VACANCY
Screen Gems
Why do people flock to see movies where innocent people are terrorized by strangers? Don't they get enough angst in real life?
In VACANCY, a young couple, played by Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, are stranded by the perennial favorite - the broken-down car - at a weird hotel with, oddly, no check-out time. The owners seemingly run a cottage snuff film industry and terrorize our feckless heroes. Did these two people never see PSYCHO?
A few sidebars - one, in the trailer for the film, where the opening date is usually seen, the words FOR RESERVATIONS, CALL appear, and their tagline is "Checking in is easy; checking out is murder," two wacky jokes which give us hope that the film has a sense of humor as well. Two, Screen Gems originally produced television shows like "The Monkees" and "I Dream of Jeannie" but was resurrected as a specialty film studio by Sony Pictures in 1999, with smaller budget films geared for the niche horror/scifi/ethnic market.
Beckinsale is no stranger to the horror/sci fi genres, having played "Anna Valerious" in VAN HELSING (2004) and the vampire "Selene" in both UNDERWORLD (2003) and UNDERWORLD: EVOLUTION (2006). Wilson, however, is better known for comedies like MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND (2006) where he played the romantic lead "Matt Sanders."
The movie is written by Mark L. Smith, about which little is known and who has written perhaps only one other film, SE NCE, which is also due for release this year. So perhaps an untested newcomer - maybe a find, who knows yet for sure.
The only concrete hope for this movie is director Nimrod Antal, who previously helmed and wrote the critically well-received Hungarian film KONTROLL (2003), where a subway worker is falsely accused of murder and stalked by the real murderer in the underground railway system. So he's not a hack director, but can he elevate the "horror movie in a box" genre to high art?
The suspense is killing me.
Click Here to view Vacancy trailer
FRACTURE
New Line Cinema
The title apparently refers to the moment when a person or a situation reaches a breaking point from the relentless pressure applied to it on all sides. This breaking point is usually the weakest point, which is what the villain of the film relies upon to befuddle his adversary.
Assistant DA Willy Beachum is played by Ryan Gosling, who was in a lot of Canadian television shows before breaking into film. THE BELIEVER (2001) was his first critical success.
Beachum is forced to play an intricate game of "liar, liar" with Ted Crawford, played, no doubt with relish, by Anthony Hopkins who slips on the skin of yet another smooth villain. Crawford reputedly shot his wife but got off on a technicality. Reports indicate the two actors have great chemistry on the screen and that the screen crackles with energy.
Winner of nine Emmy awards, director Gregory Hoblit executive produced, directed and even wrote several episodes of such series as NYPD BLUE, LA LAW, HILL STREET BLUES and the innovative COP ROCK (1990), the singing and dancing cop show, so his background in law and order drama is extensive. His previous directorial efforts in film include FREQUENCY (2000) with Dennis Quaid and HART'S WAR (2002), a prisoner of war movie starring Bruce Willis. Both films were generally agreed to be tightly crafted, thoughtful films.
The screenplay was written by veteran David Pyne - who also wrote the remake of THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (2004), THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (2002) and DOC
HOLLYWOOD (1991), along with episodes of TV's MIAMI VICE and MATT HOUSTON -
and relative newcomer to film Glenn Gers, who previously worked on TV's CYBILL (1995), starring Memphis's own Cybill Shepherd, and who has two other films due to be released in 2008.
Apart from the mystery of "who did it?" the only question remaining is will the film fracture box office records or crack under the pressure? The jury's still out.
Click Here to view Fracture trailer
HOT FUZZ
Rogue Pictures
From the creators of the cult zombie flick SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004), a pastiche to films like George Romero's DAWN OF THE DEAD (1978), the British import HOT FUZZ is a send-up of every buddy cop film ever made. Our hero, Sergeant Nicholas Angel, is bitterly envied by his fellow policemen who then conspire to have him transferred from London to a small town. Their plan to humiliate him fails when he stumbles upon other crimes that, to him, indicate something far more sinister is afoot. Reportedly gory, it's marketed as a comedy.
Angel is played by Simon Pegg, an actor with a long and varied career who also co-wrote the film with director Edgar Wright, with whom he also collaborated on the SHAUN movies.
Angel's partner in detecting is PC Danny Butterman, who's a bit of a country bumpkin, played by Nick Frost, who has had an equally diverse career as Pegg, working on television and in film.
The film also features Bill Nighy, who's always great to watch, as Metropolitan Chief Inspector Kenneth.
Edgar Wright, director and co-writer of the film, is also known for directing the fake movie trailer DON'T from the film GRINDHOUSE now in theatres. Though he looks about 19, he's just turned 33 on April 18th, so this release is a nice present for him.
Word from out and about is that this film should be one of the most successful British imports in a long while, but some viewers have been disappointed. Sometimes British humor is difficult for Americans to grasp. But if you're game, have a go, Governor.
Click Here to view Hot Fuzz trailer
