Change Your Image
outoffocus04101
Reviews
Lady in the Water (2006)
Great departure from the crap that Hollywood is putting out.
I went to see this movie without any expectations. I didn't even know the story. All I knew was that this was more of a fantasy film.
I was quickly swallowed by the characters and realized this was going to be a character and story driven movie. Hmmm, there's a concept. Yes, it had its share of special effects but didn't rely on them to keep the film going. It didn't even rely on editing to keep the audience engaged. And if you think about it, when was the last time you saw a movie without the tricks of eye-jittering editing? I'll admit that the long, static shots of many of the sequences made me feel odd, mainly because I'm not used to them anymore and because it helped build the tension in the story.
I'm one of those people that always cheers for the villains of a film. But this is the first movie in a long time where I sided with the protagonists. (I think the last one was To Kill a Mockingbird.) No one had to fight with tanks, guns, missiles, etc for the great American dream or to prove that this was the only way you can feel safe in the world. At its core, this was a story of HOPE. In a crappy world where we're all killing each other, Lady In The Water is a welcome distraction from the mindless, mass-produced slop that Hollywood is forcing down our throats.
Many people are slamming it and I say they should be criticizing themselves. One, for being too lazy to watch a film where you need to listen to the story unfold. And, two, for being stupid and not getting the bigger picture.
And to the 13 year old girls sitting in front of me at the movie theater that said at the end of the movie, "This sucked. It was so boring. I don't get it. That's it." I say to you, "Yes, that it. For you. You'll never get anything out of life because you're already another monkey on the assembly line of conformity." And to those who don't agree with me, and I know there are a lot, I say go see the movie again with an open mind and let the story fill your head. Let something actually take up space in there.
Camp Daze (2005)
Makes me want to go to camp!
Just received the special edition of CAMP DAZE with the bonus disc in the mail and IT IS AWESOME! Some great behind the scenes footage.
The movie itself is fun, exciting and (need I mention) bloody. I first learned about it on FANGORIA.com and have been waiting for it to come out. I'll be attending the NY screening in October, but couldn't wait that long to see it. I agree with some of the postings that's a bit long, it still keeps you entertained. I read one that said it was too much like Friday the 13th, but I disagree. I actually watched Friday part 1 on the IFC channel last night and CAMP DAZE is completely different. Some of the deaths are similar to Friday's but according to the director, they wanted to pay homage to it. CD's story was far more clever. It felt like a cross between The Burning and Scream. I laughed quite a few times and even found myself getting antsy (which I don't normally do when I'm watching a horror movie). Especially the scene with Jon Flemming in the shower. That was a bloody clever scene.
This is the type of film that pays homage to the early 80's horror flicks in theme only. As for the rest of the film as a whole, it clearly stands on its own two blood soaked feet. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to see a fun, gory, bloody, creepy, who-done-it horror film.
Camp Daze gets 2 bloody, severed thumbs up! Cheers. :-)