After.Life (2009)

Schoolteacher Anna Taylor (Christina Ricci) and her partner (Justin Long) are failing to connect on an emotional level, as if some kind of unseen veil exists between them, a metaphorical screen that gets replaced by a white sheet on Eliot Deacon's (Liam Neeson) funeral home table.
I felt a similar kind of disconnect to the story; the emotional thread of the film, even with its attempts to take an indirect route, was unable to fully penetrate the muddled presentation. In its desire to be both a psychological thriller and a sophisticated chiller it unfortunately loses sight of both goals. And while at various stages I loved the colours used, the lighting, framing, and even the recurring blood motif, the balance of sombre and sinister never felt quite right, as if each one was being forced into corners that were in different buildings. But kudos to Ricci for doing what was required during the attempt.

2½ appropriate flowers out of 5

Buffalo '66 (1998)

Everyone knows that films use images to help tell a story, but the more subtle art of using the imagery as a language with its own semantic and contextual layers is an art form that’s arguably just as important to the process. In the best films a single image is more polysemous than even the most versatile word. Buffalo ‘66 epitomises the notion without being too conspicuous.
Gallo wrote, directed, scored and starred in it. He plays Billy Brown, recently released from prison into a cold world. Billy finds a peculiar kind of warmth in Christina Ricci’s reactive performance, but he’s not equipped to deal with the kind of salvation she offers. His neurotic tendencies and masking of nervous weaknesses with frequent angry outbursts keep him safe and distant while Ricci's odd behaviour tries to break down his barriers.

4½ strikes out of 5

Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014)

Gave her mother forty whacks, etc. If you know the rhyme you’ll know it’s nonsense. The same could be said about this travesty. It’s unable to generate any atmosphere of its own, so relies instead on Ricci’s history of being the creepy girl, but if forgets that a film needs more than that.
Things may well have looked good on the set but it all went to hell in the editing room. Whoever added the anachronistic rock music thinking it was edgy should be summarily fired. It would probably be hilarious if it wasn't so appalling. It’s a Lizzie story for the modern US TV fan, not for the ages.

1½ holes in the head out of 5

Little Red Riding Hood (1997)

A stylised interpretation of the Little Red Riding Hood story starring Christina Ricci as the little girl, and Timour Bourtasenkov as a wolf that seems to have been trained in interpretative dance. The B+W cinematography is a loving homage to silent era cinema that looks wonderful, but the awful script, narrated by Quentin Crisp, brings the quality of the whole thing plummeting down. Unfortunately, you can’t just turn down the volume to avoid it, because you’ll lose the Claude Debussy music that breathes extra life into the action.

3 needles out of 5

CURSED [2005]

Director Wes Craven reteams with writer Kevin Williamson for the werewolf thriller Cursed in hopes of recreating the success of their Scream franchise.
They pretty much fall directly on their faces with this mess of a stinker.
Sadly it feels like they might have had something but it got lost in a sea of obvious reshoots and rewrites that hurt the flow & tone of the film.   I genuinely liked the characters and the actors did a fine job at portraying them but the storyline was such an unfocused mess it became boring and uninspired.  Not once was I thrilled or chilled and that is something to be expected from this team.

1½ wolfy middle fingers out of 5

Addams Family Values (1993)

The same director and most of the same cast return for a superior sequel. It kept everything that was good about the first film but tied it to a more interesting story. In fact, there are two stories running concurrently, neither of which is very complicated but both have some fun moments.
Overall, it’s much more blackly humourous than before. I’d have preferred if the slapstick moments had been eliminated completely, but they needed something to keep the younger viewers happy.
As before, the expressionistic lighting is the real star.

3 gifts for Fester out of 5

The Addams Family (1991)

I'd not watched this before. I've always been more of a Munsters fan.
The whole thing seems tailor-made for Tim Burton, but then we probably wouldn't have had Anjelica Huston, we'd have had whomever he was married to at the time and Johnny Depp.
The casting in general was great, especially Raúl Juliá as Gomez and Christina Ricci as the deadpan Wednesday. It was nice to see the concern they each had for each other so well-developed.
It never takes itself too seriously, which was the correct approach.
The sets were fantastic and the entire thing was beautifully lit, but the story was disappointing and left me wanting.

2½ displacements out of 5

Black Snake Moan (2006)

Sam Jackson plays a struggling, God-fearing Mississippi blues guitarist down on his luck but determined to go on. Christina Ricci plays slutty white trash. The two opposites meet and there's a clash of personalities.
Both actors are perfectly cast. Sam is always worth watching, but in Black Snake he gets one of the most fitting roles he’s ever had. His singing voice is superb. If he wasn't an actor he’d make a hell of a genuine bluesman. His version of Stack-o-lee is fantastic.
The film is also the best thing I've ever seen Ricci do; playing against type was a good career move.

3½ thunderstorms out of 5

SLEEPY HOLLOW [1999]

Director Tim Burton and Se7en screenwriter Andrew Kevin Walker loosely adapt Washington Irving's The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow and turn it into a slasher flick homage to the Hammer films.

It's visually stunning, musically powerful and features a top-notch performance from Johnny Depp, but a script that stinks of multiple rewrites and an awkward performance from Christina Ricci drags it down a bit, sometimes brining nearly bringing the pacing to a complete halt.  

It's not quite a film to lose your head over but enough to please Burton/Depp fans.

3½ bleeding Trees Of Death out of 5

The Gathering (2003)

Christina Ricci gets hit by a car and loses her memory. If she'd lost consciousness, like I almost did, things might have gotten more interesting.
You've seen this movie before, it had different actors and a different title but it’s the same old safe crap that Hollywood favours over something that might actually stir an audience and force them out of their apathy.

0½ an onlooker out of 5

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998)

This movie made me feel like I was on drugs. At once incomprehensible and wildly over-the-top, Johnny Depp (channelling the manic energy of Jim Carrey) and Benicio Del Toro relish in their roles with glee. It seems impossible to follow while sober, which unfortunately I was, but there are some cool trippy effects if you can stay awake for all of it. Otherwise, I'm guessing you're better off just taking the drugs.

1.5 psychedelic lizard people out of 5