Pain
04-26-2007, 01:44 PM
Vacancy
Ever since Janet Leigh pulled up to Bates Motel in Psycho the average traveler hasn't faired too well in movies, or more specifically horror movies. Jack went off his rocker in The Shining, folk ended up as the local delicacy in Motel Hell and let's face it staying at a Hostel in Europe will never be looked at in the same light thanks to Eli Roth! I mean, what has a person got to do to get a good night sleep before setting off again on their merry way?
The aforementioned movies aside we have also recently had Live Feed, Wolf Creek and Turistas, all of which took an innocent trip, slapped the travelers around the face and put them through hell. It's no wonder some people suffer from agoraphobia! Stay indoors folks, it's a lot safer.
All of this brings me to Vacancy, a movie in which once again turns a simple journey into a battle for survival. Damn, I make it sound so dramatic don't I?
This time Amy and David Fox, an unhappily married couple played by Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, are driving home from a family function when they fall foul of a small-time snuff operation.
Whilst driving home through the night David decides to take a shortcut to avoid the traffic after an accident on the freeway. Yes, I know what you are thinking, you deserve all you get now, and we all know you should never leave the Freeway!
Nevertheless, the journey is relatively uneventful until David swerves to avoid hitting a raccoon that has strayed into the road and almost crashes. Well, this wakes up his slumbering wife and the rest of the journey turns to shit.
Aside from the couple's constant bickering, it also turns out that although they didn't crash they did manage to **** the car up. Fortunately they soon find a garage, and after a little help and advice from the mechanic set off on their way again. Fat lot of good that did them though, as soon the car gives up for good. So, doing what any self-respecting victim, I mean person, would do they set off on foot back to the garage.
Upon arriving at the garage they find it closed, not to worry though as there is a motel right next door. Quite why they didn't stay there in the first place is beyond me, ah well, they got there eventually.
From here on in they discover that some extremely unsavory events have taken place at this particular motel, and if they don't hightail it out of there pretty sharpish they could well find themselves resting peacefully on a morticians slab.
A plot that appears to have been farted out by 2 year old doesn't really hinder this movie. Sure, we've seen it all before, we know what's going to happen, yet somehow Vacancy works…sort of.
As predictable as events turn out to be, there is more than enough tension built up throughout the movies short running time to keep you satisfied. The fact that the makers manage to inject a few jumps, minor scares and, heavens forbid, the odd surprise or two is an added bonus.
One thing this movie isn't though and that is gory or overtly violent even. The trailers did give the impression that the movie may take a similar route to Hostel, or even Wolf Creek, but instead it is far more reliant on building the tension than covering the screen with claret and body parts. The story does indeed revolve around the snuff industry but that is confined to a few scenes caught on video tape, and even that isn't particularly grisly.
Some good performances also give vacancy a nice boost. Frank Whaley, as the motel manager, is quirky, just a little creepy but manages to stay just the right side of over the top acting. Luke Wilson surprised the hell out of me, giving a remarkably controlled and solid performance. Not something I would necessarily expect from him. In fact in my eyes the weak link of the movie was the wonderful Kate Beckinsale. She just seemed to be coasting through the entire flick, and just ended up annoying me.
The other thing that bothered me about Vacancy, aside from Miss Beckinsale, was the script. There were far too many gaping holes, which the more I think about it, the more apparent they become. Oh, and please for the love of all that is decent, and depraved, in this world quit with the ****ing moments of love declaration! It breaks up the pace, and if I didn't like the character before, having them shed a tear or two isn't going to change that.
That aside, Vacancy is a well made, taut thriller that builds in tension throughout. It won't change the world, and some may find it on the simplistic side, which it is, but as far as big(ish) budget genre flicks go this isn't at all bad. A little work on the script and an ending that didn't make me want to kill the scriptwriter and this would have gotten a better mark. Believe me when I tell you that you will feel the same after the ending.
Movie Rating: 3/5
Ever since Janet Leigh pulled up to Bates Motel in Psycho the average traveler hasn't faired too well in movies, or more specifically horror movies. Jack went off his rocker in The Shining, folk ended up as the local delicacy in Motel Hell and let's face it staying at a Hostel in Europe will never be looked at in the same light thanks to Eli Roth! I mean, what has a person got to do to get a good night sleep before setting off again on their merry way?
The aforementioned movies aside we have also recently had Live Feed, Wolf Creek and Turistas, all of which took an innocent trip, slapped the travelers around the face and put them through hell. It's no wonder some people suffer from agoraphobia! Stay indoors folks, it's a lot safer.
All of this brings me to Vacancy, a movie in which once again turns a simple journey into a battle for survival. Damn, I make it sound so dramatic don't I?
This time Amy and David Fox, an unhappily married couple played by Kate Beckinsale and Luke Wilson, are driving home from a family function when they fall foul of a small-time snuff operation.
Whilst driving home through the night David decides to take a shortcut to avoid the traffic after an accident on the freeway. Yes, I know what you are thinking, you deserve all you get now, and we all know you should never leave the Freeway!
Nevertheless, the journey is relatively uneventful until David swerves to avoid hitting a raccoon that has strayed into the road and almost crashes. Well, this wakes up his slumbering wife and the rest of the journey turns to shit.
Aside from the couple's constant bickering, it also turns out that although they didn't crash they did manage to **** the car up. Fortunately they soon find a garage, and after a little help and advice from the mechanic set off on their way again. Fat lot of good that did them though, as soon the car gives up for good. So, doing what any self-respecting victim, I mean person, would do they set off on foot back to the garage.
Upon arriving at the garage they find it closed, not to worry though as there is a motel right next door. Quite why they didn't stay there in the first place is beyond me, ah well, they got there eventually.
From here on in they discover that some extremely unsavory events have taken place at this particular motel, and if they don't hightail it out of there pretty sharpish they could well find themselves resting peacefully on a morticians slab.
A plot that appears to have been farted out by 2 year old doesn't really hinder this movie. Sure, we've seen it all before, we know what's going to happen, yet somehow Vacancy works…sort of.
As predictable as events turn out to be, there is more than enough tension built up throughout the movies short running time to keep you satisfied. The fact that the makers manage to inject a few jumps, minor scares and, heavens forbid, the odd surprise or two is an added bonus.
One thing this movie isn't though and that is gory or overtly violent even. The trailers did give the impression that the movie may take a similar route to Hostel, or even Wolf Creek, but instead it is far more reliant on building the tension than covering the screen with claret and body parts. The story does indeed revolve around the snuff industry but that is confined to a few scenes caught on video tape, and even that isn't particularly grisly.
Some good performances also give vacancy a nice boost. Frank Whaley, as the motel manager, is quirky, just a little creepy but manages to stay just the right side of over the top acting. Luke Wilson surprised the hell out of me, giving a remarkably controlled and solid performance. Not something I would necessarily expect from him. In fact in my eyes the weak link of the movie was the wonderful Kate Beckinsale. She just seemed to be coasting through the entire flick, and just ended up annoying me.
The other thing that bothered me about Vacancy, aside from Miss Beckinsale, was the script. There were far too many gaping holes, which the more I think about it, the more apparent they become. Oh, and please for the love of all that is decent, and depraved, in this world quit with the ****ing moments of love declaration! It breaks up the pace, and if I didn't like the character before, having them shed a tear or two isn't going to change that.
That aside, Vacancy is a well made, taut thriller that builds in tension throughout. It won't change the world, and some may find it on the simplistic side, which it is, but as far as big(ish) budget genre flicks go this isn't at all bad. A little work on the script and an ending that didn't make me want to kill the scriptwriter and this would have gotten a better mark. Believe me when I tell you that you will feel the same after the ending.
Movie Rating: 3/5