Red Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I can't comment on the DVD because I only saw the screener for this movie but that makes no difference, except if I wanted to judge the quality of the transfer in terms of video and audio fidelity.
Red made official selection for the Sundance Film Festival and deservedly so. Director Lucky McKee's telling of a man seeking justice for the murder of his dog is emotionally gripping yet ultimately satisfying in a Death Wish sort of way. The film works in terms of its directing and acting, which made me feel it's the best independent movie I've seen in a long time and possibly the best movie of 2008--period!
Robert Englund's performance, though short, was dead on. I think he's really come far as an actor. I found his portrayal of an unemployed carpenter, who happens to be the father of one of the three teens who shot Ludlow's dog, to be very convincing. He's matured as an actor and should do more roles outside of horror.
Tom Sizemore does a good job playing the evil father of the boy who shot the dog. He's your typical hunter-businessman who beats his wife and rules his household with authority. In other words, his morality is always at an all-time low.
Brian Cox, of course, stole the show with his role as the owner of Red. As a viewer, I felt convinced that he really lost his dog. In fact, so much so, that it got to the point where I wanted to jump into the television screen and help him get those suckers.
I will definitely own the DVD when it comes out. I can't imagine not adding this to my collection.
If you own a dog and think of it as being more than just a dog, perhaps more like a member of your family, you'll find this a difficult watch but bearable.
Those who are for animal rights in all forms will definitely find that your quota of vengeance will have been filled after seeing this poignant film.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Red

An older, reclusive man, Avery, (Brian Cox) has a best friend in his dog RED. When three teens kill Red for no reason, Avery sets out for justice and redemption, attempting to follow the letter of the law.But when the law fails him, and the boys' father (Tom Sizemore) clearly defines right and wrong in his own way, Avery must use whatever means possible.

Get 40% OFF

Click here for more information about Red

Trick 'r Treat Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)People all over the webbins have been talking about Trick r Treat for some time now - exploring conspiratorial notions on why the film has sat shelved for so long while rhapsodizing about just how well X-Men 2/Superman Returns scribe Michael Dougherty's directorial debut works. Having recently seen the film, I can tell you that I know why the film sat for years: It's one of the more ruthless studio-funded horror films ever made. It's not very gory or explicit at all - but it has a truly, deeply, bad attitude. If William Gaines penned morality plays this venomous - to hell with the Comics Code. He'd have probably served time. Trick r Treat is overflowing with the kind of anarchic, mean-spirited hilarity that never sits well with the suits.
One of the reasons the film feels so vile is that the people who populate the tale feel so utterly real. It's really hard to explain without spoiling a lot of what makes it work so well, but - to give you an idea - director Michael Dougherty explained to us that one of the notes he received during the production process was that the children he cast were "too young". Couldn't he make the kids older? Couldn't he cast hotter? That's not to say that elements of the cast aren't flat-out "foxy" (witness the sexi-sexi of Lauren Lee Smith and Rochelle Aytes) but there are sequences in the film that work perfectly because they're not about plasticine twentysomethings. Again - I can't explain exactly what I mean without doing you a disservice - but when you finally see the film, you'll understand completely.
Trick r Treat has been described in certain quarters as an anthology film - but that's not wholly accurate. In truth, the film possesses a non-linear narrative structure - it's more a Pumpkin Pulp Fiction than a Creepshow copy (though the EC Comics connection this film shares with Romero's classic make them kindred spirits - and a great double bill). The film moves back and forth between tales that, at first, seem to be related only by the presence of the mysterious, malevolent little creature seen in the film's promotional materials. Over the running time, we come to realize that the tiny creeper pops up for a reason - and even that detail is something I don't want to spoil for you.
Despite the aforementioned EC Comics vibe (wherein the table-turning reveal that hands the petty thief or adulterous couple their just desserts is par for the course), the twisted twistiness of Trick r Treat still manages to surprise. At different points during the running time, the audience could be heard to speculate on how they felt some swerve might play out - very early on, I had an idea of how I thought the tale featuring Dylan Baker should end - but I was convinced that there was no way my resolution would fly. That Dougherty was able to do exactly what common sense told me would be excised by an executive before it was ever filmed completely negated my anticipation of the last shot. The sequence ended the only way an understanding of the horror genre dictates it should - but instead of feeling "been there, done that" - the payoff plays like the reward for sitting through all of the committee-created genre projects that lack the spine to do it right. Another reveal - easily the film's most glorious - made me feel like a complete idiot. Thinking about it now, I still don't understand why I didn't call it with a chuckle the very moment True Blood's Anna Paquin awkwardly stepped out of her fitting room to face the derision of her friends. At least I wasn't alone - by the end of her character's arc, the audience I was part of sat in stunned silence...then burst into reverent applause - a response based on elements converging in a perfect storm: a beautifully-shot and edited sequence featuring a fantastic revelation, a flawless mix of practical and computer generated imagery, an awesome character beat - and one super-cool line of dialogue. You could sell the film with that single scene...if it didn't give so much away.
The most brilliant thing about Dougherty's film is how it uses Halloween holiday iconography to craft iconic visuals (if the film received the 3,000 screen release it so richly deserved, really cool parents would be dressing their kids up as "Sam" for years). It's Jack O' Lanterns and autumnal golds and vacuformed masks and flame retardant costumes that tie in the back and urban legends and classic monsters and tainted candy and everything else you know and love about October 31st. As so many before me (including Dougherty himself) have said, this is not a film that takes place during Halloween - this is a film about Halloween. It's about the reason for the season. Dougherty says his hope was that his film could become a Halloween holiday perennial - the one you watch every year. And trust me - it is. I'll watch Trick r Treat every CHRISTMAS - because the film is a gift.
Jason Pollock

Click Here to see more reviews about: Trick 'r Treat

The doorbell rings, the cry goes out: Trick 'R Treat! But, wait. What's actually going on during this ghostly All Hallows Eve? Something eerie and unexpected. Something splattered and spooky. Something that brings ghouls, vampires and werewolves into the night. Answer the door – a shocking surprise awaits. From producer Bryan Singer (director of X-Men and Superman Returns) and writer-director Michael Dougherty (co-scripter of X2 and Superman Returns) comes a multitale bag of wicked yarns, four cleverly interlocked stories built on Shocktober admonitions like always check the candy and don’t extinguish the jack-o-lantern before midnight. So answer the door now: Experience horror made for today's fright fan.

Get 43% OFF

Click here for more information about Trick 'r Treat