Load of rubbish!!

hyped garbage

A film with more than the usual spoiler issues. Talking about it in any detail feels akin to handing you a gift-wrapped present and saying, "I hope you like it -- It's a thriller about a diabolical secret experiment."

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

While it is all well and good to do "clever" films like Cabin in the Woods that de-construct the genre, the real challenge is to the film right from the getgo.Here I think the very talented director Jonathan Levine succeeds. Possibly the best slasher flick in decades.Aside from a really tight script, and direction/cinematography on par with a Hollywood "A" flick, we also have generally top-rate performances from the young cast.Of particular interest is Anson Mount, five years before Hell on Wheels, stealing every scene that is not otherwise nailed down.Years ago a reviewer said that the test of a good slasher film is whether, in spite of the body count, the viewer would want to be in the film because everyone seems to be having a good time time.This film passes that test.

Slasher films – the lynchpin of the horror genre... a handful of good-looking, interchangeable teenagers go, er, somewhere desolate where mobile phones obvious don't work then get picked off by locals/werewolves/monsters – take your pick.Here, in 'All the Boys Love Mandy Lane' the affore-mentioned interchangeable teens go to a country farmhouse in order to – well – get with (for use of a better term) the much-adored Mandy Lane (played by Amber Heard, before her romance with Mr Depp). Unfortunately, before any of them even make it near first base with Ms Lane, a nutter starts slicing and dicing them.Now, normally, there's an element of mystery surrounding who the masked killer is. Here, there isn't – here you basically know who the killer is straight away (and he doesn't ever wear a mask for very long). So don't expect to be guessing who-dunn-it with this one. One guy obviously loves the future Mrs Depp a little too much and has a novel way of dealing with rival suitors.So, there you have it – kids getting stalked and slashed – nothing new. And that's about it. Basically, you've seen it all before and there's nothing that will particularly amaze you (although I did quite l like the ending and thought it was a little different). However, if you generally like your slasher films then this one should entertain.Nothing special, but if you're a fan of the genre then it should fill an hour and a half of your time (although, personally, I thought Mandy Lane's mate was prettier than the – much sort-after – lead!).

The "twist" is very predictable. The ending will leave you feeling robbed. None of the characters are likable but you do not really hate them either. Pretty much do not care about any of them. Mandy Lane is hot for sure but I think "like" is a mis-characterization of how all the boys feel about her.This is another one of those contemporary slasher flicks that ends on a very dark note. If you are looking for vindication or a sense of justice where monsters are defeated by the virtuousness watch Friday 13th or Halloween.I believe that slasher films are analogous to a persons inner struggle to defeat the demons with in themselves. The residual rage that some of us care from our childhood. In most movies from this genre the protagonist defeats this darkness and finds freedom.In this film the darkness wins and the observer is left trapped in his own self destructive motivations.These are not spoilers but warnings to those like myself that enjoy a good slasher film because it renews are faith in the power of will!Be warned!

If you don't look carefully this is just a run-of-the-mill slasher pic with a surprise ending.But if you look at all the scenes, this is a much cleverer slasher spoof than Scream could ever hope to be. (next bit contains some spoilers, but I hope I have't given away too much)For instance the slutty girl, who you assume is the first to die (as usual) actually outlasts her, er, doting boyfriend. And the cast spends more time either seeming bored or developing crushes on the unobtainable heroine than running away screaming or investigating dark places, even though their friends are disappearing one-by-one. And the silent, sinister masked killer suddenly turns out to be a geeky, lovestruck idiot! And finally, in my second favorite bit (excluding the ending twist), the killer chases a girl through the field, not to heavy metal or psycho-style chords, but perky, upbeat pop.About the only thing I didn't fully get was the scene in the pit full of dead cows; was it a clever bit of imagery to show the killer thought no more of the victim than a butcher does of the cattle he/she slaughters, or was it just a bit of gratuitous gore?Well worth a look for the clever camera work and surprise ending, and then worth a second look to see how many knowing nods to the standard slasher pic you can spot. Oh, and I challenge you not to shudder slightly when you hear 'sealed with a kiss' playing over the final shot, when you realize you might have just had a glimpse into how a real psychopath's mind might work...