Change Your Image
sro28-1
Reviews
The House of the Devil (2009)
The 80s Are Back!
This movie looks and feels like it's straight from 1982. It pays homage to horror films from that era and uses all those movies' plot devices effectively. The house is so perfect for the film in its look and design, it's really a character in the film, and considering about a third involves just the girl and the house, that's a good thing.
For those that hated the ending and think it was ridiculous, give it a bit more thought. This is not your cookie cutter horror movie churned out like 99% of the drivel Hollywood releases. This is a movie made by horror fan. He didn't go with the typical ending and if you care to consider it, it was not a cheap cop-out.
My Bloody Valentine (2009)
You Won't Leave Heartbroken!
My Bloody Valentine delivers exactly what you should be looking for if you see this movie: plenty of gore in the tradition of 70s/80s slasher pics. If you're a fan of the genre (or at least inventive pick killings), you won't be disappointed. If you're not, why are you reading this?
The 3D is a nice addition, but this movie stands on its own without it. It doesn't rely on cheesy 3D gimmicks to keep you interested. They use all the old slasher plot devices and characters to tell the story. It's a lot of fun to see in the theater, so don't wait for the DVD. If you're a fan, get out there and support this movie!
Baghead (2008)
Go See It!
A great independent film! Such a simple story with echoes of (and homage to) classics such as The Evil Dead and Blair Witch. While it's not on the intensity and horror level of those films, it's not trying to be. The story's simplicity and small set of likable, believable characters make the movie work. This is a great low budget achievement, cleverly written to keep the costs very low. If you're a fan of horror films and/or independent movies, go see it! Support these types of indie films and send a message to Hollywood to keep them coming. Sure, it's not going to reap the kinds of profits that Blair Witch did, but I hope these filmmakers get another chance - they certainly deserve it.
The Happening (2008)
The End of an Era (but not a career)
Let me preface these comments by saying that I am a major Night fan. I look forward to news of his next project and love the stories of his supposed total control over his movies and carte blanche from the studios. If those stories are true, I have a feeling that era will be ending for Night with the release of The Happening. I ignored all the pre-release press I could before going to see this movie. I read none of the reviews, but one word I did catch was "uninspired." Unfortunately, that one word describes this movie perfectly. In the first ten minutes of the movie, I thought it was due to the acting and that maybe Mark Wahlberg was miscast. However, after another ten minutes I realized it wasn't the actors; it was the extremely lame script. Without giving away any details, this is a disaster film where the disaster "happening" starts with the first scene of the movie. Unfortunately, no suspense builds and there is absolutely no sense of dread or panic on screen and so none translates to the audience. Surprising, since the 21st century has provided us with too many occasions to study how we react in times of disaster, whether by nature or terrorism. It's as if Night ignored all this when writing the story. The characters sleepwalk through the scenes (and, no, it's not a symptom of "the happening") with no believable sense of the horrible events taking place. Granted, we don't need to see people running around in circles screaming and crying, but people do not stand in small groups after a disaster calmly taking turns talking one at a time. Without sharing in any of the horror that the characters are suppose to be experiencing, the film is a total bore for the audience and the source of "the happening" is laughable when revealed. I found myself repeatedly checking my watch, saying, "I can't believe how bad this is" not something I'd expect to do in a Night movie. Looking around the theater, I could tell others were sharing the same feelings. Most were scrolling through emails or texting on their phones.
During the movie, since I wasn't paying much attention to the screen, I started thinking that there might be a good reason why most filmmakers do not have total control over their films. When they do, they can reach a point that it seems Night may have reached, where they say, "I'm going to make people scared when the wind blows" and actually believe themselves. Maybe other producers or execs can step in at that point and bring the filmmaker back to reality. I'm not giving up on Night, but I'll feel better if his next film is not "Written, Produced and Directed by M. Night Shyamalan."
Dan in Real Life (2007)
An Absolute Embarrassment
There's an early comment from The Sheen on 11/15/07 regarding the need for IMDb to figure out a way to keep a movie's promo team off the site. I couldn't agree more. That HAS to be what's going on here with all the positive comments. Don't believe me? Watch the movie.
I have to believe that had someone anyone on the set during filming stepped back and asked, "Is there any realism in what we're filming here? Do families really interact with each other this way?", production would have immediately shut down. It is a complete embarrassment for everyone involved.
The only positive takeaway from this movie is for struggling screenwriters: don't give up hope! If a script this bad can get made into a film with quality actors agreeing to take on the project, there's hope for whatever you're writing.
The Ruins (2008)
A Great Book (and should have stayed that way)
The Ruins is a GREAT horror novel. However, if you've read it and then tried to describe the story to someone else, you probably had a tough time, right? Not too easy to convince people that a story about a killer vine could be a new horror classic. I think that problem is at play with the movie version of The Ruins. It just does not translate well off the page. Sometimes a book should stay a book, even when the author is recruited to write the screenplay. Do yourself a favor: Skip the movie and read the book. If you see the movie first, you'll never believe that the story you watched could be a good book, but you'll be missing out.