Shorts #103
Short Thoughts: Zombieland (2009), Carnival of Souls (1962), Tokyo Drifter (1966), Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014)
A rather brilliant film composed of sharp characterisation, great world building, sublime narration, but betrayed by its own logic. The opening is light and fun, the slow build of character relations is well paced and nicely set along a journey into their intimate inner-worlds. Alas, the third act sees so much fall apart. The opportunity for spectacle in the fair is missed and the character decisions motivating the move into that part of the world is entirely unjustifiable. Why turn on all of the lights and machines and then be surprised when 1000s of zombies swarm? Why crash your car into a lake in response to this? All tension meant to be produced here falls flat leaving the narrative on a dull note. However, the rest of the film remains in tact - though, I'm not sure of the necessity of a sequel.
Though this suffers from weak direction and editing, there are sparks of competence about Carnival of Souls. It is a film that does not work. Alas, the silent, somewhat impressionistic, sequences of the film imply that this may have found so much more success as a straight silent film. After all, so many problems are found in the dialogue and sound-montage; choppy performances would be hushed and the cacophonous and often confusing (due to the blundering lack of distinguishment between diegetic and non-diegetic organ music) sound design would be less intrusive. If put in the hands of a Jean Epstein maybe the gothic horror would work and the meandering and obtuse narrative would find itself more enigmatic and thematically compelling. That said, the neighbour character pretty much ruins all of intrigue about this clunky psychological horror. I don't know if Epstein would be able to save this entirely.
Though I was consistently confused and rather unsure what was going on with plot and character arcs, I thoroughly enjoyed Tokyo Drift.
Character is reduced to an aesthetic immersed in a world of style; a flurry of colour pallets all balanced and contrasted in fluffy light to perfection. They operate in a musical drama exuding thematic statements like items of fashion. The result is a truly New Wave kind of cinema that steps, leaps and bounds from cinematic norm to deliver a form alien and unique, yet in some way functional. What conclusions can be made as the narrative closes are lost on me, but Tokyo Drifter is as striking as it is immersive.
The CGI continues to date, but the narrative is always surprisingly incredible. I have written about this film and the others in the prequel trilogy to no end, so I have run out of things to say. But, I'm always left in awe. This trilogy as a whole is one of the greatest achievements of modern American cinema, and the opening film is flawless. Astounding.
The CGI of Maurice and select shots of Caesar still blows me away. The narrative, still incredible.
An intricate navigation of the line dividing family and society, of moral optimism and moral discrimination, of trust and betrayal, Dawn is so deep and simple, profoundly human, and incredibly weaved. I felt less of a disdain for the human characters in this narrative than I have previously. There are scenes with them that could certainly be thrown away, but so many make tangible and visible the battle raging within Caesar; a contemplation of the good and the bad in humans and apes (in conscious, intelligent beings), of how to operate and communicate the lessons of that battle. Whilst slightly more faultable than Rise, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is astounding.
