The Gift (2000)

-

 HALLOWEEN REVIEWS 2023

Director: Sam Raimi

Writers: Billy Bob Thornton & Bob Epperson

Stars: Cate Blanchett, Giovanni Ribisi, Keanu Reeves, Katie Holmes, Greg Kinnear, Hilary Swank, Michael Jeter, Kim Dickens, Gary Cole



A barely okay Southern ghost story with some good performances to help it along.

 


It worked best in its depiction of small-town Southern life (wrote the guy from a mid-sized city in California), but the court scenes were cringe-worthy and the revelation at the end of the film comes straight from a campfire story that everyone has heard before.
















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Lust, Caution (2007)

-
Image
Director: Ang Lee Writers: James Schamus, Hui-Ling Wang, based on a story by Eileen Chang Stars: Tang Wei, Tony Leung, Joan Chen, Leehom Wang, Chung-Hua Tou, Zhi-Ying Zhu, Ying-Hsuan Kao, Lawrence Ko, Johnson Yuen, Lar Lok Chin A young woman living in China during the Japanese occupation (Tang Wei)  becomes entangled with a collaborator (Tony Leung), whom she has been assigned to seduce and set up for execution.  The assignment eventually becomes the context for her entire life, until her very sense of self is wrapped up in layers of deceit and betrayal.  Ang Lee's masterful film introduces us to our characters when they are young college students swept up in idealistic fervor and then rejoins them years later when they are older and wearier, fighting the same battle more out of necessity than idealism.   This is a long film because Lee takes his time fleshing out these characters, but it is time well spent.  I was thoroughly engrossed and shattered by the film's harrowing conc
Read more

Ranked: Horror Movies

-
Image
A ranking of all the horror films that have been reviewed on this blog. 144   Jonah Hex (2010) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2023/10/jonah-hex-2010.html 143 Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2024/10/beyond-black-rainbow-2010.html 142 Night of the Demons (1988) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/10/night-of-demons-1988.html 141 House on Haunted Hill (1959) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2024/10/house-on-haunted-hill-1959.html 140 The Last Exorcism Part II (2013) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-last-exorcism-part-ii-2013.html 139 Monsturd (2003) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/09/monsturd-2003.html 138 Hannibal (2001)  https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2023/10/hannibal-2001.html 137 The Gift (2000) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-gift-2000.html 136 Infection (2004) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2022/10/infection-aka-kansen-2004.html 135 Female V
Read more

Ranked: The 1990s

-
Image
  A ranking of all the films released during the 1990s that have been reviewed on this blog. #65 Angels in the Outfield (1994) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/08/angels-in-outfield-1994.html #64 Showgirls (1995) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/11/showgirls-1995.html #63 Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (1997) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/08/knocking-on-heavens-door-1997.html #62 The Living Sea (1995) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-living-sea-1995.html #61 The Ninth Gate (1999) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-ninth-gate-1999.html #60 Thelma & Louise (1991) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2020/11/thelma-louise-1991.html #59 Forget Paris (1995) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2022/11/forget-paris-1995.html #58 Superstar (1999) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/11/superstar-1999.html #57 The Mummy (1999) https://thericochetreviewer.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-mummy-1999.html #56
Read more