Bridesmaids (2011)

Bridesmaids

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Director : Paul Feig

Writers : Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig

Actors : Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Chris O'Dowd, Jill Clayburgh and others...

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Overall : 8.5/10

Direction : 8.0/10

Acting : 8.5/10

Cinematography : 8.0/10

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Let me end the debate here and now : Bridesmaids is better than the Hangover trilogy.
YES, you read this right.

It has something for everyone, boasting an acceptance among girls and boys, the ladies and the gentlemen alike : something that the Hangover movies were not able to generate.

The plot is deceptively simple but laced with humour. Even the most common of scenes in the movie have an unspoken comic element about them. Kristen Wiig is talented and everyone knew that, but this script confirms her position as the comic lady who could someday become better than her ex-boss Tina Fey.

SNL people sure have a lot to offer.

Bridesmaids revolves around the pre-wedding stages of a certain Miss Lillian Donovan (Maya Rudolph) and the constant clash of egos between Lillian's best friend and maid of honour Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig), and her fiance's boss' wife Helen Harris III (Rose Byrne). Melissa McCarthy as Megan, Lillian's mysteriously weird future sister-in-law, is the pick of the lot. Her expressions in the movie are to die for and one can see how she was nominated for an Oscar in the capacity of a Supporting Actress.

The direction is nothing exceptional but it is able to do justice to the superbly authored script.
Maybe that's where The Hangover - Part I edges past it.

Nonetheless, this is one movie where you would definitely be flaunting a smile on your face the entire time.

The cameo by Jon Hamm as Ted, a self-absorbed sexual animal, is a nice touch to the movie. Wiig is true to her role of a damsel in distress, with her bakery shut down and her non-reciprocating boyfriend Ted. However, the manner in which she is saved by a traffic officer Nathan Rhodes (Chris O'Dowd) is a tad bit predictable. Their chemistry, while not the best part of the movie, is enough to keep you interested. 

All in all, it is a good movie with clear-cut intentions to make you laugh. It never tries too hard.
It doesn't need to.


PS : Wait for sometime after the credits start rolling. McCarthy has a "treat" in store for you!

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Official Trailer

Witness For The Prosecution (1957)

Witness For The Prosecution

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Director : Billy Wilder

Adapted from : Witness for the Prosecution - a play by Agatha Christie, with screenplay by Billy Wilder.

Actors : Tyrone Power, Charles Laughton, Marlene Dietrich, Elsa Lanchester, John Williams (II), Ian Wolfe, Henry Daniell, Norma Varden and others...

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Overall : 8.5/10

Direction : 8.5/10

Acting : 8.5/10

Cinematography : 8.0/10

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Billy Wilder is GOD.

That is neither an understatement nor an exaggeration. It's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Witness For The Prosecution is a masterpiece of the Golden Age of Hollywood. The dialogues are something to be treasured. The performances are so memorable that you're left wishing for the opportunity to have been born during such a glorious era.

Billy Wilder knows the pulse of his audience and does much to test it at every turn. Agreed that this was not an original screenplay, the material being adopted from Agatha Christie's wonderfully crafted play of the same name, but, notwithstanding, Wilder deserves full credit for bringing to screen one of the most exceptional stories of all times. And with such wicked ease...

Sir Wilfrid Robarts, played by the immeasurably talented Charles Laughton, is a very experienced barrister, who is not in the prime of his health - however, as soon as he is discharged from the hospital, he craves for cases that his nurse (Elsa Lanchester) classifies as being of the stimulating nature.

But the man is helplessly drawn into the particularly interesting case of a certain Leonard Vole (Tyrone Power), partly because of the cigars that the deal had in store for him, and partly because of the case's simple, yet challenging, nature. Vole is accused of murdering Ms. Emily French (Norma Varden) and the fact that he is later revealed to be the main beneficiary of her will doesn't make matters look any good.

Having heard Vole's side of the story and to establish his alibi on the night of the murder, Robarts has a very uncomfortable encounter with a rather cold Christine (Marlene Dietrich), who is Vole's German wife - through a flashback scene, you're shown that Vole had a romantic encounter with her whilst stationed in Germany during the War.

As time passes, things go out of hand, there is a lot of court-room drama, statements are made, and then retracted - this flick has it all. The twist at the end is something I had guessed - or, at least, a part of it anyway.

But, the fact that you may just decipher some of the codes before the last frame is shot shouldn't be the thing worrying you - the meticulous direction, a crisp screenplay and the sublime performances will be more than sufficient to make up for it.

This is one Billy Wilder movie which you shouldn't miss.


PS : Don't think for a second that this is Wilder's best work. Double Indemnity and The Apartment are on a completely separate level. Reviews coming up soon! Till then wilder away!

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Eastern Promises (2007)

Eastern Promises

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Director : David Cronenberg

Writer : Steven Knight

Actors : Viggo Mortensen, Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahland and others...

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Overall : 5.5/10

Direction : 5.5/10

Acting : 6.0/10

Cinematography : 5.5/10

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Eastern Promises is nothing more than a bravely foolish attempt at creating the never-needed Russian version of The Godfather.

You have an old patriarch at the head of the business, one hot-headed son and an budding mafia leader in the making. The ingredients are there to be fused together. The ultimate dish, though, disappoints.

The plot is alright for a mafia movie, that much I should clarify. The execution? Not even close.

Cronenberg was obviously of the opinion that more blood and gore will add a touch of realism to the movie. In fact, the beginning of the movie has as much blood-spilling as that in Saw or Grudge. Repulsive nature of some of the scenes aside, there is not much of note in this bland flick.

The director's mediocrity filters down to the cast.

The actors are nowhere near their potential. Normally, a cast featuring Naomi Watts and Viggo Mortensen would have taken my breath away. Quite to the contrary, their dull and listless performances end up making something impossible, possible - they kill an already dead movie.

The plot isn't even worth discussing. For all of you who have seen The Godfather trilogy, this will be a very, very dismal affair.

Just for the sake of discussing this piece of almost worthless art, the story revolves around the death of a underage prostitute, whose baby is delivered by the midwife Anna Khitrova (Naomi Watts). She also finds a diary on the dead girl, which leads her to the Trans-Siberian Restaurant owned by Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahland). Little does she realise at that point of time that she had walked into the lion's den - that Semyon was an old and respected vor of the Russian Mafia. Things go out of hand when the undertaker Nikolai Luzhin (Viggo Mortensen) and the son of Semyon, Kirill (Vincent Cassel), get involved.

The flick then moves at a glacial pace, till a small surprise towards the end. However, I was too disoriented by then to even acknowledge the sudden change of direction.

Honestly put, you can miss this one. No one will kill you for it.

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Official Trailer

Se7en (1995)

Se7en

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Director : David Fincher

Writer : Andrew Kevin Walker

Actors : Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, (plus one) and others...

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Overall : 10/10

Direction : 8.5/10

Acting : 9.0/10

Cinematography : 9.0/10

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Se7en is perfection, personified.

David Fincher is one of my favourite directors. With the kind of command he possesses over the art of story-telling, Fincher creates a classic with this venture. Crime thrillers come and go, but this movie will stick with you.

The actors are a class apart. Morgan Freeman, as the almost retired detective William Somerset, and Brad Pitt as his young protege David Mills, are absolutely phenomenal. Dark and gritty, once his movie gets hold of you, it never lets go.

The crux of the story is this : there is a serial killer named 'John Doe' on the loose and Somerset, who still has a week before he hangs up his boots, pairs up with the guy who has been called in to replace him - David Mills. The duo are like fire and ice. Somerset is the anchor, and Mills is the engine. Mills also brings his wife Tracy (Gwyneth Paltrow) to the city, acknowledging that this opportunity to tackle big cases would be a boost to his career. Sometime later in the movie, the three have dinner together and Somerset exhibits paternal instincts towards the simple Tracy, who is like the daughter he had always wanted.

Meanwhile, the killer is staging ghastly murders, all in connection with the Seven Deadly Sins. The duo come very near to catching that psychopath, but fail by an excruciatingly thin margin.

In a scene towards the end of the movie, Tracy meets up with Somerset to ask if it would be wise to bring a baby into this world - she reveals that she was pregnant. Uncertain of the city and his dark secrets, she needed the older man's approval before telling her husband.

The conclusion to the movie is so ethically revolting and so unpredictably delicious that you'll be stuck in a dilemma - whether to smile at the amazing anti-climax, or pause for a second, and soak up the gravity of the situation.

Keep a look out for the "plus one" I have listed in the cast above. To keep the intrigue going, even Fincher had not included the actor's name in the movie's opening titles, only to list the man twice in the closing credits.

After all, who are we to tamper with this gory masterpiece?

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Hotel Transylvania (2012)

Hotel Transylvania

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Director : Genndy Tartakovsky

Writers : Todd Durham, Daniel Hageman and Kevin Hageman

Voices : Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Fran Drescher, Steve Buscemi, Molly Shannon, David Spade, Cee Lo Green and others...

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Overall : 7.0/10

Direction : 7.5/10

Animation : 7.0/10

Story : 7.5/10

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Certain ideas defy logic. They are a whole new level of crazy.
Hotel Transylvania has one such idea behind it's inception : "even monsters need a vacation!"

I'm an admirer of the animation genre, and this movie does justice to it. Adam Sandler lends his American voice to the Italian Dracula, who, to celebrate his daughter's (Selena Gomez) 118th birthday, invites some of the most prominent monsters to his five-star resort, where they can spend their leisure time without worrying about the human civilization's war against them.

Awesome, right?

The entry of the myriad monsters into the Hotel is one of the best scenes in the movie. Frankenstein (Kevin James) and his haughty wife (Fran Drescher), Murray the Mummy (Cee Lo Green), Wane and Wanda Werewolf (Steve Buscemi and Molly Shannon), the Invisible Man (David Spade) and the Bigfoot - all make appearances! It's like having your worst nightmares come true, only to realise how non-scary these clowns actually were.

Some of you might have guessed the twist in the movie by now - yes, a HUMAN (and a wacky one at that) named Jonathan (Adam Samberg), unknowingly waltzes into the Hotel. It triggers off a series of hilarious events, with Dracula trying his best to keep the secret under wraps and convince everyone (with the help of a LOT of makeup) that the boy is a long-lost relative of Frankenstein.

Towards the end, I felt that the movie had strayed away from its path, or perhaps become too slow for my taste. However, that special number by all the monsters, at the very end, is a treat that you'll cherish.

This is the first ever feature film to be directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. Samurai Jack and Dexter's Laboratory were his creations. Those two names should be reasons enough for you not to miss the movie. As it is, not many flicks released nowadays are suitable for family viewing.

So, why waste this wonderful opportunity?

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Official Trailer

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower (2012)

The Perks Of Being A Wallflower

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Director : Stephen Chbosky

Adapted from : The Perks Of Being A Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Actors : Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd and others...

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Overall : 8.5/10

Direction : 8.5/10

Acting : 8.0/10

Cinematography : 8.0/10

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I haven't read the book this flick's adapted from. What I have done is watched the movie, directed by the writer of the book - and for a newcomer, Stephen Chbosky has nailed it. Well, almost.

It is a story of innocence lost, found, and lost again, till it is finally regained for good at the end of the movie. Charlie (Logan Lerman) is a high school freshman, who is too introverted; his deep-seated insecurities are a source of his shyness. Unable to make friends easily, he ends up meeting Patrick, a senior, played beautifully by Ezra Miller, in his workshop class. Later they even run into each other during a football game. Patrick introduces Charlie to his step-sister, Sam (Emma Watson) and Charlie is smitten by her. Obviously, he keeps his feelings to himself, as per his nature.

Meanwhile, a "Oh Captain, My Captain" kind of relation is forged between Charlie and his English teacher (Paul Rudd), with the latter trying his best to bring out the writer in the talented boy. Even Charlie holds his educator in high esteem.

Charlie, as time progresses, develops quite the social reputation, although he sulks quietly in the harsh reality that Sam was with someone else. To add to his difficulties, he even learns that Patrick is gay, and proudly so. There is a lot of psychological drama that goes on till the very end - something unexpected about Charlie's past is also revealed. 

The acting is quite good. Undoubtedly, Ezra Miller is the star of the movie. The problem with acting gay is that actors tend to go quite over the top - acting homosexual often turns into a charade. But, with Ezra, it is a smooth flow. His character is the highlight of the movie.

There is a scene in the movie where Charlie says, "We accept the love we think we deserve." I think this movie deserves a lot.

To all my fellow Wallflowers out there, don't dare miss this!



PS : I'll read the book as soon as I can! You should do the same.

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Official Trailer

Argo (2012)

Argo

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Director : Ben Affleck

Adapted from : The Master of Disguise by Antonio J. Mendez and The Great Escape by Joshuah Bearman

Actors : Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, Alan Arkin, John Goodman and others...

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Overall : 8.0/10

Direction : 8.0/10

Acting : 7.5/10

Cinematography : 9.0/10

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Ben Affleck is the man of the moment. Argo is has been nominated for a whooping 7 Oscars this year, including the Best Picture and Film Editing. The movie has already brought Affleck a Golden Globe for Best Director (Motion Picture).

Argo is not your simple edge-of-the-seat thriller. It is much more than that. It is a case study of nationalism, extremism and last, but not the least, the power of cinema (howsoever fake it gets). No wonder the Oscar committee loved it.

The movie revolves around the very famous escape of 6 American diplomats stuck in Iran and the out-of-the-freaking-world thinking behind the successful operation to rescue those six souls. For those of you who don't know much about this crisis, the gist is as follows : Iran overthrew the puppet Prince installed by the States, there was a revolution, the mob attacked the US Embassy in Iran and an unprecedented number of Americans were held hostage there. Only the six mentioned above could manage to escape to the Canadian Ambassador's house in Iran, living in fear and the constant threat of bloody deaths.

Affleck directs with honesty, capturing the tension between the two countries (America and Iran) in a very matter-of-fact way. There is something darkly comic about the entire movie - the shift from the extravagance of Hollywood to the public hanging of Americans in Iran is sudden; almost as if it's thrust in your face, to put you out of your comfort zone. The sweet contradiction between the two faces of the US, one, all shining and bright, and the other, at the mercy of revolutionaries, is smartly depicted.

The acting lets down the movie a bit. I can think of a number of actors who could have been perfect for some of the roles.

However, I won't be shocked if Argo ends up winning 'THE' Oscar. It's good enough for that coveted statuette.

Maybe that's how Affleck is compensated for not getting the much deserved Best Director nod by the judges. 

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Official Trailer

It's Kind Of A Funny Story (2010)

It's Kind Of A Funny Story

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Directors : Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Adapted from : It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini

Actors : Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts, Viola Davis, Zach Galifianakis others...

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Overall : 8.0/10

Direction : 9.0/10

Acting : 8.0/10

Cinematography : 8.5/10

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Okay, I have a confession to make. I had watched this movie a year ago. I had started at 4 in the night, and despite the fact that I was dead tired, I couldn't stop.
You should also know that I was to take a very important science paper the following morning.

It's Kind Of A Funny Story is a feel-good movie. There is something here that every teenager can connect to : be it the pressure of the school assessments and projects, the suppressed feelings for your best friend's girlfriend (believe me, it happens to many) or the need to be the center of attention - this flick has it all.

People who love Zach, The Comedian, will be blown away by his performance in this movie. He plays the role of a depressed husband so well, that at times you feel he is catching emotions out of thin air. Really, he is THAT good. There is nothing but honesty to his performance.

Emma Roberts is quite the splitting image of her aunt. She is as raunchy as the Pretty Woman and as cute as the Runaway Bride. Emma's natural charm is a constant reminder of her talented gene pool. In a nutshell, she's a young Julia Roberts in the making.

But, it is Keir Gilchrist who steals the show with his solemn depiction of a troubled teenager.

The gist of the story is this : Craig Gilner (Keir) is a 16 year old boy, who feels like the all the weight of the world is upon his shoulders. Suffocated to the very core, this suicidal teen checks himself into a hospital, before he ends up doing something stupid. There, he meets Bobby (Zach) and Noelle (Emma), and the trio have some of the most normal experiences of their life in the most unorthodox of places.

The end to this story is sublimely filmed. Kudos to the directors for putting forward their best work since Half Nelson.


PS : This is more of a DISCLAIMER kind of thing. If you are a student, you might not wanna study for a long, long time after watching this movie. So, don't watch it just before you're about to take any exam. I had learnt it the hard way. 

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Official Trailer

Silver Linings Playbook (2012)

Silver Linings Playbook

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Director : David O. Russell

Adapted from : Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

Actors : Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher and others...

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Overall : 8.5/10

Direction : 8.5/10

Acting : 8.5/10

Cinematography : 9.0/10

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Generally, when two very hot Hollywood stars get together for a movie, it's either an out-and-out comedy or a point-blank action flick.
Silver Linings Playbook is none.

Those who think Bradley Cooper can't act and gets away with his looks, should REALLY watch this movie ASAP! He is a revelation!

The movie is about a mentally unstable Pat Solitano (Cooper's character), who, after a brief stint of 8 months at the Karel Psychiatric Facility, is allowed to get back to his life, and his family. Upon his arrival back home, he discovers that his wife (who had cheated on him with the history teacher at the school where he taught) has left him. He learns that she was scared by his outburst when he had found her in the shower with another man, and almost beaten the guy to death.

Pat digests the news with some pain and tries his best to get in contact with her, to show her that he is a changed man.

Then, he meets a recovering sex-addict Tiffany, (played by Jennifer Lawrence) whose husband had just died. She vows to get his letters to Nikki (his wife) if he could only do her one small favour : be her partner in a dance competition. Pat agrees reluctantly.

The other characters in the movie are beautifully drawn up, with everyone having his or her own idiosyncrasies, not to mention Pat's dysfunctional family. Pat's father (Robert De Niro) suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Pat's friend at the Facility, who is later discharged (Chris Tucker), was a drug addict, his brother, who is an egotist, and his mother, who remains surprisingly submissive throughout the movie.

Coming to the camera work - it's quite innovative, and the way it's thrust into the face of the actors (at times) makes you feel like you're watching the movie through their eyes. The chaotic nature of this quirky cinema is, therefore, captured well.

Jennifer Lawrence is almost as good as she was in Winter's Bone; she makes you cry and detest her at the same time. De Niro, it goes without saying, is commendable.

Watch the movie to see for yourself how Cooper has left his Hangover days behind him.



PS : People who feel it shouldn't have been nominated for 8 Oscars can go f*** themselves!

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Official Trailer

Django Unchained (2012)

Django Unchained

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Director : Quentin Tarantino

Writer : Quentin Tarantino

Actors : Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington, Samuel L. Jackson others...

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Overall : 7.5/10

Direction : 8.5/10

Acting : 9.0/10

Cinematography : 9.0/10

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Django Unchained is the best Tarantino movie till date. Period.

Pulp Fiction had a better cast. Reservoir Dogs had a better plot. Inglorious Basterds and Kill Bill boasted better cultural fusion.

But Django Unchained is a movie that scores on all fronts. Direction is brilliant, although it gets a tad bit slow towards the end (which, people who have watched the other Tarantino movies, would know is a given). The way the camera zooms in and out of focus is quintessentially Tarantino and it's an authentic Spaghetti Western experience.

The movie traces the journey of a black slave Django (played by Jamie Foxx), who is gifted his freedom by Christoph Waltz's character Dr. King Schultz - a German who claims to be a dentist but actually is a bounty hunter. Schultz wants Django to aid him in identifying the Brittle Brothers, who had a bounty on their heads.

Once the task is done, Schultz realises that Django is a natural shooter and therefore, takes him under his tutelage. The duo spend an entire winter collecting bounties. In the process, they discover that Broomhilda (Django's wife, played by Kerry Washington) has been working in Candyland, Mississippi. The plantation owner is some Calvin Candie (DiCaprio). They formulate a plan to buy a Mandingo fighter from Candie and hence conceal their true purpose - i.e., buying Broomhilda in the process.

But, Stephen (Samuel L. Jackson), Candie's yes man and a loyal head slave, senses something off and ends up discovering the visitors' aim. There is a lot of fighting (blah, blah, blah), people die, and the end is somewhat close to a happily ever after.

Waltz is resplendent as Dr. King. His sophisticated dialogues and refined mannerisms contrast ever so tastefully with his job description - the man should win an Oscar for this one. DiCaprio is, as usual, awesome. Jamie Foxx executes his role with a cool shrug.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (of Inception fame) has said of the film -

"#DJANGO features perhaps the greatest shoot-out scene in the history of american cinema."

I would say he is not completely wrong.

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Official Trailer

Skyfall (2012)

Skyfall

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Director : Sam Mendes

Writer : Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan

Actors : Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris, Bérénice Marlohe and others...

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Overall : 6.5/10

Direction : 7.0/10

Acting : 8.0/10

Cinematography : 7.5/10

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Skyfall begins with a B.A.N.G. - the traditional Bond-movie way. After that, it's a ride downhill...

People who grew up admiring Roger Moore and Sean Connery as the 'original' Bond stars, will find it difficult to associate with this movie. The primary reason being that 007 has actually been portrayed here as a shadow of the agent he used to be. His strength is waning and so is the deftness with which he disposed off his enemies. Like any other Bond flick, he surely comes to save the day - however, you can't help but wonder how much more your beloved hero can take.

The action sequences, which are a very integral part of such movies, are quite satisfying. Weirdly enough, in that bike chase at the start of the film, Bond looks a lot like Tintin going after a treasure.

Judi Dench as M is brilliant as ever. She and Ralph Fiennes (Gareth Mallory), as the new Intelligence And Security Committee Chairman, add a lot of depth to the cast.

The best scene in the movie is surely the first encounter between the so-called villain Silva (an ex-agent, played by Javier Bardem) and Bond. Javier brings a little of Anton Chigurh to his character - his mere presence is enough to keep you glued to the screen.

You must be wondering if all the actors played their parts well, then why the hell did I rate the movie 6.5 out of 10?

Simply because of the plot. It borders on atrocious. Mendes tries his best to lift an average script and make it worthy of a movie that honours the 50th anniversary of Bond films. But he is let down by a thinly-connected narrative.

I kid you not here, but the last scenes of the movie remind you of Home Alone!

Also, it's worth noticing that Mendes tries to make Silva The Joker to his Bond's Dark Knight. But it will be a long time before anyone can even come near to Ledger's phenomenal performance.
A long, long time.

When Silva and Bond meet for the first time in the movie, the latter notes that "Everybody needs a hobby," and then the former goes on to inquire of a captured Bond, what was his. Bond replies - RESURRECTION.

I think the franchise can do with a bit of resurrection now.

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Official Trailer

The Blair Witch Project (1999)

The Blair Witch Project

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Directors : Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez

Writers : Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez

Actors : Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard and others...

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Overall : 8.5/10

Direction : 9.0/10

Acting : 7.5/10

Cinematography : 9.5/10

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For all you Grudge and Saw fans out there, this movie will be boring as hell. Watch it at your own risk.

However, for people who enjoy a good horror flick (read : people with some intellect) and can do without the unnecessary blood and gore, The Blair Witch Project will be an exhilarating cinematographic experience.

First things first. The movie has been shot with a handy-cam. Yes, you read it right. A freaking handy-cam! It is this deliberate amateur recording that adds to the movie's eeriness. The directors are careful not to make it too disorienting. The balance is just perfect.

This horror ride is about 3 film students - Heather, Michael and Joshua - who set out to make a documentary on the alleged haunting of the woods north of Burkittsville, Maryland (formerly, Blair) by the "Blair Witch," who, as they came to discover from the locals, had apparently coaxed a certain Rustin Parr to murder 7 innocent children. Or so the man had pleaded.

Hence, an impending sense of doom is established pretty early on.

The trio commence with their adventure. They camp on Coffin Rock, where 5 men had been murdered, in the 19th century, for the first night. The next day, they move deeper into the woods and camp near a cemetery. Gradually, an unknown force starts following them, triggered by what I believe is to the Mike's fault : he had accidentally disturbed a cairn at the cemetery.

The fiercely uncanny and frightening howls they hear the second night prompt them to abandon the project. Thus begins the race for survival...

The novice actors do justice to the script. Their performances are smart, crisp and very much real. You don't feel for a second that they are faking their fear.

I will reveal no further. The end is as good as they come. It leaves you all cramped up, trying to shake off those goosebumps you didn't even realise you had.

Watch it for the direction and the dedication of the actors involved. Not many independent films have a cult following.

PS : Don't mind that Heather received a Razzie nomination (and won) that year. She was decent enough in the movie. Screw those who want a dumb blonde in every horror flick! The genre deserves (and needs) more movies like this.

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Official Trailer