About Me

My photo
This blog is the work of an educated civilian, not of an expert in the fields discussed.

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Friday the 13th Again



The undying “Friday the 13th” franchise gets a surprisingly decent reboot in this stylish, playful example of the decapitated hottie genre.

-- NYT Online Review Summary

Of course douche bag Trent will eventually get his, courtesy of Jason, but I don't remember anything about how it happens, which seems like a major failing.

-- Part of sardonic Salon review

One pet peeve is the lazy movie review. The NY Daily News has saved time in this department by cutting back on some of the lesser movies, including no longer (at least in the print section) generally including "no preview" reviews that used to pop up (of the 1.5 star variety) on Saturdays. But, there remain a lot of them, including from stars like Roger Ebert.

Nothing is as sneer worthy as people like that turning their lips down on what they deem crap, which turns out to be rather selective (compare Last House On the Left with I Spit On Your Grave, and sorry Rog, I don't see one as a classic, the other as uniquely horrible trash*). This includes forgetting details of films (don't they have interns to serve as fact checkers?) and lazily sneering at lesser films. Yes, this includes some junk, but there is a ton of film out there. There was back in the day too. Some is junk. Some pretty lazy.

You can say this, but still let us know if it is worth watching for those who are looking for that sort of thing. Escapism comes in various forms, after all. And, this sort of film can also be a way for the reviewer (or that intern) to have some fun. Some do, not all apparently being annoyed they are being paid for watching the same trash others just watch to pass some time late at night, or have some reason to pay for those extra cable stations. It must be said, however, that ticket prices are a bit high these days for this sort of thing; $8 even for afternoons sometimes.

Some, like a person trolling at a bar, accept the film for what it is, not that great, but maybe enough. Toss in a cheap afternoon price, like there still is around here (I believe the theater has the same seats as it had when I was a kid), and the latest Friday the 13th movie might be your thing. It does help if, as do I, have a soft spot for this sort of thing. It helps that I saw a few of the original series back when they came out, most of the rest on t.v. or video. You know, for completeness.

And, sorry, if you were actually a bit serious about the movie (admittedly a bit hard), you'd remember a bit about how the guy died. It's useful to keep track, btw, since (spoiler!) the plot is not really too surprising. Think of it like a Greek play -- it's how it gets there that counts. Along with the WB guest stars in the cast (and gratuitous nudity), we actually have someone with a modicum of talent (if the same degree of cheesecake) is Jared Padalecki (Dean from the Gilmore Girls). He provides some useful ballast for the film overall. The mostly forgettable supporting cast, however, do their jobs. Got to respect that.

And, overall, the film is put together with some degree of skill. A prologue and three basic parts keeps you interested. A somewhat new shade of Jason can allow some debate (the Salon piece addresses the point). But, no, this isn't rocket science. Quite workman-like though, and you do not see slasher films for nuance, do you? The Saw movies suggests some of these films are simply depressing (without the depth to warrant that meaning much). Some will be depressed by the genre, but some reviews underline this is not a bad representation of it.

With Scream movies treating this sort of thing as worthy of satire, I can respect a film that goes back to basics. The slasher film leaves something to be desired (how about a trick ending where the "slut" actually lives?) and not everyone will like laughing at people getting cut up (some will also note that other films have more creative kills, for those who like that sort of thing**). But, we are talking about depth here. It's time for cheap fun with a modicum of style. This film delivers.

There is a place for more quality fare, but this sort of this works too. After all, there is a reason a silly movie about a mall security guard was a top film for a number of weeks.

---

* To be fair, Ebert can be quite good, even recognizing not good is not the same thing as necessarily lousy. And, he actually thinks the technical credits here are good and the kills scary. But, he lazily notes: "Assuming he was a camper aged 12, he would have been 32 in 1980, and in 2009, he is 61." Well, no, in this film it is suggested that he might have been a kid in 1980. And, in the old series, he rose from the dead, was said to actually be an alien, and was frozen. So, did not simply age even then. And, the lead actually does act. But, if he gave this film too much cred, he might lose some, I guess.

** Consider the Child Play series. The first film, the only one with the mom from 7th Heaven, was a mostly serious thriller with the dark humor of a killer doll. The sequels got more and more silly with humor (for some, this includes the type of kill) much of the point. FWIW, putting aside the third one, they all were worthwhile on some level. Jennifer Tilly rules, obviously.

I have seen less slasher than many fans, but I must say that the second and third sequels to the Sleepaway Camp also has this going for them (Angela Baker is of the fun nutcase variety), here gratuitous nudity (see also Tiffany Shepis in this film, a star of the genre, also found in PG Porn) somewhat more prevalent. For some reason, teenage guys like this sort of thing.