Shark Night

Shark Night

Action (Horror)

2011

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 90 minutes

Starring: Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Chris Carmack, Katherine McPhee, Joel David Moore, Daniel Logue

Directed By: David R. Ellis

Rating: 2 out of 10

Outline

A group of kids at a Louisiana lake house are held hostage by sharks in the water.

Review

I am tired of listening to young people say Jaws is not a great movie when there have been only a couple of good shark movies since. This is what shark films have been relegated to. The world’s top predators have become second rate killers that are embarrassing to behold. To be fair this film is not trying to be anything other than cheap horror but still it is hard to sit through. Shark Night is the story a group of early twenty year olds who spend a weekend at a Louisiana lake house. What is supposed to be a couple of days of fun in the sun turns into a nightmare as they are tormented by shark attacks.

I will start off by saying I am not a big fan of campy films, be it horror or any other genre. I assume that is what Shark Night was trying to be. So this could be a brilliant film from that aspect but I found it to be tacky, boring, and downright stupid. The film has little back story of the group of seven friends that you will be following, and that is a good thing. The film was never going to get you invested in the characters so why take the time to develop them. The kids head out to the lake house for a weekend of drinking and water sports. What should be the time of their lives becomes a fight for them instead. So yeah, if you were questioning as to why there are sharks in a Louisiana lake that will be explained to you. Not very well explained but explained none the less. The film is the usual mess when sharks become involved. There is no cell phone signal, they are in a remote location, the local sheriff is a useless rube, people accidentally fall into the water, the sharks are always around and super hungry, and people get killed by sharks that could win events at the Olympics. So as the film progresses people drop off in a pool of blood as the sharks tear them limb from limb. The kills are unsatisfying and mostly tame for a film that really has nothing else going for it. A shark movie rated PG-13? You money grubbing whores should know better than that.

The acting is not even worth writing about as the dialogue and characters are just awful. The typical horror characters all show up, the nerd, the athlete, the hot promiscuous chick, the quiet girl, and the medical student who can treat shark wounds. So they weren’t reaching for any new ground there. I thought it funny that the lead Sara played by Sara Paxton never thought to change out of her skimpy blue bikini throughout the whole film.

So as the film progresses the viewer is blessed with a myriad of underwater shots and some sub standard looking sharks. At times they are realistic but mostly they are a computer generated mess. They might have explained why the sharks do the craziest things to eat humans but I never heard it. I liked that they use more than one type of shark but the story is so lame that nothing was going to save this film. By the end you will not be shocked at who makes it out of this film alive. If you like bad horror where woman are scantily clad and blood pools in the lake then this might be golden for you. If you need any sense of fear or story than watch Jaws as this film sucked.

Director David R. Ellis is known for being overly tanned and making terrible horror movie (See The Final Destination, Snakes on a Plane). While granted there are people who like films that are so bad they are good they are mostly not for me. This film felt it was so bad it was bad. The sharks go mostly unseen or just a fin popping out of the water and what you do see is poorly computer generated. Having a PG-13 rating on a film where we need to see body parts ripped off is inexcusable. This film was screaming for humorous interludes and yet none show up. The story, characters, sharks are all a mess even for Ellis’s well known low standards.

I cannot recommend this film as it is not the equivalent of catching a trophy fish it is more like chum.

T Factor + If you like bad horror than this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you need graphic kills in your horror than this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Piranha, Deep Blue Sea.

The Woman in Black

The Woman in Black

2012

Drama (Thriller, Horror)

Rated: PG-13

Running Time: 95 minutes

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciaran Hinds

Directed By: James Watkins

Rating: 5 out 0f 10

Outline

A young lawyer travels to a remote village only to be tormented by a local superstition about a woman in black.

Review

Sometimes horror movies forget that they need good stories to truly capture the viewer. They seem obsessed with scaring people by any means necessary instead of providing a good fundamental background story. Unfortunately for us while this film does do a good job of keeping you frightened, it also will confound you with its bizarre story and characters. The Woman in Black is the story of a young lawyer by the name of Arthur Kipps. He travels to a faraway village to deal with the closing of a local estate, only to realize the townspeople seem to be terrorized by a local legend come to life.

Seeing Radcliffe in anything other than Harry Potter films will take some getting used to, although this film is very Potteresque if you really get down to it. It has the old English town slightly reminiscent of Diagon Alley, he has to take a train to get there, and the woman in black could be Severus Snape in weekend party mode. I was expecting Hagrid to show up to save the day at some point. Anyways, the film has that slow purposeful start where we are introduced to Arthur Kipps as he travels to the remote village for his job. As he arrives he notices that all the townsfolk act suspiciously and want him to go on his merry way back to London. Unfortunately for them, Kipps has a job to do in the scariest place on earth, and he intends to finish it no matter what. From there the film really degenerates into Kipps working at the dark and lonely estate house and seeing things that would freeze even the bravest man’s blood. The remote house is a nice setting for the paranormal as its graveyard surroundings and poor weather sets the stage well for frights. This is what I didn’t understand about the film though, Kipps is presented with abnormal experience after abnormal experience and it barely registers with him. He sees people in graveyards, in windows, shadows that walk by, and odd sounds all over the house and he seems fine with it. An extended scene where he just walks from room to room seeing bizarre things reminds the viewer of just how bad this story truly is. Yes it will make you jump but it is very hard to buy into as a premise. I am sorry if this makes me sound weak, but if I were to see someone looking at me from a window in an abandoned haunted house I would just bounce. No I wouldn’t ask questions, no I wouldn’t investigate, I would just leave.

This film was a safe choice for Daniel Radcliffe and I can’t fault him for his decision. He plays the lawyer Arthur Kipps, and playing in an English styled horror as an English character was not a stretch for him by any means. He also has very little dialogue so that helped out as well for his overall believability. He does an okay job with the role and if his character was better than maybe he would have been better. The most important thing is I can see him outside of the Potter series and he should be proud of that fact. The rest of the unknown cast do good jobs as being weird if not entirely believable characters.

As the film goes on we learn more about the woman in black and her unhealthy obsession with the children of the town. We learn the story of her life and we also learn the townsfolk are a superstitious mob. The film does a surprisingly good job of keeping the viewer scared for a PG-13 film. While a lot of the film is what I call cheap scares (loud and improbable noises) it will still set most viewers on edge. The movie just never could break itself away from its awful drawn out story. Kipps wants to solve the mystery surrounding this house and the woman in black at all costs. He forgoes personal safety and even normal thinking to accomplish this. He walks around the house and its surrounding area like a man possessed and it really is quite silly. The ending suited this movie fine and brings closure to a film with many scares but a weak story. Overall I was entertained by this film just not impressed with it.   

Director James Watkins takes on his second feature film and does an okay job with it. The turn of the 20^th century timeline coupled with the darker cinematography set the tone for a film with a decent amount of frights. The strange townspeople and overly simplistic back story of the woman in black really sucked the life out of the film though. The camera work is solid if not remarkable and the casting was sound. A better script (Jane Goldman) would have made this movie a more viable watch.

I cannot recommend this film as the Woman in Black while frightening is not that interesting.

T Factor + If you do not need a solid story for your horror then this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you like blood and gore in your horror then this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Sinister, Insidious. 

Rachel Getting Married

Rachel Getting Married

2008

Drama

Rated: R

Running Time: 113 minutes

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Bill Irwin, Rosemarie DeWitt

Directed By: Jonathan Demme

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Outline

A girl gets a weekend pass from rehab to attend her sister’s wedding.

Review

Anne Hathaway in another movie involving a wedding is enough to make me shudder (See Bride Wars.) Just the mere mention of the overdone angle of marriage and movies had me wanting to bail on this ceremony faster than Julia Roberts. This film changed my view and shows with a little creativity even the holy institution of matrimony can be an enjoyable watch. Rachel Getting Married is the story of Kym. She has been in and out of rehab for years and she gets a weekend pass to attend her sister’s wedding.

I guess why I liked this film so much is the fact it wasn’t your typical romantic comedy where the groom gets cold feet and everything goes wrong for the bride. It also isn’t a romantic drama where woman gush over how beautiful the bride’s dress is, and how lovely the flowers are. It is a film based on realism and intense dialogue that is lacking from so many other wedding films. The movie starts and we are introduced to Kym as she arrives at the house for the lead up to the wedding. What occurs next is 2 days of dysfunction as long unspoken family issues come to the forefront. Weddings are supposed to be magical and wonderful events. This one may culminate as such but leading up to the big moment is fraught with tears and tension. This film weaves stories of personal tragedy, addiction, and family discourse seamlessly into the preparation for the wedding. Learning about this family’s past adversity will have most viewers tearing up more than the wedding will. That is how the movie plays out for the most part. One moment there is an intense conversation leading to a huge fight and you forget that this film is even about a wedding. The next moment the viewer is immersed in wedding planning, and wedding events, and forgets this film has a huge darker emotional side to it. The viewer is taken on that back and forth ride and will be entertained by both sides.

The acting and specifically the characters is what makes this film so enjoyable. Kym played by Anne Hathaway turns in a very believable and raw performance. Her character’s anti social behavior and rough exterior gives the film its gritty edge. In a film that is supposed to be all about the wedding, Hathaway sticks out like a tornado in a cornfield and that is a good thing. Her sister Carol played by Rose Marie Dewitt plays the straighter laced character very well. Her barely contained anger over her sister’s antics is always noticeable. She keeps the tension at the surface as she prepares for her wedding and deals with Kym’s hard to mesh with personality. The character that stole the show for me was their father played by Bill Irwin. A super liberal and caring dad takes both sisters sides as they literally scream and bicker their way to the wedding. He seems honest and thoughtful and was exactly what this film needed. All the characters do a great job though establishing family chemistry and the immense stress that comes with planning and pulling off a wedding.

The films camera work gives the film a very realistic edge to it. When all the intense moments of love or hate are captured you seem to be in the room with them. Another thing I really liked about the film was its believable family nature. Compassion and forgiveness are what most family’s are about and this one is no different. No matter how serious the topic, love still is apparent in the room and that truly is hard to capture well. The film does have its faults or it would have scored higher. Extended scenes of wedding rehearsal speeches are boring and hard to sit through. The film is also pretty depressing and seems to keep hammering the viewer with sad story after sad story never letting up and it gets distracting. As the movie came to a close I couldn’t believe how much I liked this film though. What ultimately is just about a weekend and a wedding comes off as a powerful drama that you won’t want to miss.  

   

Director Jonathan Demme has shot a pretty decent wedding film. Its dark lead character fits perfectly into the film about a wedding. The camera work is great and the family is so believable that most can relate even on some minute level. The film is slow at points but to be expected when the topic is so bleak. Overall though, the dialogue and intense scenes of family interactions are not to be missed. Good job on a topic that has been done to death.

I give this film a recommendation especially to drama lovers and people who like indie films.

T Factor + If you like indie films this could score higher on the rating scale.

T Factor – If you do not like built up drama then this could score lower on the rating scale.

If you liked this film reel recommendations: Pieces of April, The Door in the Floor.