Paranormal Activity 2

Stay Out Of The Basement

I'm currently writing this because I'm a bit frightened to shut my laptop down and turn my light off, as that would leave me in the dark. And in the dark is where the bad things get you.

I have just returned from a preview of Paranormal Activity 2, and I'm happy to say that the creators didn't see much that needed changing from the first film, and continued to give more frightening results.

Despite Paranormal Activity 2 being a sequel, it acts as a prequel to Paranormal Activty, showing the pesky demon causing havoc in the house/mansion of Katie's sister Kristi, with it's focus mainly on her ironicly-named baby, Hunter.

The events of the film take place 60 or so days before the events of Paranormal Activity and the film compliments the earlier installment well. Questions about the storyline and the characters are answered well, if a little convieniently. We see the origins of Micah's obsession with his video camera and learn more about Katie and Kristi's history with the demon. The characters are fleshed out more than the first Paranormal Activity plus the inclusion of younger potential victims in the teenage daughter and the baby, give an added threat that was missing in the first film.

A film like this is only as good as it's scary moments, and there are many in this film. Carrying on the tradition, anytime nighttime comes around, a wave of dread washes over you, knowing something bad's going to happen to these innocent people. However, action begins to take place in the daytime, leading you to expect ghostly goings-on all the way through the film. There is no safety in the daylight.

Whilst this does add to the tension, it also leads to different plotholes concerning the other film. If the demon is so used to possession and acting out in the daytime, why does it bother going through 20-odd nights of apparent experiments in Katie and Micah's house? Why doesn't it start by terrorising Katie in the daytime like in Kristi's home?

Despite these little plotholes and slight lack of sequel-development that is expected, Paranormal Activity 2 is an exceptional scary film this Hallowe'en. My hope still lies with Let Me In, as we all know a disappointing installment into the Saw franchise is as customary as "Trick or Treat?!" this time of year.

Wish me luck in sleeping.

Rating - 8/10

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Ok, I'm Getting Tingles...

I don't know where to start about this film. Seriously, words escape me. I watched Scott Pilgrim vs The World on the day of it's premiere and I was blown away. Even with the incredibly high expectations I had. It's made it's way into my Top Films Of All Time List, and I think it's position there is as safe as the breath-taking Amelie or the mind-boggling The Usual Suspects.

I feel I could leave the review there, with my feelings on the matter expressed and there being no need to continue, but I can't help myself but carry on. I truly apologise in advance for the amount of gushing I will do about this film.

The film depicts the 'perfect little life' of Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera, oddly playing a geeky guy falling in love). He falls for quirky Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), but to date her, he must first defeat the League of Evil Ex's; seven of Ramona's evil past loves, hell-bent on destroying Scott's chances with the girl of his dreams.

Just from the opening production titles of Universal, which have been changed to be of computer-game quality, fully fitted with tinny computer-game music, I knew this film was going to be special. I don't think I stopped smiling throughout the first fourty minutes. Then I took a sip of drink. Then I continued to smile for the sixty.

It's funny,
it's charming,
it's snappy,
it's edgy,
it's clever,
it's witty,
it's well-written,
it's well-acted,
it's well-crafted.

It may be the most carefully constructed and edited film I've ever seen, and is obviously the brainchild of the man behind the TV series Spaced, Edgar Wright. The attention-to-detail is staggering and incredibly dedicative. The whole film can be watched again and again, with new references or background features noticed everytime.

Whilst I fawn over the film like a teenage Bieber-ite, the film does have it's faults. I can see many people's argument in that the film's high tempo and fast pacing can alienate most of the older audiences. It is a very youth-orientated film, and Wright's attempt to get as many references to the comic-book and pop culture can sometimes result in a confusing narrative, and make the characters slightly unrealistic or unlikeable.

However, whether you like it or not, you cannot argue against it being one of the most original and genre-breaking films of the past few years. It is heart-breaking to think that due to the poor box-office returns that it has received so far, the companies that finance such groundbreaking films will be more hesitant to back a film like this in the future. That is why I urge all you reading this to go out and pay money to watch it if you still can. You will not be disappointed and you will be contributing to the possible creation of more masterpieces like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Rating - 10/10

Buried

Living In A Box

The idea of being buried alive is a fear shared by millions of us. For me personally, it's up at the top of the list, along with being eaten alive, burned alive and having to watch the Jonas Brothers' entire 2 hour set..... alive. But even if it wasn't, I believe Buried to be one of the best films of the year.

Buried centres around Iraq-based American contractor Paul Conroy (Ryan Reynolds) who finds himself trapped in a wooden coffin six feet under. All he has with him is a phone, a lighter and 90 minutes of air that is slowly depleting. His kidnappers demand $5 million or Paul is left to die in his coffin. What happens next is some of the most claustrophobic and edge-of-your-seat viewing I've experienced in a long time.

I may have a slight bias towards the film, as I am a massive fan of films of this nature: very few cast members and locations, and much more attention devoted to suspense and dialogue. A few examples could be the recent thrillers Right At Your Door, Hard Candy and Pontypool. The big explosions and car chases of the typical Hollywood blockbuster are replaced for heart-stopping plot twists, and you learn to know the characters inside and out, making their predicaments all the more worrying.

I have openly stated my hatred of Ryan Reynolds in the past, which came from different reasons; the main one being well summed up by a local newspaper, which described his past roles chiefly playing a 'cocky gobshite'. However, I believe Reynolds truly holds his own in this film, and you feel his emotion in every second of his trauma. He reacts like most of us would: ringing his family before the people who could actually help him; angrily shouting at unhelpful phone operators, or even laughing to himself when things can't get any worse. It's this human quality to Reynolds that I feel he's lacked in his previous work, and a reason why his performance in Buried can be considered his best to date.

For a film that spends all of it's time inside a coffin, you can't help feel the influence from the master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock. I believe the director, Rodrigo Cortes, managed to balance the suspense with light-hearted moments perfectly, very similar to how Hitchcock made his thrillers, such as Rear Window. Whilst Reynolds spends most of his time spinning in his makeshift 'grave', Hitchcock can well and truly stay still.

Rating - 9/10