Should more movies get theatre releases? Dominic Corry looks at John Wick and other recent films that went straight to DVD in New Zealand.
Kiwis who enjoy seeing medium-sized genre movies on the big screen are often denied the opportunity to do so by the economic realities of distributing a film in a country with our population size.
Whether it's attributable to a film's lacklustre overseas reception or a perceived disinterest in certain kinds of movies, the maths often simply doesn't justify the investment required for a theatrical release.
But that's little relief to filmgoers like me who love nothing more than seeing a down and dirty action movie or an anonymous horror flick in a darkened theatre. The escapist wonder of a genre movie is much more readily accessed in this environment, which is increasingly becoming the domain of blockbusters and indie movies and little in between.
Here I am going to examine five recent genre films that were released theatrically overseas, but went straight to DVD/Blu ray/VOD here, and determine if they were worthy of a big screen bow in The Land of the Long White Cloud.
Yet it was not deemed worthy of a cinematic bow in New Zealand, a country that has always embraced Keanu Reeves' ever-so-slightly Pacific charms, especially when they are in the middle of a cool action movie.
The weight of this injustice became truly apparent to me last week when I attended a one-off theatrical screening of John Wick, ironically organised by postal DVD/Blu ray service Fatso.
Keanu Reeves in John Wick.
The film swiftly superseded its positive buzz to reveal a deliriously entertaining instant classic of an action movie - one crafted with the thoughtful care that can only come with being a lifelong action movie fan. It's a loving ode to all things action, and brings a fresh voice to a genre which often feels adrift amongst the modern cinematic landscape.
The world this film inhabits is one created by every action movie that came before it and nothing else - the underground network of super assassins with their secret night clubs and posh hotels sounds outlandish on paper, but the high concepts are executed with stylish conviction. Also, Keanu executes a whole bunch of people with stylish conviction.
Keanu performs most of his own stunts, lending a beautiful 'in-frame' quality to the fight scenes and action set-pieces. Keanu's longtime stunt double directed the film, which only strengthens its status as passion project driven by a love of action movies.
The degree of bad-assery on display here is quite something, and I actually found myself cheering at the screen, which never would've happened if I was watching it at home. I almost jumped out of my seat when '80s action stalwart David Patrick Kelly showed up.
Considering the VHS-driven vein of classic action movie goodwill than runs strong through New Zealanders of a certain age, it's almost criminal that they weren't given the chance to behold John Wick on the big screen, where it most truly belongs.
Did John Wick deserve a theatrical release in New Zealand? I don't care what the numbers say, Kiwis love good action movies and I just know we would've shown this the box office love it deserved. It's a glorious, glorious film.
Oculus
A scene from Oculus.
Doctor Who sidekick-turned-Guardians of the Galaxy supporting player-turned-sitcom star Karen Gillan played her first post-Doctor Who leading role in Oculus, an American horror co-starring ascendent Aussie actor Brenton Thwaites (The Giver), the former Home & Away star who is in the next Pirates of the Caribbean movie.
Thwaites and Gillan play siblings tormented by a violent supernatural incident from their youth. Upon his release from an asylum and final acceptance that nothing ghostly actually happened, she shows up and wants to take on the force that killed their parents.
A relatively intriguing set-up soon gives way to slow-moving modern horror clichés. Oculus hangs much of its scares on a creepy mirror - an always enticing prospect - but it does no better job than Alexandre Aja's limp 2008 effort Mirrors in exploiting the spookiness inherent in a reflective surface.
Did Oculus deserve a theatrical release in New Zealand? The film did okay on a wide release in America last year, making this is one of many horror films that presumably fall victim to the prevalent (specious?) notion that Kiwi audiences aren't excited about seeing scary films in a cinema. Also it sucks, so nobody missed out or anything. Good call, horror-phobic Kiwi film distributors!
Ouija
A scene from Ouija.
In the rush to adapt every single thing that ever existed into a movie over the last few years, the film rights to a large number of board games were snapped up, with 2012's underrated (no really!) Battleship the only film to actually get made. Until now.
Ouija is based on a Hasbro board game not as widely known outside the USA as say, Guess Who. To non-Americans, the word conjures up images of an actual ouija board, as opposed to a family board game which resembles a ouija board. Either way, it's difficult to imagine why anyone ever thought a horror film could benefit by being associated with a board game.
Ouija stars wide-eyed British actress Olivia Cooke (Bates Motel) as an American teenager who resorts to desperate measures to contact the spirit of her best friend who died under mysterious, ouija board-related circumstances. A narrative mess comprised of unaddressed sub-plots, pointless diversions and unintended red-herrings, Ouija reeks of post-production plot tampering from start to finish, and can't even manage a single decent scare.
Between this, The Quiet Ones and Bates Motel, Cooke is fast turning into a modern scream queen. As much as there's nothing wrong with that, she deserves better roles.
Did Ouija deserve a theatrical release in New Zealand? Despite being hugely terrible, Ouijaperformed pretty well at the US box office. If the decision not to release it theatrically in New Zealand was based on the quality of the film, then it was the right one.
Wolf Creek 2
A scene from Wolf Creek 2.
Greg Mclean's raw outback horror Wolf Creek broke out at the American box office in a way that few Australian horror films ever have. The Babadook may be receiving endless praise, but it's barely broken a million dollars.
Mclean's uniquely eerie 2005 debut seemed to herald the arrival of a major new genre director, but his follow-up, 2007's not-entirely-terrible crocodile thriller Rogue, deflated some of that initial excitement. Then seven years later, a Mclean-directed sequel to Wolf Creek turned up on DVD in this country.
I would've thought if there was any place outside Australia that could've supported a Wolf Creek 2 theatrical window, it would be good old New of Zealand. But the ANZAC spirit did not prevail in this case.
Mclean's ability to generate tension is still very much intact in the late-arriving sequel - which for obvious reasons only brings back outback killer Mick Taylor (John Jarrett) - but there's nothing here that recaptures the singular ocker dread of the original. This is the kind of horror sequel you don't expect to see directed by the guy behind the original, who has usually moved on to greener pastures by this point in these kinds of scenarios.
Mclean's career appears to be back on track as he's directing an upcoming Grand Canyon-centric horror film starring Kevin Bacon. Grand Canyon/Australian Outback - I can see it.
Did Wolf Creek 2 deserve a theatrical release in New Zealand? Naaaaah.
V/H/S: Viral
The predominantly crummy nature of most horror films means it's all the more sweeter when an unexpectedly good one comes along. Such was the case with V/H/S: Viral, the second sequel to 2012's festival favourite and VOD hit V/H/S, which played a key role in the recent horror anthology resurgence.
Such films are a mixed bag at the best of times, and V/H/S 2 contained many hallmarks of a quickie horror sequel. The series unexpectedly gets back on track with V/H/S: Viral, which only features four stories (the original had six), and there's not a dud amongst them.
Make no mistake, this is a grimy indie found footage film with none of the gloss of movies like Oculus, Ouija or even Wolf Creek 2, but if you can accept that, there's plenty of good creep to be found here.
The best by far of the four stories is a hilariously gonzo parallel universe tale from Timecrimes writer/director Nacho Vigalondo - it's his best work since the 2007 time travel cult classic.
Did V/H/S: Viral deserve a theatrical release in New Zealand? The film's status as a VOD premiere in the USA undoubtedly ensured its fate as a home entertainment premiere here, although it's the only horror on this list I would've actually liked to watch in a darkened theatre.
* Thoughts on these movies? Would you have preferred to see them in a cinema? Comment below!
