Long Weekend

Aristotle taught that if one way be better than another, that would have to be nature's way. He obviously never saw this movie. Mother Nature ain't so motherly in "Long Weekend". Nature isn't anyone's friend. Nature is the enemy: wildlife, weather, and, most importantly, the wayward ways of man (and woman). But there is no need to go ballistic with interpretation to enjoy this movie. It's essentially an old-school drama, despite some of the mysteries. It definitely works on several levels. At face value, it's the story of Peter and Carla who can't make their marriage work, least of all during what is supposed to be quality time, away from home and everyday chores. On another level, it's a tale of an awe-inspiring, yet unwelcoming wilderness conspiring against urban intruders, both by attacking them directly and by bringing out the worst in them. Giving little context and almost no explanation, Jamie Blanks takes us on a very wild ride. "Long Weekend" is not funny, but who says everything has to be? Of course there's no happy ending either. Not a big bang, but explosive enough.

The best actor in this movie and most rational character was the dog. You would never know by watching this movie that Jim Caveizel is an established actor. There is no real logic as to why the couple decided to stay and camp except for the Peters' stupidity. I would not call this a movie where nature strikes back, I would call it a movie where a moron angry at his wife makes a lot of boneheaded decisions. Nothing about the other campers is explained. All we know about them is that the parents seem to quarrel. So is this nature striking back at unhappy couples, or people that disrespect nature. The explanation of what this movie is about really stretches logic. The only parts of it that ring true are that there are people and they are out in nature. I found this movie extremely boring and a grand waste of time.

When I watched this movie at a festival in Germany (Fantasy Filmfest Nights) I wasn't aware of the fact, that this was a Remake. Unfortunately I haven't watched the Original up to this point, but really want to do so. Especially after being told by many viewers, that the original movie is a subtler option to this version of the subject matter.

Jim Caviezel is a really good actor and he plays it pretty straight here. While he has to do some pretty disgusting and despicable things, you still feel for him (most of the time). And that's why I quite liked the movie (plus it's premise of course, which some people might find more suitable than M. Nights Happening).

While the title might be irritating to some (you could suspect a teen comedy after all), this dark thriller has quit some punches (also visually), that try to hammer the message into your head ... When I get to watch the original, I will know if is a decent approach or not.

Peter (James Caviezel) and Carla (Claudia Karvan) have a wasted marriage and constant friction. Peter buys expensive camping apparatuses and despite the protests of Carla, he travels with her and their dog Cricket to camp in the isolated Moondah Beach in the North Coast with his friend Luke and his girlfriend during the rainy holiday. Peter stops in a pub in the Eggleston Hotel and leaves a message to Luke with the owner of the pub. When Peter takes the shortcut to reach the beach, he gets lost and the couple spends the night sleeping in their truck. On the next morning, Peter organizes the campsite and disturbs the nature with his rifle. Along the two days, the couple deteriorates their relationship while the nature revenges the bad treatment.

"Long Weekend" is a weird movie, actually a remake of Collin Eggleston's movie of 1978 that I saw many years ago on 13 March 2001 and also recalls "Lost Things" when the couple finds that it is impossible to leave the spot. The intention would be to show a couple with problems in their relationship that spends the holiday trying to resolve their issues, but they mistreat the nature and find the nature's punishment in the end. There is also a discreet homage to the original director with the name of the hotel where they stop to buy rum and leave a message to Luke. Unfortunately this remake is confused and the objective of the plot is not clear; however the anguishing and claustrophobic condition of Peter and Carla that seems to be in the limbo of their existence trapped in an isolated area and incapable to find a way out is the worthwhile part of this movie. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Isolados" ("Isolated")

An unhappy couple in Australia--Peter (Jim Caviezl) and Carla (Claudia Karvan)--decide to go camping one long weekend in a remote wooded area near the ocean. Along the way Peter (accidentally) hits a kangaroo and casually shoots at birds within range. They argue and he wanders around a lot with his shirt off. That's about it until an abrupt change of events during the last 30 minutes.

This film has goos acting by the leads, Caviezl looks good with his shirt off, has some gorgeous cinematography, nice music...but that's it. This is pushed as being a horror film but it's really just a domestic drama with horror kicking in during the last 30 minutes. The horror itself isn't particularly scary and doesn't make much sense. All this has going for it is acting, scenery and music--nothing else. I give it a 4 just for that.