Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Quick Reviews: The Tomb (2009)

This one is super-forgettable, so I probably shouldn't put this one off any longer.  Sorry, Poe...
In this 'Poe-inspired' Film, we meet a Professor with a Fiancee who teaches stuff like Edgar Alle Poe's works.
He's kind of a quirky guy.  After all, why else is he mixing Shakespeare with Poe?
A mysterious Student comes into his life and make a move on him, giving him Absinthe and doing some kind of vague magic.
With very little build-up, the affair is revealed and the pair get married via the Exposition Newspaper.
His new- and sudden- wife is doing weird experiments with dead people and trapping souls!
Can he escape this madness?  Can you give a Poe Story a happy ending?

To find out, watch the Film.
A pretty nothing Film.  The Story has promise.  It features murder, weird science and some sort of magic.  The end result, however, is both too long and rushed.  It rushes through the first part and then drags a bit in the 2nd half.  I won't SPOIL the Film directly, but it is based on 'The Tomb of Ligeia,' so it doesn't have *that* much in the way of secrets.  The Story is over 100 years old (and quite famous) after all.  The changes they make kind of work.  Apparently Poe was actually critiqued for his Ending at the time by a famous Writer, so I guess the change is less annoying.  This Version sets up some neat ideas, has some good locations, but just didn't do much for me.  The fact that Michael Madsen sort of tries to act here almost counter-balances Eric Roberts doing a highly-dubious accent.  'The Tomb of Ligeia' is a Classic Tale.  The Tomb is a so-so Film that has already mostly-been-forgotten in the last 7 odd years.  Any final thoughts, Mr. Madsen?
By-the-number stuff that doesn't really suck or impress.  The take on Poe's Story has promise, but doesn't really deliver for me.

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