Kiss the Girls

I have seen Kiss the Girls several times since it first came out to rent.  I had it on VHS and I now have it on DVD.  I have also read the book by James Patterson that the movie is based on.  I really enjoy the movie and think it is worth watching.

Police detective and psychologist Alex Cross travels to Durham, North Carolina after he niece goes missing.  It turns out that several young women have vanished in the area and the local cops are basically clueless.  Soon after Alex arrives, Kate, a young doctor, is taken from her home by a man who calls himself Casanova.  Kate is able to escape and she ends up working with Alex to find the other women and stop Casanova. 

I did read the book before seeing the movie originally.  It has been a long time since I last read the book, but from what I remember, the movie stays fairly close to the book.  The book is actually the second to feature the character of Alex.  The first book, Along Came a Spider, has also been turned into a movie, but it was done after this one.  I have lost track of how many Alex Cross books there are.  I gave up reading them several years ago.

I do think that Kiss the Girls has a decent mystery.  There is some suspense to several scenes.  The subject, dealing with women being abducted and held against their will, is a bit upsetting.  The book goes into way more details about what is done to the women.  Some of the things are just hinted at in the movie.  Violence does turn up in some scenes, like when Kate is attacked and taken.  Some of what happens may be disturbing to some viewers. 

The characters in Kiss the Girls are interesting, though several of them aren’t that developed.  Alex is likable and Morgan Freeman does well with the part, though I did picture Alex younger when I read the book.  Kate is a very strong, determined woman and I did think that Ashley Judd did well with the part.  If I remember right, this was one of her first big parts.  Casanova is just seen in shadows and wearing a mask for much of the movie.  He is heard speaking, and he has a creepy voice.

The DVD that I have of Kiss the Girls doesn’t have any extras.  I don’t know if there is another version with extras.  I also don’t know if the movie has been released on Blu-ray.

Kiss the Girls has a few issues, but it works well overall as a decent suspense thriller.  Fans of Morgan Freeman should check it out.

I did get a review posted on Epinions.

Kiss the Girls

Shutter Island

I went to see Shutter Island recently.  I was intrigued by the trailers I saw, though I wasn't completely sure I wanted to see the movie.  I'm glad I ultimately decided to see it.  I do think it is a very good movie and it may end up being one of the best movies released in 2010.

The movie is based on the book by Dennis Lehane.  I haven't read the book, though I am thinking about it now.  I don't know first hand how close the movie stays to the book, but I have heard that it is very close.  I know of at least one person that thinks the movie is too much like the book.  Even without having read the book, I still thought a few things were a bit predictable and I did figure out something very early.  Despite that, I still really enjoyed the movie.  I may even pick up the DVD once it is released.

Shutter Island has a very creepy atmosphere and vibe.  That comes across in the previews I've seen and I even thought that the movie might be more of a scary movie from the previews.  There is suspense to what is going on, but I don't think the movie is scary.  The pace is a bit slower, but that allows for enough time to properly introduce the characters and situations while also slowing building the tension.  There is some mystery to what is going that helps to make the movie more interesting and entertaining.  I think the cast does a wonderful job with the parts, especially Leonardo DiCaprio.

I do think a few things could have been handled a little better, but Shutter Island is very well done and a wonderful movie that is worth seeing.

I did post a longer review of Shutter Island on Epinions.  I would have rated the movie 4.5 stars there if I had the option.  Since I didn't, I decided to round to 5.