Oct 30: A Perfect Getaway

"Two pairs of lovers on a Hawaiian vacation discover that psychopaths are stalking and murdering tourists on the islands."

Directed by: David Twohy, Rated: R, 98 minutes

A Perfect Getaway is a severely underrated thriller. It's a perfect example of how far a great cast and great directing can take a decent script and that the most throw-away ideas can still be suspenseful and entertaining. It's also worth mentioning that even when a movie is sub-par, setting it in a tropical location at least makes the film look nice, and A Perfect Getaway really focuses on the natural elements and actually makes the scenery a part of the story, as opposed to just its backdrop. However, the movie still does suffer at the hands of predictability and the few twists can be seen coming from miles away.

And for the ladies, there's plenty of pre-Thor-but-still-muscular-Thor... if that's what you're into

Newlyweds Cliff (Steve Zahn) and Cydney (Mila Jovovich) are madly in love. For their honeymoon, they head to Hawaii, hoping to take in the romantic sceneary and get away from their rather boring lives. Far from adventurous, Cliff proves to be the "nerd in the wild" and tries his hardest to keep up with his wife. Then the two run into Nick (Timothy Olyphant) and Gina (Kiele Sanchez), two outdoor daredevils that would put Bear Grylls to shame. Also, enter Kale (Chris Hemsworth) and Cleo (Marley Shelton), two free-loving hippies that meet up with the group in the middle of the jungle. It's a rather unusual happenstance that these three different groups run into each other out in the middle of nowhere and it only makes matters worse that a duo of psychopaths are said to be island hopping themselves, murdering people left and right. The main conflict of the story is each couple questioning the other, wondering who is good and who is bad and if any or all of them are in danger.

As they all stare in the right corner, we're left wondering who/what/where is the killer!

A Perfect Getaway is a little tricky to explain without giving much away or at least hinting at the end result. I can't say that the plot is much more involved than the above paragraph but that matters little when you have such a great cast having fun with it all. Each couple feels like a genuinely reel couple you may know in real life or would run into on a vacation and the chemistry between the cast is just as real. It's surprising that such a scrawny, nerdy looking guy like Zahn could be believable as the counterpart to the gorgeous Jovovich, but it really works. Of course, Timothy Olyphant steals every single scene he is in commands the screen with his ridiculously charismatic presence. He has several scenes where it's just him telling a story (that may or may not be the truth) and these monologues prove to be one of the more memorable parts of the film. A Perfect Getaway is a another perfect example of that man's talent and is proof that he deserves to be one of the top leading men in Hollywood. 

Put The Phant in everything!

Along with the acting, director Twohy manages to capture the beauty and the danger of the tropic and the color he pulls out of the locations give A Perfect Getaway a heightened sense of energy. Even if you can predict the twist early on, the entire product is beautiful to look at and really lets you focus on the scenery. As most movies of this kind are more of a reason to get beautiful people to beautiful places to have fun on "vacation" and just filming the flick to make some money, A Perfect Getaway at least tries to be something more, and for that I highly recommend it. It's worth watching for the acting alone and it's great to see so many underrated and underused actors come together for a good looking flick.

The Good:

a great cast that saves the film from decency 

The Bad:

a very, very predictable story that you see coming well beforehand

The Ugly:

realizing that Olyphant and Zahn may never be the household names they deserve to be

7.1/10

Discussion Question:

What actor do you feel deserves more attention than he/she is receiving?

Trailer:

Oct 22: The Crazies

"About the inhabitants of a small Iowa town suddenly plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply."

Directed by: Breck Eisner, Rated: R, 101 minutes

The Crazies is a severely underrated horror movie. It's full of plenty of scares, packed with even creepier situations, and poses many questions as to what should happen under a violent epidemic. Yes, there are parts in the film that don't make sense (when it comes to the army and such), but as an overall movie it's very compelling, very bloody, and very fun. It blends all sorts of sub-genres of horror into a great little flick that really needs more attention.

Zombie, disease, epidemic, thriller, action, horror. It's everything.

David (Timothy Olyphant) is the sheriff of Ogden Marsh, a small town in Iowa. He's the stereotypical little town hero, knowing everyone by name and keeping the quaint little Main Street town quiet and safe. At a baseball game, David notices a man walking onto the field with a shotgun, seemingly ready to kill the little-leaguers or anyone else that gets in his way. He's distraught and looks a little "off" but David believes it to just be alcohol that's gotten the best of him. After the man pulls the gun on the sheriff  David puts him down and panic slowly rises in Ogden Marsh. Soon, more people become more violent, burning houses down and killing each other, even hunting others down as though it's a game. David discovers that something has tainted their water supply, and that a virus has taken over the populous, turning people into quasi-rage zombies, driven by anger and the lust for blood. As the army arrives, David, his wife, Judy (Radha Mitchell), and his deputy, Russell (Joe Anderson) must find a safe haven and escape the "quarantining" the military puts into place as well as the locals that have become mad, seeking to kill anyone in their way. 

Who knew death by pitchfork could be so suspenseful? 

Timothy Olyphant has been an actor I've followed for years and will watch and genuinely love anything he's done. From Deadwood to Justified, the man is really the closest to a modern day cowboy than any other actor, and his grit, humor, and lengthy figure add much to The Crazies, as well as anything else he's in. He's incredibly likable and an immediate hero and seeing him in trouble makes you worried. He's not the kind of guy you want to see killed on screen so seeing him in dangerous makes you panic, even if its just the slightest. Joe Anderson is also a terrific little actor who's fallen into supporting role after supporting role, but taking each of them to places that make him much more memorable than most other actors. The combination between these two leads takes The Crazies to places much higher than most horror movies these days. Along with the acting, the directing is also solid, and Breck Eisner produces a film that's both gritty and bloody and captures the isolation of this small town and the almost hopeless situation the characters find themselves in. 

I cannot fathom why this man is not a bigger star? Seriously people, give this man all of your attention. 

The Crazies is not as much about the pop-out scares as much as it is about the uncomfortable feeling it makes you feel, leaving you uneasy and paranoid. The characters at the center of the film are all strong and very smart, thus incredibly easy to stand behind. You don't want harm to come upon them and when (and if) it does, you worry with them. The movie has a constant sense of dread and you really can't anticipate what will happen next or if anyone is actually safe. It's worth noting that this movie is actually a remake, but just like Dawn of the Dead, it builds on its predecessor, injecting a more modern "juice" and having a fresh take on the subject. I would highly recommend The Crazies. It might make you wonder how far you'd go to save yourself and if you have the balls to cut down your neighbor when they come chasing after you with all sorts of insanity behind their eyes. 

The Good:

smart script (minus a few plot points), plenty of scares, great characters, and even better acting 

The Bad:

the ending has so many holes in it, you can't help but complain... a little

The Ugly:

a semi-realistic look at the paranoia of an epidemic and the lengths the military may go to keep the majority of the country's population safe

7.8/10

Trailer: