Elsewhere

I always enjoy going back and watching actor/actresses work they did before they were household names. 2009 was very early in Anna Kendrick's career, although it should be noted she was nominated for an Academy Award for 'Up in the Air' which was released the same year. 'Elsewhere' came out first though and although it was likely very few recognised her at the time, they would've noticed she was a class about the rest of the cast. She's given some reasonably clunky dialogue in a lot of scenes in this movie and almost always finds a way to make it work.

The tone of the movie is a little off. It's dealing with some pretty serious subject matter, and yet at times it feels more like a romantic-comedy than anything else. I understand you have to build your characters up and keep them likeable, however don't do it at the expense of the tone of the film. This film was at its best when it was treating itself seriously and dealing with the dark subject matter at hand.

'Elsewhere' could've done with a lot of polishing, however it is certainly not unwatchable. Kendrick's performance and a decent whodunnit story-line are enough to keep it afloat. A generous 6/10.

So many direct-to-DVD films, especially horror-thriller ones are terrible that when something like Elsewhere comes along, some semblance of hope is restored. Writer-director Nathan Hope has constructed a mystery that while fairly easy to figure out rather quickly, still holds your interest throughout just to see how we get to where we think the story is going.

A lot of credit has to go to the cast. As the intrepid, intelligent, and likable lead, Anna Kendrick, now most known because of her role in the Twilight films, does a great job of making us believe that she cares deeply about finding her missing friend. She portrays a sense of screen presence usually not seen from actors of her age. Based on her work here, she, instead of Kristen Stewart, should have been given the role of Bella in the aforementioned vampire saga. It'll be interesting to see where Kendrick's career goes because she definitely has potential.

As the missing friend, Tania Raymonde has charisma, managing to make what easily could have been a despicably obnoxious character oddly likable, important because we actually care about discovering her fate. She and Kendrick share a nice rapport as well, almost instantly believable as best friends in spite of their varying personalities.

Strong writing and a dynamic cast make Elsewhere definitely a place worth visiting.

A young Anna Kendrick Shines in this underrated Indie Thriller/Drama. When people online talk about Anna Kendrick's films, this one is always listed towards the bottom. And while it isn't a perfect film, and it's no Pitch Perfect, I thought it was pretty good, all things considered. First, it's worth knowing going in that Elsewhere is more of a thriller than a horror film. In fact, the film's premise is similar to one of Anna's other film's A Simple Favor. Like A Simple Favor, Anna Kendrick's all of a sudden goes missing, and it is up to her to figure out what happened. However, unlike A Simple Favor, Elsewhere has a more serious tone, which isn't a bad thing. In this film, Sarah (Anna Kendrick) finds herself searching for her best friend Jillian, who has made a lot of poor decisions talking to potential male predators online. The characters are a little more one-dimensional in this film, which for the most part is okay as it is a crime thriller where everyone is a suspect. However, it would have been nice to see Sarah have a little more character development. She is not completely one-dimensional, but I would have like to have seen a little more. The second thing people should remember while watching this is that this is an indie film, and it was made very early on in Anna's career. Other than Anna Kenrick, none of the other actors are amazing, but they are decent for the most part. For example. Jillian's awkward interactions with her mother felt genuine, and I really related to Sarah not knowing what to do or say in those moments. Also, Sarah should get a friend of the year award for all she does to try and find Jillian. I won't give anything away, but I would definitely recommend it for Anna Kendrick alone.

(2009) Elsewhere THRILLER/ SUSPENSE/ MYSTERY

Watchable straight-to-rental Nancy Drew-like mystery thriller co-written and directed by Sheldon Lettich about a couple of missing teens, and the one looking for one of them who happens to be the star, Sarah (Anna Kendrick) of the movie's best friend, Jillian (Tania Raymonde) meeting someone on-line. Expect plot holes, logic and the fact that viewers may be able to guess the perpetrators doing this before the star herself even knows herself. I appreciate the fact that their are no cringing-like moments, and that the tone itself is reminiscent of a Nancy Drew novel.

The movie was okay, the mystery behind everything kept me watching, but I didn't feel bad for the missing girl. She was obnoxious and rude, but I did like how they showed not all missing people are innocent, but they still don't deserve what happened to them. The movie does a good job at keeping you guessing, although if you watch enough movies, you know the obvious suspects aren't going to be the culprit.