Cyrus: Movie Review
Cyrus
Rating: 8/10
Cast: John C Reilly, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener, Marisa
Tomei
Director: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Pitched as
an odd comedy in its trailer (which you can watch here),Cyrus stars John C
Reilly, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei as a mismatched trio.
Reilly is John a divorcee who meets Marisa's Molly at a party and
they hit it off; so much so that after 7 years' estrangement from his ex
Catherine Keener,he thinks she could be the one.
And Molly is the same - so the pair begin an easy relationship.
There's only one problem - her 21 year old son Cyrus
(Hill) who initially welcomes John to their home but soon starts to act up in
order to get him out.
So the battle lines are
drawn and the two begin to clash openly when Molly's not around - and make nice
when she is.
Cyrus is a polished little gem of a
dramedy of a film, delightfully quirky and confounds every expectation - while
still delivering plenty of laughs and a good dose of heart.
The style is interesting as well - as it appears to have been shot on
handheld cameras so they swoop in and out capturing every awkwardly odd moment.
The reason it works though is because of the leads
- it's played very straight by the cast and Hill delivers a knockout performance
of comic menace via Cyrus. Reilly's equally as good at the deadpan too- and
Tomei is great as the mom who can see nothing wrong with the relationship.
Cyrus is an unexpected treat in more ways than one and
it shows that both Hill and Reilly can really reign it in when they need to on
the performing front - and the end result is a real novel success.
Thursday, 28 October 2010
Made In Dagenham: Movie Review
Made In Dagenham: Movie Review
Made In Dagenham
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Daniel Mays, Bob Hoskins, Richard Schiff, Jaime Winstone, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Miranda Richardson
Director: Nigel Cole
From the director of Calendar Girls comes a new UK film with a cast that reads like a Who's Who of Brit talent.
It's 1960s Britain, where Ford (sorry Holden lovers) is at the height of its power - pumping out thousands of cars daily to the world.
But in the town of Dagenham, where one of the company's major plants is housed, trouble's a-brewing.
Well specifically in the machinist section of the plant populated by some 187 women.
Downgraded to a lower unskilled band, the women are not happy - and in one of them, shy and quiet Rita O'Grady (a wonderful Sally Hawkins) they find the voice to complain to the management at Head Office.
Spurred on by Bob Hoskins' shop steward, Albert, soon she's declaring an all out walk out for the staff and the cause begins to spread.
Initially it's about being upgraded to skilled - but soon it becomes about equal pay for women - and as the struggle to get their cause noticed increases, the tensions for all of the women (Rita's family too) escalate.
It's fair to say that Made in Dagenham is crowd pleasing in the extreme; with the usual kind of humour that pioneered the mold with The Full Monty, this Brit flick sings in terms of soundtrack, dry humorous moments and some great performances.
Every actor turns in solid performances - but it's Sally Hawkins who really impresses in this role of the mousey, put upon Rita whose voice rises up when it's most needed. She's the emotional centre of the film and she succeeds because she's never showy and immensely watchable.
The whole film's steeped in a UK nostalgia of the 1960s which is weaved in throughout - talk of colour TVs, puppet Sooty and vintage UK roadside diners will resonate more with some than others.
Sure, it's predictable in places - and you can see where the cracks will come dramatically (which may irritate the purists who feel that it's UK film making by numbers in terms of script, jokes and direction) but if the formula ain't broke, then I guess you don't need to fix it. There's nothing inherently wrong with the film and audiences will lap it up but in places, it does feel like a feel-good-film-by-numbers style flick.
The only disappointment in this empowerment flick is the end credits where you actually see the women who were the inspiration for the film - but any emotional resonance over who they are is lost due to a lack of pointing out who's who.
Chalk Made In Dagenham up to another of those barnstorming, crowd pleasing, publically adored feel good UK films which the motherland continues to churn out.
Made In Dagenham
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Sally Hawkins, Daniel Mays, Bob Hoskins, Richard Schiff, Jaime Winstone, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Miranda Richardson
Director: Nigel Cole
From the director of Calendar Girls comes a new UK film with a cast that reads like a Who's Who of Brit talent.
It's 1960s Britain, where Ford (sorry Holden lovers) is at the height of its power - pumping out thousands of cars daily to the world.
But in the town of Dagenham, where one of the company's major plants is housed, trouble's a-brewing.
Well specifically in the machinist section of the plant populated by some 187 women.
Downgraded to a lower unskilled band, the women are not happy - and in one of them, shy and quiet Rita O'Grady (a wonderful Sally Hawkins) they find the voice to complain to the management at Head Office.
Spurred on by Bob Hoskins' shop steward, Albert, soon she's declaring an all out walk out for the staff and the cause begins to spread.
Initially it's about being upgraded to skilled - but soon it becomes about equal pay for women - and as the struggle to get their cause noticed increases, the tensions for all of the women (Rita's family too) escalate.
It's fair to say that Made in Dagenham is crowd pleasing in the extreme; with the usual kind of humour that pioneered the mold with The Full Monty, this Brit flick sings in terms of soundtrack, dry humorous moments and some great performances.
Every actor turns in solid performances - but it's Sally Hawkins who really impresses in this role of the mousey, put upon Rita whose voice rises up when it's most needed. She's the emotional centre of the film and she succeeds because she's never showy and immensely watchable.
The whole film's steeped in a UK nostalgia of the 1960s which is weaved in throughout - talk of colour TVs, puppet Sooty and vintage UK roadside diners will resonate more with some than others.
Sure, it's predictable in places - and you can see where the cracks will come dramatically (which may irritate the purists who feel that it's UK film making by numbers in terms of script, jokes and direction) but if the formula ain't broke, then I guess you don't need to fix it. There's nothing inherently wrong with the film and audiences will lap it up but in places, it does feel like a feel-good-film-by-numbers style flick.
The only disappointment in this empowerment flick is the end credits where you actually see the women who were the inspiration for the film - but any emotional resonance over who they are is lost due to a lack of pointing out who's who.
Chalk Made In Dagenham up to another of those barnstorming, crowd pleasing, publically adored feel good UK films which the motherland continues to churn out.
RED: Movie Review
RED: Movie Review
RED
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Morgan Freeman, Brian Cox, Ernest Borgnine
Director: Robert Schwentke
Call it The Grey Team.
Bruce Willis stars as retired former Black Ops CIA agent Frank Moses, who's spending his retirement days in a big house and phone flirting with pension worker Sarah (Mary Louise Parker).
One day and without warning, a hit squad breaks into his house and attempts to assassinate him - after thwarting their attempts on his life, Frank heads to Kansas to snatch Sarah from potential harm and to try and work out who's trying to kill him; and perhaps more importantly, why.
As the conspiracy begins to unwind, Moses ends up meeting up with former colleagues Joe (Freeman), Marvin (a deadpan Malkovich) and Victoria (Mirren) to try and establish what's going on.
But time's running out - and ruthless CIA Agent Cooper (a brilliant Karl Urban) edges ever closer to tracking them down.
What can you say about RED?
Adapted from a DC Comics series, the film wears its colours on its sleeve within the first 10 minutes as the hit squad goes through countless bullets and destroys Moses' house in perhaps the most explosive and destructive sequence committed to celluloid this year.
And that's where the problem arises for this film - there's nothing inherently wrong with it; Bruce Willis once again smirks his way through a film and does his action man schtick and the plot's somewhat similar to the likes of The Losers and The A Team from earlier in the year. You can't help but feel that in some form or another, you've seen this before.
Yet, there's some things to really love about RED - principally, the wonderful performance of Karl Urban, who has grit, determination, steely cool and effortless screen presence; Mary Louise Parker who is long overdue a lead; Helen Mirren with a really big gun (finally putting to bed her image as an English stage dame) and John Malkovich for just out-performing most on the screen. There's also a very cool scene where Bruce jumps out of a spiralling cop car with all guns blazing which is true to the comic book world the film inhabits.
But these are some highs which are balanced by some lows - the plot sags after a while and you may struggle to be as emotionally invested in it as perhaps you should be. However, if you love guns, explosions and a slightly off-the-wall tongue in cheek kind of action film, you'll be happy.
It's just I couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu from what's already been up on the big screen this year.
RED
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Karl Urban, Morgan Freeman, Brian Cox, Ernest Borgnine
Director: Robert Schwentke
Call it The Grey Team.
Bruce Willis stars as retired former Black Ops CIA agent Frank Moses, who's spending his retirement days in a big house and phone flirting with pension worker Sarah (Mary Louise Parker).
One day and without warning, a hit squad breaks into his house and attempts to assassinate him - after thwarting their attempts on his life, Frank heads to Kansas to snatch Sarah from potential harm and to try and work out who's trying to kill him; and perhaps more importantly, why.
As the conspiracy begins to unwind, Moses ends up meeting up with former colleagues Joe (Freeman), Marvin (a deadpan Malkovich) and Victoria (Mirren) to try and establish what's going on.
But time's running out - and ruthless CIA Agent Cooper (a brilliant Karl Urban) edges ever closer to tracking them down.
What can you say about RED?
Adapted from a DC Comics series, the film wears its colours on its sleeve within the first 10 minutes as the hit squad goes through countless bullets and destroys Moses' house in perhaps the most explosive and destructive sequence committed to celluloid this year.
And that's where the problem arises for this film - there's nothing inherently wrong with it; Bruce Willis once again smirks his way through a film and does his action man schtick and the plot's somewhat similar to the likes of The Losers and The A Team from earlier in the year. You can't help but feel that in some form or another, you've seen this before.
Yet, there's some things to really love about RED - principally, the wonderful performance of Karl Urban, who has grit, determination, steely cool and effortless screen presence; Mary Louise Parker who is long overdue a lead; Helen Mirren with a really big gun (finally putting to bed her image as an English stage dame) and John Malkovich for just out-performing most on the screen. There's also a very cool scene where Bruce jumps out of a spiralling cop car with all guns blazing which is true to the comic book world the film inhabits.
But these are some highs which are balanced by some lows - the plot sags after a while and you may struggle to be as emotionally invested in it as perhaps you should be. However, if you love guns, explosions and a slightly off-the-wall tongue in cheek kind of action film, you'll be happy.
It's just I couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu from what's already been up on the big screen this year.
Friday, 22 October 2010
Glee Series One: DVD Review
Glee Series One: DVD Review
Glee Series One
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG
Once in a while a series comes onto TV which strikes a chord with so many.
This year's contender is Glee, an American series about a high school music club from the creator of over the top plastic surgery show Nip/Tuck.
As the series begins, the Glee Club's future is in doubt after its current leader is fired for inappropriate behaviour. Matthew Morrison's Will is given the job of taking it over and sets about bringing up the rag tag bunch to scratch - while trying to ensure its future.
The future is threatened by an Emmy award winning turn from Jane Lynch as the conniving cheerleading coach.
Throw in a sprinkling of musical numbers which capture the current pop zeitgeist and it's easy to see why this show is a success - it's feelgood fun which will continue to entertain long after you've finished all 22 episodes of Series One.
Extras:
Rating: 7/10
Glee Series One
Released by Roadshow Entertainment
Rating: PG
Once in a while a series comes onto TV which strikes a chord with so many.
This year's contender is Glee, an American series about a high school music club from the creator of over the top plastic surgery show Nip/Tuck.
As the series begins, the Glee Club's future is in doubt after its current leader is fired for inappropriate behaviour. Matthew Morrison's Will is given the job of taking it over and sets about bringing up the rag tag bunch to scratch - while trying to ensure its future.
The future is threatened by an Emmy award winning turn from Jane Lynch as the conniving cheerleading coach.
Throw in a sprinkling of musical numbers which capture the current pop zeitgeist and it's easy to see why this show is a success - it's feelgood fun which will continue to entertain long after you've finished all 22 episodes of Series One.
Extras:
Rating: 7/10
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Four Lions: Movie Review
Four Lions: Movie Review
Four Lions
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak, Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Adeel Akhtar
Director: Chris Morris
A comedy film about British Muslims looking to commit a terrorist act - there's already some of you out there reading this who've formed your own opinion of what this is.
Well, let me tell you - you're completely wrong.
British satirist Chris Morris turns his eye on four would be suicide bombers in this hilariously insane comedy.
The would be terror cell are so incompetent that their leader Omar (Ahmed) shows the messed up takes of their terrorist video to his son and says they could be deleted scenes for a DVD release.
This quartet wants to take their dreams of Jihadism to new levels - and plot to devastate the London Marathon. But Omar is disillusioned about the treatment of Muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier - however, his views clash with that of white Islamic convert Barry (Lindsay) who believes a) that he's "the most al Qaeda one here" and b) that blowing up a mosque would be the best way to set the world alight.
As their ideologies and opinions clash, the group blunders ever closer to achieving their goals - despite their innate stupidity.
Sure,in anyone else's hands the words suicide bombers and comedy wouldn't work but with Morris, everything in this film works.
From the minute the film opens,it's clear the clueless quartet have no idea what they're doing- in Morris' hands (along with script writers of the brilliant Peep Show)this is savagely funny (even if you can see some of the jokes coming).
Granted there will be debate about how the four are portrayed - and some will take offence.
However, the writers planned for that during their in depth research and talking to Muslims - every sensitivity has been taken to ensure what you see on screen is not offensive or racist.
What Morris and his team of writers have done is take logical arguments over the matter to the absolute absurd end.
There are also endlessly quotable lines too which will find their way into people's Facebook statuses.
But no one in this ends up superior -even the police are incompetent (a great scene sees two policemen arguing over whether they've shot a man in a bear costume or a Wookie outfit during a fun run) - it's this kind of approach which Morris has adopted - everyone's an idiot and no-one's more superior to anyone.
It's farcical in places and yet as the final scenes roll out, it's also quite poignant and sad as you realise these four have negotiated themselves into a corner. It's the sign of an insanely smart writer and director that such an ending can be achieved.
However, be warned this film contains an infectious use of a Toploader song.
Four Lions
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Nigel Lindsay, Kayvan Novak, Riz Ahmed, Arsher Ali, Adeel Akhtar
Director: Chris Morris
A comedy film about British Muslims looking to commit a terrorist act - there's already some of you out there reading this who've formed your own opinion of what this is.
Well, let me tell you - you're completely wrong.
British satirist Chris Morris turns his eye on four would be suicide bombers in this hilariously insane comedy.
The would be terror cell are so incompetent that their leader Omar (Ahmed) shows the messed up takes of their terrorist video to his son and says they could be deleted scenes for a DVD release.
This quartet wants to take their dreams of Jihadism to new levels - and plot to devastate the London Marathon. But Omar is disillusioned about the treatment of Muslims around the world and is determined to become a soldier - however, his views clash with that of white Islamic convert Barry (Lindsay) who believes a) that he's "the most al Qaeda one here" and b) that blowing up a mosque would be the best way to set the world alight.
As their ideologies and opinions clash, the group blunders ever closer to achieving their goals - despite their innate stupidity.
Sure,in anyone else's hands the words suicide bombers and comedy wouldn't work but with Morris, everything in this film works.
From the minute the film opens,it's clear the clueless quartet have no idea what they're doing- in Morris' hands (along with script writers of the brilliant Peep Show)this is savagely funny (even if you can see some of the jokes coming).
Granted there will be debate about how the four are portrayed - and some will take offence.
However, the writers planned for that during their in depth research and talking to Muslims - every sensitivity has been taken to ensure what you see on screen is not offensive or racist.
What Morris and his team of writers have done is take logical arguments over the matter to the absolute absurd end.
There are also endlessly quotable lines too which will find their way into people's Facebook statuses.
But no one in this ends up superior -even the police are incompetent (a great scene sees two policemen arguing over whether they've shot a man in a bear costume or a Wookie outfit during a fun run) - it's this kind of approach which Morris has adopted - everyone's an idiot and no-one's more superior to anyone.
It's farcical in places and yet as the final scenes roll out, it's also quite poignant and sad as you realise these four have negotiated themselves into a corner. It's the sign of an insanely smart writer and director that such an ending can be achieved.
However, be warned this film contains an infectious use of a Toploader song.
Life As We Know It: Movie Review
Life As We Know It: Movie Review
Life As We Know It
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, a baby.
Director: Greg Berlanti
Katherine Heigl, of Grey's Anatomy fame, returns to the rom-com genre (yeah, who would have seen that coming?) with this latest outing.
She stars as Holly Berenson, an uptight control freak of a bakery owner, and godparent to her best friend's daughter, Sophie.
Also along in the godfathering stakes is Josh Duhamel as Eric Messer, a slacker man-child jock who is happy with one-night stands and no form of commitment.
The pair meet at the start of the film after they're set up on a date that goes disastrously wrong - he's a biker, she drives a Smart car (as an aside who knew these cars would take off? First Waimoana in Charles Mesure's series This Is Not My Life - and now Hollywood) - but they find their lives thrust violently into collision when their mutual friends (and Sophie's parents) die in a car crash.
Holly and Messer are named as guardians to Sophie and are forced to live in a house and try the parenting game. But before long sparks are flying and Sophie's future is far from certain.
Life As We Know It is a pleasantly predictable romantic comedy with two affable leads. It won't win anything in the originality stakes but it won't leave you angry at the end of it, as some of Katherine Heigl's previous efforts are wont to do.
Sure, there's plenty of comedy to be mined from the fact these two are clearly out of their league as parents - and there's plenty of comedy to be mined from the inevitable baby pooing gags.
That's the thing with this film; you know exactly what's coming - whether it's the growing romantic tension between the leads or the problems they face, it's all fairly unoriginal fare - even though there are some amusing moments.
And yet it's going to be popular because it's recognisable - so many will feel it's their lives up on the screen in some form or another - and with two leads with a decent amount of chemistry, this piece of disposable film doesn't exactly sag in its two-hour running time or overstay its welcome.
Life As We Know It
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel, a baby.
Director: Greg Berlanti
Katherine Heigl, of Grey's Anatomy fame, returns to the rom-com genre (yeah, who would have seen that coming?) with this latest outing.
She stars as Holly Berenson, an uptight control freak of a bakery owner, and godparent to her best friend's daughter, Sophie.
Also along in the godfathering stakes is Josh Duhamel as Eric Messer, a slacker man-child jock who is happy with one-night stands and no form of commitment.
The pair meet at the start of the film after they're set up on a date that goes disastrously wrong - he's a biker, she drives a Smart car (as an aside who knew these cars would take off? First Waimoana in Charles Mesure's series This Is Not My Life - and now Hollywood) - but they find their lives thrust violently into collision when their mutual friends (and Sophie's parents) die in a car crash.
Holly and Messer are named as guardians to Sophie and are forced to live in a house and try the parenting game. But before long sparks are flying and Sophie's future is far from certain.
Life As We Know It is a pleasantly predictable romantic comedy with two affable leads. It won't win anything in the originality stakes but it won't leave you angry at the end of it, as some of Katherine Heigl's previous efforts are wont to do.
Sure, there's plenty of comedy to be mined from the fact these two are clearly out of their league as parents - and there's plenty of comedy to be mined from the inevitable baby pooing gags.
That's the thing with this film; you know exactly what's coming - whether it's the growing romantic tension between the leads or the problems they face, it's all fairly unoriginal fare - even though there are some amusing moments.
And yet it's going to be popular because it's recognisable - so many will feel it's their lives up on the screen in some form or another - and with two leads with a decent amount of chemistry, this piece of disposable film doesn't exactly sag in its two-hour running time or overstay its welcome.
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Paranormal Activity 2: Movie Review
Paranormal Activity 2: Movie Review
Paranormal Activity 2
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Stoat, Brian Boland, Sprague Grayden
Director: Tod Williams
So how do you follow up a soaraway break out horror like Paranormal Activity?
As with the Saw franchise, the news that a sequel to the first would be in cinemas in time for Hallowe'en less than a year after the first frightened up an audience was greeted with a groan.
But I'm happy to report this sequel/ prequel is better than the first.
Once again, it's a doco style film where everything unfolds through CCTV around a house - this time, it's the home of Paranormal Activity's original victim Katie - to be specific it's sister Kristi (Sprague Grayden), a recent mother.
It begins 60 days before the death of Micah from the first film - the handheld video camera captures the return home of the new mom and her son Hunter as they begin their new life with husband Daniel and daughter Ali and their pet Alsatian.
But after the home is ransacked and despite the fact nothing's taken except a necklace, Daniel decides to get CCTV installed around to ensure the family's safety.
However, within a few days of the CCTV going up, Kristi becomes convinced that something is in the house as a series of noises, and unexplained phenomena hit.
Dismissed by her husband, Kristi confides her fears in her sister Katie (Featherston) that their family past is once again haunting them.
Things continue to get worse and daughter Ali starts to suspect something truly sinister is afoot - despite the skepticism of her parents&.
Consider this your warning - we're entering minor spoiler territory now.
Paranormal Activity 2 is sinister, creepy, and improves on the first one. Those involved could have simply once again ramped up the scares and gone for obvious horrors - but thanks to a degree of restraint, there's an ominous tone of creeping horror in this sequel (which is more prequel than anything).
The setting of a domestic bliss of a new family is disturbing and horrifying - particularly if you've seen one scene of what happens to new son Hunter in the trailer (watch that at the bottom of this review) - but it's that decision to set this within what would be a normally happy home that proves to be so freaky.
All of the cast are so ordinary and just seem to be going about their day to day business that you can't help but buy in and forget you're watching a film.
But as the film rumbles on, there's a hideous sense of foreboding and sustained tension within which this time round appears to be more effective - it's a deep rooted psychological fear and the reasons given for why what is happening may be a little hokey for some; but to others it will all be part of the experience.
And once again that's what Paranormal Activity 2 offers - one hell of a scary experience and one which grows on the first. You may find yourself sleeping with the light on when you get home - and sure, the shocks, jolts and frights aren't in every scene but thanks to the clever way you become part of their world, they're truly upsetting when the terrifying crescendo reaches its peak.
There'll be debate about the end - the way its callousness concludes the film is shocking and there's plenty of scope for a third film to wrap it all up.
It's good to see that in 2010 we can still be disturbed and frightened stupid by a mobile turning in a crib or a pan falling on the floor - the makers of this second film have done an excellent job in cranking up the fear factor and not destroying what they committed to screen in the first.
Paranormal Activity 2
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Katie Featherston, Micah Stoat, Brian Boland, Sprague Grayden
Director: Tod Williams
So how do you follow up a soaraway break out horror like Paranormal Activity?
As with the Saw franchise, the news that a sequel to the first would be in cinemas in time for Hallowe'en less than a year after the first frightened up an audience was greeted with a groan.
But I'm happy to report this sequel/ prequel is better than the first.
Once again, it's a doco style film where everything unfolds through CCTV around a house - this time, it's the home of Paranormal Activity's original victim Katie - to be specific it's sister Kristi (Sprague Grayden), a recent mother.
It begins 60 days before the death of Micah from the first film - the handheld video camera captures the return home of the new mom and her son Hunter as they begin their new life with husband Daniel and daughter Ali and their pet Alsatian.
But after the home is ransacked and despite the fact nothing's taken except a necklace, Daniel decides to get CCTV installed around to ensure the family's safety.
However, within a few days of the CCTV going up, Kristi becomes convinced that something is in the house as a series of noises, and unexplained phenomena hit.
Dismissed by her husband, Kristi confides her fears in her sister Katie (Featherston) that their family past is once again haunting them.
Things continue to get worse and daughter Ali starts to suspect something truly sinister is afoot - despite the skepticism of her parents&.
Consider this your warning - we're entering minor spoiler territory now.
Paranormal Activity 2 is sinister, creepy, and improves on the first one. Those involved could have simply once again ramped up the scares and gone for obvious horrors - but thanks to a degree of restraint, there's an ominous tone of creeping horror in this sequel (which is more prequel than anything).
The setting of a domestic bliss of a new family is disturbing and horrifying - particularly if you've seen one scene of what happens to new son Hunter in the trailer (watch that at the bottom of this review) - but it's that decision to set this within what would be a normally happy home that proves to be so freaky.
All of the cast are so ordinary and just seem to be going about their day to day business that you can't help but buy in and forget you're watching a film.
But as the film rumbles on, there's a hideous sense of foreboding and sustained tension within which this time round appears to be more effective - it's a deep rooted psychological fear and the reasons given for why what is happening may be a little hokey for some; but to others it will all be part of the experience.
And once again that's what Paranormal Activity 2 offers - one hell of a scary experience and one which grows on the first. You may find yourself sleeping with the light on when you get home - and sure, the shocks, jolts and frights aren't in every scene but thanks to the clever way you become part of their world, they're truly upsetting when the terrifying crescendo reaches its peak.
There'll be debate about the end - the way its callousness concludes the film is shocking and there's plenty of scope for a third film to wrap it all up.
It's good to see that in 2010 we can still be disturbed and frightened stupid by a mobile turning in a crib or a pan falling on the floor - the makers of this second film have done an excellent job in cranking up the fear factor and not destroying what they committed to screen in the first.
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