Home Media Magazine - August 19-25, 2007 - (Page 26)

REVIEWS I THE INSATIABLE Prebook 8/23; Street 9/18 ThinkFilm, Horror, $27.98 DVD, NR. Stars Sean Patrick Flanery, Charlotte Ayanna, Michael Biehn. www.homemediamagazine.com appear to be simple homicides rather than the work of a mythical creature. When, in an effort to avoid causing public panic, the police either refuse or choose to not believe Harry’s assertions that the murders are being committed by a vampire, he decides to take matters into his own hands, taking the next logical step: searching the Internet for a vampire hunter. Complications arise when Strickland (the terrific Biehn) — a Van Helsing for the digital generation — helps Harry track down and imprison the vampire. Harry also unexpectedly falls in love with her. The film is an ingeniously conceived mix of equal parts black comedy, gory horror and rich character study. Generous credit to writer-directors Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon is well deserved, as they have seamlessly woven together these various elements into one wildly entertaining, unpredictable and even moving little film. — David Greenberg he Insatiable is an out-of-the-blue delight, possibly the funniest, most offbeat vampire movie since Roman Polanski’s Fearless Vampire Killers or the Nicolas Cage oddity Vampire’s Kiss, with all due respect to Dracula: Dead and Loving It or Love at First Bite. The always-reliable Flanery, perhaps one of the most underrated ‘B’-movie actors of his generation, really gets to shine here, playing Harry Balbo, a lonely plumbing supply salesman. Despite a spate of mysterious decapitations in his neighborhood, Harry ventures out to the local convenience store for some take-out. On his way home, he witnesses an attack by the killer, Tatiana (Ayanna), a beautiful vampire who rips the heads off of her victims to make her crimes T I SEVERANCE Prebook 8/21; Street 9/18 Magnolia, Horror, B.O. $0.1 million, $26.98 DVD, ‘R’ for strong bloody violence, language, drug content and some sexuality/ nudity. Stars Danny Dyer, Laura Harris, Toby Stephens, Tim McInnerny. I MACBETH Prebook 8/30; Street 9/25 Starz/Union Station, Thriller, B.O. $0.01 million, $26.98 DVD, NR. Stars Sam Worthington, Victoria Hill, Lachy Hulme, Gary Sweet, Steve Bastoni, Mick Molloy. everance is an oddly entertaining horror-comedy hybrid that will have you laughing and cringing at the same time. The British import tells the tale of seven dissimilar marketing executives who work for an international weapons manufacturer. They embark on a team-building weekend deep in the Hungarian forest. Most of the group has no desire to be there, especially after their promised luxury lodge turns out to be a deserted, rundown chalet with a mysterious past. But having been dropped off by a belligerent bus driver who was anxious to flee the area, and without cell phone reception, they have no choice but to settle in for a long night together. Little do the executives know that they are going to have to rely on more than just team- S work in order to survive being hunted by an unknown demented enemy who is lurking in the woods, waiting to torture them to death. What unfolds is a horror satire that has more gore than Scream and more laughs than Broken Lizard’s Club Dread — a scene with the group trying to free a co-worker from a bear trap is unforgettably hilarious — as the corporate team tries to escape the deadly booby-trapped backwoods. Severance is a real treat for horror fans. From its bloody opening scene to its fight-to-thedeath finale, the film maintains a steady flow of slapstick violence that at times plays out like a Monty Python sketch. Despite this humorous undertone, the film still delivers a terrifying storyline fueled by a solid ensemble cast, led by a lovable drugaddled slacker Steve (Dyer, an accomplished British actor who voiced the Kent Paul character in the “Grand Theft Auto” video games) and tenacious American vixen Maggie (Harris, a seasoned film and TV actress who is most recognizable from reoccurring roles on “Dead Like Me” and “24”). — Matt Miller lood flows in this moody, grisly version of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, updated for the gangsta generation. Set in contemporary Melbourne, the original text is somewhat adapted, with Worthington playing the title character as a somber No. 2 in a successful crime syndicate, fulfilling his supposed destiny by brutally killing his boss in preparation for taking over. Lighting the fire for all this is the cold Lady Macbeth, as the ever-devious instigator with the not-so-hidden agenda. With an erotic witch trio leading the easily influenced Macbeth down his road to ruin, and a running stream of espionage, betrayal and backstabbing — both literal and metaphorical — Macbeth seeks to shock as it moves along with speed, if little grace. It all adds up to a gruesome run of bombast B that may appeal to a generation of moviegoers accustomed to such shock. Macbeth is often difficult to look away from, even when things get nasty. Lighting and music are well done, though performances are sometimes more about grimaces and sweat than deeper understanding of text. The extras include a making-of documentary, allowing Aussie director Geoffrey Wright to explain his outlook, along with interviews of the key players. — Dan Bennett 26 Home Media Magazine August 19–25, 2007 http://www.homemediamagazine.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Home Media Magazine - August 19-25, 2007

Contents News News/Box Office News TV DVD Q4 Preview Reviews Pipeline Research Top 20 DVD Sellers Top 20 Rentals and Top 10 Charts Just Announced

Home Media Magazine - August 19-25, 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.