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Caught Signs last night, and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was. I had a few issues - it really wants to be a great film about faith, but it's actually a great film about aliens, and pretty crappy on faith. I found that (spoilerspoilerspoiler) unreflected shot of the alien at the end pretty amusing, because I just couldn't bear the design, or the breathing, or the way they moved. That said, when you see just the claws, or the reflection of them - that near-final shot that makes the entire audience JUMP OUT OF THEIR SKIN (something I'd never experienced in a cinema, the collective gasp) - that works REALLY well.
The friend I saw it with, who isn't a film buff in the way I am, made an interesting point: he said he really liked it, and that was partly because it felt... well, to paraphrase, "well crafted". And I got that feeling too - there's a real amount of care that's gone into it, evident in all the little details. I loved the wide-eyed, fixed camerawork, that makes the film at times look like a painting. That's enhanced by Gibson and Phoenix's very blank facial expressions. And I agree with videodrome - neither are my favourite actor, but they brought off some good performances. Hell, even the running-around-the-house bit was genuinely funny.
The other thing I thought was REALLY excellent was the script. The mannerisms, the patterns of speech Shyamalan observes... they come out really well. It's a long while since I've seen kids speak like kids, not like some portrayal of kids where they're more stupid and cute than they actually are. The Culkin kid is fantastic - he's not just more talented than his lepping brothers, he's also a surprisingly important and intelligent role. And you know that from the moment he kills the dog. Similarly, some of the adults have great lines. There's one superb line on faith, despite the clunkiness of it as a plot device, and it doesn't come from Gibson. It's from Phoenix, in the army register office, when he says to the kid mocking his strikeout record "It felt wrong not to swing". That's really important; Gibson doesn't want to swing at God, but he feels wrong doing it. I LOVED that as a line, because it's so innocuous, and it has more relevance as the movie goes on. By contrast, I think the worst line in the movie, without question, would be "a cheeseburger. With bacon. Extra bacon.". Bleuch, give me a BUCKET.
So yeah. Really rather good. I do wish sound effects guys would going "hey, if I make the dog bark REALLY loud here, the cinema will jump!", though. It's just not fair. Also: didn't really like Shyamalan as an actor - it's just like he's wanting to get TOO involved with the movie. Other hates? Oh, not keen on the faith thing, and hatedhatedhated that final flashback where you see Mel talking to his wife. Unnecessary. But, (like my favourite mainstream movie of the summer, Minority Report), surprisingly intelligent for a multiplex movie. And thus good. |
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