Dead-End Drive In (1986)

The release of George Miller's "Mad Max" in 1979, and its sequel in 1981, inspired a whole new geneation of science fiction films set in dystopian post-apocalyptic worlds where vast desolated landscapes and brutal violence was the norm. While some of the most famous of these films were Italian ("2019 - Dopo la caduta di New York" being a prime example), the trend extended to other latitudes. Australia itself, the origin of "Mad Max", produced "Dead-End Drive In" by British filmmaker Brian Trenchard-Smith. While Trenchard-Smith is probably not a big house-hold name (not even for B-movie fans), he has build up a filmography that, while probably not exactly of high quality in technical terms, it's certainly offbeat and never lacking originality ("The Man from Hong Kong", the Nicole Kidman vehicle "BMX Bandits" and his entries in the "Leprechaun" film series are testament of this). In "Dead-End Drive In", probably his best film, Trenchard-Smith along writer Peter Smalley construct one of the best Australian b-movies. A cult classic of science fiction.

As stated above, "Dead-End Drive In" is set in a post-apocalyptic future, after the world's economy collapsed, and chaos runs rampant through the land. Australia is turned into a violent wasteland where the unemployed youth uses the street as a battlefield and the law is forgotten. As a measure to fight the chaos, the restructured government has devised a plan to regain control of the situation: problematic youngsters, violent gangsters, the unemployed, the undesirable and other social rejects are to be sent to Drive-Ins transformed into concentration camps. At the drive-in, the inmates are kept controlled using unlimited fast food, modern music and a constant string of movies. Basically, giving them everything a youngster may want. Crabs (Ned Manning), a young man in this world, is trapped inside the drive-in along his girlfriend Carmen (Natalie McCurry), but instead of becoming a conformist member of the nihilistic youth, Crabs has decided that he'll fight the establsihment and escape the teenage wasteland no matter the cost.

Hidden under the guise of another "Mad Max" clone that mixes post-apocalyptic sci-fi with horror, "Dead-End Drive In" actually contains a very well conceived plot with a stunningly sharp social commentary included. Based on a story by Peter Carey (better known as the author of 1988 best-seller "Oscar and Lucinda"), "Dead-End Drive In" is basically, the tale of a fight against conformism. In the film, Crabs is trapped in an apparent paradise where he could basically do nothing but eat and watching films, but instead he chooses to fight back and try to escape from the Drive-In and to return to his family. At the same time, Crabs begins to see how everyone else, including his girlfriend Carmen, begin to conform and accept this "paradise". But as in Aldous Huxley's novel "Brave New World", the apparent "paradise" that is the drive-in is false, and for Crabs, the only thing worth fighting for is real freedom. Certainly, the screenplay lacks character development, as it tends to become more a statement of ideals than a true story.

Stretching the budget to the max, director Brian Trenchard-Smith manages to create very well done scenes with the very few resources he has. With the eye of cinematographer Paul Murphy's camera, Trenchard-Smith makes great use of his locations and constructs a very atmospheric world of desertic heat by day, and neon madness by night. A true post-punk atmosphere if there ever was one (the New Wave soundtrack simply confirms this). However, while its intended message is not exactly subtle, "Dead-End Drive In" is far from being a serious film, as it is packed with an overtly irreverent tone, high-octane action and a healthy dose of humor. Still, the film remains focused on its message and commetary on present-day society, as racist, conformist and violent as the cynic youth depicted in the film. "Dead-End Drive In" is not a horror movie in the strict sense of being a scary movie, but it is haunting in the sense that even when it is a fictitious scenery, it is not hard to believe that humanity will behave the way the conformist teenager do in the film.

The cast, made-up of faces of Australian television is nothing too amazing, but for the most part get the job done. As Crabs, Ned Manning is actually very good, as he makes a spot-on portrait of a common young man trapped unfairly in a living tomb. Manning makes his character very likable thanks to his natural charm and everyman attitude. Certainly, if a different aproach had been taken, probably the film woulnd't work that much, as it is Manning's unlikely hero (he is definitely no Mad Max) what makes the film. Natalie McCurry, playing Crab's beautiful girlfriend Carmen is also an important character, as hers is basically the other half of the coin, being the one who begins to lose hope in Crabs' idea and starts to behave just as the rest of the cattle. McCurry adds her beauty and charm to the character, though her performance is not as good as Manning's, and at times feels a tad forced. The rest of the cast is as a whole good, nothing really bad, but unfortunatelly, nothing truly memorable as well.

As written above, one of the biggest flaws in "Dead-End Drive In" is that often it seems to leave character development in favor of stating the film's social commetary. At times, more than a real character, Crabs becomes simply the embodiment of an ideal, an archetype without a realistic personality. "Dead-End Drive In" is, while witty, not exactly subtle in its commentary, and its characters suffer a tad because of this. However, Trenchard-Smith's work of directing and Manning's natural talent are what often manage to avoid the worst of this this and make Crabs a likeable character with more personality. Another problem is the sad fact that the film looks terribly dated after all these years. With its New Wave soundtrack and post-punk fashion, the film has that decidedly 80s look that can't come up as "futurist" anymore. It is stuck in its pop fashion as a product of its time, and can't avoid to look old. Anyways, the movie still manages to be quite entertaining and some effects (like the use of explosives) still look great after 20 years.

As a product of its time and one of the most intelligent sci-fi films of its time, "Dead-End Drive In" is a very interesting curiosity that proves to be more than a cheap "Mad Max" rip-off. Unfairly forgotten after all these years, "Dead-End Drive In" is a cult classic that deserves a bit more of recognition. It is far from being perfect (and as said above, has not aged well), but it offers an interesting take on the subgenre that surprisingly, gives good food for thought without any attempt at being pretentious. With its 80s atmosphere, high-speed action and sharp social commentary, Brian Trenchard-Smith's tale of post-apocalyptic madness and fashionable conformism still delivers the goods. Wild, irreverent and darkly humorous, this tale of a fight against the establishmen is a terrific (though hopefully not prophetical) vision of the future.

7/10
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Ghost Rider (2007)

Ever since the release of Bryan Singer's "X-Men", movie based on Marvel Comics' popular superhero team, the first decade of the 2000s saw a revival of films based on the adventures of comic book heroes even bigger to what Donner's "Superman" did in the late 70s, and Burton's "Batman" in the late 80s. After "X-Men" came "Spider-Man", "The Hulk" and many other classic names of the main comic book pantheons (even the Batman franchise got a reboot) as modern technology made possible what in the past years was impossible: to represent the fantastic abilities of the characters in a somewhat realistic way. After more than 6 six years of troubled development (it was one of the first to be announced), the supernatural hero created in the 70s by Gary Friedrich and Mike Ploog, "Ghost Rider", has now joined the ranks of superheroes with a movie adaptation.

The movie is the story of Johnny Blaze (Matt Long), the son of a stunt motorcycle rider (Brett Cullen) who one day discovers that his father is dying of cancer. On that day the demon Mephistopheles (Peter Fonda) appears to him, and offers Johnny the chance to save his father if he is willing to give him his soul. Blaze sings the contract and his father gets cured, but later gets killed on a motorcycle accident, making Johnny's soul the Devil's property, and he'll find a use for him someday. Many years later, Johnny (Nicolas Cage) is now a famous stunt driver, and is in this way where he gets reunited to the girlfriend he abandoned as a teenager, Roxanne (Eva Mendes). However, the Devil also returns to Johnny's life and forces him to become his warrior, the Ghost Rider, as he needs him to kill his son Blackheart (Wes Bentley), who plans to overpower him.

Written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson (who previously worked on "Daredevil"), "Ghost Rider" is essentially, a movie to spent the time and have some fun. This is not a movie that explores the complexities of its hero, but one that seems to celebrate the fun and entertainment that comic book superheroes represent. Unlike what one would expect of a title like "Ghost Rider" (and its themes of demons and ghosts), Johnson makes a story that owes more to adventure comic books and the Western serials of old than to the Faust myth, as he adds a good dose of tongue-in-cheek humor that lightens up things a lot. Johnson truly captures the feeling of a comic book in his story, but sadly it also carries the problems that this kind of stories have, like for example a very shallow characterization, several underdeveloped subplots, and a predictable and clichéd plot.

Now, while Johnson's work as a writer is average at best, he fares a tad better as a director, as he manages to bring to life his comic book adventure with all the wry humor and action he put on paper. As written above, Johnson's movie owes a lot to Western serials and pulp fiction, and this carries out to the visual style too, as even it makes a big nod to the Phantom Rider, the classic Western character that originated "Ghost Rider". Since the main character is literally a living skull on fire, the special effects had to be excellent, and fortunately, they are the best part of the film, as their creation of the rider and his fire is simply outstanding. Sadly, a movie can't be completely about special effects, and to his great misfortune, Johnson's skill as a director of real life actors are considerably inferior to his skill at making great visuals.

Nicolas Cage is surprisingly effective as Johnny Blaze (an improvement over his disastrous performance in the remake of "The Wicker Man"), and against all odds makes a convincing tortured antihero with a very black humor. Peter Fonda and Donal Logue are also pretty good in their small roles, although the real highlight of the film is Sam Elliott, who plays the mysterious Caretaker of the local cemetery. They all make great jobs in their arguably underwritten characters, but sadly, the film is also plagued by awful performances, starting with the one given by Eva Mendes, whom at best feels severely out of place, and at worst looks like an amateur trying to act. Definitely not her best moment. The other cast member who brings the movie down is sadly Wes Bentley, who not only isn't remotely memorable as the main villain, but also overacts to the point of ridicule.

While certainly the bad performance of some cast members hurt the film a lot, it must be said that there really wasn't a lot for them to work with, because as written above, the writing isn't exactly the best material and no matter how good one actor is, the quality of the script will play a major role in the final output. This is specially obvious in the way Johnson fleshed out his villains, as if some characters are insipid, the villains here are dull, uninspired and serve no other purpose that to let the hero show off how amazing he is. A good villain has a definite personality and in "Ghost Rider" they only exist to look good, and that's a real damage to the movie, as there's never a real sense of danger with such weak counterparts for the hero. The complete opposite are Fonda and Elliott's characters, whom are easily the best thing about the film.

Despite all its flaws, I enjoyed "Ghost Rider" for what it was: an action movie with a touch of the Western genre meant to translate the fun and entertainment of comic book adventures to film. I probably liked it more that I should have, but that's mainly because while it certainly lacks a lot of quality, it had a lot of heart, and sometimes that's all that matters. Not a particularly good movie, but it is a good ride.

6/10

Buy "Ghost Rider" (2007)

Saw (2003)

In January 2004, a horror film titled simply as "Saw" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival generating a lot of interest among the audience, and most importantly, winning a distribution deal with Lions Gate Films, which released the movie to general audiences on October of that year. The rest, as is said, it's history, as the modest horror film became a huge commercial hit that has spawned several sequels by now and also influenced a lot of the style that mainstream horror has had in the first decade of the century. Not bad for a project that started as a short film. Only a year before "Saw"'s rose to stardom, its creators, director James Wan and writer Leigh Whannell, were using a little 9 minutes short film produced by themselves to pitch their concept to various studios and actors. That short film would later become the concept now know as "Saw".

"Saw" is the story of David (Leigh Whannell), an orderly at a hospital who is explaining to a Cop (Paul Moder) the story of how he ended up involved in a heinous crime against his will. One day after work, David gets kidnapped by a mysterious man who drugs him and takes him to an unknown location. When he wakes up, David is sitting on a chair in a darkened room, and has a bizarre artifact placed over his head. In a TV screen he sees an odd looking ventriloquist's dummy, who informs him (obviously the voice is the one of his captor) that the device is a "Jaw Splitter", a machine that will crush his skull if he can't stop it on time. The key to David's survival is to find the key that stops the Jaw Splitter, a key that the killer informs him is hidden inside the body of the dead man lying in the same room as David. But when David goes to get the key, he discovers horrified that the man he has to open is not dead.

Written by actor Leigh Whannell, "Saw" has all the core elements of the "Saw" series premise: a serial killer who do not kills with his own hands, but who instead puts his victims in a deadly trap where they have a chance (albeit small) of survival by doing an often difficult and painful (either physically, mentally or emotionally). It's an interesting take on horror that returns elements of suspense to the genre, as the shock is not only in the killing itself, but in the tension caused by the events that lead to it, and in the idea that the characters can escape from their dreadful fate. It's certainly a simple story, but despite this the concept feels truly fresh and original thanks to this focus. As many will notice (specially fans of the series), "Saw" the short film eventually became part of the first "Saw" film, as it evolved into the experience Amanda has with Jigsaw.

Just as the screenplay has most of the elements that became core part of the "Saw" series, James Wan's work as a director already shows where he was going with this concept and what exactly he wanted to do with it. Like the "Saw" films, the visual look of the short film is sleek, but with a welcomed touch of grittiness that fits perfectly the concept of brutal torture devices of the modern era. The highly dynamic camera-work that Wan uses later in "Saw" is also here (courtesy of cinematographer Martin Smith), as well as his preference for industrial metal music as soundtrack. However, while this was only a low-budget short film, this style feels more at home here than in the feature movie (where it gets tiring), as the atmosphere of fear, shock and desperation it's supposed to create works better in the short than in the films (no wonder why this scene in the feature film is the most iconic).

The acting is also better in this short than in the scene from the feature film, with Leigh Whannell giving a solid and very realistic performance as David. One can truly feel that his character has gone through hell and back, specially in his scenes with the Cop. Please not that I'm not saying that Shawnee Smith (who plays Amanda in the feature) is a bad actress, I'm just saying that Leigh Whannell seems to put a lot more of effort in the role than her (without a doubt because this was his pet project). However, that also must have something to do with the fact that in the feature, Amanda is just another victim, while here, the tortured character is also our narrator, so that gives Whannell more room to explore the role. By the way, Whannell's character is different to the one he plays in the feature, although one is certainly the evolution of the other.

Personally, I found "Saw" the short to be a lot better than "Saw" the film, mainly on the basis that it has everything that makes the first film in the series great (the fresh, original approach to horror and its creative story) without the elements that in my opinion work against it (it obviously lacks the underdeveloped subplots that lead to nowhere in the film). As it was done with a low budget, Wan and Whannell had to use creativity to make it work, and the result is wonderful, as while it may lacks the more graphic violence of the feature (due to the already mentioned budget constrains), it plays more with suspense and tension, which make it a bit more atmospheric and haunting than the movie gets to be. "Saw", the short film, is a very interesting movie to watch (and not only for fans of the series), as it shows what one can do when one plays with an idea and lets it grow.

8/10