Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension

Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is the sixth entry in the found footage franchise, this time promising to, for the first time, let us see the activity.

The “final entry” in the series of found footage films, Paranormal Activity was launched at a time when found footage had becomes something of a popular choice amongst studios – cheap to make, so easy to recoup the costs and parlay this into box office success to fuel the desire to make more.

“Why are you so interested in this?”

The franchise certainly has proven popular amongst some audiences, but is the sort of film that feels like it’s only scary to those unfamiliar with the genre or are susceptible to mass hysteria – everybody jumping because everyone is jumping at that scary thing that happened that probably doesn’t make sense, but “wasn’t it scary!”

“Sometimes it’s just a glitch”

Throughout the franchise, the films have built on the idea that each family involved has wanted to film their day-to-day lives, giving a reason for the paranormal stuff to be filmed whilst they’re being scared out of their wits.  This is no different, with the family discovering a VHS camera and tape library that captures their interest, allowing Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension to take it a step further, giving us more of the background to the disjointed film series.

As with earlier entries, the film builds up slowly – everything is normal, something odd is discovered, weird things happen, more weird things happen, everyone is scared and the film ends.

It’s difficult to remember the characters names, let alone care for them, as the script is so thin on character development, probably because the writers were more interested in getting to the next scary bit.

The problem with the found footage genre is that the footage has to have been found – with Cannibal Holocaust, it was a television studio contemplating showing the footage; Blair Witch Project, it was framed by “the students went missing, this footage was found”; but too often, as with Paranormal Activity, there’s a sense that the footage isn’t so much found as… just there.  Are the family somehow reviewing their own footage of their own paranormal experience after the fact, as they do in the film?  Thinking about this whilst watching the film suggests the levels of disengagement that I had.

If Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension is the last film in the franchise, it ends very much as it began – a great idea on paper that never truly works.

 

Poltergeist – Remade, Rebooted, Reimagined?

The Bowen family move into a new, perfect, family home, only to find that it’s the source of a paranormal terror.

Poltergeist is one of my favourite horror films.  I first saw it on TV, late at night and it terrified me.  It showed Steven Spielberg’s masterful ability to capture craft a family story, inject it with horror, yet stop short of it being too fantastical.  There was weight to everything, every performance and every moment.

“Without judgement or cynicism.”

In this 2015 remake of the 1982 original, we get the original film seen through modern sensibilities and expands on some of the themes of the original – a loving family, a threat that starts out as fun but slowly becomes darker and a fight against an unthinkable terror.  It goes further, introducing an all-too modern psychological issue for the son and enhancing the fun side of the haunting for Madison contrasting with the more terrifying side through Griffin.

There’s plenty to marvel at in this film as the mundane becomes terrifying, but the use of CGI over physical effects still takes us away from the “realism” of the original.  Yet, there are ample physical effects at which to marvel, it’s the CGI that gets in the way.

Poltergeist has a solid cast led by Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt.  Kennedi Clements and Jared Harris have the hardest tasks of all as Madison and Carrigan Burke, this film’s Carole Anne and Tangina – she brings the same wonder to the role, whilst Harris is a powerful performer in his own right, bringing a different, modern take on the role of the medium.

Technology plays an extended role in the film, beyond the television.  Streaming technology, GPS, drones, tablets – it’s a modern world, after all.

“This is unlike anything I’ve ever felt before.”

The biggest disappointment is one of its newest additions – a look inside the paranormal dimension.  It’s better to not see, to only catch glimpses of what’s beyond, that’s what made the 1982 film so effective – whilst we could be scared by what we saw, it’s the terror of what we can’t that’s truly horrific.

The family in peril, the home invasion, the disbelief turned into belief are all well executed, until the rather slapdash ending.  It’s a great story (because it always was) and a relatively effective update, but this could have been a film in its own right, instead of Poltergeist.

Machete

Born from a trailer in the Tarantino/Rodriguez Grindhouse project – Planet Terror and Death Proof – Machete is the story of a tough-as-old-boots Mexican Federale who seeks vengeance against those who wronged him.

Danny Trejo plays the eponymous Machete, bringing with him the swagger and presence that has been the hallmark of his recent film career.  With a cast that includes Stephen Segal and Robert De Niro, it’s certainly a scene chewing affair of silliness, but it’s clear this was never meant to be taken seriously.

There’s certainly much to be said about the over-the-top, macho appeal of this film for a modern audience.  The female characters – Jessica Alba, Lindsay Lohan and Michelle Rodriguez – are strong but sexy types, there’s no messing around where they’re concerned.  Even Machete himself isn’t to being too masculine, he can care, even when he’s breaking bones.

“Ship em all back, but make them build a wall along the border”

Robert Rodriguez and Ethan Maniquis direct a film that is overloaded with the weight of its own seriousness amongst the action – it’s aping the action films of the 1980s (particularly those that found their way straight to video) where ridiculous dialogue was delivered with almost Shakespearean intensity and meaning could be found in the lingering, pointless shots of everyday objects, but it was really all about the action scenes, violence and one-liners.  Maniquis has Robert and Alvaro Rodgiguez to thank for this tour de force script.

“If he hadn’t been shot before, he’d be dead now”

Power mad bad guys, heroes with a heart and damaged women who yearn to be saved, Machete manages to bring together a much worn Hollywood formula and make it entertaining.  De Niro as a power mad politician intent on removing the “Mexican threat”, seems oddly pertinent in the America of 2017.

Over blown, over the top nonsense, Machete still excels at being what it is, a macho action film that revels in its old fashioned attitudes and underlying message that power corrupts, “there’s the law and there’s what’s right.”

 

Green Lantern

Hal Jordan becomes the Green Lantern of Sector 2814, and the first human to wear the ring, as the Lantern’s face off against their most dangerous enemy.

Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan in a film that was much maligned.  It’s not Reynolds’ fault, his performance is led by a messy, occasionally incoherent, script that focuses too much on the comedy skill of Ryan Reynolds in the early stages, making Hal Jordan a dislikeable character – not because he’s cocky and arrogant, but because he’s… just dislikeable.

As the story moves on, however, Jordan discovering the potential of his powers, Mark Strong’s performance as Sinestro, Peter Sarsgaard as Hector Hammond and the general world of the Green Lantern Corp make for entertaining, if disjointed, viewing.

“You really do have a creative imagination”

The idea that the Green Lantern’s ring can create anything that its wielder can imagine is well executed, as are Parallax (aside from the face) and The Guardians of Oa.  It’s the stuff that isn’t CGI that seems to suffer.

Green Lantern has got a strong cast, with support from Angela Bassett (as a woefully underused and misused Amanda Waller) and Tim Robbins as Senator Hammond, but even this line up can’t overcome the uneven blend of humour, drama and science fiction – whilst it needn’t be as dour as Nolan’s The Dark Knight, it strikes a tone that relies too much on Ryan Reynolds as Ryan Reynolds.

“Did you think I wouldn’t recognise you?”

There are great moments – Carol Ferris (Blake Lively) recognising Hal Jordan within moments of seeing him up close, Mark Strong as Sinestro, the (underused) members of Green Lantern Corp – but too much feels feels thinly realised.

It seems odd, looking back, that this was written by the men who would bring us the much lauded DC television universe and, perhaps, it would have worked better as a TV miniseries than a feature film – the underlying story, the rise of Hal Jordan and the start of Sinestro’s fall, deserves much more substance.

Nerve

Reserved girl, Vee, is dared to take part in a game of dare (the Nerve of the title), gets paired with a mysterious, handsome stranger to complete dares until the stakes take a sinister turn as the stranger’s past is unravelled.

Based on the young adult book by Jeanne Ryan that takes on the subject of social media fame and the lengths people will go for attention, all wrapped up in a techno-thriller.

As it often the case in the youth-led genre, the plain girl, Vee, comes out of her shell having spent years of being ignored – Emma Stone would be the said plain girl.   Dave Franco is the mysterious stranger, who may be called Ian, who Vee finds herself teamed up with.

Stone and Franco are a charming pairing – they’re both charismatic performers who overcome the imperfections of the script with talent over style.  Add to this Machine Gun Kelly as another Nerve player and Juliette Lewis as Vee’s mother, and the cast can certainly be described as… varied.

“I have no idea what she’s doing.”

After the silly stunts of the first act, the film steps up the action without stepping up the substance.  Vee finds herself competing against her “insta-fame” hungry best friend (played by Emily Meade) and the dangerous Ty (played by Machine Gun Kelly), being monitored by her clearly-in-love with her best friend (played by Miles Heizer), and falling for the mysterious Ian.

“Why are you playing Nerve?”

Nerve, the game within the film, relies on the adrenaline rush of the player, their willingness to take risks for the reward and the hedonism of the audience.  With each risk, more is revealed about Vee and Ian, but friendship are shattered and emotions are brought to the surface.  Social media, you see, isn’t a nice, or safe, place to exist.

The use of technology lends more to Hackers in its authenticity than it does to Sneakers, but it’s all very entertaining and progresses the story.  Technology aside, the underlying story is familiar territory for the youth genre.  The dares are the set pieces of Nerve and they definitely drive the story.

As a warning of the excesses of social media ridiculousness, it’s quite engaging, if flawed, especially as Vee and her friends try to take down the game whilst surviving “the final dare”.  As thriller, there’s certainly far better, but there’s also much much worse.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Sonny, the owner of the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, seeks to expand his business for those in their golden years, which leads to a case of mistaken identity, new loves, an inadvertent recruitment of a hitman and friendships anew for the residents of the hotel.

“See the old crumbling ruins.”

The cast of crown jewels in British acting returns, with Richard Gere added to the cast along with Tamsin Greig.

As with the first film, this is a gentle story – even with the perils of the hitman and Sonny’s inadvertent neglect of his bride-to-be (it’s nothing bad, he just pays much more attention to his business than to her, with his jealousy of family friend, Kushal brims over).

Dev Patel and Tina Desai, as Sonny and Sunaina, are the youthful driving force of the film, and the acidic Muriel (Maggie Smith, in fine form), the love struck Madge (Celia Imrie) and the business-minded Evelyn (Judi Dench) are all on fine form.  Bill Nighy, Ronald Pickup and David Strathairn add to a glorious cast.

 

“Some you win…”

Perhaps not as charming as the first film, with some story threads that don’t ring true, the strength of the story comes from the actors and the roles that they romantically fill with life, their interactions and the sheer joy of seeing the various combinations on screen together.

Beautifully performed all round, beautifully shot on location, it’s a gentle film that will entertain anyone looking for something different.

50/50

Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with cancer and must navigate the road to recovery with assistance from his lad of a best friend Kyle (Seth Rogen) and his therapist Katherine (played by Anna Kendrick), who happens to be new to her role as a therapist, alongside his overbearing mother (Anjelica Huston).

“These are really good.  How strong are they?”

Balancing the world he knows with the world he doesn’t – Adam discovers a kinship in his disease with fellow sufferers, Mitch and Alan (Matt Frewer and Philip Baker Hall) who offer him their own form of therapy.

With a 50% chance of survival and a close circle of friends, old and new, Adam sets out to beat the odds.

“You’re not joking.”

Based on a true story, 50/50 has a superb cast – Gordon-Levitt lights up the screen wherever he goes, Rogen may not be too far away from familiar territory thought breathes life and likeability into Adam’s crude best friend, whilst Kendrick and Huston are wonderful on screen.

Cancer will always be a sensitive subject – it destroys lives, not just for the victim, but for those around them – but 50/50 handles it in a humane, honest and humorous way as we follow Adam on his journey and the highs and the lows.

Will Reiser’s script, based on his own story and encouraged by the support of Seth Rogen, gives us a film described as a comedy.  It certainly has its laugh out loud moments, though is more of a lighthearted drama and is never overly sentimental.

Without a doubt, this is Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s film, once more proving that he’s one of the most talented and versatile actors of his generation.

A powerhouse of a film that deals with its subject in an open way, 50/50 is highly recommended.

 

This Is The End

The End of Days approaches and the celebrities of Hollywood are ill prepared for the chaos that ensures.  Thankfully, Hollywood’s modern day Brat Pack are spared, but must fight their way through the final days of the world.

Playing exaggerated versions of themselves, Seth Rogen (and his sensible friend, Jay Baruchel), James Franco, Jonah Hill and Craig Robinson must fend themselves, totally unprepared for real life, let alone the events that transpire.

“I don’t want to die at James Franco’s house.”

The overly artsy Franco, a far too nice Jonah Hill, the reliable friend-t-all Rogen and the sensitive Robinson form a wonderful cast of characters.  Save for Baruchel, the principle cast are deliberately dislikeable, playing on their lack of real world experience and over-sensitive reactions to everything that goes on around them as they try to survive the apocalypse, boredom and fracturing friendships, especially when the arrogant Danny McBride joins the fray.

“You guys act like you’re so high and mighty.”

The film could have been a self-indulgent mess, designed to rub the ego of it’s young, popular cast, but it manages to be highly entertaining.  It’s self-deprecation at its finest, showing Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s skill as writers, whilst also showcasing the cast.

There’s a touch of Shaun of the Dead in This is the End, a knowing, self-deprecating script, comfortable with its cast and not afraid to take a few pot shots.  It revels in its silliness and excels in the story it tells.

 

Imperium

Imperium follows FBI agent Nate Foster as he works to infiltrate a neo-Nazi group to stop a terrorist act.

A film that explores the extents that the saviours of freedom will go to protect freedoms, on both sides of the law, Imperium features an incredibly masculine performance from Daniel Radcliffe, a remorseless Toni Collette as his FBI handler, Pawel Szajda as Nate’s link to the neo-Nazi work, Vince Sargent, the radical group leader, Andrew Blackwell, played by Chris Sullivan, white supremacist celebrity Dallas Wolf, played by Tracy Letts and a fantastically cast Sam Trammell as Jerry.

“Something big is happening.”

It’s a dark story, based on true events, that will certainly shock as the story is told in an unflinching, brutal way as Nate’s world is further divided.

Whilst Nate may ingratiate himself with relative ease into the world, he runs up against the suspicions of Vince’s chief of security, a narrow minded (both racially and generally) Roy.   Thankfully, for Nate, his “military credentials” stand him in good stead, even though it drives a bigger wedge between the pair.

With Nate’s popularity growing, and his ability to get in front of the right people giving him unprecedented access, the extent of the plans are fully revealed, the stakes become higher and Nate’s convictions are truly tested.

“Language. Please. Kids.”

The radicalists are portrayed with depth – regular people with a questionable view, with families and allegiances.  Their views may be seen as criminal, but this doesn’t mean that they necessarily are.

We see that the true leaders of the supremacist movement look down upon the thugs of their group.  There’s a need for them, though they do nothing to progress the movement in the way that the leaders envisage.

Very much like American History X and The Believer, the story feels real, lacking the sensationalism that would have tainted such a tale in previous times.  The supremacists are shown committing horrifying acts, but are never drawn as pantomime villains against a white-than-white justice system.  Sam Trammel’s Jerry is a fine example of this, a respectable businessman, intelligent, charismatic and family oriented, yet with views that would shock those who claim to be rational thinking – he walks the fine line between “that sounds sensible” and “what did he just say?” that some conversations about race walk.

Daniel Radcliffe is a revelation, in a role that should define his career as a serious actor.  He brings complexity to the character and anyone who has seen The Believer will see parallels between this performance and Ryan Gosling’s powerful performance.

Dark Shadows

The vampire Barnabas Collins returns to his family home to protect his decadent descendants, adapting to the modern world (of 1972) as he plots to return his family to their rightful place in society and to thwart the woman who cursed him.

 

“What the hell is this?”

Tim Burton’s comic adaptation of the long running US soap opera Dark Shadows is a self-indulgent exploration of Burton’s genius.  A largely unfamiliar product in the UK, Dark Shadows has to be taken on its own merit.

There’s certainly an element of soap permeating the film.  Everything is overacted and the script is ripe.  For modern audiences, this parody isn’t necessary the soap opera writing that will ring true.

The cast a curious collection of talent – Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jonny Lee Miller and Eva Green form the lead cast.  They’re all incredibly talented actors turning in scene chewing performances.

Seth Grahame-Smith’s script feels suitably outdated, blending soap and horror without really mastering either.  With Tim Burton in the director’s chair, the film is dripping in the Gothic, it looks better than it sounds thanks to Burton’s vision.

Much of the humour is found in Collins adapting to the modern world, but it does feel strained more often than it feels funny.

Perhaps it hit the right notes for fans of the TV series.