I couldn’t help but think of that throughout the whole of “Don’t Let Him In.” Don’t. Don’t. Don’t! The “Him” of this particular title refers to “the Tree Surgeon,” the serial killer who comprises a quarter of a group going off to a cottage retreat for the weekend. Half of the group is a secure […]
Grindhouse
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Dead Hooker in a Trunk
Substitute “bomb” with “whore corpse,” and you have the Canadian crime spree known as “Dead Hooker in a Trunk.” The title is the best thing about it, raising all sorts of hope it cannot satisfy. Written and directed by sisters Jen and Sylvia Soska — who star as Geek and Badass, respectively — the low-budget […]
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Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
But let’s give credit where credit is due: This is a remake of a fondly remembered, made-for-TV movie in 1973. Although effects have come a long, long way, baby, I still prefer the original. Living underneath the new-to-them Rhode Island mansion of architect Alex (Guy Pearce, “Animal Kingdom”); interior-designer girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes, TV’s “The […]
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Hobo with a Shotgun
Does the gag make the transition from two minutes to 86 minutes? It depends on your tastes, and “Hobo” is purposely full of that which resides on the poor side. To cult-film followers, that should be taken as a rec to rent. The great Rutger Hauer (“Blade Runner” forever!) stars as Hobo — yes, just […]
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Sugar Boxx
Extended to full length, however, it loses a lot of spark … much like Rodriguez’s own “Grindhouse” spin-off, “Machete.” Still, any fan of the women-in-prison genre won’t hate himself for watching, as it offers all of the film subgenre’s mainstays, including the sapphic ones. Cody Jarrett’s low-budgeter concerns go-get-’em WPNS (get it?) news reporter Valerie […]