Saturday, January 21, 2012

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark- While not perfect, the film is creepy and will give you a nervous feeling after you get out of it, even a second time around. I learned a lot more from this viewing. For one thing, I'm curious how similar this is to the original. They definitely didn't have the effects so I wonder how the managed the creatures. Also, I found the relationship arcs in this film intriguing. You have the daughter, Sally, played by Bailee Madison (who is very good at crying a lot, Fanning-esque hmmmm?), and her love for her father, Alex, played by Guy Pearce (who mostly stands around doing nothing in the movie), and her dislike for her father's girlfriend, Kim, played by Katie Holmes (who it's nice to see doing movies again) in the beginning of the film. Slowly and surely enough, Kim becomes the nice one as she believes Sally, while Alex becomes more of an ignorant villain, keeping Sally in the house full of creepy talking rat things. Neato.



- Jeff Bassin

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work- One of the better expose documentaries I've seen, which is the reason I've watched it for the second time. Rivers is more than just marvelous comedienne (I didn't realize that is what you call female comedians until I saw this film). She's a tragic figure, a workaholic, a constant genius, and a real interesting person. You could learn a thing or two from this woman and her life.



Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (2010 Remake)- Interesting fairy tale horror film that spooked me quite a bit, but would have instilled great fear in me if I were younger. This is a creepy film. First time feature director Troy Nixey is an expert at mood, especially with his experience on his short film 'Latchkey's Lament' (which I also enjoyed when I saw it a bit ago) and with the help of the academy award nominated writer/director Guillermo del Toro as Producer. Nixey also has an eye for good visual art, clearly from his experience as a comic book artist. While the performances were nothing to special, Bailee Madison (the child in the film) is fairly believable and it's nice to see Katie Holmes doing work again (I still sigh when I watch her missing from 'The Dark Knight'). Certainly good for a nice scare, even if it's not perfect.



- Jeff Bassin