Troll Hunter is a low budget Scandinavian found footage movie about a three college kids who are making a documentary about a troll hunter. I know it sounds totally pants, but it is actually quite good. (Full disclosure I was sick on the couch with a stomach flu when I watched it.) The story is surprisingly interesting and the characters are surprisingly well realized.
The whole idea is that this group of friends set out to film a bear hunt, but instead stumble across a giant government cover up. Trolls are real, the government knows, and has an agency dedicated to keeping trolls and humans safe from each other. There are designated troll habitats and as long as the trolls stay on their own land everything is fine. When one leaves and starts causing trouble like killing cows or hikers, the TSS sends out Hans to deal with the troll. Once the troll is taken care of clean up crews come in and make things look like say a rabid bear or a tornado. It is vaguely Men in Blackish.
The movie looks good too. The shots of the Norwegian countryside are spectacular. The effects for the trolls are the perfect blend of cheap and well done. Trolls are clunky creatures. The interior shots are sufficiently bleak to set the tone of Hans. The found footage trope mostly works. The chase scenes early on are enhanced by it, but by the end it was a little distracting.
The movie also has an underlying moral message about living in harmony with nature. Trolls aren't evil. They are just wild animals whose habitat is threatened.
I'd recommend Troll Hunter as a pay rental. It was good fun for a sick day.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Chuck is Over
Chuck was one of my favorite shows of all time. I know it was often ridiculous and had plot holes a space shuttle could fly through, but the show's heart was in the right place. It offered up likable characters that I genuinely wanted to succeed. Even the superfluous characters like Jefster and Morgan had a certain charm.
I am sad that the show is over and even sadder at the way it ended. I wasn't expecting a great ending that displayed all of the best parts of the show. Finales usually don't hit that mark and most wouldn't work if they tried. A finale is for wrapping things up and sending the heroes into the sunset. On one level the Chuck finale succeeded in that it wrapped up the spying and sent the characters into the sunset.
The thing that really got me was that they didn't let Chuck and Sara have their happy ending. All of the other characters, even Jefster, saw their dreams realized and moved onto the next stage of their lives. Meanwhile Chuck and Sara are left wondering if they will ever get their life back. The writers do drop a lot of hints that it will all work out and Sara will get her memory back, but they leave the question hanging. I choose to believe that the kiss is the key and that, like Morgan, Sara will get the important parts of her memory back. However, it would have been better if the writers answered the question before the sunset. It is not like there will be a sequel or a movie to finish things up. Chuck was generally a show that showed all of its cards. Leaving this key card hidden feels gratuitous and out of character for the show. Chuck and Sara were the center of the show and deserved a neater bow.
I am sad that the show is over and even sadder at the way it ended. I wasn't expecting a great ending that displayed all of the best parts of the show. Finales usually don't hit that mark and most wouldn't work if they tried. A finale is for wrapping things up and sending the heroes into the sunset. On one level the Chuck finale succeeded in that it wrapped up the spying and sent the characters into the sunset.
The thing that really got me was that they didn't let Chuck and Sara have their happy ending. All of the other characters, even Jefster, saw their dreams realized and moved onto the next stage of their lives. Meanwhile Chuck and Sara are left wondering if they will ever get their life back. The writers do drop a lot of hints that it will all work out and Sara will get her memory back, but they leave the question hanging. I choose to believe that the kiss is the key and that, like Morgan, Sara will get the important parts of her memory back. However, it would have been better if the writers answered the question before the sunset. It is not like there will be a sequel or a movie to finish things up. Chuck was generally a show that showed all of its cards. Leaving this key card hidden feels gratuitous and out of character for the show. Chuck and Sara were the center of the show and deserved a neater bow.
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