Crimson Peak (2015)

"Ghosts are real, this much I know", 12 July 2018

I hate skipping plot summaries when I write one of these, but I think it’s probably best when discussing Crimson Peak.  The plot here isn’t all that important. Crimson Peak is one of those “style over substance” movies. The plot takes a backseat to the cinematography, lighting, costumes, sets, special effects, and just about anything else you can list that makes a movie look good.  And what plot there is in Crimson Peak is so filled with holes, I fear that dwelling on it will only make me like the movie less. I’ll just say that the plot left me with more questions than it answered.

If films are art, Crimson Peak belongs next to the Mona Lisa.  It is one of the most stunning pieces of film I’ve ever seen. Every frame looks like a painting.  I’m not sure I’ve seen a film this beautiful since I watched House of Flying Daggers over ten years ago.  The colors, the shadows, the lights - gorgeous. My absolute favorite image (and I’m not alone based on what I’ve read across the internet) is the ceiling-less grand hall in the rotting great house.  It’s amazing. Another element that really helps the images come alive is the atmosphere. I may not care for Guillermo del Toro’s plot, but there’s not denying his skill as a director. He mastfully fills the film with atmosphere so thick, you could cut it with a knife.  Combine the atmosphere with the visuals and you end up with a movie I’m going to enjoy on some level despite its other flaws.

The acting in Crimson Peak is hit or miss.  Normally, I feel that Tom Hiddleston outshines his co-stars,  Here, however, he’s completely over-shadowed by Jessica Chastain.  She acts circles around everyone else in the film. Her role is the smallest of the three main characters, but she dominates everything - even the scenes she’s not in.  

Overall, if you’re a fan of gothic romance/horror/mystery (although the horror elements don’t come to much and the solution to the mystery is all too obvious) you owe it to yourself to check out his gorgeous film.

6/10

The Mod Squad (1999)

"So you kids are, what? Some kind of mod squad or something?", 11 July 2018

Instead of doing jail time, three young hoodlums agree to go undercover to help the police.  The idea is that they can get into places where a normal cop would stand out like a sore thumb.  But when their commanding officer is murdered, the three would-be cops are immediately suspected.  They’ll have to work together to clear their names and find the real killer.

There’s really not much to say about The Mod Squad other than it’s one hot mess of a movie!  The plot is a total disaster. First, the premise is ludicrous. If these three were any good at undercover work, it might have made more sense.  However, they blow their cover almost immediately. Second, it’s all so dull. The just over 90-minute runtime drags more than it should There’s nothing that held my interest,  Long stretches of tedious dialogue and lifeless action. Third, and most importantly, the script is horribly predictable. It’s not very hard figuring out what’s going on and who the baddies are.  Plot points are telegraphed from the beginning. It’s one of the more poorly written scripts I’ve seen in a major, theatrically released film.

Too bad, really.  The Mod Squad should have set-up Claire Danes for a long, interesting career in films.  Coming off Little Women and Romeo & Juliet, she was primed to be the next big thing. But if you look at her filmography, it’s not hard to see what this movie did to her career.  Sure, she’s been successful, but she hasn’t been the big star she could and should have been. As for Danes’ costars, the less said the better. Epps proves he can’t act and Ribisi is uber-annoying.  Danes is the lone bright spot in what is otherwise a pitiful excuse of a movie.

3/10