a kiss before dying (1956)

"I had such plans."
Bud (Robert Wagner) is confronted with his girlfriends desire to get married, after she discovers she is pregnant. He goes along with her plans, but we know he has other ideas. When her sister dies, can Ellen (Virginia Leith) find out the truth of her supposed suicide.
Focusing wholly on Bud takes the suspense out of what could have been an effective detective thriller. What we end up with is ok, but it's a film where details, that could have been explored, (such as Buds war experiences), are skimmed over rather than developed.

scary movie 4 (2006)

"We caught a lot of fish."
Riffs on Saw, Brokeback Mountain, The Grudge, Dark Water, but mostly the remake of War of the Worlds, as Zucker again helms the series, and delivers another entertaining, though by no means hilarious movie.

the children (2008)

"They're monsters."
Two sisters meet up for Christmas. One seemingly having the perfect family. The other, a family full of problem, a rebellious teenager, a clingy child, and the youngest, introverted, uncommunicative and sickly. But soon the children start acting up and complaining of feeling ill...
Develops the theme that children can cynically manipulate their parents to a whole nother level. Slow to build the atmosphere, as it spends its time on character development, but then the switch is flicked and its none stop gore. Interesting film, that is entertaining, without being gripping.

trollhunter (2010)

"Do you think Michael Moore gave up after his first try?"
Some media students decide to make a documentary about a bear poacher (Otto Jespersen), or so they think, but as they track him they realise his quarry is not a bear after all...
Done in a pseudo documentary style, this is an effective and engaging thriller, that has its flaws, but remains a entertaining ride.

below (2002)

"A submarine isn't a good place to keep secrets."
WWII, and an american sub picks up some british survivors from a u-boat attack, but when the crew see one is a woman, they start feeling uneasy. Then strange things start to occur...and history comes back to haunt them.
Well made suspense thriller, that lacks the claustrophobia one would expect from being set on such a cramped place.

scary movie 3 (2003)

"I've got a dream...to have a dream."
This time the comedy franchise ditches most of the characters from the first two films, and sets its sights on The Ring, Sixth Sense, Eight Mile, and Signs amongst others.
With Zucker at the helm the series becomes less frat-boy in its humour, as he brings his experience as director of Airplane and the Naked Gun series to bear.

lake placid (1999)

"They conceal information like that in books!"
Something is lurking in the waters of a remote lake, and it turns out to be a giant crocodile. Enter Sheriff Keough (Brendan Gleeson), to oversee the investigation, with experts Jack Wells (Bill Pullman), Kelly Scott (Bridget Fonda) and Hector Cyr (Oliver Platt), who sarcastically barb at each other whilst trying to find the pesky varmint.
Thriller, that plays the comedy card well, creating four characters that bounce off each other, making what could have been a run of the mill horror, into something a cut above.

scary movie 2 (2001)

"Aww, naw son! NOT A POLTERGEIST!... what's a poltergeist?"
The gang from the first movie all return, this time to a haunted house, and rip the piss out of any number of films and tv ads, from The Haunting, Charlies Angels, and The Exorcist.
Hit and miss teen comedy. fun in parts, though the gay and stoner jokes are starting to wear thin.

how to steal the world (1968)

"you pursue a merciful ideal mercilessly."
Top people in their fields, from scientists to a general (Leslie Nielsen) are disappearing and Kuryakin and Solo (David McCallum and Robert Vaughn) are sent to find out.
Another film cobbled together from two episodes of The Man From UNCLE, namely "The Seven Wonders of the World Affair", a lacklustre effort, revealing the last gasps of a dying franchise.

the last house on the left (2009)

"It's the last house on the left if case you forgot."
A psychotic murderer Krug (Garret Dillahunt), and his gang of misfits, are on the run, but stop long enough to assault and rape two young women. Their car wrecked in an accident, and in need of somewhere to hide, they unwittingly end up at the home of one of their victims. The parents of the girl soon realise the gang are not the family they say they are, and plan their revenge.
What could have been a run of the mill remake, turns out to be a well thought out and crafted film, full of detail, which draws you in. A worthy remake of a classic shocker.

the bulldog breed (1960)

"what! No progress at all?"
Norman tries to commit suicide after losing his girlfriend, and finally at his lowest ebb decides to join the Navy, with inevitable mishaps following on, especially when he's chosen to man the first rocket in space.
Another in the Wisdow formula; accident prone underdog has lots of mishaps, but finally wins through. Fun if you like that sort of thing. Watch out for an early Oliver Reed and Michael Caine walk on's.