MovieChat Forums > In a Dark Place (2007) Discussion > Awful! Do not rent this movie (a few spo...

Awful! Do not rent this movie (a few spoilers)

posted 17 years ago by heyitsshar
12 replies | jump to latest

i read a few of the other topics, and most said the same thing: they were confused as to what was happening, or the movie was horrible. and i have to agree. oh, there was a select few who said the book this movie was based on, "Turn of the Screw", was awesome so the movie can't be that bad...??

i could care less what totally awesome piece of literature this movie is based on. this movie is one of the worst movies i have ever seen. there was pointless nudity and flashes of Sobieski's breasts throughout the film...what, to keep people interested? Sobieski is a terrible actress to begin with, and her in this terribly written film just makes her acting and the film even worse. not that it would have been better if a better actress had been in it.

the plot was boring and left EVERYTHING up to the viewers imagination. they told us nothing that was happening. did Anna get raped? was that her she kept seeing? most likely, yes, but no clear answer there. was Anna hurting the children in some way, physically or emtionally? quite possible, but do we know for sure? no. viewers just have to guess whether or not she was. was she really seeing ghosts? maybe, just maybe. did the children? who really knows? not me, thats for sure.

i will not sit through another hour and a half of this movie to see if i missed anything. i can only be glad and thank my lucky stars that i did miss something, because i wish i had missed the whole movie.

i hate movies that leave it up to the "viewers imagination" or lets people "draw their own conclusions". its a waste of time and money. i could just sit and daydream if i wanted to use my imagination.

a film made in poor taste and Leelee Sobieski ought to be ashamed to be named and seen in such a bad film. how did she go from "Jungle 2 Jungle" to nudey shots in a bad movie? so sad, so sad.

Do Not Rent This!!!

[–] dvmoviemaker 17 years ago

Wow...thanks for the warning. With all those spelling mistakes and the ability to blindly dismiss a good book, I must take the advice of your good self, an obvious mental leviathan.

McDonal's tell me that their food is scrumptious...but others tell me that it's bad. I don't want to draw my own conclusions...could you please help me out here?

And should I wear the blue or the white shirt with this tie? Please help as my own imagination has left me and I need guidance, and you seem to be the person with their finger on the pulse.

At least you didn't get as far as using those imdb classics.'...that's a period of my life I won't get back again' or the standard '...worst movie ever made'.

Go on, away you go..Transformers is waiting for you.

Muppet.

[–] stinst 17 years ago

I take it that you read the book? What does it say happened?

[–] dvmoviemaker 17 years ago

Now let's play spot the irony.

[–] oh_disastrous 17 years ago

I didn't like the movie either but good lord, what's wrong with using your imagination? If you want to stay brain dead while watching movies stick to Michael Bay crap or something.

"What is this Wonka, some kind of funhouse!?"
"Why, having fun?"

[–] VisionForce 17 years ago

If you didn't like this movie, it's because you didn't understand it. You didn't begin to watch it thinking that you'd have to pay attention. Watch it over again a few times. It's worth it.

[–] oh_disastrous 17 years ago

haha, sorry, I understood it just fine and didn't like it. That is possible, you know.

"What is this Wonka, some kind of funhouse!?"
"Why, having fun?"

[–] mikewithaymakeup 17 years ago

i just fast forward thru the whole thing,. It was ill conceived and lacked any depth at all. I mean they had to be ghost right? she didn't know about the two lovers before hand . it was just a mess

[–] GMEllis625 15 years ago

I agree that it is a terrible movie, but I blame the director. In the "Making of" video he brags that he 1) didn't read the book, 2) didn't see any other movies based on the book, and 3) didn't talk to any fans of the book. His complete lack of knowledge thereby left him "free" to do what he wanted with the film. I hope he is proud of the outcome.

I disagree that Sobieski is terrible actress, but she was terrible in this film! I would love to edit out the multiple face-shots the director used and then play "guess the emotion." Her expression was the same when she was looking the ghost, her lesbian lover, the kids or the woods. Yet each time the director gives us a close-up of her face as if to communicate something important is happening. What was he telling her (directing her) to do as he shot these scenes? "Think of candied apples!", seems to be the best bet. I'm surprised he didn't save money by just shooting her blank, expressionless face once and the cutting it into every other scene.

No doubt the book is an enigma and that makes any film adaptation difficult. That doesn't excuse the director from reading it!

[–] kdcmama 14 years ago

So my sister and I just watched this movie last night . It was in the bargain section of the video store for sale so I said what the hell I'll buy it ..it looked pretty interesting and for the most part I like Leelee Sobieski...
( she was great in Jungle to Jungle and Deep Impact, of course those were her younger days and she never got any better for some reason. ) I think she looks like Helen Hunt but in NO way anywhere near as good an actress!!

Anyway

First off I totally agree with what this last person said about the director . I too watched the making of.. to see if it could shed some light on this very confusing and disturbing movie ..if there even was even a point to this movie...which it totally did not shed any light on anything only left me more confused soo way stupid but anyway.. I was pretty upset to hear that he had never read the book etc..

I know for myself as an avid book lover If you haven't read the book how can you possibly capture the essence of it on screen. For him to say he hadn't even read it and didn't care?? What a prick!!

I am a huge fan of the Lord of the Rings books and have read them several times and own all the movies but I was pretty disapointed in watching the making of those films at how many of the Main Characters hadn't even Read the epic trilogy or knew anything about the Extremely important characters that they were portraying.

I have not read "the turn of the screw" but now wish that I had! If anything to maybe have some clue ..if any at all.. about what this movie was about.. I do plan to read it and I'm sure it's 1.000 % better than this ridiculous movie that I wasted way too many brain cells on trying to figure it out. I'm sure as with a great many movies out there the book is way better.

I think the thing that mostly upset me about this movie is there is an element of suspense in the movie building up to the end ( where***spoiler** she lets the little boy die) but it in no way fit with the entire plot of the movie it was soo completely confusing and pointless!!! I don't like movies that draw you into thinking there will be an explanation at the end so you can understand it then to just leave you going ..what the F**^? I mean I don't expect every movie to have a nice little wrapped up ending ..in fact I like there to be a little bit of going hmmm... that was interesting I wonder what that meant... but for God's sake this does'nt leave you with that feeling at all! It just leaves you feeling confused , angry and trying to figure it out with all your might and not being able to get it ..kinda like those damn Rubik's cubes... I mean only like a few people really understand the darn thing..

Go ahead and watch it if you like but just know that there are so many other things you could spend 2 hours on than making your brain hurt from trying too hard to understand something..

I guess if you like abstract art and the "unknown" for the sake of not knowing than this is just right for you but for the rest of us it's a just a sad sad waste of time...

[–] polexia 14 years ago

The version with Jodhi May was pretty good. I don't really like Leelee, anyway. Something about her, I guess. In this film they put really black 80's inner eyeliner on her which made her look kinda strange. The clothing was horrid, the bedding was hideous, the children were terrible actors that made Jake Lloyd look like a multiple Academy Award winner.

The only thing the film had to sell it was the nudity, really. The director knew he didn't have a chance art-wise.

And ack Leelee going to sleep with all that wet hair. In the winter.

There is only light, my light, my naked light, my gift to you all. Experience my bliss.

[–] coffinia 14 years ago

This movie was just a piece of crap with a poor story and really *beep* acting. I tried watching it with some friends yesterday, but we turned it of about half an hour in.
I think the filmbudget went in to art directing, the rest didn't seem that important :P

[–] Geechee 14 years ago

Having read the book several times and having seen the beautifully made movie version, "The Innocents", I have to admit this movie was just awful. Ms Sobieski's acting was so painful to watch that I felt embarrassed for her. This movie, which is based on the book (character names the same, etc.), just shows how badly a director can destroy a story with ignorance and ego. This movie had the look of a very low budget film in which the only way he could keep viewers' interest was to throw in some gratuitous nudity and sex between the two female characters. There was so much that's bad about this movie that it's hard to think of anything good about it. Okay, I'll try. Well, the snow looked real and I liked Ms Fitzgerald's bathrobe.

I don't care to see this movie again. It wasn't worth the money it took to make it. The next time a director thinks he can make a movie based on a masterpiece, I hope he, at the very least, reads the book.