Digging Up The Marrow 2014

Digging Up The Marrow 2014

Digging Up The Marrow 2014…

Digging Up The Marrow DVD Cover 2014A filmmaker (Adam Green) sets out on a bone-chilling odyssey after meeting a man (Ray Wise) who says that he can produce hard evidence that monsters are real.  -Google

This film was a such a surprise.  I knew nothing about it going into it.  It’s starts off and I think I’m watching a real horror documentary.  It’s got interviews with horror fans and celebrities in the business.  So, I think I’m watching a real documentary for a bit.  I almost stopped watching it because I didn’t want to watch a documentary. I wanted to watch a horror movie.  Then it becomes obvious what’s going on as it quickly turns into a fun monster movie.

As Adam Green plays himself (Hatchet/Frozen) in this wonderful fake doc about chasing down a fan played by Ray Wise that has written him claiming to have proof that monsters are real.  Ray Wise’s character William Dekker  played with a syrupy goodness and grit that is almost campy but stops just short of it.  A fun performance to watch.  Adam Green and Ray Wise have the most screen time and Adam Green has this childlike almost giddy presence wanting so sincerely to really chase down these monsters and wanting to believe so badly that Ray Wise’s character isn’t truly crazy.

ray-wise-digging-up-the-marrow-2014

Dekker shows an artist rendering of one the monsters he’s seen come out of the depths of The Marrow.

Dekker, Adam Green and his trusty camera man/cinematographer stakeout the The Marrow.  The place the monster come from.  I will be honest, I didn’t find the movie to be scary or terribly suspenseful.  It was frustrating at times because I wanted it turn into a Goonies kind of adventure after Adam Green is shown the gateway to the monsters lair. I wanted to see an expedition into The Marrow.  Instead they just continue to stakeout the lair.  But, I’m hoping there’s a sequel and we can investigate further.

What the movie does well though is everything else.  It’s fun, it’s interesting and doesn’t take itself too seriously.  It’s got some great cameo’s Tom Holland being one of them.  So great to see him. Its got self deprecating humor, interesting monsters, the talented, beautiful and sexy Rileah Vanderbilt who is not in this movie nearly enough and happens to be Adam Green’s wife in the movie as well as in real life.

I could have watched this movie all day.  It never got boring.  There wasn’t a moment that wasn’t interesting or fun.  I’d give this movie 4 out of 5 stars.  Even though it’s more fantasy than horror any real horror fan is going to absolutely enjoy this movie.  And, as for the monsters.  Are they real? Do they find them? You’re just going to have to watch it to find out.  Check it out on Amazon Prime or buy the DVD below.

Cast of Characters:
Adam Green as himself
Ray Wise as William Dekker
Will Barratt as himself
Alex Pardee as himself
Rileah Vanderbilt as herself

Seriously, buy it.  I’m so broke I don’t think even all the kings men could put me back together.  Not to mention all the people who made this movie would really appreciate it as well.  It will also make you feel better, it will make the filmmakers feel better and it will make me feel better. It’s a win/win/win situation and really, how many times do you ever really come across that.

Rosewood Lane 2011

Rosewood Lane 2011

Rosewood Lane 2011…

Rosewood Lane 2011Rosewood Lane “When radio talk show psychiatrist, Dr. Sonny Blake, moves back to her hometown, she takes notice of her neighborhood paper boy’s unusual behavior” – Unknown

Well, that doesn’t tell us much.  Sadly, neither does this movie.  There’s several well known actors in this movie including the leading lady, Rose McGowan who plays the radio Dr. and Ray Wise who plays the Detective investigating the complaints that are made by McGowan’s character Dr. Blake about the neighborhood’s strange paper boy.

This movie keeps things vague.  Is this paper boy something supernatural?  Is he just crazy?  And, what’s with the dogs always chasing him out of the neighbor hood.  You see all things could make for an interesting movie if they eventually pay off but they don’t.  There comes a point in the film where you feel like you should have an idea what’s going by now with this kid.  And, by kid I mean older teenager.  The fact that you don’t know what’s going on by that late in the film it stops being interesting and becomes frustrating instead.

Rosewood Lane is filled with all the things I like in a movie.  Good acting, it’s well made but the story is just week.  It’s never made clear what in the hell is going on.  Instead, we just spend the whole time being frustrated that there’s nothing anything can seem to do about this kid.  The neighborhood fears him and think his some kinda unnatural being. So many unanswered questions. Top that off with the characters doing some really stupid things and you want to just stop watching it but you’ve already put so much time into it that you figure you might as well just ride it out and hope for some clarity at the end.  Then it ends and now you’re mad you didn’t stop watching it 30 minutes ago.

One of those unanswered questions is WTF is going on with the dogs?  Several times in the movie the paper boy is chased out of the neighborhood by neighborhood dogs. Somehow these dogs are suddenly all able to get out of their houses and backyards to chase this kid off.  But, then we later find that the paper boy killed Dr. Blake’s father’s dog in some horrible fashion as a warning to him.  So that had me scratching my head wondering why do he let the dogs run him off if he’s not really afraid of them as we are led to believe?

Even The Actors Need A Drink To Make It Through This Movie Rosewood Lane 2011

Even The Actors Need A Drink To Make It Through This Movie

The movie just isn’t put together well. There’s plots that go nowhere.  Characters making really stupid decisions. It gets frustrating.  All the great actors, a good director (Victor Salva who directed Jeepers Creepers) and they just couldn’t make this film work because it doesn’t matter how good everyone is if the writing is bad, good actors aren’t going to make it better.  I think everyone making the film new there were holes in it but hoped it would somehow add some mystery to the whole thing.  It didn’t.  It simply is a bad horror movie.

Cast Of Characters:
Rose McGowan as Sonny Blake
Daniel Ross Owens as Derek Barber/Paperboy
Lauren Vélez as Paula Crenshaw
Sonny Marinelli as Barrett Tanner
Lesley-Anne Down as Dr. Cloey Talbot
Ray Wise as Det. Briggs
Tom Tarantini as Det. Sabatino
Steve Tom as Glenn Forrester
Lin Shaye as Mrs. Hawthorne
Bill Fagerbakke as Hank Hawthorne
Rance Howard as Fred Crumb
Judson Mills as Darren Summers