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Fehér isten (2014)
A Very Good Idea is Poorly Executed
The opening and closing shots of White God are beautiful and powerful realizations of Director Kornél Mundruczó's allegorical horror/thriller vision. Unfortunately, much of the movie does not meet this lofty ideal.
White God tells the story of Lili who is forced by her hard-hearted father to leave her dog, Hagen, on the streets to fend for himself. As Hagen falls into a cycle of abuse and abandonment, Lili becomes more independent and forgets about him. Hagen retaliates against his human oppressors by leading his fellow shelter-dogs in an apocalyptic revolution.
Let's get one thing out of the way first: the fact that this movie was shot entirely with real dogs and practical effects is simply masterful. The angry canine horde is the most terrifying group of animals since The Birds, but Mundruczó works very hard to keep the audience sympathetic towards them. Animal Trainer Teresa Ann Miller deserves some sort of award for convincingly training over 200 dogs to convey such a wide breadth of emotion. Although I cringed seeing scenes of abuse and dog-fighting, "they were always happy, and just playing," said Mundruczó to Fangoria magazine.
Unfortunately, the acting of the dogs is by far the best acting in the movie. The actress who plays Lili does this annoying pursed-lip thing that will make you want to smack her through the screen. Lili's father remains a contemptible a** to the very end. Even the evil dog trainer, despite having the most well-scripted character, couldn't be more two-dimensional if he had a mustache to twirl.
To make matters worse, the only parts of the movie that are any good are those with Hagen. Lili's story is droll beyond belief and just feels like a distraction from Hagen. I wish that I could have read this movie as an allegory about man's abuse of animals or as a metaphor for how easily the middle class forget about the poor. Unfortunately, the tediousness of Lili's story, which was obviously written in after Hagen's, kept distracting me from the movie's emotional and philosophical core. When the movie should have been showing similarities between Lili and Hagen, it often simply drove their stories further apart.
Now, don't get me wrong, this was definitely a "good" movie. I would consider it required viewing for fans of horror and suspense. As a dog-lover, Hagen's story really hit the emotional nail on the head. Mundruczó's ambitious vision is, in itself, highly commendable. It is unfortunate that a few poor directorial choices kept this movie from becoming the masterpiece it deserved to be.
Maybe an American remake will fix some of these problems? Probably not...
Pacific Rim (2013)
Skip all the dialog and I'd give it a 10
Charlie Hunnam, Idris Elba, Brian Cranston, and freakin' Guillermo del Torro. How can you possibly say no to a team like that?
It was probably names like these, combined with the gritty, neon- mecha aesthetic, that made you decide to watch this movie. That being said, the movies writers, producers, and even lead actors were almost completely useless. The characters are forced, the plot is stupid, and none of it will inspire a single interesting thought. If I could, I would have literally cut every scene without Godzilla, Kaiju, or Jaegers. But the fight scenes... Sweet Zombie Jesus, those beautiful fight scenes. If anything, this movie is a testament to what a visionary director can do with a ton of good CGI.
As del Toro admits in behind-the-scenes footage, almost all of the film's basic concepts are ripped off of mecha anime. That being said, the details of the fight scenes are breath-takingly original. Every light reflecting off Godzilla's reptilian body, every nuclear- powered Jaeger footstep, every building that explodes into millions of virtual pieces, every volcanic glow behind leathery Kaiju wings. It is all meticulously designed to maximize visual pleasure. This is eye-candy that hasn't been seen by cinema thus far.
Gyo (2012)
Surprisingly good horror anime
This movie's audience is obviously looking for more "Sharknado" than "Silence of the Lambs," and thats what it delivers: a silly, scary good time. It's creators push the boundaries of the B-movie genre to hilariously stupid limits. You don't watch a movie about fish with fart-powered spider legs and expect a philosophical mind- bender. This is a horror movie that a seven-year old boy would dream up.
That being said, the film succeeds in creating more than just silly scares. Edge-of-your-seat terror is nicely punctuated by dark comedy in the first half. The second half mixes character development, conflicting origin theories, and post- apocalyptic thrills. All of this is accomplished while paying homage to slashers, body-horror, zombie movies, and even tentacle porn.
No, this is not a movie to be watched with your parents. No, it has no relevance to serious film criticism. No, it is not a classic that I would watch multiple times. But it is a good movie that delivers on its promises, and then some. As a huge fan of horror and anime, I would certainly recommend this movie.