A confession. I love films where you feel compelled to
comment on the action as it takes place.
No, not in a theatre setting, but
at home where such rants go unnoticed.
“Do this!”
“No, dummy, not
that!”
“Behind you, look behind
you!”
If the filmmaker is good at
setting it up, then it can become an enjoyable “bonus feature” as you sit back
and start handing out all of those little suggestions (of course the actors
can’t hear you and do as they please).
“Run!” Oops, too late.
Filmmaker Adam Green’s Frozen
was such a film. Three skiers trapped on
a ski lift with no one to help … they must either solve the puzzle of their
escape or die. It was great fun; it was
a participation film where the compulsion to chip in advice from time to time
was unavoidable.
On Oct. 15, Image
Entertainment has another such “talk to the screen” thrillers planned for both DVD
and Blu-ray delivery. That would be
director Jeff Renfroe’s The Colony, starring Bill Paxton,
Laurence Fishburne and John Tench.
In the near future the
planet has been plunged into another ice age and the few survivors that remain
have taken refuge underground — in this case, “Colony Seven” — where the bitter
cold is not a problem … growing enough to eat in an artificial environment is. It’s a delicate balance.
One day — and all of the
days are pretty much like the one before and the one that will come tomorrow —
they get a call from “Colony Five” where something is amiss. It is about here that the urge to offer
advice kicks in. For example, “Don’t
go!” immediately comes to mind.
A scouting party headed
by Briggs (Fishburne), the leader of the collective, arrives at the neighboring
outpost and discovers that all hell has broken loose. What they find is terrifying and sets up the
second half of the film — yes, they ignore all the advice from the easy chair
and lead the “terror” (sorry: no spoilers — think zombies without any zombies)
back to their home!
The Colony is a nifty post-apocalyptic thriller — it has a
few shortcomings, but nothing that can’t be “talked” through. Part horror, part sci-fi … and very
enjoyable; Oct. 15 can’t come soon enough.
No word yet on bonus goodies.
To download this week's
complete edition of the DVD and Blu-ray Release Report: DVD & Blu-ray Release Report
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