The Full Moon Brings With It A New Film

Grr. It's surprisingly irritating to have to balance your laptop on your crossed legs while typing. And the only reason I have to do this is because all the chairs in my room are gone, what with mom's tuition class students and their asses. :P

Upon starting this post, I was thinking of doing a review on The Wolfman, which is what I went to the cinemas for today. I'd been meaning to see it ever since I saw the trailer, and knowing me and my fascination with lycanthropy (don't ask. I can't explain it either. And Tay Tay is NOT the source of this either), it was my first priority, more so than Percy Jackson and Valentine's Day (though the Tays look like epic stuff in it)



Anyway, back to The Wolfman. I felt bad for it when I read on its WikiP page that it had received mixed to negative reviews, and garnered a 34% 'Rotten' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. That's too bad. Personally, it was pretty scary, but I do wonder if that's also because I haven't seen enough horror films to get used to sudden scares. The acting was above average too. Benicio Del Toro as leading man Lawrence Talbot adopts a convincing American accent (he's Puerto Rican), and I felt he brought out the torture experienced by his character pretty well. Can't be easy playing someone who always has to doubt his own sanity. I can so relate. ;)


Anthony Hopkins, who plays Talbot's father Sir John is, of course, commanding of the screen as usual whenever he's on it. He has pretty awesome, sadistic lines, and he kinda makes you feel lucky about your own dad as well. The role was a tad reminiscent of Hannibal Lecter though, what with the cold-blooded yet witty demeanour and equally memorable lines (those yummy fava beans!).

Last but not least, Emily Blunt and Hugo Weaving. Watching Emily portray Talbot's love interest Gwen Conliffe made me yearn for her role in The Devil Wears Prada somehow, 'cos I remember how wonderfully biatchy and fabulous she was there. Nonetheless, she's pretty decent in The Wolfman. Her closeup shots are beautiful, and although she sometimes turns out to be more of a flower vase than anyone intended, I gotta say she does have real onscreen presence, and this may be further cultivated in her potentially long career. As for Weaving, he's great as the stoic, sophisticated, slightly snarky dude - he kinda is almost always the first two things isn't he? -, though it might be nice to see him as an alcoholic, R&B hit song-composing hippie. Or something. Or maybe he has but I didn't notice.

The plotline is nothing to shout about, of course, seeing as werewolves have been given the Hollywood treatment so many times over, with pretty much the same premise Still, it was pretty cool to delve a little deeper into the subject of lycanthropy. Oh, and this is random but (spoilers ahead!) - Sir Anthony Hopkins looks strangely adorable when he has fur all over him and a big furry beard as well. But that could just be me.

Oh, lastly I liked the overall mood of the film as well. You'll need major dosages of sunshine and a chocolate sundae after seeing it, that's for sure. The closest you get to vibrant colour in the movie are Blunt's bright blue peepers, and even that's got a distant, chilly feel to it, even if her character isn't so. Expect tons of blues, dark greens, grays and blacks. Despite the mood dampening effect (not that anyone in their right mind would walk into Wolfman expecting to come out with a huge dopey smile on their faces), it's essential in order to set in that hopeless, frustrating spiral downwards that Talbot goes through.

Ok. Imma stop here, in case you actually were reading this and am 90% numbed by now to all the blah blah blah I've put your mind and eyes through.



P.S: The Wolfman has the dubious distinction of being the first movie I've seen whose film reel burned up halfway through. Can't say the orange/red/yellow glowing hole on the reel wasn't gorgeous though. But does this mean film is still flammable?