July 2008 Archives

Excellent editing and music on this behind the scenes featurette. Good stuff and well worth the rental for you film nerds:

"Four Americans on vacation don't just dissapear!" Haha I love that qoute from "The Ruins". As far as the story can I just copy and paste the story from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre/House on Haunted Hill or a hundred other horror films into this space and call it a day? Okay it's not that exactly that formulaic. It does have some thrills and has some fun with the audience along the way. With it's twists and turns, a sadistic pre-med student, indifferent natives and the killer plants you end up with a decent horror movie.

The movie starts with a horrific scene follwed by 4 gorgeous college students in Mexico who decide to explore a Myan Temple off the beaten path. Soon they meet crazy locals who kill one of their friends and trap them on the ancient Myan ruins. People are lowered into mineshafts and fun insues.

Besides a decent plot this film had decent acting and the scenery was amazing. I'm actually looking forward to see if it was shot on location somewhere in South America or was that all Hollywood backset and greenscreen. A negative for this film is more self surgery. I mean serioiusly? Are we that in love with Gore that we have to see operations in every film hollywood churns out. It's stupid and unecessary. Get the hint already writers.

Overall I give this DVD a B-. The Behind the Scenes are pretty damn good as well although they don't really teach you anything, they do show you a ton of action. Check it out when you have the chance.

Steel Trap starts off with some great cinematography. Abandoned buildings, a lone balloon floating in a hallway. An old elevator opening and closing. All this cut with scenes from  rocking new years party. However as the great cinematography continue the plot quickly dissolves into the standard House on Haunted Hill/SAW movie. You know what I am talking about. Group of people get invite (a txt message, how modern!) to another part of building. Strange clues. They start following clues. People wander off alone. People die. Cell phones don't work. More people die. Sigh..there was a good twist towards the end but nothing special. And a GPS unit that looked a lot like an iPod for some reason.

The acting was okay but a bit stale. As I said the cinematography was great and the sets were killer. Balloons, party favors, flickering lights they all added to the effects. However, the killer was not exactly fear inspiring, and I really hated the sound fx they used for all the action scenes. I mean is that being too picky? Leave us a comment if you think so. But I think this movie could of been really good. Better actors and a little more tension build up. It seems more like a video game in some places than a horror film. I mean really. Trapped in a building? No one can hear you call for them? Why not flood the floor with the fire hose? Set off the fire alarm with some matches? Electric fence? Throw a table through it. Dump water into it till it shorts. Throw a kink in the works. Consider those the David J. Neff horror tips of the day.

Be sure to check out the making of on this one. It's actually pretty damn good.

Overall I give Steel Trap a C-. Rent it if there nothing left to see on a dark scary night or if you live in a loft in a abandoned building.