Home Media Magazine - February 17-23, 2008 - (Page 20)

“A disturbing new twist on the haunted house film! ‘FEAR HOUSE' delivers!” -VideoScope “The horror genre has a new talented director ’FEAR HOUSE’ is part ‘Phantasm’, part ‘Evil Dead’ and part REVIEWS I INSIDE Street 2/26 Echo Bridge, Thriller, $26.99 DVD, NR. Stars Nicholas D’Agosto, Leighton Meester, Cheryl White, Kevin Kilner. www.homemediamagazine.com ‘Black Christmas.’” -Horror Theater Video I nside is a twisted psychological thriller that tells the story of an orphaned teenager who is forced by a deranged couple to take the place of their deceased son. Alex (D’Agosto) is the ill-fated teen who has become a recluse since his parents died in a tragic car accident, for which he blames himself. He spends his days working in the solitude of the local library, where he has developed a strange fascination for watching despondent people. His only pseudo-friend is Josie (Meester), a gregarious kleptomaniac who tries to add some spice to Alex’s otherwise pathetic life. One night, Alex sneaks into the home of a forlorn couple, the Smiths (White and Kilner), who catch him in the act of spying on them. While Alex stammers for an explanation, he quickly realizes the couple is not frightened by his presence; instead, they’re in shock over his resemblance to their recently deceased son and invite Alex to stay. Things are going well until Alex is injured by a hit-and-run driver, prompting the Smiths to believe he really is their son and that it is their duty to nurse him back to health. Inside quickly becomes a Misery-style thriller as Alex’s crippled legs leave him confined to a wheelchair and at the mercy of the Smiths’ descent into insanity. The film is original, well written and deeply disturbing, leaving you riveted until the very end as you wait to see how much torture it takes to break Alex and what really happened to the Smiths’ son. The release of Inside is timed perfectly, with its young stars D’Agosto (“Heroes”) and Meester (“Gossip Girl”) on two of TV’s hottest shows. But White, an accomplished television actress, shouldn’t be overlooked for her intense performance as the schizophrenic mother willing to do anything to get her son back. Don’t let this dramatic indie thriller pass you by. – Matt Miller I TICK TOCK LULLABY Prebook 2/19; Street 4/8 Friends of a missing bestselling author discover her living like a frightened animal in a creepy old house. But when they attempt to get her out, they learn that anyone who tries to leave is killed by their innermost fear. As the bodies begin piling up, they must outwit the curse…or no one gets out alive. SPECIAL F E A T U R E S •Director Commentary •Outtakes •Trailer •Actor Rehearsal 16/9 Letterbox // 86 minutes // 5.1 Surround // Not Rated Wolfe, Comedy, $24.95 DVD, Unrated. T 880215105390 UPC 880215105697 UPC DISTRIBUTED BY LIF-DV-1053 SRP $19.98 ITEM NUMBER LIF-DV-1056 SRP $34.98 ITEM NUMBER he questions that accompany the deep commitment of having children transcend the boundaries of heterosexuality, marriage or even coupledom in this slim but provocative dramedy from the United Kingdom. Comic-strip artist Sasha (Lisa Gornick, also the writer and director) narrates the proceedings, and it’s unlikely that any heroine in previous cinema has thought as hard or deep about having a baby. She and her girlfriend Maya (Raquel Cassidy) seriously want a child, but don’t have the appropriate gay man in their life to help them out. They feel that more procedural methods are unnatural. As a juxtaposition, three more wannabe parents are introduced: A couple (Joanna Bending and William Bowry) who seem far too miserable with each other to procreate. The same woman’s sister (Sarah Patterson) is single and desires only a baby, not a relationship, so she creepily auditions young men to unknowingly be her baby’s father. Clocking in at a bare 73 minutes was a bright decision on Gornick’s part. Being inside someone’s head can be a neurotic experience, and Sasha’s thoughts on relationships, sex and parenthood are so naked and intimate. The short running time, and the natural moments of awkwardness — such as when Sasha and Maya pick up a man at a coffeehouse — lighten the film. The use of charming pen-and-watercolor drawings by Sasha — from sweet motherand-child visions to the heterosexual sex she must imagine if she and her partner are to conceive the natural way — also lend an urbane charm to the film. What’s most impressive about Tick Tock Lullaby is the balance Gornick finds in the three versions of parents. Sasha and Maya’s story may take up 70% of the film, but by showing other tales of the unique and sometimes misguided ways people of all proclivities find themselves making children, it normalizes it all. This isn’t a gay film; it’s a movie about people who are of that age when lullabies are stuck in their heads, and it’s about the obstacles — emotional, physical and sexual — they face on their path to parenthood. – Laura Tiffany PRE-ORDER: STREET DATE: MARCH 4th APRIL 1st 20 Home Media Magazine February 17–23, 2008 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

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Home Media Magazine - February 17-23, 2008

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