Cherry (2010)

Directed by: Jeff Fine

Starring: Kyle Gallner, Laura Allen, Britt Robertson, Esai Morales and Matt Walsh

Genre: Independent, Comedy, Drama

Rated: R

This coming-of-age story follows seventeen-year-old Aaron Milton (Gallner) as he enters his freshman year at an Ivy League university. He’s a highly intelligent guy, entering the engineering program on a scholarship. However, he also has a passion for art, and attends a drawing class against the wishes of his advisor and his mother. In this class he meets an older woman named Linda (Allen), whose free spirit and direct manner charm him. He soon develops a crush on Linda, but things get complicated when he goes to her house for dinner and meets her fourteen-year-old daughter, Beth, who develops a crush on him. Through this awkward triangle, Aaron learns more about himself and grows into a more confident, secure person.

When I first saw previews for this film, I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I was afraid it was going to turn out to be just another overly sexualized college flick about a guy losing his virginity, but those fears were put to rest upon viewing. Despite the name of the film, sex is not the main focus of the storyline. Aaron isn’t just a virgin in the sexual sense; he’s a virgin to the real world – having been raised by an overly protective-to-the-point-of-controlling mother. He’s unaware of the problems people face, because he’s never had to face them. He embarks on quite the adventure with Linda and Beth, and learns a lot about the world and those he cares about on the way to finding himself.

I really liked this film. The acting was very well-done, especially from Gallner, Allen, and Robertson. Gallner is a young actor that I have been following readily for some time. He’s a very talented and versatile actor, and I haven’t disliked a single performance yet. His portrayal of the somewhat naïve, nerdy leading man was both believable and charming. Allen is fun as the free-spirited older woman but she is also able to realistically portray the complexities of addiction that afflict her. Robertson furthers this with her convincing performance as the daughter of an addict. I only wish that the relationship between mother and daughter got a little more screen time, and the audience could actually see what went on between the two of them rather than just hear it described by Beth. 

The writing feels natural. While the story isn’t entirely original, it is loosely based on the director’s life, and the writing makes you forget that similar stories have been told before. The three main characters all have full character arcs and each one has something to learn – no character in this film is flawless, but every character is redeemable.

For me, everything seemed to work for this film. The indie music really seemed to fit the characters and the storyline. The technical aspects were great – the music never overpowered the dialogue, scenes were always well-lit, etc. This is just one example of professional quality independent film.

7/10

Cherry Falls (2000)

Directed by: Geoffrey Wright

Starring: Brittany Murphy, Jay Mohr, Michael Beihn, Joe Inscoe, Gabriel Mann and Natalie Ramsey

Genre: Horror / Slasher / horror-comedy

Rated: R

Someone is killing the teenage virgins in Cherry Falls, Virginia. As the killer inches dangerously closer to his daughter, Jody, Sherriff Marken realizes he must face the past in order to protect her.

Originally, this film was supposed to be a major studio release, but it was dropped due to the content of the plot. Instead it was picked up by the USA television network and reworked to fit its specifications. That is a shame because so much had to be cut from the original script, elements that would have made the film much better in my opinion.

Being turned into a made-for-TV movie, much of the violence had to be cut – so the viewer doesn’t see what happens to most of the victims. I know I’ve said that violence doesn’t necessarily have to be shown in order for a film to be scary, and that is true – however, when you’re working with a modern teenage slasher, it comes to be expected. If there is no creepy atmosphere and very little suspense, there had better be some exciting kill sequences. This film lacked all three.

Having read the original script, I feel the film butchered it – going for a far more comedic route and higher body count. In the script, we really get to know the characters a lot better, while in the movie only Jody and her father are really depicted as multi-dimensional. Her best friend, Sandy is barely more than a background character and her boyfriend Kenny is a dimwit – however, in defense of the final product, he was just as big of an idiot in the script.

As I said before, the violence was heavily cut. The audience mostly sees quick glimpses of the aftermath, but nothing of the actual kill itself. The scripted kills were very brutal and spliced in such a way that there actually could have been some suspense, but alas the first scene was entirely altered and the other scene depicted like that was cut altogether.

Instead of depicting the scarier aspects of the script, the filmmakers decided to focus more on the humorous aspects of it. It was already a Scream knock-off, but the funny bits are amplified. Some parts were truly, darkly funny, like the killer getting knocked over by a giant swinging plastic shark and pretty much anything that came out of Jay Mohr’s mouth – but a lot of it could have been taken down a notch.  

At least we were treated to some decent acting from leading lady, Brittany Murphy, Jay Mohr as her teacher and Michael Beihn as the Sherriff. Gabriel Mann was decent as Kenny the dimwit boyfriend, but his character annoyed me. The rest of the characters, as mentioned above, faded, unmemorable, into the background.

Overall: It’s not a terrible flick – it’s amusing in places, and the original script held a lot of promise. It’s too bad the producers decided to take it the route they did. In the end, it wound up being a fairly average horror comedy.

5/10

Link to original script: http://scifiscripts.name2host.com/msol/cherryfalls.txt

Black Christmas 1974 vs Black Christmas 2006

Black Christmas (1974)

Directed by: Bob Clark

Starring: Olivia Hussey, Margot Kidder, Andrea Martin, Keir Dullea and John Saxon

Genre: Horror / Slasher

Rated: R

Its Christmas time and the girls of Pi Kappa Sig are getting ready to head home for the holidays. They begin receiving obscene phone calls, but think of them as nothing more than a demented prank. As they go about their celebrations an intruder goes unnoticed creeping into the house. As the girls are killed off one by one, our heroine, Jess, alerts the police and together they try and catch the killer.

                Noted as the First American Slasher, Black Christmas (1974) has become a cult classic for genre fans, and it is easy to see why. This film has all of the elements that make up a great horror film - the most prominent of these being the atmosphere. Despite the fact that inside the house appears to be cozy and cheery, the viewer can’t help having a sense of dread. After all, the audience knows what the characters do not – that there is someone else in the house. The exterior of the home is only showed in shadow and at night, making it appear a lot more ominous than the real house actually was. We also get a few point of view shots from the killer as he breaks into the house, spies on the girls and prepares for a kill.

                The kill scenes are modest, but ultimately more effective. Only three of the deaths are shown onscreen, yet only one of them really shows the death. The audience gets the idea of how the character is being murdered, but doesn’t actually see it happening. As most horror films post early 1970s delved into the use of special effects and gore, this film is a nice change of pace. The amount of blood is minimal and many of the deaths go unseen, playing into the suspense factor.

                This film does keep up the suspense throughout the entire story, both dealing with the killer hiding in the attic, the creepy phone calls, and the subplots that interconnect. The audience is always wondering if that phone ringing is the killer calling the girls (and if it is, what he is going to say – as each call gets progressively more disturbing) who is going to die or what Jess is going to do about her own problems. It helps that the characters are likable and fleshed out well enough for the actors to give them each a presence.

                The acting and characterization in this film is very well done. The characters are believable as college students and friends and also very memorable. Olivia Hussey was already a seasoned actress before she took the leading role as Jess and she was great as usual. However, it’s Margot Kidder’s Barb that steals the show as the sarcastic alcoholic of the group. Barb is not afraid to fire back at anyone, from the obscene phone caller to the police sergeant, and creates a bit of comic relief in an otherwise dark film. It’s also nice to see that these girls are more than just two-dimensional knife fodder, as both Jess and Barb clearly have other things going on in their lives. After them, Ms. Mac, the housemother, is the most memorable, with her sarcastic remarks and hidden collection of booze – quite possibly a future Barb. Keir Dullea is convincing as Jess’s neurotic and somewhat intimidating boyfriend, Peter. The other girls, Phyl (Andrea Martin) and Claire, stand out much less, but fit into the mold just fine.

                I really liked how this film tackled issues that many films today are still afraid to tackle: abortion and alcoholism. Many films show a character who drinks constantly, but not many bother to look into why. Its clear that Barb’s alcoholism stems from a bad relationship with her mother. Abortion was a fairly new thing in the 1970s, legally speaking, so to have a character in a film contemplating the idea is a brave move on the part of the writers and director. These two elements really stand out, marking this as one of the first intelligent slasher films bold enough to try something a bit different.

Overall: Great acting, camera work, characterization and atmosphere make this film the classic it has become. It is suspenseful and claustrophobic, but also intelligent. It deals with real issues that affect college students making the characters more believable and likable. Tie into that a little taste of humor and you’ve got quite the amazing film.

8.5/10

Black Christmas (2006)

Directed by: Glen Morgan

Starring: Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Lacey Chabert, Kristen Cloke, and Andrea Martin

Genre: Horror / Slasher

Rated: R

 If anyone has been following my blog, they know that I’m very tough on remakes. This one is no exception, especially considering how unnecessary this remake was. In my opinion, the original holds up very well as far as relatable characters, suspense, atmosphere and chills, but apparently Hollywood begs to differ. Enter Black Christmas (2006), a modern retelling that adds little to the story and takes quite a bit away.

The plot is very similar to the original film. Once again we have a house full of sorority sisters preparing for the holidays and receiving creepy phone calls. One by one, over the course of an evening, the girls start to be picked off by an escaped mental patient who once called their house his home.

                In this version, we learn a lot more about “Billy and Agnes” – the two names used frequently in the disturbing calls the girls received in the original film. While the killer’s back story was kept a secret in 1974, the 2006 version brings the audience yet another tale of twisted abuse and neglect that made the killer do the things he does. The 1974 phone calls hinted at something sinister that had happened, this film held nothing back. Severe child abuse and cannibalism? Sure, why not?

                Along with the mystery surrounding the killer, the creepy atmosphere is gone too. There aren’t any point of view shots and the house doesn’t seem ominous in the least. The film was supposed to take place during a snow storm (how original) but I didn’t even realize that until halfway through the film. The phone calls aren’t really that scary either – they try to capture the essence of the original calls but lack the intensity. Plus, these calls are clearly scripted while the originals were improvised by director Bob Clark.

                Not only did this remake remove all mystery surrounding the killer and the eerie atmosphere of the 1974 classic, it sucked the personalities out of the sorority girls as well. That was really disappointing considering the cast of well-known actresses like Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Lacey Chabert – all of which have promising careers ahead of them. The only girl that stood out was Cassidy as the heroine, Kelli. All of the others blended together in a rather monotonous stream of victims. Winstead’s character is supposed to be from the south, but we only hear a bit of a southern accent in one portion of dialogue from her. Trachtenberg’s Melissa is supposed to be the more caring sister, but even that is barely shown. There was also an attempt to revive Margot Kidder’s Barb in the character of Lauren, but while Barb had a sharp wit, Lauren comes off as angry at the world and rather unlikable.

                In addition to what was removed from the original story, unnecessary clichés were also brought to it. As aforementioned, I didn’t really like having the back story provided for “Billy and Agnes.” I personally find it creepier not knowing anything about past events and the killer him or herself. The fact that the audience never learns anything about the killer in the original makes it stand out. Instead, the viewer receives another version of the current horror cliché – the extremely abusive childhood that made the killer snap. We also have a nude shower scene and a sex tape that are utterly pointless and add nothing to the story. We also get the classic “power failure in the middle of the storm” scare and the death while checking the fuse box, as well as the old “severed head falling out of the car” gag. It feels like the people behind this wanted to make this as unoriginal as possible.

                The kills tried to pay homage to the deaths in the original film – but didn’t work as well. They happened too fast for my liking, focusing more on the gruesome aspects than on the suspense and helpless atmosphere. Instead of deaths barely seen, we have characters choked and stabbed in rapid succession, and many shots of eyes being gouged out and then eaten by the killer. That’s not so much scary as it is gross.

                There were a few things I liked about the film, however. I really liked that Andrea Martin (Phyl from the 1974 version) was brought back as the house mother. I thought that was a very nice touch and fun little homage. Also, the use of the crystal unicorn (a very memorable prop from the original) as a murder weapon was another nice nod to the film’s predecessor. The gore effects weren’t bad either, though slightly redundant.

Overall: This film had the potential to be quite good with the talented cast, bigger budget, and modern special effects. Instead, writer/director Glen Morgan decided to use gross-out gore and every cliché he could think of to turn a classic film into typical modern teenybopper slasher drivel.

4.5/10

StageFright (1987)

Directed by: Michele Saovi

Starring: David Brandon, Barbara Cupisti, Robert Gliqorov, Giovanni Lambardo Radice, Loredana Perrella, Martin Phillips, Mary Sellers, Jo Ann Smith and Clain Parker

Genre: Horror, Slasher, Foreign, Giallo

Language: English

Rating: Unrated

I’d been looking for this film for a long time since I’d heard it was great from a number of fellow horror fans. I found it in parts on Youtube last night and I was not disappointed. The story follows a small group of stage actors rehearsing for the impending opening of their play. They soon find themselves locked inside the theater with a masked madman intent on killing them off one by one.

I feel this slasher is a step above many others because it actually lets you get to know the characters and feel for them. They each have unique personalities and there were many that I wanted to survive. Also the characters actually exhibited some intelligence and stuck together in groups; rarely was someone left alone. That was a nice change of pace.

The direction of this film switches from gritty and gory to beautiful. The onstage death is graceful and tense as the rest of the cast begins to realize that the actress is being killed for real. The music is so light and beautiful contrasting with the terror of the group as they watch her being stabbed to death. The tension only mounts when they realize they are locked inside the building with the killer. The rest are far more brutal and even upsetting as many happen when there are other people around who are unable to save the victims.

I only have a few gripes for this film. First, I felt there were some instances where the music felt out of place. The rock-like score during the chase scenes ruined the tension for me. I much preferred the music during the onstage death and during the climax of the film. The ending wasn’t that great either, I felt it could have been done a little differently. Lastly, the production values are a little off as at times you can’t hear the dialogue over the music, or one character is harder to hear than another. This could just be the version I watched, though.

Overall, this is a fun slasher flick with intelligent, likable characters, decent directing and brutal deaths. I will be adding this to my collection and I recommend it for any horror fan.

7/10

Hounddog (2007)

Directed by: Deborah Kampmeier 

Starring: Dakota Fanning, David Morse, Robin Wright-Penn, and Piper Laurie

Genre: Drama

Rated: R

Set in the 1950s south, the story follows Lewellen (Fanning), a precocious preteen with a love for Elvis. She lives a troubled life with her overly religious grandmother (Laurie) and abusive father (Morse). The only way to cope is to lose herself in singing and dancing along with Elvis’s music. When tragedy strikes her family, Lewellen is forced to deal with situations beyond her years.

While this film is by no means great, I found it to be a decent effort as a drama. Dakota Fanning’s performance was amazing considering the issues her character faced. She also is a fairly talented singer, especially toward the end of the film. David Morse’s turn has the abusive alcoholic turned mentally handicapped is also well done. He was able to bring humor and sympathy to what was at first a detestable character. However, I felt that Piper Laurie was playing an older, slightly less crazy version of her character in Carrie and the character of Charles as the all-knowing, wise and kindly black man, was a bit of a Hollywood cliché.

This movie stirred up quite a bit of controversy due to a particular scene involving Fanning. The scene depicts the rape of her character, and many people were up in arms about this. Whether it is because it was America’s sweetheart being victimized (there are plenty of other films involving scenes far more graphic that have earned less controversy or have been completely overlooked) or just the fact that it was shown at all, the reasons for the outrage differ. Some say the scene was unnecessary to the film and found it brutal. I disagree. This is the climax to the film – when the one thing she has left in the world is ripped away from her, and necessary for the story arc. Also, brutal, it is not. The scene was tastefully shot and heartbreaking, based more on the emotions involved than the actual actions.

The film is rife with symbolism – mostly religious or folkloric in nature. There are snakes in abundance and mention of the Native American belief in snake medicine (if one gets bitten enough times by a snake and survives, that person gains great wisdom).  After enduring trauma, Lewellen crushes apples beneath her feet. There is also plenty of foreshadowing, and the director makes sure that everything foreshadowed comes to light. The cinematography is also beautifully shot. Filmed in North Carolina, the setting is authentically southern, and feels right out of the 1950s.

Overall: Kampmeier clearly has a grasp on the makings of a good film and script. If she had only relied less on the stereotypes and focused a bit more of flushing out the characters, I would have liked the film a lot better. As it stands, it provides great performances, lovely cinematography, and a proper use of symbolism and foreshadowing.

6.5/10

Get Over It (2001)

Directed by: Tommy O’Haver

Starring: Ben Foster, Kirsten Dunst, Sisqo, Colin Hanks, Martin Short, Ed Begley Jr., Shane West, Mila Kunis, and Swoozie Kurtz

Genre: Comedy, Teen Comedy

Rated: R

Burke Landers (Foster) has just been dumped by Allison, the girl he believes is perfect for him, and he is determined to get her back. This determination only increases when she begins dating the new guy at school, Striker (West), who is a member of a boy band and uses a terrible British accent to impress women. When his ex and Striker decide to try out for the school play, a horribly butchered musical version of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Burke decides to try out as well. Kelly (Dunst) offers to help him – in hopes that he will notice her. What follows is a play on the original Shakespearean story, set in a modern high school.

I’ve heard this film compared to 10 Things I Hate About You, as both films are updated adaptations of Shakespeare’s works. However, this film isn’t nearly as good. I found it fairly lacking in the comedic area. It felt like it was going for cheap laughs at times. Martin Short’s performance as the overly dramatic and narcissistic theater director felt very over the top (which was probably the idea), and though he was funny at times, he became annoying quite easily. The plot itself felt very watered down. What was once a beautiful play becomes a fairly clichéd storyline when all the magic and fairies are removed. The ending is predictable.

Kelly and Burke are the only likable characters in the entire film. The others are either annoying or not memorable. The acting was okay, but I really didn’t feel like a lot of the actors were invested in their characters. Kirsten Dunst did a good job and she actually has a really nice singing voice. I love Ben Foster’s work, and he is great with comedy, but only when the dialogue is well-written. 

Overall, this isn’t a bad film, but it’s not a great one either. I simply didn’t find it funny. It’s a lack-luster effort that feels like it’s trying to cash in on the trend of updated film adaptations of Shakespeare for the teen audience.

5/10

May (2002)

Directed by Lucky McKee

Starring: Angela Bettis, Jeremy Sisto, and Anna Faris

Genre: Horror, Psychological Thriller

Rated: R

May (Bettis) never had many friends growing up. As a child she had a lazy eye and was forced to wear an eye patch, leading the other children to ridicule her. On her birthday, her mother gives her a doll named Suzy that must be kept in her glass case at all times. She tells May, “If you can’t find a friend, make one.” Years later, May is a very pretty, but shy and lonely young woman working at a veterinary office and living alone. She longs to be seen as who she is and loved for it, but as the people she befriends reject her, she descends slowly into madness.

I will forewarn you now, if you are looking for an action-packed gore-fest, you will be disappointed. Nothing violent happens until the final third of the film. For the majority of the movie, we actually get to know May and her acquaintances. We see how socially awkward she is, and how her new friends accept that, but start to pull away as more of her weirdness reveals itself. The audience really gets a feel for May, Adam and Polly as the movie progresses – which is a rarity in a lot of recent horror. 

Adam (Sisto) is a handsome film student who works as a laborer during the day. He’s a horror movie fanatic and has even created a few of his own. After conversing in a Laundromat, he and May begin dating. Polly (Faris) is the secretary at the veterinary clinic where May works. The two also have a blossoming relationship.

All three characters are played very well. Jeremy Sisto made Adam a man I’d love to be with (handsome, sweet, and a horror fanatic? Yes, please!) and Anna Faris definitely brought out the seductive free spirit in Polly. Angela Bettis’s performance seals the film together, though. She does little things (like smiling while telling a disturbing story) that show her character is just a little out-there. I also loved how her voice is meek and quiet in the beginning of the film, and then becomes much stronger and more confident as she becomes more unhinged.

I also liked how the film was littered with metaphor. For instance, after every negative experience May has, the glass on Suzy’s case begins to crack. Also, the motif of sight is used heavily throughout the film (her lazy eye, the blind children, etc.) It showed that a modern horror movie can be both violent and intelligent.

I did wonder, however, what made May the way she was. That is never really explained. Though, I guess, in a way, it’s better to use the imagination, than to be force-fed the clichéd back-story of abuse that they put in most recent horror films.

I enjoyed this film. It was nice to sit down and watch a slow-paced, intelligent film from my favorite genre. I thought the director and the cast did a great job and I liked how it focused more on the character development than the blood and guts (though there definitely is some of that!).  I recommend this for those who enjoy a good story with their horror.

7/10