BOSS LEVEL (2021)

 

A retired military operative finds himself in a never-ending time loop on the day of his death.

Boss Level plays with a concept that we are all familiar with, looping time, and has been successfully done in a variety of forms. Groundhog Day is perhaps the classic example of exploring the dramatic and comedic elements of being stuck in a loop, repeating the same day, while Tom Cruise's Edge of Tomorrow explores the more tactical, action-based advantages. Enter Boss Level, which attempts to fuse action, comedy, and drama into a single film, with varying levels of success.

Selecting the wrong style of narrative device would destroy a film like this, but Director/Writer Joe Carnahan makes the smart choice by not taking itself too seriously. As the audience, we don't discover the film's quirk at the same time as the protagonist. It skips over that initial "learning" arc entirely, instead, starting when the protagonist has reached a point that he can't for the life of him surpass; literally, every day ends with his death. A common issue that occurs in difficult video games (such as Dark Souls) where you end up returning to your last checkpoint far too often, has inspired the direction of the film. Videogame-style.

Even in the opening minutes, Frank Grillo's Roy Pulver executes move after move like a well-rehearsed mini-game button combo, his apathetic attitude setting the tone for the next 100 minutes of runtime. Unlike Daniel Radcliffe's similar styled Guns Akimbo, there is no confusion in Boss Level over whether you are meant to take the film seriously or not. 

Pulling from other game-inspired films like Gamer and Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Carnahan takes every opportunity to poke fun at the premise of the film, whether through creatively working around repeated scenes, gratuitous violence, specifically pointing out annoyingly repetitive dialogue and actions, and generally exploring the boundaries of the time loop in a fashion that constantly reminds the audience that our protagonist is never really in grave danger. Deadpool, if it was science-fiction instead of a superhero film.

The videogame stylings are helped further by the film's near non-stop thriller pacing. Skipping through the highlights of Roy's 140-odd "playthroughs" builds a repertoire of gruesome deaths that build a tension of constant danger and tension despite Roy's supposed inability to permanently die. Not dissimilar to the pacing of Jason Statham's Crank franchise, and 2007's Shoot 'Em Up, Boss Level does not take its finger off the trigger until the end of the first act. 

The sheer number of films that Boss Level seems to be inspired by, or borrow attributes from is high, and for that very reason, the film feels very familiar. There isn't anything that breaks new ground, but Carnahan isn't going for ground-breaking; Carnahan is going for exciting and engaging. 

It is the engaging section where Boss Level starts to falter. A film cannot continue at such a fast pace throughout its entirety (no matter what Crank: High Voltage tries to tell you), but our protagonist Roy goes through several epiphanies that change the direction of the film. With each change of direction comes a change in goals and a change in where the climax of the film should be; in essence, Boss Level can't make its mind up over what the Boss Level actually is.

Opposing Frank Grillo's Roy is Colonel Clive Ventor (played by Mel Gibson), and Gibson manages to go beyond the videogame villain, putting forth an incredibly ham-fisted acting performance. To be fair, the performance matches the tone of the rest of the film, but it builds up the anticipation to a level that isn't suitably resolved in the film's climax. A strong start and an adequate middle act, are let down by a final act that doesn't know whether it is coming or going. 

By no means is Boss Level a cinematic masterpiece, but it manages to still put together a fun, fast-paced feature that leaves you wanting more. At 55, Frank Grillo continues to hold men to an unattainable standard of musculature and masculinity, but Carnahan manages to round off those rough edges with a character development arc that gives Roy more depth than his type of character would traditionally receive.

Boss Level is in cinemas from February 25, 2021

Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8809

WRONG TURN (2021)

 

Friends hiking the Appalachian Trail are confronted by ‘The Foundation’, a community of people who have lived in the mountains for hundreds of years.

Nearly two decades have passed since Wrong Turn first graced our screens, with a spate of inbred cannibalistic carnage that mixed the lore of The Hills Have Eyes with the bloody gore of The Evil Dead. The film managed to propagate a franchise of five straight-to-DVD sequels that were too needlessly full of gore for mainstream media. Here, in 2021, with a world largely restricted to their homes,  Alan B. McElroy returns to his creation to once again turn that idyllic fantasy of discovery and natural wonders into a nightmare of creative slaughterdom. 

While there are similarities in the title and inciting incident, 2021's Wrong Turn is a departure from all of the films that precede it, modernizing the premise to the extent that this becomes a re-imagining rather than a reboot. The most noticeable differentiating factor comes from the antagonists, which differ hugely in appearance and motive. It is a direction that starts to draw more inspiration from the likes of M. Night Shyamalan's The Village and Ari Aster's Midsommar, choosing to focus less on fearing the monsters under the bed, instead, querying who the true monster is.

McElroy takes a risk with a split-narrative structure. No longer satisfied with a slow, linear elimination match, McElroy brings two main characters at different time points, eventually converging into a singular narrative. An intriguing choice that alters the pacing and consistently leaks tension to make room for political, cultural, and ideological themes. A risky choice.

Risky in the manner that a horror/slasher film can succeed on two fronts; by either being fast-paced and entertaining as it massacres the undeveloped characters or emotionally driven through strongly-developed and relatable characters. Wrong Turn attempts to fit both fronts into a single film, and as a consequence ends up doing both a disservice; not due to both elements being poorly executed, but a scintillating and effective first act being wasted by a slow and half-baked latter two-thirds. The first act puts together a collection of condescending, self-righteous, smug millennials and does what Wrong Turn does best; reminding everyone that death is the greatest equalizer.

It is this unexpected political twist on the usual characters that creates confusion and prevents the audience from fully buying into the plot. If our main troupe are simply meat for the grinder then personalities do not matter, in fact, abrasive characteristics are ideal. This, however, is not the case when you want to bring in an actual story with dramatic twists. 

If the audience needs to be invested in the characters, then the characters need to be properly developed beyond being a group of young kids who think they know better than rural Southerners. There has been a clear push to try and confuse the protagonist and antagonist roles, by making the antagonists misunderstood, and the protagonists appear violent and arrogant, but McElroy's character's personalities don't match their actions.

The political angle is clearly meant to mirror and represent the "extreme" left and right of American politics, pitting the progressive Bernie bros vs the MAGA Trump enthusiasts, while maintaining an "unbiased" portrayal that shows both sides as egotistical and separated from reality. Needlessly convoluted and complicated, the audience is unable to empathize with either side of the debate.

From a visual perspective, cinematographer Nick Junkersfeld does a great job at using colour to separate the acts of the films, and different environments, moving from the crisp clear greens with natural sunlight to the dark shadowy ombre tones that are lit by firelight. It gives one group a sense of youth and transparency, whilst enveloping the other group with suspense, mystery, and anonymity.

Wrong Turn comes forth with a fresh take, but the highlights come from the elements that remain from the prior entries in the franchise; gruesome creative killing (granted most action occurs just offscreen) with a fair amount of gore. All new twists on the premise fall flat as the script fails to deliver on its promises. 

The timing feels rushed, the character decisions are idiotic, and the motives are poorly communicated. The Final Destination, Saw, and Hostel franchises may still be a better choice if you want gore and torture porn, but despite its undesired complexities, Wrong Turn manages to bring a quality that suitably brings it back to the silver screen.

Wrong Turn is in cinemas from February 18, 2021

Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8804

AGATHA RAISIN - SEASON 3 (2019)

 

Following the success of the 2014 special `Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death', AcornTV returns to the quirky crime drama for the third series of standalone stories based on the works of author M.C. Beaton.

With bloodless murders, quirky PG seduction, and decidedly British locations and behaviours, Agatha Raisin has returned for a third season. Seemingly refreshed, Season 3 provides this previously amateur sleuth with her own detective agency, along with a new mix of recurring characters. While it remains at heart a wholesome detective series (despite revolving largely around threats of death and bodily harm), Ashley Jensen's third round as the titular character is disappointedly sterile.

This latest season has come with an additional change in format. Starting with a 90-minute Halloween Special that matches the format of its sophomore season, before splitting the remaining three stories into six forty-five-minute episodes; each story being told over 90 minutes, but split into the shorter format of its debut season. The longer format provides opportunities for wider-reaching and interweaving narratives, and yet the opportunity is squandered for the low-hanging fruit of more bountiful red herrings and misdirections.

The new location with new recurring characters proves to be the downfall of the series. More Coronation Street than Sherlock Holmes, personal dramas and egos steal the spotlight from the detective work; dramas that are underripe and undeveloped. With reduced roles of established characters and new characters that lack charisma, Agatha Raisin finds herself now surrounded by people, yet devoid of chemistry. Like a group of strangers doing a first table-read of a script, Agatha Raisin lacks suspense, tension, romance, and any sense of emotion.

While Agatha Raisin finds itself lacking in social cohesion and character development, it keeps the show in its lane as an episodic piece and maintains a light-hearted presence. Bright and vibrant, the over-the-top and exaggerated writing fits in well with the jaunty period murder mysteries like Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, the recent feature film release, Blithe Spirit, and even the kid's show Scooby-Doo. Quirky and inconsequential, the lack of any blood or any sense of real danger makes Agatha Raisin a surprisingly PG piece that the whole family can enjoy.

Season 3 pales in comparison to its earlier seasons, but it's still an enjoyable romp through near-whimsical mysteries and infantile humour. 

Season 3 of Agatha Raisin is premiering on AcornTV from February 15, 2021

Originally posted to: https://djin.nz/Kr8802