Take 4: American Tribute
American Gothic: The Complete Series (1995)
We're Not in Kansas Anymore: We're in the little town of Trinity, South Carolina. American Gothic, a short-lived television series with a pretty steady cult following, follows the lives of the residents of Trinity, who all seem to be under the control of local sheriff, Lucas Buck. He's helped out the townsfolk quite a bit, but expects them to return the favor in whatever manner circumstances demand...or there will be Hell to pay. Luckily, the sheriff seems lately to be focused on working his way into the life of a young boy, Caleb Temple...and bringing him over to the dark side. But...why? Luckily, the young boy's journalist cousin and the doctor who just moved into town sense something is going on and try to protect Caleb against the sheriff's schemes.
Familiar Faces: Gary "Um...yeah...I'm going to need you to come in on Saturday" Cole of Office Space plays the friendly, yet sinister, Sheriff Buck...who might be the only person in this that you recognize. There's also Jake Weber, who stars as a local doctor...you might recognize him from TV's Medium or the 2004 remake of the zombie film, Dawn of the Dead. And in the "I THOUGHT she looked familiar" category, the character of Merlyn Temple (Caleb's older...dead...sister/ghost) is played by Sarah Paulson, who also played blonde/Christian comedian Harriet Hayes in the NBC series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Random Buzz: The last four episodes of the 22 episodes that appear on DVD never actually aired on television, having been yanked from the broadcast schedule for various reasons. Therefore, navigating through the discs in the "proper" order can be an exercise in logic, where you have to watch the last episode on Disc Five after viewing the first episode on Disc Two, etc. This grew old for me. As mentioned above, though, this did kind of attain cult status, so there are quite a few very vocal folks out there who loved this.
And I Quote...: Sheriff Lucas Buck: "I don't actually give; I deal. Are you ready to make a deal?"
IMDB's Top Plot Search Words: Suspense; Small Town; Black Magic; Cult; Devil
Curt's Take: Don't Bother - First off, all the online reviews I read about this series raved about it, saying how it was groundbreaking, clever, etc. I just could not get into it, no matter how hard I tried. I love the films of Sam Raimi (e.g. Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Spiderman), but this proved difficult to handle. And while I try to do my due diligence in reviewing these things, after five episodes, I just couldn't bring myself to sit through 17 more...especially when I'd also have to figure out how to watch the episodes in the correct order (see above). I don't know why this series just didn't work for me. Maybe my image of Gary Cole as an evil sheriff is tainted by his roles in Office Space and the Brady Bunch movies. Maybe it was because it took too long for the show to get at what Sheriff Buck's evil master plan was (I'm still not sure what his evil ambitions were, beyond getting Caleb to cheat at his school's science fair and exchanging snide insults with Weber's character). I just don't know...it wasn't terrible or anything, and doesn't warrant the dreaded Run in Fear rating, but it was just...meh. Move on, next DVD.
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We're Not in Kansas Anymore: I think we're in Missouri...the license plates are a little blurry. But, yeah...American Crime takes place in a small city/large town in the Midwest, where a television news reporter, her producer, and their cameraman become embroiled in the machinations of a twisted killer, who sends his victims voyeuristic videotapes of his previous murder victims...with the end of the tape highlighting the recipient as the next victim/star. They are later joined by a British documentarian from the true crime show American Crime, who helps them in their investigations.
Familiar Faces: This straight-to-video DVD has some semi-big names in it...Annabella Sciorra (I know her from previous seasons of The Sopranos), Cary Elwes (of The Princess Bride fame) and Rachel Leigh Cook.(Josie and the Pussycats). Rounding out the lead roles is Kip Pardue, who played "Sunshine" in Remember the Titans. Finally, you might also recognize Wade Williams, who plays former prison guard Brad Bellick in TV's Prison Break.
Random Buzz: Popular concensus on the message boards about this one is that Rachel Leigh Cook is a very attractive young woman, but has a terrible wig in this film, and that Cary Elwes, although British, has a hard time carrying off a British accent. Agreed...and agreed.
And I Quote...: Rob: [Having discovered where there friend was being held captive] "You were right!" Jane: "Of course I was right...I'm the producer."
IMDB's Top Plot Search Words: Murder; Stalker; Television Reporter; Videotape
Curt's Take: Don't Bother - Lion's Gate Films has a track record of disappointing me, to the point where I audibly groan when I see the next movie in my queue is coming from them. And yet, I still watch the trailers in every Lion's Gate Film I rent, and always find a movie or two to add to my Netflix list. I should know better by now. Anyway, I think I was expecting better things from this because of its trailer. Kind of a mix between a documentary and slasher film. Some of the camerawork was interesting, where they would transition smoothly from camcorder footage into film, but the mix of interview segments (as found in a documentary) with live, digicam "Blair Witch" style scenes, combined with your normal film cinematography was almost a bit too jumbled and chaotic. What I had hoped would be an interesting crime thriller just didn't hold together in the end. On a side note, it seems that every movie I see Cary Elwes in these days has him 1) being the victim of a truly horrid make-up job and 2) overacting to try to compensate for how he looks. Quite annoying. And Rachel Leigh Cook's blonde wig just weirded me out through the whole film...that didn't help, either.
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We're Not in Kansas Anymore: The movie takes place at the Bell family home in Red River, Tennessee, in the early 1800's...except for a brief (and, in my opinion, unnecessary) foray into what I assume is present-day Tennessee.
Familiar Faces: Only two real famous folks in this (both with horror films on their resumes): Donald Sutherland (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Sissy Spacek (Carrie).
Random Trivia: This movie is supposedly based on actual events that revolve around the only documented case in U.S. history where a "spirit" caused the death of a man. Andrew Jackson is quoted as saying, "I would rather take on the entire English Fleet than stay one night at the Bell House." He later formed a group of men to test the rumors of the Bell haunting. Their findings are documented in M. V. Ingram's 1894 book, An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch. Not to be confused with the Blair Witch, of course.
And I Quote...: Richard Powell: "I will prove to you this is nothing more than someone trying to frighten you."
IMDB's Top Plot Search Words: Carriage Accident; Usury; 2000s; Rainstorm; 1810s
Curt's Take: Not a Priority - "This film is based on true events." Yeah, and this review is based on a mediocre film. Okay, perhaps that is being a bit harsh...I mean, the special effects were pretty good, and there were a handful of genuinely scary moments. In fact, I thought that the Japanese horror genre had the market cornered on the whole "Creepy child-like ghosts who hang their heads low and have their faces covered by hair or something" approach to creepiness (e.g. The Ring, The Grudge, Hello Kitty), but apparently it can be pulled off in post-Colonial America with bonnets and brightly-colored frocks, too. Anyway, I digress. Unlike most horror-films, the characters didn't spend a lot of time trying to get to the bottom of what was going on, and were content to just let the hauntings and spookiness run their course. Sure, they initially come up with explanations like "it was just the house settling," but when the entire group witnesses poltergeist activity, the characters kind of give up and seem resigned to their fate, which hardly makes for engaging content. In the end, I wanted to enjoy this film a lot more than I did, which always drags down the score a bit. Watch at your own discretion.
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We're Not in Kansas Anymore: We're mostly in Hollywood, with a little bit of time spent in Orange County and Ohio. The film follows an American Idol- type show which showcases up-and-coming young singers. The show (called American Dreamz) is a ratings hit, and promises to be an even bigger success when young Sally Kendoo from suburban Ohio makes it onto the show...due in no small part to the fact that the host of the show, Martin Tweed, has a bit of a thing for her. In fact, the Simon Cowell-like Tweed engineers the show so that Sally's primary competition is gone in the early rounds, leaving her to face a showtune-loving Iraqi immigrant (who is part of a terrorist sleeper cell) in the finals of the show. Oh, and the President happens to be a guest judge on the finals. Can you say "awkward?"
Familiar Faces: Singer Mandy Moore plays contestant Sally, while Hugh Grant plays the host, Martin Tweed. The President is played by Dennis Quaid, while Willem Dafoe plays his Chief of Staff and Marcia Gay Harden plays the First Lady. Chris Klein and Jennifer Coolidge (both of American Pie) play Sally's boyfriend and mother, while John Cho (Harold of Harold and Kumar) and Judy Greer (of The Village) play Tweed's assistants. Finally, Saturday Night Live alum Seth Meyers plays Sally's agent, Chet Krogl.
Random Trivia: Writer/director Paul Weitz claims that he wrote the original draft of the American Dreamz script before he had ever watched an episode of American Idol.
And I Quote...: Agha Babur: "You must get to the championship round. When you are on stage with the President, you will have smuggled in an explosive..." Omer: "What if I don't make it to the final round?" Agha Babur: "Omer...folks don't call me the torturer because I don't like to torture people."
IMDB's Top Plot Search Words: Marriage; Hollywood, California; White House; Aspiring Singer; Fiancé/Fiancée Relationship
Curt's Take: Worth Considering - I usually enjoy movies less when I watch them on my laptop, but this one ended up being the one of the four that I enjoyed the most. No, not because it's a movie about reality television (good guess, though). It's just a fun, enjoyable film, with a good cast, and it's a decent spoof of American culture, politics and entertainment. Not sure what else to say here...it's not Academy Award-winning material, by any means, but is fun to kick back with. Check it out.
We're Not in Kansas Anymore: We're in the little town of Trinity, South Carolina. American Gothic, a short-lived television series with a pretty steady cult following, follows the lives of the residents of Trinity, who all seem to be under the control of local sheriff, Lucas Buck. He's helped out the townsfolk quite a bit, but expects them to return the favor in whatever manner circumstances demand...or there will be Hell to pay. Luckily, the sheriff seems lately to be focused on working his way into the life of a young boy, Caleb Temple...and bringing him over to the dark side. But...why? Luckily, the young boy's journalist cousin and the doctor who just moved into town sense something is going on and try to protect Caleb against the sheriff's schemes.
Familiar Faces: Gary "Um...yeah...I'm going to need you to come in on Saturday" Cole of Office Space plays the friendly, yet sinister, Sheriff Buck...who might be the only person in this that you recognize. There's also Jake Weber, who stars as a local doctor...you might recognize him from TV's Medium or the 2004 remake of the zombie film, Dawn of the Dead. And in the "I THOUGHT she looked familiar" category, the character of Merlyn Temple (Caleb's older...dead...sister/ghost) is played by Sarah Paulson, who also played blonde/Christian comedian Harriet Hayes in the NBC series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Random Buzz: The last four episodes of the 22 episodes that appear on DVD never actually aired on television, having been yanked from the broadcast schedule for various reasons. Therefore, navigating through the discs in the "proper" order can be an exercise in logic, where you have to watch the last episode on Disc Five after viewing the first episode on Disc Two, etc. This grew old for me. As mentioned above, though, this did kind of attain cult status, so there are quite a few very vocal folks out there who loved this.And I Quote...: Sheriff Lucas Buck: "I don't actually give; I deal. Are you ready to make a deal?"
IMDB's Top Plot Search Words: Suspense; Small Town; Black Magic; Cult; Devil
Curt's Take: Don't Bother - First off, all the online reviews I read about this series raved about it, saying how it was groundbreaking, clever, etc. I just could not get into it, no matter how hard I tried. I love the films of Sam Raimi (e.g. Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, Spiderman), but this proved difficult to handle. And while I try to do my due diligence in reviewing these things, after five episodes, I just couldn't bring myself to sit through 17 more...especially when I'd also have to figure out how to watch the episodes in the correct order (see above). I don't know why this series just didn't work for me. Maybe my image of Gary Cole as an evil sheriff is tainted by his roles in Office Space and the Brady Bunch movies. Maybe it was because it took too long for the show to get at what Sheriff Buck's evil master plan was (I'm still not sure what his evil ambitions were, beyond getting Caleb to cheat at his school's science fair and exchanging snide insults with Weber's character). I just don't know...it wasn't terrible or anything, and doesn't warrant the dreaded Run in Fear rating, but it was just...meh. Move on, next DVD.
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American Crime (2004)
We're Not in Kansas Anymore: I think we're in Missouri...the license plates are a little blurry. But, yeah...American Crime takes place in a small city/large town in the Midwest, where a television news reporter, her producer, and their cameraman become embroiled in the machinations of a twisted killer, who sends his victims voyeuristic videotapes of his previous murder victims...with the end of the tape highlighting the recipient as the next victim/star. They are later joined by a British documentarian from the true crime show American Crime, who helps them in their investigations.
Familiar Faces: This straight-to-video DVD has some semi-big names in it...Annabella Sciorra (I know her from previous seasons of The Sopranos), Cary Elwes (of The Princess Bride fame) and Rachel Leigh Cook.(Josie and the Pussycats). Rounding out the lead roles is Kip Pardue, who played "Sunshine" in Remember the Titans. Finally, you might also recognize Wade Williams, who plays former prison guard Brad Bellick in TV's Prison Break.
Random Buzz: Popular concensus on the message boards about this one is that Rachel Leigh Cook is a very attractive young woman, but has a terrible wig in this film, and that Cary Elwes, although British, has a hard time carrying off a British accent. Agreed...and agreed.
And I Quote...: Rob: [Having discovered where there friend was being held captive] "You were right!" Jane: "Of course I was right...I'm the producer."IMDB's Top Plot Search Words: Murder; Stalker; Television Reporter; Videotape
Curt's Take: Don't Bother - Lion's Gate Films has a track record of disappointing me, to the point where I audibly groan when I see the next movie in my queue is coming from them. And yet, I still watch the trailers in every Lion's Gate Film I rent, and always find a movie or two to add to my Netflix list. I should know better by now. Anyway, I think I was expecting better things from this because of its trailer. Kind of a mix between a documentary and slasher film. Some of the camerawork was interesting, where they would transition smoothly from camcorder footage into film, but the mix of interview segments (as found in a documentary) with live, digicam "Blair Witch" style scenes, combined with your normal film cinematography was almost a bit too jumbled and chaotic. What I had hoped would be an interesting crime thriller just didn't hold together in the end. On a side note, it seems that every movie I see Cary Elwes in these days has him 1) being the victim of a truly horrid make-up job and 2) overacting to try to compensate for how he looks. Quite annoying. And Rachel Leigh Cook's blonde wig just weirded me out through the whole film...that didn't help, either.
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An American Haunting (2005)
We're Not in Kansas Anymore: The movie takes place at the Bell family home in Red River, Tennessee, in the early 1800's...except for a brief (and, in my opinion, unnecessary) foray into what I assume is present-day Tennessee.
Familiar Faces: Only two real famous folks in this (both with horror films on their resumes): Donald Sutherland (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Sissy Spacek (Carrie).
Random Trivia: This movie is supposedly based on actual events that revolve around the only documented case in U.S. history where a "spirit" caused the death of a man. Andrew Jackson is quoted as saying, "I would rather take on the entire English Fleet than stay one night at the Bell House." He later formed a group of men to test the rumors of the Bell haunting. Their findings are documented in M. V. Ingram's 1894 book, An Authenticated History of the Famous Bell Witch. Not to be confused with the Blair Witch, of course.
And I Quote...: Richard Powell: "I will prove to you this is nothing more than someone trying to frighten you."IMDB's Top Plot Search Words: Carriage Accident; Usury; 2000s; Rainstorm; 1810s
Curt's Take: Not a Priority - "This film is based on true events." Yeah, and this review is based on a mediocre film. Okay, perhaps that is being a bit harsh...I mean, the special effects were pretty good, and there were a handful of genuinely scary moments. In fact, I thought that the Japanese horror genre had the market cornered on the whole "Creepy child-like ghosts who hang their heads low and have their faces covered by hair or something" approach to creepiness (e.g. The Ring, The Grudge, Hello Kitty), but apparently it can be pulled off in post-Colonial America with bonnets and brightly-colored frocks, too. Anyway, I digress. Unlike most horror-films, the characters didn't spend a lot of time trying to get to the bottom of what was going on, and were content to just let the hauntings and spookiness run their course. Sure, they initially come up with explanations like "it was just the house settling," but when the entire group witnesses poltergeist activity, the characters kind of give up and seem resigned to their fate, which hardly makes for engaging content. In the end, I wanted to enjoy this film a lot more than I did, which always drags down the score a bit. Watch at your own discretion.
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American Dreamz (2006)
We're Not in Kansas Anymore: We're mostly in Hollywood, with a little bit of time spent in Orange County and Ohio. The film follows an American Idol- type show which showcases up-and-coming young singers. The show (called American Dreamz) is a ratings hit, and promises to be an even bigger success when young Sally Kendoo from suburban Ohio makes it onto the show...due in no small part to the fact that the host of the show, Martin Tweed, has a bit of a thing for her. In fact, the Simon Cowell-like Tweed engineers the show so that Sally's primary competition is gone in the early rounds, leaving her to face a showtune-loving Iraqi immigrant (who is part of a terrorist sleeper cell) in the finals of the show. Oh, and the President happens to be a guest judge on the finals. Can you say "awkward?"
Familiar Faces: Singer Mandy Moore plays contestant Sally, while Hugh Grant plays the host, Martin Tweed. The President is played by Dennis Quaid, while Willem Dafoe plays his Chief of Staff and Marcia Gay Harden plays the First Lady. Chris Klein and Jennifer Coolidge (both of American Pie) play Sally's boyfriend and mother, while John Cho (Harold of Harold and Kumar) and Judy Greer (of The Village) play Tweed's assistants. Finally, Saturday Night Live alum Seth Meyers plays Sally's agent, Chet Krogl.
Random Trivia: Writer/director Paul Weitz claims that he wrote the original draft of the American Dreamz script before he had ever watched an episode of American Idol.
And I Quote...: Agha Babur: "You must get to the championship round. When you are on stage with the President, you will have smuggled in an explosive..." Omer: "What if I don't make it to the final round?" Agha Babur: "Omer...folks don't call me the torturer because I don't like to torture people."IMDB's Top Plot Search Words: Marriage; Hollywood, California; White House; Aspiring Singer; Fiancé/Fiancée Relationship
Curt's Take: Worth Considering - I usually enjoy movies less when I watch them on my laptop, but this one ended up being the one of the four that I enjoyed the most. No, not because it's a movie about reality television (good guess, though). It's just a fun, enjoyable film, with a good cast, and it's a decent spoof of American culture, politics and entertainment. Not sure what else to say here...it's not Academy Award-winning material, by any means, but is fun to kick back with. Check it out.
posted by Curt at 11:25 PM
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