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Reviews
No Through Road (2008)
Sadly Overlooked Australian Indie Gem
No through road is another example of Australian cinema pushed aside to make way for films that paint a much prettier picture of the country.
I found the film a powerful and quite real look at the sort of things that go on in quiet suburban areas here.
The story is simple and subtle in it's unfolding, a man who is very much a loner, comes home from taking photographs at the beach and unwinds with a book and a glass of wine. While almost dozing off he lapses back to consciousness upon hearing a noise in a downstairs room.
What transpires from this is a situation that spirals out of control into a finale that is truly bleak.
If you want big budget, glossy looks and flashy editing and pacing - look elsewhere. But...
...if you want gritty suburban horror not too far removed from some of the awful things that litter Australian news headlines, you're in for an absolute treat.
Currently this film has a much undeserved 3.5 rating on the IMDb, it's really sad when a decent film doesn't find it's audience.
If you do like this film then also check out some of the other brilliant Australian indie cinema out there such as Noise, Rosebery 7470, Acolytes, Storage, The Square and Visitors. You'll not be disappointed!
The Amityville Horror (2005)
Beyond Boring
This is an awful remake. It is not scary, it is badly acted, the story is dumbed down, in fact it really isn't anything more than a collection of ideas gathered from other horror films.
I really expected this to be a lot better, the remake of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre was rather well done, and since this film shared the same production team I had decent expectations.
The original film thrived on an air of menace, atmosphere and psychological horror. The remake simply takes the fear of everything that was left to the imagination originally and shoves it into your face without style or scares.
The incredible shortness of the film (80 minutes or so with credits) skims days in a ridiculous fashion jumping from day 1 to day 15 in a flash, therefore killing the build up of events. The character development is terrible, you are given such little time to get to know any of the cast that you really just couldn't care what happens to any of them. The Priest/Church aspect of the film, which was very important to the original story is shoved in later on as an almost after thought.
The babysitter scene is absolutely dreadful. It's like a deleted scene from Scary Movie. Ryan Reynolds and Melissa George both look terribly out of place and young for the roles they are playing. Besides Ryan Reynolds really isn't very good at playing nuts, he seems to have just watched The Shining and play acted the rest.
Don't waste your money or your valuable time on this film. Rent the original and watch a decent scary film. Horror films are supposed to be scary and exciting, The Amityville Horror is neither.