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Destination: Infestation 2007 ★★
Between Ants on a plane (suitable, since it's clearly a Snakes on a plane-rip-off), Swarm (lame) and Destination: Infestation (lame), this sure has a few different titles floating around.
It's not great, but not as terrible as I expected beforehand.
It ticks off some of the beats in SOAP like the main character getting with the single mom. Bratty/cheeky child included here. A few douchy characters who get their come uppance in the end, the pilot who is two days away from retirement, the scientist quarterbacking from the ground,... Having recently seen a report on the plane ride from hell, I wonder how the David Arquette-lookalike got so bombed during a 3 hour flight to be denied service (an annoying red thread throughout the movie), but these movies are not really about plot consistency.
The cast is pretty much what you expect from this type of movie. Jessalyn Gilsig is solid as the entymologist Dr. Ross, but Antonio Sabato Jr. is miles away from the charisma that Samuel L Jackson has.
Greta 2018 ★★★★
Watching this one reminded of a joke Bill Maher did on Anthony Hopkins: "I'm not afraid of any danger I can avoid by taking the stairs two steps at a time."
I was first intrigued by the trailer, then it kind of went off my radar and resurfaced after having it recommended somewhere recently. I must say, it did not disappoint.
It starts with a good idea about how a random object and a random act of kindness can get you to meet a new person. But then, there is more to this person than you have bargained for. The chills particularly come towards the end when all the foreshadowing pieces fall together. It's all perfectly set in New York, a city where a lot of people are lonely and where the wheels of justice can grind very slowly.
The ending itself is a tad predictable. Once the scene starts, you pretty much immediately catch on as to what the reveal will be and I wonder how the ever alert Greta did not catch on.
That said, I must add that the reveal was done in style. Don't get me wrong, you are caught up in the action and on the edge of your seat, rooting for the characters.
Credit for that certainly goes to the actors. Isabelle Huppert delivers a strong performances as the titular Greta. At first, a sweet, gentle woman looking for company. Huppert does a very good job portraying the madness and sadism underneath. Wonder where she got her inspiration. Cathy Bates in Misery? Real life cases?
When it comes to Chloe Grace Moretz... Not sure what to make of her performance. She has very good moments (she can certainly do frightened and you completely buy Frances and Erika being friends), but I was somehow never completely convinced. I understand from other film fans that her performances are a bit hit or miss. Where do you stand? Maika Monroe on the other hand was amazing as Erika. Her character was set up perfectly fine and she aced it.
Four stars. Check it out.
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