A House in the Hills

Saved by an intelligent script and some good performances, A House In the Hills chronicles a housesitters descent into the maelstrom of violence and lies at the heart of the California Dream (well, the Southern California one, at least). It's not Htichcock, but it's miles better than your average Showtime filler. Jeffrey Tambor delivers a particularly rich performance as next door neighbour Willie, and the rest of the cast is up to the task. Apparently filmed in Luxembourg, of all places.

The film was pretty slow at the beginning. I had never watched Michael Madsen perform before. I thought he had a sour face! But did I change my mind? This film really grows on you. And I ended up loving it. Slater and Madsen played so well together. She was the weak feminine actress who against her will fell for this unknown man. And he was this strong willed he-man! This is a film of my liking: a thiller mixed with romance, that´s the best. I sure hope it comes out on DVD, so I can buy it.

This film is so awful, I just saw it on cable. Try to count the number of times you see the microphone in the upper part of the screen.. I promise you you haven´t seen anything like this... You see it more than the actors.

Have fun!

The plot is not all that bad for a low budget item. The acting is good. Three viewings and no boredom! Must say something for it. The underlying theme to me is that sometimes in life two people come together reluctantly and their life changes. They are not meant for one another or so they believe. But every now and then they wonder: "What if?"

The first 30 minutes or so of this film makes you think it's a knock-off of "The Desperate Hours". But it's not. The film keeps coming at you with unexpected plot turns. Helen Slater is fabulous as the actress/housesitter. Michael Madsen is as good as he usually is, looking extremely menacing when he wants to. I thought this movie was delightful, surprisingly good for a film I'd never heard of.