Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Conjuring 2 (2016) in Movies
Aug 6, 2019
Conjuring 2 finds us catching up with Ed and Lorraine Warren as they travel to Enfield, England to help a family suffering from a paranormal encounter. After gaining a measure of fame for their experience, the Hodgson family is sought out by the Catholic Church and the Warrens in order to determine if the incidents are real or fabricated. They discover that this case pushes them to the limits of their faith and results in them becoming the targets of this demonic possession.
The film itself is a stronger story, filled with more suspense and depth than the first film and goes far beyond Annabelle, which, at times had me not connect at all with the family and I found myself cheering for the doll. The chemistry between Patrick Wilson (The Conjuring, Insidious series) and Vera Farmiga (The Departed, The Conjuring) and Frances O’Connor drive the story and ensure that audiences become invested within the storyline and circumstances and not just for the “frights.”
Sequels can often be plagued with problems, tropes, and going overboard with certain themes and ideas in order to retain its core audience. This is not the case with The Conjuring 2. The story and approach are fresh. Aspects of the film are not predictable. There are no massive holes within the plot. Time was invested within the writing and filming to ensure a solid story, suspense, and impact on viewers beyond their exit from the theater. The Conjuring series looks as though it is just getting started. Personally, I look forward to the remaining stories of the Warren family even if it means sleeping with the lights on after viewing.
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Movie Critics (823 KP) rated Beauty and the Beast (2017) in Movies
Apr 14, 2017
Read the full review: http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/peter-travers-beauty-and-the-beast-movie-review-w471990
Except:
What Beauty and the Beast rises or falls on is the love story, and here, allowed to slow down to let in intimate moments, the movie catches fire. Hobbled by a motion capture process that forced him to walk on stilts and wear a huge muscle suit covered in Lycra, Stevens goes beyond the call of family-musical duty to give us a flawed human being instead of a special effect; his is a Beast worth saving. Those are his eyes gazing down with passion at Watson's Beauty, his voice choked with genuine ardor. And suddenly, in a movie built on the bones of what preceded it, there is something there that wasn't there before. I'd call that an exhilarating gift.