Abbreviated Entry...
So most of June has been pretty brutal for me schedule-wise. Big Time Life Events™ of close family members (weddings/funerals/reunions) have conspired to make the movie-every-day thing rather difficult. I've still managed to watch one every day, but the end result of everything life has thrown my way is that I'm as exhausted as I've ever been. So to keep my sanity (and this blog going), I'm going to do things a bit differently for a little while - I watched the movies, but rather than the standard entry, I'll just do a little synopsis, a little imdb research, quote some of the reviews (can you do that?) and bounce off of them. Followed up by my general impressions.
Okay, thanks!
The House at the End of Time
Things start off with a distinct "end of the movie vibe," and it *kind of* is. A woman wakes up on the floor at her house, bloodied - with her husband lying dead next to her in a pool of blood. She calls out to her son, who is hiding in a doorway... the son is there for a moment, but is whisked away by some unseen (presumably supernatural) force and disappears. She has no memory of what has happened, but since she is the only survivor the cops throw her in jail.
Flash forward 30 years - the woman is let out of jail and sent back to live out the remainder of her days under house arrest. Apparently they do that in Venezuela? Once you are no longer a threat to society, they'll let you go home to die. So that's nice. But there are still strange things happening in the house... and we spend the rest of the film cutting back and forth between the past and present to get a full picture of what kind of crazy history this house has.
"La Casa Del Fin De Los Tiempos" is a surprisingly well made thriller which have great performances, especially by Ruddy RodrÃguez who really takes you into this story. Good screenplays, good editing and an excellent location also come with it.
There is a plenty of scenes that make you jump with a good storyline that catch your attention, really great sound editing and an excellent atmosphere bring this thriller alive. The progress of the movie goes in a good motion, not too fast not too slow and when it probably could be a little predictable still is a great experience to watch.
If you're a thriller fan, this movie will be enough for you.
-Thanks "Luis Roa" via imdb
The House at the End of Time really is a well made film. It's got scenes that are loaded with tension (the door shaking sticks out in my mind as being particularly well done), and the scenes of danger always feel earned (in a less capable film, having children in these situations would probably feel exploitative). The whole film has a really slick look to it and has very assured, fluid camera work. It's well-paced and delivers what turns out to be a pretty complex story in a very clear manner... even if you don't always buy what it's selling, at least you know what it's selling.
It is a great watch because it is a well directed, realistically performed entertaining sci-fi short story with no plot holes or loose ends. If you feel there is one, watch it again.
-Thanks "ten-often" via imdb
Despite using the typical trappings of a haunted house flick, The House at the End of Time isn't really a horror movie. But the moments of dread (especially in the first part of the film where it almost has a home-invasion feel to it) are extremely well done and wouldn't feel out of place in a straightforward horror movie. The setup is decidedly horror, but the payoff goes in another direction.
For all intents and purposes 'The House at the End of Time' looks to be a typical haunted house film - but it is much, MUCH more than that. IMDb has this tagged as a Drama Horror Mystery Thriller; if I had to use four words to describe 'The House at the End of Time' I would say: this movie has heart.
-Thanks "dsntxst" via imdb
The movie does have some dramatic heft to it, and while it does feel a bit corny at times it pretty much works. There were only a couple of distractions - there are some *big* coincidences in the final act that honestly take away from the story... they just feel a little shoehorned in and are really just unnecessary. And while the film has good acting across the board (even from the kids!), the old age makeup is pretty shaky. You get used to it after a while, but at first it sort of takes you out of the world the film is trying to build.
While there is a little bit of blood here and there, I don't recall anything too gory - and honestly, that's not what the film is going for. The House at the End of Time is really pushing more for Drama and Sci-Fi stuff, and just using Horror as an avenue to get there. It's a rather serious film (I'm not sure if there is even *any* humor in the thing at all), but still an enjoyable one.
I would recommend this film.
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