Deadline (2009)

The Age of Commercialism

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Mmm, a nervy girl with mental problems and on medication, decides on a whim, on hearing that the psychotic ex who's been stalking her has just been released from jail, that the best course of action would be to isolate herself in a huge, spooky, remote house without any transport. The premise alone is illogical enough to make most viewers put this back on the shelf.But my excuse is that it was on Five in the afternoon and, once I'd elected to give it a go, it was too hilarious to stop watching.The pace of the film verges on the glacial. Brittany Murphy, looking wan and pretty and rather like a ghost herself, wanders around in some sexier equivalent to pyjamas, wondering how she got herself into this nonsense. It starts to seem like nobody in the whole world ever moved so slowly. I can hear the director instructing her, 'Walk into the room slowly', then urging, 'No, Brittany, slower! Slower!' She sits in a tub and gazes mournfully off to one side. For hours.It's another one of those films that's predicated on the notion that a previous occupant felt the necessity to video every single thing that ever happened to them and that Brittany's character, rather than finding this nauseatingly narcissistic and tediously self-absorbed, would be sufficiently intrigued to watch all this footage back.Oh, I forgot to mention that she's a writer of some kind (people who stay in old, spooky houses generally are) and supposedly working to a deadline, not that you would know it. I think this may have been for some time in the next millennium.If your idea of horror is a few creaky doors and some very weak light fittings, you possibly might find yourself ever so slightly unnerved for a nanosecond. Otherwise, be prepared to find this a scream for all the wrong reasons.

Brittany Murphy is Alice, a writer in her early 30's who moves into a spooky old Victorian mansion in order to be alone to work on her book as well as distance herself from a traumatic nervous breakdown. But no sooner is Alice settling in, that the house is getting the worst of her imagination courtesy of strange noises and nightmares. Now Alice, already in a fragile mental state, must deal with that as well as an ex who recently got out of prison.I found myself enjoying this film much more than I thought that I would've, thanks in no small part to a nice atmospheric soundtrack as well as a surprisingly adequate subdued performance by Murphy. All of this is almost (but not quite) enough to make up for a pretty clichéd and heavily predictable storyline. The late Britt does the most with what little she's given.My Grade: C

First off, if really slow, atmospheric films that don't have a lot of action bore you, then this movie is NOT for you! Period. All you have to do is see the review here titled 'Snoozer, with a Stupid Ending' Point proved (well, at least if not actually 'proven', strongly suggested : ) Here is the deal; IF you are indeed going to make one of these really slow, moody films that on the surface come across as super simple, then you HAVE to do them well or forget it. The movie was beautifully photographed, VERY well paced for the material, and the acting was excellent. Do you realize how MANY frigg'n ways there are to screw something like this up? A lot! So, I honestly felt that it was put together quite nicely.Now, without spoiling anything, I just wanna say that something that I really appreciated about this film is that this 'kind' of movie (which you will understand, sort of, at the end) USUALLY is very heavy handed with the 'reveal' in the sense that they usually make it blindingly obvious. However, what I like about this one is that at the end, yes, something is strongly suggested, BUT still, things are left to be interpreted in a number of different ways (as clearly seen in some of the discussion comments below which you should absolutely NOT read before seeing the movie!) So, basically like I said, IF you like this kind of very slow, moody film where there is a very good atmosphere that builds gradually and creates a good mystery, and you don't necessarily NEED a lot of action or explanation, THEN yes, you should enjoy this movie...This film simply isn't for everyone. For example, I'm quite sure that there are MANY people who absolutely LOVE the 'SAW' or 'HOSTEL' films; quite the polar opposite of this film to be sure. So, in that case I wouldn't feel right reviewing those films because that is just NOT my type of film at all. (However, the makers of 'SAW' went on to make a couple of excellent Horror films, where people are NOT tortured or forced to do awful things, that I totally loved! ['DEAD SILENCE' & 'INSIDIOUS']) I think it is the same with this one... Likely, MOST of the people who have seen this movie and then come here and say 'Gee, that was REALLY stupid and boring' would fall into the same category: that it just isn't THEIR type of film, that's all.The movie isn't WILDLY fantastic or anything, just solidly well made; as a matter of fact, it really reminds me of another VERY similar film that I saw not long ago (I can't remember the title right off) But it was WAAAAAAAY more subtle than this one! It was similar where a woman (seemed like it was a REALLY well known actress too, perhaps Marisa Tomei, someone like that...) was staying in a remote house. And you just keep seeing this guy standing there in the room with her but she doesn't see him; there are LONG periods without ANY dialog at all. It just about ALL is based on mood and atmosphere. It was great too, but perhaps much more 'artistic' in it's approach and a bit more complex and layered in it's story than this one. This one here I would say was more directly psychological...But, there is one thing I can promise you...This movie is indeed much, MUCH better than it's current 4.x rating...

I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, I am surprised to say. I read some of the reviews here before watching it and wonder if we even watched the same movie. The movie had an extremely low budget (less then $2M), which is fine, you don't need a huge cast and expensive visual effects and the entire London Symphony Orchestra playing the score to make an enjoyable film. I'd like to see more of these kinds of films.I thought the Lousiana location lent a nice southern Gothic edge to the film. The house was beautiful and terrifying at the same time (I used to live in an old house like that, seriously, they are scary at night, when you are alone in the house, and the moonlight is shining through a circular window over the staircase...)The film kept me on the edge to the end. And the end... well, I won't talk about it, I had several theories as to what might be going on (as we all do when watching a suspense film) but the end still surprised me a little bit. Still, it made me think. It wasn't cheesy or tacked on.I thought Brittany Murphy was gorgeous in this film, as the sense of dread and terror slowly built up. Thora Birch was under-utilized and I wish her character had been developed a little more.No, this movie wasn't as creepy or terrifying as, say The Ring/Ringu, it had no blood or nudity or very little cussing. So maybe that's why so many people rated it so low. I liked it.