Theatrical Reviews: Daybreakers (Michael & Peter Spierig, 2009) and The Book of Eli (Albert & Allen Hughes, 2010), and other news

I decided to review both of these recent theatrical releases together due to a particular commonality between the two, and because the write-ups will be rather short in comparison to my other reviews. So, let us begin with Daybreakers

The film takes place in 2019, thrusting the viewer into a world where a plague has stricken humanity, turning the vast majority of the population into vampires. Faced with the dilemma of a rapidly-dwindling supply of blood due to the fact that the human race is on the verge of becoming extinct, a hematologist by the name of Dr. Edward Dalton (Ethan Hawke) is trying to develop an alternative, artificial blood supply to ensure his species' survival. Should he fail, all of the vampires in the world (which is pretty much everyone) will slowly mutate into grotesque, mindless monsters. Of course, he is not just in it for the vampires, as he cares for humans, too (and he does not drink human blood). His boss, Charles Bromley (Sam Neill), however, does not share his sympathies, and neither does his brother, Frankie Dalton (Michael Dorman). This causes for quite the problem when Edward decides to help a group of humans escape capture (and thus 'harvesting' in which they are placed in a machine that keeps them alive as long as possible while constantly draining their blood).

Basically, Edward ends up on the run with the humans after discovering that there may very well be an actual cure for vampirism, thus negating the need for an alternative blood supply. This key to the cure lies within human-turned-vampire-turned-human Lionel 'Elvis' Cormac (Willem Dafoe), and has to do with getting a mild sunburn. There really is not a whole lot to spoil, but I will not divulge any more of the plot lest it ruin what fun there is in viewing the film - and it is a fairly decent one at that. The performances are fantastic, the premise is interesting and thought-provoking, and the nighttime world of the vampires is quite a marvelous spectacle to behold. Unfortunately, Daybreakers suffers from one glaring fault that stops it short of being an outstanding film: the ending. The final half hour of the film is riddled with horrid pacing, ludicrous turns in the plot that seem only to serve as an excuse to push the R-rating as far as possible with blood and gore violence, and it culminates in a finale that is wholly unremarkable. The lack of any punch in the closing scene is pretty much due to its ambiguity, which is a characteristic that - in this rare case - is just not quite admirable. Still, I believe it is worth seeing for the originality and Sam Neill alone.


Moving on to the The Book of Eli, a post-apocalyptic western starring Denzel Washington as Eli (of course), Mila Kunis, and Gary Oldman. Eli is a wanderer traveling west in the aftermath of a nuclear holocaust. He was been traveling west across America for thirty years. I hope that last sentence raised a few eyebrows, as it certainly baffled me as to how the hell he has yet to reach his destination. Anyways, leaps in logic aside, Eli is carrying with him a book (which, if you cannot guess from the trailers alone, is a copy of the Holy Bible). In a world where almost all religious texts have been destroyed and mankind has been without them for a few decades, it comes as no surprise that a man such as the ruthless Carnagie (Oldman), the ruler of a town Eli stumbles upon, is seeking just such a text so that he may use it to expand his power. Naturally, Eli is not about to let the book fall into the wrong hands, and so with the help of a girl named Solara (Kunis), he tries to continue his journey west.

There are a number of gorgeous fight scenes throughout the film - one near the beginning in which Eli dispatches a group of cannibals in silhouette stands out as particularly exquisite, and suspense is built quite effectively all throughout. As usual, Gary Oldman shines in his performance, and the rest of the cast is excellent as well. The premise is one that is not quite as original as it could have been, but it is nonetheless one that is captivating in its mystery and the unraveling therein. Similar to Daybreakers, however, what is left after all the secrets are revealed is lackluster at best. There is a profound twist that is not very surprising at all, nor does it really seem very logical. Furthermore, the end of the film provides no real catharsis; nothing is quite solved - at least not to the degree that it makes much difference in the world one way or the other - and this is topped off with a final scene that is almost impossible to take seriously.


Finally, a tidbit of news, as I neglected to mention it earlier: Five Minutes of Heaven, the Liam Neeson flick I mentioned that I have been waiting to see, has had a DVD release date announced: April 27th, 2010. Here is the trailer for the film:

Thirst (Park Chan-wook, 2009)

It is certainly no secret that I am quite the admirer of Park Chan-wook's work. Oldboy is one of my all-time favorites (right behind V for Vendetta and American Beauty), and the other two films in his acclaimed "Vengeance Trilogy" are fairly high on the list as well. So naturally, I was eagerly anticipating his latest effort from the very moment I learned of it. Unfortunately for me, I was unable to seek Thirst out in its highly limited theatrical release, and thus had to bide my time until the DVD finally hit shelves on November 17, 2009. I am ecstatic to say that it was well worth that long, arduous wait; every last second. Let me be as up front as possible: Thirst is an extraordinary film.

The film begins with the introduction of Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho), a Roman Catholic priest who brings peace to the terminally ill, assisting in the plight and uncertainty that comes with passing from this life to the next. Growing tired of the grief that comes with watching patients die, Sang-hyun decides to volunteer for an experiment in which he will serve as a test subject for curing a deadly virus. At first, he seems to be just another failed effort among the batch of volunteers, but shortly after flat-lining he miraculously returns to life thanks to a blood transfusion, becoming the only survivor thus far. Shortly thereafter, he takes shelter with a childhood friend, Kang-woo (Shin Ha-kyun), and his family. Here he meets Kang-woo's loving mother, Lady Ra (Kim Hae-sook), and his wife (whom Sang-hyun also knew during his childhood), Tae-ju (Kim Ok-bin), who completely despises her husband, and with good reason.



Also of importance during this time is that Sang-hyun quickly learns that he is a vampire. Of course, being a priest, he is not one to begin stalking helpless victims in the night. Instead, he gets blood from unconscious patients at the hospital he works at (primarily from a man in a coma named Hyo-sung, a gentle soul who delights in feeding the needy - so Sang-hyun does not feel guilt in the act).



Sang-hyun simultaneously takes a romantic interest in Tae-ju - a mutual feeling, as she longs for him to rescue her from the life she lives (indeed she even confides that she has loved him since they were children. He is reluctant at first, as perhaps a priest must be in abstinence, but he does not put up much of a resistance before indulging in carnal desires with Tae-ju. Not wanting to hide his condition from her, Sang-hyun reveals to her that he is a vampire, which initially terrifies Tae-ju, but she quickly embraces the fact with a playful adoration, even wishing to become a vampire herself.



Through various means, the two allow their love to flourish and Sang-hyun does all within his power to give Tae-ju a happier life. However, he understands all too well that his illness leaves one teetering on the edge, holding firmly to a minuscule thread of humanity. The film focuses a bit on both Sang-hyun and Tae-ju struggling with the moral quandaries presented to a vampire, but remains first and foremost a rather tragic (yet often comedic) love story. As is the norm for the director, the narrative is not without its share of quirkiness and flair - to the extent that the unaccustomed viewer may well be scratching his/her head at some of various happenings that take place in the latter third of the film's two hour and fourteen minute run-time.

Thirst is a splendid tapestry of romance, comedy, and occasional horror. Cleverly-conceived dialogue, erotic (albeit sometimes bizarre) scenes of intimacy, and buckets of blood are all present with marvelous execution. While it is doubtful in my mind that Park Chan-wook can ever hope to deliver a film quite as perfect as Oldboy, this latest effort is definitely not to be missed. If I were to make any complaint about the film at all, it would have to be with the DVD release itself, as it sports no special features whatsoever. While this fact is disappointing, it is not too troubling, as I find it likely that a double-dip will be released sometime within the next year or two, likely containing (at the very least) a commentary track and some behind-the-scenes featurette(s). Unfortunately, until that hopeful day arrives, this humdrum release will have to suffice. Still, poor DVD aside, I must say that Thirst is quite the nourishing film, though I will always have room for more of Park Chan-wook's work in the future as well.

World's Greatest Dad (Bobcat Goldthwait, 2009)

For me, 2009 was a year that consisted predominately of both colossal disappointments and pleasant surprises. Thankfully, Bobcat Goldthwait's World's Greatest Dad, starring Robin Williams, is one of the latter. I was intrigued merely by Williams' starring in the film as well as the overwhelmingly-positive critical reception. Unfortunately, the film slipped under the radar and was confined to a limited theatrical release. In the midst of all the other films I had my eye on at the time, I admittedly forgot about it entirely. It even managed to avoid an extensive list of upcoming DVD releases that I maintain. A week after it was released, I noticed it on the shelf at MovieStop and snagged a copy once my memory of film resurfaced. Sadly, this sort of thing seems to happen every time Robin Williams takes on a more serious role. That is not to say that World's Greatest Dad is necessarily a 'serious' film, however. To the contrary, it is a dark yet strangely hysterical movie (ie. dark comedy). Furthermore, it is well-written, well-acted, and succeeds at establishing an extraordinary emotional connection with the viewer; one that is rather uncanny, but it works. Though there are several films from 2009 that I have yet to view, World's Greatest Dad is above and beyond the best I have seen thus far.

The story revolves around Lance Clayton (Williams), a failed author in the sense that he has not been able to get any of his work published. Moreover, he is a high school poetry teacher whose class enrollment is so low that the course is in danger of being removed from the curriculum. To make matters worse, he is becoming increasingly uneasy in his secretive relationship with a fellow teacher, Claire (Alexie Gilmore). Finally - and most significantly - his son, Kyle (Daryl Sabara - whom you may recognize from Rob Zombie's remake of Halloween, in which he plays a bully that is beaten to death by a young Michael Myers), is a twisted, strikingly perverted miscreant. Kyle is obsessed with pornography and masturbating (and literally nothing else, it would seem). This obsession teeters on the edge of the extreme due to his fascination with exceptionally vulgar things (such as German Shiza pornography) and his experimenting with asphyxiation while masturbating. What is worse is the fact that his obscenity is far from limited to these (mostly) private endeavors, as he is a complete jerk to everyone he encounters - even his father and his "best friend," Andrew (Evan Martin).

Unfortunately for Lance, all of these dilemmas seem to be heading collectively towards a certain eruption of chaos. He is jealous of a fellow teacher, Mike Lane (Henry Simmons - whom some may recognize from the short-lived [yet phenomenal] television series, Shark), who was able to publish the first piece of literature he submitted. The fact that Claire also seems to be increasingly drawn to Mike does not help the situation, either. Combined with a dull poetry class that is nearly empty and a son that is spiraling further and further out of his control, Lance is stressed beyond all reason. A slight beacon of hope occurs during a dinner he has with Claire and Kyle, but it is incredibly short-lived when, in the following scene, he finds Kyle dead in his bedroom as a result of choking to death while masturbating. Not wanting his son to be remembered in such a disgraceful manner, Lance makes it appear as if Kyle hung himself, forging a suicide note to solidify the plan. It works, but not quite in the way Lance expects.

Everyone at Kyle's school becomes obsessed with the dead degenerate that treated them all like trash, all as a result of the school newspaper leaking the poetic suicide note that Lance had written. All of the students and faculty begin believing that Kyle was a poor, misunderstood soul that was really sweet at heart and immeasurably intelligent; that was simply a brilliant mind struggling to find his way in a mundane environment. Lance fuels this belief, going so far as to draft an entire journal for Kyle and have it published. Beauty lies within the irony that Lance finally has his work published but it is attributed to his son instead of himself. Though the entire ordeal is not particularly humorous when narrowed down to its most basic details, the various happenings both before and after Kyle's death are utterly hilarious in their presentation and execution.

I will say no more for fear of spoiling the fun entirely, but let me summarize by saying that this is a serious film that does not take itself seriously. It is over-the-top, ridiculous at times, but never boring. It is constantly entertaining, and sure to inspire a peculiar assortment of feelings all throughout. The ending, too, is one of the most effective I have seen in quite some time - partially due to its subtlety. It seems that fewer films nowadays are capable of such effective endings to the narrative, but World's Greatest Dad has one that, while it could have potentially been better, is wholly admirable. I believe it goes without saying that I strongly recommend viewing this film. However, it should be watched with an open mind. Try not to take it too seriously and, more importantly, do not be afraid to laugh.

Update: The Vengeance Trilogy, and Jan/Feb DVD releases

Upon checking DVDActive.com today for updates, I noticed that The Vengeance Trilogy was among them. Seeing as how the site is a phenomenal source of information regarding upcoming DVD releases, I found it odd that they had no coverage of the set until now, as I was under the impression that it had been released on November 24th, 2009. Well, as it so happens, there is a rather simple explanation: the boxed set has been delayed until March 16th, 2010. Therefore, instead of waiting until I have the set to review Thirst, I have decided to go ahead and review it separately.

Also, here is a list of forthcoming DVD releases (through February) that are of interest to me. A "*" indicates that I am considering writing a review of it at some point in time:

1/12/10
-Moon*
-In the Loop*
-The Hurt Locker*
-Onimasa*
-Departures*

1/19/10
-Pandorum*

1/26/10
-This is It
-The Donner Party
-A Touch of Spice*
-Paris, Texas (Criterion Collection release)*
-Saw VI*
-I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell*
-Whip It*

2/2/10
-Zombieland
-The Wolfman: Universal Legacy Series*
-New York, I Love You*
-The House of the Devil*

2/9/10
-A Simple Man*
-The Real Wolfman (History Channel special)

2/16/10
-Halo: Legends*
-Goodfellas 20th Anniversary Edition
-Revanche (Criterion Collection release)*

2/23/10
-Flame and Citron*
-The Vicious Kid*
-Howard's End (Criterion Collection release)*