The Exorcist

For years, I let this film lay on the shelf. Of course, it is a classic to many people. One bad habit of mine is to always take a while to get to watching classic movies for some odd reason. Also the R rating prevented me from seeing it when I was younger. Now as teenager, my first viewing was nothing less than truly memorable. The Excorcist is a film that is hard to look as a whole because of how different it is and also something you can't not love, and finally a film not to take lightly.


Set in the Georgetown district of Washington DC, it involves a young girl named Regan (Linda Blair) who is possessed by the devil with no luck trying to get rid of it. At the time of it's release, The Exorcist was a very original film that was controversial due to it's subliminal stimuli and also it's plot which involved the devil as a central character.

To say that the director, William Friedkin did get some inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock here is a understatement, at least to me. Friedkin uses a Hitchcock slow approach to start Act One with a lot of purpose and it also gives the film an edge and tension. While I appreciate the technique, at the same it is still something that I have a hard time getting used to and also something I find a little dull.


One reason this film stands up so many years after it's release is because of the plot. We have had recent films like Devil Inside and The Last Exorcism that focused on the devil but compared to The Exorcist, they are really nothing. It uses a setting that still to this day would be different for a horror film with some great possession scenes involving Linda Blair which provide humor and creepiness and are very effective. The cast is good all around, but what really makes this work is the phenomenal performance from Linda Blair who plays the possessed child to perfection. It is very memorable for an actor playing such an extreme role at such a young age and something that I can't ever see being matched again.

                                        A look that says it all

Any film that is hyped is bound to disappoint you somewhat because it is so hard to live up to expectations. That said, this film from 1973, which everybody has heard so much about came very close to delivering for me everything I would want in a horror movie.

4.5/5

Read More

Mama

From the 90's and early 2000's, horror films just don't seem to be what they used to be, for me anyway. It seems to be a genre that is running out of ideas, with remakes coming out like no tomorrow. I can't even remember a good recent scary horror movie like we had a lot back in the day.

Mama is, a film made by Andres Muschietti and based on his short film. It is produced by the master Guillermo del Toro and could have been a breakout horror film. The plot revolves around two young girls coming back into the world after being in the woods for five years after their father was killed by a ghost/demon figure. This thing then follows around the girls and is known by the name of "Mama".


Mama has an original plot that has some pieces there but is missing things big time in the middle. The five year time period that the children are alone in the woods does not work because it is highly unlikely that very young girls would live that long on their own and also that they would not have been found. There also is an a aspect here with the younger girl named Lilly who sleeps with leaves and also eats them but we have no idea if it is connected at all to the ghost or why she is doing that.

Some things work but Mama is a good example of a film that does not work within a big budget. Some of the sets are overdone, and there are flickering lights that didn't even work the first time around and everything it tries happens in the dark.

Though intended as a scary film, Mama does not come close to one in my book. It uses some good ideas with a lot of effort and tension but we can see where it is going. It didn't really work and I could see only people like teen girls liking just like the group sitting behind me in the theater. At least somebody liked it.

The ghost in particular does not work well. She does provide some original kill scenes and the scenes are constructed well but to think this is was what we were supposed to be scared of all along once she was revealed was a letdown. It is a very dry ghost that is nothing special and not memorable at all.

                                          The money shot of this film

Maybe I'm nitpicking too many things but the ending for me was also flawed. There were some good effects and a different setting but it doesn't seem to do much for the film. It makes everything that came before seem meaningless in a way that I didn't think was needed and gives the film a "blah' ending.


There are some moments in this film. Every child actor is played well especially by Isabelle Nelisse who is very creepy for her age and provides some interesting shots with Mama. Jessica Chastain plays a different lead character who works pretty well with Nikolaj Coster-Waldau who is also in the lead. This is a part of the film that really works but it's not something that you want to be the main highlight of the film.


Mama is an up and down horror film that at times is there and delivers but at other times does not. It is a New Era film that is going to have get some attention and get some followers and fans but after a first viewing, there really is not a whole lot that would warrant me to recommend this movie. For me, I was hoping for it to be much more than average. 

2.5/5

Read More

Drive Angry

Along with Tom Cruise, Nicolas Cage is one of the strangest actors around in Hollywood. Cage is an actor who could really be something but he usually struggles with picking the right scripts and he is someone who takes down a lot of films. Drive Angry fits into this category perfectly. It is a 2011 film that does not work with anything that it tries and really misses it's mark.

A part road movie and part B movie, the film follows John Miton (Cage) who comes to earth from hell from his death. He comes to kill a cult leader named Jonah (Billy Burke) and to get back everything he took before he died.

For an action film, the action scenes could not be more dry. We are provided with some good gore but there is really bad CGI with unnecessary close-up with bullets and other objects added in. The action her just does not carry this film like it should.

Overall there is an original story here but the plot that really lacks just about everything that it needs to succeed. The script is hard to follow and all over the place and the ending looks rushed and out of place.

With a tiresome plot, you also have a cast that really didn't do anything for me. Cage feels badly miscast as a tough guy in the lead and the rest of the cast is just average at best.

Drive Angry is futile 70's-type film that offers nothing and is about as memorable as Oreo O's cereal to five years olds now.

2/5

Read More

Jerry Maguire

As film followers, every year we seem to get a fair amount of love stories. Every one is different of course. In 1996, we got a love story called Jerry Maguire that still stands out close to sixteen years later. It did a whole lot of everything and really for everyone in almost every way.

It is the story of a sports agent named Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) who finds himself with girl named Dorothy (Renee Zellweger) after getting fired. It also about Jerry trying to connect with Dorothy's son Ray (Jonathan Lipnicki) and the point of it all is Jerry trying to get back to his normal and true self.

All in all, this is a really nice story that is quite original. The love story between Cruise and Zellwegger works really well. Both Cruise and Zellweger are touching and work real well together. The story also introduces sports into this mix which is not a common thing.

The supporting cast is also very good. Jonathan Lipnicki and Cuba Gooding Jr. add great humor and Bonnie Hunt plays a sister who's character really works here. These characters work in secondary roles but they really complement the main plot and do quite a bit more than you might think.

The film does have it's flaws though. It does struggle with an overly-long NFL draft scene and Tom Cruise gets punched in the face in a scene that does not look real. As for the female audience, I could see how maybe you could think Zellweger was barely on screen here and needed more time.

Jerry Maguire was not one of that year's top films and is kind of easily forgettable. That said, it is a memorable film from the 1990's that really stood out for me.

4/5

Read More

Due Date

For the most part, I enjoy most films by Todd Phillips. He puts out decent comedies that sometimes bring something different to the table and they are also memorable for a lot reasons. Due Date is kind of like that. It did have promise and could been something more than it is. It is not terrible at all but it could been better and I think it was one of the biggest disappointments of the year 2010.

With a similar set up to the film Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Due Date is about Pete Highman (Robert Downey Jr.) who is on his way to Los Angles to witness the birth of his first son. Due to an altercation with a guy named Ethan (Zach Galifianakis) on his fight, they are both removed. As they are both trying to get California, they decide to go together but as usual the outcome is not what they want.

The film's lack of originality brings it down a step down and frankly it is not the most exciting movie out there. At times, there isn't much to the movie and it is very unrealistic in places. I didn't know you could drive to Los Angeles with a stolen Homeland Security truck without getting arrested in the end. With unrealistic ideas, we also have "unrealistic" characters who emerge unhurt from major incidents like cars flipping over.

That said, the main point of a comedy is to make people laugh. That is exactly the opposite of what the film does and the main point why this film is subpar. 

Due Date does have good performances from the lead actors but it really fails about everywhere else. I have sat through many films from Todd Phillips before and some I praised and some I didn't but this is the only one where mockery was appropriate.

2/5

Read More

My most anticipated films of 2013

Every year, there are films that will stand out. Memorable films that are exciting, may add something to a series or whatever. Here are films scheduled to be released in 2013 that I am most looking forward to.

 

I really enjoyed the Kick-Ass movie. I see that Kick-Ass 2 is returning most of the great cast from the original. Kick-Ass 2 also adds Jim Carrey so anything can happen and I am looking forward to it.

 

After a brief absence of mob films, we get a new one, Gangster Squad in January. It's got a big and impressive case led by Ryan Gosling and looks to have some potential.

Being a fan of the original, I am really looking forward to this remake of Carrie. It will be interesting to see how Chloe Grace Moretz does in the lead.

Producer M. Night Shyamalan will hopefully get back on track with After Earth after some very rough and subpar movies in recent years. It will be also interesting to see Hayden Smith again.

Monsters University is another film that I am interested because what came before. Like the first one, this looks to have a great plot and animation.

Oblivion might only be remembered for Tom Cruise getting dumped while on set by his wife, Katie Holmes but who knows.

Dark Skies feels like an old fashioned film with children in some type of horror plot. This one could go either way and I am interested in how it turns out.

                                                                             

                                                                                                 

Oz appears to be loosely based on the classic Wizard of Oz movie. I want it to be great and or else because I wouldn't see a point of it if not.

 

Thor returns for Part 2 and Iron Man for Part 3. Both should be interesting after the original movies and also their parts in the recent Avengers movie.

Into Darkness is the new Star Trek movie and I loved most of the other Star Trek movies including the 2009 version. It should fun to watch and see where this series is going.


Obviously 2013 will have it's share of good and bad films but these are the ones I am most looking forward to.

Read More

My favorite films of 2012

Due to a conflicting schedule that includes being in one of most challenging and highest-ranked high schools in Michigan on top of attending sporting events sometimes weekly, attending movies at theaters is sometimes hard for me. I did however see 15 to 20 films this past year but did miss some that I wanted to see. That being the case, my Best of 2012 list is probably unlike anyone else's list so here it is.

 

ParaNorman is a beautiful story with some great stop-motion that really works. This was a film that came as a big surprise to me and I absolutely loved it.

The Avengers  really worked for me and did much better overall then I ever expected. This movie takes somewhat of a complicated plot and makes it work. This movie will forever be very memorable for me.

The Cabin in the Woods is partly a horror film but at the same time it is a film that is very difficult to describe. This film has a very good cast with a chilling atmosphere and is one of the most interesting films from the last twenty years.

 

Life of Pi barely made my list but it is a great film. It is one of the most original films of 2012 with some of the most beautiful imagery you will ever see.

Honorable mentions

Woman in Black - Puts a flashback on horror and shows off the very cool Daniel Radcliffe.

We Need to Talk About Kevin - A scary film that parents of children should see.

The Amazing Spider-Man - I only really liked this one because we have a brand new series of the web-slinger.

The Lorax - A really good and underrated Dr.Seuss film.

Chronicle- One of the better found-footage films out there.

Who know what's going to happen in films in 2013 but these are what stood out for me in 2012. Check them out if you haven't seen them.

Read More