Below Utopia

This film wasn't horrible, but it was far from great. As long as you don't expect too much from the story, it is fairly passable, in fact. I knew who the ultimate bad guy was about 30 minutes into the film, but sat around for the remainder of the action just to see it confirmed. I actually like Ice-T as an actor, but he could have phoned this performance in. There was no real background given for the characters or the story--heck, I've seen role-playing game modules with more--but if you're looking for a semi-suspenseful way to waste a couple of mindless hours (and you enjoy this kind of film), you probably won't be too disappointed.

One thing that did disappoint me was the lack of light used in shooting any of the scenes. What we could see of the set suggested that it was quite opulent and I would have liked to see more of it. With all of the flaws in this film it seems like a minor complaint, but I guess that is should be expected based on the film's plot

I would not blame you if you did not want to see this movie based on its cast and its plot. Most of the elements just seem likely to add up to a bad movie. I was forced to see it because my boyfriend has an obsession with Alyssa. Should I be embarrassed to be involved with a 25 year old man who works for Congress who owns Alyssa's workout videos entitled "Teen Steam"?? Probably.

At any rate, this movie, unlike Teen Steam, is surprisingly good. It seemed well thought out and equally well executed, with strong and believable performances by Alyssa, Ice T, and Justin Theroux. The film was successful in keeping up suspense, and you definitely wanted to watch until the end when you were most likely surprised by the unveiling of the true criminal.

This film seems to be replayed late nights on cable with some frequency, so be sure to check it out there.

Alyssa Milano goes with boyfriend Justin Theroux to his family's Thanksgiving dinner. They are are very wealthy, ready to jump on Theroux for not doing something useful with his life, and mourning the death of his elder brother. But although they seem safe enough behind the walls of their estate, there's a home invasion by Ice T and his crew, who seem to be happy enough to kill any and everyone. Then there's a twist.

It's certainly one of those movies about which the clearest thing you can say is that if you like this sort of movie, you'll like this one. The twists are pretty good, Miss Milano is very pretty, Ice T is unnerving, and the body count is high for the number of performers. Other than that, it falls neatly into the tropes of the era, with the light levels kept low, the music dramatic, and the performances a bit broad.

Alyssa gets lots of screen time in this one as the wife to be. She and her fiance go to dinner at the country home of his much "well to do" and I might add disfunctional family only to find that someone has planned to do away with the whole bunch. Only a few of you will figure out who the bad guys really are in advance of the ending. Nice writing and acting however I thought that the direction needed a little attention due to the fact that when hiding in the basement one would think to be a little quieter.

What a horror story it was getting a chance to see this movie! The first time I rented it, it got stuck in the VCR and busted the thing up, and I had to dissect the machine to free the tape. Then I rented it again, and found it was another movie called Body Count and had to go back in and get this one, and finally, I held my breath and watched this, and saw that it was worth all the hassles. (Including buying a new VCR!)

Daniel, a young preppy, is coming to his family's enormous mansion in the boonies with his girlfriend Susanne for Thanksgiving dinner. Their are family tensions, and Daniel is excommunicated from the family. In hope for escape, he heads down into the basement with Susanne, and just as they are getting comfortable, three art thieves break in and kill the whole family. The couple listens in terror, and struggles to plan and figure out a way to escape. They soon realize they must kill these three men, and they learn to fight back, all up to the last fifteen minutes, when everything suddenly takes a wild turn, and soon more conflicts than ever before are introduced. And the body count is raised.

This really was a great movie. It was very short, so there is little filler, and just a lot of excitement. The acting is surprisingly good, with Ice-T in a typical role, charming Thoreaux, and show-stealing Milano. She played a great role, and is underrated. Despite some exploits during the two unrevealing sex scenes, she is professional and impressive. During the first half-hour, when things are calm, she is obviously uncomfortable, and trying to fit in with this hostile family. She uses voice tones and facial expressions quite well, and when the horror starts, she isn't gun-ho, she's what you would expect: terrified and forced to fight. I commend her on a great role. As for the twist that comes near the end, yes, I realize it was quite obvious, but still, it's good to anticipate. And it didn't deter from the suspense and the excitement, and I held my breath to the very end. I definitely recommend this movie, even if it does mean going through three video store trips and a broken VCR. : )