Tag Archives: Cube

Uncategorized

Wrapping up the Halloween watchlist!

Leave a comment

So I capped off my Halloween watch season with two final movies — last year’s disappointing Japanese remake of “Cube” and this year’s truly unnerving “Smile.”

The new “Cube” wasn’t terrible — it was better than the glut of lackluster low-budget horror films that we fans endlessly contend with.   But it’s still a watered-down, somewhat milquetoast facsimile of the devilish 1997 Canadian original.  The makers of the new film seem to have consciously traded booby-trap horror for some belabored personal drama.  (If you see this movie, you might note that the plot-driving booby traps in the titular futuristic prison get surprisingly little screen time.)

This decision doesn’t pay off too well … the melodrama slows the film down without making the characters any more engaging.  And the overused flashbacks disrupt the claustrophobic setting that is supposed to be essential here.  Maybe this script was written to better anticipate the expectations of Japanese audiences?  Or maybe the movie simply had a limited special effects budget — the deadly traps that we do get to see in action are depicted by CGI that is a little unconvincing.

“Smile,” on the other hand, was scary as hell.  Yes, it bears a striking resemblance to another well known horror film (which I won’t name, as that might be a general spoiler).  And some of the twists and jump scares are easy to predict (or were spoiled by the trailer).

But … goddam.  This movie worked.  I can’t knock a horror film that had me genuinely scared.  The supernatural plot device is undeniably creepy, and writer-director Parker Finn wisely employs methodical pacing to gradually ratchet up the tension.   Sosie Bacon (daughter of Kevin Bacon!) was also convincing as the protagonist, and created a sympathetic character to root for.

“Smile” is strong stuff.  I’d definitely recommend it.

cube

smile

Uncategorized

A very quick review of “Circle” (2015)

Leave a comment

“Circle” (2015) is a particularly dark sci-fi thriller that manages to be pretty good despite its obviously low budget.  I’d give it a 7 out of 10.

Fifty strangers awaken in mysterious high-tech room in which they’re forced to vote on who among them will next die, until only one survivor remains.  (It’s a setup reminiscent of the “Survivor” reality tv series.  Good Lord, has that show really been on for 15 years?!)  Other amatuer reviewers have called this a “study in human nature;” I think maybe that’s a bit generous.  We see a few obvious stereotypes and some pretty thin characters (even if a couple of unexpected flourishes were very well played).  I also think that the vast majority of people who would find themselves in this story’s setting would lack the composure we see from virtually every character on screen.

Still, this movie was different and creative.  It kept me in suspense at times, and held my attention.  And early on, the talk about awakening “in a red room” appears to be a pretty cool nod to what seems like this movie’s direct inspiration — 1997’s classic “Cube.”

I really disliked the ending, but an explanation about why would be a tremendous spoiler.

 

MV5BMjQwNjM3NTM4N15BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDU4NDE3NDE@._V1_SX214_AL_

Uncategorized

A review of “Parallels” (2015)

2 Comments

First, a clarification — “Parallels” (2015) is absolutely not a feature film; it’s an undisguised attempt at a pilot for an ongoing web-based series.  I think it’s pretty cruddy of Netflix to market it as a standalone film, as viewers expecting a conclusive story will doubtless be disappointed.  Its parallel universe-hopping premise also seems so similar to “Sliders” (1995-1999) that it just might approach the boundary between inspiration and ripoff.

With that said, however … dear LORD!!!  “Parallels” was frikkin’ FANTASTIC.  What we’ve got here is a far edgier, grownup version of “Sliders,” with a first episode introducing the same type of show-spanning mysteries as “Lost.”  But where “Sliders” was milquetoast primetime family fare, this looks like an excellent serialized thriller with plenty of pathos.

What a shame this thoughtful series never reached fruition.  I was hooked.  It’s smartly written by Christopher Leone; he’s visibly well acquainted with string theory, and has a hell of a lot of clever fun with it.  “Parallels” is a face-paced 80 minutes that follows a tragic, dysfunctional modern family embroiled in the mystery of the plot-driving “Building.”  The Building appears to be the nexus of countless parallel universes, a bit like the “The Dark Tower” links them in Stephen King’s multiverse.  The cast is uniformly good; the standouts were Eric Jungmann as the comic relief and Michael Monks as an understated but terrific bad guy.

I had only a few tiny quibbles.  Some of the family melodrama and the mysteries were a little forced and heavy-handed.  The ending (?) here, while really intriguing, also borrows a page or two from “Cube” (1997) and one particularly good episode of Ron Moore’s “Battlestar Galactica” (2004-2009).

I’m not sure how to rate this.  It fails as a standalone film, I think, because it simply doesn’t have an ending.  I suppose I’d give it … a 4 out of 10?  If you can forgive that fatal flaw, however, and want to enjoy some top-shelf science fiction, then I’d easily give it a 9 out of 10.

Dammit.  Why wasn’t this show made?

B0tPX3b