Ministry of Intrigue

Let The Right One In is a novel from Swedish author John Ajvide Lindqvist, and also now a film from Swedish director Tomas Alfredsson. I’ve consumed both now, and while they each should be judged on their own merits I’m going to attempt to review both the novel and the movie in one post. I’ll be pulling some of this from my review of the book on my GoodReads account.

The Novel

I was extremely impressed with this book. It’s a dark and disturbing tale that is beautifully written. The characters are complex, and the novel manages to capture the essence of human loneliness more effectively than any other book I’ve read in the last few years. Lindqvist grants none of his characters an easy path, and takes the time to depict each of their hopes and pains. Nor does he flinch at showing their evils, whether it’s careless alcoholism, the savage cruelty of children, or the darkness of Eli, as well as Eli’s servant.

Even Oskar, the innocent young protagonist, who has suffered so much abuse from his cruel classmates, has withdrawn from the world, and has turned dark from the years of bullying. Over that time he has nursed a hatred so pure and violent in intent that it could only come from a child. He practices stabbing trees with his knife and daydreams about killing his young tormentors. Good does come into his life though, in the form of a new friend. Eli, a pale waif of a child moves into his complex and slowly begins to befriend him, but Eli only comes out at night, and has been 12 years old for a very long time.

I’m hesitant to even mention the word vampire here, because of all the literary baggage it comes with, especially in a post Anne Rice, post Laurell K. Hamilton world, where Twilight and True Blood are what people immediately think of when the v-word comes into the conversation. So let me make something clear, this is not a vampire novel, or at least it is not just that. It’s a deeply moving story of human loneliness and the darkness that grows from the desperation of any outcast, and therefore a very human story, although many may find the humanity depicted in this novel disturbing. It’s beautifully written though, and your heart aches for the people of this tale, even some of the ones that are unquestionably evil.

The only complaint I have about the book is that it seems like the cast of characters is almost too well defined, and in some cases more for completeness rather than serving the story. For example, there is a decent amount of time spent learning about Tommy and his family, when he really has very little impact on the rest of the story and only actually interacts with the central characters briefly on a handful of occasions. It’s well-written, and great character stuff, but seems like an unnecessary detour from the core of the tale.

The Movie

The film version of Let The Right One In is as beautiful as the novel, and while it is somewhat more circumspect in scope, being more focused on Oskar and Eli rather than the wide cast of characters in from the book, it still manages to successfully communicate the emotional core of the story.

The two young actors playing Oskar (Kåre Hedebrant) and Eli (Lina Leandersson), each give stellar performances of difficult material far beyond their years. Hedebrant portrays Oskar’s hatred and desperation with a wide-eyed innocence that is absolutely pitch-perfect. Leandersson’s Eli is also well done, maintaining the appropriate level of awkward childishness and quiet severity that draws Oskar to her. At times though, Eli seems almost too human, and I’m not sure if it’s Leandersson’s portrayal, or Alfredsson’s direction. One important thing in the book is that Eli is never completely human, but instead always has a sense of otherness about about her, which does not hold completely true in the film. It still works though, after all this is no more a “vampire movie” than the novel is a “vampire book”, and this is ultimately a very human story, even Eli’s part of it.

The cinematography of the film is perfect and captures the bleak and lonely winter the story takes place in very well. I can’t speak to how well it captured Sweden in the mid-eighties, but the environment and colors reflect the isolation of Oskar, as well as Eli, whom he first meets out in the frozen playground of his apartment complex as he sits alone in the cold.

Alfredsson has made excellent editorial decisions in bringing this story to screen and has cut some elements of the plot which would have been distracting from the core relationships of the characters. His tight focus and clear understanding of the story he wanted to tell has created something truly great in cinema. It is no wonder the film has won such international acclaim. It’s a splendid piece of art, and after viewing, it is hard not to be profoundly affected by it.

Unfortunately, the DVD distributer of the film used a different set of English subtitles than what was seen in theaters. Supposedly, the original English subtitles are far superior, and outcry has been so loud that the distributer will start pressing the future versions of the DVD with the theatrical subtitles as an additional option, but only as they replace stock, so it could take a while before you see those pressings showing up in stores. Honestly, I saw it on disc, and I still thought it was great, but purists may want to hold off purchasing until theatrical subtitles are available as well. Even if you want to wait on purchasing, you should still consider renting it, because it is excellent, and trust me, you want to see this before an American studio remakes it and mutilates it in the process.

Conclusion

Let The Right One In is profound exploration into human loneliness and savagery, without falling into the trap of becoming a meditation on the nature of evil, which would have been pretentious as well as missing the point. Although it is significant that in both the book and the movie, the characters that are closest to being actually evil are the children that Oskar goes to school with, while Oskar’s salvation and hope comes in the form of a monster that wants to be his friend. It sounds simple and ridiculous simplifying it like that for the purposes of this review, because it plays far out more subtly in the book and movie. Neither make simple choices, and every moment of the story is filled with complex emotions.

Both the book and the movie are well worth your time, and I don’t feel I have to caution you as to the order you approach them in. I discovered the book through watching the movie first, and I don’t feel like it spoiled either for me. They are both excellent, and I highly recommend you check them out.

Final Verdict: The Ministry of Intrigue approves both this book and movie.

I went to go see Watchmen opening night, and I thought it would be worth my while to jot down some of my thoughts, now that I have had a couple to days to think about the film.

First, a disclaimer, the comics have been out for 20 years, and as such I am unclear of what would be considered a spoiler and I don’t really care. There will be spoilers in this review. If you have not seen/read Watchmen yet, either stop reading this review now or deal with any spoilers you encounter.

Let me start by saying this about Watchmen: in my opinion, it is as faithful a movie adaptation of the comic as we could reasonably expect. It has its flaws, but ultimately Zack Snyder has done a good job bringing the comic to life on the screen. He has captured the look, feel and pace of the comic, and coming in at nearly three hours in duration, Snyder has managed to squeeze in almost every essential scene into the movie, although geek purists may still complain about a few issues. The primary reason for that is that the aforementioned “geek purists” use their ability to identify inconsistencies with the source material and their associated rage as a method of demonstrating dominance in the geek pecking order. In short, that sort of behavior is mostly a pissing match.

So let’s talk about the movie.

In general, I thought the casting for the movie was excellent. Perhaps Adrian Veidt could have been a bit more charismatic, and Malin Akerman’s rendition of Laurie Jupiter was tolerable, but could have been better. However, Billy Crudrup’s Dr. Manhattan, Jeffery Dean Morgan’s Comedian, and Jackie Earl Haley’s Rorschach were all outstanding casting choices, as was Patrick Wilson’s Nite Owl II. The movie would have failed had it cast the lead roles incorrectly, but it succeeded here. I think they probably could have done a better job casting with Nixon, but honestly I don’t care much about him in the movie. He’s a background character in the comic, and only takes a slightly larger role in the movie to help explain to the audience what’s going on politically in this alternate version of 1985.

As you would expect in a Snyder film, the action receives special attention. It’s brutal in the comic, and Snyder definitely brings that to the big screen. There are moments where I think Snyder goes further than the comic, but I have a hard time faulting him for it particularly when he has a modern movie-going audience that’s already seen some gritty comic book movies. I’ve read some reviews where people complain about the violence, particularly in relation to the kidnapping case Rorschach investigates. Complaints seem centered around the sadism of how the little girl was killed, although that’s in the comic too, so the issue is with the established story and not the movie. Admittedly, there is a change here in the movie that some comics fans have an issue with and that is Rorschach’s method of dispatching the kidnapper. The original story had Rorschach handcuffing the criminal to the stove with only a small saw for his wrist and setting the house on fire. I can see one obvious reason why this has been changed: because by now, this has been done in movies and television so many times already that it doesn’t have the same level of impact it once did. In fact, it’s almost passé, so I didn’t have an issue with the change.

Some fans will be disappointed that there is no time devoted in the film for “Tales of the Black Freighter”, the comic within the comic. This has been split out into a separate animated short. In this interview, Snyder says he shot all the in and out scenes at the newsstand in order to incorporate it in the movie, but that we may have to wait for a DVD before we see it integrated into the film. From the interview:

Alan C: We know that the “Black Freighter” is being produced as some sort of add on to the film for home release. What I want to know is will the “Black Freighter” parts cut back and forth to the newsstand and the comic as it does in the book? Will the DVD release have an option to include the “Black Freighter” scenes in context with the film (as they happen in the book) or will it just be a standalone extra?

Zack Snyder: It is my intent right now, and of course all this could change, to create a version of the “Black Freighter” that thread throughout the movie. As I write this, I have already shot the ins and outs of the News Vendor and Bernard… So we’ll try them in the film and then certainly we’ll at least see them on the DVD, but if it works awesome, then it works awesome, and it could end up in the film. I just want to make the best movie I can.

I’ve heard some fans complaining that not enough time was dedicated to Rorschach’s story, and in particular a sense of disappointment that the film wasn’t as character driven as the comic was. This is a valid complaint, but in order to do such a thing without cutting any of the other essential scenes would have required a minimum of another hour of screen time in order to do them properly. The cuts that would have been required in order to pull that off would have had every fan up in arms. Honestly, the only way to do that would have been to film Watchmen as a high budget miniseries, with an episode for each chapter, and even then I’m not sure that would work.

The ending of the film undergoes a slight change, but I have to say, I think it was a better choice within the context of the movie. To establish the original ending would have probably required another 30 minutes or more of build up in the course of the film and honestly, I think this works a bit better than what’s in the comic for the final strike of Veidt’s plan. I’ve always had a problem with the comic’s ending because I feel like it comes out of left field. Moore does his work establishing the design and backstory for the alien beast, but then says that Veidt cloned its brain from human psychics, without ever previously establishing that psychic phenomenon exist in the context of the story. That always felt a little sloppy to me, and especially in deference to making a movie that is not six hours long, the shift in focus to Dr. Manhattan is much better choice for the film.

I’ve heard some people complaining about the way the soundtrack of the movie was handled, it didn’t always fit what was happening on the screen. A lot of the music seemed to be selected by the lyrics that were quoted in the comic, but when the music was put up against the backdrop of the screen it didn’t work. I’ll agree that it was an awkward soundtrack for the film, it probably would have been better to ignore those quotations and just score it based off of the movie itself.

I’ve also read a lot of people complaining about how uncomfortable they were watching the love scene in Nite Owl’s ship. My girlfriend and I both left the movie with the impression it was deliberately shot to be uncomfortably awkward and we found it a little bit funny. It’s an important moment for the two characters, but in the context of the story its also a ridiculous one. I mean, in the comic and the movie, we see that it takes wearing his costume again for Dreiberg to be able to get it up, his self-confidence is so tied into his vigilantism. That being said, that probably could have been expressed with a slightly shorter scene, but in the end I think it works.

I only have one primary complaint about the movie, and it is related to the end, but not the plot change. My issue is with Dr. Manhattan’s departure. In the movie, he explains to Laurie that he is going to another galaxy, and his line “Nothing ever ends” is delivered by Laurie, quoting him. Here’s my issue with this: One of my favorite parts of the original story is that after Veidt has won the complicity of all those involved, and achieved all his goals, he has a moment of self-doubt in his final conversation with Dr. Manhattan (who reveals he is leaving for another galaxy). Veidt asks, “I did the right thing didn’t I? It all worked out in the end.” And Dr. Manhattan replies, “‘In the end’? Nothing ends, Adrian. Nothing ever ends.” Veidt calls out for an explanation, but Dr. Manhattan is already gone. It’s significant, and the way it’s shifted around in the film neuters the line and the moment. In my ideal version of the movie, Adrian Veidt would have had this moment with Dr. Manhattan and the movie would have ended as Veidt sits alone in his dark room trying to understand what Dr. Manhattan’s cryptic answer meant.

All that being said, I think Watchmen was an excellent adaptation of the comic, though not without its flaws. I enjoyed it quite a bit, and am really looking forward to getting my hands on the DVD when it comes out so that I can see the super-nerdy extended cut with everything Snyder had to remove from the film to get it down to just under three hours. I’m particularly excited at the possibility to see a version of the movie with the Black Freighter comic integrated into it. If you haven’t seen the movie yet (in which case why did you read a review filled with spoilers), I recommend you go see it, especially if you are a fan of the comic. If you haven’t read the comic, you may have to watch it more than once to understand everything that is going on, but you should really read the comic anyway.

Final Verdict: The Ministry of Intrigue approves this movie.

Via /.:

Be still my beating heart!

Due to the enormous pressure and demand from fans, LucasFilm is going to be releasing the original unedited versions of the Star Wars trilogy on DVD. Each movie will be released indivdually in a two disc set containing the tainted remastered version (that makes babies cry) as well as the original theatrical edition as a special feature. Which of course means that all the fans that bought the DVD trilogy will have to buy those movies all over again just to get the originals. While there isn’t a price listed yet, I’m relatively sure you’ll be paying for the price of both movies. Why does Lucas hate us?

To top it all off, these DVDs are a limited release, meaning they’ll only be available for purchase between September 12th and December 31st, which is also a shitty move to garner more profit. It is like rubbing salt in our wounds, which are have been inflicted by forcing us to pay for the impure versions all over again. All I have to say is that LucasFilm had better press enough copies to satisfy demand or I will be a very unhappy camper amongst an overwhelming mob of geek rioters.

But, oh the joy! Han shooting first, no Hayden Christensen, and the return of my beloved Ewok song! Yub Nub!

Be aware that the grounds of retail stores will be littered with the bodies of those that try to get the limited release before I do.

You can read about the release here.

Via Warren Ellis:

Here is a trailer for Cthulu: The Movie, with none other than Tori Spelling performing in it. From the looks of the official site, the production appears to be some sort of indie flick. It looks so monumentally bad that I wonder if it is part of some sinister ritual to drive the audience mad so that the Old One’s might consume them utterly.

Please someone tell me this is just an elaborate joke.

You know what the saddest part is? I’ll probably rent it. An acolyte’s duty is never done…

Against my better judgment, I went to go see the movie adaptation of Silent Hill this weekend. While I’ll agree with the guys at Penny Arcade that I should not pretend this was a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, I will say that I enjoyed it. In fact, even with its sad, pathetic little script and the horrible acting inflicted on the audience by star Rahda Mitchell (of Pitch Black fame), I was really enjoying it up until the end.

The movie is just so bizarre and fucked up I couldn’t help but get caught up in its nightmarish vision. It is bizarre, creepy and downright fun, which while I have never played the original game seems to measure up with my friends’ accounts of the experience. Unfortunately, near the end they try to tie it all together with one long monologue of exposition (sin among sins!), which is my most hated cinematic cheap trick. Afterwards the movie just goes completely over the top, which unfortunately ruined the whole atmospheric vibe and resulted in me being less engaged in the movie.

If you liked the game, this movie is definately worth seeing. Otherwise, I wouldn’t pay more than matinee price for it, if that. However, it is a lot of fun if you are into the freaky stuff.

As I stated in the title, this really isn’t a review of the movie, because quite simply the best review for it has already been written. Check out Vern’s review as posted by Moriarty on Aint It Cool News, and it will lay it all out for you.

As usual, my review is being written somewhat late.

This Saturday, I went to go see V for Vendetta at the local IMAX. I have to admit that despite my excitement, I was very worried. I am a big fan of the comic and have read it countless times, and while I knew that some things would change I was unsure of what Hollywood would do with such a story. I knew that Alan Moore, the original author of the comic, had requested to have his name removed from the credits, but also knew that Moore’s frustration with D.C. Comics was a heavy influence in that. Also, after the intestinal scrape of Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions, I didn’t have much faith in the Wachowski brothers.

What a relief!

The film held true to the story in all the best ways. Those ideas that would require clunky exposition in such a medium were carefully adapted, which while changing some of the subplots, effectively rendered the movie much more accessible for an unfamiliar audience. Alterations in the film also served to clear up ambiguities and factual errors in the original script (at the time it was written for comics there was a nuclear war involved as no one knew the true extent of such a war would be). In addition, the movies added thrills and action that propel the story along.

I would love to comment more on specific scenes from the film, but I really don’t want to spoil it for you. I will say that if you loved the comic, you will love the movie, and if you have never read the comic, you will after leaving the theater.

I was also going to use the blogger privilege of being unprofessional and bash a few critics for their obvious lack of research into the source material, but I’ll refrain. After all, good web karma is something I should keep in supply.

In short, go see this film. And if you get a chance where you live, see it on an IMAX screen. You won’t be disappointed.

Seen the movie? Agree/Disagree? Think I am full of it? Leave a comment!