REVIEW: The Strangers [2008]

“Is Tamara there?” I am all for the torture porn genre—the Saw films are entertaining, yes even the fourth, and I thoroughly enjoyed Hostel. First time writer/director Bryan Bertino has decided to throw his cap into the ring with the new film The Strangers. Supposedly based on true events, the movie ends up running similarly to Haneke’s Funny Games, except without the social commentary and instead more contemporary scare tactics with masks, (I’ll admit that seeing the faces of the killers as human beings is far scarier because you can…

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REVIEW: Vacancy [2007]

“You can get another sparkler” Ah, a thriller that looks as though it could deliver on the promises of its genre. I mean, come on, we have Luke Wilson, a decent actor taking a dramatic turn, the fantastic Frank Whaley, one of the most underused character actors around, director Nimród Antal following up his critically acclaimed Kontroll, and the gorgeous Kate Beckinsale to light up the screen—I’ll admit, I would have seen Vacancy just based on her involvement alone. We have some real nice talent here and a premise, while…

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