The Marsh movie review

The Marsh (2006)

Short review: "The Marsh" is yet another tedious, standard haunted house ghost story, that suffers from uninspired plot, horrendous dialogue, third-rate special effects and cheap scares. "The Marsh" is about a sophisticated author haunted by gruesome visions of violence and death that would be far out of place in her successful series of children's books, who embarks on a brief sabbatical into the countryside that turns out to be far from the convalescent getaway her doctor had prescribed. The acting was mediocre at best, except for Forest Whitaker, who did a decent job with the material he was given, thanks to his considerable talent. Gabriel Anwar, in the lead role, was bland and uninteresting to watch. The cinematography was simply poor, as was the scenery - the forest/marsh environment looked horrifyingly fake and amateurishly-done. "The Marsh" is poorly executed low-budget horror, with a predictable and unoriginal story, that lacks creepiness and suspense, scares and intensity.

• My Rating: 2.75/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 0% (3 Reviews)
  
• IMDb: 4.8/10

AfterLife movie review (2010)

After.Life (2010)

"After.Life" tells the story of Anna, who after a horrific car accident, wakes up to find the local funeral director Eliot Deacon preparing her body for her funeral. Confused, terrified and feeling still very much alive, Anna doesn't believe she's dead, despite the funeral director's reassurances that she is merely in transition to the afterlife. While lacking in execution, Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo's "After.Life" is a smart, dark and twisted story, that forces you to think and guess while watching it. It's actually so smart, you might struggle to figure it all out, and you'll find yourself think even harder, after you leave the theater. The point of "After.Life" is to provoke conversations and debates, and it certainly succeeds. Much of the clues they put in the movie were illogical and misleading, but they were there for just that reason - to make you wonder if Eliot Deacon was a crazy psycho killer, or if he really could talk to dead people; and to make you question, if Anna Taylor was actually dead or alive?! Another important question concerned is "Do we really deserve this life?", as most of the people just waste away their days on monotonous and pleasureless tasks, and don't spend enough time with people they love care for, and things they like to do. The acting in "After.Life" was top-notch. Liam Neeson did a good job as the funeral director, and Christina Ricci was excllent in her role as the terrified and largely confused Anna. Justin Long gave his all as Paul - he acted with such care and passion, and showed so much emotion, he managed to outshine both Liam Neeson and Christina Ricci. Technically, "After.Life" was nothing special. The atmosphere was mysterious and creepy, but the low budget was noticable, at times obvious, and the CGI effects, while minimally used, looked poor and cheap. Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo's direction was average at best. Perhaps in different hands, this film might have been a masterpiece. Although, it has its flaws, "After.Life" is nicely-acted, smartly-scripted, unpredictable and thought-provoking psychological thriller, that will tease your brain. Solve this mysterious puzzle yourself!

• My Rating: 6.50/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 26% (4.5/10)
• IMDb: 6.4/10