I just went off the reservation with my write-up of "Little Murder" but that's because I'm just so happy I can report on something like that which carries no expectations.  But there's also a story tonight about "Dream House" and it seems like both films share a common problem except one is directed by Jim Sheridan and stars Daniel Craig while the other feature Bokeem Woodbine and is directed by the guy who did "Hard Cash".  Hit the jump to find out why "Dream House" doesn't get my enthusiasm.

Variety is reporting that Daniel Craig has just joined Jim Sheridan's ("My Left Foot", "In America") psychological thriller, "Dream House".  Sounds good, right?  Craig is a solid actor and Jim Sheridan has never done this genre before.

But then I read the logline:

Craig plays a New York publishing exec who relocates his family to a small New England town, only to learn that their new home was the scene of a vicious murder.

Now loglines can be misleading and sell a film in the worst way.  But if I'm judging this film on the logline alone (and I always do because I don't read scripts or have constant contact with folks in the industry), then I don't understand why anyone would do this film.  What makes this film more worthy of Daniel Craig and Jim Sheridan than "Little Murder"?  And how does Steven King just not have some auto-sue function for this stuff?

But the premise is just so funny because it would be so much better if they discovered the vicious murder BEFORE.  For instance, what if Craig's character had fallen on hard times but had to keep putting up a façade to prove his success and he has to move his family into this nice-looking house but he can only afford it because folks were viciously murdered inside?  This sounds like someone thought, "Hey!  I'd like to do a film in the vein of Steven King and then just took one of Steven King's stories (obviously you can also throw "The Amityville Horror" on the pile as well as some others which all turn on the idea of the safety and security of a family smashed apart by forces beyond their control).

If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to enjoying my reflections on "Little Murder".