Apollo 18

Rating: 3.4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Apollo 18 (2011)

Studio : Dimension Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 87 min

Website : apollo18movie.net

Rating : PG-13

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Two astronauts (Warren Christie and Lloyd Owen) are sent on a secret mission to the moon to determine why NASA had deemed the lunar surface unsafe and cancelled all future missions. In the real world, this was due to funding issues which shut down the program in 1972, but this revisionist look at the space program shows that there was something far more sinister afoot than a lack of coin. And the Department of Defense wanted to know what it was. The filmmakers then supposedly found 80 hours of footage, which was classified but leaked out for the world to know in what I guess is a shout out to Wikileaks.

The company releasing this film has gone through some great lengths to pretend that this is actual footage of a real life event that was hidden away from the public. Even the two stars of the film are listed with no credit in the Internet Movie Database. It contends that they are not real actors at all, but real astronauts that had to endure their terrible journey. To me, what the producers are trying to do just insults the movie going audience’s intelligence. This isn’t like Area 51 where things happened on a secret base somewhere that no outsider could get to. This is space we are talking about. And to get to space is not just a hop into your personal spacecraft and off you go. Rockets being hauled out onto the pad and the days of preparations can not be done in shadow. As someone who lived close to Cape Canaveral, any launch is big news and would have been back in 1973, when the space race was in full force. At the very least, people would have remembered it. If you are going to push the conspiracy idea, it works better if the facts are at least somewhat believable. This footage gimmick may have worked in Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity, but only because people could relate to not knowing what goes on inside every house or deep in the dark woods. Finding a tape would be almost believable. But using low budget camera tricks and pawning it off as some sort of real footage is stupid.

But in all fairness, that really doesn’t have anything to do with the movie itself except that it sets the tone of the film from the very start with the opening written narration. From there, the story plays in three acts using what looks like 40 year old video tape. It’s grainy. It flickers out a lot, having been supposedly damaged over time, and has that hand held queasiness factor that is only kept in check by some still camera work such as when they are in the capsule. This can get a bit annoying after a bit, but thankfully the shorter running time doesn’t make it too much of a strain on the eyes and in some parts these low budget visual effects actually work in the movie’s favor. At the very least, they do make you feel as though this is the 1970’s you are watching, thankfully without the leisure suits.

The story is far more character driven than other entries into the hand held thriller genre. There is a great dynamic between the two men as the danger gets more and more real. And their fear comes across very well. The close quarters, what lies outside, are all phobias that can be attributed to the human condition and the movie plays on that. It also does well delving in the conspiracy theory that the movie tries to imply. My only minor fault here is that a little more information about what happened prior would have been helpful in understanding and relating to their predicament. We don’t know anything about them and why they are there.

If this was a pseudo documentary into a false conspiracy, it might have been okay, but this being billed as a horror movie. So it has to be reviewed as one. And in this case, it failed pretty badly on the scare factor. Like Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark that we just reviewed, it relies on suspense to fuel the few gotcha moments in the film. But it does not do this successfully. While there are some pretty disturbing moments, the anxiety is never really that heightened that the jumps are off the chart. And once we see the enemy, the film becomes even more anti-climatic. The trailer promised that the last 10 minutes would go down in movie history. Not sure what history they were referring to. The end doesn’t seem to justify the journey making one walk out of the theater really scratching their heads. I guess the sequel will help.

For a low budget film, director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego did his best to try to stretch every dollar and there are parts that are better than some big budget action movies, especially in the acting, but it wasn’t enough to pull the film out of mediocrity. I give this film a 3.2/5, a little better than some, but not able to scare, which was the point.

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Dont Be Afraid of Dark

Rating: 3.8 out of 5 stars

Movie: Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (2011)

Studio : Miramax

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 99 min

Website : dontbeafraidofthedark.com

Rating : R

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Sally (Bailee Madison) is a young girl, who was sent to her father Alex (Guy Pearce) when she didn’t want her anymore. But Alex has a new girlfriend Kim (Katie Holmes) that isn’t fond of the idea of suddenly being saddled with a child. But Kim has little choice and the family settles back down in a gothic mansion that Alex is remodeling. But Blackwood Manor has a horrific past and when Sally goes exploring, she finds that they are not alone. That there are voices coming up through the vent, voices that try to convince her that they are friends and they need to be let out of their prison. The moppet tries to tell her father, but he’s too busy in his work to pay any attention and Kim doesn’t believe her. And so she finds comfort from the isolation in these odd whispers that come from below, so much comfort that she lets them out, bringing horrible results to the family.

I can see why this got some bad press by a more contemporary audience that is used to movies like Friday the 13th and Saw, where horror is defined by the number of shock moments and horrible bloody messes with chainsaws and axes. But back in my day, the genre also included suspense. Alfred Hitchcock never showed the blood of the woman Norman Bates chopped up in the shower in Psycho, but we knew it was there. Suspense was something that was built up, starting as an uneasy feeling and getting progressively more eerie as it went along. And that is what this and its predecessor, the 1973 classic by the same name did. It provided less gore and less gotcha moments, but a slow building that made one sufficiently unsettled by the end.

A lot of that buildup had to do with the house itself, the set design created the mood for the film. It starts off in the initial scene that earned the movie its R rating, of Edward Blackwood a hundred years earlier, trying to extract the teeth of his maid in the most painful way possible. Every detail of the house from it’s interior to his drawings, to the art on the walls, everything screamed gothic and creepy. The house reeked of the horrible things that had happened there in the past, and even when the remodeling began, the lighting kept the tone of the dark spirits that inhabited the dwelling.

Sally represents the little kid in all of us, who slept with the light on after seeing our first horror film, who wondered if there were things under the bed or in the closet, who visited haunted houses on Halloween and screamed in terror. And newcomer Bailee Madison did well playing both the jilted child scorned by her parents and her father’s girlfriend and the scared little girl who just wants to leave this horrid place. And I think Madison should have a bright future ahead of her in films.

Guy Pearce was equally as good, even if we hated his character, at playing the father who is too busy to care what his daughter is doing or scared of. Katie Holmes is just so so as the girlfriend turned mother. As her character progressed, I actually found her more annoying and flat than when she started out as the hesitant mom.

There were two parts of the film though that drags down the score. The first was the creatures. The CGI goblins that looked a bit like a cross between Quasimodo and the dog from Taco Bell were not suspenseful, but a bit funny at places where they shouldn’t have been. The big reveal seemed to get more guffaws than it did frights. Del Toro would have done better keeping them in the dark and not be so open about what they were doing. That would have certainly added to the creepiness.

The other problem was the insane way that some of the characters dealt with the horror that surrounded them, which is a staple of horror films I know, but this one could have rose above that. I mean if you had these creepy things in your house, wouldn’t you leave or at least call an exterminator or something? It wasn’t like the house was keeping them there as in Amityville Horror.

Still even despite these two things, we still found the film a fun way to spend an afternoon and the movie will appeal to the ones who like their horror less on the Saw side and more on the Psycho side. And so we give it a 3.8/5. Newer and more jaded audiences might not get it, but those that can relate to Sally as a mirror of their own childhood should enjoy it.

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Fright Night

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Fright Night (2011)

Studio : Walt Disney/DreamWorks

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 106 min

Website : welcometofrightnight.com

Rating : R

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Charlie Brewster (Anton Yelchin) has his suspicions that his next door neighbor Jerry (Colin Ferrell) is not quite what he seems. Sure, he’s charming and debonair, but his nightly activities are not exactly what you’d expect from a gentleman. And Charlie soon realizes that he may be a vampire, but no one will take the young lad seriously, not his mother (Toni Collette), his popular girlfriend (Imogen Poots). The only one is his best friend Ed (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), who is actually the first to suspect something isn’t right. And so Charlie enlists the help of a Las Vegas magician and vampire expert (David Tennant) to rid the world of this creature of the night before it destroys the town and his family and friends.

I really enjoyed the cult classic 27 years ago and as I sat down in the theater, I grumbled something about ruining another memory for me, but I decided to keep an open mind. And I have to say that this remake did do the original 1983 film justice actually. It was not incredibly scary or gory film. If you are expecting Jason or Freddie type antics, then this isn’t it. But then neither was the original. They are both based more on suspense and the cat and mouse game played by Charlie and Jerry, but with a dose of hearty laughter and fun thrown in to keep the fear factor down to a minimum. Besides, being distributed by Disney, even though it’s a DreamWorks film, you knew it wouldn’t be too over the top.

Marti Noxon is a name you may recognize from another vampire project, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the series), where she worked with Josh Whedon, and in this film, you can see that that experience comes through in a script that is both scary and funny. In fact, I really did feel like I was watching an episode of Buffy, sans Sarah Michelle Gellar and the Scooby gang. But since I always liked that combination, I rather enjoyed it here.

Colin Farrell, IMO, did a much better job than Chris Sarandon did in the original. Sarandon played the part a bit too stuffy, while Farrell was able to bring a much more calm, much more subtle intensity to the character. Oddly enough, the role was originally supposed to go to Heath Ledger, who died before they could get started. And so Farrell got the part. It’s not the first time that Farrell has been part of the cast after the death of Ledger. The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus was Ledger’s last film and when he died in the midst of filming, the director had the idea to replace him with several different actors at different places in the movie such as Johnny Depp and Farrell.

Young Anton Yelchin and Imogen Poots did well at their roles, although neither really stood out that much. Christopher Mintz-Plasse does a good job of providing a lot of the comic relief in the movie as the nerdish friend, which he is excellent at portraying.

The 3D was frightful in some places, although I do think that you could see the movie fine in 2D and not be too incredibly disappointed at the results.

All in all, we really did like this new version and thus give it a 4.5/5. It’s a solid afternoon or evening of fun and a bit of fright that will truly entertain. Sure, we did like some of the original better, but this one has a lot to go for it on its own and is actually a worthwhile remake.

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Final Destination 5

Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars

Movie: Final Destination 5 (2011)

Studio : New Line Cinema

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 105 min

Website : finaldestinationmovie.com

Rating : R

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Death is back with a new twist as a bunch of strangers riding a bus escape the tragedy after one of their fellow passengers warns them to get off before the bridge the bus is on collapses. And as in the previous films, they are then targeted by the grim reaper one by one. But this time, there is a new rule. If they kill someone else, that person will take their place and they will no longer be on the list. But will they be able to take someone’s life to save their own?

I had my doubts about this film. After all, we’ve seen it all before over and over and this is the fifth time out. And given that the third and fourth were not very exciting, the hope for this one was that it at least didn’t suck too badly. But this one actually exceeded expectations to be one of the best in the series. It’s resurgence of the main element, which is the characters themselves, are what raises this to new heights.

One of the things missing in the last two was that I didn’t really care about who lived or who died. It was all the same to me. I didn’t get to know them and as a result, they wound up just becoming part of a mindless kill fest, despite how unique the scenarios might have been. That is not the case here. The characters are designed to be just like the audience, regular people that are now faced with an impossible decision, leaving me wondering what I would do in that situation. The excellent acting puts me in their shoes and when one dies, it’s almost like a part of myself died with them. That’s a pretty powerful feeling that creates a, pardon the pun, new dimension in the series.

It is also this twist that gives each death scene the possibility of turning out much differently then what you’d expect, giving it a very strong sense of suspense before each killing begins, which only serves to heighten the experience even more. You never know what is really going to happen and that will keep you glued to the story and at the edge of your seat.

Filmed in true 3D from the ground up, the effects are very scary and very real looking. Much better than they were in the previous edition. In fact, some effects were so real, I actually found myself ducking or moving as if the items were really coming out at me. And I’m pretty jaded by now on the whole 3D thing, but this one really portrays the process in its best, if not freakiest, light. And despite the darkness of the subject matter, things were very easy to see.

Nicholas D’Agosto and Emma Bell lead a relatively obscure cast, but that works in the movie’s favor because it gives each one more chance to be seen as a regular person and not a celebrity. If they had really pushed the top names, it would not have had half of the impact it does. All do a superb job portraying their individual characters as we said above, so it was excellent casting in our opinion.

Final Destination 5 is an awesome film and if you only see one horror movie this year, this is the one you should check out. But a word of warning. It is not for the squeamish. Along with improvements in 3D and characterization, it is also much sicker with the gory than the previous ones. One scene in particular, which I won’t get into as to spoil it, will most likely even shake the most unshakable. I give this movie a 4.6/5. It’s a bit more blood and guts than I really like in my horror movies, but the suspense and well thought out death scenarios, along with the added twist definitely give me reason to forgive that.

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Super 8

Rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars

Movie: Super 8 (2011)

Studio : Paramount

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 112 min

Website : super8-movie.com

Rating : PG-13

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

A group of kids are filming a movie back in the late 70’s when they witness a crash between a pickup truck driven by their teacher and a train, which is derailed, but what happens afterwards sends the whole town into chaos. Whatever was on that train is making folks disappear, and that invokes a military response, even though the government says that there is nothing to be concerned about. That doesn’t sit well with the local Sheriff or his son, one of the group of children that saw the horrific accident. And the kids decide to take matters into their own hands to solve the mystery.

This film just wreaks of Goonies goodness and we say that in the best possible terms. Steven Spielberg and JJ Abrams pull together a timeless classic that is just a joy to watch. And like the Goonies, it has heart. A lot of it, giving it emotion, fun, laughs, and scary moments that will make you jump out of your seat. It’s a movie that all of the people in the family can enjoy at different levels, although it may be a bit intense for younger ones. But for teenagers and above, it’s refreshing to return to a time when movies were simpler and not so “in your face” as they are now.

And for those that liked the 70’s, there is plenty of nostalgia to witness in the details of the film. Polyester, bad hair choices, and pseudo futuristic cars, that were the norm of the time, are all here in their sweetest forms. The strong sense of retro we get from the film certainly adds to its charm.

But what makes this film truly shine is the ability of its young cast, a perfect blend of talent, who played their parts like seasoned professionals, especially Ella Fanning and Joel Courtney, who were just amazing for their ages. Fanning, like her sister Dakota, is very good at playing a character that is wise beyond her years and her relationship in the film with Courtney is very touching. The remainder of the cast, most of whom were unknowns, add to the realism of what is being portrayed. Sure, they could have had Justin Bieber in the starring role, but that would have taken away from the believability that these are just small town kids who are thrown into an amazing situation.

And even though the film, at its heart, is really a coming of age story, there is, of course, the sci-fi element, something that Abrams excels at, even if he is uneven in doing so. The end, which we won’t divulge winds up, being a bit anti-climatic for what we consider in this day and age, but again, it’s not about the payoff, it’s about the journey. And this journey is just a fun romp.

We give this movie 4.8/5 and recommend it to yourselves and your families. Yeah, it does have some pacing issues, but no one really cared because the rest of the scenes were so good that it’s hard to get bored at any particular place long enough to really notice. We should note, however, that some of the scenes are a bit intense for young viewers, thus the PG-13 rating.

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Priest

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Priest (2011)

Studio : Buckaroo Entertainment

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 87 min

Website : priest-movie.net

Rating : PG-13

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Priest, a film based on a Korean comic book, tells the dark tale of a warrior who is living in a post-apocalyptic society where vampires and humans exist, but not peacefully. They have warred for centuries and during the last big war, the vampires were thought to have been killed off. But people lived in huge walled cities run by the Church, who got control of the population in order to “protect” it’s citizens. When a warrior priest (Paul Bettany) who has been living a normal a life as possible under the radar has a vision that the vampires are returning, he is told by the head of the Church (Christopher Plummer) that he must never say what he has seen and threatens to take away his life if he were to reveal the secret. But when the priest’s daughter (Lily Collins) is taken by the vampires, he has no choice but to forego his previous existence and go on a quest to save her against the vampires. With help from a former warrior priestess (Maggie Q) and a wasteland sheriff, who is dating his daughter (Cam Gigandet), the priest must face many dangers to get back that which has been taken.

Sounds good right? A plot you can really sink your teeth into? Well, the description sounds much better than the actual movie. The reason for this is because they take the most chaotic and mashed up route to get where they are going. The film seems to have an identity crisis, not knowing whether it’s a western or a futuristic Blade Runner or a vampire flick. The graphic novel it is based on is probably responsible for the chaos, which works in long form comics much better than it does in films. The fact that the story is Korean also lends credence to the idea that the culture for which the story is targeted in print is not the one going to see it in the movies. Instead what you get is a movie that never settles down long enough to give you a chance to see or care about what’s going on.

The movie also is devoid of any humor. In a film that just reeks of tongue-in-cheek fun, there is no such thing here. It’s all so serious that the audience never gets a bit of relief for the entire running time. Even in heavy dramas where people are dying, there is always some sort of comedy thrown in to offset the situation, but not in Priest. The movie just piles on and on without coming up for air. Again, this may also be a cultural thing.

Now one could forgive all of that if the many action sequences were top notch heart-racing fun, but they aren’t. They are basically run-of-the-mill scenes that you could see in any movie, particularly one that had better reason for those scenes. If it weren’t for the loud annoying heavy music that plays during them, I would have probably dozed off. There is only so much slow motion and stupid looking monsters that you can take. Recently, Harrison Ford, who wouldn’t get near this film, recently spoke of how CGI in modern action films was ruining the genre. This one may just prove him right. There is too much here in CG for a realistic scene. The darkness of the film, which did not convert well to 3D, didn’t help either.

The cast does try to move the story along and Christopher Plummer as the head of the Church brings some star power to this decrepit tale, but they can’t get by the lack of a good script to play off of. They simply react to what is given to them like they are going through the motions, but don’t believe in the project or the material. This makes it very difficult to feel for any of the characters or their plight.

We do have to give credit however to the production team for what are some amazing sets and locations. The film looks incredibly beautiful at times, creepy at other times, and each scene obviously was carefully crafted, although some were a bit too dark for the screen. But all in all, wonderful scenery. Too bad the story didn’t live up to these fantastic sets and no doubt CG that they were working with.

The bottom line for this film is that if you like chaotic horror, you may enjoy this, but we doubt that many people will in the end. We came out wishing it had been so much more, expecting a bit of b movie camp, but were disappointed. So we give it a 1.5/5 for its lack of story and wasted characters.

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Insidious

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Insidious (2011)

Studio : Alliance Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 100 min

Website : insidious-movie.com

Rating : PG-13

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

In the same spirit, pardon the pun, of Poltergeist and Amityville, comes the story of a family of five who moves into their new residence, eager to start their new life, but the house isn’t all that welcoming towards one particular member of their family. Their eldest son Dalton is being stalked by the residence and the old spirit that lives there. At first, it’s just little things like books falling off shelves and strange noises, but when Dalton goes up to the attic to investigate, he slips off a broken ladder and falls. But starts screaming at something he sees. But after calming him down and tucking him in, his parents Josh and Renai (Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne) believe he is fine. But the next day, they find him comatose in a state that doctors can’t explain, even after spending three months in the hospital. Believing that home would be a much better place for him, they bring him back to the house, but the spirit has just begun to use him for it’s own agenda. Even moving doesn’t free them from the terror that has become their boy.

Lately horror movies have depended on a lot of gore and violence, each one topping the previous one. And one of the main purveyors of portraying the sick and twisted is the makers of Saw (writer Leigh Whannell and director James Wan). In this film, however, they show that they have just as much talent at suspense as blood and guts with what is a scary film of the imagination, toning it down so much, it actually got a PG-13 rating instead of R. The fright though works very well and there are truly some horrific moments that will surely make you jump out of your seat. And there is even some funny moments thrown into balance out the film, which are not overly hilarious, but light hearted.

The weakest part of the story has to be the introduction of the ghost hunters headed by actress Lin Shaye. One of the most classic techniques in thrillers is that unknown, which can be very effective in keeping the mystery alive, around the horror movements. The geeky logical and scientific explanations, in our opinion, took away from the fun of questioning what was going on in our own minds. Of course, you don’t want the audience confused, but on the other hand, what they don’t know scares them, which is the purpose of the film. It just seems that the film gets sidetracked from that point on and is not as stylistic and clever as the first part.

Still though, the film is well acted and really brings on the horror, which is why we go to see such a movie. It shows that you do not need a lot of disgusting imagery to provoke the kind of frights that are of the mind, just as Alfred Hitchcock didn’t need to show the stabbing at the Bates Motel. Even though not one drop of blood or knife was shown plunging into skin, the film managed to keep people out of showers for a long time. We think that this movie will have that same type of effect on people, which makes it a whole lot of fun.

While we didn’t like the second half near as much as the first, because the reality didn’t live up to the promise, we still give it 4/5 stars. It’s creepy, funny in parts, and an all around good time and the kind of film that may actually follow you out of the theater like a good horror movie often does.

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Scream 4

Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars

Movie: Scream 4 (2011)

Studio : Dimension Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 111 min

Website : scream-4.com

Rating : R

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Sydney Prescott (Neve Campbell) is now a writer of self help books and when her book tour brings her back to the sleepy little town of Woodsboro, she gets more than some signings to deal with. It seems that the night before her return and on the anniversary of the original killings, two high school kids are brutally murdered by Ghostface, the masked villain the massacre that shook the town years before. But who is he this time? That is what Sydney, along with old acquaintances Gale Weathers Riley (Courtney Cox), the reporter turned writer herself, and her new husband Dewey Riley (David Arquette) of the police. They must figure out the mystery before danger can strike again and again.

I know. It sounds like the same basic recipe and most sequels are that, but what makes Scream unique, is how part of the cast is always looking at the motivation of the film they are actually in. The comment of “The unexpected is now the cliche,” rings through the entire showing, giving Craven the opportunity to go wherever he wants to go, along with writer Kevin Williamson, and they do indeed take advantage of that fact, with twists and turns that turn it into anything but the same plot.

The previous two sequels kind of lost their way after the original. They didn’t have that good balance between comedy and horror. The original Scream never seemed to take itself too seriously, which is a good formula to grab the audience with laughs, mixed in with pure terror. This way if someone is too frightened, the film serves to lighten the mood, and makes it more enjoyable in the end. Much preferable to just one gore fest after the other while the characters all brood, wondering who’s going to be killed next. The idea is even though you want to be scared, you want to leave with a good feeling, not depression and Scream 4 makes that happen.

The other thing we found interesting is the generational passing of the torch in the film. Cox, Campbell, and Arquette return to the series to be the anchor for a whole new cast, which will undoubtedly keep the series alive in the future, at least for some of them, the ones that don’t get killed of course. To gain interest from the newer audience, Craven brought in some of the brightest young stars working today. Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), Shenae Grimes (90210, Degrassi), Kristin Bell (Forgetting Sarah Marshall), Anna Paquin (True Blood), Brittany Roberson (Live Unexpected), Marielle Jaffe (Percy Jackson and the Olympians), Lucy Hale (Pretty Little Liars), Aimee Teegarten (Friday Night Lights), Erik Knudsen (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), Rory Culkin (Chasing 3000), and Nico Tortorella (Make It or Break It) all make an appearance in the film, with some roles being less violent than others. There are also favorites for the older generation like Heather Graham, Alison Brie, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, and Marley Shelton. Craven’s budget certainly wasn’t wasted as they all do an excellent job in their parts, from being able to freak out on cue to being able to drum up a laugh when needed, the acting is solid. This is what happens when you hire a cast that has quite a bit of experience to fill key roles.

Scream 4 is just a good old fashion horror movie, but be warned my friends. The lighthearted nature of some of the scenes should not be misconstrued as being weak in gore and violence. There are a couple of scenes that may very well keep you up at night. And while it’s certainly not as bad as Saw by any means, it is very much still a film meant to scare you and it does this quite well indeed. We give the film a 4.7 out of 5 stars, a great movie to see with your friends.

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Daybreakers

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Daybreakers(2010)

Studio : Lionsgate

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 98 min

Website : daybreakersmovie.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

When the Spierig brothers plotted out this film, you can tell from the start that they have a passion for vampires and the culture around them.

The world of Daybreakers is a reflection of our own, cast in a shadow where the dead work at night through a Metropolis-inspired cityscape as they drink their coffee mingled with AB positive. From sun-blocking tinted panels to LCD mirrors, the design of this alternate reality is perhaps the most breathtaking thing about this film.

We step into this world long after humanity was given an ultimatum to live as vampires or die as their cattle. Unfortunately, living this way has led to a decline in the once mighty human population, and humans are becoming rarer as vampires begin to starve. What’s worse, those that starve do not simply “die,” but instead lose their sentience and mutate into mindless bat-human hybrids (think Nosferatu). The fear of starving and the greater fear of mutating is creating havoc within the populace, and the only salvation to be found is in a blood substitute that will keep vampire society alive.

Ethan Hawke plays Edward—did they really have to name him that?—a researcher for a “Big Brother” pharmacy agency that is trying to find a blood substitute while trying to maintain their dwindling supply of humans to feed the country. He is also one of the only humanitarians of this world and brother to a soldier who enjoys life as a vampire. Along the way, Edward encounters a small colony of humans and a potential new way to save vampirekind.

The movie starts off as interesting, but the storyline can not seem to hold up. It wants to be a horror film, but really comes off as more of a thriller with action elements. I don’t mind this, but a lot of cheap scare tactics get thrown in to prove its origin and it gets annoying. Worse still, the luxurious pace of the film fails as it goes from a scenic stroll of this new world into a clumsy gallop past the interesting grotesqueness of this rotting society. It’s a shame considering there’s so much detail that is easy to miss by the later half of the film.

I think this film would have been better as a mini-series. With what the Spierig brothers made, it would have given more time to love being in their vampire-dominated society and made it that much more horrifying to watch it slowly crumble away. As it stands now, it’s only a good idea with a half-baked execution. Don’t get me wrong, it has a lot of cult potential, and at a 20 million dollar budget this is an impressive film, but I don’t see it winning the recognition it has the chance to gain.

-Donald Lee

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Zombieland

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Zombieland (2009)

Studio : Pariah Films

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 80 min

Website : Zombieland

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

It probably doesn’t help that I came into the theater already expecting it to be good because I’m a big Woody Harrelson fan, but to be frank I enjoyed Zombieland. To a point, at least.

Reese and Wernick’s zombiesploitation film features a classic scenario popularized from decades of undead films, comics, and internet memes: a virus gone bad, flesh-eating humanity, and a list of rules about what to do if you’re one of the living few. The result is a grindhousey romp through the U.S., and it is mostly successful, but there are two major faults that I must point out.

Jesse Eisenberg, who after this year’s Adventureland seems like another candidate for an Apatow film, isn’t strong enough to hold up this film as its leading role. While his pathetic demeanor provides premature laughs, he cannot seem to keep it up through the film beyond a funny run. Luckily, having Woody Harrelson seems to keep the film going along, as his buddy role as a zombie serial killer and Twinkie connoisseur is hilarious, right down to his facial expressions that not only tell you how pissed off he is, but how much he loves those yellow pastries.

The other fault lies in a midsection of the film involving Bill Murray’s mansion. I’m a big Murray fan, but at the same time I felt like the theme of surviving the apocalypse suddenly stopped at that point. In fact, every scene at that point has almost nothing to do with the apocalypse and more to do with teens doing whatever they want, at least until the climax. There’s so much potential you can cook up with a zombie-filled Hollywood, but it never gets considered and is instead replaced with Murray fandom and non-zombie things, and for such a short film it hurts the pace.

But that aside, it’s still relative fun to watch. I’m probably being partial because of Woody, but it’s definitely worth a group watch on DVD just because you can skip over that mansion scene.

-Donald Lee-

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Orphan - Jaume Collet-Serra

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Movie: Orphan (2009)

Studio : Warner Bros.

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 123min

Website : orphan-movie.warnerbros.com

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:

Movies about creepy kids have long been a reliable box office draw. Usually consisting of some seemingly angelic little boy or girl who starts out all wide-eyed and innocent but in the end is revealed to be a granny-mangling demon from the bowels of pre-pubescent hell, this sub-genre has given us such nightmarish cinematic icons as Regan from The Exorcist and Damian from The Omen.

The Orphan probably sits somewhere between the above classic examples of how to do creepy kid movies and Children of the Corn (as an example of how not to). Essentially it’s a domestic horror tale centering on the troubled Coleman clan and the swirling black-hole of loss and guilt that resides at the core of the family. We soon come to learn that the black-hole is the result of the tragic loss of Kate and John’s unborn baby. Kate is in therapy for her drinking problem while John deals with things by wandering around the house in a near perfect state of semi-consciousness. And so, to fill in the hole they decide to adopt another (older) child. Enter Esther.

Believed to be born in Russia and possessing prodigious musical and artistic abilities, the delightfully polite Esther immediately impresses Kate and John with her quiet and sad demeanor and they quickly decide to take her home from the orphanage. What was interesting at this point was that Esther was not simply being depicted as a one-dimensional mini -monolith of evil, but rather seemed genuinely vulnerable and moved by her introduction to the Colemans’ (relatively) stable family life.

It wasn’t long however before the creepy kid clichés began to pile up. But still, I reassured myself, that’s okay – heck, you could argue that all genre movies are just a series of orchestrated clichés! It was in the final act though that I finally gave up on The Orphan. Back-pedaling furiously from the complex position of having created an almost sympathetic killer kid, the film-maker instead took the easy way out by inserting one of the most ridiculous “twists” to come down the pipeline since Bobby Ewing came back from the dead in Dallas. Yes, the “twist” did answer a few (unimportant) questions – but it also provoked a new one: why did I spend $10 dollars on this crap?

In the end, despite the strong first half, the only person I would recommend this orphan to is Madonna.

-Paul Meade

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Drag Me to Hell - Alison Lohman

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Movie: Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Studio : Ghost House Pictures; Universal

Info : Click Here

Runtime : 99min

Website : dragmetohell.net

Trailer :

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review:
Drag Me to Hell marks Sam Raimi’s reinsertion to the horror genre, a director infamous for his cult series The Evil Dead. His latest endeavor follows Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), a loan officer from Los Angeles determined for a promotion to assistant manager. In an attempt to impress her boss, Christine forces herself to deny an old woman’s loan extension. The woman, named Mrs. Ganush (Loran Raver), gets on her knees and begs Christine to grant her an extension, but she does not falter. At the end of the day, Christine is assaulted by Mrs. Ganush, and after a brief tussle, she places a curse on her. Christine is to be tormented by demons for three days, in a sort of “Hell on Earth scenario”, before ultimately being dragged to Hell to burn for eternity. Knowing this, she must find a way to destroy the haunting demon before time expires.

Overall, the film is spot-on. Raimi provides a script full of suspense, sheer terror, and even some morbid humor. One would think that after 22 years of directorial projects outside of the genre, it would be tough to dive back in. However this is not the case, as Drag Me to Hell knows how to push all the right buttons to create optimal enjoyment for the audience. Unfortunately there are some pitfalls in the movie, albeit rather minor. The computer-generated effects are quite underwhelming at times, and even if the plot is enticing, it feels rather thin. Despite these complaints, Drag Me to Hell is an entertaining watch with loads of hair-raising moments guaranteed to keep you situated at the edge of your seat.

-Daniel S.

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The Haunting in Connecticut - Virginia Madsen, Kyle Gallner

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Movie: The Haunting in Connecticut(2009)

Studio: LionsGate, Gold Circle Films

Info: Click Here

Runtime: 102min

Website: hauntinginconnecticut.com

Trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review :

Adam Simon and Tim Metcalfe must have brooded a thousand nights before coming up with a storyline like this. Thankfully, their dark vision is beautifully translated to cinematic brilliance by Peter Cornwell’s direction.

The Haunting in Connecticut revolves around a supernatural thriller vibe. It is the story of a family that is compelled to shift to Connecticut for the treatment of their son. Soon after their arrival, they begin to witness events that are not explicable. They assume the events to be caused due to stress but soon find out that the house really has a dubious past. To their great fear, they sit through the revelation of the house’s past. They come to know that it was a mortuary.

With a priest’s assistance, they gather that the former house owner’s son Jonah had a clairvoyant past in which he could reach out to the dead and help the spirits in crossing over. Having this been said, the home was essentially being used as a funeral parlor. Now, with a new family again populating the barren house, Jonah returns to create panic and terror in the minds of its residents. The demonic messenger wields such strong superpowers that the family simply gets blown away. They unite against the curse and somehow bring themselves to fight it.

Erik. J. Berg’s enactment of Jonah and Virginia Madsen’s portrayal Sara Campbell are riveting illustrations. The first gives the impression of a torturer and second exudes anguish. The despair and cold rage are beautifully etched out by Virginia.

The film is loosely based on the Snedeker family’s encounter with the supernatural forces, and smartly brings to light what we like keeping to the dark.

The Haunting in Connecticut is due to be released on March 27th, and shall get its deserved prize from the box office. Here is to wishing the movie all the best.

-Edited by Cole G. & Trent M.

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Seven Pounds - Will Smith

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Movie: Seven Pounds (2008)

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Info: Click Here

Runtime: 123min

Trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review :

The direction of the film along with the acting was simply world class. It’s an emotional roller-coaster. Yes it is slow, yes it gets a little boring, but while you watch the movie you’re always taking in the story line and this movie does make up for the last 30 minutes when the puzzle is put together and the full plot is revealed.

I think this movie is actually better than The Pursuit of Happiness which you should know was also a great emotional film. Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Michael Ealy and Barry Pepper all deserve awards with there 10 out of 10 performances. This movie, for me, is a must see. I am still taking in the film because it really blew me away.

If this movie doesn’t touch every sentimental nerve in your body reaching the core of your soul, you are not human. This movie will touch your heart in places you never knew existed. Each of us has seen movies that reach deep within and cause a light tear to seep out of the corner of our eyes that we quickly wipe it away and hope no one saw. You will indeed be seen crying on this one; you will need a box of tissues. I do not know how or what the self critics are seeing, but I don’t think it’s the same movie I just finished watching. Yes it’s a little slow, but it’s real.

This is a human in tune with what he wants and doesn’t let anything stop him from completing what he started. It’s a Shakespeare tragedy in today’s society. A movie you should definitely see. This is a very sad movie but it holds a great message to the world. Definitely buying it!

BUY Seven Pounds on DVD

- Richard/Trent M.

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Friday the 13th - Jared Padalecki

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

Movie: Friday the 13th (2009)

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Info: Click Here

Runtime: 97min

Website: www.fridaythe13thmovie.com

Trailer:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Review :

Friday the 13th is a slasher film about a serial killer named Jason Voorhees who sports a hockey mask and slays teen victims around Camp Crystal Lake. The film takes elements from the first three films, “Friday the 13th”, “Friday the 13th Part II” and “Friday the 13th Part III”.

The film starts off with young Jason Voorhees witnessing his mother’s death by the last surviving camper during his mother’s murderous rampage throughout the camp. It then speeds up to present time to see a group of teens looking for marijuana that was grown around the area. Unoriginal deaths follow their appearance at Camp Crystal Lake and after a good thirty minutes the words “Friday the 13th” appears and the movie finally begins.

Because there is no real plot development throughout the entire film, I will tell my rendition of the plot: A man named Clay is trying to find his missing sister Whitney, who Jason has kept alive because she resembles his mother at a young age, and Jason’s killings are either because the teens are trying to save Whitney or Jason is protecting his weed stash.
Friday the 13th is nothing special nor does it bring anything new to the slasher genre, it’s consistent with killings that we have all seen before, it uses the technique of “pop-up”, which means it’s very quiet until Jason strikes his victim.

This is a film you have to see in theatres because the full effect of the film relies on scaring you with loud, unexpected sounds. I would also recommend watching the original film if you would like some sort of story to follow. There is some great positive sides to this movie: There is a ton of gory deaths and a decent amount of action does take place, Jason looks like one hell of a scary badass, and unlike in other slasher films…Jason does run.

If you like horror movies, you may enjoy Friday the 13th although you might say it is bad remake of the first three films but, in my opinion they weren’t great movies to start off with.

The film gets 2 out of 5 stars being that Jason is badass and the special effects were very well done.

- Travis W. / Trent M.

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