Choose

I was at a film convention the other day where there were a lot of DVDs for sale; I chose Choose. I didn't choose Choose because I thought it was going to be innovative and fresh (I could tell it was going to be a weak derivative of Saw, and it was); my choice wasn't based on reviews or word of mouth (I hadn't even heard of the film before then). No, Choose was chosen for one reason only: Katherine Winnick was in it. Katherine Winnick, the 'renaissance slut' sister from Satan's Little Helper. That Katherine Winnick.

Sadly, Katherine's presence alone is not enough to make this worth watching, director Marcus Graves going through the 'torture porn' motions but failing to deliver what audiences really expect. Not only is there very little worthwhile gore but Winnick's character takes two showers and a bath amidst all the screaming and bloodletting, but is only seen through a heavy plastic shower curtain and submerged shoulders-deep in a tub full of bubbles. Certainly not what most horror fans would opt for given the choice.

"Do what I say and you live. I'm going to kill your mother or your father. You have 60 seconds to decide, choose, or I kill them both." Journalism student Fiona (Winnick) becomes obsessed with the case of a serial killer. Her father (Pollak) tries to keep her away from the case he is working on, but the further she delves the more she thinks that her mother's death is somehow connected to this case. This is a movie that was pretty good, but had potential to be better. This movie seemed like it tried to copy "Silence Of The Lambs" and "Untraceble" with "Saw" mixed in. It didn't really get close to the standards of these movies, but it is still a good attempt. The acting was pretty good though and that helped. I think the main problem with this movie is that it didn't grab you with tension like a thriller should. It was OK, but had enough chances to be great and just never quite got there. Overall, "Saw" meets "Untraceable" with out the tension of either. An OK movie, nothing that hasn't been tried before though. That said, I did like it enough to say...I give it a B-.

Would I watch again? - I don't think I would.

*Also try - Scar & Untraceable

Similar in method to Seven (1995) this well cast little thriller doesn't live up to its potential.

A new criminal has emerged, one who presents his victims with a horrific choice such as which limb he'll cut off or which family member they have to kill.

The concept has potential, the execution however is lacking.

The movie has moments of intelligence and strong writing but sadly that's all it has, moments.

Katheryn Winnick, Kevin Pollak & briefly Bruce Dern star in this lackluster effort that should have been a great deal better.

For a far more intelligent and well conceived movie about forced difficult choices then I suggest Would You Rather (2012)

The Good:

Couple of nice touches in the script

The Bad:

Very underwhelming

Potential squandered

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Bruce Dern looks identical in every film he's ever been in

If Scarlett Johansson & Teresa Palmer had a baby it'd look like Katheryn Winnick

I got my hands on this movie earlier and as usual cruised by IBMD to check out the reviews. After seeing the few reviews here I had not many expectations. I must admit I almost just deleted it, but knowing the IBMD rating system I decided to give it a whirl.

All in all the movie started out with a wham and the first half really had me quite intrigued with the storyline. The few 'notable' cameos were also a treat. The acting was above par, direction and setting was on point too, and it even had style, For a minute there I though I had hit pay dirt then I found the one place this movie was really lacking is it showed too much of its hand too early in the movie which made it a bit predictable. And being predictable isn't a good idea for a mystery movie which is definitely what this movie tried to be. If they only could've added a few more characters or held some bit of info back this might have been a great movie. Still, its far from horrible. I just wouldn't pay for it. I'd wait for it to come out on cable,torrent, etc.

I give this a solid 6. I wish I could give it a 7, but its just not deserving of a 7 so the final tally is: **Great acting, Great Cameos, Great Production, but kinda weak Script**

If you're a Kevin Pollak junkie, like me, you're probably willing to sit through some cheesy movies, so that you can find the gems, like The Usual Suspects. Unfortunately, this movie is nowhere near that good. Basically, it's a by-the-numbers serial killer movie, with elements of Saw grafted on. I wasn't really expecting anything better than that, so I wasn't disappointed. Most of the performances were passable, and the direction was alright. There was a little bit of gore, which was well done, and a plot twist that worked well enough for the kind of movie this is. So, should you watch this movie? If you've got nothing better to do, and you can find it on a streaming service, like Netflix. Otherwise, pass.

Too bad Kevin Pollak doesn't do standup any more.