Review for 'Heartless'

Release Date - Out Now

Directed by – Philip Ridely

Starring – Jim Sturgess, Clémence Poésy, Noel Clark.

“Another horror movie. Just what the world needs.” say Matt Bochenski [for LWL] in his review of Philip Ridley’s latest film Heartless without any hesitation or care for his genre bashing. I myself am obviously a very big horror fan so for someone to say that I simply answer “Yes it is actually.”

But the thing is about Heartless is that it isn’t much of a horror. I’d say it’s about as much of a horror as Donnie Darko was. Sure they both have horror elements with Heartless verging more onto complete horror appose to Donnie Darko, but over all I’d say they where supernatural fantasy with cheap horror scares. But this connection between the two films which share the same themes and the same kooky and shy protagonist (not forgetting their demented psyches).

Heartless tells the Brother’s Grim like story about Jamie played by Jim Sturgess, a photographer from the East end of London who was born with a vivid birthmark on his face and body. He feels like he is a social outcast as the yobs around his building make fun of him on his way home which has thrown him into a pit of disperse and loneliness. One night whilst taking photo’s he comes across a strange scene with hooded daemons disguised as yobs screaming and cackling around a fire then at his brothers studio Jamie begins to fall for Tia played by Clémence Poésy who’s heritage and background is left in the shadows. What follows is these two instances begins his decent into this strange world of daemons and self loathing as Jamie makes a deal with Papa B.

I had been looking forward to Heartless for a few weeks now and after watching it I had to think it over. Now this to me isn’t a bad thing. Whether a film turns out terrible in the end if it made you think about it it’s done something to resonate in you. Thankful to say I really did enjoy the flick. At one point I began to doubt it however it recovered.

The dark portal of London will haunt the local’s nights and indeed those walking alone at night. The film is lead brilliantly by Sturgess and has some great actors making an appearance such as Noel Clark as the next door neighbour and my personal favourite Eddie Marsan as the Weapons Dealer. Some strange choices where made by the director and a lot about characters and plot are left in the dark to die which makes some element suffer but over all it’s an enjoyable look into the mind of a young man battling his daemons. We’ve all been there, but hopefully not to such an extreme. I can see this being dragged away by the cult movie community to a place it probably belongs.

Anticipation - 4

Enjoyment - 3

In Retrospect – 3

#22 S. Darko: Trailer Impressions

This blog contains SPOILERS for ‘Donnie Darko’.

Before you read please watch the trailer…

S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale, Official Trailer (2009)

For those that haven’t worked it out, S. Darko is the sequel to the classic ‘Donnie Darko’ (2001). It’s going straight to DVD so it will not turn people away from watching the original (if it could). Now I am really torn, at first I was disgusted about someone even thinking of making a sequel and from the trailer I was horrified. Then I watched it again and I’m interested how it will turn out? At least they got Daveigh Chase to return to the role of Donnie’s younger naive sister Samantha and not someone else. It’s also the return of the tummy condoms that tell people where to go and the bubble wall thing, because we have all missed them both and there… “powers”.

The things that look stupid are mainly the comets. What’s up with that honestly? Then there’s some thing with a missing child? Then there’s a shot at 2.03, where, I don’t know who it is but a fire ball comes out of her hand? That’s stupid, that’s so stupid? What is she Pyro from ‘X Men 2’ or the Human Touch? There seems to be more of a super hero theme going on unlike the original which was about time travel. Then there’s also some veiny guy who looks like Edward from ‘Twilight’ (1.59). There is also some guy running around saying the world is going to end, who just looks like an idiot (first seen 0.55). So ‘S. Darko’ is a mix between a super hero movie, a vampire movie, and the original sci-fi film. Bad combination.

Oh and I can’t stop there, then there’s some bird thing flying towards earth, as if a Phoenix has a grudge against American teens. Finally there seems to be a strong Christian scenes that if they mention God or Jesus will really really put me off.

Now the reasons why I want to see it. To be honest for a straight to DVD films it looks ok. Ok being the slight chance I would go out of my busy way to see it. The thriller aspect of the film looked good. I was really curious to every thing, all the little questions that were asked in the trailer are part of why I want to see it. Also there some guy who looks like a younger slightly more attractive Steve Buscemi (1.24), which made me laugh. Then the titles role before cutting to the weirdest thing about the film. Samantha sitting in front of Frank, didn't he die? But as a friend said to me “bunnies named frank never really die…”. However it could be him because Frank never died in the original. Sure Donnie shot his but then time rewound and Frank was alive. This last bit when he says “Wake up”, that was cool to me.

So to sum up, I’m not going to go out of my way to see a bizarre remake however if we cross paths then I obviously will watch it and right a review (which will most likely destroy it). Really if they took out all the vampires, phoenixes, super heroes and left in the Buscemi’s younger twin, I would be thinking something else. I could have even got a cinematic release. Really I thought what with 'Donnie Darko', Donnie was a messed up kid and saw invisible bunnies who told him when the world would end even if it didn't it just rewound (or something). And it was only in the end there are different ways of interpreting it, what's why it was fantastic. I doubt 'S. Darko' will carry on the trend not only with that but with a lot of thing.

Oliver Hunt