by MATTHEW HAYS and SARAH ROWLAND

The Hills Have Eyes

The studios have reached back into the ’70s treasure chest to remake (yet) another landmark slasher. Hot on the heels of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Dawn of the Dead comes The Hills Have Eyes, Alexandre Aja’s reworking of the heart-warming 1977 Wes Craven classic. Horror buffs will know the premise off by heart: an unwitting family heads into an urban-dweller’s worst nightmare, veering off the beaten path in the desert while on a family vacation. When the car breaks down, it’s just them with their trailer out in the dusty no-man’s land. As it turns out, of course, they are being watched—by a family of genetic mutants, still sore about all that nuclear testing that left them deformed. (Aja has managed to slip in a no-nukes message; George Clooney would be proud.)

As with the previous retreads, this one isn’t as strong as the original. Who can forget the prophetic banter early on in Craven’s film, in which someone cries, “I don’t want to end up like a French fry!”?

Still, bloodthirsty moviegoers will find redemptive qualities here. Aja knows a thing or two about extended hunt-and-chase sequences—anyone who saw his 2003 feature Haute tension will agree—and he makes exceptionally good use of mannequins in the film’s final third. It’s pretty twisted stuff, and at times the theme of civilized folk descending into uncivilized behaviour becomes a bit heavy-handed, but Aja undeniably keeps the suspense running high. WARNING: Do not see this before sitting down for a meal. (MH)

The Libertine

In the opening scene of The Libertine, Johnny Depp delivers a monologue to the camera, assuring us all that we will not like him. Presumably, he’s talking about his sleazebag character and not himself. Unfortunately, it’s Depp’s totally affected performance that we end up not liking.

Set during England’s period of artistic enlightenment, Depp plays John Wilmot, the Second Earl of Rochester who runs amok in London’s theatre scene in the 1670s. Wilmot consumes wine and wenches in mass quantities (the latter would be the death of him). After whores galore, the royal rogue falls in love with an aspiring stage actress (played to perfection by Samantha Morton). But it’s too late. Wilmot’s past catches up with him in the form of syphilis.

Depp seems to relish the opportunity to die a slow and messy death a little too much. Perhaps he was trying to cure himself of Tim Burton fatigue by taking on such a raunchy and repulsive role. But a pretentious period piece clearly isn’t the antidote. What Depp really needs, if I may say so myself, is a sexy drug epic, one in which he snorts copious amounts of coke and screws unreasonably beautiful women. So if there’s a script like that kicking around Hollywood, he’d be wise to scoop it up. Blow 2, here we come. (SR)

Beowulf & Grendel

Just what you were waiting for: a feature-length period adaptation of the Beowulf poem, based on Norse mythology. The ninth-century poem is credited with inspiring J.R.R. Tolkien, telling the rather gory story of one warrior’s fight with a nasty troll, Grendel. Beowulf & Grendel is the creation of the excellent Canadian filmmaker Sturla Gunnarsson, who originally hails from Iceland. This, he says, is his return to his roots, a calling he had felt for years to adapt the ancient poem.

It certainly boasts some very impressive production values. Beowulf & Grendel was shot entirely in Iceland (but set in Northern Europe), when the King of the Danes asks warrior Beowulf to head off to assassinate the nasty troll Grendel. That, as it turns out, is much harder to do than originally thought, given Grendel’s fiery resilience. The setting, costumes and acting (the cast includes Sarah Polley and Stellan Skarsgard) are truly brilliant here. But audiences may find some of the overwrought, Nordic histrionics a bit tiring by the final third, when troll, warrior and witch battle it out to the nasty, sordid end. A period film this complex deserves praise, given the logistics of pulling it off. Suffice it to say, however, that Beowulf & Grendel is not everyone’s cup of tea. (MH)

Manderlay

The great U.S.-bashing Dane is on top of his game here. Set in 1933 Alabama, Lars von Trier’s latest swipe at the States is about a gangster princess (Bryce Dallas Howard) who wants to right the wrongs of the Southern man by taking over an illegal plantation at gunpoint. Her heroic efforts to emancipate the misguided slaves are, not surprisingly, overshadowed by her all-American ignorance and hypocrisy. She sets out to teach them how to live in a democratic society. But what she learns, through a lot of trial and error, is that to be let loose in a racially divided country is a far cry from being truly free.

Shot like a video-taped stage play, Dogme fans will not be disappointed. Dogme detractors, meanwhile, might want to check it out for two reasons. First and foremost: Howard’s performance. Even among the all-star cast (Danny Glover, Willem Dafoe and Lauren Bacall), the virtually unknown redhead is a stand-out—no doubt we will be seeing a lot more of her. The second excuse to sit through Manderlay is the closing montage of still photography depicting the civil rights struggle over the last half-century. With Bowie’s “Young Americans” blasting in surround sound, this is definitely one of the best credit rolls to hit the big screen in a long time. (SR)

The Hills Have Eyes, The Libertine, Beowulf & Grendel, and Manderlay open Friday, March 10

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