A screenwriter (Adam Baldwin) is plagued by nightmares as he writes a script about a family that was slaughtered years before. Soon, the grisly murders he writes about start to actually happen.I was attracted to this film by Udo Kier, a great actor, here being the creepy German guy he does so well. Unfortunately, Kier's presence is just about the only good thing I can say about the movie (and even then, his role is rather limited -- though more than a cameo).Surprisingly, or maybe not, the movie is rather boring. Baldwin does not hold my attention well, I have no concern for his character. The death scenes, which offer plenty of potential for creativity, just never impress. A shot of a drill is okay, and a quick shot of a man who looks burned is alright... but it is all too tame.The theme of fiction and reality crossing over is done alright, but if I wanted to see something like that done well, I would watch "In the Mouth of Madness". There is also a satanic undertone, but perhaps far too subtle to even be considered a subplot...
... View MoreI want to keep my movie collection down to a manageable & rational number for reasons I won't go into here. Evil Eyes became a keeper because of its treatment of females. The movie was way too violent first time through, so I wrote it off & forgot about it, or so I thought at the time. But the images of the girls kept coming back on me. They were all attractive in various ways and whoever shot the scenes including them adores the opposite sex as much as I do. And the actresses treatments of their own respective characters bridged the gap between drama and reality. In other words, they were at the same time, themselves and the roles they were playing. You see this kind of melding in live comedy skits, as on Saturday Night Live, but I can't think of another movie with actresses so ready to break out.
... View More"Evil Eyes" is a rather familiar and predictable film.**SPOILERS**Struggling writer Jeff Stenn, (Adam Baldwin) is assigned a new project about a decades-old serial killer, and asks wife Tree, (Jennifer Gates) and old friend Nina, (Kristin Lorenz) for help when a strange accident stalls his writing. Boss George Trueman, (Udo Kier) advises Jeff to keep going with the script, even as more accidents occur. As the murder case the script is based on begins to consume his life, he repeatedly questions events as they begin happening in both the script and his life. Trying to control the out of control elements in his life, Jeff eventually discovers a secret about the project that changes the entire outcome of the script.The Good News: This really didn't have a lot going for it, but what it did have wasn't that bad. The opening set-up is really well played-out, getting the most suspense at the potential it has. The amount of dread built up through this set-up is pretty high, and it starts out the film with the right feeling. The premise, while done before and is nothing new, is still a fun premise that has the opportunity to get some nice mileage out of it's well-worn track. There's some nice gore in here, including some slit throats, a couple mangled bodies, a drill in the eye and some ax action as well. This wasn't all that bad when it was on.The Bad News: There is several things wrong with this that does need brought up. The film is incredibly predictable, and is a really easy film to guess along the way. Granted, it sets up several different scenarios, but they are all very easy to guess as they're all perfectly logical in the sense the film was headed in, and it's supposed shock doesn't really register as you figured it out along the way. This also extends to it's plot outline, as it's simply a one-note premise that keeps repeating itself. Once you get the trick early on, nothing really happens to change much of it. The premise has also been seen before in several other films, and there's not a whole lot that changes the formula. This is all mostly just a clichéd and predictable film, I really didn't notice much else wrong with it.The Final Verdict: This would've been decent had it not been so boring, but it's got enough good qualities to say that it's good enough to give it a look. It's been seen before, and much better in the other incarnations, so it's not an immediate viewing, but give it a shot if you can find it.Rated R: Graphic Violence and Language
... View MoreThis plot has been done many times in the past, and will undoubtedly be redone many times in the future - can we expect ominously precognitive MySpace pages or blogs in the future? Anyway, Kristin Lorenz is exciting and brings a sense of fun to her character but is removed from the main action a little too early. Jennifer Gates as "The Wife" is a bit too Anne Archer... while Adam Baldwin is no Harrison Ford, alas. The cutting is a little disjointed and the narrative feels a little over-forced in places. There are a bunch of minor continuity snafus with lighting and time of day. Nevetherless, this is a well-done little movie considering its obvious limitations in budget and shooting schedule.
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