Prowl movie review (2011)

Prowl (2011)

Brief review: Released on the same date as "Husk", "Prowl" is yet another mediocre 'Original' brought by After Dark Films. Although it starts out quite promising, and its first half is watchable-to-very good, as soon as the real horror starts, the film quickly turns into a chaotic mess with zero logical coherence, where nothing is ever fully explained. Furthermore, the twist in the end is so ridiculously anti-climatic, it totally destroys the rest of the movie, instead of being shocking and effective. Even though "Prowl" has some heart-pounding moments and a couple of boo scares, it's not neither as frightening, nor as tense as it thinks it is. The deaths are nasty and well-executed and the gore effects are rather impressive, but the attack scenes are so poorly-edited, and the lighting is so awful, you can barely see what's happening on the screen. The largely unknown young cast do very well in realistically portraying their characters in situations, with Ruta Gedmintas being the standout. Shot on limited budget in Bulgaria, "Prowl" is just okay, visually. The abandoned warehouse is grim and kinda creepy, and the washed-out cinematography and the muted color palette suits the dark tone of the film, though at the end, it all feels a bit flat, lackluster and lifeless.

Overall summary: Although this 'After Dark' Original offers plenty of gore, some thrills and a couple of jump-of-your-seat scares, its formulaic plot, poor script and ridiculous conclusion completely ruin the film, and as a result "Prowl" ends up being a jumbled mess of nonsense.

The Town movie review (2010)

The Town (2010)

Adapted from Chuck Hogan's novel "Prince of Thieves", "The Town" revolves around Doug MacRay, born and grown up in Charlestown, a working neighborhood in Boston, Massachusetts. It is an area where crime is part of everyday life. Charleston is basically the crime capital of the world, where carjacking, kidnapping and armed robberies are common things. Even more, the secret of the criminal crime are handled over from father to son. Doug is the leader of a bank robber group who managed so far to get out clean after every single bank robbery. Furthermore, MacRay gets romantically involved with a woman who doesn't know that he was her captor during group's latest bank heist. Just like his 'colleagues', George Clooney and Clint Eastwood, Ben Affleck is a much better director than an actor, and "The Town" proves exactly that. His second directional effort is arguably one of the better 'heist' movies of the last decade, as it's a smartly-scripted and subtly-photographed crime thriller, that while a bit moody at times, is consistently gripping and also quite intriguing to watch. The plot itself is nothing groundbreaking, but it's still solid and well-executed, and combined with some great performances and Ben Affleck's admirable directional skills, make this film a must see. "The Town" is generally very basic, visually, but very atmospheric at the same time, as the cinematographer uses pale colors and a washed out palette to create an atmosphere that feels quite appropriate for film's subject matter. Plus, the production design is excellent and complements the overall look of the movie. In terms of action, the chase sequences are brilliantly-shot and quite intense and definitely one of film's highlights. The acting is also one of the film's strongest aspects. Special mention goes to Jeremy Renner, who deliver a truly creepy and disturbing, yet incredible performance as the troubled James Coughlin, and he steals the show in every scene he appears in. Rebecca Hall's acting is nothing exceptional, but she does a great job as Claire Keesey, and she delivers a much better performance than her overrated Golden Globe-nominated turn in "Vicky Cristina Barcelona". Ben Affleck's acting is average at best - there's nothing wrong with it, but nothing memorable either. Jon Hamm is credible and very convincing as FBI S.A. Adam Frawley. Smoothly-paced, competently-shot and often intense, "The Town" pretty much has everything a proper 'heist' movie should have.

• My Rating: 7.50/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 94% (7.7/10)
• IMDb: 8.0/10

The Smurfs movie review (2011)

The Smurfs (2011)

QuickRating: Apart from the vivid and absolutely dazzling animated sequences in the beginning, "The Smurfs" has nothing to do with the utterly brilliant TV series from the 80s. This modernized version just does not possess the magic of the mini-series, and it feels contrived and fabricated. The CGI smurfs are adorable, the cast is okay, and the voice work is good, but that can't compensate for a weak script and sub-par execution.

Splintered movie review (2010)

Splintered (2010)

In this low-budget UK teen slasher, Sophie, a teenager with a troubled past, puts herself and her friends at the mercy of a wild beast, when her obsession of the unexplained leads them deep into the Welsh countryside. Looking for evidence within an abandoned building, Sophie witnesses a vicious attack on her friend and then finds herself incarcerated in a locked room. She cannot escape and her only hope is that her friends manage to find her before her captor makes them his latest victim. While it tries to use as many well-known horror gimmicks as it can, "Splintered" fails to deliver, as in its second half, the film turns into a big ridiculous mess, where it desperately tries to bland a werewolf story with classic slasher elements, and the result is just plain awful. Worst of all, "Splintered" is not scary at all. The story is built on cliches and poorly-constructed, as it throws some ridiculously unclear and unnecessary explanations at the beginning and in the end. Although the locations look truly creepy at times, especially the abandoned mansion in the middle of nowhere, that's not enough to distract viewer's attention from the obvious technical problems this film has, such as atrocious special/gore effects, terrible editing and amateurish direction. The acting is average-to-horrible. Holly Weston as the lead female character, Sophie, manages to express a wide variety of emotions, though her physical beauty works against her in making a believable character. Stephen Martin Walters who plays her brother has very limited screen time, but he's likable enough and succeeds to evoke sympathy. Sacha Dhawan as Sam is so obnoxious, I couldn't wait to see him death. Sadie Pickering as Sophie's best friend is just as annoying. Sadly, "Splintered" is UK horror at its worst - a poorly-executed, badly-shot, messy and uninteresting horror flick, that brings nothing new to the table.

• My Rating: 3.00/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 33% (4.0/10)
• IMDb: 3.9/10

Albert Nobbs movie review (2011)

Albert Nobbs (2011)

Brief review: Based on a short story by Irish novelist George Moore, "Albert Nobbsn" revolves around a woman passing as a man in order to work and survive in 19th century Ireland. This unusual story is slow-paced, yet compelling, but it never reaches its potential in terms of development, and it's neither as touching nor as emotionally dramatic as it should be. In terms of acting, "Albert Nobbsn" is definitely an Oscar material. The fantastic Glenn Close is back, and she's in top form indeed, delivering one of the best performances of the year, as the naive and struggling, yet loyal and kind-hearted woman who lives as a man. Mia Wasikowska gives another impressive performance as the tricky and confused hotel maid, Helen, and Aaron Johnson does a solid job as the manipulative charmer, Joe. Set in 19th century Dublin, "Albert Nobbsn" is about as authentic as it can get. The production design is highly effective, Rodrigo García's camera work is exquisite, precise and refined, and the era is captured beautifully, but yet, his direction lacks the 'wow' factor and the dynamic diversity that could have made this a great movie. The muted color palette of the cinematography also fits the time period well, and adds to the film's overall authenticity.

Overall summary: Subtle, oddly gripping and beautifully-made, if hardly anything special, "Albert Nobbsn" celebrates the welcome return of the incredible Glenn Close, who showcases her acting versatility, with an amazing, Oscar-worthy 'male' performance as the title character.

The Darkest Hour movie review (2011)

The Darkest Hour (2011)

QuickRating: It has a decent premise, the special effects are pretty adequate for the most part, and the scenery of Moscow city is absolutely glorious to watch, but "The Darkest Hour" remains an unimaginative and poorly-executed alien invasion flick that feels rushed and contrived from the very beginning and has a paper-thin plot and zero character development. Worst of all, the trailer is more tense, exciting and entertaining to watch than the movie itself.

Flipped movie review (2010)

Flipped (2010)

Brief review: "Mysery" director, Rob Reiner brings this adaptation of Wendelin Van Draanen's novel of the same name, that while well-acted and pretty watchable, brings nothing new to the table in terms of storytelling, except for a dual-narrative from the two young protagonists, each of them telling the story from their own perspective. The plot drags on slowly throughout the majority of the film, and as a result, "Flipped" feels dull and lazy, and it often becomes tedious to watch. Another issue is Rob Reiner's direction, which is so apathetic, that instead drawing you more and more into the story, it somehow pushes you away. Acting-wise, "Flipped" delivers partially. Madeline Carroll is absolutely adorable as the smart, modest and helpful girl, Juli, and she truly shines on screen. Callan McAuliffe, on the other hand, is somewhat stiff and uncharismatic, therefore he doesn't seem like a worthy screen partner to Madeline. The supporting cast which includes Rebecca De Mornay, Anthony Edwards and Penelope Ann Miller and they all do a farily good job with the given material. Visually, "Flipped" looks quite sterile and unimpressive, as it features mostly 'colorless' and boring environments.

Overall summary: Nicely-acted and interestingly-narrated, yet overly-familiar and rather bland, "Flipped" is a so-so nostalgic coming-of-age drama, that is neither as sweet, nor as touching as it thinks it is.