Review of Splice

Imagine your most dysfunctional family. Got it? Now go see Splice, the new horror/sci-fi flick from director Vincenzo Natali. This mother, father, and daughter will send you to bed with shivers and nightmares.

When I heard about this film back when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, I knew I had to see it. And wow wee, it's good! If you like your sci fi and horror to go over the top and then some, you will like this.

I had heard from some other reviews that there are "eewww" scenes of gross-out horror (yes, there are), as well as "whoa hey now" scenes of highly inappropriate sex (yes, there are). So be prepared. This is NOT, I repeat NOT, a film for children. So get a baby-sitter, people.

The opening night audience that I saw Splice with, at the Loews in Edison NJ, was very appreciative, hooting and yowling at all the right spots as Natali pushed our buttons good.

Usually in films of this sort, the actors are beside the point. But not here. Sarah Polley and Adrien Brody as the husband-and-wife scientists who "birth" a cute little chimera named Dren, deliver terrific performances that veer from Dr. Frankensteinish glee to Biblically resonant insanity.

The film I was most reminded of while watching Splice was David Cronenberg's masterpiece of horror/sci fi The Fly. And it seems that Natali was nodding to The Master in several scenes.

So, I'm giving it a B+ because I kept thinking, "Gee. This is really good, but . . . What if David Cronenberg had made this?"

Posted by Terrence Seamon, June 5, 2010

Who Needs It?

I guess I'm getting cranky as I get old. But the other day, when I read that there are two remakes of The Three Musketeers in the works, I found myself barking, "Who needs this?" I feel the same way about the new Robin Hood film. Who needs another Robin Hood movie?

Maybe the risk-averse bean counters need endless remakes of tried-and-true formulas. But not me. Give me originality any day. For example, Splice. I can't wait to see it.

At the risk of muddying my own waters, I'm not against classics like the Musketeers or Robin Hood. What I want, however, is an original spin.

For example, put the Three Musketeers into a contemporary urban setting. The makers of the HBO series The Wire did an interesting update on Robin Hood with the character of Omar Little (played so memorably by Michael K. Williams).

Come on, Hollywood. let's get creative and take some chances.