In the thriller genre one subset popular with film makers ( and often audiences ) has been the psychological thriller. A theme seen in these films has been an infatuation that turns to  ( usually deadly ) obsession. It’s been explored in older films like Hitchcock’s REBECCA and VERTIGO through the sixties with THE COLLECTOR and had a big resurgence with FATAL ATTRACTION and SINGLE WHITE FEMALE. Many times the plot will involve a young woman striking out on her own in a new city. This is at the heart of the new film THE RESIDENT which bypassed American theatres and is premiering on home video.

Juliet ( Hilary Swank ) is an emergency room surgeon living at a hotel after a nasty break up with her boyfriend Jack ( Lee Pace ). She finally decides to get a place of her own. After several dissapointing  tours with real estate agents, she posts an apartment wanted notice on the bulletin board at the hospital. She responds to a call and arrives at the building managed by Max ( Jeffrey Dean Morgan ). He’s in the middle of rehabbing the place and informs her that cell phone reception is lousy and the subway trains rattle the foundation. But Juliet is smitten with the view ( you can see the bridge right outside the window ), the opulent space, and the very affordable price. Max rents her the place without a reference check and soon she’s hauling her stuff up the elevator. Max introduces her to his ailing eccentric grandfather August ( Christopher Lee ) who lives down the hall from her. It takes a bit for Juliet to grow accustomed to the creaks and groans of the building, but soon she’s settled in. Later Juliet is invited to a local gallery party by a hospital co-worker and there runs into Max. As they walk and talk she wonders if Max will help her get over Jack. At her door she leans in to kiss Max who backs away. Perhaps she’s crossed a line. The next day she finally takes a call from Jack after he’s left countless messages and texts. She also gets a call from Max. He wishes to make up for the awkward previous evening with dinner. At the end of the meal she invites him into her bedroom. Just as things are heating up, Juliet rebuffs Max by stating that her feelings for Jack are still too strong. He understands and then reluctantly leaves. A few days later Juliet re-connects with Jack. It looks as if they will repair their relationship. All seems to be going well except that she’s constantly sleeping through her alarm and is always exhausted. And it seems that Max is not so sweet and understanding  anymore. Is there something sinister going on here?

Well, of course there is. Director Antii Jokinen telegraphs the creeps during her first night alone at the new place. He also lingers on a very graphic emergency room heart repair, perhaps to show us Juliet’s proficiency with tools. The gore there seems more than a bit gratuitous. Swank doesn’t have much to do here besides looking tired, worried, and confused. Morgan has the more complex role. He shows some of what charmed the many fans of his work on the TV show ” Grey’s Anatomy “. He also goes to a much darker place like his role in WATCHMEN. Pace, also from TV ( “Pushing Daisies” ) has little to do as Swanks’s rekindled romance. The real wasted opportunity here is the small , inconsequential role given to the great Christopher Lee. He’s there as a plot red herring who leers at Juliet through his front door. I was intrigued when I’d heard of his casting in this film. THE RESIDENT is a co-production with th newly re-formed Hammer studios. From the late 50′s through the early 70′s  they were famous for there Gothic horror films especially the Frankenstein film series with Peter Cushing and the Dracula  film series starring Mr. Lee. This film was to be their first big new theatrical release along with the English language remake of LET THE RIGHT ONE IN, LET ME IN. That film was critically lauded,but sank like a stone at the box office. Perhaps that had a factor in THE RESIDENT going right to video. More likely that despite the presence of the two time Oscar winning Swank ( who executive produced this along with Renny Harlin ) the film plays like a slightly sexed-up, gored-up, version of a story you’d see as a Lifetime-type TV movie. Certain character behaviors seem very implausible, and the cat and mouse chase through the building’s walls and crawlspaces at the film’s finale  ends flatly. I’m rooting for Hammer’s comeback. I hope they’ll bring us something more exciting and original next time. THE RESIDENT ( with only a trailer as an extra ) is available on DVD and Blu-ray from Image Entertainment.

Overall Rating: Two and a Half Out of Five Stars

THE TOURNAMENT is one of those films where the premise is so corny and overplayed that it’s strengths have to come from it’s execution. Luckily The Tournament doesn’t disappoint and is actually something of a gem. In the world of films about televised or secret death matches between over the top badasses THE TOURNAMENT stands out for having a great cast and some of the better, bloodier and more interesting action moments ever.

The Tournament itself happens every seven years, when the world’s best assassins all gather together in one random small town to do battle until one is left standing and is declared the best assassin in the world. I think the winner gets a giant pile of money as well, but that’s never made clear. Each Assassin is outfitted with a tracking device so the other killing sociopaths know exactly where to go, keeping the insanity to a clean 24 hours. OH and the trackers are explosives, so if there are too many people left alive at the end of the day, BOOM!

This time around a civilian is brought into the mix when a Frenchman (played by one of the creators of parkour/free running, Sebastien Foucan) cuts out his tracker and places it in a coffee pot. This is when it’s swallowed by alcoholic priest Father Macavoy (played by Robert Carlyle). Now this washed up, hung over shambled priest has to figure out how to stay alive when the world’s best are trying to kill him. Luckily he has Kelly Hu playing a very sexy trained killer named Lai Lai Zhen. Hu seems exceptionally buxom in this role… but that’s got NOTHING to do with the story… just makes her that much more interesting to watch. Her fight scenes are top notch though, as are most in the film.

Also being a complete and total badass is Ving Rhames as Joshua Harlow, a man who was once retired at the top of his game, but is now pulled back in when the murderer of his wife is pulled into the competition. He’s out for revenge and looks damn cool while he’s there.

I can’t lie about somethings this film has that you’ll see coming a mile away and you’ll just have to suspend your disbelief for. Of course the entire small town is wired up with HD video cameras that are part of some safety network and of course two really smart computer hackers who live off red bull and talk like they’re from a Diablo Cody film have hacked into the system and are letting the gambling billionaires see who’s winning everything. Basically they have my dream job and are the nerds everyone like me (IT Majors) wants to be.

Where the movie falters is just that it’s a played out idea and the budget isn’t nearly big enough to make all the effects look as good as they probably should. Thank god most of the gore is practical effects and the movie relies on very little CGI. There is one scene that completely took me out of the experience involving a montage of murder done to a sweet song. It’s very over the top and comedic but doesn’t fit the rest of the film at all and doesn’t do anything to push the narrative forward.

I can’t help but wish this film was getting a very wide theatrical release here in the US because it’s worth it. Sure it doesn’t have any A-list stars, but the cast here is amazing and the characters are very memorable.

What do you do when you go into blockbuster (or any other movie chain/store) to see something you haven’t seen before and you have already seen all the good stuff? Well then you rent the direct to DVD movie, if for no other reason then to laugh at how awful it is. Well sometimes that direct to DVD movie surprises you and its actually kind of good. Well that’s what brings us to this new column.

The first movie to get this treatment is … American Pie Presents: The Naked Mile.

For those of you that haven’t seen any of the American Pie movies past American Wedding … let me fill you in. All of the movies since then follow the Stifler clan and only contain one of the original characters, Jim’s Dad who is played by Eugene Levy. I started the watch the one right after American Wedding which was called Band Camp … but got bored and turned it off. This one, actually held my attention, and several laughs.

The story follows Erik Stifler played by John White who sets off with a couple of buddies on a road trip to his Erik’s cousin Dwight Stifler at a college in Michigan for the “Naked Mile Run”. A tradition that was done up until 2004 at the University of Michigan. Erik has hit a rough patch with his girlfriend and she gives him a free weekend pass to do whatever he wants. What follows is an insane weekend of partying, ladies, and Erik’s battle with himself to decide if he would use his weekend pass, or stay true to his girlfriend.

The highlight of the American Pie Presents series has been Steve Talley, who also stars in the latest installment ‘Beta House’. He plays Erik’s cousin Dwight … aka Stifler. A ladies man who is the president of Beta frat house. He is quick witted, but not in the typical asshole Stifler fashion. You really come away from this flick with an appreciation for him, and I hope to see him in more movies soon.