I can’t sleep. I blame it on Paranormal Activity. Now, I love a good scary movie like the next person, OK, more so than the next person, but this creepy fest took hold of me long after I left the ArcLight. Not cool! But at the same time…that’s what I loved about it!
Unlike the bazillion horror movies Hollywood has been churning out in recent years, you know the ones I’m talking about, those formulaic horror shows with cheap scares and splatter kills that only serve to make you jump out of your seat and hide behind your hair, this low-budget film with no-name actors and little-to-no special effects relies on a slow buildup and only a handful of terrifying key images that end up popping up in your brain even when you’re back safely in your bed about to fall asleep. It’s the ultimate mind fuck.
Fans of instant gratification and gore won’t like this movie. And those who hated The Blair Witch Project, which is similar in that it seems to be filmed by the actors and there is no visible antagonist, will definitely not like Paranormal Activity.
But for those who relish real fear — the kind that gives you goosebumps, makes the hair at the back of your neck stand up and scares you into the fetal position — well, you’ll love love love this movie!
I don’t know why I still resist watching animated movies. I LOVED so many of them after I got over the initial “toons are for kids” hangup. WALL-E, Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc. — all good stuff! But even with Pixar’s newest animated film, Up, I struggled a bit. I think it was because of Carl Fredrickson, the dour-looking senior citizen and main character of the story, whose frowny face populates the movie posters. Why would I want to spend an hour and a half watching a cartoon about a grumpy old man?
Thank gawd I saw that Rottentomatoes.com gave it an uber fresh 98%. Because here you have a road trip movie, a buddy flick and a love story (my eyes are watering up just thinking about it) all in one. Up is hilarious and yet has depth that adults will appreciate — from the unspoken need of a boy for his father’s approval to an old man’s desire to fulfill his wife’s lifelong wish.
From the title onward, Up is a stratospheric success. It’s guaranteed to lift your spirits, and not with a pushy DreamWorks-style gag reel of celebrity voices and committee-processed one-liners.
There were many moments when I was laughing so hard that tears were rolling down my cheeks — the scary-looking villain with the unexpected chipmunk voice HI-larious! — and then there were moments when I was silently bawling and struggling to hide this fact from my bf; “Why are my contacts so dry?”
But not to fret, there were also colorful creatures and cute talking animals — I love Dug “SQUIRREL!” the tracker dog — as well as a mysterious world with crazy landscapes. And who can forget that fantastic mode of transportation that rivals James’ Giant Peach: the house held aloft by a bajillion happy-hued balloons.
In the end Carl endeared himself to me. I ended up loving his frowny face, his walker with tennis balls for feet and his even his grumpiness, appropriately voiced by Ed Asner. And even the 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer, Russell, voiced by non-child actor (he’s a child who’s not an actor, that is) Jordan Nagai, wasn’t annoying but pretty cute in that awkward and sweet way.
But, for me the talking dogs stole the show. If you’ve ever had a dog as a pet, you’d understand, recognizing and appreciating the dog culture, from the “Cone of shame” to the irresistibility of tennis balls and hatred of squirrels.
I’d totally go see this movie again and even own it when it comes out on DVD. It’s screening in 3D but I saw it in the regular way and it was still mighty enjoyable. Although, this 9-year-old I know excitedly told me that I just HAD to see it in 3D. With the colors, the flying scenes and even the action sequences, I may just have ta. BTW, if you’re not crazy about kids, see it at night when it’s past their bedtime.
Gypsy woman (Lorna Raver) hexes poor Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) in Drag Me to Hell
The creepiness of Spider-Man director Sam Raimi’s new movie, Drag Me to Hell, slowly works its way on you much like a gypsy curse. In the initial viewing of it, you might squeal a bit and laugh a lot but never really squirm from actual fear. It’s not til much later, when, say you have to walk to your car in an empty garage or when you have to turn on the light on the far end of a dark room that the creepiness sets in. Eeeee! Lamia!
I think it’s because I underestimated its scariness. Because, Drag Me to Hell is really more a slapstick comedy in the guise of a horror film than something instantly chilling like The Ring. And that’s classic Raimi. His Evil Dead movies from the ’80s (my fave isEvil Dead II) may have dealt with the walking and twitchy undead, possessed and murderous hands, and blood gushing out of walls but they were also pretty hilarious. I half-expected Bruce “Gimme Some Sugar, Baby” Campbell (Ash from the Evil Dead movies) to have a cameo.
DMTH’s storyline is a good enough scary story with the hapless Everygirl Christine Brown, played by the doe-eyed Alison Lohman, who is tormented by a Lamia via a gypsy curse and tries desperately to undo the hex. What sucks, like any tragedy, is that this didn’t have to happen. See, she’s a loan officer at this bank and she could have extended the creepy gypsy woman’s home loan (I would have!), but because she so badly wanted to impress her boss enough to get the vacant assistant manager position, she doesn’t. And that’s when things go very badly for our young heroine. Ay yi yi.
And yes, there were many times when I hid behind my hair but that was only to avoid gross-out moments. Of which there were many, like the oozing green goo from embalmed bodies and flying eyeballs that kept my bf and the rest of the theater shrieking with laughter.
While I kept my eyes averted from the screen, I couldn’t help but wonder, why has this movie been lauded by film critics, earning a 94% on RottenTomatoes.com? It’s not scary, and one too many times it resorts to that cheap scare tactic used in modern horror movies — chilling music buildup, momentary silence with sigh of relief and then LOUD surprise. Bah! Oh, is this when I should get in the fetal position? After the 10th time, I didn’t even flinch, except to roll my eyes.
[Sam Raimi] wants viewers to jump out of their chairs, to laugh and scream and cheer, and to nudge each other over the transcendent ridiculousness of what they’re witnessing. This is junk filmmaking at its finest.
And I don’t know if it was just the mall movie theater I was in — AMC Loews Broadway 4 on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade — but the volume felt like it was turned to 11. The tweeners in the audience, of course, loved it, but OW my old ears!
But I didn’t hate the movie. It was good fun, the characters were likable (except that overly creepy gypsy woman), and it wasn’t too formulaic. In fact, I liked how they didn’t go for the easy save. Tragedies had to happen here and often did. Awesome.
I think DMTH is the perfect flick to watch on a weekend night before that barhop. If you’ve already watched Star Trek, that is. Drag Me to Hell is such a refreshing scary movie in this era of torture porn and remakes. And I naturally welcome Raimi’s return to horror and can’t even wait to see if there really is going to be an Evil Dead IV in 2011.
BTW, I highly recommend that you see this movie at the ArcLight or any movie theater that’s not in a mall. Since it’s PG-13, it seems that it’s the perfect opportunity for teenagers to socialize.
During our Friday night screening, gaggles of teens populated the theater screaming at the screen, text messaging with their bright phones and conversing during the movie’s critical moments. One group even got kicked out. HA ha!
OK, I LOVED the book. I admit it. When I was single, He’s Just Not That Into You was a much needed wake-up call. OF COURSE! Why do I always make excuses for these guys who basically treat me like shit? Why do I do all the work to make things happen? Why the stress of deciphering every little email, phone call, date?
And then by just reading the title of the book, I had my answer. Of course, you really don’t need to read the 165 pages to figure out that if it’s too much work then you and him ain’t happening. But you read it anyway because it’s easily digestible fun and, like most romantic comedies, that’s why you’d go and see the movie version.
OMG I actually liked a Ben Stiller movie. I haven’t liked anything he’s been in since There’s Something About Mary. I hated Zoolander, Meet the Fockers, Dodgeball…if he was in it, I hated it. But after I found myself giggling at the trailers and Rottentomatoes.com gave Tropic Thunder a healthy 84% I decided to give ol’ Ben a chance.
And surprisingly, the people I thought would fer sure be annoying in this movie, i.e. Ben, Tom Cruise and Matthew McConaughey weren’t that bad. In fact everyone toed that line of being funny without going over the top to astronomically annoying. Even Jack Black. To paraphrase a controversial line in the movie, no one went full imbecile. It was amazing. I actually liked everyone in this cast.
Why are you at work today? You should be out seeing The Dark Knight, which opened today. Play hooky and go see it. You can check it out at the ArcLight in Hollywood as it has that exhibit of the actual Batman and Joker costumes, but I recommend seeing it at an IMAX theater as the movie was filmed in IMAX so should be quite spectacular on the huge screen.
I saw this newest Batman at the Sherman Oaks ArcLight last night and absolutely loved it. Of course I don’t know how this very dark film with its disturbing scenes and themes was able to get just a PG-13 rating as I was hiding behind my hair and plugging up my ears one too many times. “Mommy loves Daddy, Mommy loves Daddy, Mommy loves Daddy!” What can I say? Heath Ledger’s Joker was terrifying and so unpredictable. And I didn’t like his disappearing pencil trick but at all. It may not have been graphic but it was pretty suggestive.
Do I think HL should be nominated for an Oscar? Well, I don’t know what the criteria for winning a best actor nomination is but he was pretty damn good at fleshing out the character of the usually campy Joker and creating this memorable and sinister clown. Pretty damn good. And if Heath Ledger hadn’t died this year, it would have been hard to recognize the “heart throb” actor and easy to get lost in his maniacal criminal. But he did steal the scene whenever he was up on the screen, making you chuckle at him and then squeal in terror. I can see why he suffered sleepless nights while he was playing this psychotic role.
But the Joker isn’t the only reason to see this movie, obviously. Christian Bale is pretty impressive as the ass-kicking, gravelly voiced hero/bumbling billionaire. The action scenes are breath-taking.
And, like its predecessor Batman Begins, this one is a compelling retelling of the dark vigilante’s story. What I like about this series (hopefully it continues) is that it tells it as if it’s the “true” story that inspired the legend, that inspired the campy Adam West version and the Hollywood blockbuster versions with too many A-list actors. Nope, here you get the gritty Batman without the safety net of the ridiculously over-the-top costumes and makeup. And surprisingly, and refreshingly, very little CGI. Apparently director Christopher Nolan opted to rely more on stunt work than green screens. And the movie is so awesome because of that.
But it’s pretty dark and almost depressing. In Batman’s city, there’s no one to trust. The criminals run everything including a lot of the cops, and it makes me wonder, “Who the hell would want to live in Gotham?” But here’s Batman and now Harvey Dent, the new D.A. who offer hope as they work to rid the city of its scum. (Those familiar with Batman lore already know Dent’s fate but it’s cool to watch how that plays out here. BTW, Aaron Eckhart is so pretty.)
In the meantime you’re taken on this long (2 1/2 hours) rollercoaster ride of violence and darkness and by the time you come out the other side you’re just exhausted. But exhausted in a good way, like you went skydiving, landed on a bridge, bungee’d off that and then got in the world’s fastest car to set a new land-speed record. At least that’s how I felt.
There were times during the movie when I was tempted to look at my watch but then I was thankful that it wasn’t over just yet as I wanted to see more. And judging from how this one ends, I’m thinking there will be more to come.
FYI, here’s a cool article about Batman’s high-tech gadgets and their real-life counterparts.
When I first saw the trailers for Iron Man, my first reaction was “Meh, another over-the-top blockbuster.” I had no desire to see it. Not because I’m not a fan of the Iron Man story/comics, I’m not, but because the trailer with all its exciting flashes of special effects didn’t impress me. Plus there was a lot of military stuff in there; Afghanistan, missiles, jet fighters — boring! And although I have appreciated Robert Downey Jr. in other movies, I was not loving him as super hero.
But then hints of good reviews started trickling in. And my fate was sealed when dotsara said her friend liked the movie so much that he insisted that she quit her job just so that she could go see the movie in the middle of the work day. Apparently it was THAT good.
Iron Man is an action sci-fi blockbuster extravaganza that provides cartoon thrills for thinking people.
So despite it being opening night for the movie, something I usually avoid like the plague, I found myself buying my ticket to the 6pm show at the horrible Mann Criterion in Santa Monica. Since it was early in the evening, the theater was populated with a ton of teenage boys. Fortunately, I was able to find a seat away from them and instead sat in front of a row of 8-year-old girls wearing pink.
We all settled in for quite an exciting ride of, yes, special effects, explosions and shiny machines (mmm, the Audi R8). But to my surprise, there was also awesome casting, impressive acting and a compelling story. Yeah! I know! In a summer blockbuster! And I found Robert Downey Jr. intriguing in this part. Not annoying at all.
I guess the character he played, Tony Stark, is supposed to be a big asshole in the comic books but here, RBJ, played him like a likable lothario. Knowing about the actor’s real-life debaucherous history sorta works to round out this character. You relished Stark’s enjoyment of his money and fame. In one scene he was sitting in his private jet enjoying a bourbon while his sexy flight attendants danced and a stripper pole started to rise up from the floor. And it just felt right. “Oh, he’s such a scoundrel. Heehee.” And hey, that RBJ has been working out! Didn’t care for his 98 Degrees-style facial hair but other than he looked pretty damn good.
I just love Stark, the imperfect superhero alter ego. True, he, like most superhero alter egos, has to keep love at a distance. But Stark was like that anyway. His work always came first. Women just filled in the quiet times, like his bourbon. And instead of that annoying love interest he has to save, he has the beautiful but smart assistant, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, who can hold her own, including Stark’s respect. Hey, she can outrun super villains and pilot her Audi S5 in Christian Louboutin skyscraper stilettos, she’s definitely got my respect.
And if you’re a tech geek, you’ll drool over all the eye candy in this film. At the end of it, I wanted to buy lots o’ gadgets — an iPod Touch, maybe a MacBook Air, a new digicam. These weren’t in the movie, but I was now craving all things shiny and high-tech.
Anyway, loved Iron Man. Despite its blockbuster tendencies, it held my interest after the explosions and even though there was the occasional “Bah, I knew they were going to do that.” And seeing it with a bunch of Iron Man fans hopped up on years of comic books, energized the movie-going experience. They cheered when the suit was shown in its entirety for the first time — sheet metal flipping, gears moving, eye holes glowing. I even found myself clapping and hollering, as I was carried away in the excitement. This is definitely not the sort of movie you save for a DVD rental. To do so would be a shame.
You need to see this movie at one of those high-tech movie theaters (not a mall multiplex, like I did). Settle into your cushy stadium seat with your overpriced popcorn and soda and enjoy. Unlike most summer blockbusters, you won’t feel dirty afterward and you’ll probably still be thinking about it after you leave the theater.
