Insidious

10/10 E.M.
7/10 C.E.

  For those of you waiting hoping for a scary movie congratulations here it is. I have had the fortune of not only seeing it once with just my brother and I in the theater alone which is by the way scary as can be but also seeing it in an audience to see if our earlier fear was justified. Judging from the fact everyone was screaming bloody murder most of the movie and especially the girls I'd say the fact that my brother and I were screaming too was justified. I have also been very fortunate in that I have seen the movie both in digital as well as in 35mm film. For those of you unfamiliar with this film is the more traditional form of a movie however nowadays most movie theaters have upgraded to new digital projectors that project a less flawed better quality picture. Now that you know the difference I want to make it clear that if you want the MAXIMUM scare out of this movie go see it in a theater that has it in 35mm film!! If you're not sure ask because it's worth it the picture will be darker and less crisp thus easily adding to the scare factor plus film just has a certain quality combined with it's imperfections that will make it scarier. If you're really really lucky the bulb the projector uses will be older and flicker thus adding to the ambiance of the film.

  Now that you've been pointed in the direction of how to view the film let's break down the acting. The chemistry between the characters is very good the movie allows us to see between/before the moments of fright the love between them all and warm moments that make the entire situation that much worse. Patrick Wilson who plays the father Josh does a great job in the role showing us realistically his skepticism and then determination. There were no moments when you didn't feel that his character wasn't portrayed genuinely. Rose Byrne also does a good job and shows us what it looks like to be hysterical with fear and yet not looking like some pansy girl who's freaking out in a horror film and you secretly hope dies.

  Lin Shaye who plays Elise not only fills a look very well but also plays her role well allowing her to become separated from a character type that you usually see in many of these horror films. Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson do a great job of playing the objective observers of the film helping to make the audience feel the danger is that much more real and frightening. They also provide some lovely comic relief and have an amusing dynamic between them that help put you at ease if only for a moment. Barbara Hershey did a good job in her role and is starting to show a strange knack as the mother with a dark side or secret in her films also showing a bit of it in Black Swan last year. I want to also just point out three little trivia facts that deserve kudos/pointing out- the old woman in the film is actually a man Philip Friedman so nice job to him and also if you look at the chalk board in one scene at the school you'll see Jigsaw from Saw and lastly if you stay till the very very end of the credits there is a little something for ya not much but something.

  The movie has a good plot that will definitely keep you interested. Just when you think it's gonna be predictable you will find it twist and turns into something that you don't always expect keeping it pleasantly but not entirely surprising. The scare moments in this film are great and will combine familiar scares with whole new ones. One of the best parts of it is you don't always know when you'll be scared and thus you may find yourself griping the chair most of the movie. I do wish to point out though at a point in the film the spirits cease to be scary and remind me look wise a lot of the ghost in the Eddie Murphy film The Haunted Mansion which is kinda lame. The music in this film is incredibly good and well timed playing a huge role in the scares of the film and honestly is downright creepy just by itself if you want to hear it during the credits. So if you're looking for a movie that will keep you up at night and is downright scary you're looking for something Insidious!

Quick Review

Sorry folks I HAVE seen all three new movies that are out this weekend however I fear I must work and won't have time to fully review them. However I didn't want those of you who plan to see one this afternoon not to have a clue so here's a quick review. The full review will be up for them all later today once I get off work. This is just a rough review bear in mind I may boost or lower some scores but not much as I have time to think them over.

Hop-  5/10 E.M.
          3/10 C.E.
 Hop away from this one unless you have little ones or like Alvin and the Chipmunks

Source Code- 7/10 E.M.
                       6/10 C.E. ?
Good movie worth a watch

Insidious- 9/10 E.M.
                7/10 C.E.
Terrifying the best horror movie in the past year!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2- Rodrick Rules

10/10 E.M.
6/10 C.E.

  I was surprised to find that just like Greg this movie has definitely graduated from the first one being in every way superior to it's predecessor. I was also surprised to find out just how darn funny the movie was. Perhaps the best part of it all is that it hit it's target audience dead on something some of the recent family films have had trouble with. I witnessed firsthand an entire audience of little kids and adults alike all laughing and having a good time and isn't that the point of a family film?

  Sadly we have to face the facts that considering most of the actors/actresses in this film are kids they are all for the most part very raw from an acting perspective, so if you're looking for Oscar performances I worry about where you choose to look. This aside what everyone in the film has in spades is fun and goofiness that spills out onto the screen. My favorite out of the bunch was easily Steve Zahn from an acting perspective. If you watch him especially early on in the film he is plain out funny with his subtle reactions to situations and he goes on to do fine when he is in the spotlight filling the stereotypical dad Frank Heffley.  Rachael Harris IS awesome and nails the part of Susan who very much reminded me at times of my own mother and I'm sure the embarrassing side of everyone else's as well.

  Zachary Gordon has a long way to go before he can really be a polished actor but he's on his way. There are times as Greg when he is alone and expected to carry the movie and you can just feel it start to crumble around his inexperience. However he is by no means the worst child actor out there and he still does a good job the rest of the film just be grateful that he didn't star in 127 Hours. Devon Bostick was a pleasure to watch doing well in his role of Rodrick and helping glue the movie together easily the anchor for the kid actors to latch to. Both Grayson Russell and Robert Capron who play Fregley and Rowley respectively do a great job of being goofy funny kids playing a huge role in helping to make this movie what it was.

  As far as character development I really hope that I don't have to say it is not strong in this film. Just about every character in this movie fills a stereo type and although we do see some development into that and especially start to see real human beings in the case of Greg and Rodrick it is a far cry from perfecting that art. The movie's plot is not entirely there being scattered and erratic but that's what happens when covering a middle school year where it's highlighting events instead of telling a clear cut story.  The chemistry between actors is definitely there and most import as mentioned so is the fun. What I loved most about this movie though is save one or two crude parts this is a movie with clean humor that is actually really funny. I laughed almost as much and as hard as I did in Just Go With It and that's saying a lot. So if you want some really good family fun I suggest you read a Diary of a Wimpy Kid but please don't take his lunch money.