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Into The Mirror, a review by Jon

Into The Mirror
2 out of 5

Thanks to Lovemunkey for the recommendation in response to a post about the remake starring Kiefer Sutherland. But on reflection (snigger!), I couldn't see the attraction.

Mysterious deaths threaten the reopening of a shopping centre, closed after an accident the year before. A former detective works as a security guard while trying to come to terms with a past tragedy and believes there is a supernatural element to the killings. His former colleague tries to follow a more conventional explanation and between them they uncover corruption behind the supposed accident.

Lots of fantastic ideas that continually run out of steam. The two deaths early on were promising, but literally nothing happened after to build on them. Especially as I thought it was going to focus more on them having issues with guilt (a metaphor for having to deal with their own ghosts), but that seemed to get left behind and the actual resolution was more contrived or detached.



But whatever the reason, the execution (of the scene and the character!) was excellent. The atmosphere is fantastic, so why wasn't it used more? When the premise suggests "security guard" and "scary mirrors" I thought there might be at least one scene of him wandering around dark, empty corridors after hours with just his torch and reflection for company. Never happened! 

I did like the idea of the split personality theories and obviously a lot of work was put into that angle, but at the end of the day, they were making a horror film and forgot to make it scary. The premise gives the story a huge margin for shocks, but by the end I was sure I was just watching a decent police detective story where someone tried to shoehorn in a supernatural element and really it was just getting in the way. Motivation was weak, resolution weaker.

The final scene encompasses all the problems I had with it. It's creepy and effective, but a step behind the story and it didn't fit in entirely with what happened:
I'm more than willing to accept I've missed the point, leading to my confusion. But that's what second viewings are for and sadly, there wasn't enough going on and the characters were too thin to support putting it on again. I know from the Trailer Park thread that Lovemunkey holds this in very high regard, so I'd love for him to give me a reason for repeats! 

These themes seem to crop up a lot in Korean film. If you like this, I would recommend Some (which resembles this as a detective thriller with a supernatural element) and A Tale of Two Sisters.

Speaking of the trailer for the the remake, after seeing this, I really don't know what to think. Obviously they're increasing the horror, which should make it more entertaining (and Kiefer does seem to be on his own a lot, which as I said before, is surely the point), but the original story did have some substance and strong ideas about dual personalities. In typical Hollywood fashion I can see them turning this into a gore-fest with a really weak reference to duality. Which would be a shame. There's a bloody good film stuck in here somewhere! Romero could have pulled it off, but although I like Aja's version of The Hills Have Eyes, I don't think he has the same touch.

(From Into The Mirror (Geoul Sokeuro) on August 2nd, 2008)

Whip It, a review by Critter

Whip It



Director: Drew Barrymore

Writer: Shauna Cross

Plot: In Bodeen, Texas, an indie-rock loving misfit finds a way of dealing with her small-town misery after she discovers a roller derby league in nearby Austin.

Cast:
Ellen Page - Bliss Cavendar
Alia Shawkat - Pash
Drew Barrymore - Smashley Simpson
Landon Pigg - Oliver
Andrew Wilson - Razor
Juliette Lewis - Iron Maven

My Thoughts

This is Drew Barrymore's directorial debut and it shows. With Whip It Barrymore played it as safe as someone could making their first film by following a formula of these "teen breaking out of a rut" type films that seems to have developed over the years. She stuck to this forumula and followed all the regular conventions and cliches so closely in fact that I often felt while watching the film that I had seen it before.

That said however this still was a cute and easily enjoyable film, it just didn't break any boundaries or bring anything new. Ellen Page seems to be playing the same character over and over these days of the quirky and often misunderstood teenager. And while I must admit she's good at it it would be nice to see her go back to the days where she had a larger variety of roles such as An American Crime, Hard Candy and X-Men.

One thing this film does succeed in doing is educating the world of the sport of 'Roller Derby' which really is the highlight of the film. The derby scenes are fast-paced and in my opinion very well shot which made them a delight to watch. Especially for those of us who didn't even know of the roller derby sport before this film (keep in mind I'm from a small town in Australia )

Overall this film is light-hearted and quite enjoyable with some funny and memorable characters yet still brings nothing new to the table.

Rating: 3/5

(From Critter's Films at Cinemas Reviews on December 13th, 2009)

Pete's Pilots, a review by addicted2dvd

The Lone Gunmen
The computer-hacking, conspiracy-exposing Lone Gunmen are always looking for that next big government cover-up that would bring their newsletter, The Lone Gunmen, national attention. Whether in their secret underground office or in the back of their old VW bus, this bumbling and often socially inept trio is routinely laughed at by their peers. Now with a young, idealistic new member and a mysterious and exotic female who is always one step ahead of them, the Lone Gunmen are doubly determined to protect millions of Americans by exposing truths that some would rather keep hidden.

Pilot
While investigating the death of Byers' father the Gunmen stumble onto a sinister government plot to ignite hostilities worldwide and increase arms sales.

My Thoughts:
While an entertaining show... it was never even close to the series that The X-Files (the series it spun off from) was. It is a show I can enjoy... but is one I am not surprised only lasted the one season. I really found it to be a pretty much average pilot and series. But I had to have it to complete the X-Files universe.

My Rating:

(From Pete's Pilots on March 8th, 2010)