Dotbankey A lot of fun.

Tayyab Torres Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Wizard-8 If you are a film buff and have read the plot description for "Careful What You Wish For", most likely you have concluded that it is an update of the noir movies made in the 1940s and 1950s, and you would be correct. It updates with technology (DNA, cell phones, etc.) and is more explicit in some areas, such as with nudity (though it's easy to see that all the nudity was performed by body doubles.) However, the filmmakers didn't make the crucial decision to update the basic story for the most part. Even if you haven't seen a great many noir style thrillers, you'll be able to predict A LOT of what will happen in this particular one before it actually unfolds. There is an okay twist at the very end, but it seems too little and too late for the audience. I will admit that Nick Jonas wasn't too bad in his role, but he is saddled with playing a character that's quite stupid at times even for a horny teenager. The movie could have been a lot worse, I admit, but if you want to see a modern update of the noir genre, watch "Body Heat" or "The Hot Spot" instead.

jimbo-53-186511 Doug Martin (Nick Jonas) is a young man living at home with his parents who begins an affair with the wife of a wealthy man who moves in next door. As is quite often the case this affair doesn't end well and Doug finds himself in the centre of a murder investigation....The first half of this film is where it is at its strongest (and believe me I'm using that term loosely here). It sets up the usual story of bored housewife being married to a rich, but rather loathsome, abusive and self-centred husband with a burning desire to leave her loveless marriage. Doug is the excitement and fun that has been lacking in wife's life hence the reason that she begins the affair. OK it isn't great up till this point (a lot of the dialogue is dull and it lacks a single powerful or strong moment in its first half, but it does show promise and you feel as though it may slowly burn into something exciting, but you know what this simply doesn't happen)....***************************SPOILERS FOLLOW**************************What really ruined this film for me was the decision to kill Lena's husband off at the halfway point in the film. Prior to this, the build-up suggests a simmering tension building up and I was getting the feeling that Elliott would expose their romance and exact his own revenge (particularly as he was being built up as being some sort of psychopath that you shouldn't mess with). What follows after his death is a rather tedious investigation into his death (which poor old Doug is in the frame for). Doug goes about trying to prove his innocence against impossible odds. Whilst none of this sounds bad when it's put into writing the same cannot be said for the effect of all of this being put in front of me on the screen; aside from a clever twist at the end, the rest of the murder investigation is dull and uninteresting and quite frankly for the most part it's a hard film to give a damn about.The performances also let the film down with Nick Jonas being particularly poor - he seems to have the same gormless expression throughout the film; maybe he should stick to singing?? The likes of Isabel Lucas and Graham Carson don't fare much better either. The only bright spots in this picture were Dermot Mulroney and Paul Sorvino, but sadly they weren't given as much screen time as their rather vapid co-stars.It's poor stuff especially considering it showed some promise in the first half. Personally, I would have preferred it if the trophy-wife's husband had stuck around for longer as the idea of him finding out about the affair and hunting Doug down would have made for a much more exciting picture. As it is though, it is sexy (in a superficial way), but it's also mind-numbingly dull.

Mark Turner This movie offers a chance for teen heartthrob Nick Jonas to show what he can do as an actor. In addition to that it allows him the chance to take off his shirt, a sight sure to please his fans. But as for bringing something new to the table in the way of movies it offers a tried and true formula rather than an inspired thriller. We've seen it before in one form or another and done better, so we know what to expect with each passing moment.Jonas plays Doug Martin, the teen son of a well to do couple who are once more spending their summer vacation at their cabin on the lake. Along with his best friend Carson (Graham Rogers) he intends to work at the local seafood restaurant owned by Sheriff Big Jack (Paul Sorvino), study and perhaps find someone to hook up with. All of that changes when the new neighbors move in.Watching from his bedroom window he is the first to see them, starting with the fetching Lena Harper (Isabel Lucas). Her husband Elliot (Dermot Mulroney) is a well to do self-made millionaire type, a cut throat at business and a natural competitor. The couple meet Doug and his family and soon become friendly enough.One day in a rainstorm Doug sees Lena stuck outside of the house signaling him to come over. She has locked herself out of the house and needs to get inside. Doug helps by breaking in a window and opening the door for her. She rewards him by seducing him and the two predictably become frequent lovers. Doug hides the fact from everyone, including Carson. It doesn't take long before Lena shows h bruises that she says were inflicted by Elliot. Doug tells her she needs to leave and she promises to talk to Elliot.Things change one night when Lena calls Doug over to find Elliot sprawled on the floor, his head smashed in. Lena tells him that he attacked her when she asked for a divorce and began beating her, that she was simply defending herself. She then tells him that no one will believe her and asks him to help her get rid of the body. Ruled by hormones of course he helps.Things take a turn for the worse (as if dead body disposal isn't bad enough) when an insurance investigator arrives who insists on looking into all possibilities before handing over a payment in the millions to Lena. Clues begin to surface and soon Doug is looking at the possibility of being convicted of the murder of Elliot. Is it misfortune or was he set up? If you've seen half a dozen of these thrillers you saw this coming early on.The film is well made, a quality production rather than a slapped together low budget flick. But the story feels more Lifetime channel movie than feature film. Jonas does a decent job in a role that has him portraying someone too blind to reality letting his late stage puberty do his thinking for him. His acting chops are stretched in no way to play this part. Lucas is an attractive lead who will go nowhere if she limits herself to roles where her exposed body parts are the only reason for getting a role. Mulroney seems to just walk through his part here and deserves better parts than this. Get a new agent Dermot! If those Lifetime movies entertain you then you're certain to enjoy this one. If you're a fan of Nick Jonas then you might be too young to watch certain aspects of this movie. Like most ex-Disney channel actors he seems to think a more "adult" role is the way to go. I tend to think taking acting lessons is a better route and accepting roles that require more than what is on display here would be a better method. But then I'm not a teen heartthrob with bopper fans clamoring for any and everything I am in. Not bad but nothing exciting either.

thesouthafricanreview This thriller stars Isabel Lucas, Nick Jonas, Dermot Mulroney, Paul Sorvino and Kandyse McClure. In short, this is another "someone's a murderer" movie + a Jonas brother. I'm not a Jonas brother fan, but Nick did surprise me, he wasn't great but he wasn't as awful as I expected him to be. That being said, it's a good thing that Dermot Mulroney wasn't present in most of the movie because the six time award- winning actor might have out shined his co-star NickIsabel Lucas, although stunning, looks a little strange and unnatural with Nick. Regardless of this, she does have the voice, emotionless expression and body language of a classic James Bond girl in the beginning. This works for her as it suits the character she portrays but also might make it look like she cannot act. It would be interesting to see her in something else.I should also mention that the plot is unfortunately un-original and somewhat predictable through half the movie. The acting of certain co-stars such as Kandyse McClure also leaves much to be desired. Maybe that's why this site and other sites, don't even mention her. That said if you're a Jonas fan you'll like this.