Vacancy
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Movie Reviews of Vacancy
Movie Review: Scary motel and lots of bogeymen!
Summary: 5 Stars
Well when I left Vegas I was out there across the Nevada desert and came across places like this about every thirty miles. Yuppers people, there are places like this out there, but usually the guy behind the desk is either a retired Navy Officer or a rich guy from India. The guy behind THIS desk is a freak, but I guess that is what you have to have.
Plot is like, that one movie with John Cusack, oh Identity I think it is called. This one is really freaky because there are these tapes in the room they rent for the night and oh boy howdy, what is on them makes you shiver!
That is when it is howdy doody time!
Kate Beckinsale is good, I mean she is hot in anything she is in. No peoples, you will not see her romancing fighter pilots among parachutes like that movie Pearl Harbor, in this movie her and her husband are on one last venture before getting divorced, which logically makes absolutely no sense whatsoever since they argue all the time anyway. Ok peoples never mind the loss of romance, this is just pure horror, it is not a slasher it is a scary movie. Not the Scary Movie franchise peoples and I doubt this one will have any scene played in any future Scary movie films, but that is not relevant!
What is relevant is that you do not be stupid when venturing somewhere that you are not familiar with. Being nice to the dude who was not fixing his car but secretly destroying it so they would be stranded was just dumb. Then again there are so many rude people in this world I can see where they thought being nice to the young man might get them some candy points. Wrong again!
I did not understand what the gray face paint was for. What was that all about? Did they run out of urban camo and just use some bearing grease from the garage? Oh and that tunnel under the hotel motel California (you can check out any time you like haha but you can NEVER LEAVE HAHAHAHA) was way out of code, the inspector would have caught that. And the phones not working and on and on, this fool would have only gotten away with this kind of krap for about 23 hours and then Eric Estrada and the Chips dudes would have busted them big time. This was also the same motel used in the movie Cobra and obviously they fixed it up since then because in that movie Stallone and his lady were getting shot at and stuff.
Just keep driving, and if you do stop bring a .45 and some roach spray. Oh and a DVD player and a stereo to because nothing works at that place.
Movie Review: The best horror film I've seen in a long time
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me just say that "Vacancy" is not a comedy. Not even a horror-comedy. The fact that this film stars Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale and Frank Whaley, all of whom have a history of appearing in comedies, had me confused, right up until the moment that I put this movie into my DVD player. There is no tongue planted firmly in cheek here. It is a straight-up horror film and it is genuinely frightening. It also happens to be one of the best horror films that I have see in a long time.
Wilson and Beckinsale play a couple on the verge of divorce who stumble upon the modern day equivalent of The Bates Motel when their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere. Shortly after being assigned the honeymoon suite, the couple discover a pile of home-made snuff movies which look as though they have been made in the very room that they are occupying. Knowing the fate that awaits them, the couple realize that they must put aside their differences and work together if they ever hope to leave the motel.
Although only about 85 minutes in length, director Nimrod Antal manages to fill every one of these minutes with suspense while making the audience genuinely care about the fate of the two protagonists. This is also a function of good script writing. Unlike most horror films, the script is not filled with disposable characters, making you focus on the few characters that are in it. The script is also not as predictable as some of its genre counterparts. The acting is also surprisingly good. Wilson demonstrates that he is just as effective in a serious as he is in comedies, but for me, the true star of the show was Frank Whaley as the creepy, Norman Bates inspired motel manager. Hopefully this film will pave the way for more horror roles for Whaley because I have been a fan of his since "Swimming with Sharks" and he doesn't seem to have been getting many film roles recently.
"Vacancy" went straight to DVD in Australia, which suggests that it probably didn't do all that well at the US box office, which is a shame because it is a really great film. Here's hoping that it develops a cult following on DVD.
Movie Review: Classic themes combine to make a great thriller
Summary: 5 Stars
A dark, deserted highway, a lost couple in a broken down car, and a handful of surreal characters that lure them into their horrific, twisted world - these are all classic themes that have served well in horror stories from radio, television and the silver screen. They are woven together with brilliance in this fantastic movie.
What is great about it is not only the plot devices that were used, but also the ones that were left out. This is no bloody slasher gorefest. It doesn't insult you with the worn out, formulaic gimmicks reminiscent of the Freddy Krueger or Friday the 13th dreck.
The scares come more from what you don't see: the face of the guy wearing the mask, the driver of the car that wants to run you down, the source of the screams coming from the motel office, the unseen person pounding on the door in the middle of the night.
The atmosphere is chilling. Most of the story takes place in a fleabag lodge in the middle of God knows where. If you've ever stayed in a disgusting hotel, as I have, you'll have a special appreciation for the roach-infested room that the main characters find themselves in. Along the way to the final scene there are eerie figures stalking the woods, a mad innkeeper with a treasure trove of dark secrets, and ghastly wraiths that seem to appear out of nowhere. This is back to basics, ghost stories around the campfire stuff, but remade for an adult audience.
You will read complaints in negative reviews about the "implausible" ending. Don't believe them. Any seasoned paramedic or emergency room worker can tell you that the scene they are referring to is well within the realm of possibility - unlikely, but certainly not unheard of.
I loved this film and it gets my very highest recommendation.
SPOILER AHEAD, FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO KNOW IF THE HEROES/VICTIMS SURVIVE:
They do - barely. The ending isn't exactly "happy," but it's not going to throw you into existential despair either.
Movie Review: Motel Terror To Sheer Perfection
Summary: 5 Stars
"Vacancy" is riveting, frightening, and absolutely engaging from start to finish, easily one of 2007's best. A broken-down car on an isolated road that was supposed to be a short cut between the interstate highways leads Amy (Kate Beckinsale) and David (Luke Wilson) - whose marriage is crumbling away to nothingness following the accidental death of their only child some time ago - to a remote motel. Once settled in for the night, the couple tries to take their minds off their mutual discomfort by finding something to watch from among the room's large collection of videocassettes, discovering only amateurishly shot, grainy, ultra-violent films that, as becomes quickly apparant, where all shot in the same motel where Amy and David are now staying.
The motel, it seems, is run by sociopaths who use it as the staging ground for making their own snuff videos. And as the only current lodgers in the place, Beckinsale and Wilson are apparantly slated to star in the next feature. Isolated in the proverbial 'middle of nowhere' with no vehicle and no weapons.
Thankfully, "Vacancy" doesn't follow the same path as other films that have tried to be horror movies, to in some way be about horror movies or movies in general, and still be a critical indictment of horror movies. Ergo, there's no attempt to draw some ludicrous link between real-life killings or supposedly 'real-life' snuff films, and legitmate horror movies. Instead the movie keeps itself charged with enough suspense, horror and thrills to create one of the most electrifyingly watchable, white-hot tense films of the year. It comes off surprisingly plausible, and mixes mystery atmosphere with more action-oriented, high-velocity horror moments with perfect skill. That it's utterly comelling from the very beginning, long before getting to the ominous motel, is thanks in no small part to terrific performances by Beckinsale and Wilson, smart writing, and perfect pacing. It's almost inconceivable that by year's end, "Vacancy" won't still be among 2007's ten best. See it.
Movie Review: 4.1 Stars. Film Comment Magazines Underrated Pick for July/August lives up to the Hitchcock hype.
Summary: 5 Stars
Vacancy is a suspenseful horror film. From the beginning score during the credits it's like something from a Hitchcock film and like Hitchcock's psycho were back at a Motel on another suspenseful thrill ride. Instead of Norman Bates we get Mason a desk clerk played effectively by Frank Whaley, however during Psycho we as viewers find ourselves almost nervous for Norman as when the car stops sinking in the bog, there is no sympathy for this desk clerk, only anger and hatred.
The plot is simple enough a couple with issues perhaps on there way to divorce car breaks down and they find themselves at the above mentioned motel. The couple is played by Luke Wilson and Kate Beckinsale who in my opinion have never been better, they are a relatable and believable couple and there is character development. They get there room from the awkward desk clerk and soon after that there is banging at the door and the phone rings but nobody is there. These subtle things are real, can happen and can be terrifying however the horror comes when Luke Wilson's character inserts the videotape in his room to find something shocking and disturbing.
The Film is 80 minutes long and is filled with suspense, particularly the beginning when they are driving, every shot you feel like something is about to happen and you are on edge, it loses itself a bit towards the end but the 80mins does go by fast.
As Laura Kern states in this months Film Comment Magazine "it's no Psycho - but what is? Still, with its perfectly eerie sets, stark lighting, inventive camerawork, and jarring frights, Vacancy comes closer than any other thriller in recent memory." I would agree 100%.
**THE DVD**
The transfer looked great and the soundtrack was very effective and played well on the 5.1 dolby digital track.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Checking in: Behind the scenes of Vacancy
-Extended Snuff Films
-Deleted Scenes.