Twelve years ago director Daniel Stamm was considered in some quarters as having revivified a subgenre with “The Last Exorcism.” That sleeper hit that was no classic, but it took itself seriously in the right ways, as put across by a good cast including the estimable (and still underused) Ashley Bell. Since 2014’s less successful “13 Sins,” he’s been occupied with episodic TV work. Unsurprisingly, his first feature in eight years marks a return to the general terrain that worked for him before.
“Prey for the Devil” won’t likely spur enthusiasm equal to Stamm’s breakout film, despite the relative novelty value of being built around a female exorcist — something not so unprecedented (at least onscreen) as billed, last year’s Veracruz-set “The Old Ways” being just one other example. Still, even if it falls short of being particularly memorable or scary, this is a decently entertaining possession potboiler.
“Prey for the Devil” won’t likely spur enthusiasm equal to Stamm’s breakout film, despite the relative novelty value of being built around a female exorcist — something not so unprecedented (at least onscreen) as billed, last year’s Veracruz-set “The Old Ways” being just one other example. Still, even if it falls short of being particularly memorable or scary, this is a decently entertaining possession potboiler.
- 10/28/2022
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Though there’s no sign he plans to retire soon — he has several further projects in the can — producer-star Ron Perlman’s vehicle “Asher” is the kind of movie that often serves as an actor’s onscreen bow-out these days. Like recent “The Old Man and the Gun” or imminent “The Mule,” it provides “Hellboy” star Perlman a way to both stay in the game and acknowledge “aging out” as a veteran criminal whose next job may be his last.
That blend of action genre content and character study is a comfortable mix for Perlman, even if “Asher” doesn’t quite have the stuff to be truly memorable on either count. This leisurely neo-noir, directed by Michael Caton-Jones from a first produced script by Jay Zaretsky, opens today on 10 U.S. screens simultaneous with digital-formats release.
Asher (Perlman) is a dignified silver-haired gent living a quiet, solitary existence in his New York loft apartment.
That blend of action genre content and character study is a comfortable mix for Perlman, even if “Asher” doesn’t quite have the stuff to be truly memorable on either count. This leisurely neo-noir, directed by Michael Caton-Jones from a first produced script by Jay Zaretsky, opens today on 10 U.S. screens simultaneous with digital-formats release.
Asher (Perlman) is a dignified silver-haired gent living a quiet, solitary existence in his New York loft apartment.
- 12/7/2018
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Release Date: Feb. 6 Director: Harald Zwart
Writers: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, Steve Martin
Cinematographer: Denis Crossan
Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina
Studio/Run Time: Sony/Columbia/MGM, 92 mins.
It’s not freakishly, impressively terrible like The Love Guru, but The Pink Panther 2 is an extremely uninspired oddity, as if it's aimed at children who like jokes about ogling women or at adults who remember the older films and like to see them redone with different actors. Lots of them.
Writers: Scott Neustadter, Michael H. Weber, Steve Martin
Cinematographer: Denis Crossan
Starring: Steve Martin, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, Andy Garcia, Alfred Molina
Studio/Run Time: Sony/Columbia/MGM, 92 mins.
It’s not freakishly, impressively terrible like The Love Guru, but The Pink Panther 2 is an extremely uninspired oddity, as if it's aimed at children who like jokes about ogling women or at adults who remember the older films and like to see them redone with different actors. Lots of them.
- 2/10/2009
- Pastemagazine.com
Although "The Hole" might spark easily made comparisons with "The Blair Witch Project" -- terrified teens stalked by an evil presence -- it is actually a shrewdly made chiller that has a good deal to offer. With the right handling, this film could make a nice hit in that hefty marketplace for "teens in peril" movies.
While the film is a U.K.-French production set firmly in rural England, the fact that the key young leads, Thora Birch and Desmond Harrington, are Americans tips us off that this is a film made for the international marketplace.
The film is structured in the form of a series of flashbacks, which gradually reveal more and more about the events, cleverly mixing true memories with alternate variations. The film opens impressively with the shocked, frightened Liz (Birch) wandering into a village where, in a series of flashbacks, she explains to psychologist Philipa Horwood (the always fine Embeth Davidtz) what has happened.
It seems she and fellow pupils from an English public school had gotten out of a school trip by hiding out in an old World War II bunker. Liz was keen to go into the hole with American hunk Mike (Harrington) because she had the hots for him, while fellow students Geoff and Frankie engage in a little quality time together.
Liz initially blames much of what happened to them in the hole on another student, Martin (Daniel Brocklebank), who she says was jealous of her feelings for Mike. But as the police interrogation of her and Martin continues, more and more is revealed of the actual events in the bunker. Without giving too much of the plot away, it becomes clear that someone is controlling the events in the bunker. As the bodies start to fall, fear and paranoia increase.
"Hole" is impressively directed by Nick Hamm (whose previous film was the romantic comedy "Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence"). He makes great use of the frightening location of a dark, shadowy bunker, though his work is much assisted by a fine, intelligent script from Ben Court and Caroline Ip, who give depth and variation to their characters. The hole is nicely designed by Eve Stewart, and, as shot by cinematographer Denis Crossan, it makes for a fine twist on the old-dark-house format.
Birch is asked to offer different levels to her character as the truth behind what happened is gradually revealed, and she does an excellent job of presenting a character who lurches between shy and mousy to cunning and sociopathic. The rest of the young cast is impressive, especially Brocklebank as Martin.
"Hole" is a fine, tense piece of chilling entertainment that deserves to reach an audience.
THE HOLE
Pathe Pictures presents in association with the Film Council and Le Studio Canal Plus
Cowboy Films/Granada Film Prods. in association with Cowboy Pictures
Producers: Lisa Bryer, Jeremy Bolt, Pippa Cross
Director: Nick Hamm
Screenwriters: Ben Court, Caroline Ip
Based on the novel by: Guy Burt
Executive producers: Francois Ivernel, Andrea Calderwood
Director of photography: Denis Crossan
Editor: Niven Howie
Production designer: Eve Stewart
Music: Clint Mansell
Costume designer: Verity Hawkes
Color/stereo
Cast:
Liz Dunn: : hora Birch
Mike Steel: Desmond Harrington
Martin Taylor: Daniel Brocklebank
Geoff: Laurence Fox
Frankie Smith: Keira Knightley
Dr. Philipa Horwood: Embeth Davidtz
DCS Tom Howard: Steven Waddington
Running time -- 102 minutes
No MPAA rating...
While the film is a U.K.-French production set firmly in rural England, the fact that the key young leads, Thora Birch and Desmond Harrington, are Americans tips us off that this is a film made for the international marketplace.
The film is structured in the form of a series of flashbacks, which gradually reveal more and more about the events, cleverly mixing true memories with alternate variations. The film opens impressively with the shocked, frightened Liz (Birch) wandering into a village where, in a series of flashbacks, she explains to psychologist Philipa Horwood (the always fine Embeth Davidtz) what has happened.
It seems she and fellow pupils from an English public school had gotten out of a school trip by hiding out in an old World War II bunker. Liz was keen to go into the hole with American hunk Mike (Harrington) because she had the hots for him, while fellow students Geoff and Frankie engage in a little quality time together.
Liz initially blames much of what happened to them in the hole on another student, Martin (Daniel Brocklebank), who she says was jealous of her feelings for Mike. But as the police interrogation of her and Martin continues, more and more is revealed of the actual events in the bunker. Without giving too much of the plot away, it becomes clear that someone is controlling the events in the bunker. As the bodies start to fall, fear and paranoia increase.
"Hole" is impressively directed by Nick Hamm (whose previous film was the romantic comedy "Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence"). He makes great use of the frightening location of a dark, shadowy bunker, though his work is much assisted by a fine, intelligent script from Ben Court and Caroline Ip, who give depth and variation to their characters. The hole is nicely designed by Eve Stewart, and, as shot by cinematographer Denis Crossan, it makes for a fine twist on the old-dark-house format.
Birch is asked to offer different levels to her character as the truth behind what happened is gradually revealed, and she does an excellent job of presenting a character who lurches between shy and mousy to cunning and sociopathic. The rest of the young cast is impressive, especially Brocklebank as Martin.
"Hole" is a fine, tense piece of chilling entertainment that deserves to reach an audience.
THE HOLE
Pathe Pictures presents in association with the Film Council and Le Studio Canal Plus
Cowboy Films/Granada Film Prods. in association with Cowboy Pictures
Producers: Lisa Bryer, Jeremy Bolt, Pippa Cross
Director: Nick Hamm
Screenwriters: Ben Court, Caroline Ip
Based on the novel by: Guy Burt
Executive producers: Francois Ivernel, Andrea Calderwood
Director of photography: Denis Crossan
Editor: Niven Howie
Production designer: Eve Stewart
Music: Clint Mansell
Costume designer: Verity Hawkes
Color/stereo
Cast:
Liz Dunn: : hora Birch
Mike Steel: Desmond Harrington
Martin Taylor: Daniel Brocklebank
Geoff: Laurence Fox
Frankie Smith: Keira Knightley
Dr. Philipa Horwood: Embeth Davidtz
DCS Tom Howard: Steven Waddington
Running time -- 102 minutes
No MPAA rating...
Having successfully persuaded horror audiences to "Scream" again, fright scribe Kevin Williamson follows up on that initial promise with "I Know What You Did Last Summer," a good old-fashioned scarefest that relies on smartly constructed suspense, not buckets of gore or CGI overload, to coax viewers to the edge of their seats.
Backed by sharp direction from Scottish filmmaker Jim Gillespie and solid performances by "Party of Five"'s Jennifer Love Hewitt and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"'s Sarah Michelle Gellar, the Columbia picture may be a mouthful for the marquee, but is certain to scare up potfuls of moolah when it opens the weekend after next.
There certainly isn't anything particularly groundbreaking going on -- horror aficionados will easily spot a little "Friday the 13th" here and a little "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" there, not to mention "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" around the edges -- but Williamson and Gillespie know a thing or two about effective packaging.
Set against the mist-laden backdrop of a seaside South Carolina village, the action centers on four high school friends celebrating their final Fourth of July together before heading off in different directions.
There's aspiring actress Helen Shivers (Gellar), who has just been crowned the coveted Croaker Queen; her cocky, rich kid boyfriend Barry (Ryan Phillippe); her best friend Julie (Hewitt), who's off to Boston to pursue a career in law; and Julie's beau Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who dreams of escaping his working-class roots to become a successful writer.
But their big summer blowout hits a roadblock when Barry's new BMW runs head-on into a large, dark object in the middle of a remote stretch of highway. When their target turns out to be a human casualty, panic sets in, and realizing their blood-alcohol levels will no doubt result in a career-ending charge of vehicular manslaughter, they dump the body in the ocean.
Flash-forward one year later, when Julie receives an anonymous note bearing the words "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER." Before you can say "slasher picture," she and her accomplices find themselves being pursued by a ghostly figure in a black slicker with a mean, "Candyman" right hook.
Gillespie and Williamson push all the requisite scare-tactic buttons, admirably forgoing the ever-popular latex and optical effects in favor of traditional lighting and camera angles.
The cast is definitely above-par for this course. Although Hewitt and Gellar are required to provide all the obligatory scantily clothed screaming, they're a lot more self-sufficient and take-control than their '80s counterparts. Philippe and Prinze are also fine in a limited capacity.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Sony Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Mandalay Entertainment presents
A Neal H. Moritz production
Director Jim Gillespie
Screenwriter Kevin Williamson
Producers Neal H. Moritz, Erik Feig,
Stokely Chaffin
Executive producer William S. Beasley
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Gary Wissner
Editor Steve Mirkovich
Music John Debney
Music supervisor Alex Steyermark
Costume designer Catherine Adair
Casting Mary Vernieu
Color/stereo
Cast:
Julie James Jennifer Love Hewitt
Helen Shivers Sarah Michelle Gellar
Ray Bronson Freddie Prinze Jr.
Benjamin Willis/fisherman Muse Watson
Elsa Shivers Bridgette Wilson
Max Johnny Galecki
Barry Ryan Phillippe
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Backed by sharp direction from Scottish filmmaker Jim Gillespie and solid performances by "Party of Five"'s Jennifer Love Hewitt and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer"'s Sarah Michelle Gellar, the Columbia picture may be a mouthful for the marquee, but is certain to scare up potfuls of moolah when it opens the weekend after next.
There certainly isn't anything particularly groundbreaking going on -- horror aficionados will easily spot a little "Friday the 13th" here and a little "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" there, not to mention "Halloween" and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" around the edges -- but Williamson and Gillespie know a thing or two about effective packaging.
Set against the mist-laden backdrop of a seaside South Carolina village, the action centers on four high school friends celebrating their final Fourth of July together before heading off in different directions.
There's aspiring actress Helen Shivers (Gellar), who has just been crowned the coveted Croaker Queen; her cocky, rich kid boyfriend Barry (Ryan Phillippe); her best friend Julie (Hewitt), who's off to Boston to pursue a career in law; and Julie's beau Ray (Freddie Prinze Jr.), who dreams of escaping his working-class roots to become a successful writer.
But their big summer blowout hits a roadblock when Barry's new BMW runs head-on into a large, dark object in the middle of a remote stretch of highway. When their target turns out to be a human casualty, panic sets in, and realizing their blood-alcohol levels will no doubt result in a career-ending charge of vehicular manslaughter, they dump the body in the ocean.
Flash-forward one year later, when Julie receives an anonymous note bearing the words "I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER." Before you can say "slasher picture," she and her accomplices find themselves being pursued by a ghostly figure in a black slicker with a mean, "Candyman" right hook.
Gillespie and Williamson push all the requisite scare-tactic buttons, admirably forgoing the ever-popular latex and optical effects in favor of traditional lighting and camera angles.
The cast is definitely above-par for this course. Although Hewitt and Gellar are required to provide all the obligatory scantily clothed screaming, they're a lot more self-sufficient and take-control than their '80s counterparts. Philippe and Prinze are also fine in a limited capacity.
I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
Sony Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Mandalay Entertainment presents
A Neal H. Moritz production
Director Jim Gillespie
Screenwriter Kevin Williamson
Producers Neal H. Moritz, Erik Feig,
Stokely Chaffin
Executive producer William S. Beasley
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Gary Wissner
Editor Steve Mirkovich
Music John Debney
Music supervisor Alex Steyermark
Costume designer Catherine Adair
Casting Mary Vernieu
Color/stereo
Cast:
Julie James Jennifer Love Hewitt
Helen Shivers Sarah Michelle Gellar
Ray Bronson Freddie Prinze Jr.
Benjamin Willis/fisherman Muse Watson
Elsa Shivers Bridgette Wilson
Max Johnny Galecki
Barry Ryan Phillippe
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 10/10/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A lively, ambitious take on the troubled times and colorful life of early 16th-century prophet Michel de Nostradame, "Nostradamus" is gloomy but entertaining, featuring several winning performances. Director Roger Christian ("The Sender") only partly achieves the sought-for synchronicity between a difficult subject matter and a commercial approach that includes apocalyptic special effects and numerous sexual encounters for the lead character.
The Orion Classics release should conjure up respectable art-house numbers.
Knut Boeser and Piers Ashworth's screenplay follows a more-or-less straight road through Nostradamus' life, starting with the Provence youth dreaming of a modern city literally being torn from the earth.
Throughout, the visions of Nostradamus look remarkably like newsreel footage of World War II, the Kennedy assassination and African famines. Christian is able to pull it off by not belaboring the details or getting too wrapped up in the many verses of Nostradamus' "Centuries" that are still being interpreted (a woman is elected U.S. president in the year 2004, for instance).
Quiet and intense, Tcheky Karyo ("1492: Conquest of Paradise") is perfectly cast as the lead. Julia Ormond is fiercely passionate in her over-fast-but-memorable role as the first Mrs. Nostradamus. F. Murray Abraham is excellent as usual, while Amanda Plummer is simply stunning with her distinct brand of smiling menace.
Filmed on Romanian locations and at Ealing Studios, "Nostradamus" showcases cinematographer Denis Crossan's naturalistic images. Production designer Peter J. Hampton works wonders with the many sets and Barrington Pheloung's bold score soars like one's imagination after seeing this movie.
NOSTRADAMUS
Orion Classics
Allied Entertainments and Vereinigte Film Partners present
A Film by Roger Christian
Director Roger Christian
Producers Edward Simons, Harold Reichebner
Screenplay Knut Boeser, Piers Ashworth
Executive producers Peter McRae, Kent Walwin, David Mintz
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Peter J. Hampton
Editor Alan Strachan
Music Barrington Pheloung
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Nostradamus Tcheky Karyo
Scalinger F. Murray Abraham
Monk Rutger Hauer
Catherine De Medici Amanda Plummer
Marie Julie Ormond
Anne Assumpta Serna
King Hnery II Anthony Higgins
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
The Orion Classics release should conjure up respectable art-house numbers.
Knut Boeser and Piers Ashworth's screenplay follows a more-or-less straight road through Nostradamus' life, starting with the Provence youth dreaming of a modern city literally being torn from the earth.
Throughout, the visions of Nostradamus look remarkably like newsreel footage of World War II, the Kennedy assassination and African famines. Christian is able to pull it off by not belaboring the details or getting too wrapped up in the many verses of Nostradamus' "Centuries" that are still being interpreted (a woman is elected U.S. president in the year 2004, for instance).
Quiet and intense, Tcheky Karyo ("1492: Conquest of Paradise") is perfectly cast as the lead. Julia Ormond is fiercely passionate in her over-fast-but-memorable role as the first Mrs. Nostradamus. F. Murray Abraham is excellent as usual, while Amanda Plummer is simply stunning with her distinct brand of smiling menace.
Filmed on Romanian locations and at Ealing Studios, "Nostradamus" showcases cinematographer Denis Crossan's naturalistic images. Production designer Peter J. Hampton works wonders with the many sets and Barrington Pheloung's bold score soars like one's imagination after seeing this movie.
NOSTRADAMUS
Orion Classics
Allied Entertainments and Vereinigte Film Partners present
A Film by Roger Christian
Director Roger Christian
Producers Edward Simons, Harold Reichebner
Screenplay Knut Boeser, Piers Ashworth
Executive producers Peter McRae, Kent Walwin, David Mintz
Director of photography Denis Crossan
Production designer Peter J. Hampton
Editor Alan Strachan
Music Barrington Pheloung
Color/Stereo
Cast:
Nostradamus Tcheky Karyo
Scalinger F. Murray Abraham
Monk Rutger Hauer
Catherine De Medici Amanda Plummer
Marie Julie Ormond
Anne Assumpta Serna
King Hnery II Anthony Higgins
Running time -- 118 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
(c) The Hollywood Reporter...
- 9/14/1994
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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