StrontiumAE

Its like the director Catherine Hardwick had all these great ideas and concepts in mind for how the film should look and feel, but was too amateurish to pull it off. Good ideas plus poor execution leads to frustrating viewing. Not only could she not balance the disturbing horror elements with the teen angst love story, but visually, the film was poor. The ambiance is little beyond what you would find in any primetime television show. There are a few rays of light that betrayed the flatness of the overall delivery, but as a whole Red Riding Hood fails.

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When I think of gay cinema, campy titles Too Wong Fu or I Love You Phillip Morris comes to mind, and so I am usually put off the idea of watching. However Eyes Wide Open is something totally different and quite intelligent. Here, life in a Jerusalem community is disrupted by the arrival of a young 'unorthodox' Orthodox Jewish student who proceeds to seduce an older Jewish Orthodox man, who is married with four children. The narrative follows the progress of this conflicted husband coping with what is essentially a midlife crisis, while having to deal with the relationship issues of his neighbor's daughter, whose open 'secret' affair with her boyfriend begins to mirror the problems developing in his own life.

Employing a minimalist feel supported by a soundtrack reminiscent Soderbergh's Solaris and incorporating the use of washed-out colors and stark lighting to convey a bleak realism, Eyes Wide Open's over the top premise is dealt with realistically and intelligently, never once turning the story into a tabloid spectacle. Although a lack of dialog from the main characters makes it difficult for the audience to truly understand their motivation, the story still provides an interesting insight into the moral conflicts some individuals may face, while being true to their family and themselves.

The only beef I have with this film is its 12 rating. There is some full nudity and a sex scene or two, which should have automatically given it a higher rating. Although its tastefully done and not pornographic in the least... it can make for an awkward viewing experience if watched with kids or someone more conservative.

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As sci-fi movies go, Pandorum is one of the more original you will find. Despite taking more than a few cues from the Alien franchise, this art house feature delivers so much freshness and punch (much like District 9); it can restore even the more cynical person's faith in Hollywood.

Pandorum is at its core a psychological horror that is as much about the 'demons' that lay around a dark corner, as it is about the ones that haunt the mind. Staring Dennis Quad and Ben Foster as two surviving members of a crew who awaken from a deep sleep on board a city sized space ship, the pair has no recollection of how they ended up where they are, and what their mission is meant to be. Initially believing that the rest of the crew and the ship's large compliment of passengers are still asleep, it soon becomes apparent that something else is awake, and that this thing has a taste for human flesh. However, to reveal more about the plot will ruin the multiple twists that swiftly come one after another, right up until the end credits.

Fans of Solaris, 2001 and Sunshine, who also do not mind copious amounts of blood and guts on screen, reminiscent of the horror thriller Descent, will enjoy this story. Although Michl Britsch music score proved distracting to the point of annoyance and the special effects are a little weaker than one would expect for a film released in 2010, everything else about Pandorum makes this a must see movie. The performances are excellent; the set designs are as epic as the story itself, and the direction is tight. 8 out of 10.