Cool Air (2006)

After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The film is about 70 minutes long with an additional 7 minutes of end credits. It is based on an H.P. Lovecraft book which immediately put it on my must see list. I was very disappointed. The film starts out with a blurb about the Weret Hekau, a story which stays on the screen too long so as to add time to the production.The film opens, ends, and is filled with first person narration by Charles Baxter (Morgan Weisser) a wannabe screen writer with writer's block. He is renting a room in a secluded house which includes two other guests who live private lives, the most intriguing is Dr. Shockner (Crystal Laws Green) who lives in a cool room in the upstairs, even though basements are easier to keep cool.The narration was a boring monotone which caused me to nod off from time to time. Cynthia Curnan took an interesting book and shredded it. No horror or suspense. No intensity. The initial meeting of Baxter and Shockner was equally long and boring as we see a prolonged picture of his face while we hear their monotone voices. Jenny Dare Paulin provides the token eye candy as Estella, a slightly autistic woman.The low budget aspect didn't allow for much more than someone telling a story. This apparently is a 2006 film re-released.Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity. What did I do with my "Re-Animater" DVD?

. . . H.P. Lovecraft's short story "Cool Air" is totally plagiarized from Edgar Allan Poe's tale entitled "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar." Lacking the budget for period costumes, this 2006 Picturization of COOL AIR brings the yarn to the present and pads it out with every trick known to Cinemakind. Allegedly clocking in at "78 minutes," that already puny length includes a drawn-out 6 minutes, 13 seconds of opening credits and a snail's crawling 7 minutes, 41 seconds of closing credits. When you subtract 13 minutes, 54 seconds of credits from a 77-minute, 43-second running time, you're left with a mere 63 minutes, 49 seconds of movie. This is bad enough, but every shot in this film seems to be repeated ten times, with most of the dialog echoed again and again. A skilled editor easily could condense what's presented in the way of a story here to ten minutes or less. For viewers who NEED something about 80 minutes long as a sleep aid, I'd suggest skipping COOL AIR. Get one of those burning yule log DVD's instead. This will provide a better plot, superior special effects, and more natural acting than does COOL AIR. Plus, you'll probably sleep better!

As an avid fan of Lovecraft's work and most things Lovecraftian, then it was with some expectation that I sat down to watch this movie. Especially as it wasn't a huge Hollywood production, which just added to the enjoyment of the movie, to be honest."Cool Air" delivered some really nice performances of the people hired for the various roles, especially as this movie is character driven and not really driven by a scary mood or the ability to shock the audience time and time again. This is as much a character driven movie as it is a story driven one.This 2006 version of "Cool Air" is definitely well worth a watch if you enjoy the writings of H.P. Lovecraft. And even if you are unfamiliar with his work, there is some entertainment value to be found in this movie, as the story is nicely told and well executed. This is a great adaption based on Lovecraft's timeless piece of writing.Despite this being a fairly low budget movie, then the director managed to get things to work out nicely, without making use of dazzling CGI effects. There is a bit usage of effects, and they worked out well enough.Entertaining and enjoyable, "Cool Air" is well worth your time if you are looking for something to watch.

The original Lovecraft tale was set in a period when there was so much left to the readers imagination and life experiences were much more inside the head than experienced in reality. The world of the mind Lovecraft so exquisitely created has rarely if ever been duplicated in films of his works. With Cool Air we have maybe the very best adaptation ever because it doesn't attempt to show us what we fear or manipulate us with shocks or sounds. Instead this movie pulls the viewer into his or her imagination. And that is where we experience Lovecraft's sad, morbid tale of how far we will go to hold onto life or lives. The film makes your skin crawl and I found myself actually forgetting to breath. You hold everything so tightly and its almost unbearable tense, yet very moving. You really feel Lovecraft here and not some crazy "interpetation". Bravo to the writer for being a conduit for Lovecraft's world and actors for making you forget that these are performances. They create an almost documentary feel to the characters so you really believe in every moment. Not to be missed if you love Lovecraft!