Vizi mortali

I think that those who rated this movie as a really bad movie just expected to much. I mean this was released direct to home video, so that should say something right out of the video store. This movie is what it is, a simple mystery movie, a simple click movie about taking in a nobody and making her a somebody and then regretting your decision when it comes back to haunt you. Towards the end I really felt sad for Hadley (Meredith Monroe) and could totally see why she did what she did. She built her lab partner, with good intentions mind you, from nothing into a resultant someone, and watched basically as she took her life away from her, all not meaning to do so....

Now would this movie have made it in the theaters? No, I don't think so. But considering the usual quality of movies that go directly to video, this is one of the better ones.

Bello

Feels like "Cruel Intentions" but spicier. Mia Kirshner was the reason for me to watch the movie. I'm in lust with her. She's physically perfect. Her sexy acting in this movie is great. She even has a steamy but brief sex scene. I got all the Mia I wanted.

I terms of plot, it's very decent. It's one of those teen intriguing thrillers that deals with revenge, envy, sex, etc. The things you are used to live in high school. Heck, even a cop gets in the middle.

Taye Digss's accent has become some sort of cult classic.

I found this movie to be morbid but interesting. That's enough to fit in the teenage 2000's cinema. Don't expect a great plot but it should please your hunger for the "Cruel Intentions" type of movies.

Alicia Campbell is a good girl. Coming from a poor family this sweet, hard-working girl is focused on her education, determined to make something of her life. Hadley Ashton is a bad girl. Coming from a rich family this cold, bitchy girl doesn't want to work, she expects to have life handed to her on a silver platter. The two girls attend one of those colleges where the college runs the town. The college president makes this perfectly clear when the acting sheriff turns up on campus to investigate how sweet little Alicia ended up comatose in a hospital bed, fighting for her life. The president makes it very clear that he expects there to be no actual investigating done in this investigation. But Sheriff Artie Bonner keeps digging.

The movie unfolds largely in flashbacks as we see the oh-so-innocent Alicia lose her innocence which leads to her potentially losing her life. She and Hadley are paired up on a school project. Alicia is a social nobody, Hadley is one of the campus queens. Hadley and her rich, snotty friends take Alicia under their wing. Alicia starts to change. Not so innocent after all perhaps. Drugs and sex, and more drugs and more sex and what exactly has Alicia gotten herself into? Eventually she overdoses on cocaine. Accident? Hadley and her friends would like you to believe that. The college president would definitely like you to believe that. The sheriff does not believe that.

The movie sets Hadley and her two main cohorts, Sidney and Julianne, up as potential suspects, giving them each motivations for perhaps wanting to be rid of Alicia. Some other fringe characters get involved too but the focus is clearly on this gang of three. Truth be told this is not a particularly mysterious mystery. Those watching will probably put all the pieces of the puzzle together long before the sheriff does. The hint of obviousness drains away some of the drama but that doesn't necessarily make New Best Friend a bad movie. It's far from the greatest thing you'll ever see but it's reasonably compelling. Trashy but entertainingly so. Mia Kirshner turns in a very good performance in playing Alicia. The character evolves, not necessarily for the best, and Kirshner nails the transformation. You believe her as the sweet, innocent girl we first meet. And you believe her as the girl who ultimately proves to be something else entirely. The rest of the cast is not quite up to Kirshner's standard. Meredith Monroe is a little flat in playing ice queen Hadley, neither Dominique Swain nor Rachel True are particularly memorable in playing our other two would-be murderesses. And playing the sheriff Taye Diggs just appears to be going through the motions. A flawed movie to be sure but there are enough good things here, Kirshner most notably, to make it a decent viewing experience. Not a movie you'd regret missing if you didn't see it. But not a movie you'd regret seeing if you did.

"New Best Friend" is a pretty decent film. I would have to disagree with the other comments on this about it. I really enjoyed watching this film. I will admit that I rented it because of the gils in the film, mainly Mia Kirshner and Dominique Swain. But I was surprised when I found that the movie was not bad at all. The film stars Kirshner, Swain, Rachel True and Meredith Monroe. Kirshner playes the "outcast" at their college, and the other three girls are the pretty, popular and party girls. When Monroe and Kirshner's characters are partnered up together to work on a project, Monrose's character gets more than she thought she would. The three "pretty" girls take Kirshner's character under their wings and give her a make-over both physically and mentally. But when Kirshner's character is more than she seems, the other girls get a whole different girl. The storyline to this film is pretty basic, ugly girl turns pretty, then turns out evil. But the film direction is great and there are some pretty good twists and turns to the plot line. Great performances by Kirshner (as usual), Swain and True. I wasn't expecting Monroe to give a good performance and I was right. She can't really portray the character well, and her's was the only bad performance in this film. All in all, a pretty good film. ****/out of 5 p.s. there is a GREAT sex scene between Swain and Kirshner that will get any guy excited and if you like girl on girl, rent this movie! you won't be disapointed by that part.

I know this film got terrible reviews and I would be hard pressed to say they were wrong but the truth is its kind of fun on a silly trashy level. First off Mia Kirshner is always good (Even here!) and Taye Diggs is totally unbelievable as a campus cop with or without the accent, it comes and goes. And there is sex, drugs, and nudity. Dominique Swain gets naked here and engages in lesbian sex. I also enjoyed the use of sound and music as its not used to be obnoxious but rather to enhance the mood of the scene. Is it junk? Sure! but I had a fun time and went with it.