian and Carrie to believe that they may be in the very presence of a killer. Kalifornia is tense, not only in its final scenes, but from the moment the protagonist is placed in a car with a mad man. The viewer knows from the first thirty seconds of the film that Early is a deranged sociopath. It is the characters that are ignorant of the danger they are in, leaving the viewer on the edge of their seat awaiting conflict. Unlike similar thrillers, Kalifornia does not end moments after the good guys find out who the bad guy is-- there's another thirty minutes of tension that follow, inclining to a triumphant ending. With a disturbing performance from Pitt accompanied by his passionately naive partner well played by Juliette Lewis, and a convincing portrayal of a dedicated journalist by Dachovny along-side his increasingly suspicious partner (Forbes), the viewer is equally attached to both couples of the film. Kalifornia delivers the chills and thrills that the premise promises, earning it a solid 3 stars.

Reviews from the Vault: The House of the Devil (2009)

Ti West's The House of the Devil is based on true events that take place in the 1980's. The film follows Samantha Hughes (Jocelin Donahue), a sophomore in college in need of extra income to support her near future move to a new house. To raise a bit of money, Samantha agrees to a night of baby-sitting that turns into something she couldn't have imagined. Upon arrival and on the night of the lunar eclipse, things rapidly become eery when she begins to discover that the people dwelling in the house are sadistic cultists. The House of the Devil succeeds where recent horror movies fail in the sense that its not fueled by gore, but by tension. From the first confrontation with Mr. Ulman (Tom Noonan of Manhunter), it is very clear to the viewer that he and his family are nothing less than sadistically wicked. The relief in this is that the film is not driven by the mystery of who's good and who's bad, but by truly authentic tension. Much like firmly gripping horror films of the 1980's, Devil contains a slow build to a deeply chilling finale. It is not necessarily the ending that will haunt your dreams, but everything leading up to the ending. As the viewer watches Samantha go about her night, they can hardly stay in their seats knowing that evil lurkes and not knowing when it will strike. Much like Jaws not showing the beast for the majority of the film, The House of the Devil leaves you almost impatiently awaiting the beast; only this time the beast comes in human form. Donahue and Noonan's top-notch acting along with Ti West's best direction of his young career make this gut-wrenching horror flick worth the watch. I am forced to score The House of the Devil 4 stars due to its pleasingly horrific essence.

Reviews from the Vault: Juice (1992)

In Ernest Dickerson's directorial debut, we are introduced to four power-hungry teenagers from the streets of Harlem. They're dream is to earn "juice", a term they refer to as respect and power. Q (Omar Epps) intends to achieve this goal through becoming a scratch n' mix DJ, whereas Bishop (Tupac Shakur) plans to gain respect by armed robbery. Dragging his friends down with him, Bishop has gotten this gang of friends into a situation that will not only challenge their friendship, but challenge their freedom. Perhaps one of the best performances from Tupac combined with a collection of characterizations that bring you closer to these four hoodlums than some of your own friends make this film worth the watch. Juice challenges the viewer to determine how far they would go for friendship, and at what point personal morals would interfere. By the end of the 94 minute running time, the viewer has met, familiarized, chosen a side, and authentically felt for these four young men in a way not often accomplished on the big screen. Additionally, the music of juice ultimately sets the tone, featuring songs by Salt N' Pepa, Eric B. and Rakim, Naughty by Nature, and more. The film takes a hold of you with the power of it's script and captivating era and setting, not to mention a special appearance from Queen Latifa. Juice pleases the eyes, ears, and mind, scoring 4 stars.

Reviews from the Vault: The Midnight Meat Train

Time for another installment in "Reviews from the Vault", in which I review movies (some good, some bad) from my personal collection. The Midnight Meat Train is the latest and arguably most original adaptation of Clive Barker's array of short stories. This particular film is directed by Ryuhei Kitamura and stars Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones, and Leslie Bibb. Meat Train follows a struggling New York Photographer (Cooper) who has a passion for capturing New York in it's "natural" form- crime and negativity. In doing so he stumbles across a butcher who seems to be slicing more than cattle. Cooper's character is in over his head in a world of activities that he cannot comprehend. It would be an understatement to claim that this film is original. Containing a strong, early career performance from Cooper and an unraveling mystery with a conclusion that leaves the most investigative viewers astonished, Meat Train does not fall too short of a complete success. The film's unnecessary amount of gore and violence will butcher it for some viewers, leaving them more debilitated than boggled. For this viewer the film's pros outweigh its cons, scoring a solid 3 stars.

Reviews from the Vault: Pulp Fiction

Ah yes. The one... the only... Pulp Fiction. Quentin Tarantino brought a tale to the screen in 1994 that was like nothing told before. Pulp Fiction follows two hit men named Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules (Samuel L. Jackson); a boxer (Bruce Willis); two bank-robbing sweethearts (Tim Roth and Amanda Plummer); and a gangster's wife (Uma Thurman), all of whom are having a complicated day. Everything is right about this film, including it's special appearance from Christopher walken. The cast alone was enough to attract viewers to the film, including arguably the best performances by Travolta and Jackson. The dialog itself was strong enough to be it's own movie and create tension in the room that could be cut with a knife. From the odd couple-like relationship between Jackson and Travolta, to the "date" night with Thurman, to the epic revenge scene posted below involving Willis and Rhames, the characters created by Tarantino and portrayed by the actors are arguably more interesting than most real life people. The viewer tends to find themselves tremendously focused for a movie that is so famously scrambled. From it's realistic elements to it's supernatural ones ( i.e. Ving Rhames' glowing suit case that is rumored to contain his soul), Pulp Fiction is one of the only movies that runs 154 minutes, yet under stays it's visit. For that I give Tarantino's cult classic a solid four stars.