The Unborn

Good horror has gone the way of the dinosaur. Due to the importance of box office dollars, modern horror has morphed into a monster that lacks the metaphorical soul of it's predecessors. Because money is so important, studios have a greater hand in the finished product of a film. They want sleek, sexy, and thus marketable horror. The problem is that horror does not operate that way. That's like being afraid of a Ferrari. People are afraid of the dirty pickup truck with tinted windows. Why? Character.
The Unborn is a horror film about a young, sexy female who finds herself haunted by the evil ghost of her unborn twin. If anyone has spent even five second learning about how to write a script, they'd know that the first ten minutes set the scene, the characters, and the dramatic premise. Let's just cut to the chase and say The Unborn doesn't really do that. This is a problem with so many mainstream horror films nowadays. They feel the urge to get you in right away. It's the equivalent of fast food. You get it fast, you eat it fast, and it makes you regret it for a few hours after wards. We meet Casey. She's out jogging, looking sexy (why are they all sexy?), and she sees a dog wearing a mask. Spooky. Then she finds a baby in a jar. Spooky. It cuts to her sitting on a bed video messaging her pal, "So what do you think the dream meant?" Huh? How cheap an explanation is that? No jarring wake up? No sweaty, was-that-a-dream transition? Weak. The film offers very few scares and a number of inane plot point's that really defy common logic. Would you ever volunteer to help with an exorcism when it's explained that the spirit can possess anyone at any time? Not to mention, the sequence in which we learn what the evil spirit is lasts all of three to four minutes. Isn't it scarier to slowly peel away the layers until we find the rotten center?
Modern horror is not a genre that produces a lot of quality in film today. It's a genre that has always been supported by smart minds (Roman Polanski, George A. Romero) who understood how to create subtle unrest in a viewer so that every creek in the floor is significant. There appears to be no one around who understands that anymore. It's people who think that because CGI is such a powerful tool, the more of it that is used, the better. It's people who use large budgets yet put it all into how the film looks. Not how it feels. In the end, isn't that what horror is supposed to do?

Shutter Island

A serious condition that has been a headline grabber in recent years is that of post traumatic stress disorder. It is a condition that has been around for as long as people have fought each other on the battlefields. It's been known as shell shock and battle fatigue. It is a disorder that develops in people who have experienced a severe psychological trauma. For soldiers, that can be an everyday experience. Films have explored this area before, notably in The Deer Hunter. It is becoming more prevalent as the central element of plot and character.
Shutter Island is directed by the esteemed Martin Scorsese. His previous romps in the thriller field have been lukewarm. Cape Fear was weak to say the least. Yet Scorsese finds something with Shutter Island. A certain note or feel that escaped that previous work. More like he decided to change instruments altogether. The film is set in 1954 and follows U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) as he investigates a missing persons case on the secluded mental institution of the films title. It hits you right away: this island is no fun. It looks like Shawshank prison on crack. The place and staff feel....wrong. Ben Kingsley finds a remarkable uneasiness about his character that builds on you. Max Von Sydow is equally as unsettling. And yet all theyre characters really do is...well, act like doctors of the criminally insane. Perhaps that's whats scary. They appear perfectly normal considering the patients they tend to. These are seriously deranged individuals, what does it take to be the one who treats them? The film ends with a whimper when it could have bellowed. Its unfortunate because it nearly messes up the film as a whole by this much. The body of the film is solid oak and withstands the damage. Some people may criticize certain moments of editing, but it's effect is achieved based on the content.
The film explores the state of the human mind. Unlike many films which follow the thriller script to a 't', Shutter Island provides new and character driven content. Not to mention, for those who pay attention, Scorsese does an effective job paying tribute to the great crime noire thrillers of the '50's.

Being There

It is a long-held belief that if an actor plays a mentally handicapped character in a film they are guarenteed are Oscar nod. While not always true, Cuba Gooding Jr please stand up, it is accurate more often than not. However, to quote Robert Downey Jr. as Lincoln Ossirus in Tropic Thunder, "You never go full retard." How politically correct. How true.
Being There is the story of simpleton gardener named Chance, who by chance (no pun intended) finds himself the focus of popularity. Some actors have a way about them that they can succeed in any number of comedic roles. Peter Sellers is one of the best. He plays Chance in an honest, even style. This isn't a Forrest Gump-type of simpleton - he doesn't openly engage others and charm their pants off. Chance is pleasant and off-handily appreciative. He speaks when spoken to and answers with a polite, "Thank you. Thank you." Somehow this betrays his basic ruminations as statements of profound insight. Sellers plays it that way. The character doesn't have any idea that what he is saying or doing is confused for something greater. That's just how he is. This eventually gets him involved with the President, foreign emissaries, and late night talk shows.
It's a shame Sellers did not win an Oscar for his role. Granted, 1980 was a stacked year (Roy Schider arguably could have won for All That Jazz and eventual winner Dustin Hoffman justifiably took home the statue). It feels that Sellers as Chance is more important a character somehow. A deeper looker at people in general. We go about our lives trying so hard to impress that we are not always ourselves. We are different people at work, at home, with friends, or family. In the end, life is perception.