Unlike Pulitzer-Prize winning reviewer Stephen Hunter, I still get scared of oven timers. I can deal with this in real life. Whenever I visit a friend's house, the first thing I check up on is to make sure their oven timer is safely broken. It always is, so my visit can continue with only a mild sense of unease. But there's no such thing as a broken oven timer in a movie. The hero is walking in a dimly-lit house, the killer is nowhere to be seen... and then, the klaxon of fear rings throughout the kitchen, letting one and all know that the cinnamon rolls are ready for consumption. Meanwhile, I've curled up into a ball, and have started to quietly sob into my knees.
But I've compensated in other ways. For example, a ghost that has static, fuzz, bad horizontal control, or in any other way looks like it should be communicating to Lord Vader does nothing to me. People holding their heads while the room spins only brings me fond memories of the best episode of Quantum Leap ever. Also, I'm not afraid of Clint Howard.
Which brings me to 1408. It's Steven King's best story in a long time, and now it's back in PG-13 form. This means that going in, you already know that there will be no bleeding nipples. However, you might not know that the theatre will be packed with a crowd of kids. These are the same kids who thought Stay Alive was awesome, and that those horror films that wanted to be clever actually were. They will talk; you will hate.
If you can get past that, the film's probably good. Admittedly, it doesn't all work. There aren't oven timers, but the film does believe that television ghosts and The Carpenters are scarier than they really are. As it progresses, the film can never quite figure out if it's going for subtle chills, or if it wants to press the Poltergeist SFX Attack button. And while "This is Nine," is in the film, it just isn't the same. Despite those gripes, it's been a long while since I've emerged that theoretically happy after seeing a movie. There were plenty of moments I think I would have loved, if I hadn't been so busy plotting ways to kill the audience. More importantly, John Cusack's character is actually a man of normal intelligence. For a horror movie, that means that he's got a fifth-level brain, and that's a beautiful thing. Finally, novice actor Benny Urquidez is utterly convincing in his role of hammer-swinging Clint Howard. Even if he isn't the least bit terrifying.
1 comment:
Cusack's character is described as a bestselling author, and these two facts are made known.
1- He goes to a bookstore, only to find that his booksigning event was barely touted, and then suffers from anemic reception.
2- Many of his books are now in the bargain bin.
Does this reflect the director's ignorance of an author's life, or does it instead indicate a deep understanding?
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