SPLICE
(2010)
Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley are adorkable scientists who create an animal/human hybrid. Imagine Species, but instead of an erotic science fiction creature feature, take it the Cronenberg route and you've got this film. It got a 'D' from CinemaScore and audiences really hated it. You know what that means! It goes go to some extreme places, but I still loved every minute of it. Featuring a great sequence of bloody gore at a corporate presentation and terrific makeup / creature effects, I think this film's rep will grow with time. Sarah Polley is, as usual, fantastic even if she has to compensate for some of the screenplay's shortcomings to her character. The model that plays DREN is really expressive and her movements are so carefully and precisely played. Again, some sequences later in the film will have you squirming, but if you like Cronenberg, you should like this. GRADE: A-
POSSESSION
(2010?)
No idea when this was intended to be released - I believe there was theatrical trailers for it back in 2008. The film company went bankrupt and it hit dvd shelves earlier this year. I do like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lee Pace from TV, but here both are totally wasted in a plot that flirts with the supernatural before a twist it ripped off from Birth. Was there even a character motivation beyond 'gee, this would make a cool twist.' Bleh whatever. This is like a Lifetime movie. There is one doozy of a sequence where Gellar drops a picture frame and the shot pans from the broken glass to a car accident. So congrats, one very well directed scene! GRADE: C-
THE STEPFATHER
(1987)
Equal parts disturbing character study and teen slasher, Terry O'Quinn is marvelous is this deliciously dated semiclassic. You know how some 80's films seem to have an advantage because of their total eighties-ness? This is one of those. He's a serial killer who puts the moves on single women, becomes part of their families, then kills everyone. Ah, good times. I don't think this would work as well if updated for moder....oh wait, it was. Didn't see the remake, it probably sucked. GRADE: B+
PREDATORS
(2010)
I thought this was billed as a remake of Predator but it is a straight up sequel. I know people complained about Matt Damon being an action star, but here's an action movie with Adrien Brody and Topher Grace. We've apparently gone from massive steroids of the 1980's to borderline male anorexia. Helmed by Nimrod Antel who brought us 2007's terrific Vacancy, instead of the predators being on our planet, we are now on theirs. But it looks just like ours except for a few sabretooth looking wooly things. I don't believe I've ever seen the Schwarzeneggar original straight through in one sitting, but I've probably seen bits and pieces numerous times. The thing going for that one was that the predator was actually scary and ferocious. Here it seems like they aren't very menacing at all. Remember they skinned people in the original? None of that here. I always thought that was one of the potent elements. Anywho, people are picked off one by one and I don't even remember half the deaths. It's like people just stoppoed being on screen. Not good. Also not good: Laurence Fishburne's character - who really makes no sense. Bleh. GRADE: C
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