Day Two Hundred and Ninety-three - Slither, "Watch out, Mal!"

James Gunn is hit or miss with me.

While I can really get behind his Troma work, as rough as it is, some of his mainstream stuff (like Super or his short for Movie 43) doesn't really appeal. That said, I really enjoyed Slither for the terrible movie that it was. It's a cheesy 80's monster flick with millennial trappings and actors.

With famous faces like Elizabeth Banks, Nathan Fillion, and Jenna Fischer, you'd kind of expect more moolah attached to this project, but this was made fairly early in their careers before they became bankable movie and television stars (Firefly notwithstanding).

Set in a small town whose biggest celebration seems to be the annual kickoff to deer season, Slither tells the story of an extraterrestrial encounter with a parasite that takes over or consumes every living thing it encounters. The organism happens upon a controlling husband (Michael Rooker) and implants itself within his brain, gaining his memories in addition to its already overriding urge to procreate and decimate the local ecosystem.

That's not to say it is totally remorseless in its march to domination, as he/it cannot seem to find the will to infect his/its wife (Elizabeth Banks), Starla, and instead turns to a local floozy to spawn its tiny, mind-controlling slugs. This all comes to the attention of the smitten local sheriff (Nathan Fillion), who hasn't gotten over his childhood crush on Starla... but who is certainly out of his depth when it comes to alien parasites.

It's definitely a cheesy monster flick that I could easily see being made as a drive-in double feature in the 50's or 60's. The powercreep steadily advances until all but a lucky few avoid the squiggly hordes of brainslugs, only for said survivors to conveniently deduce and thwart the mother-(or, in this case, father)-brain. It's even got the cliche deus ex device in the form of a young teen who has a brush with the hivemind, but gets away with precious knowledge on how to defeat the menace.

Still, cheese aside, it's actually a pretty fun little movie.

It doesn't go overboard on special effects, but what they do have doesn't seem to look too out of place. The prosthetics are used sparingly, but are decent and they blend fairly well with the CGI. Sure, it's not as good as, say, WETA did at the same time with LOTR, but with the budget they had (15 million), I think Gunn and company did a good job. What could've devolved into a SyFy movie of the week (a la Sharknado) actually turned out all right.

I especially liked Gregg Henry as the foul-mouthed mayor and, well, Nathan Fillion can charm his way through anything. I kind of felt bad for Jenna Fischer, as her role didn't have anything to it, really, but everyone's gotta start somewhere... and while Elizabeth Banks was okay, she didn't really thrill, either. C'est la vie.

Overall, Slither is a great popcorn flick that is best watched with friends. You don't need to riff it, as it stands well enough on its own, but it wouldn't hurt it that much to add a few one-liners of your own. In the end, it's definitely fun Halloween Spooktacular fare.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~

Day Seventy-nine - The Next Three Days, or "Tension. Pure, Unadulterated Tension."

Thrillers are generally hit or miss with me... even if they have a clever premise, they're either riddled with plot holes or stretch my suspension of disbelief far beyond the breaking point, leaving me a bit bitter, even if I enjoyed myself.

Take The Fugitive, for example.

I love that movie, but it's so utterly ridiculous. The one-armed man, the U.S.Marshals, the real reason for the murder/coverup, the dive from the dam... all of it. Prime popcorn movie, but even as it's relatively smart, it still makes me sigh all over the place.

The Next Three Days, however... wow.

This is the pattern from which all thrillers should be cut.

First of all, it keeps you amped pretty much the entirety of the movie. Even when there's a moment of relaxation, it's bookended by supremely tense moments... and that's right from the start.

The movie opens on a dinner where Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks are double dating with his brother and sister-in-law. An argument unexpectedly breaks out and I could feel myself digging my fingers into the cushion of my seat. Then, there's a brief intimate interlude, so... sexual tension. From there we have a moment of respite where we see domestic bliss then--BAM--police are busting down the door.

And there are sequences like that throughout the entirety of the movie. Good, smart, tight moments of pacing, always keeping you on the edge of your seat.

We see Crowe's character John go from supportive, but despairing, husband and father into a new phase of his life, one dedicated to getting his wife out of prison, no matter what the cost... so long as they are together as a family. He sells his house, his furniture, everything. He even goes so far as to consider robbing a bank... but settles for the ill-gotten gains of a neighborhood drug dealer instead.

Elizabeth Banks doesn't get as much screen time as Crowe, but she's just as dedicated to her own role. Whether it's her jailhouse suicide attempt or her pushing her husband away, Banks' Lara is every bit believable... especially considering, for the length of the movie, you're never really sure that she actually is innocent. Her husband is, though, and that's all that matters. It's a great way to keep the audience suspicious, yet invested... skeptical, yet sympathetic.

I also love the supporting actors... whether it's Daniel Stern as John and Lara's lawyer, Brian Dennehy as John's gruff father, Olivia Wilde as a playmate's mother... Liam Neeson, The RZA, Lennie James, and Kevin Corrigan. There is a tremendous cast of side characters here, and every single one of them is authentic and pitch perfect.

Honestly, The Next Three Days is one of the smartest written, well directed, impeccably shot, and excellently acted thrillers that I've seen in years.

Seriously, go out and check this movie as soon as you can. It ranks up there with Cloud Atlas, Lincoln, and Paperman in terms of great films that I've seen in the past year. I only wish I had caught it in the theaters.

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~