Movies
Somewhat mediocre film that is low on actual horror, but saves itself by keeping a lighter tone. There are a few decent twists and Dahl keeps the mystery going until the end, but the actors aren't great and the direction is quite bland. Like all the Fear Itself entries, pacing and running time help a great deal with the overall impression.
A modern noir. The Last Seduction is a film that received quite a bit of praise, and it's easy to say why (though that doesn't mean it's necessarily a good film). If you dig that typical noir feel, and you're disappointed "they don't make 'em like they used to", then this is definitely a film for you. Bridget is a killer chick. She wraps men around her fingers, involves them in her dirty little schemes, and then ditches them when she doesn't need them anymore. When her husband strikes it big in a shady deal, she steals his money and files for divorce. He's not willing to simply let her go like that. Fiorentino does a decent job, but her character's just not as cunning as the plot needs her to be. It's difficult to root for her when the characters are pretty dumb and her plan isn't all that impressive. Not too taken with the styling either, the jazzy soundtrack feels lazy, and the cinematography is a bit dour. I expected more.Read all
Mediocre thriller. The kind of film that used to be made to fill the shelves in video rental stores, i.e. the equivalent of contemporary streaming filler. You take an established genre, mix some familiar plot elements around and throw a B-cast at it. What remains is a film that isn't terrible, but will start to fade from memory the moment the end credits hit the screen. Nicolas Cage is desparate for a job. So desperate in fact that when he's mistaken for a contract killer, he decides to play along in order to scam the contractor. It gets him mixed up in a big old clusterfuck where several parties end up eying the inheritance of a not so harmless wife. With Cage, Boyle and Hopper on board the cast is pretty solid, sadly the plot is rather dull and the direction isn't much to look at either. It's all rather predictable and even though the film isn't very long, it does start to drag after a while. I've definitely seen worse, but if you're looking for a cool Cage flick, better save this one for when you've seen all the good ones.Read all