There’s only so many DVDs WWTW can watch … and write about.
So DVD quick hits is a new feature offering up short reviews of the latest DVDs.
AMUSEMENT
Clowns = Scary. It’s the most basic equation in horror movies. So chalk that up for “Amusement,” a new straight to DVD release about a trio of women being stalked by a “Saw”-like killer.
Too bad the scares mostly end at the tip of the clown’s nose. The film boasts an impressive look and feel for a small budget flick, and a few scenes prove as creepy as intended.
But the film’s signature killer (Keir O’Donnell) isn’t all that frightening, and the story ultimately feels like a jigsaw put together from pieces of superior horror flicks.
THE DEAL
Meg Ryan is becoming the straight to DVD doyenne. Her latest, “The Deal,” couldn’t make it to theaters despite her presence and that of its star and co-writer, William H. Macy.
Maybe it’s because “The Deal” traffics in the one genre that’s completely exhausted – the Hollywood satire. It doesn’t help that this “Deal” is nowhere near as sharp, or inviting, as either “The Player” or even “What Just Happened.”
Macy plays a burned out producer who manipulates a major studio into greenlighting a film about a Jewish black action hero – played rather well by LL Cool J.
Ryan co-stars as the executive out to shadow the wiley producer, but ultimately develops feelings for the rogue.
Few laughs, and even fewer engaging moments, but “The Deal” delivers a strong (wasted) cast including Elliott Gould and Jason Ritter. And shouldn’t Macy, the perennial character actor, get a chance for romance?
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
i enjoyed the flick, saw it at a private screening since it didnt make it to theaters, but i recommend that people check it out. rent it or buy the dvd. i mean ll cool j plays a jewish action star, its gotta have a few laughs.