Show works better than most films of its kind E. E Peter Morrison and Jared Maxwell Mo Movie ic Writers What can one do when one is placed under house arrest other than build a tower out of Oh yeah set up surveillance on a neighbor who is potentially a serial killer ironically opened Friday April 13 and begins like every other movie of its genre In fact has the framework story storyline line almost identical to the 1954 Hitchcock thriller Rear Window Some differences include an updated plot with Shia LaBeouf playing the peeping torn tom instead of James Stewart and anda a younger cast using an updated premise for 2007 audiences Copycat Copycat- or not the plot for is so formulaic that it doesn't make sense early on that it actually works The movie begins with Kale LaBeouf a misplaced high school kid who seems to be locked in a downward spiral after his father dies in a tragic car accident After a series of delinquent mishaps Kale is put under house arrest where after exhausting all other avenues for entertainment he begins building his tower out of After the run out the real plot for the thriller begins as Kale proceeds to spy on his neighbors through a pair of binoculars He and best friend Ronald Aaron Yoo indulge in their own voyeuristic fantasies by staring at the hot girl Sarah Roemer who just moved in next door the married neighbor having an affair with the maid and the teen pre-teen boys watching satellite porn who continue to antagonizing Kale during his sentence While mindlessly watching the news to stave off boredom after the neighbors go to bed bcd Kale hears information about a girl who has recently gone missing Kale disregards the story until it mentions that the supposed perpetrator drives the same car with a adent adent adent dent as Mr Turner David Morse one of the next- next door neighbors hes he's spying on Sparking en enough engh gh curiosity Kale enlists Ronald and the hot girl next door into a stakeout on the shady neighborhood serial killer The plot pretty much unfolds as expected ending with a suspenseful climax that despite being a bit long is surprisingly intense and affective Borrowed plots from Hitchcock and other recent horror flicks could stop moviegoers but the solid performances by the cast and the fact that the screenwriters deliver characters that the audience can actually care about set apart from other recent horror disappointments The flim film doesn't have too many oh yeah right moments either which also aids in its LaBeouf is well cast as the lead and he shows once again that he is one of the better young actors of the current generation The movie takes a dangerous turn when it begins exploring the budding romance between Kael and Ashley but is up to o the task The year old plays both the lovesick teenager and horror-hero horror aspects of his role effectively Every good hero needs a villain and offers this in the creepy next door neighbor Morse is brilliant as the psychopath killing the women he brings home As Mr Turner Morse gave the character a bit of creepy charisma enabling a better serial killer performance for LaBeouf to act against The rest of the supporting cast also does a good job jobin in each of their respective roles and the character development adds humor to keep the audience entertained during the slower points of the film A couple of minor complaints are that the writers cant can't resist the urge to have one of the characters in the movie plug the films film's title by saying it screen on-screen and a few scenes during the slightly long climax are area a little logically to hard-to- swallow But has all the variables that suspense audiences crave in such a a m vie r n-r ri rr r Overall the film is well made entertaining and brutal enough to be effective without being by those with weaker stomachs The film is sure to become a hit for middle school-aged school girls needing a scary flick to watch on their Friday night slumber parties is rated PG- PG 13 |