Mubi Monday: Baghead (2008)

Although I had no idea about what to really expect from Baghead, I knew that I liked the people involved. The Duplass brothers were in charge of both writing and directing (with John E. Bryant also credited for creating a film within the film), and the cast included Greta Gerwig, currently being celebrated by almost everyone for helming Barbie and helping to turn the world happily pink, for at least a short time anyway.

The slight plot sees four people, two men and two women, head out to a cabin in the woods to relax and come up with some creative movie ideas. That’s a perfect horror movie premise, of course, and it isn’t long until someone gets nervous when they realise they are being watched by someone with who could best be described as a “baghead”, hence the title. It probably isn’t anyone outside the core group though, because who would want to get mixed up with this mass of insecurities, tensions, frustrations, and attempted betrayal. These adults often act like teens, especially when both of the men take a shine to the same woman (Gerwig).

Described in some places as a low-budget, lo-fi, horror comedy, Baghead isn’t something to rush to if you want scares or laughs. It has too few of either, although it certainly has a better blend of the two than some horror comedies I could point out. I am not trying to gate-keep here, not wanting to remove any genre credentials. I just don’t want people going in with the wrong expectations. What you get here is decent, it’s interesting, but it actually works best when looking at the ways in which people will manipulate the creative process for personal gain. It also looks at abuse of power in a small, but thought-provoking, way. 

Steve Zissis and Ross Partridge are the two main male characters, and both feel very well-suited to the Duplass brothers style. In fact, I was surprised that the brothers themselves didn’t take on these roles, but maybe they weren’t confident enough at this point in their career. Or maybe they just felt that Zissis and Partridge were better in the roles. Gerwig is as good as she always is, and she works especially well opposite Elise Muller (the older of the two, a bit more savvy, and able to deliver criticisms with a smile and a demeanour that makes them seem as if they could be compliments).  Jett Garner also has a small, but vital, role, and he does well enough, but it’s a relief that he isn’t part of the main group that we spend most of our time with.

I tend to like movies from the Duplass brothers, although I always feel as if I haven’t seen nearly enough of them. Don’t go into this if you want a horror or a comedy, or a mix of the two. Go into it if you want a Duplass brothers movie. It succeeds in that regard, with the talented duo using some genre elements to present moments that work on a couple of different layers. You could even begin to wonder if we should be as critical of what the brothers present as we are of what the men onscreen are planning, and I think that is absolutely part of the talking points being raised here. This is fun, odd, and very clever.

8/10

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Shudder Saturday: The Midnight Swim (2014)

The feature debut from writer-director Sarah Adina Smith, The Midnight Swim is the tale of a woman (Beth Grant) who disappears during a deep-water dive at a place called Spirit Lake, which leads to her three daughters turning up to ostensibly put her affairs in order. The three women end up discussing their upbringing, as well as the mysterious power of the lake.

First thing's first, The Midnight Swim is not a horror movie. It's important to get that out of the way now, and especially important when it is a title that horror fans may stumble upon. Judge the film for what it is, not for what it doesn't try to be.

Second, The Midnight Swim has enough in place to make it worth your time. It's all very competently put together, the main characters - June (Lindsay Burdge), Annie (Jennifer Lafleur), and Isa (Aleksa Palladino) - are all fine to spend time with, and the pull of the lake at the heart of things is nicely woven throughout the whole thing.

Third, and finally, this is a film which, in line with the subject matter, has some hidden depths to explore. Whether it's the mystery of their mother's disappearance or the strength of the bonds between the sisters, you get the feeling that almost every scene in this movie is saying something important, either about the characters or about the grand mysteries of life and death.

Having said all of that, this didn't work for me. It wasn't a painful experience, not at all, but it certainly wasn't a film I really enjoyed watching. The relatively slim runtime - it clocks in at about 84 minutes - felt longer, many scenes felt as if the main point being made got lost somewhere in translation, and the ending wasn't as interesting or satisfying for me as Smith obviously wanted it to be. I am sure there are others who will love the ending, it's certainly something a bit different, but I just couldn't get on board with it.

Burdge, Lafleur, and Palladino all do well in their roles (all three actresses have built up interesting résumés over the past decade or so), Grant does as good as she usually does, in her small amount of screentime, and there are solid supporting turns from Ross Partridge and Michelle Hutson, although the latter features in one of those scenes that I feel ended up a step removed from what was intended.

What you get here is, overall, a decent family drama with one lively "music video moment" to pep things up. It's just a shame that none of the main plot elements or ideas are explored in a way that makes them as interesting as they could be, resulting in a film that is just rather dull and disappointing, albeit very well put together.

4/10

It's on Shudder here in the UK, of course.
Americans can check it out here.

Amityville: A New Generation (1993)

I don't know if I am just getting easier to please after enduring the awful fourth and fifth movies in this franchise or whether things genuinely picked up slightly in the early 90s but this is another Amityville movie that I actually quite enjoyed. In fact, it was pretty good and I'd even consider rewatching it.

Directed by John Murlowski, and written by Christopher DeFaria and Antonio Toro (who also wrote the instalment before this one), Amityville: A New Generation once again uses the plot device of an object from the old house ending up elsewhere and causing a lot of trouble. This time it's a mirror.

Ross Partridge plays Keyes, a young photographer who ends up being given the evil mirror by a homeless man that he photographs. Of course, he doesn't know that it's an evil mirror. It's just a mirror with a strange, ornate frame. Perhaps a number of bizarre deaths that occur to those in contact should raise suspicions but, of course, it still takes a while for Keyes to realise the truth, a truth that reveals how Keyes coming to own the mirror was more than just random chance.

It's standard nonsense, really, but it benefits from some good pacing between each of the set-pieces, a finale that is as loony as it is surprisingly interesting and a cast full of genre movie favourites - David Naughton has a decent role, Robert Rusler plays an asshole, Richard Roundtree is good to see but doesn't get much screentime, Terry O'Quinn is the man investigating the strange circumstances and Lin Shaye puts in another of her small but memorable roles in this kind of fare.

The death scenes are decent and the ridiculous plot developments are teased out in a way that makes them a bit easier to swallow. Take a moment to think about it all, however, and it quickly becomes apparent just how silly it all is. Thankfully, that doesn't need to happen until the end credits roll because Murlowski keeps things moving along nicely from start to finish. There's some fleeting nudity, decent effects, a flashback or two and a recurring surreal nightmare for the main character. Which makes it hard to hate.

6/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Amityville--New-Generation-Ross-Partridge/dp/B00006IXBM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1348043184&sr=8-1