Cool Air
Cool Air
| 03 November 2006 (USA)
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Charlie Baxter, a struggling screenwriter, is searching for accommodation in a rundown mansion somewhere in the isolated mountains above Malibu. An expressionless and creatively bankrupt young man who rewrites exploitation sci-fi / horror scripts for a living, he takes a room in the mansion and learns of the mysterious doctor residing in the room above his own who dabbles in strange experiments. As he learns more about the circumstances of the doctor and the history of his landlady, her autistic daughter and the strange lodger across the hall, Baxter is inspired to write his long blocked "great American Screenplay". Working furiously, Baxter suffers a heart attack, and staggers up to see the doctor for treatment. He passes out immediately, but awakens a cured man. But at a terrible price.

Reviews
Michael Ledo

The film is about 70 minutes long with an additional 7 minutes of end credits. It is based on an H.P. Lovecraft book which immediately put it on my must see list. I was very disappointed. The film starts out with a blurb about the Weret Hekau, a story which stays on the screen too long so as to add time to the production.The film opens, ends, and is filled with first person narration by Charles Baxter (Morgan Weisser) a wannabe screen writer with writer's block. He is renting a room in a secluded house which includes two other guests who live private lives, the most intriguing is Dr. Shockner (Crystal Laws Green) who lives in a cool room in the upstairs, even though basements are easier to keep cool.The narration was a boring monotone which caused me to nod off from time to time. Cynthia Curnan took an interesting book and shredded it. No horror or suspense. No intensity. The initial meeting of Baxter and Shockner was equally long and boring as we see a prolonged picture of his face while we hear their monotone voices. Jenny Dare Paulin provides the token eye candy as Estella, a slightly autistic woman.The low budget aspect didn't allow for much more than someone telling a story. This apparently is a 2006 film re-released.Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. What did I do with my "Re-Animater" DVD?

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Edgar Allan Pooh

. . . H.P. Lovecraft's short story "Cool Air" is totally plagiarized from Edgar Allan Poe's tale entitled "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." Lacking the budget for period costumes, this 2006 Picturization of COOL AIR brings the yarn to the present and pads it out with every trick known to Cinemakind. Allegedly clocking in at "78 minutes," that already puny length includes a drawn-out 6 minutes, 13 seconds of opening credits and a snail's crawling 7 minutes, 41 seconds of closing credits. When you subtract 13 minutes, 54 seconds of credits from a 77-minute, 43-second running time, you're left with a mere 63 minutes, 49 seconds of movie. This is bad enough, but every shot in this film seems to be repeated ten times, with most of the dialog echoed again and again. A skilled editor easily could condense what's presented in the way of a story here to ten minutes or less. For viewers who NEED something about 80 minutes long as a sleep aid, I'd suggest skipping COOL AIR. Get one of those burning yule log DVD's instead. This will provide a better plot, superior special effects, and more natural acting than does COOL AIR. Plus, you'll probably sleep better!

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martinejohanna

The story in itself is good, but the script lacks any tension build up. Mostly because the acting is very animated and unrealistic. Just like the very, very bad voice over (voice overs in Horror movies do not work) The soundtrack makes the whole thing even worse, like a low quality 80's soft porn movie. There is not a flinch of tension, terror or horror in it. Even a 3th year old would be bored. Also the house interior lacks character just like the actors. No interesting camera angles, no special lighting effects. It is very bland. With the location, so much more could have been done. Because the exterior of the house does work. The whole does not do justice to the original story, Hopefully someone will make a good adaption more in the line of insidious.

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Paul Magne Haakonsen

As an avid fan of Lovecraft's work and most things Lovecraftian, then it was with some expectation that I sat down to watch this movie. Especially as it wasn't a huge Hollywood production, which just added to the enjoyment of the movie, to be honest."Cool Air" delivered some really nice performances of the people hired for the various roles, especially as this movie is character driven and not really driven by a scary mood or the ability to shock the audience time and time again. This is as much a character driven movie as it is a story driven one.This 2006 version of "Cool Air" is definitely well worth a watch if you enjoy the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. And even if you are unfamiliar with his work, there is some entertainment value to be found in this movie, as the story is nicely told and well executed. This is a great adaption based on Lovecraft's timeless piece of writing.Despite this being a fairly low budget movie, then the director managed to get things to work out nicely, without making use of dazzling CGI effects. There is a bit usage of effects, and they worked out well enough.Entertaining and enjoyable, "Cool Air" is well worth your time if you are looking for something to watch.

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