Film Filter: Off- This movie had popped up on my Netflix suggested list several times, and I had disregarded it until the other day. After looking at the cast, I'm surprised I didn't select it to view sooner.
Pros- As I just mentioned, there were more than a few members of the cast that were actually pretty well known. As you know from several of my reviews, I really like Nathan Fillion, and he certainly did not disappoint in this film. In all of the movies I've seen him in, he has definitely portrayed a very different type of character, but has done them all justice. Elizabeth Banks was also a pleasant surprise to the cast, along with Michael Rooker (Merle in The Walking Dead).
One of the things I liked the most about this movie was the comedic interruptions, which allowed the movie to feel more realistic. They weren't even blatant comedic attempts, but the dialogue felt so realistic and sort of pessimistic, which allowed for the subtlety of the humor to be expressed.
Although this is more or less a zombie movie, it doesn't really go about the cliche zombie movie recipe, which is nice and refreshing. It adds a lot of new elements, and ties them all together in a nice, neat package which allows the audience to enjoy the movie without any stereotypes or distractions.
I will say it was pretty brilliant to have one of the girls get a worm stuck part way down her throat, but was then able to pull it out. It gave her an inside look at what the alien's existence has been, and as soon as she frees herself from its grasp she now knows enough to be helpful to the rest of the survivors.
Lastly **SPOILER ALERT** it's assumed that as soon as the host alien is killed, the town and its infected people will resume normalcy. Wrong. All the infected people die, which I like. Not saying I like death or anything like that, but it's unrealistic to become possessed by an alien worm, have it live inside your brain, and then just survive when its host dies. I mean, it's in your brain.
Cons- One of the things I disliked about the movie was the ludicrous amount of slithery, disgusting worms and how inconsistently they attack. They seem to sense human flesh, since they gravitate toward it constantly throughout the film, yet when there are hundreds of worms that explode from a body, and only 10 or so humans in the room, there are like 5 or 6 humans that don't get attacked. The odds don't seem right to me on that one.
Also, when the host alien sticks his pointy umbilical cords into you, he sucks you dry and inserts the worm disease instead. We don't find out, though, until the end of the movie that you must have both pointy extensions inside of you to get infected. It's just another circumstance of making something happen, and then validating it later with a statement like, "Oh by the way, that is supposed to happen."
Wrap up- This was one of those movies that definitely had me pleasantly surprised. I laughed a lot more than I was frightened, but overall it was one of the better movies I've seen in a while, considering I prejudiced it with some pretty low expectations.
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
Film Filter: Off - Identity
Film Filter: Off- One of the first things I look at when choosing a horror movie is the cast. Seeing as this one had a pretty well known group of actors, I figured I would give it a go.
Pros- I really like John Cusack, and despite his tendency to always play the same type of role, I always enjoy seeing him on screen. In addition to his performance, I think most of the cast held their own and portrayed their characters well.
I would definitely have to say that the premise for the story was pretty unique as well. Despite the fact that human psyche films are popular, this one definitely took a different look at it. It also did an excellent job of making one world out of something that was actually two. Eventually it became clear that there were separate stories, but the two fit very nicely together until that time.
The ending does a nice job of tying up some loose ends while also throwing in a bit of a twist. It was one that I sort of saw coming, but dismissed right after I thought about it. I think it's one that would be a surprise for most, as it's really not all that predictable.
Cons- One of the things that I thought was pretty irritating was Amanda Peet's character and her inability to follow simple directions. I get that she's an independent woman who doesn't like to take orders, but when people are dying and a former police officer is telling you what to do to make the situation better or calmer, you should probably heed him.
Another thing that I found a little jarring about the film, was the moment the viewer realized that there were indeed two stories going on at one time. It took me a while to figure out what was happening and who belonged where, and then it upset me that some of the characters I had grown to like ended up not being real. I suppose the film was supposed to force you to take a minute to figure it out, but there was a definite WTF moment for me mid-way through the film.
Wrap-up- This film isn't bad, if your looking for a psychological drama with limited scary moments.
Pros- I really like John Cusack, and despite his tendency to always play the same type of role, I always enjoy seeing him on screen. In addition to his performance, I think most of the cast held their own and portrayed their characters well.
I would definitely have to say that the premise for the story was pretty unique as well. Despite the fact that human psyche films are popular, this one definitely took a different look at it. It also did an excellent job of making one world out of something that was actually two. Eventually it became clear that there were separate stories, but the two fit very nicely together until that time.
The ending does a nice job of tying up some loose ends while also throwing in a bit of a twist. It was one that I sort of saw coming, but dismissed right after I thought about it. I think it's one that would be a surprise for most, as it's really not all that predictable.
Cons- One of the things that I thought was pretty irritating was Amanda Peet's character and her inability to follow simple directions. I get that she's an independent woman who doesn't like to take orders, but when people are dying and a former police officer is telling you what to do to make the situation better or calmer, you should probably heed him.
Another thing that I found a little jarring about the film, was the moment the viewer realized that there were indeed two stories going on at one time. It took me a while to figure out what was happening and who belonged where, and then it upset me that some of the characters I had grown to like ended up not being real. I suppose the film was supposed to force you to take a minute to figure it out, but there was a definite WTF moment for me mid-way through the film.
Wrap-up- This film isn't bad, if your looking for a psychological drama with limited scary moments.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Film Filter: Off - Don't be Afraid of the Dark
Film Filter: Off- I had intended on watching this film some time ago, but never really got around to it. When I saw that it was on Netflix, I jumped at the opportunity, because I like a lot of Guillermo del Toro's films.
Pros- I won't say that the entire cast was well selected, but many of them were. I especially like Katie Holmes in the maternal type of role, because I feel like it fit her personality pretty well. Guy Pearce was ok as the dad, but I definitely wasn't in love with his character or the way he played it, and I really wasn't fond of how the little girl was cast, but we'll get to that later. Also, many of the minor characters were cast very well and played into the realism of the film.
Possibly what del Toro does best is use his imagination to create a world much more magical than reality, with fascinating creatures that are interesting to watch develop on screen. This film is no exception, as he makes his little antagonists unique and realistic. In this particular film, it seems that he leaned toward quantity more than quality, but that is understandable when you see how many of them there are. That's certainly not meant to be a slam, but you often see a little more detail and ingenuity with his creatures, and these ones are more lackluster.
I had a love/hate relationship with the ending. I think it provided a necessary aspect of the film that was begged to occur throughout the film, but I was also torn personally because of who it happened to. I didn't quite understand the last statement made, but perhaps I missed something and it made perfect sense.
Cons- My first beef with this movie is that, even from the previews, you assume that Katie Holmes is the young girl's mother. Why? Because she looks just freaking like her. It's pretty annoying to endure the entire film knowing that she is not the biological mother, but being frustrated because she looks more like her than she does her father. Grrr! Poor casting decision. I also wasn't fond of the way the character was portrayed, which has more to do with the directors that characterized her than the young girl herself. She's sad, lonely, and feels like nobody loves her, so immediately we are meant to pity her. So, she wishes to befriend unknown creatures hiding in the furnace of a locked basement in an old, creepy home? That seems a little irrational. Maybe befriend your father's girlfriend instead, as she is eager to get to know you and clearly cares about you...but nah, hungry mythical creatures seems like a better bet.
In terms of del Toro's magical world being created, I felt it gave a little bit of a schizophrenic vibe. The house was lovely, and the mystical garden in the back with the beautiful ponds felt like that's where the movie should have taken place. Instead, as the creatures are antagonists, the movie takes place mostly in a dark, dingy basement. It was interesting, and a little visually confusing, to have the mythical creatures and the mythical garden not be intertwined.
One of my biggest cons, in any film, is the lack of common sense. Anyone who has suffered through the Gingerdead Man will understand my complaint with small, evil beings less than a foot in height. Seriously? They're going to get the better of you? How about a flame thrower? Or, if you know their weakness is bright light, how about you sleep with all the lights on, instead of a flimsy night light prone to breaking. Or when they attack you in your bathroom, instead of looking for the door, maybe look for the light switch? There were so many frustrating, easily fixed circumstances that I lost track.
Lastly, the ending was a little confusing. In the past, when the evil faeries had taken someone down their sewer 'o death, that person was dead. Duh. It was a pretty long fall, and I don't think that anyone could survive it. **SPOILER ALERT** When Katie Holmes' character, Kim, gets dragged down, you hear her voice at the end all creepy-like saying "Don't worry, she'll be back..." Ummm, anyone care to explain to me what happened? Did she turn into one of them? Even if she was alive, she sacrificed herself to save the little girl, so why is she now evil? I don't get it!
Wrap up- I wouldn't recommend this movie, unless you are very interested in seeing what the creatures look like. The plot is unique, but the little nuances that don't make sense trump whatever good is left in the movie.
Pros- I won't say that the entire cast was well selected, but many of them were. I especially like Katie Holmes in the maternal type of role, because I feel like it fit her personality pretty well. Guy Pearce was ok as the dad, but I definitely wasn't in love with his character or the way he played it, and I really wasn't fond of how the little girl was cast, but we'll get to that later. Also, many of the minor characters were cast very well and played into the realism of the film.
Possibly what del Toro does best is use his imagination to create a world much more magical than reality, with fascinating creatures that are interesting to watch develop on screen. This film is no exception, as he makes his little antagonists unique and realistic. In this particular film, it seems that he leaned toward quantity more than quality, but that is understandable when you see how many of them there are. That's certainly not meant to be a slam, but you often see a little more detail and ingenuity with his creatures, and these ones are more lackluster.
I had a love/hate relationship with the ending. I think it provided a necessary aspect of the film that was begged to occur throughout the film, but I was also torn personally because of who it happened to. I didn't quite understand the last statement made, but perhaps I missed something and it made perfect sense.
Cons- My first beef with this movie is that, even from the previews, you assume that Katie Holmes is the young girl's mother. Why? Because she looks just freaking like her. It's pretty annoying to endure the entire film knowing that she is not the biological mother, but being frustrated because she looks more like her than she does her father. Grrr! Poor casting decision. I also wasn't fond of the way the character was portrayed, which has more to do with the directors that characterized her than the young girl herself. She's sad, lonely, and feels like nobody loves her, so immediately we are meant to pity her. So, she wishes to befriend unknown creatures hiding in the furnace of a locked basement in an old, creepy home? That seems a little irrational. Maybe befriend your father's girlfriend instead, as she is eager to get to know you and clearly cares about you...but nah, hungry mythical creatures seems like a better bet.
In terms of del Toro's magical world being created, I felt it gave a little bit of a schizophrenic vibe. The house was lovely, and the mystical garden in the back with the beautiful ponds felt like that's where the movie should have taken place. Instead, as the creatures are antagonists, the movie takes place mostly in a dark, dingy basement. It was interesting, and a little visually confusing, to have the mythical creatures and the mythical garden not be intertwined.
One of my biggest cons, in any film, is the lack of common sense. Anyone who has suffered through the Gingerdead Man will understand my complaint with small, evil beings less than a foot in height. Seriously? They're going to get the better of you? How about a flame thrower? Or, if you know their weakness is bright light, how about you sleep with all the lights on, instead of a flimsy night light prone to breaking. Or when they attack you in your bathroom, instead of looking for the door, maybe look for the light switch? There were so many frustrating, easily fixed circumstances that I lost track.
Lastly, the ending was a little confusing. In the past, when the evil faeries had taken someone down their sewer 'o death, that person was dead. Duh. It was a pretty long fall, and I don't think that anyone could survive it. **SPOILER ALERT** When Katie Holmes' character, Kim, gets dragged down, you hear her voice at the end all creepy-like saying "Don't worry, she'll be back..." Ummm, anyone care to explain to me what happened? Did she turn into one of them? Even if she was alive, she sacrificed herself to save the little girl, so why is she now evil? I don't get it!
Wrap up- I wouldn't recommend this movie, unless you are very interested in seeing what the creatures look like. The plot is unique, but the little nuances that don't make sense trump whatever good is left in the movie.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Film Filter: Off - Paranormal Activity 2
Film Filter: Off- Since the fourth one just recently made its debut in theaters, I figured it was about time for me to succumb to the pressure and try watching the series.
Pros- One of the things that is up and coming in the horror biz is the use of music, or sometimes lack thereof. As a found footage genre film, it's pretty clear that this one doesn't utilize music. This oftentimes becomes a pro, as music is usually one of two things in horror movies: foreshadowing something about to happen, or false foreshadowing an event only to result in silence...and THEN the event becomes more effective in the silence. Having no music whatsoever allows the scary moments in the film to be taken as they would naturally happen, as opposed to pumping up a moment with good sound or music.
Not unlike the pros I noted with the original film is the ability to scaffold the intensity and the scary moments within the film. I will say I was a little disappointed with what the moments were, and I didn't find this movie to be all that different from the first one, but they (sort of) utilized a good technique that was exhibited in the original.
This sequel to the original is actually pretty well known to be a prequel. What you don't realize until the end, however, is that it covers both the events before the first movie, and the ones immediately following it as well. As someone who doesn't enjoy loose ends in movies, I found this to be pretty gratifying.
Cons- As I stated above, this movie is really not any different from the original. It layers the events of the haunting in the same way, it even is the same family and demon responsible for the haunting. The only difference is that it adds information that we did not have about the events of Katie and Micah prior to their encounters, and right after as well. While I did say that was gratifying, it was also about 10 minutes of information that could have easily been added to the first one. To include a movie that is almost a carbon copy of an original just to add a parallel perspective of events and 10 minutes worth of new information seems a bit wasteful to me.
Wrap up- This movie wasn't bad, if you look at it on its own, but in conjunction with the original it pretty much felt like a waste of time. I'm assuming that's why the third movie starts to focus on the family at a much older time period. God forbid they tried to use the same one again, as they seem to be running out of ideas...maybe they should make a movie from the dog's perspective.
Pros- One of the things that is up and coming in the horror biz is the use of music, or sometimes lack thereof. As a found footage genre film, it's pretty clear that this one doesn't utilize music. This oftentimes becomes a pro, as music is usually one of two things in horror movies: foreshadowing something about to happen, or false foreshadowing an event only to result in silence...and THEN the event becomes more effective in the silence. Having no music whatsoever allows the scary moments in the film to be taken as they would naturally happen, as opposed to pumping up a moment with good sound or music.
Not unlike the pros I noted with the original film is the ability to scaffold the intensity and the scary moments within the film. I will say I was a little disappointed with what the moments were, and I didn't find this movie to be all that different from the first one, but they (sort of) utilized a good technique that was exhibited in the original.
This sequel to the original is actually pretty well known to be a prequel. What you don't realize until the end, however, is that it covers both the events before the first movie, and the ones immediately following it as well. As someone who doesn't enjoy loose ends in movies, I found this to be pretty gratifying.
Cons- As I stated above, this movie is really not any different from the original. It layers the events of the haunting in the same way, it even is the same family and demon responsible for the haunting. The only difference is that it adds information that we did not have about the events of Katie and Micah prior to their encounters, and right after as well. While I did say that was gratifying, it was also about 10 minutes of information that could have easily been added to the first one. To include a movie that is almost a carbon copy of an original just to add a parallel perspective of events and 10 minutes worth of new information seems a bit wasteful to me.
Wrap up- This movie wasn't bad, if you look at it on its own, but in conjunction with the original it pretty much felt like a waste of time. I'm assuming that's why the third movie starts to focus on the family at a much older time period. God forbid they tried to use the same one again, as they seem to be running out of ideas...maybe they should make a movie from the dog's perspective.
Friday, November 2, 2012
Film Filter: Off - Sinister
Film Filter: Off- I vividly remember seeing
this movie trailer as an advertisement on a youtube video I was watching, and I
was instantly interested. Above
and beyond the fact that it was made by the same people who brought you
Insidious and Paranormal Activity, the story seemed interesting and I am always
a sucker for the supernatural.
Pros- The
acting definitely helped this movie feel pretty realistic. Ethan Hawke hasn’t been in much
recently that I can recall, but I feel like he did a commendable job in this
film. The effectiveness came from
a mix from his character alone, and almost more importantly, the way the locals
treated him and the interactions between him and his family. They helped characterize his role
sometimes even more so than he did.
There were many moments in the characters where they had a conflicting
persona than they had originally started with, and I think that most of them
played both sides of their characters well.
Despite the fact that this movie and Insidious have pretty
much the same type of story line, I actually found myself enjoying this one
more. Some of the differences that
made this one stand out in my mind were the scaffolding of the antagonist’s
face. Although Insidious did the
same thing, I found that Sinister didn’t overdo it with special effects like
Insidious did. This film also did
a better job of creating something that felt a tad more realistic. While both focused on paranormal entities
that we can choose to believe or not, it became a little too incredulous in
Insidious when he went into the “other realm” and I sort of checked out after
that. This one, while still
remaining a fantasy at times, felt more believable for a longer period of time.
One of the things that this movie did very well, which in my
opinion is an important staple of a good horror movie, is the scare
factor. Sure, some of the scares
were cheap shots, and almost ALL of them were predictable but it didn’t change
the fact that pretty much all of them were effective. Going hand in hand with the scare factor in this movie was
the use of music/sounds in the film.
A lot of times something that may not have been visually frightening
became so with the proper use of music and sound occurring in the background. This was pretty much the root of why
predictable moments became effectively scary, despite the fact that most of the
audience saw them coming.
Cons-
Overall, I didn’t have many qualms with this film, other than the
run-of-the-mill persnickety comments. I found it slightly annoying that Ethan Hawke’s character ignored
phone calls from the deputy, especially given the circumstances of their
situation.
It was also frustrating that the demon spirit was
intangible, but able to move things.
I mean, maybe he was tangible but it seems that, since he was a demon
that was killing people by using children, he needed them in order to carry out
tangible tasks. Otherwise,
wouldn’t he just do it himself?
On a side note, I (selfishly) would have liked a little bit
more information on the Pagan Deity Maghoul, Bagool…whatever his name was. I tried looking him up online, but he’s
pretty elusive. Must be he’s never
heard of Facebook.
Wrap up- This is an excellent movie choice if you are
looking for the following: good scares, interesting story line, good character
interactions.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Film Filter: Off- The Thing
Film Filter: Off- I had seen the original film, and I didn't realize that this one isn't actually a re-make; it's a prequel. I love it when movies take the higher road and seek to enhance the story instead of re-doing it, as the original plot and movie weren't that flawed to begin with.
Pros- One of the things this movie had going for it was the story line. I know that the group that created this film can't be held responsible for that, but it really is an idiot proof plot and I would have been shocked/mortified if this film weren't successful. What most scary movies attempt to create is a scenario in which some critical piece of information is not revealed. What this movie does to that concept (and enhances) is embraces it without even trying, as the nature of the human-imitating alien is that its identity cannot be determined. Since the alien can also still function in pieces, it furthers the concept of the unknown, since now many people can be infected without the majority of the researchers knowing. It really is a captivating concept and works very well.
As most re-makes/prequels/sequels intend, the special effects and makeup in this movie are much more interesting and prevalent than in the original. Usually, overly grotesque scenarios and unnecessary gore are unappealing to me, but since the documentation of this movie is of an unknown specie, it is almost appropriate to take the transformation process to the extreme. We're not dealing with humans or familiar animals, so why not go to the max?
Because this movie is centered around scientists and researchers, it makes sense that- since they were going to study the specie anyway- they would be spending a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to separate humans from the alien human imitators. For a moment the movie tried to go in the same direction as the original, so that was a little irritating, until that method failed and they were forced to go in a new direction. I thought that this was a fresh twist, and was used very well throughout the movie.
By far my most favorite part of this film is the throwback moment they had, regarding the original. I won't spill the beans, but anyone who has seen the one from the 80's will know what I'm talking about. The only reason the original movie could happen was because of this scenario, and I'm glad they included it.
Cons- I really don't have much here, other than I wasn't terribly fond of the ending scenes involving the spaceship. If it had crashed and been down in a chunk of ice for centuries...why did it look to be in mint condition? Also, were there no other aliens to be found on that huge ship? It seemed to be just one that split into several pieces. Other than that...and the obvious solution of, "Hey, if we don't EVER split up, then we'll know if someone gets abducted or not" this movie didn't have many cons.
Wrap up- Definitely see this movie. If you haven't seen the original, I would watch it as well, but I'm not sure which order would be best fitting.
Pros- One of the things this movie had going for it was the story line. I know that the group that created this film can't be held responsible for that, but it really is an idiot proof plot and I would have been shocked/mortified if this film weren't successful. What most scary movies attempt to create is a scenario in which some critical piece of information is not revealed. What this movie does to that concept (and enhances) is embraces it without even trying, as the nature of the human-imitating alien is that its identity cannot be determined. Since the alien can also still function in pieces, it furthers the concept of the unknown, since now many people can be infected without the majority of the researchers knowing. It really is a captivating concept and works very well.
As most re-makes/prequels/sequels intend, the special effects and makeup in this movie are much more interesting and prevalent than in the original. Usually, overly grotesque scenarios and unnecessary gore are unappealing to me, but since the documentation of this movie is of an unknown specie, it is almost appropriate to take the transformation process to the extreme. We're not dealing with humans or familiar animals, so why not go to the max?
Because this movie is centered around scientists and researchers, it makes sense that- since they were going to study the specie anyway- they would be spending a fair amount of time trying to figure out how to separate humans from the alien human imitators. For a moment the movie tried to go in the same direction as the original, so that was a little irritating, until that method failed and they were forced to go in a new direction. I thought that this was a fresh twist, and was used very well throughout the movie.
By far my most favorite part of this film is the throwback moment they had, regarding the original. I won't spill the beans, but anyone who has seen the one from the 80's will know what I'm talking about. The only reason the original movie could happen was because of this scenario, and I'm glad they included it.
Cons- I really don't have much here, other than I wasn't terribly fond of the ending scenes involving the spaceship. If it had crashed and been down in a chunk of ice for centuries...why did it look to be in mint condition? Also, were there no other aliens to be found on that huge ship? It seemed to be just one that split into several pieces. Other than that...and the obvious solution of, "Hey, if we don't EVER split up, then we'll know if someone gets abducted or not" this movie didn't have many cons.
Wrap up- Definitely see this movie. If you haven't seen the original, I would watch it as well, but I'm not sure which order would be best fitting.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Film Filter: Off - Session 9
Film Filter: Off- While perusing Netflix, my friend and I had it narrowed down to three scary movies, and this one looked the most promising. Better luck next time, I guess.
Pros- As I rack my brain trying to come up with a pro for this film, I find myself coming up horribly short. It's a stretch, but one pro was that I was able to watch it from beginning to end. The only reason for that being that I was waiting for something that was never actually bound to happen...a climax or resolution that made sense.
Another pro of this movie was the fact that the CSI Miami star was featured in this film. I bet this is what they saw to make their casting decision for the show, which would also explain why everyone finds David Caruso's character so...interesting. Was his acting good? No, not really. But he was fun to watch mainly because it validates that we aren't being unfairly critical of his cheese-ball-licious performances on his TV melodrama.
Cons- I'm going to try to make this as short and painless as possible, because re-hashing this film to any lengthy degree is just going to continue to frustrate me.
Con #1- There. Was. No. Logical. Plot. This could probably actually summarize all the beef I have with this movie. It's listed as a scary movie, yet none of the following occur: gory moments, pop-out moments, suspenseful moments, or "ah-ha" it all makes sense moments. My theory is that this is designed to be similar in feel to the Blair Witch Project (minus the found footage concept) in that it is supposed to scare you with what you're thinking rather than what you're seeing. Ummm, fail. Epic fail. You can't scare people with their thoughts when they don't know what the f^#@ to think!
This story is supposed to be about a crazy schizophrenic person with three personalities that brutally murdered her brother long before present day. This was revealed to the psychiatrist during session 9 of their documented therapy sessions. The only problem is, if this movie is about PSYCHOSIS, and not POSSESSION, how was this odd third malevolent personality of the dead woman roaming about the facility able to affect others? This movie leads you to believe that the main character is influenced by "Billy", but Billy was a product of the crazy girl's psychosis, not an entity that can influence others. It would be one thing if the institution made everyone crazy in their own way, but to recreate someone's exact schizophrenia in someone else is just stupid and illogical. There are a hundred different ways they could have made this movie work to their advantage, but they chose poorly.
Con #2 - The personalities of the characters were not very believable and almost too focused in the wrong direction. This movie spent SO much time letting you believe that certain characters were the bad guys, that when you found out who it actually was, it made no sense. And not in a good, "Oh, that was a cool twist!" kind of way. More like a, "Umm, okay?" way.
Con #3- You CANNOT just run around an insane asylum and throw a needle in people's eyes to give them a lobotomy. Why? 1) You don't have a license to practice medicine, and 2) That's unhygienic as all get out. Seriously, get some isopropyl alcohol or something.
Wrap up - The moral of the story is...if Netflix rates a movie as a three, it's usually garbage. And David Caruso can't act.
Pros- As I rack my brain trying to come up with a pro for this film, I find myself coming up horribly short. It's a stretch, but one pro was that I was able to watch it from beginning to end. The only reason for that being that I was waiting for something that was never actually bound to happen...a climax or resolution that made sense.
Another pro of this movie was the fact that the CSI Miami star was featured in this film. I bet this is what they saw to make their casting decision for the show, which would also explain why everyone finds David Caruso's character so...interesting. Was his acting good? No, not really. But he was fun to watch mainly because it validates that we aren't being unfairly critical of his cheese-ball-licious performances on his TV melodrama.
Cons- I'm going to try to make this as short and painless as possible, because re-hashing this film to any lengthy degree is just going to continue to frustrate me.
Con #1- There. Was. No. Logical. Plot. This could probably actually summarize all the beef I have with this movie. It's listed as a scary movie, yet none of the following occur: gory moments, pop-out moments, suspenseful moments, or "ah-ha" it all makes sense moments. My theory is that this is designed to be similar in feel to the Blair Witch Project (minus the found footage concept) in that it is supposed to scare you with what you're thinking rather than what you're seeing. Ummm, fail. Epic fail. You can't scare people with their thoughts when they don't know what the f^#@ to think!
This story is supposed to be about a crazy schizophrenic person with three personalities that brutally murdered her brother long before present day. This was revealed to the psychiatrist during session 9 of their documented therapy sessions. The only problem is, if this movie is about PSYCHOSIS, and not POSSESSION, how was this odd third malevolent personality of the dead woman roaming about the facility able to affect others? This movie leads you to believe that the main character is influenced by "Billy", but Billy was a product of the crazy girl's psychosis, not an entity that can influence others. It would be one thing if the institution made everyone crazy in their own way, but to recreate someone's exact schizophrenia in someone else is just stupid and illogical. There are a hundred different ways they could have made this movie work to their advantage, but they chose poorly.
Con #2 - The personalities of the characters were not very believable and almost too focused in the wrong direction. This movie spent SO much time letting you believe that certain characters were the bad guys, that when you found out who it actually was, it made no sense. And not in a good, "Oh, that was a cool twist!" kind of way. More like a, "Umm, okay?" way.
Con #3- You CANNOT just run around an insane asylum and throw a needle in people's eyes to give them a lobotomy. Why? 1) You don't have a license to practice medicine, and 2) That's unhygienic as all get out. Seriously, get some isopropyl alcohol or something.
Wrap up - The moral of the story is...if Netflix rates a movie as a three, it's usually garbage. And David Caruso can't act.
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