Tamara

I went into this film not expecting much and I got a lot less. I get the whole hot girl thing and the basic plot but this film was just over the top formulaic and typical. Nothing originally about this film and that is why I didn't enjoy it. I wanted to like it, knowing it would be brainless, but the more it played the more disappointed I became and the more I realize I like horror films that have a unique story. Sadly this did not. Everything about it was typical, as if someone just took bits and pieces of other generic horror films and threw it in here with no regard to respect for the viewer.

I can't recommend this film because of the sophomoric way it was told.

"Tamara" is a predictable-but-fun little teen horror flick, bolted together out of spare parts from films like "Carrie," "I Know What You Did Last Summer" and "The Craft," to name just a few. Our "heroine" (and I use that term loosely), Tamara (Jenna Dewan), is a homely high school nerd who dabbles in witchcraft in her spare time. She's got an unrequited crush on her hunky, sensitive English teacher (Matthew Marsden) and is constantly picked on by the "populars" in her school. After she writes an article for the school paper "outing" the football team as steroid users, they naturally want to get back at her so they set up a particularly cruel prank where they make her think she's going to hook up with Hunky Teacher Guy at a local hotel. Naturally the naive Tamara is less than thrilled to find out that she's been fooled, and while struggling with her tormentors, she hits her head on a coffee table and dies. In true Horror Movie fashion, the Populars decide to simply bury her in the woods, swear to tell no one what happened, and move on.

Imagine their surprise when Tamara simply sashays back into to school the next day as if nothing has happened, seemingly having gone through an Extreme Undead Hottie Makeover in the meantime. The "new" Tamara appears sweet enough at first, but quickly sets out to get revenge on the gang who wronged her, in the most brutal fashion possible. One kid recreates the "Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, Say No Evil" mantra with a razor knife, her abusive dad eats glass, a b*tchy cheerleader type vomits her guts out, etc., etc. Of course, Tamara's ambitions also extend to true happiness with her teacher, which means she has to get rid of his wife too. Will true love triumph over vengeance from the grave? OK, so "Tamara" is not a great movie by any means, but it is fun to watch. Jenna Dewan looks pretty hot even when she's supposed to be an Ugly Duckling in the first quarter of the film, but after she returns from the grave -- damn! The rest of the young cast perform their roles as obnoxious cannon fodder well enough, and the flick has decent production values and just the right amount of gore and nastiness. If you can get over the inherent silliness of it all, "Tamara" is a fun ride for B-horror fans.

"Tamara" gets an "A" for eye candy, a "C" for originality, and a "B-" for execution. Worth a look if you can find it cheap, like I did.

Tamara is pretty much a Carrie rip-off, even the poster art is almost identical. Whether it was intended to be original or not, I'm not sure, but with a few less clichés and a bit more character development, this could have been a film like May, smart and scary, and eccentric. Perhaps this film is a 'takes one to know one' kind of story. socially troubled girls, may find this emotional but everyone else will see Tamara as what it is, a sexy, but shallow horror movie.

Tamara Riley becomes the most hated girl in school after she writes a news paper article which rats out a number of her school mates in a certain way. One night, a bunch of them play a nasty prank on her, but things go wrong and she is accidentally killed. In the panic, they bury her body in the woods, but somehow she comes back from the dead, more cunning and sexy than before, and with a mind for revenge.

The trick to enjoying the movie is whether or not you feel engaged enough to root for the protagonist. She was done a major injustice but she is also doing injustice to others. The sex appeal of Tamara is really secondary. Tamara is nothing more or less than amusing in a twisted way, but if you want a similar movie that actually gets you thinking, watch May.

I was fortunate to have seen an early screening of TAMARA and was quite impressed with the final result. The film is propelled by the star-making turns of its two leading female characters, Tamara (Jenna Dewan) and Chloe (Katie Stuart). Dewan is a real find, striking a terrific balance between pathos and horror. She makes quite an impact in her first starring role, and the fact that she's also quite stunning certainly does nothing to diminish her screen presence! Stuart's performance as the tragic do-gooder lends real weight and credibility to the film. It's a smart and sincere performance and not just another sassy-talking teen role that too often occupies this genre. The film is engaging throughout and provides some well-placed shock-and-gore to keep its pace humming along. Credit Jeff Reddick's screenplay for that- here's a film clearly written by someone who respects the genre. He never condescends to his audience, and just like in his film, FINAL DESTINATION, includes enough cleverly gruesome moments to ensure that the experience will memorable. While certain performances and scenes could have been tighter, all in all TAMARA makes for a solid entry in the horror genre and mercifully rises above the pack of overly slick (and perhaps overly sick) entries that horror fans have had to contend with as of late.

This is my first time posting, but I recently saw Tamara and after reading some of the hatin' on this board, I thought I'd add my opinion.

People have already covered the story, so I'll just talk about the film . While it's not the best movie I've seen, it was a definitely a great way to spend 90 minutes. It had a sexy lead, some great kills and a wicked sense of humor. I'm definitely going to see it again.

The good...

I thought the story was well written and well paced. As a horror fan, I hate when people say something's not horror, but a psychological thriller...butthat's what this film was. Sure, we know Tamara's gonna get revenge on her tormentors. But instead of just killing them off with an axe or a knife, her revenge is more psychological. She toys with the other kids and gets back at them in ways I've never seen. I thought it was clever that she didn't just go around slaughtering them.

Jenna Dewan, the actress who plays Tamara, does a great job. You feel sorry for her in the beginning and when she comes back...she's amazing. She's not just evil. She's sexy and fun...if it wasn't for the whole "back from the dead" thing, she'd be the perfect hottie. If Jenna isn't a star in the next few years, I'll eat my...well, I'll eat something I don't like. She does a great job.

I thought the directing was good too. I'm so tired of seeing MTV-style movies that are cut so fast and shot so dark that you can't see what was going on. The film obviously had a low budget, but they made the best of it.

The bad...

The film's not perfect. People expecting a lot of blood and gore, will be disappointed. But the stuff that's there really works...the Roger scene is classic. Also, I'm not a perv, but since the story was so sexy, I would have liked to seen more skin. There's some scenes...both with the gore and the sex...where they could have gone a lot further.

Some of the acting. Overall, I thought the acting was really good, but there were a pair of actors I didn't like. (I won't name names, because I don't get off on being nasty.)

Overall, this was obviously a low budget movie, but I think it delivered the goods. It's much better than a lot of the big budget stuff I've seen (The Fog...) And for the dude who thought it should go direct to DVD....check out all of Lions Gate's direct to DVD crap. This movie kicks the sh*t out of them. Actually, aside from Saw and High Tension, I think this is the best genre film they've put out.

Peace,