Frozen (2010)

It's that time again. Final Girl Stacie Ponder, has invited us to "watch a movie together." There are some rules though:

1) You have to remember to actually do it (I have missed the due date more than once).

2) We all reconvene at Stacie's place, to share our thoughts.

3) B.Y.O.(whatever you're into).

It's really a good time, though occasionally things get out of hand. I'm waiting for the month when Stacie provides all the guests with mysterious little floating coffins inside a bigger coffin...

Anyhoo, onto the feature: Frozen (2010)

Adam Green is a strange case. He's hard to pigeon-hole. There are few people that I talk to that like all of his stuff all at once. He's got the over-the-top grotesquities of the Hatchet series. Then he's got the low-key subtleties of Spiral. With Frozen we get yet another side of Green's storytelling skills.

(obligatory quick rundown of plot, even though we all know what's what) Frozen is about 3 college students who are left stuck on a ski lift over the course of a few days.

Frozen gives us a character driven dramatic piece, where gross things happen. We learn to like the characters (for the most part) and we really do root for them to escape this horrible situation. I admit, the aforementioned situation seems a bit silly when describing the film to others. Only when watching the film does it become "real." The cast plays it straight, and the situation that once seemed ludicrous becomes something you'll think about every time you ride up a ski lift.

The whole movie takes place on a mountain. I can't remember where this mountain is supposed to be, or if it's even a real-life mountain or a fictional place. I guess that doesn't matter. What matters is the situation we are presented with quickly deteriorates over the course of a short while. Nothing these characters do can improve their situation without serious consequence.

The film is good. But not great. Everything was shot well. It was well acted. There was great tension where appropriate and their was a great sense of hopelessness throughout. It's the little things that drag it down a notch. Why wouldn't these characters huddle together? Why wouldn't they cover their exposed skin? Little things like that are what I thought about after the film. It's still an effective film, but it's the details that people notice, you know?

At the end of the day, I can recommend this movie (and have). It's tense enough, and bloody enough to satisfy most horror fans without going too far for other types of movie fans. It's survival horror, and that's what strikes a chord with people: "What would I do in a situation like this?"

Looking around the interwebs, I found a cool fan produced movie poster for Frozen:

Not too bad, methinks. Artist Kevin Tong goes a different direction than the official movie poster (at the near-top of this post) while keeping all the main elements intact.

As always, I've enjoyed my time "watching a movie with the gang." I'll look forward to the next Film Club. I wonder what hospitality our host will provide next time.

 Oh, and you can also find Stacie here and here.