"Hide" in the "Dark" from theatres this season
Amanda Thomas
Issue date: 2/17/05 Section: Entertainment
- Page 1 of 3 next >
Tis the season . . . for horror films? That seems to be the case as a slew of horror films has been released this winter. "Hide and Seek", starring Robert De Niro, and "Alone in the Dark", starring Christian Slater, are only a few of the ones that are coming out. While "Hide and Seek" had some promise, I could only hope that "Alone in the Dark" didn't go the same was as "Resident Evil: Apocalypse".
With "Hide and Seek", I was wrong. Since I worked in the theater, it was a closed screening for only the employees and friends. As the commercials started to play and my coworkers began to sing and dance along to it, I found myself wondering if this would be the highlight of the evening.
It was.
What I had hoped would be a psychological thriller at least, if not a jump-out-of-your-seat flick, was nothing more than a slasher movie that was strangely like "Secret Window". It started out slow, with David's (Robert DeNiro) wife committing suicide. At least, that's what you are led to believe. To help his daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) cope with this loss, they move an hour away to a small rural town north of New York City. While looking at the new house from outside, Emily goes off to try to explore the woods. I'm thinking that maybe she's after a sasquatch, which would at least make things interesting. I'm wrong. She just likes to wander aimlessly, which she does for the entire movie.
Shortly thereafter, she makes up an imaginary friend named Charlie. Maybe Charlie is a sasquatch? The only way to know is to watch this film, which I do not recommend. I won't say anymore about the plot though, for fear of ruining the ending for people that truly want to see this. However, I personally felt like I had been cheated, even though I didn't even pay to get in.
To put it bluntly, this movie was bad. The acting was good for the most part, if a bit stiff and twisted. All of the townspeople comment on what a "beautiful little girl" Emily is; it was rather unsettling, making me wonder if some of them were pedophiles. Moreover, a disturbing lack of music of any kind at all made it a bit hard to swallow at times. So, to follow the age old cliché, I give this movie only half a star. Even though one star is supposed to be the lowest rating, it doesn't even deserve that.
With "Hide and Seek", I was wrong. Since I worked in the theater, it was a closed screening for only the employees and friends. As the commercials started to play and my coworkers began to sing and dance along to it, I found myself wondering if this would be the highlight of the evening.
It was.
What I had hoped would be a psychological thriller at least, if not a jump-out-of-your-seat flick, was nothing more than a slasher movie that was strangely like "Secret Window". It started out slow, with David's (Robert DeNiro) wife committing suicide. At least, that's what you are led to believe. To help his daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning) cope with this loss, they move an hour away to a small rural town north of New York City. While looking at the new house from outside, Emily goes off to try to explore the woods. I'm thinking that maybe she's after a sasquatch, which would at least make things interesting. I'm wrong. She just likes to wander aimlessly, which she does for the entire movie.
Shortly thereafter, she makes up an imaginary friend named Charlie. Maybe Charlie is a sasquatch? The only way to know is to watch this film, which I do not recommend. I won't say anymore about the plot though, for fear of ruining the ending for people that truly want to see this. However, I personally felt like I had been cheated, even though I didn't even pay to get in.
To put it bluntly, this movie was bad. The acting was good for the most part, if a bit stiff and twisted. All of the townspeople comment on what a "beautiful little girl" Emily is; it was rather unsettling, making me wonder if some of them were pedophiles. Moreover, a disturbing lack of music of any kind at all made it a bit hard to swallow at times. So, to follow the age old cliché, I give this movie only half a star. Even though one star is supposed to be the lowest rating, it doesn't even deserve that.