SHARK NIGHT (2011)

 TIME FOR A BIG, DUMB SHARK MOVIE.

  Well, it's not really so big but it IS delightfully dumb fun.  And yes, it was directed by David R. Ellis; the maestro in the director's chair on SNAKES ON A PLANE.  And while SHARK NIGHT isn't nearly as much fun, it's still quite a good time.  A group of college twinks go out to a saltwater lake to have some college twink fun.  They cross paths with a coupla threatening rednecks, a goofy sheriff (wonderfully played by Donal Logue) and, eventually, some sharks in the lake. 

That's about it except for one or two nice little twists I'm not gonna spoil for you.  I mean, there's not a lot more to say about the film.  It's a dopey shark-eating-college-twinks movie and, when that's what you're in the mood for, this one will satisfy that munch.  The soundtrack is filled with hopelessly 2011-era 'rock' songs aside from the prominent placement of Ratt's 'Round and Round' in one crucial scene.  Let that be a lesson to you; don't fill your movie with contemporary unknown pop songs because it'll REALLY date your movie.  And not in a good way.  The cast is fulled with a bunch of 20-something TV actors who all look really good in their swimsuits so there's that; beefcake and cheesecake bods which looks like they'd make a nice meal for a hungry shark.  And they do. 

However, unlike most of these movies, the cast are kinda likeable.  One of the twinks is Katharine McPhee who, I believe, got famous for being on AMERICAN IDOL but she's pretty good in her role as are all the other twinks.  It seems they can all handle the acting chores with which they are tasked and I kinda liked them all.  Then, of course, there's the lovable Donal Logue (most famous lately, probably, for playing Harvey Bullock on GOTHAM) as the beer-drinking, air-guitar-playing Sheriff.  Also in the cast is a pretty unrecognizable Joshua Leonard (from THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT) as a snaggle-toothed redneck!  Wait a minute!  I thought those 3 filmmakers in THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT all died out there in the woods?!?!?!  Are you telling me that wasn't real?!?!?!?!  Ah well, the dopey fun in SHARK NIGHT is real and as an empty-caloried shark-gobbling movie, I had fun with it!  Apparently, there's a 3-D version of the film but I only saw it flat and, besides an explosion scenes and multiple shots of open-mouthed sharks zooming towards the camera, the blatant 3-D effects aren't too blatant.