Movie Review: Oculus

Title: Oculus
Rated: R
Genres: Horror, Suspense
Director: Mike Flanagan
Stars: Karen Gillan, Brenton Thwaites, Katee Sackhoff
Rating: 5 Stars

After the violent deaths of Kaylie (Karen Gillan, Doctor Who and Guardians of the Galaxy) and Tim’s (Brenton Thwaites, The Giver and Maleficent) parents, young Tim is blamed and sent to a mental facility for treatment. Kaylie holds on to the truth though: The mirror caused those and many more deaths before them. With the intent to clear her brother’s name, she tracks down the mirror and sets up an experiment to capture its evil. But the mirror is ready to fight back.

The remarkable thing about Oculus is how it wonderfully executes concepts that could easily fall into the realm of B-movie. The mirror is inhabited by an evil, ghostly woman, but rather than relying only on typical and stale imagery, she has her own personality and extremely creepy vibe going on.

One of the main concepts is that the mirror can warp perception. The characters, and viewers, can never be certain what’s real. But we definitely know the motives which gives us direction and context: the mirror’s self-preservation and utterly destroying the living. This builds a lot of tension, as how they react to perceived dangers can have huge consequences in the hidden reality.

The filmmakers were also to expertly utilize flashbacks within Oculus. Kaylie and Tim are brought back to their childhood home where the original incident occurred. Emotions are high and the threat is clear. Is it a storytelling mechanic? Are the characters just remembering? Or are the flashbacks the mirror’s doing, putting them back into a scared and helpless state of mind? Or maybe it’s a mix of all three that feeds into the uncertainty of reality.

While the ending could have gone a couple different ways, I was okay with where it ended, though I can see it ruffling a few feathers. There is also sequel, and pre-sequel, potential here, especially with Jeff Blum (Paranormal Activity and Insidious franchises) as executive producer. I would definitely would be all for more Oculus films if they’re as good as this one!

Oculus has jumped straight to the top of the list of my favorite perception-based and horror films. I highly recommend it!

FIND OCULUS ONLINE:
Website | IMDB

Movie Review: I, Frankenstein

Title: I, Frankenstein
Rated: PG-13
Genres: Fantasy, Action, Supernatural Thriller
Director: Stuart Beattie
Writers: Stuart Beattie, Kevin Grevioux
Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Bill Nighy, Miranda Otto, Jai Courtney, Yvonne Strahovski
Rating: 2 Stars

Ever wonder what happened to Frankenstein’s monster after the book ended? Well, I, Frankenstein will let you in on how the creature, now called Adam (Aaron Eckhart), is pulled into the war between demons and gargoyles. It seems the supernatural  creatures want to know what keeps his formerly dead heart ticking and use that knowledge for their own means. Or at least kill him so others don’t find out.

First reaction: This is Underworld meets the plot of Van Helsing. . . with a new crop of supernatural creatures. It’s not surprising that there are similarities since Grevioux has had a hand in writing every Underworld film to date. Unfortunately, I, Frankenstein was dropped into it’s franchise formula. While the action scenes are wonderful, as expected, this film just lacked the originality that could’ve made it a fun addition to the genre.

Let’s take a look at those similarities:

• Two supernatural, warring factions 
• Dark and atmospheric, set mostly at night
• Stunning fight scenes and VFX
• Villain played by Bill Nighy
• Outsider protagonist
• Top notch soundtrack
• Themes of betrayal, humanity, good vs evil, and fighting for oneself
• Humans are oblivious to the unseen dangers and impending doom
• Unlocking physical traits means salvation or damnation, depending on your supernatural affiliation

Even though I went into this film expecting very little but a supernatural slug-fest, I am still extremely disappointed by the unoriginality and some of the blatant, yet ill-fitted hypocrisy from the characters. Queen Lenore (Miranda Otto, Lord of the Rings) drove me batty the entire film. “Our war is fought in the shadows,” then immediately after has an all out gargoyle vs. demon war in the streets. Also, this war has been waging for how many centuries and you didn’t have a contingency plan for when they attacked your HQ? Ridiculous and irresponsible.

So, what did I like about I, Frankenstein? Clearly, I enjoyed the battle scenes and VFX, especially the transformations of the gargoyles to human form and back which can be seen in the trailer above. I’ll always love seeing Bill Nighy at work. It was also great seeing some newcomers to the genre—Aaron Eckart (The Dark Night, Battle: Los Angeles) takes up his first role as a supernatural badass; Yvonne Strahovski (Chuck) plays leading scientist and sometimes damsel in distress; and Jai Courtney (Divergent) was that obligatory ‘now where have I seen him before?’ character that looks a bit different without his dystopian style from Divergent.

All in all, if you just want some pretty fights starring fun actors, by all means, catch this one on the cheap. Otherwise, pass it up and look for a strong plot elsewhere.

Find I, Frankenstein online:
Website | IMDB

Movie Review: My Soul to Take

Title: My Soul to Take
Rated: R
Genres: Horror, Suspense
Director & Writer: Wes Craven
Stars: Max Thierot, John Magaro, Denzel Whitaker
Rating: 3.5 Stars

The Riverton Ripper’s murder spree came to an end 16 years ago. He didn’t go without a fight. No, the Ripper is the type of villain who doesn’t stay down, no matter how many wounds he’s taken, and then makes an oath to kill the people left alive. Well, surprise surprise, after an impressive attempt by police officers and paramedics, the Ripper’s body vanishes.

Each year the teens who were born the day the Ripper died perform a little ritual to keep the murderer from fulfilling his murderous vow. But during the sixteenth year, they’re prevented from completing it and the murders begin anew, starting with them.

My Soul to Take has a lot of the classic horror tropes including the villain that just won’t die, a ritual, teen protagonist, a curse, and questionable sanity, as well as many of the ‘high school’ tropes. I loved this. While I enjoy many modern horror films, I find more often than not that they shy away from the psychological horror and jump straight to the gore.

The best part of the film for me was the main character, Bug (Max Thierot). He’s very timid, shy, and innocent, but with an underlying darkness. He’ll fall into moments where he acts very strangely and doesn’t even know he’s creeping out the other characters. He actually grows throughout the film too. He sheds those innocent and shy tendencies as the film progresses.

Even though I had fun watching My Soul to Take, it did have its flaws, mostly in the form of ‘could-have-beens.’ Craven sets up an interesting connection with the teens and the Ripper, but he doesn’t go very far with it. The Ripper seemed to have been collecting the souls of his victims and housing them in his body. The teens seemed to reflect some of those soul’s characteristics. It doesn’t go much further than that set up, nor do we really get an explanation of why. There could have definitely been some amazing plot if it was explored further.

Generally, it watches as a fairly mediocre horror flick, especially if you compare it to most of Craven’s other films. Despite that, and the less-than-stellar critic response, I enjoyed it and can see myself watching it again when I need a fix of teen horror.

FIND MY SOUL TO TAKE ONLINE:
Website | IMDB

Movie Review: Scream 4

Title: Scream 4
Rated: R
Genres: Horror, Mystery, Suspense, Campy Humor
Director: Wes Craven
Writer: Kevin Williamson
Stars: Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courtney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin
Rating: 4 Stars

Description:
While promoting her new book, Ghostface survivor Sidney Prescott (Neve Campell) returns to Woodsboro. Soon after, the murders start again, targeting Sidney’s cousin Jill (Emma Roberts). It’s up to Sidney, Dewey (David Arquette), and Gale (Courtney Cox) to stop Ghostface’s most recent murder spree.

My Thoughts:
If you’re a fan of the original Scream film, then you will no doubt enjoy this installment. Scream 4 is one of, if not the, best reboots I’ve seen to date. Craven and Williamson bring back all the gore, humor, and postmodern awareness that started the franchise.

Rule 6: Don’t f**k with the original

Remember that famous opening with Drew Barrymore? I don’t know a horror buff that doesn’t, or will ever forget it. How does a franchise outdo that? Scream 4 definitely makes a go at it with a slew of cameos and meta references. It probably won’t go down in the books as terrifying, but it is definitely one of the more creative ways to poke fun at your own movie legacy, while planting yourself in your fan’s minds for a good, long time.

Overall, I loved the return to Woodsboro. Campell, Arquette, and Cox give the great performances you expect in the series. I loved seeing Emma Roberts in something not kid-oriented, and realizing that she could definitely make it in the horror genre. While some of the other newcomers fell a bit flat, it didn’t take much away from the overall.

While I was talking to other people about Scream 4, an interesting gap presented itself. Mostly, Scream fans liked it a lot. The only folks that didn’t like it were teenagers. They hadn’t been around for the earlier films. Many of them “didn’t get” the campy humor and were disappointed that it wasn’t super gory like the Saw or Hostel films. Even those that had seen at least one of the earlier films weren’t enthused. Clearly, the people I speak to do not constitute everyone, but how stark that line was makes me worry about the generational gap in horror fans. Cause really, like these teens don’t make me feel old enough already.

Find Scream 4 Online:
Website | IMDB | Netflix

Movie Review: Pitch Perfect

Title:  Pitch Perfect
Rated:  PG-13
Genre:  Comedy, musical
Director:  Jason Moore
Writers:  Kay Cannon (screenplay), Mickey Rapkin (book)
Stars:  Anna Kendrick, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, Ben Platt, Adam DeVine, Elizabeth Banks, John Michael Higgins
Rating:  4 Stars

Description:
Beca (Anna Kendrick) is an aspiring DJ who wants nothing more than to move to L.A. and start paying her dues. But her professor father is making her give college, and the college life, a shot, on-campus club required. Beca reluctantly joins the Barden Bellas, an all-girls a cappella singing group.

Barden Bella leader Aubrey (Anna Camp) is determined to make it to the finals using their signature methods:  perfect looks and a song repertoire of famous female hits. But after last year’s disastrous showing, the recruits are anything but perfect.

Can Beca remix Aubrey’s thoughts and tired playlist to beat the rival a cappella group, The Treble Makers?

Pitch Perfect TV spot

My Thoughts: 
I went into this film with low expectations. It looked like a Glee rehash, and I am no fan of Glee (though, some of their mash-ups are wonderful). Pitch Perfect just slaughtered those low expectations.

While the competition and romance plot lines are a bit clichéd, the actors make it fresh and entertaining. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, and Brittany Snow have some fantastic comedic lines. There’s also a great cameo from Christopher Mintz-Plasse, in which he pokes fun at Glee.

The soundtrack was also much better than I expected. I feared hearing all my least favorite pop songs that had been overplayed during the year or two before the film’s release. Granted, there was one of them—Miley Cyrus’ “Party in the USA”—but for the most part, it was music I loved. When Yeasayer’s “Rome” came on, I froze in shock. Good thing there wasn’t any dialogue happening then. Other great tracks include “Chelsea Dagger” by The Fratellis, “No Diggity” by Blackstreet, “Don’t You Forget About Me” by Simple Minds, and “Don’t Move” by Phantogram.

Pitch Perfect music video: "Starships" performed by Mike Tompkins, Pitch Perfect cast, and fans

Pitch Perfect is a fun, comedic film. It has a heart, but never gets too serious with itself. I highly recommend it.

Find Pitch Perfect:
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Amazon | Redbox

Movie Review: Butter

Title:  Butter
Rated:  R
Genres:  Comedy, Satire
Director:  Jim Field Smith
Writer:  Jason A. Micallef
Stars:  Jennifer Garner, Yara Shahidi, Ty Burrell, Olivia Wilde, Ashley Greene, Alicia Silverstone, Rob Corddry, Hugh Jackman
Rating:  4 Stars

Description: 
After winning 15 years in a row, master butter carver Bob Pickler (Ty Burrell) is forced to step down and let others have a shot at butter fame. Understanding this as a personal shot at the Pickler family status, his wife, Laura (Jennifer Garner) enters the refrigerated room and begins her butter quest.

But our young narrator and main character, Destiny (Yara Shahidi), becomes a sticker in Laura Pickler’s side. After being bounced between comically horrible foster families, Destiny finds a stable home with Ethan and Julie (Rob Corddry and Alicia Silverstone). They encourage her to find a hobby she likes, which just so happens to be butter carving, something she is a bit of a prodigy at.
This butter battle boasts contenders from butter carving groupies, to a stripper (Olivia Wilde), to a good ol’ car salesmen (Hugh Jackman). Expect satire, manipulation, and farcical levels of competition.

My Thoughts: 
Set in Iowa, this quirky comedy takes full advantage of its Midwest setting. From the Iowa State Fair to the odd assortment of characters, the script felt genuinely Midwest to this Minnesotan. And while the accents weren’t perfect the whole time, I can tell you that my Minnesoooootan accent comes waves, so it didn’t particularly bother me.

You can't have a State Fair or butter carving competition without getting religious or polical

The casting decisions were great. Jennifer Garner plays the controlling wife in that wonderful way we’ve seen before (think of her character in Juno, but harden her heart a bit). Ty Burrell plays his fumbling dad routine with a little more seriousness injected. Olivia Wilde hits the mark as an extortionist stripper. Mostly the actors play variations on what I already knew them for, with the exception of Wilde and Hugh Jackman, both wonderful and surprising roles. This was also my introduction to Yara Shahidi, who did an excellent job portraying Destiny.

I recommend Butter to those looking for something quirky, as well as to fans of other Midwest comedies, such as Drop Dead Gorgeous, Juno, Fargo, and Grumpy Old Men.

Find Butter:
Facebook | Amazon | Redbox

Movie Review: Rise of the Guardians

Title:  Rise of the Guardians
Rated:  PG
Genres:  Family, Adventure, Fantasy, Animated
Director:  Peter Ramsey
Production Company:  Dreamworks Animation
Writers:  David Lindsay-Abaire (screenplay), William Joyce (book)
Stars:  Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Hugh Jackman, Jude Law
Rating:  4 Stars

Description:
When the evil Pitch, aka Boogie Man, begins to attack the children of Earth, the Immortal Guardians must fight back to protect their innocence. Santa Claus, Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, and Sandman use their unique abilities to preserve the children’s belief. The Man in the Moon appoints Jack Frost as the newest Guardian. But will his mischievous ways do more harm than good? Can they stop Pitch from starting a reign of fear?

My Thoughts:
On the surface, this is a children’s fantasy adventure film. But there is plenty for adults to love too. Classic characters are revamped. Santa, who goes by North, is given traits of Eastern European/Russian warriors. The Easter Bunny is Australian, complete with boomerangs. The Tooth Fairy is a cross between fairy and hummingbird. The Sandman is made of glittering golden dust and communicates by dust images rather than words. And then we have Jack Frost, a mischievous kid who just wants to play with other kids. All of these clashing personalities adds up to a lot of unexpected humor and action.



This is also a story of finding out who you are. “What’s your center?” as North asks Jack. In the beginning, he doesn’t know; Jack can’t even remember his childhood. But his quest of discovery ultimately helps him in the battle with Pitch.

Dreamworks Animation does a fantastic job as well. The animation is gorgeous and covers wildly different scenes. From stark arctic landscapes to the lush underground warren. The best animation for me was the dream dust and the nightmare dust, especially when they competed.

I only wished that the end battle was a little longer with more action. The end becomes less about the Guardians, and more about the children. There’s nothing wrong with that in general, but I felt they pulled back on what I was there to see—which was the battle between Pitch and The Immortal Guardians.

I should also note that this isn’t really a Christmas film. It is set around Easter, albeit a snowy Easter. And Jack Frost tends to make the landscape a bit icy and snowy. So if you’re hoping for a Christmas movie, that just happens to have other mythical characters, that’s not what you’re getting. Think of this as more of a superhero movie, like an Avengers filled with childhood myths rather than comic book heroes.

High recommendations for fans of Dreamworks Animation, animated adventures, reimagined fairytales/myths, and kid’s movies that appeal to all ages.

Find Rise of the Guardians 
Online | IMDB 

Don’t forget to check out the book it’s based on!
The Guardians of Childhood by William Joyce

What did you think of Rise of the Guardians?

Movie Review: The Campaign

Title:  The Campaign
Rated:  R
Genre:  Comedy
Director:  Jay Roach
Writers:  Chris Henchy, Shawn Harwell
Stars:  Will Ferrell, Zach Galifianakis, Jason Sudeikis, Dylan McDermott, John Lithgow, Dan Aykroyd
Rating:  3.5 Stars

Synopsis:
When four-term Congressman Cam Brady (Ferrell) makes a political faux pas, the rich Motch brothers (Lithgow and Aykroyd) see an opportunity to fund a rival politician that will allow their shady business practices. Who do they choose? None other than Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), the oddball son of a local politico legend. As election day closes in, campaign tactics get more outlandish with each candidate fighting for the top of the polls.

My Thoughts:
The Campaign does its best at political satire without actually getting very political. The main focus, instead, is placed with the characters and outrageous media scandals. We see everything from manufactured public images and attack ads to sex scandals and baby punching. Some of the gags hit close to reality, while others push farcical.

While I love Ferrell and Galifianakis, my favorite was Dylan McDermott, who plays Huggins’ evil-ish campaign manager. He creepily appears behind candidates, is foul-mouthed, and a super jerk. Next to the happy-go-lucky Huggins family, he becomes a hysterical opposing force.

McDermott being all evil ninja in the backseat

From the ads and my favorability towards the cast, I expected The Candidate to be full of strong laughs. However, I found it to be a more subtle amusement for me. There are a few lowball laughs, but most of the funny parts didn’t even get a chuckle from me. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, which I did. It just wasn’t as funny as I expected.

That being the case, I would still highly recommend this film to fans of Ferrell and Galifianakis. Both play their typical roles to their strengths. Just don’t expect it to be the best you’ve seen from either of these actors.

What did you think of The Campaign? Tell me in the comments below.

Movie Review: Detention

Title:  Detention
Rated:  R
Genres:  Comedy, Horror, Sci-fi
Director:  Joseph Kahn
Writers:  Joseph Kahn, Mark Palermo
Stars:  Josh Hutcherson, Shanley Caswell, Spencer Locke, Dane Cook
Rating:  4 Stars

Synopsis from Redbox:

17-year-old Riley Jones must survive her final year of high school. The problem is that she has been sentenced to detention on the night of her prom, her friends are apparently being murdered by the fictional villain of a horror film series, and worst of all, the boy with whom she's in love is infatuated with her biggest rival. It becomes a race against time to save the world as she knows it.

My Thoughts:

Based on this description, I was expecting a B-horror movie. Detention turned out to be so much better than that expectation.

Detention is a meta-tribute to teen comedy and horror films, as well as the 90s. There are clear references to The Breakfast Club, Scream, The Fly, Freaky Friday and so many more. I love when films (or any media) lovingly, and jokingly, reference other things. It gives the film another layer, and a game I can play during a second (or third, or fourth) viewing.



Not only does Detention make tribute to previous films, it also captures the quick, ADHD nature of today’s youth. Characters spew rapid-fire references and quips as the story careens at texting speeds. While I enjoyed this for the most part, sometimes things moved a little too fast to catch everything.

Overall I found Detention to be hilarious and not scary at all. I will definitely be purchasing this film and watching it several more times. However, I find it difficult to recommend to a general audience. Detention is destined to become a cult film. I know many people will tire of the references. Others will despise the overall attitude and ridiculousness. And some people are looking for another Josh Hutcherson movie—which this is much different from his previous work. If you enjoy comedy-horror benders, or cult films, I give a tentative recommendation.

What were your thoughts on Detention? What do you think of cross-genre films? Let me know in the comments below.