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papurser79
Reviews
Splinter (2008)
Very fun & original
Don't know if this review will contain any serious spoilers, but I flag **spoiler alert** just in case...
All I really have to say about Splinter is that this is a seriously fun movie. It's not Aliens and it's not going to re-invent the world, but it's a very smart and different horror movie with no nonsense to ruin the thing. One kind of stupid twist, but it doesn't last long, so it's no big deal. Very fun movie, here, folks. I watch a lot of horror / sci-fi flicks, and this is a good one.
The best thing about this movie is the parasite. It's a fungus that has evolved (I guess this is a spoiler) into a state in which it can inhabit one host, take possession of its host, and use that host to run down its next host. Interesting biological twist (isn't there something like this in the insect world? A fungus that can infect ants and make them go -against hive chemical-neuro signal commands- into the heart of the hive where it can spread to the eggs?? Some kind of something like that, I once read about. Anyway, Splinter was a fun and original movie. I very much enjoyed it as a Saturday-night scare-fest. Not overly gory, and not really dumb in any way. There was nothing useless about the movie and just about everything made sense.
I sure hope I don't run into any splinters out in the forest!! Fun movie!
I'm giving this one a 7/10, and for me, that's HIGH!!!
I look forward to this director's next project.
Hollow (2011)
Fun... Not Oscar Winning Fun... But Fun
OK, Hollow is not going to win any academy awards any time soon, but it's not the worst thing ever made by a long shot. The kids on the vacation are going to get wasted. Plain and simple. But how? What happens? How does the tree get them?
Well, a lot more could have been explained: who is the man inside the tree? what was the deal with the fox-carcass o the altar? What was the deal with the tree in the first place (we get some explanation, but that is scant and vague and not really scary). The priest and the creepy fisherman should have REALLY been played up, and so should the dead grandfather (and we're supposed to believe he's a year dead and all his personal effects are still in the house?)
Overall, not a bad movie. James is a creepy freak, Lynne is hotter than English Fire, and the overall effect is pretty decent. No earth shattering flick, here, so don't set your sights too high. I do love the Found Footage genre, and this one is middle of the road, to be certain. And that's left-hand middle of the road, cause they're in England.
Oh, and nice puns in the movie... Scott: Where's a knife let's cut this rope? James: First rule of boy scouts.. never cut good rope. Scott: Then come undo your knots. (and it's James who gets them all hanged, so the nooses are "his knots", hahaha!!)
The Devil Inside (2012)
I prefer The Last Exorcism...
The Devil Inside is a quasi-good exorcism movie in the "found footage" sub-genre of horror. The camera work is good and the reason for the taping of the incidents in the film is also explained pretty well. Visually, this film trumps many other exorcism films in the mixture of subtle horror and shrieking terror. You notice little things that point toward demonic possession, and then you are confronted with clear signs. This makes for a nice mix; the viewer with the critical mind will get more, I think out of this film than the viewer who is less critically minded when it comes to dissecting the meaning in films.
All of this is not to say, however, that this film is without flaws, because it's absolutely not. The main problems to my mind are how unexplained many of the film's phenomenon are early on and the lack of early characterization that would be of infinite value towards the end of the movie...after the "lights go out" scene in the mental hospital. For the post-"light go out" events to really have impact, we need to better know and understand our characters and who they are BEFORE this scene and the dynamic change in the film. Also, the explanations and resolution that comes toward the end are very poor. We are left with thin explanations and frail resolution. We know what happens to the demons, but if we were told more, the film could have been much better. It simply ends too chaotically and suddenly.
The film seemed quite short to me; about 30 more minutes might have granted the time necessary to fix some of these problems.
Also, there are some unrealistic bits... When los policia and the hospital staff get to chasing you, and you still manage to just walk right out of the hospital dragging an unconscious, demon-possessed murderer with you?? Nah... not too believable.
Overall, I give this one a 4; not the worst in the world, but not really worth paying for, either. The Exorcist and The Last Exorcism are much better films if you want to watch some truly captivating demonic shenanigans.
Lovely Molly (2011)
Demonic Possession with some Plot Holes
Lovely Molly was not the worst horror film I've ever seen; not by a long shot. But it certainly wasn't the best, either. It was a middle-of-the-road gross-out with maggot-ridden carcasses, trailer-trash brides maids, an androgynous weak husband, a butch wife who is demon-possessed, and a good amount of a spooky, haunted house and deer-headed demon to boot.
This film did have a lot of scary moments in it; long shots in which the viewer can hear what's coming, but you can't see it. That accentuates and spikes the already on-edge feeling of slowly boiling horror that is intended with a gradually intensifying horror experience. Subtle touches, like the hand-shake in Molly's homemade videos as she is petrified of the thing that is coming to her door. The fact that she is nightly possessed by the demon that once possessed her father is nice; the scene in which poor Tim is present when the possession happens, but he (and we) don't realize it until she's bitten his lip off and run out into the woods is a well-done piece of directing work, as well.
All in all, the haunting element is OK... some real nail-biting scenes are followed by some unrealism on the part of other characters. The drug-use subplot was weak...employed to make people question Molly... employed to mask her descent into demonic-possession. The Molly pre-possession and her post-possession are a nice complement to one another; she is already the more physical of the couple (Tim is SO much more effeminate than she is) sexually, and so the scene when she bites the blood out of his lips is a bizarre sexual-mutilation hybrid is nicely foreshadowed by the sex in the kitchen scene (his screams being foreshadowed by the smoke alarm). She does a good job of being both a borderline candidate for possession and then a far-out psycho once she is possessed.
Not exactly what I'd call a gory movie; just a gross one. The violence is very visceral and there is some post-mortem degradation in one scene. If you have a weak stomach, look away when they're in the cellar.
The acting was relatively good. Tim's character was weak, and Molly's best friend was a reject from Jerry Springer. The demonic possession was the best part; the fact that Molly came to identify the demon as her father was interesting. Aside from some lack of explanation, lack of closure, and general non-cohesiveness, this film abandoned high-brow or intellectual horror in favor of the vague and the visceral; it traded well-written for well-rotten, and it used T & A in place of a solid plot.
I'd give this movie a 4.5 or so, but IMDb makes me round, so I'll round up: 5 stars out of 10 for Lovely Molly.
Frágiles (2005)
Fails to Scare; Fails to Pack any Punch At All...
Fragile had some potential, but the lack of explanation about come characters' back-history really detracted from this film. The ghost scenes were really not that scary, and the powers of the ghost to tear down the building were a little over the top.
Starting from the beginning... Calista Flockhart's acting was over the top; she was inexplicably rude and off-color with all other actors on screen, and the rest of the cast was too tolerant of her wild behaviors & tantrums.
Secondly, we get nothing of her past. Supposedly, she has a past of accidentally letting some child die on her last nursing job, and is now a self-loathing pill-popping mess, but we never find out the story.
Thirdly, the phenomenon happening in the hospital is pretty crazy, but once the full story is revealed by the film's end, the only word that came to my mind was "weak". Honestly, it's like the film maker was reaching for a powerful theme, but just... tried too hard. It wasn't a bad film, but I definitely think some of the reviews for this one are misleading. It was not really that scary at all. Yes, there was a ghost, yes she was evil, and yes she wasted people, but all in all, it was just sort of bland.
Some interesting characters and some good writing at points, but overall effect was just... bland. Lack-luster. I simply was not scared at all, and I'm not a particularly difficult movie-goer to please. In fact, I scare quite easily, but this one just failed to pack any punch.
It's not the worst ghost film I've ever seen; not by a long shot, but it left me wishing I'd made another selection that night from my Netflix line-up... Oh well. Better luck tomorrow night.
Valhalla Rising (2009)
All Hail Mighty Odin, Norse God of Death
Film centers on One-Eye, an enigmatic pit-fighter held captive by Norse chieftains and forced to fight to the death for money (for his captors). His throat has been cut and he cannot speak. Doesn't through the entire film. The men wonder who he is. The boy says "He was brought up... from hell." Most other characters do not believe that. Most viewers don't either, but when you watch it a second time, the boy's explanation makes the most sense. His one eye ties him to Odin... Odin-made-flesh, in a Norse variant on the whole concept of the New Testament... Like the Gospels if they had transpired in medieval Iceland with a Messiah who kills.
I'm a professor of Norse and Anglo-Saxon literature and mythology. As such, this film REALLY spoke to me. While the director Nick Hrafn denies basing the plot and characters on Old Norse myth, I am reminded that most film makers endlessly lie to the press about their work... most film makers, in an odd way, detest answering questions about their projects from a construction or inspiration point of view. The movie is set in the year 1000; the year that Iceland officially adopts Christianity as its national religion. That is a significant point to the understanding of the film. The monologues that the chieftain has early on, coupled with his dialogs with the other brown-haired chieftain as he readies himself to sell One-Eye, are integral to understanding or "getting" this film. Also, think of "heathen" not as individual religions, but as ALL religions that are NOT Christianity. One heathen is the same as another... this will also help the ending make sense.
All in all, I though Valhalla Rising was a stellar film about faith: the Norse clansmen have it, but sell it... the Christians never have it... but the Boy is the only one who believes in the Norse gods from start to finish (the little amulet that he wears and briefly calls attention to... that's a hammer of Thor... the Boy is faithful to the Aesir, the gods of the Viking pantheon)... and he's the only one that One-Eye.... well,....
Go see the movie. Well made. The landscape and climate is as much a character as anyone in the film... very austere, solemn, and powerful. The violence in this film is some of the most realistic I've ever seen. Not over-the-top gore. No blood shooting into the sky, but some very real, meaty, sink-you-teeth-into-it type violence. Gritty and realism in everything. A+ for raw, believable setting, violence, tension, and human psychology. Mads Mikkelsen triumphs.
If you liked "Braveheart", "King Arthur", or anything medieval, then you'll love "Valhalla Rising." BE WARNED: There is a scene toward that make the famous scene in "Deliverance" look like a walk in the park. Could have done without this one, but whaddayagonnado?
The New Daughter (2009)
A very fun return to the "monster movie" genre...
It's been a very long time since Hollywood released a good "monster movie," and I was glad to see this one. Lately, Hollywood's idea of monsters has been virus outbreaks, misunderstood monsters, and vampires that sparkle...ugh. So the return of the run-or-it's-going-to-eat-you bad guys is a welcome revival of the genre.
Special effects are good; the little creeps are really creepy. You go for most of the movie without seeing them, which is a smart move. There are several scenes in which they are right in front of you, but you don't see them until they move. Again, very masterfully played on the part of the director, and adds definite points to the creep-out factor.
The movie's pace is solid, though it does have its slow scenes. Good foreshadowing throughout and allusion to the end. Acting is solid by all involved (can Kevin Costner make a bad film?); I though Costner did a good job of being a good father whose faced with difficult odds, and the tensions in the film climax into an okay ending. Be warned, the ending is dark... darker than I was expecting. Similar to "The Mist".
All in all, this was a great return to the long-lost sub-genre of the "monster movie." Used to love 'em when I was a kid, and while this one will not spawn it's own franchise or line of action-figures, the baddies are an interesting and different type of creature. Certainly they are creepy and very deserving of a facefull of buckshot!! I rate this film a 7 because a 6 is too low, and an 8 is getting too close to perfect 10. A 7 is accurate, I think. If you're a fan of suspense and monsters, then this is a good one. Not too gory, though there is some blood and one tough scene. Plenty of suspense; most of the movie is a well-written mystery with some shotgun-mayhem monster-mashing at the end.
Definitely a fun, popcorn movie night! And with a PG-13 rating, the kids can enjoy it too.
Emergo (2011)
Mostly nonsense...literally
Apartment 143 fails on a number of levels. It tries to be a "found-footage" style movie made in the tradition of the Blair Witch Project, but you often get inexplicable camera angles (who's holding the camera when all characters are accounted for on screen or with other cameras at the moment?) or you get impossible camera angles (very unrealistic if this is supposed to be filmed on one of the character's hand-held cam-corders).
Secondly, the pace of the movie is extremely rapid at first. Next to zero character development in the beginning. We go from characters being total strangers (the White family and the ghost-hunter crew) to living for days in the same house and the ghost-hunter crew bossing the guy's kids around like they were in charge. Very little build-up, mood, character or plot development.
Thirdly, the acting is simply bad. The British chic is the best, followed by the dog. The father is a whiny bit of nothing (whose actions when he's telling of the death of the mother DO NOT align with a wussy of his caliber), the teen daughter is a definite C-You-Next-Tuesday, the little brother may as well not even be in the film, and the professor is quite possibly the flattest character ever in any film. The guff-talking antics of the Mestizo cameraman and tech-specialist can't save the rest of the disjointed crew.
The plot was confusing and the only reason you might jump at a scene or two is because the screeching music suddenly spikes... so you're not jumping because it's scary, you're jumping at a sudden aural sensory-overload. There really was nothing at all scary in the film. A couple of eerie bits, but even those go unexplained. Slight twist at the film's end is lack-luster in the extreme. The ghost (hair hanging down in the face, crawling toward camera, etc.) is a cheap mock-up of ghosts we've all seen before (The Ring, The Grudge, etc.).
So, in summary: Plot: 2/10 Acting: 2/10 Scariness: 0/10 Pacing: 3/10 Special Effects: 3/10 Cinematography: 4/10 Character Development: 1/10 Suspension of Disbelief: 1/10 (you just can't get into this one) Overall Value: 1.5/10
This movie was simply not well made, written, acted, etc.
As I write this review, I am on a horror-movie kick. Watched a lot of them lately, and I highly recommend "The Last Exorcism". That one was a seriously good product: a "found-footage" film with everything in abundance that this film is lacking.
So, if you're down for a 1.5/10 flick, Apartment 143 is the one for you! If you're not into watching truly bad movies and then regretting the waste of time afterward, avoid this one. Just not worth the time it takes to see it through to the end.
The Last Exorcism (2010)
Solid horror / suspense film
7/10. I was throughly impressed by how everything came together in the end of this movie; viewers are kept guessing until the end, and then the end provides a compelling twist, the key elements of which were right in front of you the entire time. Since the beginning, everything you need to know is right in front of you.
The pacing of the film is fine; ignore the reviews that claim otherwise. The pacing is necessary for the establishment of characterization, and the elements of all the characters' lives that get them into this mess in the first place are well done and well orchestrated. If you are intelligent and enjoy movies that have a lot of thought put into them and you have to think to "get," then this is a good one for you. If you are watching for lots of gore and slasher-mayhem, maybe not so much.
Without giving away anything, I'll simply say that all characters are very important to the climax of the film, and everything that the people in the film say is correct... just not the way you think when they first say it. That's a salute to the writers of the film. Finding a film that's smartly written is difficult any more, but this is a good one.
The setting and mood are well-established, too. The tight spaces, sharp turns, subdued lighting, and speed of pursuit help to grant a serious suspension of disbelief; you really feel like your there with the characters.
As for camera-induced sea-sickness?? The cameras are really not that shaky at all. Even the weakest of stomachs should have no problems. One or two very shaky scenes throughout the entire film.
All in all, the film makes for some good viewing. None of the characters lost any sleep rehearsing for an Oscar-acceptance speeches, but they certainly provide for an hour and a half of some interesting, twisty, keep-you-guessing supernatural (or is it purely psychological?) horror film.
Enjoy.
The Pact (2012)
Fails to Impress
While there are a couple of jump-out-of-your-seat moments, this film was fundamentally one of the most poorly composed films I've ever seen. Lots of elements in this film went unexplained and unaddressed. Poor writing, in my estimation. Egregious use of "deus ex machina" to avoid having to explain / give back history to people / places / events in the film.
WARNING: Numerous spoilers from here down, so don't read if you're planning on watching the film.
There are a host of unexplained elements in this film: What did the mother do to the daughters in the closet? What was her role in the hidden room / her brother? Surely the mother was his accomplice in the crimes, as she gave the murdered girl's cross to her daughter; like a serial-killer's trophy... so she had to know what her brother was... so why don't we get an explanation? How did he come to occupy the room? What was his back history / story? Why didn't he kill the girls so many years ago? Why is he in his mid to late 60's but looks like he's in his late 30's with abs and pecs like an athlete? Why does he always sit on the edge of the bed and cry? Honestly, this film felt like a director loaded a bunch of unrelated horror-film elements into the barrel of a shotgun, squeezed the trigger, and shot them in scatter-fashion out onto the silver screen. I have a hard time imagining anyone could be scared of this film, as no one could understand what was actually going on in the film.
Overall, a big disappointment. The film was nothing like the teasers / trailers suggested.