the Omen

When the Jews return to Zion
And a comet rips the sky
and the Holy Roman Empire rises
then you and I must die
From the eternal sea he rises
creating armies on either shore
turning man against his brother
‘till man exists no more

From the start I have to admit that watching this film on its release date, 6/6/06, was just cool. I know for some people Tuesday, June 6, 2006 was like the new Y2K but come one people. The worst thing that happened on that date was that gas prices went up about 15 cents. Releasing the Omen on 6/6/06 was not only cool, but also a great marketing tool. Especially since that last day of the movie is June 6. That was just fun.

Our story follows the life of Italian Ambassador Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber) and his wife, Katherine (Julia Stiles). At a hospital in Rome, the Thorn’s son is stillborn and Katherine is unaware. A priest whom works in the maternity ward approaches Mr. Thorne with and tells him that on that same night a baby boy was born and the mother died during childbirth. The priest suggests that Mr. Thorn take the orphan and present it to Katherine and the world as their own. Robert agrees and only he and the hospital staff are aware of the events.
Ten years later Robert and his family have moved to London where Robert has been made Ambassador to England. A priest enters the American Embassy and reports to Robert Thorn that he is aware of where and how his son, Damien, was born and that he is, in fact, the son of the devil. The priest instructs Robert that Damien will kill Katherine, and once he is set to inherit all that Robert owns he will kill him as well. Thus ensues a race against time as Damien grows stronger and those who can stop him are dying off one by one.

The opening credits and first scene of this film are quite intriguing. A priest is searching through scripture and interpreting the signs of the times. He reports to a council of priests that, of course, the Apocalypse is upon us. Like many religious groups have done recently and in the past, they interpret the signs in the book of Revelation as already happening, happened, or on the brink of occurring. From what I’ve been taught in Seminary, the book of Revelation is a testament of Christ’s return and is also a metaphorical book, not to be translated literally. We are not to know the day of the end of this world as Christ told his disciples in Matthew 24:
42"Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
As the priest was reporting to the council of the end of the world, he was reading from Revelation, chapter 8, which tells of seven angels blowing seven trumpets and with each trumpet a disaster occurs which are signs of the Apocalypse. With each trumpet he presents slides on a projector that depict the disasters in each verse being carried out in the world. The priest reads Revelation 8:8, which reads, “And the second angel sounded, and, as it were, a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea…” In the film, the verse is translated differently, however, along with this verse the priest shows a video clip of the Trade Towers falling. A very still hush fell over the crowded theater after seeing this short clip, along with later clips of Katrina and Iraq.

I’ve said it once and I will say it again, in the horror genre the acting makes the film and, in this case, they got it right again. I have to admit that I thought Liev Schreiber and Julia Stiles to be odd choices, but Liev carried the film well. (Being a fan of the Scream trilogy, I can’t help that every time I see Liev I can can’t help but say, “Cotton!”)
Julia’s character, Katherine, is the most identifiable and heartbreaking character in the film. She is the innocent caught in a web of events that she has no control over. Katherine suffers because of her own estranged son who she never suspected was not of her own blood.
Liev’s character, Robert, is the “hero” of the film who embarks on a mission to stop Damien from ripping his family and the world apart. Because he is the only one who knows the truth, he is the only one who can stop Damien.
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick plays Damien, the Son of Satan, in the film. I have to say that, to the audience, many of his facial expressions came of as campy and even corny. However, I think he was genuinely creepy coming from a ten-year-old boy. If my own son looked at me the way Damien often looked at the audience or another character, I would be freaked out.

Much to my excitement this remake of the 1976’s the Omen was very faithful to the original film. With things like the Twin Towers clip the film was catered to a new generation and audience, however it still had the plot points and imagery of the original film. For those who have seen the 1976 film, remember the priest who gets skewered by a steeple? Let me just say that I never would have thought that scene could be made more surprising and gruesome, but they pulled it off.

The direction and effects in this movie carried it very well. Director John Moore (Flight of the Phoenix, Behind Enemy Lines) gives the entire film a dreary overtone, which, is reasonable considering the plot. In the scene where Katherine falls from the third story banister of her home, as we have all seen in the previews, you actually feel her hit the hardwood floor as the camera falls with her and we see her body hit without any cuts. You feel her hurt as she hits much like the scene in the Exorcist where Regan is being thrashed around in her bed. It looks like an effect that actually hurt to actor, which, to me, shows a dedication to the performance. For those who understand the mechanics of this type of shot, it is a genuinely hard shot to achieve without looking silly.
In my opinion, this was a very intelligent film. There is entertainment at face value but there is so much under the surface that digs into scripture and philosophy. An example of this is one of my favorite parts of this film. Robert and a reporter are trying to interpret a line from the poem written atop this review. The reporter discovers that “from the eternal sea he rises” is representing the eternal sea of politics. The Son of Satan will not rise from the literal sea, but the raging sea that is politics. And Robert Thorn, of course, is an American Ambassador and related to the President of the United States.

As many horror films do, the Omen brings up thoughts of religious beliefs and curious questions about the end of the world. Let me encourage those who are intrigued by the subject matter of this film to study the book of Revelation and its mysteries. However, those who are young in Christian faith or doubtful, take it one step at a time. Revelation can be a confusing and scary book when misinterpreted, as this movie conveys.
In the film, a priest played by Pete Postlethwaite approaches Robert Thorn and tells him of his son and then tells him, “Accept Christ. Drink of his blood. Eat of his flesh.” Let me leave my readers with this question: Why would accepting Christ help Robert Thorn in his situation? The answer? Because Damien is trying to kill Robert, therefore, if he fails to stop Damien, his only salvation then is found in Christ.

I enjoyed watching this film, however, it wasn’t the best film of the year. As a horror film, it wasn’t very scary. There is a fair share of gore but not much profanity. The Omen is rated “R” for violent content, graphic images and some language. It had its moments, but I would overall put this film in the drama/thriller genre before horror, however, the subject matter would never permit. My recommendation is to wait for video and watch it on the couch on a dark night. Overall, I give it one thump up and a pat on the back.

An American Haunting

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Horror Movies)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

In the 1800’s in Red River, Tennessee, a supposed witch puts a curse on the Bell family after a heated dispute over land ownership and interest paid. John Bell (Donald Sutherland) is found guilty of breaking church law (usury) and loses his “good name.” After the hearing before the church council, the Bell family experiences a host of haunting episodes. There are strange sounds in the night, candles flicker and blow out, doors slam shut, and Betsy Bell (Rachel Hurd-Wood), John’s teenage daughter, is being physically abused by this poltergeist. This force cannot be stopped nor explained from religious or scientific viewpoints and the Bell family is left at the mercy of their tormentor. Now, in the present, the new occupants of the Bell family estate are experiencing a similar haunting.
An American Haunting is a retelling of the best-documented and only recorded case in American history where a spirit or entity caused the death of a human being.

This film was amazing. It may seem from the previews to be a typical story of a little girl possessed, but there is so much more. There is so much I want to tell about this film, but I dare not give away the plot. However, I can assure you, dear readers, this is not your typical possession-horror story. I will reveal one exciting clue: this spirit is not part of the house, nor is the entity contained by it.

This film was carried by the performances of the actors. A lot of times the faces of someone horrified in a film like this can cause the scene to go south because the actor looks silly, however, I never felt this way. I constantly felt the fear, confusion, and dread of the characters. Donald Sutherland plays John Bell whose physical appearance and health diminish on screen as the film progresses. Sissy Spacek delivers a great performance as Lucy Bell, John’s wife. Sissy had a perfect demeanor for this role and was the most identifiable character in the film. Rachel Hurd-Wood does a wonderful job of carrying the film and has a great scream. The first time that she was “possessed” the whole theater went completely quiet, which is a rarity.

One thing that did bug me, however (and this is me being the typical viewer) was how often they left Betsy alone in her room. The rest of the cast spent half the movie running up the stairs to the aid of Betsy. John and Lucy Bell constantly returned to Betsy’s room to find her being attacked and I just kept asking myself, “Why do you keep leaving her alone?! If that were my daughter, I would be in that bed with her! I would never leave her side!” Oh well, it’s just a movie.

The cinematography of this film is sometimes hinted of the Village, however, that is mostly because of the time-period presented. Just as in M. Knight Shyamalan’s film, the screen is full of browns, deep greens, and off-white tones which set that “old-timey” feel of 19th century living in the United States. The camera work was done splendidly considering that 75% of the film was taking place at night in a large, candle-lit house.
One thing that thrilled me was the use of screen effects in this film. The first time that Betsy Bell experiences the spirit, the screen randomly flashes with a look that resembles film-negative. Further, after everyone in household has seen Betsy being thrown about in her room by an unseen-assailant, they all congregate in the great room, silently pondering the events of the evening. As John Bell, his wife, Lucy, his son, a family friend and the local school teacher sit in this room blankly staring in fear, the camera moves between them all with seamless ease, giving the audience the point of view of the sprit. As the sprit moves between them, the screen flashes with the negative effect, but also fades in and out between the treated film, black and white, and the work print of the film. For those unfamiliar with film terminology, a “work print” is the print of the film that has not been treated, corrected, or digitally altered. This is most recognizable when watching deleted scenes from films; you can notice a “grainy” look to the picture. A third impressive effect was thin, blurred lines on the edge of the picture. We later find that this represented a dream sequence (did somebody say Saved by the Bell?!), but still wholly impressive.

Perhaps most movies that deal with demon possession or ghosts cannot escape the fact that they are going to have a religious aspect to them, and An American Haunting is no different. In an initial attempt to rid their home of this spirit, the Bells invite their friend, Rev. James Johnston (Matthew Marsh), to try and help cast away this un-holy presence. First, he leads a séance and orders the spirit to leave “in the name of Jesus Christ.” At first, it seems to have worked until the screaming starts, coming from Betsy’s room. Later, a Bible is ripped from his hands as Johnston reads, once again commanding the spirit to leave, and the pages are torn from the book as it lie on the floor.
Professor Richard Powell (James D’Arcy), the local school teacher, is asked to come to experience the phenomenon in the Bell house for himself. Powell is convinced that they are all experiencing a mass hallucination; he is quickly proved wrong. Powell tries to explain these occurrences logically, but he is convinced they are dealing with something “not of this earth” at the sight of the pages being torn out of the Bible. An interesting scene takes place here where Powell determines that the spirit knows scripture, so Powell asks questions like, “Was the reading from the Gospel of Mark? Was the reading from the Gospel of Matthew? Was is a Psalm of David?”, to which is replied only by creaks and groans from the walls of the house.

A wonderful scene takes place towards the end of this film: Betsy Bell is lying in bed next to her best friend, having just awaked from a nightmare. Her friend wraps her arms around Betsy and asks her, “Betsy… do you believe in the Lord?” Betsy replies, “I used to.”
It is true that in times of great struggle we, as weak, fragile beings, tend to doubt our very beliefs and whether or not God is there. However, James 1:1 tells us to “count it all joy, my brothers, when you experience trials of many kinds.” This proves to be one of the hardest things to do as a person; to look opposition right in the eyes and thank God for it and know that it will develop further endurance and character in us. All we can usually think during harsh times is “Why me?” and “Why did you let this happen?”
Another thing we need in life is someone that will ask us those important questions, as Betsy’s friend did in that scene. We need someone in our lives that is going to ask us the hard questions and keep us on our toes. Also, we all need to be that kind of friend: the kind of friend that cares so much to ask, “Do you believe in the Lord?”

An American Haunting is rated PG-13 for intense terror sequences and thematic material with a running time of 91 minutes.
I give this movie three dropped jaws and a spine-tingler award and I recommend this film to all fans of the horror genre. This movie is a must-see in theaters!

— Overview

RV

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs
—5. Posters (Robin Williams)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads


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Bob Munro (Robin Williams) is a family man in desperate need of a holiday.

But the day before he and his family are to leave for Hawaii, Bob’s boss gives him a mandatory assignment, ordering Bob to postpone his family vacation. However, instead of completely canceling, Bob makes a last minute decision to rent an RV and take the family, unbeknownst to them, along on his business trip. A wacky adventure ensues full of bad driving, showers of fecal matter, crazy raccoons, and friendly folk of the mid-west.

Along with films like Tommy Boy, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, National Lampoon’s Family Vacation, and Dumb&Dumber, slap RV up on the long list of road-trip comedies. What is it about the premise of a road trip that allows hilarity to just flow from the writers, actors, and screen? Perhaps it is because all (or at least) most audience members can relate to the stress and weird happenings of a road trip. Or, more likely, perhaps it is just that road trip plots are so much fun because the characters can be taken anywhere to encounter anyone or anything and it’s always funny.

In all honesty, I did not expect much from this movie. I am a fan of Robin Williams and his latest work including One Hour Photo, Death to Smoochy, Insomnia, and the Final Cut. So when I saw the previews for a straight-up comedy starring Robin I was not all that intrigued. But on the contrary let me say that this movie delivered. It had me laughing time and time again. I found that I had missed the good ol’ wacky-Robin we all know and love.

I’m not sure why but I have found myself less and less likely to watch comedies these days. Perhaps it is because I’m growing older and more mature (though my mother would argue against that), or, more likely; comedies today tend to be more raunchy than funny. It seems that the only thing that makes people laugh today is sexual jokes. It was great to sit through a comedy that had no distasteful sexual jokes or even a hint of nudity. This movie is rated PG. I’m going to say that again… “This movie is rated PG!!!” Sorry, I’m just excited because that is such a rarity these days with live-action comedies. “Mom! I went to see a PG movie! Rejoice!”

There is little to no cursing in this film, however, the Lord’s name was taken in vain multiple times. Most of this comes from the mouth of Bob’s fifteen-year-old daugher, Cassie (JoJo), and, unfortunately, that is typical speech for a teenage girl.

I was so delighted to see so much slapstick comedy in this movie. The scene shown in the previews of Robin riding the RV by the windshield wipers while going downhill had me in stitches. That entire scene is reminiscent of something out of a Buster Keaton film.

Who knows if perhaps this was an homage to another classic road trip comedy, but one scene from RV seemed to be straight out of Tommy Boy, where Robin is getting washed down with a large hose while giggling like a little girl. I admit that I was singing in my head, “I’m a maniac, maniac…” Robin had not been cow tipping, but he was covered in fecal matter.

While delivering plenty of laughs, RV is also full of family values. Both families in the film, the Munros and the Gornickes (Jeff Daniels and co.), consisted of a married couple with two or more children and exemplified loving family units. Bob’s relationships with his children and his wife are realistically portrayed and all of their problems are worked out with love and consideration (at least, by the end of the movie). This film exemplifies tolerance and understanding for families.

The character of Bob’s son, Carl (Chris Hutcherson), was so much fun to watch. He tries to be a hard “gangsta” and is obsessed with working out and “getting ripped,” but by the end of the film you see that there’s a suburban little white boy underneath it all. He was just a fun character to watch. Bob Munro is a very lovable and relatable character. Bob’s dedication to his family was touching and, at times, inspiring. There were times when I could feel the love Bob had for his wife and children. I found myself saying, “That’s how I’m going to be when I’m a father.” As a family man himself, Robin obviously enjoyed this role.

I give RV two gold star-stickers, a blue one, and a red one. This is a great family film and I recommend it for a family outing. There are laughs for the whole family.

— Overview

Silent Hill

—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Horror Films)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads

Curious of her daughters constant sleep walking and accompanying nightmares, Rose Da Silva (Radha Mitchell) sets out on a mission to find the place mentioned during Sharon’s episodes. In route, a young girl steps into the road causing Rose’s Jeep to crash into the mountainside. Once Rose awakens she finds that her daughter, Sharon, is missing. In order to find Sharon, Rose must face the deepest and darkest of evils in the supposedly haunted city of Silent Hill. In the light, Rose is free to wonder the streets of Silent Hill, but when the darkness overcomes the city is full of undead monsters, demons, and villains. Meanwhile, outside of Silent Hill, Rose’s husband Christopher (Sean Bean) is on a desperate search to find his disappeared wife and daughter. Inside and outside of Silent Hill, a dark secret is hidden beneath the lies and deceit and only Rose can put the sordid pieces together.

By no means do I consider myself a “gamer,” although I do posses many traits that could classify me with the gaming community. The bottom line is that I absolutely stink at video games. I can only boast of four video games that I have beaten in my lifetime without the aid of cheat codes or “game genie” type assistance. However, about a year ago I rented a game called Silent Hill 2, oblivious to what I was getting myself into. I’m a fan of scary movies but scary video games were completely new to me. The game scared the pants off me, to say the least. Having experienced the video game, I have to boast the production of the film in that they completely recreated the feel of the video game. The progression of the plot mirrored the journey of the video game and yet kept the audience unawares.

The acting in a horror film can make or break the film and in this case, it made the film. I was impressed with the performance of Radha Mitchell, who carried the film. Laurie Holden who played Cybil Bennett, a femme fatale police officer in tight leather pants, shared this burden briefly. In some films of this same genre, the film is carried by the special effects but it was a relief to see a good, character driven horror film. While Radha and Laurie carry out the plot inside of Silent Hill, itself, Sean Bean’s character is involved in a plot outside of the city. I believe Sean Bean to be an underrated actor who always delivers a great performance. Also, I would love to hear him narrate some Discovery Channel specials; he’s got a great voice.

Two characters in this film brought such a great amount of impact to the movie: Jodelle Ferland, who played Rose’s daughter, Sharon, and Alice Krige, who played Christabella, the priestess and former school master of Silent Hill. Jodelle plays three parts in this film: Rose’s daughter, Sharon, the source of Silent Hill’s curse, Alessa Gillespie, and then a demon, or possibly, Satan. When Rose finally confronts “the demon” in the form of this little girl, Alessa, Rose inquires the name of the demon to which she replies, “I have many names.” Jodelle’s performance as the demon is absolutely, 100% creepy. I have to wonder if that was her delivering the lines or if she was overdubbed, because she was one well-spoken pre-teen. Alice Krige’s character, Christabella, was the character the audience loves to hate. She was the one who brought the curse upon Silent Hill by doing wrong to Alessa and her mother. Christabella is the leader of the small group of living people left in Silent Hill who are not welcoming to outsiders.

The direction and production of this film were great. There were two worlds in the film: outside of Silent Hill and inside. Once inside Silent Hill the weather was either dry with ashes falling from the sky or pitch black with rain. The two worlds were kept completely separate by the “ashy” look of Silent Hill. The two plots were defined by whether the audience saw crisp, vivid picture or ash-filled daylight.

Although some of the special effects looked a little corny at times (at one point the audience burst with laughter at the sight of one particular creature who walked with an awkward step) the film was altogether scary. The creatures of the Silent Hill, as in the video game, are terrifying. Roaches with human faces, scorched-undead-wailing children, zombie nurses, and a death-dealer wearing a huge triangular helmet and carrying a large sword similar to something out of Final Fantasy are amongst the hoard of evil in the film. There is not much blood or violence through the first two-thirds of the film, however the end of the film gets very gory. I think that was a good trick because the audience doesn’t really see that coming since there had been so little gore up to that point in the movie.

This film is full of Christian elements and overtones. In the second scene of the movie we see a billboard outside of a church building that reads, “Corinthians 6:2-3 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? Do you not know that we will judge angels?” This billboard makes three appearances in the film, so it obviously had some significance. This verse can be found in 1 Corinthians and I found it odd that the sign did not specify which Corinthian letter the verse had come from. My guess is that it was just a creative decision. However, the subject of judgment is a constant theme in the film. While in a conversation with Christopher Da Silva, a police detective says, “There are three kinds of judgment: Man’s, God’s, and the Devil’s.”

Following clues that she hopes will lead to her daughter, Rose enters a school building. As she passes by the camera the shot focuses on the wall behind her. On the wall is painted a mural that quotes a verse from Psalms. I cannot remember the verse exactly, but it was somewhere around chapter 43 and it dealt, once again, with judgment.

Later in the film, Christabella and her congregation pray in unison a prayer from what sounded like Revelation 21. However, I could not pinpoint the exact Biblical reference.

I found the imagery interesting in that when the darkness would come and the undead attacked, the only safe place was the church atop of a hill. When Rose and Cybil join the group inside of the church they are accused of being witches and threatened to be killed. Christabella, learning of Rose’s situation, takes them and decides to help them. To prepare Rose for confronting “the demon,” Christabella asks one question: “Do you have faith?” Rose answers, “I love my daughter.” To which Christabella replies, “That’s not what I asked. Only your faith can save you.” It was so awesome to hear those words spoken in this film. I was thinking to myself, “Wow! That was a salvation message right there! How awesome.” To my dismay, that message was later dumbed down when Rose’s faith had nothing to do with the climax of the film and, in fact, the “faith” of Christabella and her menagerie is viewed as corrupt and evil. While telling Rose about what Christabella did to Alessa, the demon tells Rose to be careful what you use to battle evil because sooner or later evil will turn your own vices against you.

Christbella and her church are an example of over-zealous, judgmental Christians who think no one is worthy of salvation but themselves. However I was upset that amongst all this talk of good, evil, and judgment the names of God and Christ were never mentioned. Perhaps this was done to say that the church in this film was not necessarily a Christian church, however, the Bible references throughout the film alluded to such.

Although this film does not paint the brightest picture for Christianity’s sake, it does raise some interesting questions. The question, “Do you have faith?” could send an audience member home thinking about whether or not they have faith, or what they have faith in. The ending, which I dare not reveal, also raises a question of life after death. Both of these facts in the movie could be an easy opening to a discussion of salvation.

Overall, I give Silent Hill two thumbs and a big toe up. Waiting for video would not be a bad idea, but I definitely recommend the film to fans of the video game and horror genres.

— Overview