Movie Review - Let Me In

Let Me In (2010)

Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Moretz, Richard Jenkins, Dylan Minette, and Elias Koteas

Directed by Matt Reeves

No need to mince words here.  Go see Let Me In.  As of now (and granted I haven't seen much this year), this is the best film released in 2010 and the best horror movie I've seen in a long while.

Twelve year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is somewhat of a recluse.  He seems to have no friends at school and is constantly being assaulted by a nasty trio headed by bully Kenny (Dylan Minette, Jack's son on Lost...which -- side note -- had me wondering the whole darn time where I recognized the kid from...I just couldn't place him while watching it).  One evening a young girl (Chloe Moretz) and a man (Richard Jenkins) move into Owen's apartment complex.  The girl named Abby, also twelve, is kind to Owen -- something he's never really experienced before.  However, over the course of a month, Owen soon begins to realize that Abby is not who she appears to be...she is, in fact, a vampire and, as is the case with most vampires, she needs blood to survive.

I had seen the Swedish film Let the Right One In (review here) and I felt that it wasn't the least bit frightening.  Director and screenwriter Matt Reeves manages to achieve an overarching sense of dread and tension, while at the same time creating an incredibly intimate character-driven horror movie.  There's no denying that the pace is a little slow, but it's a credit to Reeves (who also directed the non-stop fast-paced Cloverfield) that he manages to keep the story interesting and eerie throughout.  And it's not just his ability to keep things creepy -- he has lensed a great looking film.  There's a dark tone to everything on the screen, but he constructs some exquisite shots.  I honestly can't say enough about Reeves here.  After Cloverfield (which had its faults, but was still enjoyable) and this film, he has absolutely become a director whose future films I will highly anticipate.

He's certainly helped by a great cast of actors.  Smit-McPhee (who I liked in last year's The Road) and Chloe Moretz (who I didn't really care for in this year's Kick-Ass) are wonderful.  Neither of the pre-teens are happy in life, but they both manage to craft characters you instantly care about despite (or perhaps because of) their gloomy, depressed demeanors.  Richard Jenkins also is gripping as Abby's "father" who will do whatever necessary (even if it disgusts him) to keep his girl alive (or as alive as a vampire can be).  Throw in Elias Koteas and Dylan Minette who both manage to make the most out of what could have easily been stereotypical roles as a cop and a bully, respectively, and there's not a single performance in this film that rings false.

As I said above, the pacing in Let Me In is slow and deliberate and it will be a turn-off to some.  Despite some truly frightening moments, this isn't your typical horror film at all.  However, there's a rather beautiful story on display here about friendship and fear, and the fact that director Reeves was able to balance both of those qualities is quite a feat.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-   

Movie Review - Two Lovers (2009)

Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Elias Koteas, and Isabella Rossellini

Directed by James Gray

This flick is probably most well known (if it's known at all) because this is the film Joaquin Phoenix was promoting when he went all nutty in the rap star-persona he created (video of his Letterman appearance here). And, unfortunately, it's a shame, because Two Lovers is filled with some great acting and a surprisingly simple, yet engaging story about love.

Phoenix is Leonard, a troubled late twentysomething Jewish guy living at home with his parents. He recently broke up with his fiancé and, because of the pain that caused, has attempted suicide multiple times to no avail. One day, he meets Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the daughter of a man who is attempting to purchase Leonard's father's laundromat business. The parental units on both Leonard and Sandra's sides think that the two are perfect for one another -- with the fact that they're both Jewish being a huge plus. Unfortunately, Leonard has also just met Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), a troubled semi-drug addict who just moved into his apartment complex, and he falls in love with her instantaneously. Leonard soon discovers, however, that Michelle is dating a married man, so he succumbs to his parents' wishes and begins dating Sandra, all the while longing to be with Michelle. Who does he end up with -- the stable, secure Sandra, or the female version of himself, Michelle -- and who does he hurt along the way?

This is a very simple movie in terms of direction and storytelling. There's no expansive set pieces or expensive shots. Director and co-writer James Gray makes it about these three actors -- Phoenix, Paltrow, and Shaw -- and they all, for the most part, step up to the plate. Phoenix is really quite good here playing the troubled young Leonard. I didn't feel like there was a bum note in his performance. He's hurt and in despair and simply longing to be loved -- willing to jump in and give himself over to Michelle, a similarly damaged soul, whom he's not even sure could even come close to reciprocating the feeling. Also compelling here is Vinessa Shaw. She's not given anything out of the ordinary to do -- she's kind of stuck playing "the good girl" -- but she felt so real to me (I use that "real" thing a lot, but in small character-driven movies like this, whenever an actor can make me believe they're a real person and not an actor playing a role, I enjoy it immensely). Looking at her filmography on imdb, I haven't seen her in a whole lot (although she was in the Rodney Dangerfield-starring Ladybugs that I watched three or four times in my youth -- you remember that one...the guy dresses up like a girl to help their soccer team win some tournament), but I'd like to see her in a whole lot more. The only weak link here is Paltrow. For some reason, I wasn't able to disassociate her from simply being Gwyneth Paltrow. I felt she was too old for the role from the very beginning and she never quite clicked with me. Not that she was bad, but of the main trio, she was the most disappointing.

This film got a very limited release back in February and it came and went with little fanfare which is unfortunate. It's a nice little emotional love story that, while slow moving, works quite well. It's currently streaming on Netflix, so be sure to check it out if you have an account.

The RyMickey Rating: B-

Movie Review - The Haunting in Connecticut (2009)

Starring Virginia Madsen, Elias Koteas, and Kyle Gallner
Written by Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe
Directed by Peter Cornwell

The Campbell family is facing some tough times. Oldest son Matt (Gallner) is battling cancer and his treatments are expensive and far from home. In order to save on travel, Mom (Madsen) decides to rent a large house without telling her hubby. This just makes the already strained marriage become even more tense. But, let's be honest here, the parents' issues are an unnecessary, pointless subplot. Jumping back to the cancer-stricken son, Matt begins to see visions of horrific ghosts in the old house which, come to find out, used to be a funeral home at which the owner did some awful things to the dead bodies that would come across his path.

Honestly, the story itself was moderately entertaining and very unlike the typical modern "teen" horror flick in that it wasn't incredibly bloody and actually had somewhat of an intriguing premise -- ghost stories always interest me more than slasher flicks, and this was a decent ghost story. The fact that they throw the "based on a true story" into the mix, if anything, makes this more unbelievable than were it just a regular old horror flick. Still, an interesting premise, to be sure.

I just wish they done away with the mom/dad issues and I wish they had cast a better actress than Virginia Madsen in the mom role. I didn't like her in Sideways (for which she was nominated for an Oscar) and I don't think I've liked her in much of anything. She just always strikes me as one-note and whenever she tries to break out of the "one-note-ness," it always seems fake. The guy who played the father wasn't much better either. The kid who plays Matt, Kyle Gallner, fares much better. He hasn't appeared in many movies, but he was actually quite good.

While not perfect, The Haunting in Connecticut was one of the better horror flicks I've seen recently and may be worth your while if you're into this particular genre.

The RyMickey Rating: C