Movie Review: The People Under the Stairs (1991)

The People Under the Stairs is a 1991 horror film written and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars Brandon Adams, Everett McGill, Wendy Robie, A.J. Langer, Ving Rhames, and Sean Whalen. The movie revolves around a young boy named 'Fool" who stumbles upon a house where two sadistic adults kidnap and imprison people in their basement. The film has a very creepy concept and going into this movie I had very high expectations and was pleased with all of them. This is actually a very good movie, as the perspective of a child enhances this story line's meaning. At first, I wasn't sure how I felt about a kid going into the house and seeing all these imprisoned hostages. It actually is highly logical though and proved to be very entertaining. People Under the Stairs is a very entertaining and exciting film. The tone is very urgent and every minute of film counts. Brandon Adams was terrific in his role, so was Ving Rhames in the screen time that he's given. This movie works so well because not only is this a fantastic horror concept, but it's also powerful when we see that this said house actually has almost an entire universe of hostages living in their house. The movie has a sheer scope and power that really hit home for me and made this a successful horror film. As far as flaws go, there is only one that really stood out to me. As we discover these people hiding underneath the stairs, we see that they are very fictionalized. Nothing about this situation feels real or like it actually happened (even though I believe reading somewhere that this movie was constructed around a true event). We can tell we're watching a film that like Nightmare On Elm Street is very creepy, but just isn't that realistic. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It's actually very clever and doesn't let you down. Overall, The People Under the Stairs was a good movie with relentless entertainment, a creepy story, and had very good performances. Three stars= B

Movie Review: X-Men (2000)

X-Men is a 2000 superhero film directed by Bryan Singer. The film stars the likes of Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Anna Paquin, and Famke Janssen. The movie focuses on two groups of mutants: one a school led by Professor X and the other is an extremist organization who uses violence and destruction (lead by Magneto). When I first saw X-Men, I only gave it two stars and deemed it a "good" movie because at that time in my movie-reviewing career, I didn't have as much experience and didn't really get this movie. X-Men is not just a superhero film, it's a film about prejudice and discrimination. How when a certain group of people is oppressed, some may rise to educate the public, while others form a borderline terrorist organization to spread the word. It's a brilliant concept and this movie is damn brilliant, because on my second viewing of this movie in a long time, I loved every minute of it. If Sam Raimi's Spider Man movies did not exist or weren't as excellent as the first two were, this would be my favorite comic book movie. That's one of the excellent aspects to this film; X-Men is a comic book with a vibrant pulse. This movie has moments that literally feel magically illuminated off the page by Singer's fantastic direction and script. Aside from the concept, this movie has amazing characters and an intriguing universe that reminds me why I go see superhero and comic book films. This isn't just a fun, action packed, extravaganza (it has great action trust me and it's very exciting at many moments) but what makes this movie work is the characters. There is an ensemble cast at play and in just over 90 minutes, we're able to get a feel for all of them on screen. I loved Jackman as Wolverine and Halle Berry was great as storm. Patrick Stewart also gives a great performance as does his arch nemesis Magneto played by Ian McKellen. The cast in this movie is perfect and I also have to say that this film has a really interesting ending that makes you think. I won't go in depth, but the ending of this film reminds us that even though these two groups of mutants have vastly different approaches to not being accepted in the public eye, at the end of the day they can in fact be friends....Until we learn that this film is actually telling us that these differences are so severe and major that they cannot peacefully bond. Overall, I loved XMen, it was an interesting concept put wondrously to film, it had perfect characters, and I cannot wait to see it again. Three stars= A