Choose (2011)

I was at a film convention the other day where there were a lot of DVDs for sale; I chose Choose. I didn't choose Choose because I thought it was going to be innovative and fresh (I could tell it was going to be a weak derivative of Saw, and it was); my choice wasn't based on reviews or word of mouth (I hadn't even heard of the film before then). No, Choose was chosen for one reason only: Katherine Winnick was in it. Katherine Winnick, the 'renaissance slut' sister from Satan's Little Helper. That Katherine Winnick.Sadly, Katherine's presence alone is not enough to make this worth watching, director Marcus Graves going through the 'torture porn' motions but failing to deliver what audiences really expect. Not only is there very little worthwhile gore but Winnick's character takes two showers and a bath amidst all the screaming and bloodletting, but is only seen through a heavy plastic shower curtain and submerged shoulders-deep in a tub full of bubbles. Certainly not what most horror fans would opt for given the choice.

It's pretty well made, although on a budget. I did find it pretty creepy in a few places and I liked that it didn't slip too far into 'cliché territory'. The performances were all good and it was nice to see Bruce Dern still working, although he only had a small part to play in this one. OK, so why didn't I dislike it as much as everyone else seems to? Well, first of all it doesn't try to be too clever; I did try to second guess the identity of the killer but was way off because there are very few breadcrumbs to follow. Second, although it takes you to the edge of the cliché, e.g. the idiot friends who get our heroine into trouble routine; but never quite gets there. There has to be the scene where at least one stupid person walks into a darkened room with just a torch and ends up being trapped (it's one of the hard and fast of the horror genre isn't it?). Finally, I liked the way the ending was left open to interpretation and the fact that, at 86 minutes, it wasn't too long! Over all, although not the very best horror I've ever seen it's certainly one that stands out because it doesn't always follow the rules.SteelMonster's verdict: RECOMMENDEDMy score: 6.4/10You can find an expanded version of this review on my blog: Thoughts of a SteelMonster.

Yawn. Acting is poor, characters are one dimensional. Story is rubbish. Lots of cheep thrills and a glut of cliché unimaginative frights. No pointing rambling on about how bad the film is. Juxaposed with Saw, it does resemble the film in terms of it using a similar plot device. Everything in the film is unprovoked. The writing is poor. Everything is poor. If i had to pluck out one positive, heck, one mixed response, it would be that the main actress is nice too look at. I would choose not to watch.Bad film. Very Bad film. If like me, you check the rating before viewing and you have no choice but to watch it, then thank your stars that it only rolls for 83 minutes

I got my hands on this movie earlier and as usual cruised by IBMD to check out the reviews. After seeing the few reviews here I had not many expectations. I must admit I almost just deleted it, but knowing the IBMD rating system I decided to give it a whirl.All in all the movie started out with a wham and the first half really had me quite intrigued with the storyline. The few 'notable' cameos were also a treat. The acting was above par, direction and setting was on point too, and it even had style, For a minute there I though I had hit pay dirt then I found the one place this movie was really lacking is it showed too much of its hand too early in the movie which made it a bit predictable. And being predictable isn't a good idea for a mystery movie which is definitely what this movie tried to be. If they only could've added a few more characters or held some bit of info back this might have been a great movie. Still, its far from horrible. I just wouldn't pay for it. I'd wait for it to come out on cable,torrent, etc.I give this a solid 6. I wish I could give it a 7, but its just not deserving of a 7 so the final tally is: **Great acting, Great Cameos, Great Production, but kinda weak Script**