The Orphanage

This is a beautiful horror movie.

That doesn’t sound right. But in the right way, a horror movie can be considered aesthetic to some audiences. It simply depends on the artistic taste.

“The Orphanage” from 2007 looks like a grisly film that seems to have been left in the vault for many years. It looks like a movie that has been collecting dust on the shelf. But it gives the film a more atmospheric feeling. The grayness of it is, the colors peeling away like dusty motes.

But let me tell you hard difficult it was in getting a decent copy of “The Orphanage” in my town of Oshkosh. Yeah, the drinking town. It’s like trying to find a copy of a newspaper that hasn’t been so badly dog-eared. First I got to Family Video to get a copy, after waiting two days for it, finding that some schmuck already put a huge line in the disc. Therefore I couldn’t play on my machine.

Then I called the Hollywood Video store on Koeller Street in hopes of getting this film Despite many copies there, I asked for them to put a copy on hold. It’s Halloween season. What did you expect? When I do go there, wading my way to the counter, I discover that no one has placed copy at the desk. There was a girl and a guy. The girl was helpful enough. When I confessed to calling there not more than an hour ago, the guy said, “No one called me about it.” I know it was the same guy I talked to on the phone. I recognized his voice. And no one else was working there.

Then I'm told by the guy that it's a subtitled movie. Okay. I can deal with that. It's the least of my concerns.

But I did grab the movie.

This film “The Orphanage” is a haunting journey that takes you to the bottom of the abyss of many emotional impacts. It is a definite portrayal of a woman who is a lost soul trying to rediscover her purpose in life, looking for some direction. It’s a way of life for Laura who becomes a foster parent for her son who has HIV.

But she loses everything. Her son. Her work. The purpose in her life. All she wants to be is with her long-lost son who has gone missing for so long. Every step she takes in the film, like finding more broken shards of the living, brings her closer to finding her son. Not everything is all what it seems.

The orphanage in which she returns to live in is filled ghost. Spirits of the children reside inside the walls of the house. They come to you only when you are close to death… like finding a bridge to the other side. The steps you take finds a doorway into the spirit world. In some ways, death finds you.

There are some definite horrific scenes in this movie. While it remains a drama film, boasting some very emotional scenes of the mother and son, there are some gruesome stuff. The car accident involving a former orphanage worker Benigna has some surprising results. It’s very creepy. And there is the sense of mood that paints this film. You could not get away from the impending gloom that suffers the house.

Everything is like an illness there. The children who were there all had their own health concerns. Many of them pass away early. Even the house itself feels forlorn, trapped with its own sickness. The film knows how to make a very good mood piece. It’s too bad the United States has strayed so far into making gory horror films and forgetting to make a film that centers on ghostly suggestion. Hollywood has a lot to learn from counties like Spain and Japan.

Well-know Hollywood director Guillermo del Toro of Hellboy fame and another horror classic "Pan’s Labyrinth" helped produce this movie. He did lend some extra money to give it a bigger budget and more shooting time to complete the film. Del Toro really believed in this movie. It’s easy to see. The film offers senses outside of the norm. It is a lovely peer into a ghost story… describing a mother’s desire to be close to her son again.

One of the best scenes of the film is where the mother Laura is knocking on wood, counting to three, and the ghosts of the children come out to play. There’s one scene where you can look over her shoulder to find several ghosts shambling closer, like shadows. It’s one of the creepiest shots in the film. But very provocative. As it elicits a memory of old of children playing.

The setting is perfect. The old colonial house boasts much suggestion through its eerie windows and it feels like it is being dragged to the ground. Being so old, the house seems to linger. It feels like the place is decaying as you can see the rough edges around the building, the antiquity playing inside the hallways.

You can see many more settings perfect for horror films… the woods, a cave, the damning cliffs that overlook the crashing waters that wash over the rocks. Then there is the stalking monument of the lighthouse casting its light over the darkness like a towering angel.

But what is important is the relationship of the mother to her son. You can feel the pain and happiness that is strongest in their friendship. You can feel the boy’s anguish when he faces his own mortality. You can see the mother’s tears when she misses her son very much. Those are what makes the moving moments in the film.

If you’re feeling like you’re a little offset from the horror of the film, which is quite unnerving at times, you can wash away the feeling by watching a few Scooby Doo shows, most particularly the old 1969 season. They will be like little Halloween treats you can enjoy during this holiday.

Doctor Who: David Tennant Leaves the Time Lord Role

Nothing lasts forever. And there’s been some sad news hitting the audiences last night. But it’s eventual and will be a long time coming before it feels accepted.

David Tennant has announced his intention of leaving the Doctor Who series after four years in the role as he makes his departure before new hands take over the series.
It’s too bad.

Maybe a little too soon than expected. But Tennant fulfilled the role admirably and made his part more popular in most recent history. One of the most popular actors to be in the title lead. You would think he might have stuck around for a little longer. I was hoping he would stay on for a fifth year before making his exit. That’s just wishful thinking.

Tennant have already made three seasons with the Doctor Who series and will be continuing to make five more 90 minute specials including the Christmas special that will be making its appearance in the forthcoming holiday. It’ll feel like a holiday without a cheer knowing the actor is leaving the part already.

Why am I a little upset? Well, not upset. Just a little distressed. It is true that much success of the series of Doctor Who is due to the changes that is brought to its creative longevity. It has helped to bring about more styles and direction for the series that is nearing its fifty year mark.
But I am a little worried. Too many changes could be stifling for a show. So many unfamiliar faces could have more unnerving atmosphere for the stories. Without continuity, without something to anchor on, one could feel lost in the mayhem.

I would’ve liked to see David Tennant stay on the part for another year yet. Just one more year would have made much more of a mark on the series. That would have felt like the right amount of years to stick around especially for an enormously popular actor like Tennant. Why is he leaving? He does know that Stephen Moffat takes over as the lead writer on the series who harbors stirring and magnificent concepts. Moffat is by far a greater science fiction writer than Russell T. Davies and will be able to bring far more extensive ideas to the series. His ideas are beautiful. They’re perfect for the series.

Who doesn’t want to be part of Doctor Who when Moffat is heading the creative force? But apparently Tennant feels it is time to go. Though I am beginning to feel what Patrick Troughton, the second actor who has played the role in the late sixties, has said may be indirectly influencing many actors’ decision to stay or leave the part. “I think three years is long enough,” Troughton said once.

It might be doing more harm than good.

But if you are enjoying the series, bringing more good than anything else, why not stay a little longer? If you are in fact a fan of the series, as Tennant has confessed numerous times, you should remain a part of the show for a while. Because it can feel like family.

But I’m a little bummed out by the decision made on Tennant’s behalf. So many changes too quickly. Perhaps there are not so many faithful actors anymore. However, after getting so much exposure for the part, Tennant is probably getting endless prospects and movie deals to further his career as an actor. He’s already won the National Television Awards. He has one for the most Outstanding Drama Performance. I’m sure that he will be getting more awards like this because of the range and extended talent of his acting. He’s like a super comet that can’t be eclipsed in the skies.

Now there could be any number of reasons why he is leaving and they are personal to the actor. Publically he confided that three years would be enough for the part he has been known to play. However, it could be that he is paying respects to the previous actors in keeping their longest records... actors such as Tom Baker who has played the cosmic role for an unprecented seven years before making his exit. That’s a long time. In some way, almost a generation of children grew up with him. His curly hair and ruffled scarf were trademarks for the role.

Will we get someone else who may play the part just as long or close to it? Might be possible.
David Tennant will be appearing five more times. The Christmas special entitled “The Next Doctor” will be written by the always dramatic Davies who does have a great knack for dialogue and character development. Maybe that is why so many British actors like him. The episode itself will see the return of one of the Doctor’s oldest and fiercest villains in the form of the steely armored Cybermen as they stalk Victorian London. The metal men’s retro-look may be perfectly suitable to this particular era of Sherlock Holmesian times.

In a small way, another way of looking at it, we’re getting a few more presents from the main actor himself: David Tennant will give us at least another half season of the incumbent Tenth Doctor before he relinquishes the role to someone else. It would be nice if the BBC could persuade him to change his mind and stay on for a while longer. Maybe they could pay him enough to reconsider the part.

But it’s not to be.

So enjoy it while we still can.

Sometimes if you like something so much, you feel like it’s going to last an eternity. You never really think about the mortality of the role. You always think that something would stay on until the end of time. It’s going to be difficult to get used to it again. But the Doctor always survives his battles and the greater odds. And so will we.

A Darker Dexter

You’ll have to forgive me as I’ve been away. In fact, to China. And back again. Though it’s a strange adjustment to make. You’ll see that I do want to make at least one contribution to the month of October before it’s done. Not surprisingly, it has a little something to do with Halloween.

I do love this particular day when the shadows start to drag and the mood begins to shift between the lonely houses down the streets. There’s a wide awakening of moonlight that comes earlier in the evening. A moon beast perhaps.

I’m catching up with a show that has been stirring up some controversy on the Showtime Chanel and television in general due to its stark content. It’s probably not everyone’s cup of tea. But Dexter provides some great blueprints for horror. And it’s a great get-away viewing for the Halloween spirit.

It’s not a gory show at all. Much of it is left to the imagination. And you can think up of a lot of stuff if you’ve sitting there in the dark corner with your thoughts moving. Created by James Manos Jr. for TV, Dexter plays like a literary novel on television as it goes through the episodes like an odd dream. It is told through the point of view of a serial killer named Dexter who happens to be working in the forensics lab for the Miami police department. Nice, huh? He’s sort of like a serial killer who gets rid of serial killers.

It’s this tone, the mood, that probably sets people off a little. The fact that this guy kills out of a singular purpose of getting to the bad people in the world in his own brand of justice… is a little warped. And it’s this creepiness that clings to the show that gives it so much color and depth. It’s like you’re watching a wild animal from outside of the cage. You’re seeing a different kind of mind being put to work. And it works like a clockwork. Though some glitches need to be fixed.

The second season of Dexter, now out on the shelves, shows out the main character is struggling. He is at odds with everyone in the world. He must understand his own identity and resolve his issues before he goes through a psychological crisis. Not only that, he must make amends with his girlfriend Rita who has broken up with him. There is also nice subplots regarding a new women in his life in the form of Lilah… a dark haired raveness who seems to control his urges just by inspiring him. And he must shake off the now suspicious Sgt. Doakes from his own department. It sounds complicated. That’s because it is.

The nice thing about this television show is that there’s enough material for the writers to roam freely, giving enough time to flesh out the characters and create tension through building up the mood.

“This guy thinks he’s a Batman,” FBI special agent Lundy says while trying to piece together a way to catch the Bay Harbor Butcher. Who happens to be Dexter.

So the whole thing really comes down to this: is he a superhero or just another killer? It’s a theme that keeps coming back to haunt us. And Dexter.

There’s a really nice episode entitled “The Dark Avenger” with a murder that takes place in a comic book beforehand. So there’s different levels playing out Dexter’s desire to be a superhero. And you can see that he wants to do some good in the world. He wants to help out others in his own way. Even the title has a superhero-y kind of sound to it.

The actor who plays the part is Michael C. Hall who is a familiar face to television viewers who followed the series “Six Feet Under.” He plays the gay brother who co-owns the funeral home in that show. In Dexter, he plays someone who is a little stranger, a bit more creepy. But the role really suits Hall. He feels more like a quiet stranger. And he can do that very well. You can hear the tone in his voice whenever he is angry, thoughtful, perhaps humorous.

There’s very few actors who could pull off a role like this that begs for no sympathy from the audiences. Just an understanding.

Whoever did the theme music for the show has a creative streak that’s near brilliant. The whole beginning part that shows the credits. You can see Dexter slapping a mosquito as he is waking up to another warm day of brilliant sunshine. And you can hear the haunting music from the drift of piano keys. The entire sequence of him doing the mundane things of morning duties such as eating breakfast, flossing his teeth and putting on his shirt all seem to elude to murderous things… suffocation, strangulation… it’s a little disturbing. But it’s brilliantly crafted.

The entire season is focusing more on Dexter’s shortcomings. When he is starting to lose everything, his control, his family, his girlfriend, all of these things that is a part of him, he becomes unhinged. And they’re slowly coming apart as the police department’s hunt for the Bay Harbor Butcher closes in like a trap. Everything becomes tighter, more claustophobic. It is like being put under observation all the time. You begin to feel as Dexter feels. There’s a paranoia setting in.

One of the things learned here is Dexter’s foster father, also a police man, who might have been responsible for putting Dexter on the path of who he is now. There’s probably more to his adopted father than meets the eye. And there’s a little bit of a shadow hanging over Dexter as he thinks of his family. His mother who was murdered. And if that is why he does these things.

One of the highlights of the episodes is where Dexter finally confronts the killer of his mother in a small town tavern that is many miles outside of the city. It’s a kind of black comedy. You can see many angles to the scene as Dexter suffers through his emotional impact. He is hanging on thread ready to explode any time.

But it is the ending of the season that will throw you aside as the series gets weirder. You’ll find a lot of surprises and some distractions. Yet Dexter is his own man. He appears to be socially responsible. And you can’t take that away from him. He’s been placed on the earth for a number of reasons. He’s not an angel. He’s a flawed hero which a remarkable survival instinct. And you begin to wonder how many people out there, walking the same grounds, maybe even tangling with us on a daily basis, are hiding secrets as well? How many of them are dark secrets they want to hide?

You’ll never really know. A show like Dexter just makes us feel a little more uncomfortable. Perhaps they might be a good things because it makes us more aware.