LIGHTS OUT

Teresa Palmer   Gabriel Bateman   Maria Bello   Alicia Vela-Bailey   Alexander DiPersia   Billy Burke

          “Lights out” is what parents are known to say to their children at bedtime, but in this horror show, the ghost Diana (Vela-Bailey) is commanding everyone to darken the house so she can come out.  And if they don’t do it, she does it decisively, scarily.  The film is gripping and jump-worthy, with gruesome special effects, eliciting many groans and screams from the audience.

          The back-story is that Rebecca (Palmer) has left her mother’s house to get away from strange goings-on.  Sophie (Bello) has a history of psychiatric problems, so this doesn’t seem extraordinary.  But then, Rebecca is contacted by her brother’s (Bateman) school after Martin shows signs of something being wrong.   The child welfare authorities are involved, but Rebecca is reluctant to follow up on the choices they give her.  Not being very experienced in childcare, she attempts to take Martin under her wing (not a good time, given her ambivalent relationship with her boyfriend Brad) (DiPersia), and is a little lame at first until Martin lets her know he is seeing the same things she did that prompted her to leave home. 

         Now, of course, this is a horror show, so she doesn’t contact the police; she attempts to manage the situation on her own.  Brad wants to help, and at first she pushes him away, as she is wont to do, but eventually accepts his help.  The story continues with the name ‘Diane’ being carved on the wood floor, a drawing of the family (in which Diane has inserted herself) being snatched away mysteriously, and doors opening and closing on their own, usually with a bang.

       Lights Out is well done, with only a few of the characteristics that I inevitably feel are stupid, like going down into a dark cellar when there’s been a disturbance, not calling the authorities, not explaining to loved ones what’s going on, etc.  For the most part, writer/director David F. Sandberg and writer Eric Heisserer sustain the suspense while keeping the action reasonably plausible and intelligent, all nicely enhanced by composer Benjamin Wallfisch’s music. 

       The actors do a fine job, with Teresa Palmer ably taking on the starring role, showing emotional transitions, shock, and panic throughout her trials.  Child stars seem to have a naturalness that adults may or may not have, and Gabriel Bateman is a case example, showing a child who is logical, sensitive, and duly frightened by the occult.  I especially appreciated the character Brad, Rebecca’s long-suffering boyfriend, masterfully played by Alexander DiPersia.  Maria Bello is inevitably fine in her performances, and she underplays nicely a haunted woman whom everyone regards as crazy. 

        This is a film that genuinely horrifies without resorting to heavy-handed special effects, which, for me, is scarier in making it more plausible.  Although ghosts may not necessarily be plausible, enough people believe in them—and they have some validity in relation to emotional disturbances—that if they are well done, as here, they can serve as a metaphor for many kinds of human fears.

      For me, the most eloquent scene of Lights Out is toward the end:  “There’s no me without you.”

Go and be chilled to the bone.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

MCFARLAND, USA

--> Kevin Costner     Maria Bello

 

McFarland, USA is a Disney production that reminds of the recently opened indie, Spare Parts, in which, like this film, Latino teenagers are challenged by an inspiring teacher to go beyond their perceived destiny and achieve the American dream.  Spare Parts is about a scientific competition, whereas McFarland is about a sports competition.  Both are based on true events.  I preferred the raw, edginess of Spare Parts, but McFarland is still very good. 

In both films, the inspiring teacher has a dicey past that each man is trying to overcome, and find themselves in what they think is a temporary position, not having an inkling of the emotional pull of their new communities.  Coach White (Costner) has gotten into trouble at several institutions because of a hot temper and not controlling his impulses, and the family has had to move multiple times; McFarland is the lowest yet.  White’s wife Julie (Bello) is a model of support, and they have two lovely girls. 

White is astute, though, and when he sees three of his students running back and forth to the farm fields to help their parents, he realizes how fast they go, and hatches the idea of coaching them in cross country running.  He takes advantage of the fastest runner getting in trouble, and sees to it that his “punishment” will be to recruit his fellow students for the team.  As a side, in both these films, the principal is a leader who has insight into teachers’ intentions and what’s best for students.  So with everyone involved working together, Coach White has a scrappy team that can be motivated to reach beyond their dreams, and educate him along the way as well.

The road will not be smooth, of course, with family issues, work vs. school pulls, some parental resistance, and community violence needing to be dealt with along the way.  But another strong point of the film is in demonstrating how community support and everyone working together can achieve seemingly impossible goals.

Niki Caro, the director, working closely with the writers, presents a realistic picture of the Latino and white cultures mixing together—both rough spots and humorous incidents—and balances well the athletic, emotional, social, and administrative highs and lows.  The audience in the screening I attended expressed their appreciation of the film by applauding, chuckling, and cheering throughout.

Kevin Costner was at his best in giving eloquent speeches at just the right time and—more often—mumbling shyly his thanks or sympathy.  At one point, though, he has to come through more openly in a very tender moment with a student.  The supporting cast of Latinos—many of whom have been in television productions—are really fine, and make the picture sing.

Altogether, McFarland is an entertaining, inspiring, and heartfelt movie.

Running for your life cross country—literally.

Grade:  B                        By Donna R. Copeland