Cool Air

2006 "DEATH COMES COLDLY"
4.3| 1h28m| en
Details

Charlie Baxter, a struggling screenwriter, is searching for accommodation in a rundown mansion somewhere in the isolated mountains above Malibu. An expressionless and creatively bankrupt young man who rewrites exploitation sci-fi / horror scripts for a living, he takes a room in the mansion and learns of the mysterious doctor residing in the room above his own who dabbles in strange experiments. As he learns more about the circumstances of the doctor and the history of his landlady, her autistic daughter and the strange lodger across the hall, Baxter is inspired to write his long blocked "great American Screenplay". Working furiously, Baxter suffers a heart attack, and staggers up to see the doctor for treatment. He passes out immediately, but awakens a cured man. But at a terrible price.

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Also starring Jenny Dare Paulin

Reviews

NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!
Cortechba Overrated
Robert Joyner The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one
Cissy Évelyne It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.
siderite The movie has flaws, some bigger than others, but in the end it is a decent, well acted, well written adaptation of Lovecraft's short story with the same name.If you know Lovecraft you know how difficult it is to transform his writing into film. The 2006 adaptation does this well by translating 1923's New York to an isolated place close to L.A. in the 2000s, Dr. Munoz to a woman and adding more characters. I expected poor acting from the mainly unknown cast, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that they all did a very good job.Unfortunately, this could not really fill the entire length of a full movie so that film feels unbearably drawn out. This could have been a really enjoyable 40 minute short, but instead it lasts for one hour and seventeen minutes of narrating slowly and the same melody playing incessantly in the background.Bottom line: a decent adaptation of a Lovecraftian short story that is not related to the Chtulhu mythos. The element of romantic tension and the various characters that were added were refreshing and enhanced the story. Everybody played well and it felt like a filmed play. Unfortunately the movie suffers from terrible pacing and it would have benefited from a shorter cut.
Edgar Allan Pooh . . . 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!
martinejohanna The story in itself is good, but the script lacks any tension build up. Mostly because the acting is very animated and unrealistic. Just like the very, very bad voice over (voice overs in Horror movies do not work) The soundtrack makes the whole thing even worse, like a low quality 80's soft porn movie. There is not a flinch of tension, terror or horror in it. Even a 3th year old would be bored. Also the house interior lacks character just like the actors. No interesting camera angles, no special lighting effects. It is very bland. With the location, so much more could have been done. Because the exterior of the house does work. The whole does not do justice to the original story, Hopefully someone will make a good adaption more in the line of insidious.
morris-chase24 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!

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