Octane (2003)

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

When I saw the amazing "car scene," in which Jonathan Rhys-Meyers is seducing Misha Barton on a vintage car while a gigantic wind blower sets the mood, I knew I had to check it out! The scene was so cinematic, it was something I have never watched before, it was breathtaking and seductive. I thought I had scene every "vampire" film known to man, but somehow I missed this gem.I love these types of films because they keep you guessing the whole time. You are on the edge of your seat, or in my case, hanging on tightly to your pillow. They don't tell you everything, you have to figure a lot of things out. That way of thinking is what you might love, or hate about this movie. The whole time you don't know who these strange people are that keep showing up, or what they want..until the end. A lot of the film is metaphorical. They are not your typical "vampires," they drink blood but they don't grow fangs or have black eyes.Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who steals the movie (even though he is only in about 15 minutes of it) plays The Father. He is the leader of a cult who takes those that are metaphorically lost, usually girls though not always, to "show them enlightenment." The Father believes that through the use of blood, you reach the stars. One of the best quotes from the film is when he says "no one bound by chains ever reached the sun." Jonathan Rhys Meyers uses his trademark sensuality into a great performance. It is unfortunate, however, that his character "The Father," is given such short on screen time. You are left wanting to know more about The Father, and wish they would have spent more time on what he was doing throughout the whole film. He is a symbol for sexuality and because it looks so good on him one roots for Barton to accept his advances and ditch her mother's increasingly silly attempts to save her.Essentially it is a story about a mother and daughter, and how the daughter is feeling sexual energy for the first time and moving away from her mother. The mother doesn't want what happened to her to happen to her daughter.Really underrated thriller.Breakaway Film http://breakawayradio.ca/film

I watched this film tonight and felt it warranted a review.I'll attempt to keep things vague, so I won't give too many specifics for those that have yet to see the film.I give this film a 'P' for potential because that's what screamed out to me as the end credits rolled. I say that with a hefty weight of frustration because although it had entertainment value and some good elements … in the end, it didn't pull through. It felt like half a film … one part directed with a degree of care and consideration ... the latter willy-nilly, rushed and confused.The casting of Madeleine Stowe as Senga was aces in my book. I believe she worked brilliantly with the material and direction she was given; not to mention, she's lovely to look at on screen.A couple of miscasts, were Mischa Barton (Nat) and Bijou Phillips (Backpacker). Although the latter is an actress I believe hasn't been given the opportunity or roles to really stretch the talent that's below the surface ... this was hardly the vehicle to do that. As for Mischa, she fell lock step into the typical Hollywood casting of 'whose in now' to pack the 'right' demographics into theater seats. She didn't move me one way or the other.Unfortunately, in a film like this, which isn't blatant studio tripe like ... well ... I'll keep that to myself, casting 'it girls' just doesn't work and it proves to degrade the film and weaken it's punch.When I think of what Rachel Miner could've done in the 'Nat' role … I get goose bumps.Okay, setting aside my armchair critic snobbery, I'll get to the point.There were some shots in this film that were really good! I do say that intentionally. The first scene at the beginning of the film set the tone, but later on, the atmosphere didn't hold.In the beginning, we are introduced to a traffic accident, under the guise that the victims have been rescued and then we get our first shock; the way this scene is executed was really impressive to me. As a viewer (and lover of thrillers and horror), this immediately drew me in. From then on, the tension held … well ... for a little bit and then some silly directing and editing flubs turned it cheesy … that is until we met 'The Father' played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers.Meyers has a great gift of turning something potentially stomach churning, into something intoxicating and alluring. When he's on screen it's like having a guilty pleasure intensified or maybe worst, thinking about masturbating in church … it's so very wrong … but when you're doing it--feels so very right.However, even he went the way of cheesy during his minuscule screen time toward the end … I blame it on direction (hey, sorry, but keepin it real!).The other issue is one I already touched on, there were some editing snafus that caused the film to drag in spots and at one point I nearly tuned out altogether. In a film like this, where mystery and tension is the key to it's success, the scenes and elements within them have to be timed well and hell ... make sense! I don't need everything spelled out for me, but repetition should be avoided. All creepy things and unnecessary drama in moderation … please! Finally, if I may be allowed to take a few liberties with this review … I'd compare this film to Katheryn Bigelow's Near Dark. Of course Near Dark is a far superior film especially for it's time and genre, but one of the great elements it had was that it never explicitly stated that the villains were vampires. Pulse/Octane basically followed the same route, keeping things ambiguous in that sense, which I felt really worked (at least until they threw in some rushed explanations for the antagonists motives toward the end).Vampirism is a strong theme in Octane/Pulse but it's never clearly defined. There is biting, but no fangs, nothing about the undead and no folklore. It tries to avoid many typical vampire clichés, although unable to avoid all – like, hyper-sexuality (which, I dig—in moderation) and blood-letting.I believe, that with some changes, this film could've become the cult classic (and beyond) that ND has, but unfortunately it became muddled and fizzled out halfway through the story.In the end, I'd say … catch it on it's free run at Hulu. It will be well worth the few dollars you save renting it. However, if you miss it there, it's worth giving it a shot on cable and if all else fails … rent it.I'd give it a 6 out of 10 Overall good acting by Stowe and Meyers, some interesting shots and tension for first half of film.

Let's be honest: We all watched OCTANE because it starred Madeline Stowe, she of BLINK and MOHICANS fame. But what a comedown this appears to have been for the once-intriguing Ms. Stowe, who here plays the troubled mom of a troubled teenage daughter who runs off with a cult. Mom of course immediately goes after daughter. Wouldn't you? Unfortunately, I did not get all the way through to the end, and will have to watch this oddly titled film again. What I saw started off with a David Lynchian, weirdo sort-of bang but quickly headed downhill as Ms. Stowe transforms from a neurotic, skinny lady with a truly disturbing hairdo to the new Lara Croft as she hunts down her crazy kid. As for Ms. Stowe's bizarre and unflattering haircut (you have to see it to believe it), I attribute to the film being shot in Dutch-land, where bizarre haircuts are pretty commonplace. I would be surprised to hear OCTANE ever made it to theaters here. Poor Ms. Stowe. Looks like she may be joining Wesley Snipes, Steven Segall and Jean-Claude Van Damme in the twilight world of STVs. How brightly shone her star at one time!

Although I saw this film on television and sat through it in its entirety, I feel this is a vampire story of limited worth. If you like vampire movies and decide to see the film, be forewarned that it has many problems that will keep your interest wavering. First, there is the mediocre acting delivered by the mother and daughter protagonists, who never rise above clichés. The two are dysfunctional in a tawdry, uninspired way (No, you can't go to that rock concert. Why not????? Because I'm your mother and I said so!!! I hate you!!) that left me hoping their SUV would careen off a cliff in a dramatic Thelma and Louise finale, and after I was only 10 minutes into the film. Yet, inexplicably, they are given far too much screen time to allow for the development of scenes that might otherwise have proved diverting or gripping. Second, the screenplay lacks verve or ingenuity. It doesn't help matters that the screenwriter was sufficiently enamored of his script to have characters repeating lines as if they were memorable and profound truths. Far more problematic is the lack of cohesion and the absence of any thematic development in his script. He fails to develop an interesting and compelling rapport between mother and daughter (as mentioned above), a terrible blunder that weakened the story. Additionally, there are enormous holes in this story that will have discerning viewers feeling impatient and cheated. We are never given enough information to understand how the vampires work nor what their motivations might have been in choosing our boring little Nat as their next victim. Nor do we understand how it is that the head vampire, from all appearances the kind of high-school degenerate who might turn tricks for drugs, knows that the amphetamine-popping mother attempted a self-induced abortion years ago to rid herself of her surprisingly tenacious, now fully-grown and leggy, but limp, daughter. Third, there is the problem of films set in America but filmed elsewhere that lack a truly American film (think Eyes Wide Shut.) Everything about this film looks as if it were filmed on a desolate tundra plain. The truck-stops look decidedly foreign, the stretch of roadways don't look like American freeways and, worse yet, the extras don't look American. Finally, there is an irritating film score that had me feeling nauseated.