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Shelf Beauties |
Disturbia In this not really a remake,
but it’s a great deal like a remake, of Alfred
Hitchcock’s classic Rear Window
(it is not technically based on the original until someone’s
lawyer gets
involved and sues the pants off of everyone associated with the film),
Shia
LaBeouf stars as Kale – a young teen whose life fell apart
after a horrible
tragedy. A year
later, he’s mad at the
world, and gets into a fight that leads to a 3-month house arrest
during summer
vacation. While
stuck inside, he gets
bored watching Cheaters all day (is it possible to have too much Joey Greco in your life?), so Kale starts to
entertain himself by keeping tabs on the neighbors, especially the
beautiful
new girl next door, Ashley (Sarah Roemer).
However, when not checking out the hottie in a
bikini, Kale becomes
obsessed with monitoring the activities of another neighbor, Mr. Turner
(David
Morse) – a man acting suspiciously like a killer the police
are trying to find.
Has Kale found the killer,
or has his imagination run away from him while cooped up in the house
all day
and night?
Some might think tackling
the subject of an Alfred Hitchcock movie would be blasphemous, but
director DJ
Caruso, writers Christopher Landon and Carl Ellsworth, as well as the
cast make
Disturbia good enough to stand on its own, especially among the
extremely large
number of young people who only know the name Rear Window because their
mother
or grandmother mentioned it once.
While he takes too long to
get to the main plot of uncovering a possible murderer, Caruso makes
Disturbia
into a thrilling, tense and even fun film.
He takes full advantage of all modern technology including digital video
cameras, computers, and cell phones to show the ways the kids spy on
their
potentially frightening neighbor, even relying on good old fashioned binoculars for
most of
the movie. These
different visual looks
and images keep our eyes interested, make the audience feel like it is
part of
the investigation and give Caruso a chance to shock us with what comes
next. Plus, he gets
the most out of the cast, even
from some vets who probably don’t need the help. Morse very good as the
menacing neighbor who makes us think he is guilty, yet, knows how to
turn on
the charm when every lead runs cold and every clue turns out to be a
red
herring. He’s
creepy and imposing, yet,
charming when the story requires him to show us Mr. Turner might not be
a
killer. Then, throw
in a strong young
actor like LaBouef in the lead, who can be equally geeky, insecure,
tough, and
likable with a realistic demeanor and rage against the world, as well
as Aaron
Yoo as the comic relief best buddy who comes off as lovably goofy
instead of
silly and out of place, and you get a solid cast that keeps you
involved.
Disturbia could use a bit
more mystery and less love story, but a thrilling climax and good
action make
Disturbia a solid movie choice. Disturbia is rated PG-13 for sequences of terror and violence, and some sensuality.
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