Review of Wendigo (1978) by Diana S — 28 Jun 2005

Just watched an interesting horror movie, Wendigo, with the fabulous Patricia Clarkson ("Miracle"). The director goes about making the movie in more of a 70s way, with actual character building and plot setting, instead of the modern manner of cutting straight to some gore. The story follows a couple and their child who decide to get away for the weekend to an isolated cabin in the middle of a snowy wilderness. (Very relaxing, I'm sure.) The kid, Erik Per Sullivan (Dewey from "Malcom in the Middle"), sees an old Indian in a pawn shop. The Indian tells him the legend of Wendigo, an angry spirit that can take many forms. Dewey soon starts hallucinating, or possibly just imagining, really creepy things. Then accidents begin to happen.

Greenfingers is a light comedy starring Clive Owen ("Closer") as a British inmate in the midst of serving a life sentence when he is transferred to a new "open" prison for job rehabilitation. Here he discovers the love of gardening. The warden, or governor, decides he wants a real garden, and Clive must gather up the other inmates and try to teach these hardened criminals to care for plants. Along the way, they gain the attention of some gardening notables, as well as, the Queen herself.