One reason why my friends love the horror movie marathons I host is the diversity I provide them. They’re sure to watch a movie they haven’t seen before and not the tired old Hollywood horror movies that everyone knows about.

If you want to host your own horror movie marathon and want to give your friends a real movie treat, why don’t you get some of these great horror films that were made in Europe. They probably haven’t heard anything about these movies, which will make it a scarier experience for them.

Dead Snow

Zombies are the new vampires. The zombie genre has become quite popular these days so if you want to give your friends an extra special treat, give them a movie that’s got zombies that come from left field. And nothing gives you that feeling than Dead Snow. So what does this movie offer that other zombie movies don’t? Two words – Nazi zombies. It doesn’t get more left field than that.

Rec

Rec has gained popularity because it was remade into that utterly disappointing Hollywood movie Quarantine. I’ve always maintained that if you want the best entertainment, go to the source, and Rec delivers like only the original can. Do check out the sequel, Rec 2 as well for more of the same horror goodness. The Rec series has been so successful that two more Rec movies are going to be released.

Haute Tension

Forget American slasher movies, this French horror movie defines the genre for the new century. Merciless, gory, and absolutely serious, Haute Tension will dfrive to the edge of your seat with your hand firmly clasped on your mouth.

Mum and Dad

Talk of British horror the most common peg would be the old Hammer Horror films from thirty to forty years ago. But Mum and Dad is British horror turned on its ear. It is a deeply disturbing movie that evokes the twisted family tropes used in movies like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or The Hills Have Eyes but with a twist that only makes this horror subgenre all the more frightful.

Sauna

Sauna is a little known Finnish film that elevates horror to a philosophical discussion of evil, sin and retribution. Don’t expect gore or any overtly frightening scenes here. This is a quiet horror movie, if there ever is such a creature. But what it does successfully is to creep under your skin. This is a very unsettling movie that provokes deep questions about morality.

The passengers on this night ride include Beau Bridges as a soldier with a broken arm from the mid-west and his Manhattan GI buddy, Ed McMahan as a harried young father (nope, no “Herrrre’s Johnny!” in this flick), a whiny old husband and wife, a gay guy, a black couple, and a few other typical subway strap hangers. An under cover cop disguised as a sleeping alcoholic stays that way, helping no one. As the two thugs enter the subway car, they begin to size up their prey. The night’s young, and they’re looking for ‘kicks’. Like most bullies, they have an almost intuitive sense of their victims’ weak spots.  And they work them, mercilessly and methodically. Other than for the injured soldier, all the other passengers either pretend to ignore, or revel in, the suffering of others. The angry black guy, played by Brock Peters, even thoroughly enjoys watching “whitey beat whitey”; but of course it’s not long for his turn to come. The passengers are, in turn, threatened, beaten and thoroughly humiliated. The thug’s delight is hard to take. Eventually, the soldier, alone and abandoned, decides to fight back. His dignity and courage help to reset a bizarrely out of whack moral compass. The seemingly endless ride is finally over; though the memories will continue to haunt.

A few months ago, the local media was hot to pick up on the story of a homeless man who, after coming to the rescue of a female mugging victim, died on a well-trafficked NY street. And yes, there was the obligatory video of passers by doing just that; literally stepping over the dying man, as they went about their business. As TV reporters scurried to the scene, they eagerly searched-and found-some of these folks. Most responded that they thought the old guy was just sleeping on the sidewalk. Of course, this then prompted the phony soul-searching for which the media is so notorious. They all, without exception, dredged up the old (and infamous) New York story of Kitty Genovese. This young woman was raped and murdered in her apartment, while the neighbors simply ignored her desperate screams for help. This tragic case did wonders, as you can imagine, for New York’s reputation.

Unfortunately, the nastiness portrayed in The Incident can be considered rather mild when compared to today’s substantially elevated levels of violence. Because now it’s not just about a couple of aimless dirtbags getting cheap thrills by harassing  a bunch of weary subway riders. Today, the venues for violence, like airplanes, schools, cruise ships, etc. have expanded, as have the so-called motivations of the criminals who infest them. No matter whether the perpretrators’ reasons are religious or political, the stark reality for the victims remain the same. The Incident shows us that ignoring violence, or appeasing the perps, isn’t just the cowards way out, it just doesn’t work. That’s why The Incident needs to be re-made, with an updated and fresh look at who we really are. We need it now more than ever.

The J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg collaboration already has the Web buzzing with theories.  Is this really a Cloverfield sequel?  A LOST extension?  The “Dark E.T.”?

All we know is that there’s a brutal train wreck in Ohio in the late 1970s, and onboard was some sort of Air Force cargo.  Whatever IT is, it survives the crash.

The Super 8 trailer ends with the words “The scariest thing I ever saw” – a pointer to the very viral ScariestThingIEverSaw.com. The cryptic Website will undoubtedly get people talking and drum up hype for the very secretive project.

Tons of screenshots and all kinds of math calculations, which quite frankly make my head spin, can be found here.

Watch the trailer (Quicktime required).

What he haven’t seen from Reynolds much though is a serious role. He’s apparently got that thing covered too with his new movie Buried. The thriller, helmed by Rodrigo Cortes, tells the story of Paul, an American contractor who’s working in Iraq. Paul gets in the middle of an attack by a group of Iraqis and finds himself buried inside a coffin. With just a lighter and a cellphone, he must find a way to escape before his time runs out.

It’s a great premise for a movie although it’s a tired concept. It’s been done in the Quentin Tarantino-directed episode of CSI. And the concept also reminds me of the movie Spoorloos. Will Reynold’s prove to be a versatile actor to tackle such a serious role? We’ll soon find out when the movie is released.

Chris Pine is reportedly in talks with Paramount Pictures to play Jack Ryan, the popular CIA analyst character in Tom Clancy’s novels.

A script is currently being written for the planned reboot. Although the movie’s title wasn’t revealed yet, I’m guessing they’ll restart the franchise with the first novel, The Hunt for Red October.

If Pine accepts, he will be the fourth actor to assume the role of Ryan. Alec Baldwin starred in The Hunt for Red October. Then Harrison Ford assumed the role when Baldwin decided to do The Shadow instead of Patriot Games. The last actor to play Ryan was Ben Affleck.

The action sequences are cool with smarts and training factoring in to the character’s success. While the movie did show the horror of sex trade what’s really nice about the movie is that it didn’t get preachy and was realistic in the sense that the Liam Neeson’s character didn’t get too wrapped up with the issue (as horrible as it is!) especially after he got his daughter back. What I liked though was that he got to hurt those bad men pretty bad (I loved the torture he inflicted on Marco) because they deserved it! It does satisfy ones appetite for revenge.

You’ll love this film if you are into action films. And if not at least it will remind you once again why sex trade should be fought. As for girls like me it reminds me to be more careful when traveling!

Terminator Salvation isn’t set to come out till May but everyone’s already really excited about the movie thanks to director Manuel Balce Ceneta McG’s panel discussion during the movie trailer’s premiere at WonderCon last Saturday.

The movie is still very much in the works with some key elements still unsettled such as the appearance of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton and what role their icon characters will take in the movie. What is settled though is that the movie will be more about the story than the action sequences. It goes back to the question of humanity and according to McG asks, “Where does humanity lie? If you have an artificial hip, or an artificial heart, you’re still human, right? Well, where does that line end up being drawn? We’re flirting with the point now to where it’s not necessarily science fiction anymore. It is a real issue and part of what this film does is explore that question.” This movie, as Anton Telchin (Kyle Reese) puts it “honors the legacy of those first two movies.”

I say great news for Terminator fans that were sorely disappointed with the last movie (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines). Terminator Salvation is out to redeem the Terminator name and it seems like it’s going to do just that.

Here are some of reviews on the movie:

I’d say this is roughly 20 times better than the first “Street Fighter” movie. It’s still a waste of time, but unlike the game, it’s over in 95 minutes. – Chicago Tribune

Even by low-budget video-game adaptation standards, this one is a stinker. – MSNBC

With reviews like that my expectations has hit rock bottom so I guess I can safely see the movie without being disappointed but then again Variety says, “Even with the low expectations “The Legend of Chun Li” engenders, it still somehow manages to be a letdown.” Oh well this means I’ll just wait for it to come out not DVD but on HBO. No sense wasting my money!

And indeed, it is going to be something totally new – at least if the rumor mill is to be believed. According to what’s been circulating on the grapevine, Tom Clancy’s character Jack Ryan is going to be revived but this time, with a different twist. In fact, some are saying that his character will be nothing like the Jack Ryan that we have all come to love.

For starters, the franchise has gotten a new writer in the person of Hossein Amini. Empire Online has this story:

Hossein Amini, who has written movies as diverse as The Four Feathers, the still-delayed Killshot and Shanghai, has been brought on board by producers Mace Neufeld and Lorenzo di Bonaventura with the brief to write a Ryan origin tale that will have little or nothing to do with Tom Clancy’s novels.

More than a new writer, we should expect a new actor to play the role of Jack Ryan:

The new movie will obviously involve a new Jack Ryan – the fourth after Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck – and we reckon that Paramount will want to go with a big name. After all, while the Ryan franchise has been lucrative, it’s not a name that carries the instant appeal of a Batman or a Bond.

This point is what interests me most. Who can play the role effectively? I have to say that I am quite excited about a new Jack Ryan film – there is something about this character that appeals to me. However, off the top of my head, I cannot think of an actor that would match the character perfectly. Can you?

In spite of the fact that Tom Cruise’s credibility has suffered from some serious blows (yeah, who can forget his sofa-jumping episode at Oprah?), we cannot discount his talent as an actor. This is the man who brought Jerry Maguire – among many other movie characters – to life.

Come Christmas Day, I find myself looking forward to seeing Valkyrie, Tom Cruise’s newest movie. It is actually more than a good movie – as many critics are already saying – as this year marks his 25th year since Risky Business, the film that many say made Tom Cruise into what he is today.

In Valkyrie, Tom Cruise plays a real life character. The last time that he did this was in the movie Born on the Fourth of July, which was way back in 1989. Undoubtedly, that movie was a success. Would Valkyrie prove to be the same?

Tom Cruise, the director and star of the new movie, has done as much as he could to make that possible. He actually did research on his own – research on Germany, its history, the Third Reich, and even met some of von Stauffenberg’s descendants; von Stauffenberg being the main character of the film.

What does the star have to say about his latest film?

Because the picture is a suspense-centered film, to really understand von Stauffenberg was obviously very important. You try to comprehend the kind of pressure he was under. Things he couldn’t even discuss with his children. The odds that he was up against, and to make the choices that he made — I found it to be inspiring and very interesting.

I am hoping that my anticipation – and yours – will not be unfounded.

The new movie is an espionage thriller entitled Blown. Caviezel will play the role of Will Matlock, an MI5 operative who discovers a terrorist attempt to attack London. He will pit wits with Jackson’s Julian Lezard, a businessman.

Jim Caviezel will attempt to stop Samuel L. Jackson from destroying London in the espionage thriller Blown.

It’s a good thing that an actor of such immense talent like Caviezel is getting new movie assignments again.

The story is about a female Interpol agent that employs an American tourist in capturing a criminal with whom she had a relationship with.

Production for the movie is set for March next year.

Brosnan is set to play the role of the prime minister and Cage is the ghostwriter.

Shooting for the movie will begin in Europe this fall.

This remake is fast turning into one hell of a movie. Both Chow Yun Fat and Liam Neeson are currently in negotiations to co-star and To himself has said that he wants Orlando Bloom to be included in the cast. Consistent To collaborator Wai Ka Fai, is also part of the team. He is currently developing the script in close collaboration with To himself.

The movie will start production in June and will be shot in both Hong Kong and Macau.

The movie, which was adapted from Alan Glynn’s book, is said to have the same atmosphere as both Fight Club and The Game. Both movies were directed by David Fincher. Burger’s last movie was The Illusionist starring Edward Norton.

The Dark Fields tells the story of an out of his luck loser who manages to get access to a secret drug that makes a person smarter. He becomes very successful but discovers that the drug has deadly and permanent side effects.

LaBeouf is also set to apepar in the new Indiana Jones movie, Eagle Eye and a segment of the New York, I Love You film anthology.

Now it looks like McHale is going to do a Kinnear — that is, initiate the jump from the small screen to the big screen. McHale is reportedly slated to appear in Matt Damon’s new movie along with other comic actors. The new movie, a comic thriller to be directed by Steven Soderbergh is entitled The Informant and will be made under Warner Independent Pictures, Participant Media and Groundswell Productions. The movie is based on the smash bestseller The Informant: A True Story. Actual filming for the movie is scheduled to happen anytime this month.

Bakula and McHale, who is in final negotiations, will play FBI agents working with agri-business insider Mark Whitacre (Damon) to stop a price-fixing scam. The film is based on Kurt Eichenwald’s 2000 best-seller “The Informant: A True Story.”

Other new cast members known for their comedic turns are Mike O’Malley (CBS’ “Yes, Dear”), Andrew Daly (Semi-Pro), Adam Paul (Starz’s “Hollywood Residential”) and Melanie Lynskey (CBS’ “Two and a Half Men”). Comedian-actors Tom Wilson, Rick Overton and Tom Papa will round out the cast.

Scott Z. Burns adapted the book for the screen. Principal photography is set to begin this month.

I do remember that a remake was made of this movie before but I think it was a TV movie. This time though a real big screen adaptation is in the works. Tony Scott is set to helm the movie and big stars like Denzel Washington and John Travolta are already on board.

The latest new is that James Gandolfini is already locked in for the role of the New York City mayor. John Travolta is going to play the head of the criminal gang, which would mean Denzel Washington will be the cop.

I’d love to see how Gandolfini will gel with his co-stars. The guy has such an immense talent that Washington and Travolta will have to keep up.

Death Proof, Tarantino’s grindhouse take, is vintage Tarantino. All the elements that you have come to expect from a Tarantino movie are here – and he really brings in bucketfuls of “Tarantino-isms” to the screen. You’ve got the imaginative shots and perspectives, the lightning fast witty repartee, and the pulpy plot and story that is filled with obscure pop culture references. Tarantino has really honed his personal style to a razor’s edge and Death Proof shows it in spades.
Trying to give short description of the plot of Death Proof will be futile because a synopsis will not do the story any justice. It is Tarantino’s penchant for making the different scenes of his movies twist, fold, and bend into each other that makes it quite difficult. The great thing here is that Death Proof is told from a straight narrative, with absolutely no flashbacks or post-modern story structures like the one Tarantino used in his breakout movie Pulp Fiction. It is precisely because of Tarantino’s immense talents that the movie feels like it folds in on itself without even screwing with the narrative.

I absolutely love the fact that the two “halves” of the movie is punctuated by probably one of the most memorable crash scenes in recent history. It serves as a dramatic counter point that signals the end of the first half, if you will, and the beginning of the second half. I think it is really clever. You enter the first half not really knowing where the movie will go then you see the crash scene so by the time you get to the second half you already have this immense sense of foreboding. This new set of girls are going to get it too. That’s what drives the second half of the movie – the impending sense of doom. But Tarantino still manages to turn the tables on us by actually pulling in another twist. This time, it is the Stuntman (devilishly played by Kurt Russell) who gets the surprise of his life.

Tarantino mined a lot of talent for this movie. Russell is just picture perfect for his role. Rose McGowan’s cameo of sorts is very memorable. CSI New York’s Vanessa Ferlito is a revelation here. She really dove into her character with gusto and that lap dance sequence is just phenomenal. Same goes for Rosario Dawson, who provided her character with the right amount of zing.

I know that Death Proof has polarized a lot of people, this is one of those “love it or hate it” type of movies. I for one loved it and this is another fine addition to Tarantino’s already impressive filmography.

Rating: B-

Ahhhh, another Stephen King movie. These just aren’t made in the same abundance as they used to be. His stories seem to be relegated mostly to TV miniseries and the occasional anthology television series episode, these days. King has tried his hand at pretty much every subgenre of horror there is, but it’s his ghost stories that have entertained me the most. As I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this site, haunted house films are one of my favorite horror subgenres, so naturally a movie about a haunted hotel room based on a story by Stephen King was bound to tickle my fancy. “1408” shares several similarities with other haunted house stories written by King, with more than a passing resemblance to “The Shining” and “Rose Red”. Like the aforementioned examples, “1408” is a more surreal take on the subgenre and is all the better for it.

Mike Enslin (John Cusack) is the skeptical author of a series of haunted hotel guides. He receives a mysterious postcard in the mail from the Dolphin Hotel in Manhattan, urging him not to stay in room 1408. Taking the warning as a challenge, Mike forces the hotel’s manager (Samuel L. Jackson) to let him spend the night in the supposedly evil room. Since the hotel’s construction, there have been fifty-six recorded deaths in the room, though Mike is not spooked. However, shortly after checking in, room 1408 begins to play tricks with Mike’s head. And as Mike quickly discovers, checking out of room 1408 is impossible.

One thing I’ve noticed about King’s haunted house stories is that he likes to portray the house (or the room, in this case) as its own character. A lot of haunted house stories simply pit the main cast against the spirits dwelling within the location, but King goes a step further and presents the actual place as a sentient villain. I’ve always dug that approach as it adds a certain level of dread to the conflict. When you enter these places you’re essentially entering another dimension, where the house or hotel room dictates the laws of reality. This paves the way for some pretty heavy surrealist horror tactics, most of which hit the mark. Room 1408 draws on Mike’s memories, dredging up his most painful experiences in a sick attempt to force him to commit suicide. Mike has to weather these bizarre challenges as they get increasingly worse.

The scares range from your standard “jump” scares to some of the more unnerving “what the hell” variety. I’m usually very critical of “jump” scares, as I find them to be lazy and cheap for the most part, typically only relying on the volume level of a theater’s sound system to provide an effective fright. The “jump” scares in “1408” are markedly better than those featured in lesser horror films, coming at you with little warning yet placed at the most opportune and appropriate moments so they don’t feel quite so cheap. The more surrealist horror elements were my favorites, though. When Mike becomes trapped in the room he literally becomes isolated from the rest of the universe, with unique and disturbing barriers keeping him from escaping or calling for help. A few of the ideas seemed to be recycled from “Rose Red” (which had a very similar concept of a haunted house isolating the cast from the rest of reality), but they comprise only a small number of the scares.

Since the bulk of the movie is just John Cusack being flooded with violent supernatural blows to his sanity, it of course falls on his shoulders to carry the movie. John Cusack isn’t one of my all-time favorite actors, but he’s still a very good one and is more than up to the task. He occasionally expresses a bit too much humor after some of the more frightening sequences, which I felt broke the tension a bit too much. Then there’s Samuel L. Jackson as Gerald Olin, the hotel manager. His role isn’t very big, but he plays it with his usual presence of charm and humor. You won’t leave the theater squealing “Wow, Samuel L. Jackson sure was FANTASTIC in this movie!” but you won’t be disappointed in his performance, either.

Lately, the haunted house subgenre of horror has been in a rather sad state of disrepair, what with the only other one of note released this year being the underwhelming “The Messengers”. “1408” is a refreshingly good return to the genre, based on a story written by a man who knows how to write a good haunted house tale. With this month being tragically low on horror flicks, “1408” is definitely your best bet.

Grade: B

Those of you who were disappointed in this year’s most recent killer-ventriloquist-dummy-horror movie, “Dead Silence”, might be interested in checking out “Magic” starring Anthony Hopkins which was recently unearthed on DVD. Much more of a psychological thriller ala “Psycho” or “Rosemary’s Baby” and less of a gratuitous “killer toy” movie like “Child’s Play” or “Dolls”, “Magic” actually tells a very unnerving and engaging love story with a very solid cast you wouldn’t expect to see in a movie such as this.

Corky Withers (Anthony Hopkins) is a ventriloquist who’s moving up in the world of show business thanks to his manager, Ben Greene (Burgess Meredith). However, Corky is a bit too attached to his loud and crass dummy, Fats (voiced by Hopkins), and when he is required to take a psychological exam before taking a television contract, panics and flees to his old home town. He takes up residence at a lakeshore motel run by his old high school crush, Peggy (Ann-Margret), and the two immediately hit things off. However, Fats’ personality begins to dominate Corky’s and he views Peggy as competition. Corky undergoes even greater psychological stress when Peggy’s violent husband begins threatening him and Ben Greene tracks him down, determined to get to the bottom of his mental disorder. Corky eventually snaps from the stress and under Fats’ guidance, deals with his problems one after another.

For a movie that typically gets relegated to the silly horror movie bins alongside “Rock and Roll Nightmare” and “Troll 2”, “Magic” has an incredible cast. You’ve of course got the likes of Anthony Hopkins in the lead role, back before he really hit it big. But you’ve also got then-bombshell Ann-Margret and the ever-talented Burgess Meredith filling out the ranks. The all-star cast alone should tell you that this is more than some goofy movie about a killer ventriloquist dummy.

“Magic” is a psychological thriller at its core. Fats is never actually “alive” in the sense that his dummy-body isn’t animate; he exists only within Corky’s delusional mind. It’s rather similar to an episode of The Twilight Zone (“The Dummy”) in a few ways, so if you recall that popular episode then you might have an idea of how this movie was handled. While Fats is never actually alive, Hopkins delivers such a strong performance you actually find yourself forgetting he isn’t at times. Despite being an inanimate doll, Fats truly steals the show in this film. It’s amazing how frightening he can be. He never actually moves on his own (save for one scene where the dummy operator screwed up), yet he becomes such an entirely separate character from Corky, that you discover yourself finding Fats scary and Corky not, despite them being the same person.

“Magic” provides some very tense and memorable sequences. My favorite is the scene where Burgess Meredith tells Hopkins to shut Fats up for five minutes. The movie then moves along in real time as Hopkins nervously tries to keep Fats quiet. A very uncomfortable sequence done extremely well, to Oscar-winning Director Richard Attenborough’s credit.

If you’re in the mood for a wacky horror flick about killer ventriloquist dummies then you’re not going to find it here. However, if you’re in the mood for an extremely well-crafted and well-acted psychological horror film then you’ve come to the right place. “Magic” really delivers and belongs on every cinema fan’s shelf.

Grade: B+

I honestly haven’t seen a lot of William Friedkin’s movies. As a matter of fact, outside of “the Exorcist”, I don’t think I’ve seen any of his other movies. Despite that, fond memories of “the Exorcist” were enough to get me anticipated for this flick, even if said exorcism movie was made thirty years ago. To my surprise, Friedkin has lost little of his touch in the three decades since his biggest success. “Bug” is a very unnerving, uncomfortable and unsettling film that’ll make you feel itchy all over.

Agnes (Ashley Judd) is a troubled woman living out of a motel in the Midwest. Her friend introduces her to a strange but intriguing man named Peter (Michael Shannon) and she invites him to stay with her. She soon discovers that Peter isn’t alone. He has brought with himself a terrible swarm of aphid-like bugs that nest in your skin and eat your flesh. However, the longer she spends with Peter the more both of them mentally unwind, as the pair begins to suspect they are at the epicenter of a government conspiracy.

“Bug” is very much a psychological thriller/horror film that plays with the audience’s heads. You never see the bugs, and as the film progresses, you start to doubt they even exist. Yet whether the bugs are present or not, Friedkin crafts an atmosphere so uncomfortable you can’t help but feel your skin crawl.

I’m going to assume most everyone reading this has seen “the Exorcist”. If you haven’t then there must be something wrong with you. Well, “Bug” is set up very much the same way as “the Exorcist”. It takes a while to get going. About an hour, in fact. Yet, unlike some movies (“Death Proof”), the focus is never lost and this doesn’t feel like wasted time. The characters are introduced, developed and fleshed out, yet not at the expense of the film’s true plot. The tension builds steadily and once the real conflict gets underway everything begins to move at a hectic pace. It all eventually comes to a head and, much like “the Exorcist”, ends abruptly yet satisfyingly.

One thing I want to praise Friedkin on is the use of editing. Conversations happen in “real time” with as few cuts as possible, meaning the actors are delivering these very long sequences of complex dialogue without getting a breather. And to the cast’s credit, they do it very well. It doesn’t seem so impressive at first, as many of the discussions are rather mundane or run of the mill, but once Peter and Agnes begin to lose their minds and go off on extensive and psychotic rants for what feels like an eternity, you’ll start to squirm in your seat. And the things they say are so ludicrous and mind-blowing you’ll have a stern “what the” expression frozen on your face for at least an hour.

As far as the whole “are the bugs real or not” conflict is concerned, it isn’t nearly as cut and dry as you’d think. Agnes and Peter are nuts, there’s no two ways about that, yet there are several mysterious, unexplained and creepy things going on around them, outside their hallucinations, which seem to almost validate some of their paranoia. The movie gives you no precise answers either, leaving you to come to your own conclusions.

“Bug” feels like a movie that could’ve been made thirty years ago. It’s starkly different than most of the horror thrillers released in mainstream theaters these days, with their multi-million dollar budgets and glossy sheens. While movies like “Grindhouse” and “House of 1000 Corpses” try to homage or parody horror films from the 70’s, “Bug” feels like it stepped directly out of that decade. It’s certain to be overlooked, but I would easily recommend it to any serious horror fan looking for something different, but more importantly, something good.

Grade: B

A teeny-bopper re-imagining of Alfred Hitchcock’s “Rear Window” starring a hip young cast of relevant trendsetters? Just what I’ve always wanted! I hope Director/Dance Lieutenant Boom Shaka Laka D.J. Caruso follows up this effort with a remake of “Vertigo” starring Justin Timberlake, or perhaps yet another remake of “Psycho”, but this time headlining Ashley Simpson!

Okay, okay, I’ve had my fun. Truthfully, “Disturbia” wasn’t nearly as bad as all that. While the “teeny-bopper re-imagining of Alfred Hitchcock’s ‘Rear Window’” is entirely honest, “Disturbia” is surprisingly watchable for what it is.

After losing his dad in a car accident, teenage boy Kale (Shia LaBeouf) develops anger issues which eventually lead him to three months of house arrest. If he attempts to leave his front lawn a sensor will trip and police will arrive to kick the mortal Hell out of him. To pass the time, Kale and his Studio Mandated Ethnic Friend (Aaron Yoo) take to voyeurism. While spying on his new neighbor, Ashley (Sarah Roemer), Kale is spotted. Like most teenage girls, Ashley is turned on by the thought of a creepy young man watching her with binoculars from across the street and the two immediately fall in love. But there is something disturbing going on in suburbia (get it!?), namely a spooky old man named Mr. Turner (David Morse) whom the trio of teenage peeping toms spy murdering someone. Well, they think they saw him murdering someone. It was kinda hard to tell, but c’mon, the guy mows his lawn twice a day, he’s got to be a serial killer. So the kids investigate this local terror, stuff gets scary and people die. Or do they? Aha, see how that works? That’s the hook! Genius.

I know, I know, you’ve seen it all before in “Rear Window”, its ill-conceived remake starring Superman and the jillions of parodies made over the decades. So, what does “Disturbia” have to offer the formula in order to make this version necessary? Not much, really.

The movie tries to be, like “Rear Window”, a mystery suspense thriller leaving the audience to wonder whether Mr. Turner is really a maniac or not. Unfortunately, the marketing campaign for the film thought that would be too boring and is thus considerably less ambiguous about the villain’s mental health, showing the audience some key scenes that pretty much spoil all of the “mystery”. So, that makes this a “mystery suspense thriller” with the “mystery” ruined and the “suspense” considerably diluted. We’re not getting off to a good start, here.

Alright, so those things aside, is it any good? Well, it’s not awful. They take the “Rear Window” formula and spice it up with some modern technology which does add to the “thriller” aspect. Portable video cameras and cell-phones provide a good bit of suspense, even with the mystery aspect wasted. The acting isn’t half bad. Shia LaBeouf plays the angsty youth quite well and David Morse hardly skips a beat as the creepy neighbor. I mean, they’re good, but not really impressive. They just play the roles well-enough to keep the audience from cringing or rolling their eyes or dropping out of the experience. Sarah Roemer is the weaker link of the cast. It seems MC Caruso McDancealot was going more for looks than acting prowess when he selected her.

What it all boils down to is that “Disturbia” is a “wait until HBO” flick, or a “bored out of my skull” rental at the very best. It’s not terrible, but it’s just not special.

Grade: C

Although the trailers came across as a bit iffy, I felt that the concept of “the Reaping” showed a lot of promise. I didn’t go into the film with all sorts of false hopes and high expectations, but I did give it the benefit of the doubt; something I can’t say many other people in my city did, considering the relatively empty theater I saw it in. Now that I’ve seen the flick, I have to confess, “the Reaping” is pretty mediocre.

Katherine Winter (Hilary Swank) is a former minister who turned her back on God after the death of her family and now devotes her life to traveling the world and proving reported miracles as false (not petty at all). She is approached by Doug (David Morrissey) of the backwater Louisiana town of Haven who has a startling claim: the swamp in Haven has turned completely to blood. Accompanied by her partner, Ben (Idris Elba), Katherine arrives at Haven only to encounter a series of biblical plagues, each with completely unexplainable origins. At the epicenter of the plagues is a little girl (AnnaSophia Robb) who may or may not be the Anti-Christ.

I found the idea behind “the Reaping” to be very intriguing: the ten biblical plagues tormenting a small town in the Bible Belt. Unfortunately, what could have been a fascinating story turned into just another generic Hollywood horror flick, filled with mundane jump-scares, over-the-top special effects and needless explosions. Sometimes less is more, ya know. “The Reaping” left me wishing it had been made in the 70’s or early 80’s where a lack of budget and special effects might have left it to rely more on a strong script exploring the mystery behind the bizarre plagues rather than jillions of CGI locusts and a ridiculously effects-heavy ending. One day I’ll finish that time machine and make my dream a reality. One day…

There are some upsides to this film, though. The cast is quite strong and they all play their parts convincingly. The characters can be a bit “blech” thanks to moments of convenient and awkward exposition, but the actors do the best with what they have. While I’m not normally a fan of child actors and actresses, AnnaSophia Robb has been impressing me lately with movies such as “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “the Bridge to Terabithia”. She looks to have a very bright future ahead of her. In regards to “the Reaping”, while it’s not that great of a movie, she plays the part of the creepy little girl rather well.

There just isn’t much for me to say about “the Reaping” because it just isn’t much of a movie. It takes a potentially interesting concept and turns it into a string of clichés. You’re better off seeing “Grindhouse” this weekend and waiting for “the Reaping” to hit cable. You’re really not missing anything.

Grade: C-

Robert Rodriguez’s and Quentin Tarantino’s “Grindhouse” harkens back to the days of 70’s snuff films and the theaters which showed them. I know, I know, “Quentin Tarantino doing a retro 1970’s film? NO WAY!!” Yeah, it may be Tarantino’s “thing”, but at least he’s good at it. Usually. Personally, I love snuff films and obscure horror flicks of the 70’s, like “Cannibal Holocaust”, “Last House on the Left”, “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” and so on. So of course I got a kick out of this film.

“Grindhouse” goes out of its way to replicate the authenticity of the underground snuff theaters of the era, going so far as to include fake trailers for hilariously awful/awesome horror films, directed by current horror icons like Rob Zombie and Eli Roth. You’ve also got advertisements for “local” restaurants and vintage “now our feature presentation/coming attractions” bumpers. Boosting the “retro” look of the films themselves are the intentional use of grain, flickering, skipping and humorously placed “sorry, reel missing” cards. Trust me, it’s great.

When the trailers and television spots refer to “Grindhouse” as a double feature, they aren’t kidding. These aren’t two short films run back-to-back, these are two full-length films run back-to-back. So eat something before you head out, because there’s no intermission.

The first film, “Planet Terror”, is the big snuff piece, packing in as much gratuitous sex and violence as an R-rating will allow. It would seem that a rogue military unit lead by Lt. Muldoon (Bruce Willis) have botched an attempt to purchase a deadly mutagenic nerve gas and accidentally unleashed it upon a small Texas town. The town begins to swarm with flesh-eating mutant zombies, which is never a good sign. An enigmatic sharp-shooter named Wray (Freddy Rodriguez) bands together with peg-legged go-go dancer Cherry Darling (Rose McGowen), grizzled sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn) and his dopey deputy Tolo (Tom Savini) to get to the root of the problem and stop the zombies at their source. Along the way, Wray crafts Cherry a machine gun/missile launcher leg and things get crazy (er).

I felt Robert Rodriguez’s “Planet Terror” was the stronger of the two films, or at least the most entertaining. It’ll be the one you leave the theater talking about, at any rate. It’s completely over-the-top in every conceivable way and absolutely unforgiving. You’d better have a strong stomach, otherwise you won’t make it very far. “Planet Terror” seems like more of a parody movie than an homage, with lots of textbook characters that play their clichéd roles more for laughs than anything else. So when this movie’s bad, it’s usually on purpose. While it can get a bit too silly for its own good, it’s still a blast. The finale, where Cherry goes apes*** with her new leg, is an absolute blast.

The second segment, “Deathproof” (directed by Tarantino), takes itself far more seriously and is considerably more low-key. So low-key, in fact, you can take a twenty minute-long bathroom break and not miss a freakin’ thing.

Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russel) likes to get his kicks by picking on helpless women out on the open road in his supped-up hotrod. It’s easy for him, considering his car is a former stunt vehicle and therefore “deathproof”. Mike successfully murders woman after woman…until he targets the wrong trio of ladies (Rosario Dawson, Zoe Bell, Tracie Thoms). Not to be f***ed with, these ladies turn the tables on Mike and take him on the ride of his life.

Tarantino took a rather interesting approach with this film, one that will likely bore many to tears. “Deathproof” can be broken up into two halves and in both segments, Tarantino lets the audience get to know the victims very intimately. This can get very, very boring. The first half is particularly irritating, as the pay-off after the extensive bar sequence is very minimal. The second half is even more torturous, as we have to get to know a whole new set of characters and suffer through a barrage of meaningless “girl talk” again. However, the second half rewards the audience for their patience with a very long and very impressive car chase sequence. Regardless, there’s so much empty space in “Deathproof” that you can safely take a bathroom break for however long you please and not fret over missing anything important.

The fake trailers in-between the two movies are hysterical, leaving me with hopes that they make a sequel and include these concepts. I mean, “Werewolf Women of the SS” starring Nicolas Cage and Bill Moseley? I’ll take eight tickets, please.

“Grindhouse” is a whole lot of fun and a total bargain at that. Two full length films for the price of one? Can’t beat that with a stick. While the second film is a bit weak, the first absolutely makes up for it. I highly recommend seeing this movie since, c’mon, you know everyone’s gonna be talking about it on Monday.

Grade (“Planet Terror”): B+
Grade (“Deathproof”): C

Antoine Fuqua’s “Shooter” exists primarily to fill the year’s quota of generic, derivative action-thrillers. A text book “popcorn movie” from start to finish, the audience will likely fill their bellies on the smorgasbord of explosions, but the wafer-thin plot will leave them with an empty feeling inside. Then again, that’s exactly what a popcorn movie is supposed to do.

Bob Lee Swagger (Mark Wahlberg) was the best sniper the government had. But when a mission in Ethiopia went wrong and his partner was killed, Swagger decided to hang up his rifle for good and file himself away in the mountains. Three years later, Colonel Isaac Johnson (Danny Glover) tracks him down to extend a request from the government. They believe that there’s going to be an attempt on the President’s life by a highly-skilled sniper and only an equally skilled sniper can help them prevent the tragedy. Swagger reluctantly offers his services, but on the day of the suspected assassination, Johnson turns on him and Swagger finds himself framed for a murder he didn’t commit. On the run, Swagger seeks to mete out justice to those responsible for his predicament.

So yes, “Shooter” would have just been better titled “Every Action Movie Ever Made”. I believe Director Antoine Fuqua just had a checklist of action movie clichés and gradually marked them off one at a time during the filming process. My first instinct was to say that this movie was similar to “Commando”, only with a cookie-cutter conspiracy plot tacked on and no ‘roid-raging maniac picking up a phone booth and hurling at the enemy. Said conspiracy plot is so hackneyed it could make Michael Bay blush, offering nothing deeper than “there are people in the Government framing innocents and doing STUFF!” Not especially thought-provoking.

The action is likely what you’ll be seeing the film for, and I’ll say, it has its ups and downs. Being a movie about snipers, most of the action elements are going to be guys sitting at vantage points, shooting the enemy. That can be fun and is usually coupled with some Metal Gear Solid-style stealth missions. In all honesty, most of the action sequences made me feel like I was sitting in my living room playing my PS2. The action is serviceable but nothing ground-breaking.

If “Shooter” had one saving grace, I suppose it would be the cast. Wahlberg isn’t especially great as the main hero, but he does alright. Well, except for that scene where Johnson asks him if he’s in and Wahlberg responds by donning a pair of sunglasses, smirking at Johnson and then walking toward the camera in slow motion. South Park is going to have a field day with that bullshit.

Danny Glover plays the lead villain and delivers his usual performance, which is fine, ‘cause I like him. However, I dunno if he did it on purpose or if my head just isn’t screwed on quite right, but he had a real bad lisp going on throughout the movie. Michael Pena plays rogue FBI agent Nick Memphis who gets in to deep and is forced to team-up with Wahlberg to save the day. The character was supposed to be rather whiney and green, so to that end Pena did a fine job. Something which surprised me and likely no one else was Elias Koteas as a scummy agent/rapist working for the bad guys. It was a little jarring seeing Casey Jones from the original “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” movies playing such an evil dude, but entertaining at the same time.

“Shooter” is what it is: an utterly run-of-the-mill action film which has little to nothing original to offer the audience. I’d recommend checking it out if you’re bored or something, but don’t invest too much money in the thing and certainly don’t be angry if you didn’t like the flick. I mean, you have been warned, after all.

Grade: D+