House of 9

Nine strangers – a priest; a dancer; a designer; an aspirant rapper; a former tennis pro; a woman on probation; an unsuccessful composer and his wife; and a detective – are randomly abducted, drugged and locked in a house by a wealthy maniac. They are informed through a public address system that there are seventy-five cameras following them, and only one will survive and win US$ 5,000,000.00 to keep quiet. The psychological game begins, with fear and greed affecting the participants.

"House of 9" is an opportunist story and rip-off of the storyline of 1997 "Cube" and using psychological elements of 2001 "Das Experiment". The story is also very similar to 2005 "Saws 2", but it is difficult to say which one is the rip-off of the other since they were released in the same year. Dennis Hopper, the famous name of the cast, never convinces as a priest, and it seems that time for his retirement has arrived. The unpredictable and surprising end saves this forgettable movie from a lower rating. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Aprisionados" ("Imprisoned")

Former cameraman Steven R. Monroe directed this little psychological movie that at times was slow as molasses, but, nevertheless, an interesting glimpse of the beast within all of us.

Now, I cannot compare it to Cube, Saw, or My Little Eye, as others have done as i have not seen those films. I only mention them to give you an indication of what is in store for those that have. What I can say, is that I find the premise totally believable. When the pressure is on, our hatreds and prejudices, and inner demons come out rather quickly, especially when fueled with alcohol and hunger. Only Father Duffy (Dennis Hopper) and Lea (Kelly Brook) seemed to keep their cool, but they broke down eventually, albeit for different reasons than the others.

This is not a bloody film, although there is a little, but a psychological one. I was bothered by one killing that occurred off-camera, as i kept thinking the rest of the film that it was fake. The ending was weird, foreshadowing a possible sequel, but, if they do, please get another writer. Philippe Vidal's screenplay just didn't cut it for the most part. I enjoyed the film, but it could have been way better. What a waste of a Maxim magazine "Hot 100 of 2005" list member. Another cast member was a FHM's 100 Sexiest Girls member, and another gave an outstanding display in Eyes Wide Shut. All were wasted here.

A group of people -- nine to be exact -- are trapped in a house. They are given instructions over an intercom, basically telling them that the last one who lives will receive five million dollars. From there on out, the house gets dangerous: will we see the best or the worst of human nature?

One could describe this movie as "Saw 2" meets "House on Haunted Hill", though that wouldn't really do this film justice. Others have compared it to "Battle Royale". Simply put, while the themes may overlap, this film is still unique in many ways. Which isn't always easy after a century of plots being used up.

Dennis Hopper has a fairly large role, but mysteriously he appears as a priest. Also, he talks slow and awkward like he can't remember his lines. I didn't really think this captured his ability very well. As another reviewer said, "Dennis Hopper is ineffective as a priest. If you're going to have Hopper in your movie; make the most of it, don't give him a role like this." There seemed to be little concern among the housemates that the food was poisoned. Or the booze. It is mentioned once, but I believe this is after they've already been eating and drinking.

The film has a weird soundtrack, which seems out of place (too pop rock for a horror film), and there's a strange hip-hop dance scene. I don't know what is up with that. But the film as a whole is good, and I have to say it has a great ending. I can't say what it is, of course, but if the film does not impress you, wait until the end because I think it really redeems itself of any flaws.

Kind of a snoozefest of a movie. The action doesn't really start until around the one hour mark and it's finished 20-25 minutes later. Dennis Hopper was the only good thing here and his character wasn't even very interesting. I wouldn't recommend this film. If you want to watch a 'only 1 can survive' type of movie, there are better options.

This film is embarrassingly bad. The acting is way over the top and the writing is very lazy. There are times when it is so unbelievably dumb. I hated all of the characters and didn't care at all if they died. I will try my best to forget that I ever saw this, which will not be hard.