Reviews

The thriller is one of the genres I enjoy most so I give it a chance every time a promising one appears on the horizon. And Deception had promise: Ewan McGregor, Hugh Jackman, and Michelle Williams, actors I think highly of; Dante Spinotti, brilliant cinematographer of Heat and LA Confidential; and a story of anonymous sex, a secret list and white-collar crime.

Unfortunately, Deception turned out to be a film of unfulfilled promises. The script lacks the least bit of originality, if you've seen a thriller or two, you'll figure out the "twists" in no time. Even the film's title reeks of zero imagination, it simply gives away the one thing that should be kept hidden until the second half of the movie. Not to mention the various hints that enable even the less imaginative moviegoers to see the turns of the story from miles away. This is not how you make a thriller that should keep you guessing what will happen next… It's quite frustrating to watch a scene (the money transfer to Spain) and think "oh, this is when I'm supposed to be holding my breath for Ewan to succeed! But hey, something's wrong, I don't give a damn!" It is clearly a sign that the movie does not work.

The only saving grace of the film is the cinematography and there are a couple of good scenes between McGregor and Williams but they only make Deception barely watchable and cannot save it from its fate: complete oblivion.

As a big fan of the genre I prefer horror films that show less and leave much more to the imagination. If you are into this type of stuff, The Strangers is your movie. Maybe it's not the most original flick out there but it uses the gimmicks of the art to great effect.

Last year's 'Vacancy' offers a good point of comparison because of the similarities in storyline: a young couple with problems in their relationship ends up at a remote house only to fall into the hands of some very disturbed individuals. But the resemblance ends here: 'Vacancy' is sort of okay, but it does not leave a lasting impression.

The Strangers however stayed with me for days afterwards and I know that some of its scenes and lines ("Because you were home"…) I will never forget. It's much scarier than 'Vacancy' and its villains are a lot more menacing, too. It is because we never get to know who they really are or what motivations they have. The masks hide their true identities and their intentions remain unexplained. I like the idea that even if they shed their masks in the end we still not really see their faces. Not knowing by whom and why you are about to lose your life is one maddening prospect indeed.

I think one reason why the movie works so well is that it takes time to introduce our protagonists. Getting to know what happened between them brings them closer to us and thereby they become people to root for and not just victims that we don't care about as is the case with a lot of contemporary horror movies. Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman not only look good together; they are able to portray a relationship that looks real, which is not too common in the genre. Because we care for them it is much easier to put ourselves in their shoes and thereby the 'it could happen to us' aspect works better, too.

Another thing to mention why the film worked is that our protagonists were attacked at their (summer) home not at a cheap motel or at some other impersonal location. Home is supposed to be safe and when this image is shattered and you start thinking about how safe you really are at home, it's terrifying to realize how vulnerable we are to evil.

Maybe it's a little far-fetched to state and Alfred Hitchcock would surely say it's only a movie but I still think that good horror films are reflections of our times and the anxieties we face and The Strangers touches on some of these really well and thereby not only giving a memorable movie experience but some food for thought as well.

I caught Reckless on TCM the other night and it turned out to be a pleasant surprise. In the beginning it seemed like the all-too-familiar small town college romance thing with the quarterback, the cheerleader and the outcast but as the story developed I found myself more and more intrigued. And the reason for this was the inspired acting by Aidan Quinn (his first movie ever!) and Darryl Hannah. The chemistry between them was exceptional and as their relationship unfolded the movie really came alive. Credits must be given to the then first-time director James Foley for directing their scenes in a down-to-earth, natural way. Maybe the script is not too original and we've probably seen these characters before, nevertheless the film manages to grasp the relative pointlessness and hopelessness of the industry town milieu really well. Although our two protagonists come from different family backgrounds which–under normal circumstances–would produce totally divergent ways of life, they still find each other and share the common desire to escape from the lives that are laid out for them in order to step on a road less traveled. The top-notch performances and the unmistakable 80s atmosphere make it well worth looking out for this film.

Saw this surprisingly good dark comedy at the Titanic Film Festival in Budapest. It's best labeled as dark comedy although there are various tone shifts throughout the movie. I guess all of us could -to a lesser extent, of course- relate to the main character, Kip's phobias. His "problems" are well documented and create some really funny moments at the start of the film. Only an attractive and mysterious woman could possibly penetrate Kip's elaborate defense mechanisms, thus the middle section introduces a femme fatale to the isolated world of our hero. This demanding role, which is pivotal to the film's success, is brilliantly played by the beautiful Leslie Kendall. At this point we are led to think that the movie might turn out to be a romantic comedy after all, events however take a different turn as love is replaced by manipulation, betrayal and greed and we are back into black comedy territory again. Although the film is for the most part set in a Manhattan apartment it is never really an issue: the script with its various twists and turns manages to keep our attention level high. Special credit must be given to Charlie Schmid's score too; it's very atypical and adds a great deal to the overall atmosphere of the movie. One of the directors, Kerry Douglas Dye was present at the screening and he told us that his intentions when writing the script was to always go for the less obvious and try to avoid all Hollywood clichés. Budget was tight, filming was tense but he pretty much succeeded and the end result is an unconventional yet very enjoyable dark comedy. I'm a sure buyer for the upcoming DVD

I really liked how this movie started, the cinematography, the music, the atmosphere, the wind metaphor and all that were just about right and it continued in this fashion until we reached the turning point and it's all downhill from there. In the first part of the movie Diane Lane dominates the picture, and she really shows her talent in the train scene when she travels home after the first sexual encounter and relives all the events of the afternoon reflected in her face, just beautiful.

*Spoiler ahead* However, when we reach the murder scene, the film starts to fall apart. First off, that scene is absolutely unrealistic. A poor delivery at a crucial scene like this can really put me off. After that as Gere starts to take center stage, the magic disappears as we are subject to his unconvincing acting. It's a shame because the film promised so much more. Although he tried I think Adrian Lyne just couldn't live up to his earlier work, particularly Nine ½ Weeks.

I just simply don't understand the hype about this film. It has no pace, lacks any tension, it's 90 minutes long (at least the version shown in cinemas in Hungary) but feels like two and a half hours. The conversations of Mr. Brooks with his other self kill the otherwise non-existent pace of the movie. The only decent scene could have been the final shooting between Demi Moore's character and the guy called Meeks but in the moment when some tension is introduced at last with gunshots blazing loudly in the hotel corridor our director decides to go silent and lets the score take over. What a let-down. The atmosphere is dark and the actors are okay - these are the good parts but we dissolve into the inevitable dull in the end. When we left the theater with my friend we could not help but smile at the honest criticism of one fellow movie-goer - a guy sound asleep amidst the roar of the end credits...

Saw this little gem of a film at the Titanic Film Festival in Budapest. It's about relationships from a male perspective and the difficulties of committing oneself to a relationship. The director was present at the screening and we had an interesting Q & A session after the movie, where Mr. Spector labeled his film as an unromantic comedy. He did rightly so because he manages to avoid the clichés of the genre and stays realistic all the way keeping its characters with their feet firmly on the ground. The dialogue is well written, the acting is solid, so it's pretty easy to identify yourself with the characters and the situations they're in. There is a touch of humour as well but the overall tone is a bit saddish as our main character, David learns his lesson the hard way. Overall, Someone else is a decent debut and I look forward to hearing from Mr. Spector again.

I guess going to the cinema to watch this film was my way of paying tribute to Mr Altman and his works, even though I knew that it wasn't going to be my type of movie. And I was right, but all in all it was a still enjoyable piece for me. Although the story is about the end of something good and valuable which is always sad, there is also a glimmer of hope that these people will continue with their music no matter what. I cannot help thinking that by commemorating this outdated and out of fashion radio show of a bygone era Altman celebrates the old style of movie making that he represents. As the Prairie Home Companion lost out to a presumably very profitable parking lot (not even divine intervention could help!), will Altmanesque film-making lose as well to the CGI-oriented special effects fireworks of today's cinema?