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juushikaHemlock Grove, season 2, 2014
The first few episodes suffer as the show tries desperately to return to status quo, undoing much of the end of the first season; the plot also has a shaky, piecemeal start. The middle gains momentum, but the end wavers—some plot threads end too predictably, too many dangle, and the effect feels rushed. Season two has a sense of sequelitis—the violence in particular is cranked up to ridiculous levels—but provides welcome more of the same: the show's strengths are its indulgent supernatural elements, which appear in droves, and its characters, who have even more complex interpersonal relationships this time around (hey, a poly relationship!). An uneven effort, but I liked season one and was happy to have season two—Hemlock Grove is about aesthetic and indulgence, and need not be particularly refined to be enjoyable.
Hard Candy, film, 2005, dir. David Slade
A teenage girl preys on an older man and suspected pedophile. Hard Candy is overlong and has far too many denouements, putting a strain on the small cast and wearing its tension thin. But in all other ways, it's strong if imperfect. Its commentary is more than blatant but Page delivers it with aplomb, and the story is just on the right side of a rape revenge plot, aggressively vengeful but refusing to sensationalize the rape itself—in fact there's almost no presence of a male gaze, and so rather than exploitative it feels just—but also aggressive and circumspect. This would be significantly better if it were shorter and/or more diverse, but I still adored it.
Snow White and the Huntsman, film, 2012, dir. Rupert Sanders
A retelling of the fairy tale that sends Snow White to battle. The first third of this film is phenomenal, recasting Snow White's beauty in moral and emotional terms and contrasting it with the Queen's reliance on physical beauty, directly addressing how the fairy tale and the women within it value beauty, and why it creates conflict between them. Later hallmark aspects of the fairy tale—the dwarves, the apple—lack both creativity and commentary; the Huntsman fairs somewhat better. But on the whole, as the plot progresses it grows Hollywood-predictable and the rest of the film is just adequate, although the aesthetic is indulgent and the casting is strong. As a film, somewhat underwhelming; as a retelling, spotty—but what it does well is, however heavy-handed, fantastic to see.
Byzantium, film, 2012, dir. Neil Jordan
For the first time in their long lives, the relationship between a mother/daughter pair of vampires begins to unravel. Despite some questionable aspects—the "sixteen forever" protagonist, a willingness to conflate women/power/vampirism/sensuality/prostitution—and an unevenness of tone, sometimes too quiet but also prone to excessive action scenes, Byzantium is on the whole a compelling and intensely engaged addition to its genre, exploring the isolation and power of a vampire, their search for companionship and desire to be known, their potential for danger, and how that danger intersects gender. These themes can grow heavy-handed but that they are so proactive and robust is honestly amazing. An inconsistent but lovely film.
The first few episodes suffer as the show tries desperately to return to status quo, undoing much of the end of the first season; the plot also has a shaky, piecemeal start. The middle gains momentum, but the end wavers—some plot threads end too predictably, too many dangle, and the effect feels rushed. Season two has a sense of sequelitis—the violence in particular is cranked up to ridiculous levels—but provides welcome more of the same: the show's strengths are its indulgent supernatural elements, which appear in droves, and its characters, who have even more complex interpersonal relationships this time around (hey, a poly relationship!). An uneven effort, but I liked season one and was happy to have season two—Hemlock Grove is about aesthetic and indulgence, and need not be particularly refined to be enjoyable.
Hard Candy, film, 2005, dir. David Slade
A teenage girl preys on an older man and suspected pedophile. Hard Candy is overlong and has far too many denouements, putting a strain on the small cast and wearing its tension thin. But in all other ways, it's strong if imperfect. Its commentary is more than blatant but Page delivers it with aplomb, and the story is just on the right side of a rape revenge plot, aggressively vengeful but refusing to sensationalize the rape itself—in fact there's almost no presence of a male gaze, and so rather than exploitative it feels just—but also aggressive and circumspect. This would be significantly better if it were shorter and/or more diverse, but I still adored it.
Snow White and the Huntsman, film, 2012, dir. Rupert Sanders
A retelling of the fairy tale that sends Snow White to battle. The first third of this film is phenomenal, recasting Snow White's beauty in moral and emotional terms and contrasting it with the Queen's reliance on physical beauty, directly addressing how the fairy tale and the women within it value beauty, and why it creates conflict between them. Later hallmark aspects of the fairy tale—the dwarves, the apple—lack both creativity and commentary; the Huntsman fairs somewhat better. But on the whole, as the plot progresses it grows Hollywood-predictable and the rest of the film is just adequate, although the aesthetic is indulgent and the casting is strong. As a film, somewhat underwhelming; as a retelling, spotty—but what it does well is, however heavy-handed, fantastic to see.
Byzantium, film, 2012, dir. Neil Jordan
For the first time in their long lives, the relationship between a mother/daughter pair of vampires begins to unravel. Despite some questionable aspects—the "sixteen forever" protagonist, a willingness to conflate women/power/vampirism/sensuality/prostitution—and an unevenness of tone, sometimes too quiet but also prone to excessive action scenes, Byzantium is on the whole a compelling and intensely engaged addition to its genre, exploring the isolation and power of a vampire, their search for companionship and desire to be known, their potential for danger, and how that danger intersects gender. These themes can grow heavy-handed but that they are so proactive and robust is honestly amazing. An inconsistent but lovely film.
