Recently in Suspense pg.4 Category

Directed by Ben Ross. Starring Chantelle Barry, Rob Benedict, Monica Gambee. Gore/Suspense. Synopsis: Two young actresses take an arrogant and womanizing horror director hostage in his own home and torment him in retribution for the way he has tormented others both onscreen and offscreen.

Now, the box cover alone is going to start the heart of any true gore movie fan to fluttering. But, know this going in, this flick, in my humble opinion, is not really a horror film, its a suspense (or psychological thriller, if you will) with enough gore to qualify for the genre but not really all that much gore when you compare it to other pure gorefests like Hostel or The Hills Run Red. So, you gore hounds, you've been fairly warned, the torture and blood you will see here multiplied by two is equal to the first 3 1/2 minutes of a Saw flick.

But, I've got be honest with you, I kind of liked this one though I realize many will not. Its not only a lower budget flick but has that feel, something I like but realize not all people do, especially the type of film fans who believe ever flick they see should blow them away with incredible CGI and/or do something that has never, ever, been done on film before.

The theme in Call Back, good old fashioned revenge, is nothing new (there isn't anything like that under the sun, right?) but it is certainly something we can all relate to at some level. The plot is simple and straightforward, if a tad unbelievable...our antagonist is a self absorbed horror movie director (Rob Benedict State Of Play)  who is looking for his next scream queen. We see from the outset that he is not very politic in his assessment of those actresses who don't fit what he is looking for, telling his assistant that one young actress from Russia (Chantale Berry) "doesn't speak English well" and is probably "a slut".

He thinks he finds what he is looking for in Meadow (Monica Gambee) and he definitely wants to hire her...the only problem being that her "scream test" was easily the worst of the bunch. So, why is he willing to work with her to improve, coincidentally enough for him to invite her to his spacious home for a little practice in a different, more calm enviroment? Well, it seems that this is kind of a habit of his, inviting actresses back to his place and, if I may use the phrase, putting them through their paces.

Now, some of the more cynical among you likely think he has ulterior motives and, believe it or not, you're right. In fact, he wants to partake in a little "celebration of the flesh" (made that term up myself, what do you think?). But, it doesn't get that far, as Meadow has something else in mind...specifically, giving the director a taste of his own medicine.

She's not alone, as it turns out the Russian girl is Meadow's girlfriend, and I mean that in the literal sense of that word. After surprising him with a blow to the head, he is tied up and tortured by these two lovely young ladies.

Why are they doing this, you might be asking yourself Ahhh, that is a question that was racing through my simple mind during the majority of the movie but I will tell you that it is answered definitively in the movie but I can't really tell you without being the proverbial spoiler. I will say this...we learn it is not the first time our illustrious filmmaker has pulled-or attempted to pull-this stunt. It just doesn't work out for him this time, to say the least.

Now you have the basic outline of the movie and you'll probably want me to give you an idea of why I like it. Is it because I like the images of two beautiful women making out with each other hot and heavy in between torturing their victim? I wouldn't say I liked that aspect, though I 've seen worse things on film. Is it because I think torture with a tweezer, playing tic-tac-toe with knives on flesh, or putting a severed finger in a blender is cool? Nah, can't say that, either.

What I can say is that the acting in this flick is surprisngly good. No disrespect to any of the three main characters, but just judging from the box cover, you're not likely to expect Oscar winning performances, and you don't get them here, but you do get good ones. Shockingly enough, this is, in my opinon, the rarest of animals" a lower budget gore flick that is character driven.    

Benedict is good here as the guy we like to dislike, after all we need to feel some level of antipathy towards him, don't we? But, not too much, and for most of the flick you'll probably be thinking "the guy is a turd, be he doesn't deserve this." Well, maybe, maybe not.

But, to me, Gambee really makes this flick work. She is completely believable as a borderline psycho/ tormented past victim of violence and I would pick up another flick just because she's in it based on her performance here.

Like I said, this won't be everybody's cup of tea, but no film is, and I think if you go into without too many preconceived ideas about what is should be, you just might really appreciate what it is.

Directed by Kevin Macdonald. Starring Russell Crowe, Rachel Macadams, Ben Affleck, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Helen Mirren, Jeff Daniels, Harry Lennix, Michael Berresse. Drama/Suspense. Synopsis: An agressive and experienced reporter for a Washington newspaper teams up with a blogger street shooting and the apparent suicide of an aide to a Congressman heading an investigation into the activities of a large private defense contractor. from the online division to unravel the connection between what appears to be a random.

This one is worth your while if you like stories packed with intrigue and several layers of a good story...with a little politics sprinkled on top. Its not quite a classical ensemble cast, but close, and there are several compelling characters and good performances throughout the cast.

The protagonist is Cal (Russell Crowe American Gangster)  a reporter whose specialty is investigative journalism. He is working for a Washington paper that is very concerned about its bottom line and Cal is reminded of this everyday by his salty boss (Helen Mirren The Pledge). He is hot on the trail of a strange double shooting in Georgetown which results in the death of a drug dealer and the serious injury of a pizza delivery man. Thinking there is more to the story and smelling a compeling human interest angle, he's calling in favors around town for a little more info., including a buddy on the police force (Harry Lennix Chrystal)  

But the big story in Washington is the ongoing Congressional investigation into a major defense contractor-PointCorp-headed by a young congressman from Pennsylvania named Collins (Ben Affleck Boiler Room) and, even more attention-grabbing, her apparent suicide on the eve of the hearing and the uncovering of her affair with the congressman. Well, if you're an astute movie buff, you just might expect these two stories to link up. Know what, you're right, they do. Not only are Cal and Rep. Collins friends from college, but Cal soon unturns some information that leads him to believe that the Congressman's aide just might have been murdered and it just might be related to his street shootings.He reluctantly teams up with a blogger from the online department of the paper (Rachel Macadams) whose initial focus is to exploit Cal's relationship with the Congressman.

I think what makes a good suspense flick-thriller if you will-is that there is, well...suspense in the sense that you become intrigued or involved in the plot and want to see where it goes and how it unfolds. State Of Play definitely does that, primarily because the story is so good for those of us who like intricate plots in addition to the fact that the story lines of this flick are both topical and timeless.

A flick like this can blow up big time without good acting and the acting across the board in this movie.Crowe is a very solid lead actor and he's carried every flick I've seen him in, even those where he doesn't really have to, like State Of Play. I also have to give a shout out to Helen Mirren as a big scene stealer in this one and, dang it, I don't care what they say about you Ben, I've always thought you had very good acting talent-if not big box office appeal as a leading man-and you didn't disappoint me in this one. Robin Wright Penn and Jeff Daniels also make an impact with brief but significant roles.

If you'd like to know what I think-not to be arrogant, but you must at least be curious since you're reading this blog-, I would have to say this is one you should see. No question.  

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan. Starring: Bryce Howard, Joaquin Phoenix, William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, Brendan Gleeson, Cherry Jones. Suspense/Mystery. Synopsis: A small village of people living in the woods have an uneasy peace with some mysterious creatures who inhabit the woods just outside of the village but fear that the curiousity of one of the younger members of the village to stray outside the village limits might break that truce.

The first thing about The Village, as those you who have seen it will likely agree, is that it is inappropriately marketed and those of you looking to pick it up will likely find it listed in your video or online store as "horror" and, its simply not. Do not let the trailers fool you, either, this is not about monsters and horror, its about the limits of the human mind and psyche, in my opinion, also the extent to which fear is used to ease or avoid pain.

For those who have not seen the film, that first paragraph might seem kind of stuff, maybe even a little highbrow. I assure you its not intended to be. This is a Shyamalan film, so you know there is some kind of twist coming at the end, as it surely does in The Village, so I don't want to delve much deeper into what I think this film is ultimately about because I don't think I could do so without giving away the ending. But, I will say this...I think most people will see it coming, there are clues throughout, both in the dialogue of the characters and cinematically.

Our group of characters live in a close knit village in a rural area during what appears to be the latter nineteenth century. Pretty much, it seems to be fairly wholesome and uncomplicated living. But, there is just one thing: there are strict rules against venturing past the boundaries of the village or wearing the color red. Why, you might ask? Well, the ominous creatures who inhabit the woods outside the village don't like the villagers to wear red or walk in the woods. What kind of creatures are they and what are they called? Well, they're referred to as "those of whom we do not speak" by the villagers and in our brief glimpses of them they seem large, wear red robes (what is it with you and that color, M. Knight?) and move real slow.

One of the more rambunctious of the young villagers, Lucious (Joaquin Phoenix Its All AboutLove )  has a strong hankering for two things: 1) the attentions of the most comely of the unnattached young ladies in the village, the blind Ivy (Bryce Howard The Lady In The Water)  and 2) to venture into the "towns" the forbidden and evidently evil place that lies just beyond the woods.Who knows? In the towns, they just might have something that can help Ivy's blindness, not to mention all kinds of other goodies.

The older generation of villagers, led by Edwark Walker (William Hurt A History of Violence) are dead set against anyone violating the truce between the villager and those of which they will not speak, not to mention avoiding the inherent evil of the towns. Lucious appeals directly to his mom (Sigourney Weaver Galaxy Quest) to plead his case, but to no avail. Things change radically when a mentally retarded citizen of the village, Noah (Adrien Brody King Kong) attacks and injures Lucious, leaving him on the verge of death. Now, someone might have to go to the towns to get the medicines that might save his life. Who, but the love of his life, Ivy?

This is a classic Shyamalan film, character driven with a heavy emphasis on symbolism. The atmospheric setup of the village is fantastic, we get the sense of creepiness, but also the hope and love the inhabitants have for their home. There was a lot of pressure on Howard and Phoenix, in my opinion, because when you have heavyweight actors like Weaver and Hurt in the cast and they are not your primary male/female leads, the ones who are better bring it.

And, they do, especially Howard who does well in convincing us that is she is actually without sight and is really the heart of the film. Though she is blind, in many ways she sees more clearly than anyone else in the film. I also need to mention Adrien Brody, who is an amazingly talented actor in my opinion. His character, Noah, has almost no intelligible dialogue, yet Brody brings him to life very well with his non-verbal actions and expressions, and he plays a pivotal role in the story. Wonderful job by Brody.

Like I said, there is a major twist at the end and, frankly, I think many will see it coming, which doesn't mean, in my opinion, that it ruins the flick or that it is not well done. I think Shyamalan will always be judged by the Sixth Sense standard, and that is a hard standard to meet since we all go into his films expecting it.To me, this is a very good film in terms of what it is saying, symbolically, about our fears as well as the pain of loss. Good stuff.

Very good movie.  

Directed by Jon Avnet. Starring Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, Carla Gugino, Brian Dennehy, Donnie Wahlberg, John Leguziamo, Curtis Jackson, Trilby Glover. Drama Synopsis: Two veteran cops work on an investigation into a serial killer who targets known criminals. During the course of their investigation, it becomes evident that the killer might be a police officer.

Any flick with both DeNiro and Pacino has about a 99.9% chance of making into my faves list, no matter what. When you consider these two iconic actors are so close in age, its incredible that they haven't really done much together, and nothing to the extent they act together in Righteous Kill. So, that alone gets you pumped up, but there is more...this is a very good film.

I will tell you right out that there is a major twist at the end, which may surprise you because the story is told in retrospect, with the opening scene coming at the end of the story's timeline and the bulk of the movie showing us the events that lead up to it. I would like to be a little more detailed, but I'm very afraid of spoiling it for any unfortunate who has not seen the flick...frankly, I feel I have just by telling you there is a twist.

Our two protagonists are Turk (Robert DeNiro Godsend)  and Rooster (Al Pacino Scarface) two experienced NYC detectives who are long on experience on the street but short on patience with criminals, the beauracracy, and the system in general. They're assigned to investigate a potential serial killer who preys on known criminals. Most of the story is told in flashback style with regard to the murders, and we never see the killer though the film tells who he is in the beginning of the flick.

What is very interesting is the way the film quickly but convincingly presents a world through the eyes a cop that will help you empathize with how quickly and deeply bitter feelings can develop for those who are charged with arresting the guilty and protecting the innocent.  How far is too far to go in stopping a murderer or a rapist or a drug dealer?

And, who would know best just how bad these people are than the police who investigate their crimes up close and personal? I never said the story of the bitter cop(s) is anything new if film-far from it-but I don't think you will see it done much better than here, which you would expect when you have two of the best-if not the two best-living actors carrying a script that would be just fine with lesser protagonists.

Deniro is at his intense best, think of him as "Jimmy" in Good Fellas only on the right side of the law. Pacino recalls a very similar character from the movie Insomnia, only Rooster is much less tormented and, well, I'll just say it: funnier. As always, DeNiro and Pacino make their characters empathetic and good for a laugh no matter how heavy the material.

But, there is more. The supporting cast is comprised of actors who are often the lead role and are accomplished actors in their own right. Brian Dennehy (Assault on Precint 13) plays the stereotypical humorless police lieutenant, and frankly its like a role he is born to play. Carla Gugino (Sin City) plays a detective who is a frequent bedfellow of Turk and has a definite taste for the rough stuff. But, don't think her character is mere titillation or eye candy-though Ms.Gugino certainly more than fits that bill-but her relationship-I did not say 'romance'-with Turk gives some depth and insight to the character of Turk and their rough lovemaking is a key element in the twist at the end.

John Leguziamo (Carlito's Way) and Donnie Wahlberg Annapolis)  are a team of detectives who are also on the case and clashboth generationally and philosophically at times with Turk and Rooster. And, if that is enough, I have to tell you that Curtis Jackson (a/k/a "50 Cent") does very well in his role as Spider, a a high level drug dealer turned police informant.NO disrespect to Mr. Jackson, but when you look at this cast of main lead and supporting actors, you will likely ask yourself "O.k., what name doesn't fit wit the rest of this top shelf actors?" But, I'm telliing you, he does well and holds his own on screen with the legends. I do realize a lot of that might be that he doesn't have to "act" all that much in this particular role, but I assure you he is not the weak link...actually, there isn't a weak link in Righteous Kill which is why I'm telling you I think its a great film.