Movie Review: Perfect Stranger

Halle Berry continues to prove she's a one-hit wonder with Perfect Stranger, a drab thriller that once again shows the Oscar-winning actress delivering a cardboard performance amidst a poorly scripted and directed story.

Perfect Stranger is about a journalist who goes undercover to investigate a friend's murder. She believes one of the richest men in New York, Harrison Hill (Bruce Willis), is responsible for the woman's death, and starts working for him to get into his life. Sexual tension ensues, but not much else.

Directed by James Foley, the man behind the surprisingly sharp heist flick Confidence, Perfect Stranger appears as though the concept was created by a computer nerd who wanted Halle Berry to star in a Basic Instinct kind of picture. Take out the sex, the intrigue and the plot and you get what you see, a thriller that doesn't really know where it's going and where the most memorable part of the movie is a sequence where Berry has cyber sex.

I'll admit that I started tuning this film out about halfway through, so by the time it gets to its twists (and it does have some, by the way), I really wasn't paying attention. I won't disclose them, partially because I don't want to spoil them for anyone who does decide to risk it, and because I didn't really follow them. Regardless, I will comment on one development that really isn't a twist, and that is the dark nature of Giovanni Ribisi's character. While I wasn't too impressed with the film in general, Perfect Stranger does offer up a few creepy shots and realizations that Ribisi is not the wonderful friend of Berry's that he appears to be.

In reality, the highlight of the film is Ribisi. This guy consistently proves that he is one of the most talented and underrated actors in the business, and I hope that some day he gets his due. He's appeared in great films (and memorable roles) such as Saving Private Ryan and Boiler Room, and it's a shame to see him in pictures like Perfect Stranger. I'd say the same about Berry, who has actually earned an Oscar, but I've come to expect low quality ventures from her. Unlike Ribisi, she just doesn't seem right in this film for whatever reason.

Perfect Stranger has its moments and those who enjoy B-grade thrillers may appreciate aspects of the film, but overall it is a disappointing and under whelming entry for Halle Berry. Oh, and Bruce Willis, too.

Disturbia DVD review

Disturbia, the hit teen thriller from the early spring starring now-household name Shia LaBeouf, is coming to DVD August 7th, and we got our hands on a copy...

As you probably know, Disturbia is a rip-off of Rear Window, with LaBeouf playing a teenager who is sentenced to house arrest. In his fidgeting state, he resorts to voyeurism, and takes particular interest his next door neighbor, the extremely hot Sarah Roemer, who likes to spend her time near the pool. But after the two meet and strike up a (romantic?) friendship, they begin to suspect that another neighbor, played by David Morse, is actually a serial killer.

The movie is pretty entertaining but could have been a lot better; a few too many teen moments and a rather abrupt ending hurt its chances from becoming anything more than standard thriller fare. Of course, you can read my full movie review here, as I will devote the rest of this time to the DVD...

The DVD includes commentary by the director and the two young leads, but I didn't listen to it because I can't bring myself to sit through a whole movie listening to people talk. I instead migrated to the deleted scenes, which are pretty basic and not at all interesting, and the outtakes, which were equally unimpressive. A "Making-Of" featurette is the best part of the DVD, as it has interviews with most of the cast members and provides some insight into the film beyond a promotional level. A photo gallery (does anyone look at the photo galleries on these DVDs? What a waste), a music video and a pop-up quiz are other rather forgettable features.

Overall, in terms of quantity, Disturbia has enough DVD features to suffice, and fans of the film won't be too disappointed. The bonus features are about average in quality, and hey, if there aren't good deleted scenes, then there aren't good deleted scenes.

Disturbia is a good enough film that I'd recommend it, but it could have been so much better. The DVD is decent, but nothing spectacular. If you're a guy, watch it for Roemer, and if not, watch LaBeouf in one of his first starring roles of what is to be a long and illustrious career.