Cast: Kare Hedebrant (Oskar) & Lina Leandersson (Eli)
For complete info, see IMDb's Let the Right One In page.
I doubt I would have known about this movie if a friend didn't tell me I should see it and even if I had found out about it, I probably would have avoided it, since it looks too violent. There were definitely scenes where I wished they were speaking English or Spanish so I could close my eyes and still understand what they were saying, but most of the movie wasn't too gory.
The story of Let the Right One In is very interesting and only overly predictable in one area (which I won't mention). The cast is good and the story of a vampire that concentrates on the issues of trying to exist in society without concentrating on the sexual aspect is refreshing.
I definitely recommend renting Let the Right One In.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2008, drama, fantasy, foreign, horror, movie, sci-fi, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tobin Bell (Jigsaw), Shawnee Smith (Amanda), Donnie Wahlberg (Erid Matthews), Erik Knudsen (Daniel Matthews)
For complete info, see IMDb's Saw II page.
I liked the same thing about this Saw movie that I liked about the original - the mind games aspect of it. I would still prefer that aspect without all the gore, but I know that's pretty rare in a movie. I think Saw II was well done and if you can appreciate the first, the second is almost as good and worth renting.
Grade: B-
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Leigh Whannell (Adam), Cary Elwes (Dr. Lawrence Gordon), Danny Glover (Detective David Tapp), Ken Leung (Detective Steven Sing)
For complete info, see IMDb's Saw page.
I'm normally more of a fan of thrillers than horror films, so when I saw this listed as horror, I had no intention of renting it. Then, a friend whose husband is really into horror films said that this one really wasn't that bad and that it was more of a thriller. Having seen it, I can see why it was labeled a horror film. However, I agree with my friend that it's not that bad of a horror film. There were definitely scenes where I looked away, but overall I thought Saw was a good movie. I even added the sequel, which was also rated highly by my friends, to my Netflix list.
If you're a thriller or horror fan, I think this is something you should rent. Very interesting story, though definitely a bit gruesome at parts.
Grade: B
Labels: 2004, Cary Elwes, crime, horror, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Keanu Reeves (John Constantine), Rachel Weisz (Angela Dodson/Isabel Dodson), Shia LaBeouf (Chas Kramer)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Constantine page.
The cast of Constantine was amazing and the story was good, even for those of us (like me) who haven't read the comic. Not the best movie of the year, but definitely an enjoyable thriller. We saw this with friends after dinner and before drinks and it was worth it.
I'd recommend renting it if you missed it in the theatres, since it's an interesting story about a man (John Constantine) who has really been to hell and back.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2005, action, drama, fantasy, horror, Keanu Reeves, movie, Rachel Weisz, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Wesley Snipes (Blade), Kris Kristofferson (Abraham Whistler), Dominic Purcell (Drake), Jessica Biel (Abigail Whistler), Ryan Reynolds (Hannibal King)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Blade: Trinity page.
I was pretty disappointed with the second Blade movie, so I didn't have high hopes for Blade: Trinity, but I had to see it, since the cast was great and I liked the first one so much - I had to see if they had re-captured the good combination they had in the first movie.
With the addition of Jessica Biel and Ryan Reynolds as Blade's extra side-kicks, I think they did the right thing in Blade: Trinity. The chemistry really worked and this was a fun movie.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2004, action, comics, fantasy, horror, Jessica Biel, movie, thriller, Wesley Snipes
Reviewed by Kat at the 3:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Johnny Depp (Mort Rainey), John Turturro (John Shooter), Maria Bello (Amy Rainey)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Secret Window
I didn't know much about this movie, or I might have been scared away by Stephen King's name. I tend to avoid his movies after Misery really freaked me out. However, Secret Window is not your typical Stephen King movie, so I'm gldad we saw this in a preview.
Of course, I figured out the twist really early in the movie, which was entertaining, since the guy next to me thought his friend had figured it out early and he figured it out only about 5 minutes before they really blatantly spelled it out for you.
Although the special effects were unfinished, I enjoyed this thriller. It wasn't all that scary, since I figured it out early, but I imagine if you're not trying to figure it out or just don't have as much luck figuring it out, it would be a bit more suspenseful. Still a very entertaining movie. Of course, I like Johnny Depp, so I'd see him in almost anything.
Grade: B
Labels: 2004, drama, horror, Johnny Depp, Maria Bello, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: John Cusack (Ed), Ray Liotta (Rhodes), Amanda Peet (Paris)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Identity page.
I really enjoyed this movie. It was interesting till the end, even though I had figured it out by then. The cast is great and the story twists around enough to keep you wondering why all these strangers have been brought together at this one motel.
John Cusack is always a great actor, but I thought this showcased his talents very well.
Grade: B+
Labels: 2003, Amanda Peet, drama, horror, John Cusack, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:00 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Wesley Snipes (Blade/Eric Brooks/'The Daywalker'), Kris Kristofferson (Abraham Whistler), Ron Perlman (Reinhardt), Leonor Varela (Nyssa)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Blade II page.
In the second Blade movie, Blade forms an alliance with the vampire council to combat the reaper vampires who feed on vampires. Not as good as the first movie, which is to be expected, but I really enjoyed this story and think that they did a good job of making Blade II interesting and action-packed. I definitely recommend renting it if you enjoyed Blade.
Grade: B
Labels: 2002, action, comics, horror, movie, thriller, Wesley Snipes
Reviewed by Kat at the 9:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Aaliyah (Queen Akasha), Stuart Townsend (Lestat de Lioncourt), Marguerite Moreau (Jessica 'Jesse' Reeves)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Queen of the Damned page.
As a lover of Anne Rice's books, I had high hopes for this one. I know many weren't impressed with Interview with the Vampire, but I enjoyed it. I think Queen of the Damned could have been better done and perhaps I didn't need to rush to the theatre to see it like I did, but I still enjoyed it. Overall, they stuck to the same story that I love. Sure, there were changes made. There are always changes when a beloved book moves to the big screen. I think they did a pretty good job with this one, in spite of the fact that (as with any book one loves) some of the changes bothered me.
Worth the rental, but not rushing out to go see it.
Grade: B-
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Brendan Fraser (Richard 'Rick' O'Connell), Rachel Weisz (Evelyn Carnahan O'Connell/Princess Nefertiri), John Hannah (Jonathan Carnahan), Arnold Vosloo (High Priest Imhotep)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Mummy Returns page.
I enjoyed The Mummy Returns more than the first movie. I wouldn't have chosen to see this if it wasn't important to a friend that he see it in a movie theatre, but I'm glad I saw it on a big screen. The special effects were improved and the story interested me more this time around.
I definitely recommend renting this if you can't catch it on the big screen. I was pleasantly surprised by it.
Grade: B-
Labels: 2001, action, adventure, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, fantasy, horror, movie, Rachel Weisz, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 8:10 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Steve Zahn (Fuller Thomas), Paul Walker (Lewis Thomas), Leelee Sobieski (Venna), Jessica Bowman (Charlotte)
For complete info, see IMDb's Joy Ride page.
Kids who play with a trucker on their CB radio end up needing to escape him when he turns out to be a killer. Since we saw this before it was finalized and they spent a lot of time retooling it, I was wondering if it would be any good. I enjoyed this thriller, though. It kept me on edge a lot more than I anticipated given what I knew about it going in and how long they'd been working on it. The cast was good and the comic moments were very well timed. If you like thrillers with a good comic spin, I think this is a good movie to rent. I really enjoyed it.
Grade: B
Labels: 2001, action, horror, movie, Paul Walker, Steve Zahn, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Shannon Elizabeth (Buffy Gilmore), Carmen Electra (Drew Decker), Marlon Wayans (Shorty Meeks), Dave Sheridan (The Killer/Doofy Gilmore)
For complete info, see IMDb's Scary Movie page.
I probably would have enjoyed this movie more if I'd seen more of the movies it was based on. I enjoyed the 3rd much more than the first, since I had seen more of the movies that one was based on. I haven't seen some of the scary movies and have no desire to see them...
I enjoyed the Wayans brothers humor to a point. As usual, they went over the edge too many times and got me to the point where I was ready for the movie to be over. I'd say this is worth renting unless you've seen all the movies it's based on or love the Wayans brothers, then you should probably see it in a theatre.
Grade: B-
Reviewed by Kat at the 2:25 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: David Arquette (Dwight 'Dewey' Riley), Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courteney Cox Arquette (Gale Weathers), Patrick Dempsey (Det. Mark Kincaid)), Liev Schreiber (Cotton Weary)
For complete cast, see IMDb's Scream 3 page.
Definitely not as good as Scream & Scream 2, but still well worth seeing. I'm glad I saw it in theatres. Wes Craven rarely disappoints me and although this movie wasn't quite as interesting as the first two, it was still very well done!
In the first movie, they talked about what not to do in scary movies, the second movie they talked about sequel no-no's and Scream 3 addresses the things you should never do in a trilogy. All of this makes you laugh. I think that the main difference in the final chapter of the trilogy is that Scream 3 didn't make me scream as much as the first two did.
Still very entertaining, though, and worth seeing.
Grade: B
Labels: 2000, comedy, horror, Liev Schreiber, movie, mystery, Patrick Dempsey, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:05 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Johnny Depp (Constable Ichabod Crane), Christina Ricci (Katrina Anne Van Tassel), Miranda Richardson (Lady Mary Van Tassel), Michael Gambon (Baltus Van Tassel)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Sleepy Hollow page.
I really enjoyed this Tim Burton movie. I like the story of Sleepy Hollow and I love the way Tim Burton presented it! In Sleepy Hollow, we get to see Ichabod Crane's back story, which is very a great touch. Danny Elfman's music adds the perfect touch to the amazing cast and great scenic design and lighting.
If you like dark stories and are at all interested in the story behind Sleepy Hollow or Tim Burton movies, this is a must see!
Grade: B+
Labels: 1999, Christina Ricci, fantasy, horror, Johnny Depp, movie, thriller, Tim Burton
Reviewed by Kat at the 12:55 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Brendan Fraser (Richard 'Rick' O'Connell), Rachel Weisz (Evelyn Carnahan), John Hannah (Jonathan Carnahan), Arnold Vosloo (High Priest Imhotep)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's The Mummy page.
When the previews for this started, I thought this might be based on Anne Rice's book, but by a little bit into the first preview I realized this wasn't the case - what a bummer. That book would make a great movie. In any case, the movie looked very interesting and I still looked forward to seeing it and the special effects in a movie theatre.
The Mummy is a fun action/adventure movie, which manages to keep you jumping (or at least it did me). This is definitely no Indiana Jones, but it's worth seeing.
Grade: C+
Labels: 1999, action, adventure, comedy, fantasy, horror, movie, Rachel Weisz, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 1:40 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Wesley Snipes (Blade/Eric Brooks/'The Daywalker'), Stephen Dorff (Deacon Frost), Kris Kristofferson (Abraham Whistler), N'Bushe Wright (Dr. Karen Jenson)
For complete cast info, see IMDb's Blade page.
I think this was a very well adaptation of the Blade story, though I'm only a fan of Blade in the cartoons, so I can't say how it compares to the comic books as much.
I was very surprised by how many children (very young kids) were in this movie with us. Many of them were clearly horrified by what they were seeing. Some children cope well with fake violence, many don't. It seems a lot of people thought "Hey, this is based off a comic book character, it must be for kids" without doing any research. Even the opening scenes are very bloody and not for most young children.
Wesley Snipes and the rest of the cast do a great job (and Wesley Snipes looks amazing!). I would definitely see Blade sequels, if they made any.
Grade: B+
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:35 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: David Arquette (Dwight 'Dewey' Riley), Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courtney Cox (Gale Weathers), Sarah Michelle Gellar (Casey 'Cici' Cooper), Jamie Kennedy (Randy Meeks)), Liev Schreiber (Cotton Weary)
For complete info, see IMDb's Scream 2 page.
Clearly, there was no way that Scream 2 could live up to Scream. I still enjoyed it - especially since I didn't get to see the original in a movie theatre. I liked that in the first movie they concentrated on the rules of horror films and in Scream 2 they concentrate on the rules of sequels. Wes Craven really does a great job with the comedy/horror genre!
Grade: B
Labels: 1997, comedy, horror, Liev Schreiber, movie, mystery, Sarah Michelle Gellar, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:20 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: David Arquette (Deputy Dwight 'Dewey' Riley), Neve Campbell (Sidney Prescott), Courtney Cox (Gale Weathers), Jamie Kennedy (Randy Meeks), Skeet Ulrich (Billy Loomis), Rose McGowan (Tatum Riley), Matthew Lillard (Stuart Macher), Liev Schreiber (Cotton Weary)
For complete info, see IMDb's Scream page.
Having finally seen Scream, I really wish I had seen it on the big screen. I thought it would be a bit too much for me that way, but this amazing parody of slasher films was hilarious. The body count was still high, but Scream is such a funny movie that you can forget that at times. The fact that this movie makess fun of a whole genre while still being a part of that genre is wonderful! And who would have ever guessed Drew Barrymore would play that part? I won't say more in case you've missed this gem, but I was really surprised. Such a great move on her part! If you somehow managed to miss this great movie (as I did), you must go see it! Rent it, turn out all the lights, and enjoy!
Grade: A-
Labels: 1996, comedy, Drew Barrymore, horror, Liev Schreiber, movie, mystery, thriller
Reviewed by Kat at the 7:30 PM show | 0 screams
Cast: Tom Cruise (Lestat de Lioncourt), Brad Pitt (Louis de Pointe du Lac), Kirsten Dunst (Claudia), Stephen Rea (Santiago), Antonio Banderas (Armand), Christian Slater (Daniel Malloy)
For complete info, see IMDb's Interview with the Vampire page.
The funniest thing (as a huge Anne Rice fan now, who hadn't read a book until she saw the movie was about to come out and then started reading) about this movie is that so many people complained about the casting of Tom Cruise as Lestat and almost no one complained about the casting of Antonio Banderas as Armand. I find this so interesting! I think that Tom Cruise did a wonderful job as Lestat, though he might not have been my first choice.
When I've discussed the casting of Antonio Banderas with friends, they've pointed out that in the first book (which this movie is based on), the reader doesn't know Armand's age. While that is true, since Armand is a vampire, he can't age and when we find out in the second book that he's a young teen when he's made into a vampire, he would have to be a young teen in the first book, and therefore the movie.
That being said, I still think that they did a very good job making Interview with the Vampire a movie. Of course, unlike most movies Anne Rice was allowed to write the screenplay for Interview with the Vampire, which certainly helped!
Grade: B+
Labels: 1994, Antonio Banderas, Brad Pitt, Christian Slater, drama, fantasy, horror, Kirsten Dunst, movie, Tom Cruise
Reviewed by Kat at the 4:10 PM show | 0 screams