What's on Redbox?--The Innkeepers--Goon

Before the movie began there was a note, a screen that read “For optimal sound reproduction the producers of this DVD recommend that you play it loud”.  No movie ever told me that before, which is only the beginning of why “The Innkeepers” is a horror film like so few are now, it takes chances at pushing tension and the build-up of possible but not guaranteed terror, over actual jump scares and gore.  Director Ti West (House of the Devil) embraces films of the 70’s where it seems like not much is going on, and the girl who’s looking for things that are going ‘bump’ is taking that ever so slow walk down that creepy hallway that seems to go on forever.  The story centers on two twenty-somethings Sara Paxton as Claire and Pat Healy as Luke who are working the day and night shifts on the last weekend before The Yankee Pedlar Inn closes its doors. The whole movie feels very unconventional, with its tone, its awkward dialogue, and the reliance on the score to keep you unnerved.  Overall it worked for me, though it may not be for everyone as I said, there is not much in the way of originality here, but it does what it was intended to do.  So on a late night, turn your lights way down and your sound way up and check out “The Innkeepers”.

If you wanna see the best and funniest rip-off of Rocky ever, you could do worse than see “Goon” a very loose take on a true story of a bouncer turned minor league hockey player.  Sean William Scott plays Doug Glatt a not too bright tough guy who stumbles into a sport where his only job is to beat people up.  He takes to it much to the disappointment of his parents.  It’s a very entertaining movie, the team scenes are funny, the relationship scenes with Scott and Alison Pill (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World) are very cute, and some of the fighting is pretty brutal.  There is a great scene where Doug confronts his family about his career choice that got me a little choked up, and the buildup to the big fight between him and aging goon Ross Rhea played brilliantly by Liev Schreiber (Scream) is much like the journey of Apollo and Rocky to the ring.  There is even a “Heat” like encounter between the pair of goons in a dinner, good stuff.  The film shows some pretty good acting chops by Sean William Scott who looks to be trying to shake the Stifler persona.  If he takes more roles like “Goon” he will be well on his way.   

Robert L. Castillo