Wolf Creek

"Wolf Creek" claims to be based on a true story. It's not. The "true story" upon which this film is supposed to be based is that a guy named Ivan Milat once killed 7 backpackers in the Australian Outback. So, "Wolf Creek" is based upon Ivan to the extent that, once, there was a guy who killed people in the Outback. Other than that, ignore the "true story" tagline.

Wolf Creek follows the story of three 20-somethings, English tourists Liz and Kristy, and their Australian guide Ben. How these two ladies hooked up with Ben isn't really explained, but I suppose its not necessary. You get the sense that they just kinda met him in a bar one night, and he started tagging along.

The movie is billed as a horror movie, and it is, but not until over half the movie has passed. The first hour plus is all about the three travelers. While there absolutely is a sense of foreboding throughout the first hour of the film, nothing "horrorish" really happens until their car dies at Wolf Creek, in the middle of nowhere, and friendly Mick Taylor happens to stop by to give them a hand.

Then these bozo tourists begin to make every possible mistake to get themselves into a very difficult situation. Mick, of course, is one bad-ass nutjob, who has a nice little hobby of picking up stranded people in the Outback, taking them back to his compound, and torturing them and killing them. No other motivation is explained. I would have liked to have known what was going on with him. As the movie played out, it really only appeared that Mick did such sadistic things because, well, he liked to.

I can recommend this movie, with a caveat. There are several moments during this movie where I wanted to jump into the scene and bitchslap the characters. For example, if a guy has your friend tied up, and the beheaded remains of some nameless woman hanging on a meathook, and the killer's back is to you, and you have a loaded rifle pointed at the back of his head, you do NOT yell at him to stop and turn around. You shoot the bastard immediately. And when you finally do shoot him, grazing his neck so he falls unconscious, you do not hit him gently on the back with the butt of the empty rifle, and then drop the rifle. You take the shotgun from the table, or the revolver from the table, or the knife from his sheath, and you KILL HIM! Sigh. It kinda pissed me off. Crappy, lazy writing there.

The performances were all good, and there were some surprises that I didn't see coming. So, if you've read this review and still want to see "Wolf Creek", you'll probably like it.

Silent Hill

I haven't seen this movie, but my friend Krysten went to see it Friday. And this morning, we traded IMs about the flick. Here is our exchange, in which she succinctly states her opinion in her opening message:

Krysten: Silent Hill - SUCKED
Daniel: Really?
Daniel: That's the word I'm hearing.
Krysten: Oh it was bad - wait till i tell you.
Krysten: Sooooooooooooo bad
Krysten: The theater was laughing - and it wasn't a comedy/horror.
Krysten: You're gonna love this...
Krysten: There was this scene when she's trying to get through the bowels of the hospital to save her daughter...
Krysten: and she has to get past these mummy-like creatures...
Krysten: there's a whole troop of them.
Krysten: But apparently, they only come alive when there's light shined on them...
Krysten: so to test this theory, she shines a light on them...
Krysten: and the camera angle is straight on this group of zombie/mummy things...
Krysten: and all at once they start twitching and walking - in unison - towards her - and the camera...
Krysten: [My friend] rob & i both turn to each other and say: "Thriller video!"
Daniel: Nice.
Krysten: And the theater is laughing - it SO looked like the thriller video - it was pathetic.
Krysten: It was so obvious...
Krysten: The dialoge sucked ASS
Krysten: There was some cool death by barbed wire at the end - but not worth 2 1/2 hours.
Krysten: It was SUCH a disappointment.
Krysten: Towards the beginning of the movie they're discovering all the weird shit in this town..
Krysten: the woman and this female cop she partners up with...
Krysten: so this thing comes out of nowhere and starts lurching toward them...
Krysten: it's nasty...and it's spewing acidic black shit...
Krysten: and the cop is standing there with th gun pointed straight at it...
Krysten: and they just keep watching it in horror...
Krysten: finally like half the audience is like "Shoot the fucking thing already!!!"
Krysten: It was hysterical.
Daniel: lol
Daniel: Standard horror movie stupidity.
Krysten: Oh bad bad bad.
Krysten: I could go on, but why?

There you have it. Good enough for me to know I won't be seeing it.

A History of Violence

Viggo Mortensen stars as Tom Stall, an average Joe, in the perfect marriage, with the perfect family, in the perfect little village, owning the perfect family diner. All is right in Tom's world.

Until, that is, a couple of bad-asses show up to rob his diner, and Tom kicks their collective asses, making him an instant national hero. Now, a Philadelphia mobster (Ed Harris) is knocking on Tom's door, convinced that he is really Joey Cusack, the long-missing brother of a mob boss (William Hurt), wanted for turning on the mob. Hmmmm. Maybe I should put that another way. How about: Wanted for going against the mob. Yeah. That sounds less sexual.

Is Tom really Joey? Is it a case of mistaken identity? Can't tell you. Gotta watch it.

Tom's family's reaction to the ultimate issue - who is Tom Stall - struck me as a little unusual. They seemed too eager to doubt. Especially against the backdrop of the perfect family life they had before that fateful night in the diner.

I liked the character of Jack Stall, Tom's son. I thought Ashton Holmes was decent in the role, although he looked way too old to be playing a high school student. Heidi Hayes played the young daughter, and reminded me why Dakota Fanning remains Hollywood's go-to-girl when in need of a little blonde girl for a movie. Heidi, frankly, sucked.

I really liked the movie, though. Originally a graphic novel, it has some really good fight scenes, although this is not an action movie, but a movie about violence. (I guess the title kinda gives that away, huh?) I have some fundamental questions about the movie, and its outcome, but I can't present them here without giving things away.

Overall, I definitely suggest you rent it. Oh, one other thing: There are some surprisingly graphic sex scenes between Tom Stall and his wife (Maria Bello). So, I guess that's another reason to rent it.

Good movie.

Domino

"Domino" is very loosely based on real-life bounty hunter Domino Harvey, a former model and daughter of actor Lawrence Harvey. The real Domino was on hand during filming, but died of a drug overdose in June 2005 before it was released. No mention of her death is in the film, other than a "In Loving Memory of" tag in the credits.

Domino started out as a decent film - not at all like I expected. But, the chaotic edits and wild jumping back and forth through the chronology of events got a little tiresome. Domino becomes a bounty hunter under the tutelage of Ed Mosbey (Mickey Rourke), and Choco (Edgar Ramirez). Her success as a bounty hunter gets them a TV reality-show pilot, hosted by Beverly Hills 90210's Ian Ziering and Brian Austin Green, playing themselves.

Ian's and Brian's portrayals of themselves are hysterically self-deprecating. They get lap dances, smoke pot, demand that their agents get their careers back on track, and, my favorite, cry like little girls when taken hostage.

The movie as a whole, however, I simply cannot recommend. Well, that may be a little harsh. It's an ok movie. Certainly not great, but nowhere near as bad as, say, Alone In The Dark. If you want to see Keira Knightley naked, then watch it. Otherwise, look elsewhere. There are better movies to rent.