Archive - Sep 19, 2009

Early twentysomething writer/director Antonio Campos makes a startlingly assured directorial debut with AFTERSCHOOL. Set in an exclusive Northeastern prep school, the film follows Robert (Ezra Miller), a confused youngster who spends most of his time watching videos on the Internet. Some of these are harmless, but some are much more troubling, including pornography and actual fights that have been captured on various consumer-grade video cameras.

Harry Potter has not had a good summer. Not only has he had to put up with his overbearing Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon Dursley and their dread of his magical abilities, but it seems as if Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger have forgotten him as they haven't replied to a single one of his letters. Then, suddenly and mysteriously, house-elf Dobby appears in Harry's bedroom and warns him of great danger if he should attempt to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

A haunted house makes no secret of the fact it is not pleased with its new tenants in this independent tale of supernatural horror. Katie (Katie Featherson) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are a twentysomething couple who've just moved into a new home in San Diego, California. Katie has an interest in the paranormal and believes that malevolent spirits have been following her since childhood, though Micah is not so easily convinced. However, after several nights of loud noises and strange happenings, Micah starts to agree with Katie that some sort of ghost may have followed them to the new home.

John Travolta shaves his head and Jonathan Rhys Meyers does an American accent for this thriller directed by Pierre Morel (TAKEN). In FROM PARIS WITH LOVE, a traditional man (Rhys Meyers) is paired up with a renegade cop (Travolta) when things get dangerous in the French capital.