Home Media Magazine - February 17-23, 2008 - (Page 16)

Edited by John Latchem REVIEWS Crazy Eights I AFTER DARK HORRORFEST: 8 FILMS TO DIE FOR 2008 Prebook 2/20; Street 3/18 Lionsgate, Horror, $19.98 each DVD, $159.84 DVD boxed set. T he movies from the second annual After Dark Horrorfest: 8 Films to Die For were reportedly chosen for their extreme content — be it gore or just a truly bizarre storyline — and are meant to appeal to the horror devotee. The DVDs will be available either separately or as a collection, which, it turns out, is better than the sum of its parts. The set includes the following films, listed by preference, starting with the best: should, be an incredible film. Unfortunately, it is weakened by a sappy plot twist only a saccharine sympathizer can love. So, it lands in the No. 2 spot on the list, despite excellent production quality and some very fine acting by Vogel (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre) and Murray (“Dexter”). I MULBERRY STREET ‘R’ for creature violence, gore and language. Stars Nick Damici, Kim Blair, Ron Brice. that the filmmakers made a conscious choice to embrace the cheesier side of the genre, forgoing actual fear in favor of gore and fun. If that was not their intention, then the joke is on them because this movie is a hilarious guilty pleasure. ing alone on a deserted road on their way to a mental institution (she is having demonic nightmares) when their car runs out of gas, and the husband goes for help, leaving her alone. The story remains predictable (and oh so funny), until a plot twist at the end that is so delightful it is worth the wait. The film is positively ridiculous, but in a good way, as I enjoy a horror film that can make me scream … with laughter. I BORDERLAND Unrated. Stars Brian Presley, Rider Strong, Jake Muxworthy, Sean Astin. By far one of the more bizarre storylines of the set, Mulberry Street takes New York City’s rat infestation to a whole new level when the rats (infected with a mysterious virus) attack people, turning them into vicious rat/human man-eaters hell bent on destroying the city. The main character is an ex-boxer who fights the rats in a Rocky-like run through the city streets. It should be funny. It is an inherently funny concept. But it is told with such dark, arthouse seriousness and minimal dialogue that it ends up being disturbing, scary and sad. A truly interesting film. I CRAZY EIGHTS ‘R’ for violence, disturbing images and language. Stars Traci Lords, Dina Meyer, George Newbern, Gabrielle Anwar, Dan De Luca, Frank Whaley. I UNEARTHED ‘R’ for violence, gore and language. Stars Emmanuelle Vaugier, Luke Goss, Charles Murphy, Beau Garrett. I TOOTH AND NAIL ‘R’ for strong violence, language and some sexuality. Stars Rachel Miner, Rider Strong, Michael Kelly, Robert Carradine, Vinnie Jones, Michael Madsen. Borderland is far and away the scariest of the films, made utterly disturbing by its basis in real events. Three friends take a road trip to Mexico, only to be trapped in a violent hell by a drug cartel that thinks human sacrifice makes it invisible to law enforcement. The action is so gruesome, and the pain and fear so well portrayed that it surpasses all expectations and creates real terror. The performances by the first-rate cast add to the overall enjoyment of the film. The premise of Tooth and Nail is that the world has run out of oil, and society has degraded into a daily fight for survival, complete with a marauding band of cannibals (in Viking-like garb) who hunt their fellow humans. The script is well written and often funny (Madsen plays a cannibal who stalks his prey while eerily whistling “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad”), leading me to believe Crazy Eights begins with six childhood friends coming together for the funeral of a mutual friend and finding a map that leads to an old trunk in a condemned house. The group becomes trapped in the house, realizing the past they all share. The story is supposed to be mysterious, but I found myself waiting for the characters to catch up to a plot I already suspected. Thankfully the result was more anticipation than boredom due to a fast pace. The acting is delivered by a strangely familiar ensemble cast, but instead of being a distraction, the familiarity adds to the disturbing nature of the film. It is a bit like watching social acquaintances picked off one by one. I NIGHTMARE MAN ‘R’ for horror violence, gore, some sexuality/nudity and language. Stars Tiffany Shepis, Blythe Metz, Luciano Szafir, Richard Moll. Definitely a new take on an old genre, Unearthed is an alien movie of pretty weird origins. The creature is discovered and accidentally unleashed during an archeological dig on Indian burial grounds in New Mexico. The acting is OK, but the story is never really explained, leaving what could have been an interesting movie in the dust behind an impressive array of gunfire, crashes and explosions. It is far too action-packed to be dull, and the aliens look surprisingly cool for a non-blockbuster film, but the movie is too disappointing to be good for more than one viewing. I LAKE DEAD Unrated. Stars Alex Quinn, Kelsey Crane, Tara Gerard, James C. Burns, Dan Woods. Nightmare Man uses every cliché possible (I made a little game of counting them to amuse myself while I waited for something to happen). A woman and her husband are travel- Q U I C K TA K E Dawson’s Descent The raw brutality of sexual violence is on display in Descent, a savagely disturbing psychological thriller from director Talia Lugacy now on DVD from City Lights Home Entertainment at $26.98. Rosario Dawson plays a shy college student coping with the aftereffects of a sexual assault by planning a shocking retribution. Dawson’s effective performance runs the gamut from naiveté to recklessness to vengeful while the film questions the nature of the relationship between sex and identity. Descent is not for the faint of heart — the movie depicts two brutal rapes that earn every bit of its ‘NC-17’ rating. The DVD contains insightful interviews and commentary, plus two deleted scenes that enhance the message without the need to be included in the main film. – John Latchem I THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE ‘R’ for violence, some drug content and brief language. Stars Mike Vogel, Jaime Murray. Ian Stone is a man hunted by evil creatures that kill him every day, forcing him to be reborn into a new life that seems familiar, only to kill him again. The sole way to stop the cycle is to solve the mystery of his life. The Deaths of Ian Stone would, and really The story of Lake Dead is the now-cliché plot of unsuspecting young people stumbling upon an inbred mutant family in the middle of nowhere who is bent on killing them. I have no idea why this film was chosen for the festival, except maybe for the plot twist of having two of the young women in the group related to the mutants (not a spoiler, trust me). The dialogue is terrible, making it hard to determine if the acting is bad, or just a reflection of bad writing. The end result is that all the characters are so irritating you cheer when they begin to die, hoping the movie will end faster. – Kyra Kudick 16 Home Media Magazine February 17–23, 2008

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Home Media Magazine - February 17-23, 2008

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