After having watched, " Frozen ", I was almost hesitant to sit through another minimal location/minimal casting/minimal title thriller... but I'm glad I did. Paul wakes up to find himself buried alive in a coffin.  All he has is a Zippo lighter, and a Blackberry phone. As time and air runs out, he maintain his sanity, and deal with the demands of those that placed him there... otherwise the coffin will be his final resting place...

Rodrigo Cortes's made a killer debut with his claustrophobic thriller Buried. Now he's set his sites on the paranormal with his follow up Red Lights. Cortes cast Cillian Murphy and Sigourney Weaver as physicists who make a living out of disproving paranormal phenomenon. Things go well until they run afoul of Robert De Niro, a psychic who claims to have extraordinary powers. The trailer belows holds promise, but don't they all. I've had a crush on Weaver since Aliens and Murphy was the bomb in 28 Days Later and Sunshine. Bobby D needs to introduction, but he hasn't made a great film in a long, long time. The success or failure of Red Lights hangs on its director. If this is even half as good as Buried, it's going to be a solid night at the movies. Here's hoping Cortes isn't a one-hit wonder.

There was a time when I saw almost everything that hit mainstream theatres. A lot has changed since then. For one, I've come to dislike most of what Hollywood dishes out week after week, finding it boring, unoriginal tripe designed for mass consumption. No chances are taken . . . because taking a chance can hurt box office. Then there's the show, which requires Shawn and I to watch two movies a week that are away from the mainstream. No complaints; none at all. But it leaves little time to track what's playing in theatres in our home town. That said, this is a list that's very different from other Top 5 or Top 10 or Top Whatever lists floating around out there. It's a list cobbled together from what I've seen in 2011 and largely from what's been viewed on the show. I can do no more, or no less. Enjoy the list, and remember: Shawn and I are back on the air Friday Jan. 6 at 10 p.m. PST on 92.5FM CFBX Kamloops, Shaw Cable 106.1 and www.thex.ca . We've...

I can't think of anything more terrifying than being buried alive. Obviously I'm not alone in this fear as first Buried and now Canyon Road play with the theme. Written and directed by Calix Reneau & Jennifer Still from an idea by Ivan Lovegren, the film stars Lovegren and Roxanne Jaeckel as a young couple who's vehicle becomes buried in a mudslide, trapping them alive.  The teaser below, which was recently screened at Comic-Con, actually shows promise. This is a low-budget effort for sure, but the acting appears solid. No word yet on when the film will be released. But we'll be watching for it here in The Basement.

Sounds like Mandy Moore, who first entered the spotlight as a teen pop star in the late 1990s, is determined to be all of the above. And she's going to take her shot at the horror genre with the help of Buried screenwriter Chris Sparling. Sparling will direct Moore and actor Rodrigo (300, Che) Santoro in Falling Slowly, a supernatural thriller about a couple who find themselves living in an apartment haunted by a dark presence. No word yet on what the dark presence is or if Sparling, who makes his directorial debut on the project, also wrote. If he directs half as well as he writes, this could be great. Shawn and I dug Buried a lot. The script also earned Sparling a National Board of Review award for best screenplay. But making the transition from writer to director isn't always easy. Just hang back with Stephen King's Maximum Overdrive if you doubt what I say. As for Moore and Santoro? What knows. With the right script and right director, anyone can be good. I'm ...

Buried Jason: I love movies that leave me feeling like I've been punched in the gut and this movie did that to me. The final 10 minutes are unbearably suspenseful and the ending, although some may see it coming, still packs a wallop. This is the kind of movie Alfred Hitchcock would have made if he were still with us. It's cinematic, emotional and even shocking despite its cramped quarters and features a great performance by Ryan Reynolds. This is a one-man show and he owns it. A Good review from me. Shawn: You know, a man in a box for the whole movie? I wondered if this was something that I would even be able to endure. And I've never really been a fan of Ryan Reynolds, as I believe he should stick with humorous roles as that is what he personifies. Is this a thriller? No, not really. Unless you are highly claustrophobic and also have a fear of snakes. But I was surprised at how well this movie worked and kept me interested. At the end, I was surprised again. ...

Where to begin in our descriptions of tonight's films? One is a documentary for our times that has been accused of not being a documentary at all. The other is a one-man show about a man buried in a coffin beneath the sands of Iraq. To say much more would be giving too much away. Buried stars future Green Lantern Ryan Reynolds, an actor better known for his comedic timing than his dramatic chops. But he's all there really is to Buried and the film hinges on his ability to carry a dramatic role. Does he pull it off:? Stick with us! Then there's Catfish, a high-tech "thriller" of a documentary about online relationships and dating in the Facebook age. Some believe what happens in Catfish is too good to be true. Being a journalist, I make my bread and butter off of such stories and have come to believe that truth really is stranger than fiction.  In the end, all we in The Basement really care about is does the film work? Tune in tonight and find out. And don...

The trailer for Ryan Reynolds new thriller Buried went live on iTunes today. And it looks pretty freakin' intense! Buried tells the story of Paul, a U.S. contractor working in Iraq. After an attack by a group of Iraqis he wakes to find he is buried alive inside a coffin. With only a lighter and a cell phone, it's a race against time for Paul to escape this claustrophobic death trap. The preview doesn't show much, but it sure builds some suspense and tension. My heart was in my throat by the end of it. This is one I will certainly seek out upon release. Watch the trailer here and tell us what you think! http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/buried/ -Jason