Carolina Moon (2007)

Please don't spend money on this.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

This film is based on the Nora Roberts novel of the same name. I have to confess that I do have a soft spot for her TV movie adaptations, I particularly liked Midnight Bayou, Tribute, and Northern Lights. If you've seen any of these then you roughly know what to expect.In Carolina Moon Stephen Tolkin tells the story of Victoria Bodeen and her psychic ability of second sight. When Victoria "Tory" Bodeen was young her life was a mixture of good and bad. The good was her best friend Hope and the adventures they had in the local woods. The bad was her religious zealot of a father, who saw Tory's psychic gift as a curse. One that needed beating out of her. One nighttime, Tory was meant to meet Hope in the woods, though her father had whipped her so bad that she failed to make their rendezvous. Suddenly her gift kicks in and she has to watch helplessly as her best friend is killed. Worse yet, it's through the eyes of the killer. Her father moves the family away a few weeks later and Tory leaves them as soon as she can. Eighteen years later and she's returned to her hometown to try and find peace from the ghosts and memories that have plagued her. It's not long before Tory is having visions of other murdered girls... do these have something to do with Hope's murder? Is her killer still out there? Are they still active?Tolkin does a splendid job of casting suspicion onto just about everybody in this film and that is where its strength lies. I had a good idea of who did it, and I was correct, though I was thrown off the trail more than once by other possibilities. As for the direction, Tolin doesn't do pretty or interesting, though there were plenty of opportunities to enthrall us. However, he stays to the standard point- and-shoot style of most TV movies. Sometimes it's nice to have a sweeping shot or an interesting angle. The pace of the film is in keeping with the style; generally, the film has a steady and even pace. Tolkin does speed it up a little to create a little tension near the climax of the film when the killer is revealed. More suspension and tension wouldn't have gone amiss with the psychic visions and the daughter and father scenes - this would have shown her distrust and terror of the man.For the most part, the acting is above average and though I do like Claire Forlani her fake southern accent does start to irritate, though her acting is on par. It's Oliver Hudson who could win the Redwood prize in this film as there are more than a few scenes where his acting is wooden. It's Jacqueline Bisset, Shaun Johnston, and Josie Davis who are the strongest and most believable in their characters which make this movie stronger. In fact, Johnston as the Bible Bashing and Daughter whipping father is so realistic and believable I wanted to hit him myself.I would recommend this to everyone as it's a good film about youth, friendship, overcoming loss, and rebuilding relationships. All of that tied up in a whodunit murder mystery with a paranormal twist. I did enjoy the film though I'm not sure I would purposefully watch it again... but who can say, it does have Claire Forlani in it...

Victoria Bodeen always had psychic abilities. She was beaten by her abusive father for her devilous powers. As a child, she had visions of her best friend Hope being murdered. As an adult, Tory (Claire Forlani) returns to Progress, North Carolina to open a store and face up to her demons. Her father remains a suspect. She reconnects with her cousin Wade Mooney (Chad Willett), formerly chubby Dwight Collier (Jonathan Scarfe) and Hope's brother Cade Lavelle (Oliver Hudson) who still carries a torch for her. Hope's mother Margaret (Jacqueline Bisset) and Hope's sister Faith Lavelle (Josie Davis) still blames Tory. Tory's visions continue and it turns out to be a serial killer who's killing on the same date that is soon coming up.Claire Forlani may not be big enough to hold the center of this movie or just as likely there aren't enough good actors to play the other characters. This is suppose to be a thriller but there is a distinct lack of thrills. The father is the only one that is threatening but he really doesn't have many scenes. His scenes with Tory are the only truly exciting scenes in the movie. The flashbacks don't have any tension and look like cheesy older effects. TV writer/director Stephen Tolkin is in charge and it looks like a TV movie. It's certainly doesn't have any cinematic style worth mentioning.

First of all, I hate movies that are filed with terribly fake Southern accents. This was the terribly fake Southern accent movie from hell. Not only that, but the acting was unbelievably horrendous. Lines were shouted, faces contorted with constant mugging. The direction was completely inept...don't you need qualifications to direct...like a certificate or something? It was just as bad as the acting. The dialogue seemed like it was written by a middle school student. So let's see.....bad southern accents, shouted out lines, ham acting, inept direction....complete disaster. The lead actress obviously thought she was Scarlet O'Hara and this was Gone With the Wind....she was the most unbelievable ham actress...how may ways can I explain that this movie stunk? Okay, I'll stop now....

I don't leave IMDb comments about films but this.... this film was bad. very bad. I fast forwarded through most of it, stopping where I hoped the acting had improved since the last scene, only to continue with the fast forwards. Formula plot -- once the obvious murderers were discounted, there was only the one left. And that was in the first five minutes. Scene by scene it felt as though I'd already read the script before because there were no surprises, no mystery. The Tori character... bad bad acting. A true waste of time on DVD and a definite 'let's go to bed early' option if it's the only thing on television. If you watch this film, you will find yourself realising you'll never be able to get back the time you've just wasted.