Insidious: Chapter 2 Review

Justin and I saw Insidious: Chapter 2 on September 14, 2013!! I was excited when this movie was announced, because I found the first Insidious to be one of the best horror movies in years. I like the whole concept of The Further and transporting yourself to different dimensions in your dreams. It was very well done. I consider James Wan to be one of the best horror directors with Dario Argento being the best. I think the story that Leigh Wannell and James Wan created was brilliantly executed. The concepts, excellent music, characters, and additional back story made the second installment so amazing to watch. Once I was able to deal with the tension, I was able to ease into the movie. I can get scared pretty easily. Once, my mother put on a Quasimodo mask from the animated 1996 Disney movie Hunchback of Notre Dame and jumped out at me as I was going into the bathroom. I shrieked quite loudly and nearly had a heart attack. My Halloween costume worked to instill fear on this occasion. In this second installment, the present plot picks up right where the first one left off which was great. We are presented background information on the Lambert family, namely Josh and his mother Lorraine when they first encountered this malevolent spirit that has been terrorizing them. What follows is a great combination of excellent usage of scares (particularly the woman in white-man is she creepy-great antagonist though as you'll see), great musical scores (the hairs on the back of your neck stand up when the music reaches a crescendo), and brilliantly connected pieces between the first and second movies. I really liked the main subplot dealing with the woman in white, as well as certain things you'll find out about that woman in black we saw in Josh's photos in the first movie. I think Rose Byrne and Patrick Wilson have great chemistry, and I particularly felt Byrne's fear mixed with Wilson's duality really made for great performances, and its rare to see good performances in horror movies. They even did some great things paying homage to The Shining and Psycho. I also think Ty Simpkin's role as Dalton (the son that can travel to The Further) is a great children's role because it requires a great deal of imagination. Along with these three, Barbara Hershey did a great job as Lorraine once again, as did Lin Shaye in her Elise role. I like Elise because she is like a white light for the protagonists when they find themselves in a dark corner. She is a symbol of hope in many ways, however, each protagonist plays a big part in battling the darkness in their own way. I just feel her paranormal expertise is extremely beneficial for everybody. They did a great job connecting how the characters are in the present to events in the past. It's like a jigsaw puzzle where every piece fits perfectly. The way they connected some of these scenes was creative. In fact, if you plan on re-watching the first one before you see the second one, I'd say do it, because you may or may not see certain scenes from the first one appear. This did not disappoint at all. The best part is they set this up for a third installment, because with the Further there's always another insane ghost out there. The brilliant plot, connections between the first and second films, creative well thought out back stories on our protagonists and antagonists, as well as the music, great usage of make-up, and proper usage of scares, laughs (particularly with Specs & Tucker-the duo with Elise from the first movie), and intricately placed twists make this a 5/5. I am already looking forward to seeing what they will do with the third movie, because this story seems like it will focus on another main character, which can keep this going. There's so many creative ways to incorporate chief antagonist ghosts. Insidious Chapters 1 & 2 are both very well done. Both stand on their own with their own unique sub-plot, yet still connect to each other. I definitely recommend this even if you're not a horror person, because the actual story is still very interesting.

Blue Jasmine Review

I saw Blue Jasmine with two of my best friends Noelle & Lisa on September 10,2013!! Normally, I am not that big of a fan of Woody Allen. I like Annie Hall, Anything Else, & Vicki Cristina Barcelona, but for the most part I haven't been a fan of his work. However, I must say I was thoroughly impressed with Blue Jasmine and found myself enjoying the characters and story. I have read that Cate Blanchett is in the running for Best Actress when awards season comes around, and I am fully in favor of that if she is nominated. Blanchett is one of the best actresses in the history of cinema (not exaggerating, I really do think she's that good). Jasmine is a New York socialite that has to live with her sister Ginger because of the dark past surrounding her and her late husband Hal & estranged relationship with her son Danny. Moving from New York to San Francisco is something Jasmine needs. Blanchett's ability to show strength & vulnerability in each scene was incredible to watch. She is deeply disturbed and tends to talk to herself thinking past events are happening. The movie gives us flashbacks of how Jasmine came to be in her present state. We learn how Hal is a deplorable human being, and Alec Baldwin playing him was great because I naturally dislike him as an actor anyway (except in Beetlejuice & Barrett Moore in Nip/Tuck). Due to her status as a socialite, she finds it frustrating to work in "menial jobs", and she really doesn't have the skills to do these jobs accurately. However, when you're watching this there is a deeper meaning. This is really human emotions of anxiety trying to find your identity and where you belong. Jasmine needs to find her own person and distance herself from her past in order to get better. She really commands the screen with her incredible acting and different layers to Jasmine's personality. I want to point out how great Sally Hawkins & Bobby Cannavale were. I feel as incredible as the Jasmine character was, Ginger & her boyfriend Chili provide some great supporting roles. I think Cannavale was the best male performance of the movie, and he fights for Ginger throughout the movie. Ginger needs stability just as much as Jasmine does-that is what is intriguing about their relationship. Jasmine & Ginger aren't necessarily close, however, throughout the years they have both had issues with men in their lives such as failed relationships, cheated by Hal with money schemes, etc. I think each scene has a moment of great dialogue. The actors put alot of emotion into their words and made the performances stronger as a result. There were some other fun supporting roles by Peter Sarsgaard, Louis C.K., and Andrew Dice Clay. You want both Jasmine & Ginger to be happy in the end. The performances, writing, cast, and story were brilliant. Woody Allen really impressed me with this so much that I feel it merits a 5/5. It was extremely well done. The cut aways with the past & present were well done, and I think many of the twists & turns, though upsetting at times really kept the movie flowing. This is one of the best movies I've seen in 2013. I am definitely in favor of Blanchett, Hawkins, & Cannavale on the acting nomination lists for award seasons. They deserve it. At Applebees, Noelle, Lisa & I were discussing how we liked the movie and how much of an A-hole Andrew Dice Clay & Louis C.K. ended up being. If you want to know what I mean, see the movie!! I highly recommend people see this movie. It's a quality movie and much better to see than stupidity such as Riddick.

The World's End Review

Dad and I saw The World's End on August 27, 2013!! I honestly feel this is one of the best movies I saw in 2013 so far!! It was a really interesting movie with two main plots that ended up meshing very well. The dialogue is hilarious, the visuals are incredible to watch, and the cast is excellent. I've always found Simon Pegg to be entertaining, particularly as Sidney Young in How To Lose Friends & Alienate People. This is considered to be the last part in a trilogy of movies known as the Cornetto trilogy-Shaun of the Dead & Hot Fuzz are considered the other two. This movie follows five friends and their pub crawl when they were in college. Pegg's character of Gary King can't quite seem to grow out of the phase, and wants to get the band back together to attempt it again. I found the five leads portrayed by Pegg, Nick Frost (I found Andy Knightley to be the best character, but Pegg's King character was extremely entertaining), Paddy Considine (Steven Prince), Martin Freeman (Oliver Chamberlin), & Eddie Marsen (Peter Page) to bring excitement and true personality to their characters. You were entertained by whatever one of the five was doing at all times, because they were so effective in their respective part. We were given background information of each when they were younger and trace it to how they are today. King is a deplorable character in many ways, but I can't help but like him because of how funny Pegg is, and how his character really holds the movie together. Him and Frost are a great comedic pairing-Frost plays more of the straight man-kind of like a British Abbott & Costello in some ways. The pub crawl is very interesting in terms of the names and layouts of each bar. Pay attention to the names of the pubs-they are very important in terms of what happens in each of them. For example, one bar is called The Mermaid, and if you know anything about the mythology of mermaids, you will find yourself enjoying the scene even more. I liked the connection between events and the names of the pubs. It was very intelligent. With our five leads reunited (with some deceiving by King), they attempt the crawl they never finished. They also keep making references to Alexandre Dumas' book The Three Musketeers, and each conversation or scene from the middle of the movie on somehow incorporates it. It was very clever how they approached the second plot. I felt the plot about the robots was very similar to an episode of Doctor Who. The robot plot actually is part of a bigger picture that is built up when we first encounter them which leads to The World's End in a really well done explanation that typifies a true science fiction movie. I am really impressed how the movie was able to successfully balance the plots and create a memorable movie that should be experienced by everybody. Rosamund Pike plays Oliver's sister Sam, and she has history with both Gary and Steven. This is important because while they created this larger than life movie, they were able to place a dramatic sub-plot about humanity, romance, and friendship which is the ethos of the movie overall. As I said the cast, characters & their development throughout the course of the movie, visuals, intense fight sequences, incredible storytelling, and genuinely intelligent and comical dialogue make this a 5/5 for me. I look forward to getting this on DVD. I might even check it out in the movies with Justin this weekend, because it really was that good to me. I was very impressed!! Also, keep your eyes open for a cameo by Pierce Brosnan!!

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Review

Justina and I saw The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones on August 21, 2013!! I absolutely loved this!! This was a pretty faithful adaptation of the book, and I liked that. I feel this is one of the best book series currently available. I am fascinated by the fantasy genre, and I like how supernatural worlds are mixed throughout the series. The book flows really well, and I think the movie did an amazing job capturing key scenes. I thought the casting for this movie was excellent. There is a world hidden within our own, and that is what the main character Clary Fray will experience as she is a descendant from a line of Shadowhunters. What this means is they battle demons and protect the mundane (human) world from suffering. They are half-angel. I find the main plot to be exciting. I think Lily Collins did an incredible job as Clary. She perfectly balanced the confusion and naivety of her new role with powers she never knew she had while also maintaining what makes up the core personality traits of the normal teenage girl. Her physical look worked very well, and is what I envisioned when I read this. Collins is a great young actress. She must join forces with a group of Shadowhunters when her mother goes missing. With this group, she will experience new sights, new battles, new family, and a world that is bigger than that of the mundanes. She'll discover how important her powers are concerning the Mortal Cup, demons...and even that next door neighbor she thought she knew her whole life(this scene with CCH Pounder is crucial to the plot, and was presented the best way it possibly could-great visuals at work). Jamie Campbell Bower was perfect casting for Jace Wayland. He captured the mystery, look, and attitude of the character well. I felt the chemistry between Lily & Jamie was natural. I liked the battle sequences as they were filled with amazing visuals, especially the showdowns in the Hotel Dumont with the Downworlder vampires, the Pandemonium club (where Clary first witnesses the existence of Jace), and the climactic battle with Valentine Morgenstern. It is just really incredible watching the colors, fighting styles, and unique weaponry at work in these scenes. As I watched the movie unfold, I kept remembering the particular chapter in the book it came from. It really was a faitful adaptation overall. I also felt that the casting for the chief antagonist in Valentine was phenomenal. Jonathan Rhys-Meyers has a villainous look, and was very believable in his role as a powerful being that wants absolute control over their entire world. There are many ineresting twists in the plot, and they were included in the movie which is important in shaping the series. I also felt that Robert Sheehan, Jemima West, and Kevin Zegers all perfectly captured the Simon, Isabelle, and Alec characters. I like Isabelle and her fighting style with her silver whip and attitude make her an awesome Shadowhunter. Sheehan is exactly what Simon should be like as the concerned best friend of Clary that also is interested in being more than friends with her. Zegers captured the physical look of Alec and the feelings for Jace really well. Each character was great on screen, because the casting choices were spot on. In order to make the characters believable, the cast has to make them that way. Clary Fray is one of my favorite characters in literature, and Collins made her a favorite on screen character, and I commend her for doing the role justice. The incredible cast breathing life into these larger than life characters, amazing battle scenes, faithful adaptation to the book, and exciting plot make this an easy 5/5 for me. I really enjoyed this!!

Kick-Ass 2 Review

Justin & I saw Kick-Ass 2 on August 17, 2013!! This was very well done, and while the subject matter is similar to the first one it still has its own story. I found the structure of this movie to be very well organized, and I liked the darker emotional aspects of the movie. This movie focuses on the idea of revenge, duality, and bonds between family and friends. Both Dave Lizewski & Mindy Macready added new elements to their characters. Aaron Taylor-Johnson experiences so much emotional grief throughout this movie-it was insane how many things go wrong for him. Dave likes inspiring people to be heroes, and wants to maintain his hero lifestyle. He also realizes that his role as a hero harms those around him. Ultimately, a hero must live with sacrifices and Dave learns that the hard way more than once. Johnson did an incredible job as he seemed very comfortable in the role. I find him to be very talented. If you haven't seen his performance as Ben in Savages, it's one of the best male performances I've seen in some time. I personally felt Chloe Grace Moretz gave one of her best performances to date as she blended her fighting spirit from the first movie with the struggles of fitting in as a normal girl in order to regain the childhood that her father took from her. Hit-Girl is one of the best characters I've ever seen. She is dealing with the loss of her father, the real world, high school, and those crazy queen bees that think they know everything. Moretz is only 16 and has turned out incredible performances for somebody her age from Abby in Let Me In to Luli in Hick to what I feel will be a great breakthrough performance for her in Carrie. I feel adding more to the fighting exterior is important to make her a well-rounded character. These two fit naturally into their respective roles. They both come to realize in their own way that it doesn't matter if you're wearing the costume. Being a hero is a part of them. It's what makes both whole. Christopher Mintz-Plasse was absolutely insane. He was extremely animated throughout. I felt he played a great psychotic villain. I mean even his nickname in this movie was nuts. I cannot repeat the name of the super villain here. There was also a decent performance by Jim Carrey as Colonel Stars & Stripes. His back story actually works very well into the central plot in terms of relating to Frank D'Amico from the first movie. I liked that connection. He was great in terms of helping Dave become a better fighter. In many ways, both Mindy & Dave realize how much they need the other. When they are together, they can conquer the world. When they are apart, they are only mildly successful. There were so many larger than life characters on both sides of the battle. In the end, the adage of an eye for an eye will hold true for both Dave & Chris. There is a great screen capture of Kick-Ass & Chris in his villain attire face to face before the first punches of the final battle. It was great to see these two with a stare-down as the hardships they caused each other will spill over into this fight. It seems at certain points that both Hit-Girl & Kick-Ass look like they will meet their end as well, which gave it more of a realistic approach. I was cringing watching Hit-Girl battle Mother Russia (who was by far the most animated villain besides Plasse). There is great camera work during each action sequence, and much like the first movie you definitely can recall what happened in them. My favorite scene involves Mindy rescuing Dave from Chris's goons following a funeral. I think a huge reason why I liked this is that they weren't in their disguises-Hit-Girl & Kick-Ass are part of them and this scene shows that. It's also a scene where we get to watch Hit-Girl do what she does best, and that's win fights. The character development, action sequences, intense plots, great usage of comedy (I was laughing hysterically at so many pieces of dialogue and some physical humor involving Mindy & the popular girls), & emotional realism throughout (especially in Dave's personal life) make this a 5/5. I knew going in I would enjoy this. I don't like one better than the other. I just consider both to be well made movies. They're much different than your usual superhero movies. As I said, even though both movies utilize the same basic premises, they both have great stories to stand on their own. I really liked this!!

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Review

Justin, Dad & I saw Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters on August 8, 2013!! This was a visually impressive movie with fun characters and a plot that had me interested the entire time. As a huge fan of Rick Riordan's book series, and how impressed I was with The Lightning Thief I was eager to see this. Right off the bat, the movie introduces viewers how Camp Half-Blood has been protected. I liked the way this was handled-the Talia story is great to see played out on screen. Talia was part of a group of four that came to Camp Half-Blood (the other three were Annabeth, Grover, & Luke). What happened is Talia was fatally wounded by a Cyclops and this leads to Zeus using Talia as a conduit to create a protective tree that will keep out intruders. It's really fun to follow as I like fantasy genre material. I felt that the pacing and dialogue was well done. The cast definitely has alot to do with that as they are able to shape the characters in their own image. I think Logan Lerman who plays Percy is one of the best young actors today. He did an incredible job in Perks of Being A Wallflower and I always found his performance as Percy to be a breakthrough performance. His chemistry with Alexandra Daddario is natural. I liked that Annabeth's hair was made lighter as her hair is blonde in the books. Daddario has gorgeous eyes. When I read the book, I instantly became a fan of Clarisse. Though she is somebody that always brags about herself, she is a skilled warrior being the daughter of Ares. I liked the character. On the other side, you have Tyson, who is Percy's half-brother as well as being a Cyclops. If you follow Greek mythology stories, the Cyclops is one of the most feared entities. However, in Tyson's case he is kind of like Quasimodo (deformed, but has a great heart). Both Leven Rambin (Clarisse) & Douglas Smith (Tyson) did the roles justice. I like the genuine rivalry between Percy & Clarisse. The chemistry with Lerman and Rambin was really great to watch. The inclusion of the new characters is great as it keeps things fresh. Similar to the events of the first movie, Luke causes the portal that protects Camp Half-Blood to weaken. Dionysus leads Percy to a prophecy which says a child of one of the three main Gods (Zeus, Hades, & Poseiden) will either save or raze Mount Olympus, Camp Half-Blood, & humanity. Clarisse is sent to find the Golden Fleece, but Percy, Annabeth & Grover want to go on the quest to not only prove themselves, but to figure out how the prophecy will play out. Percy wants to save his kind & his home while Luke wants to resurrect Kronos (the father of Zeus, Hades, & Poseiden) and destroy Mount Olympus & the gods. The adventure, much like the first movie, keeps going. I like how much of a role Tyson plays in determining the outcome of what happens. Annabeth is skeptical of him because she doesn't trust Cyclops, and Percy doesn't believe he is related to him. Tyson does everything to prove himself and is personally one of my favorite characters because of the sacrifices he makes along the way. The battle scenes with mechanical bulls, ferocious beasts, and Kronos himself are some of the most amazing visuals you will see. The action flows very well. The characters put their differences aside to band together. The characters, plot, memorable battle scenes, impressive visual imager, along with an excellent cast including cameos by Stanley Tucci (hilarious as Dionysus), Nathan Fillion (great as Hermes), & Anthony Head (Chiron) make this a 4/5. I am a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series and the ending to this resulting from the Golden Fleece leads to some interesting developments for the next installment. This was very well done in my opinion!!

The Conjuring Review

Justin and I saw The Conjuring on August 5, 2013!! I felt this was a great modern day horror movie harking back to 1970s horror while also instilling elements from recent horror movies such as Insidious. It utilizes the work of real life paranormal experts Ed & Lorraine Warren. I feel that going off events that have actual fact involved made this scarier. It particularly focuses on Ed & Lorraine's case of the Perron family in 1972. It also touches on a case about a doll named Annabelle. The doll created for the movie is much creepier than the real life doll which looks similar to Raggedy Ann, but the actual story was put into the movie quite accurately according to accounts. Also, the Child's Play series (Chucky) used this as inspiration for that horror series. This was placed in the movie at the beginning to give the audience a sense of what this couple does. Ed is a demonologist who tells us that an object can be a conduit for demons to get into our world. Lorraine is basically a medium that can see what happened to the spirits in order to understand the situation. The Perron family experienced a mix of Insidious and The Amityville Horror. If you look through the files and videos, you can watch the actual footage from their investigations. Andrea, the oldest of the five daughters, wrote a book detailing the accounts of what happened. It's scary reading some of the excerpts from it. I might get it to read the entire thing. James Wan is one of the best horror directors in quite some time, and creates compelling stories that keep you invested in the story. He is great at using music and slow build-up to create a great scare. With different stories that occurred at different times in this house, and the intricate way they are all connected is incredible to follow. The plot is intense and I think it's something that all fans of horror should see. I felt the acting performances were well done. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga did such an excellent job portrarying the Warrens. They had incredible chemistry. I feel the Farmigas have found their niche in the horror genre: Vera in Orphan, Bates Motel, and now The Conjuring, while her sister Taissa portrayed Violet in the first installment of American Horror Story and will also be a major part of American Horror Story: Coven. The Conjuring's plot for the chief antagonist ghost revolves around witchcraft. The make-up effects for her were excellent. I was genuinely terrified of her, and her main goal is even more sinister in nature than her actual appearance. It was great to see Lili Taylor as Carolyn Perron, the matriarch of the family. She fit perfectly into this movie. Some may recognize her as Lisa from Six Feet Under. Perhaps the events of this movie is what happened to her in Season 3? I was really impressed with the acting of the daughters demonstrating genuine fear and definite mystique surrounding certain plot points. They definitely stole the scenes they were in, especially the younger actresses. I felt all five daughters gave great performances, but Foy's performance as Cindy and Joey King's performance as Christine were excellent. Some may recognized Foy as Renesme from Breaking Dawn and Joey King is the voice of China Doll in Oz: The Great & Powerful. The youngest daughter April, played by Kyla Deaver was great because of young children and their penchant for imaginary friends. The oldest daugthers, Andrea and Nancy, portrayed by Shanley Coswell and Hayley McFarland respectively were excellent because Andrea experiences the first true in your face scare of the movie (one of my favorite scenes also involving MacKenzie Foy) and Nancy experiences an excellent scene that will definitely make you jump that is made even better by the genuine fear displayed by Joey King. Overall, I give this movie a 4/5. It is an excellent modern day horror movie with great acting performances, genuine scares, and a great plot based on actual events. Here is the link where you can read about the actual events and watch videos from the real life Perron haunting, as well as phots of the real Andrea doll and what the Warrens look like: http://www.warrens.net/The-Warren-Files.html