College Times

It's a common belief that the Hollywood machine has all but exhausted most of its originality. With tried and true conventions in every genre being churned out - not to mention remakes, sequels, prequels and re-imaginings - it's easy to see where this complaint comes from. Still, there are some movies that manage to rise above the clichés and provide entertainment.

"Disturbia" is such a flick. A cross between Hitchcock's masterful "Rear Window" and the Tom Hank's comedy, "The 'burbs," 'Disturbia" is entertainment hitched on the acting of the former "Holes" star, Shia LaBeouf.

Stop me if you've heard this before: After losing his father in a tragic car crash, Kale (LaBeouf) has become an angry, reclusive teen, eventually lashing out at a teacher for making the wrong comment. Sentenced to three months house arrest, Kale has no option but to entertain himself while stuck at home. Peeking into the lives of those nearest to him, Kale is fascinated by the secrets of his quiet suburban neighborhood. That is until he suspects that one of his not-so-normal neighbors might be responsible for a string of violent murders.

LaBeouf and David Morse are responsible for carrying the film past its own faults. As the troubled teen, LaBeouf provides the right amount of angst-ridden drama to keep the film serious when it has to be. As a comedic actor, he has the onscreen charisma to keep the audience interested.

Morse also manages to be both charming and downright creepy when called for.

Lastly, special mention must go to Sarah Roemer, whose girl-next-door prettiness and overall sass makes her a believable object of post-pubescent fantasy.

Billed as a thriller, "Disturbia," has only a handful of intense, scary moments sprinkled throughout, meaning that the movie happily takes its time building up tension. While a good 40 minutes is spent on the setup and introduction of the characters, atypical of most mainstream movies, the time spent with the characters early on helps later when our protagonists find themselves in real danger.

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