You could say that The Avengers was the ultimate test for Joss Whedon; a big budget summer blockbuster seemed pretty far out of the wheelhouse of the guy known for niche nerdy shows that get cancelled. But he made it work by doing basically what he has always done: writing a funny, exciting script that allowed the movie to focus a little more on character than spectacle. You see, Whedon is a writer, and a good one. So if you think about it, his real ultimate test is doing a movie he didn’t write, like when Kevin Smith did Cop Out. Fortunately, by taking on Shakespeare, Whedon set the bar a little higher for himself.

If you haven’t heard about the production history of this movie, allow me to leave you really unimpressed. Basically, while on post-Avengers vacation, Whedon invited his actor friends over to his Santa Monica home and shot the movie right there in his house. Knowing that made me think of the movie as a fun little exercise and not really a film worthy of analysis, but obviously I was wrong, or this wouldn’t have gotten a wide release.

The movie is shot in black and white, so as to create even further distance from The Avengers, which is nice. After Frances Ha, I’m getting used to the idea of seeing really modern places in black and white, might as well see this trend continue. As for Whedon’s interpretation of the script? He turned Conrade into a lady (played by Riki Lindhome of Garfunkel and Oates fame) who is totally doing Don John (Sean Maher, Firefly‘s Simon) which makes him seem a more credible threat. Also, Whedon implies that Beatrice (Amy Acker, who was in both Angel and Dollhouse) and Benedick (Alexis Denisof, from Buffy/Angel) already had a relationship previously, which I can get behind.

As for the rest of the cast? Clark Gregg, who apparently subbed in for Anthony Head at the last minute, is having a lot of fun as Leonato, as it should be. Nathan Fillion is obviously cast as Dogberry, and does it due diligence. Fran Kranz, of Dollhouse and Cabin in the Woods makes Claudio a little more interesting than he usually is, and was fun with Reed Diamond’s Don Pedro. And there are other, mostly inconsequential parts for women.

Much Ado About Nothing is probably me favorite of Shakespeare’s comedies, and I probably would get some enjoyment out of any rendition of the material. That said, I think Whedon deftly handled the material and the cast had a lot of fun with it. Shooting it in Whedon’s house gives the film an intimate feel, and the score, which Whedon also helped do, accentuates that tone. The whole movie just seems fun and casual, which it probably should, especially compared to Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 version. I liked it.

Looks like we’ve hit the summertime slump here at Mildly Pleased. The days get warm as the posts dry out. Though something unusual that always seems to happen about mid-July is the rekindling of my love for horror movies. It’s probably because this is normally when I start watching films in advance for “Shocktober” (a 31 day celebration of horror movies in October.) Anyways, I decided to take my renewed interest in the genre and watch V/H/S/2, the found-footage anthology sequel to 2012’s V/H/S. If you’d asked me a year ago, “Do you think V/H/S needs a sequel?” I would have told you you’re dumb. Yet not only was a sequel not a dumb idea, it took the opportunity to improve upon the former.

Some Spoilers!
V/H/S/2 like its predecessor follows the same format; a collection of horror shorts by different directors all brought together under a filmed framing device (all found footage style). In this case the framing device (directed by Simon Barrett) revolves around two private investigators searching for a lost college student. Their investigation leads them to a house filled with TV’s and VHS tapes. The investigators find a recording of the student on a laptop where he informs them that watching the tapes in the correct sequence will “affect you” in a mysterious way. The female investigator begins to watch and the shorts begin.

Phase One Clinical Trials

The first segment is about a man who has his eye replaced with an untested cybernetic eye. The eye is installed with a camera to test the eye’s functionality but is also prone to occasional glitches. The man goes home but immediately starts seeing what appear to be dead people. He soon discovers that these aren’t glitches but are in fact ghosts! The short is simple but scary and ends in a grisly fashion, setting the tone for the rest of the film.

Phase 1 is directed by Adam Wingard (A Horrible Way to Die and the upcoming You’re Next, a film with a lot of festival buzz) and is an exciting, out-of-yer-seat opener. It certainly has the most BOO! moments and I enjoy the clever setup. It’s a little lean on plot and the ending isn’t much to speak of but it’s fun nonetheless. With an anthology you want to open and close with a bang and this is a good enough bang to get the heads rolling.

A Ride in the Park

A Ride in the Park is directed by indie horror trailblazer Eduardo Sanchez (The Blair Witch Project) and Gregg Hale, who produced The Blair Witch Project. The segment is shot almost entirely on a GoPro camera attached to a bicycler’s helmet. The cyclist goes for a ride in the woods only to encounter a gang of ravenous zombies. The short takes an interesting turn when the cyclist is attacked and becomes a walking corpse himself. Leaving us with a mindless zombie protagonist (and I use the term lightly).

I like the old school style Romero zombies and especially the “twist” of having our main-man becoming a pile of dead man meat. Though after the first few minutes the segment doesn’t really go anywhere. Essentially, it’s the same-old, same-old zombie story in new packaging. Fine, but nothing that’ll stick with you. Though I must give props to the GoPro, “Be a Hero” and go pro.

Safe Haven

Wow, not only is Safe Haven the best segment in V/H/S/2 (by a great deal) but it’s also better than any segment from the first film. Directed by Gareth Huw Evans (The Raid: Redemption) and Timo Tjahjanto, Safe Haven is a horrifying depiction of “cult” brought to its most extreme.

Set in Indonesia, Safe Haven is about a camera crew following a mysterious Indonesian cult and its short-tempered leader. What begins as the most grounded segment in V/H/S/2 quickly escalates to the most ridiculous short in either film. This one makes it all worth it and could’ve easily stood alone as its own movie. The cult is undeniably creepy in their quiet, brooding disposition and you actually care about the fate of the characters. I tiptoe around this one only because it deserves to be seen. If you like demonic stuff and are scared of stern, southeast Asian men, this is your film.

Slumber Party Alien Abduction

The name pretty much sums it up. Directed by Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun), a group of rowdy pre-teen boys, a slutty older sister, and their dog are attacked at a lakehouse by a group of grimacing greys. Conceptually, it’s the weakest and doesn’t really do much out of the ordinary. What does work in its favor is how it’s photographed. A majority of the short is photographed by a camera strapped to a terrier, which is surprisingly effective. In addition, the various puffs of smokes and flashing lights make this one a strange visual trip (easily the most nauseating.) Most important are the aliens, retaining the classic black eyed stare with just the right amount of slithery lankiness. It’s nothing to write home about but it has some out-of-this-world scares.

The overarching film ends with a bit of whimper, opting out for a cheap scare instead of a real resolution to the missing student’s whereabouts. Though overall I had some freaky fun with V/H/S/2. It’s refreshing to see what filmmakers can come up with when they have to deal with the limitations of found footage. I equate the entrainment value of V/H/S/2 with that of a spook house. There’s not much when you look under the surface, but there’s just enough skin-crawling scares to keep you away from delving too deep. Only time will tell if V/H/S/2 returns for my “Best Horror Films of 2013” list in October. Happy Haunting!

The end of the world seems to be as hot as ever this year. Though it will be difficult to find another apocalypse from this year that’s as engaging or captivating as The Last of Us from Naughty Dog. Set in the aftermath of a worldwide infection (based on the real-life fungal parasite Ophiocrodyceps unilateralis), you take control of Joel, a smuggler hired to transport a 14-year old girl, Ellie, to a rebel group known as the Fireflies. A lot is on the line as Ellie may hold the cure to the infection, but not only does that mean traveling outside of the quarantine zone, but facing the infected lifeforms on the outside.

I don’t go out and buy a lot of games these days but there are several things that will always suture me in. One, fluid gameplay, something unobtrusive and easy to remember that doesn’t throw a bunch of new shit at you every few minutes. When I found out that Last of Us was more or less the same engine as Naughty Dog’s Uncharted series I was hooked. Something about the feel of those games was so natural and simple, it helps you enjoy the story and characters. Another thing that always draws me in is atmosphere. I love the idea of games becoming more and more like movies, but not so much that you’re not still playing a game. Last of Us has a superb cinematic quality built up by engaging character interaction, dramatic situations and an eerily beautiful, realistic visual quality. It’s just as much fun to watch as it is to play.

I’ve noticed a lot of perfect and near perfect reviews for Last of Us. As much as I enjoyed this game, I do have a few critiques. One, I don’t agree that the premise is as original or unique as some may suggest. I think the characters are great and I love their interactions, but the whole overarching plot is fairly stock. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it did feel a little overly familiar. The whole “We found someone immune in the face of an epidemic” is a little played out. Off the top of my head 28 Weeks Later has something like that or maybe even The Stand. The country-fried characters definitely remind me of some of the folk on Walking Dead as well. Though there’s certainly nothing wrong with building off of past ideas to make something even better.

Personally, doing combat with the infected was also a bit of a mixed experience. I love slinking through the shadows and shanking Clickers (one of the game’s distinct adversaries) but other times it feels very by the numbers, fighting off waves and waves of enemies until you’ve cleared an area. Though familiar isn’t necessarily bad, I don’t think there was anytime where I wasn’t enjoying myself. Most of all I admire the cinematic quality of this game more than anything else. I rarely enjoy cutscenes but here it’s exciting and even terrifying. You care about the relationship between Joel and Ellie and that’s saying something. Naughty Dog never ceases to amaze me with their ability to craft worlds that overflow with personality and adventure. I can only dream (or have nightmares) about what they’ll do next.

At this point, I’m pretty sure every yutz out there on the internet has put in their two cents about the new Kanye West album, but I still got some shit to say about it, so I figure I might as well say it.  Plus, I don’t know that these kinds of instantly formed opinions are very well-suited for an album as challenging as Yeezus.  I’ve listened to it a few times now, and though I’ve come to a fairly conclusive opinion, I wouldn’t be surprised if I ended up liking it more further down the road.  But for now, I’d say Yeezus stands along with 808s And Heartbreak as one of Mr. West’s more uneven – if nonetheless fearless and ultimately fascinating releases.

I’m not terribly unique in the regard that I’ve come to appreciate Kanye West’s ability to mash together all sorts of different soulful sounds in a way that’s sweeping and epic, while his lyrics have often been markedly honest and soul-bearing.  Yeezus is pretty much the sound of Kanye taking a giant dump on both of those trademarks, as it musically bears an intensely bare-bones, almost industrial kind of dynamic.  As for the lyrics, I’m not sure what to really make of them, though my best guess is that they’re the words of a man trying desperately to exorcise his demons.  The lyrical content is almost uncomfortably graphic in its hedonism, but because Kanye is still able to intersperse his dark sense of humor, you kind of get the idea that he’s merely playing the role of provocateur.  You could make the case that because of his impending fatherhood, Kanye’s using this lyrical approach almost as a way of venting every dark twisted thought lurking in the back of his mind.  But at this point, it’s hard to make any clear sense of whatever the fuck is going through Kanye West’s head.

I hate to be this reductive about such a lightning rod of an album, but for me Yeezus is really just an album that starts out really strong and kind of loses its way towards the middle.  With a combination of ass-stomping rhythms and memorably subversive lyrics, “Black Skinhead” and “New Slaves” almost perfectly distill the kind of abrasiveness he seems to be shooting for here.  However, once you get to the kind of pulsating ickiness that you see on a song like “I’m In It”, things start to feel a little muddled for me.  However I do appreciate that Kanye threw us a bone with the album’s closer “Bound 2”, which feels like a grandiose throwback to 2010’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, an album that now feels almost light years behind us.

The gaping difference of opinion that’s happened between music critics and the general music-listening public in regard to Yeezus has been kind of fascinating to me.  And because I don’t think I quite fall in to either category, I’ve been torn about what kind of star rating to assign to this album in a way that rarely happens to me.  But basically my conclusion is that, as an artistic statement, Yeezus is remarkable.  As something that I want to listen to, it’s more of a mixed bag.

Favorite Tracks: “Black Skinhead”, “New Slaves”, “Bound 2”