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Shutter, a review by Jon

Shutter
3 out of 5



A photographer, Tun and his girlfriend Jane are driving home from a party when a girl steps out in front of them. Instead of checking on the girl, Tun persuades Jane to just drive on. Wracked with guilt they try to find out if she survived, but there's no trace. But Tun has started to see apparitions in his photographs and as something from his past continues to haunt him, his closest friends are dying.

Shutter is an effective J-horror, although strictly speaking, it's Thai. But it has all the usual ingredients that fans of Ringu and Ju-On will recognise. In fact, apart from some odd pacing in the middle, the only problem with Shutter is familiarity. It follows a similar pattern to the others and as usual it's a very emotional story; the spirit is restless because of Tun's guilt.

It has a very laidback, almost dreamlike quality, perhaps a bit too enigmatic at times, but there are a handful of solid scares. I usually measure scary moments by how far I throw my drink in the air and there's a definite damp patch on my ceiling. The strange thing is, I'd hadn't got a drink this time.

Much of it is predictable, both in plot and in where the next jump is coming from, but all credit to the film that those moments still work. And I found a bit with a polaroid camera very creepy because it's an instant picture and what Jane sees in the picture, must be in the room right now! Honourable mention for the flash sequence and darkroom. The DTS sound is used very well. In one scene the lights go out, but you can hear footsteps running around you.

The film loses momentum towards the end with a very odd, out of place scene in a roadside toilet. It picks up again for the last act where the truth of what happened is revealed. Jane gets a clue with a stack of photographs where the shadows form a flick book animation.

The final moments are a bit silly, but look great and the very last shot is very memorable!

If you've never seen a J-horror, then I highly recommend this as it's a perfect jumping on point to a worthy genre that might be starting to show its age. If you're a veteran, it's still worth seeing.

(From October Marathon: Horror! on October 19th, 2008)

Idle Hands, a review by Tom

Idle Hands (1999/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia Columbia TriStar Home Video (United Kingdom) Director: Rodman Flender Writing: Terri Hughes (Original Material By), Ron Milbauer (Original Material By), Suzanne Todd (Original Material By) Length: 88 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1, Commentary: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Norwegian, Polish, Swedish, Turkish

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Stars:
Devon Sawa as Anton Tobias
Seth Green as Mick
Elden Henson as Pnub
Jessica Alba as Molly
Vivica A. Fox as Debi LeCure

Plot:
The Devil will find work for idle hands to do... But what happens when he chooses the laziest teen slacker in the world to do his dirty work?

Anton Tobias (Devon Sawa, WILD AMERICA) is a channel-surfing, junk-food munching, couch potato burn-out who can't control the murderous impulses of his recently possessed hand. With the help of his zombiefied buddies, Mick (Seth Green - AUSTIN POWERS: THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME) and Pnub (Elden Henson - THE MIGHTY), Anton's got to stop the rampaging devil appendage before it takes total control of his life and ruins any chance he has with class hottie Molly (Jessica Alba - NEVER BEEN KISSED). Vivica A. Fox (INDEPENDENCE DAY) and Jack Noseworthy (THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE) co-star in this wickedly funny horror comedy.

Awards:
Nominated:

Saturn (1999)		Best Performance by a Younger Actor (Devon Sawa)
Teen Choice Awards (1999)		Film - Most Disgusting Scene (Devon Sawa)

Extras:

• Commentary
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Production Notes
• Scene Access
• Storyboard Comparisons
• Trailers

A fun horror comedy. It came to my attention because of Seth Green. Also Jessica Alba has an early role here. That movie was the first time I saw her in anything. When Dark Angel came out, I associated her still as the hot girl from Idle Hands.

Rating:

(From Tom's Horror Marathon 2012 on October 4th, 2012)

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

1. Welcome to the Hellmouth
Buffy Summers, The Chosen One, arrives in Sunnydale, California trying to forget all the talk about her destiny and the vampires, only to discover that the quiet, small American town sits atop a Hellmouth and a master vampire is about to be brought forth. With the help of her new Watcher, Giles; and new friends Xander and Willow, Buffy tries to do her sacred duty while also leading a normal teenagers life.

My Thoughts:
First part of a 2 part premiere...  does a good job at introducing the characters... love the opening scene. Is an opener that will suck in most people in my opinion.... especially vampire fans. Episode cuts with "To Be Continued" right at the perfect time to make sure people will come back for the second episode. Great start to what I always considered an awesome series!

2. The Harvest
Buffy gradually learns to accept her role as the Slayer and prepares to battle the Master's minions in order to stop the Harvest, a ceremony which will free the Master from his prison in the sewers. Willow and Xander are confided in by Giles about the existence of Vampires and Demons and, although overwhelmed, pledge to help Buffy in her fight.

My Thoughts:
Great continuation to the series opener. Throws in some of the unexpected to keep you guessing. I always thought the vampires was done great for a TV Series. I love how they look when they show their "true selves"... and love the way they burst into dust when they are destroyed. It has been a while since I done this marathon.... I think I will be having a good time!

3. The Witch
When several cheerleaders are involved in strange accidents that cause them to spontaneously combust or leave them without eyes or a mouth, Buffy and the gang suspect that one of the cheerleader wannabes is practicing witchcraft and is trying to eliminate her competition.

My Thoughts:
"The Witch".... even though a good episode has never really been a favorite of mine. I don't even know what it is about it that puts me off... but this one just slightly does. I always liked movies/series about witches before... so it is not the subject matter. I don't know... maybe it is all the cheerleading... as I was never much of a cheerleader fan. I always wondered after this episode if we would ever see Amy's mom again... going from the final scene of the episode one could think it would be possible.

4. Teacher's Pet
When Xander and most of the male population of Sunnydale High fall for the substitute science teacher Miss French, Buffy tries to warn him that she may not be what she seems when she sees the well-proportioned female specimen scare off a vampire.

My Thoughts:
Much like "The Witch"... this one was never much of a favorite of mine. Once again not really a bad episode... but I never liked the whole giant insect monster. but over-all a decent episode... worth the time put into it.

(From Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon on November 9th, 2007)