Showing posts with label Patrick Wilson. Show all posts

Friday, October 11, 2013

The Conjuring

The Conjuring (2013)

R - 112 min - Biography, Horror, Thriller - 19 July 2013
Big Blue Sky Rating : 7.6/10

Director : James Wan
Writers : Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes
Stars : Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor

In 1971, Carolyn and Roger Perron move their family into a dilapidated Rhode Island farm house and soon strange things start happening around it with escalating nightmarish terror. In desperation, Carolyn contacts the noted paranormal investigators, Ed and Lorraine Warren, to examine the house. What the Warrens discover is a whole area steeped in a satanic haunting that is now targeting the Perron family wherever they go. To stop this evil, the Warrens will have to call upon all their skills and spiritual strength to defeat this spectral menace at its source that threatens to destroy everyone involved.

James Wan at his best

"The Conjuring" is a high class horror film, its hard not to be scared by it, we care for the characters and the story is compelling enough to make you feel interested the whole time.

Based on true life events, Ed and Lorraine Warren are paranormal investigators set to help a family terrorized by a demon, said to be one of the most terrifying cases of their lives which they hadn't shared with anyone...until now.

First of all, I loved that it takes place in the 70's, I agree completely with director James Wan's point of view that it is almost impossible to make a horror film set in the present. For example, the teenage daughters of the haunted family would be taking pictures of the demons with their iphones and would be posting them on posting them on instagram, basically the demons would turn into the victims and the humans would be the bad guys.

The movie isn't perfect though, there are a few plot holes in it, but still it does have some great scares in it that had me jumping out my seat and I liked the way it builds up tension and lets us know the characters before it starts with all the craziness. Not only is the movie set in the 70's, but it also has the feel of a 70's horror film, with slow zooms and filming styles you wouldn't expect from a modern movie. I really believe James Wan has outdone himself with this movie, I'll even go so far to calling it the scariest movie I've seen in my life. Thank you James Wan for this great movie and good luck with Fast & Furious 7.

I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a great horror film, I guess it gives the feeling audiences must have felt when watching "The Exorcist", "Don't Look Now", or Poltergeist" for the first time.

Watch The Conjuring Trailer :

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Thursday, October 10, 2013

Insidious: Chapter 2

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

PG-13 - 106 min - Horror, Thriller - 13 September 2013
Big Blue Sky Rating : 7.0/10

Director : James Wan
Writers : Leigh Whannell, James Wan
Stars : Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye

The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

It's different but it does live up to the first chapter

If you happened to like the first chapter, you will also like the second even though there are a few differences between both movies.

First of all, the second chapter kicks off with a more gripping story line and a few good scares while the first part took its time to introduce everybody. As the second movie is based on quite the same characters as the first movie, there is no need to lose precious screening time and the movie doesn't. This movie's pace is definitely faster and quite gripping from the beginning to end.

The second movie also has a more complex story line. While the first movie left us with a few unsolved questions and problems, the second film resolves them all in a quite logical way. In fact, there are multiple story lines here that are though easy to digest and to follow and that all lead to a dramatic ending. We see some scenes that happen in Josh's past, other things that have happened in the first movie or just after, a couple of scenes playing in "The Further" and finally the main story line in the now and here. Some scenes show us the past and present family life of Josh, others focus on the works of the ghost busters who try to help them. All in all, the story in here is much more intelligent and profound than in the first film which is something I didn't expect. The characters are even more attaching than before and you are really happy to see some of them again. In addition to this, the few new characters of good or evil character are really great and welcome additions to the plot. That's why this movie is one of the rare really convincing sequels as it lives up to the brilliant first movie.

The movie has a few really good scares of course but overall the first movie was a lot creepier and more disturbing. In fact, you happen to know what is going on if you have seen the first movie and that's why you aren't that shocked or surprised anymore. This being said, you absolutely need to have seen the first film if you want to try out this one because if you don't know the first chapter, you won't fully understand the second.

"Insidious - Chapter 2" has a few very memorable scenes and maybe even more than the first one. My favourites were the dice play that unveiled the hidden knife, the creepy but not evil mystery man in the first scene in "The Further" and the scene with Marilyn and her mother. In some scenes, you can see that the second chapter is not only influenced by its own first part but also by several genre classics. The mystery man recalled me David Lynch's "Lost Highway" while other scenes reminded me of the evil Bob of "Twin Peaks". The ending of the movie has many moments that made me think of the legendary "The Shining". I guess these references are more than just good as so is this movie.

In the end, you really should watch this horror film of the year in the movie theatres but I may give you a few advices to end up my review. Just avoid going to the movies at popular screening times such as Friday or Saturday night. I have read and also personally experienced a lot of noisy people who are talking all the time and laughing out loud just to calm down and try not to show how afraid they really are.

Second, you should keep your feet on the ground and not try to eat or drink too much during the movie. Some scenes suddenly get very scary and could lead you to throw away your popcorn and pour some coke on your clothes or those of your neighbour. If your potential girlfriend isn't all that much into horror movies or a Gothic, please don't take her out to witness such a movie.

Third, you shouldn't drink or eat too much before watching this film. The movie has a few uglier scenes than the first one even though they are not disgusting. The thing is that you have a glimpse at a few disturbing things but your vivid imagination might think further and that's where this fantastic movie automatically leads you to a few nastier thoughts. If you have a weak heart, if you are a very nervous person or if you are pregnant, please avoid this movie for your own security.

Anyone else, please enjoy this atmospheric contemporary horror masterpiece.

Watch Insidious: Chapter 2 Trailer :

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Sunday, October 6, 2013

Insidious: Chapter 2

Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013)

PG-13 - 106 min - Horror, Thriller - 13 September 2013
Big Blue Sky Rating : 7.0/10

Director : James Wan
Writers : Leigh Whannell, James Wan
Stars : Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye

The haunted Lambert family seeks to uncover the mysterious childhood secret that has left them dangerously connected to the spirit world.

Things that go bump in the night

When you are making a horror movie it always helps to have a few things around in the movie in order to help set the mood. Things like creaky old doors, a piano, and preferably an old and creepy looking house. Now these are not absolutes, but they can help for sure. Horror movies are not like other movies, because there are so many possibilities for sequels, just look at the "Friday the 13th" series. In 2011 James Wan and Leigh Whannell brought us "Insidious", a story about a family that had unwelcome visitors in their house. The supernatural kind.

That family, the Lamberts, have gotten away from their house and the experience they had in it. Josh (Patrick Wilson), Renai (Rose Byrne), and their three children are all safe and move in with Josh's mom. At the beginning of the film you find out this is not Josh's fist experience with a sprit. It seems Josh has a gift where he sees dead people and with the help from Elise (Lin Shaye) he forgets that gift, until he uses it again to save his son from a place the living shouldn't be. That place I imagine is the same place Carol Anne from "Poltergeist" was in as well, but instead of talking through a TV, a tin can phone is used to communicate to the other side. Renai senses something is not right about Josh, a sentiment that is shared by Josh's mother as well. So with the help from a man named Carl (Steve Coulter) and two guys who provide the comic relief, they all set out to free Josh and his family from the evil that haunts them.

The story picks up exactly where the first film ended, which makes the chapter 2 a perfect title. There are so many more possible chapters to this story, because let's face it there are a lot of ghosts out there. "Insidious: Chapter 2" is part ghost story and part detective story, as we try to unravel what is following the Lamberts around. Lucky, unlike what he did with "Saw" we are still under the direction of James Wan and he keeps us on the same path as the first film. If you are going for jump out of your seat frights, then this is not the film for you. There are some moments that may make you jump a little, thanks to some good camera work, but this movie is more like "Seven" than say, "The Conjuring". In a genre that seems to be getting everything right at the moment, "Insidious: Chapter 2" doesn't disappoint. The only thing that could improve, is to have a little less common sense moments, you know those moments where a character does the thing everyone knows they shouldn't. I think it is very fitting to release this film on Friday the 13th, because like that franchise, you hope this one also has a long life making us afraid to sleep with the lights off.

Brian Taylor

http://the2cinemen.blogspot.com/

Watch Insidious: Chapter 2 Trailer :

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The Conjuring

The Conjuring (2013)

R - 112 min - Biography, Horror, Thriller - 19 July 2013
Big Blue Sky Rating : 7.6/10

Director : James Wan
Writers : Chad Hayes, Carey Hayes
Stars : Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston, Lili Taylor

Holy F*** is all people with me said while watching it throughout.

This film was easily one of the scariest films of the decade, complete with a horror package that will make even those new to horror love it, if they are a fan of fear that is. This movie had every guy in the group at the edge of their seats with their girlfriends....it was an intense experience that cannot be missed in theatres. Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmega hold their own as the Perron's and EVERY SINGLE child actor owned the screen. All acting was top notch and gave the viewer a throwback to original days of good horror, not the stuff we've seen nowadays. Time can only tell when a movie like this will come out again but we know now that James Wan is one of the best horror directors of our time.