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Theatre

I love movies!

As a result, I see quite a few of them. Forget traditional ratings — though I usually see grown-up movies, I'll let you know when it's okay to take the kids (and what might change your mind about it). As you might expect, I'll also tell you about any political implications whether subtle or otherwise in a given film. You'll get new theatrical release reviews as well as video reviews here, and in a variety of categories.

Although I started writing movie reviews in large party because I've found too many "real" critics tend to dislike the movies that are the most unadulterated entertainment (in fact, my reviews consider the "fun factor" along witih acting caliber or plot complexities and the like), there's another reason movies have become even more important: propaganda, and the political activism of certain stars. I'll do my best to take note of those things for you as well.


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Theatrical Releases

Paranormal Activity 4 stars rating

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant 2 stars rating

DVD Releases

No DVD reviews this week.

 

 

Paranormal Activity

Rated: R
Runtime: 86 minutes

Paranormal ActivityParanormal Activity is a very unusual movie even when you don't consider the movie itself. It was made in 2007, but is only just now enjoying a theatrical release. It took just a week to film, starred a couple of unknown actors who used their own names in the movie, and was filmed at a cost of only about $11,000 using the director's own home as the set. The director also wrote the screenplay, and it was the first time he'd done either. But because Paranormal Activity enjoyed a tremendous grassroots fan base which demanded wider release (the publicity campaign for the movie was also utterly inspired), we're now all able to see this little film.

Paranormal Activity is filmed and told entirely from the point of view of a video camera purchased by Micah Sloat. He and his live-in girlfriend, Katie Featherston, have been experiencing some strange happenings in the middle of the night, and Micah wants to use the camera to see if there's anything really there. Micah and Katie joke about the camera and about whether or not anything's really haunting them. Even so, Katie takes things seriously enough to contact a psychic (played by Mark Fredrichs), but Micah even laughs at that.

The psychic doesn't think the situation is funny. In fact, he tells the couple that he's pretty sure it's not a ghost that's their problem, but something far worse. Katie is terrified, but Micah is excited. What if he can actually prove something's going on ? You can almost touch his anticipation as he sets the camera up to film in their bedroom every night. But then things start to happen, and that's when even Micah realizes that the paranormal activity going on in their home is no laughing matter.

The story told by Paranormal Activity isn't entirely different from things we've seen or heard before, but the way it was handled was a stroke of brilliance. By letting us effectively be voyeurs in someone's home over the course of a few weeks, we're intimately involved in everything that happens. That intimacy makes every twist and turn all the more shocking.

Even what appears to be home video, however, wouldn't give us the sense that we know these people and are experiencing what they are if the script wasn't good. Fortunately, the script is more than good. It's completely and utterly believable. The people talk like real people, and they react like real people. There are no geniuses or heroes here, but people very much like you and me. It sounds odd, but the truth is that it's a whole lot harder to write "reality" than it is to write something quite a bit more fantastic, and Oren Peli did a stellar job.

In fairness to Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat, even a great script couldn't have saved this movie if the acting was either too stiff or over dramatic. It was neither. I swear it was as if we really were spying on somebody in the privacy of their own home. If either actor had been over the top in their performance, it would likely have ruined the entire ambiance the director was trying to set. Neither did; they were perfect.

Oren Peli's direction was excellent. How do I know? I couldn't see his hand anywhere. Everything flowed naturally. Once again, the reality of Paranormal Activity was striking, and that can't happen without careful effort. The cinematography, while reminiscent of films that have gone before (The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield come immediately to mind), was nicely done with both stationary and hand held cameras. Finish that off with some solid edits, and you've got an independent film that's better than a whole lot of what's being put out by the major studios.

BOTTOM LINE: I like horror movies, so I see a lot of them. The best ones have me jumping or cringing in my seat. But a rare and notable few have me scared not just in the theatre, but after I've left. So if you want to know if Paranormal Activity is genuinely scary, well, I'll tell you this: I did everything I could to take my mind off the movie after I saw it. I even went and saw another movie. But when I got home and got ready for bed, there was nothing I could think about or do that would convince me to turn off the light in my bedroom. Nothing. Now, how good a recommendation is that?

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Paranormal Activity is rated R for language. I honestly think that it should hold an R rating for the very adult and genuinely terrifying subject matter alone! This is not a movie for those who are easily frightened, nor do I recommend you take the kids. Movie geeks and horror freaks (who know enough to realize that blood and gore does not necessarily equal horror), however, will love this one.

POLITICAL NOTES: None.

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 108 minutes

Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's AssistantOkay, I know it hasn't been getting great reviews. But how can a freak for vampires like me not go see a movie like this one? I haven't read any of the books on which this movie is based, so I went into the theatre with an entirely open mind. Unfortunately, I left the theatre feeling like something was still missing.

The movie opens in the middle with the funeral of Darren Shan (Chris Massoglia). His best friend Steve (Josh Hutcherson) and his family are clearly devastated. But then the camera pans toward the casket and zooms directly inside it where we see Darren occupying himself by playing with a handheld game. Clearly, he's not dead. In the very next scene, we head back to the beginning of the story and what seems to be an ordinary school day for Darren and Steve. It's ordinary, that is, until someone tosses a flyer out of a car. And it's that flyer that sets the boys on the path that will land Darren in that coffin.

The flyer advertises the Cirque du Freak, and the boys are fascinated from the moment they see it. Their interest is only piqued further when a teacher catches them with the flyer and tells them how wrong it is to exhibit those who have some deformity or another. The boys sneak out late that night and head to the theatre where they find themselves in the front row. Both are simultaneously fascinated and appalled by the performers, but then Steve claims he recognizes one of the performers as a real vampire, one apparently featured in a book he has.

The alleged vampire, Mr. Crepsley (John C. Reilly) is less than thrilled that Steve thinks he's a vampire. But everything might have worked out for the best anyway if Mr. Tiny (Michael Cerveris) hadn't appeared. He apparently has plans for the boys, plans that don't bode well for anyone. Oblivious to the sinister undercurrents, the boys sneak into Crepsley's dressing room, both of them for dramatically different reasons. And it's what happens next that sets the tone for everything else.

The Vampire's Assistant is actually the second in the Cirque du Freak series. I suspect that the writers combined a couple of the books to put this movie together, and that turns out to have been a bad idea. The movie seems to gloss over some things too quickly; it also includes a whole host of characters, many of whom might be very interesting if only we weren't limited to a glimpse of one, and a word or two from another!

The acting is fine. I've been a John C. Reilly fan ever since I saw him in Chicago, and he doesn't disappoint here. I also found Mr. Cerveris' Mr. Tiny to be a really creepy guy which is, I'm sure, just what I was supposed to think. The young men who play Darren and Steve are quite good, especially Josh Hutcherson (you'll recognize him from some previous movies I really enjoyed including Zathura). You'll also see a number of other familiar faces, although some are all but unrecognizable at first glance (I knew Ken Watanabe was in the movie, and still didn't recognize him right away). That only made it worse, though, when so many got so little screen time.

Director Paul Weitz does a perfectly fine job with the script he's been given, one which is rife with limitations. Unfortunately, Weitz also co-wrote the script, so no excuses here! In truth, the script isn't bad. It just tries to put too many things into too short a time frame. Maybe it would have been better to concentrate on one book at a time. If it helps, the special effects are very well done, and the sets are terrific.

BOTTOM LINE: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant isn't a bad movie. It's just not an especially good one. I will tell you that I liked it well enough that I ordered the first several books of the Cirque du Freak series today. I suspect I'll like them quite a bit. And after reading them, maybe I'll have a better appreciation for this movie which, while it delivered the goods, didn't deliver anywhere near enough of them.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant is rated PG-13 for "sequences of intense supernatural violence and action, disturbing images, thematic elements and some language." That may be a little harsh, especially for kids who like vampires and similar beasties. Unless your child is particularly sensitive, I think this one should be okay for children of about 10 or 11 and up.

POLITICAL NOTES: None.