Tag Archives: Suspense

Atonement (2007)

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All it took were the words of a child. All it took were the words and accusations of one child, and it set in motion events of one of the most unusual romances I’ve ever come across. “Atonement” is set around the hook of a man accused of a crime, which gives him surprising clarity on his life. Robbie is a servant for a local wealthy family in the countryside on the cusp of World War 2 where Hitler is beginning his reign of terror. But, “Atonement” is less about the lieu of the war, and more about what leads to Robbie’s inevitable interaction with the big war that he didn’t intend on. It begins on a light note, as Joe Wright, known for the moderately entertaining “Pride & Prejudice” adaptation, starts the film off as an odd series of coincidences and happenstances that take a toll on the characters all around them.

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Amateur Porn Star Killer (2005) (DVD)

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This is our third consecutive review of Alter Ego Cinema’s “Amateur Porn Star Killer,” and by now with our record number of reviews for one film, it’s obvious that we pretty much support this film and Alter Ego Cinema’s methods of filmmaking. No, they’re not paying us to shill for them. Long ago, “Amateur Porn Star Killer” arrived at my doorstep and I viewed the press materials, viewed the packaged films and pretty much procrastinated reviewing it, writing it off as a home video that was filled with gore in an attempt to shock indie audiences. Trust me, I’ve come across too many movies like that. But upon viewing this film finally, Shane Ryan just blew me away and he convinced me to never prejudge a film however unusual it may be.

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30 Days of Night (2007)

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2007-30_days_of_night-2Vampires. I’ve suffered for many years of sheer abysmal vampire sub-genre crap thanks to the likes of different “twists” that was dead in the water. From suffering through the frilly angst ridden vamps thanks to Anne Rice that bred a thousand MySpace emo teens, to the Matrix carbon copy leather clad models a la Len Wiseman, it’s nice to see vampires be horrifying creatures (on film) once again. Thanks to David Slade, and Steve Niles, “30 Days of Night” makes a great transition from the page to the screen. David Slade who made his debut with the masterpiece “Hard Candy” shifts tones and completely amps his energy with what is one of the better horror movies to come around in years.

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5ive Girls (2006)

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You just have to appreciate a horror movie that asks you to take it seriously, all the while having an opening theme song of techno pop set to Ron Perlman’s voice quoting bible passages. That’s new. “5ive Girls” is another religious themed supernatural low budget fest that really attempts to think of itself as a sequel of “The Craft.” And trust me if you’ve seen the aforementioned title, then you really have no obligation to see this. Alex just moved into town with her father, and is forced to attend a local reformatory that takes in wayward girls. Alex, of course, possesses telekinesis, and is really disobedient and sure enough, she finds friends in the individuals reform school girls who all discover they serve a higher purpose. They are apparently the Supernatural friends, five girls who possess unique abilities, including Alex who is pretty much Carrie White but hotter. Fans of “Charmed” and the Fairuza Balk vehicle will definitely find interest in this thriller, as it basically really takes a great premise and does nothing really exciting with it.

Sonoda’s “5ive Girls” isn’t an awful movie by any standards, but the attempts at murk and atmosphere pretty much sap every bit of energy and pacing from the story and performances. There are your usual clichés including a sympathetic priest, a monstrous head mistress, lesbian subtext, the usual arguments between the female students, and the constant flashing of the pentagram. “5ive Girls” is such a run of the mill supernatural film that the concept never really garnered any interest my way. The characters are all so interchangeable and forgettable. One can walk through walls, one can heal through touch and yet I really couldn’t point out which girl had which power if you asked me to. The sad fact is that the film really sells itself as a hip Gothic parade of black magic and evil and yet has the lagging pace of “Whispering Corridors.”

Sonoda’s direction really doesn’t add much to the lagging proceedings in the end, and in spite of all the attempts to spin the formula, this story has been done and much better. In a reform school of apparently only five girls, they do nothing but yap back and forth with no real substance or interesting exchanges, and the visions continue just to remind us that we’re watching a horror film. We already know who the demonic entity challenging them is, and we’re well aware that the girl power message will strive to defeat the demon in the end; “5ive Girls” holds no surprises, and is just flat out dull. Sonoda’s supernatural horror flick would be a lot of fun if it wasn’t so boring, rehashed, and cliché. “5ive Girls” has a great concept to it, with some good names behind it, but it just fails to muster anything memorable or entertaining from the groundwork it lays down before us.

Abominable (2006)

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Schifrin’s horror thriller is set up with so much obligatory plot devices, and potential victims of our vicious abominable snowman, and yet, I really liked it a lot in the end. “Abominable” has that same old “Rear Window” device borrowing heavily from the formula as Matt McCoy plays Preston, a crippled man healing from a horrible accident who returns to his mountain home to grieve over his wife. Things have changed around his neck of the woods, as a vicious monster is roaming the wilderness killing animals, and Preston really can’t do much of anything in a wheelchair.

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Evil Little Bastards

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Untalented hacks as Eli Roth and Larry Clarke may be, they caught on to one thing. Kids are evil little bastards, and left to their own devices and influenced by a cruel world, they get worse and worse and will do awful things to one another and to innocent victims as an old fashioned cynic who rather despises ankle biting snot nosed little punks, “Evil Little Bastards” comes to you near this Halloween season to explore and expose our favorite in little kids who are pure utter monsters. Though we excluded a few notable examples, this is our chronological cinematic favorites of monstrous little children who are merciless, murderous, and collectively harmful to the nearest adult.

Cover your Achilles tendons, arm yourselves, and glance at the Evil Little Bastards.

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Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (2007)

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wrongturn2Hell, I liked “Wrong Turn.” It was, by my book, an underrated and sadly obscure little horror flick that really deserved to be looked at from a different perspective. Yes, I bitch about movies being recycled, and cliché, and awfully rehashed, but when it’s done with enough entertainment value as “Wrong Turn” was, I can be forgiving. “Wrong Turn” has been done before and better, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a blast. Suffice it to say, I was excited for “Dead End.” Would it be a direct take off from the original, or would it be a name only sequel? Is “Dead End” the original title before Lion’s Gate slapped on “Wrong Turn 2”? That was the only horrific element of this viewing experience: the anticipation and the guessing. The only truly good thing to look forward to was the presence of Henry Rollins.

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