REEL CRITICS:’1408’ does a number on the nerves

When life gets you down, what better way to cheer up than to see a horror movie? No matter what happens on screen, you know all will be right with the world two hours later.

“1408”

The latest film based on a Stephen King story, “1408” contains all the scary elements you’ve come to expect from the master of horror.

John Cusack is terrific as a jaded writer who specializes in debunking the myth of haunted places, but gets more than he ever dreamed possible when he stays in a hotel room where strange things are happening. Is there really a ghost, or just very poor room service?

“1408” messes with your head and jangles the nerves. It’s a derivative of “The Shining,” that will leave you emotionally spent by the time the credits roll.

“Black Sheep”

This is a funny twist on the zombie flick from New Zealand about some genetically engineered sheep that suddenly go baaaad.

Thanks to some bumbling environmentalists, these woolly menaces are soon wreaking bloody havoc on a placid countryside.

Writer/director Jonathan King takes this absurd premise and has everyone playing it straight, which makes it even funnier. I loved seeing giant mutant sheep recoil from mint jelly like a vampire avoids holy water.

Both films make imaginative use of special effects and the price of tickets was money well spent.

“La Vie en Rose”

Édith Piaf was one of France’s most beloved singers, a tiny woman with a huge voice that was “the soul of Paris.” In Olivier Dahan’s biopic, “La Vie en Rose,” we glean a sample of that heartbreaking voice and the turbulent life that fueled it.

Marion Cotillard (she was Russell Crowe’s love interest in “A Good Year”) gives a stunning performance as Piaf and undergoes an amazing physical transformation from street waif to diva to shockingly premature old age.

The filmmakers chose not to tell Piaf’s story in chronological order, but kept it chaotic, jumping between decades. It doesn’t always work, but there’s a brilliant scene where Piaf learns of a lover’s death. Overcome with grief, she wanders her apartment, turns a corner, and is suddenly onstage. Life becomes art.

Piaf certainly had a tough life, including a serious morphine addiction that took its toll. She died at 47. But what a life, what a career she had.

As noted in the film, Piaf (the French word for “sparrow”) had a limited appeal in America. But I came away with a newfound appreciation for her artistry and resilience, and her signature song “Je ne regrette rien” is still playing in my head.

“Evan Almighty”

If you saw the long movie trailer for “Evan Almighty” you pretty much saw the whole film.

It’s a lame attempt at comedy with a biblical theme, silly political satire and mushy family values. It’s the sequel to “Bruce Almighty” from 2003, the amusing cosmic farce starring Jim Carrey and Jennifer Aniston. The current effort is not so amusing.

Morgan Freeman plays the same lightweight version of God Himself in both films. Once again he is fooling around with a human who is given mighty powers far beyond his wisdom to use them.

This time Steve Carell has the lead role as a new congressman who has just arrived in Washington. With a wink and a nod from God, he becomes the modern day version of Noah. He begins building an ark in the middle of suburbia to the intense ridicule of neighbors and the media.

This completely predictable movie has its cute moments. Wanda Sykes steals the show with her wisecracking, edgy comments. But the rest of the story is so absurd and lacking in true humor that your attention span will melt away long before the final credits roll.