“Incubus”
It’s never a good thing when Tara Reid can be viewed as the biggest star (nay, the best actor) in a film, but that’s exactly the case with the direct-to-DVD horror flick, “Incubus. Containing the same tired formula as most movies in its genre and the production values of a high school film project, “Incubus” may just be the most forgettable horror film in a long time. Forget about the fact that Reid is the star of this thing, because that should be the least of your worries when approaching this ghastly feature. The acting is beyond horrible and the story is so lazy (about some deranged killer who can literally dream his way into his victim’s minds, a la Freddy Kreuger) that you wouldn’t even know what was going on unless you read the summary on the back of the DVD case.
“The Quiet”
This just might be one of the funniest movies of 2006. Problem is, it’s not a comedy. An erotic thriller about a cheerleader (Elisha Cuthbert) who confides in a deaf-mute girl (Camilla Belle) living under the same roof, “The Quiet” features some of the most ridiculous characters and scenarios I’ve ever seen. For starters, Belle’s character isn’t exactly deaf or mute, Cuthbert’s cheerleader is sleeping with her father (Martin Donovan), her best friend is a bi-curious slut, and her mother (Edie Falco) is a prescription drug addict. Oh yeah, and the star basketball player (Shawn Ashmore) is a self-proclaimed sex addict with a learning disability. It’s called high school, you idiot. Just because you think you might have ADD and masturbate four times a night doesn’t make you special. In the end – well, I never quite made it to the end – but I can only imagine that it concludes with more than one soap operatic sequence where a character either dies or unravels some kind of secret that no one cares about.
“Candy”
If there’s one movie about drugs that will forever stick in my mind, it’s Darren Aronofsky’s “Requiem for a Dream.” In fact, I can’t see how anyone could watch that film and continue to use heroin afterwards. It’s that powerful, and because so, any other film about drug addition seems to pale in comparison. “Candy” is such a film, and while the Australian drama features great performances by its two stars (Heath Ledger and Abbie Cornish), it doesn’t offer any new insight into the lifestyle.
