"James Badge Dale feels too much like the stock boozing ex-cop, giving the film a lead as colorless as the visual palate, the twist ending is a head-scratcher despite a long-winded explanation"
i feel like Dale being a 'stock boozing ex-cop' is extremely intentional--i agree that the ending explains a bit too much, and i _definitely_ agree about the weird slasher sequences being out of place, but Dale's familiarity makes sense to me, given what we ultimately learn about him.
this one reminded me quite a bit of Kairo; the latter is more artful, but both are working at digging out the essential lure/horror of nihilism in their respective ways. feels a bit like an evolution of Lovecraft's cosmic horror, and Empty Man definitely nods in HP's direction (if there's a force behind all of this, it's Nyarlathotep, one of Lovcraft's big nasties), but strips away the lore until there's just a null space. Empty Man at its worst feels like it escaped from the early '00s, but in a weird way, its odd datedness makes the slow pace and moments of clarity all the more effective. flawed, but i'm glad it's been getting re-evaluated lately.
Glad you're throwing some light on this one. It never lives up to the promise of the first hour or so, but it's far too undersung for its best qualities. At the discovery of the hanged teens I thought, "Oh, this is going to be extraordinary," but it doesn't really achieve the heights you might expect at that point and the ending is a bit of a shrug. But it regularly feints toward some great insights and manages a consistent tone. It's one of those that I wish was a bit better but am also content to accept it as is.
I always love when a movie seems to tell an entire story before cutting to the title card. Raising Arizona and The Departed spring to mind.
This movie rips; I had no idea what I was in for. After this, Hold the Dark, and The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, James Badge Dale has suddenly become an actor I actively seek out.
I enjoyed this one, despite the clunky ending and main character’s flatness. While I think the choice of using a stock character was likely intentional, it does have the effect of sticking you with the least interesting aspect of the movie for much of its runtime. I’ll be curious to see what the director does next — there’s enough craft in the opening sequence to suggest he’d do ok if he has to tone down some of the more idiosyncratic aspects of his work, and might even be better for it.
I watched this around the same time as Vast of the Night, a much more successful and cohesive genre effort. Some of the dialogue and characterization misfired, but it overall was a much stronger debut.
Haven't seen THE EMPTY MAN yet, but love the comparison to the THE PARALLAX VIEW. That montage is the real standout from the latter. The only other montage I can think of that also completely takes over its film is from SUPER FLY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWmjH-lYWEw). Both montages leave me shaking my head and thinking, "The 70s....yeah, those were some times."
I really enjoyed this, but did anyone else feel the process of conjuring The Empty Man with a bottle on a bridge while standing on one foot humming "Onward, Christian soldiers" etc was especially convoluted and laughable?
Also – "The first night, you'll hear him. The second night, you'll see him. The third night, you'll feel him"... Inside you! I kept thinking, but maybe that's just me.
I am 80/20 on like/disliking this movie. I love the Gaiman-esque "Dream of a Thousand Cat's" idea wherein reality is determined by perception and if enough people alter their perception reality will change to fit it. On the other hand the hobo in a garbage bag "monster" that shows up is wildly out of place, not scary, and made me laugh out loud when I saw it. There is some great atmosphere here and existential dread that is often broken up by weird 90's slasher vibes.
The ending is indeed a head-scratcher, but such a strangely compelling nihillistic atmosphere that Prior creates here is quite rare in modern horrors. I loved the vibe of it (and that first 22 minutes establish the tone perfectly from the get-go) and was left thinking about its themes for days after I watched it. But I agree that it never really lives up to its potential and the time of its release was pretty unfortunate. I hope Prior gets a second chance to make another feature of the same calibre.
This one left me cold, but I did get a chuckle out of the notion that a small Missouri town would name its high school after Jacques Derrida.
"James Badge Dale feels too much like the stock boozing ex-cop, giving the film a lead as colorless as the visual palate, the twist ending is a head-scratcher despite a long-winded explanation"
i feel like Dale being a 'stock boozing ex-cop' is extremely intentional--i agree that the ending explains a bit too much, and i _definitely_ agree about the weird slasher sequences being out of place, but Dale's familiarity makes sense to me, given what we ultimately learn about him.
this one reminded me quite a bit of Kairo; the latter is more artful, but both are working at digging out the essential lure/horror of nihilism in their respective ways. feels a bit like an evolution of Lovecraft's cosmic horror, and Empty Man definitely nods in HP's direction (if there's a force behind all of this, it's Nyarlathotep, one of Lovcraft's big nasties), but strips away the lore until there's just a null space. Empty Man at its worst feels like it escaped from the early '00s, but in a weird way, its odd datedness makes the slow pace and moments of clarity all the more effective. flawed, but i'm glad it's been getting re-evaluated lately.
Glad you're throwing some light on this one. It never lives up to the promise of the first hour or so, but it's far too undersung for its best qualities. At the discovery of the hanged teens I thought, "Oh, this is going to be extraordinary," but it doesn't really achieve the heights you might expect at that point and the ending is a bit of a shrug. But it regularly feints toward some great insights and manages a consistent tone. It's one of those that I wish was a bit better but am also content to accept it as is.
I always love when a movie seems to tell an entire story before cutting to the title card. Raising Arizona and The Departed spring to mind.
This movie rips; I had no idea what I was in for. After this, Hold the Dark, and The Standoff at Sparrow Creek, James Badge Dale has suddenly become an actor I actively seek out.
Three of the best scenes in this film, in order:
-"Oh...I have a coupon." "...happy birthday."
-The two steps back/two steps forward response
-the reveal
I enjoyed this one, despite the clunky ending and main character’s flatness. While I think the choice of using a stock character was likely intentional, it does have the effect of sticking you with the least interesting aspect of the movie for much of its runtime. I’ll be curious to see what the director does next — there’s enough craft in the opening sequence to suggest he’d do ok if he has to tone down some of the more idiosyncratic aspects of his work, and might even be better for it.
I watched this around the same time as Vast of the Night, a much more successful and cohesive genre effort. Some of the dialogue and characterization misfired, but it overall was a much stronger debut.
Haven't seen THE EMPTY MAN yet, but love the comparison to the THE PARALLAX VIEW. That montage is the real standout from the latter. The only other montage I can think of that also completely takes over its film is from SUPER FLY (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWmjH-lYWEw). Both montages leave me shaking my head and thinking, "The 70s....yeah, those were some times."
I really enjoyed this, but did anyone else feel the process of conjuring The Empty Man with a bottle on a bridge while standing on one foot humming "Onward, Christian soldiers" etc was especially convoluted and laughable?
Also – "The first night, you'll hear him. The second night, you'll see him. The third night, you'll feel him"... Inside you! I kept thinking, but maybe that's just me.
Wait the high school is literally called Jacques Derrida High School? That is hilarious.
I am 80/20 on like/disliking this movie. I love the Gaiman-esque "Dream of a Thousand Cat's" idea wherein reality is determined by perception and if enough people alter their perception reality will change to fit it. On the other hand the hobo in a garbage bag "monster" that shows up is wildly out of place, not scary, and made me laugh out loud when I saw it. There is some great atmosphere here and existential dread that is often broken up by weird 90's slasher vibes.
The ending is indeed a head-scratcher, but such a strangely compelling nihillistic atmosphere that Prior creates here is quite rare in modern horrors. I loved the vibe of it (and that first 22 minutes establish the tone perfectly from the get-go) and was left thinking about its themes for days after I watched it. But I agree that it never really lives up to its potential and the time of its release was pretty unfortunate. I hope Prior gets a second chance to make another feature of the same calibre.