Tinsel Town (2025)

It's no surprise to find that Tinsel Town is directed by Chris Foggin. He's done comforting family-friendly fare a few times now, and has at least one other Christmas movie under his belt. The surprise comes from the fact that this formulaic bit of fun needed at least three main writers, as well as additional material from three other contributors (apparently). Maybe that's why it's so inconsistent though. Some of the expected scenes fall flat, but a few moments really hit the spot. And I was pleasantly surprised to find the panto moments actually feeling like panto moments.

Kiefer Sutherland stars here as Bradley Mack, a movie star who has coasted along on the success of an action movie franchise for some time now. He's not viewed as a great actor though, nor as a great human being. In fact, he's lazy, entitled, and about to crash back down to earth when his agent send him for a theatre gig in England that is actually panto in a small village. There's no way out of it. Bradley can't afford the price it would cost to wangle out of the contract he signed without reading it. So he ends up grumpy in the company of Cassandra (Meera Syal), Jill (Rebel Wilson), a pair of ugly sisters (Asim Chaudhry and Jason Manford), among others. On the plus side, he can spend some quality time with his young daughter, Emma (Matilda Firth). If he can stop being so selfish and self-pitying for long enough.

There's certainly fun to be had here. The lead character being bamboozled by his English village surroundings, and the very notion of panto, allows for some chuckles, as does the occasional angry outburst. There's even an effective musical number for Sutherland, while his character is in his full costume for Buttons, his panto role. The expected transformation of our lead isn't handled very well though, it's more a series of sudden turnarounds than a gradual journey to a much better place, and a few elements feel like they should have some more impact on the plot. Danny Dyer is a local bad boy, Kieran, who antagonises people, but could have ultimately been left out of the movie. The same goes for a minor sub-plot about a number of local burglaries, which may or may not have been sanctioned by Kieran.

While Foggin directs well enough, the awkward screenplay leaves everything in the hands of the cast. Sutherland is a big plus in the main role, and game enough to fully embrace his panto turn (once his character finds out that there's no way out of it), Katherine Ryan has a few fun moments as the angry agent, and young Firth does well as the child who retains faith in a man that many others have long since given up on. Derek Jacobi also brings something special to the project, especially in a key scene that explains how someone can keep the theatre at the heart of their life. Wilson isn't so good, to put it mildly. Not only is she stuck delivering a standard dramatic turn, she's also required to do so (for some reason) with a Yorkshire accent. It's not a great delivery, and that choice feels like it could have been easily swerved with one explanatory line of dialogue. Chaudhry and Manford are fun, Lucien Laviscount and Savannah Lee Smith are pleasant enough, and Dyer does what Dyer does. Alice Eve and James Lance are sadly wasted though, and it's a shame that the actual Yorkshire setting isn't given more of a supporting role.

The good just about outweighs the bad, but it's a very close call. The extra writers seem to have tried to overstuff the runtime, the cast could all have been given pages for at least three very different films, and there's a disappointing lack of full-on Christmas sweetness for the majority of the runtime. It really nails that panto atmosphere at times though, and the final scenes are sweet, funny, and rewarding. Which means it should at least leave you with a smile on your face as the end credits roll.

5/10

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Netflix And Chill: They Cloned Tyrone (2023)

Thanks to the cast and the aesthetic I saw in the trailer, I was looking forward to They Cloned Tyrone. Then it dropped on Netflix and, like many a release once it appears on there, I just never made it a priority. Other people got around to watching it though, and many enjoyed it. That spurred me on to get around to it ASAP.

John Boyega plays Fontaine, a drug dealer who works in his home neighbourhood of The Glen. After trying to collect money owed to him by a pimp named Slick Charles (Jamie Foxx), Fontaine is fatally shot by a rival dealer, Isaac (J. Alphones Nicholson). This shooting is witnessed (sort of) by a sex worker named Yo-Yo (Teyonah Parris). It's understandable that Slick becomes confused when Fontaine reappears at his door the next evening still trying to collect his money, and the two then track down Yo-Yo to try and get to the bottom of this mysterious resurrection. It turns out that something odd is going on beneath their feet, something that is affecting the entire local black population. And it might be just the tip of the iceberg.

Writer-director Juel Taylor (assisted once again on the screenplay by co-writer Tony Rettenmaier, the two having also worked on Space Jam: A New Legacy) makes his solo feature debut here, after helming numerous shorts and participating in at least one anthology and one TV movie, and he obviously had a blast making something so stylish, infused with funk and blaxploitation elements, and happily blending genres. They Cloned Tyrone isn't a film that holds back on trying to keep viewers entertained. Superficially, the world onscreen is a well-realised one, the fashion and environments are all very retro-cool, and it's easy to accept everything as it plays out. Superficially. There's one flaw at the heart of the plot though, despite how satisfied you may or may not be by any attempt to explain it, and that's the actual resurrection that kickstarts the entire chain of events. I might have missed something, it's been known to happen, but it felt like this main plot point would, at the very least, simply cause a headache for those trying to mastermind a devious and disturbing plan that is spelled out in the third act. 

Questions about the plot aside though, there's plenty of fun to be had with this cast doing wonderfully clumsy and abrupt detective work. Boyega, Foxx, and Parris are all good performers, but things are always raised up a notch in the many scenes that have them all together. Although I have seen her in a number of other roles, Parris is the standout here, her character having more actual intelligence and more actual courage than the men who spend so much time keeping their own worries and fears hidden behind a mask of macho bravado, but the three leads feel like perfect casting. There are also enjoyable turns from Nicholson, David Alan Grier, and Kiefer Sutherland (playing the aptly-monikered Nixon).

Taylor has namechecked a number of cinematic influences on They Cloned Tyrone and they're all enjoyably obvious, but it's impressive that he has made this feel both laden with homage and yet also highly original. The soundtrack and visuals help in that regard, because the movies being referenced are viewed through the more common white male gaze, but it's also a willingness to go just a bit further than you might expect, with the silliness and the horrible implications of what is going on.

Sadly not great, there are just too many gaps in logic to make it feel as well-constructed as it could be, but this is good fun while it's on and the leads are great company to be in for a couple of hours.

6/10

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Mubi Monday: The Reluctant Fundamentalist (2012)

There will obviously be a lot of people who don’t want to see The Reluctant Fundamentalist, people who pre-judge it in a way that is sadly in line with the main point being made by the movie. They may be the best people to actually give it a viewing. Because there are lots of bad people in the world, and we seem to hear more and more about terrorists in our constant news cycles. The Reluctant Fundamentalist does not excuse those people, but it certainly shows how our actions and treatment of people can push others to an extreme position that they don’t want to be in.

Riz Ahmed plays Changez, a Pakistani man who has returned home to teach students after time spent forging a successful career in America. His role there was to assess companies, either making them more efficient and profitable or deciding that they need to get the chop. It was all well and good until one day he realised that there was more to any workplace than just the spreadsheets and the bottom line. Liev Schrieber is Bobby Lincoln, a journalist wanting an interview with Changez, but the interview is really about something else. American forces are trying to rescue a high-profile hostage. They believe that Changez has information on his whereabouts. Because surely someone who has gone through what he has gone through has to take a stance against America . . . right?

Ahmed is more well-known nowadays than he was back when this film was released, in 2012, but he has always been a fantastic actor and this gives him one of many superb roles he has bagged throughout his career thus far. Schrieber has an easier time, generally just asking the right questions, but he is as good as ever in his role (and I always tend to like seeing him in anything). Kiefer Sutherland does his best work in years, playing a boss who sees the potential in Ahmed’s character, and he is very nice and helpful until he starts to meet resistance. Blunt, efficient, and not without charm, it feels like a role tailor-made for Sutherland. There are many others filling out the cast roster, not least of which is the legendary Om Puri, but the other main character to mention here is a selfish and inconsiderate artist played by Kate Hudson. Developing a relationship with our lead, this part of the film looks at yet another way in which someone foreign can be used and hurt by an “entitled Westerner”.

Director Mira Nair, working from a screenplay that adapts the novel by Mohsin Hamid, doesn’t shy away from showing any, and all, sides of the ongoing divide, and conflict, that has caused so many people over the past few decades to judge others based solely on their looks and/or home country. This is a nuanced look at a major societal issue that rarely gets treated with nuance, and it is well worth remembering that more people try to keep themselves at a happy medium than at any extreme end of a spectrum. The script, worked on by a number of people bringing different strengths to the material, does a magnificent job of making certain moments ambiguous while also reminding viewers that there shouldn’t be ambiguity. The ambiguity stems from the narrative that viewers have been fed from whatever news they prefer to consume.

Not just a fine bit of dramatic work from all involved, The Reluctant Fundamentalist is important for the way it challenges, and defies, all preconceptions. It’s a comment on the way individuals allow groups to divide them, how that divide grows, and what the ultimate tragic end is, even for those innocents trying to act impartial. It also features a number of scenes that I am sure will be painful to watch for those who have lived those experiences.

9/10

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Prime Time: Flatliners (1990)

Intense lighting in every shot, hidden wind machines blowing about the hair of the lead actors, Kiefer Sutherland floating through tree branches, Flatliners may have been released in 1990 but it is so ‘80s that it’s almost hilarious at times.

Sutherland plays a med student who comes up with a bizarre plan. He thinks that science can be advanced if you can spend some time exploring the world of death and then return to the world of the living. He enlists the help of others (Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, William Baldwin, and Oliver Platt) in his quest to play god. People take their turn on the table, being killed and then brought back to life. But they don’t come back alone. Sins from their past cling to them like a rain-sodden jacket.

Director Joel Schumacher takes a decent idea and makes it a fun star vehicle for some hot properties. That’s absolutely fine, and there are also some light scares dotted throughout, but it’s not a film anyone should seek out if they’re after proper tension and scares. This is a gateway flick, I guess, a teen horror with very little bloodshed and only one character ever feeling in proper danger. And for those of a certain age, it has that glow of nostalgia. 

Peter Filardi doesn’t do a bad job with his first feature screenplay, despite the obvious relative restrictions of having some big star power involved. Everyone has a quick and easy “hook” (be it Baldwin’s character videotaping his sexual trysts, or the others carrying around deep-rooted guilt for actions, or inaction), and the main morality lesson at the heart of it, aside from the dangers of playing god, is a solid one.

Baldwin aside, because he is arguably the blandest of the Baldwins, the central cast here are fine company. Sutherland happily goes over the top, far too cocky from the very beginning and very shaken up by the most dangerous of the “visions” that the main characters have. Bacon and Roberts are wavering needles on a moral compass, and work well, although there’s no chemistry in the scenes between them that are supposed to show them growing a bit closer together. And then there is Oliver Platt, an actor who elevates everything that he works on. He is his usual excellent self here, commenting on the situation as a witness who hasn’t been on the same journey as the other characters. Joshua Rudoy is an entertainingly vicious spirit, dressed in a red coat that inevitably brings to mind an older horror movie many consider a masterpiece, and Kimberly Scott has a nice moment, playing an older version of a young girl who was horribly bullied by one of our leads.

None of the sets look like anything other than cool movie sets, the score by James Newton Howard seems designed to underline every scare and attempts at emotion, and Schumacher moves his stars through the story like, well, stars being moved through a story, as opposed to fleshed out fictional characters, but none of these things really matter. If anything, they make Flatliners as enjoyable as it is. The sense of every main scene being so obviously staged, the feeling of stars being selected to turn up and be stars, the stranger highs and lows of the journey, it’s all a strangely cosy way to put together a slick chiller. And it guarantees that the film itself never actually flatlines.

7/10

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Shudder Saturday: Creepshow Animated Special (2020)

Here we are, a special episode of the much-anticipated anthology series springboarding from the classic movie, and I felt it should be discussed here. It's not a movie, I know, but it's not the first time I have discussed something here that is not a movie. And it won't be the last time either.

A lot of people were delighted with the news that this series was coming. Many people are still delighted that it has happened, with some commenting that the feel of the show is just what they wanted, and the stories and framing make everything seem nicely in line with that Creepshow vibe.

I have to respectfully disagree.

Much like the tale of the monkey's paw that features in one episode in the first series, Creepshow is a classic example of being careful what you wish for. We already had the classic first movie. A lot of people really like the second movie. But there was a third movie, which was pretty bad. Now we have this, arguably the weakest of all of the products that have the Creepshow name attached.

I don't know why I held out hope that this animated special would be better, but I did. Maybe I was carried along on the wave of positivity that seems to keep coming from the horror community. But let's be clear, I cannot help thinking that the positivity, the love, for this series is coming from people who are still hoping it becomes better than it has been so far. As easy to please as I am, the hit rate for the show has been just below 50%, at a conservative estimate. The better stories have been good, the worse stories have been godawful.

A lot of the success depends on the source material, so I was pleased to see that the first tale this time around was "Survivor Type", a dark and twisted Stephen King story about a man who ends up on a desert island, and aims to stay alive for as long as possible, no matter what. I've long been a fan of this story (which I first read in "Skeleton Crew" and, considering the nastiness of it, using animation to tell it seemed like a perfect choice. Kiefer Sutherland voices the main character, the animation style is okay, and it wasn't that bad. If the second tale was a good one then I could see myself enjoying this special.

The second tale, "Twittering From The Circus Of The Dead" was not a good one. I'd actually say it sit easily alongside the worse of the tales featured in season one. A young girl (voiced by Joey King) and her family end up going into a roadside circus attraction, which features zombies and people in peril. The people in peril act as if they're genuinely afraid. I am sure you can guess why. Based on a short story by Joe Hill, I can only assume this was picked as a way to give the special that father-son writer connection, all this did was make me wish they had gone with some other, ANY other, Joe Hill story. Given the form, this would have been an ideal opportunity to introduce people to the quirky world of Pop Art (okay, not as grounded in horror, maybe, but a much more interesting choice).

I'll watch a second season of the show, but it's become increasingly obvious with each episode, and particularly with this special, that the people crafting Creepshow (and it's Greg Nicotero who has his name writ large over most of it) have forgotten how to capture that spark of magic that makes the original film such an enduring classic, and even makes the second film a fun time for horror fans. I hope they bring some people on board soon who can help them remember how to find it.

4/10

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Noir-vember: Dark City (1998)

A man wakes up. He's confused. He has no memory of how he got wherever he is. And there's the corpse of a woman uncomfortably close to him. The man immediately goes on the run, trying to piece things together while a cop pursues him, as well as some individuals who seem much further removed from the law. It's a standard noir set-up, all very familiar, until we start to see the sci-fi elements also incorporated here. A group of people with the power to change the environment, to uproot individuals from their lives and place them elsewhere, with all new memories implanted.

Surprisingly influential (The Matrix and Inception being the most obvious examples that spring to mind), and as intriguing to watch now as it was back when it was first released in 1998, Dark City is a thought-provoking piece of work that also never forgets to keep audiences entertained. It's a genre mash-up that could easily be fumbled, playing with some of the classic tropes before a major shift in tone as the sci-fi aspect of the plot becomes clearer, but director Alex Proyas does a great job of keeping the various plates spinning.

The cast are a big help, with Rufus Sewell used well in the lead role, all anxiety, panic, and confusion for most of the runtime. William Hurt is the Inspector pursuing him, and he's a man capable of taking a step back and trying to see some bigger picture that is somehow evading him. Kiefer Sutherland is amusing enough as a devious doc, Richard O'Brien is as spooky as he often can be, playing one of the other individuals chasing Sewell, and you also have solid turns from Ian Richardson, Bruce Spence, and one or two others. Melissa George and Jennifer Connelly are the two main female cast members. George, making her cinematic feature debut, somehow makes the stronger impression, despite having the "lesser" character, but I'll never pass up any opportunity to enjoy Connelly onscreen, even when she's left slightly adrift by the script.

Based on the story idea by Proyas, the screenplay is credited to him, Lem Dobbs, and David S. Goyer. It's not exactly full of the best dialogue, and seems almost too wary at times of making things as hard-boiled as they could be, but it works very well when bringing together the characters and the ideas at the heart of the plot, providing answers during the finale that can also lead to some more questions in a way that should satisfy sci-fi fans.

There are some moments that feel restricted by the tech of the time, but not nearly as many as you would think. Overall, it's easy to believe that you're watching a film about a city being manipulated and experimented upon by powerful strangers who can alter buildings, fixtures, and entire cityscapes, in minutes. The design work throughout is excellent, as are the practical effects, and all of the visuals are accompanied by a fine score from Trevor Jones.

Although I don't dislike the more recent films from Proyas as much as other people (having not yet seen Gods Of Egypt, but I really liked Knowing), it's always a pleasant surprise that he began his feature film career with the one-two combo of The Crow and this. Both of which have stood the test of time better than, for example, the slick blockbuster entertainment of I, Robot.

8/10

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Flatliners (2017)

I am not going to tell you that the original Flatliners was a classic horror movie. It was a fun Joel Schumacher film, utilising a fun premise, decent enough script by Peter Filardi, and a cast of hot young stars of the time. I just never thought it as great as some others. I did like it though.

This remake starts with the same basic idea (medical students get themselves involved in experiments that lead to them dying for some time, which subsequently leads to them bringing something back over from the other side). But we get Niels Arden Oplev directing, and a script by Ben Ripley.

Ellen Page is Courtney, the first medical student to come up with the plan to flatline. She actually wants to do so because she thinks reading the data from the experience, as she does it while her brain activity is recorded,  could help deal with certain medical situations. She's joined by Jamie (James Norton), Marlo (Nina Dobrev), and Sophia (Kiersey Clemons). And eventually, reluctantly, Ray (Diego Luna) gets caught up in the whole mess. Things start getting weird, and death isn't necessarily going to let anyone go without a fight.

When it comes to the actual logic of the way events pan out, Flatliners does a surprisingly good job. It starts off as being about more than people just trying to get their kicks, but eventually shows competition between the leads and the element of thrill-seeking involved. Ripley has done a decent enough job of updating a premise that didn't feel too badly dated to begin with, bringing in an interesting element that removes it slightly from the original (although I won't detail that - no spoilers here). It's just a shame that the new element also ends up proving the undoing of the film during the third act. Things feel a bit tamer than they could have been, even compared to the original film, which wasn't exactly pushing the boundaries of the horror genre. 

Oplev directs competently enough, but only just. The scares are, for the most part, the easiest options, the visuals are quite drab and lacking any sense of foreboding or decent atmosphere, and even the grand finale feels more like a whimper than a bang.

Then we have the cast. I like most of the people involved. Page, Dobrev, and Luna are all good enough for me to watch. I can't recall what else I have seen Norton and Clemons in, if anything, but they seemed just fine in their roles. They aren't, however, the hot stars of today. That doesn't make them bad actors, it just removes some of the spark that this premise had when it was first put in front of viewers. I'd imagine that some of you reading this will have no idea who half of these people are, yet we all STILL know Julia Roberts, Kiefer Sutherland (who cameos here), Kevin Bacon, William Baldwin (okay, you don't remember him individually but you know there's a Baldwin clan), and maybe even the great Oliver Platt.

All of these elements add up to make something that's just a bit . . . disappointing. The tame script, the unspectacular and drab visual style, the star cast that doesn't feel exactly stellar. It makes a good attempt to rework the original material but there are too many mis-steps for it to become something decent (even the score by Nathan Barr is just average, at best).

4/10

UK folks can buy Flatliners here.
If in America you can buy it here.

Freeway (1996)

Written and directed by Matthew Bright, Freeway is a deliriously demented riff on Little Red Riding Hood. It's sleazy, often ridiculous, and a hell of a lot of fun.

Reese Witherspoon stars as Vanessa Lutz, a young woman travelling to stay with her grandmother after her mother and stepfather are once more carted off to jail. Vanessa accepts a lift from a pleasant man named Bob (Kiefer Sutherland), but it's not long until friction develops, and Vanessa finds herself in a whole lot of trouble.

As entertaining as it is crude and obvious, Freeway is often tasteless, occasionally tense, and darkly comedic throughout. It's also polished enough to make it all more palatable, considering just how potentially dark a number of moments are. You may forget how many boxes are checked off by the time the end credits roll, but Bright includes drug addiction, prostitution, child molestation, and much more on this winding journey to grandma's house.

Witherspoon is on top form in the lead role, alternating between unbelievable naivete and tough sassiness, depending on the situation. It's a performance on a par with her turn as Tracy Flick. Sutherland is equally enjoyable, initially charming and kind before revealing a more predatory nature within. Dan Hedaya and Wolfgang Bodison are both fun as a pair of cops trying to find a serial killer, Brooke Shields does a great job as a protective wife, and Brittany Murphy adds another slightly kooky role to her long list of slightly kooky roles. In fact, with Amanda Plummer also here in a small role, the movie could easily overbalance into twitchy lunatic mode, but it doesn't.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
Bright is smart enough to tie everything in to the fairytale that he's working from without overdoing everything. Most of them are hard to miss - the red jacket worn by Vanessa, the surname of a character clueing you in to their role in the story - but others are . . . . . . . okay, also hard to miss, but that doesn't matter. Overlaying the original tale with a layer of trashy fun allows it to feel enjoyably unique, even as it hits a lot of obvious beats.

Freeway isn't a film to recommend to everyone, but I recommend it to everyone anyway. If you dig it then you will REALLY dig it. If you don't then I'm sure it won't be the worst that you've sat through.
                                                                                                                                                       
9/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Freeway/dp/B0000517CV/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1402535501&sr=1-3&keywords=freeway

Monsters Vs. Aliens (2009)

Monsters Vs. Aliens is a relatively enjoyable animated movie that will appeal more to sci-fi fans than anyone else, while keeping the kids easily entertained. The visual style isn't the best that you could hope for (it's certainly a few rungs below Pixar, for example) but it makes up for that with fun, energy and a multitude of references to classic science fiction movies.

Things start off with young Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) getting ready for her wedding day with weatherman/wannabe anchor Derek Dietl (Paul Rudd). The wedding is spoiled, however, when a huge meteor lands on Susan and then transforms her into a giant. She is then whisked off by the military and wakes up in a facility that also houses Dr. Cockroach (Hugh Laurie), B.O.B (Seth Rogen), The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and Insectosaurus. Monsters, one and all. When Earth is invaded by a greedy alien (Rainn Wilson) then it's up to the monsters to potentially save the day, in case you couldn't guess from the title of the movie.

With the bright and brash style in every frame and the cartoon monsters in the lead roles, it's easy to dismiss Monsters Vs. Aliens but, to be fair, there's plenty to love in almost every scene. Homage follows homage, from the early moment that will make viewers of House Of Wax (1953) smile to the creatures and their backstories to a ridiculously entertaining scene that involved the president (Stephen Colbert) trying to communicate with an alien with a keyboard and one or two familiar tunes. Every little gag shows a knowledge and love for the material being referenced.

The script had a lot of people involved but that's often the case with animated movies so don't let that put you off. Directors Rob Letterman and Conrad Vernon do a great job (Letterman can now be forgiven for partially directing the horrible sub-par Shark Tale) and they're helped by a fantastic vocal cast that includes everyone already mentioned plus Kiefer Sutherland, Amy Poehler and others.

I was hoping to enjoy this movie when I sat down to watch it and by the time the end credits rolled I was wondering whether or not I had grown to love it. Nope, it wasn't quite that good. However, I really liked it and I'll buy it when I get the chance because it's something I know I will enjoy watching again and again. Admittedly, the first 10 minutes or so aren't great and you may start to wonder just why you've decided to give it a viewing but stick with it and you will be rewarded.

7/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Monsters-vs-Aliens-Blu-ray/dp/B002BH3IWM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1343722258&sr=8-2

Mirrors (2008)

Mirrors, I've always been fascinated and a little bit spooked by them ever since I read about what happened when Alice went through the looking glass. Then reading the fantastic Mirror by Graham Masterton didn't help. Perhaps it's the result of watching horror movies for years featuring the old close-the-medicine-cabinet-to-reveal-figure-in-the-mirror trick but I've always had a belief that if I ever see something truly inexplicable and terrifying it will be in a mirror. I simply don't trust 'em but they're everywhere.

Which leads me to Mirrors, yet another remake from director Alexandre Aja. It's not an exact copy but Aja co-wrote the screenplay with Gregory Levasseur based on the Korean movie entitled Into The Mirror (a film I enjoyed but that I also need to rewatch for reviewing purposes). While I agree with many people who say that they'd like to see Aja direct something truly original* I also have to say that I don't really mind his preference for helming remakes when they're as entertaining as this.

Kiefer Sutherland plays Ben Carson, a cop who is no longer acting as a cop due to the unfortunate incident in which he accidentally shot someone that he shouldn't. This has led to him struggling with his feelings, struggling with alcohol abuse and struggling to keep a relationship working with his wife (Paula Patton) and two young kids. He's sleeping on a sofa in the home of his sister (Amy Smart) and trying to get back to his best, one step at a time. When he takes a job as a security officer in a grand department store building that was majorly damaged by a deadly fire he hopes for the best. Unfortunately, the mirrors in the building have seen so much that they act differently from normal mirrors and Ben soon starts questioning his sanity while seeing more and more disturbing images. As if that wasn't bad enough, abnormal reflections may also aim to harm his family.

Mirrors works well because a) it's about mirrors (please refer to my first paragraph) and b) it mixes some nice strangeness with many jump scares and one or two excellent gore effects. In fact, one highlight is so good that I'm barely restraining myself from going into more detail but when you see it you'll be very impressed. Okay, the first half may actually have one or two jump scares too many and the finale is a bit of a letdown but the rest is solid entertainment. Decent performances from the cast (Sutherland, Patton, Smart, Cameron Boyce and Erica Gluck as the kids, etc) help to keep you engrossed and the threat to the characters is actually palpable once the film moves into top gear.

It may not be a modern classic but it's certainly a very well made, entertaining movie that makes good use of the central concept and may make you look twice the next time you catch sight of your reflection.

7/10


*I think everyone knows by now the clamour that occurred when the excellent Haute Tension AKA Switchblade Romance was released and people spotted how similar it was to Intensity, a novel by Dean R. Koontz.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mirrors-Blu-ray-Kiefer-Sutherland/dp/B001T9N53A/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1337273909&sr=8-3