One of the appealing aspects of “The Snow Queen” that instantly won me over the unorthodox atmosphere present within this fantasy world. Director Julian Gibbs never quite opts to provide a set and strive for a period piece, instead he makes a noticeably unrealistic set piece and alters it enough to make the world of “The Snow Queen” from the impoverished village to the winter wonderland look like a moving painting as done from a surrealist of a sort. The pastels and shades to “The Snow Queen” are so utterly appealing to watch, and while I could notice the CGI, I absolutely loved what Gibbs was going for with this.
Tag Archives: TV Movie
Headless Horseman (2007)
I didn’t expect “Headless Horseman” to live up to these standards, because it’s clearly a low budget horror effort, but hell, when you spin on the Sleepy Hollow tale, you have some responsibility to entertain. And if you fail, you’re going to fall hard. “Headless Horseman” is that exact movie that takes a classic tale and turns it into much more clichés. There’s a bunch of white bread actors playing college students who are on the road traveling to a party. I think. Their van breaks down, and they end up in an old Southern town where old characters mutter chestnuts like “Y’all just passing through, huh?” Director Ferrante really twists the story for the sake of avoiding anachronisms and error in facts, especially insisting that the character of the headless horseman really didn’t strike in New England, but the Southern town they happen upon.
Nature of the Beast (2007)
The death kiss of the “American Pie” franchise continues, as Rodman Flender’s comedy asks us to pontificate the notion of one of the guys from “Teen Wolf” actually growing up to be married. And what if this guy didn’t tell his wife that he was a werewolf by nature, or super nature? Sure, this is really just a ninety minute sitcom in reality that uses a small horror device that doesn’t even place it within the horror fold, but it does indeed rip off “Teen Wolf” considerably. This could very well have been a sequel that occurs ten years later if they pushed for theatrical distribution hard enough.
RL Stine's The Haunting Hour: Don't Think About It (2007)
Sure, by today’s standards, and with my current age, R.L. Stine isn’t so scary anymore. But in case many of you don’t know the name, R.L. Stine is very recognizable to the folks like me who grew up around the time Stine resided in book shelves all over the country. For horror geeks like me, Stine was a gateway drug, he was that first introduction into the horror genre before you came into the hard stuff, and I loved it all. For the teens that could get away with it, he brought us “Fear Street,” a creepier, mature, and violent series of books that had actual stories to them.
Girl, Positive (2007)
Don’t have unprotected sex. Many people say it, a lot of officials warn against it, but not many people practice it. “Girl, Positive” is another PSA from the Lifetime Network that explores a young girl who simply didn’t practice safe sex and suffered the consequences. There are really a lot of factors that could attribute to her contracting HIV, but the writer never pinpoints the actual source; that our character Rachel is just as dumb as a bag of rocks. But “Girl, Positive” in its ways to increase tension and avoid the inevitable revelation, really just treads water until we finally get to the meat and bones of the film.
Street Thief (2006)
In the tradition of films like “Man Bite Dog,” and “Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon,” Malik Bader is a film that constantly has you questioning what’s reality and what’s fantasy. Is this all one big ruse? Are the filmmakers putting us on from minute one? Or is this an actual thief we’re watching? Most of all, does this make the film worth watching if we can never be sure one way or the other? “Street Thief” is one of the many films in the modern era that’s demonstrated the audience’s ability to become voyeurs. As a mass that constantly feel we have to watch people at their worst and most embarrassing, films like “Street Thief” will challenge the audience and keep us guessing.
Ice Spiders (2007)
I’m not sure why, but the prospect of watching “Ice Spiders” was intriguing to me. Perhaps it’s because I just enjoy movies with giant monsters, or perhaps because many movies with giant spiders end up a barrel full of laughs, or maybe because I just enjoy cheesy monster movies. “Ice Spiders” really doesn’t take itself too seriously, and that’s a great thing considering the ridiculous plot we’re introduced to. But with all the horrible plot devices against it from minute one, “Ice Spiders” comes out ahead.