The Babadook
This is going to be tough talking about this one without giving away key plot points and themes that will ruin the experience for you guys. I’ll start off by saying that this is at least the best horror film since “The Conjuring” last year and at most the best horror film of the last decade. For me, it rests somewhere in the middle. Whether or not it starts leaning towards a certain side will be determined by repeat viewings, which is rare for a horror film. Watch it again? The scares aren’t going to hit right? The element of surprise will be gone right? In most cases, that is correct. However, this film is way more than just a jump scare reel with something resembling a story.
There really aren’t any jump scares, yet, I haven’t been this scared watching a movie in a long time. I was slack jawed throughout most of the 2nd half and was honestly scared walking around my dark apartment building afterward. I inspect vacant houses for a living. I’m constantly in pitch black abandoned basement by myself and yet this film made me afraid of the dark. That’s choice guys. That’s what I look for in a horror film, something that makes me so uneasy that my reality is tweaked just a bit.
The film centers around Amelia, powerfully played by Essie Davis, and her son Samuel, played by Noah Wiseman. Samuel is a goddamn terror. He is being kicked out of school and while he’s a smart and creative little monster, he’s also prone to complete screaming meltdowns and completely erratic behavior. I’ll be honest, I wasn’t a fan of Samuel early on in the film. I honestly wanted to punch him in the face; a toddler, in the face. I don’t even feel bad about that. He was that much of a monster. The film really gets you to sympathize with the mother and then as the film progresses, thing start to change. The kid starts to become the focus and you find yourself battling on what you want to happen.
The film plays with you, in both story and visuals. The sound design constantly makes you feel like something awful is going to happen and when it does, you still can’t believe what you’re seeing. The film had a small budget, but you really can’t tell when shadows start to move. The practical effects really made the uneasy feeling I had that much more unsettling. I just don’t get scared at computer effects.
The story within the film was also top notch. There was deep seeded symbolism dealing with depression, mental illness, and dealing with stress that I really enjoyed trying to uncover. The reason I mention this is because I could actually be wrong. There are lots of things that can be discussed and debated in this film. It’s very open to interpretation and for a horror film, this is what makes it unique. I urge you guys to see it. I don’t know where it will land, but it is definitely in my top 6-7 films of the year.
4.5/5
The Interview
Well, here it is, the film that may cause a f*cking war with North Korea. I’ll be honest, I felt good watching this. I felt like I was doing my part as an American by saying **** you to forced foreign censorship of a clearly satirical film. I thought that the amount of actual propaganda that is spewed out of Kim Jong Un’s mouth dwarfed the obviously joking premise of this film. After seeing the film though, I get it. If they actually watched the film, which is a given that they did, I don’t see how they could not be upset. I don’t think they should be acting like this was a declaration of war, but their feelings should be hurt. I mean, this film was pretty heavy on the completely batsh*t insane rumors of how North Koreans live and operate. The fearless leader was also played just completely crazy, which is funny because I think the real Kim Jong Un may be crazier. All I’m saying this that the film insulted pretty much the entire country and even though I have no problem with doing this, I can see why they’re upset.
The writer/director combo of Goldberg and Rogen worked like a charm last year with “This is the End”. I loved the film. I thought it was the perfect amount of poop jokes mixed with actual dark comedy. I saw the movie twice in one night I have never done that before or since in the theater. This film did not fair the same way. It started off very funny as we are introduced to the hysterical character of Dave Skylark, an entertainment talk show host who specializes in breaking startling personal news from big name celebrities. Franco plays Skylark and uses every single ounce of comedic juice in this one. It worked. He was hilarious pretty much throughout the whole movie. The beginning however, was the best part. The interview he had with Rob Lowe and Eminem killed me. I wish the whole movie was about Skylark and his show. Franco’s use of completely stupid language as if he was a 14 year old boy in high school had me dying. “They hate us cuz they ain’t us”. Rogen wasn’t used as much as I hoped he would be but he had some Rogen-esque lines, especially once they got to North Korea.
The problem I had with the film was just the sheer stupidity of how things went after they got to North Korea. In fact, I’d argue that the film fell apart right at the moment that everybody was waiting for, the introduction to Kim Jong Un. I realized the satire was present the whole time, I just didn’t laugh. I didn’t find the actor who played Kim funny in the slightest. The accents were distracting. The story was boring. Besides a certain scene with a tiger, I just didn’t really care about anything that happened. The writing just took a full on nosedive to stupid about half way and that disappointed me given how much I have loved Rogen/Goldberg’s previous films. I will however say that there was a certain scene at the end of the film, which when taken down to slow mo, was very impressive. It reminded me of some of the low budget but extremely effective special effects from “This is the End”.
Overall, see the film. It’s your duty to see the film and become part of American history. It’s also dirt cheap and actually pretty high quality for a Youtube release. Don’t expect a serious film though. It’s one long poop joke that delivers its laughs early or whenever the camera is on James Franco. Seriously, I could watch his face in this film all day.
2.5/5