2008 Woodie Awards
PG-13 rating ruins Craven's latest horror flick
By Blake Baxendell
Issue date: 3/4/05 Section: Entertainment
A film that earned disapproval from many critics, turned out not to be too bad. The film "Cursed" was bombarded with horrible criticism from high-ranked reviewers the past week. When I saw the film, I truly thought it was not as cursed as the critics made it out to be. It could have used a bit of work, but it was not that horrible.
"Cursed" is about a teenage boy and his career-age sister getting into a terrible accident after some beast hits their car. After being scratched by this beast they find that weird things are happening to them. An extra sexual aroma, super strength, increased speed and agility are just among the new experiences the two encounter.
Christina Ricci plays Ellie who is the career woman working on the "Craig Kilborn Show." Her younger brother Jimmy, played by Jesse Eisenberg, is struggling with bullies and trying to woo the hot cheerleader. After Jimmy realizes what he has become, he decides he likes it and explores his powers, but after many mysterious killings he finds their maker is after them.
The movie unfolds in Los Angeles and viewers can see many celebrities playing themselves in the film. This was worked into the script because Ricci's character worked for the "Craig Kilborn Show."
Ellie's boyfriend, Jake (Joshua Jackson), is opening up a new restaurant called "Tinseltown." Characters like Scott Baio, Craig Kilburn and Lance Bass play themselves in the film. The movie is lined up with a lot of brilliant young talent such as Michael Rosenbaum from "Smallville," Shannon Elizabeth and Mya.
The film was definitely no "Scream," but it was a teen horror flick. I believe that is what Wes Craven was trying to go for when he made this film. Although Craven wanted to make a scarier "R" rating flick, Hollywood would not have it. He had to cut down on a lot of the violence that he wanted to show, so that he could get more people to see the film because of the whole being 17-years-or-older to see R-rated movies.
"Cursed" is about a teenage boy and his career-age sister getting into a terrible accident after some beast hits their car. After being scratched by this beast they find that weird things are happening to them. An extra sexual aroma, super strength, increased speed and agility are just among the new experiences the two encounter.
Christina Ricci plays Ellie who is the career woman working on the "Craig Kilborn Show." Her younger brother Jimmy, played by Jesse Eisenberg, is struggling with bullies and trying to woo the hot cheerleader. After Jimmy realizes what he has become, he decides he likes it and explores his powers, but after many mysterious killings he finds their maker is after them.
The movie unfolds in Los Angeles and viewers can see many celebrities playing themselves in the film. This was worked into the script because Ricci's character worked for the "Craig Kilborn Show."
Ellie's boyfriend, Jake (Joshua Jackson), is opening up a new restaurant called "Tinseltown." Characters like Scott Baio, Craig Kilburn and Lance Bass play themselves in the film. The movie is lined up with a lot of brilliant young talent such as Michael Rosenbaum from "Smallville," Shannon Elizabeth and Mya.
The film was definitely no "Scream," but it was a teen horror flick. I believe that is what Wes Craven was trying to go for when he made this film. Although Craven wanted to make a scarier "R" rating flick, Hollywood would not have it. He had to cut down on a lot of the violence that he wanted to show, so that he could get more people to see the film because of the whole being 17-years-or-older to see R-rated movies.
