Bdub's Film Reviews

[BWilli]

Johnny Depp, Freddie Highmore, David Kelly, Helena Bonham Carter, Noah Taylor, Missi Pyle and a whole bunch of new kids on the block star in Tim Burton’s version of the classic book “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

Charlie Bucket (Highmore) comes from a poor family, and spends most of his time dreaming about the chocolate that he loves but usually can't afford. Things change when Willy Wonka (Depp), head of the very popular Wonka Chocolate empire, announces a contest in which five golden tickets have been hidden in chocolate bars and sent throughout the world. The kids who find the tickets will be taken on a tour of Wonka's chocolate factory and get a special glimpse of the wonders within.  Charlie miraculously finds the final ticket, and along with Violet Beauregarde (Annasophia Robb), Veruca Salt (Julia Winter), Mike Teavee (Jordan Fry), and Augustus Gloop (Philip Wiegratz) gets to tour the factory.  Each child is allowed to bring one adult along with them, and Charlie chooses his grandfather, Joe (Kelly), who used to work for Wonka 20 years ago.  The tour of the factory will hold more than a few surprises for this group of rowdy little kids, though.  

I loved the 1971 version starring Gene Wilder, but I think this one was slightly better.  I’ve never been much of a reader, so I’ve never read the book, but I’ve heard that this latest version of the film stays truer to the book.

You can tell the differences story-wise between the two films.  I liked the flashbacks into Wonka’s childhood.  It helped to explain why he is such a sad person.  The film also focuses more on Charlie, as it should.  The entire story was very well told.

Depp was phenomenal as Wonka.  He was the perfect choice for the role and no other actor today would’ve been able to pull it off as excellently as Depp did.  Freddie Highmore is quite the young actor.  The kid hasn’t done much, but his two major films have already been with the great Johnny Depp.  Highmore was an excellent casting choice.  David Kelly was great as Grandpa Joe.  For an old guy he sure was energetic and very charismatic.

Overall this was an excellent film.  Burton and Depp deliver again.  It’s been out for awhile now, so if you haven’t seen it yet, try and catch it before it leaves theaters.

:thumbsup:  :thumbsup:    10/10

[BWilli]

Michael Bay’s latest film, “The Island” stars Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Steve Buscemi, and Michael Clarke Duncan.

Lincoln Six-Echo (McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly utopian but contained facility in the mid 21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island" - reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones. Lincoln makes a daring escape with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Johansson). Relentlessly pursued by the forces of the sinister institute that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to literally meet their makers.

I’m not ashamed to say that I’m a pretty big fan of Michael Bay’s films (minus Bad Boys II which I have yet to see).  Sure, he may not make the greatest films every, but the majority of his work is fun-filled action.  There are the explosions and chase scenes, all which are extremely well done, but the film is character driven as well.  This may be his most dramatic piece of work yet.

McGregor is normally a great actor, and this performance is no exception.  Excellent job carrying most of this film.  Johansson plays the naïve part very well, and looks hotter than ever while doing it.  She’s very talented, and although I don’t think this was her best job, she was good enough.  Does Sean Bean ever play a good guy?  Yes.  But the guy plays the villainous more often than not and does it better than most.  I’m putting him at the top of my “favorite actors who play villains” list, right behind Gary Oldman and John Malkovich.  I find Hounsou to be a very cool actor and he adds his coolness to this film.  Well done.  There’s nothing better than having Steve Buscemi in a movie.  He could be playing a rock and own every scene the rock is in.  He’s the shit.  Duncan isn’t in the film for long, but my God, he’s got one of the most disturbing, yet very emotional, scenes in the film.

Excellent cast + great directing + fun action sequences + drama + a splash of humor + Steve Buscemi =   :thumbsup:  :thumbsup:  8/10

[BWilli]

Steve Carell has the break-through performance of the year in the Judd Apatow directed “The 40 Year Old Virgin.  The film also stars Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks.

40-year-old Andy Stitzer (Carell) has done quite a few things in his life. He's got a cushy job stamping invoices at an electronics superstore, a nice apartment with a proud collection of action figures and comic books, and a great attitude. But there's just one little thing he hasn't quite gotten around to doing yet.  The guy has yet to have sex.  Well, for Andy's buds at the store, Dave (Rudd), Jay (Malco) and Cal (Rogen) it sure is. Although they think he's a bit of an oddball, there's certainly a plateful of stranger (and homelier) guys who've at least had one go at having a go. They consider it their duty to help Andy out of his dire situation and go to great lengths to help him. But nothing proves effective enough to lure their friend out of lifelong chastity until he meets Trish (Keener), a 40-year-old mother of three. Andy's friends are psyched by the possibility that "it" may finally happen...until they hear that Andy and Trish have begun their relationship based on a mutual no-sex policy.

So far this is definitely the funniest film of the year, and I really don’t think anything coming out over the next few months will be able to top it.  Virgin had everyone in the theater laughing nearly the entire two hours.  There is a lot of crude sexual humor, but the film is very smart and pretty damn charming as well.

This is Judd Apatow’s feature film directorial debut; however he’s no stranger to comedy as he’s directed and written for TV shows “Freaks and Geeks” and “The Larry Sanders Show”.  Carell and Apatow co-wrote the screenplay and did a magnificent job.  Although Andy doesn’t have many (or really any) friends to begin with, the film turns into an excellent buddy comedy.  

Carell is hilarious in the lead.  He doesn’t seem like lead actor material just yet but the guy is perfect.  He practically stole scenes in “Bruce Almighty” and “Anchorman” and continues his comedic excellence in this film.  Rudd, Malco, and Rogan are all great and perfectly cast as the friends.  Each character has their own relationship problems but never cease to stop helping Andy out.  They’re all very funny actors and worked well with Carell.  Keener was good as Trish, the love interest of Andy, however I’ve seen better from her.  At times she seemed a little bland, but the chemistry between her and Carell was there for the most part.  Banks as the kinky sex crazed Beth was decent, as she too, worked very well on screen with Carell.

Excellent acting, directing, writing all make for the funniest film of the year.

:thumbsup:  :thumbsup:  9/10

[BWilli]

Rob Schneider reprises his role as the male gigolo in “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo”.  Eddie Griffin also returns as T.J. Hicks, pimp of the male gigolos, and Hanna Verboom joins the cast as Eva.

After a situation with elderly blind people and dolphins goes a little south, Deuce (Schneider) gets a call from old pal T.J. (Griffin) and decides to take up an offer to head to Amsterdam.  Accompanied by the prosthetic leg of his recently deceased bride (she was eaten by a shark on their honeymoon), Deuce shows up in Europe only to find that a mysterious killer is knocking off the city's man-whores. When T.J. is implicated, Deuce is forced to go undercover and search for the killer on his own, hoping to clear his friend's name. He suspects the killer is a woman, and so he has a string of flawed dates--a woman with a penis for a nose, one with massive ears, and a hunchback, among others. Along the way Deuce makes each freakish date feel special, and falls for the niece, Eva (Verboom), of the detective assigned to the case.  Everything comes to a head at the 73rd annual Man Whore Awards, where Deuce proves his mettle and things fall together in surprising ways.

It’s been awhile since I’ve seen the first film, but I know I liked it.  I don’t think it was as raunchy as the sequel though.  There is a lot of nasty humor in this one, maybe a little too much.  Besides sex and excrement, the film also seeks laughs in racial stereotypes, physical handicaps, mental illness, dwarf tossing and every naughty word in the dictionary.  I laughed here and there, felt a tad sick at some points (for example, the french fries scene…that was just nasty).

Schneider is generally a funny guy, but I hope he decides to call it quits with the character of Deuce Bigalow.  I doubt a third film will be any better.  Griffin was decent and added to the some of the funny parts, but damn the french fries scene.  I’ve never heard of Verboom, but I’m sure she’ll get more roles in the future.  She’s nice to look at and wasn’t half bad in the film.

If you can wait for this to show up on cable, please do.

:thumbsup:  :thumbsdown:  6/10

[BWilli]

Barry Watson, Emily Deschanel, and Skye McCole Bartusiak star in “Boogyman”.

Though Tim Jensen (Watson) is a successful magazine editor with a beautiful girlfriend, his childhood continues to haunt him. When he was only eight years old, Tim watched his father get taken by the Boogeyman, or at least that's how he remembers it. Of course, no one believed him then--not even his mother, who has just recently passed away. Wracked with guilt for not having been there to say goodbye, Tim decides to spend the night in his childhood home and confront the Boogeyman once and for all. But before that happens, he reunites with his old friend Kate (Deschanel) and meets a young girl Franny (Bartusiak) who is holding onto a dark secret of her own.

This should be a rather short review.  

And here I thought “Cursed” was going to be the worst horror film of the year.  The horror films lately have been relying on startling the audience with cheap visual tricks and audio cues in lieu of actual terror, and that is no different with this film.  There was no real horror in the movie.  Not even the Boogeyman, when we get to see him, is that scary.  I felt gypped.  Watson’s acting was pretty bad, Deschanel was okay, and Bartusiak was creepy, as child actors in horror films tend to be.  I think I liked the film better when it was called “Darkness Falls”, and even that one sucked.

:thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:  2/10

[BWilli]

“The Skeleton Key” stars Kate Hudson, Gena Rowlands, John Hurt and Peter Sarsgaard.

Caroline (Hudson) is a twenty-five-year-old hospice worker who cares for the ailing and the elderly, a job designed to atone for her own mistake for ignoring her dying father in the past, when she had been a rock 'n' roll roadie. After her latest charge passes away, Caroline takes a job in Louisiana, caring for Ben (Hurt), a stroke-victim who is bed-ridden and cannot speak. But Caroline becomes suspicious of the house, and Ben's cold wife, Violet (Rowlands) only adds to the creepy atmosphere. After acquiring a skeleton key to the home, Caroline makes her way into a secret room within the attic where she discovers hair, blood, bones, spells, and other instruments for practicing voodoo. Violet says she has never been in the secret room, but that the items probably belonged to the original owners, two house workers, who practiced black magic and were lynched as a result. Noting that Ben had his stroke in the attic after entering the room, Caroline is determined to unlock the secrets of the house, and rescue Ben from the horrors that hold him captive within.

It’s been a good long time since I’ve seen a movie dealing with voodoo and/or hoodoo.  I’m sure there are more out there, but I don’t think I’ve seen one this good since “Angel Heart”.  I wouldn’t deem “The Skeleton Key” as horror though; it was more of a suspense movie.  It had its jumpy moments, but I think the film relied more on the mystery side of the plot.  It may not be the most original film of the year, but it’s well crafted and should keep you wondering throughout.

Hudson was great in her jump into this newer genre than what she’s used to.  I think she pulled the part of very well, not to mention the fact the she looked great too.  Rowlands was very efficient and excellently creepy in her role.  John Hurt didn’t have many lines, but my God, the expressions on his face showed the fear his character had and told the story they were supposed to tell.  I thought he was brilliant.  Sarsgaard is a great actor and continues to prove it in each role.  His part here is a tad small, but important to the story and the man did a great job.

Overall, I was surprised by this film.  I didn’t expect to like it as much as I did, but I’m glad I saw it.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:  8/10

[BWilli]

Ryo Ishibashi, Eihi Shiina, and Jun Kunimura star in the Japanese horror film “Audition”, directed by Takashi Miike.

Aoyama (Ishibashi) is a single father who has not dated since his wife died seven years earlier. To help find another woman to bring joy into Aoyama's charm-less life, his best friend, television producer Yoshikawa (Kunimura), convinces Aoyama that they should add a fake part to a show they are auditioning actresses for--a role that will become Aoyama's real-life companion. Leafing through the resumés in advance, his eye is caught by Asami Yamazaki (Shiina), a striking young woman with ballet training. On the day of the audition, she's the last person they see. Aoyama is hooked. He notes her number from her file, calls her and takes her to dinner. He hesitates to call again; worried that he'll seem too eager. When he does, Asami knowingly lets the phone ring for some time before answering. She's alone in her darkened room - alone, that is, apart from the large sack on the floor…

This film runs just under 2 hours, and for the first hour and a half or so, you wouldn’t think that you’re watching a horror movie.  It starts off building the relationship of the two main characters and does so very well.  There’s a hint that something isn’t right though, but it’s not until the final fifteen minutes that you know.  The entire film leads up to one of the most disturbing climaxes in film history.  It’s no wonder why the film ranked #11 on Bravo’s 100 Scariest Movie Moments.

Director Takashi Miike puts together one hell of a good film with a really convincing cast.  Ishibashi was very likeable as the easy-going and loving father in search of the right woman. Shiina was not only gorgeous, but her low-key state contributed her role’s mystery.  During the final scene, when her character’s true colors are show, her performance is so frightening, but so perfect.  “Kiri kiri kiri kiri…”   Chilling.

If you like horror, this film is for you.  If you’ve got a weak stomach, watch this film with caution.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:  9/10

[BWilli]

Wes Craven directed “Red Eye”, which stars Rachel McAdams, Cillian Murphy, Brian Cox and Jayma Mays.

After attending the funeral of her grandmother in Dallas, Lisa Reisert must take the red eye flight back to Miami to make it to work the next day. Lisa soon meets Jackson Ripner and their attraction grows. But moments after take-off, Jackson reveals to Lisa her father's wallet that he swiped off his desk and his real reason for being on board. Jackson needs Lisa's help in order to kill the deputy secretary of Homeland Security who's scheduled to stay at the Lux Atlantic Hotel; the hotel that Lisa works at. If she refuses to help, Jackson will call his partner on the ground and have her father killed. At 30,000 feet, Lisa has no where to run and no time for rash judgment.

Craven redeems himself big time for the crap that was “Cursed” from earlier in the year.   Craven does with an airplane what Joel Schumacher did with a phone booth; he puts together one very good tense roller coaster ride of a thriller.  The movie runs just under 90 minutes and doesn’t really need to be any longer.  It did was it was supposed to do in a sufficient amount of time.

McAdams continues prove herself as a rising star in Hollywood.  She was a guy in “The Hot Chick”, a megabitch in “Mean Girls”, hopelessly in love in “The Notebook”, and is the damsel in distress in this one.  She knows how to pick the right roles (okay, so “The Hot Chick” is questionable, but it was her first major film), and I’m sure she’ll pick the one to get her an Oscar nod eventually.

Murphy is extremely charming, but flips the switch so quickly and easily.  He’s the perfect villain because he looks so innocent.  He proved this earlier in the year with his role in “Batman Begins”.  I’m sure he’ll continue to take on these types of roles in future films.  Excellence.

Brian Cox does fine with his small but essential part as Lisa's father, while newbie, Jayma Mays adds a bit of frenzied comedy as the night manager of the Miami hotel, trying to keep things together until Lisa returns.

Kudos Mr. Craven.  Leave shit like “Cursed” behind and continue making thrillers like this one.

:thumbsup:  :thumbsup: 9/10

[BWilli]

Peter Horton, Linda Hamilton, John Franklin, and Courtney Gains star in “Children of the Corn”.  The film is directing debut of Fritz Kiersch.

Burt (Horton) and Vicky (Hamilton), a young couple on a cross-country trip stop in a small Nebraska community and make a shocking discovery. One day, three years prior to their arrival, led by Isaac (Franklin) and Malachai (Gains) the town's children killed all of the grown-ups at the apparent behest of a demon simply dubbed "He Who Walks Behind the Rows."

When I was a child, I remember not being able to watch this film.  It scared the crap out of me.  Now I just realized it was Courtney Gains.  The dude is scary looking.

The premise of the film is pretty damn good, and it’s “scary” to a certain extent, but this isn’t really all that great.  This is mainly because of the dialogue that the actors were spewing out.  The movie is based on a short story originally written by Stephen King, but he’s not to blame.  Blame George Goldsmith who wrote the screenplay.  It’s just…um…well, CORNY!

Kiersch does a decent directing job, but it could have been so much better.  The creepy factor is there with close ups on weapons and use of shadows.  The fight scene near the end needed to more violent.  What’s with the slapping?  Come on…he tied your woman up on a crucifix made of corn…beat the shit out of him.

Horton and Hamilton are probably the best part about this film.  They acted through it well and their chemistry was perfect.  John Franklin has got one messed up voice, which actually worked for his evil role, but it got quite annoying.  Gains, again…one ugly mofo.

Rent it if you like horror/slasher flicks, otherwise catch it on cable.

:thumbsup: :thumbsdown: 5/10

[BWilli]

Terry Gilliam directs Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Lena Headey, Monica Bellucci, Jonathan Pryce, and Peter Stormare in “The Brothers Grimm”.

Will (Damon) and Jacob (Ledger) are famous in Germany as demon-killers. They save poor villages from frightful witches and troublemaking demons. The horrible tales villagers tell are all written down by Jacob, who is the keeper of the records. They are skillful in destroying witches and freeing villages since they have two assistants: one who works the illusions and the other who plays the aggrieved demon. They may be imposters, but the villagers are always satisfied.  When Gen. Delatombe (Pryce) arrests the Grimms on suspicion that they are to blame for the disappearance of many little girls, the brother head to Marbaden to prove their innocence and find the children.  Delatombe sends Cavaldi (Stormare) to watch over them and make sure they get the job done.  What the brothers discover is that the forest is really enchanted and there is a creature kidnapping little girls.  The curse appears to be a love enchantment for the Mirror Queen (Bellucci) in order to regain her youth.  Angelika (Headley), a self-sufficient hunter, reluctantly helps the brothers navigate through the forest because she has lost two sisters to the sinister forest curse.

Gilliam has a tendency to make visual masterpieces, and although this isn’t his greatest film, it really is something to look at.  Some of the images the filmmaker creates are among the most superbly bizarre of his career: horses with spider webbing in their mouths which swallow a village’s children; a small mud creature that looks like the Gingerbread Man on crack and twisted trees that shape shift into moving aggressors.  I also like the incorporation of such fairy tales as "Jack and the Beanstalk," "Hansel & Gretel," and "Little Red Riding Hood", among a few others.  

Damon was pretty good in this film, but he’s usually so much better.  This was easily one of his more mediocre performances.  Ledger, on the other hand, who I think doesn’t shine all the much in his movies, stole the show.  He was excellent.  Bellucci was good once she eventually hit the screen. Lena Headey did a decent job as well as Pryce.  I’ve read a few reviews saying that Stormare overacted the part of Cavaldi.  That may be slightly true, but I thought it worked well.  Stormare is an excellent actor, who plays mostly supporting roles, and does it well.

Gilliam is a great director and overall this is a fine piece of work.  Granted it wont be winning any awards, but it’s a fun movie.  If you like fairy tales and fantasies, check this one out.

:thumbsup: 7/10

[BWilli]

Michael Keaton and Deborah Unger star in “White Noise”.

When architect Jonathan Rivers (Keaton) loses his wife in a tragic accident, he turns to a shadowy, unnerving world of Electronic Voice Phenomenon…or communication beyond the grave.  As he begins to penetrate the mysteries of E.V.P, Jonathan makes a shocking discovery: once a portal to the other world is opened, there’s no telling what will come through it.

Kudos to the guy who cut the trailer together.  When I first saw it a few months before the film was released, it freaked me out.  In fact the whole concept of EVP freaks me out a bit, but it sounded cool and seemed like a great idea for a film.  Isn’t it great how a trailer can make a film look great, only to have it become pretty disappointing.

I actually enjoyed the first half (maybe even ¾) of the film.  It started out seeming like a pretty good thriller/suspense/ghost story.  I wouldn’t call this a horror film.  It had one “boo scare” and that was it.  Jonathan spends a whole lot of this movie staring at TV monitors, playing back tapes to see if he can contact his dead wife.  Once he does, the intrigue kicks into gear, but it all leads to a pretty bad ending.  In fact, the ending sucked and is one of the worst I’ve seen in a long time.

Keaton is a great actor and its sad to see him not making such great films, as he followed this up with “Herbie: Linday’s Fully Loaded”…dude…you were Batman.  What the hell happened?  Anyway, he was decent in this film and kept my interest for a little while.  Unger was okay too, but she needs to start taking on different roles.  She seems to play the same character all the time.

Wait for cable.

:thumbsup: :thumbsdown: 5/10

[BWilli]

“The Dancer Upstairs” stars Javier Bardem, Juan Diego Botto, and Laura Morante.  The film marks the directorial debut of actor John Malkovich.

A revolution has started, and the local police have been assigned to figure out who is leading it and what exactly the revolutionaries want. Agustin Rejas (Bardem) is the detective leading the investigation. However, with the military involved and corrupt government officials making Rejas's job especially difficult, he faces constant frustrations. The leader of the revolution goes by the name Ezequiel, but the police cannot figure out his true identity. Even more beguiling are the increasingly violent terrorist incidents that appear to be carried out by children who swear their loyalty to Ezequiel with no explanation of why. Caught up in the middle of the revolution and Rejas's investigation are his wife, his young daughter, and his daughter's lovely ballet teacher, Yolanda (Morante). One event after the next adds to the suspense and nagging anxiety felt by Rejas, until finally, with one shocking discovery, everything becomes frighteningly clear.

Malkovich picked one hell of a script to be his first directing effort, and he made one brilliant film out of it.  It’s a straight up political thriller with a hint of romance and a bit of humor in there as well.  This was filmed a year before 9/11, but released afterwards, so the theme of terrorism can seem a little touchy.

Javier Bardem owns this film though.  He puts on an amazing performance, Oscar worthy I’d say.  He wasn’t nominated.  Laura Morante also puts on a great show in the film.

I highly recommend this film.  You wont regret it.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:  9/10

[BWilli]

“Dark Water” is the Japanese horror film that inspired the more recent US remake.  The film stars Hitoki Kuroki and Rio Kanno and is directed by Hideo Nakata.

Yoshimi (Kuroki) is a soon-to-be single mother going through a rather nasty divorce and struggling for custody of her adorable five-year-old daughter Ikuko (Kanno). Forced to find a new job and home, Yoshimi settles for a drab concrete high-rise with long, unpopulated corridors and damp, shadowy interiors that include a patch of murky water dripping through the ceiling from the apartment above. As the building's mildewy recesses take their psychological toll on Yoshimi, Ikuko keeps stumbling upon a small, red child's handbag that belonged to a little girl named Mitsuko, who lived in the upstairs apartment and disappeared under mysterious circumstances--and seems to be exerting her ghastly influence over the mother-daughter pair in increasingly menacing ways.

“Dark Water” really isn’t all that scary.  Nakata, who also directed “Ringu”, makes this film work because of the atmospheres used, the dark and skanky apartment building in particular.  The locations make this film creepy, but also made me anticipate a scare that never showed up.  This is a psychological horror film. It relies on sound/silence and photography to suggest terror, as opposed to imminent physical danger and sudden “boo” scares that turn out to be nothing.   I felt the ending of the film was pretty disappointing.  85 minutes of decent film and then 15 minutes of “what the hell…why…but…oh come on”.  

Nakata does a decent job making this a eerie film, but I wasn’t frightened.  Nothing scared me.  Kuroki puts on a decent performance, but Kanno, the little girl, was excellent.  Is she the Dakota Fanning of Japan?  Maybe.

Overall, I was hoping for something really scary, and I didn’t get it.  I haven’t seen the US remake, but I will once it’s out on DVD in December.  I don’t expect it to be better than the Japanese version, but I’ll have to wait and see.

:thumbsup: for creepy-ness :thumbsdown: for ending  6/10

[BWilli]

“The Lost Boys” is directed by Joel Schumacher and stars Jason Patric, Keifer Sutherland, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Jaime Gertz, Dianne Wiest, Edward Herrmann and Jamison Newlander.

Lucy Emerson (Wiest) and her two sons, Michael (Patric) and Sam (Haim), move to a small town in California. The town is plagued by bikers and some mysterious deaths. Sam makes friends with Edgar and Alan Frog (Feldman and Newlander), who claim to be vampire hunters, while Michael begins to hang out with David (Sutherland) and Star (Gertz).  When Michael begins sleeping in all day and hanging out all night, Sam becomes convinced that he has become a vampire.  With the help of Frog brothers, Michael and Sam are determined to find and kill the head vampire in order to undo the curse.

It has been awhile since I’ve seen this film all the way through so when the special edition DVD came out last year, I just had to get it.  When I was a kid, I always remembered how much I liked the film, but just couldn’t get through it without getting a little freaked out.  I’ve become a pretty big horror fan lately, and with the shit horror that Hollywood is pooping out right now, it’s great to see some of the older ones.

Schumacher’s directing is excellent.  He uses a lot of lights and smoke to set the atmosphere of the film, but easily his best “trick”, was how implies the vampires flying without showing them.  It’s not until the very end that we seem them take flight.

I thought the overall casting was dead on.  Patrick was great as Michael.  Haim was never a great actor, but he played his part well.  Gertz was perfect, and looked great too.  Hotness!  Sutherland is one of those guys that can play the antagonist so well, and he proved that here.  Excellent job.  Feldman and Newlander were almost laughable in their roles, but they played the roles they should have been played.  Slightly over the top at times, but it worked.  Wiest played the worried mother role with no problem at all, and Herrmann put in a decent performance as well.

Overall, this is a great ‘80s vampire flick.  Schumacher has made some off decisions in the last years (mainly the two Batman sequels), has directed a lot of fine work in his career, “The Lost Boys” being one of them.

:thumbsup:  :thumbsup:  9/10

[BWilli]

Jodie Foster, Marlene Lawston, Peter Sarsgaard, Sean Bean, Kate Beahan, and Erika Christensen star in the Robert Schwentke directed “Flightplan”.

Flying at 40,000 feet from Berlin to New York, Kyle Pratt (Foster) faces every mother's worst nightmare when her young daughter Julia (Lawston) vanishes mid-flight. Already emotionally devastated by the unexpected death of her husband, Kyle desperately struggles to prove her sanity to the disbelieving flight crew and passengers, while facing the very real possibility that she may be losing her mind. Though neither Captain Rich (Bean), nor Air Marshal Carson (Sarsgaard) want to doubt the bereaved widow, all evidence indicates that her daughter was never on board, resulting in paranoia and doubt among the passengers and crew of the plane. Desperately alone, Kyle can only rely on her own wits to solve the mystery and save her daughter.

The day after a few Flight Attendant Unions tried to get everyone to boycott this film, I went out and saw it.  Their complaint was that the film depicts flight attendants as rude.  Well, they were right.  The flight attendants in the movie did seem slightly rude.  GET OVER IT!  It’s a fuckin’ movie.  Sit back, relax, and enjoy it.  Here’s hoping they play this on all the in-flight movies.

You’d think it’d be hard to make a good film using mainly one location.  Joel Schumacher did it with “Phone Booth”, and now Robert Schwentke has done it with “Flightplan”.  Schwentke uses every single inch of the plane, and uses it well.  Notice how I used the word “good” and not the word “great”.  For the first ¾, the film keeps you guessing, but when you find out what’s going on, you may feel let down.  I kind of did.  There was really only two ways this film was going to end, neither of which is that great.

The cast was pretty good.  Foster was strong, and does an excellent job conveying the feelings that any parent would be feeling in this type of situation.  Sarsgaard never ceases to amaze me.  He really is one of the better supporting actors in movies today.  Another great performance.  Sean Bean is another great actor, who continues to show his skills here.  It’s good to see him take on more roles other than the villainous type that he is used to.  Beahan and Christensen both put in decent performances as well.

I was pleasantly surprised by this film mainly due to the tense feel and very good acting.  I would have like to see a more original ending though.  It’s your call.  I’d say definitely see it in spite of the damn Flight Attendant Unions.  

:thumbsup: 7/10