1408   ;       A  Narada Film Review

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1408 - (2007)     Mikael Hafstrom - Director  and  Lorenzo Di Bonaventura - Producer
         
   2.0   out of   5.0
   -  Watch it on a Panthip DVD if you must ...
      Normally when a good Producer gets a good Director and cast together, you can expect that you will be able to duck into a theater and get in out of the Bangkok monsoon rains for an hour and a half and enjoy yourself.   Normally, but we're talking "1408" here.....
         Both during, and after the screening of 1408, I kept asking myself if anyone at all would find it believable?   Who, other than the mentally disturbed, would be able to entertain the idea that there exists in this Universe a "fu*king evil hotel room" (according to Samuel L Jackson), and that the hotel management knows about this, because 56 people have died in that room, and they have done nothing about it, like say, board up the door and remove the room number (for starters)?   And the local authorities aren't the least bit suspicious over the 56 deaths that have occurred, not only in the same hotel, but in the same hotel room?   Ho-boy, ladies and gentlemen, we have a loser on our hands here.
         To give just one of the dozens of high cringe-factor scenes we poor viewers suffered through, at one point renown author Mike Enslin (John Cusack), who is the one trapped by his hotel room, looks at his key, which reads, "1408".   He considers this for a second, and adds the 1 and the 4 and the 8 and comes up with 13.   He experiences an epiphany, looks knowingly and significantly into the middle distance, and says, "Very clever," to no one in particular.   How does, "Embarrassingly contrived," sound?   How does, "Fluffing the script," sound?
         It's quite obvious that someone in Hollywood thinks that Alexandra Silber (the young woman at the book signing) is some sort of a minor 'hot property'.   We agree - we can be certain we will be seeing her again soon.   Perhaps the one bright spot in the entire film.
       Enduring Line or Phrase:  "...ghosts...they're awfully convenient for desperate hotels..."


Copyright © 2007,    Bangkok Eyes / bangkokeyes.com
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