Paranormal Activity 3: Movie Review
Paranormal Activity 3
Rating: 8/10
Cast: Lauren Bittner, Chloe Csengery, Christopher Nicholas
Smith, Jessica Tyler Brown
Director: Henry Joost,
Ariel Schulman
Horror franchises - let's be honest,
they start to run out of steam after maybe the second outing, right?
Not in the case of Paranormal Activity.
Following on from the sleeper success of the first film which saw Katie
Featherston's Katie being terrified by a "ghost" in her home, a second was
rolled out within a year; and now the same's happened with the latest as the
studios aim for an annual Hallowe'en release. But it's good news for fans of
this particular genre, because the latest outing is a deeply unsettling and
unnerving experience.
Essentially, it's a prequel to the first film and delves back into 1988 when
Katie and Kristi were young girls living with their parents Dennis and Julie in
California. Once again, there's an entity spooking the house and so Dennis, an
amateur wedding video creator, decides to set up cameras around the house to try
and find out what's going on. Coupled with the fact Kristi's got an imaginary
friend Toby, there's plenty to keep him occupied.
But over the course of some 14 nights, the presence really makes itself felt
and things escalate into a terrifying conclusion...
I'm loathe to give away too much of this film for the simple reason that a
lot of the fun/ heart in mouth moments in the Paranormal Activity films tend to
come from not knowing what's ahead - sure, there's a few predictable shocks and
jolts, as well as a couple of fake outs, but it doesn't stop what unfolds on the
screen in the dark of the cinema from being quite horrifying.
I think half of the horror of this film is due to the fact it involves young
children. The young Katie and Kristi are well played by their kiddie charges and
you really feel their terror as the entity exerts its might. Lauren Bittner and
Christopher Nicholas Smith play the parents well and there's a primal fear being
played to here that they can't appear to protect their own in their home which
really does grip you.
In the days pre-cutting edge technology, the 1988 setting gives an occasional
feeling of retro as video cameras are mounted on desk fans to ensure all sides
of the rooms are covered - it's a clever touch which forces you to quickly look
at what's on the screen and identify any fleeting images as it pans left and
right. It's a smart move and adds to the tension - particuarly during key scenes
in the kitchen areas.
Ultimately, some may argue this latest is very similar to what's gone before
and there's a chance the ending may polarise some like The Blair Witch Project
denouement did; but Paranormal Activity 3 is a thrilling, horrifying,
unsettling, heart in mouth rollercoaster ride, which is packed full of genuinely
unnerving scares.
Thursday, 20 October 2011
Snowtown: Blu Ray Review
Snowtown: Blu Ray Review
Snowtown
Rating: R18
Released by Madman
Dark,bleak,unrelenting and tense,Snowtown is an Aussie flick about John Bunting,their worst serial killer who targeted alleged paedophiles and gays back in the 90s.Daniel Henshall is utterly mesmerising and supremely chilling as the chubby faced charmer Bunting,as he swings from foster father to killer behind closed doors.
The film's strength is it doesn't show the violence or killings - bar one occasion- and because of that, this is extraodinary filmmaking which doesn't skimp on the atmosphere or the fear;unsettling it may be to watch for 2 hours but it's yet another sign the Aussie industry is in rude health.
While there's some who feel that there's hardly anyone to back in this grimy, gritty film(a young teen who the film initially focusses on soon becomes Bunting's accomplice),there's no denial it's a tough watch but it's rewarding and haunting in the extreme.
There's an air of menace running throughout and thanks to some great imagery,Snowtown remains with you long after it's done.
Extras: Commentary, deleted scenes, casting, docos, short films from director
Rating: 8/10
Snowtown
Rating: R18
Released by Madman
Dark,bleak,unrelenting and tense,Snowtown is an Aussie flick about John Bunting,their worst serial killer who targeted alleged paedophiles and gays back in the 90s.Daniel Henshall is utterly mesmerising and supremely chilling as the chubby faced charmer Bunting,as he swings from foster father to killer behind closed doors.
The film's strength is it doesn't show the violence or killings - bar one occasion- and because of that, this is extraodinary filmmaking which doesn't skimp on the atmosphere or the fear;unsettling it may be to watch for 2 hours but it's yet another sign the Aussie industry is in rude health.
While there's some who feel that there's hardly anyone to back in this grimy, gritty film(a young teen who the film initially focusses on soon becomes Bunting's accomplice),there's no denial it's a tough watch but it's rewarding and haunting in the extreme.
There's an air of menace running throughout and thanks to some great imagery,Snowtown remains with you long after it's done.
Extras: Commentary, deleted scenes, casting, docos, short films from director
Rating: 8/10
Wednesday, 19 October 2011
The Company Men: Blu Ray Review
The Company Men: Blu Ray Review
The Company Men
Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Ent
An impressive ensemble cast come together in this film about downsizing and the effects it has on a man's psyche.
Ben Affleck plays ambitious Bobby Walker who has it all - a lavish house, a sports car and everything money could buy. But his world changes when he loses his job at the GTX Corporation during a downsizing, he's forced to re-evaluate his life.
However, he's not alone; Chris Cooper plays Phil Woodward, a middle manager at the same company who also finds himself in the same position but faces different hurdles because of his age.
At the top of the corporate chain is Tommy Lee Jones' Gene McClary who helped found the company along - eventually he finds himself in the same position as those further down the ladder.
The Company Men is a well acted, if occasionally slow look at the effects of the recession on three walks of life; granted, it's a little hard to sympathise at times with Affleck's Walker as he initially continues to live in the grand house and drive the swish car while the hard times hit. But you can understand how pride is the biggest hurdle during recessionary times.
However, this drama from the writer of ER is really about how people are forced to re-evaluate their lives and outlooks; it's perhaps telling that this happens in slower ways than you'd expect - Walker explodes during an interview for a position he's overqualified for - and because of that is a little more effective.
By putting three different faces on the downsizing impact, Wells crafts a good story and gets to the psyche of what's continuing to effect many both in America and worldwide. Every single one of the cast delivers a strong performance and together, they show what a truly impressive ensemble can achieve.
Extras: Commentary, alternate ending, deleted scenes and a making of
Rating: 7/10
The Company Men
Rating: M
Released by Madman Home Ent
An impressive ensemble cast come together in this film about downsizing and the effects it has on a man's psyche.
Ben Affleck plays ambitious Bobby Walker who has it all - a lavish house, a sports car and everything money could buy. But his world changes when he loses his job at the GTX Corporation during a downsizing, he's forced to re-evaluate his life.
However, he's not alone; Chris Cooper plays Phil Woodward, a middle manager at the same company who also finds himself in the same position but faces different hurdles because of his age.
At the top of the corporate chain is Tommy Lee Jones' Gene McClary who helped found the company along - eventually he finds himself in the same position as those further down the ladder.
The Company Men is a well acted, if occasionally slow look at the effects of the recession on three walks of life; granted, it's a little hard to sympathise at times with Affleck's Walker as he initially continues to live in the grand house and drive the swish car while the hard times hit. But you can understand how pride is the biggest hurdle during recessionary times.
However, this drama from the writer of ER is really about how people are forced to re-evaluate their lives and outlooks; it's perhaps telling that this happens in slower ways than you'd expect - Walker explodes during an interview for a position he's overqualified for - and because of that is a little more effective.
By putting three different faces on the downsizing impact, Wells crafts a good story and gets to the psyche of what's continuing to effect many both in America and worldwide. Every single one of the cast delivers a strong performance and together, they show what a truly impressive ensemble can achieve.
Extras: Commentary, alternate ending, deleted scenes and a making of
Rating: 7/10
Monday, 17 October 2011
Barney's Version: DVD Review
Barney's Version: DVD Review
Barney's Version
Released by Hopscotch Ent
Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel, Barney's Version stars the ever wonderful Paul Giamatti as Barney Panofsky, a TV show producer who's in the twilight of his life.
He's the kind of guy who tells it like it is in places and doesn't suffer fools gladly - but he's prone to making errors in his life - as his numerous marriages display.
But as well as the multitude of highs, he reflects back on his lows too - including the death of his friend Boogie (Scott Speedman) who mysteriously disappeared after an alcohol fuelled row with Barney and whose disappearance saw Barney pursued by the cops for murder.
Over four decades and three wives, we follow Barney and his relationships with lovers, children and occasionally work colleagues. The first ended in tragedy; the second ended when he fell in love with another woman on his wedding night and the third falls apart because of his own fallability.
Barney's Version is an odd sort of film; it meanders as Barney recalls parts of his life as he battles with a fatal illness towards the end. Perhaps that's some of the point of this film that it moves around and is told by an unreliable narrator; but it's an oddly cold kind of film which doesn't really engage on an emotional level.
Granted, there are some wonderfully comic touches and deft moments; and at the centre of it all, there's a ferocious tour de force from Giamatti himself; every emotion is etched on this sad sack's face and his on screen presence demands you watch. With great supporting performances from the likes of Hoffman as his Jewish dad and Rosamund Pike as the love of his life, it's a solid affair
Rating: 7/10
Barney's Version
Released by Hopscotch Ent
Based on Mordecai Richler's prize-winning comic novel, Barney's Version stars the ever wonderful Paul Giamatti as Barney Panofsky, a TV show producer who's in the twilight of his life.
He's the kind of guy who tells it like it is in places and doesn't suffer fools gladly - but he's prone to making errors in his life - as his numerous marriages display.
But as well as the multitude of highs, he reflects back on his lows too - including the death of his friend Boogie (Scott Speedman) who mysteriously disappeared after an alcohol fuelled row with Barney and whose disappearance saw Barney pursued by the cops for murder.
Over four decades and three wives, we follow Barney and his relationships with lovers, children and occasionally work colleagues. The first ended in tragedy; the second ended when he fell in love with another woman on his wedding night and the third falls apart because of his own fallability.
Barney's Version is an odd sort of film; it meanders as Barney recalls parts of his life as he battles with a fatal illness towards the end. Perhaps that's some of the point of this film that it moves around and is told by an unreliable narrator; but it's an oddly cold kind of film which doesn't really engage on an emotional level.
Granted, there are some wonderfully comic touches and deft moments; and at the centre of it all, there's a ferocious tour de force from Giamatti himself; every emotion is etched on this sad sack's face and his on screen presence demands you watch. With great supporting performances from the likes of Hoffman as his Jewish dad and Rosamund Pike as the love of his life, it's a solid affair
Rating: 7/10
Hoodwinked 2 : Blu Ray Review
Hoodwinked 2 : Blu Ray Review
Hoodwinked 2
Released by Roadshow
Rating: G
When Red Riding Hood's grandma (Glenn Close) is kidnapped while investigating the disappearance of Hansel and Gretel, (Saturday Night Live alums Hader and Poehler) Red (Panettiere) is called in to try and rescue her.
But this mission sees her team up once again with the brilliant Patrick Warburton's Wolf - despite their objections.
Can they put aside petty differences and save the day?
The sequel to Hoodwinked is a curious thing.
Without Anne Hathaway in the lead as Red Riding Hood, Hayden Panettiere steps in and it just doesn't seem to be the same film in many ways.
The animation looks a little crooked in some ways and is more redolent of a computer game than a computer animated film.
And the script is flat in many ways - there's far too few throwaway one liners to give it the oomph that it needs and Warburton's Wolf is by far the best thing in this with his trademark laconic and deadpan delivery, it's not enough to deliver.
There are a few nods to other films - Star Wars and Silence of the Lambs being the most obvious, but there's little for the adults in the audience to appreciate here. It's probably more one for the kids to be put on while the school holidays continue.
Extras: Storyboard sequences, behind the voices
Rating: 5/10
Hoodwinked 2
Released by Roadshow
Rating: G
When Red Riding Hood's grandma (Glenn Close) is kidnapped while investigating the disappearance of Hansel and Gretel, (Saturday Night Live alums Hader and Poehler) Red (Panettiere) is called in to try and rescue her.
But this mission sees her team up once again with the brilliant Patrick Warburton's Wolf - despite their objections.
Can they put aside petty differences and save the day?
The sequel to Hoodwinked is a curious thing.
Without Anne Hathaway in the lead as Red Riding Hood, Hayden Panettiere steps in and it just doesn't seem to be the same film in many ways.
The animation looks a little crooked in some ways and is more redolent of a computer game than a computer animated film.
And the script is flat in many ways - there's far too few throwaway one liners to give it the oomph that it needs and Warburton's Wolf is by far the best thing in this with his trademark laconic and deadpan delivery, it's not enough to deliver.
There are a few nods to other films - Star Wars and Silence of the Lambs being the most obvious, but there's little for the adults in the audience to appreciate here. It's probably more one for the kids to be put on while the school holidays continue.
Extras: Storyboard sequences, behind the voices
Rating: 5/10
Sunday, 16 October 2011
Burke and Hare: DVD Review
Burke and Hare: DVD Review
Burke and Hare
Rating:M
Released by Universal Home Ent
A comic retelling of the 1820s Westport murders, Burke and Hare is an odd kind of film.
The ever brilliant Simon Pegg stars as William Burke and Andy Serkis is William Hare, a pair of conmen who're trying to make ends meet in Edinburgh.
When they overhear that corpses can fetch a pretty penny from the medical industry, they decide to supply Dr Knox (Tom Wilkinson) with corpses to make some cash. Trouble is, people aren't dying too quickly from natural causes - and that's where things take a murderous turn.
However, when the cash they earn pushes them in to the upper echelons of society, Burke falls hard for travelling actress Ginny (Isla Fisher) and starts to suffer from conscience&
And with the militia (headed up by Ronnie Corbett) onto the murders, it looks like the noose is tightening around their necks&
A queasy mix of murder and comedy, Burke and Hare seems to fail on both levels because it can't decide whether the dark tale needs to be told seriously or with a tongue firmly in its cheek. The main duo are hapless and it does play against the truth of the murders but the guest cast is stunning - a veritable who's who of the UK comedy scene.
Burke and Hare is a curio and probably one for fans of Ealing comedies more than anything - it's a botched attempt at a mixing of genres and the resultant mess is a frustrating disappointment.
Extras: Deleted scenes and outtakes
Rating: 4/10
Burke and Hare
Rating:M
Released by Universal Home Ent
A comic retelling of the 1820s Westport murders, Burke and Hare is an odd kind of film.
The ever brilliant Simon Pegg stars as William Burke and Andy Serkis is William Hare, a pair of conmen who're trying to make ends meet in Edinburgh.
When they overhear that corpses can fetch a pretty penny from the medical industry, they decide to supply Dr Knox (Tom Wilkinson) with corpses to make some cash. Trouble is, people aren't dying too quickly from natural causes - and that's where things take a murderous turn.
However, when the cash they earn pushes them in to the upper echelons of society, Burke falls hard for travelling actress Ginny (Isla Fisher) and starts to suffer from conscience&
And with the militia (headed up by Ronnie Corbett) onto the murders, it looks like the noose is tightening around their necks&
A queasy mix of murder and comedy, Burke and Hare seems to fail on both levels because it can't decide whether the dark tale needs to be told seriously or with a tongue firmly in its cheek. The main duo are hapless and it does play against the truth of the murders but the guest cast is stunning - a veritable who's who of the UK comedy scene.
Burke and Hare is a curio and probably one for fans of Ealing comedies more than anything - it's a botched attempt at a mixing of genres and the resultant mess is a frustrating disappointment.
Extras: Deleted scenes and outtakes
Rating: 4/10
Thursday, 13 October 2011
Cave of Forgotten Dreams: Movie Review
Cave of Forgotten Dreams: Movie Review
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Werner Herzog, a select camera crew, cave paintings, bear skulls and stalactites
Director: Werner Herzog
Shot in 3D, this doco sees German director Herzog, along with a select camera crew, heading to France to document the marvels held by a French cave discovered in 1994.
The Chauvet Cave in the south of France is one of anthropological wonder given that inside it's decorated with wall paintings and carvings from some 30,000 years ago.
Herzog was given exclusive access to document the innermost sanctum of the cave by the French government.
Essentially this 3D film really thrives when it's inside the cave and the camera simply lingers on the shots of the paintings and the full enormity of what's within explodes within your mind.
Skulls of animals long since dead and footprints from creatures 30,000 years old litter the pictures and are simply mind blowing. The 3D gives the depth to the paintings and reveals just how astounding they are.
But then Herzog's dry voiceover takes over and pompous statements like "It's like a frozen flash in a moment of time" give this an air of stuffiness that to be honest, it could do without.
Interviews with scientists and enthusiasts add to the pretentiousness of the piece and detract from the simple fact that sometimes, a picture paints a thousand words.
Those images of rhinos, horses, bison and tigers, bumps and shapes of the walls show a world that is beyond our comprehension and understanding; and in some ways, Herzog's insistence on talking really does mean the film loses some of its impact.
At the end, a montage of paintings and snapshots flash up on screen, accompanied by music - and in that flash alone, the film speaks volumes - and much more than Herzog ever can - of its secrets from thousands of years ago.
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
Rating: 6/10
Cast: Werner Herzog, a select camera crew, cave paintings, bear skulls and stalactites
Director: Werner Herzog
Shot in 3D, this doco sees German director Herzog, along with a select camera crew, heading to France to document the marvels held by a French cave discovered in 1994.
The Chauvet Cave in the south of France is one of anthropological wonder given that inside it's decorated with wall paintings and carvings from some 30,000 years ago.
Herzog was given exclusive access to document the innermost sanctum of the cave by the French government.
Essentially this 3D film really thrives when it's inside the cave and the camera simply lingers on the shots of the paintings and the full enormity of what's within explodes within your mind.
Skulls of animals long since dead and footprints from creatures 30,000 years old litter the pictures and are simply mind blowing. The 3D gives the depth to the paintings and reveals just how astounding they are.
But then Herzog's dry voiceover takes over and pompous statements like "It's like a frozen flash in a moment of time" give this an air of stuffiness that to be honest, it could do without.
Interviews with scientists and enthusiasts add to the pretentiousness of the piece and detract from the simple fact that sometimes, a picture paints a thousand words.
Those images of rhinos, horses, bison and tigers, bumps and shapes of the walls show a world that is beyond our comprehension and understanding; and in some ways, Herzog's insistence on talking really does mean the film loses some of its impact.
At the end, a montage of paintings and snapshots flash up on screen, accompanied by music - and in that flash alone, the film speaks volumes - and much more than Herzog ever can - of its secrets from thousands of years ago.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Very latest post
Honest Thief: DVD Review
Honest Thief: DVD Review In Honest Thief, a fairly competent story is given plenty of heart and soul before falling into old action genre tr...
-
The Last Of Us Part II: PS4 Review Developed by Naughty Dog Platform: PS4 Wracked with but not wrecked by spoilers dropping before rele... -
Sex Tape: Movie Review Cast: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segal, Ellie Kemper, Rob Corddry, Rob Lowe Director: Jake Kasdan Predicated around the ... -
Brand new Oblivion posters unveiled Entertainment Weekly' s got the first look at some new Oblivion posters. The Oblivion posters s...
