CURSED

CURSED (2005). Director: Wes Craven.

"There's no such thing as 'safe sex' with a werewolf."

Ellie (Christina Ricci of Lizzie Borden Took an Axe) and Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) are a likable brother and sister team living on their own, but their lives are upended when they are attacked by a werewolf, whose identity is unknown. As the two wonder what's going to happen to them due to the werewolf curse, they try to ferret out the identity of the original werewolf, whom they suspect might be Ellie's boyfriend, Jake (Joshua Jackson of I Love Your Work). Or could it be someone else they know? Cursed is an entertaining, well-acted flick, with some exciting scenes and good FX work, but it becomes rather stupid as it progresses. Actor Scott Baio plays himself in a couple of scenes, as does former talk show host Craig Kilborne, and Lance Bass. Good-looking Milo Ventimiglia plays Bo, a homophobic jock who bullies hetero Jimmy, but who turns out to be gay himself; he's fine.

Verdict: Likable actors and characters help put this over. **1/2.

LIZZIE BORDEN TOOK AN AX

LIZZIE BORDEN TOOK AN AXE (2014 Lifetime telefilm). Director: Nick Gomez.

Lizzie Borden (Christina Ricci) is arrested and put on trial when her father, Andrew (Stephen McHattie of XIII) and stepmother Abby (Sara Botsford of Murder By Phone), are axed to death about an hour apart in their own home. Lizzie's sister Emma (Clea DuVall) sticks up for her sister but has nagging doubts, and the whole town turns against them. This look at the famous, unsolved murders offers nothing new, has stick-thin characters, provides little motivation, and is awash in a rock score that is not only inappropriate but gives the whole project a mindless veneer. The acting is okay enough, although to be fair to Ricci she really isn't given much of a character to play. Lizzie's alleged lover, actress Nance O'Neil [Transgression], is briefly portrayed by Andria Wilson, but there is little about Lizzie's possible lesbianism or how it may have influenced prosecutors. The movie gets a lot wrong about the case -- it's as if the writer just threw together a script based on conjecture and other movies and didn't do any research.

Verdict: Not much to this by-the-numbers look at an infamous murder case. **.