Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence

I was keen to see this movie because it looked good.  I was pleasantly surprised by how good it is.

This movie takes place in the Wizarding World created by J.K. Rowling.  Fans of Harry Potter may recall that, at one time during the course of their studies, Harry and his classmates have to use the textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander.  Those two things are the only connections to Harry Potter.

In this film we meet Newt Scamander (played by Eddie Redmayne) who has traveled to America with a mysterious suitcase that appears to have something in it.  Prior to Newt's arrival, the audience sees that there appears to be a mysterious something attacking various places in New York City.  Whatever it is demolishes buildings and causes mayhem.  It has also gained the unwanted attention of Non-Majes (the American equivalent to Muggles).

Newt has no idea and no way to know that there is anything unusual happening in the city.  While he is moving through the city, he accidentally "loses" one of his creatures.  He accidentally gets the attention of an American witch named Tina (played by Katherine Waterston) while searching for his creature.  The creature is evidently attracted to shiny things like jewelry and coins and so Newt tracks his creature to a nearby bank.

While in the bank, Newt accidentally switches his magical suitcase with a Non-Maj named Kowalski (played by Dan Fogler) who has a very similar looking suitcase.   Tina is determined to seize Newt and his magical suitcase and turn him in to MACUSA, the American counterpart to the British Ministry of Magic.  After she is turned away, Newt seeks out Kowalski to retrieve his suitcase.

In the interim, Kowalski has been attacked by a frightened creature.  To Tina's dismay Newt tries to help Kowalski without wiping his memory.  To keep Kowalski safe and help heal him, Newt gently insists on keeping Kowalski close.  As such Tina is forced to take Kowalski and Newt with her back to her apartment.  While there, Kowalski and Newt meet Tina's charmingly sweet sister Queenie (played by Alison Sudol).  Queenie also happens to have the ability to read minds.

During the night, Newt reveals to Kowalski that he is carrying a wide array of magical creatures from tiny twig-like creatures to massive rhino-like creatures.  He is apparently passing through New York City on his way to Arizona to release a large eagle like creature who appears to be the inspiration behind the legend of the Thunder Bird.

It turns out that Newt is an unorthodox Wizard who is attempting to study, protect, and, if need be, collect magical creatures throughout the world to educate the Wizarding World.  He is writing a book about his studies that will eventually become Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.

While Newt is preoccupied with tending to the creatures in his protection, Tina seizes her opportunity and takes the suitcase in to MACUSA.  MACUSA is in an uproar over a Non-Maj's death the previous evening that appears to be the attack from the mysterious creature that is terrorizing NYC.  After listening to Tina's testimony, then Newt's testimony, high-ranking member of MACUSA named Graves (played by Colin Farrell) determines that Newt and Tina are traitors and will be summarily executed.

After escaping Graves' clutches, Newt, Tina, Queenie, and Kowalski team up to find the last of Newt's missing creature's and to help find out what is causing the destruction in the city.

While Newt and the others have been dealing with their respective situations, it turns out that there is an anti-Witch movement in New York City that has gained steam with the death of the Non-Maj.  The person most responsible for the movement in New York City is Mary Lou Barebone (played by Samantha Morton).  She has involved her two children, her daughter Modesty and her troubled teenage son Credence (played by Ezra Miller) in the movement.

Although I expected to like this film, my expectations were exceeded.  I think that the story was very good considering the source for this movie is a fictional encyclopedia textbook.  The acting was great.  Katherine Waterston did a great job portraying a multi faceted character that to me started out as unlikeable but gradually won me over.  Alison Sudol as Queenie was adorable and added depth, warmth, and genuine sweetness to a character that could easily have been vapid and stupid.  Dan Kroger as Kowalski was hilarious.  I was very pleased to see him as I haven't seen him in many pictures and I find him to be entertaining in the few movies that I have seen. Ezra Miller did a good job as the pitifully troubled Credence. Eddie Redmayne also did a great job as the shy and quietly intelligent Newt Scamander.  

Considering some aspects of the subject matter, the filmmakers did an excellent job of taking the heavier darker aspects of the film and softening them enough to not bring the movie down.  All in all, a very good movie definitely worth watching whether you are a Harry Potter fan or not.!

Exorcist: The Beginning rated R for strong violence and gore, disturbing images and rituals, and for language including some sexual dialogue

Even though the first Exorcist movie scared me pretty well, I was curious about this one both because of the premise of it being a prequel and because of Stellan Skarsgard being cast as Father Merrin.

In this prequel we find a younger Father Merrin (played by Stellan Skarsgard) who is struggling with his faith while participating in an archaeological dig in East Africa.  A church has been found completely buried in the sand. Father Merrin is assisted in the dig by a team including Father Francis (played by James D'Arcy) who is supposed to protect any religious artifacts that they come across and a doctor named Sarah (played by Izabella Scorupco).

Father Merrin is haunted by what he did in Holland as a young man and his helplessness in that situation.  He tries to push aside his nightmares and his struggles with his faith as he focuses on the dig.

Strangely enough, when Father Merrin shows up at the excavation site, there is an air of darkness at the site.  It seems that as more and more of the church is uncovered strange and frightening events start to happen to various members of the the dig including a child getting mauled by hyenas while his brother is left unmolested.

And so it is that Father Merrin has his first encounter with the demon Pazuzu.  Pazuzu is apparently the same demon that possesses Regan in The Exorcist.  Through his battle with Pazuzu Father Merrin works hard to regain his faith while trying to perform an exorcism on Sarah.

The film had some definitely frightening moments although there are other movies that are scarier.  The story for this film was very good.  The acting was great.

As I stated above I watched this movie partly because of Stellan Skarsgard.  I personally think that he is a great actor and is worthy of the critical acclaim that he has gained over the years.  He is great at subtly adding depth to characters.

I am a little confused by the similarities between this film and Dominion:  Prequel to the Exorcist that was released in 2005.  The two movies are so similar that it feels like Dominion was a remake of this picture.  I've heard that the difference is mainly in the styles of the respective directors.

The Exorcist rated R for disturbing images and strong language

I watched this movie with a group of friends when we were all teenagers.  I was glad that I watched it with them and with the lights on.

This movie is basically two movies in one with two intersecting stories.  At the beginning we meet the "tie that binds" the two stories in the form of Father Merrin (played by Max von Sydow) who is taking part in an archaeological dig somewhere in Northern Africa possibly the Middle East.  He comes across an artifact  that obviously makes him uneasy.

Off we go to Washington D.C. where an actress named Chris MacNeil (played by Ellen Burstyn) who is filming a movie.  She has brought her young daughter Regan (played by Linda Blair) along as well as the servants in her household.  While they are staying there Chris starts to observe strange behavior in her daughter.  After Chris takes Regan to the doctor for treatment, Regan's behavior rapidly becomes frightening rather than just strange.  When the doctors are unable to successfully treat Regan's condition, Chris turns to the church for help.

While Chris and Regan are going through their ordeal, another priest named Father Karras (played by Jason Miller) is dealing with the loss of his mother and the fact that he didn't make time to visit her before she died.  As a result, his faith is shaken.  It is at this time that Chris gets in touch with him.  After witnessing Regan's suffering, Father Karras reaches out to Father Merrin as Father Merrin is an official Church sanctioned exorcist.

And so Father Merrin and Father Karras struggle to free Regan from the possession of the demon.  While the exorcism is going on Father Karras struggles with his lack of faith.

In my opinion, this movie is simultaneously very scary and very boring.  I didn't finish the book because I got bored with the sequences involving Father Karras and him dealing with his mother's death and diminished faith.  The book didn't do a very good job of keeping me the reader orientated with what was going on.  The movie was kind of choppy to me going back and forth between Regan, Father Karras, and, to a smaller extent, Father Merrin.

The acting was great.  The special effects were great.  The story was good.  I can see why this movie is considered to be one of the scariest pictures of all time.  Worth watching if you are curious but I would recommend not watching alone.

Scrooged rated PG-13 for brief nudity, some violence/gore, language, thematic material, and some drug use

As stated in an earlier post, there are many variations on the classic story of A Christmas Carol.  Although this film takes place in the 1980s, this version is the first of the more contemporary takes on the story.  There is more emphasis on humor in this picture which is probably what makes it one of the more preferred variations on Dickens' Christmas story.

In this version the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is portrayed instead as TV producer Frank Cross (played by Bill Murray).  Frank is attempting to successfully film a live production of A Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve no less.  He has no consideration for the fact that he is making people work on Christmas Eve.  His focus is on excellent ratings. He is so focused on ratings that, when he is told by a worker named Eliot Loudermilk (played by Bobcat Goldthwait)  that his tv promo caused a woman to die of a heart attack, he is pleased because he considers that to be a case of any press is good press.  Eliot gets fired on Christmas Eve after he tries to gently and respectfully suggest that the tv promo doesn't promote the spirit of Christmas.

After Frank gets frustrated from dealing with various snafus including having trouble with the censors,  trying to keep his smarmy rival Brice Cummings (played by John Glover) at bay, etc. Frank retreats to his office for a breather.  While in his office, the "Jacob Marley" of this picture,  Frank's former mentor Lew Hayward (played by John Forsythe) visits Frank and tells him that he will be visited by three spirits this night.  Frank initially scoffs just like the original Ebenezer.  Like the original Jacob Marley does to Ebenezer Scrooge,  Lew scares Frank into taking him seriously.  When Frank comes to, he is alone and convinces himself that it was just a dream.

Frank rejoins the production crew.  After getting fed up with the cast and crew, he retreats from the building.  At this time he meets the first spirit, the Spirit of Christmas Past in the form of a gruff taxi driver (played by David Johansen).  After his time with the Ghost of Christmas Past is finished, Frank finds himself back at the studio disrupting the production as it were.

And so it goes.  Frank has encounters with the subsequent Spirits and always finds himself back at the studio, usually disrupting the production.  Like the original Ebenezer, Frank learns about the Spirit of Christmas and determines to change.  The differences that were incorporated in this picture made sense and were all nice touches that added their own flair without taking away from the story.

All of the cast was excellent.  Robert Mitchum performs a brief role in the form of Frank's boss Preston Rhinelander.  Karen Allen is her usual adorably charming self as Frank's love interest Claire Phillips.  Finally,  Carol Kane is my personal favorite Christmas Spirit as the hilarious Ghost of Christmas Present.

There are some unexpectedly gory moments particularly revolving around Frank's mentor Lew.  Also, the Ghost of Christmas Future is at its most frightening in this version I think.

A Christmas Carol aka Scrooge (1951) Not Rated

Christmas isn't the same in my opinion without watching at least one film version of Charles Dickens's classic A Christmas Carol.  Fortunately there are many to choose from depending on personal preference.  In my opinion, this version is the best.

It's a bitterly cold Christmas Eve in Victorian London.  Scrooge (played by Alastair Sim) goes about his usual business.  Anyone who tries to share Christmas Spirit with him or even remind him that it is Christmas Eve is treated with scorn and annoyance.  For anyone who actually dares to say "Merry Christmas!" to him, he promptly replies with a resounding "Bah!  Humbug!"

 His unfortunate clerk Bob Cratchit (played by Mervyn Johns) works while struggling to fend off the cold in his office and keep his own Christmas Spirit in the face of his boss's seeming hatred of Christmas and all things associated with Christmas.  At the day's end, Scrooge begrudgingly gives Bob Christmas off but demands Bob come in "all the earlier" the following day.  Afterwards Scrooge leaves for home.  

While Scrooge gets ready for bed that evening, he is visited by the ghost of his old similarly miserly partner Jacob Marley (played by Michael Hordern).  In the years since his untimely passing, Marley has been suffering both because he was such a miser in his lifetime but also because he has apparently been trying to reach out to humanity help.  He has been specifically reaching out to Scrooge to try to help Scrooge not meet the same fate as himself.  In his efforts to help Scrooge, Marley has managed to make it so that Scrooge will be visited by three spirits.  

As Marley promised, Scrooge is visited by The Ghost of Christmas Past, The Ghost of Christmas Present, and the terrifying Ghost of Christmas Future.  Through the visions that the respective ghosts show to Scrooge it is hoped that he will turn from his current path and become a better person who has Christmas Spirit throughout the year.  In other words, a person who focuses more on helping people instead of being a miser in all ways.   

All of the cast is wonderful but Alastair Sim does a particularly excellent job bringing to life the miserly Scrooge.  It seems that he set the bar with this performance for the subsequent Scrooges that followed.  

If you haven't seen this version yet, I would strongly advise seeing it.  Fortunately it is such a beloved classic that it is usually shown on cable tv networks at least once during the Christmas season.  

Christmas Land rated G ***spoilers***

As I stated in a previous post, I like that Hallmark Channel does Christmas movies every year.  I enjoy many of the movies and generally give many of the movies a chance.  Some movies are hit or miss.  Others, like this one, fall somewhere in the middle in my opinion.

Successful New York businesswoman Jules (played by Nikki Deloach) inherits a successful Christmas tree farm complete with Christmas-themed shops/town from her Aunt Glinda (played by Maureen McCormick).  Even though Jules had happy childhood memories associated with her time at Christmas Land, Jules decides to sell the property as soon as she can find a buyer.  She starts to have second thoughts after she spends some time in Christmas Land and spends time with Tucker (Luke Macfarlane).  After being presented with a generous offer from a guy named Mason (played by Richard Karn) and feeling the pressure from her boyfriend Mitchell (played by Jason-Shane Scott) Jules makes a decision that could potentially have devastating consequences for Christmas Land and the people who love and work at Christmas Land.  Can Jules somehow fix the mess that she created?  Will she choose Tucker or Mitchell?  Will Jules keep Christmas Land?

This movie was all right and worth watching if you are curious.  It fell a bit short in the chemistry between the two leads and in my caring for Jules and what happens to Jules and Christmas Land.

The Legend of Hell House rated PG

This was a film that I came across while flipping channels.  The first time that I came across it, the movie was about halfway through so I saw no point in picking up in the middle.  The second time I was able to watch the whole movie all the way through.

This film tells of a team consisting of a physicist named Dr. Lionel Barrett (played by Clive Revill), his wife Ann Barrett (played by Gayle Hunnicutt), a "non-physical" medium named Florence Tanner (played by Pamela Franklin) and a "physical" medium named Benjamin Fischer (played by Roddy McDowall) who are going to a large estate in the English countryside infamously referred to as  "Hell House" to investigate the possibility of life after death.  They have been selected by a Mr. Deutsch (played by Roland Culver) to spend a week at "Hell House" to find and bring back proof that there is either life after death or not.

The estate is referred to as "Hell House" because of the events that have taken place at the estate including many deaths, acts of debauchery, witchcraft, etc.  The last team that tried to investigate the house had only one survivor, Benjamin Fischer and he is said to have become unbalanced as a result of his experiences.

Things start out ok but from the moment the group enters the house there is an apparent "atmosphere" of unease and darkness that rapidly progresses to horror.  The two women are the ones who are initially the most afflicted by whatever seems to be haunting the house.

Dr. Barrett is determined that there is no actual haunting but rather that the "atmosphere" is due to energy caused by the events of that occurred inside of the house.  Florence is adamant that there is a haunting.  Benjamin seems closed off.  Ann is conflicted.  When mysterious events start happening and the events take on more frightening aspects, everyone's ideas and perceptions are put to the test.

This is an excellent atmospheric horror movie.  There is almost no blood and very little violence.  The "scares" aren't the typical "jump scares" that we see quite frequently in many recent horror pictures.  The acting is all around very good.  The story was well thought out and well executed.  While this is an older picture, I think that it has stood the test of time well.  I liked that they tried to add a scientific aspect to this horror movie as opposed to just pure horror.  It is interesting to note that this is probably one of the first scary movies that featured science in it.  There was an interesting level of respect shown to the mediums in this picture and it felt like the filmmakers were portraying mediums with emphasis on the scientific side rather than the "metaphysical" side which is different.

Krampus rated PG-13 for sequences of horror violence/terror, language, and some drug material

I was curious about this picture because I like horror films to an extent and this one looked promising. I was a little confused by the cast specifically Adam Scott  playing Tom the dad in a horror picture.  I always associate Adam  Scott with comedy so I assumed that, because he is in this movie, there must be elements of comedy in it.  I wasn't completely wrong.

Krampus tells of a somewhat dysfuntional family getting together for Christmas.  As I said earlier, Adam Scott plays Tom the dad of the "more normal" half of the family.  He and his wife Sarah (played by Toni Collette) along with their two children Beth (played by Stefania LaVie Owen) and Max (played by Emjay Anthony) and Tom's mother called Omi (played by Krista Stadler) are all awaiting and dreading the arrival of their relatives Howard (played by David Koechner), his wife Linda (played by Allison Tolman), their children Howie Jr. (played by Maverick Flack, Jordan (played by Queenie Samuel), Stevie (played by Lolo Owen) and Baby Chrissy (played by Sage Hunefeld).  Along for the ride is Aunt Dorothy (played by Conchata Ferrell).

As the family is gathered for Christmas, poor Max is struggling to hold onto his Christmas spirit.  After he feels that he is humiliated in front of his family by his obnoxious cousins Jordan and Stevie reading aloud his letter to Santa Claus, Max angrily goes to his room with the letter clutched in his hand.  In a fit of anger, he tears up the letter and loses his Christmas spirit.  Unbeknownst to him, he has unintentionally released the wrath of the vengeful spirit of Krampus and Max and his family will suffer accordingly.

What starts out as an annoying and inconvenient snow storm quickly turns into a blizzard of horror as the family tries to stick together as they fight for their lives on this dark and cold Christmas.  When the truth of what is happening comes out, Omi tells the story of Krampus as she is familiar with it from her childhood.  Just as Santa Claus gives, Krampus takes.  Krampus utilizes familiar Christmas symbols as well as his own band of elves to punish those who lose their Christmas spirit.  So it is up to the family to try to survive the night and hopefully evade Krampus' fury.

Someone who saw this movie compared it to  Gremlins as far as how scary it is.  I also heard from more than one person that the story unfolds in an unexpected way.  I agree on the second statement.  While this picture is rated PG-13 it might be too frightening for younger children.  It definitely has some comedy to it but I feel that it is much darker than Gremlins.

It is a better movie than I expected.  The actors were all very good.  The story and concept were frightening.  I like that they made this movie because it is different.  I also like that this movie tells of the darker side of Christmas.  I was only vaguely familiar with the darker side of Christmas and I'm not sure how much of this film is based on traditional folklore and how much is just pure imagination from some talented writers.  Either way I enjoyed this film and I recommend it especially if you want a change from the usual Christmas movies although not for younger children.

Dr. Strange rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action throughout, and an intense car crash sequence

I was keen to see this picture both because it looked good and because it stars Benedict Cumberbatch.  I confess I wasn't sure how well he would hold his own as Dr. Strange in the world of the Avengers in comparison to the rest of the Avengers.  I shouldn't have had any doubts.

As stated above, Benedict Cumberbatch stars as a talented neurosurgeon named Dr. Stephen Strange.  After a car accident, Dr. Strange struggles to first accept his condition and to find his place in life.  In a fit of desperation, he travels across the world to Katmandu to find what he thinks is a secret cure for his condition.  Instead he unexpectedly discovers the world of magic and other dimensions under the direct tutelage of Mordo (played by Chiwetel Ejiofor).  Mordo is both a student and instructor of the teachings and practices of The Ancient One (played by Tilda Swinton).  During Dr. Strange's instruction he is cautioned about learning beyond his level so to speak and is told about Kaecilius (played by Mads Mikkelsen).  Kaecilius leads a group of zealots who oppose the Ancient One.

As Dr. Strange is continuing his education, the center is attacked by  Kaecilius and his zealots.  During and after the attack Dr. Strange begins to fully understand and appreciate the Ancient One's teachings and finds a reserve of strength that he didn't realize he had.

I heard this picture summed up/described as "while the Avengers are fighting in the physical realm i.e. the front door, Dr. Strange fights in the non physical realm and defends our back door".  I think that that is a very apt description of this character and parts of this movie.

I chose to watch this film in 3-D and found it well worth it if you have the opportunity and can watch 3-D pictures.  Visually it was lovely.  The acting was great all around.  The story was interesting and fairly easy to follow.  I liked that there was a nice blend of humor and seriousness throughout this movie.

V/H/S rated R for graphic nudity, bloody violence, strong sexuality, pervasive language, and some drug use

This is one of my favorite found footage films.  They utilized first person pov perspective in this film and this might be the first found footage film to use first person pov perspective in it.

At the beginning of this film in "Tape 56", we meet a group of miscreants who are making money filming themselves randomly attacking women to expose the women's breasts.  One of the guys named Gary (played by Calvin Reader) tells them about a job that promises to quickly pay them more money versus them continuing their filming women's exposed breasts.  According to Gary they are hired by a mystery person to break into a house where an old man supposedly lives and to find and steal a specific vhs tape located in the house.

The "job" begins without a hitch.  When they initially enter the house, they encounter no one and all is quiet.  They do notice a peculiar smell but otherwise don't think anything unusual is happening.  As they are securing the house, they come across the corpse of the old man sitting in his chair in his living room.  Interestingly enough, there are a bunch of tvs that are on and there is a large pile of vhs tapes in the living room.

The guys decide to continue to search the house while Brad (played by Adam Wingard) is ordered to check the tapes in the living room.  He is understandably reluctant to left alone with the corpse but another guy named Rox (played by Kentucker Audley)overrides his concerns and Brad is left alone in the living room.  In order to figure out which tape is the sought-after tape, Brad starts playing the various tapes.

The majority of the rest of V/H/S consists of different unrelated stories that Brad is presumably watching in his quest for the tape.   After each story is finished, the film bounces back to the guys in "Tape 56".  With each bounce back to "Tape 56" things get stranger and creepier.  It is apparent that something or someone is in the house with the guys and they don't appear to have good intentions.

In the first segment called "Amateur Night" we meet three young men Shane (played by Mike Donlan), Patrick (played by Joe Sykes), and Clint (played by Drew Sawyer) who are getting ready to head out to bars and clubs.  Clint happens to be wearing a pair of glasses that has a camera discreetly built into the frame.  The object is for Clint to film "tits and asses" that Shane and Patrick score as the night progresses.  While they are out, Clint meets a young woman named Lily (played by Hannah Fierman).  She seems very fixated on Clint and keeps telling Clint that she likes him.  As the guys keep going to various bars and clubs Lily keeps showing up and always hones in on Clint to tell him that she likes him.  As it turns out she isn't as sweet as she looks and the men's excitement quickly turns to horror after she goes with them back to their place.

In the second segment called "Second Honeymoon" we meet a young couple, germaphobic Sam (played by Joe Swanberg) and Stephanie (played by Sophia Takal) who are on a road trip through a desert area probably the American Southwest.  While on the road trip the couple starts to have unsettling experiences like loud mysterious knocks on their hotel room door at night and things getting moved around in their hotel room.  Also someone is filming them as they sleep at night but who and what their intentions are is disturbing and surprising.

In the third segment called "Tuesday the 17th) we meet a group of four young people on a trip to the lake.  The group consists of Wendy (played by Norma C. Quinones), Samantha (played by Jeannine Elizabeth Yoder), Spider (played by Jason Yachanin) and Joey (played by Drew Moerlein).  Wendy organizes the trip and at first her friends are lulled into a false sense of security.  Wendy is initally very mysterious about why she wants to go to the lake at this particular time.  As the group walks to the lake, Joey sees some crazy things in his camera like dead people.  Wendy mysteriously states that everyone is going to die up here.  After Joey asks Wendy about what she said earlier,  Wendy tells of how she had four friends who were killed at this lake some years ago.  The group is skeptical of Wendy partly because she laughs after telling them her story.  Is Wendy telling the truth?  Is the killer still at the lake ready to strike again?  If so, will anyone survive?

In the fourth segment called "The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger" we meet Emily (played by Helen Rogers) and her boyfriend James (played by Daniel Kaufman).  They are long distance dating.  Emily tells James that she has a strange ache in her forearm and she is hearing strange footsteps in her apartment at night.  She promises to call him when she hears the footsteps again and so she does.  While she is talking to James, a child comes into Emily's room and slams the door.  Naturally Emily is convinced that her apartment is haunted.  Later, during a conversation, Emily and James refer to an incident that happened when Emily was younger.  As it turns out things aren't what they seem and Emily might be dealing with something worse than just a haunting.

In the fifth segment called "10/31/98" we meet a group of guys:  Chad (played by Chad Villela), Matt (played by Matt Bettinelli-Oplin), Tyler (played by Tyler Gillett) and Paul (played by Paul Natonek) and they are heading out to party and get into mischief on this Halloween night.  They get more than they bargained for when they accidentally go to the wrong house for a Halloween party and come across a girl (played by Nicole Herb) and try to help her escape what appears to be cult.

Finally we have the surprise ending of "Tape 56" in which we find out definitively what is going on at the old man's house and what happened to the group of guys there.

I liked this one because it is different than other found footage films.  The first person POV was a nice touch but the stories themselves are actually good and unique.  The acting felt very natural even when unnatural things happen.  I liked that each story has a twist to it but please don't watch it just to figure out the twists.  I find that watching movies just to figure out twists completely takes away from the film watching experience.  As an added bonus, the segment titled "10/31/98" had an alternate ending that I marginally preferred to the original ending although I do like the original ending.

Definitely worth watching even if you aren't curious but be warned there is a lot of nudity and graphic violence in this picture considering its premise.

As Above So Below rated R for language throughout and bloody violence/terror ***spoilers***

This was a film that I watched because someone else put it on.  I didn't think that the trailers looked particularly good.

The movie tells of a group of young people who want to go on a tour of the catacombs of Paris France.  The group consists of Scarlett (played by Perdita Weeks), George (played by Ben Feldman), Benji (played by Edwin Hodge), Papillon (played by Francois Civil), Souxie (played by Marion Lambert), and Zed (played by Ali Marhyar).  There are other characters in this picture but I don't care enough to list them.

The group goes exploring through the catacombs and decides to deviate from the map (always a smart idea in any movie in particular a horror movie).  Along the way, they start to have strange experiences.  They hear noises and start seeing things out of the corners of their eyes.  If they see someone standing in a corridor ahead of them, the person disappears when they round the corner.  Things progress for the worse in the form of disappearances of the various members of the group.  The movie seems to be implying that they have wandered into Hell.  Whatever.

This is one of the weaker of the found footage films.  It was cool that they filmed on location in Paris.  The story was differentish than the usual horror found footage films.  The acting was the usual ok.  I didn't particularly care for any of the characters.  In fact I thought that they were very stupid for wandering around in uncharted corridors underground where absolutely no one could come to their aid if necessary ghosts/demons/whatever aside.

The Last Exorcism rated PG-13 for disturbing violent content and terror, some sexual references, and thematic material

I was vaguely aware of this picture when this movie came out.  I didn't go out of my way to watch it until it started to show on cable movie networks.

At the beginning of the movie we meet a jaded preacher named Cotton Marcus (played by Patrick Fabian).  He seems to have very little faith in God and  is especially critical of exorcisms.  He is willing to expose his tricks while he is being filmed for a documentary by Iris Bahr (played by Iris Reisen) and her camera guy. In the documentary he says that while exorcisms are a fraud the people who have exorcisms performed are usually emotionally healed by the experience.  He agrees to perform one last exorcism for the Sweetzer family in Ivanwood LA.

The Sweetzer family consists of Mr Louis Sweetzer (played by Louis Herthum) and his two children Caleb Sweetzer (played by Caleb Landry Jones) and Nell Sweetzer (played by Ashley Bell).  Both of the younger Sweetzers are teenagers with Caleb being the oldest.  According to Louis, Nell has been acting strangely lately which makes him think that she needs an exorcism.  Caleb is hostile toward Cotton and the documentary film crew especially at first.  He gives hints that there is more going on at the Sweetzer farm than just possible demonic possession.

As Cotton and the documentary crew get more involved and research the Sweetzer family it starts to become apparent that there is more going on than just a demonic possession.  The truth about what is really happening was unexpected and surprising in my opinion.  As many people as I have met who are able to predict the endings to movies I find it hard to believe that hardly any of them would actually figure out what is happening.

As far as found footage films go this one does go back to the having some of the characters first names be the same as the respective actors real-life names.  This is one of the better found footage films in my opinion primarily because the ending was unexpected and better for it.  The acting was ok.  There weren't any especially annoying characters that you couldn't wait to be rid of one way or the other.  The story was dealing with familiar subjects (demon possession) in a different way that was refreshing. It wasn't especially dizzying.

All in all, definitely worth watching if you are curious.

Into the Storm rated PG-13 for sequence of intense destruction and peril, and language including some sexual references

I confess that I was initially interested in seeing this film primarily because of Richard Armitage.  After observing him in the Hobbit films, the BBC show Robin Hood, the BBC show MI-5, and the BBC show The Vicar of Dibley, I was keen to see what he would do in this role which was rather different than his previous roles.

This film follows three small groups on a day in the town of Silverton OK when a series of storms spawn an unusual amount of unusually powerful tornadoes.  The fact that all of the groups are carrying cameras actually makes sense for various reasons.

In the first group we have a father named Gary (played by Richard Armitage) and his two teenage sons.  The oldest son Donnie (played by Max Deacon) is expected to film time capsules for the graduating seniors as well as the graduation ceremony.  The younger son Trey (played by Nathan Kress) is enlisted by Donnie to help film the time capsules and the graduation ceremony after Donnie agrees to help his crush Kaitlyn (played by Alycia Debnam-Carey) to film a school project about pollution at a local abandoned factory.

In the second group we have a team of storm chasers that consists of the leader Pete (played by Matt Walsh), the meteorologist Allison (played by Sarah Wayne Callies), and the three cameramen Lucas (played by Lee Whittaker), Daryl (played by Arlen Escarpeta), and Jacob (played by Jeremy Sumpter).  Jacob is the newest member of the team and has no experience filming storms.  As such he is quite nervous and eager to please everyone especially Pete.  Pete is in the process of filming a documentary that will show the inside of a tornado for the first time.  Pete has commissioned a special tank-like vehicle to allow him to "safely" film inside of the tornado.

In the third group we have a couple of seemingly dim-witted thrill seeking friends Donk (played by Kyle Davis) and Reevis (played by Jon Reep) who are happily filming themselves doing stupid stunts when they observe the oncoming storms.  Naturally they get the "brilliant" idea to film themselves as amateur storm chasers.

The second and third group vaguely interact as they are both filming the same storms.  After a storm disrupts the graduation ceremony, Gary realizes that his son Donnie is missing.  Trey quickly tells him where Donnie went and Gary takes Trey with him to retrieve Donnie.  While Gary is on his way to Donnie, Gary and Trey cross paths with Pete's group.  After having a near miss with another tornado, Gary continues on his way to rescue Donnie with the help of Pete's group.  In the meantime the tornado has leveled the factory that Donnie and Kaitlyn were filming at so time is of the essence.

Will Gary get to Donnie in time to save him?  Will they survive the repeated tornadoes that seem to be getting stronger and stronger each time?

There were some comparisons to Twister when this film was released.  The only similarity that I could find between the two films is that they involve tornadoes and a scientist who wants to film a tornado to help predict them so that more deaths could be prevented.  Otherwise these films are nothing alike.

It is refreshing to me to come across a found footage film that is not a horror film.  I know that there are other non-horror/suspenseful found footage films out there but I haven't seen them yet.  The imagery on screen isn't as dizzying as other found footage films.  The story is good.  The acting is good.  I found this film enjoyable besides Richard Armitage being in it.  The filmmakers, writers, and actors all did a very good job of bringing a measure of humanity to the characters that felt more natural than was expected.

I also found it to be a nice touch that the cast was unfortunately exposed to some elements like high winds as opposed to just harnesses and wires.  I say unfortunately because it had to be uncomfortable.  Still I appreciate that the cast was willing to go along with rigors of filming in this manner.

My only small nit pick to this film was the nondescript American accent that Richard Armitage and his sons used.  Perhaps it is because the characters aren't supposed to be originally from Oklahoma but anyway.

The Visit rated PG-13 for disturbing thematic material including terror, violence, and some nudity and for brief language

I am actually a fan of most of M. Night Shyamalan's films so I was keen to see what he would do in the context of the found footage sub genre of suspenseful pictures.  I didn't know what the movie was about as it was enough for me to know that it was an M. Night Shyamalan film.

A woman who is estranged from her parents (played by Kathryn Hahn) sends her teenage daughter Becca (played by Olivia DeJonge) and her preteen son Tyler (played by Ed Oxenbould) to her parents to visit and connect with them while she goes on a cruise trip with her boyfriend.  Becca decides to tape the visit in an effort to help her mother reconnect with her parents.

At first the visit with Nana (played by Deanna Dunagan) and Pop Pop (played by Peter McRobbie) goes well.  Nana and Pop Pop have some strange rules like staying in bed after 9:30pm but otherwise are warm and loving.  When things start to get weird then progress to frightening, Becca and Tyler start to suspect that they are in danger and need to get out.

The climax of the film is disturbing and surprising but probably not entirely unexpected.  I found myself disappointed because this movie just wasn't as good as most previous M. Night Shyamalan films.  It felt mediocre at best.  I am also confused as to why this movie is rated PG-13 when it shows full frontal nudity with Nana.  Oh well.  Hopefully M. Night Shyamalan has this "found footage" thing out of his system.  If he decides to do another, hopefully that one will be better.

Cloverfield rated PG-13 for violence, terror, and disturbing images ***some spoilers***

Continuing with my theme of found footage films I remember seeing the preview for this film as well.  I remember being intrigued enough to watch this movie.  Unlike some of the other found footage films I actually enjoyed this one despite its flaws.

At the beginning of this movie we see a young guy named Rob Hawkins recording his time with a beautiful young woman named Beth McIntyre (played by Odette Annable).  They are apparently in to each other and he is simply recording just because. The video footage abruptly changes to approx a month later.

In the "present day" of the footage we meet Lily Ford (played by Jessica Lucas) talking with her boyfriend Jason Hawkins (played by Mike Vogel) about a going away party that they are throwing for Jason's brother Rob.  She wants Jason to record farewell wishes from the party guests.  Jason doesn't want to so he dumps the responsibility of recording farewell wishes on to his friend Hudson "Hud" Platt (played by T.J. Miller).  Hud, in turn, is excited by the prospect of using the camera as an excuse to talk to his crush Marlena Diamond (played by Lizzy Caplan).

So the party starts and the only incident seems to be the frostiness between Rob and Beth especially since Beth arrives to the party with a date.  After Hud observes Rob and Beth argue and tells everyone at the party what happened between the two, Hud and Jason go to talk to Rob in private about what is going on between him and Beth.  As they are talking there seems to be an earthquake causing everyone in the party to strangely migrate to the roof of the Rob's apartment building.  They flee back into the building after fiery debris starts raining down on them.

After walking downstairs, Hud, Jason, Rob, Lily, and Marlena try to find out what happened by standing in the streets with the rest of the party goers.  After the Statue of Liberty's head comes crashing into the street near them, the group decides to follow the instructions of the police and army to evacuate the city via the Brooklyn Bridge.

As they are crossing the bridge Jason gets a call from Beth pleading for help.  Jason gets separated from the group because he doesn't notice that the other four have fallen behind after Hud notices Jason stop and calls out to the two women to stop.  The bridge is attacked by the monster and Jason is killed.  So Rob determines to go back to Manhattan to rescue Beth and the others decide to go with him to help.

So begins the "harrowing" journey of the group to rescue Beth including dodging the actual monster, getting attacked by smaller monsters, facing the army, avoiding the army, and just generally getting into scrapes that they shouldn't have survived for as long as they did.

Like I said earlier, I enjoyed this film.  I like it partly because of its flaws.  It is a very easy movie to pick apart for various reasons.

The characters aren't particularly likeable for the most part except for Marlena and Lily in that order.  One of the biggest flaws is the question of why Hud kept carrying the camera.  Other than plot device and what was thought of as a clever way of telling this story, it is just silly that he keeps carrying the camera considering that they are supposed to be running for their lives.

There's not a lot of apparent chemistry between Rob and Beth to warrant Rob going after her.  I mean he seems butt hurt that she has moved on with someone else but that doesn't come off as out of love for her.  When they do go after Beth, they consistently do foolish things like not gathering or keeping weapons that they come across, not gathering supplies like water or food as they come across them, not changing into more suitable clothes as they come across them, etc.

Worth watching if you are curious.  Can by dizzying if you are sensitive to found footage/shaky cam footage.

Quarantine rated R for bloody violent and disturbing content, language, and terror

As I was typing up my last blog about A Christmas Melody I realized that I hadn't finished covering all of the found footage films that I have seen.  It didn't seem right to not complete the section on found footage films so here I go with another.  Obviously more will follow.

I remember seeing previews for this picture and being intrigued.  What could make a quarantine like what is portrayed in this film happen?  The trailer did a good job of convincing me to see this movie to find out.

In this movie we meet a young reporter named Angela Vidal (played by Jennifer Carpenter) and her camera man Scott Percival (played by Steve Harris).  They are from a station in LA and their assignment for the evening is to go along with an LA firehouse station on whatever calls the firefighters get.  At first all is good.  Angela is taken on a tour of the firehouse.  She's having fun sliding down the pole.  Angela seems to be get along especially well with a handsome firefighter named Jake (played by Jay Hernandez).  Then there is a call to an apartment building regarding an injury.

Angela and Jake continue talking as they travel to the apartment building.  The apartment building seems to be a typical apartment building in a middle class neighborhood.  The small crowd of residents gathered outside and hanging out in the corridors seem average enough.

Strangely enough there is a lot of mystery as to who was injured, where they lived, what happened, etc.  Everyone that the camera crew and firefighters talk to has ideas but nothing concrete.  So the firefighters responding are left with the trouble of trying to find out exactly what is going on in addition to trying to treat the injured victim.

Things start to go wrong with no definitive answers as the firefighters are preparing to leave.  Eventually it becomes apparent that the building is under quarantine by the government.  A large bio hazard tent has been erected to enclose the building.  To add to the mystery, the government agents aren't giving any answers as to why the building is under quarantine.  So it is up to Angela, Jake, and Scott to find out what's going on and hopefully escape with their lives.

As I said earlier, the trailer did a good job of selling me on watching this movie.  While I don't regret knowing the "secret" as to why the quarantine was put into action, I do regret watching this movie to find out.

In this found footage film, it made sense that Scott kept carrying the camera since he is in fact a camera man and he's reporting a story.  This is one of the few examples of carrying a camera making sense in found footage films.  The acting wasn't bad.  The jump scares were good enough the first time I watched.

My biggest problem with this movie was the reason for the quarantine being implemented.  I don't have a medical background but I have enough knowledge to know that the reason for the quarantine and how this played out was ridiculous at best.  I know, I know, it's a horror movie and horror movies aren't knowing for having good solid plots but still.

1000 Times Good Night rated PG-13 for some violence, some language, and frightening/intense scenes ****some spoilers***

My buddy found this movie while searching for Nordic actors after seeing the picture Ragnarok.  I was keen to see this picture due to the two main actors Juliette Binoche and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.  I personally didn't look at the plot description provided on Netflix and as a result had no idea what to expect.

This film tells of a professional news photographer named Rebecca (played by Juliette Binoche)and her challenges/struggles to keep her family together while also being happy with herself.  The challenges/struggles stem from her being a photographer in war zones throughout the world and her family constantly being under strain for fear of losing her.  After she gets injured following a suicide bomber (the film does a remarkable job of conveying how she feels by showing a reversed image of her underwater), her husband Marcus (played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) determines that he can't be with her anymore and that as soon as she is well he is taking their two daughters  Steph (played by Lauryn Canny) and Lisa (played by Adrianna Cramer Curtis) and leaving her. Steph is a teenager and Lisa appears to be about 10 years of age.

Rebecca is naturally disturbed at the prospect of losing her family to her job so she quits.  She determines to focus on her family as well as getting well.  As she struggles with trying to fit in to the normalcy of her family's lives, she is faced with dilemmas and temptations that revolve around her work versus her family.  She is a talented photographer who has gained an excellent reputation for her work and her choice of where she works.  As such, people and businesses including her former employers are keen to ask her to take on photography projects that involve taking pictures in war-torn areas for publication in news and to raise awareness about troubled areas in our world.

She is further challenged when her own daughter Steph pleads for a chance to go with her to refugee camps in Africa to take photos for a school project.  After things go horribly wrong, Rebecca is faced with the darkness that her actions have led to and what she is going to do to try to fix them.  Meanwhile her family is forced to make a decision of whether or not they will continue to be there for her/love her even if she chooses to continue going to war-torn areas to take photos for publication.

This was a great film.  It is really eye-opening to many things I think including the lives and struggles of those kinds of photographers as well as their respective subjects.  It gives some possible insight as to why people do the things that they do whether it is regarding photographers or just everyday ordinary people or people from different cultures.  It is thought-provoking with subtly powerful performances.  A great story.  My friend didn't care for the ending but honestly I couldn't think of a more true way to end the film.  Mind you I would have loved to see a less open ended ending but this ending felt more appropriate given the subject matter, circumstances, and characters.

Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones rated R for pervasive language, some violence, graphic nudity, and some drug use ***some spoilers***

This is the feeblest of the Paranormal Activity films in my opinion because it has the weakest connection to the franchise.  

In this one we meet a high school graduate named Jesse (played by Andrew Jacobs).  He seems fairly normal.  He lives with his middle class family in an apartment complex in Southern California.  He has friends.  He doesn't seem to be a "troubled youth".  

One day he observes his "creepy" neighbor named Ana (played by Gloria Sandoval) doing what appears to be practicing ritual magick.  Jesse and his friends talk about how she has a reputation for being a witch.  After Ana mysteriously dies in her apartment,  Jesse and his friends break into her apartment and explore.  They find more "evidence" of witchcraft.  After getting freaked out and fleeing her apartment, Jesse and his friends are spooked but otherwise seem to think that they are fine and things will be ok for them.

After their exploration of Ana's apartment, strange things start happening to Jesse.  He seems to have gained mysterious powers and starts hearing and seeing things.  He finds that he himself is changing and not for the better.  After finding out that the class valedictorian is also having similar experiences to Jesse's, Jesse and his friends make an effort to find out what is happening and if the supernatural happenings can be stopped.

One of the weak connections between this movie and the others comes in the form of the brief reappearance of Ali Rey (played by Molly Ephraim), the daughter from the Rey family featured in Paranormal Activity 2.  She shows up to inform Jesse and his friends that Jesse has been marked (hence the title of this picture) to be a member of Satan's army (?).  

This movie is okish on its own.  It's a found footage film like the previous films but it isn't too "dizzying" in comparison to some found footage films.  Like many other found footage films you might find yourself wondering just why anyone is carrying a camera and filming given the boring nature of the events that are occurring for the most part in the film.  There isn't really acting happening in this film and the story isn't good.   In regards to the franchise, this film isn't necessary to watch.  If you choose to watch this film, make sure that you have very low expectations.

Ragnarok rated PG-13 for some terror/frightening images

I watched this movie because a friend of mine put it on for me.  I had no expectations and thus wasn't disappointed.

This picture opens on a group of Vikings standing on the edge of lake at night.  They appear to be seeking a treasure based off of their conversation.  Something terrifying rises out of the lake, the Vikings appear paralyzed with terror, and then the screen goes black.

In present day we meet an archaeologist named Sigurd (played by Pal Sverre Hagen) who is about to give a presentation regarding recent discoveries of Viking relics to sponsors of the museum.  Sigurd is warned by his boss to keep to the facts.  When the sponsors seem to lose interest and express frustration at their money "being wasted" Sigurd informs them that he feels that he has found evidence that the story of Ragnarok might be based in a factual event.  The sponsors storm out and Sigurd is pretty much fired on the spot.

Sigurd is a parent to two children his 9 year old son Brage (played by Julian Podolski) and his teenage daughter Ragnhild (played by Marie Annette Tandero Berglyd).  The evening following Sigurd's getting sacked, Sigurd's partner and friend Allan (played by Nicolai Cleve Broch) shows up with a mysterious rock that has runes carved into it.  Allan has been doing the field work that Sigurd bases his theories and work on.

After studying the rock, Sigurd feels that the rock is a map left by a Viking queen Asa (played by Vera Rudi) leading to an area named Finnmark where Ragnarok may have happened.  Sigurd determines to go there with his family and Allan as soon as possible.  Allan introduces Sigurd to his assistant Elisabeth (played by Sofia Helin) when they arrive at Finnmark.  Elisabeth has arranged for a guide to take them deep into the forest where the runes indicate that they need to go.  Their path takes them to and ends in a "No Man's Land" that used to belong to the Soviet Union.

At first all goes well for the group.  Their travels take them across the lake that we saw at the beginning of the film to an island in the middle of the lake.  On the island, the group finds old Soviet equipment but no other signs of life.  After Barge finds a deep cave, the group rappels down into it.  Sigurd, Elisabeth, and Allan are naturally particularly excited about the Viking helmets and other things that they discover.  Unfortunately their guide turns out to be greedy and takes the items away with him.  He also leaves them stranded by untying the ropes that they used to rappel into the cave.

Unfortunately the group, in particular the guide, have apparently awoken something that lives in the lake.  Whatever it is, is huge and hungry.  As the group realizes  that they are being hunted, it dawns on Sigurd that the rock might not have been a map but instead a warning.

Overall the film was good for a giant monster movie.  The effects are not great but otherwise definitely a movie worth watching.  The monster itself might be frightening to younger audiences.  There really isn't a lot of violence in this picture which is a little surprising given the monster.  It is subtitled which isn't a problem in my opinion but might be an issue for others. 

Paranormal Activity 4 rated R for some language and some violence/terror **spoilers**

I found that this film wasn't that memorable.  This is one of the poorly made sequels in the Paranormal Activity franchise.  It was particularly disappointing as I had been the most pleased with the third of the franchise.

This movie follows the events of the first and second movies.  Katie makes an appearance in this picture as a new neighbor who moves in with "her little boy" Robbie (played by Brady Allen) who is the same age as Wyatt (played by Aiden Lovekamp) the son of the family that is "haunted" in this picture.  Alex (played by Kathryn Newton)  is the teenage sister of Wyatt.  They live with their parents Doug (played by Stephen Dunham) and Holly (played by Alexondra Lee).

After Katie and Robbie move in Alex's family experiences strange events in their home.  The filmmakers utilized the latest X Box features at the time of this film's release to show a demon although whether it is Toby or not is not clear.  Katie abruptly leaves after practically throwing "her child" Robbie at the new neighbors while begging them to watch her child while she does something.

Despite barely knowing Katie and her son, the family is forced to agree due to the abruptness of Katie's leaving.  I suppose they could have called someone like the police or child protective services but I actually understand that they didn't because either reaction seems extreme.

Alex is very aware that strange things are happening but, despite her best effort to bring the happenings to their attention, her parents are dismissive at best.  The events "get worse and worse".  It turns out that Robbie is a demon but whether he is "Robbie the demon" or Toby as "Robbie" is not made clear.  This film either has the most demons in it or Toby the demon got bored and decided to split himself into three personalities.   In any case, Robbie is intended to take Wyatt who is really Hunter from the second movie with him to parts unknown.

It's interesting to me that Wyatt/Hunter is having to be reclaimed.  What happened to Hunter?  Did Katie lose custody of him when he was still a baby?  Did she accidentally leave him at the mall and forget where she left him?  Did he somehow walk away even though he was just a baby?  Perhaps a stork saw him, picked him up, and dropped him off with Alex's family.

Whatever happened is never explained or at least not clearly explained.  After Wyatt/Hunter disappears with Robbie, Alex goes to rescue him from Katie's house.  A bunch of people show up.  The End.

Like I said earlier, in my opinion, this is a disappointing sequel in the franchise.  In fact, it is the beginning of the disappointing sequels that just don't come close to the first three in my opinion.

Paranormal Activity 3 rated R for language, some violence, brief sexuality, and drug use **spoilers**

In the third installment we get a backstory related to the hints and references made by Katie and Kristi in the second movie.  In my opinion this is the best of the sequels.  I would even go so far as to say this one is the best of the Paranormal Activity movies.

The movie opens with Katie giving Kristi a box of old vhs tapes from their childhood.  Katie is dumping the box on Kristi because Katie is moving in with Micah and Kristi has an enormous basement in her home for some reason.  The film fast forwards to the break-in featured in the second Paranormal Activity movie.  At this point we find out that the one thing that was stolen was the box of old vhs tapes.  Then we pick up with a mysterious viewer of the old tapes.

In the tapes we find Katie and Kristi living with their beautiful mother Julie (played by Lauren Bittner) and Julie's handsome boyfriend Dennis (played by Christopher Nicholas Smith) in a house in California.

Finally we have a non douche bag boyfriend/husband!  Dennis is pretty much the opposite of the former guys featured in the series.  He's believably sweet and reasonable. He's intelligent and he seems to genuinely care about his girlfriend and her children as a husband and father should.

Finally we have a believably strong and vibrant girlfriend/mom! Julie is portrayed as having this strength and vitality that her daughters as adults lack for some reason.  Her actions and attitudes make the most sense in comparison to her adult daughters.

We start with Katie's birthday during which we meet the creepy Grandma Lois (played by Hallie Foote).  You can tell from the beginning that she's bad news.  Continuing after the birthday we round out the cast with Dennis'  likeable assistant Randy (played by Dustin Ingram) and the cute sweet babysitter Lisa (played by Johanna Braddy).

The camera is initially used to record things like typical family memories (birthdays) and just for messing around with a camera.  It turns out that Dennis has job as a photographer who is hired to film and photograph events like weddings and such.  He subsequently edits the videos for the respective clients.

During Dennis' recording of the birthday, Dennis observes Kristi having a conversation with an invisible friend.  Later, Kristi makes mention of her friend Toby.  Later, Dennis hears a strange thump coming from the girls' room.

One evening, while recording a sex tape, Dennis and Julie are interrupted by an earthquake.  The camera is left recording.  Dennis observes a strange looking shape in the dust near the foot of the bed.  This is the last straw for Dennis after everything else and out of concern for his family Dennis sets up cameras to see what is happening.

Spooky stuff happens.  In this case a chandelier doesn't move but still an overhead light swings.  When things continue Dennis attaches a camera to an osciallating fan which adds to some interesting unusual views/scares in the dining room/living room.  In this film, we have the first breaking of the chandelier/overhead light.

It turns out that Kristi's friend Toby is more sinister than just an invisible friend.  In this picture, the "frightening" game of Bloody Mary is featured to a truly scary degree.  The visual effects of the haunting that were used in this picture were definitely superior to the previous Paranormal Activity films.  The effects team did a great job in providing various scares both jump and otherwise throughout the movie.

For the first time in the franchise, the footage is reviewed more frequently so that Dennis is aware of what is happening.  He doesn't do anything which is disappointing but at the same time I got the impression that he wasn't sure what to do exactly thus he didn't do anything besides some research.

The scary events eventually result in the family fleeing their home to Grandma Lois's home.  In this film we also learn that Kristi is promised as a bride to Toby the demon for some  reason.  While at Grandma Lois's we learn that Grandma Lois is apparently aware of Toby's presence and in fact is behind Toby's presence.  The scary events culminate in the deaths of both Julie and Dennis as well as the possession of Katie.  I have heard that there is a shot of a fire in Julie and Dennis' bed featured in the credits.  This is supposed to be the fire that Katie referenced in the first Paranormal Activity movie.

One of the reasons that I feel this movie is the best of the franchise is all of the elements adding up very well.  The acting was very good, the characters (with the exception of Grandma Lois) were likeable and you cared what happened to them, there was an attention to detail including making the house look like it was occupied by a family including children,  the scares were better conveyed and more interesting to look at, for the most part the story made sense.

I feel that I must add that there is a sizeable plot hole in this film that reflects the problem of continuity that each of the movies connected to Katie and Kristi directly have.  I can excuse the plot holes in the first Paranormal Activity movie because it seems that the filmmakers weren't sure that there was going to be a sequel.  In this movie we see the death of Julie and yet in both the first and second movie Katie and Kristie's mother is mentioned as in she is alive but possibly overbearing but at least not well liked.  In this movie Katie mentions Grandma Lois specifically.  When you view The Ghost Dimension, the girls are portrayed as identifying Grandma Lois as their mother as if they have forgotten that their actual mother and Dennis were killed in front of them.  Also Julie's death is not very obvious in my opinion.  She is lifted and thrown down the stairs so she could have simply experienced broken bones.  She is limp when she falls down the stairs so while she may have been seriously injured, she might have survived.

Further, it seems that the demon's efforts to procure a male from the family line could have been easily solved by making Dennis and Julie have sex thus producing a male child. But then again we wouldn't have this entertaining movie if that had happened.