Movie Review Let Me In

Let Me In (2010)

Directed by Matt Reeves

Written by Matt Reeves

Starring Kodi Smit-McPhee, Chloe Grace Moretz, Elias Koteas, Richard Jenkins

Release Date October 1st, 2010

Published October 1st, 2010

As I watched the American re-imagining of the Swedish vampire movie “Let The Right One In,” re-titled “Let Me In,” a pair of troglodytic morons giggled at things that frankly should not have elicited such school girl glee. They giggled when Chloe Moretz as the 12 year old starving vampire leapt upon her pray. They giggled when her non-vamp caretaker Richard Jenkins committed murder on her behalf. And, most disturbingly, they giggled during a touching scene of innocence, kindness and tender pre-teen romance.

Were they right? Was I wrong for taking it all too seriously? I found director Matt Reeves take on stark Swedish horror to be at once moving and terrifying. The young stars Chloe Moretz and Kodi Smit McPhee lured me in with their innocence and devastated me with their kindness, strength and for Moretz her stunning tendency for great violence, the same tendency that ironically played perfectly for giggles in the action flick “Kick Ass.”

”Let Me In” stars Kodi Smit McPhee as Owen, the son of an alcoholic mother and an absent father. Owen is picked on repeatedly at school and has no friends. His only comfort seems to come from stealing money from his mother to buy candy, specifically Now & Laters. He is alone until a strange girl named Abby (Moretz) moves in next door.

Abby first tells Owen that they cannot be friends. Soon, however, she is spending time with him and they develop a system of talking to each other through the walls of their neighboring apartments. Strangely, Abby is only seen at night. She walks in the snow with no shoes and does not get cold. The man who Owen believes is Abby's father (Richard Jenkins) keeps odd hours and odd habits. All of these traits add up to an undeniable truth but Owen keeps that far from his mind as he basks in the attention he cannot get from parents or school.

What begins as a modest friendship develops into a touching pre-teen romance and as Owen covets Abby's attention and she is caring. She recognizes Owen's pain and aims to protect him. The scenes laying out this unique and fascinating relationship unfold with care and calm juxtaposed against scenes in which 'the father' attempts to acquire Abby's needed sustenance, scenes filled with chaos and fear.

Remakes are as a rule a bad idea but writer-director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) cleverly works around the perils of the remake by casting Moretz and McPhee whose work nearly made me forget the excellent work of the young Swedish stars of Let the Right One In. Moretz and McPhee have a magical chemistry that mixes innocence and intelligence, fear and mistrust with wanting and a desire to connect. It's a remarkable thing for two so young to be both worldly and guileless.

The casting is the key in “Let Me In” and Moretz and McPhee are matched perfectly by veteran supporting actors Richard Jenkins and Elias Koteas who plays a police inspector on the trail of 'the father' and on the verge of finding Abby and her terrifying secret. Koteas is brilliant in a minimalist performance that could be mistaken for being one note with how calm he remains but is in fact the pulsing heart of the film, especially as he gets closer to discovering Abby.

Let Me In is stunningly violent at times and shockingly calm and observant at others. It is a wonder of strong direction and killer performances that will frighten, amuse and move a willing audience. It may be arrogant on my part but those two giggling fools were wrong, this film deserves a serious audience, one that pays it the proper attention. Those that do will be rewarded with one of the finest dramatic, gothic horror films of the past decade.

Movie Review: Cloverfield

Cloverfield (2008) 

Directed by Matt Reeves

Written by Drew Goddard 

Starring T.J Miller, Mike Vogel, Jessica Lucas, Lizzy Caplan, Odette Yustman

Release Date January 18th, 2008

Published January 18th, 2008

The monster movie has grand history. Not just the great Godzilla but the subtext that accompanied the great lizard. Frankenstein's monster was both a force of horror and a force of subtext, addressing repression, discrimination and the dangers of mob mentality. The modern monster movie has had less and less on the subtextual front with movies like The Mist reveling in the technology necessary in creating giant monsters rather than crafting a message to work in behind the monster.

Now comes Cloverfield from producer J.J Abrams and director Matt Reeves. Much like The Mist, Cloverfield is mostly about technology and movie magic and not so much about stimulating the brain or making audiences think.

There is however, some visual allusion to deeper meaning. Because Cloverfield is about a monster destroying New York, crushing skyscrapers and such, the spector of 9/11 lingers in the margins. Director Matt Reeves makes a very conscious decision to use imagery of that day in his monster movie and these moments are highly discomfiting. For all the great subtextual moments in the history of the monster movie, some movies aren't worthy of such serious underpinnings or deeper meanings. Cloverfield with it's cardboard characters and giant monster motif simply is too superfluous to refer to our nations greatest tragedy without seeming to demean it.

Rob (Michael Stalh David) is leaving New York for Japan. His closest friends are throwing him a huge going away party. While Rob's brother Jason (Mike Vogel) runs around causing trouble for his long suffering girlfriend Lilly (Jessica Lucas), Rob's best friend Hud (T.J Miller) has been left with the task of filming the whole event for posterity. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the guest of honor, his friends have invited his ex Beth (Odette Yustman) to the party. Actually, Rob and Beth are supposed to be just friends but we know that they have slept together and that Rob screwed things up really bad, so bad that Beth arrives at the party with a date.

All of this personal angst is rendered meaningless when an explosion rocks the apartment building and suddenly the head of the statue of liberty is flung down the street. Soon a mass evacuation is underway and our new friends are frantically running the streets with Hud filming the whole time as is typical of our youtube culture.

I must say that though I find Cloverfield to be shallow, it is quite thrilling at times. Crossing The Blair Witch Project's shaky cam with a big budget CGI monster, Cloverfield creates a viscderally exciting atmosphere where this giant moster attack feels real. Director Matt Reeves made some interesting choices in allowing actor T.J Miller who plays Hud, to actually shoot some of the film with his little handheld camera. Most of the action is captured with a steadicam and skilled operators but all of the action feels authentic in it's slightly goofy, monster movie way.

I'm still hung up on the shallow allusions to 9/11. While I appreciate the history of moster movies and great subtext and metaphor but something about Cloverfield feels unworthy of the tragedy it samples more than metaphorically reflects. Cloverfield plays like 9/11 movie mashed up with a monster movie and the two elements coalesce like Weird Al Yankovich mashed with Radiohead.

That said, I cannot deny that Cloverfield is exciting and compelling. I was caught up in the films run and hide and run some more plot and at a mere 80 minutes, Cloverfield does not overstaty it's welcome. Puddle deep with uncomfortable allusions, Cloverfield is little more than a modern monster movie with new age movie magic employed to good effect. I recommend it for anyone with a strong stomach, all that shaky cam can tend to make some a little queasy.