Meeting Evil

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Luke Wilson, & Leslie Bibb

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Meeting Evil surprised the hell out of me! When I read the description, I wasn't all that interested, but because Samuel L. Jackson was in it, I figured I'd give it twenty minutes or so, and I'm glad I did! This dark, independent, thriller was one of the most edgy, exciting films I've seen all year. Luke Wilson plays John, a man down on his luck. Suddenly, a stranger comes knocking at his door, and that leads to an unbelievable chain of events that ends with a twist that you will never see coming. Jackson is terrific as always, whether he's the good guy or the bad guy, he's always so entertaining and always manages to call someone racist, I love that! As for his co-star, Luke Wilson, I kept waiting for his character to open up, to have some kind of reaction to what was happening, but he doesn't, still his performance was a strong one. What I really liked about this film was how you really didn't know what was going to happen next. It seems like a small thing, but very few films like this go to such extremes and turn out to be so unpredictable. I can honestly say, when that twist was revealed at the end, I almost fell out of my chair. Yes, Meeting Evil is an independent film, but its better than any thriller that's come out this year. The acting is terrific, the story will have you on the edge of your seat, and just when you think you've got it all figured out, you find out that you don't know a thing. This was a tremendous movie that fell way under the radar, but I found it, and you should most definitely check it out for yourself.

Fingerprints

Starring: Leah Pipes, Kristin Cavallari, & Lou Diamond Phillips

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

This movie would have been so much better if they had just focused on the paranormal aspect and turned it into a Sci-Fi thriller, instead of a slasher film. The mystery surround the towns past is truly fascinating, but the accompanying slasher part completely takes away from what is otherwise a very good story. Melanie and her family move from the big city to a small town after a recent tragedy. Once there, Melanie becomes obsessed with a local urban legend and decides to discover the truth behind it with the helps of some ghost children. Leah Pipes gives an absolutely amazing performance as Melanie. I hate it when such a great performance goes to waste because it's in some limit release horror film. I'd never even heard of her before this film, but she was so engaging and really got me into this film. Her sister in the movie is played by Kristin Cavallari, who is possibly the best looking girl I've ever seen. She didn't have as big a role in the movie, but she was so supportive and sweet when everyone thought her sister was crazy. Fingerprints seems like a cheesy b-horror movie, with it's poor cinematography and inexperienced supporting cast, but in reality, it's a fantasy story intermingled with a completely unnecessary secondary plot. I really had a love-hate relationship with this movie, because it could have been so much more than it was.

Adventureland

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, & Bill Hader

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

From the Director who brought us Paul and Superbad, comes Adventureland, which unfortunately is just another predictable, run of the mill comedy. Jesse Eisenberg stars as a kid whose forced to get a summer job at a local amusement park with a wacky cast of characters. Of course the only other normal one working there, just happens to be the girl that he falls for. Bill Hader plays the boss and he should be writing and starring in films like this instead of playing secondary characters. Hader is one of the funniest and most underrated comedians in Hollywood and I can honestly say that he is the only reason to watch this movie, because the rest of the cast is just dull and uninspired. Eisenberg gives another flat and emotionless performance, while co-star Kristen Stewart plays along as if she were still one of the undead. I generally like most of the cast and I thought the story was decent, but overall Adventureland is just another predictable lame duck comedy. It will give you a few laughs, but don't expect too much more.

Fragile

Starring: Calista Flockhart, Richard Roxburgh, & Yasmin Murphy

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

After sitting on the shelve for seven years, Fragile, has finally been released, as part of the Fangoria Frightfest. It's a strange movie that takes place in a decrepit children's hospital off the coast of England. The hospital is about to go out of business, when weird occurrences start taking place, leaving them short staffed. To fill the void, they hire an American nurse who quickly realizes that something at this hospital is very wrong. This film was very creepy, especially at the end, but it wasn't particularly exciting. It's extremely slow moving and tries to make a relevant point, but it's contrary to the whole premise of the film. The tagline states that the dead stay near the things they love, but in this film the dead are terrorizing what they supposedly love. As for the acting, it was pretty good despite the fact that half the cast were just kids. I admit that I did like parts of this movie, but others are extremely weird and disturbing, not to mention I almost fell asleep a couple times. It's not a great film, but it's not the worst I've ever seen.

American Horror Story: Season 1

Starring: Dylan McDermott, Connie Britton, Evan Peters, Taissa Farmiga, Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy, & Denis O'Hare

Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars

American Horror Story is one of the hottest shows on television, but it's origins may surprise you. This innovate, unique drama, has similarities to several different shows, but most closely resembles Tales From The Crypt. Unlike Tales, the American horror stories each last one season instead of one episode. From season to season the story changes as does much of the cast, but one thing remains constant, it has some of the smartest and most daring people behind it. You may know the creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, as the guys who brought you Glee, but American Horror Story couldn't be more different. In this series they show a dark twisted side that they could never get away with on network television. As I said the story changes from season to season, so I can't really do a review of the series, but I can tell you about season one. The first season of American Horror Story introduces us to Los Angeles's famous murder house, which since it's creation, ninety years ago, has known nothing but death and heartache. The house is purchased by Dr. Ben Harmon, who knows nothing of the houses history. Dr. Harmon is moving his family across the country to give them a second chance after mistakes and personal tragedies. The story is gripping and easy to follow, but what I liked more were the flashbacks that told the history of the house and explain all the weird stuff that's happening. While the cast features some very experienced, award winning actors, it's a combination of Jessica Lange and Evan Peters who makes this show what it is. Lange is a veteran actress known more for her roles on the big screen, while Peters only just made an impression on me a couple of years ago in the film Clipping Adam. Their unique yet different styles and personalities are the reason this weird show works. In the same way they are able to connect with every character in the show, they are also able to connect with every member of the audience, and that's why they are two of the three cast members who are back for the new story, Asylum. American Horror Story is not like any other show you've seen on television, in fact, I'm pretty surprised they are able to get away with some of the stuff they are doing. It's hard to find a good TV show based on the Horror genre and when you do it's usually a lame comedy. Shows like the Munsters and the Addams Family are legendary, while shows like Harsh Realm and Freaky Links just fizzled out. American Horror Story is different though, as it's innovative and pushes the limits of what you can do on television. It's a show that is most definitely not for everyone, but if you're a fan of the unusual and tired of things like Twilight and The Walking Dead, that go absolutely nowhere, check out American Horror Story, you should be pleasantly surprised.

Twelve

Starring: Chance Crawford, Emma Roberts, Esti Ginzburg, & Kiefer Sutherland

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Gossip Girl meets Limitless in this clever, fast-paced, independent drama by Joel Shumacher. The story follows Manhattan's elite teenage population and illustrates how even the wealthy aren't immune to the problems of the big city. The film has a ton of characters and is cleverly narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, who helps us keep everything straight. Twelve refers to a new designer drug on the street and the film centers around High School drop out, White Mike (Chance Crawford), who is connected to just about every one. Forced by unforeseen circumstance, White Mike has become their dealer and has all the dirt on these elite people. As for the story, it's a complicated, winding tale, that I honestly found to be intriguing. Crawford is phenomenal as the center piece to everything and finally proves that's he's not just a pretty face. A former model, Crawford has gained popularity as one of the leads in Gossip Girl and it has been said, on more than one occasion, that his looks are the reason, but he proves them all wrong with a gutsy and amazing performance in Twelve. As for the rest of the cast, it's such an amazing random mix of people that you can't help but fall in love with it. In Twelve, there are appearances from everyone from 50 cent to Macaulay Culkin's little brother, Dewey from Malcolm In The Middle, and even Lenny Kravitz's daughter. You never know whose going to show up and what their story might be. Twelve is one of the smartest and most innovative dramas I've seen in years and has earned the rare honor of being called a can't miss film!

Road Kill (2010)

Starring: Xavier Samuel, Sophie Lowe, Bob Morley, & Georgina Haig

Rating: 2 1/2 out of 5 stars

Ever since landing a role in the Twilight movies, Australian soap hunk, Xavier Samuel has been every where! Recently, many films he made back in Australia have been turning up on DVD in the U.S. and Road Kill is one of those films. Picked up as part of the Fangoria Frightfest, Road Kill isn't your typical horror flick. It has it's fair share of gore and beautiful people, but the story is defiantly unique. Four backpackers in the outback get run off the road by a large truck. Unable to go anywhere, they start walking and find the truck abandoned up the road. Since they're stuck in the middle of nowhere, they decide to take it and that's when they start to change. It's not the most original story, but it's not predictable either. Xavier Samuel does a terrific job as the groups leader, trying to make sense of the whole things. Both female leads, Sophie Lowe and Georgina Haig, are also really good. I tend to find in films like this that the girls are super hot, but very rarely can they act, but that's not the case here. Road Kill impressed me, but it's not all good, as parts of it were extremely slow and some of the dialogue was kind of ridiculous. Road Kill's a pretty entertaining film, it's nothing special, but it's not bad either.