It's been a while since I did this. I spent tonight watching a horror film double-feature on TV, with mixed results. I felt like writing a little movie review, so that's just what I did. So, without further ado, let's get to the movies:
Urban Legend
This so-called thriller is standard horror movie fare. The thing opens on a college-age girl at a rest stop getting gas. She's terrified that she's being watched, and runs like hell when the creepy gas station attendent approaches her. She gets away, gets in the car and takes off, only to find out that he was just trying to warn her, "There's someone in the back seat!"
Yeah, that's about as good as it gets. The rest of the movie just goes straight downhill from there. The acting makes Baten Kaitos look good. The characters are unremarkable, unbelievable, and genuinely unlikeable. The whole "story" is obviously not grounded in reality, and the plot has more holes in it than the practice target in the shooting range in Grigori's backyard.
**Spoilers Ahead**
The "twist" that comes at the end is definitely out of left field, but only because it makes no sense. I mean, come on. In what universe can a skinny white girl man-handle a bulky black woman with a gun, get shot in the torso and fall out a second story window, then get flung through the windshield of a car into a lake, and still be alive years later?!
Bottom line, this movie wasn't worth what I payed for it. And considering I watched it for free on FX, that's saying something. Avoid this one like the plague.
Joy Ride
First of all, I never realized that Steve Zahn did horror movies. I was pleasantly surprised; he gives a great performance in this film.
To sum up, the movie is about these two guys who play a prank on a trucker, and it gets a bit out of hand. Next thing you know, there's a guy half-dead in the hospital, and it looks like these two may be next.
That's all I want to reveal on this one. I really liked this film from start to finish. Good acting, good story (though not entirely original), and overall does a good job of maintaining that edge-of-your-seat feeling you're supposed to get from watching a good horror flick.
So, if you're looking for a good thriller along the same vein as Hitcher and Rest Stop, or you just want to see Steve Zahn in a unique roll, I recommend going to Blockbuster and looking for this one. You won't be sorry.
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