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REVIEWS PREVIEWS: Boogeyman
Boogeyman feels like a rip-off of Darkness Falls, a horror film that made a mess of itself. That makes it all the more mind-boggling when you consider that this film required three writers to pen down the screenplay, which is a rehashed script of a flop film!
The basic premise is that a boy, out of sheer fear of what lurks inside the closet and under the bed in the dark, brings to life the mythical boogeyman, the focal point of every child’s fear, who sucks his father into the dreaded closet right in front of his eyes never to be seen again. Now, 15 years down the line, when he returns to his hometown to mourn the death of his mother, he comes across the strange disappearances of children all falling between this 15 year period. His own fears of the dark revived, he decides to face the demons of his past by spending the night alone in his former home.
While the object of fright makes a guest appearance at the end, the rest of the movie relies on whooshing camera pans and zooms, and a creepy old house in the middle of nowhere to produce the desired scary effects. Director Stephen Kay almost pulls it off with the spooky atmosphere, but what can you expect from a horror film with a PG-13 rating? Okay, so maybe The Others and The Ring also had the same rating, but then they had the advantage of a solid plot.
The cast, as is so often the case with horror films, is pretty much unknown. The movie’s too tame to appeal to adult audiences but frightening enough for kids. Who’s left to watch?
—Saqib Khan
Monk
Tony Shalhoub stars as Adrian Monk in the first season of Monk that contains 12 cases in 13 episodes (the pilot is two episodes long), solved ingeniously by the sleuth who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Monk was a top San Francisco detective before his wife died in a car accident and was suspended from the force after the incident triggered a mental breakdown. Now he is afraid of almost everything and has a long list of phobias that range from germs to drinking milk.
Monk is aided in his quest for solving high-profile crimes by his nurse, Sharona, played by Bitty Schram, who is a beautiful single mother, has an attitude, acts as a friend, aide and a mother to Monk and fictionally is what Dr Watson was to Sherlock Holmes. Monk himself is a mixture of Holmes, Poirot, Columbo and Inspector Clouseau.
The DVD provides a 30-minute feature which offers insight in the world of Monk. Mr Monk and his Origins tells you how Monk was created, what the inspirations were and above all, it reveals that Seinfeld’s Michael Richards was originally considered for the title role. Mr Monk and his OCD tells how different kinds of disorders were drafted into his character while Mr Monk and his Fellow Sufferers sheds some light on the cast and crew.
In every episode Monk obliges the police despite his phobic limitations. He solves the most baffling cases and is called usually when all is lost. Ted Levine (Silence of the Lambs) plays Captain Leland Stottlemeyer who can’t stand Monk personally but always needs him professionally. Monk needs Stottlemeyer to get reinstated as a cop, but the latter feels that Monk isn’t ready yet. The fans of the show also think so, otherwise they would lose their number one detective to the police and hope that this good news for Monk never comes.—Omair Alavi
A Lot Like Love
A Lot Like Love tests the maxim of whether true love is really meant to be or not. Although it has been categorized as a romantic comedy, it seems to have been mislabelled. While the film is undeniably a romance, it’s almost too serious to be considered a comedy. There is occasional humour, but some of it is so forced that it seems to have been inserted into an otherwise straight picture to lighten the mood. In fact, there are times when the tone of A Lot Like Love could almost be considered grim.
The story starts seven years ago with recent college graduate Oliver Geary (Ashton Kutcher) sets eyes on Emily Friehl (Amanda Peet) in Los Angeles International Airport as they both wait to board a plane for New York. Midway through the flight, Emily barges into the lavatory while Oliver is cleaning a stain off his shirt and, wordlessly, they share a sky-high moment. After landing, they spend the better part of the day together in the Big Apple, then part ways. Just in case she ever wants to get in touch, Oliver gives her his parents’ phone number.
Three years later, Emily finds the number and calls it. It’s New Year’s Eve and she’s desperate for a date after being dumped by her boyfriend. When Oliver walks into her apartment, the spark is still there, but it takes four more years and several additional encounters before the two characters recognize what the audience knows from the first scene.
This is probably Ashton Kutcher’s most impressive screen performance to date, but it’s still far from a rousing success. The heartthrob avoids catastrophic missteps, but his performance lacks energy. Peet on the other hand, makes a plausible effort in playing her role, and seems to supply much of the zest in the dynamic between the leads. Overall, it’s a lightweight and enjoyable way to spend your time.—Zara Farooqui
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