RueMorgue

This "horror film" tries a bit too hard, but is fairly entertaining at the same time. It's certainly no Exorcist, but then again, I don't think that movie will ever be topped as far as the fear/intensity level is concerned.

Sitting in a plane waiting for takeoff for a school vacation, Alex (Devon Sawa) has a vision that the plane will explode shortly after takeoff. He goes nuts, he and some of his friends (and one teacher/chaperone) get kicked off the plane, and lo and behold, it explodes shortly after takeoff. Amidst suspicion, Alex watches as his friends are picked off one by one by the force that had intended to kill them all on the plane, if not for their untimely escape.

This one gets some points for special effects (the plane crash "vision" at the beginning is superb!) and gore, but loses points for storyline. This is just too contrived, and predictable. It's the old "we were supposed to die but we didn't and now it's coming back to finish us off" theme. I found that waiting to see who was going to die next, and in what fashion, was the most entertaining thing about this film. Some of the methods, while nothing new, are portrayed quite well with the use of special effects.

This is obviously an attempt to cash in on the recent return of teen-slasher flicks, with a slightly new angle. Over all, it's not too bad, but it could have been a little better in the storyline department. It's a cast of unknowns, too, so don't expect any Academy Award winning performances here.

My Rating: 5/10

What movie is this again? Oh yeah... high-tech private detective/spy type follows girl around unrelentlessly... how forgettable. How washed up. How blatantly stupid! Who really cares?! I certainly didn't. This film put me to sleep, I'm sorry to say, and it will probably do the same to you. There's no great acting, no great score/soundtrack, no great action... just bad dialogue and worse plot.

Basically, the private eye (played unconvincingly by Ewan McGregor) follows the same girl (Ashley Judd) around for a good long period of his life. Doesn't this guy have any other clients? Don't his friends worry about him? Does he even have any friends? Any life?!

After seeing McGregor in Star Wars Episode One, I thought he might have some promise. After seeing this, it wouldn't seem so. Is McGregor destined to go the way of most Star Wars actors, into oblivion? I think the only people of any stature we got out of Episodes IV-VI were Harrison Ford, James Earl Jones, and to a lesser degree, Carrie Fisher. (I would include Sir Alec Guinness, but he was already a mainstay.) It seems McGregor will now also go the way of the B-movie.

Perhaps the only thing that slightly improves this movie is the inclusion of Ashley Judd. She isn't too bad in this film, despite what she has to work with, such as terrible script, bad story, and flat co-stars. Over time, Judd has proven herself to be one of Hollywood's most diverse actresses, but she should have stayed away from this pig slop.

This one's good for the fireplace... or the garbage disposal... or the recycle bin, for you environmentally minded folk. Rent this at your own peril.

My Rating: 2/10