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.