Enter the Void

Directed by: Gaspar Noe  

Written by: Lucile Hadzihalilovic, Gaspar Noe  

Starring: Paz De La Huerta, Nathaniel Brown, Cyril Roy.

Rating: 7/10

In a nutshell, Gaspar Noe's often exasperating but always visionary Enter the Void follows a man on his journey from his last hours on earth, through his death and his journey into the afterlife. The first twenty minutes or so follows Oscar as he takes a hit of DMT (a very potent hallucinogen) and goes on a visually arresting, if slightly over-long trip. He then leaves his house to give his friend a stash of drugs he owes him only to be chased and shot by police when he gets there. From there, his death and afterlife mirrors the philosophies behind the Tibetan Book of the Dead which theorises (I’m sure I’m putting this very crudely) that one's soul floats around, watching the world without them until they figure out how to leave their old life behind and move on. To recommend this film to audiences is perhaps a wrong turn, as it is bound to strike most as indulgent, immoral, needlessly vulgar and uncomfortable (particularly in Oscar's tendency to watch his sister having sex whenever possible). However, with suitably forewarning, this is a film that any self-respecting cinephile should make a point of seeing, and especially on the big screen.

Noe proved with Irreversible that he was a technical genius and that his eye for original visuals knows no bounds. He also proved that he wasn't afraid to shock his audience and has quite the nasty streak running through his stories. In both visual content and shock factor, Irreversible was merely a precursor to his magnum opus Enter the Void. With an endless stream of nasty images and depressingly dead-eyed unpleasantness, it is difficult to feel anything for any of the characters, but none of this dampens the impact of Noe's probing, soaring, spectral camera as it floats in and out of lives and deaths. I don't know if it has ever been done before but the camera-as-spirit conceit is  highly effective and one which puts a very interesting moral spin on the voyeurism of this film. Noe takes voyeurism to extreme, as Oscar's spirit jumps in and out of bodies in often very unusual and even shocking circumstances.

The trouble with Enter the Void is that it is difficult sometimes to know whether to laugh or be shocked. Some of the content is pretty outrageous and even quite silly. However, for every roll of the eyes, there is a gasp of astonishment in terms of the intensity of the cinematic experience. Having now seen this film twice (it premiered at JDIFF 2010 in February), I must say I was pleased to see some superfluous scenes towards the end cut out, giving the film a somewhat more streamlined effect.

Your tolerance for Noe’s self-indulgence will most likely decide your level of enjoyment of this, a film I imagine will very much divide audiences, but it is at the very least a visual milestone that should be seen on as big a screen as possible (though somehow I can’t see this one gracing Screen 1 in the Savoy anytime soon). A flawed piece, but one flooded with moments of genius.

 - Charlene Lydon (from: www.filmireland.net)

If you want an idea of what to expect check out the TRAILER and for a taste of the manic energy, here's a clip of the opening credit sequence which suitably sets the tone for what's to come.

The Girl Who Played With Fire

Written by: Jonas Frykberg

Directed by: Daniel Alfredson

Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Nyqvist, Lena Endre, Yasmine Garbi.

My Rating: 4/10

The first film of the trilogy The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo premiered at this year’s Jameson Dublin International Film Festival in February to a warm reception proving to be a highly enjoyable and very accomplished murder mystery. Noomi Rapace embodied the character of Lisabeth Salander (the titular tattooed “girl”) magnificently and was certainly the high point of the film. Although not quite a classic, I’m sure the fans of the novel feel it was faithful. The second film follows just six months later, The Girl Who Played with Fire, and unfortunately it isn’t half as entertaining as the first film. In fact, it is alarming how inferior this film is to its predecessor.

The Girl Who Played With Fire sees Lisabeth accused of a double murder that just so happens to involve the Millenium publication that Mikael Blomqvist work with. She and Blomqvist have not kept in touch since the events of the last film but they both separately pursue the villain in this film in order to clear her name. The dynamic of two heroes searching for the same villain but not coming into contact until the final minutes is ambitious, but it unfortunately leaves the film feeling a little heartless. Michael Niqvist is painfully dull as Blomqvist, as he was also in the first film and makes it almost impossible not to find yourself wishing away most of the film, waiting for Lisabeth to get more screen time. It is clearly her film and Noomi Rapace tears up the screen every time she appears. The character of Lisabeth is the heart and soul of the story and as we peel back the layers and get to know more about her, the more interesting she becomes. I would go so far as to say that this character is the only thing that prevents this film from being a very mediocre thriller.
The Girl Who Played With Fire stretches your credibility to the extreme. As far-fetched as the first film was, this one will undoubtedly have you raising your eyebrows more than once. The final act is particularly ridiculous and although some might enjoy the bloody endgame (I did!), there are a lot of plot points that are difficult to buy into.

This is a standard murder mystery which is poorly played out, but is strengthened by another incredible performance from Rapace. The story is not half as classy as the first film, but it’s worth a look if you like a tantalising mystery.

 - Charlene Lydon (from: www.filmireland.net)

The Hole 3D

Written by: Mark L. Smith

Directed by: Joe Dante

Starring: Chriss Massoglia, Haley Bennet, Nathan Gamble, Teri Polo, Bruce Dern

My rating: 8/10

The Hole 3D (not to be confused with the Thora Birch vehicle of the same name from 2001) is a good old-fashioned horror yarn for youngsters. No gore, no nudity, just good scares! A grumpy teenager and his little brother move with their single mother to a small town. They soon befriend the beautiful girl next door and they happen across a giant, ominous hole in their basement. The hole is seemingly infinite as the boys conduct a series of experiments including lowering a night-vision camcorder down and throwing a handful of nails in (to tremendous 3D effect, as you can imagine). What they don’t discover over the course of these experiments is that the hole, once opened, lets loose your greatest fear which then proceeds to stalk you. A simple setup, but it is used very well, not only for thrills but as a sometimes thought-provoking look at the fears that you don’t realise you have.

The very obvious but extremely effective “evil clown doll” is great for scares and a hammy throwback to old-school horror of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits. The other “fears” are somewhat more cerebral and as the film progresses, some of the fun tends to get lost in the family issues storyline. However, it is a well-written piece and the script reveals drips of information at a suitably subtle pace. The young cast do very well in roles that should have been very annoying and there is an element of class to proceedings overall. While this is certainly not by any means an important or a very original film, it is great to see films aimed at kids that refuses to condescend to them. The Hole plays it for scares, and isn’t afraid to do just that. Children will be terrified and delighted in equal measure. The 80’s gave us kids’ adventures that dripped with real danger like The Goonies or Labyrinth, and of course Joe Dante’s Gremlins movies. These films were quite nasty, and unlike most of the saccharine rubbish kids are dealt these days, they are quite menacing. The Hole is a worthy successor to these films and isn’t afraid to push your nerves just that little bit further than you might expect.

From the poster and trailer I expected a tween adventure with a supernatural twist akin to Are You Afraid of the Dark or Goosebumps? To my delight, this was far more enjoyable than just a silly kids’ film. It is certainly directed towards young teenagers but the great thing about The Hole is that it is actually scary!

This film is full of menace but keeps the tone light enough to maintain the element of fun. Dante keeps you on the edge of your seat with constantly mounting tension and silly jumps that make the audience giggle as much as scream. This is as fun as horror gets and for once the gimmick of 3D is used as just that... a gimmick.

Certainly not high-brow but lots of fun and scarier than you might expect!

The Runaways

Written & Directed by: Floria Sigismondi

Starring: Dakota Fanning, Kristen Stewart, Michael Shannon

My Rating: 7/10

The Runaways tells the story of the now relatively obscure band that began the career of the now legendary Joan Jett. The Runaways may be obscure now, but they made quite a splash in their day. Joan Jett and Cherie Currie were international icons and the concept of an all-female punk-rock band was unheard of before them. Their songs were simple and not exactly profound but the girls’ raucous joie de vivre and Cherie’s tendency to “flaunt her wares” ensured that they became an overnight sensation.

The film tells the girl’s story from just before they met. Joan (Stewart) was a tearaway, teenage punk who liked men’s clothes and loud electric guitar. Cherie (Fanning) was a good girl gone bad who cut off her long, angelic, blonde hair and performed at her school talent show miming David Bowie in spandex and face paint. Joan meets legendary manager Kim Fowley outside a club and begs him to listen to her band. He instantly sees the potential marketing sensation and he and Joan handpick Cherie randomly from the crowd to become their singer.

The rest, as they say, is history. We’ve all seen this film before. It is your typical biopic, all sex and drugs and rock n roll, and then the inevitable fall from grace. I don’t judge biopics for being formulaic. It’s very difficult to deviate from the conventions of the genre. So, conventions aside, this is a decent film that works in what it sets out to do: give a snapshot of the world The Runaways came from. The visuals, the colours, the costumes and the music are all vibrant and exciting. The girls are sexy, spunky and fearless in their performances and the chemistry between the two leads is perfect. The relationship that is built between Joan and Cherie is both intimate and awkward. Neither girl quite understands the other but both are swept away in the excitement of their friendship and the whirlwind of their new-found fame. Of course the sex and drugs that were once so enticing soon become a problem, especially for the naive and bratty Cherie.

The appeal of the sweaty, sexy, exciting club scene is what makes this movie stand out. However, it loses its way somewhat towards the end as the band’s downfall is handled lazily and feels a bit tacked on. If you like your girls slutty, your music trashy and your clothes held together with safety pins then this movie is for you. However, if you’re looking for a profound analysis of the music and historical context of The Runaways, you’ll come away disappointed.

 - Charlene Lydon (from: www.frankthemonkey.com)