Inexplicable

Just a quick comment...

This is one of those films that I caught about 15 min. late on late-night cable. That missed 15 made all the difference. The clunky exposition - 'Tonight', '3 Days Earlier', etc., etc. - played no part in my first impression, and the film played as a straight jailhouse drama, with LESS ludicrous pseudo-science, fewer superhuman feats perpetrated by the arch-villain.

I was so intrigued that I programmed my Tivo to catch the West Coast feed of the film, and that was the good-bad mistake. This film would have been far more effective if they had eliminated the backstories at the beginning of the film and the wannabe 'Another Heaven' (2000) aspects of the Jesse Mowatt character. The director and the editor overplayed their hands there.

The pluses for this film are that the leads - Dina Meyer, Lance Henrickson, Jeff Fahey and even the writer/actor Pavan Grover turn in acceptable performances. I was especially impressed by Meyer here, in her capacity to convey sympathy, compassion, authority, fear, etc. Dennis Hopper's contribution however, is execrable: his lines are terrible, and he chooses to read them like a 'tough love' southern caricature.

The 'metaphysically-enhanced serial killer' is an overcrowded field. It has been done to death. If anyone is out there writing such stuff, it is best that they limit their palette - too many psychic powers and sci-fi gadgets can put a serious hurt on one's story. Otherwise, this one is well-enough executed, and ironically a full cut above the junk that's habitually ground-out by the SciFi Channel.

If it's a late night or early morning, definitely worth biding one's insomnia by...

5/10

The title is totally correct.

I'll say up front I am not a horror film fan. This film was not advertised as such; the description said it was about a woman trying to get a guilty man to confess. I'm a fan of Dina Meyer's, plus it had Jeff Fahey and Dennis Hopper.

What a bloody mess. I don't know what passes for blood in movies, but whatever it is, probably 90% of the budget went for it. That and raw liver. Yuck.

The story concerns some sort of brain machine that shows thoughts on a computer, that is used to study this superman, sort of the devil incarnate, who can exert mind control and is also psychic. One wonders why the Meyer character would have anything to do with this guy. Supposedly the woman realizes they are alike. Talk about bad writing. Personally I didn't see it.

Jeff Fahey plays the governor and a former lover of Meyer - actually, he isn't, but that comes out in this story. Back in the '70s, when Jeff Fahey was on One Life to Live, I stepped into an apartment house elevator and there he was. Very sweet, beautiful blue eyes. Twenty years later, I was invited to a reception by the artist Peter Max. As I stepped into the elevator to leave, a laughing, possibly in his cups man and someone else crashed into the elevator. Jeff Fahey. So we must have had some elevator karma.

That wasn't enough to get me through this movie. Trust me.

With the star-power involved in this movie (Dennis Hopper, Lance Henriksen, Dina Meyer, and Jeff Fahey!), you might be tempted to sit down and watch it.

Resist that temptation.

Hopper does his best William Shatner imitation, only louder with a dubious "southern" accent. Henriksen seems to be in a walking coma, presumably since discovering what he'd gotten himself into here. Meyer's psychologist is "caring" to the point of inducing nausea. Fahey, unlike in some of his past efforts, will make you believe that trees can talk.

That brings us to writer / actor Pavan Grover, who comes across like a male model who wandered onto the set. He plays "Mowatt'", a serial killer with psychic powers. Powers I say! Alas, he looks too much like Rambo in an Elvis wig to be taken seriously.

UNSPEAKABLE is unendurable, inexcusable, and probably fattening...

The script turns somersaults.. At first, it looks like an extra-ordinary script, involving the lead actors very late. But it turns out that there are good reasons why a screenwriter ought to introduce at least one main character from the very beginning. It takes about 45 minutes until you know in which direction the movie wants to go or wants you to go. I couldn't follow and didn't really want to.

Great cast, especially the female leading role (who slightly reminded me of Naomi Watts) and some good dialogue. At least I watched it to the very (bitter) end. As I work in a videostore with a huge choice of movies to watch, this is quite a compliment. 4 of 10.

"Unspeakable" is a laughable but entertaining horror\thriller.

The Plot: Jesse Mowatt (Pavan Grover) is a serial killer who is sent to the toughest prison in New Mexico. The Warden (Hopper) is one mean guy who spouts lines like "I am God!". The only person who could save him (I don't know why someone would do that but okay...) is Diana Purlow (Meyer) a scientist who has a device that can look into people's minds. Does she find the truth?

This movie is hilarious! Dennis Hopper goes so over the top you can't believe it. He also has a couple more "great" lines like ("I want to kill a hundred times over!" and "I want to grind your bones!") Meyer goes through the motions. Grover, who also wrote this mess, is very self-absorbed in the role. Fahey and Lance both make cameo appearances and they put in their usual good work. The ending is completely ridiculous. It involves ghosts, Fahey's character and abortion.

Overall, if you want to laugh, watch "Unspeakable".

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