Here's how cold the river will be in 2022.
Paul Schulberg wrote the screenplay and directed it.
Starring: Bethany Joy Lentz, Alicia Reiner, Katie Sariff, Andrew Jay West, Deanna Dunagan, Aaron Roman Weiner and Kevin Cahoon.
Syntax :
A documentary filmmaker investigates the town's mysterious benefactor and discovers an unexplained evil while staying at a local resort.
Fortunately, the river is not that cold at all. At its center is steamy drama, flashy set design (apparently one of the most expensive films ever made in Indiana), and a mysterious supernatural aquatic conspiracy that looks straight out of Gore Verbinski's The Health Cure . , as both films deal with haunted and unsettling places full of question marks and gothic horror.
It's also interesting that writer/director Paul Schulberg wrote the Michael Korita novel of the same name (which was also adapted into last year's Angelina Jolie vehicle, They Want Me Dead), and he wrote the book six years before the movie. Going out.
The concept of magic water isn't exactly new though. However, it's done very skillfully, whether it's the design of the jet skis, which in part prompt our hero to travel to this haunted city, the vast circular hotel that looks like an entire world, or the ominous lighting. There is always an interesting story that is both encouraging and confusing.
Unfortunately, that same level of detailed world-building doesn't necessarily translate into characters or the larger story, which is sometimes exciting and sometimes clichéd. It also doesn't help that when the story comes to a head, it stalls and ends in a confusing and frustrating way.
Erica Shaw (Bethany Joy Lentz), based on an acclaimed documentary filmmaker known for her dark depictions of human life, leaves that career after the failure of one of her previous roles. Or rather, he saw the darkness in the man while filming, then kept quiet, giving him the guilt trip he has today.
However, he changes his mind when Alyssa Bradford-Cohen (Alicia Reiner) spends an absurd amount of money talking about her dead billionaire father, who is connected to his distant city and unfinished business. When Erica arrives, the atmosphere is quite tense as the characters drop the conversation just by mentioning the rich man. Erica also contacts the man's great-nephew (Andrew J. West), who has found no future outside the city and now works at a rundown hotel.
This is also where So Cold the River veers into awkward territory when Erica tries to seduce a man in a cheap way (perhaps to let her guard down and get more information) which doesn't fit the character, seems to escalate if anything. , his journalistic integrity is constantly questioned, as one of his admirers and assistants (Katie Sariff) looks upon him with disgust when she witnesses his manipulative behavior. At one point the phrase "Never meet your heroes" is mentioned.
Meanwhile, the heroes drink water from a special bottle, dive into outdoor indoor pools and generally appreciate their unique features. Some characters also start having hallucinations of their past, which are mostly generic but sometimes take a terrifying turn. These views give a glimpse of the city's history, but the cold river still doesn't leave the atmosphere. His tale of a hapless film industry dealing with the sins of billionaires for the supernatural never translates into anything worthwhile or meaningful. I would have believed you if you had told me that the filmmakers ran out of money before the climax.
Flickering Myth Rating – Movie: ★★ / Movie: ★★
Robert Koeder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also a reviewer for Flickering Myths. Follow me here for new reviews, follow me on Twitter or letterboxd, or email me at [email protected].