Sunday, October 17, 2010

Cornered

(2009) **1/2

Whatever happened to Steve Guttenberg? I found him, he's playing a delivery guy named Morty in this comedy/horror slasher flick. A group of characters get together for a poker game after hours in a convenience store. We're clued in that there is a slasher on the loose via a news broadcast on the store tv. While waiting for the store to close up, the friends discuss how they would “off” the serial slasher if given the opportunity. Once they are locked in for the night, one by one they begin to get picked off. Amazingly the slasher is killing each one of them in the manner that they said they would have killed him. Who will make it out alive?


I liked this better than I thought I would and it has absolutely nothing to do with Steve Guttenberg. The poker playing characters are an odd bunch, the store owner, his drug addict nephew (going through withdrawal), a hooker, the nice guy who wants to change her and a phone sex operator. They seem an unlikely group of friends but somehow meld well together. The dialog is quirky but fun and there is plenty of gore. I like to watch these types of films as mood breakers in between the heavy horrors and the dramatic psychological thrillers. For what it's worth, this film does the job. As for Steve Guttenberg, I'm always disappointed when I see him in something other than a Police Academy flick. It's like I see him and I half expect Michael Winslow to come popping in with some cool noises or Bubba Smith to step in and scare the wits out of somebody. Go back to your roots Steve, it's where you belong.

7 comments:

Landshark said...

Steve Guttenberg actually had a pretty fun guest spot on Party Down last year.

Whirlygirl said...

I haven't read the review yet, but I'm already laughing about Steve Guttenberg. Haha

JPX said...

Several years ago I had a free weekend and the weather called for a severe snowstorm. On a whim I picked up the entire Police Academy box set after I realized that I had only seen the first 2. By the end of that snowy weekend I finished watching the entire set and boy oh boy were they awful! I sold my (now used) set back to Newbury Comics shortly thereafter. I do like Guttenberg, though. He pretty much abandons the Police Academy franchise after the (third?) film, and rightly so.

Landshark said...

"On a whim I picked up the entire Police Academy box set."

Nerdiest phrase ever written?

Octopunk said...

Am I to understand that Steve isn't even among the main players? That's sad. Oh wait, is he the slasher? I bet he's the slasher.

If I'm discussing ways to kill a guy who's secretly listening in, I'm going say "I'll throw money and candy at him and run away."

Catfreeek said...

Money and candy, love it!!!

50PageMcGee said...

i've been waiting for steve guttenberg to join the bandwagon of 80's actors who made a successful comeback (like anthony michael hall, or josh brolin)

this kind of movie isn't going to get that comeback rolling.

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