I'm frozen! And I can't get up!
10/01/10
Today is the first day of the rest of your …. October.
It’s also opening day of Hatchet 2’s unrated theatrical release. Hope many of you will be visiting your local theater (if they are playing it) and showing the studios (and the MPAA) that there are people out here willing to pay to see an unrated horror film in the theaters.
But I’m not here to rant about why that is so important.
To kick off my favorite time of year and celebrate the release, I treated myself to a viewing of Adam Green’s Frozen.
Wow. That was pretty damn intense.
The story involves 3 people stuck on a ski-lift {due to miscommunication and just plain bad luck) when the resort shuts down for the week, . They have to figure out a way to get help without getting themselves killed.
That doesn’t sound very exciting, does it? That’s probably because I’m a terrible writer-person. But don’t let my bad grammar and poor choice of words throw you off! Frozen takes what could have been a predictable or even laughable idea and milks it for all the intensity it can.
Basically, what we have is Open Water on snow, only it packs far more tension into the movie starting from the opening shot of the gears of the lift turning. The sound design and the score keep pace with the emotions on the screen, but never really feel like they were intruding between us and the characters (unlike, say, Jurassic Park).
While the film really has some great performances, it also finds the time to include some truly cringe-inducing moments, as well. I found myself nearly hiding my eyes. And even after the initial jolt should be gone, the movie just pushes it a little further into even more uncomfortable territory.
I’ve seen some pretty horrid things on-screen, in my lifetime, but I found myself not wanting to see/hear what was happening to some actually likable characters. Some well done dialog and damn good acting really helped to sell this to me. Plus, the camera work was stellar, really making the most of a limited location. After all they’re just stuck in the air sitting on a ski-lift, but you can really feel the isolation, the danger and the hopelessness in nearly every shot.
Maybe I’m still just high off the endorphins the movie got flowing through my body, but it was a great experience and I highly recommend taking this ride.
Rating: 4 1/2 out of 5
Now to get some rest and have a fun time with Hatchet 2. Hope to see you there!
Wha?
Bad Movie Virus 