fredrikgunerius

The Blair Witch Project is undeniably inventive, but its success relies heavily on a particular allure and the audience's goodwill. The trick that directors Myrick and Sánchez try to pull is all about their creative format, which they employ manipulatively and cleverly, with a hint of flair. The three leads were given just one day's worth of script at a time, improvising their way through the story with only a 35-page outline to guide them, and with minimal information about the roles of the supporting characters they encountered. Indeed a refreshingly bold approach to filmmaking, but the novelty of it all is no guarantee for success. The documentary-style camerawork ensures a raw, realistic effect, but it's not without risk. It's easy to overdo it - and The Blair Witch Project occasionally wears thin, becoming static and grating. The idea of unrefined handheld footage isn't exactly new (just ask Cannibal Holocaust), and while it can be effective, it's also taxing, cacophonous.

The horror in The Blair Witch Project is meant to feel immediate and visceral. Instead, the supernatural elements often fall flat, unable to blend seamlessly with the documentary style. The film's middle part drags, weakening the suspense that the finale desperately needs to work. Myrick and Sánchez need you to stay engaged, not exhausted, but Blair Witch ultimately tires you out. That said, the global buzz that this film has garnered is positive for maintaining artistic balance in cinema. Although this is no masterpiece, it has attracted renewed interest for the medium and this particular genre. Kudos to Robert Redford's Sundance Festival for taking a chance on it, and hats off to the young filmmakers for pushing boundaries. Like Lynch's Eraserhead, The Blair Witch Project is a fascinating piece, even if it's no stroke of genius.

Tommy Lee Jones cranked his crazed bad guy persona up to eleven, and Jeff Bridges tried his hand at the recently retired cop who must return to save the day. This 1994 action thriller has got the magnitude of an entertaining big budget blockbuster, but the storytelling is as overblown as Ryan Gaerity's bombs, and the film steps into every 1990s movie cliché as blatantly as it possibly can. The many explosions are the film's best asset, which isn't very encouraging news for a picture with this cast and budget. There is a potentially relevant story buried in here, but director Stephen Hopkins fails to convey it. The only thing he is able to elicit from his actors are some garish Irish accents. If Hopkins has ever made a truly accomplished film, it certainly isn't this one.

There are horror elements in this collaboration between short story writer Stephen King, producer James Wan, and director Osgood Perkins, but don't expect any chills and only very few thrills. The concept revolves around a mystical doll with inexplicably murderous abilities, and if that sounds psychologically and phenomenally unengaging, you're quite right: The film needs all the help it can get from Osgood's inventive mutilations and an obviously hard-working special effects team to keep you anywhere near the edge of your seat. As per usual with Stephen King, there's a coming-of-age story and something about dealing with the demons of your past baked into it all, but it's all terribly uninspired. And the director's attempts at making the film stand out with wild ideas come off as desperate more than anything else.