Category Archives: Suspense

2008, B-movie, Love Story, Quiet, Sci-Fi, Suspense

The Happening (2008)

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From NetFlix:

When a deadly airborne virus threatens to wipe out the northeastern United States, teacher Elliott Moore (Mark Wahlberg) and his wife (Zooey Deschanel) flee from contaminated cities into the countryside in a fight to discover the truth. Is it terrorism, the accidental release of some toxic military bio weapon — or something even more sinister? John Leguizamo and Betty Buckley co-star in this thriller from writer-director M. Night Shyamalan.

Not all disaster films are created equal. Some are quiet, most are mayhem. Some gore is inevitable. Some end well but lately, in keeping with our current cultural pessimism, most do not end well. Some are isolated (to, say, just the Titanic). Some are global (as in “War of the Worlds”). Some come from an earthly threat as in global warming. Some come from out there somewhere, say an asteroid or nasty aliens.

In “The Happening” we are confronted with a rather quiet, not terribly gory, temporarily unexplained local disaster. Eventually we get an explanation for which you might have to suspend disbelief. But hidden in all the excitement is a love story. Spoilers are not allowed so you will have to watch the film to see who survives (if anyone … wicked laugh to follow).

Congratulations to Mark Wahlberg who does not take his shirt off even once. His acting is acceptable, but the story is better and fairly inventive.

One critic said it best in that this film is a “genuinely enjoyable B-movie for anyone inclined (or able) to see it that way”.

2011, Complicated, Computer geeks, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Explicit sex, Nudity, Occasional gore, Rape, Religious Theme, Sadism, Serial Killer, Suspense, Torture, Violent

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

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From NetFlix:

When a young computer hacker is tasked with investigating a prying journalist, their separate missions become entangled amid a decades-old conspiracy. David Fincher directs this English adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s novel.

By now you have probably read Stieg Larsson’s book (or maybe the entire Millenium trilogy). Because I have done so, I was a little disappointed in some few plot changes. But for the most part the film follows the book.

All the characters are well chosen. Daniel Craig correctly plays an understated Mikael Blomkvist. Blomkvist was equally a calm and quiet character in the Swedish film version. For my tastes Christopher Plummer looked too healthy as Henrik Vanger at the start of the film. But after his heart attack he looked like a tired, sick old man. Yorick van Wageningen is a wonderfully sleazy lawyer who rapes Lisbeth and gets paid back in spades. Stellan Skarsgård is excellently creepy as Martin Vanger.

But in the end the film captures the book well. Enjoy!

2007, Car Chase, Conspiracy, Frenetic, Kidnapping, Mayhem, Suspense, Violent

Vantage Point (2007)

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From NetFlix:

Moments after he arrives in Spain for a landmark antiterrorism summit, U.S. President Ashton is shot. The 15 minutes leading up to the shooting are rehashed — Rashomon-style — from the perspective of various onlookers: two Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid and Matthew Fox), a TV reporter (Sigourney Weaver) and a tourist (Forest Whitaker). This nail-biting political thriller marks the feature directorial debut of Pete Travis.

Essentially a car chase film, this film examines an attempted assassination on the president of the U.S. from the viewpoints of Secret Service agents, news reporter, bystanders, and the assassins themselves. For each viewpoint the story starts over and you get to watch in that participant’s own eyes. Finally there is a long car chase ending in the usual collisions.

Don’t you wonder how they film those chases without anyone actually being hurt ? Here is an article that explains how it is done.

Nail-biters of the world, this film is for you!

2000, British Mystery Series, Could Be Hard To Watch, Detective, Disturbing Image, DO NOT MISS, Drama, Grim, Gritty, Occasional gore, Police Story, Serial Killer, Suspense, TV Series, Violent, Wonderful acting

Without Motive (2000)

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From NetFlix:

Jack Mowbray is a dedicated police officer and a devoted family man. When a vicious serial killer terrorizes Bristol, England, Jack’s obsessive attitude toward the case may nab the culprit while also tearing apart his personal life.

This British TV series comes in 4 discs. Each disc contains 2 episodes. Discs 1 and 2 are one complete story. Discs 3 and 4 are another complete story.

Watching the first story is a bit harrowing. But in fact my experience in general is that British mystery, or suspense, or MI-5 adventures are all tough to watch. Characters get killed. Marriages run into difficulties because of the obsessive attention to crime solving by one of the marriage partners. Some scenes are especially gory. Some characters are really nasty.

Acting in general is almost always professional and wonderful, so much so that British TV of this nature often makes its American counterparts seem weak and tepid.

One example of cringe-worthy acting in story one is the scene in which a Welsh police official is “retired”. You see a tired, stressed, overweight, but not very capable man who has made a muddle of things and mislead the investigation. When he is in an office with two of his superiors and his boss tells him he is off the force, the stream of self-excusing babble that comes out of the poor man’s mouth would embarrass anyone.

Officers come off as crude bullies. In contrast Jack Mowbray is a decent fellow obsessed with finding the serial killer who has moved his killing operations to the very area where Jack lives. Jack’s wife is terrified. Jack’s stressed-out behavior is ugly to watch.

First rate watching if you can stand the tension.

2011, Acceptable Science, Grim, Sci-Fi, Suspense

Apollo 18 (2011)

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From NetFlix:

If you buy in to official statements, Apollo 17 was NASA’s last manned mission to the moon. But what if found footage of a secret Apollo mission that had taken place the following year could prove otherwise — and explain why we haven’t gone back?

Awhile back I reviewed the somewhat claustrophobic film Buried (2010) starring Ryan Reynolds. In some ways this film “Apollo 18” is similar: not only is the interior of the lunar module a bit small but the inhabitants suffer at the hands of their superiors (although you have to watch the film to see what I mean).

Owing to the fact that the film is shot like a very shaky home video, you should not expect clean visuals. Some pieces of the puzzle you will never see clearly.

Good acting enhances this realistic story. However, it is science fiction so you will eventually have to suspend disbelief.

Nothing really special, but it captured my attention.

1982, Could Be Hard To Watch, Disturbing Image, Horror, Occasional gore, Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Violent

The Thing (1982)

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From NetFlix:

Scientists working in Antarctica are forced to abandon their research after a helicopter crashes near their camp, bringing a lone dog into their midst. But the plot thickens when the otherworldly canine changes form in the middle of the night. As it turns out, the dog is a shape-shifting alien that can attack animals — and unsuspecting humans. Kurt Russell stars in this creepy John Carpenter-directed remake of the 1950s classic.

Who knew they had such special (digital ?) effects way back in 1982! After watching the 2011 version of “The Thing”, several of you urged me to see this 1982 version. In fact you had to explain to me why the 2011 version was a prequel to the 1982 version. Answer: the 2011 version gives the origin of the dog that starts the 1982 version.

If I had to prefer one version over the other, I would have to say that 1982 was the better version: the acting was better, the testing for alien versus human was better, the sense of “no way out” was better, and I thought the role of the single female in the 2011 version was a bit weak. We just did not need the professional status competition between the woman and man scientists.

At any rate, the appearance of the Thing in all its gory glory was duplicated in the later version in order to maintain consistency. Lots of juicy gore in both versions might make for a great date movie. Again not for the squeamish.

2011, Could Be Hard To Watch, Disturbing Image, Horror, Mayhem, Occasional gore, Sci-Fi, Suspense

The Thing (2011)

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From NetFlix:

This terrifying prequel to John Carpenter’s 1982 classic of the same name tells the story of a team of Norwegian scientists who find an alien ship frozen in Antarctica. When the organism inside awakens, blood flows across the frozen landscape. Leading the group is pilot Carter (Joel Edgerton), who allies with paleontologist Kate Lloyd (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) in a desperate attempt to rally the paranoid workers to combat the deadly threat.

When I was a mere lad of 12 (in 1951) I went with friends into downtown Baltimore to see
the first edition of “The Thing”. You never saw the alien throughout the film until the very last scene in which they burned it up leaving something resembling a baked potato. During that scene I hid under my coat so that in fact I never saw “The Thing” in all its glory.

In 1982 there was another version which I never saw.

Finally welcome to 2011. With digital enhancement there is no end of the gore you can create. In the last part of this version you get to see two mangled human bodies that have been transformed into a creature that crawls like a spider with tentacles. This is just a warning in case you are a bit squeamish. Don’t you wonder who lies awake at night just dreaming up these visual horrors?

All the cast are male with the exception of one young female scientist who dares to make a counter suggestion to the learned and arrogant lead scientist. Guess what happens!

Not for children and probably not for adults of a certain ripe old age.

Why is this called a prequel ?

2011, DO NOT MISS, Grim, Plot Twist, Suspense, Violent, Wonderful acting

Retreat (2011)

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From NetFlix:

While visiting a remote island, a couple (Cillian Murphy & Thandie Newton) encounters a man (Jamie Bell)– who apparently washed up there — claiming a lethal virus has spread through Europe. The couple must decide whether to trust the stranger and figure out how to survive.

If you can stand the harsh and raw suspense, this film is dynamite. Not only is the acting superb but the plot keeps twisting. Cillian Murphy was the Timekeeper in In Time (2011). Thandie Newton was Makemba ‘Kem’ Likasu in the TV series “ER”.

Today I read an article in the New York Times bemoaning the fact that none of our new lineup of male film stars seem to last. Jamie Bell (who was “Billy Elliot”) did an excellent job in this film. Let’s hope that his career lasts.

Expect a really rough journey and if you can stand it, DO NOT MISS THIS FILM!

2011, Mediocre, Mystery Film, Plot Twist, Psychological Thriller, Supernatural, Suspense, Violent

Dream House (2011)

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From NetFlix:

Daniel Craig plays Will Atenton, a successful businessman who forsakes New York City for the rural pleasures of New England, only to discover that the tranquil abode he’s moved into was the scene of an as-yet-unsolved multiple homicide. Drawn reluctantly into the mystery surrounding the tragic events, Will and his wife (Rachel Weisz) soon begin finding plenty of reasons to worry about their own safety in this psychological thriller.

Another haunted house film ? Not really. In fact the plot twist here is clever and unexpected. Unfortunately the details at the end are easy to miss. For help in this respect see the Wikipedia plot summary. Also our hero gets some ghostly help that just seems like cheating.

Give it a “B”. There are better films out there.

2011, Car Chase, Frenetic, Redemption, Revenge, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Violent

In Time (2011)

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From NetFlix:

In a near future where aging stops at 25, time is the new currency and the wealthy can live forever. When Will Salas inherits decades of life from a wealthy murdered man, he’s pegged as the suspect by the corrupt Time Keepers, who enforce the law.

Each person’s forearm shows how much time that person has to live. You can earn, steal, give, and buy things with time. For me this was a novel theme although the idea has probably been used elsewhere.

Rich people live forever, poor people die young. Probably the plot intends an analogy with the corruption of our current financial world.

Justin Timberlake is convincing as an angry, honest, poor, and of course invincible crusader. Amanda Seyfried is OK as his sparring partner and love interest.

Net Flix got it wrong. The Time Keeper (Cillian Murphy) was un-corruptible to the point of death. But he was misguidedly enforcing a corrupt system. You can watch Cillian Murphy in Retreat (2011) with a wonderful Irish brogue.

Possibly a “B” film but fun anyway!