Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts
Showing posts with label horror. Show all posts

Friday, July 7, 2023

Final Cut: An Unconventional French Tribute to Z Movies

 By José Alberto Hermosillo 

“Final Cut” is a frenetic dark comedy about a film crew becoming zombies while making a Z movie. 


What seems like a clumsy French parody of the Japanese “cult film” “One Cut of the Death” by Shin’ichirô Ueda becomes a massive tribute to “Z movies” by Academy Award-winning director Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist” and “The Search”).

Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius. Photo by film critic José Alberto Hermosillo. 
Copyright © Festival in LA, 2022

In “Final Cut,” Michel Hazanavicius pays tribute to those who tirelessly work in the film industry. Their skills and resourcefulness keep the essence of the filmmaking process alive. The team comprises technicians, producers, actors, and those who make movies even without dialogue. The relationship between the filmmakers and the film itself is a symbiotic yet challenging collaboration, even if the result is a complete disaster. According to the director, making a movie is heroic, even if it is a flop.

In 2020, during the first lockdown, Hazanavicius wanted to work on a comedy when the German producers, who had secured the rights to the Japanese “cult classic,” offered him the golden opportunity to remake that successful Asian box-office hit in France. The idea was brilliant and perfect for what he wanted to do during the pandemic. Hazanavicius saw some weird situations in the original that inspired him to juxtapose these images with his French reality. You can start with a script based on a book and, in this case, based on a movie. The original writing was challenging, and adapting to a European version was even more difficult.
In the movie, as in real life, problems arise, such as shooting an extended scene on a full memory card without realizing it. The original Japanese director said he understood his movie even more while watching the French version.
The first “one-shot” sequence is 33 minutes long. It took much preparation, from drawing the storyboard through many rehearsals with the actors, cinematographer, props, makeup, sound, and the rest of the crew, until everything came together. They used 54 cameras to capture every angle and every actor’s actions and reactions. They shot that specific sequence four times over four days, up to the final take, and it was still not that great, according to the director.

To differentiate between the movie and the making-of film, the director used various post-production techniques, such as color saturation, timing, and texture, so the audience could follow both storylines easily.
Michael Hazanavicius’ career ranges from experimental, quirky films to the most formal and academic productions. “Final Cut” is a very personal movie about making a movie. The question always arises: why did the director want to place himself in such a problematic situation by presenting an embarrassing project to the masses? He said that, in his defense, his films are always made in joyful sets with positive energy.

Zombie movies are fascinating and profitable. From big Hollywood productions like “World War Z” with Brad Pitt to more independent releases like “Zombieland” and Jim Jarmusch’s “The Dead Don’t Die,” which also competed for the Palmer d’Or at Cannes in 2019. The 2018 French zombie thriller “The Night Eats the World/ La Nuit a dévoré le mondé” depicts a contemporary world where zombies invade Paris.
Other worldwide cult classics are George Romero’s “Dawn of the Dead” and the British production “28 Days Later” by Academy Award-winning director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “Trainspotting”). There is also the low-budget British high school zombie musical “Anna and the Apocalypse,” which I loved. 
Other Asian countries have made substantial contributions to the Zombie genre, from “Train to Busan” to the 2016 Zombie Pandemic South Korean animated film “Seoul Station.” One of my favorite Korean genre movies is the extraordinary production “Peninsula.” It is also considered the best Korean Zombie movie, “The Wailing.” 
The Japanese productions have their fan base as well; “Versus,” “Miss Zombie,” “Helldriver,” and “One Cut of the Dead” are among the most popular. Highly recommended is the new apocalyptic Taiwanese zombie thriller “Sadness.”
In recent years, American television series about zombies have been widely successful. “The Last of Us,” with Pedro Pascal, just received 24 Emmy nominations. And “The Walking Dead” ran for eleven seasons.
Romain Duris. Photo by film critic José Alberto Hermosillo. 
Copyright © Festival in LA

In “Final Cut,” all the performers did a hell of a job. Chameleonic French actor Romain Duris (“Eiffel,” “The Confession,” “Populaire,” “The New Girlfriend”) plays Rémi, the hectic movie director, and also Higurashi in the zombie movie within a movie. Duris’s work is synonymous with dedication, perseverance, quality, and excellence.

Michel Hazanavicius’ wife and Oscar-nominated actress Bérénice Bejo play Nadia and Natsumi, respectively. Michel confessed that working with his wife on many projects is easy because they know each other well. She keeps it professional; in the set, she knows he is the boss. He does not congratulate her on a good performance. He likes to give confidence to all of his actors. Their daughter, Simone Hazanavicius, and her friend round out the terrific cast.
Michel Hazanavicius’ next film is an animated feature set during a war, written by his parents’ friend, titled “The Most Precious Cargo.” I cannot wait to see what this incredibly inventive director will do next in animation.
“Final Cut” was selected as the opening piece of the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where critics trashed the movie without mercy. According to Mr. Hazanavicius, brutal exposure to the international press was intentional. 
The satirical story presented in “Final Cut” is not for everyone, but those who like dark comedies, like me, can feel in heaven watching a cinematic gory feast.
Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius and film critic José Alberto Hermosillo. 
Copyright © Festival in LA, 2022



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Saturday, December 1, 2018

ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING: WISHES YOU A BLOODY MERRY CHRISTMAS

By José Alberto Hermosillo
All the Creatures Were Stirring. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. ©2018 Festival in LA

“All the Creatures Were Stirring” is a very Lynchian movie with some touches of good humor and plenty of scary moments.

All the Creatures Were Stirring. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. ©2018 Festival in LA

Seasonal vignettes were well-combined and smartly put together by a group of remarkable filmmakers, plus exceptional performers.

When a blind date goes wrong, the atmosphere of this tiny, little creepy theater plays a series of obscure and bizarre tales by a group of funky performers.

All the Creatures Were Stirring. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. ©2018 Festival in LA

From the beginning, the couple’s interaction with the workers and patrons is awkwardly funny.

A mute presenter introduces every story when they sit to enjoy the show. She has the look of a character in David Lynch’s movies.

All the Creatures Were Stirring. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. ©2018 Festival in LA

The stories are rich and fascinating. It begins with a mind-numbing Christmas office party that turns into a bloody Russian roulette game. 

A late-shopping madness ends up in a psycho “Chupacabras” eating people in the parking lot. A not-so-good neighbor’s experience transforms into a twisted version of Charles Dickens’s “Christmas Carol.” A dead deer avenges itself. Finally, a surreal extraterrestrial adventure at a friend’s dinner table gives closeness and hope to another couple.

All the Creatures Were Stirring. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. ©2018 Festival in LA

“All the Creatures Were Stirring” is a creepy, weird, and even frightening anthology, and at the same time, it is fun to watch. 

This independent horror flick is reminiscent of the TV Series “Tales from the Crypt.” A show from the 1980’s that I loved as a teen. 
All the Creatures Were Stirring. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. ©2018 Festival in LA

The cast and crew were present at the movie premiere in La Vista Theater of Hollywood. 

The cast includes Amanda Fuller (“Last Man Standing”), Jonathan Kite (“2 Broke Girls”), Ashley Clements (“The Lizzie Bennet Diaries”), Graham Skipper (“The Mind’s Eye”), Stephanie Drake (“Mad Men”), Megan Duffy (“Maniac”), Mark Kelly (“Fear the Walking Dead”), Michelle DeFraites (“The Quad”), Brea Grant (“The Arrangement”), Diva Zappa (Pledge This!). 
 Dave and Rebekah McKendry, writers and directors. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo. ©2018 Festival in LA
 
And the co-writers and co-directors Rebekah & Dave McKendry.

ALL THE CREATURES WERE STIRRING Official Trailer (2018)


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