00s Movie Review - Signs

Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Mystery
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2002
Starring: Mel Gibson, Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin, Cherry Jones

Description: A family living on a farm finds mysterious crop circles in their fields which suggests something more frightening to come.

Review: When director M. Night Shyamalan found a book about crop circles, he also found the theme for his next film. The fact that there have been crop circles for so long and no one can explain them, it a mysterious, fascinating yet scary phenomenon. Off course there have been plenty of alien films, with them attacking our planet. But “Signs” is different. More than a leg in the crops, shadows, sounds and a video shot with a shaky cam we don’t get to see of the aliens. But that’s exactly what makes “Signs” so scary. Shyamalan manages to give you goosebumps, on the moments you don’t see anything but know something is there.

The cast is great, all of them. “Signs” is one of my favorite films and it always scares me. No matter how many times I see it. It’s movies like this that make Shyamalan a great director. Which he is!

Rating: 5/ 5

 

 

10s Movie Review - Scream 4

Director: Wes Craven
Genre: Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 111 minutes
Year: 2011
Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Marley Shelton, Mary McDonnell, Adam Brody, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie

Description: Ten years have passed, and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who has put herself back together thanks in part to her writing, is visited by the Ghostface Killer.

Review: Wes Craven couldn’t take all the endless remakes of his own classics, like “House of Wax”, “The Hills Have Eyes” and “Last House on the Left”. Craven wanted to make a fourth installment, only if Kevin Williamson would write the script.
Sidney has finally put her past behind her by writing a book. She visits Woodsboro to promote the book. But with her return, a killer also strikes. With ‘oldies’ Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courtney Cox as the only surviving characters, there is room for a bunch of new ones. There is hardly any character development and it’s predictable who will make it to the end and who will die before the end credits role.
The “Scream” movies are good because they don’t take themselves very seriously. The opening sequence of “Scream 4” is the perfect example. Craven and Williamson have some new tricks up their sleeves, but most of it is still very unoriginal. And the ending is, like “Scream 3”, a bit far-fetched and not satisfying at all.
All the movies in this series are very entertaining, but I really hope this is the end of it.

Rating: 2/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 159: Mean Creek

Director: Jacob Aaron Estes

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 90 minutes

Year: 2004

Starring: Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, Carly Schroeder

Description: When Sam (Rory Culkin) is bullied, his brother (Trevor Morgan) and friends lure the bully (Josh Peck) into the woods to seek vengeance.

Review: Every school has at least one: a mean bully. Sam is the victim of a bully in “Mean Creek”. He wants payback and Sam’s brother and his friends have the perfect idea to get bully George back. They are going on a boat trip and take George with them, but their seek for revenge will change their lives forever.

As a viewer you know that there are going to be losers in this film. Because of the slow buildup the movie loses a bit of drama and tension. The acting by the young performers is very good though. During the trip there is this uncomfortable and strained atmosphere between the kids. There are moments that you like George and moments you just want to slap him. As a viewer you go back and forth, which makes it hard to pick a side. But maybe that’s what director Estes was going for, because both sides are doing something wrong.

It’s the directorial debut for Jacob Aaron Estes and definitely not a bad one. “Mean Creek” has a nice looking cinematography and the film has some really powerful scenes. Funny enough the strongest scene is one shot in complete silence. Very well shot.

“Mean Creek” deals with difficult choices in life: taking responsibility for your actions and trying to cope with the consequences. This has been done before, but the characters were adults. Here it deals with kids and young adults. “Mean Creek” isn’t for everyone, but it’s worth your time.

Rating: 3,5/ 5