April, April - Tote scherzen nicht

I got over my disgust that they were remaking one of my all-time favorite films and went into this one with a completely open mind -- I saw the trailer but I purposely didn't read a single thing about it. It seemed strange that the film skipped cinemas, but now I understand why. I didn't think any film could be this bad.

Strangely, there's a beautiful production design, and most of the actors are good (though the fact that everyone in the cast is model-pretty is a bit disconcerting). Unfortunately, the script is truly abysmal. After 20 minutes of getting to know the characters -- all of whom are wholly unlikable -- the story actually begins, and from that point on it becomes a routine I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER rip-off, sans the suspense, gore and intentional humor of that film. The only thing lifted from the 1986 film is the title, a character with a videocamera (which had nothing to do with the plot itself in the original) and the theatrical twist ending -- though they tried to trump the twist here, which resulted in one of the most predictable and unintentionally hilarious moments in the history of film.

This film feels like one of the clones that followed in the wake of SCREAM. If you've seen a horror movie since 1997, don't bother with this one. But if you're masochistic enough to endure the film, make sure to stay through the closing credits for an extra scene -- after all, there's no other extras anywhere on the disc.

The film starts with a party where names like Barbie and Blaine are common. I expected to find a Muffin and a Biff. Not the crowd that I have ever associated with. It takes a long time to set up the story. It was 25 minutes into the film before we see the prank that resulted in Milan's (Sabrina Aldridge) tragic death.

Now, it is a year later, and the fun begins.

It was the dog Elsie that dies first. I have never seen such a fake dog in any film.

One by on the party goes did, but the deaths were unremarkable.

Very little blood and no nudity.

I must say that I kind of liked this movie. Well, actually I liked just the ending. It was way better than in the first one, because it wasn't just a stupid prank to a friend (which by the way, no one sane person would do to anybody). This one also had ending, that I would never predict. But that's possibly just because I was waiting straight copy from the first one.

The acting was horrible, except for Scout Taylor-Compton. Killing scenes were stupid, especially the first one. The direction was so cheap-looking, that I almost puked. But because the ending was decent and the movie was somewhat entertaining, I give it 5/10.

Ps. I love pretty much all slasher films that I've seen.

In the débutant ball of the socialite Torrance Caldwell (Scout Taylor-Compton) on April, 1st 2007, the jealous and futile millionaire Desiree Cartier (Taylor Cole) dilutes a powerful drug in the champagne of her dislikable acquaintance Milan Hastings (Sabrina Ann Aldridge) and her reckless brother Blaine Cartier (Josh Henderson) takes sexual advantage of Milan. Desiree tapes the situation with a camcorder while her friends Torrance, Barbie (Jennifer Siebel) and Peter Welling (Samuel Child), Charles Lansford (Joseph McKelheer) and Ryan (Joe Egender) snoop the couple in Blaine's bedroom. However, Milan has a seizure and falls off the balcony immediately dying. The group goes to court, Blaine looses the control of the family's fortune that shifts to Desiree, but they are considered innocents and the death of Milan is considered a fatality in a prank. One year later, each one of them receive a letter mustering them up to Milan's grave. While gathered in the cemetery, they receive a package telling that each one of them would die until the end of the day if the responsible for the death of Milan does not assume the guilty.

The association of "April's Fool Day" with the franchises "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "Cruel Intentions" is immediate. The author has certainly inspired in these movies to write his plot, and I noted that this is not only my impression, but there is at least another IMDb User that had the same feeling. However, the unoriginal, unbelievable and predictable story is not totally bad and entertains. The good point of this flick is the camera work, with long travelings and original planes and angles. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Dia da Mentira" ("Day of the Lie" (literally), meaning "April Fool's Day")

This movie provides you with the basics of a slasher movie: starts out with a festive occasion that then becomes a horrific scene. Then the fun begins, as someone gets cut up in here and another in the next. But the real fun begins when it reaches the ending... there's a twist (actually, 2 twists) that left me feeling shocked, relieved, the shocked again, then angry. If you want to know what I'm talking about, watch it. At your own risk. The movie is dull and boring the first half and gets more and more exciting as it goes on. I'm not exactly sure if I like this movie because I somewhat feel disappointed but at the same time satisfied at what I just watched. The final judgment: it's up to you.