Paranormal Activity 3

broderic on October 22, 2011

There are some harrowing moments in Paranormal Activity 3, but the advertised last 15 minutes sinks the movie. I think we all left the theatre feeling slightly ripped off.

I didn’t see the second one. At least with the first one the motivational scare felt organic, part of the story. With the final 15 minutes of this one, it felt tacked on. Something to explain it all. You don’t need to do that! It’s all paranormal — beyond normal. Nothing will make any sense.

Also, if you show it in the trailer, it’s gotta be in the movie. It some kind of rip off if you ask me. And that’s how I felt. Ripped off. That’s not to say I wasn’t frightened at times. Bloody Mary! The ghost in a sheet! The clean kitchen! Yeah, I was averting my eyes. That’s just me.

Overall, it was not like the first one because that one was scary. The static camera shots just make me nervous. The lack of a musical soundtrack even more so. Without a musical cue, you don’t know when to be scared. They did attempt to have a rumbling bass noise to help, but it wasn’t enough to signify a scary moment.

If you watch it in the theatre, watch the cheapest showing. It’s really short.

2 of 5 stars.

50/50

broderic on October 16, 2011

While my reaction to 50/50 wasn’t about my father’s passing in the past, it was about my own future. It had me dwelling on my own health status. Even before, I was apprehensive about seeing this movie. I know I don’t like to think about my health because it scares me.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt is confronted with his mortality in the form of cancer. It frightens everyone around him. His girlfriend can’t handle it and bails from the relationship. His best friend, Seth Rogen, can’t handle it, but sticks with him through thick and thin. He even gets him laid although the scene is as sexy as blue balls. All’s said and done it is his family who handles it well. His mother already dealing with dementia in his dad is solid as a rock. Eventually, he turns to her for the strength to battle and you know she is there.

The movie is standard Hollywood uplifting fight story. Lots of the story beats you’ll already know – the girlfriend and best buddy being just one of them. I wondered though if we were going to get the happy ending or the sad. I don’t want to spoil it, but you won’t be crying at the end.

Then there is the Anna Kendrick problem, or rather, patient-doctor problem. I don’t know, but rather feeling good about this couple, I was a little creeped out. They had to make her young to make it seem as it was above her station to know that perhaps having feelings for your patient is too much. It was perhaps misguided even though the story line of a blossoming relationship added a touch of warmth.

But the take away for me in this movie is that death is there. It will kill you without regard to how healthy you are. Young. Old. It don’t matter. We will all eventually pay the ferryman. And this was the most horrific aspect of the movie. Death is near. I can not get away.

3 of 5 stars.

The Ides of March

broderic on October 9, 2011

I’m kind of sick of politics right this moment, so I guess that catching the morning showing of The Ides of March somewhat trying. It also doesn’t help when you can’t figure out the central conflict of the movie. Plus, going in they sold it as a political thriller; yes there was some of that, but it was mostly a character drama — what will Ryan Gosling learn? Speaking of who, this guys in every movie right now, hunh?

Anytime Evan Rachel Wood is in a movie watch out. She plays dangerous very well because she looks so innocent. You know it would come down to her getting into trouble with a capital T. Just pick up the phone.

The overall theme of the movie is that politics is dirty and will make even those with high minded ideas change their tune. I know. That’s why I’ve been sick of politics lately.

3 of 5 stars

“Why don’t you call a specialist?” “I am a specialist.” “At what?” “At everything.”

broderic on September 29, 2011

Moneyball! makes even old people care about baseball. At the showing, the old people liked the game. They seemed to cheer for a game that was played years ago. And that’s the magic of Moneyball!, it made baseball slightly relevant again.

Of course, I was going to watch Moneyball! because I’m a baseball jones. As the Orioles wind down another losing season, we can only hope that the new O’s GM can find some magic and breathe life into a moribund organization. I said it once I have to say it again, “There’s rock bottom, then fifty feet of crap, and then there’s [the A’s].” They’re being held up by the Orioles.

Hopefully, this movie will make our ownership decide to try and find a system to get out of this losing. Or inspire baseball players to go all OBP on us. The Orioles need the players to stop giving up outs. Earl Weaver, we need your guidance!

Anyhow, Jonah Hill plays it straight. Brad Pitt does a Brad Pitt move. It’s great that the A’s have won something. Now when will the O’s.

3 of 5 stars

“Tell us the truth, Lisa. Dave buys his suits at the little boys’ department, doesn’t he?”

broderic on September 29, 2011

The movie bloggers I followed have given good reviews to Drive. I guess I had better go and check it out.

It’s about a Hollywood stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver for thieves. He’s a good driver so that makes him a good getaway driver.

The movie opens with a heist. Our driver is waiting for the thieves to get out to make their getaway. It doesn’t go off smoothly so we are treated with a driving spectacle. Except, after 5 minutes he kind of gives up. I want to know what happened.

This opening hints at what you’ll go through watching Drive. You’ll be thrilled at times, but then you’ll want to know WTF.

The movie reminds me of To Live and Die in LA. Moody LA. LA of the night. LA of the 80s.

There’s some violence and gore. What’s a heist movie without violence. When its knife violence, I can do without.

I like blondes when they have short hair. Carey Mulligan’s hair was slightly too short, but I still found her cute.

It’s the year of Ryan Gosling!

3 of 5 stars

“Art comes first for me, Dave.” “I see. And where does your job come in.” “Fourth.”

broderic on September 14, 2011

As I said on twitter, “Watch Contagion and then never touch anything ever again.“

Contagion will freak you out about germs, viruses, the flu, HIV, venereal diseases, and almost anything contagious. It’ll scare you.

I didn’t know this was a Soderbergh movie.

I liked how clinical this movie was. This is the virus. This is the patient. These are the victims. They’re all dead. You couldn’t sympathize with anyone, because you had to sympathize with everyone.

3 of 5 stars.

“I don’t know how to tell you this, but there’s a spunky redhead in every office.”

broderic on September 7, 2011

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark won’t keep me up at night. While certainly spooky at times, it’s frights never materialized to made me admonish myself to “not be afraid of the dark.” Of course, on occasion, I got goosebumps, but that’s just because it was cold in the theatre. I didn’t even have to hide behind the bill of my cap.

The movie was produced and written by Guillermo del Toro. The monsters were faeries like the ones found in del Toro’s adaption of Hellboy. If you think this spoils the movie for you, then you’ve got to watch to see how they spook out the house owners.

The new owners of the condemned house are a couple of nitwits. Guy Pearse is starting to corner the spineless asshole parts. Katie Holmes didn’t have much to say except be the non-sceptic in the house. The young daughter gets them into trouble, first by coming into their home, then unknowingly unleashing the darkness.

If you have faeries swarming about you, you start sweeping the legs and start sweeping the ground around you. Boot them about!

Not scary enough, but worth a look on a cold winter’s night.

3 of 5 stars

30 Minutes or Less

broderic on August 16, 2011

30 Minutes or Less was a dual buddy movie. You had the comedy buddy movie with Jesse Eisenberg and Aziz Ansari, and you have the serious buddy movie with Danny McBride and Nick Swardson. One group brought the comedy. The other brought the stupid action. They were stupid. It made me stupid.

What’s strange is that the movie put both couples as sympathetic characters. You expect it from the comedy team, but from the villains? Could they make them anymore sympathetic?

Then the movie got real with the latino, brown skinned bad guy. The tone went from a comedic to gruesome quickly with some gritty violence. Who would’ve thought?

Also, for a 1.5 hour movie it felt long.

Needless to say, I didn’t like this movie.

2 of 5 stars

Crazy, Stupid, Love

broderic on August 12, 2011

I had started writing a review for Crazy, Stupid, Love earlier this week while I've been twiddling my thumbs at work, but I deleted the first draft. Was that stupid of me? No, because I thought it went nowhere. Now, as I write review, I know this one's gonna go nowhere as well. I should've published the first one — one and done.Steve Carell and Julianne Moore are a couple on the edge of divorce. She wants out because she married the 40 Year Old Virgin. He can't believe it, grants her wish, and mopes around before Ryan

Gosling shows him how to be a man. He dresses Carell up, teaches him how to pick up women, and lets him loose in his home bar. Carell flies right, but does he like his lady's man persona? Doubtful as he maintains the ex's yard at night and keeps close tabs on his family. The question then becomes does Gosling like his persona? Doubtful as he falls in love with the ubiquitous Emma Stone. Gosling tabbed Carell for the same loser role he had been but transformed as a lady's man he knows he misses something.I thought Crazy, Stupid, Love was a romantic comedy, just look at its title, but it isn't. It's a romantic drama with comedic overtones. It acts like a rom-com, but doesn't try to follow all the conventions of the genre. Strangeness abounds in this hybrid movie and its best to watch with a clear view that this is really about love and its sometimes stupid, sometimes crazy practitioners.There is a twists that you know is coming, and one that you don't know. I'll not spoil it for you but I was surprised and laughed both times. Clever.Now of the couples involved in this movie, the younger will make you cringe. Everything they did was really creepy. I couldn't believe it. I'm warning you now.3 of 5 stars

Cowboys & Aliens

broderic on August 6, 2011

I don’t know what I was expecting from Cowboys & Aliens. Did I expect a western? Or an alien invasion flick? Perhaps I was expecting a good flick. You got the western and the alien invasion, but it wasn’t good.

The film jumps right in with Daniel Craig trying to figure out who he is and how he got into this mess. What movie am I in? Is this a western? Or is it an alien invasion film? Yes. Long story short, he’s an outlaw with a heart of gold. Gold being the operative word.

The townspeople are ruled by the big cattle rancher, Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford is looking old. And he’s crotchety. He hates everyone. We’ll come to find out he has a heart of gold. Gold being the operative word.

There’s the Doc who is a minister, and there’s the barkeep who is a doctor. The minister doc helps stitch up Daniel Craig and knows that he is the key to making the town a better place. The barkeep doc is a wimp but finds out later that he does make the town a better place. They both have hearts of gold. Gold being the operative word.

The doc barkeep loses his wife to the aliens. Daniel Craig loses his memory to the aliens. Various townfolk get lost to the aliens. A posse is rounded up to get them back. This is the part where we get to see them strung up as food for the aliens. Just like in Super 8. I think they used the same setup.

I watch Jon Favreau movies and wonder where the action is. His films are slack in pace even the Iron Men movies. It saddens me, because he’s always directing action movies. One day, his pace will make a movie fun to watch.

2 of 5 stars