After all of the years I have been writing about the civil war going on in Syria a major world power has finally gotten involved, but it is unfortunately the wrong world power and is helping the wrong side. Russian President Vladimir Putin is making certain that Assad remains in power by eliminating ISIS and any rebel factions that oppose the Assad, as Putin claims that these groups are also terrorists. Also when you throw Iran into the mix, who is also helping Assad, and Saudi Arabia which is fighting some proxy wars with Iran, and then what Turkey is doing to Iraqi Kurds, the Middle East has become a problem that I think is beyond any reasonable or rather hopeful/positive intervention, but all of that would have been possible back in 2011 when the whole civil war began and actually had momentum, now....who knows what could possibly happen. Leading from behind is obviously not working especially when there are people leading from the front. I still think we need to remember and pray for the Syrian people who are trapped in the middle of this tug of war for power and influence, and they are the people that are truly losing. So, the other day I watched the film Crimson Peak which was directed and written by Guillermo del Toro, who is one of my favorite directors (Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Pacific Rim). I was really looking forward to the film, even though it would be classified as being in the horror genre which isn't my cup of tea, but it looked interesting and had a good cast. The four big leads all delivered so well. Mia Wasikowska as Edith, the main character about whom the story is about was excellent; she has really come into her own as an actress. She was tough, empathetic, and insightful for a character and it was lovely to watch her performance. Tom Hiddleston known for playing Loki, played a curious and complex man, Thomas Sharpe, who delivered on all the fine notes, but most of all being vulnerable; he is a fine actor. Charlie Hunnam unfortunately had to work with a static, and very boring character, Dr. McMichael, and even though he gave a good performance, he didn't have much to work with. Perhaps the finest performance of the film and one of the most interesting characters was played by Jessica Chastain, Lucille Sharpe, Thomas Sharpe's sister. She is an amazing actress, and her role in this film was chilling and she nailed it; so complex, so interesting, and by the end of the film they hadn't even begun to crack the tip of the iceberg of potential character exploration and development. She may be the singular reason why I go back and watch the film again.
Overall, I wasn't impressed with the film but rather disappointed; I expected more from Mr. Del Toro. Visually the film is spot on like Pan's Labyrinth and Hellboy II, and the acting was great, the cinematography perfect, and even the screenplay was relatively good, but the story wasn't well conceived and then executed in the plot. When everything was revealed, I found it all rather anti-climactic and underwhelming; granted all of the loose ends were tied up, but I felt many aspects of the plot weren't strong enough in keeping with creepy nature of the film. Speaking of which, it was quite creepy, and a little gory, but not too bad. I was actually surprised that it wasn't scarier or creepier. Honestly, this film kind of fits into the "lukewarm" category; not bad, not really that good either. If you want to be creeped out and scared without having to worry about over the top gore and violence, than for this Halloween season, this film is for you.
Crimson Peak previews
Jessica Chastain interview
