BeatRoute Magazine AB print e-edition - [August 2017]

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THE MUTILATOR Night Terrors Film Society present schlocky gore-fuelled slasher If you could summarize the months of summer as a freshly blended piña colada, you could pluck any slasher film falling between the late ‘70s to early ‘80s and use it as the perfect metaphorical accentuating umbrella. Drenched not only in deliciously candied apple plasma, a beloved staple of the aforementioned sub-genre is the excessive promiscuity and abuse of intoxicants. Wild in every sense of the word are the seemingly mindless teens out to have nothing but a good time – and whom without fail allow themselves to be relentlessly slaughtered at a quickened pace. Paralleling the unwritten law of heavy metal music, slasher films are quick and sleazy. They are the dirty rock and roll of horror films, and they ignite an insatiable lust for blood in those who have fallen head over stiletto heels for them. Falling at the tail end of the golden age of slasher films, The Mutilator (1984) is often overlooked due to the over-saturation of the genre by the year of its release. Wasting no time selling heavily on the gore ticket, the movie poster cannot be described as anything but a beautifully grotesque display of a scantily clad woman suspended by rope next to three corpses as a bloodied meat hook menacingly awaits her. Already horrifyingly gruesome, this illustrated image only scratches the surface of the nastiness awaiting viewers in the 86 minute runtime. The film kicks off on a tragic note, as a sweet young boy accidentally kills his mother while cleaning his father’s gun. Fast-forward several years and that young boy becomes the protagonist of the film -- a loveable college student whom upon being contacted by his estranged father decides to visit the old family beach house with a group of his closest friends. Like many slash-tastic video nasties that came both before and after, the early warning sides of imminent danger are ignored by the oblivious teens. A home adorned with animal carcasses, a strange photo of a mangled man, and weaponry adorning the walls is followed by a simple explanation. “He’s hunted everything but man,” our protagonist says of his father. Later on when alarm is expressed upon discovering that his father’s battle-axe is missing, it is met with immediate laughter and dismissal. As to be expected of any vacationing party animals, another can of beer is cracked and all is momentarily forgotten. “We’re the only ones on the island!” The line is expressed several times foolishly throughout the film. Remarkably cheap and nasty, The Mutilator is unique in its utilization in weapon variants. While Jason is known for his machete, Freddy for his glove, Michael Myers for his kitchen knife, victims in The Mutilator fall ‘By sword, by pick, by axe, bye bye!’ Paying homage to more serious slashers such as The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and Black Christmas (1974), the film provides an equal balance of schlock and horror. Having been released in the final year of the golden age of slashers, it exemplifies the progression of the sub-genre and ultimately why the era came to a close. Undoubtedly more focused on carnage above all, it serves as a wonderful illustration of simplistic, fun, fast-burning horror. Despite the comedic relief provided by laughable acting, what makes slashers so eerily effective is their undeniable anchor in realism. Unlike ghost stories and creature features, the murderers in these films are average people just like us. They are our friends... Our family members... Our neighbours... They’re everywhere, and that summates the true definition of horror in human nature. Catch The Mutilator at a midnight screening August 25 at the Globe Cinema (Calgary). by Breanna Whipple BEST FILMS TO SEE THIS MONTH animation, art-house and a double-feature coincidence play a role in everyday human experience. Deep stuff! The film combines reality with fiction, using selected works by Friðfinnsson as a basis for the narrative. There are several stories within the film to emphasize this theme, one of which entails a pair of twins who were separated at birth. The film’s bio reads as such, according to the Esker Foundation website: “One twin was brought up in the mountains of Iceland and the other below sea level in Amsterdam. Despite their shared genetics and birth date, the different forces of gravity in their environments have caused them to age differently. Equally occupied with exploring the nature of time, the twins are in fact one and the same person, Hreinn Friðfinnsson, in present and past.” This one is sure to cause some headaches, in a good way of course. Time and Time and Again will be shown at the Esker Foundation on August 25 at 7:00 p.m. by Jonathan Lawrence also responsible for renowned worldwide successes, such as Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro and Howl’s Moving Castle. The screening will be put on by Quickdraw Animation Society, and an animated short film will precede each of the two screenings. Previous screenings included Ponyo, From Up on Poppy Hill, and future screenings will include Kiki’s Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky. The Secret World of Arrietty can be seen at the Globe Cinema on August 19 for a 12 p.m. and 7 p.m. showing. Dave Made a Maze There is really no film like Dave Made a Maze. Combining quirky comedy, innovative practical effects, and stunningly inventive visuals, this film is an absolute must see. Why did Dave make a maze, you ask? Frustrated by a lack of doing anything significant in his career, Dave builds a seemingly innocent, childlike fort constructed of duct tape and cardboard boxes - only to be trapped within its labyrinthian walls. “It’s much bigger on the inside,” Dave explains to his girlfriend, who assembles a rescue squad to save him only to be met with supernatural elements and the wrath of an angry Minotaur. If you haven’t seen this film yet, at least watch the trailer. It alone is vastly entertaining. Originally seen at the Calgary Underground Film Festival (where it won Best Narrative Feature), Dave Made a Maze is back for two nights in Calgary on August 11 and 12. Don’t miss it! Dave Made a Maze will be shown at the Globe Cinema on August 11-12 at 7 p.m. The Secret World of Arrietty The Secret World of Arrietty at first glance seems strangely familiar. Isn’t this the same plot as 1997’s The Borrowers, starring John Goodman? Well, yes, but more specifically, its roots go back to a series of children’s stories from the 1950s (also called The Borrowers) about a family of four-inch-tall people Time and Time and Again is about the life of Icelandic artist Hreinn Friðfinnsson, who live in the walls of a normal sized English house Courtesy of the Esker Foundation, a rather obscure, whose stark, yet poetic imagery has been exhibited and steal little things here and there. It sounds like yet fascinating Icelandic film will be screening at their all over the world. He is notable for transcending the having roommates. Inglewood location on August 25. mundane into the exciting and evocative - a primary Arrietty took this idea and was turned into a beautifully This brief 45-minute film, Time and Time and Again, theme throughout the film, along with how time and animated film by Studio Ghibli, a Japanese studio 14 | AUGUST 2017 • BEATROUTE FILM Avoid the summer blockbusters and catch some cool indie films instead.
THE VIDIOT rewind to the future by Shane Sellar The Boss Baby The Fate of the Furious Ghost in the Shell Kong: Skull Island Shin Godzilla FILM The Boss Baby The best time to ask your newborn boss for a raise is when you’re changing their diaper. Unfortunately, the CEO in this animated family movie always has the advantage. Tim’s (Tobey Maguire, Miles Bakshi) perfect life is disrupted when his parents (Lisa Kudrow, Jimmy Kimmel) have another child, Boss Baby (Alec Baldwin). Sharply dressed and keenly acute, the husky-voiced youngster informs Tim that he has been sent from elsewhere to turn the tide in the babies’ battle against puppy popularity. But if Tim doesn’t help stop the release of an everlasting puppy, Boss Baby will become his brother forever. An unsettling blend of low fertility rate propaganda, Loony Tune-esque sex education and smart mouthed infants, DreamWorks’ latest offering borrows too heavily from funnier sources. Although Baldwin’s voice work is exceptional as always, nothing much else in this bizarre cartoon works. Besides, kids already know that all babies come from China. The Fate of the Furious The worst part of street racing in the summertime is you have to slow down in construction zones. Fortunately, the motorists in this action movie can afford the double fines incurred. While on a mission to retrieve an electromagnetic pulse device for agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson), former street-racer turned secret agent Dom (Vin Diesel) betrays his crew (Michelle Rodriguez, Chris Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Nathalie) and gives the EMP to a terrorist, Cipher (Charlize Theron). Backed by black ops (Kurt Russell, Scott Eastwood), Hobbs and Dom’s crew track their former comrade to Russia, where he and Cipher have commandeered a nuclear submarine. Equipped with over-the-top sports car chases, boastful banter and buckets of machismo, this eighth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise maintains those touchstones. However, its interpretation of those mainstays is more cartoonish than its predecessors. Furthermore, due to the extreme depths they achieve, submarines are the ultimate low-rider. Free Fire The key to conducting a successful arms deal is not loading any of the weapons before hand. Regretfully, the merchants in this action movie included ammo in the exchange. A Boston arbitrator (Brie Larson) gets embroiled in an arms deal between IRA members (Cillian Murphy, Sam Riley, Enzo Cilenti) and a South African supplier (Sharlto Copley) and his go-between (Armie Hammer) that results in a standoff. Trapped inside of a warehouse and armed to the teeth, each party attempts to oust the other and escape with the cash intended for the now botched transaction. Although it comes off as gritty 1970s throwback, this claustrophobic shootout misfires more than it hits. While the international cast is certainly capable, the plot, the dialogue and the characters are surprisingly weak and one-dimensional. Even the non-stop shootouts are too pedestrian to bother mentioning. Moreover, arms deals should take place somewhere public, like at a children’s festival. Ghost in the Shell Cybernetic implants will make it hard for women to say their vibrating breasts are natural. Thankfully, the enhanced lady in this sci-fi flick is comfortable in her synthetic skin. The mind of Section 9 assassin Major (Scarlett Johansson) is the only part from her original body occupying her new metal shell. But when a cyber-terrorist (Michael Carmen Pitt) targets her benefactor, what little memories she retained may now be as artificial as her. With help from her partner (Pilou Asbæk) and designer (Juliette Binoche), Major unravels her origins, which later leads her to a showdown with an eight-legged mecha. While it is pretty to look at its Neo Tokyo aesthetic, this whitewashed and ultimately Americanized live-action adaptation of the beloved cyberpunk anime over-explains the narrative with dumbed down meditations on the mind, social unrest and future shock. Fortunately, once your body is robotic you can eat cured meats again. Gifted The key to raising a gifted child is selling them to science before you get too attached. Unfortunately, the mother in this dramedy died before getting her payday. Frank (Chris Evans) gallantly accepts guardianship of his niece Mary (Mckenna Grace) after her mother’s death. Like her mathematician mother, Mary has no trouble solving her first grade teacher’s (Jenny Slate) rudimentary math problems – and she let’s her know it. Mary’s air of superiority soon lands her in trouble. Luckily her talent with formulas finds her grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) taking an invested interest in her. So much so, she sues Frank for custody. A paints-by-numbers prodigy anecdote that strokes its brush well within the lines, this charming but predictable squabble only succeeds thanks to its leads who bring humanity to this glorified custody battle. Incidentally, the best way to knock a know-it-all math genius down a few pegs is with gym. Kong: Skull Island The most exciting aspect of finding a giant monkey is all the cosmetic testing you can conduct on it. Fortunately, the simian in this adventure picture isn’t wearing any mascara yet. Dispatched by the military to map out Skull Island, Lt. Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), a mercenary tracker (Tom Hiddleston), a photojournalist (Brie Larson) and a government official (John Goodman) arrive to find a 50-foot gorilla protecting the natives from subterranean creatures that roam the atoll. Conflict erupts when half of the party wants to kill Kong and the other half wants to save him. The most dynamic incarnation of the 80-year old ape, this fast-paced update set in 1973 doesn’t waste time with exposition or character development. Instead it gets right down to eye-popping creature clashes that excite much more than they engage. Incidentally, the only way to pacify an enormous primate is with a gigantic tire swing. The Promise Dating during wartime is hard since most of the restaurants and theaters are rubble. However, the couples in this drama have been able to find love amid a holocaust. On the eve of WWI an Armenian medical student (Oscar Isaac) studying in Constantinople manages to evade conscription in the Ottoman army long enough to fall in love with a Paris-raised Armenian (Charlotte Le Bon). Unfortunately, she is betrothed to an American newsman (Christian Bale) and he is promised to a neighbour’s daughter. All four lives collide in the aftermath of the Great War, during Turkey’s systematic slaughter of the Armenian people. The Promise is a well-acted piece of historical storytelling that doesn’t manipulate the facts of the Armenian Genocide for the sake of fiction. Unfortunately, the awkward love triangle only distracts from the enormity of the massacre. Fortunately with post-war breakups, you have your wife stateside to console you. Shin Godzilla The most exciting aspect of discovering a giant lizard is waiting for its ossified bones to become oil. However, the Japan depicted in this sci-fi feature will be rubble by that point. Cabinet Secretary Rando’s (Hiroki Hasegawa) suspicion of a substantial sea creature living off the Japanese coast is confirmed when a news camera captures images of a massive unidentified organism. Panic doesn’t set in until the entity makes landfall. Excelled evolution soon allows it to stand upright and emit blasts of radiation. A strategy to cool the creature’s internal fusion is put into place. The 31st installment in the reptilian franchise, Godzilla Resurgence returns the character to its nuclear roots, alluding to recent atomic disasters that have tested Japan’s mettle. While the damage done is on par with most kaiju movies, it’s the film’s urgency that makes it memorable. Incidentally, Godzilla always dresses funny after trampling Tokyo’s Harajuku district. He’s an Overgrown-up. He’s the… Vidiot BEATROUTE • AUGUST 2017 | 15
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