Village of the Damned (1995 film)

Based on the novel The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham, Village of the Damned is the story of a small town that is ravaged by mysterious children women gave birth to during following a strange blackout as they would try and control everything around them. Directed and co-scored by John Carpenter and screenplay by David Himmelstein, the film is remake of the 1960 horror film by Wolf Rilla as it is updated and set in Northern California as it play into a modern world ravaged by mysterious children. Starring Christopher Reeve, Kirstie Alley, Linda Kozlowski, Michael Pare, Thomas Dekker, Meredith Salenger, and Mark Hamill. Village of the Damned is a flat-out boring and terrible film from John Carpenter.

A small yet isolated town in Northern California goes into a strange blackout where everyone passes out with a few of its locals dead where ten of its women gave birth to children nine months later as their children have become these strange and controlling figures trying to kill those who threaten them. That is pretty much the premise of the film as a whole as it has a lot of mystique into what the locals are dealing with where a doctor, a school principal, and a government agent try to figure out what is going on. The film’s screenplay, which features un-credited work from Steven Siebert and Larry Sulkis, tries to maintain that air of mystique ends up with very little answers about the blackout and why these children act so strange and kill those who threaten them with only their eyes. At the same time, there is very little development with the locals with the exception of Dr. Alan Chaffee (Christopher Reeve), the school principal Jill McGowan (Linda Kozlowski), and the government agent Dr. Susan Verner (Kirstie Alley).

Yet, they’re given some awful dialogue while Dr. Verner has to give a lot of exposition that never makes a lot of sense as it relates to the blackout and these powers that the children have. Jill becomes attached to her son David (Thomas Dekker) who would begin to understand and express emotions unlike the other children who were born on the same day as well as conceived on the day of the blackout. David is stunted because he doesn’t have a mate like the other kids as his supposed mate is a stillborn child while the others have someone to latch on. It also makes them very dangerous as they would make the adults, who threaten them, to kill themselves. Unfortunately, the children are among the most uninteresting antagonists in the film as they just spout a bunch of very clinical ideas as the dialogue and such just makes it sound very idiotic.

John Carpenter’s direction has some nice visual moments that play into beauty of the locations as it is shot in Marin County in California. Yet, it never really does anything to engage the audience into the suspense as Carpenter just goes for something straight due to the lackluster elements of the script. The suspense never holds up as the moments where the children would have their eyes glow to make the adults harm themselves often comes across as forced. There are these moments of violence that are intense but it also comes across as cheesy where Carpenter is really hampered by the many shortcomings of the script. The compositions in the medium shots and close-ups has Carpenter try to flesh out the drama while creating moments that are simple in the way characters interact each other. Unfortunately, it would lead to these moments of suspense as its climax that involves police and the national guard trying to stop those children becomes this ridiculous bloodbath that is very lackluster. Overall, Carpenter creates a very uneventful and lazy suspense film about scary children wreaking havoc into a small town.

Cinematographer Gary B. Kibbe does nice work with the cinematography as it is mostly natural and sunny for some of the daytime exteriors in the locations while using some lights for the scenes set at night. Editor Edward A. Warschilka does terrible work with the editing as it is nonsensical at times to play into the suspense and action as well as having some odd transitions that really don‘t work. Production designer Rodger Maus, with art director Christa Munro and set decorators Rick Brown and Don De Fina, does fantastic work with the look of the town including the barn where the children would stay in the film‘s third act. Costume designer Robin Michael Bush does terrific work with the costumes as a lot of the clothes are casual with the exception of the children with their gray and white clothes.

Special makeup effects artist Rob Hinderstein and hair stylist Charlotte Parker do excellent work with the look of the kids from the white hair and pale skin as well as the creepiness of their presence. Visual effects supervisor Bruce Nicholson does fine work with some of the minimal visual effects for the blackout sequence as well as the scenes where the children‘s eyes glow. Sound editor John Dunn does superb work with some of the sound from the way the glowing eyes sound as well as some of the moments of chaos. The film’s music by John Carpenter and Dave Davies is pretty good with Carpenter providing a largely low-key synthesizer score to play into the suspense with Davies providing some blues-based guitars in the background.

The casting by Reuben Cannon, Peter Jason, Sandy King, and Cheryl Miller is decent with the actors they used though none of them really had any strong material to work. Small roles from Karen Kahn as Dr. Chaffee’s wife Barbara, Constance Forslund as Jill’s friend Gail, Peter Jason as Gail’s husband Ben, George “Buck” Flower as a janitor who doesn’t like the strange kids, and Pippa Pearthree as the reverend’s wife Sarah are among those who suffer from the script as do Michael Pare as Jill’s husband Frank who dies early in the film and Meredith Salenger as a young virgin named Melanie who would give birth to the stillborn child. Mark Hamill is miscast as Reverend George as a town minister that tries to maintain some calm as he too becomes suspicious of the children as Hamill tries to ham it up which doesn’t work.

The performances of Thomas Dekker and Lindsey Haun in their respective roles as the strange children in David and Mara are just horrible as they provide some very amateurish and unrealistic performances while their line-reading is just awful to hear as is the other child actors playing the weird kids. Linda Kozlowski is alright as Jill as a woman who loses her husband and is a mother to the boy David as she tries to see if there is any humanity in the children as she becomes attached to her son. Kirstie Alley is pretty good as Dr. Susan Verner as a government agent that knows about these events as she tries to see how to stop them but also become aware of their powers. Finally, there’s Christopher Reeve in a terrific performance as Dr. Alan Chaffee as a man that tries to talk to the children and see if there is any humanity in them as well as be one of the few who could out-think them.

Despite a few decent performances and some nice visuals, Village of the Damned is an atrocious film from John Carpenter. Due to its very poor script, lack of any meaty suspense, and too much exposition that becomes nonsensical. It’s a film that showcases a filmmaker phoning it in while never really do anything to make the story engaging. In the end, Village of the Damned is an awful film from John Carpenter.

Related: Village of the Damned (1960 film)

John Carpenter Films: Dark Star - Assault on Precinct 13 - Halloween - Someone's Watching Me! - Elvis - The Fog - Escape from New York - The Thing - Christine - Starman - Big Trouble in Little China - Prince of Darkness - They Live - Memoirs of an Invisible Man - Body Bags - In the Mouth of Madness - Escape from L.A. - Vampires - Ghosts of Mars - The Ward

The Auteurs #60: John Carpenter Part 1 - Part 2

© thevoid99 2016

Accidental Love

Based on the novel Sammy’s Hill by Kristen Gore, Accidental Love is the story of a waitress whose life changes after accidentally being shot in the head by a nail gun where she receives brain damage and the attention of a congressman who would exploit her. Directed by David O. Russell, under the pseudonym of Stephen Greene, and screenplay by Russell (under the Greene pseudonym), Gore, Dave Jeser, and Matt Silverstein, the film that was originally supposed to be called Nailed is a look into a woman looking for support due to her lack of health insurance as she turns to the government for help. Starring Jessica Biel, Jake Gyllenhaal, James Marsden, Catherine Keener, Tracy Morgan, Beverly D’Angelo, and James Brolin. Accidental Love is a messy and nonsensical film from Stephen Greene.

The film is a simple story of a waitress who goes to Washington D.C. to get a bill created so that she and several other ordinary people can get health insurance following an incident where she was shot in the head by a nail gun. It’s a film that has an intriguing premise where this young waitress tries to fight for herself and friends in getting the health insurance they need since they can’t afford to get surgery to fix themselves. Yet, something definitely went wrong as it relates the story where it wants to be this political crusade film where an ordinary woman wants to fight for something yet it is also this weird romantic comedy between this woman and a young congressman who would exploit her for his own means. The script not only creates moments that are ridiculous but also has no clear identity in what it wants to be or how to balance the genre. The script that was originally written by David O. Russell and Kristen Gore seemed to have ideas of a political and social satire but that seemed lost due to those who were involved in the re-writes as it would try to be all things for all people.

Yet, it’s not the script that is entirely at fault but also the direction where it looked like there was a good film somewhere from Russell. Unfortunately, it seems like he was trying to go for something that was bit more unconventional in his approach to humor only to delve too much into conventional humor. While Russell would create a lot of straightforward compositions and moments that seem to aim for elements of political satire. It is clear that the film was lost in the post-production where it became something very different from what Russell wanted as it’s probably among the many reasons why he chose to not take credit for it. Anyone not familiar with Russell’s work would probably be confused in what the film wants to be as there’s a lot of people over-acting or moments that feels like it belongs in another film. For those who are familiar with Russell’s work as a filmmaker would definitely see that there was a lot in the film that had the potential to be funny as well as provide some insight into how politics work.

Yet, there were a lot that had happened during the film’s production that said a lot about why Russell left the film and later disown it. The film’s production began in 2008 where it got shut down frequently due in part to the 2008 financial collapse where several cast and crew members walked out of the film at times where re-shoots occurred in 2010 without Russell’s involvement who did leave the film. Through the post-production with the aid of cinematographer Max Malkin, editors Mark Bourgeois and Robert K. Lambert, and sound mixer Jeffree Bloomer, the film is given a look and tone that is best described as bland. Malkin’s photography looks under-lit in some spots and has elements of grain in some spots while the editing feels very jarring and nonsensical at times. Even the sound doesn’t do much in the way the film is presented as says a lot into what was happening in the post production. Overall, the film is just a really bad movie handled by people behind the scenes who really just created something that is just bland and lacks any real heart to a story that could’ve been so much more.

Production designer Judy Becker, with set decorator Vera Mills and art director Dennis Bradford, does fantastic work with the look of the diner that the protagonist Alice worked with as well as the restaurant where she would get shot in the head with a nail. Costume designer Marie-Sylvie Deveau does nice work with the costumes as it‘s mostly casual with a bit of style in the clothes that Alice wears. Visual effects supervisor Travis Baumann does OK work with the visual effects as it is essentially set-dressing but it never does anything for the film visually. The film’s music John Swihart is just hokey at best where it tries to playful with its mixture of orchestral music and pop but never stands out at all while music supervisor Susan Jacobs doesn’t create a soundtrack that is memorable as it consists of pop and soul music.

The film’s cast features a large collective of great talent but unfortunately, no one is given much to do. Notable small roles from Beverly d’Angelo and Steve Boles as Alice’s parents, Kirstie Alley as Alice’s veterinarian aunt Rita, Bill Hader as a surgeon, Jenny Gulley as Alice’s friend/fellow waitress Brenda, Malinda Williams as a security guard named Rakeesha that Alice’s friend Keyshawn falls for, David Ramsay as representative Harshtone who helps out congresswoman Hendrickson, Kurt Fuller as the Reverend Norm who helps Alice out by going to Washington D.C. with her as he has an untreatable injury, and Paul Reubens as Hendrickson’s aide Edwin never really get anything to do as it’s clear that either whatever material they’re working didn’t do them any favors. In a very brief performance, James Brolin is awful as House Speaker Buck McCoy who is just there as a plot-point in the film where he chokes on a fucking cookie during a meeting with Alice and her friends with Hendrickson in the same room along with girl scouts.

Tracy Morgan is alright as Keyshawn where he tries very hard to be funny but it never clicks while he also show a few moments that he can do more but the script’s shortcomings never gives him to rise above. James Marsden is just bland as Alice’s boyfriend Scott as a state trooper who would propose to her but has trouble adjusting to her mood swings where he breaks it off only to return to help her in the most convoluted way. Catherine Keener is terrible as congresswoman Pam Hendrickson as this former astronaut-turned-politician that is so eager to have a moon base created on the moon while wanting to be House Speaker as she just looks ridiculous as well as that bad haircut. Jake Gyllenhaal is just horrible as congressman Howard Birdwell as this young representative that wants to do good and help Alice only to exploit her for his own means where it’s a performance that tries to be funny but feels forced and unnatural. Finally, there’s Jessica Biel in a decent but underwhelming performance as Alice Eckle where Biel does try to make her character engaging but the shortcomings in the script as well as all of these quirks in her behavior from unexpected moments of rage to speaking in Portuguese makes the character more of a caricature than a real person to root for.

Accidental Love is just a horrendous film that doesn’t just waste a lot of talent but also showcase what happens when a film with some potential just goes to shit. Fans of David O. Russell no doubt will see this as just something they wish never existed while audiences who want to see a romantic comedy will pretty much be confused by a lot of what is happening. In the end, Accidental Love is a film that just really fucking sucks.

David O. Russell Films: Spanking the Monkey - Flirting with Disaster - Three Kings - I Heart Huckabees - The Fighter - Silver Linings Playbook - American Hustle - Joy (2015 film) - The Auteurs #70: David O. Russell

© thevoid99 2016

Deconstructing Harry

Originally Written and Directed at Epinions.com on 12/26/05 w/ Additional Edits & Revisions.

Written, directed, and starring Woody Allen as Harry Block, the film is about a writer whose self-absorbed working lifestyle and attitude practically alienates everyone around him. Now dealing with writer's block, he's also dealing with the mess of his relationships while trying to make amends with an ex-girlfriend who is going to get married. Then when he's about to be honored by a school, who threw him out in his freshman year, for his writing, all hell breaks loose in his intentions as the stories he based on his life comes back to haunt him. With an ensemble cast that includes Allen regulars Julie Kavner, Judy Davis, Caroline Aaron, Julia-Louis Dreyfus, and Mariel Hemingway plus Billy Crystal, Robin Williams, Kirstie Alley, Bob Balaban, Amy Irving, Eric Bogosian, Elisabeth Shue, Tobey McGuire, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci, Richard Benjamin, Eric Lloyd, Paul Giamatti, Jennifer Garner, and Hazelle Goodman. Deconstructing Harry is a fun but abrasive film from the often charming and funny Woody Allen.

Harry Block is writing various stories that was inspired by his own affair with a former in-law in Lucy (Judy Davis) about a man named Ken (Richard Benjamin) who has sex with his sister-in-law Leslie (Julia-Louis Dreyfus) at a barbeque. Harry tells the angry Lucy another story about a young named Harvey (Tobey McGuire) who pretends to be someone else where he meets the Grim Reaper. Yet it's among the many small stories Harry comes up with that includes a literally out-of-focused actor (Robin Williams) and one about a couple (Stanley Tucci and Demi Moore) that is based on his second marriage to psychiatrist Joan (Kirstie Alley). Still, he tells his current shrink (Robert Harper) about his writer's block as he learns he's to be honored by Adair University that kicked out him out during his freshman year.

Harry wants to take his son Hilly (Eric Lloyd) despite Joan's refusal while learns that his most recent girlfriend Fay (Elisabeth Shue) is getting married to his friend Larry (Billy Crystal). After calling for the services of a hooker named Cookie (Hazelle Goodman), he asks her to join him for the awards ceremony as he also takes his fearful friend Richard (Bob Balaban) and Hilly for a road trip to Adair University. During the trip, Harry's fictional life starts to emerge to him as he stops to visit his half-sister Doris (Caroline Aaron) and her husband/rabbi Burt (Eric Bogosian) where the visit doesn't go well due to a story inspired by Harry's contempt towards their late father (Gene Saks). Harry's fictional world and characters start to appear to him where he's forced to see some of the things he's done to people.

Arriving to Adair, Harry's fictional world and real-life starts to collide as he meets a literature professor (Philip Boso) as Harry tells a story about a meeting with the Devil that is in the form of Larry who forces Harry to face his sins.

Inspired by one of Allen's favorite filmmakers Ingmar Bergman and his 1957 film Wild Strawberries, Allen goes for a world where reality and fiction really do blur. Since Allen is known more for his writing, he reveals the troubles that a writer goes through whenever being dealt with writer's block and where fiction comes from. This results where many of the fictional characters in Harry's life are based purely from real people where those people know what characters they are. Their reaction is expected since everything that Harry does is upsetting and he degrades pretty much every female counterpart he's been with to create all of these characters. The film's ending sums up what the film is really all about. A man who couldn't adjust reality where to the point that he creates a fictional world where he ends up hurting the people around him.

Truly this is one of Woody Allen's most bizarre and edgy scripts but it's also one of darkest. There's a cynicism throughout the film while Allen also brings out some of the most abrasive and incendiary dialogue of his career. The use of graphic language isn't just shocking (to the world of Allen) but in his intent where you begin to wonder what inspired Allen to come up with this dialogue. Did he go out and stumble upon a few gangsta-rap albums or listen to Nine Inch Nails' Broken EP? Still, the dialogue brings out a comic edge to Allen where he goes out and plays his usual, neurotic character but this time around, Allen makes sure that Harry is a guy that is truly unlikeable despite his attempt to become sympathetic.

If Allen's script is sharp in its uncompromising behavior, his directing reveals that bitterness in a strange, bizarre style. The story about Mel, the out-of-focus actor shows that everything is clear except Mel, who looks like a total blur. There's moments where the entire film deconstructs itself into revealing Harry's psyche. The script helps visualize Allen's distorted view of fact and fiction into a directing style that is truly arty where jump-cuts are used and his visual style recalls those he's been influenced by. It's truly a dark comedy that despite its intent and protagonist, is really funny. Helping Allen in his visual is the late Italian cinematographer Carlo di Palma in his final film collaboration with Allen who brings a wonderful look of New York City and the upper stare country area that recalls Bergman. Longtime editor Susan E. Morse also plays up to Allen's deconstructed style where the jump-cuts shows Harry's stumbling, neurotic world of reality.

Also helping out in Allen's visual department is production designer Santo Loquansto who not only does great work into visualizing the world of New York but the scene where Harry is in Hell is truly amazing. Using nothing but red, orange, and whatever you can think of is truly a great idea of what Hell could be from Harry's viewpoint. With the use of swing music in the background, it's really a nightmare of a man's temptations for women and pills coming true. The film's soundtrack is also great for its use of jazz and swing that plays to the film's very upbeat tone in its presentation while helping the film move along very easily.

The film's cast is probably the biggest ensemble that Allen has put out. With small yet wonderful appearances from the likes of Robert Harper, Philip Bosco, Stephanie Roth, Mariel Hemingway, Amy Irving, Julie Kavner, The Sopranos' Tony Sirico as a cop, Irving Metzman as Harvey's shoe salesman boss, Howard Spiegel as Joan's patient, Paul Giamatti, and Jennifer Garner in her film debut as Harry's fictional version of Fay. Hy Anzell and Shifra Lerer are funny as Harry's fictionalized version of his parents while Gene Saks is funny as Harry's father. Eric Lloyd is excellent as Harry's son Hilly who often questions about Harry's view into the world while Robin Williams is even funnier as Mel, the blurred actor. Caroline Aaron is also good as Harry's sympathetic but religious sister who questions Harry's approval while Eric Bogosian is excellent as Harry's moralistic brother-in-law. The worst performance of the entire movie is Kirstie Alley as Joan where Alley overacts in a scene when she confronts Harry about the affair with her shrill voice and anger that doesn't work. Alley can be funny but as a dramatic actress, she is horrible.

Faring way better as Alley's fictional counterpart is Demi Moore who brings a calm and funny performance as Helen while Stanley Tucci is also good as Harry's fictional counterpart Paul in that segment. Judy Davis is wonderful as Harry's hysterical and troubling sister-in-law who wants to kill him after the break-up of their tryst and his awful ways. Richard Benjamin is funny as Ken with his affairs and a scene where he reveals Harry about Lucy's anger while Julia-Louis Dreyfus is good as Davis's fictional counterpart. Tobey McGuire is also funny and good has the young Harry, Harvey who is just an awful kid who cares nothing but wanting to sleep with the next girl he can come across from. Bob Balaban is wonderful as Richard who seems to be the only friend that Harry has as he does a great job in his fear of having another heart attack while giving Harry some moral insight near the end. Elisabeth Shue is lovely as the loyal Fay who loves Harry but is aware of his life as a writer while she displays the rare warmth of the rest of female characters.

Billy Crystal is excellent as Harry's friend Larry who also plays the part of the Devil in a hilarious scene about the two dealing with their own sins. Hazelle Goodman is the film's best supporting performance as the hooker Cookie who doesn't care for Harry's flaws while she does everything he can to get him to be relaxed. Woody Allen is the film's best performance obviously because he's in his own movie. Allen displays all of his usual, neurotic, insecure artistic world as a character that often works. Here, Allen displays himself in his most abrasive performance yet as a guy who is a schmuck. He doesn't think of the damage he does to people and all he cares about is his work, pills, and wanting to fuck the next piece of ass he sees. It's a great performance from Allen who plays one of his most unlikeable characters while making him a funny protagonist.

Deconstructing Harry is a strange yet entertaining comedy from Woody Allen that features an amazing ensemble cast. While it's one of Allen's better films of the 1990s as well as his most abrasive in terms of dialogue. It's also a great re-telling of Ingmar Bergman's Wild Strawberries where Allen gets a chance to pay tribute to one of his heroes. While it's a film that might take some Allen fans aback due to its content, there is still proof that Allen is able to take risks as a writer and filmmaker. In the end, Deconstructing Harry is a marvelous yet wild film from Woody Allen.

Woody Allen Films: What’s Up, Tiger Lily - Take the Money & Run - Bananas - Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid to Ask) - Sleeper - Love & Death - Annie Hall - Interiors - Manhattan - Stardust Memories - A Midsummer Night’s Sex Comedy - Zelig - Broadway Danny Rose - The Purple Rose of Cairo - Hannah & Her Sisters - Radio Days - September - Another Woman - New York Stories-Oedipus Wrecks - Crimes & Misdemeanors - Alice - Shadows & Fog - Husbands & Wives - Manhattan Murder Mystery - Don't Drink the Water - Bullets Over Broadway - Mighty Aphrodite - Everyone Says I Love You - Celebrity - Sweet & Lowdown - Small Time Crooks - The Curse of the Jade Scorpion - Hollywood Ending - Anything Else - Melinda & Melinda - Match Point - Scoop - Cassandra’s Dream - Vicky Cristina Barcelona - Whatever Works - You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger - Midnight in Paris - To Rome with Love - Blue Jasmine - Magic in the Moonlight - Irrational Man - (Cafe Society)

The Auteurs #24: Woody Allen: Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3 - Pt. 4

© thevoid99 2011