If you're not hot I don't value your
opinion. Stop trying to force me to listen if I show no interest.
— Amanda Bynes
(@AmandaBynes) June 19,
2013
Hi. It’s sharing time… I don't like the original Maniac because the killer is ugly. There. I said it. So when it was announced that Elijah Wood would be taking on the lady-killing, title role in the remake, I was intrigued. Stunt casting! Be it in The Good Son of those Hobbit movies, no one plays damsel in distress better than Elijah.
"Look what you made me do!"
The Good:
Having now seen this film a couple times, I’ll say one thing: the Maniac remake is better than the original. Most obviously, its soundtrack is great. I'm serious; the music alone is worth the price of admission. Buy it twice. Set here in Los Angeles, Maniac captures the spookiness of downtown quite well (just ask Nick Stahl). Maniac 2.0 is nothing if not stylish. The color palate and overall look of the movie is fantastic, with lots of hot pink and blood reds and electric blues contrasting against an otherwise harsh DIY student film digital aesthetic. Gorgeous.
The Bad:
It's clear that the creative team watched American Psycho a whole lot but, beyond style, one can’t help but to question why we’re watching Elijah Wood attack a bunch of innocent women. What is Maniac about? Elijah goes on dates and remembers that his mom used to love having indiscriminate sex with strangers. So...
The entire film is shot from his first-person perspective -which is a fun gimmick that often works well until the very second you start thinking about how silly it is - or you remember Student Bodies, and it quickly becomes a parody of itself. Elijah Wood yelling at mannequins is funny. Also, Elijah making sex face makes me uncomfortable. This is my issue, not the films. Contrary to urban legend, Mr. Wood is not gay. I know this is very confusing. If this movie projects nothing else, it pronounces his heterosexuality with absolute clarity.
The inherent flaws of the source material are still present. The sensitive serial killer with Mommy issues angle doesn't work in 2013. Are we supposed to sympathize with him? I don't understand. This movie would play a lot better if they just took the time to write in a part for Hollywood Montrose. Easy fix.
The entire film is shot from his first-person perspective -which is a fun gimmick that often works well until the very second you start thinking about how silly it is - or you remember Student Bodies, and it quickly becomes a parody of itself. Elijah Wood yelling at mannequins is funny. Also, Elijah making sex face makes me uncomfortable. This is my issue, not the films. Contrary to urban legend, Mr. Wood is not gay. I know this is very confusing. If this movie projects nothing else, it pronounces his heterosexuality with absolute clarity.
The inherent flaws of the source material are still present. The sensitive serial killer with Mommy issues angle doesn't work in 2013. Are we supposed to sympathize with him? I don't understand. This movie would play a lot better if they just took the time to write in a part for Hollywood Montrose. Easy fix.
Maniac opens exclusively in Manhattan this weekend, thus proving that gay people should move to New York or LA. Sorry, I don't make the rules.
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