The Invisible Man (2020) #472

 

The film “The Invisible Man” proves that you don’t need a big budget to make a big, incredible movie. Star Elizabeth Moss has the performance of the year as Cecilia Kass, a victim of domestic abuse who believes that her ex Adrian is still tormenting her after his apparent suicide. Leigh Whannell wrote and directed the film, updating and modernizing this adaptation from the novel of the same name. With a budget of only $6 million, “The Invisible Man” took in a box office total of $134 million and have earned more if not for the pandemic closing theaters down earlier in the year.

Elizabeth Moss had her work cut out for her in this film, spending most of her screen time fighting against an unseen force. Her physicality is spot on and completely believable as she’s thrown around and struggles against the invisible assailant. Her range of emotions are also upfront and center, starting the movie as an already beat down and abused woman. She finds the strength to leave her abusive boyfriend and start a new life. When unexplained occurrences begin around her, Cecilia’s composure and resolve are pushed to their limits.

The narrative in “The Invisible Man” is smart and sharp, keeping the theme of abuse and manipulation as the central focus throughout. Cecilia is framed several times and takes the fall. But Cecilia isn’t the only character to fall victim to Adrian; Adrian’s brother Tom expresses how he was used and Cecilia’s friend James is led to believe that Cecilia is a threat to him and his daughter. 

The explanation for the invisibility in “The Invisible Man” is clever and believable. Can’t share too much without spoiling anything! The special effects and use of CGI is used sparingly and wisely, relying on Elizabeth’s great acting and physicality to make the most of the action sequences. This is most definitely a movie that I’ll watch several more times over the next year or two. Action packed and suspenseful, “The Invisible Man” is a must see for 2020.

Saw 3 (2006)

Third entry of the "SAW" series is once again directed by Darren Lynn Bousman and written by Leigh Whannell from a story by James and himself.

In “Saw 3”, John Kramer, aka the Jigsaw Killer, is literally on his death bed as his brain tumor continues to slowly take his life. Lynn Denlon, an ER doctor, is kidnapped and taken hostage via “game” to operate on John to ease his suffering and prolong his life. She has a bomb around her neck and it will explode if John dies. In a subtle turn of events, John warns Amanda that her life is in Lynn’s hands. Throughout the movie, Amanda’s jealousy grows as she watches John appreciate the work that Lynn is performing while under duress. Amanda is nearly pushed to the edge during a scene where Lynn is operating while John is having a memory flashback of his wife; when become conscious, he whispers “I love you”.

The first “game” in the movie is a man named Troy, a repeat convict, who wakes up and finds himself in a class room. He has nearly a dozen chains hooked in to his body. Like most Jigsaw “games”, the victim had two minutes to rip each chain out of his body before the timer went and a bomb with nails as shrapnel goes off. Only problem with the trap is that the door to the room was wielded shut, so even if Troy beat his “game”, he would still have been killed by the bomb. This is NOT a part of Jigsaw’s modus operandi. Also, this crime scene introduces Detective Mark Hoffman, a character that would appear in each following sequel.

The second “game” in the movie involves Detective Allison Kerry, the only other character besides John and Amanda to appear in the first three films. Amanda wakes up and finds that she is trapped in a device that will rip her chest open if she doesn’t get it unlocked. The key is placed in a glass jar in front of her. All she has to do is grab the kill and unlock the device. She manages to get the key and unlock the lock but finds that the device has impaled her thoroughly and there is no possible way for her to escape in time. The timer runs out and she is killed. It’s another trap that looks like a Jigsaw “game” but wasn’t designed by him…. (This was the second “game” that made me gasp because I loved her character. The first “game” was the syringe scene in the second film…shudder…).

The main “game” involves an angry and vengeful father named Jeff, whose young child was killed by a hit and run. His anger is all consuming to the point that his daughter is “nothing” and he neglects her and becomes angry when she is found sleeping with one of her brother’s stuff toys; a perfect candidate for Jigsaw. When he wakes up, he begins his own “game” by finding those responsible for the death of his child and the injustice that he believes that took place.

First is a witness to the accident who didn’t testify at the trial. Jeff finds a naked woman in a freezer, and when her “game” begins, coolant is sprayed over her and slowly kills her. All Jeff needs to do is to reach behind some painfully cold pipes to grab the key that will unlock her chains. He yells at her asking her why she did what she did before finally grabbing the key. By then it’s too late and she’s dead.

The second victim that Jeff finds is the judge that ruled so lightly against his son’s accidental killer. All Jeff needs to do is to incinerate his son’s stuffed toys in order to get a key and free the judge. While he makes up his mind on what to do, the judge is laying on his back in a large vat that is being filled up with sawed apart rotted pig corpses, slowly drowning in the filth and maggots. Jeff finally burns the toys and saves the judge.

The third victim on Jeff’s journey is the killer himself, a medical student who accidently hit Jeff’s son. Timothy is attached to “The Rack”, a device that will twist and snap each limb one by one until it snaps his head around full circle. The key to this trap is attached to a shotgun.  Jeff has dreamed of shooting Timothy, so Jigsaw’s question of “Will you do onto others as you will do onto yourself” is taken to a literal level. Jeff finds a way to unscrew the key from its string but the gun still goes off, hitting the judge in the face and killing him. With key and hand but not knowing where to use it, Jeff sadly watches Timothy die.

THE TWIST –

After Jeff finishes the third test, John tells Amanda to let Lynn go. Amanda refuses and John repeats the fact that Lynn is more important to Amanda than shall ever know. Amanda still refuses and shoots Lynn right as Jeff walks in. Jeff uses the gun he found and kills Amanda. John was always testing Amanda to see if she was worthy of his legacy. She was a murderer and John hates murders, the people who played her unwinnable games were just victims.

Jeff, who hasn’t learned anything, slits John’s throat and kills him which in turn makes the bomb around Lynn’s neck explode. The final victim is Jeff and Lynn’s daughter who ends up being locked alone within the complex with a limited supply of air. John was Jeff’s last test and he failed.

Favorite moment – the scene where John and Amanda prepare the bathroom where “Saw” took place. John is applying makeup to make himself look like he shot himself in the head while Amanda locks Adam up and places him in the tub.

Amanda and Lynn

Detective Kerry

Lynn after the bomb!

Troy the Convict

Saw 2 (2005)

“Saw 2” came out to the theaters the year after the original premiered and builds nicely upon the established storyline. James Wan had moved on to other projects by this time and Leigh Whannell came back to rewrite a script that the current director, Darren Lynn Bousman, had written previously. The end result is another clever work that seems larger and feels like a step in the right direction.

The film is the Jigsaw Killer, aka John Kramer, who is apprehended by the police during a raid. John is cocky and self-assured and reveals that he wants to play one of his “games” with Detective Eric Matthews. All Detective Matthews needs to do is to listen to John talk for two hours and if he does so, he’ll be able to see his son again. At this point it is revealed that Detective Matthews son Daniel is playing a “game” of his own; Daniel is trapped in an inescapable house with seven other victims, one of which is Amanda Young, the only survivor of a Jigsaw “game”. The eight victims in the house have two hours to work together to find a way out before a deadly toxin in the air kills them. The eight victims are all connected by being convicts who were falsely arrested by Detective Matthews after he planted evidence on each of them, and none of them realize that Daniel is his son.

The first victim, Michael, is a police informant, a useful contact for Detective Matthews. His "game" is that he needs to dig out a key that has been surgically placed behind his eye. He had one minute to dig into his head with a scalpel, get the key, and unlock a iron maiden-like spring trap on his head.

The first "game" in the house wasn't intended for any particular person. The rule was simple, don't use the key in the locked door. One unnamed guy did and he was shot in the eye by a booby trapped gun.

The second house "game" is for Obi. He is a con artist who helped kidnapped the other housemates. His "game" is to climb into an oven and retrieve two vials of an antidote. He goes in and gets the first one without a problem. The second needle triggers the door to close and the oven to turn on. Obi has the chance to turn a valve that will stop the flames but he would be seriously burned by doing so. By not, he'll burn up and die anyway....which he does.

The third house "game" was for Xavier. The group finds a room that has a pit full of syringes with a key somewhere inside. Xavier throws Amanda into the pit and she finds the key but Xavier doesn't use the key on time to free them.

The final "game" is a trap that traps a person's hands (and cuts them up). The player of course puts both hands into the slots so they can't free one without the other. Who knows who this trap was meant for.

One house guest dies from the toxin before getting to play a game while Daniel and Amanda never find their own "game" to play.

Detective Matthews fails his game after he beats John up badly and John finally agrees to take the Detective to the house. But Detective Daniels failed his "game" and is now gone when the safe in John lab opens automatically and reveals his son safe inside.

The big twist at the end of this film is the reveal that Amanda is actually Jigsaw's apprentice and helper. It explains how he was able to kidnap and set up the "games" in the first movie! 

The best part of this film is when Daniel and Amanda escape into the industrial bathroom where Dr. Gordon and Adam were chained up! Seeing the aftermath and the decayed bodies is incredible and a great way to tie both films together.

The informant and his "game"

John Kramer, the Jigsaw Killer

Hand trap!

Amanda playing Xavier's "game"

The housemates

Saw (2004)

The original “Saw” is a thrilling and suspenseful mystery that focuses on two men trapped in an old dirty industrial bathroom who find themselves the current “victims” of the Zigsaw Killer. The movie stars Cary Elwes as Dr. Lawrence Gordon and Leigh Whannell (who wrote the script) as Adam and has support from Danny Glover, Shawnee Smith, and Dina Myer. This film was written as a standalone movie and because of this the story takes its time and really focuses on the complex trap that Dr. Gordon and Adam find themselves in.

The Jigsaw Killer places very people in a situation where they are forced to play one of his “games”. They are chosen because he believes that they are taking their lives for granted or are outright wasting their lives. He feels so strongly about this because he has found a new love for life after being diagnosed with an operable brain tumor.

There are a total of five “games” that are presented in this film.

• 1.       Paul, who tried to slit his wrist earlier, finds himself naked inside a razor wire maze. He has two hours to find his way through the maze before the only door leading out slams shuts and locks him inside.
• 2       Mark is scamming his employer and his insurance company by claiming to be sick and or disabled, but the Zigsaw Killer knows better. Because of this, Mark has been covered in a highly flammable substance and is given a candle to try to read and find the proper combination code that will unlock a safe and give him the key to leave the room his trapped in. The ground is covered in broken glass so his chances of dropping the candle are incredibly high.
• 3.       Amanda, a heroin user the only known survivor of a Zigsaw “game” wakes up to find a reversible bear trap-like device locked on her head. In order to escape, she has to take a scalpel and find the key that is located inside another man in the room with her, who happens to still be alive but is currently drugged. She guts the man and finds the key just in time. This nameless victim is the first person who isn’t explained at any point.
• 4.       Dr. Gordon and Adam – Dr. Gordon is tasked with killing Adam in two hours, by 6:00pm, otherwise his wife and daughter will be killed and he will be locked away in the bathroom forever. Dr. Gordon has been chosen to play a “game” because he was the uncaring doctor who belittled his patient, the Jigsaw Killer, and because he is cheating on his wife. Adam is chosen because he makes his living by taking pictures of people committing acts that they shouldn’t, people like Mark and Dr. Gordon. All Dr. Gordon needs to do is saw off his foot that is chained down and shoot Adam with the gun that the corpse in the middle of the room has. He does so after the deadline.
• 5.       The fifth and final victim is Zep, an orderly who works at the same hospital as Dr. Gordon. He has been poisoned and the only way to survive is to kill Dr. Gordon’s wife and daughter. He is playing a “game” because he is deemed to a murderer who is willing to kill and innocent woman and her child just to save his own life. The would-be killer fails and goes to where Dr. Gordon is. Adam, who was only wounded, kills Zep by using the ceramic top of a toilet to bludgeon him. Dr. Gordon crawls away to get help and leaves Adam alone in the room.

The big twist at the end of this film is the fact that Jigsaw was the corpse in the middle of the room, so when he stands up and looks down at Adam, the shock is genuine. 

Dr. Lawrence Gordon

Adam

Amanda

Author's Note - Saw the series

In 2004, director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell made their big screen debut with their independent film “Saw”. Did they know that this little film was going to become a franchise, spawning six sequels that would come out (almost) every October following the original’s release? Did they know that this movie was going to help launch their careers into the successful professionals that they are today?

The “Saw” series introduced us to the evil little puppet Billy, the Jigsaw Killer, and Jigsaw’s famous min-tape recordings that tell his victims the rules of the game that they are about to play

While the series has had its share ups and downs, each new chapter was able to honor the events from the previous films and build upon its mythos. Only near the end were there a few glaring questionable moments, but otherwise the series was able to take any and all loose ends and tie them up and together in some of the most surprising and twisting ways; most of the loose ends weren’t even noticeable until they’re were tied up! It’s these small details, as well as the traps and the cast of characters that I want to focus on during my review of this series this week.

Insidious 2 (2013)

See this movie! “Insidious 2” picks up exactly where the original left off at, keeping the intensity that was steadily built throughout the film and finds a way to take it up a notch. Nothing is subtle in this ghost story because it doesn’t need to be and that’s what makes this film so much fun. It’s intelligent, it suspenseful, it has moments of comic relief that doesn’t feel forced, it’s still PG-13, and it has some freaky moments. The entire original cast returns, including the incredible duo of director James Wan and writer/actor Leigh Whannell.  Go see this movie!

At the end of “Insidious”, it appeared that Josh Lambert was possessed by the ghost of an old woman that had been following him since his childhood and that he/she strangled the spirit medium Elise. In “Insidious 2”, the police suspect Josh of being Elise’s killer. While he’s free until being charged of the crime, Josh and his wife Renai move their young family in to the childhood home that Josh and his mother Lorraine lived in. During the first night there, Lorraine, Renai , and Dalton see ghostly visions. Josh doesn’t believe them and warns his mother to not get his family worried about such nonsense. While Renai stays at home and has another encounter with a ghost, Lorraine goes and gets help from Elise’s partners, Specs and Tucker, as well as a medium named Carl. Together they discover who the old ghost woman who is haunting Josh is. In the meantime, Renai and her two sons are attacked by a possessed Josh. Will Lorraine and the others make it in time to save Renai and her family before it’s too late?

The old ghost woman

 Lorraine, Josh, Dalton, and Renai

Dalton is not having a dream...

Angry, angry ghosts

Insidious (2011)

I felt that the movie “Insidious” offered a unique and refreshing look into the theme of possession and other worldly spirits. This is the only film that I can think of offhand that involves astral projection and the way that it’s used here is pretty clever. Like Carol Ann from “Poltergeist”, young Dalton is a beacon to lonely ghosts and a rather dangerous demon that wants to possess the child and cause havoc in the real world. The difference here is that Dalton has the ability to astral project his conciseness while he sleeps and he does this often enough that he gets “lost” and is kept hostage by the evil spirits until they can control his body. Only his father Josh can save him because like his son, he can project himself as well and by doing so, he must face the dangers that he has fought since his own childhood. To say anything more would ruin the movie!

“Insidious” was created by the same team that started the “Saw” series; written by Leigh Whannel and directed by James Wan. They took a different path, making a film that was PG-13. The movie is still has their sense of intelligence and smart use of effects to tell this creepy demon/ghost story that keeps the viewer entertained and engaged.

Dying Breed (2008)

“Dying Breed” blends two real life events into one storyline that is both entertaining and gruesome. The main source of inspiration comes from Alexander Pierce, a convict that escaped multiple times from Tasmanian penal camps and hid out in the bush. While on the run, he and his fellow escapees turned to cannibalism to survive before they were finally caught and hung. The movie claims that he started the small township named “Sarah” and that his decedents live there and also practice the tradition of cannibalism. The second event that the film focuses on is the extinction of the Tasmanian Tiger and the various claims people make at seeing one alive. This is what brings the unfortunate zoologist and her friends to “Sarah” and the surrounding wilderness. “Dying Breed” is part of the After Dark Horrorfest Season 3 and features Leigh Whannell (writer of “Saw”) and Nathan Phillips (“Wolf Creek”).

Nina’s older sister went to Tasmania to study and to find a living Tasmanian Tiger but eventually ends up drowning. Eight years later Nina follows in her sister’s footsteps to complete her work. With the help of her friend Matt, the trip into the wilderness is made possible by Jack and his girlfriend Rebecca. They make their way to the isolated town called “Sarah” where they find the locals odd and different. One even points out a pair of shackles and says that those belonged to his great grandfather who founded the town. The four leave early the next morning and travel down the river by boat before landing and hiking for several miles. They find a small cave and camp inside, waking up in the middle of the night and believing that they see a Tasmanian Tiger in the distance. As they grab their cameras, and Jack grabs his crossbow, they make the fatal horror movie flaw of splitting up and that’s when the action really begins.

Favorite moment – The scene where Matt and Jack find Rebecca’s body and how, in his traumatic pacing, Jack falls onto two large man-traps, once snapping onto his legs and the other onto his head. The pacing and visuals are perfect for this intense moment and is acted out extremely well.