Dead Souls

2012

USA

Directed by: Colin Theys
Written by: John Doolan (screenplay), Michael Laimo (novel)
Cast: Jesse James, Magda Apanowicz, Bill Moseley, Geraldine Hughes, Noah Fleiss, Jaiden Kaine
Rating: not rated

Lots of creepy atmosphere and texture in this one, but lots of confusion, too.

On his 18th birthday, Johnny Petrie (Jesse James) learns he's adopted and that he's inherited a farm in Maine. Eager to get away from the hideously circumscribed existence he's led with the aunt who raised him, he strikes out for Maine intending to make the farm his new home. When he gets there, though, he finds the place in very bad shape after being uninhabited for nearly twenty years -- since the deaths of his natural family at the hands of his (I think) grandfather, Reverend Benjamin Conroy. He also finds some locals who are less than thrilled to have him around, and a young homeless woman (Magda Apanowicz) who's been staying in the abandoned farm house.

The town's former sheriff (who is now also the town's drunk) eventually shows up to provide a little background about what exactly has been going on. I could have used a lot more help in that area.  I'm still not really sure what the heck it all meant. There was something about Johnny's brother Daniel protecting him when the rest of the family was killed. And something else about conducting a seance to contact Daniel's spirit so he could go on protecting him from evil spirits in the house. At least I think that's how it went. I never really understood why the family was killed, or why the local bully was so pissed off about it all, or why Johnny didn't just say no way am I living in that obviously haunted house. And I'm really not happy about the way they treated that dog.

My IMDb rating: 3 stars out of a possible 10

The Whisperer in Darkness

2011

USA

Directed by: Sean Branney
Screenplay by: Sean Branney, Andrew Leman
From the story by: H.P. Lovecraft
Cast: Barry Lynch, Matt Lagan, Matt Foyer
Rating: not rated


Synopsis (from Rotten Tomatoes website): 

[S]creen adaptation of the classic weird tale by legendary horror writer HP Lovecraft. Following a series of floods in rural Vermont, the bodies of grotesque creatures are found floating in several rivers. The creatures match descriptions given in certain local myths and legends. University Folklorist Albert Wilmarth (Matt Foyer) is initially dismissive of the stories, until he starts to receive a series of increasingly disturbing letters from a Vermont farmer, that hint at a horrifying truth. He travels to Vermont to investigate further, and uncovers a conspiracy that extends out into the furthest reaches of space and the darkest pits of hell.

My thoughts:

Some great atmosphere in this one, and I loved the black-and-white photography. But the pace is slow and the plot confusing. In fact, at times it seems even the actors are confused about what they're supposed to be doing. It was sort of hard for me to stick with it -- had to watch it three times to take it all in because I kept falling asleep. I guess that's not a very good recommendation, but I really didn't hate it. There were definitely some moments of genuine creepiness -- just not enough of them.

My IMDb rating: 4 stars out of a possible 10

Tim's Vermeer

2013

USA

Documentary directed by magician Teller, and produced by his stage partner Penn Jillette and Farley Ziegler, about Tim Jenison's efforts to prove his theory that Johannes Vermeer knew about and used optical devices to create his astonishing paintings.

Jenison, a successful inventor/engineer in the field of computer graphics spent nearly a decade meticulously reproducing the room pictured in Vermeer's The Music Lesson and then re-creating the painting, using just such an optical device -- a camera obscura. The film is the story of his quest, and it's absolutely fascinating.


Motion Picture Rating (MPAA): Rated PG-13 for some strong language

My IMDb rating: 7 stars out of a possible 10

Transcendence

2014

USA

Directed by: Wally Pfister
Written by: Jack Paglen
Cast: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Morgan Freeman, Paul Bettany
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA): Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action and violence, some bloody images, brief strong language and sensuality

What it's all about:

Johnny Depp plays Dr. Will Caster, the world's foremost authority on artificial intelligence. Dr. Caster is the leader of a team conducting highly controversial experiments, with the ultimate goal of creating a "sentient" machine -- a computer with a mind of its own. When extremists try to kill the doctor, they inadvertently give him just the chance he needed to turn his theories into reality. When Will is given just one month to live, his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) comes up with a plan to upload his consciousness into the advanced computer the team has developed. Will's best friend Max (Paul Bettany) questions the wisdom of this action and is eventually persuaded to join the terrorists responsible for Will's death.

Once Will achieves virtual life in the computer, Evelyn helps him to build a sort of technological eden in a remote desert town called Brightwood where he sets about remaking the world according to his own personal designs. Eventually Will's crazed thirst for knowledge and power cause all his loved ones to admit he must be stopped, but they also realize it may already be too late.

My thoughts:

Most of the critics trashed this film, so I wasn't expecting much. But I like Johnny Depp and I try to see every movie Morgan Freeman makes, so I gave it a try. Glad I did -- it's definitely watchable. Not great, but pretty good sci-fi with a thought-provoking theme, enough action to keep it from dragging, and no enormous alien slime worms blasting their way out of anyone's midsection. A lot of it doesn't really stand up to deep thought, but hey -- it's a movie.

My IMDb Rating: 6 stars out of a possible 10

Magic in the Moonlight

2014

USA

Written/Directed by: Woody Allen
Stars: Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Eileen Atkins, Simon McBurney, Marcia Gay Harden 
Motion Picture Rating (MPAA): Rated PG-13 for a brief suggestive comment, and smoking throughout

What it's all about:

In the 1920s, magician Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth) enjoys worldwide fame as Chinese conjurer Wei Ling Soo, his stage persona. One of the most arrogant performers in the business, Stanley despises claims by phony spiritualists that they can perform real magic. At the request of his friend and fellow magician Howard (played by Simon McBurney), Stanley agrees to expose a young medium named Sophie Baker (Emma Stone). The lovely Sophie and her mother (Marcia Gay Harden) are staying with the wealthy Catledge family in their mansion in the Côte d'Azur, where Sophie has managed to ensnare the affections of young Brice Catledge. However, after attending a seance and having a few surprising encounters with Sophie, Stanley begins to change his mind about her and is left thoroughly shaken by evidence that her clairvoyant abilities just might be real.

My thoughts:

This was a very pretty movie -- the light throughout was actually magical. Unfortunately, that amazing light was just about the best thing about the film. I think it's possible I've outgrown Woody Allen. Which makes me sad because he used to be one of my favorite filmmakers -- Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, Manhattan, and Manhattan Murder Mystery are among my all-time favorite movies. But the only one of the later films I've really enjoyed was Midnight in Paris. I always have high hopes for each new release, but I keep getting disappointed. 

It's not a terrible movie -- definitely not as annoying as To Rome with Love or as mean-spirited as Blue Jasmine. And it had some really fine performances -- Eileen Atkins as Aunt Vanessa, and the enormously talented Simon McBurney as Stanley's friend Howard particularly stand out. On the other hand, Marcia Gay Harden was pretty much wasted in the role of Sophie's mother -- more mom and less Sophie would have made for a much more interesting experience.

But, of course, Sophie was the whole point of the film: the young girl who represents renewal and new life for the aging curmudgeonly male at the film's center. Love and youth as some sort of salvation. She's in nearly every one of Allen's films these days, and she seems to be getting younger and younger. In this one, she is quite literally young enough to be the curmudgeon's daughter. OK, I don't really know how old Emma Stone is, but in the movie she looks about twelve. And the film's boyish 1920s-era fashions only exaggerate that childlike appearance (indeed, at one point she's dressed in a sailor outfit, oddly reminiscent of the Von Trapp children in The Sound of Music). In a way it's interesting to see the same trope used over and over in each new film, but it's also becoming truly disturbing.

My IMDb Rating: 5 stars out of a possible 10