In the 1979 Vietnam War epic APOCALYPSE NOW, Frederic Forrest’s Chef warned us, “Never get out of the boat.” In 2007, VACANCY brings the warning closer to home: “Never get off the Interstate.” You see, you needn’t travel to the jungles of Vietnam to find hidden dangers waiting and even eager to kill you; they’re available in the highways and by-ways of America, located on winding roads in the middle of next to nowhere - places where the descendants of Norman Bates (and perhaps the distant cousins of the Texas Chainsaw family) continue to preside over isolated (and quite literal) roach motels, where guests check in but most definitely do not check out.

Amy and David Fox (Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson) are typical victim fodder for this genre: far from being noble heroes, they’re barely likable; it’s the filmmakers way of flashing a big middle finger at Hollywood conventions, telling the audience to leave sentiment at the door because this bickering couple might get whacked just for the helluva it, so why waste any tears over them? David makes the regrettable mistakes of (a) getting off the Interstate highway on a long road trip and (b) swerving to avoid a raccoon in the middle of the road. The latter near-accident causes engine trouble that forces the Foxes to spend the night in a roach-infested motel run by the amusingly creepy Mason (Frank Whaley, suggesting where John Waters might have ended up if the film-making gig had not worked out). Along the way, we learn that Amy and David are getting a divorce, but they kept the news quiet so as not to ruin the party (thrown by her parents) from which they are returning home. It’s not long before a perusal of some home-made videotapes in the “honeymoon suite” reveal that the room has been used as the setting for a series of snuff films, in which motel guests are unwillingly cast as the victims. This leads to a long, tense game of cat-and-mouse between the Foxes and Mason’s two accomplices, who seem to enjoy drawing out the suspense for maximum dramatic effect. Amy and David try to figure out a way to survive, but how can they hope to escape from a trap where so many before them have met a ghastly fate? Continue Reading »

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This is a serviceable mystery-thriller that relies on characterization and performances to ease viewers over the bumps created by the twists and turns of the plot. The result is contrived and artificial, but it works as a good genre piece that delivers the requisite elements while also serving up a decent personal story.

In the time honored tradition of the mystery genre, credibility is less important than cleverness. Borrowing the structure of the old COLUMBO TV movies, FRACTURE begins with rich, privileged man, Ted Crawford (Hopkins) committing a murder whose plan turns out to be as intricate as the elaborate toy he watches with fascination (a sort of miniature roller-coaster in which marbles rolls and spin along a carefully curved track). With the question of “Who done it?” already out of the way, the rest of the story focuses on how the hero - in this case, a young prosecutor, Willy Beachum, played by Ryan Gosling - will find the fatal flaw in the perpetrator’s supposedly air-tight scheme. And as in COLUMBO, the vital clue revealed in the final reel may not be enough to stand up in a real court of law, but in the fantasy world of the film, it is supposed to be enough. Continue Reading »

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HOT FUZZ - from Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, the team behind 2004’s wonderful zombie-comedy-romance SHAUN OF THE DEAD - at first resembles a spoof of cop movies. With Pegg as Nicholas Angel, an impossibly brilliant London police officer (not police “man”), who gets sent to a small village because his superiors are tired of the way his good example is making everyone else look bad by comparison. Needless to say, much comedy ensues from watching the supercop reduced to such trivial tasks as tracking down an escaped swan, before he finally uncovers a murderous conspiracy worthy of his talents. But surprise, surprise: the movie takes a big part of its inspiration not just from police-buddy movies (like BAD BOYS II, which is visually referenced in the film) but also from horror films. Continue Reading »

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As a thriller, this is mechanical and predictable - barely one-step away from cookie-cutter formulaic - and yet the film actually works up a decent amount of genuine feeling, thanks to the cast of characters. Fear may be in short supply, but you do want to know what happens next - well, you do know what is going to happen next, but you want to see how it happens to these characters.

The script may not be particularly subtle in its set-up, but it is effective. Kale is an all-around great kid until his dad dies in an automobile accident (while Kale is driving, naturally), whereupon the high school senior morphs into a sullen problem child, ultimately punching out a teacher who upbraids him by mentioning his father. Just shy of eighteen years, Kale lands in house arrest with his widowed mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) and passes the time playing videogames and listening to i-Tunes - until Mom pulls the plug. Continue Reading »

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By Steve Biodrowski

This homage to exploitation cinema of decades past seeks is not so much a movie as a gimmick that links together two feature films, plus a handful of faux trailers and advertisements - all appropriately scratched and faded to recreate the experience of attending a second-rate “grindhouse” theatre playing beat-up old prints. As amusing as the concept is, the actual result is a considerable disappointment - a high-tech forgery that lacks the disreputable charm of its models, which were made without the self-conscious affectation on display here. The movie is not without its merits, but it’s safe to say that much of it would have been derisively hooted off the screen at any real grindhouse theatre. In at least one sense, however, the film perfectly captures the grindhouse experience: it promises much more than it delivers.

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Although terrible, this film does raise a handful of interesting questions:

1. Why does Hollywood want to keep remaking/ripping off THE OMEN?
2. Why would anyone continue hiring Stephen Hopkins to direct a movie?
3. Why would two-time Oscar-winner Hilary Swank agree to be in this mess?

There are no answers, but puzzling over these behind-the-scenes mysteries will engage your intellect far more than anything shown on screen. THE REAPING is a dull and plodding supernatural thriller that charts an all-too-familiar course (a former believer, now a skeptic, regains her faith) and does it with all the sincerity of a cynical snake oil salesman who’s convinced the rubes in the audience will be more receptive to his pitch if he garnishes it with a little religious revivalism. Continue Reading »

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Among fans and critics, this is generally considered the best Godzilla sequel from the original series of films, which ran from GOJIRA in 1954 to TERROR OF MECHA-GODZILLA IN 1975. (The monster was revived for two subsequent series, beginning in 1984 and 2000, respectively, plus the 1998 American film produced at TriStar.) MOTHRA VS. GODZILLA shows the Toho team (director Ishiro Honda, writer Shinichi Sekizawa, composer Akira Ifukube, and effects expert Eiji Tsuburaya) working in top form. Although the dark and serious tone of the original GOJIRA is long gone, the series had yet to descend into the juvenile antics of the 1970s. Only occasional penny pinching (fewer composite shots and elaborate miniatures) and a handful of minor gaffs mar this colorful, elaborate fantasy film, which is thoroughly enjoyable for fans and children, and might even impress a few non-fans. Continue Reading »

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