Stars: Taylor Russell, Logan Miller, Deborah Ann Woll, Tyler Labine, Jay Ellis, Nik Dodani, Adam Robitel, Kenneth Fok, Yorick van Wageningen | Written by Bragi F. Schut, Maria Melnik | Directed by Adam Robitel
Adam Robitel’s 2019 film Escape Room is Sony’s attempt at crafting a cheap money making franchise in small budgets and big returns in the same vein as Lionsgate’s enormously successful but varying degree of quality Saw series. Running at just under one hundred minutes, ninety of which are engrossingly tense and aggressively atmospheric with a delightful b-movie quality that no doubt entertains but sadly falls off the wayside with an irksome sequel bait set up that jumps the shark to a stilted degree.
Not to discredit Escape Room for all it proposes in entertainment value but it is derived unconditionally from the bowels of James Wan’s Saw of 2004. Not necessarily the most damning of comparisons...
Adam Robitel’s 2019 film Escape Room is Sony’s attempt at crafting a cheap money making franchise in small budgets and big returns in the same vein as Lionsgate’s enormously successful but varying degree of quality Saw series. Running at just under one hundred minutes, ninety of which are engrossingly tense and aggressively atmospheric with a delightful b-movie quality that no doubt entertains but sadly falls off the wayside with an irksome sequel bait set up that jumps the shark to a stilted degree.
Not to discredit Escape Room for all it proposes in entertainment value but it is derived unconditionally from the bowels of James Wan’s Saw of 2004. Not necessarily the most damning of comparisons...
- 2/19/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
"Hearts don't just break... they get even." Perhaps more popular now than its initial release in 2001, and featuring one of the most memorable morgue scenes in any horror movie, Valentine (based on Tom Savage's novel of the same name) is coming to Blu-ray in February with a new Collector's Edition from Scream Factory, and the special features will include a new audio commentary with director Jamie Blanks and legendary filmmaker Don Coscarelli.
From the Press Release: "Revenge is sweet, just like Valentine’s Day chocolates. At least, that is what a vengeful, Cupid-masked killer thinks in the teen slasher Valentine. Making its Blu-ray debut February 12th, 2019 from Scream Factory, this Collector’s Edition of Valentine also includes a plethora of new bonus features, including an audio commentary with director Jamie Blanks and filmmaker Don Coscarelli moderated by author Peter Bracke, new interviews with actresses Denise Richards, Marley Shelton, Jessica Cauffiel,...
From the Press Release: "Revenge is sweet, just like Valentine’s Day chocolates. At least, that is what a vengeful, Cupid-masked killer thinks in the teen slasher Valentine. Making its Blu-ray debut February 12th, 2019 from Scream Factory, this Collector’s Edition of Valentine also includes a plethora of new bonus features, including an audio commentary with director Jamie Blanks and filmmaker Don Coscarelli moderated by author Peter Bracke, new interviews with actresses Denise Richards, Marley Shelton, Jessica Cauffiel,...
- 1/7/2019
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Keep one eye on your TV screens, because Samara is looking to make house calls with Paramount Home Media Distribution's Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD release of Rings on May 2nd (following its April 21st Digital HD release), and we've we've been provided with two Blu-ray / DVD combo pack copies to give away to lucky Daily Dead readers who are ready to brave the seven-day curse.
————
Prize Details: (2) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray / DVD combo pack copy (including Digital HD) of Rings.
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Rings Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
————
Prize Details: (2) Winners will receive (1) Blu-ray / DVD combo pack copy (including Digital HD) of Rings.
How to Enter: We're giving Daily Dead readers multiple chances to enter and win:
1. Instagram: Following us on Instagram during the contest period will give you an automatic contest entry. Make sure to follow us at:
https://www.instagram.com/dailydead/
2. Email: For a chance to win via email, send an email to contest@dailydead.com with the subject “Rings Contest”. Be sure to include your name and mailing address.
- 5/1/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Samara returned to the big screen this past February, and this spring she'll be making house calls. If you're not afraid of falling victim to the seven-day curse, then you'll be pleased to know that Rings will be available on Digital HD beginning April 21st, followed by a May 2nd release on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.
Press Release: Hollywood, Calif. – The legend of Samara takes a chilling turn in the new chapter of the hit Ring franchise, Rings, which comes calling on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand May 2, 2017 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Dare to watch on Digital HD two weeks early on April 21.
When a radical college professor (Johnny Galecki, “The Big Bang Theory”) finds the mysterious video rumored to kill viewers seven days after watching, he enlists his students in a dangerous experiment to uncover the secrets behind the Samara legend. When the deadly video goes viral,...
Press Release: Hollywood, Calif. – The legend of Samara takes a chilling turn in the new chapter of the hit Ring franchise, Rings, which comes calling on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and On Demand May 2, 2017 from Paramount Home Media Distribution. Dare to watch on Digital HD two weeks early on April 21.
When a radical college professor (Johnny Galecki, “The Big Bang Theory”) finds the mysterious video rumored to kill viewers seven days after watching, he enlists his students in a dangerous experiment to uncover the secrets behind the Samara legend. When the deadly video goes viral,...
- 4/4/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Stx Entertainment have announced the July home media release dates and details for the first-person Pov action thriller Hardcore Henry:
Press Release: Universal City, CA, May 26, 2016 – Brace yourself for one of the most unflinchingly original wild rides when the adrenaline-fueled action hit Hardcore Henry arrives on Digital HD on July 12, 2016 and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on July 26, 2016 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Stx Entertainment. Filled with non-stop action and thrilling adventure, Hardcore Henry is the first film shot completely in first-person shooter perspective. The Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD feature even more explosive thrills with deleted scenes and commentary with the director and actor/producer. Be the first to own Hardcore Henry, starring Sharlto Copley (Chappie, District 9, Elysium), and immerse yourself in an exciting new world as you become the title hero!
You remember nothing. Mainly because you’ve just...
Press Release: Universal City, CA, May 26, 2016 – Brace yourself for one of the most unflinchingly original wild rides when the adrenaline-fueled action hit Hardcore Henry arrives on Digital HD on July 12, 2016 and on Blu-ray™, DVD and On Demand on July 26, 2016 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment and Stx Entertainment. Filled with non-stop action and thrilling adventure, Hardcore Henry is the first film shot completely in first-person shooter perspective. The Blu-ray™, DVD and Digital HD feature even more explosive thrills with deleted scenes and commentary with the director and actor/producer. Be the first to own Hardcore Henry, starring Sharlto Copley (Chappie, District 9, Elysium), and immerse yourself in an exciting new world as you become the title hero!
You remember nothing. Mainly because you’ve just...
- 5/26/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The new faith-based movie Risen is set to open in theaters winter of 2016.
Starring Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love), Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Peter Firth (“Spooks”) and Cliff Curtis (Live Free or Die Hard), and directed by Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), the action drama will be released on Friday, January 22.
Risen is the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection and the weeks that followed, as seen through the eyes of an unbelieving Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), a high-ranking Roman Military Tribune. Clavius and his aide Lucius (Tom Felton) are instructed by Pontius Pilate to ensure Jesus’ radical followers don’t steal his body and claim resurrection. When the body goes missing within days, Clavius sets out on a mission to locate the missing body in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem.
Risen is produced by Mickey Liddell (The Grey), Patrick Aiello (As Above,...
Starring Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love), Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Peter Firth (“Spooks”) and Cliff Curtis (Live Free or Die Hard), and directed by Kevin Reynolds (Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves), the action drama will be released on Friday, January 22.
Risen is the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection and the weeks that followed, as seen through the eyes of an unbelieving Clavius (Joseph Fiennes), a high-ranking Roman Military Tribune. Clavius and his aide Lucius (Tom Felton) are instructed by Pontius Pilate to ensure Jesus’ radical followers don’t steal his body and claim resurrection. When the body goes missing within days, Clavius sets out on a mission to locate the missing body in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem.
Risen is produced by Mickey Liddell (The Grey), Patrick Aiello (As Above,...
- 5/4/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Lastly, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has announced the Blu-ray release of I Know What You Did Last Summer for July 22, priced at around $28.95. According to DVD Active, the full specs for the release are: 2.40:1 Widescreen Transfer (1080p), Audio: Dolby True Hd 5.1 English, Dolby True Hd 5.1 French, Dolby True Hd 5.1 Portuguese, Subtitles: English, French, Arabic, Dutch, Korean, Spanish, Chinese, Thai, Portuguese, English Sdh, Filmmakers' Commentary with Director Jim Gillespie and Editor Steve Mirkovich Director's Short Film: 'Joyride', Featurette: 'Now I Know What You Did Last Summer' and a Music Video: 'Hush' by Kula Shaker. In the film four teens are in great danger one year after their car hits a stranger whose body they dump in the sea.
- 5/28/2008
- bloody-disgusting.com
Opens
Friday, April 30
Ostensibly timely, "Godsend" is a cautionary tale about genetic science that uses hoary conventions of devil-child horror to make its argument. Despite a likable cast and atmospheric lensing, this thin concoction of domestic drama and thriller suspense won't hold up after the curiosity factor runs its brief course. Neither Robert De Niro nor a phalanx of a dozen producers can deliver "Godsend" from unintentional comedy.
De Niro plays the pioneering fertility specialist who offers a miracle to a grieving couple after their 8-year-old son dies in an accident. Richard Wells has perfected a cloning method that he's eager to put into practice, and the Duncans (Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) are ideal subjects.
Jessie is receptive to the idea of giving birth to Adam again. The more skeptical Paul resists the notion, not only for ethical reasons but because he's reluctant to leave the city. If they agree to the doctor's plan, they'll have to relocate to his Godsend Institute and sever ties with everyone they know. In ultracliche fashion, Paul overcomes his doubts after watching home movies of Adam Cameron Bright) being lovably precocious.
Flash-forward to the eighth birthday of Adam No. 2 (Bright), which brings the Duncans' suburban idyll to a screeching halt. As he enters territory uncharted by his predecessor, the boy falls into the grip of something unseen, and his dreams and waking visions are filled with portents of violence and a ghoulish alter ego named Zachary.
Paul is not satisfied with Richard's pat reassurances that Adam is merely suffering from a temporary sleep disorder. Jessie, on the other hand, accepts Richard's authority, even when he tells her with quiet menace to "rein in" her husband.
While her deference to the doctor arises quite naturally from her pain and neediness, an undeveloped background factoid posits that she's a former student of Richard's. Like much in Mark Bomback's script, it serves only to puzzle, going nowhere and taking a while to get there.
Making his U.S. feature debut, British director Nick Hamm ("Talk of Angels", "The Hole") knows how to orchestrate sudden sounds and shock images to make an audience jump. But beyond the instant of impact, those images look like dusted-off relics. However laudable Hamm's decision to avoid CGI-enhanced gore in favor of character-driven suspense, when the characters are so insistently lacking in dimension, it's hard to generate dramatic momentum.
Romijn-Stamos conveys wounded maternal instinct, while Kinnear and De Niro manage to kick up a few mild sparks as dueling father figures. Newcomer Bright provides the requisite creepy monotone and haunted stare, but as with all the performances, the impact is dulled by the muddled story and Bomback's flat, sometimes ludicrous dialogue.
GODSEND
Lions Gate Films
Artists Production Group in association with 2929 Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Nick Hamm
Screenwriter: Mark Bomback
Producers: Cathy Schulman, Sean O'Keefe, Marc Butan
Executive producers: Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Jon Feltheimer, Mark Canton, Michael Paseornek, Michael Burns, Eric Kopeloff
Director of photography: Kramer Morgenthau
Production designer: Doug Kraner
Music: Brian Tyler
Co-producers: Steve Mitchell, Mark Bomback
Costume designer: Suzanne McCabe
Editors: Steve Mirkovich, Niven Howie. Cast: Paul Duncan: Greg Kinnear
Jessie Duncan: Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
Richard Wells: Robert De Niro
Adam Duncan: Cameron Bright
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Friday, April 30
Ostensibly timely, "Godsend" is a cautionary tale about genetic science that uses hoary conventions of devil-child horror to make its argument. Despite a likable cast and atmospheric lensing, this thin concoction of domestic drama and thriller suspense won't hold up after the curiosity factor runs its brief course. Neither Robert De Niro nor a phalanx of a dozen producers can deliver "Godsend" from unintentional comedy.
De Niro plays the pioneering fertility specialist who offers a miracle to a grieving couple after their 8-year-old son dies in an accident. Richard Wells has perfected a cloning method that he's eager to put into practice, and the Duncans (Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) are ideal subjects.
Jessie is receptive to the idea of giving birth to Adam again. The more skeptical Paul resists the notion, not only for ethical reasons but because he's reluctant to leave the city. If they agree to the doctor's plan, they'll have to relocate to his Godsend Institute and sever ties with everyone they know. In ultracliche fashion, Paul overcomes his doubts after watching home movies of Adam Cameron Bright) being lovably precocious.
Flash-forward to the eighth birthday of Adam No. 2 (Bright), which brings the Duncans' suburban idyll to a screeching halt. As he enters territory uncharted by his predecessor, the boy falls into the grip of something unseen, and his dreams and waking visions are filled with portents of violence and a ghoulish alter ego named Zachary.
Paul is not satisfied with Richard's pat reassurances that Adam is merely suffering from a temporary sleep disorder. Jessie, on the other hand, accepts Richard's authority, even when he tells her with quiet menace to "rein in" her husband.
While her deference to the doctor arises quite naturally from her pain and neediness, an undeveloped background factoid posits that she's a former student of Richard's. Like much in Mark Bomback's script, it serves only to puzzle, going nowhere and taking a while to get there.
Making his U.S. feature debut, British director Nick Hamm ("Talk of Angels", "The Hole") knows how to orchestrate sudden sounds and shock images to make an audience jump. But beyond the instant of impact, those images look like dusted-off relics. However laudable Hamm's decision to avoid CGI-enhanced gore in favor of character-driven suspense, when the characters are so insistently lacking in dimension, it's hard to generate dramatic momentum.
Romijn-Stamos conveys wounded maternal instinct, while Kinnear and De Niro manage to kick up a few mild sparks as dueling father figures. Newcomer Bright provides the requisite creepy monotone and haunted stare, but as with all the performances, the impact is dulled by the muddled story and Bomback's flat, sometimes ludicrous dialogue.
GODSEND
Lions Gate Films
Artists Production Group in association with 2929 Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Nick Hamm
Screenwriter: Mark Bomback
Producers: Cathy Schulman, Sean O'Keefe, Marc Butan
Executive producers: Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Jon Feltheimer, Mark Canton, Michael Paseornek, Michael Burns, Eric Kopeloff
Director of photography: Kramer Morgenthau
Production designer: Doug Kraner
Music: Brian Tyler
Co-producers: Steve Mitchell, Mark Bomback
Costume designer: Suzanne McCabe
Editors: Steve Mirkovich, Niven Howie. Cast: Paul Duncan: Greg Kinnear
Jessie Duncan: Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
Richard Wells: Robert De Niro
Adam Duncan: Cameron Bright
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Opens
Friday, April 30
Ostensibly timely, "Godsend" is a cautionary tale about genetic science that uses hoary conventions of devil-child horror to make its argument. Despite a likable cast and atmospheric lensing, this thin concoction of domestic drama and thriller suspense won't hold up after the curiosity factor runs its brief course. Neither Robert De Niro nor a phalanx of a dozen producers can deliver "Godsend" from unintentional comedy.
De Niro plays the pioneering fertility specialist who offers a miracle to a grieving couple after their 8-year-old son dies in an accident. Richard Wells has perfected a cloning method that he's eager to put into practice, and the Duncans (Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) are ideal subjects.
Jessie is receptive to the idea of giving birth to Adam again. The more skeptical Paul resists the notion, not only for ethical reasons but because he's reluctant to leave the city. If they agree to the doctor's plan, they'll have to relocate to his Godsend Institute and sever ties with everyone they know. In ultracliche fashion, Paul overcomes his doubts after watching home movies of Adam Cameron Bright) being lovably precocious.
Flash-forward to the eighth birthday of Adam No. 2 (Bright), which brings the Duncans' suburban idyll to a screeching halt. As he enters territory uncharted by his predecessor, the boy falls into the grip of something unseen, and his dreams and waking visions are filled with portents of violence and a ghoulish alter ego named Zachary.
Paul is not satisfied with Richard's pat reassurances that Adam is merely suffering from a temporary sleep disorder. Jessie, on the other hand, accepts Richard's authority, even when he tells her with quiet menace to "rein in" her husband.
While her deference to the doctor arises quite naturally from her pain and neediness, an undeveloped background factoid posits that she's a former student of Richard's. Like much in Mark Bomback's script, it serves only to puzzle, going nowhere and taking a while to get there.
Making his U.S. feature debut, British director Nick Hamm ("Talk of Angels", "The Hole") knows how to orchestrate sudden sounds and shock images to make an audience jump. But beyond the instant of impact, those images look like dusted-off relics. However laudable Hamm's decision to avoid CGI-enhanced gore in favor of character-driven suspense, when the characters are so insistently lacking in dimension, it's hard to generate dramatic momentum.
Romijn-Stamos conveys wounded maternal instinct, while Kinnear and De Niro manage to kick up a few mild sparks as dueling father figures. Newcomer Bright provides the requisite creepy monotone and haunted stare, but as with all the performances, the impact is dulled by the muddled story and Bomback's flat, sometimes ludicrous dialogue.
GODSEND
Lions Gate Films
Artists Production Group in association with 2929 Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Nick Hamm
Screenwriter: Mark Bomback
Producers: Cathy Schulman, Sean O'Keefe, Marc Butan
Executive producers: Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Jon Feltheimer, Mark Canton, Michael Paseornek, Michael Burns, Eric Kopeloff
Director of photography: Kramer Morgenthau
Production designer: Doug Kraner
Music: Brian Tyler
Co-producers: Steve Mitchell, Mark Bomback
Costume designer: Suzanne McCabe
Editors: Steve Mirkovich, Niven Howie. Cast: Paul Duncan: Greg Kinnear
Jessie Duncan: Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
Richard Wells: Robert De Niro
Adam Duncan: Cameron Bright
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Friday, April 30
Ostensibly timely, "Godsend" is a cautionary tale about genetic science that uses hoary conventions of devil-child horror to make its argument. Despite a likable cast and atmospheric lensing, this thin concoction of domestic drama and thriller suspense won't hold up after the curiosity factor runs its brief course. Neither Robert De Niro nor a phalanx of a dozen producers can deliver "Godsend" from unintentional comedy.
De Niro plays the pioneering fertility specialist who offers a miracle to a grieving couple after their 8-year-old son dies in an accident. Richard Wells has perfected a cloning method that he's eager to put into practice, and the Duncans (Greg Kinnear and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos) are ideal subjects.
Jessie is receptive to the idea of giving birth to Adam again. The more skeptical Paul resists the notion, not only for ethical reasons but because he's reluctant to leave the city. If they agree to the doctor's plan, they'll have to relocate to his Godsend Institute and sever ties with everyone they know. In ultracliche fashion, Paul overcomes his doubts after watching home movies of Adam Cameron Bright) being lovably precocious.
Flash-forward to the eighth birthday of Adam No. 2 (Bright), which brings the Duncans' suburban idyll to a screeching halt. As he enters territory uncharted by his predecessor, the boy falls into the grip of something unseen, and his dreams and waking visions are filled with portents of violence and a ghoulish alter ego named Zachary.
Paul is not satisfied with Richard's pat reassurances that Adam is merely suffering from a temporary sleep disorder. Jessie, on the other hand, accepts Richard's authority, even when he tells her with quiet menace to "rein in" her husband.
While her deference to the doctor arises quite naturally from her pain and neediness, an undeveloped background factoid posits that she's a former student of Richard's. Like much in Mark Bomback's script, it serves only to puzzle, going nowhere and taking a while to get there.
Making his U.S. feature debut, British director Nick Hamm ("Talk of Angels", "The Hole") knows how to orchestrate sudden sounds and shock images to make an audience jump. But beyond the instant of impact, those images look like dusted-off relics. However laudable Hamm's decision to avoid CGI-enhanced gore in favor of character-driven suspense, when the characters are so insistently lacking in dimension, it's hard to generate dramatic momentum.
Romijn-Stamos conveys wounded maternal instinct, while Kinnear and De Niro manage to kick up a few mild sparks as dueling father figures. Newcomer Bright provides the requisite creepy monotone and haunted stare, but as with all the performances, the impact is dulled by the muddled story and Bomback's flat, sometimes ludicrous dialogue.
GODSEND
Lions Gate Films
Artists Production Group in association with 2929 Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Nick Hamm
Screenwriter: Mark Bomback
Producers: Cathy Schulman, Sean O'Keefe, Marc Butan
Executive producers: Todd Wagner, Mark Cuban, Jon Feltheimer, Mark Canton, Michael Paseornek, Michael Burns, Eric Kopeloff
Director of photography: Kramer Morgenthau
Production designer: Doug Kraner
Music: Brian Tyler
Co-producers: Steve Mitchell, Mark Bomback
Costume designer: Suzanne McCabe
Editors: Steve Mirkovich, Niven Howie. Cast: Paul Duncan: Greg Kinnear
Jessie Duncan: Rebecca Romijn-Stamos
Richard Wells: Robert De Niro
Adam Duncan: Cameron Bright
Running time -- 102 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 4/30/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"The Astronaut's Wife" puts a sci-fi twist on "Rosemary's Baby", but that's where the ingenuity in Rand Ravich's film begins and ends. Slow-moving and solemn as a funeral, the movie is getting a quickie release by New Line without benefit of a media screening or much marketing. The film's lack of genuine chills may additionally hamper it in ancillary markets.
Ravich the writer has given Ravich the director a tough task. A bare-bones script puts a terrific burden on his ability to create suspense through purely visual means. Toward this end, the producers have helpfully surrounded the first-time director with a superb below-the-line staff.
Veteran cinematographer Allen Daviau's moody lighting of Jan Roelfs' cool interiors of chrome and glass and Isis Mussenden's basic black costumes evoke an ominous atmosphere. But Ravich fails to take advantage. A little editing-room trickery and innumerable flashbacks can't overcome a tired story line.
Johnny Depp plays a NASA astronaut, and Charlize Theron is his schoolteacher wife. They're terribly in love, but something has come between them.
That "something" is a two-minute episode during Depp's last shuttle mission. Following an explosion on the spacecraft, he and his partner (Nick Cassavetes) lose contact with Earth. Both astronauts survive, but Depp's partner dies of a massive stroke within days and the man's wife, who behaves strangely, commits suicide.
Depp abruptly quits NASA, moves himself and his wife to a new corporate job in New York and impregnates Theron with twins, all in a matter of weeks. Theron soon comes to realize that something is wrong with her husband -- if indeed it is her husband. And what are these life forms growing inside her?
The audience -- pretty much ahead of the curve on this one thanks to many previous movies -- tediously drum their fingers on seat rests waiting for Theron to catch up. She eventually does, then runs around in circles to little effect.
At this stage in her career, Theron can't carry a movie, as she is required to do here. And certainly not a quasi-horror film. Depp is a fine actor, but playing a bogeyman doesn't suit him. He struggles to remain low-key with snide remarks and sinister eye movements rather than histrionics. But none of this is convincing.
In the only other key role in this underpopulated film, Joe Morton goes nicely crazy as the one NASA official who suspects the truth, and Clea DuVall is appropriately dim-witted as Theron's sister, who inadvertently does all the wrong things.
Ravich's writing has a labored quality. The plot frequently would falter if Depp didn't materialize at all the wrong moments for his poor wife. And his ending is also a puzzler. The only explanation is that the filmmakers were deluded into thinking a sequel would be in order.
THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE
New Line Cinema
Mad Chance Prods.
Producer: Andrew Lazar
Writer-director: Rand Ravich
Executive producers: Mark Johnson, Brian Witten, Donna Langley
Director of photography: Allen Daviau
Production designer: Jan Roelfs
Music: George S. Clinton
Costume designer: Isis Mussenden
Editors: Steve Mirkovich, Tim Alverson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Spencer Armacost: Johnny Depp
Jillian Armacost: Charlize Theron
Sherman Reese: Joe Morton
Nan: Clea DuVall
Natalie Streck: Donna Murphy
Alex Streck: Nick Cassavetes
Doctor: Samantha Eggar
Shelly McLaren: Blair Brown
Jackson McLaren: Tom Noonan
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Ravich the writer has given Ravich the director a tough task. A bare-bones script puts a terrific burden on his ability to create suspense through purely visual means. Toward this end, the producers have helpfully surrounded the first-time director with a superb below-the-line staff.
Veteran cinematographer Allen Daviau's moody lighting of Jan Roelfs' cool interiors of chrome and glass and Isis Mussenden's basic black costumes evoke an ominous atmosphere. But Ravich fails to take advantage. A little editing-room trickery and innumerable flashbacks can't overcome a tired story line.
Johnny Depp plays a NASA astronaut, and Charlize Theron is his schoolteacher wife. They're terribly in love, but something has come between them.
That "something" is a two-minute episode during Depp's last shuttle mission. Following an explosion on the spacecraft, he and his partner (Nick Cassavetes) lose contact with Earth. Both astronauts survive, but Depp's partner dies of a massive stroke within days and the man's wife, who behaves strangely, commits suicide.
Depp abruptly quits NASA, moves himself and his wife to a new corporate job in New York and impregnates Theron with twins, all in a matter of weeks. Theron soon comes to realize that something is wrong with her husband -- if indeed it is her husband. And what are these life forms growing inside her?
The audience -- pretty much ahead of the curve on this one thanks to many previous movies -- tediously drum their fingers on seat rests waiting for Theron to catch up. She eventually does, then runs around in circles to little effect.
At this stage in her career, Theron can't carry a movie, as she is required to do here. And certainly not a quasi-horror film. Depp is a fine actor, but playing a bogeyman doesn't suit him. He struggles to remain low-key with snide remarks and sinister eye movements rather than histrionics. But none of this is convincing.
In the only other key role in this underpopulated film, Joe Morton goes nicely crazy as the one NASA official who suspects the truth, and Clea DuVall is appropriately dim-witted as Theron's sister, who inadvertently does all the wrong things.
Ravich's writing has a labored quality. The plot frequently would falter if Depp didn't materialize at all the wrong moments for his poor wife. And his ending is also a puzzler. The only explanation is that the filmmakers were deluded into thinking a sequel would be in order.
THE ASTRONAUT'S WIFE
New Line Cinema
Mad Chance Prods.
Producer: Andrew Lazar
Writer-director: Rand Ravich
Executive producers: Mark Johnson, Brian Witten, Donna Langley
Director of photography: Allen Daviau
Production designer: Jan Roelfs
Music: George S. Clinton
Costume designer: Isis Mussenden
Editors: Steve Mirkovich, Tim Alverson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Spencer Armacost: Johnny Depp
Jillian Armacost: Charlize Theron
Sherman Reese: Joe Morton
Nan: Clea DuVall
Natalie Streck: Donna Murphy
Alex Streck: Nick Cassavetes
Doctor: Samantha Eggar
Shelly McLaren: Blair Brown
Jackson McLaren: Tom Noonan
Running time -- 110 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 8/30/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Having successfully persuaded horror audiences to "Scream" again, fright scribe Kevin Williamson follows up on that initial promise with "I Know What You Did Last Summer," a good old-fashioned scarefest that relies on smartly constructed suspense, not buckets of gore or CGI overload, to coax viewers to the edge of their seats.
Backed by sharp direction from Scottish filmmaker Jim Gillespie and solid performances by "Party of Five"'s Jennifer Love Hewitt and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"'s Sarah Michelle Gellar, the Columbia picture may be a mouthful for the marquee, but is certain to scare up potfuls of moolah when it opens the weekend after next.
There certainly isn't anything particularly groundbreaking going on -- horror aficionados will easily spot a little "Friday the 13th" here and a little "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" there, not to mention "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" around the edges -- but Williamson and Gillespie know a thing or two about effective packaging.
Set against the mist-laden backdrop of a seaside South Carolina village, the action centers on four high school friends celebrating their final Fourth of July together before heading off in different directions.
There's aspiring actress Helen Shivers (Gellar), who has just been crowned the coveted Croaker Queen; her cocky, rich kid boyfriend Barry (Ryan Phillippe); her best friend Julie (Hewitt), who's off to Boston to pursue a career in law; and Julie's beau Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who dreams of escaping his working-class roots to become a successful writer.
But their big summer blowout hits a roadblock when Barry's new BMW runs head-on into a large, dark object in the middle of a remote stretch of highway. When their target turns out to be a human casualty, panic sets in, and realizing their blood-alcohol levels will no doubt result in a career-ending charge of vehicular manslaughter, they dump the body in the ocean.
Flash-forward one year later, when Julie receives an anonymous note bearing the words "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER." Before you can say "slasher picture," she and her accomplices find themselves being pursued by a ghostly figure in a black slicker with a mean, "Candyman" right hook.
Gillespie and Williamson push all the requisite scare-tactic buttons, admirably forgoing the ever-popular latex and optical effects in favor of traditional lighting and camera angles.
The cast is definitely above-par for this course. Although Hewitt and Gellar are required to provide all the obligatory scantily clothed screaming, they're a lot more self-sufficient and take-control than their '80s counterparts. Philippe and Prinze are also fine in a limited capacity.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Sony Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Mandalay Entertainment presents
A Neal H. Moritz production
Director Jim Gillespie
Screenwriter Kevin Williamson
Producers Neal H. Moritz, Erik Feig,
Stokely Chaffin
Executive producer William S. Beasley
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Gary Wissner
Editor Steve Mirkovich
Music John Debney
Music supervisor Alex Steyermark
Costume designer Catherine Adair
Casting Mary Vernieu
Color/stereo
Cast:
Julie James Jennifer Love Hewitt
Helen Shivers Sarah Michelle Gellar
Ray Bronson Freddie Prinze Jr.
Benjamin Willis/fisherman Muse Watson
Elsa Shivers Bridgette Wilson
Max Johnny Galecki
Barry Ryan Phillippe
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Backed by sharp direction from Scottish filmmaker Jim Gillespie and solid performances by "Party of Five"'s Jennifer Love Hewitt and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"'s Sarah Michelle Gellar, the Columbia picture may be a mouthful for the marquee, but is certain to scare up potfuls of moolah when it opens the weekend after next.
There certainly isn't anything particularly groundbreaking going on -- horror aficionados will easily spot a little "Friday the 13th" here and a little "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" there, not to mention "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" around the edges -- but Williamson and Gillespie know a thing or two about effective packaging.
Set against the mist-laden backdrop of a seaside South Carolina village, the action centers on four high school friends celebrating their final Fourth of July together before heading off in different directions.
There's aspiring actress Helen Shivers (Gellar), who has just been crowned the coveted Croaker Queen; her cocky, rich kid boyfriend Barry (Ryan Phillippe); her best friend Julie (Hewitt), who's off to Boston to pursue a career in law; and Julie's beau Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who dreams of escaping his working-class roots to become a successful writer.
But their big summer blowout hits a roadblock when Barry's new BMW runs head-on into a large, dark object in the middle of a remote stretch of highway. When their target turns out to be a human casualty, panic sets in, and realizing their blood-alcohol levels will no doubt result in a career-ending charge of vehicular manslaughter, they dump the body in the ocean.
Flash-forward one year later, when Julie receives an anonymous note bearing the words "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER." Before you can say "slasher picture," she and her accomplices find themselves being pursued by a ghostly figure in a black slicker with a mean, "Candyman" right hook.
Gillespie and Williamson push all the requisite scare-tactic buttons, admirably forgoing the ever-popular latex and optical effects in favor of traditional lighting and camera angles.
The cast is definitely above-par for this course. Although Hewitt and Gellar are required to provide all the obligatory scantily clothed screaming, they're a lot more self-sufficient and take-control than their '80s counterparts. Philippe and Prinze are also fine in a limited capacity.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Sony Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Mandalay Entertainment presents
A Neal H. Moritz production
Director Jim Gillespie
Screenwriter Kevin Williamson
Producers Neal H. Moritz, Erik Feig,
Stokely Chaffin
Executive producer William S. Beasley
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Gary Wissner
Editor Steve Mirkovich
Music John Debney
Music supervisor Alex Steyermark
Costume designer Catherine Adair
Casting Mary Vernieu
Color/stereo
Cast:
Julie James Jennifer Love Hewitt
Helen Shivers Sarah Michelle Gellar
Ray Bronson Freddie Prinze Jr.
Benjamin Willis/fisherman Muse Watson
Elsa Shivers Bridgette Wilson
Max Johnny Galecki
Barry Ryan Phillippe
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/10/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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