phancy (![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} phancy) wrote,@ 2006-10-08 11:37:00 |
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Oct 3, 06
I watched The Woods, hoping that it wouldn't be as bad it seemed it would be.
It was.
Previous efforts by Lucky McKee, the director, were enjoyable. May featured an excellent Angela Bettis as an emotionally-stunted modern-day female Dr. Frankenstein. She also appeared in McKee's addition to the Masters Of Horror series, "Sick Girl," which played out as a nice, B-movie guilty pleasure. I had hopes for The Woods, but it turned out to be a bit of a mess. Individual pieces stood out, but did not add up to a cohesive whole.
On the upside: Good performances from the cast. Interesting use of camera angles. A bleak, desaturated look with the hue cranked up on certain elements as a contrast. The subtle way the woods crept into the background of the school as the film progressed. Pretty Patricia Clarkson. Bruce Campbell in an unfortunately unnecessary role.
On the downside: Shifting tones mixed with confusing editing. Disjointed scenes with nothing to tie them together. A specific character's demeanor and motivation does a 180 degree change with nothing to set it up. Back story not fully explained, and revealed in awkward places throughout. A rushed ending that completely changes the pace and tone of the movie. Bruce Campbell in an unfortunately necessary role.
Somewhere in this mess hid a decent film. Maybe some different editing, tightening up the script would've helped, but maybe not. I would've left out a large portion of the final act, but that's just me. It was the kind of movie that I didn't want to turn off, and wasn't so bad I could make fun of. I just wanted to help fix it.
On final, definite highlight: A Leslie Gore-heavy soundtrack. Apart from a generic horror score, key scenes featured several of her songs. A montage of two of the girls becoming friends (one of the better parts of the film) started with the girls sharing an earbud to listen to "You Don't Own Me" on a portable transistor radio. Portions of the montage that followed showed one of the girls practicing a lyricless song. Whatever a solo choral piece is called. Her voice was laid over "You Don't Own Me" to great effect. As a bonus, it was repeated over the credits, almost in full. Before sending the DVD back, I ripped the music off of it.
Click to download: Leslie Gore - "You Don't Own Me (The Woods Version)" (3.72MB)
The beginning and ending are a bit abrupt, as the film's score faded into and out of this song.
I watched The Woods, hoping that it wouldn't be as bad it seemed it would be.
It was.
Previous efforts by Lucky McKee, the director, were enjoyable. May featured an excellent Angela Bettis as an emotionally-stunted modern-day female Dr. Frankenstein. She also appeared in McKee's addition to the Masters Of Horror series, "Sick Girl," which played out as a nice, B-movie guilty pleasure. I had hopes for The Woods, but it turned out to be a bit of a mess. Individual pieces stood out, but did not add up to a cohesive whole.
On the upside: Good performances from the cast. Interesting use of camera angles. A bleak, desaturated look with the hue cranked up on certain elements as a contrast. The subtle way the woods crept into the background of the school as the film progressed. Pretty Patricia Clarkson. Bruce Campbell in an unfortunately unnecessary role.
On the downside: Shifting tones mixed with confusing editing. Disjointed scenes with nothing to tie them together. A specific character's demeanor and motivation does a 180 degree change with nothing to set it up. Back story not fully explained, and revealed in awkward places throughout. A rushed ending that completely changes the pace and tone of the movie. Bruce Campbell in an unfortunately necessary role.
Somewhere in this mess hid a decent film. Maybe some different editing, tightening up the script would've helped, but maybe not. I would've left out a large portion of the final act, but that's just me. It was the kind of movie that I didn't want to turn off, and wasn't so bad I could make fun of. I just wanted to help fix it.
On final, definite highlight: A Leslie Gore-heavy soundtrack. Apart from a generic horror score, key scenes featured several of her songs. A montage of two of the girls becoming friends (one of the better parts of the film) started with the girls sharing an earbud to listen to "You Don't Own Me" on a portable transistor radio. Portions of the montage that followed showed one of the girls practicing a lyricless song. Whatever a solo choral piece is called. Her voice was laid over "You Don't Own Me" to great effect. As a bonus, it was repeated over the credits, almost in full. Before sending the DVD back, I ripped the music off of it.
Click to download: Leslie Gore - "You Don't Own Me (The Woods Version)" (3.72MB)
The beginning and ending are a bit abrupt, as the film's score faded into and out of this song.
