Although we’re still in the middle of Winter, let’s take in an old-fashioned bone-chiller, one that may have your teeth chattering before exiting into those gusts of frigid air. This is what the new spook-show THE WOMAN IN BLACK promises to deliver. Appropriately enough, this gothic creeper is the second theatrical feature to be released here in the states from the revived British fright film factory Hammer. Now while the studio might be best remembered in their late fifties to mid seventies heyday for full-blooded monsters ( vampires, zombies, and even a gorgon among many others ) this tale of ghosts seeking revenge on the living  would’ve fit the bill ( perhaps as part of one of their many double bills! ) But will today’s cinema audiences be able to immerse themselves in a haunted, desolate estate full of creaking floors, quickly melting candles, and sinister secrets after a steady diet of graphic,bloody torture and shaky, found video, inspired by ” true events “scares?

After an opening sequence of a horrific multiple-victim demise ( in broad daylight! ) we meet young barrister Arthur Kipps ( Daniel Radcliffe ) in the early years of the twentieth century. Even before he encounters the title character Arthur is haunted-by the memories of his late wife. Left with a young son, he’s floundering at a London law firm. His supervisor will give him one last chance. Travel to a remote country village and organize the papers and estate of a wealthy, recently deceased matron or be sacked. After leaving his boy with his nursemaid ( they’ll journey to the village in a few days ), Arthur boards the train and meets fellow passenger, and village elder, Sam Daily ( Ciaran Hinds ). Noticing Arthur’s newspaper turned to a notice about a spiritualist endorsed by Arthur Conan Doyle ( nice historical touch! ) Sam voices his disgust over ” superstitious nonsense “. At the village train station Sam gives Arthur a lift in his fancy new motor car ( only one in town ) and invites him to dinner on another night. This is the only friendly gesture from any of the townspeople. Arthur’s arrival at the hotel pub is reminiscent of the chilly reception Peter Cushing’s Dr.Van Helsing recieved from the locals in THE HORROR OF DRACULA ( you almost expect to see the welcome mat roll itself up ). Arthur is told that no room has been booked, but luckily the hotelier’s wife steps in to find him a spot. The next day the local barrister who had been working with the estate (  he had not impressed the home office ) tells him that all is fine and puts him a coach returning to the train station. But Arthur is not so easily brushed off, and after a bribe, the coachman takes him to the desolate estate perched on a small island in the middle of a treacherous marsh. There the determined young man unearths the tragic secrets of the house and town, and later finds himself in the path of the ebony-attired spectre of vengeance.

Like those old creep-fests on the TV late shows ( more often seen on TCM nowadays ), THE WOMAN IN BLACK oozes gothic horror atmosphere. Several scenes outside the estate engulf our hero in a pea-soup fog. Things aren’t much more pleasant inside as he must make his way through a maze of creaking corridors, endless hallways, and rooms filled with all many of odd toys and nicknacs ( lots of stuffed monkeys! ). The dark costumes help enhance the black mood of the village and its residents. It’s no wonder the shiny, new automobile is looked down upon by the locals ( an intruding reminder of the new century perhaps? ).

The film boasts a better than average cast for a ” things that go bump in the night ” film outing. Hinds ( THE DEBT ) makes for a fine, resourceful helpmate as Arthur’s only local pal, but his friendly demeanor attempts to mask his sadness. Part of that comes from the tragic past he shares with his wife played by recent Oscar nominee for ALBERT NOBBS Janet McTeer. It’s a fairly small role, but she makes quite an impact with sparse screen time. The main draw for the film ( at least according to the posters ) is the former boy wizard himself in his premiere post-Potter feature film. This may be heralded as his first real ” adult” role, but Radcliffe, even with a constant five-o’clock-shadow ( like Indiana Jones, did he forget to pack his razor? ) and guzzling cordials, has a tough time making his single, widowed father of a five year old believable. The heroic qualities he honed in his former film series do serve him well, though, in his exploration of the musty home turned crypt. Kudos to him for enduring the film’s grossest moments as he explores the tar-like depths of the marsh. Eyew!

As I stated earlier this is an old-fashioned shiver-show. The film makers aren’t re-inventing the wheel ( or the spook-fest ) here. Besides those old British shock film chestnuts, it harkens back to classics like THE UNINVITED, THE INNOCENTS, and THE HAUNTING. When Arthur spends his first night alone in the gloomy estate, I actually thought back to the Don Knotts sleepover in THE GHOST AND MR. CHICKEN ( Attaboy, Luthor! Sorry, couldn’t resist ). The effects here are mostly old-school, no bouncy CGI banshees roaming the halls. Some of it may be a bit a bit trite or telegraphed ( pesky animals popping out of the shadows ) or just too familiar, but it’s kind of nice to experience a couple of goosebumps instead of the exhaustion caused by the barrages of gore and cruelty in many current ” screamers “.  I hope the Hammer team drags us back into the fog very soon.

Overall Rating : Three and a Half Out of Five Stars

It’s been over twenty years since Al Pacino as Michael Corleone uttered, “Just when I thought I was out… they pull me back in! “in THE GODFATHER PART III, but this bit of plot motivation is still a major device in most action/crime thrillers for the lead character. In the new film CONTRABAND, the guy who thinks he’s out of the life is Chris Faraday played by an actor who had a few run-ins with the law during his teen years, Mark Wahlberg. Chris had a reputation as an expert smuggler many years ago (he brags about being able to bring in a pricey sports car), but now he’s legit with a home security business, a beautiful wife, Kate (Kate Beckinsale) and two adorable young sons down in New Orleans. Uh-oh, it seems that Kate’s nere’do well kid brother Andy (Caleb Landry Jones) has decided to enter the smuggling game.

Unfortunately, he’s not as good as his brother-in-law. He’s part of the crew on a ship that’s boarded by custom authorities (they even lower down drug-sniffing dogs from a helicopter) and Andy tosses his backpack filled with cocaine over the railing into the sea. The violent, lowlife drug dealer Briggs (Giovanni Ribisi) who hired him is not so understanding once Andy and his partner are on dry land. He rams their car with his truck. Andy survives the attack and tells Chris what happened. Chris tries to cut a deal with Briggs, who insists that he be reimbursed for his lost revenue (700 grand!) otherwise the debt falls to Chris and his family.

Chris has no choice, but to go for one last big score. He contacts another runner who’s gone legit, his old pal Sebastian (Ben Foster) who suggests making a drug run to Panama. But like the Corleones, Chris wants nothing to do with that “dirty business” and hatches a plan to bring in several loads of counterfeit cash. Thanks to Sebastian’s connections Chris becomes a crew member on a cargo ship headed south (several pals are already planted on board to help along with Andy). Once they reach Panama, Andy and a couple of guys will dash over in a van, collect the funny money, and be back in an hour when the ship’s ready to leave the dock. In and out! No problems, right?! If you think that’s the case then you don’t know your movie crime capers! And of course, that mad dog Briggs and his thugs are bearing down on Sebastian and the Faraday family back in the states. Talk about getting pulled back in (and pulled in several directions)!

The world of smuggling makes an interesting new venue for the crime thriller. It’s a nice change from the bank vault or museum break-in. Unfortunately the film makes too many side trips and cuts back and forth from the Big Easy to the big ship, so the forward momentum can’t gain any speed. It’s fun to see Chris stay one step ahead of the ship’s captain (JK Simmons in full surly, grumpy J. Jonah Jamieson-mode), but quickly we’re back watching Briggs hovering near a kids soccer game. In Panama Chris and his pal are recruited by a wild-eyed crime kingpin (an under-used Diego Luna) in an armored car hit (how long before the ship leaves?). The actors do their best with this disjointed thriller.

Wahlberg commands the screen as a good man forced to do bad things (but no drug running!) who tries to survive using his skills and street smarts. You can almost hear the gears in his head grinding as he has to come up with a new escape idea. Beckinsale’s always a lovely screen presence, but she spends way too much time here being bounced around like a rag doll by the different lowlifes. Speaking of lowlifes,  Ribisi seems to be doing a riff on the growly, grizzled  creep he just played in RUM DIARY. I hope in his next role he gets to clear his throat and clean up a bit. Foster’s Sebastian may be the most complex of the bunch. He’s given up booze and crime, but seems to miss the old thrills. Ben Foster really show us this guy’s inner conflict. It’s another interesting performance by an actor who’s compiling an impressive resume. It’s just a shame they aren’t all involving ain a better thought thriller. The film’s final action climax (there’s at least two or three) is right from THE PERILS OF PAULINE. As a cinema crime caper CONTRABAND doesn’t quite deliver (or smuggle) all the goods

Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Studying and researching movies over the years I’ve come across an expression, ” A monster movie is only as good as its monster”. Well, I’d add that the fear level you have while watching said flick really depends on how fearsome the monster is. Well the beasties in THE DARKEST HOUR rank right up there with the walking carpet of the Grade- Z classic THE CREEPING TERROR. And I do mean rank. They’re floating balls of yellow light. Yup. Hence the darkness in the title ( they’re easier to see at night ). These energy balls may be pretty, but they’re deadly. Get too close and they’ll shoot out a neon-like lasso, pull you close, and smash your atoms ( disintegrate you into a clod of powder ). They’re relentless all right, just not that visually interesting ( they’re certainly no competition for the Predator, and H.R. Gieger’s Alien ). And 3D doesn’t make them any more frightening than a really aggressive swarm of lightning bugs.

The film at least has an interesting background for all the mayhem : Moscow. Things start out with two hotshot internet dudes ( Emile Hirsch and Max Minghella ) flying in to meet the investors in their great ” social network/hook-up while globetrotting ” website. But, man, their Russian connection dude has totally ripped them off. At least they meet up with two vacationing babes ( American Olivia Thirlby and Brit Rachael Taylor ) at a swinging nite spot. Then the power shuts down and the sky lights up in waves of yellow and orange. Then the yellow glowing orbs ( thousands of them! ) float to the ground and turn everybody to chalky dust. Except our heroes and their new gal pals. Oh, and that dude that stole the website!. After leaving the safety of the bar’s storage room ( ran out of food ) they try to hide during the day and scurry around the deserted streets at night in search of supplies, other survivors, and information.

And that pretty much sums it up. Lots of hiding, arguing, and running about. Very much like SKYLINE and CLOVERFIELD. It’s attractive young actors scurrying about ( and having to wear lightbulbs as necklaces to warn them of the aliens ). I’ve enjoyed the work of Hirsch, Minghella, and Thirlby, but here they’re fighting a script that renders the male characters mostly obnoxious and the women shrill. The Moscow settings are interesting as are the local actors ( could’ve used the subtitles for some of their lines in English ) and at least it was shot in 3D. The main problem ( besides the space glow balls ) is that we’ve seen so much of it done better ( the deserted city in I AM LEGEND for example ). Perhaps this is why it was released on Christmas Day ( it’s not Oscar-bait like the other flicks opening that day ). If you’re looking for a good Russian travelogue the opening scenes of MISSION IMPOSSIBLE : GHOST PROTOCOL are a much better time at the cinema. Okay you three stars, hope you movie on from this tiresome, uninspired effort and treat us to much better works.

Overall Rating : One Out of Five Stars

The problem with Hollywood’s take on THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is familiarity.  It’s such a good, engrossing murder mystery that I actually envy moviegoers who have not seen the Swedish version from just two years ago and are lucky enough to have the film’s many twists unfold surprisingly. That’s not the new film’s fault though and David Fincher, who was announced as the director almost as soon as the Swedish version reached our shores, has done an outstanding job, not only of bringing this story the screen, but stamping it with his personal style.

Fincher has made a supremely sensuous and hypnotic thriller, and one that’s likely to become a major hit. A mystery girl’s disappearance from a remote, inaccessible island kicks off the plot. Intrepid investigative Journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Daniel Craig), under investigation for libel, is hired by aged tycoon Henrik Vanger (Christopher Plummer) to look into the 40 year-old mystery of his 16-year-old niece, who suddenly disappeared without a trace. He assumes she was murdered, and before he dies, he wants to see the killer found and punished. Punk cyber-hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) checks out Mikael as a preliminary to his hiring, and is herself intrigued by the old mystery. The two team up and find themselves pursuing a family of Nazi perv serial killers. Anyone who’s seen the Swedish version (or has read the book) knows what truly dark and depraved business is in store for this improbable pair of sleuths.

Lisbeth Salander (aka: the chick With The Dragon Tattoo), a victim of sexual abuse and institutional cruelty, is already a major literary heroine, and the intense Rooney Mara, a virtual unknown, is liable to become a major star with this role. She’s not nearly as severe-looking as Noomi Rapace outside this film, but actually is made up to look even more shocking than her Swedish counterpart. Her slight, sinewy frame covered in body piercings and tattoos – is remarkable, as is her performance. Mara is ferocious, notably during the face-offs between Lisbeth and her sexually abusive court-appointed guardian. Daniel Craig underplays the lead and lets Ms Mara steal the film along with Stellan Skarsgard as the darkest of the Vanger family black sheep, capturing and conveying the charismatic essence of  evil.

After a couple of  mainstream-friendlier films (BENJAMIN BUTTON and SOCIAL NETWORK), we’re back in more familiar Fincher territory, rife with violence, darkness and nightmarishly horrific behavior. It works well as a good procedural mystery, with clues carefully tracked down in old photographs and newspaper archives, and is an exhilarating whodunnit as Mikael and Lisbeth uncover a 1950s serial killer in the Vanger family history. Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, all deliver outstanding work. The explicit sex is downplayed relative to the Swedish version, but not the violence and the new film is not without its flaws. They’ve set in in Sweden but the actors all speak English in vague, mumbly Swedish accents, except Craig, who speaks in a mumbly British accent. I’m not sure why they didn’t just transport the drama to America.

The last act of GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, an epilogue concerning Lizabeth helping Mikael expose the financier who  ruined him, seems anticlimactic taking place after all the serial killer shenanigans have been resolved. I don’t recall this bothering me in the Swedish film but perhaps the screenwriters could have better woven in that subplot. On balance though, THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is an icily sleek work of sustained suspense, not for everyone, but an outstanding drama and it is highly recommended.

Overall Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

HEADHUNTERS was originally reviewed during Fantastic Fest 2011.

In true Norwegian fashion, HEADHUNTERS is a taught thriller that pleases from the first to the last frame. Director Morten Tyldum (FALLEN ANGELS) weaves an intoxicating mystery that begins as a heist film. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) is a man of short stature with a large house and a towering beauty of a Swedish trophy wife named Diana (Synnove Macody Lund), as intelligent as she is stunning. What she doesn’t know is that Roger is not everything he appears to be.

Roger spends his days working as a successful corporate recruiter, a fitting cover for a man whose greatest skill is “knowing” people, but he supplements his lavish lifestyle by moonlighting as a thief, specializing in valuable works of art. Everything Roger does is to please Diana, so when the opportunity of a lifetime reveals itself, he sees the job that will end all jobs, but it begins with getting his mark a job.

Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is an ex-military special ops soldier turned CEO of a major GPS nanotechnology developer. Recently having entered early retirement, Roger meets Clas at the opening reception for Diana’s gallery. Upon hearing about a priceless work of art that Clas possesses, Roger immediately begins developing a plan to relieve Clas of the artwork and set himself and Diana up for life, which Roger sees as the only way to truly secure his most prized possession. Unfortunately, despite Roger’s very careful and competent thieving skills and his attention to detail, what lies in store for him is far beyond his expectations and risk assessment.

HEAD HUNTERS is a methodical, calculated thriller that takes great care in setting up the dominoes in just the precise manner, intricately positioned for maximum fallout. Roger leads the audience through his every step, his motives and his methodology, seamlessly allowing the viewer into his life without disturbing the all-important third wall. It’s rare that we get to empathize with a criminal, but Roger’s motives are as honorable as they are selfish.

As is often the case with Norwegian films, especially of this genre, HEADHUNTERS is beautifully shot with a cold, post-modern sensibility. Roger’s house is a rigidly designed array of juxtaposed boxes that compliments the compartmentalized life he leads. Roger is calm, cool and in control while the supporting characters around him appear very much the opposite, from a seemingly desperate Lotte (Julie R. Olgaard) with whom Roger has an affair to the wild and reckless Ove (Eivind Sander), with whom Roger works on his moonlighting venture through a strategic partnership.

What we witness in HEADHUNTERS is the transformation of Roger from a well-disguised man living in fear to a strong and determined man born of the need to fight for survival. We witness Roger transform before our eyes, pushed to the extreme before he realizes what’s truly important and how vain and superficial his life has been prior to meeting Clas Greve.

Clas is a great antagonist, emotionless and precise, like a well-oiled machine with a clear purpose, but able to conceal himself in plain sight. I couldn’t help but notice a resemblance of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to Josh Holloway from TV’s LOST, which I felt oddly added to the appeal of the character. Clearly this was unintentional, but every little bit helps. When it boils down to the essence of what makes HEADHUNTERS tick, it’s a lack of clearly defined good guys and bad guys. The story is ultimately a tale of misguided intentions and confusion in the face of well-laid plans. The tension between Roger and Clas is built upon a principle of two masters of their craft in a race to finish first, but the confusion arises from Roger reacting to misinformation and assuming a false conclusion.

HEADHUNTERS is a lot of fun, with some dark humor and brutal moments, all wrapped up into a true nail-biter. Aksel Hennie is excellent, showing an impressive range as his character is drug through the ringer on so many levels. I imagine HEADHUNTERS will surely be swallowed up by the Hollywood remake machine, if it hasn’t already, but the original is definitely worthy of your time.

DREAM HOUSE is a mystery story that has very little actual mystery, a thriller with few thrills. This stretched-thin, often deeply labored ghost story makes its 85 minutes feel like 12 days as it weaves around situations of suspense and straight up horror. The stellar cast makes the film fun at times, but by the time the obligatory twist rolls around, you won’t care whodunit or why. Successful publisher Will Atenton (Daniel Craig) leaves his career in New York City to relocate his wife, Libby (Rachel Weisz), and two girls to a quaint Connecticut town to write a novel. But as they settle into their new life, they discover their perfect home was the murder scene of a mother and her children, and the entire town believes it was at the hands of the husband, Peter Ward, who survived. When Will investigates the tragedy, his only lead comes from Ann Paterson (Naomi Watts), a neighbor who was close to the family that died. As Will and Ann piece together the disturbing puzzle, they discover that the story of the last man to leave Will’s dream house will be just as horrifying to the one who came next. Of course, there is a big twist to all this intense labor. Pay attention to DREAM HOUSE and you can guess the twist pretty easily. Sleep through the front half of DREAM HOUSE and you’re likely to figure it out just as easily, or better yet, save your money and just watch the trailer as that shamelessly drops the film’s big reveal.

The not-so-big surprise in DREAM HOUSE happens around the halfway point and the film is actually pretty sturdy when it deals with the early portion of its plot, but it goes off track once the twist is affirmed. At that point it seems to lose interest in attempting to be scary and becomes rushed as it focuses on ways to exonerate its protagonist. Regardless, DREAM HOUSE doesn’t work as a thriller because it has no real element of surprise. Director Jim Sheridan (an Oscar nominee for MY LEFT FOOT slumming badly) has some fun finding ways to cover the tepid insanity, but even that wears out its welcome fairly quickly with an overabundance of “Boo” scares and PG-13 neutered mayhem. Any curiosity about Will’s dilemma is short-lived, but Sheridan keeps dragging the dull story along regardless. One of the problems with DREAM HOUSE is that if you’ve ever seen a horror movie where the protagonist’s own worst enemy is himself — it’s all too easy to figure out what’s going on.

While DREAM HOUSE’s plot hinges upon recycled twists from far better movies, its distinctive trump card is Daniel Craig, whose wonderfully frazzled portrait of madness and confusion almost makes this minor thriller seem fresh at times. Fans of Craig and the rest of the cast may find something to chew on, but they’ll mostly find themselves wondering why these actors chose to participate in such routine swill. Craig met Weisz on this movie and they married last winter and while I’m glad to know that DREAM HOUSE was a positive experience for someone, I just wish it had been the viewer.

Overall Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

When I first saw writer and director Ti West’s HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of it at first, but after a second viewing, not only did I love it, I also learned something about the films of Ti West… there’s more than meets the eye upon your first viewing. The same can be said about Ti West’s new film THE INNKEEPERS, a smart, funny film with plenty of old school scares and a subtle twist to the haunted house genre.

Ti West has come to be known as one of the most important new filmmakers of the indie horror scene and THE INNKEEPERS is a great example of why that statement is as true as it bold. Unlike many contemporary horror filmmakers today, Ti West moves beyond the standard shock and awe strategy of gore and violence. In its place, West fills his films with a genuine atmosphere of reality-based creepiness, flavored with nostalgia and quality storytelling with tangible characters.

THE INNKEEPER is a tale about two employees, Claire and Luke, who are the lone employees during a historic hotel’s final weekend of business. Luke (Pat Healy) is an amateur “ghost hunter” determined to record proof that the hotel is haunted before it closes, while Claire (Sara Paxton) is there to help as they take turns taking shifts. Fortunately, the hotel has only two guests; a mother in a bad mood with her little girl, followed shortly after by a famous actress (played by Kelly McGillis) with whom Claire is infatuated.

In short, the story revolves as much around the awkwardly familiar relationship between Claire and Luke as it does the haunted mystery of the hotel’s ghostly past. THE INNKEEPERS weaves a charming story that unfolds with the precision of a Swiss army knife, revealing only what’s necessary for the audience to piece together on their own and nothing more, but it’s the perfect portioning for a scary tale that will appeal to a much wider audience than some of its more graphically intense counterparts.

Pat Healy seems to be channeling a little bit of Simon Pegg in his performance as the sarcastic slacker who’s too cool for his own geekiness. Sara Paxton, on the other hand, is unbearably cute as the slightly oblivious and nerdy Claire, fully absorbed within her own curiosity and very easily scared. The chemistry between these two characters give THE INNKEEPERS a lot of its most enjoyably playful moments, while Ti West builds the more frightening elements of the story one brick at a time until the surprisingly simple but brilliantly jaw dropping climax, which will have audiences talking on a level not experienced since opening weekend of THE SIXTH SENSE. On that note, I’ll watch THE INNKEEPERS over and over again before doing the same with Shyamalan’s blockbuster… THE INNKEEPERS has more staying power.

I hesitate in calling THE INNKEEPERS a family-friendly movie, as that tends to convey a level of disrespect for many seasoned fans of the horror genre, but the truth is… Ti West has masterfully crafted an intensely creepy, scary horror-thriller that can be seen and appreciated by audiences of virtually all ages, but does not bend at the knee to dumb down the story, delivering well crafted dialogue with humor and likable, real characters. One of my top 5 favorite films of Fantastic Fest 2011, I’d have to call this my #1 film to recommend from the fest. THE INNKEEPERS currently does not have a theatrical release date, but will become available through Video On Demand on December 30th, 2011. Its really a shame, because THE INNKEEPERS plays marvelously in a crowded theater.

Warning! Seeing SLEEP TIGHT could keep you from sleeping for nights. If not, you may still find yourself checking under your bed. No, this isn’t a tale about the boogieman, but it is the story of an entirely different kind of monster, one that may be hiding in plain sight in anyone’s life.

SLEEP TIGHT is written by Alberto Marini and directed by Jaume Balaguero, one half of the creative team that brought you REC and REC2. This is the story of an average looking door man named Cesar (Luis Tosar), a deeply depressed and apathetic human being who masterfully hides his disdain for the world and the inhabitants of the apartment building he serves beneath the disguise of a well mannered and hard working gentleman. What becomes increasingly apparent, is that Cesar ranks somewhere between a stalker and a serial killer on the sociopath scale. Above all else, Cesar is a creepy dude.

What keeps Cesar going each day is his desire to make those around him unhappy. Frequently confiding his disturbing secret only to his hospitalized mother, speechless and bed ridden, Cesar’s focus is finely tuned on an attractive and endlessly cheery resident named Clara (Marta Etura). Using his friendly and charming alter ego to win her trust, Cesar embarks on a long standing series of personal and physical violations against Clara without her having the slightest knowledge of what’s happening. Cesar is determined to ruin Clara’s life.

SLEEP TIGHT may sound like a brutally vicious and potentially violent horror film, but the truth is that comedy is the bedfellow of the film’s more obvious roots in horror. Steeped in subtle, yet strongly scripted dark humor, the audience will likely feel as bad for their laughter as they feel entertained by this surprisingly fresh twist on the psycho thriller genre. Immensely creepy and every bit as iconic as Norman from PSYCHO, Cesar does what few characters on screen can celebrate… simultaneously developing both a hatred and a love for the antagonist.

Cesar is a very smart, cunning and clever man, but is not without his vices or his share of complications. Throughout the film, Cesar must also deal with the least likely of blackmailers, a witness in part to his dubious acts of trespassing, adding an additional layer to the humor, while also serving as a building block to quite an intense climactic moment near the end of the film. SLEEP TIGHT is methodical in its approach, carefully laid out like the best of Alfred Hitchcock’s films.

SLEEP TIGHT is not only a showcase for some inventive plot twists, but the film looks amazing. The cinematography from Pablo Rosso is richly aged, but vivid. Warm tones prevail with an old country feel, not unlike the work of Gordon Willis for THE GODFATHER: PART II. This not only adds to the flavor of the apartment building serving as a character, but also encourages a false sense of safety in the viewer’s mind, an element of storytelling that contributes to out mixed emotions toward Cesar. Should we be rooting for him, or be entirely appalled by his actions?

There is certainly a fine line delineating the black comedy from the dark nature of the story, but its a line we willingly cross in favor of an enjoyably bizarre tale of human interaction. SLEEP TIGHT peels back the superficiality of society, depicting one extreme scenario where Cesar is a man who makes it his life’s purpose to expose the rampant insincerity that surrounds him.

UPDATE: Sean Harris was awarded Best Actor in a Horror Feature at the Fantastic Fest 2011 Awards for his performance in A LONELY PLACE TO DIE.

A LONELY PLACE TO DIE is an exciting example of how a more direct approach to filmmaking can still be effective, despite the increasing number of stylistic and experimental films (not necessarily a bad thing) flooding the market. Melissa George (30 DAYS OF NIGHT, and TV’s Grey’s Anatomy) plays Alison, on a trek into the Scottish Highlands with four fellow mountain climbers. The story begins as a peaceful nature outing far from civilization and technology, but shifts into a deadly thriller once they discover a little girl named Anna locked away inside a 3×6 buried box at the top of the mountain.

Co-written with Will Gilbey and directed by Julien Gilbey (RISE OF THE FOOT SOLDIER), A LONELY PLACE TO DIE does a fantastic job of introducing the audience to the Scottish Highlands, an geographical locale I don’t believe I’ve ever seen on film in such glory. Beautiful cinematography from Ali Asad and breathtaking aerial photography combined with a great traditionally-influenced score from Michael Richard Plowman give the best of National Geographic a run for its money. Gilbey spares nothing while convincing us that these climbers are for real, as is the danger of climbing.

The relative serenity of the high altitude wilderness is abruptly broken by the mystery of the girl in the box. With our focus entirely shifted, the rugged pristine landscape now serves as an obstacle as Alison and the most seasoned climber Rob (Alec Newman) set out on a treacherous shortcut to reach help as the other three climbers escort Anna along a safer, but lengthier route into the nearest town. Now begins the chase.

In a similar approach to films like HARD TARGET, the antagonist’s of A LONELY PLACE TO DIE are patient, experienced hunters who track the two groups, picking them off, one by one. Discovering the connection of the antagonists to Anna is not a complicated mystery, but who the little girl is becomes a relatively important element latter in the film. At this point, A LONELY PLACE TO DIE has fully transformed into a survival story, but just beneath the genre skin is actually a story about selfless, personal sacrifice in the face of mortal consequences.

The pace of A LONELY PLACE TO DIE increases ten fold once the chase begins, making the better part of the film a slight contradiction to the title, but I interpret the title as a direct reference to the box buried at the top of the mountain. The rather lengthy chase and hunt portion of the film is extremely entertaining, but is not terrible unique on it’s own. This second act of three, however, continues to spiral deeper and darker into the source of all the carnage. By this point, we’ve already bought into the unnamed hunters’ cold, calculated methodology. The Hunters are portrayed with spine-tingling ease by Douglas Russell and Alan Steele, each pursuing their brutality from an equally disturbing but opposite angle.

Opposite our villains, we’re introduced to supplementary heroes led by Darko (Karel Roden). These black ops for hire characters serve a questionably significant role, as they enter into the story at roughly the moment the film begins to lose some of it’s steam. A LONELY PLACE TO DIE is a powerfully demanding thriller steeped in realism, but suffers primarily from one flaw… an uncertainty on when to end the story. Personally, I would have liked to see the film end at what I consider the first stopping point, but I’ll leave this decision for you to discover and decide on your own.

If you’re a fan of thrilling mountaineering dramas like NORTH FACE or documentaries like TOUCHING THE VOID, be sure you take the time to check out A LONELY PLACE TO DIE once it hits US theaters on November 11th, 2011.

UPDATE: Josh MacDonald was awarded Best Screenplay in the AMD & Dell “Next Wave” Spotlight Competition at the Fantastic Fest 2011 Awards for THE CORRIDOR.

My favorite science-fiction stories are often the subtle ones, films and literature that delve deeper into the philosophical of the genre pool, more than simply wading in the shallow end with fantastic technology and the sensationalism of aliens. THE CORRIDOR, written by Josh MacDonald and directed by Evan Kelly, does this well, while also mingling nicely with the psychological thriller genre.

THE CORRIDOR begins with a jolt to the viewer’s attention, firing a bullet of essential back story at point blank range, leaving a residue of smoldering mystery to ignite the slowly burning story that follows. Stephen Chambers stars as Tyler, returning from a stint of recovery after having a breakdown triggered by his mother’s death. In a show of support and to celebrate Tyler’s return, his four best friends decide to reunite with him for a weekend at his mother’s small house out in the Canadian wilderness.

David Fleming plays Chris, Tyler’s closest friend and probably the most level-headed of the five. James Gilbert plays Everett, the wilder of the friends and a musician with a borderline drinking problem. Matthew Amyotte plays “Bobcat,” the big, burly ex-football star turned family man. Finally, Glen Matthews plays Jim, or “Huggs” as he’s called by the rest of the crew, the smart and somewhat nerdy friend. Together, they’re an unlikely group of characters with a natural chemistry.

In the beginning, the friendly get together seems harmless enough, despite an underlying thread of mutual reluctance and trepidation amongst the friends. It’s difficult for them to feel at ease around Tyler, and the opening scene of THE CORRIDOR offers a more than reasonable explanation for this uneasiness. Over the course of their time together, Tyler’s four friends become more relaxed, but after Tyler takes a late night walk on his own into the woods, he begins to fear the worst about his condition.

Tyler’s mother Pauline (Mary-Colin Chisholm) has a very small role on screen, but the character has a much more significant role in the story as her and her son Tyler share a unique connection, but may not be what it appears on the surface. THE CORRIDOR refers to something Tyler’s discovers on his solitary walk into the woods, leading him to gather his friends to witness for themselves, but Tyler’s actions will ultimately lead to events that change their lives forever.

THE CORRIDOR showcases a cast of relative unknowns, young talent that collectively delivers a high caliber performance. This plays directly into the success of the director’s vision, as this is a dialogue driven story with strong, well developed characters. The viewer is given ample time to empathize with each of the characters and their motives, but the pacing of the film is also crucial, maintaining a comfortably controlled release of clues enhanced with properly placed brow-raising twists.

As THE CORRIDOR rises to a boiling point it morphs gently into a horror story wrapped around a science-fiction puzzle. What exactly is the Corridor? What does it mean? Where does it lead? These are the questions the filmmaker sews within our minds and leaves to germinate and take root. Evan Kelly tells a strong, engaging story that raises curious ideas, but he stands back and allows the viewer to come to their own conclusions about the Corridor.

Evan Kelly makes some bold but effective choices in his use of CGI. The special effects are minimal and simple, but not cheesy or distracting. THE CORRIDOR is a precise description of the anomaly presented in the film, while maintaining an nearly indescribable nature. The makeup effects are brutal and graphic, but do not exceed necessity. THE CORRIDOR seamlessly blends human drama with science fiction, psychological and visceral horror, and even a touch of metaphysical philosophy for one of the more mesmerizing but accessibly cerebral films I’ve seen in years. Enter THE CORRIDOR with your thinking cap on, but there’s no need to turn it up to eleven on the dial.

In true Norwegian fashion, HEADHUNTERS is a taught thriller that pleases from the first to the last frame. Director Morten Tyldum (FALLEN ANGELS) weaves an intoxicating mystery that begins as a heist film. Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) is a man of short stature with a large house and a towering beauty of a Swedish trophy wife named Diana (Synnove Macody Lund), as intelligent as she is stunning. What she doesn’t know is that Roger is not everything he appears to be.

Roger spends his days working as a successful corporate recruiter, a fitting cover for a man whose greatest skill is “knowing” people, but he supplements his lavish lifestyle by moonlighting as a thief, specializing in valuable works of art. Everything Roger does is to please Diana, so when the opportunity of a lifetime reveals itself, he sees the job that will end all jobs, but it begins with getting his mark a job.

Clas Greve (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) is an ex-military special ops soldier turned CEO of a major GPS nanotechnology developer. Recently having entered early retirement, Roger meets Clas at the opening reception for Diana’s gallery. Upon hearing about a priceless work of art that Clas possesses, Roger immediately begins developing a plan to relieve Clas of the artwork and set himself and Diana up for life, which Roger sees as the only way to truly secure his most prized possession. Unfortunately, despite Roger’s very careful and competent thieving skills and his attention to detail, what lies in store for him is far beyond his expectations and risk assessment.

HEAD HUNTERS is a methodical, calculated thriller that takes great care in setting up the dominoes in just the precise manner, intricately positioned for maximum fallout. Roger leads the audience through his every step, his motives and his methodology, seamlessly allowing the viewer into his life without disturbing the all-important third wall. It’s rare that we get to empathize with a criminal, but Roger’s motives are as honorable as they are selfish.

As is often the case with Norwegian films, especially of this genre, HEADHUNTERS is beautifully shot with a cold, post-modern sensibility. Roger’s house is a rigidly designed array of juxtaposed boxes that compliments the compartmentalized life he leads. Roger is calm, cool and in control while the supporting characters around him appear very much the opposite, from a seemingly desperate Lotte (Julie R. Olgaard) with whom Roger has an affair to the wild and reckless Ove (Eivind Sander), with whom Roger works on his moonlighting venture through a strategic partnership.

What we witness in HEADHUNTERS is the transformation of Roger from a well-disguised man living in fear to a strong and determined man born of the need to fight for survival. We witness Roger transform before our eyes, pushed to the extreme before he realizes what’s truly important and how vain and superficial his life has been prior to meeting Clas Greve.

Clas is a great antagonist, emotionless and precise, like a well-oiled machine with a clear purpose, but able to conceal himself in plain sight. I couldn’t help but notice a resemblance of Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to Josh Holloway from TV’s LOST, which I felt oddly added to the appeal of the character. Clearly this was unintentional, but every little bit helps. When it boils down to the essence of what makes HEADHUNTERS tick, it’s a lack of clearly defined good guys and bad guys. The story is ultimately a tale of misguided intentions and confusion in the face of well-laid plans. The tension between Roger and Clas is built upon a principle of two masters of their craft in a race to finish first, but the confusion arises from Roger reacting to misinformation and assuming a false conclusion.

HEADHUNTERS is a lot of fun, with some dark humor and brutal moments, all wrapped up into a true nail-biter. Aksel Hennie is excellent, showing an impressive range as his character is drug through the ringer on so many levels. I imagine HEADHUNTERS will surely be swallowed up by the Hollywood remake machine, if it hasn’t already, but the original is definitely worthy of your time.

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

Even Good Has a Dark Side in this new trailer for PRIEST in 3D - In Theaters May 13th.

Synopsis:

PRIEST, a post-apocalyptic action thriller, is set in an alternate world — one ravaged by centuries of war between man and vampires. The story revolves around a legendary Warrior Priest (Paul Bettany) from the last Vampire War who now lives in obscurity among the other downtrodden human inhabitants in walled-in dystopian cities ruled by the Church. When his niece (Lily Collins) is abducted by a murderous pack of vampires, Priest breaks his sacred vows to venture out on an obsessive quest to find her before they turn her into one of them. He is joined on his crusade by his niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet), a trigger-fingered young wasteland sheriff, and a former Warrior Priestess (Maggie Q) who possesses otherworldly fighting skills.

From Screen Gems, PRIEST will hit theaters in 3D on May 13, 2011. Visit the film’s official website here, on Twitter (@PriestMovie) and on Facebook.

Here’s the trailer premiere for The Weinstein Company’s APOLLO 18 along with some beautiful shots of the Saturn V rocket. Discover the spine-tingling reason we never went back.

Synopsis

Officially, Apollo 17, launched December 17th, 1972, was the last manned mission to the moon. But a year later, in December of 1973, two American astronauts were sent on a secret mission to the moon funded by the US Department of Defense. What you are about to see is the actual footage which the astronauts captured on that mission. While NASA denies its authenticity, others say it’s the real reason we’ve never gone back to the moon.

From director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego and producer Timur Bekmambetov, APOLLO 18 will launch into theaters on April 22, 2011.

Check out APOLLO 18′s official site HERE, on Facebook HERE, on Twitter HERE and on YouTube HERE.

A woman fidgets in a chair outside a closed bedroom door. Two priests-one grayed, the other wide eyed and youthful-chant. A young woman, stapped to the bedpost, growls in low tones. These are parts of a horror film scene as familiar to moviegoers as a mad scientist’s lab full of test tubes and electrical devices, or a moonlit crypt with vampires emerging from their coffins. That familiarity is mostly due to William Friedkin’s 1973 film version of William Peter Blatty’s THE EXORCIST. Through the years we’ve seen many variations on the basic story of demon possession. There’s also been two sequels and a prequel to that milestone film. Now, the producers of THE RITE want us to revisit this  scene with a couple of twists-the story is ” inspired by true events ” and features Hannibal Lechter himself, Anthony Hopkins, as the veteran exorcist. Can this new tale grab filmgoers by the throat like that nearly 40 year old shocker?

The main focus of THE RITE is actually a young priest in training. Michael Kovac (Colin O’Donoghue) is first seen preparing and cleaning bodies at his father’s Chicago funeral home. He tells a pal that’s he’ll be part of a parochial college scholarship program in order to get a psychology degree. He will drop out before he takes the vows ( he states before flirting with a pretty barmaid ). In his final days at college, he witnesses a horrific traffic accident. The dying cyclist pleads with him to give her the last rites. Seeing this, another priest, decides that Michael should further his studies (or, have his final grades withheld) and study further in Rome. The studies should concentrate on the rituals of exorcism. In he Rome takes a course taught by Father Xavier (Ciaran Hinds) and attended by a reporter, Angeline (Alice Braga). Xavier sends Michael to study with an exorcist living outside the city, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins). There Micheal observes the eccentric priest dealing with an unwed, pregnant sixteen year old who believes she is possessed by Satan. The young man is skeptical and thinks the young girl may have emotional problems. Lucas is adamant in his belief in demonic possession. Later Michael observes Lucas using some slight of hand trickery in counseling a mother and her young son. This adds to Micheal’s skepticism. Will someone close to him become possessed in order to make Michael a believer?

Unfortunately the filmmakers desire for a PG-13 rating dilutes most of what could be very shocking scenes. The camera will cut away to the priests’ reactions, while the music and sound effects are cranked up to an almost deafening level. They even use the old cliche of a cat jumping up on the opposite side of the window. Some of the scenes of the pregnant demon possessed girl are compelling, but there’s nothing there that Linda Blair’s Reagan didn’t do so many years ago. I guess they thought the side of her bulging belly would add another element of danger. The ads are a bit misleading as Hopkins doesn’t appear till nearly 20 minutes into the film. O’Donoghue’s  dour, sullen Michael is just not compelling enough to carry us through this story. The film makers hint at a possible romance between Michael and Angeline, but there’s few sparks between them. Hopkins get to throw off some funny lines and shout with great fury as we’ve seen him do many times before. He’s so much better than this material.The final big confrontation between the two priests proves to be a big, loud letdown. I’d be very interested to see how close this movie mirrored those “true events”. It all seems like a noisy spook show exploiting a major religious group. Or as the saying goes-a tale full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.  It doesn’t come close to that 73 classic.

Overall Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Dreamworks has released two new TV spots for I AM NUMBER FOUR. From director D.J. Caruso, the film stars Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant, Teresa Palmer, Dianna Agron and the divine Kevin Durand.

“NEXT”

“GRAPHIC HUNTED”

Synopsis:

Three are dead. Who is Number Four? D.J. Caruso (EAGLE EYE, DISTURBIA) helms an action-packed thriller about a teen, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

I AM NUMBER FOUR will be in theaters on February 18th, 2011. Visit the film’s official site here, on Facebook here, on Twitter here and on YouTube here.

Warner Bros. Pictures has released a brand new trailer for THE RITE. “Inspired by true events” – still creepy, still haunting.

Synopsis:

Inspired by true events, THE RITE follows skeptical seminary student Michael Kovak (Colin O’Donoghue), who reluctantly attends exorcism school at the Vatican. While in Rome, he meets an unorthodox priest, Father Lucas (Anthony Hopkins), who introduces him to the darker side of his faith.

Directed by Mikael Håfström (“1408”), “The Rite” is a supernatural thriller that uncovers the devil’s reach to even one of the holiest places on Earth. Contrafilms’ Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson (“The Exorcism of Emily Rose”) are producing the film. The screenplay was penned by Michael Petroni (upcoming “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader”), inspired by the book by Matt Baglio. Christy Fletcher and Emma Parry are co-producing. Richard Brener, Merideth Finn and Robert Bernacchi serve as executive producers.

Hopkins stars as Father Lucas. An Oscar® winner for his iconic portrayal of Dr. Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs,” Hopkins’ impressive career includes “The Remains of the Day” and this year’s “The Wolfman,” as well as the upcoming comics-based film “Thor.”

Making his feature film debut, O’Donoghue stars as Michael Kovak, the disillusioned American seminary student. Alice Braga plays the role of Angeline, a journalist in Rome doing research on exorcisms. Braga will next be seen this summer in “Predators.” Her additional credits include “I Am Legend” and “City of God.” Ciarán Hinds portrays Father Xavier. Known for his role as Gaius Julius Caesar in HBO’s “Rome,” Hinds will soon be seen in the upcoming “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” films. Toby Jones plays the role of Father Matthew. Jones has appeared in such films as “Frost/Nixon,” “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” and “The Painted Veil” and will soon be seen in “Captain America: The First Avenger.” Veteran actor Rutger Hauer takes on the role of Michael’s father, Istvan Kovak. Hauer’s career includes roles in “Blade Runner,” “The Hitcher,” “Sin City” and “Batman Begins.”

Håfström previously directed the John Cusack thriller “1408,” and “Derailed,” starring Clive Owen and Jennifer Aniston. His most recent film, “Shanghai,” also starring John Cusack, will be in theaters later this year. His film “Evil,” which he wrote and directed, was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2004 Academy Awards® and won three Swedish Guldbagge Awards, including Best Film.

From New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. Pictures, THE RITE will be in theatres on January 28, 2011. Visit the film’s official site here, like it on Facebook here, and follow it on Twitter here.

Dreamworks Studios has released a new trailer and these posters from I AM NUMBER FOUR.

Synopsis:

Three are dead. Who is Number Four? D.J. Caruso (EAGLE EYE, DISTURBIA) helms an action-packed thriller about a teen, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

I AM NUMBER FOUR will be in theaters on February 18th, 2011.

Visit the film’s official site here, on Facebook here, and on YouTube here.

Source: Yahoo! Movies

You’re a literature teacher at a community college. You live an idyllic life in the Pittsburgh suburbs with your gorgeous wife and adorable young son. Suddenly the authorities burst through your front door and arrest your wife for first degree murder. After she’s convicted, all appeals fail. Just how far will you go to rescue her? That’s the question posed in the new dramatic thriller from Paul(CRASH)Haggis, THE NEXT THREE DAYS.

We first meet John and Lara Brennan(Russell Crowe and Elizabeth Banks) as they’re having drinks with John’s brother Mike and his arrogant wife Erit. She and Lara almost come to blows after they argue the merits of working with a male or female boss. Seems Lara had a big blowout with her boss earlier. Lara cools down as she and John head to the car, then heats things up before they drive home. The next morning John and their three year old son Luke have breakfast while Lara takes her insulin shot. While leaving  for work, Lara notices a blood stain on her raincoat. As she tries to scrub it out, the police burst in and haul off the couple as Luke wails. Lara is accused, then convicted of bashing in her boss’s skull with a fire extinguisher in the parking garage. No evidence can back up Lara’s claim of bumping into a homeless woman running out of the garage as she entered. John pleads with her lawyer(Hey Daniel Stern, you old city slicker!) to file an appeal, but with all the evidence on Lara he feels it’s hopeless. As she learns of the failed appeal, Lara plunges into despair and attempts suicide. John then decides that he has no choice but to bust her out of jail by any means possible.

The film almost plays as the flip side of the recent CONVICTION. Instead of working in the system, John must go from his squeaky-clean life into the underworld. Crowe shows us John’s charming side and conveys his sweaty desperation as he plans and plots. Banks does what she can with her few scenes. We feel her longing for her husband and sad son and her despair as days go by. At one point she confesses to the crime in order to push John away to start a new life. But while the audience may have it’s doubts, John is steadfast. Crowe is helped by a great supporting cast. Though he’s on screen for just a few minutes, Liam Neeson is riveting as an ex-con author who lays out the basic escape plan for John. Great to see Brian Dennehy back on the big screen as Crowe’s understanding poppa. Olivia Wilde pops up a few times as a sympathetic single mom that John meets with Luke at the playground. Is she a temptation or an ally for him? Although the last act escape is thrillingly shot, I feel the movie could’ve lost  20 minutes. John’s descent into DEATH WISH territory as he decides to take down some drug dealers goes on far too long. His character seems inconsistent. Leading up to the breakout we see John stumble and fumble as he acts out his plan, yet when he learns of Lara’s transfer from county to prison in three days, John springs into decisive action and seems to always be two steps ahead of the authorities. In all, an entertaining, if a tad lengthy, thriller elevated by a solid cast.

Overall Rating: Four out of Five Stars

Dreamworks Studios has released the all-new featurette “Inside Look” from I AM NUMBER FOUR. Director D.J. Caruso & actors Dianna Agron and Alex Pettyfer discuss the making of the film.

Synopsis:

Three are dead. Who is Number Four? D.J. Caruso (EAGLE EYE, DISTURBIA) helms an action-packed thriller about a teen, John Smith (Alex Pettyfer), who is a fugitive on the run from ruthless enemies sent to destroy him. Changing his identity, moving from town to town with his guardian Henri (Olyphant), John is always the new kid with no ties to his past. In the small Ohio town he now calls home, John encounters unexpected, life-changing events-his first love (Agron), powerful new abilities and a connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

I AM NUMBER FOUR will be in theaters on February 18th, 2011.

Visit the film’s official site here, on Facebook here, and on YouTube here.

Scan this mysterious QR code with your phone for a sneak peek at the set and discover more I AM NUMBER FOUR.