I was really hoping to be able to review it before it came out, but Warner Bros. chose to embargo everything and lifted the restriction right in the middle of the 5-day San Diego Comic-Con event where most genre journalists were otherwise engaged. Not that my one little review might have made a difference, but at least the film debuted nicely at #3.
The story opens when well-to-do American couple Kate and John (Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard) embrace an 11-year-old foreign girl, Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman), and bring her home only to find that she's not so grateful to have been adopted.
If you enjoy intense, strange "kid movies" (for adults) of the 70s such as Pretty Baby, The Little Girl Who Lived Down the Lane, Alice Sweet Alice, or Don't Look Now... Orphan is kind of in that vibe. Highly recommended, but not everyone will go with the bizarro flow it takes on.
While suffering from a little too much "there's something wrong with Esther!" exposition and scared people keeping quiet about her evilness just a little too long, Orphan is overall one of the best horror films I've seen this year. (There is a lot more I'd like to say about the film, but at this point I'll save the full review for DVD.)
Another original horror film, opening August 14, is District 9. This one is in the science fiction vein with shades of H.P. Lovecraft, Predator, The Visitors and Alien Nation. The core idea is extremely interesting — how space creatures might be integrated into our human culture (think: Grace Lee's American Zombie) — but instead the story follows an unlikable, buffoonish and cruel man (Sharlto Copley) who elicits little sympathy or interest, even after he contracts a mysterious, potentially fatal alien virus. It's a relatively low-budget film produced by Peter Jackson (who, from what I gather, did this movie as a favor after his Halo project with director Neill Blomkamp fell through), and while it has its moments and the aliens are pretty cool, I would wait for the DVD.
On July 31, we'll see the limited-release premiere of Not Quite Hollywood, a 2-1/2 hour documentary film on the "OzPloitaton" genre films out of Australia. The movie begins at the beginning in the late 1960s and early 70s with the sex romps, then the 70s and 80s with gratuitous horror, and culminates in what the country is really famous for: its "road warrior" action films.
The official word is pretty straightforward and accurate: "As explicit, violent and energetic as their northern cousins, Aussie genre movies presented a unique take on established conventions. In England, Italy and the grindhouses and drive-ins of America, audiences applauded our homegrown marauding rev-heads with brutish cars, our spunky well-stacked heroines and our stunts — unparalleled in their quality and extreme danger! Full of outrageous anecdotes, a large cast of local and International names and a genuine, infectious love of Australian movies, Not Quite Hollywood is a fast-moving journey through an unjustly forgotten cinematic era that was unashamedly packed full of boobs, pubes, tubes... and even a little kung fu."
The doc features insights from director and film historian Quentin Tarantino quite prominently, as he is a font of knowledge on everything grindhouse, as well as comments from Aussie autuers James Wan and Leigh Whannel (famous for bringing their indie, Saw, to America and spawning a very successful franchise). There are also interviews with the filmmakers and actors themselves, and many enticing clips (totally uncensored, natch) from some super gory, gooey and gushy horror movies. Not Quite Hollywood is definitely worth a look, but at its too-indulgent running time it's definitely one to see at home.
One definitely not to see at home, or anywhere else, is the abysmal direct-to-disc release of Fragments, an all-star-cast Crash rip-off. The only reason I mention the movie here at HDC is because some folks might be fooled by the artwork and description into thinking it's at least a suspense-thriller (also, fans of horror-queen Kate Beckinsale might be tempted to take a peek).
While the roster of actors is impressive (Beckinsale, Guy Pearce, Forrest Whitaker, Dakota Fanning, Jackie Earle Haley… to name just a few), the wayward direction and choppy cinematography are not. The shot-on-digital look is especially distracting. There is a problem with the shutter speed (even when the camera isn't panning) making for a disconcerting lack of fluidity and creating a vibe of unreality. That may be appropriate in some instances, but in a very character-driven, emotional story the jerky motions of the actors make them seem almost inhuman.
Finally, North American Motion Pictures is trotting out some older movies onto DVD, so if you missed them the first time around here is your chance to catch up with serial killers Henry Lee Lucas and the Night Stalker, Richard Ramirez. The oddball in their slate of otherwise bloody and violent horror films is Ghost Cat, a sweet, supernatural 2003 family movie starring a much younger Ellen Page.
I actually took a look at this movie for my book, "Animal Movies Guide". Wes Merritt (Michael Ontkean) and his 15 year old daughter Natalie (Ellen Page) move into a house that was formerly owned by a nice old lady, Mrs. Ashboro (Shirley Knight) and her pet cat, Margaret. When strange things start happening in the house, all paws point to the ghostly presence of Margaret, who died on the same day as her mistress. Margaret the cat is played by Baretta, and the dog character of Comfort is played by Harley.
I don't remember too many details, but I recall thinking Ghost Cat was fairly bland TV-movie fare (but I would have loved it when I was a kid).
= = =
Reviews by Staci Layne Wilson