End of Watch (2012)

Not being a huge fan of either cop movies nor Jake Gyllenhaal, "End of Watch" was not something I was expecting to enjoy in any large capacity. There are often issues that arise with the standard cop drama that I find to be aggravating to my particular tastes. Most noteworthy of those issues is the fact I rarely understand anything that the characters are saying due to the indecipherable "cop speak" and phonebooks full of characters mentioned only once by name, all rattled off in rapid-fire succession in a scene of dense exposition, after which we're expected to have memorized each and every one of them. It works for some, but not myself. I'm just not a huge mark for the cop drama.

Imagine my surprise, then, when "End of Watch" not only wound up being an intensely enjoyable experience, but also wound up being one of the better films I saw from 2012. In fact, had I actually seen it in 2012, it very well might have made an appearance near the back half of my Top 10 of the year list. It would have been a tough decision, but "End of Watch" had the potential to replace "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" in the number 10 slot, as bad as I would feel not including it. In any case, "End of Watch" would have at least made an honorable mention.

But that's not to say that "End of Watch" was enjoyable in the same way "The Hobbit" was. Where "The Hobbit" was a fun time full of wonderment and adventure, "End of Watch" was an intense blast of violence and fear that looks at the underbelly of the dark side of humanity and the near nightmarish existence of those who have to deal with it every day with a light the intensity of an atomic explosion. It is brutally uncompromising, unrelentingly intense, and heartrendingly humanizing.

Guess you have to laugh or go crazy in this job.

"End of Watch" follows two LAPD cops, Brian (Jake Gyllenhaal) and Mike (Michael Peña) through their daily routine of being police officers in one of the most dangerous beats in America. Once they run afoul of a powerful drug cartel, they find themselves marked men on the streets, and the danger seems to increase on a daily basis until a climatic and stunning final confrontation.

This is all told from the viewpoint of Brian and anyone else holding a camera, since "End of Watch" is technically a "found footage" movie. This is both effective and detrimental to the film, for reasons I'll get into later, but for now let's talk about why it works so well for this story.

The main reason this works so well is for the same reason any decent found footage movie works well: it puts us in the mindset of the characters. When Brian is running down a dark alleyway in the middle of the night, the flashlight on the end of his gun the only source of illumination as he chases after a huge gang member, it's almost like a horror movie. And it's not hard to feel just a bit of how scared that cop must be. This is especially so after seeing that the huge gang member had a few minutes prior stabbed another cop in the eye and has currently absconded with another female officer to do who knows what to her.

Violence has a tendency to erupt at the drop of a hat. There's no telling whether or not that person they stop is going to calmly go along with the process, or if they're going to pull out a gun and start shooting. Either case is just as likely. And as we follow Brian and Mike through their daily routine, it's easy to get jumpy whenever they so much as talk to anyone. It got to the point that I would get nervous whenever Brian or Mike were being polite and relaxed with people because I suspected that something bad could happen, and they wouldn't be ready for it.

Michael Peña is currently pointing a gun at that guy. You'd be doing the same. Just in case.

In addition, the film also shows the gang members causing most of the trouble as they do their thing, and later as they plot Brian and Mike's demise. This is the only bit of story outside of the main character's point of view that we get, which means that we aren't as in the dark as we would be during a normal found footage film, which both eliminates the need for clunky or overly convenient exposition and also elevates the tension since we know what's coming. But at the same time this also brings to harsh light the biggest issue with the film, and the one hurdle that the audience will need to overcome to not be irritated.

This issue is always the biggest one for any found footage movie, and it is always a question consisting of two parts: Who is filming this, and why to do they continue to do it?

Brian is filming his daily routine as part of a class he's taking. In addition to a handheld video camera, he has a small one that he clips on to his shirt (which also gets incredible hi-def picture, picks up every sound despite nobody wearing a microphone, and has amazing storage capacity), so that makes sense. Most of the time he's using the handheld one, but whenever there's action going on it switches to the shirt camera, which has more of a first-person view. That all makes sense. Of course that's putting aside the legality of Brian openly filming all of this police procedure, which I'm not entirely sure of.

But here's where it gets kind of stupid. Why are the gangsters filming this stuff? I suppose I could see someone filming the occasion as they pile into a van and perform a drive-by shooting of a rival gang, but why would they still be filming during the shooting itself? Wouldn't their hands be kind of full? Why would the rival gang be conveniently filming a seemingly random, trivial conversation at that very moment the other gang drove by and shot them up? Why would they continue to film as bullets started flying? Why would the person being shot at just stand there out in the open, making sure the van with Mexicans firing AK-47s out of it was nicely in frame? Why would they shove a camera in the face of their fallen comrade screaming "Ey yo, B, you okay?! You okay, B?!" instead of actually helping them?

And if this is the kind of thing that jumps out at you, "End of Watch" also has a very strange thing going on that I like to call the "God Camera." Every once in a while the movie will reach a point where there's simply no possible way that they could justify anybody holding a camera for any reason, even for a found footage movie. Either everybody has a gun in their hand, or everybody there is all dead. Or both. So at that point, instead of getting either creative or insultingly stupid with it, the filmmakers seem to have simply decided "screw it" and had a camera just THERE, like you would see in any normal movie. While this does make the action more coherent, I had to ask two questions: "Who is filming this now?" and "If we're going to switch like that, why have the rest of it be found footage in the first place?"

Seriously. Who the hell is filming this shot?

If this is the kind of thing that bugs you, then "End of Watch" might be a little irritating. But despite that little unfortunate side effect of found footage movies, this movie was still an experience that knocked my socks off. The characters all felt so incredibly real, and Michael Peña in particular was simply stunning, but the entire cast deserves a lot of credit. And it's really important in a found footage movie that the acting be top notch naturalistic, or it's simply not going to work at all. By the time "End of Watch" was over, and the shocking ending hit me in the face before leaving with a seemingly random but oddly poignant final scene, there wasn't a moment where I hadn't bought these characters completely.

It may not do anything overly unique with the story, what with the shades-of-grey characters of both police and criminals who are mostly portrayed not as "good vs. evil" but simply as people caught in a savage, unforgiving world and doing what they can to survive. But how many variations on a police story can you really have anyway? What's important is how well it tells the story, and "End of Watch" tells its story extremely well. And it tells it while being intense and tragic as hell.

Check out the trailer for "End of Watch" (NSFW)

THE BOTTOM LINE - "End of Watch" is a gritty, intense, and dark film that doesn't pull too many punches with the violence or how real it comes across. Apart from some irritation with the point of view and how exactly we're seeing all this, it's one of the most powerful films that I've seen from 2012. Michael Peña should probably be up for some awards for it. Seriously, you should check this one out, guys, because it's really freaking good.

ParaNorman (2012)

I pride myself on being pretty good at calling how good a movie is going to be based on the trailers. It doesn't always work out, of course. I'm not always right, but generally I can make a fairly accurate generalization on whether or not I'll like it. When you see as many movies as I do, you do tend to get pretty good at it.

That is, as long as the marketing campaign for a movie isn't deceptive.

You see, Hollywood has a really nasty habit of lying to you. It's true, and I think it's a big problem that is the causation of why so many unique films bomb: They don't know how to market weird stuff.

The problem is that in a trailer, a feature length film has got to be condensed into a fine, chewable paste for the consumption of the lowest common denominator. There can't be any kind of idea that takes more than 5 seconds to convey, be understood, and absorbed by the viewers. That's why trailers are loud, obnoxious, and filled with poo jokes. They also love giving away scares or surprises or even the entire ending of the damn film, all in an effort to say "Look! Look how much stuff happens in this movie! It's got action! It's scary! Look, here's every scare in the entire film!"

The reason they do this, of course, is so that you know the scare is coming, which naturally makes it more effective.

::sigh::

You ever get the feeling it's this guy making all the movie trailers?

Back on point though, this same formula that has been in place ever since they started making previews for movies is a big problem as to why certain films can come off as completely different than what you end up getting. Remember that debacle with "Drive," where that lady actually had the brass to sue the filmmakers because the trailer was too deceptive, and instead of getting a "Fast and The Furious" clone like she wanted, she got an artsy exploitation flick? Well, as stupid as that is, she's got a point. The trailer was insanely deceptive. But at the same time, I have no idea how you'd make a traditional trailer for "Drive" and really convey what you'd be getting.

Actually, I'm pretty sure I could have made a better one, but that's beside the point.

This brings us to "ParaNorman." I was indescribably excited when I first saw the trailer for this film, and saw that it included some of the talent from "Coraline," a movie I considered the best film I saw in 2009. And the trailer for "ParaNorman" started off really well with a creepy atmosphere and gorgeous stop-motion animation, and I was loving it. And then the trailer kept going, and getting worse and worse as it went, because it just looked so...generic. After the awesomeness that was "Coraline," this looked like a huge downgrade. And I was just bummed out by it.

But I finally forced myself to see it, and man, am I glad that I did. In another case where I happily discovered that it was simply a matter of a movie being too good for its trailer, "ParaNorman" ended up surprisingly being one of the best films I've seen this year. Not only was it a gorgeous example of an all but forgotten style of animation, a charming homage to the horror genre, and genuinely funny, but it was reminiscent of kid's movies from back in the day that were objectively good. And while that last one would have made it far worth seeing, it's the other things that just put it over the top to make it something really special.

Have I mentioned it's pretty?

The plot of "ParaNorman" is that Norman is a young boy who can see and talk to ghosts. He sees them all time, and isn't disturbed by it in the least, which is probably why he loves horror films. Of course, due to this he is ostracized at school and is a total outcast. Soon, however, he finds out about a 200 year old curse that he must become the keeper of, to prevent a witch from raising the dead. All of this culminates in a single night of zombies, mobs, and a whole lot of chaos.

I must admit that from the very opening credits, "ParaNorman" had its hooks in me completely. The opening titles are presented in 4:3 ratio, grainy, crappy audio goodness as a parody of grindhouse movies and gory exploitation films begins. As bad acting, cheesy makeup and boom mics in the shot occur in a very funny scene, we pull out to see our main character Norman watching them in his living room with his Grandma. She asks him, "What's happening now, dear?" Norman casually says, "The zombie is eating her brains." She then just as casually replies "Oh. Well that's not very nice."

Then as he goes into the kitchen, and his parents ask him what he's doing. He says he's watching a movie with Grandma. His parents then remind him his Grandma is dead, and that he's got to stop doing that.

Oh. OH! Oh, wow...

What a fantastic and unashamedly dark way to open a film. They don't make kids movies like that anymore. When was the last time a movie marketed towards kids confronted death in such a laid back manner? It was really refreshing to see a movie that was not afraid to go where it is generally taboo to go. Of course, I've never specifically heard if "a corpse licking someone" is considered a social faux-pas, because that happens too, but I'll just assume that it is.

In fact, as the movie goes on, there are more and more shockingly dark things the movie ended up doing which ended up being quite moving and had some great impact. In particular was the scene where the facts of the witch's death hundreds of years ago come to light, and we discover the origin of the curse. There is a reveal in that scene which is genuinely shocking and horribly tragic. I had to pick my jaw out of my lap at that point. Bravo to the film for having guts, because it paid off big time, and really helped hammer home the message of the film, which is "If you hurt those who have hurt you, you end up being just as bad as they are."

Without that great tragedy, that message would have fallen flat, because the pure rage the witch needed to have would have felt disingenuous. And as a result, when the witch is faced with forgiving those who wronged her, the power of that comes through just that much stronger. It's actually quite sad, but also very beautiful.

Also, it's a really intense, creepy, absolutely gorgeous looking scene.

Norman is voiced by one of my favorite young actors, Kodi Smit-McPhee, who is an absolute monster on the screen, and has floored me with his performances twice before, once in "The Road," which he could have gotten an Oscar nomination for, and again in "Let Me In." He reminds me of Max Records a bit, actually, because they are both scary good. And while it was a shame to not see his very expressive face, he along with everyone else in "ParaNorman" did a fantastic job voicing their characters.

Also in the cast were Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Casey Affleck, who added some of the best comedic moments, but I was more excited about Bernard Hill (King Theoden from "Lord of The Rings"), John Goodman, Anna Kendrick and finally Jodelle Ferland, another amazing young actress who was a revelation in Terry Gilliam's superb "Tideland." This is some hardcore talent going on here. And also there was Leslie Mann if you care about that kind of thing.

Comparisons to "Coraline" are inevitable, and although I liked "Coraline" more than "ParaNorman," the amount of pure enjoyment was essentially equal for different reasons. "Coraline" I loved for the story and atmosphere, while "ParaNorman" I loved for the humor and homage to horror films, and they would actually be an amazing double feature with each other, because they both are films that are not afraid to get a bit dark, and threat kids like adults. It's just so wonderful to get a slice of uniqueness in a movie theater when we are all so used to the same recycled crap.

SHOW ME YOUR WAR FACE!!!

I said earlier that "ParaNorman" was a dark film, and yes, it's true. It's rated PG, but it's a hard PG. There are some things in "ParaNorman" that I've heard some people get upset over, and yeah there's some admittedly creepy and surprisingly intense moments to be found, but if I may be so bold, that's exactly why I loved this film. It is a movie made just as much for adults as children, and in the end, that is what will give it staying power. It's the rare film that a parent can enjoy just as much as a kid which should be the definition of a "family film." If it's brain-dead crap like "The Smurfs" or "Mr. Popper's Penguins," and only the kid is enjoying it while the adults just want someone to drill a hole in their head to just make it stop, then it's not a family movie, is it?

But honestly, if your kid can't handle it, maybe you should have done your homework and realized it was a movie about witches and zombies before taking them to see the movie. Read a review of it. Or maybe read the ratings reasons which are made very accessible from numerous sources, including the poster, at the ticket counter, and online. The search would take 4 seconds. In the age of the internet, going into a movie blind like that is so easy to avoid that there's really not much of an excuse.

Meanwhile, this adult is going to sit back and enjoy the hell out of a movie that includes homages to Z-grade Claudio Fragasso schlock, has a "Scooby-Doo" style vibe, actually makes me laugh out loud through the whole thing, and also has a reference to "Manos: The Hands of Fate." That sounds like my kind of movie. And I'm going to enjoy it a lot.

THE BOTTOM LINE - "ParaNorman" is fantastic.  The last movie that I had this kind of reaction to was "The Muppets" last year. Both that film and "ParaNorman" were able to hold me in a constant state of awe, wonder, and perpetual smiles. The story was fun and mysterious, the tone was dark and went to surprisingly dark places, the characters were alive and loveable, the look was gorgeous, and the references just felt like they were tailor-made for me. This is making my Top Ten of 2012, I can almost guarantee. Highly Recommended. Seriously, you need to see it.