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Reviews
Cry Wolf (2005)
Originals are better for a reason
In a year filled with remakes, the first obvious bonus of this movie is that it isn't a remake. Of course, not all of those were bad, but considering some of the horror flicks of the last few months, this was genius. Considering that this movie peaked at number five nationally, but it's still playing in our major theater locally, it's doing well. The plot is almost identical to the thriller Mind Hunters with a mix of Cruel Intentions and Halloween(H20). A group of teens at a private school build a fake story around a real murder and find it coming true. Only it's just them pranking one another, but there turns out to be a real killer, but the mystery is who's killing and who's dying. I also went to see The Fog this weekend, and Cry_Wolf easily beats the pants off without even trying. Good: fresh cast(not totally newbies, but not a bunch of teenyboppers known for being pretty rather than talented), great plot(full of twists, turns and mysteries), and great atmosphere/direction/special effects. Bad: some of the dialogue was excessively cheesy, and the movie had some similarities to other films already out. One of the biggest bonuses is that this is a horror movie that doesn't focus on sex or comedy. It realizes it's a horror movie and not a porno or a comedy, and it's about time that shift has been made because sex and comedy just suck the life out of horror movies to the point where they are no longer scary.
The Fog (2005)
If you've already seen the trailer, you may as well skip the movie
Well, I finally found a remake I completely hated. Okay, Dark Water was bad but at least it had good acting. The story and acting(from most of the characters) was beyond horrible. The dialog and script were laughable and cheesy. This movie was more of a comedy than anything. The horrible remakes and funny horror movies have to stop. That's what PARODIES are for. The directing was good, the camera angles were great, and the special effects were awesome. However, the butchery of the script, storyline, and characters outweighs all of that. The movie just leaves you with a bunch of questions and there 'end' of the movie has no resolution whatsoever. There's a rather large pothole that should be explained as to why a ghost was missing when it died alongside everyone else and how Elizabeth could look exactly like the ghost if they were completely unrelated. Unfortunately, I wouldn't even recommend you rent this one.
Dancing with the Stars (2005)
Not Exactly Reality Television
DWTS originated out of England made it's way throughout Europe and down under, assuming different titles. BBC, responsible for the American version, entitled the British version 'Strictly Come Dancing' which spawned sequels 'Strictly Come Dancing : It Takes Too' and 'Strictly Ice Dancing'. Of course, there are the obligatory wannabe knock-offs (Fox's Idol-ized 'So You Think You Can Dance') but make no mistake, this show offers real entertainment value about an art form that's often overlooked and seen as outdated.
Some people would like to write this off as another trashy reality show, but it's definitely not. It's a classy, professional, dance competition. It's refreshing to watch a cultured show and because it's in the summer, younger audiences are tuning in. It's started a craze and it's it's boosted careers for the show's celebrities. It's a hot item on the Yahoo Search and Buzz Log, for a good reason. Don't miss the international phenomenon of...Dancing With The Stars.
The Perfect Man (2005)
Not What I Expected...
I expected this to be a mostly mushy movie with mother-daughter bonding, with them trying to make the mom see how great she is. It was definitely NOT that. The first half of the movie is surprisingly funny. Very funny, especially for carrying the burden of 'a Hilary duff movie'. You'll be surprised. The middle starts out a bit nerve wracking as Holly tries to keep her scheme going, and then the movie gets depressing. A good part of the end is depressing, I won't give away too many details but Locklear's character reveals more about how she became a single mother and over the computer she and her daughter unknowingly realize how much they don't appreciate each other. Then, of course, there is the obligatory happy end. If you'd like to see a movie that won't depress you, or something fun with a friend, this is your movie.
House of Wax (2005)
Too Bad My Confusion Wasn't The Truth
When I originally heard of a "House of Wax" remake, I was excited because I loved the original...or so I thought. Turns out I had it confused with "Waxworks" an 80s movie with a VERY similar plot about a wax museum of dead people. So I eventually decided to see House of Wax anyhow. I literally had to talk myself into it. The trailer doesn't make it look particularly exciting, but then again it wasn't. Nothing actually happens until the second half of the movie. Teen stereotypes? Check. Cast of familiar faces of young stars? Check. It wasn't as gory as people claim, a lot of it was decidedly fake looking. Too bad it wasn't a Waxworks remake. In HoW two slashers/brothers kill tourists that visit a desolate town 'not on any map' and coat their dead bodies in wax creating a town of wax, not of well known celebrities or stories. There's a bit of a lame back story similar to Texas Chainsaw Massacre. In Waxworks, a curator and his assistant lure visitors in the suburb/city to the museum. The naturally curious visitors, of course, cross the velvet ropes into the displays of well-known horror stories. Once they cross into the display, they are sucked into the REAL story, a time warp of sorts, and once they die they become the wax-figure victim in the display. House of Wax's storyline is just weak, tired, predictable, and most of all - overdone.
If I Die Before I Wake (1998)
One of the best horror movies I've seen
I rented this movie a few years back on DVD just out of random curiosity, and I was hammered. The movie is about a group of three criminal brother who go around breaking into people's homes - but this particular time, the resident's are still in the house. They take the family hostage and what unfolds is a non-stop line or brutality on an average American family in Ohio. The clever eldest daughter spends the night lurking around the house trying to save her family. The mother is brutally raped, the brother and father killed, and the youngest daughter terrorized. But they'd better watch out for LoriBeth. She's a smart girl.
This movie is gory and will absolutely get your pulse pounding!