Mirrors movie review (2010)

Mirrors 2 (2010)

"Mirrors 2" is yet another straight-to-DVD horror sequel, that relies on the success of its predecessor and hopes to find an audience for the same reason. The first movie definitely wasn't great or very original, since its subject matter concerned one of the most overused and annoying horror cliches - mirrors. Nevertheless, "Mirrors" managed to deliver some chills, creepy images and decent story. If I'm being honest, I was somewhat pleased with the original movie, mainly because I quite like Alexandre Aja's shooting style and admire his ideas as a director. Also, last but not least, I absolutely loved the twist in the end - it was unexpected, creative and downright terrifying. "Mirrors 2" revoleves around Max Matheson, who after losing his fiancee in a car crash, for which he blames himself, he reluctantly takes a job as a night watchman at his father's Mayflower Department Store. When his co-workers are killed off in gruesome and horrible ways and Max begins to see a mysterious young woman in all the store's mirrors, desperate to communicate with him, he fears he's losing his mind, or that he may be the next victim. As expected, it repeats the formula form the first film, but adds a different plot. Sadly, a pretty terrible one. However, despite its tired ghost-of-a-murdered-girl-seeking-for-revenge scenario, "Mirrors 2" is quite well put together for a STV movie, as it offers an okay direction, fairly good lead performance, smooth pacing and some excellent gore effects. It's more gory than scary or creepy, but there are some really tense moments and it's not without suspense. Nick Stahl gives very credible performance as Max, and he successfully carries the movie on his shoulders. Unfortunately, he's the only good actor here. Emmanuelle Vaugier is naturally drop dead gorgeous, but her acting abilities are amazingly dreadful. Lawrence Turner, William Katt and Jon Michael Davis are just bad. Period. Spanish director Victor Garcia's directing skills are also questionable at times, since during watching I noticed three absolutely identical shots. It was kinda hilarious. Despite its cliched story, predictable conclusion, and some truly terrible supporting performances, "Mirrors 2" is quite watchable and surprisingly gripping at times. It falls into the 'mediocre at best' category.

• My Rating: 5.00/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
• IMDb: 5.1/10

The Changeling movie review

The Changeling (1980)

"The Changeling" is a spooky story about a haunted house, that sounds a bit ordinary, as a premise, but is actually more complex than the average ghost story. This movie is kind of a hybrid of an old-fashioned ghost story and a crime story. The elements mix together pretty well as the movie has a few haunting moments along with quite a bit of mystery. Sure, there are the usual horror clichés but they're all done very effectively and keep you watching and wondering what the haunting is all about. It has a slow, suspenseful pace and interesting characters. George does a fair job, and he does carry the entire film almost single-handedly, and the leads are each given one fleeting emotive moment to heighten our engagement. The most terrifying moment occurs through Trish Van Devere's character, Claire Norman. Her expression of genuine fear is terrifying and very believable. The cinematography of the film is good - the sets are moody and perfectly fit the tone and atmosphere of the story. However, it doesn't have a particularly individual stamp on it. Lots of steady-cam tracking shots are employed by the minimalist Peter Medak, and they're rather effective here. This film manages to be spooky without descending into camp, and suspenseful without overdoing it. "The Changeling" is simple, yet effective and wonderfully subtle horror film, though it feels a bit dated for today's standards, and while spooky, it's not scary at all.

• My Rating: 7.00/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 79% (7.3/10)
• IMDb: 7.3/10