Tamara
3/4
Starring: Jenna Dewan, Katie Stuart, Bryan Clark, Gil Hacohen, Melissa Elias, Chad Faust, Matthew Marsden, Claudette Mink, Marc Devigne, Chris Sigurdson
Rated R for Sequences of Strong Bloody Violence, Language, Sexuality and Teen Drinking
I did not expect to like this movie. I thought it would be a Grade-Z horror movie that I would regret watching and spew bile on the review as best I could. To my surprise, I quickly got caught up in the story and its characters. True, the limitations of the cast and crew are repeatedly on display, but the film is earnest and the actors play their parts with conviction. Not many movies can make that claim, especially in the horror genre.
Tamara (Dewan) is as shy as they come. It's not hard to understand why; her dad is a drunk and nearly everyone at school abuses her. When she writes an article about steroid use by some of the high school sports stars, she only inflames her enemies. Two cro-magnons, Shawn (Clark) and Patrick (Hacohen) vow revenge. They, plus Shawn's girlfriend Kisha (Elias) plan to use Tamara's crush on her English teacher, Mr. Natolly (Marsden) to lure her to a hotel and humiliate her. Along for the ride are Chloe (Stuart), Jesse (Faust) and Roger (Devigne), who have no idea what's in store for poor Tamara. Things get out of hand, and Tamara ends up dead. They vow secrecy until Monday morning when Tamara turns up in class...
Normally, horror movies where the protagonists are jerks don't work because we can't care about whether or not they live or die (put "Valentine" in this category). At first glance, that seems to be where "Tamara" goes wrong. But Jeffrey Reddick and director Jeremy Haft are too smart for that. Chloe, Jesse and Roger are saps; they have no idea about Shawn and Jesse's plan, and when they realize what is happening, they are horrified.
None of the performances are Oscar worthy, but they are effective. Jenna Dewan (who would later go on to marry Channing Tatum) is quite good as Tamara. From mousy geek to red hot babe, Dewan understands Tamara and never misses a beat. It must be said that she looks a lot like Megan Fox in this role. Also good are Katie Stuart (who plays the regretful and understanding Chloe) and Matthew Marsden (who plays the likable teacher). They're both good, and much of the film's interest comes from the fact that they're so invested in their characters.
I liked how the characters took the time to discuss and analyze their position and how they got there. I like the ambiguity I felt about Tamara's revenge. And I especially liked how Reddick and Haft find unique ways of getting out of the holes that the plot puts them into.
Starring: Jenna Dewan, Katie Stuart, Bryan Clark, Gil Hacohen, Melissa Elias, Chad Faust, Matthew Marsden, Claudette Mink, Marc Devigne, Chris Sigurdson
Rated R for Sequences of Strong Bloody Violence, Language, Sexuality and Teen Drinking
I did not expect to like this movie. I thought it would be a Grade-Z horror movie that I would regret watching and spew bile on the review as best I could. To my surprise, I quickly got caught up in the story and its characters. True, the limitations of the cast and crew are repeatedly on display, but the film is earnest and the actors play their parts with conviction. Not many movies can make that claim, especially in the horror genre.
Tamara (Dewan) is as shy as they come. It's not hard to understand why; her dad is a drunk and nearly everyone at school abuses her. When she writes an article about steroid use by some of the high school sports stars, she only inflames her enemies. Two cro-magnons, Shawn (Clark) and Patrick (Hacohen) vow revenge. They, plus Shawn's girlfriend Kisha (Elias) plan to use Tamara's crush on her English teacher, Mr. Natolly (Marsden) to lure her to a hotel and humiliate her. Along for the ride are Chloe (Stuart), Jesse (Faust) and Roger (Devigne), who have no idea what's in store for poor Tamara. Things get out of hand, and Tamara ends up dead. They vow secrecy until Monday morning when Tamara turns up in class...
Normally, horror movies where the protagonists are jerks don't work because we can't care about whether or not they live or die (put "Valentine" in this category). At first glance, that seems to be where "Tamara" goes wrong. But Jeffrey Reddick and director Jeremy Haft are too smart for that. Chloe, Jesse and Roger are saps; they have no idea about Shawn and Jesse's plan, and when they realize what is happening, they are horrified.
None of the performances are Oscar worthy, but they are effective. Jenna Dewan (who would later go on to marry Channing Tatum) is quite good as Tamara. From mousy geek to red hot babe, Dewan understands Tamara and never misses a beat. It must be said that she looks a lot like Megan Fox in this role. Also good are Katie Stuart (who plays the regretful and understanding Chloe) and Matthew Marsden (who plays the likable teacher). They're both good, and much of the film's interest comes from the fact that they're so invested in their characters.
I liked how the characters took the time to discuss and analyze their position and how they got there. I like the ambiguity I felt about Tamara's revenge. And I especially liked how Reddick and Haft find unique ways of getting out of the holes that the plot puts them into.
Comments
Post a Comment