SPIRAL

Chris Rock     Samuel L. Jackson     Max Minghella     Marisol Nichols

             As the film explains toward the end, a spiral is symbolic of change, evolution, and progress.  Of course, this typically refers to the spiritual development of a human.  In the context of Spiral the movie, it does symbolize change, evolution, and progress—but in a distinctly different sense.  One of the first messages received is “I’m here to help reform the police.”

            When the movie starts, we’re immediately pitched into a torture scene—one of many that will follow as a deranged killer leaves his trademark of a spiral and delivers ominous messages and ghastly mementos to Detective Zeke Banks (Rock).  Right away, it becomes clear that Banks has earned the enmity and scorn of his fellow cops in the South Metro Police Department, so even though he’s assigned lead on this case, he’s not always getting cooperation from his associates, although Chief Angie Barza (Nichols) seems to understand him better than the others.

            The rest of the movie has all the devices commonly used in the horror genre—a series of startling frights and mysterious puzzles, confounding all those trying to wrestle with the situation.  We get a bit of father-son drama between Det. Banks and his father, (Jackson), the previous chief of the department.  These two characters are only fairly developed, but Rock—normally a comic—shows his skill as a lead actor in drama.  Jackson’s role is more as supporting actor, but his character is referred to frequently enough throughout the story, we get some sense of who he is.

            Director Darren Lynn Bousman and writers Josh Stolberg and Pete Goldfinger and some of the crew in this film have previously worked together on Saw franchise movies, this being the eighth.  (Bousman directed Saw II, III, and IV.)  Still another Saw is in the works, and Spiral is clearly set up for its sequel.  Obviously, despite their gore and redundance in plot, fans continue to favor them.  On the other hand—partly because of the gore and repetition—they have not been well received by critics in general.

            As a critic, I am in sync with my colleagues.  Although this version of Saw might be novel and even entertaining to a newcomer, I have to question the worth of seeing one grisly torture/murder after another—just  for the sake of being gruesome—in a shole string of films. This series seems to have run its course sometime back, making the prospect of doing two more particularly odious.

 

Spare yourself another movie intended solely to gross you out, without much of anything to redeem it.

 

Grade:  D                              By Donna R. Copeland

TEEN SPIRIT

Elle Fanning     Zlatko Buric     Agnieszka Grochowska    Rebecca Hall    

 Elizabeth Berrington     Jordan Stephens

     Isle of Wight farm girl meets the British entertainment industry in a singing competition…and you can just about fill in the blanks from there.  Elle Fanning as Violet looks like she belongs on the farm with her animals and her mother (Grochowska); she works part-time at an eatery, and sings at a local bar on the weekends.  She hears about the competition from friends at school, and decides to enter.  She’s young, though, and has to have a guardian sign for her when she is allowed to go to the second stage.  Her mother is not exactly enthusiastic about her singing, so Violet asks a fan at her night gig if he will vouch for her.  He has given her a lift home one evening when she was skittish about taking the bus.

     It turns out that Vlad (Zlatko) is a former opera star and immediately starts negotiating to be her manager, promising he can also coach her in singing.  As to be expected, she nods OK, and focuses primarily on her current need for a “guardian.”  He will be helpful in her singing; she had been told at the first of the three auditions that, “You have a nice voice, but you need to work on everything else.”  He coaches her on breathing and other exercises, and she diligently practices.

     The set-up for the story turns out to be the most interesting aspect of a film that later spins into the predictable.  Teen Spirit has other factors of strength, however.  In one of his first directing endeavors, Max Minghella, an actor, shows promise in his keen eye, pacing, and dramatic flair.  Greatly enhancing his efforts, Cam McLauchlin’s artistic editing provides a wealth of background information, peripheral action going on in scenes, and a full picture of a particular performance, all while focusing on the primary action.  Much of this begins with Autumn Durald’s imaginative cinematography with its striking shots and elaborate “footwork.”  This is about music, and Marius De Vries (with previous works including La La Land and Moulin Rouge) comes through with evocative songs and instrumental music.  

     Elle Fanning is well regarded for her work in Super 8, Ginger & Rosa,The Boxtrolls, and Maleficient.  She shows her talent here too, with singing (as in Boxtrolls) as an additional bonus.  Her acting range is highlighted in this film as a simple farm girl who loves her horse, has conflicts with her mother, bonds with a grandfatherly mentor, has aspirations that spur her on, and knocks it out of the park in her singing auditions/competitions.  She's a great singer.

     Despite all these strengths, Teen Spirit’s screenplay by Minghella seems to me to be its weakest link, simply because not much that is truly creative is added to a well-known story. 

This is a story that begins with promise, but devolves into the expected, despite a considerable amount of talent in the overall production.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE 9TH LIFE OF LOUIS DRAX

Jamie Dornan   Sarah Gadon   Aaron Paul   Beckham Skodje   Aiden Longworth   Barbara Hershey   Oliver Platt

          Poor Louis (Skodje).  He is accident-prone even from birth, and escapes one close call after another—which he can chronicle in complete detail—then it looks like death finally holds him in its grasp after he falls off a cliff into the ocean.  Louis’ mother Natalie (Gadon) is an attractive blonde who is attentive and caring, and even though his parents quarrel frequently, Louis is close to his father Peter (Paul) as well.  They’re on a picnic for Louis’ 9^th birthday when his parents begin to quarrel and suddenly there is a terrible accident, after which, Louis is taken to the hospital in a coma and his father disappears.

          Louis narrates most of the picture, so we stay in touch with him throughout the film, which opens with him as a young man (Longworth) giving a TED talk.  After that, the story is told in flashback, which involves Louis’ mother, his father, his physician Dr. Pascal (Dornan), and his therapist (Platt).

          Max Minghella has stitched together a mysterious, exciting thriller based on the novel by Liz Jensen.  It has repeated twists, turns and surprises, as well as a bit of sci-fi in a zombie-like figure and in forensic hypnosis.  Alexandre Aja’s direction keeps a good pace, and although the story jumps back and forth in time, it is not as confusing as that sometimes is in films. 

          Beckham Skodje as the young Louis is expressive and convincing, speaking his lines crisply like a precocious child.  His responses to his therapist impress you and make you chuckle at his insight and creativity.  Sarah Gadon brings some of the sexiness and fragility that she shows in the soon-to-be-released Indignation to this role, where in both, the character’s whole story only emerges gradually.  Jamie Dornan as a young, committed physician who is still trying to figure himself out conveys the earnestness and susceptibility required of his role, and Aaron Paul is perfect as an ambiguous character you have conflicting feelings about.  Almost stealing the limelight is Oliver Platt, whose approach to psychotherapy is noteworthy for its quality—a rarity in film, maybe because its writers and director are European rather than Hollywood types.

          9^th Life holds your attention hostage throughout, with just enough of a dash of sci-fi to give it a bit of quirkiness. 

An eventful 9^th life for one young Louis Drax.

Grade:  A-                        By Donna R. Copeland