Grave Obsession

source: Grave Obsession

Moviecut—Grave Obsession

I don't get why Amazon keeps recommending these cruddy movies. IMDB you need to get with Amazon and tell them to put in a scoring system or something that works. So ridiculous. This one is just so bad it hurts. 2/10.

This is truly awful, the epitome of the wet afternoon film fare and it's dreadfully clichéd and trashy, as I stated don't bother, I wish I hadn't!

Wait, wha? I feel like I just watched two different lifetime movies, an episode of Goosebumps AND an episode of Supernatural all rolled into an hour and twenty minutes! I'm so lenient on these type of films but ...whaaaaa? It was so generic! I feel so bad. Shannon is beautiful and intriguing to watch but her acting was kind of dry and flat. The way the films starts out has you thinking you're in for a sexy thriller type situation but then halfway through it just COMPLETELY changes course! And it's not good. It's very cheesy. At one point I felt like I was a kid again watching an episode of Goosebumps after school! It was just so inconsistent. I can't even suggest this one for a rainy, lazy day.

Alex Wilson (Shannon Elizabeth) is a Seattle book editor. She's worried about her son Danny being stalked by his father Julian from whom she has a restraining order against. Co-worker Denise Fisher likes new guy Michael McBride but he seems to like Alex more. A mysterious figure injures her boyfriend Chris and she immediately suspects Julian. The police clears Julian. Michael starts stalking Alex and falls off a cliff after struggling with her. She keeps getting harassed and then it turns supernatural. This is never going to be a great movie. The woman stalking movie isn't much but at least it makes sense. I am willing to follow the twists and turns. The movie is alright for the first half. Then out of nowhere, the movie turns into Poltergeist. It's a bad turn and the movie crashes. Shannon Elizabeth is a solid actress. Nobody else really shines in this. The first half is a solid 6. The second half could be a 5 but the turn in-between is a big fat zero.

I feel sorry for TV movies- honestly I do. It's as if they were made for one reason only- that they were not good enough to bring out on the silver screen i.e. movie cinemas in wide releases, and most seem to be targeted towards a single demographic audience- mature women. Many new TV movies (and I've unfortunately seen more than my fair share) have a woman as the lead in some sort of sad, pity-me tragic sort of role which requires them to take a huge challenge/mystery upon themselves and try to solve it and save themselves and everyone else that matters to them. The writers seem to give them the qualities of Xena, a model like look, and the skills of Nancy Drew which means that the police "detectives" in the movie are either too stupid or don't really have a clue as to how to do real police work. I have yet to see a really good female led TV move (and I really want to see one as I'm not a sexist pig!) but as far as this movie breaking new ground it actually takes a big leap backwards. Shannon Elizabeth looks good. And that's the only positive thing I can say about her. The plot, which started out interestingly enough, descended into the depths of garbage after fifteen minutes had elapsed. If the director or the screenwriters were attempting a shock twist in the who is it part they must have missed that lecture in their film school classes because it's a dead giveaway after the first few minutes of the movie. If anyone is surprised when the "revelation" is revealed...I would recommend that you buy some Where's Wally books and study them hard. I digress- back to Shannon. Her character commits every cliché that B horror/thriller/suspense movie leads are supposed to do. Her acting's never been her strong point but it wasn't as painfully evident until now. She pouts and screams and whimpers- none of it sincere nor believable. The rest of the cast ham their lines in either a bored fashion or one that suggests that they're only doing it for the paycheck. The plot became so ludicrous that I actually stopped watching so I don't even know how it ends but given that it's a TV movie rest assured that all's well that must end well. For my sanity it's best that I am blissfully ignorant as I can't imagine wanting to know what really transpires. So, if you're a HUGE die hard Shannon Elizabeth fan (send me your address and I'll send you a get well soon card) ignore this rant and enjoy yourselves before they turn out the lights in your padded cells. The rest of you can move onto something that's more interesting...like watching paint dry.

I have rarely seen a movie deteriorate as quickly as this one did. After 45 minutes it is determined that the most obvious person causing the mayhem is not to blame. Instead, the focus turns on a co-worker who seems to have become obsessed with the heroine of the film. The picture falls apart as it becomes the macabre. With all sorts of mayhem occurring, a seer is called in as we saw with the late Zelda Rubinstein in "Poltergeist." This is just too much to take. Our female lead soon discovering that this co-worker had a very similar life to hers and that she looked just like her. The ending scene at the end of the mountain is eerie at best and certainly not pleasing. The use of mysterious devices doesn't work here.

You belong to Me is a stalking thriller with a supernatural twist. Shannon Elizabeth is Alex Wilson who works in a Seattle publishing firm. She fears that she is being stalked by her ex, Julian who is also the father to her son. Although settled with a new boyfriend Chris, Alex thinks Julian is hanging about in the background despite a restraining order. At work she deals with a project with a new colleague Michael who also takes an interest in her. Things come to a head as Chris gets seriously injured in a mysterious incident and Michael reveals that he is seriously unhinged and falls off a cliff. This does not stop Alex having an eerie feeling that she is still being watched. Her son is having mysterious conversations with someone. Is Julian still stalking or Michael whose spirit is stuck in some kind of limbo? This is a badly written tosh full of clichés and bad acting. Elizabeth looks pretty and that is about it. The story could had gone in some interesting directions that would had made it at least average but resisted all temptation to be competent.

"You Belong to Me" was a cleverly crafted film that began as a psychological drama. Then, in the final minutes, it shifted into the area of the paranormal. Somehow, the transition worked due to the good performances, the snappy dialogue, and the eerie atmosphere. One of the strengths of the film was in the credible portrayal of the two literary agents, Alexandra "Alex" Wilson and Michael McBride. Both characters were convincing in their roles as savvy readers and intellects. The quotes from the work of the famous literary couple, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett Browning, were effective, including the film's tag line of "Escape me? Never!" By the midpoint of the film, it was clear that Michael's feelings for Alex were inappropriate. His obsession led to the nearly fatal injuries inflicted on Alex's boyfriend, Chris. But, when Michael toppled off a cliff to his apparent death, what direction would the film take in the home stretch? As it turned out, the film switched gears into the realm of "The Exorcism" with the ghost of Michael returning to seek to bring Alex to "the other side." When the exorcism was performed, it was of a secular nature with the incantation of "In the name of all that is good and pure, I command you to depart!" It only required Michael's special keepsake of the claddagh for him to be cast out permanently from the world of the living. One of the most intriguing characters was the psychic Virginia Turner, who became Alex's intermediary to ward off the evil Michael McBride. Through Virginia's good counsel, Michael's mantra of "Escape me never" was snuffed out for good. While the home stretch of the film may have been routine, the film as a whole was eminently watchable.