Am I Really Dead??

Title:  After.Life

Actors/Director/Anything Worth Mentioning Right Away:  Christina Ricci, Justin Long and Liam Neeson star in this movie.   You should know who at least one of those people is.

Introduction:  I got this DVD from the library FOR FREE because, you know, they have it in their system. 

Location:  An apartment, a morgue, a funeral home, a seedy bar, on the road crashing into stuff, you know, standard horror locations.  (Yeah, this movie had a budget)

Plot:  This might be one of the most ridiculous plots that I have ever seen in any movie, but it’s only because of what causes the series of events to unfold.   Christina Ricci plays a school teacher who goes out to eat with her boyfriend, played by Justin Long.   When her boyfriend tells her he’s taken a job in Chicago, she assumes they’re breaking up, freaks out, storms off and drives (somewhat drunk) into a tailspin.  Wham, bam, thank you ma’am, she hits something and is pronounced D.O.A.   The funny part is, when she is leaving in the car her boyfriend reveals that he wanted her to go to Chicago with him.  So all of this was for nothing!  If she had just listened, this whole story never would have happened.   Anyway, Liam Neeson plays an undertaker who makes bodies pretty for the funerals.  Christina Ricci’s character begins to believe she is not dead, as she begins to converse with him.  It is revealed by him that he has a gift of being able to talk to the dead and help them “crossover”.   Then there’s this kid who was one of Ricci’s students and he can talk to her as well.   So the problem for Justin Long and Christina Ricci’s characters become is she really dead and these two can actually talk to the dead, or is he keeping her alive in some sick and twisted game?   You kind of want to be torn between the two throughout the movie, but the funny thing is, I kind of vote for Ricci being crazy from the start because of how she ended up there.

Acting:  It’s got big name actors, so you know, it gets the job done.

Production:  Again, they had a budget and were probably theater worthy.

Sex/Nudity:  While there is a sex scene early on, there is also quite a bit of Christina Ricci nudity.  In the morgue, and in a shower scene, which believe me is nowhere near as sexy as it sounds.

Special Effects:  In said shower scene, Ricci rips her heart out and shows it to Justin Long.   Yeah, they have some good effects.

Overall Verdict:   I really think Christina Ricci is a good actress when she does these creepy types of movies.  She’ll always be a form of Wednesday Addams to me, mixed with the girl in Sleepy Hollow, so yes, she needs to do more movies like this.  Liam Neeson also does a good job, considering I hated Taken this movie was good.