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Capone is gut punched by the insanely fun Romero remake THE CRAZIES!!!
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
There will always be a place in horror for the story of city folks wandering into a small town (often in the South) and getting themselves in a heap of trouble because they drive a nice car and don't wear coveralls. But THE CRAZIES--a remake of George Romero's 1973 semi-classic that came in the period between NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and DAWN OF THE DEAD (as did MARTIN)--the big city/big government/big military threat comes to a small town in Iowa (a relocation from a small town in Pennsylvania in the original). What's interesting and works extremely well in the new film is that there are no secrets and no great mystery to solve. We learn early on that something in the water is slowly turning the townsfolk into homicidal killers who don't just walk up and kill like brainless zombies; there's an amount of deviant plotting going on behind those crazy eyes and veiny skin. And the transformation is gradual, so unaffected people aren't always sure if those around them are just scared and paranoid or actually turning into something dangerous.
Director Breck Eisner (SAHARA) and writers Scott Kosar and Ray Wright (both veteran horror film adapters) have fashioned a genuinely frightening work that combines mystery, science fiction, terror, and even a few classic moments taken right out of Westerns (which is made easy since everyone in small-town Iowa apparently owns a gun). The film opens with the local sheriff ("Deadwood's" Timothy Olyphant) shooting the town drunk (who's holding a shotgun) in the head in the middle of a high school baseball game. His actions immediately divide the town, and little does anyone know at the time that the drunk wasn't actually drunk; he was infected.
One interesting style choice Eisner uses is the use of satellite imagery (simulating the military monitoring the containment situation from the skies) to let us know early on that soldiers are moving in on this town almost as soon as the situation arises. Our initial belief is that they are there to separate the sick from the healthy, but it becomes clear that the only priority is containment, and the lengths the men with guns and gas masks go to to make sure this disease doesn't get outside the town limits is almost too much to comprehend. Above all other things, THE CRAZIES is a fucking bleak movie, and the main characters (including the great Radha Mitchell as Olyphant's doctor wife; Joe Anderson as the deputy; and Danielle Panabaker as an assistant at the local medical center) kind of know that getting caught by the authorities is just as hopeless as getting trapped by their insane, infected neighbors. The film injects you with a hopelessness that goes so far beyond just being scared that it really screwed with not only my spirit but also my opinion on the human condition.
And let me make one thing perfect clear about THE CRAZIES: above all other things, this is one fucking scary movie. And that's coming from someone that doesn't get scared in films that often. Creeped out is usually my limit, but I jumped more times than I can remember at this movie, and that's because Eisner and company actually cast quality actors in this film, rather than just a crew of young, ridiculously good-looking barely actors from some lame CW show. Olyphant and Mitchell are so good as a couple intent on keeping each other alive and healthy, but always watching each other a little bit sideways just in case. I was particularly fond of Anderson's performance as the extremely loyal deputy whose story arc is as tragic as it is compelling.
THE CRAZIES is a story about being abandoned by all of the things that Americans are told to hold sacred and trust: community, the government, the military, friends. The world has literally deserted these poor souls, and even running seems pointless since wherever they run to will likely become part of the element that is attempting to stop them from existing. This movie is so good, it actually depressed me when I allowed myself to think about life in the shoes of these folks. Eisner shows a remarkable talent for building tension and surprises in both how he reveals new aspects to this story and in just how soundly he worked up the fear in me. THE CRAZIES will surprise you. I think there are a lot of improvements on the original story, and gives us a worthy modernization that doesn't bore us with unnecessary back story or added story elements that don't actually add anything. It takes the core elements of what worked best in the original, sprinkles in a few quality updated details, and simply sticks to the crucial perfect story. Was that so difficult? What don't all of these other horror remakes follow suit? We know we can't stop you, so why work so hard to bore us with unneeded details? Give us story, acting, and fear. THE CRAZIES is a great balancing act of the three, and the result is a superior movie--remake or not.
-- Capone
therealcapone@aintitcoolmail.com
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...but now I want to see this.
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and actually looking forward to a remake. Hope its Dawn of the Dead remake good...
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...I just can't believe that Olyphant is good in anything! Maybe this is the movie where they finally found a role for him where he fits in, but usually this guy is miscast in aything he does.
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...as enjoyable as those two movies were.
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And this looks almost as good! Olyphant was amazing in Deadwood but pants in Die Hard 4, but this looks cool.
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I am so there.
Olyphant does strike me as a Christian Slater type, slightly cool, but not a lot going on there as a actor. I hope he comes though...and I looking forward to the FX show "Justified" that FX is plugging the shit out of. Looks like a modern western.
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Sounds very much like THE MIST from Capone's description.
This could be good actually, it's been a while since we've had a remake that betters the original but this could well be that. -
It should be "WHY don't all these other horror remakes follow suit" - Not "WHAT don't all..." The only reason I bring it up (AICN isn't exactly where one goes for well edited articles), but the question is so valid that it should be written correctly. Remakes (reboots, reimaginings, whatever) are fine as long as some genuine artistic effort is applied to them. Instead we repeatedly get gimmicks of "backstory" that only serve to dilute mystery and tension, and misplace empathy. Otherwise, I hope you're review is right. I could use a genuinely good scary movie. Haven't seen anything that's remotely scared me in a while (I'm looking at you Paranormal Activity)
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. . . since I first saw the trailer, in spite of Olyphant. Last night, I was watching Archer on Demand and caught a preview to a new series on FX starring Olyphant called 'Justified' where he's an ass kicking sherrif or something. It looks pretty cheesy and has Jack Nicholson and Christian Slater's retarded bastard child that played Shane from 'The Shield' in it.
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And I'm not reading anything else. If I can get a spare few hours before this leaves theatres, I'll see it. Otherwise, can't wait for the blu-ray. Either way the studio has pulled down a few bucks from this guy!
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I'll go take a look at it if it's released in my town.
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So I might go to see this one, after seeing several posetive reviews, I need a good scare.
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Feb 26, 2010 8:45:13 AM CST
I usually don't comment on the reviews themselves...
by cletus van damme
...but this was a damned good review, Capone. Thank you, Sir.
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The pacing started out really strong, but then a whole bunch of problems popped up and the ending was ridiculous!!! Yes, the majority of people in Iowa own guns, but I've never seen a swamp here??
This is a scary movie for weekend film goers and i'm kind of surprised that everyone on here is praising this blah film... I saw it Tuesday and have already forgotten most of it... -
i was writin a screenplay a year or so ago about a "zombie" outbreak in a small college town after a carnival came and got some of the carnival attendees infected... eventually the characters were gonna go to a hardware store so they can be safe and have weapons (nail guns, sledge hammers, axes, etc) then eventually escape and find themselves at a military road block... i figure since i wont ever complete this screen play (due to the over abundence of zombie movies) and just post bout it so i can at least get my vision or ideas out there... only original aspects i think, was that the zombies were gonna be called scavengers (the main char smokes weed and earlier in the script would have a convo bout weed scavengers like in half baked) and that the scav would eat each other, piss and shit themselves...
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i mean 99% of the time you jump because the volume suddenly rises really loudly as the event takes place, you aren't frightened by the events you're seeing on screen but just by the sudden jolt of the sound.
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...I jumped from was in Blue Streak (Martin movie) when a dummy head popped up in a file cabinet... i felt so ashamed at that lol
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Haven't had a chance to see the REMAKE...Broker then a bad joke...
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Feb 26, 2010 11:38:44 AM CST
The TV spots have been pimping this revew for a week!
by ihaveseeneveryepisodeofprisonbreak
Did you send the filmmakers a copy of you review for approval first Capone? And I saw a screening of this last week. It was decent, but kind of fell apart towards the end. Plus for a film called the Crazies, there really were not that many crazy people in the film. Except of course for the ones that were setup early on.
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Feb 26, 2010 12:02:44 PM CST
I Actually Dont Get Scared At Anything And Didnt At This Shit
by awkwardavenue
I cant spell either
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But think of it. Here's a remake that fits the formula pefectly. Romero's original was poorly shot, pretty much poorly acted and edited. But has a great germ of an idea. So if Eisner and Co were able to pull it off, kudos to them.
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Remember, when Brad Anderson was attached to this one? Wasn't that a lot more exciting?
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Was watching Law Abiding Citizen at home, and the scene (NO SPOILER) where a bomb goes off close to someone did give me a jump. Of course unexpected loud noises would do that, I guess.
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Larry Fessenden would have been a good choice also.
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Just got back from seeing this film. I have to say I'm so disappointed. I know the movie is horror and not suppose to be rich in detail but come on. I actually wanted to walk out. The first 30 minutes were ok but horrible after that. The film has some interesting scenes but all of this has been done before. You are basically just waiting in your seats for the film to end. I actually got more enjoyment out of the new krueger trailer that was aired before the film. Maybe I should have avoided this film due to the fact it was directed by the same lame that made Sahara. This movie is a rent at best.
Rent it
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Pretty unusual for you Capone reviewing EVERYTHING but Cop Out
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The car wash alone is worth the price of admission and I loved that it wasn't just another zombie movie. It's an ADULT horror movie, with adults actually ACTING like adults. Fantastic flick, one of the best horror movies to come out in a long time.
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Regardless of what anyone says. I do what I want.
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Because that's what I am getting from that code word.
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so why bother?
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This review is the biggest bunch of crap ever. DON'T go see this movie, it's neither scary or GOOD! People in the cinema were laughing at the sheer awfulness of the acting and the plot. This film is just plain rubbish!
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for all you americans out there pish means crap, as in shit, as in excrement or faecal matter. Reviews great, film merely ok. 3 stars at best. as some have said it is nothing we havnt seen again and again and again .... ok two more .... and again and again. some decent set pieces true, but set pieces do not make a great film. most of the scares are jump scares, cheap but effective. this film is 30 days of night meets 28 days later meets zombieland meets the happening meets .... you get my point, we've seen this shit dozens of times. on the plus side i did like beginning because the shit hadnt properly began yet and i liked the ending cos i could go home and watch Masterchef on the BBC.
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It's been called pedestrian, and flawed. I saw it on a slow weekend and I have to concur: it's a rental or a slow weekend bargain matinee time killer, but nothing great.
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I got the chance to see last week. I was very pleased, especially with the ending. Movies that end awful could fill up an entire space station(preferably a Death Star)
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I agree with sonnyfern! The carwash scene was a highlight especially when the helicopter blows up the car roflmao
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