- Genre: Horror
- Actors: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Alexander Skarsgard, Rutina Wesley, Ryan Kwanten
- Release Date: May 31, 2011
- Region: DVD: 1 (US, CA)
- Rating: R
A couple on the verge of a nasty divorce attempt to sell their empty love nest and move on with their lives, separately. After a successful open house, they are horrified to discover, days later, that a potential buyer didn’t leave their home. While Alice is being held captive in the basement, the unannounced houseguest moves in upstairs. She senses her capture is being kept a rebellious secret. She knows her only way out, if she can only get out alive.
Stills from Open House (Click for larger image) With a
True Blood-like poster featuring portraits of Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer hovering in front of a haunted house, one may mistakenly expect a vampire tale starring this popular horror-series couple. However,
Open House, written and directed by A! nna's brother, Andrew Paquin, is a far cry from the hit TV ser! ies. Rat her, it is a slow-paced horror film in which couple Josh (Moyer) and Alice (Rachel Blanchard) try to sell their home to prepare for divorce but encounter a hazard in the form of psychotic couple David (Brian Geraghty) and Lila (Tricia Helfer), who steal the home and move right in, with deadly results. In fact, Paquin, as Alice's friend Jennie, and Moyer have mere cameos in
Open House. The bulk of the plot is devoted to David's conundrum as Alice struggles to stay alive in the basement. While
Open House is not overly gory, there are bloody moments. Overall, it is no
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, meaning that the film is not about gore in itself. The film is primarily a psychological investigation of a man who is torn between torturing and killing. This narrative has created some rich horror film territory--see any of Dario Argento's films, such as
Opera--but
Open House mines no new approach. A couple of odd, funny moments, like when David offers ! Alice a sandwich while he gets out his laptop to work despite her bruised, defeated appearance, hint at the contemporary edge, an ennui, that this film tries so hard to achieve. But it is mostly a fluffy rehash of a story that horror films can only pull off if they have either style or script going for them, not to mention a captivating criminal character.
Open House lacks engaging characters or original vision. For a stronger horror film along similar lines, check out
Terribly Happy, a Danish movie with enough plot twists and curve balls that the crimes perpetrated convey not only dark humor but also a deeper social message. --
Trinie DaltonThere's something in this house...Something ancient and dark that remains still, hidden and silent. It can only wait, having been concealed in the shadows for years. In fact, its milieu is darkness. Only in it can it show itself and move. It even takes its name: DARKNESS. It's lived here since someone tried to call i! t, more than forty years ago. Because this house hides a secre! t, a ter rible past, an inconceivably evil act. Seven children, faceless people, a circle that must be completed. And blood, lots of blood... But something went wrong. One of the children got away. The circle wasn't completed. That's why what lives here isn't finished. It's just waiting...It tries to carry out what it couldn't before, making plans in the shadows, to become complete, to be, to exist. A new family has just moved into the house. A small child. An unstable father capable of losing his temper at any time. A perfect target. The right place at the right time. The pieces only have to be put in place. And then wait. Maybe the family's daughter will be able to discover the truth; the dark secret of the past, the sinister conspiracy, the truth about what threatens them. Why is the father getting worse? What is her little brother afraid of? Why doesn't her mother listen to her? And why do the lights keep going out? It could be that nothing happens by chance, that everything has ! been worked out from the start. A devilish plan, precise and exact like a time-bomb. Her father's illness, the house, the circles, the children. Perhaps she can foresee darkness' master stroke of play and the inevitable destiny that is closing in on her family. But maybe it's too late....A FAMILY OF ORPHANED GEESE WHO LOST THEIR WAY. A 14 YEAR OLD KIDWHO WILL LEAD THEM HOME. TO ACHIEVE THE INCREDIBLE, YOU HAVE TO ATTEMPT THE IMPOSSIBLE.There are some filmmaking teams that invariably bring out the best in each other, and that's definitely the case with director Carroll Ballard and cinematographer Caleb Deschanel. They previously collaborated on
The Black Stallion and
Never Cry Wolf, and
Fly Away Home is their third family film that deserves to be called a classic. Inspired by Bill Lishman's autobiography, the movie tells the story of a 13-year-old girl (Anna Paquin) who goes to live with her estranged, eccentric father (Jeff Daniels) following the death! of her mother. At first she's withdrawn and reclusive, but fi! nds rene wed happiness when she adopts an orphaned flock of baby geese and, later, teaches them to migrate using an ultralight. Sensitively directed and stunningly photographed, the movie has flying sequences that are nothing short of astonishing, and Daniels and Paquin (Oscar winner for
The Piano) make a delightful father-daughter duo. (Ironically, the digital video disc is not available in widescreen format, but the image quality is brilliant.)
--Jeff ShannonA couple on the verge of a nasty divorce attempt to sell their empty love nest and move on with their lives, separately. After a successful open house, they are horrified to discover, days later, that a potential buyer didn’t leave their home. While Alice is being held captive in the basement, the unannounced houseguest moves in upstairs. She senses her capture is being kept a rebellious secret. She knows her only way out, if she can only get out alive.
Stills from Open House (Click for larger image) With a
True Blood-like poster featuring portraits of Anna Paq! uin and Stephen Moyer hovering in front of a haunted house, on! e may mi stakenly expect a vampire tale starring this popular horror-series couple. However,
Open House, written and directed by Anna's brother, Andrew Paquin, is a far cry from the hit TV series. Rather, it is a slow-paced horror film in which couple Josh (Moyer) and Alice (Rachel Blanchard) try to sell their home to prepare for divorce but encounter a hazard in the form of psychotic couple David (Brian Geraghty) and Lila (Tricia Helfer), who steal the home and move right in, with deadly results. In fact, Paquin, as Alice's friend Jennie, and Moyer have mere cameos in
Open House. The bulk of the plot is devoted to David's conundrum as Alice struggles to stay alive in the basement. While
Open House is not overly gory, there are bloody moments. Overall, it is no
Texas Chainsaw Massacre, meaning that the film is not about gore in itself. The film is primarily a psychological investigation of a man who is torn between torturing and killing. This narrative has! created some rich horror film territory--see any of Dario Argento's films, such as
Opera--but
Open House mines no new approach. A couple of odd, funny moments, like when David offers Alice a sandwich while he gets out his laptop to work despite her bruised, defeated appearance, hint at the contemporary edge, an ennui, that this film tries so hard to achieve. But it is mostly a fluffy rehash of a story that horror films can only pull off if they have either style or script going for them, not to mention a captivating criminal character.
Open House lacks engaging characters or original vision. For a stronger horror film along similar lines, check out
Terribly Happy, a Danish movie with enough plot twists and curve balls that the crimes perpetrated convey not only dark humor but also a deeper social message. --
Trinie DaltonVowing to move to Canada if John Kerry loses the 2004 election, fervent liberal John Logue (Breckin Meyer) suddenly find! s himself with no job, no girlfriend... and no country! Making! good on his "campaign promise," Logue finds a traveling companion--a sexy, mysterious woman named Chloe (Anna Paquin)--and heads north. But Chloe is not all that she seems, and their journey takes more twists and turns than either could have imagined in this romantic comedy that's as poignant as it is "disarmingly fun" (Martin Kelley, CinemATL).
Blue State looks at just how far one young man will go to prove his point that the wrong candidate won the 2004 presidential elections. When John Kerry loses to George W. Bush, one of Kerry's campaign workers makes good on his promise to move to Canada if Bush is elected president. The disgruntled volunteer John (Breckin Meyer,
Clueless) is a borderline slacker who most likely would've been too lazy to move anywhere if his friends didn't remind him about his promise. Then, too, there's the invitation from a Canadian dating service that promises him a bevy of women to date if he heads north. Heading to a different country is dau! nting (and can be expensive), so John finds someone willing to share the expenses of driving from California to Canada. Chloe (played by Anna Paquin,
The Piano) is a lovely and somewhat mysterious young woman who challenges John's opinions and makes him think about why he believes what he believes. They bicker in the way that people do when they are attracted to each other. Chloe also has a few secrets of her own, some of which she hides behind ambivalence and a tiny bit of fear. Paquin, who also served as one of the film's executive producers, is particularly convincing in her role: Smart, sweet and cynical, she complements Meyer's endearing acting style. The filmmakers make no apologies for their political leanings; though this romantic comedy would like viewers to think about what is happening in U.S. politics, it doesn't bludgeon the point too often. Where the film falters occasionally is in the hefty dialogue between Chloe and John. Do people really talk like th! at? And if they do, shouldn't they stop for their own sake?
--Jae-H a KimDustin Hoffman presents Diane Lane (MURDER AT 1600, JACK), Liev Schreiber (SPHERE, SCREAM I&II), and Viggo Mortensen (A PERFECT MURDER, THE LORD OF THE RINGS) in a provocative and sensual story about one woman's personal sexual revolution! It's the summer of 1969 and Pearl (Lane) is spending yet another vacation with her family when she realizes that the freedom of the times is passing her by. Following a chance meeting with a sexy, free-spirited young man (Mortensen), Pearl is soon doing the unthinkable: having a daring, passionate affair! Also starring Academy Award(R)-winner Anna Paquin (Best Supporting Actress, THE PIANO, 1993; SHE'S ALL THAT) in a powerful motion picture that's been called one of the year's best -- Pearl must ultimately decide between the love of her husband and children ... or the lure of her newfound desires!Although its tale of marital crisis unfolds a bit too cleanly, A Walk on the Moon--which was coproduced by Dustin Hoffman--offer! s a welcome relief from the juvenile assault of skull-throbbing blockbusters. The story is gently involving, the characters are authentic, and, best of all, Diane Lane is given a chance to show why she's one of the most genuine and underrated actresses of her generation. Here she plays Pearl Kantrowitz, a devoted housewife on a routine vacation in the Catskills with her TV repairman husband Marty (Liev Schreiber), 14-year-old daughter (Anna Paquin), and rambunctious younger son (Tovah Feldshuh). It's the summer of 1969. Neil Armstrong has made his "one small step for man," Woodstock is about to happen nearby (leading to a barely plausible dramatic coincidence), and while her husband is away on business, Pearl is cautiously receptive to the seductions of "the blouse man" (Viggo Mortensen), a hippie salesman who offers the adventure and passion that Pearl sacrificed to young pregnancy and marriage. Once the stage for infidelity is set, A Walk on the Moon progresse! s predictably, but first-time screenwriter Pamela Gray stays t! rue to t he emotions of her characters, and actor Tony Goldwyn (making a smooth directorial debut) maintains precisely the right tone to downplay most of the movie's dramatic clichés. Add to this a sharp dynamic between Lane and Paquin, whose performances create a substantial mother-daughter relationship. Graced by stolen moments and fleeting expressions that speak volumes, this unassuming little film is eminently worthwhile. --Jeff ShannonIn Bon Temps, everyone has something to hide. But when new threats emerge, no one can conceal the secrets of their past. After Sookie discovers Bill was kidnapped, she heads to Mississippi, where she becomes entangled in a world ruled by werewolves and a powerful Vampire King. Eric is also drawn to the King’s domain to settle an old score; Jason falls for a mysterious woman; Lafayette can’t avoid love or demons; and Sam uncovers the truth about his birth family. It all leads up to the revelation of the series…Sookie’s true identit! y. The 12 episodes composing True Blood: The Complete Third Season are either the best yet or the most ridiculous, depending on one's opinion of the increasing number of monsters entering the scene. As last season saw an onslaught of pagan and ancient Greek-derived "supernaturals," as they're called by Bon Temps' citizens, this season welcomes everything from werewolves, to vampire royalty, to that surprise-being that Sookie Stackhouse (Anna Paquin) finally discovers she shares genes with. While the first two seasons centered on the spicy love affair between Sookie and Bill Compton (Stephen Moyer), this season branches out once again from the vampire-human cultural blender. From the first episode, "Bad Blood," when Bill is whisked off to meet the King of Mississippi, Russell Edgington (Denis O'Hare), whose villainous scheme will inform all ensuing episodes, one gets less of Sookie and Bill, and more of everything else.
For example, Sam Merlotte (Sam Trammell) re! veals himself this time around, starting in the episodes "Beau! tifully Broken" and "It Hurts Me Too," in which he tracks down members of his past and in turn meets some new family, like his mischievous brother, Tommy Mickens (Marshall Allman). Following up on Eggs's death at the end of season two, Andy Bellefleur (Chris Bauer) and Jason Stackhouse (Ryan Kwanten) have multiple police dramas, especially in later episodes like "I Smell a Rat" and "Fresh Blood." This season, too, presents some of life's greatest challenges to Tara Thornton (Rutina Wesley), as if she hadn't suffered enough after her new love Eggs was shot. Hoyt (Jim Parrack) and Jessica (Deborah Ann Woll), as a foil couple to Sookie and Bill's vampire-human coupling, have enormous hurdles to jump over simply to continue dating. While all of these dramas make the characters in Bon Temps come alive like never before, the silliest of the plots continues on, unfortunately, as Queen Sophie-Anne Leclerq (Evan Rachel Wood) has to battle King Edgington for Vamp-Blood sales territory. On the! up side of that chess-game narrative, Eric Northman (Alexander Skarsgård) and his femme fatale, Pam De Beaufort (Kristin Bauer), play much larger roles this season, and in the finale, "Evil Is Going On," Eric not only discovers his deep past history but struggles through his rockiest present dangers thus far.
Interestingly, though Sookie is still the protagonist, True Blood appears to be shifting to a wider view, emphasizing the overall community and the effects supernatural warfare has on Bon Temps collectively. Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis), still one of the most charming characters, discovers more about his past, thanks to nurse Jesus Velasquez (Kevin Alejandro), and Jason too discovers a new calling, thanks to Crystal Norris (Lindsay Pulsipher). If anything, this season of past recollections and the realizations of future callings will allow for this excellent series to carry on into infinity, as magical creatures continue to grace this setting enriched! with full-fledged characters. Vampires were, as the cast conf! irms thi s time around, only the beginning. --Trinie Dalton
