Review of The Return (2006) by Courtney C — 31 Oct 2007

Time to play some catch-up.

I heard many bad things about [b]Bug[/b], but I think that's because it was marketed as a flesh-eating virus horror movie. It's really more of a psychological thriller. Based on a play, almost all of the action takes place in a hotel room. Director William Friedkin ("The Hunted") manages to keep the tension up, despite the lack of scenery change. Ashley Judd ("Come Early Morning") stars as a desperate and lonely woman who falls for a possibly crazy veteran (Michael Shannon, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead"). He thinks there's a bug infestation in the hotel room. And the crazy spirals from there. Judd and Shannon really give themselves over to their roles. And the film might not have worked as well otherwise. I was caught up in this from minute one.

Despite it's very cool poster and the lovely Sarah Michelle Gellar ("Suburban Girl"), [b]The Return[/b] is a mess. The premise is good. Gellar has these visions of her past, but can't remember why. So she goes to revisit this old town and tries to sort things out. Only, as the audience, we're as confused as she is. And not in the I-can't-wait-to-see-how-this-turns-out suspenseful way, but in the should-I-really-care-about-this way. I liked the gray look of the film, and it did all make sense in the end. I just got bored along the way.

[b].

Now, Voyager[/b] is one of those classic films I put off seeing for no real reason. I really, really liked it. Bette Davis ("Wicked Stepmother") is amazing. I want to be her. Davis stars as a middle-aged spinster who is cracking under the demands of her domineering mother. She goes to a sanitarium and then on a cruise where she discovers herself, and love. It's not all happy. But it's all good. See it now.

[b]Resident Evil:Extinction[/b] is just stomping a good idea into the ground. Milla Jovovich ("Ultraviolet") is back as Alice who has magical blood which will stop the zombie plague. There are a bunch of other dirty survivors running around the desert that America has become. And some crazy scientists, that creepy computer girl and some hologram business men. The whole movie felt like when you fall asleep in a film and then you wake up not knowing what is going on. Only, I never fell asleep. It just made no sense. Plus, Jovovich was wearing way more make-up than everyone else. What was that about? Just don't see it.