Thriller

Blu-ray Review: ‘Drive’ directed by Nicolas Winding Refn

2/5/2012
Daniel S Levine
"I drive."

It’s night in Los Angeles. A lone man is standing in a dark apartment, staring at the window while the Clippers game is on television. He’s on the phone with someone, giving his terms of agreement. He drives up to a warehouse and waits before two men come out running. The man, who the audience will learn to simply call “the Driver,” drives them away, expertly evading cops. This opening sequence is the only time in Drive, directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, that we see the Driver at his best.

Retro classics: ‘Wait Until Dark’

9/17/2011
Sarah Miller
Film shows another side to Audrey Hepburn

Wait Until Dark is an odd film, insofar as it isn’t super well-known despite starring Audrey Hepburn and Alan Arkin. It’s also odd thinking that Hepburn starred in what now might be called a "psychological thriller." In some ways, I can see how it might have been a predecessor for movies like Panic Room. The premise is that a blind woman (Hepburn) accidentally comes into possession of a doll that was used to smuggle heroin. Then, the "rightful owner" of the doll, a ruthless psychopath (Arkin) sends some of his associates to retrieve it – which is when the mind games begin.

'All Good Things' review

5/23/2011
Sarah Miller
'All Good Things'? More like All Things Moody

As if seeing Ryan Gosling and Frank Langella in a movie together didn’t alert you that something bad was going to happen, the opening credit sequence of All Good Things sure would. We see flashes of dark water, empty streets, and a woman alone in a car on a dark, covered bridge. The images have an odd narration to go with them – it seems Gosling’s character, David Marks, is being interrogated in his old age.

Review: 'Black Swan'

1/24/2011
Tiffany Lew
The beautifully eerie film staring Natalie Portman needs repeat viewings

What you've heard coming in to watch Black Swan, will strongly alter your perception on the film. Some will find the thriller to be a silly exaggeration of the psychology behind ambitious ballet dancers. Others will see a mind-twisting art house portrayal of the breakdown of a young dancer beautifully portrayed by Natalie Portman.

Devil

12/27/2010
Megan Vanderhoef

Devil is a lot of suspense that ultimately leads to a disappointing ending.

Devil is a supernatural thriller that involves five people trapped in an elevator. Unbeknownst to them, it is their fate that they are all on this ride to hell together. One of the passengers on the elevator is the devil disguised as an ordinary person, preparing to make each person pay for their past mistakes. As one by one people begin mysteriously dying, the passengers and the police watching the elevator footage have to figure out who the murderer is.

Shutter Island

2/20/2010
John Hall

A stormy island filled with nightmare and mystery: check. An ensemble of melodramatically shady characters: check. Dark, earth-toned coloring and grippingly suspenseful camerawork: check. One angry-eyed and shifty-looking Leonardo DiCaprio: double check.

There's no doubt. Martin Scorsese found all the tastiest ingredients for a psychological thriller and he executes them with the exceptional talent we've come to expect from a Scorsese flick.

The Haunting in Connecticut

7/29/2009
Kelsey Zukowski
The Haunting in Connecticut is an interesting story with good suspense and eerie visuals that could have been a stronger horror film with more exploration of the duality of the stories of the past and present.

The Haunting in Connecticut is based on a Discovery Channel documentary made in 2002 and the book, "In A Dark Place." Author Ray Garton voiced his doubt in the complete validity of the story the family was telling as he saw clear inconsistencies between the stories. Most likely, the film was inspired by events that were faulty to begin with. You come to expect something like this when a film uses the "based on a true story" claim, though. Yet, this did not take anything away from the film for me.

Reviewer Rating: 
3.50Stars

Derailed

7/26/2009
Matthew Doyle
A married man gets blackmailed after a one night stand

Although you may not realize it, in many films, though not all, there is an unspoken pact between you, the viewer, and the film. The pact is thus: as an audience member you will suspend belief for any events that may occur. Belief may be suspend in terms of the laws of probability (Crash, for one), practicality (any superhero movie is a good example) or physics (take your pick from the Action genre). In return, the film will provide you with an invested interest, whether it is the plot, characters, or what have you.

Reviewer Rating: 
2.50Stars

The International

7/13/2009
Jaime Lauren Green
Two agents try to take down the corruption of the banking industry.

The International is a 2009 thriller based on a pair that investigates corruption within a banking institution. The film stars Clive Owen and Naomi Watts. The basis of the plot includes Interpol agent Louis Salinger (Owen) and Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Eleanor Whitman (Watts) who are determined to bring justice to one of the world's most powerful banks, the International Bank of Business and Credit which funds terrorist activities.

Reviewer Rating: 
3.50Stars

Lakeview Terrace

7/6/2009
Adam Rowan
Thriller explores racial issues but succumbs to convention.

Ever since he retreated from his trenchant analyses of the battle of the sexes into more mainstream fare, Hollywood has yet to find a place for Neil LaBute.

Reviewer Rating: 
3.00Stars
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