“The Purge” (2013) was a fun, smart, suspenseful thriller with a great sci-fi plot device. And they did a nice job of world building with no special effects and a really good script – it reminds me of a decent episode of “The Outer Limits.” Eight out of 10.
Yet my first thought when passing the woods and hearing a mysterious rustling is “WALKER!”
Things go bump in the night when I’m eating cookies.
Paranormal Snacktivity.
Now THIS was a decent horror movie. “The Possession” (2012) was a well-directed and capably written yarn about a demon afflicting a divorced family via a cursed box. It had great acting all around, most notably by the possessed innocent (Natasha Calis) and especially her well meaning father (the talented and likable Jeffrey Dean Morgan). I’d give it an 8 out of 10.
My quibbles were minor. This is essentially a Jewish retread of “The Exorcist” (1973), with the Catholic clergyman and demon swapped out for a rabbi and a “dybbuk” (sp?). If you’ve seen “The Exorcist,” you’ve basically seen this. There is some CGI-rendered body horror that seemed gimmicky and unneeded. And I hate movies where divorced families are magically reunited after facing a challenge together. (Does this ever happen in real life?)
Still, this was a scary flick and a fun watch. I’d recommend it.
I shaved the beard. But now I just really, really need a haircut. I look like goddam Whitesnake.
I could only sit through an hour of Piranha 3DD (2012), despite a sheer cornucopia of bosoms. THAT’S HOW BAD A MOVIE THIS IS.
I’d give it a 0 out of 10, and I actually liked its predecessor, which I thought was a fun B-movie and an homage to 1970’s gimmick monster movies. This … this was just a failed horror movie, in which the filmmakers tried to compensate with a couple of hundred half nude 20-somethings. FAIL.
The movie’s most redeeming quality (in the first hour that I watched) is the presence of David Hasselhoff. He seems to be a genuinely funny guy who is down-to-earth enough to poke fun of himself a little. I think that’s pretty cool. And, yes, per his query in the movie, there actually ARE some people who remember “Knight Rider.”
Maybe the new Star Wars will feature a race of Bill Cosby aliens from the planet Zippity-Pop-Bop.
Also, her name is “Daisy?” Why would someone from a galaxy far, far away be named after an earth flower?
Blogging some of my past movie reviews from Facebook. —–
Sigh. It’s true what they’re saying about “Paranormal Activity 4” (2012). It’s just no good.
It’s a lackluster story devoid of any pacing or tension. I’d give it a 2 out of 10 for one or two scary moments, but that’s it. And I loved the first trilogy. Also, if we simply film Katie Featherston standing still or walking slowly, that’s not scary. It’s adorable, but not scary.
Questions: 1) Why on earth would the family leave their “Wii Kinect” on all the time?
2) Wouldn’t even teenagers see the moral quandary of filming the entire family without their knowledge? What if their parents had sex in the living room or something?
3) What the hell is the bad guys’ master plan? It’s been four feature films already, and I just don’t see them accomplishing much. Seriously, endgame, please.
4) What’s the deal with a boyfriend violently yanking his girlfriend off her bed by her feet? That’s … funny to a teenager?
5) If a ghost is invisible, that means it doesn’t reflect light … except from a Wii Kinect?
6) Is it “Kinect” or “Connect?” Do I think too much about these things?
— Depeche Mode’s “Stripped,” to take the sting out of the news of Seacobeck’s impending loss. Hell, whenever the Seaco-posse got together for one of those parties in New Hall (it was a regular occurrence), we played Depeche Mode like it was going out of style.
Actually … maybe it was going out of style. I’m pretty sure that Mode’s popularity was never quite what it was when I was an undergraduate.
Oh, well. Enjoy the song, get to sleep (we’re old now), and dream of bug juice and Rose Room cheeseburgers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wus0Xq6Hv-I&index=417&list=FLEjGv3WZw134CN_yJVg3_Hg
Eric Robert Nolan, Author 