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SYNOPSIS:
Claire Forlani, Oliver Hudson and Jacqueline Bisset star in
this exciting thriller about a woman returning to her hometown
to make peace with her unsettling past. Tory (Claire Forlani)
knew coming home wouldn't be easy, even if she didn't have
a gift for psychic visions. A trip down memory lane means
reliving horrific images that flashed through her mind many
years before, the night her childhood friend Hope was brutally
killed. As though that weren't twisted enough, Tory soon discovers
that Hope's death was only the first in a string of murders
that have continued every year since that terrible day. And
the worst part? This sociopath has been waiting patiently
for Tory's return. So now she's got two choices: use her supernatural
powers to catch this killer or end up his next victim.
MOVIE
REVIEW
When you
are a best selling author with over 100 novels under your
name, you can expect movie adaptations to be made sooner or
later. And if you are a writer of romance novels with over
250 million copies in print, you can expect movie adaptations
even sooner. Nora Roberts is this author whose movies have
been made into TV movies (watch out for a series of reviews
on our humble website), and you can expect TV movie treatment
for these adaptations.
In this
story, there is an additional touch of thriller and suspense.
Twenty odd years old Tory Bodeen revisits her childhood town
where her best friend was killed in an unsolved crime. Tory
has the special gift to see events in the past and present,
and as all good stpry developments go, she was unable to prevent
her best friend’s death or see who the murderer was.
As her best friend’s death anniversary approaches, Tory
relives her memories with her childhood friends, one who likes
her romantically. The question is, who is this secret killer,
and will her friends stand by her side emotionally?
Maybe
it’s a gender thing, but the male viewer may not find
this premise terribly exciting. Sure, our female counterparts
may appreciate the emotional ups and downs as written in the
novel, but when this is translated to screen, they just do
not work. It does not help that the entire 95-minute feature
feels like a small scale TV production (which we shouldn’t
be faulting because it was meant as a TV feature), and pales
in comparison when you think of bigger budgeted movies.
To be
fair, Claire Forlani (The Medallion, Meet Joe Black) plays
Tory with a nice amount of flair, and the casual viewer will
enjoy her performance. The comfortable pairing with Oliver
Hudson (TV’s Dawson Creek) also makes for pleasurable
viewing. The other supporting characters may seem forgettable
though.
When
the movie reaches its finale where a plot twist reveals the
true killer, you may have lost interest in the TV movie because
of its indecisive plot focus. This is a shame, because director
Stephen Tolkin’s efforts to make the movie engaging
can be evidently felt in his varied characterization and decent
scripting. Unless you are a fan of Roberts’ books or
have read this novel, the movie feels second rate, especially
if you have a blockbuster DVD lying next to this one.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
There are no extra features on this Code 3 DVD, except
for “Trailers” of other Sony releases like The
Jane Austen Book Club and The Water Horse: Legends of the
Deep.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
There
is nothing to complain about the disc’s visual transfer,
and there are English, Portuguese and Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
audio tracks to choose from.
MOVIE
RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by John Li
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