the Mind’s Chew Toy

Synopsis:

In an attempt to capture the darker side of humanity with his camera, photographer Leon Kaufman (Cooper) crosses paths with Mahogany (Jones), a brutal subway serial killer. While his girlfriend Maya (Bibb) fears for his life, Leon’s fascination with Mahogany leads him further and further down a dark path - inadvertently pulling Maya right along with him. Based on a short story by Clive Barker.

Our Thoughts:

At first glance, Midnight Meat Train looks like just another horror flick. Subway slasher? Been there, done that. Bored.

However, the first clue that this may be more than what it at first seems to be lies with it’s release date: May 16th July 11th. If this were just another throwaway slasher flick, why is it being released during the blockbuster Summer movie season? There could be a couple explanations for that, but the one I like best is the movie tested extremely well. That alone sets it apart from a lot of horror flicks.

“Based on a short story by Clive Barker” also helps. Since I was a big fan of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser (despite it’s never-ending - and duller and duller - sequels), seeing his name attached to another pic captures my interest.

Then there’s Vinnie Jones. This former soccer star has done quite well for himself in the movie biz, associating with some pretty decent flicks including Snatch and Gone In 60 Seconds (2000). He’s played a bad guy before, but never serial-killer bad, and it will be interesting to see how he can breathe new life into the character. Who knows? Maybe this film will be on a par with American Psycho (hey, one can hope)!

Then there’s Brooke Shields. While she isn’t exactly the best actor out there, it’s nice to see she’s finding work, and wouldn’t it be fun if she becomes one of the victims? Talk about your 80’s flashback!

Finally, the story actually sounds intriguing. A photographer drawn into the world of a serial killer has been done before (recently, in fact, in Mr. Brooks (2007)), but this sounds like a much more personal one-on-one with a nastier killer. This could be a great psychological thriller, as the photographer moves from behind the camera to in front of it - but that’s just another hope.

Despite all the possible pros for Midnight Meat Train, we’re probably going to skip it’s run in theaters. After all, with films like Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of The Crystal Skull (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor (2008), Iron Man (2008) and WALL-E (2008) all making their way to theaters this summer (among others), we’re going to be spending every penny we have already.

Still, we’ll definitely check out Midnight Meat Train once it hits DVD. If even half of it’s promise comes to fruition, this one should be worth a viewing.

Updates:

• 04.22.08 - The film’s release date has been pushed back from May 16th to August 1st.