Breakdown (1997)

The breakdown of the title is of the car variety, not the emotional kind. A swanky new jeep belonging to Jeff and Amy Taylor (Kurt Russell and Kathleen Quinlan), in the desert, to be exact; but that's only the beginning of their problems. He gets taken for something he isn't, and his wife gets used as leverage. It's about the lengths someone will go to in order to save the one they love. The more desperate the protagonist gets, the more desperate and ruthless the antagonists grow. It doesn’t break the mold of the genre, and it stretches believability a little as it gets nearer the ending, but Russell is good and the music does its job admirably (courtesy of Basil Poledouris).

3 donut dollars out of 5

Event Horizon (1997)

A lone recovery ship travels to the deep, murky edges of known space to investigate the reappearance of a vessel that was previously lost. When they get there they don’t find powdered milk and space cookies.
It’s a solid science fiction/horror premise that has a decent build-up, thanks in part to some of the cast, but ultimately fails to deliver anything worthwhile. The final third in particular is lacklustre and overly-formulaic, leaving even the bigger questions unanswered.
There seemed to be no practical reason why the ship interiors would look like they do, but they’re certainly the most visually interesting and memorable part of the whole thing. The fake bulkheads are the star of the show.

2 bespoke terrors out of 5

HORNS [2014]

Director Alexandre Aja adapts Joe Hill's bizarre dark fantasy novel, Horns, for the screen with great ambition.
Daniel Radcliffe plays a young man who begins sprouting devil horns after he's accused of murdering his girlfriend.  Sound pretty weird?  Your assumptions are correct.  Unfortunately the film is a tonal mess of horror, comedy and surrealism that never feels comfortable settling down enough to find a heart.  Radcliffe pulls off his best performance yet as he's surrounded by some beautifully shot scenery but it just isn't enough to make it a memorable film.  Granted it's weird enough to make you wonder just how it's going to play out but once all is said and done it leaves much to be desired.

2½ cherry pies from Annie out of 5