 |
-
THE WOMAN IN BLACK
Daniel Radcliffe leaves Harry Potter behind in this supernatural thriller
-
THE BIG MIRACLE
True story of whales frozen into Arctic Ice, and saved by townspeople
-
CHRONICLE
Teens with powers that become more and more obvious don’t use them responsibly.
|
| |
|
-
1. DRIVE:
Ryan Gosling is everywhere these days. In this film, in which his character is simply named “Driver,” he does just that … he drives. He does movie stunt driving by day, and by night, he’s a wheelman for whomever wants to hire him as a getaway driver. But this isn’t wall-to-wall driving action. There is some of that, but it’s much more a character study looking at Driver, and what he does, and the people in his life, some of whom are mob-connected, and some of whom are innocent, but guilty by association. He plays the role like a young Steve McQueen, short on dialogue, long on … looks. Rated 18A.
-
2. DREAM HOUSE:
Daniel Craig is nothing like his James Bond character here, and Rachel Weisz is equally oddly cast in what was marketed as a horror story, a psychological thriller, or both. It’s a pretty standard premise to start with … a writer moves his family (wife and two daughters) out of the big city, into a more rural area, into a big, old house with a reputation. It is said that the last family to live here was murdered … and that the husband, the killer, somehow disappeared. A box-office and critical bomb, I thought this was a pretty fair chiller with a great twist at the end … but a long way to go for that payoff. Rated 14A.
-
3. THE THING:
Don’t be too quick to assume this is a remake. It’s actually a prequel to the 1982 movie, “John Carpenter’s The Thing,” which was itself a remake of the 1951 original, “The Thing From Another World.” A palaeontologist (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) working in an Arctic region, stumbles, along with her Norwegian expedition team, across something long-buried in the ice … an alien ship. And something is alive on it. I liked this kill-or-be-killed sci-fi thriller, and it plays best if you watch it, and then immediately watch the 1982 movie, which fits as if they were planned to be bookends. Rated 18A.
- Fall 2010 TV Debut Week - Click to View
|
 |
-
4. DRIVE
This one plays better at a second viewing, when you are no longer expecting a racing, driving film. The other star of the film is a ’73 Chevy Malibu … which Gosling restored himself prior to making the film.
|
 |
|
TAKERS:
Despite some serious plot holes, this is a pretty good thriller. Will you see the ending coming? Probably!
|
 |
 |
-
ONE FOR THE MONEY
Katherine Heigl is just fine as Stephanie Plum, chaser for a bail bondsman
-
THE GREY
A chiller with Liam Neeson pursued by a wolf pack in the high Arctic
-
MAN ON A LEDGE
Excellent thriller about a jumper, a police psychologist, and missing diamonds.
|
 |
|
