Suburbs, hell, yada yada. We've been here before.

The Movie: Disturbia, directed by D.J. Caruso
Recommendation: Me!
Reason: I recognized the movie as a more current take on Rear Window. Haven't seen that yet, but I wanted to see how it'd go as an update.

Remakes are a touchy subject across the board in the arts. Generally, they utterly fail to recapture the magic (however minimal) of the original. Sometimes, they distance themselves completely from the original film, becoming so different that the connection to the first is tenuous at best. I have a suspicion that Disturbia falls under the latter category, and so I can't wait to see Rear Window. Despite the title, the themes of Disturbia don't necessarily require that the story be undertaken in the suburbs. Paranoia, helplessness, investigation...all of that could take place at any two windows within eyesight of each other.

It's fairly easy on film to create a mood of tension and claustrophobia. Close-in shots from head-level angles can give an uncomfortably voyeuristic feel. Disturbia uses these techniques consistently and well, with very well-done sequence in a parking lot that really did make me uncomfortable. There are a few jump shocks, a few of what I like to call 'chameleon moments', and overall I felt the movie had a good flow to it.

Shia LeBoeuf is certainly capable as an actor, and here he proves it again with a good, solid performance in the lead. He carries the role quite well, and plays off of his costars to good effect. David Morse, veteran of 'creepy guy' roles, was equally solid. I really liked the relative newcomer Sarah Roemer, though. I think she might have some potential to really go places.

-106/365 down, 259/365 to go

Last time I saw you, you were trying to kill Ash.

The Movie: Fracture, directed by Gregory Hoblit
Recommendation: Nobody. Free passes!
Reason: Hey look, free passes to a thriller!

I have a problem with movies. I see through twists like nobody's business. Even 'impossible' twists, I usually catch pretty fast. My dad does the same thing. It was pointed out to us both the day we watched The Usual Suspects, and while everyone else we were watching with was stunned, dad and I saw it coming. It seems mandatory now that all thrillers must have a twist ending. It's starting to become annoying, because they're getting more and more transparent. As you may have guessed, Fracture has a twist. I know. I was shocked too.

I wouldn't go to see Fracture because of the story. It was plot-light, the shooting was alright, the directing okay. There were a few awkward transitions, so the editing wasn't necessarily the greatest, but overall, it was decent. The real show came in the writing and the acting. Seperately, they were quite good, together, they were great. This isn't going to win anyone any awards, but I was impressed at how well written the movie was. The script felt very natural.

I don't much like or dislike Ryan Gosling. Generally, I feel pretty neutral towards him. He's taken some interesting roles, some of which have been good, others...not so much. Anthony Hopkins is reliable-he gives a good shot, no matter what. I think in this movie, they worked. Hopkins played a batty engineer to the T, right down to some great little mannerisms and speech patterns. Gosling managed to slip right into his role, and definitely held his own.

-99/365 down, 266/365 to go.

Edit: Title, of course, refers to Embeth Davidz, who appeared in this movie. Yay!

Tastes bland, less filling!

The Movie: The I Inside, directed by Roland Suso Richter
Recommendation: Broomie
Reason: "I am indulging my crush on Sarah Polley."

This movie was originally supposed to star Stephen Dorff, he who slays movies with his awfulness. Thankfully, an actor with talent was located, and Mr. Dorff was spared a paycheck. Ryan Philippe carried off a solid leading performance in The I Inside. That's unfortunate, since even a solid leading performance couldn't help Piper Perabo act a little more convincingly or boost Sarah Polley's performance to the level she's capable of.

The story was initially reminiscent of Memento, with the main character developing symptoms of short term memory loss and trying to cope. It changed gears (quite well, I might add) and reminded me of The Butterfly Effect, and then very strongly of Jacob's Ladder. The similarities were so strong that I was actually surprised by the choice of ending. If the movie had been a little stronger in the story area, I think it could have ably stood with the others I've mentioned (and a little higher than The Butterfly Effect). As it was, the story had trouble supporting the conclusion the end provided, and so the final act became a little questionable.

The story had some really good moments, but for those who are familiar with Jacob's Ladder in particular, at some points it seemed as though The I Inside was just retreading old ground. This was a decent movie, a sort of an attempt at an update to that classic, but it wasn't quite good enough to surpass or match it.

-88/365 down, 277/365 to go