REVIEW: The Conjuring

Director James Wan once again brings us back to the place where nightmares are born.  Known for movies like the original Saw, Insidious, and Dead Silence, Wan has experience with horror movies, and he truly displays it in this movie.  The Conjuring shows Wan flexing his artistic horror muscles and bringing out all the best of his directing.  With powerful performances, good pacing, and a lot of suspense, The Conjuring proves to be a frightful well-made scary movie.

The Conjuring tells the true story of two paranormal investigators, Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga), who embark on their most terrifying case in history.  When Carolyn (Lili Taylor) and Roger Perron (Ron Livingston) move into their new house with their five daughters, everything seems fine.  But then the noises start.  As time passes, the odd noises and creepy voices intensify, until one night when everything goes wild and a demonic spirit makes its presence known.  Fearing for their lives, the Perron family seek Ed and Lorraine to purify their house.  But things won't be easy.  This demon is not going down without a fight.  Based on the horrifying true story, The Conjuring is a demonic tale of one family against the one of the most evil things on Earth.

If you can sit through this entire movie without being slightly scared at least once, then bravo to you.  The Conjuring is like the Amityville Horror on steroids.  This is not a ghost story.  This is a demon story.  And it is this difference that makes this movie much more frightening than other horror movies out there.  Even more terrifying, it's based on a true story.  Therefore, you can't say, "It's just a movie.  It's not real - it's just a movie," because these events actually took place.  And the events simply seem real due to excellent pacing and wonderful performances.

Not once did I look at my watch during this movie.  From start to finish, there are scares along the way to keep you at the edge of your seat the entire time.  It's not like some haunted house movies where things finally start to happen an hour into the movie.  This film cracks the creepy meter up within the first five minutes.  And the suspense is perfectly placed.  The music builds up at all the right times and you are left wondering what could be behind the next corner.  The first half of the movie is built more on loud noises and creepy voices to make you jump in your seat while the second half is more character-driven and focuses on the evil of the demon.

The acting in this movie from all the actors is just great.  Being based on a true story, the characters had to feel real - and they do.  I never once doubted them and they fit into their roles.  Of note, Lili Taylor does a brilliant job as the worn-down mom who wants her children to be safe and Vera Farmiga does well as the medium who has seen to much.  All the children do wonderful acting scared out of their wits and the men of the film do great too.  Without spoiling who, the person who becomes possessed near the end does a superb job acting as a demon, doing pretty much everything except for spinning his/her head!

The Conjuring is a well-made horror film that is sure to intrigue and frighten a wide variety of audiences.  It's the kind of movie that makes you keep your light on at night and hang crosses all around your room.  If nothing else, this film will definitely make you want to pick up that dusty, old Bible and start reading it, because you never know when a demon will strike.  I highly recommend this movie if you're looking for a quick scare and I suggest seeing it in theaters first for the full effect.

RATING: 4.5 / 5

This movie is rated R (intense and frightening scenes)

NEWS: Catching Fire Trailer Released

Earlier this afternoon, the official Hunger Games: Catching Fire trailer was released at Comic-Con.  The trailer can be seen below on YouTube or via the Entertainment section of Yahoo!.

While the trailer does reveal a major plot point, it's still a GREAT trailer.  It sets a perfect tone for the film and builds up the intensity.  We get our first look at many of the new characters, most of whom look their role.  I'm still torn on whether Sam Claflin will make a good Finnick, but I'll reserve judgement until I see the movie.  Personally, the trailer got me really excited for the film and now I can't wait until the fall.  What did you think of the trailer?  Did it get you excited?  Comment below and let us know!

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire will be released November 22, 2013.

NEWS: Catching Fire Trailer Released Today

Just wanted to give a quick reminder that this afternoon, the official Hunger Games: Catching Fire trailer will be released.  It will be first shown at Comic-Con and will be posted online almost immediately after.  When the trailer hits the web, we'll be sure to post it on the blog!

REVIEW: Grown Ups 2

Some sequels make us scream and wonder why there was ever a sequel made.  That's not the case here.  This sequel makes you want to do more than just scream - it makes you want to rip your hair out.  If you thought Grown Ups was bad, then get ready for Grown Ups 2.

Grown Ups 2 takes place three years after the events of the first film.  This time around, Lenny Feder (Adam Sandler) relocated his family to his old hometown.  There he meets up with all of his old school friends, Eric Lamonsoff (Kevin James), Kurt McKenzie (Chris Rock), and Marcus "Higgy" Higgins (David Spade).  It is in their old hometown that chaos ensues and a series of adventures occur.  The four friends meet up with old bullies and along the way, meet new bullies - the frat boys (Taylor Lautner, Patrick Schwarzenegger, etc.).  And from here, only problem after problem can happen.

It's hard to describe the plot of this movie because the plot is pretty much nonexistent.  I'm not going to lie; this movie is bad.  Really bad.  There's little plot, bad acting, few laughs, and a tacky script.  It's meant to be a comedy, so I wasn't expecting all the complexities of a drama.  But this movie isn't a comedy because there are practically no laughs to be had.  There's a chuckle here and there... and that's it.

The script to this movie should never have made it to the big screen.  The dialogue sounds like a bad first draft that should have been burned in a fireplace.  Most of the jokes fall flat on their face and make no sense in the movie.  Not to mention the fact that some of the jokes are just downright rude and insulting.  They're anything but funny and squander the comedic talents of the four big stars.

If there's a weak script, you have to put all your acting efforts into it to make the movie better.  But the actors in Grown Ups 2 don't seem to care about their performances.  They laugh at their own jokes probably knowing that nobody in the audience would.  For four comedians, none of them are funny in this movie.  In fact, they're just annoying.  And this film will certainly not look good on Adam Sandler's movie list, as he has had one bad movie after another.  Remember Jack and Jill?  Need I say more?

  
I hated this movie.  Comedies aren't my favorite movies, but if they are well done, they can be fantastic.  Unfortunately, this movie is not.  It's just as bad as the first movie, which makes me wonder why they had to make a sequel.  If a deer peeing on one of the main characters is your kind of movie, then go for it.  But be warned: You will lose brain cells. There is nothing really appealing about this movie and I guarantee it will be up for the Razzies.  And the Razzie Award for Worst Picture goes to...

RATING: 0.5 / 5

This movie is rated PG-13 (crude humor, some language, alcohol references)

REVIEW: White House Down

Director Roland Emmerich steps up to the plate this summer with yet another action film - White House Down.  The premise of the White House being taken over and blown up may sound familiar, as it was recently done in Olympus Has Fallen and Emmerich was the one who brought us Independence Day.  However, White House Down brings just enough originality and awesome explosions to save it from being a horrible summer blockbuster.

White House Down follows the life of John Cale (Channing Tatum) as he takes his daughter Emily (Joey King) on a tour of the White House.  John attempts to get a job on the Secret Service, but fails when his college acquaintance, Carol Finnerty (Maggie Gyllenhaal), refuses to give him the job.  While on the tour, a group of paramilitary invaders set off explosions in the Capitol Building and begin to take over the White House, leaving the President (Jamie Foxx) in serious trouble.  John and his daughter get separated during the takeover, leaving it up to John to rescue Emily as well as keep the President alive.  John and President Sawyer team up, and together they have to save Emily and fight their way out of the White House.  But can they do it in time?

This movie could have easily fallen victim to the bad summer blockbuster monster.  But White House Down rises to the challenge and delivers a fun, enjoyable experience.  You know what's happening is a disaster, and yet because it's not real, you can't help but enjoy seeing the White House be put to flame and blown up, piece by piece.  What makes the film really interesting is the way they portray the press at the scene, and show people at home watching the tragedy unfold on their television sets.  It adds a sense of realism to a rather far-out picture.

The script for this film is pretty linear and formulaic.  But the movie uses the action formula pretty well.  While it's predicable at most points, it still has enough surprises to keep you engaged in the story.  The script also features a nice blend of serious tones as well as comedy.  And the comedy is delivered perfectly by the two male leads, which takes us to the performances in this film.

Channing Tatum and Jamie Foxx make a perfect action duo.  They're funny at all the right times and simply mesh well together.  They both deliver excellent performances and each have some great one-liners.  The best, though, goes to Jamie Foxx, who gets ready for battle by putting on his favorite pair of Michael Jordan sneakers.  Where else can one hear the President say, "Do NOT touch my Jordans!" as he kicks one of the bad guys in the face?  Joey King does a fine job as the innocent girl risking her life in the White House and Maggie Gyllenhaal delivers another good action performance.  That being said, all the actors in this movie do a decent job.  Even the bad guys, like Emil Stenz and Skip Tyler, played by Jason Clarke and Jimmi Simpson, respectively, do a good job.  They can be funny at times and Jason Clarke even gets a Bellatrix Lestrange moment, threatening to carve his name with a knife in Channing Tatum's chest.

White House Down is by no means a work of cinematic art.  It can be cheesy at times and due to some choppy editing, it's hard to tell who is shooting who at certain points in the film.  That being said, it's still everything you want in a summer blockbuster.  It's got car chases, massive guns, fist fights, explosions, advanced technology, destruction, and more explosions.  While the movie lies somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4, I'll be kind and bump it up, simply because of the sheer 'epicness' of some of the scenes.  I definitely recommend seeing it in theaters before it leaves and at least renting it when it comes out on video.

RATING: 4 / 5

This movie is rated PG-13 (violence, some language, and intense action sequences)

REVIEW: The Cabin in the Woods

After just getting back from camping and having been requested by several people to see The Cabin in the Woods, I finally got the chance to sit down and watch it.  Directed by Drew Goddard and written by Goddard and Joss Whedon, The Cabin in the Woods is a fast-paced thriller that takes the audience through a number of different twists and turns.  It's always surprising and practically impossible to guess the end.  With the help of a strong script,  a unique idea, and a well-assembled cast, The Cabin in the Woods is a major success and is a lot of fun to watch.

The Cabin in the Woods follows the lives of five college students on their way to spend a weekend at a cabin located in the middle of the woods.  There's the good girl virgin, Dana (Kristen Connolly), the jock, Curt (Chris Hemsworth), the naughty girl, Jules (Anna Hutchison), the smart bookworm, Holden (Jesse Williams), and the stoner, Marty (Fran Kranz).  Upon arriving at the cabin, bad things start to happen and an evil is unleashed upon them.  And that's all I can say about the plot without giving anything away.

The ideas that Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard dreamed up are simply amazing.  The Cabin in the Woods pays homage to all the great horror movies while still deconstructing the horror genre and all its flaws.  Unlike many horror films, this one has a strong, and unique, script.  You never know what's going to happen next, and that's one of the aspects that makes this movie so good.  It has so many twists and turns; you'll feel like you're on a roller coaster.  But trust me, you'll enjoy every moment of it.  And it has the best possible ending.  You may scratch your head at first and think it's dumb.  But it literally makes it impossible for a sequel, and that's all I'll say about that!

A strong script is nothing though without a good cast.  Luckily enough, The Cabin in the Woods assembled a great cast. All the actors make you feel for the stereotypical characters.  They flesh them out.  This was the first horror movie in a long time where I was actually rooting for the characters to live!  And chances are, you'll probably relate to one of the characters, which adds more to the emotional quality of the film.  Despite all the actors giving a good performance, Fran Kranz steals the show as the stoner, Marty.  He has all the best lines and is downright hysterical.  Pretty much every time he opens his mouth, expect to laugh.

This leads me to my two complaints, if you would even call them that.  I realize I keep calling it a horror film, and it does fit that genre, but it's not what you'd expect.  The staff that marketed this film made it seem like a terrifying horror flick.  It's not.  I get scared easily by scary movies, but I walked away from The Cabin in the Woods feeling fine.  There are a few scary moments, but it's not scary.  In fact, it's more weird and funny than anything else.  Second, I'm not sure how good the movie is a second time.  The aspect I loved the most was that it always kept me guessing.  Now that I know the entire plot, I'm not sure if I'll enjoy it as much the second time, though I know I'll still enjoy it.  That being said, it is still a surprisingly fantastic film with solid performances and a witty script. It's definitely worth at least a watch, and if you're a fan of horror movies, then it's probably worth a buy.

RATING: 4.5 / 5

This movie is rated R (strong bloody horror violence and gore, language, drug use and some sexuality/nudity)