Paranormal Activity 4: Movie Review

Paranormal Activity 4: Movie Review

Cast: Katie Featherston, Kathryn Newton, Matt Shively, Brady Allen,
Director: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman

So here we go once again with another outing for Paranormal Activity, the new horror franchise which delivers year on year.

In Paranormal Activity 4, Katie Featherston returns as Katie as the film takes up five years after a possessed Katie killed her boyfriend Micah and also stole her sister's son Hunter after offing her sister Kristi.

It's 2011 and the action switches to the suburbs and a new family about to be terrorised by ghostly goings on.

This time, it centres on teenage girl Alex (Newton) whose family is going through fractured times and is weathering a breakdown of her parents' relationship. However, Alex is starting off a relationship with Ben (Shively) and a lot of it is carried out on Skype chats.

Things take a turn for the creepy when Alex and her family are forced to take in neighbouring kid Robbie (Allen) for a while after his mum is hospitalised. Robbie befriends Alex's brother Wyatt and the pair form an uneasy bond.

And things get creepier as bumps and noises and all manner of spooky things start happening right after Robbie moves in - having left his mum Katie behind....

Paranormal Activity 4 is to be frank a bit of a disappointment after the creative highs of the third film.

While the version I saw was presented as a work in progress, I'm not sure there's too much the directors can do to change it so it could be that this version may never be fully seen again.

The thing is with this franchise you know exactly what you're going to get - contrived use of cameras via a series of set ups and long drawn out scenes with a jumpy freaky ending to help you void your bowels and shoot out of your seat.

This time around, modern tech plays more of a part - there's no cam fan like in the third film but everything of the mundane daily life is taped via Skype chats or webcams. Perhaps the smartest piece of taping comes courtesy of the use of XBox Kinect which turns everything in the front room into an alien glow with green dots scattered around - this is a smart touch by the writers.

Once again, there are fake outs as the tension's gradually eeked out and extended as far as it can go - and I have to admit by setting a lot more of the creepier action during the daytime hours, the creative team aren't exactly resting on their spooky laurels and are trying to do something a little different.

Brady Allen offers up a truly unsettling turn as Robbie, a pale kid with moppet hair - his under-performance and perfectly nuanced delivery of one line in particular is quite disturbing.

Throw in a Shining reference as well and you'd hope that the team have got it right.

And yet, there's not quite the edge to this latest Paranormal Activity outing which you would expect. It's more of the same rather than concentrating on something a little new.

Long swathes of monitored action take place with little scares on hand - sure, there are bumps and knocks and doors close unexpectedly here and there, but the effect is somewhat akin to a low rent haunted horror house rather than a full on spooktacular.

Also, whereas the third film extended some of the film's mythology and storyline, this one, despite its trailer promising to let you "see where all the activity's been leading", does little to deepen the demon storyline and the family possession background. It's bitterly disappointing on that front. In fact, the spirit this time around seems more malevolent and intent on simply killing the residents whereas in the past, there's been hints of manipulation and reasons for the paranormal outings.

It's a real shame because the ending when it comes delivers in spades on scares and leaves you wishing that there were more of those final scenes throughout - even though it's somewhat similar to the ending of Paranormal Activity 3.

Paranormal Activity 4 is an okay found footage horror film; it has a bit of tension throughout but to be honest, as an entry into the franchise, I'm afraid it's left wanting.

There are a few scares, but never enough to give it the truly frightening edge it deserves. I'm just hoping that any inevitable future releases for this series think seriously about putting an end to the Paranormal storyline and offering up a creative resolution which is now sorely needed rather than continuing to extend the franchise simply for the money.

Rating:

Brand new Breaking Dawn Part 2 poster

Brand new Breaking Dawn Part 2 poster

It's nearly time for you Twihards to hyperventilate.

The final part of the Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 hits cinemas next month here in New Zealand and today we've had the last poster released for the film.

And as well as Edward, Bella, Jacob and wolves, it also features....erm, running???

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 hits cinemas November 15th

Win a double to see Dredd 3D!

Win a double to see Dredd 3D!

It's the comic book film of the year and it's got one of our very own as the lead.

Karl Urban plays 2000AD hero Judge Dredd in the new film hitting cinemas from October 4th.

To celebrate the release of the new film Dredd 3D, we've got a chance for you to grab some tickets to see the film -

All you have to do to win is answer this easy question:

Who plays Judge Dredd in Dredd 3D?

Send your name and address to darrensworldofentertainment@gmail.com and you'll be in the draw to win - be quick though as the comp closes October 10th! (editor's decision is final)

Good luck!

Read a Q&A With Karl Urban

Read the Dredd 3D movie review

Frankenweenie: Movie Review

Frankenweenie: Movie Review

Cast: Cahrlie Tahan, Catherine O'Hara, Martin Short, Martin Landau, Atticus Shaffer, Winona Ryder
Director: Tim Burton

Frankenweenie is a remake of Tim Burton's 1984 short film which really kick started his film-making push.

In black and white and using stop animation, it's the tale of young Victor (Tahan) and his friendship with his dog, Sparky. Victor Frankenstein lives a quiet life in New Holland. It's a life isolated from people (by choice) and whose only real friend is his dog Sparky.

The pair are inseparable - as is so often the case with youngsters and their pets - so, when Sparky is run over and killed in an accident, Victor's inconsolable.

However, after being inspired by high school teacher Mr Rzykruski (Landau), Victor decides to harness the power of electricity to bring his beloved pooch back to life.

Surprisingly, the attempt is successful - and with a state science fair looming and competition hotting up to win the fair, the pressure from Victor's fellow students to do something similar to their various animals has terrifying consequences for the inhabitants of New Holland.

Frankenweenie is an affectionate paean to the world of horror and the Hollywood horror films of yore - it's a tribute piece and one which cinephiles will adore.

From its start which resembles the lo-fi quality of the 1960s B Movies to the ending which is a parody of Godzilla attacking via Reanimator for animals, there's much love on show here from Burton. It's also horrendously self referential (which is no criticism by any stretch of the imagination) - the prefab townships of New Holland resemble those of the streets of Edward Scissorhands, the lead character Victor practically looks like Johnny Depp, one character's called E Gore, Bride of Frankenstein references - the list goes on. Throw in some great visual gags as well and you've got enough to keep the family entertained.

But yet, all of that's secondary to the wonderful whimsy on display with the story.

Burton's piece is a love story to the relationship of a boy and his pet; in fact, every youngster in the film who has a pet - be it cat or dog - dotes on their animals; there's an innocence and sweetness which are hard to ignore in this flick and a charm which is difficult to resist. Taking in similar styles to the Corpse Bride and Nightmare Before Christmas - as well as a stunningly good Danny Elfman soundtrack which hits all the right emotional notes - it's a trip into Burton-nostalgia without a doubt.

Adding in horror touches and tropes, Burton's black and white animation is a joy to behold and a delight to watch unfurl on the big screen - even if the story is a little slight towards the end and runs out of electricity as the homage lumbers to its conclusion.

In many ways, Frankenweenie is early Burton through and through - a childlike innocence and slightly macabre view of the world which is washed through with an emotional resonance.While some may feel it occasionally lacks a bit of punch, the charm on display is more than enough to carry it through its 85 minutes run time.

Rating:

Dirk Gently: DVD Review

Dirk Gently: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Roadshow and ITV

Douglas Adams' holistic detective is brought to the small screen in this short run series, canned by the BBC after just four outings.

Episodes star Steven Mangan plays the titular detective, a kind of ramshackle buffoon whose methods see him believing that everything is interconnected and related when investigating.

In these various episodes, including the pilot, Mangan plays Gently as borderline irritating and it takes a little while to adjust to him as the eponymous hero - but once you get over that, it falls neatly into place.

Some of the issue with Dirk Gently is he's similar to Dr Who in mannerisms and fans of that show may find it difficult to separate the two. Mangan however, works well as Dirk, as does Darren Boyd as his sidekick. There's a frenetic energy to the stories and the way they tie together by the final resolution is a testament to Adams' original visions of the character.

Dirk Gently works well as a one-shot series - anything longer could have proved majorly annoying thanks to ongoing kookiness but for a couple of hours' worth of entertainment and thanks to another great character turn by Mangan, it's a jolly enough romp.

Rating:

Killing Them Softly: Movie Review

Killing Them Softly: Movie Review

Cast: Brad Pitt, Richard Jenkin, Ray Liotta, Scoot McNairy, Ben Mendelsohn, James Gandolfini
Director: Andrew Dominik

Crime films are gritty grab you by the balls kinds of affairs when they're done properly.

Add to the pantheon, this latest from Wellington director, Andrew Dominik.

But in adapting the 1974 novel, Cogan's Trade by George V Higgins, Dominik's brought the book into the year 2008 with a presidential campaign taking place and with the American economy facing global meltdown.

Ray Liotta plays Markie Trattman, who runs a series of local illegal card games - a little while back, Trattman held up his own card game to make some cash. But unable to keep the secret, he confessed that he'd stolen from his own - and somehow managed to get away with it.

However, he's warned that if any further hold ups occur, he'll be the number one suspect...

Seizing on this, local wannabe Johnny Amato (The Sopranos' Johnny Sack aka Vincent Curatola) hires two goons, Frankie (McNairy) and Aussie Russell (Mendelsohn) to knock over the game and get the blame squarely resting on Trattman's shoulders.

But when this heist's carried out, the bosses decide the economy of the local criminal underworld (much like the economy nationwide) is under threat, so Jackie Cogan (Brad Pitt), an enforcer is called on to try and resolve the situation and restore some order before it gets any worse.

Scuzzy, gritty, grimy and quite bleak in parts, Killing Them Softly is a compelling watch from beginning to end.

It's a brilliant character piece too with Dominik letting the dialogue take centre stage rather than anything else; it's dialled down, back to its roots film-making with various speeches from Bush and Obama providing the OST rather than any OTT music ever could. (Though its over-use and reliance from the director to propel the story along becomes a bit of an issue later towards the end).

It's also unrelentingly bleak and the violence is bone-crunchingly brutal. The sounds of Liotta's character being beaten to a bloody pulp echo through the sound system of the cinema, leaving you nowhere to hide from this violent smackdown. That, coupled with Dominik's use of close ups leads to a feeling of being totally sucked into this world.

Dominik's also brought some dazzling visual flair to some sequences (and quite possibly one of the best sight gags involving an exploding car you're ever likely to see) - one in particular, where a character gets shot through the car window while waiting at lights, is an astounding a piece of cinematic direction which screams stylish editing and I doubt you'll see anything better this year.

Crackling dialogue throughout is delivered by an all male cast; Liotta's like a shadow of his ferocious self from Goodfellas, Gandolfini, as a broken assassin, makes you pine for the return of the Sopranos; Jenkin, as a corporate go between, who tries to negotiate Cogan's work and his bosses' desires is another piece of character brilliance; Pitt is restrained and menacing as the enforcer and McNairy is Jersey Boy personified as  a wannabe.

But it's Ben Mendelsohn, so impressive in Animal Kingdom, who really shines here. His drug-addled, permanently hazy, shambolic Russell is a character masterpiece from an ensemble who all bring their A game.

Essentially, Killing Them Softly is Sopranos x Economic recession x the story telling of Animal Kingdom.

It's a welcome addition to the pantheon of crime films and is instantly a classic.

Rating:

Men in Black 3: DVD Review

Men in Black 3: DVD Review

Rating: M
Released by Sony Home Entertainment

Agent J (Will Smith) and Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones) return in the third outing of this series in which they’re dudes in black suits protecting the earth from the scum of the universe.

This time around, when angry baddie Boris The Animal (played as badass biker by our very own Jemaine Clement) busts out of the moon prison Agent K put him in years ago back in 1969, he’s only got revenge on his mind.

So, he decides, with a bit of techno trickery pokery to head back in time and erase K from time to ensure that he’s never caught in the first place…

But when K simply vanishes, (somehow) Will Smith’s wise talking J is the only one who remembers him and he also heads back to 1969 to ensure history’s not changed….

However, it’s not just Boris the Animal waiting for him, but a younger K, played by Josh Brolin.

Men In Black 3 comes a long time after the sequel (a decade on from 2002) and with it, a feeling that something really needed to be shaken up in the partnership between Smith and Jones.

Sadly, it appears, that magic ingredient was sidelining Tommy Lee Jones’ curmudgeonly emotionless K – and replacing him with a younger, livelier version played with utter brilliance by Josh Brolin who really does make you feel that he’s the younger version of the character thanks to a spot on impression.

It also means that Will Smith is prone to going back to his motor mouth wise talking sassy dude because at the start he’s a bit of a sad sack moping about as the partnership appears to flounder. He works well with Josh Brolin and by giving K a bit more life, the spark is revitalised between the duo.

Jemaine Clement is good as Boris; it’s a step away from his comedy acting. Though under layers and layers of prosthetics, he spends most of the movie glowering and fighting but to be honest, it’s a good solid performance in a relatively thankless role and really does show this Conchord has wings. Equally worthy of mention, is Rick Baker’s monster menagerie which is created for the start of the film – the creature work is stunningly good and realistic and it’s definitely missed from the middle of the film onwards.

A twist at the end of the film hints at a poignancy and resonance between J and K’s relationship and may be a nice pay off for fans of the genre.

But it’s not without its flaws – Emma Thompson and Alice Eve are woefully underused as Agent O, the head of the MIB agency and hardly have any major screen time, rendering any moments they’re in utterly pointless.

And I have to say, one of the biggest flaws of Men In Black 3 is that it’s not peppered with a lot of humour (ironic, given that the three main leads are the first three letters of JOKE) and it desperately needs some of that throughout.

All in all, Men in Black 3 isn’t a bad and unwatchable film, it’s a reasonable capper to the trilogy but if they’re to plough forward with this franchise, there really does need to be something more added. As a light, frothy piece of 90 minute entertainment, it just about makes it – but as a blockbuster promising action and comedy, it’s sadly left wanting.

Extras: Gag reel, making of, music video, games, VFX

Rating: