The Tribeca Files 3: Of Monsters And Men...Who Will Soon Be Turned Into Monsters - FRANKENSTEIN'S ARMY

FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY is the ultimate found footage horror film. It’s a straightforward, free-of-complications depiction of a Russian platoon’s rescue mission into a remote World War II era Nazi occupied village. What they, and by proxy we fortunate viewers, find in this presumably alternate history are monstrous amalgamations of man and machine that decimate their numbers until the film reel ends. But not before introducing us to a devilish take on the iconic pop culture figure with a god complex.   

One watches the Czech production with a sense that something impossibly esoteric has been unearthed; from the rubble of battle torn ruins or perhaps the bottom of drawer containing secreted away, classified files. This footage is imbued with an old stock quality that blankets us with a warm antiquated feeling.

It also makes the viewing feel closer to being a head on experience. It’s an inherent quality of found footage films that is all too often neglected. The lurching stops and starts create disorientation and a sense that physical harm is rapidly descending upon us. Kind of like the most incredibly conceived of concept for a haunted house attraction ever.

The monstrous creations enlisted in FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY are literally the stuff of nightmares. When my dreams go dark, they rarely contain easily identifiable figures. They tend to be distorted mixtures of various cultural reference points. That’s what director –‘s inventions are like, adding another layer to the experience not unlike feeling trapped in a helpless dream. Another great use of the found footage mode makes it so they do not ever feel neatly framed. There is no outward acknowledgment that this is a movie. Instead they lurch awkwardly about, sometimes not even aware of our presence. Threatening to notice and turn in our direction at any given moment.

Yet they are not without their vintage historic scifi (re: Steampunk) appeal. propeller blades, divers' helmets, and other mechanisms are repurposed in thrilling ways. Terror intersects astonishment.

Also of note is the brilliantly oppressive soundtrack. Between the fade in and out of thundering, militaristic propaganda dirges are dense walls of sound. The racket of a giant generator, for instance. When it fades momentarily, you feel like you’ve been given a reprieve. (You’ll also probably notice the enthusiastic applause of other viewers.)

Can it not be said that FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY is a powerful statement on the horrors of war? Sorry for getting serious while we’re all glazed over with thoughts of propeller-faced behemoths and other warped monstrosities, but the instances of anti-heroism in FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY seem to form a pretty blunt statement on the subject. There is bullying behavior and bloodthirsty intent in the part of the team we follow. Nobility appears more in the meek civilians encountered along the way. And the rescue mission itself is tainted by hidden agendas. Yes, while the film does operate as a tour of sensory delights, it does in fact have a plot worthy of keeping your attention on the interplay between characters.

That Raaphorst has acclaim as an ad director is no surprise. He has an obvious gift for animating scenes that will remain in viewers’ unconscious. This probably has a lot to do with FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY being a successful exercise in form as well as content. The movie is in fact a shot in the arm to the realm of creature design, giving recent forerunners in this twisted art like Yoshihiro Nakamura cause to up their game. His cult-worthy Tokyo Gore Police has nothing on FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY.

FRANKENSTEIN’S ARMY premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. Its future fate is of no small amount of intrigue.

Follow this link for some sketches of the creature designs. But make a point of seeing their blessedly CGI-less animated forms on a large screen.

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The Tribeca Files 2: Plenty of Bark and Bite in BIG BAD WOLVES

Is it just me or are two of the settings in BIG BAD WOLVES mirror images of Korean suspense films? A not at all by the book (unless referring to its use as a weapon) interrogation scene seems transported to the open air level of a building where black market organs are sold in Sympathy forMr. Vengeance. Later, a frantic search in a school’s empty lot (or is it a greenhouse?) is reminiscent of a field where a major confrontation in I Saw The Devil occurred. This is not snark, I genuinely want to know if any of these scenes ring familiar, or is it just me? The idea of Israeli directors Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado channeling imagery from these films, either unconsciously or not, is an interesting theory – to me, anyway. In recent years South Korea has certainly been a go to scene for technically adept and innovative examples of suspense thrillers, particularly those dealing critically with the idea of vengeance. And Keshales and Papushado seem determined to deliver a crowning achievement in that very field.

In many ways the makers of BIG BAD WOLVES seem like they are ‘going for it,’ treating suspense filmmaking as a contact sport they are playing to win. Going back to my ‘Korean idea,’ I would not be surprised if they were studious observers of the shining examples from throughout the realm of suspense and psychological thrillers. They are extremely fluent in the genre.

The tone is set in the film’s opening moments. Children play what seems like an innocent game, but a bombastic score screws up the tension around the slightest movement or expression. Shot in a highly stylized semi slow motion, their eyes and smiles suggest malice. And indeed many moments down the line will feel similarly spring-loaded with potential catastrophe just around the corner.

At the core of this story is grizzly serial child murder and the resulting vigilante-like intentions of two characters riding a very blurred line between protagonist/antagonist. Their motivations are driven by frustration with the perceived red tape of bureaucracy on one part; pure and simple vengeance on the other. 

An investigation into the crimes is joined midway, a suspect in the crosshairs of law enforcement, with details on how he came to be there pointedly lacking. There is scarcely little insight into these crimes from the killer’s or even a forensics expert’s point of view. Instead, we follow a cop who’s been taken off the case for his questionable methods, and the father of the latest victim as they engage in a bizarre and darkly comic trial of errors with the meek suspect.

The film is a very purposeful button pusher. There are probably very good cops in Israel but they are not depicted between the frames of this movie. Everyone who has any kind of serious impact in the male dominated cast is corrupt, operates above according to their own interpretation of the law, or is just plain inept. There are implications that suggest everyone in is a secret, or not so secret torturer. Yet, the movie‘s script is playful throughout, perhaps making the seriousness of the cultural satire go down a bit easier.

Humor takes a much larger role in the production than one might expect. The pair so doggedly out for blood show signs of being both believably vicious and at other times, laughably flawed. Enter the ‘cameo’ of a Palestinian, on horseback no less, whose presence plays ruthlessly with cultural stereotypes and drops a heaping load of hypocrisy right in our laps.

Things move nimbly from the comedic to cringe inducing gruesome acts, with no lack of the red stuff, when it counts.  It even includes a moment of the now timeworn tradition of depicting sinister doings set to misaligned cheerful music. In short, Keshales and Papushado seem to be having a blast flexing their skills of execution with this sort of filmmaking.

My one complaint is an unresolved feeling at the film’s conclusion. Some courses of action suggested an outcome that would make a more coherent critical statement, yet it seems to be dealing with something else. While it’s a mostly powerful indicting statement from start to finish, the final allotment of outcomes doesn’t quite put a fitting cap on these ideas in my view. Still confused is a much lesser offense worse than dull, and there were few moments I did not find myself inching toward or already at the edge of my seat.

Big Bad Wolves receives its world Premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. Visit the festival website for more information.

Twitter: @mondocurry

The Tribeca Files 1: When a DARK TOUCH Falls on Deaf Ears

The Violent Eye, in collusion with Unseen Films, will be bringing you looks at this year's Tribeca Film Festival. In its first bit of festival coverage, the 'Eye will focus on genre films in the realms of crime and suspense, as well as all those in the Midnight category. So it begins with DARK TOUCH. Follow the exploits of Violent Eye conduit to the flesh world Mondocurry on twitter.

At various points in DARK TOUCH, you may find yourself wondering how people in the film can be so blind to what’s happening? Do they not know how this works? Have they not been to the movies before?

But then, characters, or more specifically, adults that populate the provincial Irish hamlet where the story takes place don’t really notice or listen to much of anything. This seems a major point of Marina De Van‘s stylized riff on classic horror, taking the ‘little girl besieged by paranormal activity’ formula and souping it up with a shot of social commentary, if not entirely turning it inside out.

The little girl in question is Neve, wide eyed and wearing an expression of perpetual unease. Child actress Missy Keating does a wonderful job channeling a forlorn sense of knowing into her frail form. She moves slowly, as if on brittle legs, suggesting she is aged beyond her years.

After the turmoil of a messy opening scene, we get hints of some kind of trauma. And then, things go ballistic. The film sets itself apart by not beating around the bush with typical shadowy appearances and slamming doors. Instead, furniture flies about, explodes, or shoots across rooms to pin people down, while sharp ends make savage incisions on their targets. It’s the first of a few impressively wrought and very bloody transgressions.

This incident leaves Neve an orphan, so naturally, a couple once close to her parents take her in while awaiting a more permanent arrangement. Remember the adage, ‘it takes a village to raise a child.’ In effect it is the small town itself with its quaint 1 room schoolhouse that adopts her.

Naturally things begin to go awry, but not with the usual plodding about as in your typical house horror film. It’s quite apparent to everyone in the audience, even to Neve herself who, in a moment of self-awareness, declares, “I’m the one that does all this.” Yet, it is the adults of the film who don’t notice because they are too busy being…adults.

Seen as a typical revenge of the abused against the abuser story, I could see this lacking excitement. But (and perhaps this is some recent sociocultural studies classes doing the talking) DARK TOUCH seems preoccupied with a more encompassing notion of how adults act toward children, which doesn’t end with physical abuse. The act of control, of assuming knowledge of what’s best without actually listening, seems just as much an affront. De Van suggests, and none too subtly, how the children here are being socialized to carry this same pattern out from generation to generation. This is shown in a (hopefully) soon to be classic “birthday” scene that I found playfully macabre.  As well as scenes where Neve, assuming an antagonistic role, begins mimicking the ‘adults talk’ she has been hearing around her.

Cataloging the aspects of DARK TOUCH’s production that I liked could be done routinely enough. Sinister soundtrack. Claustrophobic spaces. Children bearing creepily threatening likenesses. Checks all around.

Rather, it is the points where DARK TOUCH seems to go ‘off the rails’, like the aforementioned interior explosions, that I am most interested in. There is definitely a point where logic falls by the wayside and events lose their connectivity. A more dreamlike sensibility takes over, perhaps giving in fully to Neve’s wrathful state of mind. Visually arresting scenes of destruction more than make up for any loose ends or lacking explanations. As an impressionistic lashing out against a certain cultural phenomenon, it makes quite an impact.

DARK TOUCH receives its world premiere at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. It plays. Visit the festival website for more details.

Korean High Kick Boys Bare FISTS OF LEGEND

                                       

Having seen FISTS OF LEGEND, the new martial arts film from South Korean hit director Kang Woo-Suk (Public Enemy, Moss), I’ve had it on the brain. My thoughts have now turned to imagining it as a gala musical production. It has the makings of: A lengthy running time of Bollywood epic proportions, atypical of the average martial arts competition story. An interweaving of long dramatic interludes that takes us through key moments in the main characters’ teen years up to their adult lives.  All that’s needed is some catchy tunes and choreographed dance numbers.

Fear not fight film fans, balking at the idea as being too camp. That’s all in my mental wanderings. FISTS OF LEGEND exists right now a mostly sober martial arts film.  And, along with its numerous depictions of hand to hand combat, it absolutely stretches, pulls, and reshapes the traditional genre beyond the usual conventions.

The story is built around the premise of a reality-based tv show bearing the same name, which invites average citizens preceded by reputations of great fighting prowess to prove their ability in MMA competition.  Their incentives are the chance to achieve newfound glory and significant sums of money for each match won.   Three of the contestants, all living unique but troubled lives independent of one another, happen to share a past connection, one steeped in violent strife that none of the three is eager to return to. The story shifts between the tragedy-lined past and the contestants’ current situations, with the Fists of Legends program beckoning them in.

 Front and center in the cast is Hwang Jung-Min playing Lim Deok-Yu, a one time Olympic boxing hopeful who now runs the family noodle shop while

raising his adolescent daughter as a single parent. The opportunity to see HWANG in a major role is not one to pass up. My admiration of this star on the rise stems from seeing him play a weary, corrupt detective in The Unjust and a flashy but formidable expatriate gangster of Chinese decent in the recent New World. And that’s far from the whole of his acting accomplishments. Here he gets to show off a more nuanced performance range, capturing the good natured humbleness of someone content to be alive and accepting of his lot in life, yet haunted by his troubled past. Frustration and even rage are added to his emotional palate while trying to take care of his rebellious daughter and finding himself overwhelmed by her social problems at school.

Another bit of interesting casting finds Lim’s teenage counterpart played by Park Jung-min, a young actor who delivered a riveting debut performance in indie film Bleak Night. That movie was a stunning exploration of the culture of violence surrounding adolescent teens. Park portrayed a victim of bullying; yet here he is the most dominant fighter of the area schools, modest at first, but soon showing signs of bravado and later, rage when his ambitions to fight nationally run afoul of corrupt powers that be.

As an interesting tradeoff to the competitive matches that take place in qualifying rounds and, eventually, a tournament spectacle, we see a lot of violent interactions involving the characters in their high school days. Fights occur between rival school gangs and, eventually, between the main characters and local gangsters. At times these make for some of the more dynamic battle scenes, especially a nightclub brawl in which the high kick boys, fraught with frustration and recklessness, engage in a frenzied over the top battle with an army of thugs on their own turf that soon attracts police into the fray as well.

The mixed martial arts sequences are no slouch either. In fact, it’s a feat to marvel at considering Hwang and his colleagues’ lack of prior training, all coming from backgrounds of playing dramatic roles. Matches are fast-paced with lots of striking blows. There are kicks that comes crashing down on opponents’ heads to look out for, and a wrestling style throw in the final fight shot from an incredible angle. Also worth noting is the fact that Lim and his peers have their own unique fighting styles portrayed consistently throughout the film.

While the story is a sound one, a few aspects left me a bit cold.  There is a certain pale vagueness about the venue where matches take place. It seems almost as though it could be part of an underground fighting circuit, or maybe the set of a low budget television production…the latter is in fact what I believe it’s supposed to be. The colorlessness about it makes some of the earlier fights seem a little too distant.

The film’s unconventional inclusion of characters’ detailed backstories along with their current dealings, while a daring move, can also take away a bit from the total impact of its parts. It feels like a lot to keep track of at times. There are antagonists, inside and out of the ring, but they lack the intensity one comes to expect in a fight-centric story.

At the same time, it marks an interesting shift from the typical, and perhaps dated goals of such films, which focus on the main character trying to best an archrival. Here, more socially conscious themes of salvaging damaged friendships and taking care of family take precedence.

Yet, society is a prominent character in most of South Korea’s compelling films, and here as well, it serves as a worthy adversary to the protagonists. School bullying, the allure of organized crime on a disenchanted and misdirected generation, and corruption all contribute significantly to their struggles. The end goal, while not the bashing in of a hated rival, involves a different set of values, coming together of friends despite past differences, and strengthening of family bonds.

Another curious aspect of Fists’ is its inclusion of various nods to American culture. From the sprinkling of one-word English phrases throughout the fictional program’s production, to the variation on ‘Eye of the Tiger’ that scores the big tournament. And there is the name of one of the commentators, ‘Jason,’ perhaps meant to reference him as a former competitor with a Korean American background. The show’s female producer and self-professed creator of the show promotes it aggressively and tries to wrangle the protagonists into the competition. Her manner seems far from the traditional modest disposition expected of women in Korean society. I would be very curious to learn if her dialogue contains uncharacteristic qualities, and if this just happens to be, or if it is in fact a challenge to old fashioned cultural norms.

Are these traits a sign of affection for Western culture? Or, in light of the prominent South Korean directors making recent English language film directing debuts, is it a call for more cultural exchanges and collaboration? Another hint of this comes by way of its release details:  FISTS OF LEGEND opens this weekend in select US theaters, including here in New York and New Jersey, just a few days after its debut in its native South Korea.

Me on twitter = @mondocurry