Secret Window
Directed by David Koepp
By Melissa Mohaupt

Secret Window, based on a Stephen King short story, stars Johnny Depp as Mort Rainey, a mystery novelist squirreled away in an isolated cabin with only his thoughts, a blind dog and a stalker at the door. The inevitable comparisons to The Shining and Misery aside, this film hinges most of its credibility on its casting. Lucky then that Depp is such an engaging actor that many would pay to watch him pick his nose, since that's the bulk of his character's motivation. Mort takes many naps in response to his struggles with writer's block and his recent split with his cheating wife Amy (Maria Bello), who has left him for a friend (Timothy Hutton). Life gets worse when an evil yokel named John Shooter (John Turturro) appears, menacingly insisting Mort has plagiarised his story. Shooter forces Mort to show proof that his version was previously published or else bodies will start piling up, naturally. Although two of the best Stephen King film adaptations have come from his novellas, The Shawshank Redemption and Stand By Me (both taken from Different Seasons), Secret Window feels more like a simple idea scribbled on a cocktail napkin than a fleshed-out story arc. Writer/Director David Koepp (Stir of Echoes), who’s better known as a screenwriter (Spiderman, Jurassic Park), tries in vain to recreate Hitchcock-ian creepiness through paranoia-inspired camera angles and a Philip Glass score. But the material itself foils his (and Depp's) attempts, and soon the winks, hints, facial ticks and red herrings are unable to mask the holes. The DVD’s special features do little to generate more interest, which include tacked-on animated storyboards and three dull featurettes. "Secrets Revealed" is especially futile, considering they weren't well kept in the first place. The audio commentary by Koepp relays the same information, cementing the viewer's apathy. Plus: Deleted scenes, trailers. (Columbia TriStar)
Bad Santa - Dir. by Terry Zwigoff
When this film was released during last year’s Christmas season, it didn’t have a snowball’s chance in hell in making any serious waves. Bad Santa is the anti-Christmas film — this mall replica of jolly Saint Nick doesn’t care what your kids want to find under the tree. In fact, he would sooner they just get the hell off his lap so he can have a drink and a cigarette after he sleeps with your mother in the change room. ...Read More
Barbershop 2: Back In Business - Dir. by Kevin Rodney Sullivan
City of God - Dir. by Fernando Meirelles
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Second Season
Dead Like Me: The Complete First Season
Mystic River - Dir. by Clint Eastwood
Nip/Tuck: The Complete First Season
Reality Bites - Dir. by Ben Stiller
Roadkill - Dir. by Bruce McDonald
Saving Private Ryan: D-Day 60th Anniversary Commemorative Edition - Dir. by Steven Spielberg
Six-String Samurai - Dir. by Lance Mungia
Spartan - Dir. by David Mamet
The Company - Dir. by Robert Altman
The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra - Dir. by Larry Blamire
The Manchurian Candidate - Dir. by John Frankenheimer
The Robocop Trilogy - Dir. by Paul Verhoeven, Irvin Kershner and Fred Dekker
The Simpsons: The Complete Fourth Season
Tupac: Resurrection - Dir. by Lauren Lazin
Thin Lizzy - Are You Ready
Shot in 1981 for German TV series Rockpalast, Are You Ready doesn't showcase the late Phil Lynott and company at their peak, but this DVD still rocks. The popular notion about Ireland's Thin Lizzy is that the band declined after the 1978 landmark double album, Live and Dangerous... Full Review
Toro y Moi - Causers of This
Last year's most exhilarating subgenre alternated between the ridiculous names of "chillwave" and "glo-fi." Chaz Bundick, or Toro y Moi, may be the last of the bunch to have his say, but he has two reasons to be excited: Causers of This is the first of two albums he's prepared for 2010 and he... Full Review
Dallas and Travis Good
The centre of Blue Rodeo's universe is a non-descript building on the Danforth in Toronto, housing their management company Starfish Entertainment and their renowned Woodshed Recording Studio. If the band have any roommates at the Woodshed, then it's the Sadies.... Read More
Social Networking
• Be our friend on MySpace
• Be our fan on Facebook
• Tweet us on twitter
Viewing the July 2004 Issue: • Contents Page • News • Click Hear • Articles --> On the Cover  •  Front Five  •  Points  •  Comics  •  Point of View  •  Questionnaire  •  Research  •  Timeline • Music Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Aggressive Tendencies  •  Beats & Rhymes  •  Destination Out  •  Frequencies  •  Groove  •  Pop Rocks  •  Wood, Wires & Whiskey  •  Concert Reviews • Motion Reviews --> Recently Reviewed  •  Dvd Reviews  •  Film Reviews  •  Music DVD Reviews • Music School --> N/A • Contests • Contact --> About Us  • Advertising  • Distribution  • Getting Reviewed  • Getting Published  • Letters To The Editor  • Partnerships  • Subscriptions • Exclaim! Radio --> Aggressive Tendencies Radio  • Beats & Rhymes Radio  • Frequencies Radio  • Destination Out Radio  • Groove Radio  • No Future Radio  • Pop Rocks Radio  • Wood, Wires & Whiskey Radio • Exclaim! TV • Home & Latest Issue • Browse Issues