Dark Ride DVD Review

Predictable, Dull and Cheesy are just a couple of the words that pop into my head when I sit down to try and sum up this movie. I bought Dark Ride the other day on DVD thinking that it was going to be a ‘cool’ homage to the 80’s slasher movies that I grew up watching when I was younger. Whilst in a couple of places it did just that, for the main part Dark Ride was just a dull, thoughtless and overly predictable film that relied on a couple of brutal murder scenes and gratuitous shots to keep viewers entertained. This coupled with more than a few similarities to Tobe Hooper’s 1981 slasher flic ‘The Funhouse’ meant that it was all just beginning to feel like one big letdown.The film begins (as these movies so often do) with a group of teenagers off on a road trip. Along the way they stop at a gas station and spot a flyer for the planned reopening of an old abandoned carnival which houses the infamous ‘Dark Ride’ a ghost train in which several murders took place years ago. Of course after much drug taking and ‘wild’ ‘crazy’ behaviour *yawn* the kids decide to pay a visit and explore the ride for themselves… cos that would be like So totally fun!

Little do they know that Jonah, the strange, crazed psychopath (who oddly also seems to have some kind of superhuman strength) behind the previous murders has just escaped from the mental institution and is lurking in the midst of the ride to resume his old pastimes. Armed with a mighty big knife and a silly little mask that looks more ‘cute’ than creepy he waits for his next victims…

The main lead of the movie is Jamie-Lynn Sigler who is probably best known for her role in The Sopranos which I loved her in. I even thought that she was reasonable in this film but lets face it, she wasn’t exactly given the best dialogue in the world to work with was she? The rest of the cast is made up of various unknowns and a couple of people who looked vaguely familiar to me but in all honesty I just couldn’t be bothered to go and look them up properly, maybe I’m missing out on some great up and coming talent but I’ll take my chances thanks!

So, after much running around inside the Dark Ride and lots of murders and screaming amidst the dry ice and cheesy props from the ride we are treated to what is supposed to be some big shock ‘Saw’ like ending. In actual fact it was blatantly obvious ALL the way through exactly what was going on and so when all was revealed I almost let out a sigh of relief that the film was actually nearly over!

Needless to say that if you are looking for a complex dark and twisted horror movie then this definitely isn’t what you get with Dark Ride. What you do end up with however is a rehash of various slasher movies with no plotline and some really genuinely annoying characters. It might be worth a look if you are stuck for something to watch for a couple of hours one night but don’t make the same mistake as me and go out and buy the movie, at least rent it and save yourself some money for when something better is released!

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Actor Heath Ledger Found Dead

I am still in shock from yesterday evenings tragic news that aussie actor Heath Ledger was found dead last night in his apartment.

Apparently he was naked and surrounded by pills. His masseuse knocked on the door and after no reply they were let in by the housekeeper. Heath had recently spoken of how he had been left tormeted and sleepless after playing the role of ‘The Joker’ in the new Batman movie. He had also recently split from wife Michelle Williams (Dawsons Creek) and the couple have a young daughter together called Matilda.

As yet it is not clear if this was suicide or a tragic accident but my thoughts are with Heaths family, Michelle and their daughter Matilda at this hard time.

I hope we find out exactly what happened soon. Please feel free to leave your comments or tributes to Heath here, as I’m sure some of you are just as shocked as me this morning.

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The Best and Worst of this weeks Celebrity Gossip Including Britney Spears Lily Allen and Gossip Girl

There’s always loads of bizarre happenings in the wonderful world of celebrities so I thought it was about time I did a bit of a round up of the most talked about this past week.

Britney Spears is never out of the headlines, so its not surprise that she has once again dominated them with reports of her fleeing the country, missing her court hearing and being carted off in an ambulance looking confused, distressed and disorientated (a look which she seems to have perfected) I’m not going to waste much time talking about her right now though as I can only keep saying the same thing over and over. Sort yourself out Brit!! It’s gone on way too long now.

Sad news came this week for British singer Lily Allen and her boyfriend Ed Simons when they suffered a miscarriage shortly after returning from a romantic holiday. The usually rowdy and party loving pop star had previously stated how she could not wait for motherhood and toned down her lifestyle in preparation for what lay ahead. The couple were obviously both distraught and in shock this week and have asked press to respect their privacy at this hard time. My thoughts go out to Lily and her family; I hope she gets the support she needs to get through this.

As ‘Gossip Girl’ is one of my favourite shows on TV at the moment how could I go without mentioning a piece on Blake Lively who plays Serena on the show?! She recently confessed how difficult she sometimes finds the media attention she gets and said “Everybody always tries to dig into your personal life or create things that aren’t there. . . It’s silly.  Any male friend is obviously a ‘romance alert’ [for the media], but I’ve always been friends with boys my whole life.” She is constantly linked to co star Penn Badgley but the two are just friends. If you get chance to check out Gossip Girl it’s well worth a look and maybe I’ll do a little piece on it next week.

Tom Cruise has been in the media’s firing line this week after a few videos of him heavily promoting his religion scientology were leaked onto various sites. If you didn’t catch them for yourself on youtube or elsewhere (I believe they have now been removed) Tom was featured talking openly about his views on the religion and often laughing manically at his own little ‘in jokes’ which all just seemed a little bit too freaky for my liking. Its one thing to have a religion and believe in it, but shoving it down other people’s throats is another ballgame. Katie Holmes looks good right now though, it’s a shame she is taking a few too many style tips from Victoria Beckham but hopefully she’s come into her own soon. Suri just seems to get cuter with every photo I see of her and I must admit they do all look like one big happy family when you see them out together; I’d love to be a fly on the wall behind closed doors sometimes though.

So, that was some of the main news this week I’ll try and do a quick roundup on a regular basis, feel free to chip in and leave your own comments and thoughts below!

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DVD Review Wrong Turn 2 : Dead End

Like the rest of the country I was expecting this film to be completely rubbish, lets face it sequels are very rarely as good as the original movie and given that the first Wrong Turn film was action packed and starred the gorgeous Eliza Dushku (who sadly doesn’t return for wrong turn 2) it was always going to be quite hard for anyone to take this new version seriously.

Wrong Turn 2: Dead End is a surprising film, not surprising as in ‘filled with shocks’ but surprising mainly because it actually DIDN’T suck. Granted, it’s not as good as Wrong Turn but it isn’t as awful as I originally thought, in actual fact I can honestly say I quite enjoyed it! … Read more

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Look out for Echo Beach and Moving Wallpaper Starring Jason Donovan and Martine McCutcheon

Echo Beach is the new upcoming Soap Opera with a twist. It stars actress Martine McCutcheon and aussie singer/soap star Jason Donovan and is due to get its first airing on Thursday 10th January on ITV 1.

Echo Beach follows the lives of Daniel Susan and Mark whose affairs of the heart are played out amongst teenage angst, family loyalties and tested friendships. Events unfold against the backdrop of romantic Cornwall, its rugged coastline, endless beaches and handsome surfers.

Martine McCutcheon is Susan Penwarden, a woman with a past. Hugo Spear plays Mark Penwarden who will stop at nothing to run Daniel Marrack (Jason Donovan) out of Polnarren. The town’s younger residents are played by some of Britain’s hottest young talent.

You would be forgiven for thinking that this is just another run of the mill soap opera, but in fact there’s something much, much more clever going on here. You see, not only will viewers get to watch the show Echo Beach, there will be another show called ‘Moving Wallpaper’ which follows straight after. This show follows the fictional ‘behind the scenes’ filming of Echo Beach from the production office. So not only do we have a fictional soap opera but there’s a fictional behind the scenes of the show too! Confused yet?

As if that wasn’t enough to take in there’s also going to be the ‘Mole’ a secret saboteur who is filming everyone getting the real dirt and catching them out when they least expect it! These clips will be screened on ITV.Com and are set to be a humorous look at the bits you didn’t see first time round.

If they manage to pull this off this could be one of the most exciting and innovative shows to hit UK screens in a long time. The concept of a show within a show is brilliant and there are some top notch actors involved in the whole thing. Not only have you got the two main stars (Jason and Martine) but in the moving wallpaper show we have the fantastic actor Ben Miller playing the role of producer Jonathan Pope which should be really fun to watch. There are also some great younger actors including Marcus Patrick from Hollyoaks.

ITV Says that “Eagle eyed viewers will see jokes, characters and stories crossing from one show to the other” so we can expect to be kept on our toes through out both episodes. I can’t wait for this and I really hope it takes off, it’s a bold and brave new concept that looks like it could be a whole lot of fun to watch! Tune in tomorrow for the first show, and catch up with the latest happenings by visiting the official Echo Beach (and moving wallpaper) site on ITV : http://www.itv.com/Drama/contemporary/EchoBeach/default.html

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Knocked Up DVD Review Katherine Heigl and Seth Rogen

I kept meaning to see ‘Knocked up’ when it came to the cinema but for some reason never did get there so the other night I sat down and watched it on DVD and found that for once I actually DO agree with the movie critics out there and absolutely love this movie!

Seth Rogen plays Ben, a slacker who has spent the last few years of his life sat at home living off the compensation money from an accident involving a postal truck and his foot. He and his friends spend their days getting drunk, high and cataloguing nude movie shots on their webpage which they are convinced is going to make them millions. Katherine Heigl however is on the opposite side of the scale as Alison; she’s a workaholic desperate to get herself a spot in the limelight presenting an entertainment show. Living with her considerably well off sister and her husband (Leslie Mann and Paul Rudd) she has every inch of her career meticulously planned out. Read more

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