The Guardian

Tags

1990's, Carey Lowell, Dwier Brown, Horror, Jenny Seagrove, Supernatural Horror, The Guardian, William Friedkin

I would like to thank both Gabriela and Gill for inviting me to the Other Than a Bond Girl Blogathon. Both women are amazing writers and I was thrilled to be offered the opportunity to take part. I decided to highlight the delightful Carey Lowell, below is my review. 

A supernatural horror movie from William Friedkin, The Guardian is a strange movie that is by turns cheesy and then creepy. While it is a definite mixed bag , The Guardian does hold moments of interest.

Phil( Dwier Brown) and Kate (Carey Lowell) Sterling are a young couple who have relocated from Chicago to Los Angeles as Phil has been offered a lucrative advertising job. Kate also works as an interior decorator. Soon they are blessed with a baby boy who they name Jake. To ensure that they can both be around for their son as well as have successful careers, they decide to hire a nanny. The woman in question is the English Camilla Grandier(Jenny Seagrove), who comes with impeccable manners, charm and a great deal of attention to little Jake. Camilla becomes a vital part of the household, though things are really not what they seem. She is in fact a druid, and she plans to sacrifice Jake when the time is ready to a nearby tree that she worships. Phil and Kate don’t realise this at first, but various things begin to make Phil question the woman who he has hired to care for his newborn baby. The seductive and conniving Camilla begins invading his dreams and we see the extent of her power when a friend of Phil and Kate’s stumbles onto her evil secret. For Camilla, it’s all about biding her time until she can snatch Jake and complete her act of horror. The question is will Phil and Kate be able to save their baby son from the diabolical plans of the evil but charming Camilla before it’s too late?

William Friedkin has long been a director who I’ve admired. While his films haven’t always been great, he still has flashes of crazy brilliance in his work. His work here is pretty good in quite a bit of it; it’s just let down by various other areas. The Guardian is a film that’s very much up and down in terms of quality and while it has creepiness, I wouldn’t really classify it as scary in terms of horror. The constant re-writes behind the scenes and troubled production come through because of this in terms of the overall product. It’s as if the film can’t decided what it wants to be(evidenced by the often choppy editing). It can’t fathom whether it should be totally serious in terms of subject or pretty outrageous and decadent . But some moments of brilliance shine through these many flaws , like the creepy effects used on the trees coming to life and some atmospheric dream sequences. Plus, when things do get really crazy, its quite thrilling stuff. Which makes it a shame that the rest of the film couldn’t deliver on this promise and decide what it wanted to be. A good enough score, punctuated by synth and piercing strings is employed to a fairly decent degree, even if it does feel a little sparse. 

Jenny Seagrove heads the film with a mysterious and unnerving turn as a charming woman with deception and treachery in her mind. Seagrove, who is a strikingly beautiful presence, uses this to her advantage by showing little by little that Camilla is in no way to be trust because of how dangerously powerful she can be. Dwier Brown , while not being the finest actor in the business, has a few good moments later as the father unearthing his son is in danger. Brown just unfortunately has a habit of overacting, which can be rather grating after a while. And the woman who I’m here to write about is Carey Lowell. Her role isn’t exactly what you’d call the deepest role(new mother realising something is very wrong with the woman she has trusted with her child, Lowell brings out a convincing concern and sense of terror that is very watchable. I would have liked to have seen more of her in the film, but for when she’s on the screen, Carey Lowell gives a pretty fine performance of maternal vulnerability and underlying strength. In essence, it’s the main ladies who dominate this film. 

So I must conclude that The Guardian is rather messy as a film with an editing scheme that renders parts as scattershot.  But with a competent  cast, notably Jenny Seagrove and of course Carey Lowell , plus some good visuals, they provide interest in what is a flawed but watchable film from William Friedkin. 

Bug

Tags

2000's, Ashley Judd, Bug, Harry Connick Jr, Michael Shannon, Psychological Horror, William Friedkin

Film Title

Bug

Director

William Friedkin

Starring

• Ashley Judd as Agnes White
• Michael Shannon as Peter Evans
• Harry Connick Jr as Jerry

A psychological horror that’s more about the ravages of loneliness and the persuasive yet damaging delusions to escape that feeling, is rendered unnervingly by William Friedkin in Bug. Scripted by Tracy Letts from his own play, Bug comes to frightening and intense life under the direction of, and aided by two astonishing performances from Ashley Judd and Michael Shannon.

Agnes White is a lonely and haunted young woman who resides in a battered old motel in Oklahoma. Having been terrified by her now released ex Jerry( who keeps cold calling her) and her son disappearing ten years ago, life hasn’t been easy for her. In between working at a local bar, Agnes gets drunk and does drugs with her only real friend to ease the pain. One night, she is introduced to a mysterious man named Peter Evans. He is a little bit awkward but well spoken and pleasant enough towards Agnes. Slowly, the beaten down woman starts to find a certain companionship with this fellow loner. It’s when Peter is seemingly bitten by a bug that his instability comes out, with him talking of time he spent in the army and how he’s being hunted for experimental purposes. At first, Agnes doesn’t know what to make of Peter and his conspiracy stories, but things take a turn quickly. Having been worn down so much and aching for connection that leaves her too open to suggestion, Agnes soon starts to gel with Peter’s delusional theories of a bug infestation in the motel room. Having Jerry lurking around does nothing to help Agnes and how Peter’s imaginings take hold of her. Peter’s frenzied behaviour and ramblings are enough to convince Agnes of something terrible and paranoid. Sealing themselves inside the crummy motel room away from everyone, insanity breeds and the varied delusions of bugs and conspiracy quickly overtake Agnes and Peter completely.

William Friedkin delves deep into the troubled psyche of the protagonists with his cinematic flair illuminating turmoil and eventual downward spiral. that will make your skin crawl and unsettle your mind as it throws you headlong into delusion and isolation that has damaging effects on Agnes, as created by paranoid Peter. Friedkin is a man who knows how to use a camera for maximum impact; often employing gliding motions before cutting to hand-held restlessness as the story cranks up. Armed with a script by its original creator, the encased and isolated aura of a play is successfully kept but as a string to the film’s bow rather than a weakness. The building atmosphere provided by both direction and screenplay is riveting in slowly pacing events, then unearthing with quick succession the obsessive and troubling path to insanity encountered by the characters. Within Bug, Agnes and Peter feed of the others anxieties and paranoid minds, further slipping away from any form of understanding reality. The thematic value of loneliness and desperation is brought out as something that influences the eventual horror in a most effective manner. Part of this is best envisioned in the fact that Bug largely takes place in one setting; the run-down motel room that has seen better days. Even when some light comes in, it’s a setting that takes on a creepy tone as sanity wanes and the cinematography captures some moody contrasts in colour with harsh, grimy efficiency. Now Bug does get a little too abstract in some parts, but the sheer volume of psychological content and claustrophobic mania of it cover up these cracks to produce a quite startling and horrifying movie. Bug reminds us that all the best and most terrifying horror comes from the mind and suggestion, insuring you won’t be able to quite forget this film after viewing. A sparse musical score brings more attention to the alarming content, yet knows when to pitch in for some doom-laded menace.

I’ve always thought Ashley Judd is a good actress, who for whatever reason, seems to be in movies that are somewhat generic, though her talent largely shines through. Here however, she’s got a role that really shows off her abilities with dramatic full force and allows her to shine. Capturing the pensive sadness of Agnes, who seems resigned and wounded by a terrible life, Judd slowly becomes more and more unstrung as her need for company in turn sends her into insanity. With gutsy anguish and feverish unpredictability, the pitiful and in many ways doomed Agnes is fantastically played by the marvellous Ashley Judd in what is probably her finest performance. Michael Shannon has a naturally intense demeanor to him that is largely from his steely eyes and tough jaw. Even when still and not seeming off kilter, he successfully exudes a sense of restlessness that will soon worryingly combust. These traits, along with a palpable sadness, are wonderfully and frighteningly put on display in Bug. Starting out playing Peter as a little awkward and strange, once the paranoia aspect hots up, Shannon lets loose and his frenzied tics and raw energy come out with spectacular results. It’s safe to say, Shannon’s unsettling and manic performance is not one to forget as he’s so scarily effective in the part. Both of the main stars share a warped and startling closeness that is remarkably intense and worrying. One can imagine that both Judd and Shannon must have been exhausted upon filming completion, given the emotional distress and frenzy they both had to play. Harry Connick Jr provides a beefed up and hair-trigger temper as the convict ex of Agnes, whose appearance disturbs her but is nothing compared to what transpires with Peter.

An an uncomfortable and disquieting horror that drags out the dark recesses of the mind and presents them with skin-crawling assurance, Bug is a movie not for everyone. But for those willing to watch a claustrophobic examination of paranoid delusion and alarming co-dependency(acted with striking intensity) that turns to mania , Bug will be well worth checking out. Just be warned, you won’t be able to shake Bug for some time, which is to give credit to the sheer impact of it all.

The Exorcist

Tags

1970's, Ellen Burstyn, Horror, Jason Miller, Lee J. Cobb, Linda Blair, Max Von Sydow, Supernatural Horror, The Exorcist, William Friedkin

Film Title

The Exorcist

Director

William Friedkin

Starring

• Ellen Burstyn as Chris MacNeil
• Jason Miller as Father Karras
• Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil
• Lee J. Cobb as Lieutenant William Kinderman
• Max Von Sydow as Father Merrin

Still a supernatural horror classic that retains its sense of unease, building tension and creepy goings on, The Exorcist provides all the necessary chills along with a focus on themes of faith and religion to examine deeply. Equally disturbing and gruesome, The Exorcist is brought to life under the talented direction of William Friedkin and the exceptional playing of the cast.

Chris is a famous actress who is currently on location in Georgetown filming the last parts of a movie. Her amiable and devoted 12-year-old daughter Regan is with her and though Chris is busy, any time she gets free she so spends with her daughter. Yet strange things begin to slowly take shape after Regan plays with a Ouija board. She exhibits erratic behaviour, she swears constantly and becomes increasingly violent to those around her. Chris, obviously disturbed by all of this, takes her daughter to medical experts. Yet even after extensive tests are performed, there is no explanation for what is happening to Regan. Things get worse as her appearance continues to deteriorate and her violence increases into something very frightening. What no one knows or seems to able to fathom at this point is that Regan is possessed by a demon which takes ever more control of her day by day. A distraught Chris is at the end of her rope as she tries to save her daughter from the horror she is subjected to. As a last resort, she enlists the help of Father Damian Karras, a priest who also has a degree in psychiatry. He himself is going through a crisis of faith as he reels from guilt over his mother’s death and how he wished he had been there for her more. He comes to investigate the case( after having already spoken to Lieutenant William Kinderman , who is himself looking into the strange events after the death of someone close to the family) and is shocked by his findings, as it becomes very clear that a demon has taken residence within the young girl. He considers exorcism to be a last resort, yet when is other ways of getting the demon out fail, he knows that an exorcism is what is needed. The fact is that the faith of Karras is under threat anyway so he knows that he will need to employ the expertise of someone whose faith and will is stronger than his. That person is Father Merrin, who has dealt with exorcism in the past and despite getting on in age, is strong when it comes to doing battle with evil forces. Yet could this case of possession be a step too far for Father Merrin?  Whatever the case, it’s going to take every ounce of strength within both men to drive this demon out.

I think many people tend to focus on the graphic and gruesome parts of The Exorcist, forgetting that the build up as orchestrated by Friedkin is actually just as effective. He cranks up the tension in the early stretches as the behaviour of Regan changes, yet doesn’t rush anything. This may surprise many who may have not seen the film and believe it is a scare a minute movie. If anything the scares of The Exorcist are generated by the pain of the characters as well as the horror that colours the second half of the movie. Friedkin’s work is utterly marvellous in the ways it taps into deep fears of loss of faith and the safety of a child, observed best in the pursuit of Chris to save her daughter and the two priests doing everything they can to reclaim her soul from the clutches of evil. Without the arresting direction and measured build up from Friedkin, The Exorcist would have nowhere near the amount of creepy impact it has. By slowly suggesting the horror that will come, when in the last act it lets loose it is damn terrifying to witness. And like with any film of a certain age some of the special effects lessen, The Exorcist surprisingly still stands up in that department; mainly because there is the story underneath it all to back up the gory and malevolent spirit of the piece. And memorable scenes are found in abundance throughout the running of The Exorcist. Regan’s transformation into a foul-mouthed demon that is scarred and vomit’s bile, the arrival of Father Merrin displayed as a lone light casts his shadow on the house where he must confront evil and the climactic exorcism that will no doubt give you shudders of terror. I could go on listing the iconic moments of the film, but then this review would become boring. The use of sound in this film is pretty marvellous, with an ambient atmosphere crafted from the humming but ominous music.

With the script allowing us to get know the characters throughout, the actors present do a commendable job in their respective roles. Ellen Burstyn is marvellous in the part of the terrified mother trying to save her daughter from the darkness. Burstyn delves deep into the pain and shock of the character with intelligence, that helps transfer her maternal fears for her daughter on to the audience in the process. Jason Miller brings a sadness and pathos to Father Karras, who has to face emotional and quite literal demons as his faith comes under fire in the increasing horror of the situation. Then of course there is Linda Blair as the initially friendly Regan whose personality morphs into unspeakable evil when she’s possessed. Largely covered in grotesque make up and confined to a bed for most of the performance, Blair considering how young she was at the time really gives a startling performance of frightening intensity. Part of why it’s so effective is how Blair shows the cherubic niceness of Regan in the beginning that is warm and sweet, then once possessed a force of physical and psychological terror. It really adds a lot to the performance and makes the film in general a great deal more terrifying. Lee J. Cobb plays the part of the wily detective investigating the goings on when murder strikes and he does so with an observational quality and sprinkle of humour. And then there is Max Von Sydow as the eponymous exorcist. His role is a small but incredibly pivotal one that he infuses with dignity and wisdom even as his beliefs are tested by the demon in front of him.

A macabre and deeply unsettling horror film, it’s not hard to discern why The Exorcist is held in such high regard. It simply is a creepy exercise in shocking terror that doesn’t forget the characters and has enough food for thought to last a long time.

Jade

Tags

1990's, Chazz Palminteri, David Caruso, Erotic Thriller, Jade, Linda Fiorentino, Michael Biehn, Richard Crenna, Thriller, William Friedkin

Film Title

Jade

Director

William Friedkin

Starring

• David Caruso as David Corelli
• Linda Fiorentino as Trina Gavin
• Chazz Palminteri as Matt Gavin
• Richard Crenna as Lew Edwards
• Michael Biehn as Bob Hargrove

A movie that is often its own worst enemy, Jade becomes a severely mixed bag throughout. There may be a few points of praise to be found, but on the spectrum it slides into a more negative side than positive.

David Corelli is a San Francisco Assistant District Attorney with ambitions to go higher. These ambitions are put on hold for his latest investigation which involves a rather grisly murder. A wealthy art dealer by the name of Kyle Medford has been killed in his home with an antique hatchet. Bob Hargrove, a detective on the case and someone who frequently clashes with Corelli discovers compromising photos in the dead man’s safe. Depicting governor Lew Edwards engaging in sex with a prostitute, these pictures as deduced by Corelli, were the fruits of attempted blackmail. Various wealthy businessman were filmed without their knowledge, with their pants down in a beach house. Medford was trying to blackmail them all with footage and photos and it looks as if he payed the price for his actions.Through questioning of various people who appear to have been involved, the name Jade is referenced frequently, arousing the interest of Corelli . The mysterious Jade is a prostitute who was according to other women the most popular lady of night willing to do just about anything for a client. Then things get a lot more complicated for Corelli as fingerprints on the murder weapon are traced back to someone he knows very well. That someone is Trina Gavin, a demure psychologist and non-fiction writer who he used to romance and is now married to his best friend, ruthless defence attorney Matt Gavin. Could Trina really be the mysterious Jade who appears to link everyone? Is she guilty of murder? As digs deeper, more secrets and an unfurling game of perversion, corruption and scandal that reaches high levels of power puts him to the test and could very well threaten his life.

In the films of William Friedkin, he has always managed to imprint his stamp on them, even when they’ve been less than desirable films. The same can be spoken of here because while Jade is a mess, the direction from Friedkin is supremely stylish. It’s a crying shame then that many other parts of the movie, despite some bright spots, can not really get itself together to craft a compelling story. For every good step the movie takes, the two steps back that follow do a major detriment to it. The main point of contention is the script which attempts to make the film unusual and erotic, but ends up feeling dry. It tries to introduce sex games to tantalize the viewer, adding in kinky acts too, but while Jade is billed as an erotic thriller, it’s not nearly erotic enough to sustain interest. On the thriller front, there is a very cool and well choreographed car chase that is mightily effective and one of the highlights of the picture. In it, Corelli gives chase to an assassin’s car and they speed down steep hills and eventually get caught up in a Chinatown parade that hampers both. The scene is one of the best in the movie, which makes it all the more difficult to sit through the rest of the film because the following parts are just a mess. The pace has a quickness too it, but is out-of-place in a movie that should have more of a slow burn about it instead of jumping ship. The characters are not particularly compelling or intriguing, all seem to have a one note tendency. At least there is an exotic and oriental influenced score provided by James Horner that’s sensually orchestrated and gives Jade some of the erotic flavour that much of the picture lacks. And a honeyed cinematography brings a touch of class to proceedings in which respectability is something lacking.

As the script is lacking in many areas, the acting suffers though the main cast tries their best to make something substantial. Noe of the actors can really be blamed as they what they can, but nothing can save this sort of script. David Caruso has the right toughness for the part, but the character is a damp squib who constantly looks morose. If we had more meaning to his character, it could have been something else entirely. In the part of the mysterious Trina, Linda Fiorentino is alluring enough. Yet like with the characterization of Caruso’s role, her part is not given enough input into the story and this is problematic. Even the robust presence of the reliable Chazz Palminteri is squandered by poor writing. Richard Crenna and Michael Biehn(sporting a suspect moustache) are given scant to do here.

So so while the direction is well-appointed, James Horner’s music is sultry and the car chase stands out as a good set piece, Jade feels too convoluted, rushed and one-note to really be considered a great thriller.