Riddick

Riddick - Dir. David Twohy (2013)

"You're not afraid of the dark, are you?"

Before he became Dominic Toretto, Vin Diesel was Richard B. Riddick, an escaped convict with special eyes that allowed him to see in the dark. The anti-hero was introduced in Pitch Black, an effective B-movie where Riddick and a motley group of survivors fought for their lives on a desert planet. Pitch Black was enough of a hit that Diesel took a larger role in crafting more of the character's backstory. The result was The Chronicles of Riddick, a gothic space opera with five times the budget of its predecessor. Diesel obviously dipped into his experience playing Dungeons & Dragons to turn Riddick into the last remaining member of a warrior species known as the Furyans. The bloated mythology introduced Elementals, Necromongers, and the Underverse to deaf ears as "Chronicles" became a critical and commercial failure.

Riddick was put on the shelf, but Diesel believed in the property enough that he negotiated for the rights from Universal in exchange for a cameo in The Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift. Diesel's passion was such that he mortgaged his home to help raise the money needed to complete the third film, simply titled Riddick.

Riddick ditches the elaborate fantasy elements and returns to his roots as a badass killing machine. In a nod to King Conan, Riddick has grown weary of the throne as Lord Marshall of the Necromongers. Betrayed by the ambitious Lord Vaako (Karl Urban), Riddick is stranded once again on a desolate planet populated by a vicious menagerie of beasts.

The first act of Riddick resembles a Heavy Metal version of Wall-E with Riddick raising some sort of Doberman-hyena hybrid while battling H.R. Giger-inspired scorpions. Riddick fights his way across the wastelands to a remote outpost in order to activate a distress beacon. The signal alerts two rival teams of mercenaries looking to cash in on the substantial bounty on Riddick's head.  There's a skuzzy, patchwork team headed up by Santana (Jordi Mollá) and muscle-bound Diaz (WWE's Dave Batista) and a sleek, militaristic unit led by Boss Johns (Matthew Nable) and sexy sniper Dahl (Katee Sackhoff). At this point, Riddick plays out like a horror film with the mercs being picked off one by one by a killer hiding in the shadows. Once the third act rolls around, the movie becomes a redo of Pitch Black as Riddick and his adversaries are forced to join forces in order to escape.

You get exactly what's advertised with Riddick. Writer/Director David Twohy offers up a straightforward action flick with Diesel growling in that deep, booming voice of his. There's not much in the way of subtlety here. Twohy establishes Santana as a sadistic scumbag by having him shoot a female prisoner (pop singer Keri Hilson) in the back as she flees. Don't worry the bad guy gets what's coming to him in the form of the grisliest decapitation outside of a Takashi Miike picture. It's also difficult to take the filmmakers' attempts at presenting a strong female character in Dahl seriously when she gratuitously appears in topless or when Riddick charmingly offers to go "balls deep" on her. Thankfully, Sackhoff's performance is good enough to crawl out from underneath such crude material.

Riddick is a marked improvement over the second installment and certainly more enjoyable than some of this summer's bloated blockbusters (The Lone Ranger, R.I.P.D.), It won't be considered classic cinema, but fans of Riddick and Vin Diesel will be satisfied.

Rating: ** (*****)

Man of Tai Chi

Man of Tai Chi - Dir. Keanu Reeves (2013)

"You owe me a life."

In Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Keanu Reeves was good-natured dimwit, who traveled through time to meet some of history's most renowned personalities. In Point Break, he was an FBI agent. In The Matrix, he showed the world that he knew kung fu. In Man of Tai Chi, Reeves shows just how much he loves kung fu and martial arts movies. Not only does Reeves star in the film, he makes his directorial debut here.

The lead protagonist is Tiger Chen, a stuntman and martial arts expert, who worked on the Matrix sequels and helped train Reeves. Here, Chen works a meager job as a courier while practicing Tai Chi. Against his master's (Yu Hai from Shaolin and Tai Chi Master) wishes, Chen participates in tournaments to do away with the stereotypes of senior citizens in the park. His success draws the attention of millionaire Donaka Mark (Reeves), who offers Chen the opportunity to attain easy wealth by fighting for him. Chen refuses until his master's ancient temple is threatened by opportunistic developers. He learns too late that the underground fights are illegally broadcasted with cameras following him everywhere as part of a twisted reality program package. As the fights get increasingly brutal, Chen gets further and further away from the principles of Tai Chi.

Fans of Asian cinema will recognize Karen Mok as a dogged detective determined to bring down Donaka's operations and Simon Yam as her superior officer.

Rap artist the RZA paid homage to the classic Shaw Brothers films of the 70's with his passion project The Man with the Iron Fist. With Man of Tai Chi, Reeves and screenwriter Michael G. Cooney have created an action flick that feels cut from the 90's era of Hong Kong cinema. The plot is minimal and the dialogue is laughable, but those elements are almost always secondary to the fight scenes. Luckily, Reeves has enlisted the services of Yuen Woo-Ping, the legendary choreographer of The Matrix and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. The fights in Man of Tai Chi aren't mind blowing in the manner of Drunken Master II or Once Upon a Time in China, but they are entertaining enough. Reeves has wisely done his homework when it comes to shooting martial arts and surrounded himself with an experienced team.

Man of Tai Chi falters in the third act. Iko Uwais from The Raid: Redemption is introduced for the penultimate brawl. Just as you settle in for a knockdown, drag-out match, Reeves takes a left turn and the whole thing fizzles away. Reeves positions himself as the big, bad and faces off with Chen in the climactic battle. Let's just say his fighting style is as stiff and robotic as his performance.

Reeves rarely plays the villain and his turn as Donaka manages to be wooden and brilliant simultaneously. He doesn't muster a lot of emotion, but there's a sense of camp to hear him spout dialogue straight out of Mortal Kombat ("Finish him!"). At one point, Reeves randomly stares into the camera, bares his teeth, and snarls as if he were channeling his Devil's Advocate co-star Al Pacino. Chen gets his first starring role in Man of Tai Chi and while he has the fighting skills down pat, he doesn't have the acting chops or presence to really be a compelling hero.

Wong Kar-Wai mixed the grace and philosophy of martial arts to better results with The Grandmaster. Gareth Evans directed one of the most action-packed martial arts movies in years with The Raid: Redemption. Keanu Reeves' Man of Tai Chi lands on some comfortable middle ground, but never reaches the heights of the films it emulates.

Rating: ** (*****)

The World's End

The World's End - Dir. Edgar Wright (2013)

Shaun of the Dead is widely considered to be one of the best zombie movies of the modern era. Yet, it also works as a great romantic comedy that just happens to have zombies in it. Hot Fuzz wasn't just a clever send-up of overblown action movies; it could also be enjoyed as a straight up action flick with car chases and stylish gunplay. Now, writer/director Edgar Wright teams with actors Simon Pegg (who co-wrote the screenplay) and Nick Frost once more to cap off his Cornetto Trilogywith The World's End. Once again, Wright isn't content to play around in one genre. The World's End is a wonderful mixture of drama, comedy, sci-fi, and 70's paranoia cinema along the lines of The Wicker Man or Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Andy Knightley (Frost), Steven Prince (Paddy Considine), Oliver Chamberlain (Martin Freeman), and Peter Page (Eddie Marsan) were the best of friends while growing up in the small town of Newton Haven. The glue that held the clique together was Gary King (Pegg), a real force of nature whose thirst for life was infectious. Time passed and everyone grew apart. They all left Newton Haven to become working professionals with the exception of Gary King, who hasn't changed at all in the past two decades. Unsatisfied with adulthood, Gary longs to relive the glory of his youth and the time he almost completed the "Golden Mile," an epic pub crawl through a dozen bars. In spite of bad blood between Gary and Andy, the gang gets back together to finish the Golden Mile, but find out the hard way that sometimes you can't go home again.

The World's End deftly explores various themes of disillusionment and middle-age malaise. While the characters appear to be successful, they aren't entirely happy. The meek Peter is the most obvious answer. He's clearly buckling under the pressure of working for his father-in-law and still harboring the effects of childhood bullying. Steven still pines for his unrequited love, Sam (Rosamund Pike), Oliver's younger sister who had a one-time fling with Gary in a men's room. Gary has had tremendous difficulty battling his addictions, which he masks underneath layers of braggadocio. There's also an aura of melancholy throughout the movie stemming from how much Newton Haven has changed since the protagonists moved away. The small town charm has vanished and been replaced by corporatized homogeny, a phenomenon sharply referred to as "Starbucking." That sense of nostalgia is wonderfully conveyed through a grainy prologue shot in 16mm of the gang in their high school days and a soundtrack of 90's Britpop (Primal Scream, The Stone Roses, etc.). Alone, these plot threads would have been more than enough to craft a satisfying dramedy. However, Wright throws in an additional twist that kicks The World's End onto a whole other level.

Nobody in Newtown Haven seems to remember the great Gary King. Has he really changed that much? No, you see, it's because the entire town has been taken over by robot duplicates from outer space. This allows Wright to stage several bar brawls infused with the type of choreography generally reserved for Hong Kong action films. Highlighted by fluid camera movements, the fights are innovative without forgetting that these are ordinary blokes engaging in fisticuffs. This is such a slick and gorgeously shot film, you'd never believe it was made with a budget of only $20 million.

The performances are strong all around, but Pegg and Frost are easily the highlights of The World's End. In previous outings, Pegg has played the straight man to Frost's overgrown man-child. Here, the dynamic has been flipped to fantastic results with Pegg injecting a surprising amount of pathos to the character. He probably won't get a lot of recognition during awards season, which would be a shame. As Gary, Pegg manages to walk a thin line between being a lovable scoundrel and a delusional jerk. If The World's End has any weak spots, one would be that Rosamund Pike, the only significant female in the picture, deserved more screen time along with Pierce Brosnan, who makes only a brief cameo.

Edgar Wright is one of the most exciting and original directors working in movies today. The energy and passion that he brings to his films is undeniable. The World's End is another cinematic triumph and one of the best pictures of 2013.

Rating: *** ½ (*****)

jOBS

jOBS – Dir. Joshua Michael Stern (2013)

Here's to the crazy ones…because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

In some small way, Steve Jobs has touched the lives of just about everyone on this planet. Even if you've never owned an Apple product, you've probably, at the very least, taken a call from someone on an iPhone or seen someone walking down the street with those recognizable white earbuds. I must admit to drinking the Apple Kool-Aid as I own an iPod Classic, an iPhone 5S, an iPad2, an iPad Air, and a MacBook Pro.

Billions around the world mourned when Jobs died of complications caused by pancreatic cancer in 2011. Of course, the Hollywood studios were itching to tell his story, part of which was previously depicted in the made-for-TV movie Pirates of Silicon Valley with Noah Wylie as Jobs and Anthony Michael Hall as Bill Gates. Still in development is a script by Aaron Sorkin, which will focus on three pivotal moments in the Jobs' life. Meanwhile, the first to hit the screens is Open Road Films' Jobs, based on a screenplay by newcomer Matt Whiteley with the handsome Ashton Kutcher in the title role.

The film begins in 2001 with Steve Jobs introducing the first-ever iPod at an Apple Town Hall. The story shifts back to 1974 where Jobs has dropped out of Reed College in Portland because he was unable to afford tuition. A kindly professor (James Woods in a throwaway cameo) allows him to audit classes, but Jobs doesn't have a clear cut idea of where his life is headed. After dropping LSD and going on a sojourn to India, Jobs gets a gig working at Atari where he helped to build Breakout, a video game inspired by Pong. Jobs also infuriated colleagues with his overbearing demeanor and poor hygiene (he never wore shoes). While working on the project, Jobs turned to his friend Steve Wozniak (Josh Gad) and was amazed at his pal's new invention, a motherboard that could interface with a television monitor. Wozniak saw it as a cool gadget, Jobs saw the future.

Together, they formed Apple Computer and worked out of the garage of Jobs' parents (John Getz & Lesley Ann Warren). Angel investor Mike Markkula (Dermot Mulroney) was instrumental in providing the startup money the company needed to create the Apple II. At the forefront of the blossoming home computer market, Apple was quickly becoming a superpower and made a lot of people millions when it went public in 1980. Unfortunately, the company's success was also instrumental in Jobs' downfall. The fiercely independent Jobs now had to answer to shareholders and board members. Soon, Jobs finds himself ousted from the company he created. Don't worry, he finds his way back. No spoiler alert necessary.

Jobs never attempts to canonize its subject nor does it try to tear him down. The biopic never strays far from the middle of the road when depicting Jobs' life. He was a bold thinker and created a market for technology people didn't even know they needed. At the same time, he was temperamental and ruthless. Jobs denied stock options for friends like Daniel Kottke (Lukas Haas), who started right there with him in his parents' garage. He even screwed his best pal Wozniak out of a couple thousand dollars. Perhaps, the worst moment comes when Jobs callously dumps his girlfriend after learning she is pregnant. He continued to deny the baby was his for years. Sometime after leaving Apple, Jobs is shown living in a beautiful mansion with a wife, a son, and that very same daughter he ignored. His change of heart is never shown or explained.

That sums up the major problem with Jobs, the film never shows any desire to dig deeper. The sun always shines brightly while director Joshua Michael Stern is content with shooting a young Steve Jobs spinning in a wheat field and glossing over chunks of the story through montages. The soundtrack is littered with gentle pop classics by Cat Stevens and Joe Walsh, which sets the tone for the safe route Jobs takes. Those seeking an edgier alternative will have to wait for Sorkin's version.

Though Kutcher bears a resemblance to the real Steve Jobs and captures the man's physicality, he doesn't have the acting chops to believably deliver the movie's more intense moments. At least, Kutcher has a stacked supporting cast to play off of with character actors such as James Woods, Kevin Dunn, Dermot Mulroney, Ron Eldard, J.K. Simmons as board member Arthur Rock, and Matthew Modine as John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi-Cola. Undoubtedly, the best performance belongs to Josh Gad's Steve Wozniak, portrayed as a kind-hearted teddy bear uncomfortable the cutthroat corporate world.

It's ironic that someone who was considered so daring and innovative could have inspired such a bland, innocuous biopic. What a shame that the filmmakers didn't follow Steve Jobs' lead and take a few risks.

Rating: ** (*****)

Despicable Me 2

Despicable Me 2 - Dirs. Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud (2013)

Despicable Me was a delightful surprise from Universal's fledgling Illumination Entertainment. Although it ended on a satisfying conclusion, its box office take of over $543 million ensured that a sequel was forthcoming. Despicable Me 2 certainly didn't disappoint, at least in terms of ticket sales, it pulled in over $918 million and stands as the fifth highest grossing animated film of all time.

For those who missed it, Despicable Me followed eccentric super-villain Gru (Steve Carell) on his diabolical quest to steal the moon. As part of his scheme, Gru was forced to adopt three little girls: Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher). Gru was the proverbial Grinch whose heart grew two sizes bigger once those adorable moppets wormed their way into his life.

The sequel finds Gru more than comfortable in his new life as a single father. Things are going great though a little dull as Gru attempts to turn his elaborate laboratory into a factory for jams and jellies. Luckily, Gru is recruited by Silas Ramsbottom (Steve Coogan), the erudite leader of the Anti-Villain League. A mysterious mastermind has stolen an experimental serum that could be used to create an army of monsters and only Gru has the experience needed to find him. Gru is reluctantly paired up with agent Lucy Wilder (Kristen Wiig, who previously voiced Miss Hattie) to go undercover at a glossy shopping mall where the bad guy might be hiding out. Gru has his eye on Eduardo Perez (Benjamin Bratt), a boisterous restaurateur who may secretly be the infamous El Macho, a villain who supposedly died while riding a shark strapped with explosives into a flaming volcano. However, Gru's most fearsome foe may be young love when Margo falls head over heels for Eduardo's suave son Antonio (Moises Arias).

The biggest criticism lobbied against Despicable Me 2 is that the lead protagonist has lost his edge. An opening sequence where Gru dresses as a fairy princess for Agnes's birthday party might attest to that. Screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio may have dulled Gru's fangs a bit; they've still captured the madcap pace and unique sensibilities of the first film. We see Edith running around in a ninja outfit and a bizarre subplot in which Gru goes on a blind date. Despicable Me was like a candy colored Bond adventure and its successor continues those threads with the AVL's underwater base and other high-tech gadgets. There's a submarine car, lipstick taser, Gru's trademark freeze ray, fart guns, and an opening sequence in which a giant magnet snatches up an Arctic research station. The sequel builds to a thrilling conclusion with Gru going into full John Woo mode with guns that shoot his foul-tasting jelly.

Steve Carell gives it his all with a slick Slavic accent, but its Benjamin Bratt who gives the best vocal performance as Eduardo. His over-the-top energy perfectly matches the zany tone of the movie. Oddly enough, Al Pacino was originally cast in the role before Bratt stepped in at the last minute. It's hard to imagine anyone else playing that character.

The real scene stealers though happen to be the Minions, Gru's not-so-helpful helpers that look like a bred Oompa Loompas with Twinkies. They speak in their own unique language and their kooky antics are a constant source of Three Stooges-esque slapstick. The Minions might sidetrack the main plot from time to time, but the cute factor is undeniable. Unsurprisingly, their presence is beefed up here and they're set to star in their own picture in 2015.

With Pixar and Dreamworks having a virtual stranglehold on the animation genre, its nice seeing another player emerge in the field. Despicable Me 2 is a delightful sequel with plenty of heart that will please young and old alike.

Rating: *** (*****)

Thor: The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World - Dir. Alan Taylor (2013)

It wasn't too difficult for Marvel to get audiences to buy into an eccentric billionaire who designed a high-tech suit of armor to save the world. It was an uphill battle to get those same people to buy into a Norse god with a magical hammer that could summon lightning. Thor was the fourth picture from Marvel Studios and their first attempt to inject their new cinematic universe with sci-fi/fantasy elements. While not a runaway success like Iron Man, Thor was an entertaining romp and the character was a huge component to The Avengers, which shattered box office records. Riding high off the crest of The Avengers, Marvel kicked off Phase 2 of their cinematic universe in 2013 with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.

When last we left the God of Thunder (Chris Hemsworth), he defeated his evil brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston) with help from his new allies on Earth. A year later, Thor is still trying to clean up Loki's mess as the Nine Realms have descended into chaos. Meanwhile, Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) continues her search for Thor and stumbles onto an ancient weapon known as the Aether. In turn, this awakens the Dark Elves of Svartalfheim and their leader Malekith (Christopher Eccleston), who vows to return the universe to its primordial state of darkness. When the Dark Elves lay waste to Asgard, Thor is forced to team with the ever-scheming Loki to save his lady love and all of creation.

In many ways, Dark World is an improvement on the first Thor. The world of Marvel's Norse gods has been expanded far beyond the scope of that tiny town in New Mexico. Asgard itself looks more organic rather than the glorified video game level it was in the previous picture. Alan Taylor has replaced Kenneth Branagh as director thanks to the strength of his work on Game of Thrones. Although Taylor is forced to work within the confines of the Marvel movie making machine, he's clearly able to handle the film's fantastical elements, which mix Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. The action is ramped up with the Dark Elves armed with ominous spacecrafts, laser rifles, and grenades that open miniature black holes. One sequence feels lifted right out of a heist movie as Thor and his allies attempt to escape Asgard. The climactic battle in London was the perfect antidote to the widespread destruction seen in Man of Steel and Star Trek into Darkness. Rather than the mind-numbing sight of skyscrapers tumbling to the ground, Dark World gets innovative with cracks in reality that unexpectedly teleport combatants between dimensions.

The Dark World also stands as one of the funniest Marvel movies to date. Of course, that depends on your tolerance for Darcy (Kat Dennings) the comic relief intern. She's at the height of her Darcy-ness here. While the film has a tendency to go over-the-top with the antics of Darcy and Erik Selvig (Stellan Skarsgaard), who has now become a kook prancing about without any pants, the best gags are understated. One involves Thor nonchalantly hanging his hammer on a coat rack and another sees the God of Thunder catching a ride on the London underground. Chris O'Dowd essentially reprises his role from Bridesmaids in a cameo as a blind date for Natalie Portman.

That's not to say this sequel is without flaws. Marvel has crammed a lot into their 2-hour blockbuster. The first half of Dark World is overloaded with exposition as characters explain the origins of the Aether, the Dark Elves, and the Convergence. That doesn't include a prologue that could have sprung from the mind of JRR Tolkien himself. With so much happening many of the supporting players don't get their fair due. The Warriors Three all but disappear into the background with Hogun the Grim (Tadanobu Asano) actually being told to sit this one out. Idris Elba's Heimdall also suffers this same fate though he does get a brilliant moment when he takes down an entire ship with only a pair of daggers. An intriguing love triangle between Thor, Jane Foster, and Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander) is teased, but nothing ever comes of it.

Now that he's gone through the hero's journey, Thor isn't as arrogant or boastful, but Chris Hemsworth still has the brashness and charisma (not to mention physicality) to keep the audience enthralled. However, he and the rest of the cast are completely outshined by Tom Hiddleston. Marvel has hired a parade of talented actors to portray their movie villains, but the bad guys themselves haven't made a powerful impression with the exception of Hiddleston's Loki. That's never more apparent with the casting of Christopher Eccleston as Malekith. Eccleston is a fine actor, but he's buried under layers of make-up playing an antagonist whose sole purpose is to get punched by Thor. Things get infinitely more interesting once Loki gets into the mix. While the sequel delves deeper into his complexities, it still barely scratches the surface. Every subtle gesture Hiddleston makes registers. He also gets in on the comic relief with some sharp one-liners and a hilarious sequence where Loki utilizes his illusions during a chat with his brother. Marvel should really consider the sons of Odin on a wacky road trip as the plot of Thor 3.

The now ubiquitous post-credit stinger will have fanboys drooling as it sets up Guardians of the Galaxy and the possibility of the Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers 3. Of course, the uninitiated will find it baffling, if for no other reason than Benicio Del Toro's eccentric performance as the Collector.

Thor: The Dark World might be the messiest Marvel movie since Iron Man 2. However, it still stands as a rousing adventure and another vital chapter in Marvel's cinematic universe.

Rating: *** (*****)

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane - Dir. Jonathan Levine (2006)

When a film sits on the shelves for an inordinate amount of time before being unceremoniously released, there's a stigma attached to it. Maybe the movie just wasn't very good. That's not always the case. It took four years for Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret to see the light of day because of disagreements between the director and the studio over the final cut. The Cabin in the Woods, written and produced by Joss Whedon, was delayed for two years due to the financial trouble of MGM. Both pictures received strong reviews.

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane was another horror film that underwent a long, arduous journey to the silver screen. It debuted at the Toronto Film Festival in 2006 where it was snatched up by Harvey Weinstein for $3.5 million, over four times the $750,000 budget. However, Harvey and brother Bob disagreed on how to market and distribute Mandy Lane. This, coupled with initially poor test screenings, led to the Weinstein Company to sell the rights to the German-based Senator Entertainment. Senator released the picture overseas, but the company folded before they could do the same in the U.S. As luck would have it, the rights to Mandy Lane made their way back into the hands of the Weinsteins thanks to their new distribution arm Radius-TWC.

Nobody really paid attention to Mandy Lane (Amber Heard) until she blossomed over summer break. At this point, All the Boys Love Mandy Lane may be a more appropriate title. The sweet-natured Mandy and her outsider friend Emmet (Michael Welch) are asked to a pool party by hunky alpha male Dylan (Adam Powell). When his advances fail, a drunken Dylan is convinced by Emmet to dive off the roof and into the pool to impress Mandy. His foolhardy gesture leads to his death.

Nine months later, Mandy has been embraced by the in-crowd while Emmet has been further ostracized, even by his former friend. Popular stoner Red (Aaron Himmelstein) invites Mandy to his parents' cattle ranch along with jocks Jake (Luke Grimes), Bird (Edwin Hodge), and pretty girls Chloe (Whitney Able) and Marlin (Melissa Price). Despite being under the watchful eye of handsome ranch hand Garth (Anson Mount), the kids consume plenty of alcohol and drugs. The fun stops when a psycho with a shotgun begins picking them off one by one.

It's easy to see why the Weinsteins had difficulty drawing up a marketing plan. All the Boys Love Mandy Lane isn't your typical hack and slash affair. The gorehounds won't find enough gratuitous violence to satisfy their cravings, yet the movie doesn't deconstruct the horror genre the way Cabin in the Woods or Scream did. Screenwriter Jacob Forman does seem to find a happy medium. Mandy Lane conforms to the standard tropes of teenage debauchery being punished by a mysterious killer. Still, it doesn't feel like a horror movie at first, aside from the eerie prologue. With its focus on the treacherous social dynamics of high school, Mandy Lane is clearly influenced by John Hughes as much as it is by Tobe Hooper or Wes Craven. The rural setting and grainy quality of the film recall Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Jonathan Levine, who would go on to direct The Wackness and 50/50, makes his directorial debut on Mandy Lane. Not bad for a guy who was working in a mail room at the time. Levine had greater success melding horror with teen romance in Warm Bodies, but clearly displayed a knack for capturing the sometimes painful experience of youth. His indie sensibilities shine through even in the soundtrack with an eclectic selection that includes the Go-Go's and 60's crooner Bobby Vinton.

Mandy Lane hinges entirely on Amber Heard, who has gone on to high-profile roles in Pineapple Express, The Rum Diary, and Machete Kills. Of course, Heard is gorgeous enough to you believe every guy in school wants to get into her pants. She also conveys a vulnerability that makes her easy prey.

If John Hughes made a horror movie and shot it in the style of Tobe Hooper with a dash of Terrence Malick, it might look a little like All the Boys Love Mandy Lane. It's about time this low-budget gem found an audience.

Rating: *** (*****)