WHAT WOULD TOTO WATCH? » Sam Raimi

This week’s DVD release slate

cftoto — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:43:47 +0000

Will Ferrell found himself in a strange land over the summer – the bottom of the box office basement.

The comedian’s “Land of the Lost,” out this week on DVD, fell flat during its initial release, and rightly so. The tired gags and naughty bits might have tweaked adult audiences, but the rest of the dreck clearly was meant for younger audiences.

Suffice to say no one was pleased.

Other releases this week:

Director Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me to Hell” crowned the return of horror’s immature king to his former realm. But while “Hell” proved far cleaner than any film in his “Evil Dead” trilogy, it didn’t live up to the critical hype. The DVD release comes with gorier, unrated version in addition to the theatrical cut, production video diaries and other goodies sure to please Raimi’s rabid fan base.
Sandra Bullock returned to the rom-com genre over the summer with “The Proposal,” a movie which had every right to fail but did nothing of the kind thanks to some smart movie chemistry. Bullock is just right as an uptight boss from hell, while Ryan Reynolds buffs his leading man chops as her subordinate and … gasp … husband.

(Photo: Lorna Raver plays an old woman with a curse or two to share in “Drag Me to Hell.”/Universal Home Entertainment)

Welcome to the club, Mr. Raimi

cftoto — Sat, 30 May 2009 14:42:11 +0000

What club, you ask?

The elite group of performers whose very name guarantees critical approval. Like U2, REM and Bob Dylan in the musical world, and Woody Allen and Michael Moore in film land.

When Sam Raimi first hit Hollywood, he made silly, shlock horror movies like the “Evil Dead” trilogy. The films endeared him to cult movie lovers everywhere.

But he truly made the mainstream notice with his “Spider-Man” trilogy. Now, Raimi is a trusted talent, a man who can meld comic-book sensibilities with rock-solid movie making.

So I bet more than a few critics were wearing Raimi-colored glasses while watching “Drag Me to Hell,” his latest film and a return to the horror genre.

How else to explain reviews like this:

“Raimi with the precision of a surgeon pulls all the right strings” – Keith Cohen, Entertainment Spectrum
“Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell does everything we want a horror film to do: It is fearsomely scary, wickedly funny and diabolically gross,” Betsy Sharkey, LA Times
“One of the best horror films to be seen in many years,” Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com (OK, he gives every film this kind of rave)
“Drag Me to Hell has everything you want in a horror film,” Marshall Fine, Hollywood & Fine

Give me a break. The film’s storytelling is so rudimentary it wouldn’t pass muster in an “Outer Limits” episode. And take away the loud shock moments – today’s most tired horror movie cliche which bludgens you with sound – the film lacks a good, solid scare.

So enjoy your new media profile, Mr. Raimi. But next time, try a little harder to make a film that’s actually worth all the fuss from your base – I mean, film critics.

(Photo: Director Sam Raimi’s latest film, “Drag Me to Hell,” wowed critics despite innumerable flaws and a lack of true scares.)

‘Drag Me to Hell’ – Raimi warmed over

cftoto — Sat, 30 May 2009 04:01:10 +0000

What horror needs right now – desperately – is for an A-list director to bring his or her genius to the genre.

Sam Raimi is just the man for the job, but his new film “Drag Me to Hell” packs only a fraction of his sublime vision.

You could argue the most inspired part of this half-baked horror is its title.

“Hell” stars Alison Lohman as Christine, a frazzled loan officer trying to snare a promotion. She decides to play hardball with a shriveled up old woman (Lorna Raver, chilling and effective) who needs a third extension on her mortgage.

The old battleaxe doesn’t take rejection kindly. She puts a curse on Christine, dooming her to three days of torture before getting, all together now, dragged down to Hell.

Christine’s uber-patient boyfriend (Justin Long) tries to help, even though she’s not totally honest with him about all the spooky shenanigans going on her life.

The script, pasted together from spare horror parts by Raimi and his brother, Ivan, misses plenty of chances to bring real depth to “Hell.” Why not make Christine truly selfish, someone who might even deserve a curse or two?

Lohman proved far more intriguing in “Matchstick Men.” Here, she’s either bored or bland, take your pick, and her fellow cast members fall right in line. Only Long registers here, and his character is relentlessly one-note – read: boring.

A few scenes are vintage Raimi, particularly the pitched car battle between Christine and the old woman. It happens early in the film, and it’s the last giddy moment we get. From then on it’s all episodic nonsense, some grossout bits and a scare or two teased out by the standard genre conventions – creaking floorboards and other cheap shocks.

“Drag Me to Hell” is a missed opportunity, the chance to show what a major film talent can do within the troubled horror genre. It’s like strolling through purgatory, at best.

(Photo: Lorna Raver gives a few good scares in the new horror flick “Drag Me to Hell.”)

Will ‘Drag’ inspire horror copycats?

cftoto — Mon, 25 May 2009 15:32:59 +0000

It’s one of the biggest laments of most horror junkies – why doesn’t a Scorsese, a Spielberg or a Coen or two direct a monster movie?

Fellow A-list director Sam Raimi doesn’t mind getting his hands dirty with fake blood. He started his career with fright flicks like “Evil Dead” and he returns to the genre May 29 (Friday) with “Drag Me to Hell.”

If the film scores big over the weekend will it convince name directors to try the genre on for size?

That’s the question posed in my latest piece for BoxOffice.com.

(Photo: The new horror film “Drag Me to Hell” was directed by Sam Raimi of “Spider-Man” fame.)