Quadruple Bill Mini Musings: Carnies, Cinephiles, Adventure and Argento...

The Funhouse:
What's it about?
A group of teens go to the carnival on a double date and then dare each other to stay the night, but as they hide out inside the titular attraction, they witness the bloody results of the beast behind the Frankenstein's Monster mask getting out-of-hand. Will they get out alive?
Who would I recognise in it?
Elizabeth Berridge, Cooper Huckabee, Kevin Conway.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Impatient viewers might tire of the build-up (it's at least forty minutes before the first blood is shed), but those into a beautifully captured atmosphere will be very happy indeed. Tobe Hooper's ghoulish little 1981 horror flick is a visual treat and populated by hyperbole-spouting carnies - the sort of crazy-eyed fringe-elements he covered so well in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Eaten Alive. Violence-wise it's pretty tame by today's standards (and yet this flick was at one point caught up in the Video Nasties scandal here in the UK), but blood and guts isn't the business that The Funhouse is in - this flick is more interested in the carnival atmosphere and that garish sense of fun mixed in with (sometimes cheesy) scares. In some ways it's dated, and despite some apparent behind-the-scenes troubles regarding how certain scenes were shot, Hooper's film is jolly good fun. As an aside, it's interesting to note that while it does play along with genre conventions, it also breaks them too - the "final girl" smokes pot and gets saucy with her fella. It's a big, hearty "BOO!" scare from a grease-painted freak with booze on his breath. Good.

Click "READ MORE" for Hugo, Sherlock Holmes 2, and Inferno...
Hugo:
What's it about?
An orphan boy attempts to rebuild the automaton his father was working on before his death, as he lives in-secret behind-the-scenes at a Parisian train station in the post-war period. In the process he meets a young girl and they share their passion for film.
Who would I recognise in it?
Asa Butterfield, Chloe Grave Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Ray Winstone, Emily Mortimer, Christopher Lee, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Kevin Eldon.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
The first thirty minutes are a bit slow to get going, but once Scorcese's family fun flick gets underway and delves into a passionate love affair with the early days of cinema, it really hits its stride. Those unfamiliar with early silent shorts like A Trip To The Moon and names like Georges Méliés might be a bit lost on most of the proceedings, but if you're in-the-know or willing to enjoy the journey, it's a nice, fun time. Good.


Inferno:
What's it about?
Dario Argento's second film in the "Three Mothers Trilogy" (the first being the sublime Suspiria) finds a music student returning to New York after his sister sends him a disturbed letter about the dark foundations of her apartment building.
Who would I recognise in it?
Daria Nicolodi, Irene Miracle, Leigh McCloskey.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
I thought Suspiria was fantastic, and had heard many good things about Inferno, and perhaps it was partly down to me recovering from a nasty cold at the time, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I was expecting to. I think my main problem was failing to really connect with the material - the structure of the script proved to be frustrating. For instance, there are three main female characters, but none of them last that long, let alone get any real time to establish themselves within the confines of the wider story - indeed we're thrown in at the deep end (as is one of the actresses, quite literally) right at the very start. Being an Argento film, it looks fantastic and contains truly memorable sequences (not to mention a cracking soundtrack), but the awkward structure of the whole film proved to be troubling (some characters disappear for strangely long periods of time too). Plus, there's not an awful lot of explanation - not hand-holding stuff, but just the basic and necessary stuff that answers numerous questions like 'why is this person doing this, why is this event happening?'. Suspiria is still where it's at for me, but despite the problems I had with Inferno, the film hasn't failed to stick in my mind. I've seen many films with text book structuring fade from my memory within minutes, but it is a testament to the power of Argento's use of imagery and inspiration from dreams, that I'm still thinking about the film. A second viewing is definitely required. Good, but with a flawed script.


Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows:
What's it about?
Guy Ritchie's follow-up to his action-oriented version of the famous detective duo. This time they face off against the deviously clever Moriarty as he seeks to bring war to the world.
Who would I recognise in it?
Robert Downey Jr, Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdams, Stephen Fry and more.
Great/Good/Alright/Shite?
Yes, it's not the traditional rendition of the pair's adventures, so if you can get past that then you should enjoy the rolicking good ride you'll have in store. There's a frenzied sense of fun and adventure (not-to mention a comedic sense of homoerotic undertones to Holmes & Watson's friendship), made even more excitable by Hans Zimmer's score and Ritchie's fondness for stylised visuals. Holmes' trademark ability to play the long game and notice the un-noticeable are present-and-correct, but cast amidst a generally bombastic series of set pieces. The female characters get a bit of a short shrift, mind you, particularly Noomi Rapace's fortune teller, but this was always about Holmes & Watson battling forth once more into the breach. Plenty of humour, plenty of action, plenty of style, and plenty of fun. Die hard purists should steer well clear, but those with a flexible approach to these tried & true characters should have a jolly entertaining time. Good.