There's been a recent surge in a peculiar little niche of the horror genre, a subset you might call "torture horror." Movies like Captivity, Hostel and even the popular Saw series have made torture the new fad in fright films. When distilled to their very essence, what movies like these are trying to do is convince you you're watching a snuff film. All of them are trying to equal the granddaddy of all pretend snuff films, Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, but none of them has. There's one key difference between that original classic and the current new batch of unpleasant, endurance-test movies. The modern pictures are trying to entertain you; The Last House on the Left, on the other hand, seems to adopt the position that nobody could be entertained by this. It's job is not to amuse, but to upset. Instead of giving the audience what it wants, it points finger at the audience as they squirm more and more uncomfortably in their seats, and it fairly shouts at you: "You came here to be delighted by people being raped and tortured and brutalized and murdered? What in the fuck is wrong with you?" And that's ...

[rating: 3.5] Moviegoers in search of political satire have had a rough time these past few years, as Hollywood has backed away from the genre due to America's contentiously divided electorate. Sure, the electorate has always been divided, but rarely with as much venom and animosity as we have seen in the 2000 era. It's not so much about policy or government anymore as it is about culture. Pickup trucks vs. Hybrids, Beer vs. Lattes -- we see these divisions everywhere in America, and once you make politics personal, some are easily offended. Enter Bud Johnson, the pickup-driving, beer-swilling underachiever who doesn't much care about anything. Hollywood has put it's faith in him, thinking that perhaps his story can ease some of America's political pain. Bud is played by Kevin Costner, who hasn't been as funny and charming as he is in Swing Vote for decades. Only his performance in Field of Dreams compares in terms of downright likability -- and we do like him. Costner's Bud doesn't care about his job, his friends, or even his (broken) family, all that's left of which is his adorable little daughter Molly (Madeline Carroll), but we somehow manage to care ...

[rating: 3.5] Once upon a time, Lucasfilm put out two trilogies of great movies. Everyone loved them and longed for more, but it seemed each series was destined not to go beyond three entries. Then, many years later, some sequels to one of those trilogies finally arrived. Everyone got their panties all in a bind, their bowels aroar with excitement. Then those sequels turned out to be indisputably horrible and everyone everywhere was disillusioned, most of all me. A few years later, along came a sequel to that other trilogy of great movies, a sequel called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. And saints be praised, it didn’t bite the big one like the new entries in that other series did. No, it turns out that the new Indiana Jones movie is pretty okay. It’s by no means great, but it’s pretty okay. If you go to the theater wanting to see an above average action-adventure movie, you’ll come away satisfied. If you go to the theater wanting to see a movie that’s as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, you will probably be ...

Any time you go to a movie that’s based on a novel, you’re bound to hear some fat guy who wants to look smart proclaiming that “the book was better.” Usually he’s right, of course. But since everyone already knows that the book is almost always better, the only reason this guy loudly says that as he’s leaving the theater is so everyone who overhears can realize what a genius he is because he knows how to read. It’s an annoying habit, and I promise I’ll stop doing it just as soon as I stop wanting to look like an awesome genius. So yes, when a movie is adapted from a pre-existing novel, the novel is almost always the superior telling of the story. That’s not to say, however, that there haven’t been many great films based on great books. But one of the motion picture industry’s unique powers is to take a really fantastic book and turn it into a movie that profoundly sucks. Let’s look at a few of those. GREAT BOOK: The War of the Worlds (1898) SHITTY MOVIE: War of the Worlds (2005) Directed by Steven Spielberg, who was apparently desperate to remind people that not every movie he makes ...

[rating: 3.5] I’ll be the first to admit I was skeptical about Horton Hears a Who. Theatrical adaptations of Dr. Seuss don’t exactly have the best track record, after all; How the Grinch Stole Christmas was lousy and The Cat in the Hat was an outright abomination before the Lord. Fortunately for moviegoers everywhere, I’m pleased to report that Horton is better than these by leaps and bounds. The biggest reason Horton Hears a Who is a charming and enjoyable picture while the other Dr. Seuss movies suck out loud is that this one stays closest to the source material. Sure, Dr. Seuss worked in the genre of rhyming picture books for kiddies, but he was a genius nonetheless. The Grinch gave us pointless glimpses into the Grinch’s tortured past, The Cat in the Hat gave us disturbing images and Mike Meyers being totally horrifying in every way he could. But in this movie they don’t mess around making up all kinds of nonsense and bullcrappery. Thus, the story is lengthened without being padded, if you can dig that. It fills up the 90 minute running time without seeming stretched thin, but it also isn’t a stupid bunch of garbage. In fact, this ...

According to a new poll, reading is at a major low-mark in modern America. Yes, even lower than it has traditionally been for the last fifty years. As a movie/entertainment-based website, which regularly promotes other media, I feel like we at Melted Reel should address this sad state of affairs. So, without further ado, here is my commentary, in true Hollywood fashion. Which means, with as little effort put in by me, and as little work required by you: a list! Ten Great Movies Based On Books: (In no particular order) 1.) Gone With the Wind This is a film which details the most significant landmark event in American history, the Civil War, and it is equally bold for the point of view we see it through—a privileged young Southern girl, trying desperately to stay atop a wave of unearned success, even as the world crumbles beneath her. We see it all in this film: both the proud and beautiful--but exploitative--Southern culture, as well as its naive innocence on an individual level. We see both the mission of the North to correct social ills, as well as the personal fear and weary, brutal battles which ensue. And showing all of this through the eyes of ...