Monday, November 28, 2016

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.


Sunday, November 27, 2016

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.

Friday, November 25, 2016

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.

Wednesday, November 23, 2016

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.


Tuesday, November 22, 2016

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.


Monday, November 21, 2016

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.


Saturday, November 19, 2016

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.

Friday, November 18, 2016

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. 

Thursday, November 10, 2016

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.

Sunday, November 6, 2016

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.


Saturday, November 5, 2016

Paranormal Activity 2 rated R for some language and brief violent material **spoilers**



This film both precedes, overlaps with, and follows the events of the first Paranormal Activity movie.  This one also breaks the habit of having the characters share the first name as the respective actors besides Katie and Micah of course.
In this picture, we meet Katie's sister Kristi Rey (played by Sprague Grayden), Kristi's husband Daniel Rey (played by Brian Boland) and Daniel's daughter teenage daughter Ali (played by Molly Ephraim).  The family has a housekeeper/nanny named Martine (played by Vivis Colombetti) who lives at the house with them.
At the start of the film, Kristi has just given birth to a baby boy named Hunter (played by William Juan Prieto and Jackson Xenia Prieto).  For some reason Daniel Rey starts off somehow more obnoxious and douche baggy than Micah.  It's almost like the actor and/or writers decided "Let's make Micah look like a saint compared to this a-hole!"  Micah at least had a sort of "two-second let's give this guy a chance" situation whereas Daniel just hit the ground running as a dick.
Anyway, so after bringing the baby home we fast forward until Hunter is a toddler.  There is what appears to be a break-in (at least that's what Daniel calls it).  It's a little strange to me that they continue to call this a "break-in" when they quickly figure out that almost nothing was stolen and that there was just vandalism essentially. Daniel's reaction is to install survelliance cameras but not an alarm system as well as cameras.
After the cameras are installed nothing very strange happens except the pool cleaner machine keeps coming out of the pool at night.  No one ever notices this happening and Daniel doesn't seem to think that it's strange that he keeps having to put the pool cleaner back into the pool every morning.  At worst it's a bit of a prank and considering his "delightful" behavior, you'd think that he would complain and find out who is taking the pool cleaner out.
Eventually "spooky" things start happening including the pool cleaner coming out of the pool, sounds being heard, toys being played with, a high chair falling over, etc.  Martine seems to be aware of supernatural things in general and quickly tries to help protect the family.
Daniel, the genius (sarcasm!), doesn't seem to realize that her efforts at smudging the house with sage are meant as a protective gesture.  Instead he way overreacts and fires Martine.
Never mind that Martine is an established and beloved housekeeper that he has known and trusted for years.  Never mind that she has been taking care of his young son all of this time without incident.  One instance of her smudging and she's out the door.  It's odd also because he makes it sound like she does this sort of thing all the time when it is obvious based off of the previous boring footage that we have seen that she hasn't done this thing before.
Ali is upset by the business of Martine being fired but Kristi doesn't seem to give a crap.  I guess for her it doesn't count that this woman has been tending to her child while Kristi does something that we never see.  She never mentions work and we never see her go to work.  It is certainly a mystery as to why this not busy stay at home housewife needs a nanny.  She doesn't even give the excuse of having to go to the salon or being involved in charities or volunteer work.
After Martine leaves, the demon starts acting out in earnest.  We have a chandelier swinging scene and Ali stupidly gets locked out of the house.  I say stupidly because if you are watching a small child by yourself and you hear a knock late at night, you peek through the peephole.  If you don't see anyone, you don't open the door and you certainly don't walk outside to see what's up.
Despite Ali's protestations and the viewing of the footage, Daniel decides that Ali was locked out by the wind because the wind is known to turn locks when it slams doors behind people.  We catch up with Katie and Micah throughout all of this foolishness.
The most interesting thing that comes of that is we hear mysterious references to a specific series of events that happened during Katie and Kristi's childhood.  Katie shuts down the conversation leaving the audience to speculate until the third Paranormal Activity movie comes out.
Spooky things keep happening including an excellent jump scare moment with Kristi in the kitchen.  That moment certainly was a step up from the "scares" in the first movie leaving some of us in the audience wondering how they were going to top this one.  The climax of the movie happens when the family dog is injured by the demon leaving Kristi home alone with Hunter.  No one thinks to review the footage at a later time to figure out what happened to the dog.  Further, when Kristi starts acting strange, no one initially takes the time to review the footage to see what might have led up to Kristi's unusual behavior. For a family that supposedly cares, they don't seem to care that much about each other since they won't review footage to see what happened. Then we have the tie in to the first movie (which is where my heaviest criticism for Daniel stems from).
All in all, a good sequel to the first movie.  It adds to the story of the first movie and sets up the story for the third movie.  Also this movie features the first of night vision scenes that audiences would grow accustomed to as the franchise progressed.
A nit-picking complaint that I have with this movie is that this house is exceptionally clean considering they have a toddler, an indoor dog, and a teenager living in this house.  What makes the cleanliness most puzzling is we have mom that is "so busy" doing whatever it is that she does that she can't even be bothered to look after her own son by herself much less clean the house.  Maybe the demon is cleaning the house?
The "reason" for the haunting didn't make a lot of sense to me.  The idea that there was literally a deal with the devil for riches maybe in exchange for the first born son of this family didn't follow as A) the family wasn't rich and B) what is a demon going to do with a baby anyway?  There is no mention of actual sacrificing.  The demon just seems to want a baby boy but why?


Friday, November 4, 2016

Paranormal Activity rated R for language **spoilers**



The "found footage" sub genre of horror films had basically been dormant for years after the smashing success of The Blair Witch Project and the not smashing success of its sequel.  It seemed that the "experiment" in horror was possibly just a flash in the pan.  Then came this movie and holy crap the explosion of "found footage" films had begun.
Like the two Blair Witch movies, it seemed that the filmmakers intentionally or unintentionally replicated at least the aspect of having the cast share the same first name with their respective characters.  Unlike the Blair Witch movies, these people were going to be "average ordinary" citizens who may or may not be living in a haunted house in California suburbia.
In this film we have Katie (played by Katie Featherston) who is living with her obnoxious douche bag boyfriend named Micah (played by Micah Sloat) in Carlsbad California.  Katie is a full time student.  Micah is a day trader.  Sounds pretty typical and normal, don't you think?  (That was me being sarcastic.)
Anyway so strange things are happening so Micah's first reaction is to get an expensive camera to film the events that are happening.  At first things are pretty boring.  There's some sounds that are heard but nothing too major.  Then things get more intense.  A door swings, a girlfriend stands and stares creepily at her sleeping boyfriend, a shadow shows up on the wall, a chandelier swings (incidentally this seems to be the demon's calling card as it seems that in all but the last two subsequent Paranormal Activity movies there is a chandelier swinging or at least falling.  Demons don't like chandeliers or they like to swing on them and then they fall and then they get mad and all hell breaks loose.  Perhaps they should put "No demons on or near chandeliers" warnings on chandeliers.  But I digress.) Pictures get broken but only Micah's (gee I wonder why after watching the antics of this "charming" guy).
The couple meets with a medium who tells them that they aren't dealing with a haunting but they are dealing with a demon.  By the way, the medium comes to this conclusion after talking with them once and having done no research at all.  This medium is apparently a legitimate medium who knows everything about everything and doesn't need no stinking research.  (More sarcasm by the way folks ;-))
As the movie progresses things get worse particularly for Katie.  Micah just seems to be ok with the fact that everything he does makes things worse and his poor girlfriend suffers as a result.  I mean she doesn't seem like that bad of a girlfriend.  And even if she was, if he wanted to get rid of her there are nicer ways that he could have done this like simply break up with her.  I mean, using a demon to torture your girlfriend is pretty messed up.  But I digress.
I was fortunate to watch a bootlegged copy of this film that featured an alternate ending that I wished had been kept on the official released dvd/blu ray.  Since you probably won't be able to see the alternate ending I will share it with you by describing it since I don't have any way to access the alternate ending that I saw.
In the alternate ending, Katie comes to after she kills Micah.  She's horrified and crying.  She has blood all over her shirt and the knife still in her hand.  She is in shock.  As she is trying to process what happened, the cops come into the bedroom.  They are responding to a neighbor's call after hearing Micah's scream(s) when Katie is killing him.  As a distraught Katie approaches the cops with the knife in her hand and blood on her shirt, the cops call out a warning to put the knife down and put hands up.  Katie is still in shock as she walks towards the cops.  They shoot and kill her as she is trying to explain.  The End.
I thought that that was a pretty brilliant "realistic" ending.  Of course the downside of that ending is that it kills part of the franchise.  But I would have been ok with that considering that the actual subsequent sequels to this movie specifically were just horrible and stupid although I had very high hopes for The Ghost Dimension (hopefully the last of these movies).
To be fair, this movie has the honor of being the second best "found footage" film simply because it was the second released after the far superior Blair Witch movie.  It was ground breaking by itself because it was the first to take place in a suburban setting.  It set a base for "bigger and better" things with each "found footage" film trying to top the next one with new tricks to scare the audience while keeping them guessing as to what the tricks will be.

Micah Sloat did an excellent job portraying an absolute shit of a boyfriend.  One  can hope that this was just a case of very good acting.

In this film at least the footage was reviewed by the characters at intervals.  This film also features the camera as strategically placed so that the audience can actually view the events.

 There some very good scares I think for the first time watching it.  Obviously I liked it enough to own it.  It's worth watching at least once if you are curious.


Thursday, November 3, 2016

Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 rated R for sexuality, violence, language, and drug use ***some spoilers***



In 2000 a sequel to The Blair Witch was released taking into account that the events in the original movie weren't real but the location is real.  It seemed to be intended to be a "what if you thought that the events of a movie were fake when there really is some truth to them" sort of thing as well as a commentary on some people's reactions to the film.  Like the first film, they continued to use the actual first names of the respective characters as the respective characters first names i.e. Jeff plays Jeff, Stephen plays Stephen, etc.  This film is also  a "real studio" film as opposed to a found footage film.
The film opens with couple of news stories about The Blair Witch Project  In the aftermath of The Blair Witch Project film's release, the residents of Burkittsville have found themselves inundated with tourists wanting to see the area.
Naturally in all of the hubbub some "enterprising" residents have taken it  upon themselves to make some money off of all the ruckus.  Jeff (played by Jeffery Donovan), a disturbed young man from Burkittsville, is one of these "enterprising" residents who not only sells memorabilia but also runs a Blair Witch tour.  Four people sign up for his tour and he proceeds to get them and take them on a tour into the woods.
The four people include; a couple, Stephen (played by Stephen Ryan Parker) and Tristan (played by Tristan Skyler) who are students doing a research paper on the Blair Witch; Erica (played by Erica Leerhsen) a proudly practicing Wiccan who wants to connect with Ellie Kedworth i.e. The Blair Witch and; Kim (played by Kim Director) a Goth medium who just really enjoyed the movie.
After coming across another tour group in which both groups get startled, the two groups agree that the second group will go to stay on Coffin Rock (referenced in The Blair Witch Project and its "documentary") and Jeff's group will stay in the foundation (referenced in the "documentary" about the Blair Witch).
[For those who haven't seen the "documentary" that I am referring to, the significance of the foundation that Jeff's group is staying at is that a backpack containing the film footage from the first Blair Witch movie was found by a group of archaeological students.  Curiously the backpack was found within the foundation in such a way as to suggest that the film appeared underground rather than was physically buried.]
After getting drunk and high, Jeff's group discusses the Blair Witch movie then presumably goes to sleep for the night.  When they wake up no one can remember what happened after getting drunk and high and talking about the Blair Witch.  Their equipment is wrecked.  Stephen and Tristan's documents are shredded.  To make things more interesting, Kim finds their videotapes from the previous night in the exact same spot that the backpack containing the film from the first movie was found.  Their first assumption is that the other group came back and vandalized their stuff.  Before they can do anything further, it becomes apparent that Tristan is having a miscarriage.
At this point in the film we see various members of the group getting interrogated by the police at a later time.  Obviously something happened but it isn't clear what exactly.  One thing that becomes clear is that they left the campsite to take Tristan to the hospital.  Afterwards the group goes to Jeff's "house" which is a converted factory so that Tristan can rest and they can try to figure out what happened to them in the time that they can't remember.
Throughout the film the audience is made to feel unsure about what is happening.  What is real and what isn't so to speak.  How much is in the imagination?  Who is imagining what exactly?  Is it all just some crazy nightmare?  Is the Blair Witch, in fact, real?
The answers to those questions are answered of course.  As far as the characters are concerned they probably would have preferred not to be in a position to have to ask those questions in the first place.  The answers are certainly frightening.  
For those that hated the original due to the "found footage" aspect, it seems that they preferred this one.  I obviously liked it enough to own it but I confess that it took me a few viewings to really get me to like it enough to purchase it.  It's not bad, it's just not great in my opinion.  It certainly isn't as good as the original in my opinion.  Worth watching if you are curious.

Wednesday, November 2, 2016

The Blair Witch Project rated R for language



I remember seeing the previews for this picture and being intrigued and frightened.  Was what I was seeing real?  If so, what happened?
I was in high school and I wasn't able to see this picture in theaters because I didn't make an effort to.  Quite a few of my friends saw it and most complained about being dizzy.  One was full of complaints about how fake it was.  My brother-in-law at the time swore that it was real.
I was confused but I felt that there was something off, like on some level I knew that the film was just a movie.  I remember seeing Heather, Mike, and Josh show up on MTV movie awards (it was some MTV show at least)  It wasn't until years later that I got to see the movie and I loved it from the first time that I saw it.
This movie is the original found footage movie.  It tells of three college students who go into the woods near a small town in Maryland to film a documentary about a local "urban legend" of a witch that supposedly haunts the area and has caused calamitous events for about a century.  Heather Donahue (played by Heather Donahue) is the director/visionary who instigated this documentary. Josh Leonard (played by Joshua Leonard) is the camera man and sort of "second-in-command" of the filming experience.  He is also the tie that binds Heather to Mike (played by Michael C. Williams) the sound guy.  As expected in a horror movie, things go horrible awry for the trio when they seem to be lost.  As time passes, it is suggested that they aren't lost but might be being preyed upon/hunted by the witch.
Like any found footage film, this movie's shots can be disconcerting or inspire dizziness.  I personally found the "cinematography" to be a good contributor to bringing the audience into the horror and "experience" of the picture.  It gave the movie a feeling of more realism than one usual encounters in horror pictures even the current found footage films.
I also love the level of dedication and detail that the filmmakers took with this picture.  If you have the opportunity, I would strongly suggest watching a copy of the film that contains the extra features including the "documentary" about the Blair Witch which includes a "news story" and another "documentary" about witches in general.  It was such a perfect addition to the story.
I was also impressed by the acting in that most of the acting was improv.  Apparently the actors involved were given the most basic of instructions at the start of each day of the shoot and just went from there.
I liked that this horror picture wasn't like anything that I had seen at the time.  It isn't classic horror.  It isn't gory.  There is no sex (which was actually refreshing considering there are three young people alone in the woods possibly being chased by a murderous ghost).  This is also the only found footage film where it completely makes sense that they keep carrying the cameras with them.  A.)  They are filming a documentary.  B.)The cameras are both personal and belong to a school.
I also liked that the film is open to the audience's interpretation.  I personally agree with those that suggest that the Blair Witch is hunting them but I can see where the film could be interpreted as they get lost in the woods and something not supernatural happens to them.  Either way I think that the concept is scary.  I particularly liked the ending because it is abrupt and you know that something horrible happened but what exactly is left to the imagination.  I am also a firm believer in the power of the imagination being more frightening than whatever is actually shown on screen.
P.S. At one time, this film broke the long held record for being the highest grossing independent film.  The previous record holder was the original Halloween film. When you take into account that  Halloween was the top independent film since shortly after its release in 1978 and then in 1999 along comes The Blair Witch Project  that's impressive in my opinion.

Tuesday, November 1, 2016

The Legend of Tarzan rated PG-13 for violence, some sensuality, and brief rude dialogue



I was looking forward to this movie because after I read the first three Tarzan novels I was excited to see how this film would look.  I was also intrigued by the casting of Alexander Skarsgard as Tarzan after watching him play a vampire on the show True Blood.  I was even pleased that he didn't opt to change his hair color to be Tarzan.
This film has touches of the second and third Tarzan novels but the writers took some liberties for this film.  When the film opens, a man named Leon Rom (played by Christoph Waltz) is looking for diamonds to finance King Leopold of Belgium's efforts at "civilising" his portion of Africa.  To get the diamonds, Rom makes a deal with a local chief named Mbonga (played by Djimon Hounsou) who will allow Rom to have the diamonds if he brings Tarzan to Mbonga.
Meanwhile, Tarzan has been living and adapting to life in England with his beloved wife Jane (played by Margot Robbie).  Through flashbacks, the audience is reminded of Tarzan's origins (the liberties that were taken work for this picture).  Tarzan is asked to visit Africa by royal invitation from King Leopold of Belgium.  After he initially refuses, an American named George Washington Williams (played by Samuel L. Jackson) convinces a reluctant Tarzan to go to Africa with him to help him find out if there is truth to suspicion that Leopold is using slavery to build the infrastructure of his African colony.
It turns out that Tarzan is reluctant because he is still acclimating to life in England and his responsibilities as Earl of Greystoke and he is concerned about his wife Jane because she has recently had a miscarriage.  Jane is thrilled when Tarzan tells her of the expedition to Africa because she seems to consider Africa her home more than England.  Tarzan is not keen to bring Jane along due to the dangers and her needing to heal but Jane insists so he brings her along.
Shortly after arriving in the village that Jane "grew up in" and where Tarzan has also been basically adopted by the villagers, the village is attacked by Rom's men and during the attack Jane is taken along with some of the men of the village.  Tarzan leads a group of some of the remaining men in the village with George to go on a rescue mission.  Along the way Tarzan also reconnects with the apes that he grew up with.
The film was more true to the original novels than I anticipated.  The liberties that were taken do matter but at the same time the writers did a decent job making the story their own.  The acting was very good.  The story was good with the liberties taken.  Visually the film was good although I confess that I had mixed emotions about the fact that it was all filmed on a sound stage.  On the one hand, I understand that, for the most part, it isn't possible to make this film "in real life".  On the other hand, it would have been nice to see some "real life" exterior shots.
I have heard some criticism that there was no depth to the acting.  I disagree because, after reading the novels, I felt that the actors did a great job bringing these beloved, distinctive characters to life while adding their own respective personal touches to the characters.  Despite my fondness for Samuel L. Jackson and most of his characters that he has played I didn't like his character George in this picture.  He was obviously the comic relief/voice of reason rolled into one and it didn't feel "natural".