Carny
Reviews
Wuchak
_**Starts out great, and then fumbles**_ Released to television in 2009, "Carny" is a monster-on-the-loose flick about a carnival stopping at a New York town with a new attraction, a gargoyle-like creature that turns out to be the infamous Jersey Devil. The town's prominent pastor initially objects to the freakshow and goes over the edge after the creature gets loose. The sheriff (Lou Diamond Phillips) rounds up some men to end the slaughter of innocents while the malevolent carny owner wants to recapture the creature for greedy purposes. Being a fan of winged-monster flicks like "Gargoyles" (1972), "Gargoyles: Wings of Darkness" (2004), "Wyvern" (2009) and even "Jeepers Creepers (2001), I was looking forward to "Carny." But after a very intriguing start I was let down. The opening act with the introduction of the town, the characters, the carnival and the creature is the best part, but the film fumbles the ball in the second and final acts. Circus-like scenarios are a surefire setting for horror/mystery tales, as verified by "The Funhouse" (1981), "Berserk!" (1967), "Circus of Horrors” (1960) and even "The Howling VI: The Freaks" (1991), but "Carny" fails to truly capitalize on this attribute. The Human interest factor is next to zero. We get three main characters: The evil freakshow owner, the wacko pastor and a likable sheriff. Peripheral characters include the carnival owner's henchman, the pastor's son & friend, and a cougar fortune-teller, Samara. Although the story throws in a self-sacrificial scene there's not enough depth to these characters or their relationships to make it moving. The second act involves a search-in-the-woods for the creature by the two groups noted above and I appreciated the serious, non-campy vibe (even while the villain and the Reverend treaded the waters of cartoonish-ness). The film and actors successfully gave the feeling that this was serious business and really happening. Yet it was around this point that I also started losing interest. Why? Probably because there was no human interest. A bloodthirsty monster is on the loose and these people are trying to capture/kill it; one man is likable, another is ultra-evil and the other is a wack job. That's it. It goes no deeper. Another key flaw is the lack of alluring females. Isn't this a creature-on-the-loose flick? A horror flick? A carnival flick? Where are the women? (And, no, Samara doesn't qualify, although I suppose she could have). "Wyvern", "The Fog" remake, "Goblin", "The Howling VI: The Freaks" (not to mention parts I, II, III, IV & V), every "Friday the 13th" flick and "Gargoyles: Wings of Darkness" all knew enough to include a lovely lass or three. Heck, even by-the-numbers straight-to-video shlock like "Urband Legends 3: Bloody Mary" includes 'em. Yes, I'm being a little humorous but, seriously, a circus plays a big role in the story, give us a freakin' high-wire woman or something, please! Also, the stereotypical religious nutjob rings false and hackneyed. Why not get really 'cutting edge' and show us a minister (or believers in general) in a positive, heroic light, like the original "Poseidon Adventure" and "Rambo"? That said, there's still enough good here to give it a marginal recommendation for those with who appreciate such fare. The monster looks convincing and there's a lot of gore (not that I care about gore, but some do). The film runs 1 hour, 28 minutes, and was shot in Ottawa, which is a good stand-in for northern New York since it's only an hour drive south. GRADE: C
Movie Recommendation
Lost Woods2012-03-02A story of what happens when a reluctant man is forced to face his fears, which begins as a fun camping trip and ends in a fight for survival in the remote forest of the pacific northwest.More...
Wyvern2009-01-31The residents of a small Alaskan town find themselves under attack by a flying reptile known in medieval mythology as a Wyvern. It has thawed from its ancient slumber by melting icecaps caused by global warming.More...
Star Trek: Generations1994-11-18Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-D find themselves at odds with the renegade scientist Soran who is destroying entire star systems. Only one man can help Picard stop Soran's scheme...and he's been dead for seventy-eight years.More...
X-Men: The Last Stand2006-05-24When a cure is found to treat mutations, lines are drawn amongst the X-Men—led by Professor Charles Xavier—and the Brotherhood, a band of powerful mutants organised under Xavier's former ally, Magneto.More...
Men in Black II2002-07-03Kay and Jay reunite to provide our best, last and only line of defense against a sinister seductress who levels the toughest challenge yet to the MIB's untarnished mission statement – protecting Earth from the scum of the universe. It's been four years since the alien-seeking agents averted an intergalactic disaster of epic proportions. Now it's a race against the clock as Jay must convince Kay – who not only has absolutely no memory of his time spent with the MIB, but is also the only living person left with the expertise to save the galaxy – to reunite with the MIB before the earth submits to ultimate destruction.More...
Ice Age: Continental Drift2012-06-27Manny, Diego, and Sid embark upon another adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter sea creatures and battle pirates as they explore a new world.More...
Kick-Ass 22013-07-17After Kick-Ass’ insane bravery inspires a new wave of self-made masked crusaders, he joins a patrol led by the Colonel Stars and Stripes. When these amateur superheroes are hunted down by Red Mist — reborn as The Mother Fucker — only the blade-wielding Hit-Girl can prevent their annihilation.More...
Snitch2013-02-21Construction company owner John Matthews learns that his estranged son, Jason, has been arrested for drug trafficking. Facing an unjust prison sentence for a first time offender courtesy of mandatory minimum sentence laws, Jason has nothing to offer for leniency in good conscience. Desperately, John convinces the DEA and the opportunistic DA Joanne Keeghan to let him go undercover to help make arrests big enough to free his son in return. With the unwitting help of an ex-con employee, John enters the narcotics underworld where every move could be his last in an operation that will demand all his resources, wits and courage to survive.More...
Scooby-Doo: Agence toutou risques, vol. 1 : Le voleur de vélo2007-04-12There is no descriptionMore...
Little Fockers2010-12-21It has taken 10 years, two little Fockers with wife Pam and countless hurdles for Greg to finally get in with his tightly wound father-in-law, Jack. After the cash-strapped dad takes a job moonlighting for a drug company, Jack's suspicions about his favorite male nurse come roaring back. When Greg and Pam's entire clan descends for the twins' birthday party, Greg must prove to the skeptical Jack that he's fully capable as the man of the house.More...
Holiday in the Sun2001-11-10Sisters Alex and Madison are whisked away to the Bahamas for winter break but soon find themselves crossing paths with a man smuggling stolen artifacts.More...
The Prince2014-08-22A family man who turns out to be a retired mob enforcer must travel across the country to find his daughter who has gone missing.More...
Abduction2011-09-22For many years, Nathan Harper has had the uneasy feeling that life with his family isn't quite what it seems. As he draws closer to uncovering the truth, he is hunted by assassins, forcing him to flee with his neighbor, Karen, the only person he can trust.More...
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 22011-07-12Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their quest to vanquish the evil Voldemort once and for all. Just as things begin to look hopeless for the young wizards, Harry discovers a trio of magical objects that endow him with powers to rival Voldemort's formidable skills.More...
Frozen Fever2015-03-09On Anna's birthday, Elsa and Kristoff are determined to give her the best celebration ever, but Elsa's icy powers may put more than just the party at risk.More...
Bad Teacher2011-05-16A lazy, incompetent middle school teacher who hates her job and her students is forced to return to her job to make enough money for a boob job after her rich fiancé dumps her.More...
Camping 22010-04-21Jean-Pierre Savelli is a forty-something employee of an insurance company in Clermont-Ferrand who finds himself facing a mid-life crisis. When his fiancée Valérie decides to put their relationship on hold, he changes his holiday plans and heads for the Flots Bleus camping site near Arcachon. Jean-Pierre had been hoping for peace and calm. Instead he meets Patrick Chirac and his entourage of inveterate holidaymakers...More...
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life2003-07-21Off the coast of the volcanic island of Santorini, the intrepid archaeologist Lara Croft makes the unexpected discovery of a pulsating golden orb able to guide its holder to the mythical Pandora's Box. As the legendary artifact contains ancient mysteries of unfathomable power - said to contain one of the deadliest plagues on Earth, Lara is tasked by MI6 to make sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands. With the aid of former Marine turned mercenary Terry Sheridan, she travels the world in pursuit of the precious item in a race against time; she must beat the unscrupulous Nobel Prize-winning scientist turned bioterrorist, Jonathan Reiss, to it.More...
Love and Honor2013-03-22When a young soldier in Vietnam gets dumped by his hometown girl, he and his best friend decide to go AWOL and return to the States to win her back.More...
Live Free or Die Hard2007-06-20John McClane is back and badder than ever, and this time he calls on the services of a young hacker in his bid to stop a ring of Internet terrorists intent on taking control of America's computer infrastructure.More...