Spaced

I've been recently reviewing (for what seems like the 30th time - which is not a complaint) the Brit com Spaced and thought I should spend a few minutes on it here. Since Fox plans to resurrect it in American form, there can't be enough said for the first and the best.

Spaced is a cult phenomenon - a mainstream one. This is because it began airing its whopping 14 episodes (in 2 series) in 1999 and has since been found props thanks to fan geeks on the 'net and the slow but steadying trend of Brit shows trickling into the States via BBC America and the like. In some ways this is great -- the realisation that one does not have to suckle on the 4-network teat for good tv. In other ways it means that an American version is not far behind.

I digress.

Simon Pegg and Jessica Hynes (nee Stevenson) perfectly catered to the nerdy pop culture junkie in their pre-millenia hit by lampooning, imitating and sometimes downright copying major and minute pop culture references. What made (makes) it brilliant is the perfectly timed use of each reference so that they are never feel forced or cruel - they are genuine, reflecting their own love of it.

My favourite example of this happens near the end of the second series in which Tim (Pegg) and Daisy (Hynes) are running from street thugs who think they gave them fake weed on purpose just make it out of harms way by grabbing a mini-cab. Meanwhile, the thugs run into Duane Benzie, a man who has a past with Tim - he stole his girlfriend and Tim takes every opportunity he can to get back at him. While a few of the thugs confront Duane, the rest come up behind him to corner him and as Duane realises he's been cornered, he utters "Clever boys". This is a reference to Jurassic Park wherein just before being attacked by a raptor after being cornered by other raptors Muldoon (Bob Peck) quips "Clever girl".

Making each of these references 'pop' is Edgar Wright's direction - a sometimes erratic, quick edit pace that cuts away to flush out each scene and possible outcome for each decision a character can make. A kaleidoscope of images that not only examine the pop culture reference in its entirety but fit them into the scope of the story. Even after all these viewings, I still find myself finding more that I hadn't noticed before.

If you haven't seen Spaced - you should. No bones about it. There's a lot more talk about Simon Pegg and Nick Frost (also in this) thanks to their hit movies Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz (with Edgard Wright's direction) and Pegg's upcoming Run Fat Boy Run (which I've already seen back in the UK, I'll post about it later) but to see his true genius blossom and the inspiration for their first film (Shaun of the Dead) these short 14 episodes are entirely necessary viewing.



9 Skeletons out of 10

The Mist

I had originally wanted to start with a different movie but kept putting off the repeat viewing as a refresher so it will have to wait. I happened upon The Mist again last night and felt that it would work just as well. I watched it with a friend who had not yet seen it and I already had in theatres so it was fun to watch her reaction already knowing the 'shock' ending.

The Mist opens up well in its tale of supernatural shock and tragedy. Right away the pace is set with a seemingly destructive but benign electrical storm in small town Maine. Quickly, however, trouble literally rolls into town as people stereotypically run to the local grocer for supplies as if the storm was the worst that has happened to them and need to stock up immediately. How little do they know of what is to come.

David Drayton (Thomas Jane) comes to the supermarket with his young son and his cantankerous 'out of towner' neighbor to find dozens of people somewhat frantically trying to gather foodstuffs for the coming days without power. Almost immediately the trouble starts as a local runs for the store, bloodied and warning of things in the mist that has now rolled in silently but rapidly and they become trapped in the store.

Chaos only dilutes the situation slowly. First there is the shock of the occurrences and the attempts to understand their surroundings, with natural leaders coming to the forefront. Drayton attempts haphazard civility with those around him until an encounter in the loading dock with only a few witnesses changes his tune towards personal safety for him and his young son. Things begin to look bleaker as the town's overzealous religious resident Mrs. Carmody (Marcia Gay Harden) begins to divide the crowd between those who believe her preachings that all the trouble is the work of a vengeful god and those who believe she's crazy. What is more telling is the way she is able to take advantage of their despair so obviously to us the viewer but subtly to those faced with what seems like probable death. The creatures they see through the windows at the front of the store are too much to comprehend on their own and any answer begins to make more and more sense.

When a human scapegoat can finally be ascertained (albeit only from those who are trapped in the store) and a 'sacrifice' can be made with all the earmarks of a biblical stoning in place, the new society that has sprung up from this quick and strange event has broken itself down entirely to primitive roots. With religious implications.

My intent here is to not give an entire synopsis of what happens in the plot but to point out my main focus to discuss here - the primitive society and how politics and religious interchange themselves. Frank Darabont's intentions (it seems) are not to single out either side as being right or wrong. Although Mrs. Carmody's actions and filthy spouting seem almost cartoonish in scope and execution, they in retrospect don't seem any less unfulfilled as the shock (and secular) ending to this movie. Alas, you'll have to see the movie to get my point as I don't wish to ruin it for anyone. As Ollie (Toby Jones), one of the grocers, explains in the film:

"As a species we're fundamentally insane. Put more than two of us in a room, we
pick sides and start dreaming up ways to kill one another. Why do you think we
invented politics and religion?"

Darabont executes his own script well and the pace seems to never really waiver in its slow moving intensity, to the point of unnerving squirming by the viewer. When it seems like a diversion may just overtake a scene it quickly pulls back to the main problem all of these people face - how to survive. A scene where Mrs. Carmody holes up in the employee bathroom praying her mind out gets cut short when she is interrupted just as her true lunacy (or is it genius?) might overtake the film's direction. In another scene, two young 20'ers have the opportunity to have end of the world sex after confessing mutual long-standing attractions to one another but decide against it in the end. Eventually they become victims to the mist in two very separate ways.

One last point I wanted to make before I close this longish first review was just how far Darabont's direction has come. The film plays out as if entirely of handi-cam and documentary-ish (as about one can be from a studio) as if it all takes place in real time despite the passage of several days. He frames his scenes well using confining angles and claustrophobic viewpoints to paint the terror in everyone's faces whether they react to it visually or not. No matter how stoic the character's intent to stay calm in the face of adversity, Darabont will reinforce their plight by recognizing how small they are stuck in this small town grocery store.

By the end of this second viewing (and my friend's first) she had become completely mesmerized within the pace and actions of the characters. And she didn't see the ending coming (which, for the record, is pretty damn good) and neither had I the first time I had seen it. Which was unusual for me in any case. I'm rarely surprised anymore but at this, I was pleasantly so. My second viewing still had my heart racing as tragedy - and answers - grew and grew. While the religious/secular dichotomy kept playing out, I had hedged my bets on the latter hoping it would pan out. Depending on how you see the ending's eventual outcome - the jury may or may not still be out on who won.





8 Skeletons out of 10

New-some

So this is my film and television blog. I've been meaning to start one for a long while now -- incorporating occasional film reviews on my personal blog all this time -- but have had school and life getting in the way. Now, though, I think I'm in a place to get this up and running and I'm excited at the venture.

First off, the scope of this blog - as I hope - is to include Hollywood film and television, Canadian film and television and British film and television. And everything in between. And as much independent as I can get my hands on. It won't go in any particular order - sometimes they'll be new releases and sometimes they'll be from yesteryear. Mostly, my objective is to just have a dialogue about these media. As well, I hope to generate discussion and debate. I'm not here to convert anyone (well maybe just a little :P) but mostly I want to hear points of view and get mine out there as well.

I have a dedicated email for this blog so if you want to discuss things more indepth than a single comment please feel free! I welcome a dialogue!

Anyways, that's it. Please stay tuned!