Knowing

2009, **3/4, PG-13

Starring: Nicholas Cage, Rose Byrne, Chandler Canterbury

“Knowing,” is like “The Day After Tomorrow,” meets the hit 90s series, “X-Files.” Another version of the end of the world is the Sun approaching close enough to Earth that it is incinerated. All life as we know it would burn up, and end. This is quite frightening.

This film is very disturbing and unsettling. It really makes you wonder if everything is pre-determined. In the 1950s in a small Massachusetts town, an Elementary school teacher (Danielle Carter) has her students draw a picture of what they think the future is like. One particular student writes down an entire page of numbers. The teacher put the pages in a tube and says they are creating a time capsule.

Cage (“Con Air,” “Adaptation,” “Vampire’s Kiss”) plays John Koestler a High School science teacher who is skeptical that everything is pre-determined for the future of the planet. However, when John’s son Caleb (Chandler Canterbury, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,” “Powder Blue”) son receives the page full of numbers at the unveiling of the 50s time capsule, he begins to think otherwise. As expected John attempts at solving this numeric mystery, which turns into much more than anyone could or would want to imagine.

I think this is one of Cage’s better films, including my favorite, “Con Air.” I also think this movie is more interesting than his National Treasure adventures. If you love Sci-Fi you may want to check it out on DVD, at least once.

Prom Night

2008, ****, R

The 2009 prom season is just around the corner. So if you are a prom goer this year, maybe you'll want to get this flick out when prom is over! Brittany Snow ("Hairspray," "Finding Amanda") stars in this story about a high school student that is stalked by her former teacher played by Johnathan Schaech ("The Foresaken," "Angels Fall").

Three years prior to her senior prom night, Donna (Snow) was on her way home from a sleepover, but what she didn't realize what terrifying act she was about to witness. Her father, brother and mother were murdered. Hiding underneath a bed, she sees the last murder; her mother being stabbed to death.

Living with her aunt and uncle, and still in recovery from the horrific events, present day Donna is trying to lay off her medicine, and begins to feel "jumpy" once again. Excited for prom, and spending one last memorable night with her boyfriend Bobby (Scott Porter, "Speed Racer," "The Descent") she soon finds out that things aren't all falling into place the way the night should be. Two of her friends disappear, and the feeling of someone watching her is near.

Many might think this flick is for teeny bopper types, but I'm telling you, it's not. Johnathan Schaech is not one to dissapoint. He knows how to play a villian, and is scary as hell. Check out "The Foresaken" if you don't believe me. What's great about him is his persistant versatility in roles--he can be your hot and sexy new boyfriend, a vampire, or a psychopath killer--like in this one.

This is definately one to watch once, if you are into the whole horror-suspense genre.

Friday the 13th

2009, **, R

Starring: Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, Aaron Yoo

Michael Bay produces yet another horror classic remake. Hockey masked killer Jason is back to slice and dice anyone near his seedy dwelling in the woods of once, Camp Crystal Lake.

“Friday the 13th," was out in theatres on that very date two evenings ago and hacked its way to the top of the box office—proving that everyone always wants a scare. But it’s only worth viewing if your in the mood for some ridiculous teen drinking behavior or want to see sensitive-hunky "Supernatural" star, Jared Padalecki.

Clay Miller (Jared Padalecki, WB’s “Gilmore Girls,” “House of Wax”) is on a mission to find his sister Whitney (Amanda Rightetti, “Role Models,” “Return to House on Haunted Hill”) who has been missing for a month, after going on a camping trip with a group of friends. He runs into a group of teens in a drug store in the Crystal Lake area, while passing out fliers asking anyone that crosses his path if they’ve seen his sister.

Clay befriends Jenna (Danielle Panabaker, TV’s “Shark,” “Mr. Brooks”) and they go on a trek in the woods trying to find anything that his sister may have left behind and start finding evidence that something went wrong—something terrible.

The script is awful, but you will have some good laughs and jumps and think seriously about going out in the woods anytime soon. Pitch a tent inside your home. I recommend, “Wrong Turn,” a better film in the seedy/inbred horror genre.

The Uninvited

2008, **1/2, R

This re-make of a Korean thriller is actually better than I anticipated, although it does fall short toward the end.

Anna (Emily Browning, “Lemony Snickets: A Series of Unfortunate Events,” “Darnkess Falls”) has just been released from a mental patient facilty, and picked up by her father, Steven (David Strathairn, “Good Night & Good Luck,” “The River Wild”). We soon learn her mother was very sick a few months before, and died in a fire on the family shore property. Her sister Alex (Arielle Kebbel, “The Grudge 2,” “John Tucker Must Die”) informs her of her fathers behavior with the mothers previous caretaker (Elizabeth Banks, “Zack & Miri Make a Porno”) and believes there’s more going on, something terrible.

Strange flashbacks, which are hard to distinguish from reality start happening; Anna sees spirits of deceased children, and her mother. Meanwhile dads new girlfriend (Banks) has re-done parts of the house, and being over possessive of Anna’s whereabouts on the property.

I like the mystery in this ghost story-thriller. The acting was decent. The story kept you involved, but then there is a massive switch of gears and things get a tad confusing. I never understood why some writers like to change up the story towards the end of the film. Sometimes ideas are more enticing when kept straightforward.

Let the Right One In

2009, R, ** (Swedish-Dubbed in English)

This Swedish vampire flick was simply the weirdest Vampire movie I’ve ever seen. I don’t know whether it was because the children creeped me out or what, but I continued to view it.

The plot is very straight forward, a young vampire girl Eli (Lina Leandersson) moves into the apartment next door to Oskar. Oskar (Kare Hedebrant) is being bullied daily by 3 students at the elementary school. Eli tries to keep her distance, yet decides to help Oskar with the bully problem and rid the bad kids. Also-Eli is really creepy.

This movie was strange, and not what I would call a great vampire movie despite its many decent reviews. It kind of reminded me of "Children of the Corn" meets "Lord of the Flies." Who knows, that might attract some people to watch. Oh, and if you don’t mind watching dubbed movies, then maybe you can get through it.

30 Days of Night

2007, ***, R
Starring: Melissa George, Josh Hartnett

By: Meredith A. Iager


Eben Oleson, (Josh Hartnett, “Mozart & the Whale,” “The Black Dahlia”) is the sheriff in the town of Barrow, Alaska. On the eve of the last sunset, before a month of complete darkness, he discovers a series of sled dog killings. He soon discovers people in his town are also being murdered as well. In the midst of this Eben is phoned by his wife Stella (Melissa George, “The Amityville Horror”) who gets into a car accident on her way to the airport. Little do they know there is a gang of vampires about to slaughter their town.

Alaska with its freezing temperatures alone would make anyone want to run. But, when you put a grungy looking man that says “You’re all dead,” and a clan of the most hostile vampires into the snowy mix, the cold weather seems a bit nicer.

This horror flick is very gruesome and takes the cake for 2007’s most frightening film. I for one am a fan of all horror-thriller films, but even I jumped in the theatres, back in October. This graphic novel turned film is some serious edge of your seat material. Each horror film seems to out-do the previous years bloodbath.

For centuries a group of vampires (who speak in their own ‘vamp’ language) planned to wipe out the town of Barrow. Their leader Marlow (Danny Huston, “Children of Men,” “The Kingdom”) says they must separate the heads from the bodies; he doesn’t want to turn the people of Barrow into vampires. They are for food purposes only. These vampires aren’t the kind to sit back, and drink blood from a goblet; these are vicious creatures that stalk their prey like a lion out of the grasslands of Africa.

The guy everyone remembers in movies like “Get Over It” and “Liberty Heights,” has certainly proved his range of acting skills. Over the last 3 years he has taken darker-violent roles such as, the Bruce Willis film “Hostage” and another comic turned film in the Thomas Jane movie “The Punisher.” In “30 Days of Night,” Ben Foster does a knock-out performance as The Stranger. This is his creepiest role to date.

The film as a daring ending and seems like the only solution our main character Eben has, in this no-win situation. Well, you must check it out for yourself, or maybe with a friend. If you are a true vampire-genre lover, this is a must buy film.

Deep Impact

PG-13, 1998, *** ½
Starring: Elijah Wood, Leelee Sobieski, Tea Leoni, Morgan Freeman

By: Meredith A. Iager

Many individuals believe this film is a better representation of how all life on earth could end, unless the terrorists get to us first.

A teen astronomer, Leo Beiderman (Elijah Wood) discovers an object in the sky during a class project and reports his sighting to a noted Astronomer, Marcus Wolf (Charles Martin Smith). Upon receiving the teens information Wolf examines the sighting and sees the unimaginable—a larger comet headed toward earth—but is unable to report his findings due to an auto accident in which he is killed. Fortunately, the information is discovered and the government realizes the seriousness of the Wolf/Beiderman discovery and it’s clear a disaster of global proportions is possible. The government tries to keep the finding a secret until a plan can be developed to deal with the event, however a broadcast reporter (Tea Leoni) puts a few pieces of information together, which expedites the governments announcement of the impending disaster.

The President of the United States (Morgan Freeman) tells the American people of the news and that NASA has organized a space mission to destroy the comet before its arrival. This film is exciting and terrifying at the same time. It is a film that will give you a shred of hope, because some individuals do survive. The concept of a comet plummeting toward earth might even be more science fact than fiction, and the hope is that our worlds astronomers will always be combing the stars looking for anything that might be coming our way.

This film has an array of many great actors, and many of the performances are emotional, intense and unforgettable. Robert Duvall plays the head as the head of the NASA mission; Morgan Freeman is the President of the United States, Elijah Wood as Leo and his girlfriend Sarah is Leelee Sobieski. Among natural disaster films this is one of the good ones and definitely promotes the sale of telescopes for young astronomers and probably a few Chicken Littles.

The Day After Tomorrow

PG-13, 2004, *** ½
Starring: Dennis Quaid, Jake Gyllenhaal

By: Meredith A. Iager

This one makes you want to go buy winter duds, just in case. Director Roland Emmerich who brought us “Independence Day” in 1996 has done another wowzer again with “The Day After Tomorrow.”

The film starts out with Jack Hall, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) climatologist, played by Dennis Quaid (“In Good Company,” “Cold Creek Manor”) is with his crew, including Jason Evans (Dash Mihok) somewhere in Antarctica collecting ice cores when the Glacier begins to split big time. This opening scene is a breathtaking which that sets the stage for this film, which is filled with many scenes that are just incredible. In my view, it contains some of the most incredible visuals I’ve seen in years. You’re in for a journey that you’ll never forget. This is one of the best weather related films in years.

Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid, “Yours, Mine & Ours,” “The Alamo”) suspects and warns the government that global warming may be triggering a new Ice Age, but he didn’t expect it so soon. Initial reactions to his theory are skepticism, until some horrific weather conditions start to occur. But the speed at which things begin to occur force drastic action by the government just to save as many people as possible from the unbelievable climatic events hitting the northern hemisphere. Meanwhile Jacks son, Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal, “Bubble Boy,” “Brokeback Mountain”) heads north to New York City for a Scholastic Competition, which lead to a rescue mission by Hall and his crew to the Big Frozen Apple. From large chunks of hail in Japan, multiple tornados in L.A., to NYC underwater and frozen you’ll just want to run south as fast as you can.

This is one fantastic film. While this is more science fiction than fact it makes you think about the weather like you never thought before. It is scary, yet intriguing and you may even want to get into climatology after viewing this one. If you saw this in the theater, you know it’s worth another viewing, especially if you can view it on a big screen high-def TV. I put “The Day After Tomorrow” as a definite multiple view film and a new classic in the natural disaster films grouping.

The Forgotten

2004, **1/2, PG-13
Starring: Gary Sinise, Julianne Moore, Anthony Edwards

By: Meredith A. Iager

For nearly 10 years the hit television series “The X-Files” showed the U.S. government knowledge of extra terrestrial life. Nearly 20 years ago we were introduced to the films of this nature like “E. T.” and “Alien”. In 1995, the movie “Species” hit the screens and showed more government involvement and experimentation with human and alien DNA. Hollywood continues to make films of this Sci-Fi nature.

In 2004, Hollywood puts an unbelievable spin on the concept of the unearthly terror. Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven, Hannibal) plays what we think is a delusional patient of Gary Sinise (Forrest Gump, CSI: NY), who swears that she had a son who died in a plane crash. Even her husband (Anthony Edwards) tells her they never had a son.

As a viewer you begin to wonder, is this woman for real or has Telly (Moore) concocted a life that never existed? She is so adamant about her son’s existence, which makes you begin to wonder if someone is conspiring against her. But, who is conspiring? Is she the only one that “they” wanted to forget about her family?

This film is slow to start, but the plot thickens soon enough when she (Moore) is running ramped for clues and explanations. On her trail, she finds another man (Dominic West) who has “forgotten” about his daughter as well. This film has more to offer than just a cat and mouse chase, it shows how a cause can really have an effect on an individual. “The Forgotten” definitely makes the viewer think about our memory and how strong the mother-child bond and how it is hard to break.

The entire movie shows how government can go wrong in a matter of seconds. We want to think the government protects us from matters far beyond our wildest dreams. But, are they protecting more than us? Are they protecting other life forces beyond the planet?

If you like Julianne Moore you’ll definitely want to see this film. If you believe in extra-terrestrial life this one is for you. The government has been covering up the conspiracy of aliens for years, dating back to July of 1947 during the Roswell incident in New Mexico. Find out what they are covering up this time, in “The Forgotten.” The truth is out there.

Twilight

2008, **, PG-13
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke

By: Meredith A. Iager

This flick is based on the Stephanie Meyers novel. It is a very mundane teen vampire romance-drama, despite the 70 million dollars it made over the weekend, due to the teenybopper girls that flocked to the theatre. “Twilight,” was very disappointing and I am a vampire movie connoisseur.

Bella, (Kristen Stewart, “The Messengers,” “Into the Wild”) who moves to Forks, Washington to live with her father, town Sheriff (Billy Burke). Her new high school classmates all have different agendas, especially one particular group of siblings, the Cullen’s. She takes a particular hot and heavy interest in the suave, yet awkward Edward Cullen (Pattinson, “Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire”). He takes a deep interest in her as well, and she soon realizes the kid is a tad freaky, and definitely hiding some dark secret. Women—curiosity makes us make bad decisions.

“Twilight,” is essentially a teen flick that provides no depth to the subject of vampirism, but offers a new twist: vampires sparkle in sunlight. Also, Robert Pattinson looks way too feminine— not sexy at all! I did think it was rather cool to watch the scene of the vamp family playing baseball—that’s different.

What happened to vampire flicks in the 80s? — scary, sexy, and sophisticated. I still remember “Fright Night,” starring Chris Sarandon and Amanda Bearse, a classic teen vampire flick—an excellent choice for a Saturday movie.

Don’t waste time in the theatre with this new one, wait for the DVD. Only for vamp-lovers.

Dracula 2000

2000, ***1/2, Horror-Drama
Starring: Gerard Butler, Christopher Plummer, Jennifer Esposito, Christopher Masterson

By: Meredith A. Iager

Wes Craven ("Scream," "Cursed") does a mediocre job with this one. But, something about the atmosphere in New Orleans makes it enticing, as well as the blend of cast members.

Dr. Van Helsing (Christopher Plummer, "The Lake House," "Must Love Dogs") has been keeping Dracula (Gerard Butler, "300," "PS I Love You") locked up in a steel coffin for many years, in a holding cell beneath his office in London. His secretary Solina (Jennifer Esposito, ABC's "Samantha Who," "We Own the Night") is a crook and has a group of guys she works with that think Van Helsing has priceless jewels in his heavily secured area. They had no clue that Van Helsing has been protecting the world from a blood-sucking nightmare. Solina and her crew take the coffin, thinking "prized" possessions are inside, and have one hell of a time.

After the theft, Van Helsing and his helper (Jonny Lee Miller, "Hackers," "Mind Hunters") take off to track the thieves down. After all, they have released Dracula and they will all end up being among the undead. Van Helsing has to kill them all before more destruction occurs.

This film depicts Dracula as an angel that was damned to hell for not being a good angel, and turned into a blood-sucking creature of the night, doomed to walk the earth forever. I think Gerard Butler played a great Dracula and is one the best of the numerous actors playing Dracula in the last 30 years. He is sleek, sexy, and terrifying. (Note: He was one of the contenders for the new James Bond but lost out when the powers that be gave it to Daniel Craig. I was disappointed, but I'm sure we will see more of Gerard Butler in the future.)

I will admit without veteran actor Christopher Plummer in Dracula 2000, it would have been a much weaker horror flick, but his style and acting skill brought this one up to a higher. Miller does a decent job but he's developing his acting skills.