The low-down on this week's premieres
Japanese horror is at it again, this time with Dark Water, an American remake of the 2002 film Honogurai mizu no soko kara, which was directed by Hideo Nakata (The Ring), the man who started the J-horror trend in the U.S. In Water, which according to screenwriter Rafael Yglesias is supposed to follow the mold of a ghost story like The Others rather than a gory horror film, Academy Award-winner Jennifer Connelly (A Beautiful Mind) stars as Dahlia Williams, a mother who moves herself and her daughter into a rundown apartment complex after a nasty custody battle. While residing there, things begin to go bump in the night and the two must ward off an unwanted presence living with them. Taking over for Nakata is Walter Salles (The Motorcycle Diaries), who gets the opportunity to direct Academy Award-nominated actors John C. Reilly (Chicago) and Tim Roth (Rob Roy) in addition to Connelly.
Based on the Marvel Comics series, The Fantastic Four stars Jessica Alba (Sin City), Ioan Gruffudd (King Arthur), Chris Evans (Cellular), and Michael Chiklis (TV's The Shield) as a group of astronauts who attain super-human powers after exposure to cosmic radiation. With each possessing a different power - invisibility, strength, the ability to stretch great distances, and the ability to become engulfed in fire - the foursome set out to destroy Dr. Victor Von Doom (Julian McMahon), who probably received his Ph.D. in nomenology (the study of names and their influence on personality).
Two films, according to the good people at Santikos Theaters, will open exclusively this week at the Bijou at Crossroads. Gael García Bernal (Bad Education) stars in Dot the I, a film about two people caught in a love triangle. Also, if you liked Sideways, Mondovino might be right up your vineyard. It's a documentary about the wine-making process around the world. Salud.
