Plot: Paul (James Caan) is a writer who's famous for his successful series of novels featuring a character named Misery. Wanting to branch out, he writes a new manuscript. While leaving a cottage in a snow storm, his car goes off the road. He's rescued by a nurse, Annie (Kathy Bates), who brings him to her remote home. Annie claims to be his number one fan. He allows her to read his new novel, but she is upset by the swearing content in the novel. She later shows unusual behavior, including a scene where she goes in a complete rage when she says Paul killed Misery. She makes him burn his manuscript and forces him to write a new novel, Misery's Return, where the famed character comes back to life. Meanwhile, a local sheriff (Richard Farnsworth) looks into Paul's disappearance. But will Paul be rescued?
Review: This is one of many adaptations of Stephen King's novels. I like Stephen King and I've seen many of his adaptations but this is one of my personal favorites and without a doubt in the top 5 of the best adaptations.
What I really like about the plot is that it works well with creating the psychological horror. We have moments of suspense and horror that build up the tension. There are so many horror films that use blood and gore, hoping to make the film scary. This film is scary throughout and uses psychological scares so well. Another aspect of the film's plot that I enjoy is that it has a good balance of humor and horror. There's one scene that will scare you and just moments later you'll be laughing. Some of the humor is absurd, like a scene with a pig named Misery (after the character). But this absurd humor works well for this kind of movie.
The acting is very good. James Caan is very good as Paul, our suffering hero. What I like about Paul and James' portrayal is that he doesn't play dumb. He knows something isn't right in the situation and he does what he can to help himself, even though Annie remains one step ahead of him for the most part. He's resourceful and even though it comes back to haunt him when Annie finds out, it still works. But the true star of the movie is Kathy Bates. I cannot emphasize how great she is in this movie. Her ability to go from a nice lady to a complete psychotic in just seconds is fantastic to watch. Her ability to show vulnerability in such a crazy character and I actually do feel bad for her for some parts of the movie. Kathy Bates provides some good laughs and some good scares in her performance. She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her performance and it was well deserved.
This is a scary, entertaining and suspenseful horror film which is one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations.
Rating: 4/5
Thursday, 1 December 2011
Wednesday, 30 November 2011
Freaky Friday (2003)
Plot: Anna (Lindsay Lohan) is a teen rebel. She has a rocky relationship with her mom, Tess (Jamie Lee Curtis). Tess is marrying a man named Ryan (Mark Harmon) and Anna isn't ready because her father died three years ago. While eating at a Chinese restaurant, they get into another fight: Anna wants to go to a band audition with her rock band, but it's the same night as Tess' wedding rehearsal dinner. An elderly Chinese woman then gives them both a fortune cookie. They open the cookies and read the fortunes and then the restaurant shakes, which only they feel. The next morning, they wake up in each others body. They both live in each others shoes but will they be able to switch back before the wedding?
Review: Plotwise, this remake has some changes compared to the 1976 film. I actually prefer this remake more than the original. The reason I do prefer the remake is because this one has more of an emotional and dramatic feel to it compared to the original. This one is funny but it also has a nice emotional payoff for the audience. I didn't feel that kind of emotional payoff when watching the original.
The acting is very good. Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely fantastic as Tess/Anna. She's able to portray Tess' adult and slightly controlling nature and Anna's rebelling like it's no problem. She's able to balance comedy and drama (especially with the rehearsal dinner scene) perfectly. Lindsay Lohan is also very good in this. Like Jamie Lee Curtis, she's able to portray a rebellious teenager and a stern, stodgy adult perfectly. I also like the supporting cast, they provide great comedy. Like Harold Gould (who plays the Grandpa), Ryan Malgarini (who plays Harry, the son). It's a great balance of comedy and drama throughout the film.
I especially liked the film's ending. Not because they switch back and everything is happily ever after, but because I feel that they actually learned something through their ordeal. When I watched the 1976, I know they learned something, but with this remake, it was more obvious to the audience.
While I enjoyed the 1976 film, I prefer this one a lot more. A fun and entertaining movie for the young and old.
Rating: 4/5
Review: Plotwise, this remake has some changes compared to the 1976 film. I actually prefer this remake more than the original. The reason I do prefer the remake is because this one has more of an emotional and dramatic feel to it compared to the original. This one is funny but it also has a nice emotional payoff for the audience. I didn't feel that kind of emotional payoff when watching the original.
The acting is very good. Jamie Lee Curtis is absolutely fantastic as Tess/Anna. She's able to portray Tess' adult and slightly controlling nature and Anna's rebelling like it's no problem. She's able to balance comedy and drama (especially with the rehearsal dinner scene) perfectly. Lindsay Lohan is also very good in this. Like Jamie Lee Curtis, she's able to portray a rebellious teenager and a stern, stodgy adult perfectly. I also like the supporting cast, they provide great comedy. Like Harold Gould (who plays the Grandpa), Ryan Malgarini (who plays Harry, the son). It's a great balance of comedy and drama throughout the film.
I especially liked the film's ending. Not because they switch back and everything is happily ever after, but because I feel that they actually learned something through their ordeal. When I watched the 1976, I know they learned something, but with this remake, it was more obvious to the audience.
While I enjoyed the 1976 film, I prefer this one a lot more. A fun and entertaining movie for the young and old.
Rating: 4/5
Freaky Friday (1976)
Plot: It's Friday the 13th. Annabel (Jodie Foster) and her mother, Ellen (Barbara Harris) haven't been getting along lately. That same morning, while Annabel is in a diner with a friend and Ellen is in the kitchen at home, they both say at the same time "I wish I could switch places with her for just one day" and then they switch places. They then switch places and live in each others shoes for that one day.
Review: This is the original adaptation of the 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers. There have been several remakes made since 1976, but this is the first one. I love the premise of the plot, where parents and kids switch places. Of course we want to see if our parents could live our shoes, but our parent would be just as thrilled to see us live in their shoes.
The acting is good. Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster are hilarious. They're both great at playing the different ages of the characters. They way they speak and their facial expressions are great. The rest of the supporting cast is good as well.
This is actually a nice movie for the entire family to watch. A lot will prefer the 2003 remake with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, but this one is just as good and entertaining.
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: This is the original adaptation of the 1972 novel by Mary Rodgers. There have been several remakes made since 1976, but this is the first one. I love the premise of the plot, where parents and kids switch places. Of course we want to see if our parents could live our shoes, but our parent would be just as thrilled to see us live in their shoes.
The acting is good. Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster are hilarious. They're both great at playing the different ages of the characters. They way they speak and their facial expressions are great. The rest of the supporting cast is good as well.
This is actually a nice movie for the entire family to watch. A lot will prefer the 2003 remake with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan, but this one is just as good and entertaining.
Rating: 3.5/5
The Exorcist (1973)
Plot: Chris (Ellen Burstyn) is an actress who notices dramatic and dangerous changes in her 12-year-old daughter, Regan's (Linda Blair) behavior. She has a seizure, shows unusual powers like enhanced strength and levitating. Doctors suspect she has a lesion in her brain. After many medical testing, nothing is found out of the ordinary and she's taken to a psychiatrist, whom she assaults. The paranormal activity continues including the bed shaking and strange noises. A doctor suggests an exorcism and Chris seeks out Father Damien Karras (Jason Miller), who is a priest and psychiatrist. Father Karras doesn't believe she's possessed, until he hears her speaking English backwards. He then seeks permission from the church to perform an exorcism. Father Lankester Merrin (Max von Sydow) is summoned to help with the exorcism. But will they be able to save Regan in time?
Review: This is one of my favorite movies and horror movies of all time. This is an adaptation of the novel, which is based on a supposedly true story about an exorcism performed in 1949. I like the plot. It's been done over and over again since its release. But what I like is that the film keeps a good balance between science and religion, although the greater majority of the viewers and just going to say she's possessed and stop all the tests and just do the exorcism.
The acting in top notch. There's no weak end. Ellen Burstyn is fantastic as Chris, who is a worried and overwhelmed mother who wants her child back. Jason Miller is fantastic as Father Karras, a priest struggling with his faith. Even though I think he's a little underused, Max von Sydow is great as Father Merrin. Linda Blair is a different story. While she is very good in the movie and carries the role well on her shoulders, there is some doubt about how much she did. When she was possessed, a voice-over actress did the demonic voice. There are some instances in the film where she had a body double, which is understandable but there are some scenes that didn't necessarily require a stunt double. So while Linda Blair did a good job, I don't think she deserves all the credit for the role of Regan because it was shared among different actors.
The film was originally released in 1973. It has been called the scariest movie of all time. Religion, a timeless subject that is basically explored throughout the entire movie, was taken much more seriously than it is today in 2011, the year I'm writing this review. So I do have a personal belief that the portrayal of religion and demonic possession during that time had an affect on the audience. Is the film scary? It absolutely is. The makeup of possessed Regan is disturbing, we have the famous pea soup vomiting scene (still gross to this day) and in the re-release we have Regan coming down the stairs like a spider, the head spinning, the bed moving. There are so many great scares. So it is the scariest movie of all time? To me, it's one of them. I can't be sure if it's the scariest movie of all time because there are many great scary movies that have been released since then. But it's without a doubt in my mind one of the scariest and most disturbing movies I've seen.
Rating: 5/5
Review: This is one of my favorite movies and horror movies of all time. This is an adaptation of the novel, which is based on a supposedly true story about an exorcism performed in 1949. I like the plot. It's been done over and over again since its release. But what I like is that the film keeps a good balance between science and religion, although the greater majority of the viewers and just going to say she's possessed and stop all the tests and just do the exorcism.
The acting in top notch. There's no weak end. Ellen Burstyn is fantastic as Chris, who is a worried and overwhelmed mother who wants her child back. Jason Miller is fantastic as Father Karras, a priest struggling with his faith. Even though I think he's a little underused, Max von Sydow is great as Father Merrin. Linda Blair is a different story. While she is very good in the movie and carries the role well on her shoulders, there is some doubt about how much she did. When she was possessed, a voice-over actress did the demonic voice. There are some instances in the film where she had a body double, which is understandable but there are some scenes that didn't necessarily require a stunt double. So while Linda Blair did a good job, I don't think she deserves all the credit for the role of Regan because it was shared among different actors.
The film was originally released in 1973. It has been called the scariest movie of all time. Religion, a timeless subject that is basically explored throughout the entire movie, was taken much more seriously than it is today in 2011, the year I'm writing this review. So I do have a personal belief that the portrayal of religion and demonic possession during that time had an affect on the audience. Is the film scary? It absolutely is. The makeup of possessed Regan is disturbing, we have the famous pea soup vomiting scene (still gross to this day) and in the re-release we have Regan coming down the stairs like a spider, the head spinning, the bed moving. There are so many great scares. So it is the scariest movie of all time? To me, it's one of them. I can't be sure if it's the scariest movie of all time because there are many great scary movies that have been released since then. But it's without a doubt in my mind one of the scariest and most disturbing movies I've seen.
Rating: 5/5
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
Plot: The McCallister family is now going to Florida for the holidays. At the airport, Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) goes to the wrong boarding and goes to New York instead of Florida, where the rest of his family is. Kevin checks himself into the Plaza Hotel after tricking the staff. Meanwhile, Marv (Daniel Stern) and Harry (Joe Pesci) have escaped from prison and are now in New York with Kevin. Now, Kevin is planning to trap them again with better booby traps.
Review: The plot isn't entirely different compared to the first. The film starts off with everything pretty peaceful but than there's an argument and everyone goes against Kevin. They don't forget at home, but he gets lost at the airport. It's an improvement- sort of. The plot isn't all that different. There's a fake movie called Angels with Filthy Souls in the first one and there's another fake movie in this movie called Angels with Even Filthier Souls. We had Old Man Marley in the first one and now we have a Pigeon Lady. So it's not that different.
The acting is good and keeps on giving. Macaulay Culkin is just as good as he is in the first one. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are hilarious as the burglars. Catherine O'Hara and John Heard are good as Kevin's parents. I also liked Dana Ivey, Tim Curry and Rob Schneider, who play employers of the Plaza Hotel. Brenda Fricker plays a Pigeon Lady and I really liked her.
Now for the booby traps. I wrote in my review of Home Alone (1990) that the booby traps are just cartoon violence for the most part and it's lucky that the burglars are still alive. The same applies for this movie, but the booby traps just got bigger and better or worse depending on how you look at it. We had some booby traps from the first one (going back to my point that the plot isn't that original) like the torched head, the paint cans thrown in the face except they use pipes instead. Like the first movie, it's lucky the burglars are even still alive. They get bricks thrown in their faces and fall from who knows how many feet. There are even parts where we hear bones breaking and cracking. Some kids watching might not like that.
We also have some nice touching scenes as well. We have some nice scenes with Kevin and the Pigeon Lady. We also have a nice scene with Kevin and Mr. Duncan, a toy store owner. So there's another good balance between comedy and drama. The ending scene is also very touching.
I like this and it's almost as good as the first. But like the first, the movie is very cartoonish and we just have to accept that. I accept certain parts of both movies, but some I just can't get over. But this is still a nice, entertaining movie for the holiday season.
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: The plot isn't entirely different compared to the first. The film starts off with everything pretty peaceful but than there's an argument and everyone goes against Kevin. They don't forget at home, but he gets lost at the airport. It's an improvement- sort of. The plot isn't all that different. There's a fake movie called Angels with Filthy Souls in the first one and there's another fake movie in this movie called Angels with Even Filthier Souls. We had Old Man Marley in the first one and now we have a Pigeon Lady. So it's not that different.
The acting is good and keeps on giving. Macaulay Culkin is just as good as he is in the first one. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are hilarious as the burglars. Catherine O'Hara and John Heard are good as Kevin's parents. I also liked Dana Ivey, Tim Curry and Rob Schneider, who play employers of the Plaza Hotel. Brenda Fricker plays a Pigeon Lady and I really liked her.
Now for the booby traps. I wrote in my review of Home Alone (1990) that the booby traps are just cartoon violence for the most part and it's lucky that the burglars are still alive. The same applies for this movie, but the booby traps just got bigger and better or worse depending on how you look at it. We had some booby traps from the first one (going back to my point that the plot isn't that original) like the torched head, the paint cans thrown in the face except they use pipes instead. Like the first movie, it's lucky the burglars are even still alive. They get bricks thrown in their faces and fall from who knows how many feet. There are even parts where we hear bones breaking and cracking. Some kids watching might not like that.
We also have some nice touching scenes as well. We have some nice scenes with Kevin and the Pigeon Lady. We also have a nice scene with Kevin and Mr. Duncan, a toy store owner. So there's another good balance between comedy and drama. The ending scene is also very touching.
I like this and it's almost as good as the first. But like the first, the movie is very cartoonish and we just have to accept that. I accept certain parts of both movies, but some I just can't get over. But this is still a nice, entertaining movie for the holiday season.
Rating: 3.5/5
Monday, 28 November 2011
Home Alone (1990)
Plot: The McCallister family is going on vacation to Paris. They sleep in on the day they're suppose to leave and hurry to the airport. They forget eight-year-old Kevin (Macaulay Culkin) at home. While his parents, Kate and Peter (Catherine O'Hara and John Heard) try to get back home, Kevin has to defend the family home from burglars, Marv (Daniel Stern) and Harry (Joe Pesci).
Review: This is a classic. There are no other words for it. It's a favorite among families during the holidays. And it's one of my favorites too. It's a really fun movie. First of all, the plot is fun and everything. We have cartoon humor and heartfelt, heartwarming moments. So we have a good combo of comedy and drama.
In the beginning of the movie, I found nobody in the family sympathetic. Especially Kevin. I thought they were annoying and didn't have sympathy for them and the situation they were in. But later in the film, like half-way through, the characters I thought were more sympathetic and I felt sorry for them.
The acting in the movie is very good. Macaulay Culkin is great in this. He was only ten when they released this and I'm very impressed that he's able to portray the innocence of childhood yet intelligence beyond his years in certain scenes. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are hilarious as the dimwitted burglars. Catherine O'Hara and John Heard are good as the parents. Roberts Blossom plays Old Man Marley, a kind elderly man who people say murdered his entire family, thus causing Kevin to be scared of him. I thought his performance was probably a highlight for me.
The traps that Kevin sets for the burglars are fun and entertaining. I laughed at many of them. But are they realistic? Of course not. Not all of them. I joke that I'm surprised that those burglars are even still alive after I finished watching it. One gets his head set on fire, they have paint cans thrown at them, they plunge into a wall and more. Of course it's unrealistic that they aren't more hurt than they are. But it's still fun. It's cartoon violence and we're just suppose to accept it.
There's humor for kids and adults alike. There are some jokes that kids won't get when they're young, but will get when they're older. So I like that there's a mixed-balance for the old and young in the audience.
While the humor in the movie is fun, I also appreciate the heartfelt moments we get. The scene with Old Man Marley and Kevin in the church is probably my favorite scene in the entire movie. It's very heartfelt, moving and we are able to relate. The last scenes of the movie where the family is reunited is also very touching.
This is a fun, entertaining and touching movie for the entire family to enjoy.
Rating: 3.5/5
Review: This is a classic. There are no other words for it. It's a favorite among families during the holidays. And it's one of my favorites too. It's a really fun movie. First of all, the plot is fun and everything. We have cartoon humor and heartfelt, heartwarming moments. So we have a good combo of comedy and drama.
In the beginning of the movie, I found nobody in the family sympathetic. Especially Kevin. I thought they were annoying and didn't have sympathy for them and the situation they were in. But later in the film, like half-way through, the characters I thought were more sympathetic and I felt sorry for them.
The acting in the movie is very good. Macaulay Culkin is great in this. He was only ten when they released this and I'm very impressed that he's able to portray the innocence of childhood yet intelligence beyond his years in certain scenes. Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern are hilarious as the dimwitted burglars. Catherine O'Hara and John Heard are good as the parents. Roberts Blossom plays Old Man Marley, a kind elderly man who people say murdered his entire family, thus causing Kevin to be scared of him. I thought his performance was probably a highlight for me.
The traps that Kevin sets for the burglars are fun and entertaining. I laughed at many of them. But are they realistic? Of course not. Not all of them. I joke that I'm surprised that those burglars are even still alive after I finished watching it. One gets his head set on fire, they have paint cans thrown at them, they plunge into a wall and more. Of course it's unrealistic that they aren't more hurt than they are. But it's still fun. It's cartoon violence and we're just suppose to accept it.
There's humor for kids and adults alike. There are some jokes that kids won't get when they're young, but will get when they're older. So I like that there's a mixed-balance for the old and young in the audience.
While the humor in the movie is fun, I also appreciate the heartfelt moments we get. The scene with Old Man Marley and Kevin in the church is probably my favorite scene in the entire movie. It's very heartfelt, moving and we are able to relate. The last scenes of the movie where the family is reunited is also very touching.
This is a fun, entertaining and touching movie for the entire family to enjoy.
Rating: 3.5/5
Cursed (2005)
Plot: Jimmy (Jesse Eisenberg) and his older sister and guardian, Ellie (Christina Ricci), are driving one night when they hit an animal and another car. They try to save the driver of the other car, but she's dragged away and eaten by an unknown creature. Both Ellie and Jimmy are scratched by the creature. Jimmy believes the creature was a werewolf, but no one believes him. It turns out that that Ellie's boyfriend, Jake (Joshua Jackson) is a werewolf. But did he bite them and can Jimmy and Ellie break the werewolf curse in time?
Review: This is labeled as a horror film. And it is in a sense. But it's more horror-comedy than anything else. The way I saw it is that this is a parody of werewolf movies. Kevin Williamson wrote this movie. He also wrote the Scream movies. And Scream makes fun of slasher movies and horror movies. And Cursed makes fun of werewolf movies.
The plot is decent. What I like is like An American Werewolf in London, we have werewolves in a modern and big city. This time, it's in Los Angeles. The plot is nothing we haven't seen before in term of werewolf movies.
The acting is good too. I like Christina Ricci and she's good in this. Jesse Eisenberg, Joshua Jackson and the rest of the supporting cast are also decent. The script isn't that strong, so it's not like the actors have much to work with to begin with.
The werewolf visuals and the creatures itself are good. They use a stuntman and robot werewolves according to the DVD special features. I like it. The werewolf isn't all that scary and the transformation scenes aren't that scary either.
Overall, this is a decent horror movie. You're not going to scream and cover your eyes. You're going to laugh because like the Scream movies Kevin Williamson wrote, this movie does have it's funny moments. I still believe that Kevin Williamson was aiming to make a parody of werewolf movies and I applaud him for his efforts. But the film didn't work on me the same way Scream did.
Cursed an alright movie to watch, but this isn't the movie you'll be wanting to watch over and over again.
Rating: 3/5
Review: This is labeled as a horror film. And it is in a sense. But it's more horror-comedy than anything else. The way I saw it is that this is a parody of werewolf movies. Kevin Williamson wrote this movie. He also wrote the Scream movies. And Scream makes fun of slasher movies and horror movies. And Cursed makes fun of werewolf movies.
The plot is decent. What I like is like An American Werewolf in London, we have werewolves in a modern and big city. This time, it's in Los Angeles. The plot is nothing we haven't seen before in term of werewolf movies.
The acting is good too. I like Christina Ricci and she's good in this. Jesse Eisenberg, Joshua Jackson and the rest of the supporting cast are also decent. The script isn't that strong, so it's not like the actors have much to work with to begin with.
The werewolf visuals and the creatures itself are good. They use a stuntman and robot werewolves according to the DVD special features. I like it. The werewolf isn't all that scary and the transformation scenes aren't that scary either.
Overall, this is a decent horror movie. You're not going to scream and cover your eyes. You're going to laugh because like the Scream movies Kevin Williamson wrote, this movie does have it's funny moments. I still believe that Kevin Williamson was aiming to make a parody of werewolf movies and I applaud him for his efforts. But the film didn't work on me the same way Scream did.
Cursed an alright movie to watch, but this isn't the movie you'll be wanting to watch over and over again.
Rating: 3/5
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