Cool News
Drexel takes a look at WHAT LIES BENEATH
Hey folks, Harry here with Drexel and his funky funk review of WHAT LIES BENEATH with moderate praise.... "an above average thriller/horror." Folks, somebody is going to have to wake up Harrison Ford, I was hoping when he actually hooked up with some agents that he would suddenly have people that were handing him the right scripts, like Soderbergh's TRAFFIC and GEMINI MAN. But... noooooooOOOOOOOOOOoooooooooo. I'll go, I'll see the film, and I will hope against hope that Harrison surprises me... but God it has been such a long time since that last happened. It's time for a radical shift from the comfortable roles to pushing himself and divorcing the trappings of a mega-star. Let's pray...
Well all you aint-it-coolers, Drexel here with a review of the test screening of Robert Zemickis' new movie "What Lies Beneath", starring Michelle Phieffer and Harrison Ford. This will be a spoiler free review, so read without fear my comrades.
I saw this movie without having a clue as to what it was. I had not seen the trailer. Now, everbody in America has seen the trailer and is drinking coke from a "What Lies Beneath" cup. So, there is no harm now telling you what you would already know.
Michelle hears some noises in the house, after a while see finds out that its a missing girl, the girl is trying to get revenge for her death. And there's a twist that everybody will get, in fact, after seeing the trailer, you probably already have.
Robert Zemickis has made some great, great movies in his career. Loved the Back to the Futures, loved Forrest Gump, loved Contact. This, was an above average thriller/horror.
First off, I would like to say that Michelle Phieffer is great in this movie, she carries her character strongly from start to finish. And unforunately Harrison Ford does not. Harrison's performance reminded of Harry's recent rantings about how he should be more daring with his choice of roles. This movie will only strenghten that opinion. When watching the film never did I believe that Harrison Ford was Michelle Phieffier's husband (which is the most important relationship in the film). All I could see was Harrison acting alongside Michelle, which is a big problem with the film.
What this movie did was to trade in character development for shocks, and that just bites.The best way to describe it is by referencing it to one of the opening scences in Ghostbusters. Its the scene where Bill Murray is conducting an experiment on two college students. One a babe, the other a nerd. Both are hooked up to an electric shock machine. Get a question wrong, get a shock. So, the nerd gets all of the shocks and by the third shock, he gets pissed off. That is exactly the way I felt during the movie. I was hooked up to the sound system and somebody had thier finger on the volume. Whenever Zemickis wanted you to jump, he turns up the volume.
I WANT TO BE SCARED BY SOMETHING SCARY. Somebody telling me a really good ghost story is great. But somebody running up behind me and screaming "BOO" just is annoying, and that is what this film does alot. Tension built not through concern for character, but in fear of the next loud noise.
Hopefully, this will be toned down for the final cut.
But look at me, I am tearing a movie apart that I had the pleasure of contributing to for it's betterment. The movie is not bad, it's good entertainment with some great scenes, that describing would really wreck the film for everybody.
Also on the plus side, the film is nicely shot. There are some really fancy camera movements. One, which actually starts looking down a normal hallway where some action is happening and then swings under neath the floorboards looking up at the hall ceiling.
So, I would recommend my friends to go and see it simply for these great scenes(all happen in the bathroom). Its a movie that Alfred Hitchcock would have loved to make. But Hitchcock has left us and we will have to get on without him.
But there is hope for it yet, there is still time to cut. Get rid alot of the pain the ass shocks and give us some character development. Let us care about them more, spend more time Harrison and Michelles relationship.
You have 2 and a half weeks mr. Zemickis.
Drexel,
signing off...
-
+ Expand All
-
What? "Klumps" is going to steamroller this?
Oh, right, silly me; clearly, the target audience for an Eddie Murphy farce about a bunch of fatasses completely overlaps the adult thriller demographic. I can't imagine what they were thinking, releasing a scary movie against a comedy.
JESUS, SOMEONE GET AMAZING LARRY INTO A POSITION AS A STUDIO HEAD. ARE YOU LISTENING, 20TH CENTURY FOX? GIVE THIS MAN A JOB! -
Jul 07, 2000 4:07:55 AM CDT
Trailer and TV Commercials for this spell "Lame-O Klunker" to me
by bari umenema
This pic looks so generic, so pedestrian, that it seems to be more of a USA made-for-TV horror-thriller for basic cable than a Big Studio Feature; only that it has two Big Stars and a Huge Director makes it "worthy" of releasing to theaters instead of straight-to-video. Sort of a cross between "Fatal Attraction" and "Amityville Horror" if I catch the drift they're conveying in the ads...And remember kiddos, Zemeckis more or less chose this at random to fill in the time he had available while waiting for Tom Hanks to lose 30 or 40 pounds to shoot the last half of "Cast Away". Z could've plucked any odd script off the shelf to do during this "Cast Away" weight-loss hiatus, so he chose this one and convinced Ford to do it. Ho-Hum, another day, another dollar...Another scream, another holler...Wake me when it's time to go see "Cast Away" at Christmas, 'til then I'll wait to catch this one on video or free TV. (Forrest Gump this one ain't.)
-
Jul 07, 2000 4:17:16 AM CDT
PS to Drexel: Michelle spells her last name Pfeiffer; Robert spe
by bari umenema
At least spell their names correctly if you're going to criticize them (it's only fair). But you did spell Ford correctly.
-
Jul 07, 2000 4:52:39 AM CDT
LOUD SHOCKS THAT AREN'T SCARY- SOUNDS LIKE THE sIXTH SENSE
by robertblood
-
DAMN! if Michelle Pfeiffer doesn't look hot in this trailer...especially in that red dress, when she rips Harrison's shirt off......
Sorry - if I got a little overexcited there!
klangster -
Jul 07, 2000 7:47:53 AM CDT
Might have been some plot twists, but they show you the whole da
by rossimus
So lets see, man has affair, girl dies, gets buried in lake, wife finds out,finds girl in lake,gets posessed by girl, wants revenge for being dumped.Wow, what a great trailer, and the best part is that now I don't have to pay money to see the movie!BTW...Amazing Larry, Human2 is completely right, the X-men movie, and the Clumps will have very little effect on this movie.Actually it will probably be the opposite, because there are SOME people who don't want to see the X-men, and definately don't want to see Eddie Murphy in a fat suit, they are called adults and I pity them.
-
the commercial appears to give away too much. Husband has affair, she comes to house, but drowns herself. Thereafter she haunts the house, seen only at first by the wife. Then there's a scene where it appears the ghost is making love with Harrison, and bitching about the wife. One thing about this movie is the writer wrote SOMERSBY, that Civil War story about the wife who loses a husband then he returns later and she accepts him, even though it's not him, it's better than nothing. Here it's not war, but death. And are the lies in the title, the marriage lies, not the lying underneath the house? I agree it's hard to believe Robert Zemeckis can make a bad movie, although CONTACT didn't exactly deliver.
-
Um..."What Lies Beneath" is all ready to go and Big Bob is apparently quite happy with the movie and isn't afraid to show it to anyone. That's the cut they're running with.
-
I don't think WLB will get totally cremated by the second week of X-Men but it will get destroyed by Nutty 2--count on it. I have my doubts about this film as well. You would think that with Harrison Ford, Michelle Pfeiffer and Bob Zemeckis it's a can't miss but then again remember Random Hearts, Deep End of the Ocean and Death Becomes Her?
Harrison should've taken the TRAFFIC role. -
I can't believe that the one major twist in this movie is ruined in the trailer! Who was the fucknut at Dreamworks who decided to put that in the trailer? Arrrgggghhh! I hate when they do shit like that! The Sixth Sense made over (so far) $200 million dollars without revealing IT'S twist!! Alright, I think I need to go calm down now. //"I knew it, I'm surrounded by assholes!" - Dark Helmet
-
Good horror always comes from the fringes. Even William Friedkin was at least edgy and out there when he made the Exorcist for a studio. To me, the trailers for this looked like a T.V. movie for Jennie Garth and Alan Thicke or somebody.
-
Dreamworks has put as much work into buliding anticipation for this movie as Artisan did with Stir Of Echoes. It will be luck to break 10 mil opening weekend. Think about it. Would you really want to see this movie at all if it weren't for the "talent" involved? Then don't because I'm sure Harrison and Michelle are not going to save this. And I love Zemeckis' films but he has never done a film like this before and he might be totally inept at making horror films, especially out of mediocre scripts. The only thing we can probably expect is a good score.
-
Sometimes I wonder whether there's any passion in filmmaking when directors have to put loud shocks. It's annoying and isn't scary. It's just an instant shock, but after the sound goes away, it's not scary anymore. It's such a cliche in many horror/suspense films. That I Know What You Did Last Summer movie had that loud shock. The Relic had it. And you should thank the excellent Dolby Surround system for their work in making loud shocks possible! My god.
-
No doubt The Klumps will be the B.O. champ that week. Just look how well Big Momma's House did, couple it with the first Nutty Professor's success and you've got a $20-30 mil opener. Plus it's probably going to be funny. What Lies Beneath looks like all the rest of Harrison's junk. What Lies Beneath? Well, certainly not a good movie.
-
only cuz I love ghost movies even if they are bad! The trailer has been played out so much that now people are actually standing in front of the screen re-enacting the dramatics played before them...like the end when Michelle looks at Harrison Ford and dramatically says "YER WIFE!"
Oh my god, me and my freinds love making fun of this PIECE OF SHIT trailer everytime it comes on...what was once torturous is now fUNNY AS HELL!!! -
All of you shut the fuck up I saw just saw it a Test Screening--Zemeckis was there--- The movie was fuckin awesone jesus give some Zemeckis some damb credit at least he made a fuckin good movie this summer--People were cheering at the end!!!!!!Seriously
-
I'll be at WLB on the merit of Zemeckis, Ford, and the lovely miz Pfeiffer. Haven't seen trailers, but it sounds interesting. And fuck trailers, anyway.
ALSO, I'd like to state for the record that movies like the Klumps, and Big Mommas House cater to the lowest common denominator of humanity. It's toilet humor at its worst. Fat jokes. Whee. Look, he's fat! And dressed like a woman! Wow! SIGN ME UP. Looks sooooo funny. I pity humankind. Give me GOOD comedy. FUNNY. Think Wag The Dog. Think Princess Bride. Ferris Bueller. Not The Klumps. Not Big Momma. Not Scary Movie, which had its moments, but was still sadly immature. Anyone seen that? It has a geyser of semen scene. Why is this funny? Can you explain it, please? If this was in any way humorous, please enlighten me.
Groovin' on out, this is the Phunkdaddy. -
It's the perfect thriller out for adults, it may not have a huge opening weekend but I think it can stick around in the top 5 to come close to or pass the 100 million mark. I'm also the guy who predicted perfect storm would be the biggest hit of the summer...
-
...and this is what he wants to do? How embarassing. When I first heard the title, for a second I had hopes that it might be a Lovecrafty (much funnier word than Lovecraftian) horror thing. Zemeckis is a geek or ex-geek, so he'd know Lovecraft and I thought maybe he'd give it a try. Should have known better.
-
Try trailers that totally misrepresent the movie. Anybody remember the trailer for "Nightbreed"? Came off as a slasher flick rather than a Clive Barker fantasy thriller. Marketing people are clueless.
-
WHY DID THIS STUPID COCKSUCKER EVEN GIVE A REVIEW? HE DID NOT TELL US ANYTHING ABOUT THE MOVIE? OH, DUMB FUCK, HAVE YOU EVER READ A FILM REVIEW BEFORE? NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR YOUR PHILOSOPHIES ON LIFE, JUST TELL US ABOUT THE FUCKING MOVIE! AND LEARN HOW TO SPELL TOO FUCK FACE!!!
-
OK, yeah, Random Hearts wasn't too thrilling, but Six Days Seven Nights was good for what it was, it wasn't supposed to be Gladiator, just a light adventure/romance, and Ford was great in it. The trailer didn't look too bad, though yeah, I admit, for a movie being all secretive about plot twists, they sure give away a hell of a lot. Also, Harrison Ford has his Jack Ryan hair back instead of his Angry Brush hairdo he's had lately, so it can't be all bad. Of course, I guess I am a little biased since I've wanted to jump on top of Harrison Ford and f*&k his brains out since I saw Raiders of the Lost Ark in junior high school, (except when he grew a mustache for about 6 months after he did Sabrina, then he got rid of it, Thank God)but hey! I'm there July 21st! No matter how stupid the reviews say it is! My husband already told me I get to go by myself, since I growled really loud when we saw the trailer in the theater and that sex scene came up. The poor guy practically had to throw a bucket of water on me after we saw SDSN in the theater a couple of years ago. I do hope they hurry up and do Indy 4 before he gets too long in the tooth, though. OK, sorry, but I had to point out you guys are not the only ones going to see the movie just for the sex scene. Thanks for listening.
Readers Talkback
User Login
Top Talkbacks
- Whitney Houston 1963 - 2012 -- 419 total posts 209 posts
- WTF HOLLYWOOD: SOLARBABIES -- 131 total posts 129 posts
- Herc’s Seen Tonight’s Return Of THE WALKING DEAD!! Discuss Also DOWNTON ABBEY, FEAR FACTOR, PAN AM, ONCE, SIMPSONS, DYNAMITE, LUCK, SHAMELESS, BAIT CAR, THE GRAMMYS And More!! Sunday Is Sweeps Day 11!! -- 123 total posts 122 posts
- New JUDGE DREDD post production footage pops up -- 124 total posts 58 posts
- There's a STAR TREK video game that is going to lead into JJ's STAR TREK 2 apparently... -- 191 total posts 47 posts
- Avid Comic Reader Hercules Does Battle With Tedium During Kevin Smith’s COMIC BOOK MEN! -- 43 total posts 43 posts
- If the Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day drops her pen, pick it up, but don’t look at her legs or else it will be on your record. -- 60 total posts 42 posts
- I am The Behind the Scenes Pics of the Day! No, I’m the Behind the Scenes Pic of the Day! -- 27 total posts 27 posts
- To Commemorate The 3D Release Of STAR WARS EPISODE I: THE PHANTOM MENACE, George Lucas Wants You To Know...Greedo Shoots First!! -- 506 total posts 26 posts
- HANNA's Saoirse Ronan to boss around seven little people -- 77 total posts 24 posts