The Resident is an enjoyable film. I want to get that out there before my opinion appears muddled by the impending barrage of conflicting points I'm about to make. More than just enjoyable, there are downright refreshing moments -- among them: a whip-smart heroine, deliciously compelling sound effects and twangs to the heartstrings every now and then which soothed the gaps that might otherwise have derailed The Resident train.

... and it's a Hammer film. And it bears Christopher Lee (following a 34 year absence from the Hammer franchise). If I were a Hammer aficionado, those tidbits would mean considerably more. Still, I like the idea of Lee and Hammer -- romantic, in its way -- and I especially liked how subtly weaved Lee's character appears in The Resident. No pun intended, but I anticipated Lee's presence would be hammered in for the good press it might provide on the geek boards. It wasn't. Kudos to Hammer for keeping it in their pants on that one.

Home invasions are tetchy subjects for anyone with a home and a family, but especially if you’re like me and live a scant few miles down the road from the scene of a hideous example of the criminal phenomenon. I won’t provide details out of respect for the family, but it involved not only robbery but rape and the house being set on fire, burning most of the family alive inside. So I was necessarily distressed at the idea of watching Miguel Angel Vivas’s Kidnapped (Secuestrados). From the cover image alone it promises brutality, and while it is a marvelously well-made film, it does deliver on that promise. Stomach-churningly.

I will say this was one of the more odd movie experiences I’ve had. First off, it isn’t really a movie, per se. The Trip is a British television show that was edited down from 172 minutes to 107 minutes and released in the US as a film. And the theater in which I viewed it had a total of 25 seats (I counted) and the film was actually on a Blu-Ray disc projected onto a smallish screen. The attendant started the film, then hung out for a few minutes to see if we needed the volume adjusted. I go see a lot of movies – I mean, a lot – and this was a first for me. Oh, what’s it about? Patience, grasshopper.

While most movies and TV shows tend to depict the 70’s as debaucherous and drug-soaked, for most of the then-tweens it was a much more innocent time. There was no Facebook, no cell phones, no video game consoles and iPods to isolate yourself with, no instant access to everything and anything. Joe Lamb and his friends occupy their time making a super-8 film for a contest. What sounds geeky actually bonds the friends together, and gets them spending time in the outdoors and stretches their creative and problem-solving skills.