- DEAD & BURIED LIMITED EDITION 2-DISC (DVD MOVIE)
Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Poor reception, a rapidly draining battery, and a dwindling oxygen supply become his worst enemies in a tightly confined race against time; fighting panic, despair and delirium, Paul has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.Alfred Hitchcock, eat your heart out. Sure, the master of suspense set himself some tough challenges with limited scenarios:
Lifeboat took place entirely within the title craft,
Rear Window d! idn't stray from Jimmy Stewart's apartment, and
Rope stuck mostly to an unbroken take. But Spanish director Rodrigo Cortés wants to do the master one better:
Buried is set inside a coffin, buried beneath a few feet of immovable earth. Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) wakes up inside the coffin, a cell phone and lighter next to him; for the next 90 minutes, we won't leave the narrow space of that wooden box. No cheats: no flashbacks to Paul's past, no cross-cutting with efforts to free him. Cortés sticks to the rules and follows his story out to its conclusion, and in the process he must think of every possible way to shoot and light someone in a confined space. Seems Paul was in Iraq as a non-military truck driver when he got caught in some crossfire, and somebody wants to make a point. The cell phone allows him to speak, and try to puzzle out what's happening, but except for the voices on the other end, this is entirely Ryan Reynolds's show. The actor is up for ! it: although he can't use his body, he calls on both his actio! n-movie chops and (at certain exasperating moments) his comic talents. By definition, this is a bravura turn, and Reynolds comes through firing on all cylinders.
Buried is an exercise, but it manages to sneak in a few sly suggestions about the nature of an American's presence in the Middle East. It even earns points for an excellent credits sequence--a clever nod to Hitchcock classics. Somehow you suspect the master would approve.
--Robert HortonFrom Matt Reeves â€" the director of Cloverfield â€" comes the new vampire classic that critics are calling “chillingly real†(Scott Bowles, USA Today), “one of the best horror films of the year†(Cinematical) and “a haunting, touching and unforgettable thriller†(Pete Hammond, Boxoffice Magazine). In bleak New Mexico, a lonely, bullied boy, Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee of The Road), forms a unique bond with his mysterious new neighbor, Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz of Kick-Ass), who moves from town to town with the man who ! appears to be her father (Oscar® Nominee Richard Jenkins of The Visitor). Trapped in the mind and body of a child, however, Abby is forced to hide a horrific secret of bloodthirsty survival. But in a world of both tenderness and terror, how can you invite in the one friend who may unleash the ultimate nightmare?
Based on the Swedish novel, Let the Right One In, “Let Me In is a dark and violent love story, a beautiful piece of cinema and a respectful rendering of my novel for which I am grateful.†(John Ajvide Lindqvist, author)
Let Me In blends the innocent face of Chloe Grace Moretz (
Kick-Ass) with the darkness of vampirism. A young boy named Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee,
The Road) has troubles at home (his parents are divorcing) and at school (bullies pick on him mercilessly). But when a mysterious girl named Abby (Moretz) moves in next door, Owen hopes he's found a friend, even though she smells a little strange. Unfortunately, his new! friend needs blood to live, and the man who seems to be her f! ather (R ichard Jenkins,
Six Feet Under) goes out to drain local residents to feed her. But even as Owen starts to suspect something is wrong, having a real friend might just matter more. Because the Swedish film adaptation of the novel
Let the Right One In (on which
Let Me In is based) was surprisingly popular and critically acclaimed, it's going to be hard for
Let Me In to avoid comparisons. Surprisingly, it retains much of the flavor and spirit of the original. It's not as understated--this is an American movie, after all--and some of the creepiness is lost along with that subtlety. Despite that,
Let Me In has its own spookiness and the performances (including Elias Koteas,
Zodiac, as a local policeman) are strong. Directed by Matt Reeves (
Cloverfield).
--Bret FetzerDEAD AND BURIED - DVD MovieOverlooked during its theatrical run but a cult favorite on video, this unique and chilling take on the zombie film finally joins the d! igital ranks with a two-DVD set from Blue Underground. James Farentino stars as a small-town sheriff who discovers that the victims in a string of grisly murders are reappearing seemingly alive and unharmed. His investigation leads him to suspect that the local mortician (Jack Albertson) is somehow responsible for these reanimated corpses; what Farentino doesn't know is the extent to which the entire town-himself included-is involved. First-time viewers will appreciate director Gary Sherman's attention to pacing and atmosphere, as well as the often darkly humorous script by co-producer Ronald Shusett and Dan O'Bannon (
Alien,
Total Recall) and the solid cast (which includes future horror star Robert Englund); longtime fans will appreciate the fact that Blue Underground's uncut print restores many of Stan Winston's gruesome special effects.
--Paul Gaita
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