The folks out at Brink DVD sent over a copy of The Zookeeper to review for us today, and I think you’re going to be downright stunned by this dose of World War II-style excitement in one thoroughly engrossing package.

Featuring one of my favorite actors, Sam Neill, The Zookeeper (and please don’t confuse this with the upcoming Kevin James title of the same name, it would insult us all), who finds himself in charge of a zoo in the midst of wartime somewhere in Eastern Europe. Ludovic, a former Communist Party official who’s seen better days, now finds himself in charge of a zoo somewhere in Eastern Europe while all his cohorts flee. Ludovic does his best in the face of dwindling resources to keep the zoon in tact, a difficult proposition considering that partisan bands will occasionally raid the zoo looking for meat stock besides. And things only get worse when a boy and his mother enter Ludovic’s life, making things more difficult–and yet, better–for him. Now Ludovic must not only fight to save the animals, but also the humans, suddenly in his care.

I’ll lead off by saying that I’m certainly biased in favor of Sam Neill, and if I weren’t before, I would be now. The man is a freaky genius, and his skill shows here wonderfully. If you have to put a movie on any one person’s back, Sam Neill is a great place to start looking, and he’s most of the show here. Sure, he’ll have great support as well, but this is mostly his movie.

There’s incredible, yet thoroughly authentic, drama in here, with brilliant portrayals all around. The plot is deep and rich, despite the fact that it all takes place pretty much in a space the size of a city park, give or take. This compressed quality makes the whole thing even more worthwhile by virtue of its relative difficulty.

And when you add a great story together with great performances, well, what you get is a great movie pretty much by default. There are some surprise laughs in here, and plenty of shocks in here as well. The mix is a beautiful, compelling force all its own.

The Screenhead Ten Scale acknowledges a great movie by offering up a ten out of ten to this masterful, moving portrayal of one man who was alone, but found himself thrust into being so much more.

The folks out at Lions Gate, possibly in a bid to convince me that they’re not getting out of the direct to video horror movie market (which they’ve been pretty short on the ground with of late) sent me a copy of Under the Mountain to review.  I was glad they did, as I’d been hearing about this movie for some time, and was dying to see how well it meshed with what I’d heard.

Under the Mountain follows twins Rachel and Theo Matheson out in Auckland, New Zealand as they discover something deeply unsettling about their neighbors–they’re a race of shapeshifting monstrosities out to destroy the world called the Wilberforces. But Rachel and Theo are no ordinary twins–they once had special powers that mystified even them.  Time has dulled the edge of those gifts, but if they can bring them back, they may well have the edge they need to save the world from the wrath of the Wilberforces.

An interesting prospect, no mistake, and Under the Mountain watches like nothing so much as the New Zealand Harry Potter with a darker edge.  And considering Sam Neill shows up, that makes things even better.

I love how much suspense they managed to slip into this little thing, and the effects are also solidly done.  Sure, it’s come out as direct to video here, but I’d give good odds this one did some theatrical time in New Zealand.  Lions Gate made a really good move bringing this one to the States, and frankly, I hope this movie finds the viewership it so desperately needs–and deserves.

Sure, it can be straightforward, and predictable on more than one occasion, and in some parts the physics is a bit wonky, but the overall effect is still really, really good. None of this movie’s drawbacks really get in the way of telling a fairly decent story. Moreover, it will be entertaining, and we’ve forgotten that that’s what a movie really needs to be more than anything–entertaining.

Thus, the Screenhead Ten Scale looks at this appealing little import and hands it a triumphant eight out of ten.  Sure, it’s not without its problems–let’s not try and pretend otherwise–but those problems really don’t hold the movie back any.  And that gives it a lot of credibility–if you’re looking for a good horror movie with lots more tension than blood, give a note of consideration to Under the Mountain.