Well Done
Added 11/5/2009
Everything about this movie is great. It's even better the second time. I was very skeptical at first, especially after seeing Fred Durst was in it, but he was excellent and so were the other actors. This movie is on my top ten favs list.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Entertaining
Added 11/2/2009
This was a low key horror film about a US census employee who goes to census a small town (Rockwell Falls), and discovers that its population never changes. As he struggles to figure out the town folk's bizarre behavior, he falls in love with a local, and befriends a cute sheriff's deputy Bobby.
I really enjoyed this film. It reminded me quite a bit of Wicker Man (secret society, strange rituals, remote village, cyclic ending), but it also had shades of The Village (bizarre conspiracy by the adults to keep whats going on a secret). I thought the film had some great actors; particularly the friendly sheriff who I thought was cute. I was meh about the relationship between the protagonist and the girl it seemed a bit out of the blue and silly.
I would've liked a better explanation of the 'force' that kept the village populace at 436. And man, does the lead character need a better wardrobe. I doubt the census bureau is quite that casual.
Overall, if you like B-movie horror, or horror movies without a lot of gore, this one is for you.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Disturbing
Added 9/23/2008
This movie was all right for a low budget movie. The plot was good and some scenes sent a chill down my spine. It had some goofy moments that, if left out, would have made the movie better and some of the acting had much to be desired, as did some of the dialogue. The concept was really disturbing to me, however. I thought it was going to be more predictable than it was but was pleasantly surprised that there was a bit more to the plot than met the eye. The reason the population has stayed at 436 and how it has stayed at 436 for 100 years was unsettling to me. The methods of "curing the fever" was really creepy and made me think of how mentally ill people were "cured" back at the turn of the century.
If you like low budget movies that are still slightly entertaining, this is right up your alley. It was a good movie to watch once but I probably won't watch it again. Some scenes were a little too much for me and left a bad taste in my mouth.
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
Pretty Good - Enough for me to buy it
Added 6/6/2008
Though my first impression of this movie was that it was predictable and not very good...I am someone who watches movies over and over and the more I watched it the more it reminded me of Dark Secret of Harvest Home. It gave me the same "icky" feeling (which I love!) and I knew that I would want to see it again and again. I don't do lengthy reviews, just enough to give my opinion and while it is only a 3-star movie, in my opinion, it is worth a look. The acting is good, there is some predictability but the ending might give you a thought or two. I thought the plot concept was interesting and made me wonder how these writers come up with these new and interesting concepts.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
nothing under or over 436
Added 4/16/2008
Steve Kady works for the Census Bureau. And for some reason, he has to head out from Chicago to a small town of Rockwell Falls to count heads. There seems to be a discrepancy.
Rockwell Falls looks like any other normal small country town. However, Kady starts to pick up odd things about the town. One major odd thing that catches his attention is that the population has remained 436 for the last century.
And the strangest thing of it all is that he is one of the 436. Therefore, he cannot leave town. Of course, this only motivates Kady to leave town. Does he? Or will he accept his fate and become a resident?
I thought the movie was good with the plot being fairly simple. Definitely better than *2001 Maniacs*. Watch this film but don't expect to be impressed.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Great Movie!
Added 2/16/2009
Good movie, certainly had an ending I wasn't expecting. James Caviezel was great as was Greg Kinnear.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Should Be Well-Known...
Added 10/20/2008
Why has no one seen this fantastic little thriller?? Five men (James Caviezel, Greg Kinnear, Barry Pepper, Joe Pantoliano, and Jeremy Sisto) wake up in an old warehouse, unaware of how they got there, who each other is, or even their own identities! We are kept in the dark right along w/ these men, only getting clues in small snipets of memory as they slowly piece things together. I fully enjoyed the mystery and the feeling of being trapped in the warehouse, trying to figure out what has happened, is happening, and will happen next. I love movies that keep me guessing and hold my interest. UNKNOWN definitely works well as a suspenseful puzzler, much in the way the first SAW and CUBE did. So, if you like psychological conundrums, you'll love this! Bridget Moynahan (Prey) and Peter Stormare (Fargo, 8mm) also star. Highly recommended...
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Surprising indie that should have made it big.
Added 8/19/2008
Unknown (Simon Brand, 2006)
Surprisingly good little not-quite-direct-to-video thriller (in its widest release, it played on six screens in America and eleven in Taiwan) with a cast that makes me wonder why no one wanted to give it a wide release: Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ), Greg Kinnear (Little Miss Sunshine), Joe Pantoliano (Memento), Barry Pepper (Saving Private Ryan), Jeremy Sisto (May), Peter Stormare (Bruiser)... what about this cast doesn't say "makes back its $3.7 million budget on opening weekend", Hollywood?
The plot: five men (Caviezel, Sisto, Kinnear, Pantoliano, and Pepper) wake up in a warehouse. All of them have lost their memories. It's obvious something very, very wrong happened: Pantoliano (forgive me; none of them get names until the very end of the film, and in the credits are referred to by pieces of clothing, so I'll use the actors' names) is tied to a chair, Sisto is handcuffed to a railing. All five are trying to figure out who the good guys and the bad guys are, what happened to their memories, and most importantly, how to get out of this stinkin' warehouse before whoever caused whatever happened shows up again. Meanwhile, in a second storyline, the bad guys, headed up by Stormare, are picking up the ransom money from a kidnapping. (You see where we're going here?) They outfox the cops. Said cops try to figure out how to follow them back to their hideout before it's too late-- now that they have the ransom money, what do they need with the hostage?
While the common "don't any of these guys have wallets?" complaint is probably a valid one, I was willing to suspend disbelief enough to run with it, and I thought it was a fun thrill ride. Matthew Waynee's script is well-paced for this sort of thing, feeding the audience a tidbit of information or two every time it looks like things are going to flag, or sending out a sightseer who completely misses the fact that a bunch of guys are yelling for help two hundred yards or so away. Meanwhile, everyone's trying to figure out who everyone else is, and most of the time, that alone is enough to keep this cracking. As is to be expected from the cast list, the acting is quite good here, certainly on a par with many of the big-budget Hollywood blockbusters I've seen recently. I ask again, Hollywood, what happened with the distribution on this one? *** ½
2 out of 2 people found this helpful.
|
