Paranormal Activity 3

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 21 Oct 2011
Running Time: 83 Minutes
Staring:  Chloe Csengery, Jessica Tyler Brown, Christopher Smith
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 5.9 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 68% Audience: 51%
MY RATING: 7

MY REVIEW:
If you liked the first two, you'll like this one. This one goes back to 1988 to see young Katie and her sister Kristi, their mom, Julie and Julie's boyfriend Dennis finding strange things beginning to happen in their home. Katie begins to hear her imaginary friend, Toby, and most everyone just things that it's kid stuff and moves along.

Weird stuff begins to happen and the camera go up. Again, I like the use of the multiple cameras so you get a really good view of the entire house. This movie is filled with obsession to find out what's going on as well as the origin story beginning to be understood. It definitely leaves some unanswered questions, but that my friends, is how we know that there will be another one!

Munger Road

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 30 Sept 2011
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Staring:  Bruce Davidson, Randall Batinkoff, Trevor Morgan
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 4.5 of 10
MY RATING: 3 of 10. 

Watch Drunk

MY REVIEW:
I am a horror fan, so I am likely to be a little harsh with my review. I mean, I did give it a 3, so it wasn't the worst thing of all time.

Here are my major issues with this movie.

1. When you are trying to hide from a killer, it might behoove you to at least be quiet. Don't scream. Hold your mouth shut. Seriously. Be still and quiet if you want to live!
2. When running from said killer, don't choose the place that looks dark and deserted. Go to the place that looks like there might be power and some people and maybe a phone to call for help!
3. If you're a sheriff in a semi-large town, have more than two people working the night shift!
4. When you write a movie, HAVE AN ENDING!

**I found out after that this was SUPPOSED to have a sequel but the funding didn't come through so that's why it ends without an ending. Still not a good reason, but at least it's a reason.

Moneyball

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 23 Sep 2011
Running Time: 133 Minutes
Staring:  Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? Not Really

REVIEWS
IMDB: 7.6 of 10
MY RATING: 8

MY REVIEW:
I have to sat this was a really good movie.  For a sports biography, I have to say, I was surprised.

Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane with superior acting ability. The bio pic was well written and interesting. Before this movie, I had really little understanding of this aspect of the baseball game. This was new to me and I found it to be quite intriguing.

I think this movie will even appeal to the non-sports fans. It's more about ones personal fight inside themselves and his struggle to maintain his life and family.

Straw Dogs

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 16 Sept 2011
Running Time: 110 Minutes
Staring:  James Marsden, Kate Bosworth
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 5.8 of 10
MY RATING: 6

STORYLINE
LA Screenwriter David Sumner relocates with his wife to her hometown in the deep South. There, while tensions build between them, a brewing conflict with locals becomes a threat to them both.

MY REVIEW:
I was pretty indifferent. It was okay, just okay.

I saw the "crazy hillbilly locals" plot coming a mile away. The overall message seems more about a competition for masculinity and standing up to bullies. It was overdone and excessive. The plot was watered down and could have been better. The acting was pretty good.  The serious nature of this movie was pretty intense. But Aleksander Skarsgard was perfect!!

Grave Encounters

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 9 Sept 2011
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Staring:  Ben Wilkinson, Sean Rogerson, Ashleigh Gryzko
Rating? NOT RATED
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.1 of 10
MY RATING: 4

STORYLINE
For their ghost hunting reality tv show, a production crew locks themselves into an abandoned metal hospital that's supposedly haunted - and they might prove it to be true.

MY REVIEW:
Mediocre might be an overstatement with this movie. I wanted to like it, but let's be serious, a scary movie that's UNRATED. It was written well, but with sub-par acting and shitty direction, it was pretty revolting.

I never felt even a twinge of anticipation, no jumps, no big scares. The atmosphere was pretty good. Set design was well done, but the ghosts and the effects were the downfall of it all!

Creepy, but otherwise un-noteworthy.

Contagion

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 9 Sept 2011
Running Time: 106 Minutes
Staring:  Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lawrence Fishburne
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.7 of 10
MY RATING: 8

STORYLINE
Healthcare professionals, government officials and everyday people find themselves in the midst of  a worldwide epidemic as the CDC works for a cure.

MY REVIEW:
I appreciated this movie for what it was supposed to be. A pandemic movie that is pretty realistic with little overt action sequences and fully dialogue-driven scenes without a real hero to put your faith in.

I enjoyed the multi-faceted views from a lot of different angels so that the true pieces can be sewn together.

It's a movie that I really don't need to see again, and I really don't have any plans to... it made sense and it was a good reminder of what could happen at the beginning of each day.

Apollo 18

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 2 September 2011
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Staring:  Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, Ryan Robbins
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 5.2 of 10
MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE
Decades old found footage from NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 Mission, where two American astronauts were sent on a secret expedition, reveals the reason the US has never returned to the moon.

MY REVIEW:
For a found-footage movie, this was pretty decent. I appreciated the movie in spite of the found footage style of which I am not a huge fan!

There was something interesting about the concept and the story. I appreciated the sense of dread that was one of the pieces that made this a success.

You're Next

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 23 August 2011
Running Time: 95 Minutes
Staring:  Sharni Vinson, Joe Swanberg, AJ Bowen
Rating? R
SPOILERS? NO

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.5 of 10
MY RATING: 7

STORYLINE
When the Davison family comes under attack during their wedding anniversary getaway, the gang of mysterious killers leads that one of the victims harbors a secret talent for fighting back.

MY REVIEW:
It's a sweet family reunion flick with the Davison family. Not really, it's a typical slasher film with some decent twists.

Dad was in the marketing department for a huge defense contractor and he's loaded!! Erin {Sharni Vinson} is his son's new girlfriend. And then a gang of masked murderers begin to attack the family.

One of the problems that I have with this movie is it takes entirely too long for the movie to get started. Aside from the murderers killing people the first hour is just two or three characters at a time becoming less and less interesting to me. The actors were a little distracting and over the top.

There is a pretty decent twist and I give them credit for me not figuring it out!

Fright Night

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 19 Aug 2011
Running Time: 106 Minutes
Staring:  Colin Farrell, Dave Franco, Anton Yelchin, David Tennant, Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Rating? R
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.4 of 10
MY RATING: 7

MY REVIEW:
I'm a late 80's girl and I remember the original Fright Night with all of the other things that I feel were nostalgically my youth! I spent a while convincing myself that I COULD actually give this remake a chance. Admittedly, it did take some convincing.

I was pleasantly surprised. There was a pretty delicate balance between paying homage to the classic and giving it a new twist. I feel that they were successful in that endeavor.

I think the casting choices did give it the dignity that I feel it was deserving. Colin Farrell is cast as the Vampire-Next-Door, Jerry. I found his portrayal delightfully entertaining. He was a choice that after watching him play this part, I feel was the only choice to make!

Playing the role of Charley Brewster, the somewhat delicate youth who discovers the sinister vampire preying on his peers, is Anton Yelchin. He was in the Star Trek remake in 2009, so that makes sense... he likes remakes. Christopher Mintz-Plasse plays his buddy Ed, perfectly I might add. Toni Collette is his mom.. Imogen Poots is Amy.

I mean, it's not a new idea for a movie, it's not anything out of the ordinary, but it's a pretty decent movie. I enjoyed it. Sparkly vampires and all!

Captain America: The First Avenger

GENERAL INFORMATION
Release Info: 22 July 2011
Running Time: 124 Minutes
Staring:  Chris Evans, Hugo Weaving, Samuel L. Jackson
Rating? PG-13
SPOILERS? YES

REVIEWS
IMDB: 6.8 of 10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics: 79% Audience: 74%
MY RATING: 5 of 10

MY REVIEW:
This was an okay movie. Not horrible, but not great.

There seemed to be no real plot development or character development made to make you care about who you were watching. No emotional attachment with the people at all. Seemed flat. I did like the little bits of humor found throughout, but that was nowhere near enough to keep me satisfied that I just paid $5.65 for an ICEE that I could have gotten at 7-11 for less than $2.

A few acting lessons would not have been a bad investment. Sometimes it was over the top cheese-tactic and other times it was just not enough to make me believe that it wasn't the first read through.

Captain America fights the Nazis. Just a bit too cliche. It's a kids movie. Pure and simple.