All right I re-watched Christopher Smith's Triangle (2009) and it reminded me why I didn't really care for it. Smith is, apparently, the kind of director that doesn't really care about delivery or dialogue or acting. Interaction between characters isn't really his forte, or concern even. He reminds me a lot of Ken Russell in that way; must be a branch of the British film school that pushes it - probably honestly stems from Fellini or another Italian, and it puts me off a lot of films that other people think are amazing. Seriously, watch Triangle, and then watch the interactions (listen to the dialogue) between Melissa George and Michael Dornan (two GOOD actors) or Liam Hemsworth (a terrible actor, but, here, doing much, much worse than usual). It's utterly terrible, it doesn't make any sense for the situation, and it's not how anyone would act or speak. Now some movies you could get away with that, especially if there's a lot of plot or action going on; you could even try to get away with it here, by pushing the 'otherworldly, inhuman atmosphere,' but that's not what's happening. It's just bad. And it's bad in the part that is supposed to be luring you into thinking things are normal, so that you can be spooked and creeped out about it later.
So basically rather than being engrossed and involved in the beginning, I'm already annoyed. Honestly, the same thing goes on in Consecration (to a much lesser degree - possibly because Jena Malone is the only one doing a horrible accent, instead of EVERYONE), but there's enough other mystery and stuff going on that it's less offputting; and it doesn't require you to give a shit about the characters to enjoy the movie.
After it kicks off (when the second round of characters gets on board the ship), it gets a lot better. There's some really good scenes, probably my favorite being when the other chick finds all the corpses of herself. I do like the cyclic nature of the movie, it's neat and well done, although having TWO car wrecks at the end is weak as fuck. It's such a cop out. Also I like how the protagonist keeps becoming more and more of an unlikeable cunt the more the movie goes on. Like you're rooting for her in the beginning, then by the end, you're like fuck this retarded bitch, she deserves worse than she's getting.
Anyway, there's a lot to like about Triangle, but there's too many hurdles for me to enjoy it; maybe I dislike it more because in the hands of a good director, with maybe a couple more dialogue passes, it could've been an all time great; while Consecration just is what it is, a mid, but enjoyable, little horror movie.
Also, if you have the ability in real life, see if you can find a 110 lbs girl and have her throw a 12 gauge at you from about 15 feet away and see what happens. Fucking movie guns, man.
