Killer Countdown - Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)

Streaming Service: Hoopla
Movie Name/Year: Vanishing on 7th Street (2010)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 1h 32min
Rating: R
Director: Brad Anderson
Writer: Anthony Jaswinski
Actors: Hayden Christensen, John Leguizamo, Thandiwe Newton, Jacob Latimore, Taylor Groothuis, Jordan Trovillion, Larry Fessenden

IMDb Blurb: The population of Detroit has almost completely disappeared, but a few remain. As daylight disappears they realize that the Dark is coming for them.

Cat’s Point of View:
I don't remember anything about Vanishing on 7^th Street from the time-period it was released. On paper, the premise and cast would promise an amazing and thrilling experience. I am not sure that what I watched lived up to those expectations entirely, but it was interesting.

There were definitely moments that got me, though. Vanishing on 7^th Street had an eerie vibe and kept me on the edge of my seat for the most part as the shadows closed in. We're hard-wired to have this primordial unease about the dark. It's instinctive, and this movie definitely plays on that. I read something recently that I found profound in its simplicity – we're not actually afraid of the dark, but what might be IN the dark. When you add people just going poof to that, it's unnerving.

The characters in this film are clearly going through some serious trauma. Thankfully, the production team put a cast together that really sold it well. The combination of Hayden Christensen (Takers, First Kill, Ahsoka), John Leguizamo (Encanto, The Menu, Violent Night), and Thandiwe Newton (Gringo, All the Old Knives, Westworld) really sold this movie when we were looking for a #7 for our Killer Countdown. I adore all of them, and they did the best they could here with what they had to work with. I could feel their despair, fear, and desperation. This was also the film debut for Jacob Latimore (Detroit, House Party, The Chi) and he has gone on to do some really great stuff. I was really impressed with him at his age when this was filmed.

In retrospect, Larry Fessenden (The Dead Don't Die, What Doesn't Float, MaXXXine) was wasted in the bit part he had here that I don't even think had lines. But this was over a decade ago, afterall, and before he made a name for himself – especially in the horror genre. 

Brad Anderson (The Call, Stonehearst Asylum, The Silent Hour) has some really solid films under his proverbial directorial belt. I did appreciate the storytelling here, though there were some kinks that just didn't quite get worked out before the final production was released. The character development was a little lopsided, but I can't tell if that was entirely intentional. We got a lot of subtle cues about Christensen's character and even a bit of a story arc of growth for him. We have very little regarding the other primary characters besides their occupations and what they were doing immediately before the “vanishing” happened. There are so many unanswered questions – but sometimes things are just like that in life. We don't get all the answers we want, and crazy unhinged stuff happens in the world every day that defies explanation. Perhaps the point was to leave the film even more unnerving because we don't get to learn exactly what the hell was going on. It's just a bleak story.

I did have a giggle regarding Leguizamo's character's job as a projectionist at an AMC theater. That was a wonderful little nugget of nostalgia for me, hearing the film reels whir. My first real job when I was in high school and college was at my local AMC theater. I digress...

Vanishing on 7^th Street isn't going to be for everyone. If you are the type that needs some clear resolution with your stories, this movie isn't going to be satisfying for you. The ending is even more perplexing than everything else that came before it and laden with heavy symbolism. Though, if you're open to just riding along for the experience, this film does provide the prerequisite mood, ambiance, and general creepy atmosphere for a few thrills.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 48%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 21%
Metascore – 50%
Metacritic User Score – 4.8/10
IMDB Score – 4.9/10

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

Movie Trailer:

She’s Out of My League (2010)

Movie Name/Year: She’s Out of My League (2010)

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Length: 104 minutes

Rating: R

Production/Distribution: DreamWorks, Mosaic, Paramount Pictures, United International Pictures (UIP), Universal Pictures International (UPI), Zon Lusomundo Audiovisuais, Argentina Video Home, Film1, Kadokawa Pictures, Odeon, Paramount Home Entertainment, Veronica, Warner Home Video

Director: Jim Field Smith

Writer: Sean Anders, John Morris

Actors: Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve, Mike Vogel, Nate Torrence, Lindsay Sloane, Kyle Bornheimer, Jessica St. Clair, Krysten Ritter, Debra Jo Rupp, Adam LeFevre, Kim Shaw, Jasika Nicole, Geoff Stults, Hayes MacArthur, Andrew Daly, Sharon Maughan, Trevor Eve, Adam Tomei, Robin Shorr, Yan Xi, Evan Alex Cole

Blurb from IMDb: An average Joe meets the perfect woman, but his lack of confidence and the influence of his friends and family begin to pick away at the relationship.

SPOILER WARNING

Selina’s Point of View:

I was pleasantly surprised by She’s Out of My League.

Initially, my only real interest in seeing it came from Jay Baruchel’s (How to Train Your Dragon, This is the End, The Trotsky) involvement. He’s one of those actors that I would follow anywhere. He does tend to get typecast as the awkward friend or the odds-against geek. That means it’s not all that difficult to figure out what a movie he’s in is going to be like. It’s going to be a little bit cringey, but light-hearted with an uplifting tone. In the end, he beats the odds – with very few exceptions. I know he’s worth much more as an actor than he sometimes gets credit for, but this is the current reality.

The prediction was accurate. She’s Out of My League when looked at from a more general perspective, isn’t going to get many points for originality. It’s when you really focus in on the individual parts that you see where this film was different.

Most romantic comedies have the same basic character motivations. In the beginning of this one, it looks like things are going to go the same way. Hot girl picks the geeky guy because he’s ‘safe’ and she doesn’t want to get hurt. Awkward guy is flabbergasted by her interest and feels he can’t measure up. The motivations are even bolstered by the main female’s ‘attractive ex’ trope and the male lead’s ‘not interested until another girl is interested’ ex. The thing is, none of that really matters as you get deeper into the film.

Generally, you’ll see a lot of lying – or characters being advised to lie – throughout this kind of rom-com. Not here. All the characters were almost uncomfortably honest with each other. That’s a huge change of pace that critics didn’t seem to acknowledge. Whenever an ex came on screen, the main characters were honest about the relationships. I kept expecting the story to trot down one of those familiar roads – but it never did.

Then, in stories where one of the characters was cheated on, causing them to look for someone ‘safe’ there’s some kind of cheating plot that happens later on. Even if it’s just perceived. I kept waiting for that.

Didn’t happen.

Finally, when a main character has a self-esteem problem, you tend to see the characters around them all being supportive (except maybe one or two) and trying to talk them out of it. The issue seems to have no cause. Not here.

She’s Out of My League doesn’t make you guess why Baruchel’s character feels the way he does; it lays it out for you. It doesn’t just end off with ‘romantic love fixes everything’ either. Instead, it shows the audience how important it is to surround oneself with supportive people. People who will lift you up instead of telling you what you can’t do.

If you ask me, She’s Out of My League is severely underrated.

Although there were some very typical ingredients, the writing was good. There were even some lines that stuck with me and are still making me giggle. There was a lot of awkward ‘cringe’ factor, but the movie had plenty of other humor to balance it out.

There was also a very talented cast involved. Aside from Baruchel there were plenty of incredible actors; Alice Eve (Iron Fist, Bees Make Honey, Before We Go), Krysten Ritter (Jessica Jones, Don’t Trust the Bitch in Apartment 23, Gilmore Girls), and Debra Jo Rupp (That ‘70s Show, Better With You, Lucky 13), among others.

I think a lot of critics took She’s Out of My League and failed to look past the surface. It’s a shame, because it’s a much better film that it’s been given credit for. I’m glad I got the chance to see it.

  

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 58%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 59%

Metascore – 46/100

Metacritic User Score – 6.6/10

IMDB Score – 6.4/10

CinemaScore – B

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4/5

Movie Trailer:

The Tortured (2010)

Number Rolled: 30

Movie Name/Year: The Tortured (2010)

Tagline: How far would you go?

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Length: 81 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Twisted Pictures, LightTower Entertainment, MP Productions, Twisted Light Productions

Producer: Troy Begnaud, Mark Burg, Chad Cole, Stephen Gates, Kari Hollend, Anne Jacobsen, Oren Koules, Curtis Leopardo, Raymond Massey, Carl Mazzocone, Derik Murray, Marek Posival, Jessie Rusu, Tom Strnad, Don Zorbas, Jonathan Zucker

Director: Robert Lieberman

Writer: Marek Posival

Actors: Erika Christensen, Jesse Metcalfe, Bill Lippincott, Bill Moseley, Fulvio Cecere, Thomas Greenwood, John R. Taylor, Peter Abrams, Paul Herbert, Chelah Horsdal, Carl Mazzocone Sr.,

Stunt Doubles: Mark Aisbett, Krista Bell, Clint Carleton

Blurb from Netflix: After their young son is abducted and murdered by a psychopath, a well-heeled couple kidnaps the killer and tortures him.

Selina’s Point of View:

I want to preface what I’m about to say with a reminder that I have both seen and enjoyed the first Saw (2004), and a few of the sequels.

That said? What the fuck kind of snuff film did I just watch? Better question. Can I be put on some kind of FBI watch list FOR watching it? I mean, I google some weird stuff for my writing… so I’m probably already on that list… but still.

You might wonder what was so much worse for The Tortured that Saw doesn’t seem as bad. After all, torture-porn is torture-porn, right?

Although later sequels of Saw lost the plot a bit and spiraled off into a world without meaning, that first film had a story. It was cohesive and it took a new route that hadn’t really been seen before. It was shocking to watch, but there was substance to it.

The Tortured didn’t remind me of that first Saw. It reminded me of a much different film. One I reviewed for Trust the Dice long before Cat was ever a part of it. Before there was a unique url for the blog, before we had our current layout. You might not remember that movie unless you’ve been reading since the very beginning… but it got the absolute lowest score I had ever given a film. I broke my 1 – 5 rating rules and gave it a hard 0.

Victim (2010) was that film.

There were holes in both films that were so big that swiss cheese would have been jealous. The torture aspect really served no point and the script did the plot absolutely no favors.

Quite frankly, the only reason this film isn’t getting the same score, is because the acting wasn’t as completely horrible.

Still, when I look back and think about this movie, it’s going to be difficult for me to differentiate it from Victim in my memories. That is not a good thing.

Cat’s Point of View:

The dice are feeling sadistic lately. Last week we got a kidnapping movie – this week we got a kidnapping movie. I feel I must now resist temptation to invest in a tether that physically attaches my child to me.

There were some interesting similarities between The Tortured and the last heart-wrenching film we reviewed about kidnapping. It almost feels like this one presented a ‘what if’ scenario into what could have happened differently. Of course, there’s nothing actually tying those movies together; it’s just watching them practically back to back that brings me to draw the parallels.

While Meadowland (2015) was dark, this film took the spiraling darkness of grieving parents to an entirely new level.

This movie was hard to watch. Be warned that the title of the movie is a giant trigger warning. If you’re uncomfortable watching torture-porn, this film will likely not be your cup of tea. It wasn’t really even my cup of tea and I can take movies like Saw (2004) and Hostel (2005).

There were some scenes that just had me feeling downright queasy. Perhaps it was my emotional investment in the situation that made this harder to take.

All told, however, I bought what the film was selling. The characters were believable, relatable, and you could palpably feel their rage, grief, and desire for karmic justice.

The only real issue I had with the movie was the ending. It felt like there was quite a bit of drawn out buildup to a heart-pounding climactic moment… and then it all wrapped up too quick, and a little too neatly. It almost felt like things got carried away with the ‘meat’ of the film and then suddenly they realized ‘oh we need to end this thing, don’t we.’

I mean, I don’t know about you but I don’t think I’d want to watch a movie with this theme that would require an intermission due to length; so, I guess I’m glad they did wrap it up. I just don’t think I’d put myself through watching this one again anyway.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 6%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 35%

Metascore - 9/100

Metacritic User Score – 4.2/10

IMDB Score – 5.5/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2.5/5

Movie Trailer:

Remember Me (2010)

Number Rolled: 25

Movie Name/Year: Remember Me (2010)

Tagline: Live in the moments.

Genre: Romance, Drama

Length: 112 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: Summit Entertainment

Producer: Carol Cuddy, Trevor Engelson, Michael Lannan, Nick Osborne, Robert Pattinson

Director: Allen Coulter

Writer: Will Fetters

Actors: Caitlyn Rund, Chris Cooper, Robert Pattinson, Tate Ellington, Emilie de Ravin, Ruby Jerins, Lena Olin, Gregory Jbara, Pierce Brosnan, Meghan Markle, Chris McKinney, Kate Burton, Martha Plimpton

Stunt Doubles: Paul Darnell, Samantha MacIvor

Blurb from Netflix: Tyler’s still feeling lost following the tragedy that’s strained his relationship with his father when he meets Ally, a girl who understands his pain.

Selina’s Point of View:

Holy balls, that took a hard left turn.

I’m writing this forty-five minutes later and my eyes are still wet. That film went in a completely different direction than I expected it to.

I’m going to stick to talking about the beginning and the middle right now, because the ending might as well have been another movie altogether.

To start off with, it was pretty much what you would expect from a romantic drama. In fact, the beginning was so normal that it could have been the start of any romantic drama out there. I particularly liked the pick-up lines Robert Pattinson (The Lost City of Z, Cosmopolis, Little Ashes), as Tyler, had to issue when he first met Emilie de Ravin’s (Once Upon a Time, Love and Other Trouble, The Perfect Game) character. They were such bullshit, dorky lines. However, it’s because Pattinson’s character was not smooth that it made sense.

I hate going into a rom-com or rom-dram and watching the supposedly nervous guy be so smooth that his shit clearly doesn’t stink. That was not an issue here.

Pattinson isn’t even an actor I really like, but I enjoyed his part in Remember Me. I respected his chemistry with Tate Ellington (Shameless, The Endless, Straight Outta Compton), the actor playing Tyler’s best friend, and Ravin – but it was his interaction with Pierce Brosnan (No Escape, Survivor, The Love Punch) that had me glued to the screen a lot of the time. Not just because I totally related to the speech Pattinson’s character gave at one point… though that helped.

I’m kind of stalling because I don’t know what to write about that ending. How the hell do I do it justice?

The most I can really tell you, without issuing spoilers, is that I didn’t even consider the possibility of the ending. It caught me so off-guard that my mouth was hanging open the whole time. As I’ve said, it could have been the end to a different movie. I don’t mean it was off topic or that it didn’t fit, I mean that they took life and made this film reflect the unpredictability. That is not an easy thing to do. Especially successfully.

That’s what this whole review comes down to. Remember Me was successful. It was a tearjerker that broke my heart over and over again while keeping me riveted.

Cat’s Point of View:

Wow.

I’m actually reeling a bit in the wake of watching this movie.

That’s not a bad thing, though, I promise. I just couldn’t have seen the ending coming even if it was the speeding freight train I was standing on the tracks of – and it feels like it hit me like that, too.

I’m going to admit that I underestimated this movie a little. Scratch that. A lot. Given that this was filmed during a time when Robert Pattinson (Water for Elephants, Bel Ami, Queen of the Desert) was on top of the world because he could be broody and sparkle, I guess I expected that this would fall into the same sort of romantic drama recipe – sans supernatural glitter-bugs.

Boy was I wrong.

Pattinson really didn’t get much of a chance to shine in the tales of wand-wielding wizard school – there was just too much else going on. This movie offered up so many opportunities to show his range through a whole gauntlet of emotions – which he delivered believably. I was sucked into the story; and even found myself worried about, and rooting for his character. Not to mention Emilie de Ravin’s (The Hills Have Eyes, Lost, The Submarine Kid). She displayed her character’s strength and vulnerability beautifully.

The supporting cast here was also great.

I was jazzed that we had two Pierce Brosnan (The World's End, Urge, The Son) movies this week. Surprisingly, I liked this much more than the one we watched for Monday. Tate Ellington (The Kitchen, Sinister 2, Quantico) was an epic best friend slash roommate, as well.

I’m not saying that the film didn’t play on some of the well-established romantic drama tropes. I am saying, however, that it put a new spin on the old recipe to give it a kick – right to the feels. I really have to tip my hat to the screenwriter, Will Fetters (Georgetown, The Lucky One, The Best of Me), for this one. There were so many little nuances in the story that spell a bigger picture than was just hiding in plain sight.

I would definitely recommend this movie in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I don’t think I can watch it again after it already stomped on my feels already.

Languages

Speech Available: English

Subtitles Available: English

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 27%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 68%

Metascore - 40/100

Metacritic User Score – 7.7/10

IMDb Score – 7.2/10

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5

Movie Trailer:

Leap Year (2010)

Number Rolled: 6

Movie Name/Year: Leap Year (2010)

Tagline: Anna planned to propose to her boyfriend on February 29th. This is not her boyfriend.

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Length: 100 minutes

Rating: PG

Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Spyglass Entertainment, Birnbaum/Barber, BenderSpink, Octagon Films

Producer: Su Armstrong, Gary Barber, Chris Bender, Roger Birnbaum, James Flynn, Jonathan Glickman, Cassidy Lange, Morgan O’Sullivan, Rebekah Rudd, J.C. Spink, Jake Weiner, Erin Stam

Director: Anand Tucker

Writer: Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont

Actors: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott, John Lithgow, Noel O’Donovan, Tony Rohr, Pat Laffan, Alan Devlin, Ian McElhinney, Dominique McElligott, Mark O’Regan, Maggie McCarthy, Peter O’Meara

Blurb from Netflix: Anna chooses February 29 to propose marriage to her boyfriend, but after meeting a charming innkeeper, she must evaluate her original plans.

Selina’s Point of View:

This film was dreck.

I was super excited to see Leap Year. I’d heard good things about it and I love Ireland-based movies. My favorite YouTuber is even Irish. (Jakesepticeye was on my top YouTubers list, but not at the top. After I wrote that, however, I saw more and more of his stuff and just fell absolutely in love with him. Now, his intro is my alarm and his outro is my ringtone.)

That being said, I was completely unimpressed with this movie.

Amy Adams (Trouble with the Curve, Man of Steel, American Hustle) definitely did nothing for me as the leading lady and I HATED her character. I didn’t find her likeable or relatable at all. She felt like a forced personality that was too annoying for me to care about.

Not only that, but the plot and script were so predictable that I was practically giving the actors their cues moments before they stepped on screen. There was nothing original about this film. It was as recipe as any movie could get. Like the writer was just trying to churn out the quickest film possible without bothering to care about the content.

Now, it wasn’t ALL bad.

Matthew Goode (Downton Abbey, The Good Wife, The Imitation Game) was phenomenal in his part and his accent was so well done that I had NO idea he wasn’t Irish. The old men that served as comic relief were VERY funny, as well. I’d watch an entire film based around their superstitious banter. Finally, Randy Edelman (27 Dresses, The Big Green, Shanghai Noon) did amazing with the music. It was peppy and very Irish. It fit the beautiful settings and the feel of the movie really well.

Despite the good aspects, Leap Year was not my kind of movie and I don’t feel the need to ever watch it again.

Cat’s Point of View:

I wasn’t exactly in the mood for a rom-com, so you can imagine that I had an internal reaction of ‘oh joy’ when this was the movie that the dice chose for us. Though, that was before I actually started watching it. I’d forgotten that this one was set in Ireland. Of course, I would have watched anyway – because professionalism! It helped me to be considerably more enthusiastic about it, at least.

There’s a bit of a confession I need to make first. I might have mentioned it before, but it bears repeating. I have a bit of a bias towards Ireland and things Irish. (‘A bit’ might be an understatement.) I love the sights and sounds of Ireland – from the music to the language…the rugged and pastoral landscape… it just calls to me in ways I can’t quite explain.

Why do I need to make this confession? This film was shot in – you guessed it! – Ireland. I digress.

Amy Adams (Julie & Julia, The Fighter, Her) was a good fit for this movie. Believable as both socialite go-getter with a plan for everything and as the redhead returning to her roots and besieged by Murphy’s Law; it was easy to get invested in her as the main character.

I had tears at one point in the movie. Sure, that’s nothing new for me; but I have to be really emotionally invested in something for it to happen.

The humor of this film was brilliant. In some places it was subtle and others it cracked you over the head, but I didn’t feel that anything was overdone. I could relate to the shenanigans that occurred along the main character’s adventure. (I’m Murphy’s redheaded stepchild, I swear.)

For an English lad, I must say that Matthew Goode (Match Point, Watchmen, Stoker) did a pretty good job with ‘being Irish.’ I couldn’t tell you if his accent was right or not, though. It seemed to be fine to me – but I was just enjoying hearing his voice speak it. His character helped the emotional aspect of the movie immensely.

Sure, this wasn’t the most original plot in the world. In fact, it was a remake of a Bollywood movie Jab We Met (2007) with a gender swap. I didn’t mind, though. I didn’t even mind that they got a bit of their geography turned around.

I would have liked to see more of John Lithgow (Dreamgirls, This is 40, Interstellar) utilized in the film. The brief scene he is involved with does appropriately set up the plot, though. For an actor of his caliber, though, it just seems like a waste.

Before I get too carried away, I’ll leave you with a final bit of trivia. Fans of the History Channel series Vikings (2013-) might find one of the film’s settings familiar. There’s a scene in the movie that takes place at a lake where a large part of that show is filmed in County Wicklow.

I absolutely adored this movie and would definitely watch it again.

Sláinte!

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 21%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 47%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 2/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 5/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 5/5

Movie Trailer:

Devil (2010)

Number Rolled: 70

Movie Name/Year: Devil (2010)

Tagline: Bad things happen for a reason

Genre: Thriller

Length: 80 minutes

Rating: PG-13

Production Companies: Universal Pictures, Media Rights Capital, Night Chronicles, Relativity Media

Producer: Joseph Boccia, Drew Dowdle, Trish Hofmann, Sam Mercer, Ashwin Rajan, John Rusk, M. Night Shyamalan

Director: John Erick Dowdle

Writer: Brian Nelson, M. Night Shyamalan

Actors: Chris Messina, Logan Marshall-Green, Jenny O’Hara, Bojana Novakovic, Bokeen Woodbine, Geoffrey Arend, Jacob Vargas, Matt Craven, Joshua Peace, Caroline Dhavernas, Joe Cobden, Zoie Palmer, Vincent Laresca

Blurb from Netflix: Detective Bowden must save five people trapped in an elevator and he has to do it fast, because one of them is the devil.

Selina’s Point of View:

I wasn’t all that impressed with Devil. Everything about it fell into the mediocre category. The recipe used was fine, but was executed in a very bland fashion. The actors did their jobs, but didn’t exactly do anything more than that. It was just one mediocre thing after another.

I didn’t really enjoy the way parts of it were filmed, either. There were parts that were completely auditory. I don’t enjoy that. Don’t get me wrong, it made sense for the storyline and the setting, but I still hated it in general.

Aside from that one issue, I didn’t love or hate the rest of the film either way.

Just another meh in my opinion.

Cat’s Point of View:

Devil was supposed to be the first of at least three movies making up The Night Chronicles. This project was a brainchild of M. Night Shyamalan (Lady in the Water, The Happening, The Visit), and meant to be a series of supernatural thrillers based on his original ideas. Shyamalan reportedly would not be at the directorial helm, nor writing any of these films; but would provide collaboration as needed and produce.

It sounds like a neat concept, though it seems to have stalled somewhere along the way. Perhaps the first installment didn’t do as well as they expected? Shyamalan seems to have moved on to different things. This movie was released in 2010; and the second film slated to join the Chronicles was Reincarnate scheduled to begin production in 2013. IMDb has that title still ‘in development.’ Given that it’s been 3 years with no further word, I fear that this project may be lost in development hell.

Back to the movie!

This film was Shyamalan’s adaptation of a folklore tale. This tale, in fact, is told during the movie. I found the concept intriguing.

I’m not a claustrophobe (though my general reaction, unmedicated, to MRI ‘torture tubes’ has me beginning to question otherwise); but if I got trapped in an elevator with strangers, I can tell you I would definitely not be a fan of enclosed places after that.

I think that the screenwriter and director could have presented this concept a little better, sure – but the end result of this particular movie was suspenseful and unsettling.

I appreciated the choices they made for effects and the execution (no pun intended) of some of the scenes. There was a clear opt for the lack of CGI or any really fancy special effects. I don’t believe that it was cutting budget corners. I think they likely wanted to tap in to humanity’s primordial fear of the dark – unspoiled by things like night vision infrared cameras.

This movie definitely has the earmarks of Shyamalan’s touch on it, though – from the setting of Philadelphia, PA to the use of the color red. Several others of his trademark motifs are also utilized. Unfortunately, discussing them would provide spoilers.

I would definitely recommend this movie, and even watch it again in the hopes I might catch something that I missed before.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 52%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 43%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 2.5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 3.5/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3.5/5

Movie Trailer:

Furry Vengeance (2010)

Number Rolled: 77

Movie Name/Year: Furry Vengeance (2010)

Tagline: He came. He saw. They conquered.

Genre: Comedy

Length: 91 minutes

Rating: PG

Production Companies: Summit Entertainment, Participant Media, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ, Robert Simonds Productions, Furry Vengeance Productions

Executive Producer: Mohamed Khalaf Al-Mazrouel, Brendan Fraser, Jonathan King, Ira Shuman, Jeff Skoll

Director: Roger Kumble

Writer: Michael Carnes, Josh Gilbert

Actors: Brendan Fraser, Ricky Garcia, Brooke Shields, Matt Prokop, Ken Jeong, Angela Kinsey, Skyler Samuels, Gerry Bednob, Dee Bradley Baker, Eugene Cordero, Patrice O’Neal, Jim Norton, Billy Bush, Samantha Bee, Alice Drummond, Toby Huss, Alexander Chance, Rob Riggle, Wallace Shawn

Dan Sanders has moved his family out to the country to head up the development of new housing. As they try to get used to the situation, they find out the forest may be more aware of what’s happening than they thought.

Selina’s Point of View:

I’ve really wanted to watch something light and fluffy for a while now. Things have been stressful and as much as I love horror and thriller movies, I keep rooting for something like Penguins of Madagascar (2014) every time we roll the dice. The thing about random, is it really doesn’t care about what I want.

So I got Furry Vengeance following a row of darkness.

I generally enjoy Brendan Fraser (The Mummy, Breakout, HairBrained). He’s a guilty pleasure of mine. However, in this film he felt like a bargain version of Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly, Slither). I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I was wishing Fillion was in this instead, but since it’s one of the few films I don’t think he would be able to make better, I doubt it.

I should be clear. As a children’s movie this film didn’t completely suck. As a family film made to include the whole family….

Let’s just say I wouldn’t really be interested in watching it more than once.

It was like a mix of Dr. Dolittle (1998) and Home Alone 3 (1997). It just wasn’t for me.

Cat’s Point of View:

I’d seen this movie before, with my family. I remember thinking that it was cute, and my daughter thought that the animals were hilarious. She was seven at the time.

Watching again, I can’t say that my opinion has changed much. She wasn’t interested in revisiting the film; so I forged ahead on my own.

This movie adds another over-the-top bit of camp to Brendan Fraser’s (The Last Time, Inkheart, The Nut Job) list of family flicks. I think he did a good job with what he had to work with. It wasn’t too cheesy, and he had just the right amount of crazy.

I did get a good chuckle when I realized Ken Jeong (Vampires Suck, Pain & Gain, The Duff) was in this movie. It wasn’t that his performance wasn’t memorable, I’d just seen this before he’d become as recognizable as he is today. His signature brand of humor comes through here – the kind that makes you want to laugh and cringe at the same time.

I have mixed feelings regarding the animals in this movie. I think this is where my main disconnect occurs.

First, I do feel I need to commend the decision regarding the animals’ communication. I don’t know that it would have helped the film to give the animals a ‘voice’ in the more traditional sense. The method they chose was unique and creative.

I do feel that they dropped the ball a bit when it came to the animal effects when directly interacting with the human cast members in certain scenes. While the transition from live creature to prop was decently smooth, I just expected more than an obvious stuffed animal.

Seriously. This movie was made in a post-Avatar (2009) era. While I understand that this film quite likely didn’t have the kind of budget necessary for CGI miracles on that level, they could have done better.

This movie would be highly entertaining for families with young children. I doubt that I’ll be watching it again.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 8%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 31%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 1.5/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 2/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 3/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3/5

P.S. There is an amusing music video at the end that’s funnier than the entire film.

Movie Trailer:

Centurion (2010)

Number Rolled: 92

Movie Name/Year: Centurion (2010)

Tagline: Fight or die.

Genre: Action & Adventure

Length: 97 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: Pathe Pictures International, UK Film Council, Warner Bros., Canal+, CineCinema, Celador Films

Executive Producer: Francois Ivernel, Cameron McCracken, Paul Smith

Director: Neil Marshall

Writer: Neil Marshall

Actors: Michael Fassbender, Andreas Wisniewski, Dave Legeno, Axelle Carolyn, Dominic West, JJ Feild, Lee Ross, David Morrissey, Ulrich Thomsen, Ryan Atkinson, Paul Freeman, Olga Kurylenko, Liam Cunningham, Noel Clarke, Dimitri Leonidas, Riz Ahmed, Imogen Poots, Rachael Stirling

Quintus Dias is a Roman soldier fighting in a war over land when he is captured by the enemy. After his escape, he meets up with a Legion on their way to join the battle.

Selina’s Point of View:

To be honest, I have conflicting feelings about this film.

On one hand, high definition was not a friend to Centurion. I also had some base issues with the script. I got stuck on that “this is neither the beginning nor the end of my story.” Yes it is. It’s the beginning of your damn story. That’s why the movie started there.

I’m not really sure why that phrase annoyed me so much, but it made it hard to take the rest of the movie seriously.

On the other hand, I really liked some of the acting in this film. Michael Fassbender (Steve Jobs, A Dangerous Mind, Prometheus), Olga Kurylenko (Magic City, Hitman, To the Wonder), Dominic West (The Affair, The Hour, The Awakening) and Imogen Poots (Filth, Fright Night, Jane Eyre) were the only reason I could even concentrate on the film at all.

Even with great acting, I had trouble enjoying the film.

The problem with my opinion here, is that I don’t think I’m right.

Looking at Centurion objectively, it’s a really good film.

Despite my issues with the script, it really wasn’t bad at all and the characters had significant depth to them. There were twists along the way that should have had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, that’s not the way it was.

Normally, I’d give a confident recommendation, or lack thereof. This time, I can’t do that. I really think I just stumbled over that first monologue and couldn’t get my footing again.

Cat’s Point of View:

I have been looking forward to seeing this movie for a while now. I was fairly bouncy when this was our random result.

I loved the cinematography here – the breadth and scope of the environment captured for the setting of this movie was breathtaking. I truly felt like the protagonists were far from the Roman civilization they’d call home, or any semblance of it.

Can we talk about the action?! It was amazing! The fighting in this film was well choreographed; and the battles were gritty and realistic.

There are so many familiar faces in this film; recognizable across multiple fandoms.

I will admit that my primary draw to this movie was Michael Fassbender (Blood Creek, Jane Eyre, Shame). I first ran across Fassbender in a little known BBC series called Hex (2004-2005).  His character in that series made me want to root for the bad guy a little. I was so excited to see when his career started taking off in more ‘mainstream’ avenues.

Once again, he delivered a superb performance.  He embodied the spirit of his centurion character fighting against the odds, drawing me along with him.

I did mention multiple fandoms, didn’t I? While Fassbender takes care of the Marvel-verse, and even sci-fi enthusiasts that enjoy acid-bleeding aliens, there’s more! Let’s add Doctor Who (2005-),  The Walking Dead (2010-), and even Game of Thrones (2011-).

  

Noel Clarke (Doghouse, Doctor Who, Star Trek Into Darkness), David Morrissey (The Water Horse, The Other Bolyn Girl, The Walking Dead), and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones, Clash of the Titans, Safe House) were all enjoyable in their roles beyond the flash of excitement at recognition.

I liked Olga Kurylenko (Erased, Oblivion, The November Man) as Etain in this film. Her performance didn’t resonate quite as well as I would have liked – but it was a difficult role, considering her character was mute and relied on body language alone.

All in all, this was a damn fine film; and I’d recommend it to any who enjoy this genre.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 59%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 42%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4.5/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 3/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4/5

P.S. You can hear wind blowing at the end of the credits, but it does not lead into an extra scene.

Movie Trailer:

Super (2010)

Number Rolled: 87

Movie Name/Year: Super (2010)

Genre: Independent

Length: 96 minutes

Rating: R

Production Companies: This Is That Productions, Ambush Entertainment, Cold Iron Pictures, Crimson Bolt

Executive Producer: Iddo Lampton Enochs Jr., Matthew Leutwyler, Rainn Wilson

Director: James Gunn

Writer: James Gunn

Actors: Rainn Wilson, Elliot Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Andre Royo, Sean Gunn, Stephen Blackehart, Don Mac, Nathan Fillion, Rob Zombie

Frank Darbo is a nobody. His wife is the best thing in his life, and she’s pulling away from him. When he finds out that she’s gone back to her old druggie ways, his world comes crashing down. That’s when he’s given the idea to fight evil as the superhero, “The Crimson Bolt.”

Super reminded me of Kick-Ass… if the writer had been on crack. The plot is the same basic idea with different motivation and a different outcome. It’s a similar dark field trip down the path of the question, “what if someone decided to become a real superhero?”

Yes, I know about the superheroes that go around in costumes calling the police on people and carrying pepper spray to protect themselves. I don’t mean that kind of superhero. I mean the popular kind. The heroes with no power but many weapons: Green Arrow, The Punisher, Batman, Elektra, Catwoman, or Hawkeye. Shit would go pear-shaped pretty quickly. Super explores just how pear-shaped it could get.

I can’t complain about the actors. They were all very into their parts and 100% believable. It was the story line that had me groaning at times. There seemed to be completely unnecessary sex scenes that didn’t even try to be part of the story. Some of the motivation for the main character really didn’t strike me as the best idea. At times, it even got a little preachy.

With all its faults, Super was still memorable and entertaining. Weird and completely random? Sure. However, if you enjoy incredibly dark comedies, it was definitely above average.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 48%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 55%

Netflix’s Prediction for Me – 4.3/5

Trust-the-Dice Score – 3.5/5

Movie Trailer: