The X-Files: I Want To Believe (July 24) (DVD Released November 26) Also avaliable in Exclusive Collectors Tin at EzyDVD.
Rating- M for Violence,Themes and Coarse Language
Tagline- To Find The Truth, You Must Believe.
Believe Again.
Website- www.iwanttobelieve.com.au
Australian Gross- $2,089,164 (Minimum)
Mulder and Scully are asked to help in the investigation of a missing agent. With the help of a paedofile priest, who is "psychic", the discover body parts in the snow, many times. With Mulder wanting to continue helping the FBI agents, scully doesn't, and it starins again their relationship.
Surprisingly interesting. As I've never seen the show, or the first film i wasn't expecting to get anything, but it was immediately obvious that Scully and Mulde had a relationship, and it was strained for the time being. As the film wen't on it was very interesting and watchable. I must admit i wanted to see it initially in the cinemas, but didn't find the time, which is a shame, as the film deserves more credit than it was given. From the clique opening scene to the predictable ending the film didn't fail to loose my attention. One charactexr, after her demise i was unsure if she was alive as they never spoke of her again, but what film doesn't have plot holes?.
The plot was watchable and filled with M rated action, and gore. It sustained credibility for my attention and was also very confusing at times with the nerdy figures of how they figured out things, which was explained later on. A certain scene in the film when a cop was pushed off a ledge, i was unsure whether she was alive or not, as they never mentioned her name again, but i presume she had died. Some plot holes but very solid plot overall.
The acting was very well, with rapper X-Zibit making an appearence as a fellow officer, who didnf't believe. David Duchovny was somewhat weird to see in this as i only know him from controversial "Californication" as a sex addicted freak, but he was very solid and grounded acting in this. Gillian Anderson was very well adapted to her role, and was an obvious favourite in the film. Her acting skills are very very expressed in her role as Scully.
Overall the 2nd installment in the X-Files films is very entertaining to watch and is one of the better films of the year. My rating is 3.5/5.
Timber Falls (DIRECT-TO-DVD November 6)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Horror Violence
Tagline- Prey For The Victims.
A couple hiking for the weekend, head out deep into the forest, and come accross several marked paths on their map. When a local who lives in these woods reccomend the Timber Falls path they follow with the assurence that they will see beautiful things. As night falls, they express their love for eachother unknowing that someone is watching them. The next morning the woman heads down to a nearby lake for a skinny dip, and is abducted. Desperate to find her, her boyfriend rushes to the forest, and goes unconcious. When he finally comes to his senses he realises that the woman local who saved him earlier, is a obsessed with christ, and has taken him and his beloved Cheryl. All the local woman wan'ts is for Cheryl to get pregnant, so the local can have her own child.
Gripping. It starts off as many satisfying films do, with a little introduction to what you are most likeyl going to see later on in the film. The film is very realistic, and very fast paced once it gets into the story which is very very gripping. Some scenes were like the greatest film ever invented "Wrong Turn" but i guess with the loosely similar plot, some scenes will have that effect. The gore was pretty average, but then again i wasn't expecting there to be much.
The plot is loosely similar to Wrong Turn by which i mean with the hillbilly's in the woods. The plot is realistic and is hard to look away in case you might miss something. Majority of the plot was predictable but that didn't make it less watchable, but more enjoyable.
The acting was good, and very realistic, with the panting and crying.
Overall Timber Falls is a gripping watch, but will bore you if you don't like the hillbilly themed movies. My rating is 3/5.
Saw 5 (October 23)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Violence,Blood and Gore
Tagline- You Won't Believe How It Ends!
Website- www.saw5.com
Australian Gross- TBA
In this installment, the story starts directly after Saw 3 finished, where Detective Hoffman locked Detective Strahm with Jigsaw's body. Miraculously after a girtty game Strahm escapes and wan'ts to figure out who the "new" accompless is. When Agent Perez dies, her last words were Detective Hoffman. Desperate to find out why Strahm follows him, but soon discovers the gritty past about Hoffman, and what he has done. Meanwhile this is going on another game is being played. Similar to Saw 2, 5 "strangers" are all forced to play a string of games to survive.
Wow. With all the crap reviews this sequel is getting i wasn't expecting anything special, but when the movie finished i wanbted more. The whole movie was so well constructed to make us think, and the plot was really confusing at first, but once you figured out the key point, you want more and more. Die hard fans will be pleased as it shows Hoffman as the real prick he is, although what happened in his past i guess isn't really his fault. The switches between Hoffman and Strahm's situation to the five strangers in the Saw 2-like scene really put the pressure on your brain. The strangers scenes were like time to think about what just happened with Hoffman and Strahm.
The plot, well can you say complex. It starts at the end of Saw 3, and the added dialogue about the other officers was pleasing to watch. Remember agent Perez who gto shot in the face in #4, well she died and it's her last words that make Strahm suspicious about Hoffman. The ending was just like any other saw movie, the whole feeling of "I wanna know what happens next". I really don't understand why others gave negative reviews, as this was great.
The acting was believable, and very realistic. What more is there to say.
Overall, this sequel is probablt the 3rd best in the franchise, and is a must for any solid Saw follower. All hail #6. My rating is 3.5/5
Wrong Turn 2: Dead End (DIRECT-TO-DVD January 1)
Rating- R18+ for High Level Horror Violence
Tagline- In The Forest, Only They Can Hear You Scream.
Evil Awaits.
Website- www.wrongturn2dvd.com
A new reality survival show is about to start filming in the woods. As filming starts equipment start turning up missing and wierd things start happening. One by one, the cast and crew of the reality show are getting murdered one-by-one and the survivors together, head to the old abandoned factory up the road in hope for a phone. When captured the mutant inbred family keep them as meals and love chasing them through the forrests. The remaining contestants attempt to escape before it’s too late.
CRAP CRAP CRAP!!!!!!!. Wrong Turn is my favourite movie of all time and when i heard about this sequel i was hoping for the aftermath of Chris and Jessie. This was just plainly made for gore scenes. As Wrong Turn had a complex storyline and wasn’t mainly focused on the gore, i was in hope this would be the same. This was just basically a rip off of what Rob Schmidt and Stan Winston (R.I.P) had created. These mutants were just so fake and weren’t what i had hoped for. I am so glad this didn’t go theatrical because then I would think from it’s income from rentals that it would out do the perfect original.
The plot was basically just based on the Gore and Mutants. What it didn’t live up to was originality. The original i think is so original and this is just a soppy sequel. In real life it couldn’t happen because before reality shows are filmed the whole location is searched before filming. What this sequel as many do is fail to out do the original.
The cast were all young and familiar, and alot of them were from other horror films. Erica Leerson (Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) was cast as the main charactor and she done well. Texas Battle (Final Destination 3) was also a main character that was great. Daniella Alonso (The Hills Have Eyes 2) lived up to her tough chick image. Crystal Lowe (Snakes On A Plane, Final Destination 3, Black Christmas) seems to always play the part in any movie of the slut. The acting was great but without great directing and a average plot it didn’t work.
Overall Wrong Turn 2: Dead End has gore it didn’t have a solid plot. My rating is 2.5/5
Dark Ride (DIRECT-TO-DVD October 1)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Horror Violence, Strong Sexual References, Coarse Language
Tagline- The Last Ride You'll Ever Take
Will You Survive The Ride Of Your Life?
Website- www.darkride.com
A group of college kids on spring break find a flyer in a toilet for the grand re-opening of a small towns “Dark Ride”. They soon realise the horrors that took place there over twenty years ago. As the body count begins the screaming begins.
Dark Ride was part of the After Dark Horrorfest in 2006 so I ws expecting it to at least be watchable. It was predictable in the end as at leats an hour before the end we figured who the killer was. It made me so bored just sitting there doing nothing wathcing this film.
The acting was not performed to the standard of what a horror film needs to be performed because acting sheer terror would be hard to do and this cast wasn’t assembled well. When purchasing this DVD I saw all the 2006 “horrorfest” DVD’s on the shelf and the cover just drew me. Turn to the back of the DVD and it looked by far the best one. I was wrong.
The plot was something that could have been great but with twists and turns I saw coming it didn’t live up to my expectations. It wasn’t exactly original as i felt that some scenes i’d seen before.
Overall Dark Ride is predictable but will scare you if you don’t see scenes coming. My rating is 2.5/5 .
The Happening (June 12) (DVD released November 26) Also Avaliable in an Exclusive Collectors Tin at EzyDVD.
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Violence
Tagline-We've Sensed It. We've Seen The Signs. Now It's....Happening
Website- www.whatishappening.com.au
Australian Gross- $3,233,612
An epidemic just hit Central Park: People just stopped in their tracks and killed themselves. The theory is that terrorists have put a gas in the air thats sperads, and fast. Now a school teacher, his friend and his duaghter, and his girlfriend get on a train to get away from this mess. The train stops in a small town and when drivers asked why, their reply was “We’ve lost contact…with everyone”. Then on a tv they hear that it isn’t a terrorist attack, but a natural gas that is targeting small towns. Now everyone is upset and fleeing the town. Now some survivors are walking through the fields to get to a no population zone. Good. I really liked the plot and the essence of what was happening. The film is really enjoyable with the sudden change in people when this gas has got them is astounding. The thing that really annoyed me in the movie was the main cast. The old fashioned country settings worked well in the film, and the everybody working together scheme really made the film watchable. The ending was really bland until the switchover to the foreign country.
The plot was really great, with the scenes really working well. I must say, the best part of the film was when the main cast were at the old lady’s home. It was really funny in a weird way even though i guess they tried to make it scary. The death scenes were also the bets part. They were gruesome and really added extra tension when other cast members found them.
The acting was good. Zooey Deschanel reminded me of Emily Watson in Red Dragon because of her eyes and just the expressions she made. Mark Wahlberg was really irritating because his character was just so smart but annoying. The ending where him and Zooey got together was so coincidental that the virus stopped just as they were gonna die. What a crock of shit.
Overall The Happening is a good watch, and a enjoyable experience. My rating is 3.5/5
[REC] (DIRECT-TO-DVD October 22)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Horror Violence and Coarse Language.
Tagline- One Witness. One Camera.
Website- www.movies.filmax.com/rec
A local TV crew filming a frie brigades every movie follow them to an apartment block, where the fire brigade is to help an elderly woman. When the woman savagely attack one of them, they run downstairs to get the injured to hospital to discover they are being locked in the building for an unknown reason. From then on the night gets worse as people begin to start eating flesh after they themselves have been bitten ny someone else.
A little slow. I must admit, the movie started off very slow, but it was worth the wait. This is one of the only movies to freak me out, and i mean freak me out. Right at the end of the film is the wierdest thing i've ever seen in a movie. I now no why that New Zealand fella' shit his pant's why watching it. The subtitles yes were a little annoying to watch, incase i missed something on screen, but it was worth the watch.
The plot was well written, and very very smart. Again we have the Blair Witch Like directing style but it made the film more realistic.
The acting was great, with even the extras looking the camera to give it, the live tv effect. It was really well acted.
Overall [REC] is a freaky, and i do mean freaky flick that isn't for the scaredy cats. My rating is 3.5/5.
Mirrors (November 6)
Rating- TBA
Tagline- There Is Evil......On The Other Side
Website- www.mirrorsthemovie.com.au
Australian Gross- TBR
A retired officer takes a security job at a burned department store. Inside all the mirrors are sparkling clean. Very quickly he starts to see things in the mirrors and then discovers that before the building was a cosmetics department outlet it was a mental hospital. Now he must stop whatever is in the mirrors before they get to his family. Meh. I wasn’t expecting much because of all the other reviews i’ve read but wanted to see it for myself. So i finally sat down and watched it and it dragged on and on. The storyline had plot holes throughout and i don’t get why the reflection is killing people which made the end result pointless. The best part of the film was when Amy Smart was killed. Her death scene is one i wont forget quickly. Somewhat predictable it made no sense how the people in the mirrors escaped to get the officers family. Director “AJA” was superb at making the 2006 remake of The Hills Have Eyes a great film and i was hoping this would make my top 10 list, but this isn’t even worth of the top 30. The lack of suspense and scares was filled up by shadows that were supposed to make people jump. The CGI on the fire covering Kiefer was really fake that even a child wouldn’t mistake it for real.
The plot was simple. Crazy souls in mirrors that kill people. The plot holes were abundent and the ending i didn’t see coming but would be expected from a film like this. The death scene where Amy Smart was killed was really the highlight of the movie for me, and the endind comes a close second.
Kiefer Sutherland wasn’t great but his character wans’t portrayed as well as it could’ve been. Amy Smart although in it for a little bit was as usual great. Paula Patton was great as Mrs Carson. She showed emotion and great skill.
Overall Mirrors is a pointless flick that just plain drags on and on. My rating is 2.5/5
THE RUINS (7th of August was planned but distribution to cinemas was cancelled) (DVD Released December 4)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Violence, Blood and Gore, and Coarse Language.
Tagline- Terror Has Evolved.
Website- www.theruins.com.au
The Ruins follows four tourists in Mexico. They decide to take a little trip deep in the forest to some old Temple Ruins. When they get there they are ambushed by locals who pull a gun on them. When one of them touches the vines on the Ruins, they are shot. The remaining survivors are chased atop The Ruins and are stranded. They hear a cell phone inside and head down but what they find is disturbing. They must somehow trick the locals and escape alive.
The Ruins is scary, suspenseful, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. It started off a little boring but upon arrival at The Ruins it started getting exciting. Many scenes will shock you till the point of laughter because what happened was so unexpected. It had a small setting in which it was so secluded and still it was thrilling.
The plot was so simple and so thrilling you couldn’t look away.sitting down looking at evry inch of the screen for any clues about what will happen. Every detail was unexpected. The gore was something I was dreading as so many horror films these days over do the gore factor. The gore scenes in this film were bloody at a realistic level which i loved. The only main plot hole i wanted to see more of was the inside of the temple which was only seen for a thrilling five minutes.
The acting would be best described as average. The character of Stacey would be hard to portray as she is so needy and can’t handle anything, but her portrayer did just that. The acting isn’t outstanding but some of the cast could be seen from this and play bigger roles in bigger movies.
Overall The Ruins, is shocking, thrilling, suspenseful, and best of all SCARY. My rating is 3.5/5
One Missed Call (DIRECT-TO-DVD 10 September)
RATING- M for moderate horror themes and violence.
Tagline- What will it sound like when you die?
Website- www.onemissedcallmovie.com
One Missed Call follows Beth. Her friends keep recieving missed calls dated to days from the date, and the calls have them dying. As each friend dies Beth gets closer to finding out the mystery of how it all started, but will she find out before she gets the call?.
This was criticised for not being original but what they obviously didn’t realise was this is a REMAKE. It follows the same plot as the original in every way and those people who faulted it for that were faulting the Tai version. It reallt had no scares and was relatively boring. The best part was that it got straight into the horror instead of making you learn about the characters. One certain scene in the film captured my attention. The scene where where one of the daughters of the ghost was cutting her sister was breathtaking.
The acting was not on a high mark but was satisfying to a degree. What Shannan (Beth) failed to do was be realistic. It was obvious that her screams were “put on” and it was not an amazing role to act.
Overall it had some visual effects that looked real but it lacks in scaring the audience. It will not be a film that will go down as a memorable of 2008.
My rating is 2/5
Captivity (May 8) (DVD released September 18)
RATING- MA15+ for strong violence, blood and gore.
Tagline- When You Think The Worst Has Happened
Website- www.captivitythemovie.com
Australian Gross- $22,572.
A upcoming model is kidnapped and locked in a basement. She is surrounded by her own belongings and the room si set out like a home. After discovering there is a male victim in the next room, together they attempt to escape.
Captivity doesn’t have a effect on you but it’s allright. Its US poster images weren’t even in the film. It’s over exaggerated “gore” was hardly great. It had no real scares and was not thrilling but while watching it you can’t leave as you will miss what happens next. It makes you wanna know what’s gonna happen next. The sex scene was nothing so i feel that their appeal for eachother would have been better filmed in a different way. Other than those faults it was a ok watch but if you have better things to do it’s probably one to miss out on.
I originally saw it because Elisha Cuthbert (Girl Next Door, House of wax) was in it. I really liked her work on House of Wax and i thought may as well see it. Her acting was denyable in some scenes but she was enthusiastic.
Overall Captivity is a OK flick that is worth watching on a public holiday when nothing else is on.
My rating is 2.5/5
The Orphanage (May 29) (DVD released October 9)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Supernatural Themes.
Tagline- A tale of love. A story of horror.
Website- www.theorphanagemovie.com
Australian Gross- $686,411 (Minimum)
A mother buys a orphanage that she grew up in and turns it into a home. Months later she and her husband decide to foster some kids and days before her child Simon goes missing. Cancelling the fosterings, and everything in her schedule to look for him. After nine months searching they movie out but the mother stays one extra weekend alone. She discovers the bodies of her childhood friends and the terrible secrets that took place at The Orphanage.
Allright. It isn’t 5 star material but is worth watching. It starts off a little slow but when her son goes missing it starts to get enticing. Twist after twist with thrills that keep coming. Nothing was expected and the ending is one you wont forget for a long while. So many films these days have endings that are either average or below average but this is one that is sad but also happy in a way. It’s a great watch and the subtitles means you can’t even look away for a moment unless you speak the language. After all the comotion about it from all over the world, i thought i may as well give it a go because, from the praise it’s getting it must be good.
The plot was so complex and i think from the great money it’s made a US company will remake this. I hope this doesn’t happen as basically every great film thats remade has grossed badly. The plot of this is so thrilling to watch as you fell what Laura (lead role) feels. Loosing your son would be hard enough but uncovering your five best friends from childhood dead in your house would be deadly. It’s a great plot but it takes too long to get into.
The acting was great and was believable. What More can i say.
Overall The Orphanage will keep you entertained from the 2nd quarter straight to the very end. My rating is 3.5/5
April Fools Day (DIRECT-TO-DVD July 10)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Violence.
Tagline- Its gonna be a killer party.
A debutante ball on April Fools Day turns tradgic when a prank accidentally makes a woman fall off a balcony to her death. Now one year later, those involved get a letter "from" the dead girl saying if the person responsible doesn't come forward those involved will die one-by-one. Then as the hours pass the body count starts, and the ending that is yes-shocking but great, no.
Another crap remake. This differs a little from the original but is so stupid i could laugh. The ending was so predictable and it makes the whole film feel like a joke. There was no suspense, thrills, and no real horror. Just a boring waste of money, and time. If they wanted this to work they could’ve handed over the script to a well known director that would make the film better quality and make suspense and at least a little blood. In every way this is predictable, they try to make you believe that someone is the killer but it’s obvious they aren’t because of the prank they pulled at the start. I wouldn’t even reccomend hiring this utter waste of time. Yet again another sloppy remake that doesn’t outdo the original. All my favourite remakes have outdone the original unless the original is higher on my list of favourite movies. I don’t see why they need to remake every horror film of the 70s/80s when they can think of new ones themselves. Horrors these days that are original and not being based on another film or book tend to do gross more than remakes.
The plot was predictable and utterly suspensless. I wouldn’t even class this as horror. this would be classed as crap and should be destroyed. The plot could’ve been better adapted on screen by a better director who knows what they are doing rather than a direcotr no one has ever heard of. I believe this film will probably break his/her career.
The acting was the most utterly pathetic i’ve ever seen. Apart from the rare believability, the acting is nothing short of disastrous.
Overall this pathetic remake has no gore, suspense, thrills, twists and most of all nothing that would make it seem like a horror movie. My rating is 0.5/5
The Invasion (February 28 ) (DVD released June 26)
Rating- M for moderate violence and themes.
Tagline- Do not trust anyone. Do not show emotion. Do not fall asleep.
Website- www.theinvasionmovie.com
Australian Gross- $36,875.
A mother drops her son off at his fathers house and while driving home notcies people are acting different to normal. All over the world a "flu" epidemic has erupted due to a wreck crashing on Earth days earlier. She soon discovers that when infected with this "flu", and sleep you wake up the same but don't sweat, or fell emotion. She and others will fight this and hopefully find her son.
A thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. I films like this because you know it’s something that could potentially happen but it’s just a matter of time before it does. I’d say that this film could pass as being called The Happening because in the film something is happening. The little twists along the way keep you entertained without getting bored by the simple storyline. It’s a big budget film that flopped all over the world. Great films these days tend to either not retain their budget, or just retain it with a small profit. It takes a while to actually get into the story which i hate because then people will get bored with it.
The storyline is original and because it’s such a simple plot i’m glad they added the little twists into the film so the viewers wouldn’t walking out. While sitting in the cinema watching, i had a woman behind me keep grunting as if she knew what was going to happen. She was right. Just before something “big” will happen you think in your head the possibilities and sure enough one of them happens. The film isn’t one that you would go and brag about but it’s a thriller that is worth watching.
Nicole Kidman is excellent at portraying her role. The many expressions and excessive body language you need for the role was so well acted and if this was a hit and Nicole was unknown this role would take her places. The rest of the cast was assembled well with the odd bad acted scene.
Overall The Invasion starts off a little boring then gets better and better. My rating is 3/5
The Mist (February 7) (DVD released June 18)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Violence and Themes
Tagline- Fear Changes Everything
Website- www.themist-movie.com
Australian Gross- $1,116,808
An overnight storm goes through a quiet town and a man, his son, and their neighbour head down to the local store for some supplies. When there, a elderly man enters the shop screaming "Something in the Mist took ____". Shocked, the people don't know how to react, but as The Mist rears around the shop they realise they'll be there for a while soon.
A thrilling entry into Stephen Kings catalogue of films. Its so expected it’s unexpected. Some people that were killed i wasn’t expecting to be killed but one thing i was sure of was every character had their own story to tell. The creatures are so wierd looking and you just have to wonder how they were produced. Was it the experiments by the army or man-made?. I love this film to bits and would say out of all Stephen King films would be my second favourite just behind ROSE RED.
The plot was basically giving away in the trailer but anything other than the scary storyline the whole concept was scary. In any film, if their is an evactuation siren something’s not right. The ending was one of the most shocking i’ve ever seen. I thought that the ending was going to be similar to King’s other recent film Desperation but this was totally different.
The acting was something to look forward to as in the trailer you can see that the acting looks so real and that every inch of speech would be perfectly spoken. The only acting i had a problem with was that of the son. He really wasn’t to the standard of what i would expect to be of a film like this.
Overall The Mist is chilling and a great Stephen King entry. My rating is 4/5
Boogeyman 2 (DIRECT-TO-DVD May 8)
Rating- R18+ for High Level Horror Violence, Blood and Gore
Tagline- Fear. In The Flesh.
As a child, a woman saw her parents butchered by what to this day she believes to be The Boogeyman. Now in an Asylum her new friends start dying in ways of their greatest fear. She must now face her fear and finally get over The Boogeyman
Utterly disgusting. This is just more pathetic than the “original”. Most sequels have some connection to ther preceeder but in this piece of dog food the only connection was the name. In the original, the boggeyman was real but in the sequel the bogeyman wasn’t. This isn’t scary, has no suspense, and fails to draw you in. I understand that someone would want to be part of this film as they probably thought they could out do the less than boring original, but without a well known director i don’t see the point.
The plot was a dissapointment in itself as it had no connection with it’s preceeder. Without this people who saw THE BOOGEYMAN would be slightly dissapointed. When people would rent this they would expect the boggeyman to be real rather than a man in a suit.
The acting was something that shocked me because yet again there is a low budget film that has great acting but not so great directing. Tobin Bell yet again stars in another horror. His other horror credits include THE SAW FRANCHISE, BURIED ALIVE in which he was great. Overall the acting felt real but without solid plot details it would be hard to act in.
Overall Boogeyman 2 has no scares, suspense, or plot which is unsatisfying to watch. My rating is 1/5
Shutter (May 15) (DVD released January 21 2009)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Horror Violence and Suicide Scene.
Tagline- The MostTerrifying Images are the ones that are real.
Revenge Never Dies.
Website- www.shutterthemovie.com.au
Australian Gross- $1,361,587
A newlywed couple move into a new home in Japan. The husband who is a photographer keeps taking pictures with coloured blobs over them. When his wife takes it to a spirit photographer, she is told the ghost seems to be attached to them. Within the next week she will find out a deadly secret of her husbands past.
Yet another remake that fails to do what either The Grudge or The Ring did. I see no point in making this film as the storyline gets wierder and wierder as the film goes on. It has one key moment at the end that was my favourite part, but other than that is your average Asian remake, BORING. I don’t understand how companies keep making these Asian remakes when as they keep releasing we keep rejecting.
The acting was average with fellow Aussie Rachael Taylor as the lead role. Though her acting is getting better her choice of films is getting worse.
In the cinema people were getting bored with how the plot dragged on and it was just death when i realised i had no more popcorn. What it didn’t capture was the attention of the audience and i think this is what made it irritating to watch.
Overall Shutter has no scares and no real suspense.
My Rating is 2/5
The Eye (March 13) (DVD released July 10)
Rating- M for Supernatural Themes.
Tagline- You Won't Believe Her Eyes
Website- www.theeyemovie.com.au
Australian Gross- $1,560,580
A young woman gets a cornea transplant and starts seeing weird things. With her new eyes she keeps seeing a dark shadow taking people just before they die. She keeps seeing a large fire and knows that it hasn't happened yet. She must travell to her donars home town and speak with the deceased family members.
The Eye is yet another foreign remake that wasn’t brilliant, but also wasn’t disastrious. It had some fine key moments that will make you question things but most of the film is sheer thrill material.
Jessica Alba stars in a role that i think could have been better portayed by maybe Angelina Jolee but she made a effort. Her perfomence is somewhat believable and i think that she should lay low on the Horror genre.
Another remake that again un-like the original was unscary. The start was appealing but then when the film progressed i fell it lacked the big shocks. The plot was simple and appealed but i think it really lacked the shock factor which i thought was going to burst.
Overall it’s a unscary thriller thats worth a watch as there’s a few scees that will be memorable.
My rating is 2.5/5
Cloverfield (January 17) (DVD released May 22)
Also avaliable in a 2-disc set, and Exclusive Collectors Tin at EzyDVD.
Rating- M for Frightening Sequences and Sci-Fi Violence.
Tagline- Some Thing Has Found Us
Website- www.cloverfieldmovie.com.au
Australian Gross- $5,957,718
A going away party turns bad when a unknown creature invades the city. A group of friends are carrying a camera so everyone can watch it when the invasion is over. The large monster collapses a bridge majority of survivors were on. The group documenting run through the city in search for another friend and still evading the monster
This is a masterpiece. I think one of the reason’s the film did so well was the way the promoted it. They didn’t release it’s name until the very last second of screening and instead it was called 1.18.08. This was a smart move by Matt Reeves.
The directing was so well done and the style of how it’s filmed was so accurate. The monster looked so real and the actors looked as if it was happening.
The plot is something you pick up on straight-away as at first it’s a nice gentle ride and then the scaring begins.
When i saw this i’d never seen an ad for it, i just rocked up to the cinemas and saw the poster. The poster is what really hooked me. The cinema was quiet the whole time and no-one i recall left for potty run or food binges.
The acting was believable and the casting crew were smart in casting relatively unknown actors. The only ones i really recognise were Lizzy Caplan (Mean Girls) and Mike Vogel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre).
Overall it is a superb thriller that will put you on the edge of your seat. Its a great date movie because there’s alot of jump-out-of-seat scenes that will scare the heck out of you.
My Rating- 4/5.
Prom Night (April 10) (DVD Released August 27)
Avaliable in a 2-disc set at JB HI-FI, EZYdvd, Sanity.
Rating- M for Moderate Violence.
Tagline- A Night To Die For
Website- www.promnightmovie.com.au
Australian Gross- $2,829,835.
Donna came home to find her parents butcherd along with her brother by a sadistic teacher obsessed with her. Now two years later she is at her senior prom when the teacher breaks free from his Asylum. He arrives at the Prom and starts to kill her friend one-by-one
Prom Night is one of those remakes that strayed from the original. I loved it. It had young and up-coming actors, but best of all it was thrilling.
This type of horror is good because reather than focusing on the stab stabb kill kill factor it focused more on the charactors and plot. It had a modern plot that had style to it. It was elegent but fierce. The gore is something that i assume the director didn’t want as there was hardly any in it. Some death scenes were similar to the original and that was good to see.
When i saw this i was sitting there looking around and most of the people in the cinema were paying more attention to their mobiles than to the film. People were going to the toilet which showed that it didn’t interest them much, but for me this was a thrilling unpredictable film that should go down as one of the better horror films of late.
Brittany Snow brang as much effort as you can ask to her role of Donna. She had depth. Jessica Stroup was another actress that i think stood out in her role. I saw her in the 2007 sequel “The Hills Have Eyes 2″ but this brang new experience for her and i applaud her acting.
There were some scenes in this film that i just thought shouldn’t have been there. Although there wasn’t much actually deaths on camera i think that when the bodies were found a little more blood would have been realistic.
Overall Prom Night is a great film for the pre-teen/newly teen audiences. It was thrilling and was just fun to watch.
My rating is 4.5/5
The Strangers (August 14 2008) (DVD released December 17 2008)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Violence
Taglines- Because You Were Home.
We Tell Ourselves There's Nothing To Fear, But Sometimes We're Wrong.
Lock Your Door. Pretend Your Safe.
Website- www.thestrangers.net.au
Australian Gross- $2,109,193
Kristen and James return home after a night at a friends party. When James leaves to get Kristen some smokes, Kirsten is harassed by a masked man. When James gets back, he doesn't believe until he himself witnesses the masked man. They soon discover there are three strangers and continue to get harassed. They are soon split up and will go to great lengths to survive.
A 70s-style shocker.
It starts off with a opening sequence similar to the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre by using a creepy voice-over saying "This Film Is Based On True Events". Then as the couple arrive home, you wonder whats wrong and soon discover why they are both so upset. I'm glad it really went into detail in the couple so you feel their pain as they are tormented throughout the film. The director has obviously depended on the score (music) to make people scared and it really worked. Its a great flick and it had some originality but the only thing i really didn't like was the ending. People should agree, that without a sequel this would be a pretty crappy ending to a very suspensful film.
The 'based on true events' tagline is really stupid because everyone knows it's not real. The plot is so suspenseful and unless you prefer gore rather than scare-tactics this film sin't for you. The plot's suspense is built up by the music, is somewhat predictable at some points.
Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman are an excellent couple together. Their characters were so well portrayed and their love gre and grew towards the end which is soppy yes but also well needed for the last few scenes. The masked strangers were actually scary with the male one being the scariest. Gemma Ward is baby-face but as she doesn't really speak in the film, her acting really cant be questioned.
Overall The Strangers builds up the suspense and keeps you looking at the screen, but when it comes to the end you really wan to know more, but nether-the-less it's a great film that is a must-see of 2008. My rating is 4/5.
Black Water (April 28) (DVD Releases November 21)
Rating- MA15+ for Strong Violence
Taglines- What You Can't See, Can Hurt You
What Would You Do?
Website- www.blackwatermovie.com.au
Australian Gross- $112,473.
Three tourists go on a dinney boat ride down a river to go fishing in the Northern Territory. Their boat is ambushed by a killer croc and they are forced to hide up a tree. Desperate for survival, they try many things to get back to the boat and hopefully get back to the public.
Average. In all honesty i turned it off half-way through watching it the first time, because the croc was only shown once. Then a friend said watch it all, you'll like it. It often gets compared to Rogue, and never gets better reviews. When a continued watching it, the croc did come back and a few scenes were entertaining, but for me it took too long to get into the story. Majority of the film, they're stuck in a tree, and they just talk, which isn't very interesting apart from one of the sisters telling the other she's pregnant. It can't compete against Rogue, because Rogue is unbeatable, if you take any other croc film they're shit compared to Rogue.
The plot was very simple and if it was going to standout it needed to be interesting and have lots of great dialogue. It didn't. Only about five scenes in the movie are great and keep you hanging on for more. With the pregnant sister they tried to make you fell for her when she is attacked but they don't make you feel as if she is going to die. I like the setting of the plot, just not the dialogue.
The acting is believable, and to a point perfect. You feel for them in some scenes when they feel like giving up, but they don't. The acting is probably one of the best parts of the movie.
Overall, Black Water, doesn't shock, but it's entertaining to a point. My rating is 3/5