sol-
Stuck in a 'Groundhog Day' style time loop in which she experiences the same day again and again, a teenage girl unwittingly discovers a way to alter the next day before it repeats in this intriguing horror film that reunites director Vincenzo Natali and screenwriter Brian King a decade after their electrifying 'Cypher'. As per 'Cypher', this is a film full of twists and turns and therefore anything more about the plot is best left unrevealed. Suffice it to say, several ideas are intriguing and the film keeps one guessing. Not as critically well received as his previous four features, the mythology here is more complex than in any Natali film to date with some bizarre things that the teen protagonist is able to do to get an 'upper hand'. The ending is also too upbeat for its own good with an unlikely deus ex machina in the mix; the film also becomes a tad reliant on boo-moments towards the end. The vast majority of the movie though is creepy in refreshingly subtle ways, like the teenager's inability to go outside and the 'In the Mouth of Madness' scenario she finds herself in as she futilely tries to peddle away. It is an undeniably atmospheric film too and it is the stronger moments of the film that ultimately stay in the mind, such as the way lead actress Abigail Breslin shudders and almost seems to collapse as a guest comes in from blinding white light after she first manages to alter the day.
shuvcat-1
I first saw this movie on Netflix about two years ago, and I loved it. I loved it so much that I bought the DVD about two minutes after it ended. I liked it so much that I was actually kind of scared to watch it again; I was afraid it wouldn't be as good as I originally thought it was. But three or four nights ago, two years after I bought the DVD, I watched it. And... They changed the ending. In the version I first watched, Lisa gets on her bike at the end, and she rides off into the sunlight. I loved that scene. They cut it from the DVD. I don't know why. Is there a place where I can buy the DVD with the Netflix ending? I really want to see that ending. She earned it, after all that.
gridoon2018
This teen-friendly haunted-house thriller is compulsively watchable, partly because of its intriguing premise (which, as has been noted elsewhere, crosses "Groundhog Day" with "The Others"), partly because of Abigail Breslin's riveting performance (the camera loves her), and partly because of all the weird stuff going on. But as the movie progresses, you start to realize that this accumulation of weirdness is not really making much sense; the movie exists more "in the moment" than as a whole. Vincenzo Natali is a talented director, but Brian King's script could have been better; ultimately, the film is OK but nothing special. **1/2 out of 4.
loomis78-815-989034
Teenager Lisa (Breslin) is literally repeating the same day over in over in the style of the film Groundhog Day. Her family in the house doesn't understand what she is saying and a thick fog surrounds her house not allowing her to leave. This time warp she is caught in also has an evil force in the scary vision of a Pale Man (McHattie) who keeps warning Lisa to leave things alone. Lisa soon discovers her level of reality can be broken as she warps into the body of a girl in the future named Olivia (Eleanor Zichy) who is trying to make contact with Lisa. Realizing that Olivia is actually contacting her spirit, Lisa realizes she is dead along with the rest of her family. She can still save Olivia from her fate in the future. Director Vincenzo Natali and Writer Brian King challenge the audience to keep up with this layered story as it unfolds through the eyes of young Lisa. The story is both clever and compelling and the movie plays out almost like a mystery. There are some shocks that deliver jump scares and a certain eerie feeling that Natali keeps for the entire film. Solid performances especially from lead Abigail Breslin makes this an engaging horror film that plays out well.
AD
