REVIEW MOVIE
‘Hide and Seek’ is scary yet predictable By ANNA LOUSTAUNAU For the Titan
“One one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand … come out, come out, wherever you are…” Twentieth Century Fox’s “Hide and Seek” soars with darkly talented actors and spooky surprise deaths, but ends in a bloodbath of predictability and some confusion for more inquisitive viewers. Starring the infamously sinister Robert De Niro and the dazzling young Dakota Fanning, along with Famke Janssen and Elizabeth Shue, “Hide and Seek” is already undeniably full of flair and star power; however the film leads predictable path of expected crime and unoriginal unveiling as it nears its climax. The story unfolds as psychologist David Calloway (De Niro) and his young daughter Emily (Fanning) moving to a quiet upstate home after his wife’s sudden death, which she happened to tragically witness. Things start looking better when Emily claims to have made a new friend named Charlie, but since David has never seen him, he, along with fellow doctor Katherine (Janssen), believe that Charlie is invisible but may be a positive influence for his gloomy daughter.
Soon enough, this maniac “act” takes a dangerous and violent route towards some gruesome events, involving David’s almost-romantic interest Elizabeth (Shue) and other innocent creatures, in what Emily believes to simply be a child’s game of “Hide and Seek.” Although De Niro was excellent at portraying the loyal father role, it was really 10 year-old Fanning who stole the show with her shadowy performance as murky Emily, using her ability to pull both physical and emotional strength to become the charming, yet treacherous child. There were times when the audience was even chilled by the small gleam of evil in Fanning’s eye as she plotted her next move on the “game board of life” behind her father’s trusting back. While Janssen showed serious potential as the supportive doctor for Emily, she did not have enough lines to bloom fully and therefore appeared to be a small character in the story. Shue was in the same boat as well, only getting a small amount of screen time to display her sweet side before literally falling into the background. Nevertheless, both women were great assets to the film with their bright spirits and refreshing senses of innocence among immorality; literally adding color to the ordi-
K.C. BAILEY/Miramax
David Callaway (Robert De Niro ) tries to get the truth from his daughter’s (Dakota Fanning) new friend. nary pallet of a typical scary story. Though “Hide and Seek” was a bit unsurprising at times and a little slow as well, the story displayed various shocking twists and a final sad revelation that left viewers
breathless and asking questions long after the flick has ended. In short, whilst “Hide and Seek” is exploding with astounding acting, maniacal mind games and a small dose of anticipated interac-
tions, it is not the new “Exorcist” or “Carrie” that viewers are hoping it will be. It is purely a freaky flick for people to indulge their fears in for the weekend.
‘Boogeyman’ lacks thrills, suspense BY SHANNON HEWKIN Daily Titan Staff
“Boogeyman,” which opened Friday makes it perfectly clear that whatever is hiding in the closet or under the bed is neither scary nor disturbing—it’s mind-numbingly boring. In fact, the only thing frightening about the boogeyman is that Ghost House Pictures spent money to make such a movie. Director Stephen T. Kay’s “Boogeyman” follows Tim Jensen (7th Heaven’s Barry Watson), a man in his 20’s terrorized by memories of his father being dragged into the closet of his childhood bedroom by the boogeyman and never coming out. But when he visits a children’s psychiatric hospital and speaks to the doctor that has been treating him since his father disappeared, it becomes clear that Tim might be using the boogeyman story as an alternative to the possibility that Tim’s father simply left the family, as others believe. As Tim faces his fears, he finds a house full of memories he must confront and demons he must fight
off. Tim’s exploration of the house lacks the feeling of suspense created by better horror flicks and instead relies on carefully-timed music designed, by the sheer volume of it, to make the heart beat frantically and the body jump involuntarily. The closet scenes, which should have been some of the most imaginative and haunting parts of the movie, were the equivalent of a scarecrow in a field being mistaken for a person. The confrontation scene is where “Boogeyman” really falters. As Tim and Kate (Emily Deschanel), a childhood friend, cling to furniture to avoid getting sucked into the windstorm coming from the closet, Tim faces the boogeyman. The whole encounter is more amusing than terrifying and leaves more questions than answers. At the end of the movie, however, the biggest question that most people in the theater had was how they could get back the hour and a half they spent watching “Boogeyman.”
Daily Titan February 07, 2005
FULL EFFECT
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