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Reviews
1408 (2007)
An innovative horror film
I've never seen a horror film quite like 1408--can you even call this film a "horror"? Well, it's not the horror movie we're used to seeing in this day and age. The films that are supposed to scare us nowadays are made from the same recycled junk we've been seeing for years now. Nonsensical plots are dreamed up just to make use of the exciting range of CGI. Underdeveloped characters we don't care about are tortured/murdered by a psycho for no apparent reason. Most of the intended audience for these movies isn't even scared anymore.
Let me tell you, 1408 is different. Its main intention is not to scare you (though it undoubtedly will); it wants to tell you a story. It doesn't start out as a scary movie. John Cusack plays cult writer Mike Enslin, a man who visits supposed haunted spots in order to debunk their reputations in the mildly-successful books he writes with titles such as "10 Nights in Haunted Hotels". When the room 1408 at the Dolphin Hotel in New York is brought to his attention, research tells him that the death tally in the room is in the double digits. He sees the room as a solid ending chapter for the new book he's working on.
The film is based on a Stephen King short story, which I had the pleasure of reading before I saw the film. While the film does take its creative liberties, it never forgets where it comes from. Writers Matt Greenberg, Scott Alexander, and Larry Karazewski seem to be very well-read on the author, and the movie always feels just like Stephen King--if you've ever read him, you know what I'm talking about. There have been times when I've been reading a novel of his and had to tell myself, "Calm down, it's just a book." There are moments in this film of such mind-gnawing anxiety, such high-adrenaline terror that I had to tell myself, "Calm down, it's just a movie." (Note: Stephen King does recommend the film.)
Director Mikael Håfström never takes his audience's intelligence for granted. We're never beaten over the head with the same thing; the film is always headed somewhere new and exciting. The innovative ideas here are just terrific.
John Cusack is brilliant as the cynical writer with a tragic past. He's never unbelievable, and he always nails the character down perfectly. There was never a time when I wasn't rooting for Mike Enslin in 1408. There was never a time when I did not want him to get out of the room. Cusack's emotional range is really put into play here, and the casting could not have been any more dead-on.
Samuel L. Jackson gives a chilling performance as a manager who is intent on not letting Mike enter room 1408. His determination to convince Mike not to enter the room only fuels Mike's determination to enter it. Through him, we pick up on the facts about the room Mike's research couldn't provide. His warnings give us chill bumps but leave enough open so that we still don't know what we're in for.
And with room 1408, you never really know what you're in for. Who am I to ruin it for you? Just know that this is not a mystery. We will not come to understand why the room is the way it is. There are, of course, those who will be disappointed by 1408--because when all is said and done, they will find it's not a movie about a freaky hotel room, but rather the man who's trapped in that hotel room and what he finds there.
Scoop (2006)
It's no "Match Point", but it's fun regardless.
The new fans Woody Allen generated for himself with last year's "Match Point" may walk away from his latest effort feeling a bit
well
confused.
It's understandable. After all, "Scoop" is directed by the same guy, has the same leading lady; it even deals with a couple of the same themes, those being death and murder. So how can one be a sweeping drama and the other a romantic comedy? How can he handle death with such care in one film and open the next with a deceased reporter offering the Grim Reaper a wad of cash in an attempt to bribe it into letting him get back to the land of the living?
While these people are leaving the theater pondering these questions, those a little more acquainted with Allen's work will most likely be comparing "Scoop" to 1993's "Manhattan Murder Mystery", or maybe forming their opinions on his recent fondness for Scarlett Johansson.
Johansson plays Sondra Pransky, an American journalism student vacationing in London. When she's chosen to be put in a "dematerializer" box at a magic show by bumbling magician and fellow American The Great Splendini (Woody Allen), the aforementioned deceased reporter (Ian McShane) appears in front of her, having escaped Death's clutches long enough to give her some information leading to the identity of the dreaded Tarot Card Killer, an anonymous criminal responsible for a string of London-based prostitute murders. The reporter has come across some information in the afterlife that points the identity of the killer to Peter Lyman (Hugh Jackman), the son of an English lord. If Sandra plays her cards right, this could be the biggest thing to hit London since Jack The Ripper. Enlisting the help of Sid (alias Splendini) to pose as her father, she musters a plan to investigate this scoop and, in doing so, meets and falls for the charming Lyman.
It's no "Match Point". No matter how bad some will want it to be, it doesn't come close. But it is a lot of fun, and I dare you to tell me it didn't make you chuckle at least once. Not to mention some of the gorgeous shots of the English countryside. Johansson and Jackman's chemistry is okay enough, but the real fun lies in the scenes she shares with Woody himself. Sid and Sondra are so much alike, you might find yourself wondering if he is somehow her long-lost father.
And maybe even a few of the new Woody Allen fans won't be completely at a loss. Maybe they'll leave the theater with that warm, contented feeling that one gets when he isn't exactly sure what he just saw, but he is almost certain that he liked it.