TV Shows I'm Watching - Heroes (Episode 23)

Episode 23 - How To Stop An Exploding Man - ** out of 4

(Only read if you have seen the episode, cause I'm getting into some specifics)

That's it?

That's what we've been waiting an entire season for?

UGH!!! That has to be the most anticlimactic season finale I've ever seen (and moments before I just finished watching the lackluster season six finale to 24). After months of slow buildup all of our storylines converge in what should have been an epic battle with Sylar. Instead, the writers throw logic aside and provide some utterly ridiculous moments that I will get to in a second.

The steps leading to the end were fine, picking up exactly where last weeks action packed episode ended. Parkman stops Bennett from shooting a ten year old girl, Niki finds Micah in a scene that finds a way to include THREE Ali Larters, Hiro saves Ando from Sylar, Peter somehow talks to that sick guy who died like twelve episodes back and realizes his mom is evil, Nathan decides to let the bomb explode, and Claire jumps out a window to save Peter.

So, after all this teasing the big moment arrives - all the heroes meet up to do battle with Sylar!

AND THEN............

poof...the writers reveal that they have no clue what is going on. They can't even keep track of what powers the characters have.

Let me count the ways this final sequence frustrated me.

1. Parkman has fought Sylar before and seen how powerful he is, so it doesn't take a mind reader (zing) to realize that you can't just run at the guy and put four bullets in the back of his head. But, that's exactly what he does....and finds himself in coma-ville.

2. Peter has how many powers? And yet, he decides to just punch Sylar.

3. Niki all of a sudden decides to join a fight that she has absolutely no stake in. She doesn't know Peter, doesn't know Sylar, has no idea about the exploding man, and has never shown any feelings for somebody who wasn't Micah or DL.

4. Claire doesn't shoot Peter!!!!!!! The exlamation points are for how stupid this moment is. It is the most infuriating moment Heroes has ever thrown at the screen. All Claire has to do is pull the trigger and Peter stops going radioactive....but instead she can't bring herself to do it. Why? Claire knows that Peter has regenerative powers. All she has to do is fish the bullet out of his carcass and Peter will be fine. But no....cause....

5. Nathan has a last minute change of heart, and suddenly, despite the fact there are five hundred better options, gets all sacrificey. I hope the writers do an awful lot of explaining in season two because I have no clue why Nathan would fly away to his doom when all anyone has to do is put a bullet in Peter's brain! Plus...can't Peter fly himself? And isn't Peter going to die anyway if he explodes? Wouldn't the bullet be a bit more humane?

I was stunned by how incredibly terrible this last section of the story turned out to be. The only thing they got right was Hiro finally stabbing Sylar (although....remind me again....why is it Hiro seems to have forgotten that HE CAN STOP TIME!!!!????)

It's a shame that Heroes ended on such a mediocre, rushed note. Even the coda, where Hiro wakes up in the past seemed tired. I think the worst thing I can say about this finale is that I'm actually not all that upset that I have to wait until fall for more episodes. Maybe the summer will give the creative team some time to come up with a strong second season storyline!

What I Rented - Deja Vu

Dear Tony Scott

It's time to come clean.

You and I have had a rocky relationship. At times, yes, I have called you the "destroyer of all things cinematic", but remember at times you have made me physically ill with your endless barrage of swishes, zooms, and insane editing tricks.

In the nineties you and I were tight - True Romance, Crimson Tide, heck even The Last Boyscout all have spots in my VHS library, but lately....well....

I strongly disliked your last few movies. Domino gave me a headache, Man on Fire (after a good start) degenerated into a pointless series of stalks and kills more reminiscent of Friday the Thirteenth than a Denzel Washington action flick, and Spy Game is instantly forgettable - in fact aside from starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt I really don't remember that one at all.

You love "style". I get it. I love "character". You don't get it.

But, I'm hoping with Deja Vu we can develop somewhat of a truce. I'm not saying you've made a great film, but it does seem like you are at least making movies again, and not just glorified music videos.

I liked the plot of Deja Vu. A terrorist bombing aboard a ferry kills hundreds of people. Detective Denzel tracks down clues, only to discover that the FBI actually has a time portal that allows them to see four days into the past. So, he tries to track down the killer by looking into the past. That's pretty cool stuff.

Heck, I even liked it when the film went into Back to the Future territory and the plot started folding in on itself. There are some fun, time twisty moments here.

But once again, you don't really provide characters worth knowing. Denzel plays Denzel giving the same performance he gives whenever he plays thinly written characters. You know what I'm talking about? The "I'm smarter than you are" smile mixed with the cold clinical "investigative" mode Denzel. Val Kilmer shows up, looks like he's going to be important to the story, and then disappears. Paula Patton is nice as the girl at the center of the mystery, but she never really comes across as more than just The Victim.

Alright, I know...it sounds like I'm being really negative. I'm not trying to be, but I was frustrated at the end of Deja Vu. I was enjoying the movie all the way through, saying to myself...gee that Tony Scott sure proved me wrong....but then the final moments left me cold.

Maybe it was the plot holes. Maybe it was the undercooked characters. Regardless, this is better than your recent movies, and that's the point I should focus on.

So, truce?

You continue to make movies, using Deja Vu as a starting point, and I will stop calling you names behind your back.

I'm giving you a weary *** out of 4. We'll talk later....

TV Shows I'm Watching - Heroes (Episodes 21 and 22)

Episode 21 - The Hard Part - ** out of 4

Major plot points discussed below...

Sorry it's taken me a while to write up this review, but frankly, after watching episode 21 I really didn't feel like saying too much about it. After the great time travelling episode, Five Years Gone, this should have really pushed the story further, built up the momentum, and tripled the suspense. Instead, The Hard Part fizzles, spending time on boring subplots that feel completely rushed.

Hiro and Ando return from the future knowing that Sylar has to die. Conveniently it's not too hard to find him (he's just cleaning up in the bathroom), and after a near miss, they follow him to his mother's place. While there, Sylar becomes the star of his very own After School Special when he realizes that no matter what he does his mother can't be happy unless he's the best. In other stories......Claire and Peter talk a lot, Matt and the gang (Sprague and Bennett) head to New York, Nikki/Jessica finds out Micah is in New York, and Micah waits around for Linderman (presumably because Malcom McDowell couldn't make a guest appearance this week).

The only somewhat interesting subplot involves Mohinder and the little girl Matt Parkman rescued way back in like episode two. Turns out the little girl has SUPER POWERS!!! (which marks the fiftieth time a character we didn't think had any powers turned out to....have SUPER POWERS!!!) Regardless, the little girl can locate anyone in the world by just thinking about them, but she's dying from the same disease that took Mohinder's sister. So, Mohinder, under the supervision of Eric Roberts, makes it his goal to find a cure!

My biggest problem with this episode is that it's just too much in one episode. I know that Heroes prides itself on not being like Lost, and that the writers promise to constantly move the plot along (which.....despite their claims...they do even less than Lost, but that's another rant for another time), but there's such a thing as suspense! In this episode two major stories are introduced and solved by the end of the episode (Sylar and his mom, Mohinder and the disease). There's no suspense, and no chance to become emotionally invested in either story because they're over and done with just when they start to get interesting.

Sylar suffers the worst. He starts to develop a moral crisis about killing off most of New York,
and visits his mom. I know you have to see the human beneath the monster, but this whole subplot just grated on me. Having never seen Sylar's mom before the poor actress has to try and go from sweet woman, to overly critical mama, to awe inspired proud mother, to terrified ma, to violent mom in the span of maybe fifteen minutes. When the end of this storyline finally hits home, there's no emotional impact because the woman we are supposed to care about was nothing more than a plot device so that Hiro would feel bad about killing Sylar right away. Argh!

The Mohinder story is a little better. At least we've seen the little girl before (if only for a minute), and there is some nice dialogue between the two, but there's not a single moment where the audience is allowed to believe she will die. One minute she's sick and Mohinder is frustrated, the next minute he found the cure! It's not a last minute cure either. He just comes up and says, "hey, by the way, I found the cure". Hurrah?! ? Why introduce a dying child if said child doesn't at least flatline once?

It's sad to say, but this third last episode really is filler.

Episode 22 - Landslide - ***1/2 out of 4

So....in order to combat last episode's filler status, Landslide throws in at least four or five major plot developments.

By my calculations three characters are dead, or dying. One character, Sulu, made a grand return. Nathan's wife managed to walk again. Nathan won the election. Lots of people pointed guns at each other. And Sylar menacingly stood over New York.

I'm going to go out on a limb here, but shouldn't at least one of the events in this episode happened a whole lot earlier? In these 42 minutes there's at least four episodes worth of material. It's more frustrating because the last episode was so terrible.

Regardless, this one is good, and once again my love/hate relationship with Heroes crosses over into love territory.

I think what works best is that we're finally seeing all of the storylines collide as the entire cast arrives in New York. Even though this episode is busy, the fact that all of the characters are together at least makes the overall story feel like it's moving somewhere. In previous episodes, there was a feeling that things were jumping around too much because the characters were connected only by the thinnest of threads. Here, it starts to feel like the plot is taking shape. One character's actions now directly affects anothers'. Parkman and Bennett help out DL and Niki, moments after talking to Claire and Peter.

And it's fun seeing how these threads connect. Everyone now has a purpose (even good ole Niki!), and the show feels like it has stopped wandering aimlessly. The deaths at the end are shocking, and should shake things up in the next episode.

Hopefully now that Nathan has won the election his character will be in a position where we will be able to do things. It's an exciting development that should put his character into more dramatic situations than he has been in.

I still have a few gripes. Apparently, Sulu is such an amazing teacher that he can turn his son Hiro into a killing machine over the course of an afternoon. Although, because it's Sulu and he's wielding a samurai sword I wasn't too upset. And is there a sale on psychic car flipping stunts that I just haven't noticed? While it was thrilling to see Sylar take on the police to get to Radioactive Man, did it have to be exactly the same way Magneto took out the police in the last X-Men movie?

One episode is left!

What I Rented - Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls has a lot of flash, energy, great music, and riveting scenes. It's an entertaining, fun musical, made with a lot of passion, but by the end, aside from a couple of incredible moments, it makes as much impact as a big budget music video.

It's a simple story, one that has been told many times before. Three girls get their chance to make it big in the music world, but cutthroat business strategies soon have them fighting each other for a shot at fame. As their careers skyrocket, their personal relationships deteriorate and each girl finds that what they truly wanted, they had before all the glitz and glam entered their lives.

Now, much has been written about the star making performance by Jennifer Hudson, as Effie, the slightly overweight lead singer who is tossed aside in favour of the slimmer, but vocally inferior Deena Jones (Beyonce). Hudson is fantastic, and puts everyone in the cast to shame. Everyone else knows the poses, and knows how to look cool while singing, but Hudson loses herself in the music, connecting to the emotion behind the words. There is a ten minute section in the middle of the film, where Effie's life reaches absolute rock bottom, and Hudson belts out And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going with such a wounded passion that it's easy to see why she won the Academy Award. It's an electrifying scene because you know you are watching that old Hollywood cliche moment where the unknown starlet becomes an overnight sensation.

Hudson is the reason this movie works at all.

Eddie Murphy, in his defence, also finds a way to make his one note character seem much deeper than he truly is (which is essentially a womanizing drug addict), but the rest of the cast just gets lost...

Sure, they all have their moments, but Beyonce doesn't even register until 45 minutes in, and the other girl is simply "girl who loves Eddie Murphy's character". Jamie Foxx, while adding a lot of charm early on the film, ends up becoming "rich guy who scowls all the time".

What keeps the film afloat, when Hudson isn't on screen, is the tremendous music which really does provide a thrilling pace and energy level. Dreamgirls also makes some interesting comments about the music industry and the business' preference for catchy tunes rather than songs that truly comment on world issues (a topic that seems particularly relevant in today's superficial marketplace).

It's a solid film, but not a great one, and although Hudson's big scene is an incredible moment, it almost points a finger at everything else that is wrong with the movie. Her performance shows what Dreamgirls could have been had more emphasis been placed on fleshing out the characters, and pushing a game cast to take their musical talents to a new level. It's entertaining, but it should have been unforgettable.

Star Rating *** out of 4

Severance

At the beginning of Severance seven employees of an international weapons manufacturing company head off to the Eastern European woods for a fun corporate team building session. When they get there, the lodge is less than ideal, the food isn't plentiful, and the surrounding woods are inhabited by a vicious killer. As the group struggles to survive, they begin to realize that even though they make the weapons, that doesn't count for anything when the blood starts to flow.

Severance is a nice find; a jet black comic horror film with interesting characters, seat squirming situations (oh bear traps!), unexpected laughs, and plenty of suspense. Director Christopher Smith has a nice grasp on the horror genre and finds simple, but effective ways to amp up the tension. There's a nice sequence in the opening act involving cleverly timed sound effects that turns potentially boring moments into hilariously tense teases. Smith is playing with the audience, and having a great time doing so.

When the killer finally strikes, the movie doesn't just settle at being a series of stalks and kills; it finds unique ways to surprise the audience. One of my favourite moments occurs during a "safe" scene, one of those moments in horror films where characters let down their guards so the film can offer up some much needed character development. In Severance, Smith lets the "safe" scene occur in the foreground, while the killer silently strikes in the background.

Even more refreshing is the level of satire at work here. It's not brilliant, but this is a pointed horror film, obviously unleashing some frustration on weapon's manufacturers. Some of the funniest scenes have to do with just how inept these people are when it comes to actually using the weapons they have marketed and created. The introduction of a life saving rocket launcher quickly turns a moment of celebration into a moment of true horror.

Severance is also anchored by incredibly likable performers. Laura Harris combines her genuine sweetness with a violent, primal urge to survive, while Danny Dyer manages to turn the stereotypical "stoner" character into a hilarious shlub on the verge of manhood. Unlike many horror films, I was rooting for these characters to survive.

Severance is a fun, scary movie that uses the slasher film conventions in order to make sly comments on our weapons obsessed culture.

*** out of 4

What I Rented - Epic Movie

Sometimes I don't know what compels me to watch certain movies. I knew Epic Movie wasn't going to be very good. In fact, based on the recent onslaught of horrible spoof films like Scary Movie 3 and Scary Movie 4, I knew it was going to be downright awful. Yet, still, somehow; maybe it was the promise of at least one cheap laugh; maybe it was some of the more interesting casting choices like Crispin Glover as Willy Wonka, I decided to give it a chance.

Giving Epic Movie a chance will go down as one of the worst mistakes I will ever make in my life.

I am including all potential mistakes I may make in the future as well; like getting involved in bad relationships, finding myself on the wrong side of the law, or inadvertently bringing about the end of civilization. Those mistakes will pale in comparison to the experience of watching all 86 mind numbing moments of Epic Movie.

This is the anti-comedy, sent forth by some demonic figure to destroy all that is good and mighty in the world. Here is a project that doesn't make a lick of sense on a conceptual level, but people decided to say, "screw it" we kinda have a script, so let's shoot something. What is it trying to spoof? It spends most of the time tackling big Hollywood fantasy films like Narnia or Harry Potter, but then decides to throw in jokes based on Pirates of the Carribean, Snakes on a Plane, Nacho Libre, and Click. Huh? Aren't those movies comedies in their own right? How can you spoof something that doesn't take itself seriously to begin with?

It's the same mistake Scary Movie made when it stupidly decided to spoof Scream, which was already a spoof of horror films. You can't just point your fingers and laugh at someone who showed up first and told a funnier, more original joke. It makes you look like an idiot.

That being said what kind of jokes does Epic Movie treat us to? It's your typical collection of gross out gags (it's funny cause it's just plain gross), obvious jokes (it's funny cause we were all thinking it right?), references (it's funny cause they show you something that happened in another movie, but now it happens in this movie too), and puns (Oh Boy - zing - white bitch instead of white witch).

If I had to reach down into the pit of my very soul in order to find something good to say about the movie, I will at least say, without damning myself to eternal Hellfire, that the actors give it their best shot. I can't fault them in this catastrophic mess. Oh, and some of the sets are nice...

But everyone else....oh boy!

Epic Movie is now the film I will refer to in order to describe how unfunny something is. It is truly one of the worst films ever made.

ZERO stars out of 4

Spider-Man 3

Spider-Man 3 arrives with lofty expectations. After the critical and commercial success of the first two movies (both of which I highly enjoyed), this sequel has a lot to live up to. So, cutting to the chase; does it work? As a raccous blockbuster event movie, it certainly succeeds on creating epic scale action scenes that are fun and memorable. On a character level; however, Spider-Man 3 packs in so many new faces that it's hard for anyone who wasn't in the first two movies to really shine.

This story is the most complicated yet, and would take at least three paragraphs to include everything. The short version; Spiderman wants to marry Mary Jane, Spiderman, impressed with his popularity, goes through a selfish period and pushes MJ away, Spiderman and an alien symbiote form an unhealthy relationship, Spiderman's anger begins to control him (with help from said symbiote) as he fights a new villain who may have killed his uncle, Spidey and Harry continue their long standing feud, a young upstart reporter develops a new feud, and all of these plots come together in a breathless final half hour. And that's not even mentioning Gwen Stacy, the new love interest who comes between Mary Jane and Peter, or the arrival of Venom, who swings in during the last act.

It's jam packed, and like any film trying to cram so much plot into a two and a half hour running time, many elements feel shafted. Gwen Stacy is only allowed to be a pawn in this film, and despite Bryce Dallas Howard's winning performance her role is vastly underdeveloped. Howard brings such warmth to her thinly written character that I desperately wanted to see her become a full member of the cast. Same goes for Topher Grace who is hilarious in an underwritten role as the secondary villain, Eddie Brock. He shines in all his scenes, but when he asks God to kill Peter Parker, it feels like the story has skipped several character beats.

The pacing is off at the start as well. With so many separate storylines at play, the movie opts for random encounters rather than properly built up scenes. A fight scene between Harry and Peter feels arbitrarily placed, the introduction of the Sandman feels rushed, and the film doesn't feel like it has truly started until an hour in.

Now, all of this seems to imply that Spider-Man 3 isn't a good film, but it eventually does find it's footing, and Peter's emotional journey, by and large, is compelling. The last half, especially after Peter succumbs to the partying lifestyle brought forth by the alien symbiote, feels far more energetic than the scenes that precede it. Sam Raimi brings out his bag of old tricks and offers up some campy, but funny sequences.

Everything does tie together in the end, and I was pleasantly surprised, despite its disjointedness, to see that the big emotional moments do pay off. The ongoing storyline, established in the first movie between Peter and Harry works best in these final scenes. It's hard not to root for Peter Parker, and the actors, particularly Thomas Haden Church, bring resonance to scenes that could easily have been cheesy.

Spider-Man 3 is a hulking behemoth of a movie, that fortunately finds a way to level out before it veers wildly off course. It's two movies in one, and at least one of those movies is genuinely good.

*** out of 4

Tv Shows I'm Watching - Heroes (Episode 20)

Episode 20 - Five Years Gone - **** out of 4

After last week's so-so episode, Five Years Gone puts Heroes back on top with a suspenseful episode filled with all sorts of wonderful moments, real conflict, and most importantly, a sense of fun.

Hiro and Ando travel five years into the future and discover that the world, after New York exploded, is a terrifying place for superheroes. Most of the heroes we have been following have not ended up in good places. Matt Parkman has become a ruthless government agent, Future Hiro is a bitter shell of a man, Nathan is president, Claire's a brunette, and worst of all...Peter Petrelli is in a relationship with Nikki!!! Horrifying.

So, the writers throw in good natured Ando and Hiro and let them completely make a mess of everything.

The reason this episode works so well is that every plotline is connected in one way or another, and as the episode reaches it's frantic conclusion, everything collides in an exciting climax. Unlike many episodes where some characters are given nothing to do but fix bathroom leaks (Yes Matt Parkman, I'm still bitter about that one!), everyone has an important role to play in this complex 45 minute plotline. Alright, Nikki really just does a strip tease, but seriously, that's the most interesting her character has been for a long time.

What's most fascinating is how we now seem to understand these characters even more by looking at what they could become in the future. Matt Parkman has occasionally stepped on the other side of the law (what with that whole diamond thing), but his future self is a cold blooded killer. Suresh may not be the moral compass he appears to be. Even good natured Hiro may have a more bloodthirsty side to him. How many of these character traits will be revealed in upcoming episodes? It's just one of the intriguing questions posed by this episode.

Also, by taking the show into the future, the writers actually manage to add some immediacy to the whole New York is going to blow up storyline as Hiro uncovers (thanks to Isaac) his true purpose in the scheme of things.

My one big complaint has to do with a small letdown in the last ten minutes. Hiro and Peter confront a lobby full of guards, talk a bunch of fighting words, and promise some hard hitting action that we haven't seen on Heroes before. Just as it's about to get really interesting....we cut away.....only to come back at the VERY END of the fight. I know Heroes isn't an action show, but please don't offer such a tantalizing setup if you aren't going to provide any payoff. My only hope is that they are saving the good stuff for the last couple of episodes and didn't want to ruin it too early.

So, overall one of the best episodes of the season!

Rant - Captivity - False Advertising?

I'm about three steps behind on this story, but today the trailer for Captivity, the new Elisha Cuthbert thriller, was released, and boy....it's something. You can find it by clicking HERE

Holy Crap!

THE FILM THEY DON'T WANT YOU TO SEE

THE MOVIE SO INTENSE IT WAS PUNISHED

Did Elisha Cuthbert make a snuff film? Cause, really, that's what I get from this trailer. If I don't suffer a heart attack while watching Captivity then I will be gravely disappointed. But you know what? I don't think I will. Upon closer inspection this whole marketing campaign reeks of desperation.

Now, on one hand I have to hand it to After Dark Films. In recent months, with their After Dark Film Festival, which comprised of "8 so scary they were banned films to die for", playing in limited engagements at select theatres, they have taken on a William Castle level of promotional zest. For those unfamiliar with Castle, he liked to promote his cheapo horror flicks with awesome gimmicks like joy buzzer seating, and special ghost glasses. I really enjoy the creative lengths a film company will go to in order to promote a no budget, first timer's film, but Captivity seems to be another beast entirely.

Captivity seems to be a prestige project (as prestigious as you can get for a horror film) that went terribly wrong, and now the companies are scrambling in order to make sure they get their money back.

Clearly, this ad is a response to the PUNISHMENT they received due to this billboard. Without getting into the nitty gritty details, this billboard, as well as other posters, including the one at the top of the article, were deemed inappropriate, they hadn't been passed through the MPAA, and were pulled because they were too graphic. The rating for the movie (the R rating) was suspended which puts the film in a bit of jeopardy because unrated movies can't play in many theatres.

So, instead of wallowing on these unfortunate actions, the studios are playing up the controversy, but using decidedly sneaky tactics. Since most people probably haven't heard, or don't care to know about the billboard incident (which honestly has nothing to do with the content of the movie), they won't understand the nature of the film's PUNISHMENT. Instead, the trailer pumps up the vague PUNISHMENT in order to create a sick fascination; implying that the film contains graphic material unseen on motion picture screens.

Now, I'm always up for seeing a horror film that will get under my skin, and if that means pushing limits of bad taste...well, I won't necessarily say no. And you know what? If Captivity was the work of some first time director, and an out-to-impress writer I might actually believe that it could be pretty shocking in a down and dirty way (like it's being advertised).

But Captivity won't live up that hype, and as the credits pop up on the trailer it becomes extremely obvious that this whole marketing campaign is a salvage operation.

First off, look at the name of the director. Roland Joffe! This is the man who directed The Killing Fields, a haunting look at the Cambodian civil war, and The Mission, a poetic film about South American missionaries. Now, I know that he has been off the map for a long time, but I find it hard to believe that Roland Joffe, a man whose films have honestly explored real tragedies, signed on to Captivity simply because he wanted to brutalize and torture Elisha Cuthbert for two hours, and make you throw up.

That's like saying Eli Roth, the director of Hostel and Cabin Fever, is going to direct a sequel to On Golden Pond because he's fascinated by romance in the twilight years.

I just don't buy it. That's not to say that Roland Joffe can't or shouldn't make a shocking horror film, but I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that there is some kind of statement he is trying to make with the film. Unfortunately, this message will completely fly over the heads of the teenagers hoping to see a FILM THEY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO SEE!!!

More Proof? Look at the screenwriter.

The script is credited to Larry Cohen, who has always added a satirical, or political edge to even the goofiest of films. He made Q, a film about a giant pterodactyl attacking New York, and turned it into a movie about capitalizing off of tragedies. And say what you will about The Stuff, a film about alien ice cream turning mankind into zombies, but it's a pretty funny send up of eighties commercialism.

I guess my point is, when you look at the talent behind the scenes, this isn't a movie that started out as a shlockfest. You don't assemble people like this in the hopes that the advertisements will be sensationalistic. Something has gone wrong with the project. That seems fairly clear (lest we mention that the first trailer for the movie is out only two weeks before it's set to open). I imagine it boils down the old Hollywood standby, "Creative Differences". Who knows how much of Joffe's original film is still included?

I guess the horrible thing about this whole campaign, is that I'm actually curious about seeing Captivity. Does that mean it worked? Well, maybe for me, but I have a funny feeling blood thirsty teenagers who want to see lots of boundaries being tossed aside are going to want their money back.