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Poltergeist (2015)
Poltergeist (2015)
2015 | Horror, Thriller
5
5.2 (20 Ratings)
Movie Rating
I struggle with my view of this film. Mostly because I want to compare it to the 1982 horror classic it is a remake of. But rather than pick apart how it does or does not compare to the original I realize I must judge this film on its own merit. As such, I feel this film is just…ok. Not bad, not great, just ok.

That isn’t to say this film is not a good time. In fact, It is quite fun. I feel there are more laughs in this film than scares. Fun times indeed. Sam Rockwell and Rosemarie DeWitt play good spirited parents trying to make the best of their financial burden while moving into a new home. The three kids are the typical modern type. The older teenager concerned with her cell phone, the tech savvy son, Griffin, who seems to be sacred of everything and the “gifted” little daughter, Madison, who is innocent. The film starts lighthearted enough with jokes and everyday family squabbles. But that quickly changes as Madison starts to have conversations with her closet and the television. Yet, the only one who sees these freak events are scardy-cat Griffin, who won’t sleep in his room when there is a squirrel but doesn’t scream for his parents when he notices the electricity doing things it shouldn’t. But I digress.

And here is where the problems of this film arrive. Rather than create its own memorable scenes that sets it apart from the original, it is in such a hurry to give its own take on the classic scenes from the first film. As such, there is no real sense of rhythm to the pacing of this film that is a staple of good horror films with drawn out sense of suspense the help heighten the sense of dread. And so we are left without any real worry for our characters or us as the audience. We have a few jump scares before a long conclusion that feels more like “Classic” made for TV than big budget film.

In the end, we are left with a “popcorn” horror film that is fun but forgettable at best. Fans of the original will be disappointed. Parents who want to take their young teenage kids to their first horror film will appreciate the wholesome family feel.
  
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Halloween (2018) in Movies

Nov 2, 2018 (Updated Nov 2, 2018)  
Halloween (2018)
Halloween (2018)
2018 | Horror
Tenth Halloween sequel is the eleventh film in the Halloween series and the third to actually be called Halloween; I'm sure there must have been a less confusing way of organising this but clearly no-one could be bothered to find it. Anyway: this film disregards all the previous sequels, allowing them to bring Jamie Lee Curtis back from the dead (again) and ignore all that stuff about occult curses and long-lost siblings in attempt to take the film back to the core notion of an unstoppable force of pure evil with a big knife and a William Shatner mask.

And it works rather well, although the decision to essentially turn Laurie Strode into Sarah Connor from Terminator 2 inevitably shifts the tone of the film somewhat. Many pleasingly tense sequences, and some clever and respectful call-backs to the original film. The ongoing characters are effectively presented although most of the new ones don't make much of an impression. In the end this feels much more like a reverent act of homage than the kind of horror film we usually get in 2018; whether this is a good thing or not is probably a matter of personal taste. I imagine this will keep most people quite happy until the next sequel or reboot comes along.
  
This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
This Is Where I Leave You (2014)
2014 | Comedy
Heartwarming
This is a film that has flown under my radar since it was released - I don’t recall ever having seen it advertised until it recently popped up on Netflix, and I really wish I’d discovered it sooner.

Starting with the obvious, this film has an absolutely stellar cast. The number of fantastic actors in this is truly impressive and they’re partly the reason why I enjoyed this so much, as every single person performs wonderfully in their role, whether main (I cannot fault any of the main family) or side (Timothy Olyphant is particularly memorable). They’re helped by a great script which flits between incredibly heartwarming and darkly humorous with such ease. The plot itself is nothing new and this is where this film falls down a little as it’s nothing we haven’t seen before. However this film just goes to show that it’s the journey and not the destination that matters as this is so well executed that the unoriginal plot is only a minor issue.

The only other problem with this film is that it’s pretty much made me an emotional wreck. I haven’t laughed and cried so much in the space of 2 hours before. This might not be the most original film you’ll ever see, but it’s so lovely and heartwarming that I dare you not to feel anything by the end.