Willow Creek

Title: Willow Creek

Director: Bobcat Goldthwait

Released: 2013

Starring: Alexie Gilmore, Bryce Johnson, Laura Montagna, Bucky Sinister, Peter Jason, Timmy Red

Plot: Jim (Johnson) is a Bigfoot believer keen to capture footage of the mythological creature and now dragging his non-beliver girlfriend Kelly along for the ride they head for the town of Willow Creek.

Review: Despite being best known as a director more for his warped comedy movies in tone with his unique comedy style, this film marked a rare venture into horror for Bobcat Goldthwait as here he turns his focus to crafting a found footage horror which in turn might be one of the best offerings from the genre since “The Blair Witch Project”

Starting off light-hearted as our film making couple roll into “Willow Creek” which is not only seen as the Bigfoot capital of the world but also home to the Bigfoot festival, though judging by the amount of cash-in’s on the myth are scattered throughout the town from wood carvings to stores named after the creature it would seem that its a festival that runs all year round. Still as we soon discover the locals all have their stories to tell or even a song to offer on the Patterson-Gimlin footage that I’m sure we are all familiar with showing the Sasquatch striding along the sandbar and to Jim serves to fuel his belief in the creature while his girlfriend continues to defiantly deny that it could be real.

This gentle start to the film might be a little off-putting to some viewers, its worth sticking with as Goldthwait seemingly establishing the background colour is infact just luring us into a false sense of security which is slowly peeled away when the couple head off into the woods to shoot their own footage and choose to ignore the stern warning by the man they meet at the entrance to the woods to head back to town.

Once we get into the woods the real horror vibes start to come quick and fast as the couple soon find themselves quickly out of their depth with the tension being cranked up to an all time high during the 18 minute scene of the couple in the tent while something lurks outside the canvas walls and which was shot in one take and works perfectly to put the audience completely on edge as all we can hear are strange whooping noises, wood being knocked together and the occasional rock hitting the side of the tent that leave you expecting something to burst through at any moment.

It's simple concept for sure but one which works well here, largely thanks to Goldthwait avoiding all the usual pitfalls of the found footage genre, such as shaky camerawork while characters remark about things we would be able to see if someone wasn’t shaking the darn camera! Instead the camerawork is crisp throughout which really takes us on the journey with the couple especially as they enter into the woods which seem to envelop them much like the audience.

Okay minor spoiler time but I feel its worth noting that this is a bigfoot movie were you don’t get to see a bigfoot, which might be something of a blessing considering some of the monstrosities this frequently overlooked subgenre has produced over the years. This might be seen as a disappointment but here somehow it works with the noises we hear and general taunting conjuring more horrific imagery than perhaps the budget would have allowed.

Considering Goldthwait’s background in comedy its surprising to see him being equally effective as a horror director and as with Kevin Smith’s “Red State” it leaves me wanting to see work more in the genre if only to see what else he would bring especially in these times were the horror genre is crying out for new ideas and fresh takes which this certainly provided, even though this might not be so apparent to those going in expecting something more visual and less subtle than we ultimately get here.

Troll Hunter

Title: Troll Hunter

Director: André Øvredal
Released: 2010
Starring: Otto Jespersen, Hans Morten Hansen, Tomas Alf Larsen, Johanna Mørck, Knut Nærum, Robert Stoltenberg, Glenn Erland Tosterud

Plot: Student film makers, Thomas, Johanna and cameraman Kalle are making a documentary about a suspected bear poacher Hans (Jespersen). Soon however they discover what Hans is hunting is not bears but trolls. Following this revelation the group choose to follow Hans as he goes about his work.

 

Review: When it comes to the found footage genre, I frequently find myself zoning out, especially when so many of the films belonging to this sub-genre seem to be under the impression that fuzzy shots and frantic camera movements give the viewer the illusion of being with the character being followed or that it somehow increases the tension, which is an interesting idea considering how hard it is to be affected by something that the camera can’t even bother to focus on for more than a couple of seconds at a time. This of course is not to say that there havn’t been films which have managed to make the format work with both “The Blair Witch Project” and the original found footage movie “The Last Broadcast” (though some may argue that “Man Bites Dog” is the true owner of this title) being prime examples and now with this film we finally we have another film to challenge my lack of faith in these films.

Shot in a similar style to “Man Bites Dog” and makes it kind of a shame that they didn’t go for a cheeky nod and call this “Man Hunts Troll”. Shot in a documentary style, it is one faithfully maintained throughout aswell as one which proves to be highly effective as the students discover the truth about Hans and soon find themselves joining him as he goes about his work for the Troll Security Agency ensuring that trolls don’t enter into populated areas, something which seems to be happening more regularly Hans reveals and the reasons why he attempts to discover over the course of the film, all the while with the students in tow while still finding time to fill in the gaps as the students hold spontaneous interview sessions between hunts while educating the group on the behaviour and general troll biology.
 

Hans generally is a great central character, especially as he is played as just another bored government employee who just happens to hunt troll for a living and in many ways bringing back for myself memories of the Masaru Daisato in “Big Man Japan”. Here Øvredal really shows an eye for details, from Hans armoured truck which wouldn’t look out of place in “Mad Max” through to his hunt equipment ranging from the UV lights which cause the trolls to turn to stone or explode (depending on their age)  through to his clunky suit of armour he wheels out when required to get a blood sample from one particularly angry troll. Han’s even has developed his own brand of Troll stink to allow himself and the film crew to disguise themselves, though for some reason nothing can overpower the scent of a Christian which for some reason trolls are especially attracted to. Over the course of the film we also get to meet some of the other members of the Troll security agency such as Finn (Hansen) who is less than happy with the students threatening to expose this secret organisation, while generally covering for troll attacks by making them look like bear attacks.

Another film which is certainly worth noting while drawing comparisons would be “Jurassic Park” which when it comes to the troll footage seems to have been an inspiration, as director Øvredal makes real effort to shot the various species of troll with a style none to dissimilar to a nature film, as especially seen in the first encounter we have with these mythical creatures with said creature being shown majestically making its way through the woods as it tries to locate them with its multiple heads. Here we see none of the usual camera jerking as instead he maintains a sustained and focus camera shot as he tracks the creature, were as most films would shot these same sequences with jerky camera movement and out of focus shots. Its of course these sequences were the strength of the film lies as Øvredal ensures that each troll encounter is memorable building on each encounter to the finale show down with a towering Jotnar troll.

Unsurprisingly the troll sequences form the real highlights of the film with Øvredal showing a keen eye for directing this action, while finding new ways to mix up how he shows each of these sequences, from skilfully cranking up the tension as the group find themselves in a troll infested cave, while their escape in Han’s truck from the Jotnar troll is truly a standout sequence and one which certainly benefits from watching the film on a large screen, especially as it only adds to the visual illusion of riding with the group as they make thier escape.

While the film is unquestionably at its strongest when the trolls are on the screen, or the group are learning more about Hans and his trade, the is still a fair amount of filler especially during the third quarter were we get to see perhaps alittle too much of the unquestionably picturesque Norwegian landscape, but used to such extent it does frequently give the feeling of the film slipping into a video postcard. As such the film perhaps could have benefited from trimming some of this fat of the run time or even another encounter which could have been found during these segments. The film equally suffers with several of its more regionlised moments humour, while the sheer amount of Norwegian comedians rounding out the cast (or so Wikipedia tells me) I have to wonder if this film is funnier to Norwegian audiences than it is to English speaking audiences??

While it might have its flaws there is still fun to be had here, especially as Øvredal goes more for spectacle than scares, but then the found footage genre has hardly been renown for producing such scares. Øvredal through has truly brought his own style to the genre and it is only all the stronger that he chooses to not stick to the established rules of the genre. Ultimately though this is a fun ride while the originally ensure that this is worth giving a curious watch.

End of Watch

Title: End of Watch
Director: David Ayer
Released: 2012
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michael Peña, Natalie Martinez, Anna Kendrick, Frank Grillo, America Ferrera

Plot: Two police officers Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Michael Peña)find themselves marked for death by the members of a local cartel after they confiscate a cache of money and firearms during a routine traffic stop.

Review: Honestly when I was going into this film I can’t say that I was exactly looking forward to it, especially when it didn’t seem to be exactly bringing anything new to the table with its police procedural setting, much less the fact that it is yet another found footage movie, a genre notoriously difficult to pull off let alone do well. Needless to say that within the opening five minutes I was left astounded by this film.

Written and directed by David Ayer who has had something of a mixed bag of a career as both a writer and director, having previous written the Oscar winning “Training Day”, “Dark Blue” and the star making Vin Diesel vehicle “The Fast and the Furious”, while as a director his most noteworthy film to date was the sadly overlooked “Harsh Times”, something he seems to be trying to correct with this latest offering which grabs hold of it’s audience and refuses to let them go as it takes them through a rollercoaster 109 minutes.

Shot completely on a mixture of handheld and chest mounted cameras aswell as additional shots from the police cruiser video and ariel shots from choppers, Ayer has here managed to build a fully immersive world in which to set his story and somehow has managed to achieve the impossible by actually making the format work to heighten the experience, rather than proving a continual distraction to the viewer as they have to contend with shaky camera and out of focus action shots, all pitfalls which Ayer manages to avoid with his choice of shooting method even going as far as to actually give us a valid reason as to why they are still filming, which in the case of the two officers at the centre of this story is as simple as Brian using the footage for his film making project something while the use of chest camera provides a much more steadier image than has been previous seen in found footage movies to date, while also giving us the thrill of getting first person shooter style shots during shoot outs as firearms are discharged, while the opening chase sequence shot entirely on the cruiser camera, makes for an equally thrilling ride.

Set in South Central LA, it is hard not to draw comparisons between this film and the TV series “Southland” with who it shares the same stomping ground with and certainly a similar style, as the two young officers find themselves continually having to deal with the worst scum he city has to offer, while at the same time walking their own line when it comes to dealing with upholding their law in their district, something especially highlighted by Zavala getting involved in a brawl with one suspect while being cheered on by an enthusiastic Taylor, actions which are surprisingly never called into question especially with Zavala and Taylor filming all of their actions, but then why at the same time are cartel members videotaping their own illegal activities? Ultimately it would seem that these moment are more for the benefit of the audience on terms of building setting rather than setting up key plot points.

Zavala and Taylor are much more than just partners as their partnership sees them more as brothers, than just close friends, for as much as they pick on each others flaws, they genuinely seem to care about each other, even to the point were they have death pacts so that they will look after each other’s wives should they die in the line of duty and it’s a bond which seems to help them survive so many of the horrors they see over course of each patrol they complete, with each shift only seemingly to bring with a whole new set of shocks for them to deal with, especially when even a routine welfare check on an elderly woman uncovers a mass grave of dismembered corpses, especially as he stranglehold of the cartel over he local community only seems to grow ever more stronger, despite the efforts of the police to stem its tide. Still there is no main plot line to the film or main bad guy to foil as Ayer instead sets the flm’s rythem to the day to day routine of police work, as Zavala and Taylor frequently find themselves walking  a tightrope between bordom and bursts of adrenaline fuelled action, never quite sure what the streets will hold for them, as they try to make it to the tituar end of watch.

In terms of casting it is flawless with Gyllenhaal in particular reminding us that he is still capable of the same exciting performances he gave back when made “Donnie Darko” something that I have been waiting along time to see again, especially with his work in the mainstream  lacking any of his earlier energy. Peña meanwhile proves to be equally watchable as he finally gets a more meatier role than he has previously been offered to date, while the real life research the two actors undertook in preparing for their roles which saw them completing twelve hour ride alongs three times a week with members of the Greater Los Angeles area law enforcement agencies, the first of which unexpectingly leading to Gyllenhaal witnessing a murder during the first of these ride alongs and something which seems to have benefit to both of the actors, as they convincingly portray their roles as officers on the beat, while the random conversations such as Zavala reeling off his shopping list of energy drinks he is carrying or questionable relationship advice only adding  to the realism.

Once more Ayer has crafted more than your typical cop movie, while finally writing at the same level again that he was when he gave us "Training Day", as here he continues his ongoing obsession with law enforcement and those they oppose, while demonstrating once more that while the officers might belong to the brotherhood of blue, its one made up of many different shades. Easily one of the best films of the year while once more marking Ayer as name to watch.