Category: Reviews

  • Danger! Stay out of the ‘Safe House’

    Danger! Stay out of the ‘Safe House’

    Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in 'Safe House'
    Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in ‘Safe House’

    A safehouse is vernacular in the FBI/CIA/generic spy agency lingo for a location that’s kept ready always in case there is a need to house someone safely.  Being the caretaker of a safehouse is among the most blase jobs there are in the intelligence trade.

    For agent Matt Weston of the CIA (Ryan Reynolds) he’s spent a year of his life bored to distraction as the keeper of a CIA safehouse in South Africa. He has managed to form a relationship with a young doctor, but she’s going to move on to a job in Paris in the very near future and his chances of landing a CIA job in Paris range somewhere between slim and none.

    His lack of action is about to be shattered when a former CIA agent named Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) who went rogue almost ten years earlier turns up in South Africa.

    He’s working a deal with a MI6 (the British Spy Agency) operative to get his hands on a file filled with extremely valuable information on a bunch of people who work for various other spy agencies. These members of the CIA, MI6 and BND (German’s foreign spy agency) will stop at nothing to prevent Frost from selling this file and exposing their treachery.

    The attempts to kill Frost begin almost immediately after he very cleverly hides the file where no one will search for it and soon he is forced to seek refuge in the U.S. Consulate in Cape Town.  When the CIA higher-ups at Langley learn that Frost has been reeled in, they order that he be taken to the nearest safehouse and held there while interrogators are flown in.

    After the leader of this team attempts to get information from Frost by extra-legal means, the safehouse is breached by a group of heavily armed men.  Soon only Weston and Frost are left and Frost convinced Weston that his best chance to survive is to flee.  Taking Frost with him in tow, Weston does just that and after the prefunctory chase scene, manages to break free from his pursuers.

    Weston contacts his friend and supporter among the CIA upper echelons, David Barlow (Brendan Gleeson) who is in a meeting with Catherine Linklater (Vera Farmiga) who is overseeing this particular operation, Deputy Director of the CIA Harlan Whitford (Sam Shepard) and a group of other looped in agents and technicians who have access to some serious technology.  Weston is ordered to maintain custody of Frost and report back in several hours while another team is flown in to take charge of his prisoner.

    From here we are treated to a series of predictable cross and double-cross moment that one finds in any generic spy-thriller.  Director Espinosa is capable of treating his audience to adequate action sequences, and manages to hold the viewer’s attention in spurts, but the taut feel of a really good spy-flick like the re-launch of the Bond franchise that was Casino Royale is absent.  Guggenheim’s screenplay is pedestrian at best, and although he clearly understands the vernacular of the covert operative, he lacks the subtlety and light touch required to provide realism.

    There is a lot in Denzel Washington’s performance that appears familiar and that’s because he’s obviously drawn on characters he has portrayed in prior films like Man on Fire, Training Day and American Gangster.  Reynolds looks very realistic as the bored agent who finds that active field operations are nowhere near what he expected or was ready for.

    There are some positives, as we weren’t treated to an extensive backstory as to why Frost went rogue, and the creative forces behind Safe House were able to resist the obvious impulse to make this a buddy/buddy pic.  Frost is more mentor than anything else to Weston, warning him of what will happen to him if he is not careful.

    Careful is what the audience should be, carefully considering alternatives to Safe House which doesn’t deliver on much of anything it appeared to promise, except a few action sequences.

  • ‘One For The Money’ isn’t worth the cash

    ‘One For The Money’ isn’t worth the cash

    Katherine Heigl stars in 'One for the Money'
    Katherine Heigl stars in ‘One for the Money’

    Janet Evanovich has now written 18 novels in the “Stephanie Plum” series that began with One for the Money. Many of them were bestsellers, and the initial offering actually spent 75 consecutive weeks on USA Today’s list of 150 best selling books. That must be why it seemed logical to take that debut novel and turn it into a major motion picture, with Katherine Heigl in the lead role as Stephanie Plum.

    The movie opens with Ms. Plum driving to dinner at her parents’ home in a crowded New Jersey neighborhood for dinner. She’s not in the best of spirits as she is almost completely broke, lost her retail store sales job some six months earlier and there are more fiscal woes on the horizon. Her mother mentions that her cousin Vinnie the bail bondsman is looking to hire someone and she goes there the next day to see about the job.

    Vinnie, who is sleazy enough that he most likely glides rather than walking upright, has filled the filing position, but he gives in to Stephanie’s pleas to make her a bounty hunter, although she prefers the term “recovery agent”. She has no skills for the job, save looking nice in a tight, short skirt, but Vinnie really doesn’t have a choice. He’s on the hook for $500,000 he put up in bail for local cop Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara) who has been accused of murder. Morelli claims it was a shooting in self-defense, but what seems to be the only witness is gone, along with any trace of a gun that might have been used by the victim. He’s jumped bail and if Stephanie can bring him in, she’ll collect $50,000.

    Stephanie soon learns she really isn’t prepared to bring in a cop, who has way more experience, training and street smarts than she. So she enlists the help of Ranger (Daniel Sunjata), a seasoned recovery agent who looks more like a figure out of a special-operations video game. He provides some much needed assistance and seems to appear whenever Stephanie needs to be bailed out of any mess she’s gotten herself into.

    The trail to find Morelli winds and wends its way through the dirty streets of urban Jersey and takes Stephanie past a pair of hookers, one of whom is named Lula (Sherri Shepherd). Lula is willing to provide information to Stephanie, unlike the manager of a fighter at a nearby gym. The fighter’s manager, Jimmy Alpha (John Leguizamo) seems okay, but is less than helpful, while his fighter Benito is downright confrontational.

    Evanovich’s novel is a page-turner, worthy of a read if you’re into the romantic/comedic/mystery type thing. Apparently something went wrong in translating it from the page to the screen, as what was almost impossible to put down while reading fails to hold one’s attention on the big screen, in spite of the physical appeal of Heigl, and the spot-on casting of Sanjuta, Shepherd and Leguizamo. Also delightful is Debbie Reynolds in a too small role as Stephanie’s kooky grandmother.

    Clearly part of the problem is director Robinson, whose work on the small screen (Grey’s Anatomy, Holby City, Private Practice and Doctors [notice a trend??]) has clearly not prepared her for telling a novel-length story. The script captures some of the wit and humor of Evanovich’s novel just fine, but doesn’t engage the audience in anywhere near the same way the book does. It will definitely provoke a number of laughs, and a few good moments, but in the end, One for the Money isn’t worth the cash, unless you catch the cheap matinee viewing.

  • ‘The Descendants’ is A++ material

    George Clooney stars in 'The Descendants'
    George Clooney stars in ‘The Descendants’

    Director Alex Payne has given us three gems so far, Election, About Schmidt and Sideways.   His latest effort in the director’s chair, The Descendants definitely rises to the standard he previously set for himself.  Starring George Clooney as “Matt King” and adapted by Payne and two others from a novel, The Descendants is a tale of how life is both complex and simple, all at once.

    King is someone that many would aspire to be.  A resident of the paradise known as Hawaii, a successful real estate attorney, married to a beautiful woman, and with two daughters.  He has a nice house and all the rest that comes with it.  Yet when we are first introduced to Matt, he’s a man who bears a heavier burden that Atlas ever carried upon his shoulders.

    Matt’s wife Elizabeth is lying in a hospital bed, comatose, being kept alive by a ventilator and feeding tube.  She was injured in a boating accident that some believe could have been avoided.  His eldest daughter “Alexandra” (Shailene Woodley) is away at an expensive private school, getting into trouble over and over again, while his younger daughter “Scottie” (Amara Miller) is also causing problems herself.

    Meanwhile Matt has become sole trustee of an extensive parcel of land on Kauai that has been in his family for generations.  Descended from a princess who was herself a descendant of King Kamehameha and a ’haole’ banker, Matt’s father left him in total control of the family’s holdings.  The trust is due to expire in seven years, meaning there is a ticking clock on the sale of the property and a large group of cousins who want a say in just who, if anyone, is allowed to buy the land.  The group of cousins who want the property sold to a particular bidder is led by cousin Hugh (Beau Bridges).  Considering the top bid for the land is around one-half billion dollars, there are strong feelings about the sale.  However, there are some cousins, and a lot of residents of the state, who do not want the land sold at all.

    If this wasn’t enough stress for Matt, he’d told by the doctors treating his wife that she is not going to ever recover.  Due to the fact she has signed an advanced healthcare directive, Matt has no say in whether or not the machines keeping Elizabeth alive will be turned off.  However the doctor gives him a little time, so that her friends and loved ones will be given an opportunity to say goodbye.

    While all of this is going on, he discovers something else about his wife and this revelation shakes his world to the very roots.  Worse yet, the source of the revelation is probably the last person on Earth he would have expected to hear it from.  Having no choice but to deal with his wife’s impending departure from life, he brings Alexandra home and with his daughters, and Alexandra’s friend Sid along for moral support, Matt goes about informing everyone of the bad news about Elizabeth.

    Payne is the type of director who clearly motivates actors to bring their “A” game to the set.  Clooney, who wanted to play a role in Sideways only to be told no by Payne (Payne wanted a less well-known face) delivers one of his best performances ever.  We see the full range of feelings that a man who must go through all of this experiences.  Woodley, who looks much like the high school student she was just a few years back is perfectly cast as the troubled daughter, who loves her father dearly, even if she doesn’t show or express it well.  There are a number of places where audiences will laugh audibly, and others where the silence will swallow the theater.

  • ‘Haywire’ will kick your ass

    Ewan MacGregor gets serious in 'Haywire'
    Ewan MacGregor gets serious in ‘Haywire’

    Gina Carano steps out of the Mixed Martial Arts octagon and in front of the camera and proves herself capable of carrying a film in Haywire, the latest offering from the prolific director Steven Soderbergh.

    This action flick will probably win no awards, but it’s a good popcorn action flick and the action scenes are worth the price of admission alone.

    That’s a good thing since screenwriter Lem Dobbs’ script is fairly pedestrian, but there’s no pretense about this movie being anything other than an outline for a series of excellent fight scenes.  Carano plays “Mallory Kane,” a former Marine whose father was also a Marine.  He (Bill Paxtxon in a strong performance despite the small role he plays) is now a famous author who worries about his daughter’s current work as a “black ops” contractor employed by Kenneth (Ewan McGregor).

    Gina Carano stars in 'Haywire'
    Gina Carano stars in ‘Haywire’

    The first part of the movie shows Mallory’s story being told in flashback, after an attempt to meet with Kenneth goes horribly wrong.  She tells how she’s come to this point to Scott (Michael Angaro), who comes to her assistance when it looks like she needs help.  She was on a mission with Aaron (Channing Tatum) for Kenneth, along with a few other people and the mission appears to be a success.

    But betrayal lurks around the corner and soon Mallory is left out in the cold, and must somehow overcome massive obstacles to clear herself from a very neat job of framing her.  Scott provides some assistance at the start and eventually she turns to Coblenz (Michael Douglas), who gave the job she was on to Kenneth.  Nice to see Douglas working and looking healthy.  Rodrigo (Antonio Banderas) was involved in the mission at the tail end, wearing a gray beard for some reason.

    Will Mallory beat the crap out of all the bad guys and triumph in the end?  It’s a typical action flick, so decide for yourself.

    What makes Haywire fun is that rather than taking a good looking actress and having her train and practice so she can appear to be a badass, Soderbergh has taken a real-life badass and given her a chance to shine.  Carano, who looks just fine in fight togs or an evening gown rises to the challenge.  She’s one of those women the camera likes, but doesn’t love, and her expertise in Muay Thai and as an MMA fighter lights up the screen.  BTW, if you’re looking at her and swearing to yourself you’ve seen her before, if you were a fan of American Gladiator, you might have seen her in her role as “Crush”.

    I liked Uma Thurman in the Kill Bill films, Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith, along with other actresses like Kate Beckinsale, who have taken a dip in the action film genre.  But like Angela Mayo Ying and Cynthia Rothrock before her (two female martial artists who moved from the ring to the big screen), Carano is the real deal and it shows.

  • ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ is a thing of beauty

    ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo’ is a thing of beauty

    Rooney Mara in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'
    Rooney Mara in ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’

    Director David Fincher (The Social Network and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) seems to focus on unconventional films and he’s hit the motherlode here.

    Daniel Craig is Mikael Blomkvist, a financial journalist who thought he’d uncovered evidence that a major mogul Ulf Friberg’s “Wennerstrom” was dirty.  The only problem was that Blomkvist was sued for libel by Wennerstrom and Blomkvist lost the case and most of his life’s savings.

    Meanwhile, Christopher Plummer’s Henrik Vanger wants to hire Blomkvist to ostensibly pen his memoirs regarding his stewardship of the family’s large but shrinking business.  But that’s the cover.  The real story is that Vanger wants Blomkvist to unravel the threads of a 40 year old mystery involving Vanger’s family.  In return, if he’s successful or not in solving the mystery, Vanger promises to give Blomkvist the information he needs to sink Wennerstrom once and for all.

    Daniel Craig stars in 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'
    Daniel Craig stars in ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo’

    Craig is very good in getting away from his recent James Bond portrayals and giving a believable, human element to Blomkvist who is a very good investigative journalist as well as a fine detective (the two often go hand in hand).

    Meanwhile, before hiring Blomkvist, Vanger’s corporate lawyer had Blomkvist investigated to be sure he’d be a suitable person to conduct this hush hush investigation.  The firm he hired put Rooney Mara’s Lisbeth Salander on Blomkvist’s case and she amazed everyone with the level of information she was able to provide.  She looks like a street urchin in her raggedy clothing, multiple piercings through ears, nose, eyelid and lip, but when she needs to, she can take off the grunge and put on the ritz.

    Blomkvist decides he needs a research assistant and none other than Lisbeth is hired at his request and they’re off and running, uncovering evidence that leads to the deep dark secrets within the Vanger family.  Those secrets are dark and deep.

    So is the life that Lisbeth is leading, and we see that play out in her dealings with the social worker who manages her affairs.  After all, although 23, she’s been ruled incompetent to manage her own affairs.  When you see what she has to do to satisfy her new social worker overseer that she needs money will shock and horrify you.  You should be able to guess who will end up getting the worst of it in the end.  Who will be uncovered as the Vanger family black sheep is not all that easy to guess, but try if you must.  Or sit back and enjoy the story as it unravels.  It’s a complex, wonderful tale.

    The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is brilliant.  Fraught with tension throughout, there are moment that ratchet that tension up to the point where you will be moving to the edge of your seat in anticipation of the scene yet to come.  Fincher makes wonderful use of hi cast, letting the throw it out there when that’s best, reining them in just enough where pullback works better.

    Ensure your bladder is empty before you sit down to watch 2 hours and 38 minutes of almost non-stop action.   You won’t want to miss any of that action because you had to run out to the restroom.  Other than that, just sit back, relax, enjoy the stimulation this perfect mix of action, tension, betrayal, and retribution brings to its audience.

  • ‘Straw Dogs’ remake cannot compare to Dustin Hoffman’s original

    ‘Straw Dogs’ remake cannot compare to Dustin Hoffman’s original

    Kate Bosworth in 'Straw Dogs' (2011)
    Kate Bosworth in ‘Straw Dogs’ (2011)

    In 1971, Straw Dogs starring Dustin Hoffman and Susan George and directed by Sam Peckinpah was released to much attention. Over 40 years, it has become a classic that stands as one of the finest achievements of the director and actors.

    Now it’s reduced to a torture porn cash-in by Rod Lurie, the idiot who decided that it needed to be remade.

    It pains me how disgraceful this movie is. It had such a solid basis to follow, but it betrays that foundation in the most critical of ways.

    David (James Marsden) and Amy Sumner (Kate Bosworth) head to her home in the rural town she grew up in so he can concentrate on his work. They soon hire a construction crew to work on the roof of the barn on the property. This crew is led by Charlie Venner (Alexander Skarsgard), Amy’s former boyfriend. Soon tensions rise, lust builds, and violence explodes.

    You’re probably thinking, “Yeah this is all in line, what’s the issue?” Well that’s pretty much all it gets right. Other than that it is a complete miss that shows no understanding of why major elements of the original were so vital.  It reminds me of The Last House on the Left in 2009 — another terrible remake where the mororns behind it proved that they entirely missed the point of Wes Craven’s film and the Ingmar Bergman original, The Virgin Spring.

    The first, and perhaps most crucial, mistake made is the change of setting. The original was set in the English countryside. This was extremely effective because when people think of places that seem dangerous, that one would be at the bottom of the list. So the point of the original is that evil exists everywhere, even where you assume it would never be.

    James Marsden and Kate Bosworth co-star in 2011’s 'Straw Dogs'
    James Marsden and Kate Bosworth co-star in 2011’s ‘Straw Dogs’

    And what does Lurie do? He sets it in the American Deep South. Rejoin me when you’re done facepalming.

    You can’t set something in movieland’s most dangerous place and then expect the audience to be shocked when bad stuff happens. We’ve seen Deliverance, Southern Comfort, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and its dozens of sequels, remakes, and rip-offs. The way Hollywood tells it, Middle Eastern warzones are safer. And the characters are so stereotypical that it’s ridiculous. A character says “we know our guns” in a conversation that isn’t at all about guns and the preacher asks his congregation in earnest to pray that the high school football team wins. I shit you not.

    The next problematic change is altering the profession of the main characters.

    Whereas the original David was a mathematician, this one is a screenwriter. Again the whole idea of it went over Lurie’s brainless head. The point wasn’t that his job wasn’t all that labor-intensive; it was that it signaled a high degree of intelligence and made him unrelatable to any of the other characters.

    Here though, the locals all love movies and TV shows, especially since this new Amy is now an actress. This is another huge problem, as it makes her and David have more in common. The original one was no rocket scientist, and at times one would wonder what she saw in him.

    Big problem #3 (or, what number am I on now?): the casting. Hoffman and George were not only great actors, but they were perfectly mismatched. A 13-year age gap already existed between them, and Hoffman looked older still. Plus George, as we might say today, was out of his league. Again, this made the audience wonder just what these two are doing together, and how this disparity will affect her interaction with Charlie.

    Marsden and Bosworth however are perfectly matched. Even though they are actually 10 years apart, it doesn’t show at all. They are exactly in each other’s league. In fact, they played a couple a few years ago in Superman Returns.  This reunion aspect really cheapens the movie, too. We don’t see David and Amy; we see Lois Lane and her boyfriend.

    Their performances aren’t much good either. Hoffman is certainly a tough act to follow, but Marsden falls far short. Bosworth doesn’t even speak with a southern accent (and there’s a really pathetic excuse why). And no, she does NOT do the nudity, which in the original was not gratuitous but visually essential for the scenes to have such a powerful effect. Bosworth dresses slutty practically the whole movie (something George did not do; she was alluring even in a sweater, jeans, and sneakers) but doesn’t do nudity. Go figure.

    For extras, the DVD and Blu Ray have a commentary from Lurie, four 4-7 minute featurettes, and trailers for other movies.

    This movie was a huge flop when it was released in theaters. Thank God for that. Everyone involved with this mockery of a cinematic landmark should be ashamed of themselves. Their travesty is a gigantic insult to the original, to viewers, and to the medium of film.

  • ‘Hugo’ is made for the big screen 3D

    ‘Hugo’ is made for the big screen 3D

    Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz in 'Hugo'
    Asa Butterfield and Chloe Moretz in ‘Hugo’

    Somewhere in the middle of Hugo, I could have sworn I heard Martin Scorsese giggle. Though the story is about a young orphaned boy living in a Paris train station, the underlying story is about the movies, and naturally, that’s where Scorsese seems to have the most fun.

    Based on The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick, a 550 page children’s book (I kid you not), Hugo follows the title character as he attempts to fix a mechanical robot in an effort to reconnect to his deceased father. It is Hugo’s quest that opens up a mystery larger than the automaton itself and a job much greater than just fixing a mechanical man.

    Scorsese makes a departure with Hugo. Not only is it a film for the younger set, and as such does not contain his signature “stabbing victim in the trunk of a car” or “bloody street battle scene,” but it is also his first foray into the new world of 3D. To put it in perspective, remember that one-shot in Goodfellas when Henry Hill takes Karen into the club on their first date? Remember how it made you feel like you were there — following them into those backdoor alleys and kitchen entrances? Right. Now imagine it in 3D. In Hugo you will feel that you ARE in Paris, in 1930, in the train station, following Hugo as he fixes clocks and evades the station inspector. Scorsese is not just a phenomenal director here. He understands the medium and the effects in the film are so breathtaking that I am not so sure the film will survive the move to plain ole’ 2D disks.

    Asa Butterfield in 'Hugo'
    Asa Butterfield in ‘Hugo’

    That’s not to say that the story is weak. Asa Buterfield gives a particularly heartwarming performance as Hugo, and you can definitely see him on the road to an eventual Oscar somewhere in his career. His co-star on the other hand, Chloe Grace Moretz, is a bit irritating. In fact, at a certain point I just wanted to slap her (which, by the way, you actually CAN do in a 3D film). While the dramatic story line revolves around Hugo and Moritz’s character of Isabelle, it is definitely Sacha Baron Cohen as the Station Inspector who provides the action. As expected, his scenes are humorous, but he is no Borat here. His character, though at times reliant on slapstick and physical comedy is actually complex, and, believe it or not, quite moving.

    The first half of the film trudges along in heavy exposition. With the exception of a short flashback involving Jude Law whom I never have a problem watching – especially leaping out of the screen onto my lap — most of the dialogue is slow and dragging. Younger viewers might find it hard to sit through, visuals notwithstanding. But when Hugo and Isabelle finally start to uncover the mystery of the automaton, the story takes off. It certainly helps that Georges Melies, the link between Hugo and Isabelle is played by Ben Kinsley. Beyond Kingsley’s acting, it is during the second part of the film that Scorsese begins his love letter to the movies. Melies’s movies, which he calls “glimpses into dreams” are Scorsese’s dreams, and it’s wonderful to watch.

    Like I said, this is a film that must be seen on the screen. Don’t wait for the DVD. If you are going to see one 3D movie, this should be it. There were shots that had me wondering, “How did he do that?”  Even with the slow start, the effects will dazzle you and seriously, it is what kept me enthralled. While the ending is a bit contrived, the film is beautiful and you will definitely find yourself smiling – no doubt along with Scorsese.

  • B-movie ‘Born Bad’ gets good grade

    Michael Welch stars in 'Born Bad'
    Michael Welch stars in ‘Born Bad’

    Born Bad is the product of quite an unusual union.

    The Asylum is a low-budget independent film (okay fine, B-movie) studio known for movies with former ‘80s teen idols fighting giant sea creatures. And their collaborator? Lifetime, equally as big a titan in the guilty pleasures field. However, this film is one I’m not ashamed to say was good.

    Airing on Lifetime months ago in a TV-friendly version, Born Bad is now on DVD and Blu Ray in its original uncensored form.

    Brooke Duncan (Bonnie Dennison) has moved to a new town with her father, Walter (David Chokachi), and stepmother, Katherine (Meredith Monroe). Having a step parent is bad enough but Katherine is expecting so that unnerves Brooke further.

    Hitting the town one night, she meets Denny (Michael Welch). He really seems to get her and offers a comfort for her to escape her feelings about home. But even there he charms them effortlessly, and is soon playing basketball with dad and fixing up stepmom’s car.

    However, we know better. The very first scene in the movie is of Denny raping and murdering a young woman (Amanda Ward). This is a hobby he keeps up even after he’s started going with Brooke. And with her, before long his friendly veneer begins to crack. Katherine, exercising her stepmaternal instincts, becomes concerned and starts to do some digging. Of course what she finds is far from good news, and the stage is set for his depraved nature to come out in full force.

    This is something rougher and grimmer than what usually seems to run on Lifetime. Had I seen this without knowing where it came from, I don’t think I would’ve made the connection. Yet at the same time it feels right for it. At the heart of the story is the relationship between Brooke and Katherine. Brooke starts out very cold to her and unwilling to give her a chance. But as the movie progresses and she sees that Katherine really does care for her – if putting your life on the line doesn’t show that, then what does? – Brooke finds that she can start caring for her, too.

    Writer/director Jared Cohn was wise to clue the viewer in to Denny from the start as opposed to trying to keep his true personality hidden as so many of these kinds of movies do. Showing events from his side lets us know just what he is capable of and the path that Brooke is seemingly heading toward. I’d even say some of the wickedness he shows is more than he does in the end. Had the movie only told the story from Brooke’s perspective, a lot of the tension would have been removed and the audience would not get to see the real Denny.

    It was nice to see Monroe and Dennison star in this, particularly the former. I became familiar with her through appearances in notable episodes of Masters of Horror and Cold Case, and she delivers solid work here too. Dennison I did not know of before this, but I definitely do now.

    The extras are a making of featurette, a gag reel, the trailer, and trailers for other movies.

    Born Bad is a standout for both The Asylum and Lifetime. One request for next time: Maureen McCormick as a woman trying to improve her relationship with her family, and fighting against a massive man-of-war.

  • ‘Island of Lost Souls’ still retains its power to horrify

    ‘Island of Lost Souls’ still retains its power to horrify

    Kathleen Burke in 'Island of Lost Souls'
    Kathleen Burke in ‘Island of Lost Souls’

    The early 1930s is thought of as the golden age of horror films, and for good reason. This was the era that gave us Dracula, Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, M, Freaks, Vampyr, and King Kong. And now thanks to the Criterion Collection, Island of Lost Souls officially makes its way to DVD and Blu Ray for the very first time.

    A highly controversial film for its time – it was banned in Britain for decades – Island of Lost Soulshas still retained its power to horrify. The story is better known by the H. G. Wells novel the film is adapted from: The Island of Dr. Moreau. Shipwrecked Edward Parker (Richard Arlen) is picked up by a boat delivering animals to a mysterious island. After clashing with the captain (Stanley Fields), he is stranded on the island after they dock. Montgomery (Arthur Hohl), who he earlier met as a passenger on the ship, guides him to his employer and owner of the island, Dr. Moreau (Charles Laughton).

    Bela Lugosi in 'Island of Lost Souls'
    Bela Lugosi in ‘Island of Lost Souls’

    Already things seem peculiar to Parker, such as the strange looking natives. These, it is soon revealed, are not natives at all, but beast men. Kept in line by the Sayer of the Law (Bela Lugosi) – the law being the code in place for them to abide by — they are the creations of the doctor through experimentations with animals. And Dr. Moreau has use for Parker with regards to his female specimen, Lota the Pather Woman (Kathleen Burke).

    The novel was made into film twice more, in 1977 with Burt Lancaster and, most infamously, in 1996 with Marlon Brando (winning a Razzie for his performance). ButIsland of Lost Souls is certainly the best of them.

    Everything about this tale to get right is achieved. Dread certainly pervades, but the deeper themes – concerning the dangers of scientific ambition, what it means to be human, playing God, etc. – are there as well. The cast is extraordinary; Laughton and Lugosi followers will be very pleased and Arlen is quite strong in his part. And the makeup, while surely eclipsed by today’s standards, still holds up well enough and creates some very believable beast men.

    Kathleen Burke and Richard Arlen in 'Island of Lost Souls'
    Kathleen Burke and Richard Arlen in ‘Island of Lost Souls’

    The extras consist of an audio commentary by film historian Gregory Mank; a 20 minute conversation concerning the film between director John Landis, makeup artist Rick Baker, and horror expert Bob Burns; an interview with horror film historian David J. Skal; an interview with director Richard Stanley, who was originally the director of the 1996 film but was fired early into production (and yes, he addresses the story about him returning to set disguised in costume as an extra to observe); interviews with Mark Mothersbaugh and Gerald Casale of the band Devo on the inspiration they took from the film; Devo’s 10 minute short In the Beginning Was the End: The Truth About De-Evolution; a still gallery; the theatrical trailer; and a booklet featuring an essay by Christine Smallwood.

    Fans of horror, science fiction, and classic films would do themselves a great favor in checking out Island of Lost Souls. It is one of the standouts of the golden age and still a very effective display of terror and thought. It’s because of stories like this that make Wells’ legacy as a literary icon much well-deserved.

  • ‘Secrets in the Walls’ only worth watching for Jeri Ryan

    ‘Secrets in the Walls’ only worth watching for Jeri Ryan

    Jeri Ryan in 'Secrets in the Walls'
    Jeri Ryan in ‘Secrets in the Walls’

    A family moves into a new home, which seems like an improvement from where they last lived. It doesn’t take too long after that for someone, most likely one of the children, to realize there are things going bump in the night. The protagonist character is skeptical but decides to do some digging and discovers that these strange events have some connection to a cold case crime from long ago. Then it’s up to our hero, possibly with the assistance of someone who dabbles in the supernatural, to set the wrongs of the past right and make the home a happy place again.

    That’s the basic layout for your typical haunted house movie, isn’t it? And it’s how one would describe Secrets in the Walls to a T. Airing last year on Lifetime and now on DVD, this movie doesn’t reinvent the wheel or push the envelope. It does however have some solid acting work from its stars.

    Rachel Easton (Jeri Ryan) manages to land a cushy job at a doctor’s office not very close to her cramped apartment, so it makes sense for her to move somewhere nearby. She finds a good deal on a house and moves in with her two daughters: teenager Lizzie (Kay Panabaker) and the younger Molly (Peyton List). The latter shows some signs of psychic ability, like being able to predict when a phone is about to ring. So of course, she’s the one who first senses something is amiss. After a while, the other two begin to suspect things too. Rachel takes initiative by going through some old newspaper articles and talking to her co-worker friend Belle (Marianne Jean-Baptiste), an expert in the paranormal.

    Kay Panabaker in 'Secrets in the Walls'
    Kay Panabaker in ‘Secrets in the Walls’

    To its credit, the movie does try to throw in a surprise plot twist at the end. The event where the movie could have ended is but a lead up to what will provide the real struggle. And thank goodness for that, since it’s in the final act that there’s the most tension and excitement. Before that we know weird stuff is going down, but it doesn’t really seem all that threatening, like the family is in any legitimate danger. That all said however, this twist is added in a tacked-on kind of way. There was no reason why any hint of it could not have been given earlier on.

    But the actresses are impressive. I’m surprised that Ryan hasn’t had more leading roles instead of being confined to supporting characters (even if they are pretty memorable like Seven of Nine). In this part she exudes much charm and warmth but also strength and determination. She carries the movie well and ought to be given more chances in the lead. Also standing out well are Panabaker and List, who with Ryan form a totally believable family.

    There are no extras aside from two trailers that play before the menu comes up.

    An exceptional haunted house movie is not to be found here. But what is present is a decent one that will satisfy fans of Ryan. Maybe the genre in general is just getting tired out. How about some other buildings get haunted for a change, like a barbershop or used car dealership?