Black Rock (2013)
Starring Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, Kate Bosworth, Will Bouvier, Jay Paulson, and Anslem Richardson
Directed by Katie Aselton
***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***
Black Rock certainly doesn't reinvent the wheel when it comes to Deliverance-esque thrillers, but it definitely is head and shoulders above modern-day horror films. Here, three childhood friends -- Abby, Lou, and Sarah (Katie Aselton, Lake Bell, and Kate Bosworth) -- reunite for a camping trip on a remote island off the coast of Maine. While bonding (and fighting) on the island, three men (Will Bouvier, Jay Paulson, and Anslem Richardson) come upon the women's campsite. After a nice, though slightly uncomfortable evening together, an unfortunate accident puts the three gals in danger, running for their lives and fighting for survival.
With an incredibly quick running time (under 80 minutes), I was quite surprised how much character development manages to be compressed into the flick by director Katie Aselton (who, as mentioned above, also stars in the film) and her screenwriter-husband Mark Duplass (who also has acted in things like Humpday and Safety Not Guaranteed). Granted, some of these obligatory scenes of exposition prove to be a bit eye-rolling, but they also set up Abby, Lou, and Sarah as smarter-than-your-average damsels in distress. Perhaps most interesting about Black Rock is that there's never really a moment where you say to yourself, "Why are these people doing that? That's so stupid. Only people in horror movies would do something like that." We all know that feeling when we watch thrillers. That "Don't Go Up the Stairs" kind of moment. Black Rock has very few, if any, of those and for that it gets loads of credit in my book.
All three leads -- Ms. Bosworth, Ms. Bell, and Ms. Aselton -- more than hold their own and all are impressive in what I assume are their first "thriller" leads. Being a lead actress in a thriller/horror movie isn't an easy thing. You're forced to run a lot and have reaction shots with your eyes wide open while you're gasping for breath. However, these three elevate these stereotypically stock roles into something a little more intelligent and a little more lively.
Is Black Rock going to necessarily give you anything you haven't seen before? Not exactly. However, if you're in the mood for a flick like this, it's one of the better ones of this genre I've seen in a long time.
The RyMickey Rating: B
YESSSS! I've been wanting to watch this since it was first released. And now I can. Thanks to my dad's account and your notes on instant streaming. yesssss! huzzah.
ReplyDeleteWith all the crap recommendations that pop up for me on Netflix, where was this one I actually wanted to watch? Nowhere.
In truth, can't really even remember why I wanted to watch it (hopefully that is not a sign that I stand to be very disappointed now)--just that I was searching all over the map for places it was playing where I could make it to.
Am going to watch tonight. With popcorn topped with really old kettlecorn seasoning from a giant dispenser/shaker we once had for sampling purposes.
Let me know what you think...I mean, I hope my review didn't elevate expectations. It's not FANTASTIC by any means, but for the genre, I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteWatched it and liked it. Wasn't expecting to be blown away--but I like watching all three of the main actresses. Was caught-unexpecting (I think I may be making this phrase/term up, so I thought I would solidify it by hyphenating, because, you know) by some of the injuries/exits of characters. I lost an argument/prediction to Greg that there wouldn't be any female nudity in the film.
ReplyDeleteAll I'll say is I wasn't expecting any nudity either. Then when it happened, I had this weird notion pop into my head that they'd be naked the whole rest of the film, fighting off the bad guys in some Amazonian Woman-kind of "tribal feminist" thing. That would've just been weirdly uncomfortable, so I'm happy it didn't pan out that way.
ReplyDeleteSAME! I just kept thinking, "How long?! How long can it go on?"
ReplyDelete