Sinister...2012...110 minutes...rated R...starring Ethan Hawke, Vincent D'onofrio, Juliet Ryalnce, and James Ransone...written by C. Robert Cargill and Scott Derrickson...directed by Scott Derrickson
Ellison is a "true crime" writer who has just moved his family into their new home. Ellison has lots of bills piling up, and is understandably concerned about the state of finances. Ellison really needs to write a best selling novel. And Ellison is about to find some research material that will give him more than he or his family ever expected.
Since this movie hasn't even been released yet, I'm going to do my best to be even more conscious about spoiling things. So I will be talking about things in general, and the best way I can sum up this movie is by using my homemade spaghetti as a metaphor. Follow along with me if you can. Really, it won't be that hard.
For our meals, I occasionally do spaghetti. It's a simple meal that my skills can handle, and even do well at making. Every time I do spaghetti, I generally follow one particular recipe that has served quite well. Some days, I hit it right...and we have a tasty meal. Some days, I do everything like I should...but it's just not as good. Maybe it's a tad overdone, or a tad undercooked, or maybe it's something in the air. I'm not exactly sure where things went wrong, but it just wasn't the right combination.
Now, all reviews are at some level subjective writings...so for me, Sinister was my spaghetti on an off night. There's lots of good stuff in this movie...decent writing with some snappy dialogue, great use in creating a suspenseful and creepy mood, and for me the right ratio of on-screen to off-screen violence. The actors are good, if perhaps not inspired, and the pacing keeps up. And yet.
Maybe it was a tad too predictable for me. Maybe there were a couple of cheap thrills too many for my liking. I've got no problem in saying that maybe it's because I'm a picky bastard, and it just didn't hit me right. I'm not saying the movie is bad...it certainly is not. I'm not saying you shouldn't see it...I'd put it at matinee level myself, but again that's me. I -am- saying that I didn't walk out of the movie going "Whoa, man, I'm not sleeping for a week!" Make of this rambling what you will.
My rating: 3.5 "extended endings" out of 5.
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Insidious
Insidious...2010...103 minutes...PG-13...starring Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Ty Simpkins...written by Leigh Whanell...directed by James Wan
The Lambert family has just moved into their house, and are settling in when they start noticing things. Objects moving by themselves, doors opening, the occasional strange sound: these are the activities that plague the young family. That is, until little Dalton goes to explore the attic and takes a tumble...subsequently falling into a mysterious coma. The activities step up quite a bit, and like any sensible family finding themselves bedeviled by supernatural events, our protagonists get the frak out of Dodge. But like the tag line says, it's not the house that's haunted.
Okay, I found this movie to be a refreshing change of pace from a lot of the stuff that's out there these days. If you're looking for a gorefest, or something with lots of gooshiness (yes, that's a word...or at least it is now), you will not be satisfied with Insidious. On the other hand, if you're looking for something high on suspense and low on blood, this movie is just the ticket. I made the mistake of watching this film at night, and the DVD extras that I watched to ramp down the adrenaline were the only things that let me get some sleep that night.
The ending...well, I won't lie...the ending gets a little weird and a touch predictable. I found the overall ride to be well worth my time and money, though. I love James Wan for the simple fact that all the "jumps" in the movie are genuine...no black cats jump out from hidden nooks to make you start. In fact, some of the moments actually caught me off guard, and I'm pretty good at gauging where they'll be and how they'll work. I also loved his take on the seance...it was strange but the look of it kept up the mood he'd been trying to build.
Seriously, see this movie. It may not be perfect but it's damn good, and in this genre I'll take damn good any day of the week.
My rating: 4.5 modified Viewmasters out of 5
The Lambert family has just moved into their house, and are settling in when they start noticing things. Objects moving by themselves, doors opening, the occasional strange sound: these are the activities that plague the young family. That is, until little Dalton goes to explore the attic and takes a tumble...subsequently falling into a mysterious coma. The activities step up quite a bit, and like any sensible family finding themselves bedeviled by supernatural events, our protagonists get the frak out of Dodge. But like the tag line says, it's not the house that's haunted.
Okay, I found this movie to be a refreshing change of pace from a lot of the stuff that's out there these days. If you're looking for a gorefest, or something with lots of gooshiness (yes, that's a word...or at least it is now), you will not be satisfied with Insidious. On the other hand, if you're looking for something high on suspense and low on blood, this movie is just the ticket. I made the mistake of watching this film at night, and the DVD extras that I watched to ramp down the adrenaline were the only things that let me get some sleep that night.
The ending...well, I won't lie...the ending gets a little weird and a touch predictable. I found the overall ride to be well worth my time and money, though. I love James Wan for the simple fact that all the "jumps" in the movie are genuine...no black cats jump out from hidden nooks to make you start. In fact, some of the moments actually caught me off guard, and I'm pretty good at gauging where they'll be and how they'll work. I also loved his take on the seance...it was strange but the look of it kept up the mood he'd been trying to build.
Seriously, see this movie. It may not be perfect but it's damn good, and in this genre I'll take damn good any day of the week.
My rating: 4.5 modified Viewmasters out of 5
Over a year...bad blogger.
Dear lord, where did the time go? My last post was over a year ago. Bad horror blogger, no zombie biscuit.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)