Dagon (DVD/Video)
Director Stuart Gordon (From Beyond, Re-Animator) returns to give H. P. Lovecraft another Hollywood spin with Dagon. In this "re-imagined" telling, a young wealthy couple on holiday in the Mediterranean are forced ashore when a storm wrecks their yacht. But instead of a safe harbor, Paul (Ezra Godden) and Barbara (Raquel Marono) find a nightmare world where Night of the Living Dead meets The Island of Doctor Moreau. For the inhabitants of this small coastal village have made a pact with . . . a fish! But don't get me wrong, Gordon goes for gore and not laughs in this graphic horror tale. Fans of the "B" Director will enjoy this outing where every door opened leads Paul further into his Lovecraftian nightmare.

The Dark Knight
Writer/director Christopher Nolan (Batman Begins, Memento) strikes gold with what is probably the best film for the summer of 2008. As you might remember, at the end of Batman Begins, Lt. Gordon (played again by Gary Oldman) hands Batman (played again by Christian Bale) a Joker playing card, warning that a new criminal is in town. However, I doubt anyone, including the audience, could have imagined what was coming. In The Dark Knight, the Joker (superbly played by Heath Ledger) puts the City of Gotham in a grasp that chokes the life out of it. Even the mob fears him. The Joker doesn’t hesitate to put anyone at risk, or as Bruce Wayne’s aid, Alfred (Michael Caine) puts it, “some people just want to see things burn.” And that’s The Joker—there doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to his maniacal actions—or is there? As I’ve said before, Batman Begins, was my favorite Batman movie, but The Dark Knight raises the bar to unimaginable heights. Christian Bale is, once again, wonderful as the solemn crime fighter. Even the supporting cast appears to give it their all, including Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Bruce Wayne’s head of research and development. Never the less, it is Heath Ledger who steals the show. His film presence, his line delivery, his acting . . . need I go on? I couldn’t get enough of him. Then there’s the script. Just when I thought I knew what was going to happen next—bam—slam—crack—the writers throw us a curve and the plot heads into another direction, just as powerful and just as enjoyable. I did not know what would happen next or how The Dark Knight would end. Another thing that made me enjoy Batman Begins and The Dark Knight was the sets and location shooting. I never enjoyed the claustrophobic sound stage sets of the Tim Burton films, but in The Dark Knight, we are out in a real city with skyscrapers, crowded streets, and rivers, all of which give this film life and spirit. The scenes of Batman soaring through the canyons of Gotham with his bat wings make you feel as if you are with him. Another important factor for The Dark Knight’s success is one of the best, most dramatic film scores (by James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer) to enhance a comic book film. The music is relentless throughout, and that’s the best way to sum up The Dark Knight—relentless. The Joker is relentless; Batman is relentless; the story is relentless, and the action is relentless. While I enjoyed almost all of the comic book to film renditions for 2008, The Dark Knight is the first comic book film for adults. This is not to say that kids won’t enjoy it, but the adults will appreciate it more. The Dark Knight is a must-see. I can only hope there will be more to come.

Darkness
Spanish writer/director Jaume Balaguero gets a shot at American audiences with Darkness and misses. A family (Lena Olin as the mother, Anna Paquin as the daughter, Iain Glen as the father, and Stephen Enquist as the son) moves into an isolated house in Spain and begins to notice unnerving circumstances—the lights go out every night. Oh . . . scary! Well, okay, the son does see children in his room at night but unfortunately this goes nowhere. And that sums up this film—it goes nowhere. There were the standard clichés: the secret coven, the sacrifice that didn't happen (so let's try again), the occult symbol hidden under the floor, and the threat of unleashing hell on earth. It even started to feel like Stephen King's The Shining when the father begins to act insanely. There are moments when you think the film will take off and become something interesting, but those moments fizzled out leaving an uneven, disjointed plot. Even the acting was uninspired, as if the cast was on pain killers. If only they'd passed them out to the audience. Save your time and money.

Darkness Falls
100 years ago in the town of Darkness Falls, a kindly old spinster played tooth fairy by trading gold coins for children's baby teeth. But when two children disappear, the tooth fairy is erroneously accused of foul play and hanged. Now she's returned as a ghost with revenge in her heart. We meet the tooth fairy's ghost in modern day when she visits Kyle Walsh (Chaney Kley) as a child and kills his mother when Kyle escapes. But the ghost haunts him into adulthood where childhood friend, Cat (Buffy's Emma Caulfield), asks for his help when her brother also begins to see the banshee. But an interesting premise, a cool spirit with a wonderfully haunting wail goes for "Jack-in-the Box" scares to become a better than average spook fest. I wouldn't run to the theater to see it, but put this one on your "to rent" list for a rainy Sunday afternoon. But rent another film as well, since this one runs for only 80 minutes.

Dawn of the Dead (2004)
Directed by first-timer Zack Snyder, and written (from Romero's original screenplay) by Troma film school graduate, James Gunn, this remake of the 1978 classic breaks no new ground. As in the original, it is the next morning after 1968's Night of the Living Dead and the world is overrun by the living dead, whom they amusingly refer to in this film as "dead-ish." A group of would-be survivors have holed up in an indoor shopping mall where they decide to make their stand after one of the fastest most intense fifteen minute openings I've seen in a long time. But from there on, Snyder and Gunn play it by the book. There is the usual conflict between the survivors to provide tension from within as they confront the tension from without, but it seems obligatory and the tension never really reaches the feverish pitch I hoped for. Attempts are made to bond the audience to the trapped, but I never quite cared for any of the actors (including Ving Rhames), instead finding myself annoyed with some characters and their decisions. You can't remake a classic and I doubt anyone expects it. The 1978 version was the first of its kind and the gore (more bloody and obvious than in this remake) was startling. I will never forget the scene where the zombies tear open the mid-section of a motorcycle gang member. Don't get me wrong, Dawn of the Dead (2004) is a good zombie film and there's nothing more amusing then watching zombies get their heads blown off or get run over by a big truck. This is a must see for zombie fans and the squeamish who scream and gasp in the seats next to us, because that's what makes watching these films fun. Also, be sure not to leave during the closing credits, because the film continues and the actual ending occurs during the credits.

The Day After Tomorrow
Writer/Director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, Godzilla, Stargate) returns to his disaster formula with The Day After Tomorrow. It seems all the concern about the effects of global warming become reality as the entire Northern Hemisphere is covered by glaciers in about one week. Hey, they only have two hours! Before half the world freezes we get to see Los Angeles wiped clean by tornadoes and New York City washed clean by a tidal wave and rising ocean tides that leave the city partially submerged. Oh, I forgot, there is a plot. Paleo-climate expert Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid), who predicts the catastrophe that no one (especially the United States' Vice-president) will believe, walks from Washington D.C. in sub-artic weather to rescue his son (Jake Gyllenhaal) who is trapped in New York's 42nd Street Library. See books burned to keep the survivors warm. See Americans illegally crossing the Mexican border to escape to Mexico! See a cancer-stricken child left behind in a hospital during the evacuation! Hear pathetic speeches about how we should have listened to the scientists! The melodrama will make you want to puke because there's nothing here to recommend. Independence Day did it better, so see that again.

Dead Silence
In this story from James Wan, who wrote the story and directed (co-writer/director of 2004's Saw) along with Leigh Whannell (co-writer of Saw, and writer of Saw II and Saw III) who wrote the screenplay, a young couple, Jamie and Ella Ashen (played by TV actor Ryan Kwanten and 2007's Premonitions Amber Valletta,) receive a mysterious package containing a ventriloquist puppet named Billy. But who sent it and why? After Jamie goes for takeout, he returns to find Ella dead with her tongue ripped out. The police (Donnie Wahlberg as Det. Jim Lipton) suspect Jamie since there is no sign of forced entry. Returning to his home town to bury his wife, Jamie learns about the mysterious and feared ventriloquist, Mary Shaw (Judith Roberts), who is now said to haunt his boyhood town by ripping out the tongues of anyone who screams upon seeing her ghost. The set designers obviously had a ball with this film because the atmosphere is spooky with fog-filled cemeteries overgrown with thorns, and a great-looking decaying grand theater on a lake that added to the suspense. Even the music, which uses a bell theme similar to The Exorcist, manages to heighten the experience. Also expect plenty of thunder and lightning that, although cliché, actually worked, maybe because it was used just enough. Of course, stories about ventriloquist dummies have a built-in fright factor and in this film there are over 100 (also look for the dummy used in Saw.) Of course, one of my favorite scenes in any ghost story is when the spirit floats along the floor in pursuit of its prey and Dead Silence accomplishes that well. On the negative side, the film didn't move as fast as I would have liked. At first, I thought this was a film that probably would have actually benefited from the cliché plot where a group of young people are used as fodder to keep things moving. But once I settled into the idea that there was only Jamie, the cop, and a few town's people in jeopardy, it was okay. Sometime even I have to be patient. There were even a few solid scares and a back story that explains the actual goings-on in the town. Throw in a punchline ending reminiscent of the Saw films and you have a tight little ghost story. Dead Silence would make a good rental for a stormy night.

Deep Blue Sea
Fun! Fun! Fun! Thrills, chills and blood spilled!

The Descent
First, let me say that The Descent was written and directed by Neil Marshall, the director, writer, and editor of one of my personal favorites: the 2002 werewolf film, Dog Soldiers, so maybe I shouldn't be so surprised that I liked it. The Descent does start rather slow as we meet the six women (Shauna MacDonald as Sarah, Natalie Mendoza as Juno, Alex Reid as Beth, Saskia Mulder as Rebecca, MyAnna Buring as Sam, and Nora-Jane Noone as Holly) who are about to embark on some cave exploring just after Sarah has lost her husband and daughter in a horrific car accident. So let's just say that everyone is walking on eggshells around her. And to add a bit more tension to the mix, throw in the fact that Juno has had an affair with Sarah's now dead spouse. Even with this past behind them, the friends are ready to push ahead and explore a cave in the Appalachian Mountains in The United States. Things go fine until the tunnel route behind them becomes blocked and they begin to hear strange noises. Finally, all hell breaks loose when the explorers find the creatures—called crawlers—behind the noises. Very hungry creatures! One of the things that I noticed and appreciated was that none of the six actors were American. Instead, the actors were from Scotland, Hong Kong, England, Holland, Sweden, and Ireland respectively. It was noticeable and refreshing because it individualized them. And even though it took a while for the action to get going, once it did, I forgot how long it took to get there. The Descent offers some jump-out-of-your-seat scares and some interesting interaction between the characters that raised this a step above other films like it. And don't forget The Descent received an "R" rating, so expect blood and guts.

The Devil's Rejects
In Rob Zombie's sequel to 2003's House of 1000 Corpses the Firefly family (Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding, Bill Moseley as Otis, and Sheri Moon Zombie as Baby) escapes a shootout with the law to go on the run with Sheriff Wydell (William Forsythe) on their tails, out to revenge the murder of his brother, one of the sheriffs killed in 1000 Corpses. The best way to explain this film is to quote from my review of Zombie's first film—"This (1000 Corpses) is Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets Clive Barker with 'style.' Rob Zombie does a great job in the writing and directing departments by interweaving surrealistic, flashback, and film negative scenes with colorful characters and a story that does follow the rules most of the time, but deviates enough to keep it fresh."—because none of the style that made his first film a genre gem exists in this one. I was bored most of the time and very disappointed with the humdrum, been-there/seen-that plot in which nothing much happens. This one could have been an episode of America's Most Wanted, only there it would have probably had a better ending. My only fear was that there might be yet another installment. The one highlight was William Forsythe, one of my favorite character actors, who has the habit of showing up in the strangest films. His experience added the only depth and reason to watch. If you must see this one, wait for a rental.

Diary of the Dead
Yes, George Romero returns yet again as writer and director to continue his classic zombie series with Diary of the Dead. As the zombie menace from 1968’s Night of the Living Dead spreads throughout the country, we see it through the eyes of a group of student filmmakers lead by Joshua Close (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) playing Jason Creed. When the zombie’s interrupt Creed's plans for a mummy film, he decides to document the horrific events surrounding him, reminding me of the style of The Blair Witch Project and more recently, Cloverfield. I did enjoy little things like Romero’s staying true to his originals by having the news broadcasts from his 1968 film blasting from the radios and televisions in this film, tying the films and time frame together well.  However, all else remains the same. Who will die? Who will survive? And most of all, who will turn into a zombie and try to feed on their friends? Unfortunately, there’s nothing memorable here. The zombies are Romero’s slow running kind, the carnage is familiar, and except for seeing much of the story through a camcorder’s viewfinder, which is done well, it’s more of the same. Having seen all of the previous zombie films (Romero’s and others), I felt obligated to check this out on DVD. You might have the same inclinations. Check it out if you must, but don’t expect another classic.

Dogma
A script about the nature of man and god that must have resulted from a speed-induced marathon dialogue in an all-night coffee house.

Dog Soldiers (DVD/Video)
A war game turns real for British troopers when they find themselves holed up in a deserted farmhouse, defending themselves against some of the biggest and baddest werewolves I've ever seen. Clever dialogue, great special effects with flowing blood and pouring guts in this non-stop action horror tale that's well worth your time and a rental fee. This all-British export, which first appeared in the States on the Sci-Fi Channel, was a pleasant surprise on the telly and even better in its uncut DVD version.

Doom
In the days of yore, when the Internet was in its infancy, there was a free game you could download called Doom where, in a first-person POV, you played the part of a marine sent to Mars to clean up a lab by killing monsters and zombies. After two more incarnations as a game, Doom finally made it to the big screen with former cinematographer Andrzej Bartkowiak (Species, Speed, Falling Down) directing. For those not familiar with the back-story: In the near future, a portal is discovered on Earth that leads to an ancient city on Mars. Later on, the Mars research station runs into a problem (introduced to us in the first five minutes of the film) as an unseen creature chases terrified scientists through the halls, ripping them to pieces as they try to escape. One scientist manages to make a frantic call for help. So now it's time to send in a squad of marines lead by The Sarge (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), and Lord of the Rings' Karl Urban. Their job is to retrieve company data and investigate possible contamination and a breech of the facility by creatures unknown. If this sounds like 1986's Aliens, you're right. But that's not a bad thing because of all the films that have tried to duplicate that sci-fi classic, Doom comes pretty close by starting the action right away and maintaining it. Although it never quite reaches the tension levels of Aliens, once the action starts in Doom, it hardly ever lets up. Of course, a game is not shackled by the restraints of a screenplay, so not all aspects of the game made it to the screen (namely monsters), but those that did make it hold up well. Game players can expect plenty of research staff turned into zombies and mutants, called Imps in the game. I've said before that The Rock can become the next action hero superstar if he chooses his roles wisely and Doom was another good choice for the wrestler-turned-actor. He has a great screen presence and certainly delivers his lines better than Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. If you like quality special effects, a solid action-packed story line that actually has some interesting plot twists, as well as plenty of experienced actors to maintain a level of quality, then "Doom" is worth a trip to the theater even if you've never played the game. One treat reserved for gamers, however, is a one- to two-minute sequence where the audience is put into the first-person POV of a marine, which duplicates the game experience better than any other attempt I've seen.

Dracula 2000
Don't be fooled by the date, there's nothing new about this tame, although nice looking, version of the classic.

Dracula 3000 (DVD)
Bram Stoker's classic gets shot into space when Captain Van Helsing's (Starship Troopers and Sleepy Hollow's Casper Van Dien) salvage ship comes upon the derelict freighter, The Demeter. With salvage rights in mind, the captain and his crew (Baywatch's Erika Eleniak as Aurora, Rapper Coolio as 187, Alexandra Kamp as Mina, Grant Swanby as The Professor, and The Fifth Element's Tom Lister Jr. as Humvee) explore the ship to find the crew dead (one is even tied to a pilot's chair) and the cargo hole filled with empty caskets from the planet Transylvania located in the Carpathian galaxy. After the staple "B" movie crew is mysteriously stranded on the freighter, they encounter the vampire, Count Orlock (Langley Kirkwood), who needs to feed. Films like this rarely disappoint because you know exactly what you're renting. Expect "B" movie actors, a spaceship set that looks like the basement of a factory, at least one continuity mess up (a crewman shoots at a door that when opened is a different door), silly dialogue, clichés, and a vampire dressed like Grandpa from The Munsters television series and you have Dracula 3000. This one's for renting with a group of fans of the genre, just for the fun of it.

Dragon Wars (aka D-War)
Korean writer/director Hyung-rae Shim (2001’s Reptilian) gives us a very entertaining fantasy about a woman (Sarah, played by Amanda Brooks) reincarnated to present-day Los Angeles, and her reincarnated guardian (Ethan, played by Jason Behr) who are entrusted with the power of turning one of two giant snakes into a dragon that will rule the world. Of course, one of the snakes is evil and one is good. To make matters worse, an evil general (played by Michael Shamus Wiles) has also reincarnated with his minions and an army of dragons to ensure that the “evil” snake is the one that is transformed. After spending some film time in ancient Korea so we can get the background story, the film leaps to Los Angeles where the real fun begins. Seeing the evil army, which reminded me of the sfx army of Jar Jar Binks (only bad) from Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace going up against modern tanks in the streets of LA was fun. Especially exciting was watching attack helicopters chasing and engaging flying dragons over the city. This part was a pure adrenalin rush. With realistic special effects, a story that moves right along, and even some familiar B actors thrown in (Robert Brooks and Chris Mulkey) all you have to do is sit back and watch the battle between good and evil unfold. A great new “monster on the loose” title. This is what Transformers should have been.

Dreamcatcher
Stephen King adds a new twist to alien anal probes with Dreamcatcher. Instead of aliens going in your ass, King has them coming out. That's right, they emerge from their human hosts through the hosts' assholes. Witnessing at least two experiences had me longing for the experience from Alien (which the soldiers in the film called a "Ripley.") While the image did get some nervous laughter, it wasn't a pretty site. These aliens were nasty, messy eel-like creatures with the big, sharp teeth until they turned into really big mothers with even bigger, sharper teeth. But wait, there is a story here. Four boys growing up together in Maine befriend a mentally handicapped boy by saving him from the local bullies. As a reward, the boy endows the boys with a special power. But why? Some twenty years later, the four are in a mountain cabin where aliens crash-land on Earth and each character has his own unique encounter. Enter Morgan Freeman and Tom Sizemore butting heads in a side story about how to handle yet another alien invasion and what to do with the contaminated humans. The two stories eventually come together in an attempt to save the world (Stephen King style). I've always enjoyed watching King stories rather then reading them and Dreamcatcher was no exception. I started reading the book, but it didn't grab me so I put it down. The film version, however, grabbed me right away with "what the hell is going on here?" If you like King films, you'll probably like this one because it even throws in elements of some of King's other films. There's the car crash from Misery, the coming of age plot from It and Stand By Me, the flash backs and forwards from It, and the bird's eye camera shots of the lone car driving a winding snow-covered road from The Shining to mention a few. But strangely enough, with all these familiar elements, the film was unlike any other King film I've ever seen. It kept me engaged for a long time, but did get predictable (as many of King's endings do). If you like alien-invasion films, or Stephen King films, you'll find something to like. Everyone else should just go to see aliens coming out of their hosts' asses.

Dungeons and Dragons
This total letdown had actors looking like D & D fans dressed in costume for a convention, a bland story riddled with clichés, and underused fantasy elements. In short, it was too little too late and a poor visual rendition of a great fantasy world. It should have been entirely CGI.