I believe that the intention of Mel Gibson and this entire production was noble. The idea, that of bringing the relevance of Christ’s sacrifice to the forefront, is something that a lot of people love and identify with. I am an atheist myself, but I believe in many of the philosophies Christ espoused, and I pattern a lot of my life on his tactics and thought. I believe in honesty, truth, martyrdom for good causes, beauty, and most of all, I search for a God with all of my heart and want to find some kind of supernatural existence for us all through writing. That’s the intent of these creators, I am assured. Unfortunately, the best laid plans.
Tag Archives: Thriller
Open Water (2004)
Picture this if you will: you’re going scuba diving, and your boat leaves you behind. In the middle of the ocean. No food, no water, hunger and dehydration are starting to set in, hypothermia is on its way, sharks are starting to nibble at you, you’re being stung by jellyfish and you’re not sure whether you’re two or two-hundred miles from land. And to make it worse: No one knows you’re even missing. That’s gotta suck, right? Well, it’s happened in real life, and to the two people who are the subject of “Open Water”.
The I Inside (2004)
Granted, I’ve never been much of a fan of Ryan Phillipe and his movies, I was very skeptical on whether or not I’d enjoy this. Based on the play by Michael Cooney, and directed by Roland Suso Richter, “The I Inside” was created around the same time as “Butterfly Effect”, but then it was held back, and then dumped on cable television premiering on a channel not a lot of people have. If you’ve seen this movie yet, you’ll notice it’s not like a lot of cable movies. Great cast of great actors and an above par production quality. So why was this treated so badly upon its release?
Mean Creek (2004)
If you could snap your fingers and make your school bully disappear, would you? That is the question posed here in this chilling tale of revenge called “Mean Creek”. Sam is beaten by the school bully George one time too many, and now Sam’s brother and his friends are intent on seeking revenge on George by luring him out to the river and playing a nasty prank on him, but things go horribly wrong. Much like “Deliverance” being a tale of paranoia and the mind becoming the worst enemy after a tragedy, “Mean Creek” is a younger more contemporary tale of an incident spawning a tragedy which has dire consequences.
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
Surely, this is one of those obscure classics that people should know more about, and should really talk more about, but alas, it isn’t, and that’s a damn shame. My favorite heroes be it literary, cinematic, or otherwise, were the brainy heroes, and the reluctant heroes, two of which are represented here in this Redford classic about espionage, action, adventure, and government paranoia.
Species III (2004)
After the sequel to Species, the army is now transporting her body to the morgue for testing, but discovers she’s not exactly dead and has given birth to two offspring. Sil, the original species (cameo by Natasha Henstridge) is killed, but not before she gives birth to a child which is stolen by a soldier and taken in. The name of the child is Sara a brand new species/half-breed. Sara is played by the beautiful and angelic Sunny Mabrey, who pulls in a good performance as the new creature forced to discover the world. She presents the same sexual appeal predecessor Henstridge did, and is just as threatening.
Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)
Though the film is clearly lacking in many things, what it doesn’t lack is an opening that is bland. I liked the beginning more than the film as a whole, mainly because it succeeds in setting forth what is about to happen despite robbing us of terror. The opening is very close to what the opening of the remake of “Dawn of the Dead” was except it doesn’t take the same risks and supply the same frantic nihilism, however it does succeed in tension from the workers going back into the hive being overrun by zombies, right down to the calm neighborhood interrupted by a car crash which essentially sets the stage for the “plot” of the missing daughter of the scientist of the hive and fades away to Jovovich in her delicious glory on the stretcher where we last left off from the ending of “Resident Evil.”