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Reviews17
monkeybrainspit's rating
When a key to an underground church basement is found on a dead priest, another man of the cloth sets off to find what is hidden within. With this new discovery, the father seeks the help of a local scientist and his research team.
The thing you'll notice immediately (apart from the insanely long opening credits) is the wonderful cast, of whom I wish I could write all about individually, but their on-screen presence speaks for itself. There's a great chemistry between the characters and the story unfolds with suspense because of it. But that's not to take away from Carpenter's great story-telling of this under-rated horror.
You can't help but feel the experience should be better though; like there's a small fragment missing which could have made it a masterpiece. At times it seems to take on a different pace altogether, as though the film becomes more mechanical and rigid along the way. But when it reveals its greatest moments it feels like Carpenters best work.
Direction: 8/10 (Carpenter eases into the story slowly but picks it up in the second half) Cinematography: 8/10 (Gary B. Kibbe brings the kind of expected look to this 80's creep fest) Editing: 9/10 (Mirkovich proves again that he is the go to man for great editing) Acting: 10/10 (Fantastic choice of actors. Enough said.) Dialogue: 7/10 (A little heavy on the B.S for me.) Sound: 9/10 (Solidly mixed tracks brought in at the right moments.) Effects: 9/10 (More than effective attempt to create an awesome ending.) Art Direction: 7/10 (The back-drops were all quite obvious from the get go.) Costumes: 8/10 (The team put together costumes that work great with each character.) Music and/or Score: 9/10 (Carpenter and Alan Howarth provide a great eerie score.)
Total Score: 84/100
A well chosen cast more than make up for the over-used reverse photography and cliché 'end of the world' dialogue. Then again, I loved all the cheesy science talk and apocalyptic banter.
The thing you'll notice immediately (apart from the insanely long opening credits) is the wonderful cast, of whom I wish I could write all about individually, but their on-screen presence speaks for itself. There's a great chemistry between the characters and the story unfolds with suspense because of it. But that's not to take away from Carpenter's great story-telling of this under-rated horror.
You can't help but feel the experience should be better though; like there's a small fragment missing which could have made it a masterpiece. At times it seems to take on a different pace altogether, as though the film becomes more mechanical and rigid along the way. But when it reveals its greatest moments it feels like Carpenters best work.
Direction: 8/10 (Carpenter eases into the story slowly but picks it up in the second half) Cinematography: 8/10 (Gary B. Kibbe brings the kind of expected look to this 80's creep fest) Editing: 9/10 (Mirkovich proves again that he is the go to man for great editing) Acting: 10/10 (Fantastic choice of actors. Enough said.) Dialogue: 7/10 (A little heavy on the B.S for me.) Sound: 9/10 (Solidly mixed tracks brought in at the right moments.) Effects: 9/10 (More than effective attempt to create an awesome ending.) Art Direction: 7/10 (The back-drops were all quite obvious from the get go.) Costumes: 8/10 (The team put together costumes that work great with each character.) Music and/or Score: 9/10 (Carpenter and Alan Howarth provide a great eerie score.)
Total Score: 84/100
A well chosen cast more than make up for the over-used reverse photography and cliché 'end of the world' dialogue. Then again, I loved all the cheesy science talk and apocalyptic banter.
When savvy, quick-minded, lawyer Mick Haller (Matthew McConaughey) is handed a case for a high-profile client he quickly heads to the holding cell where the man is being held. On introduction, the man pleads his innocence and convinces Mick to take his case. But Mick quickly begins to question the man's true motives.
It's nice to see McConaughey return to form. At his best he can take a character and add some great complexities – this is one of those characters. So it's easy to forget about his bad films when you watch him in this one. And with co-stars like Ryan Phillipe, William H. Macy, Marisa Tomei and John Leguizamo, you can't really go wrong.
Aside from the shaky camera work at the beginning, some very wise choices are made by Brad Furman to help progress the story. Some great music accompany the drives including tracks from Bobby Bland, Eric B. & Rakim and Gangstarr.
Direction: 7/10 (Brad Furman could go far but still has a long way to go) Cinematography: 8/10 (Lukas Ettlin needs to refine his technique but it still looks great) Editing: 8/10 (Jeff McEvoy brings back some cutting reminiscent of his 'Wonderland' efforts) Acting: 9/10 (Matthew McConaughey reminds us of his acting skills with a great performance) Dialogue: 10/10 (I love the banter between McConaughey and his different clients) Sound: 8/10 (Some nicely compiled audio tracks) Effects: 9/10 (Intelligently done with nothing over the top) Art Direction: 10/10 (Well chosen to suit each scene and the team deserve recognition) Costumes: 7/10 (Some obvious choices bothered me but well put together nonetheless) Music and/or Score: 9/10 (If Rap is your preferred genre of music you'll love this soundtrack)
Total Score: 85/100
As far as legal dramas go, this one will grab your attention pretty quickly. A real treat to watch and a nice pace of action to keep you intrigued. If only McConaughey's character was real – he'd talk anyone into watching it.
It's nice to see McConaughey return to form. At his best he can take a character and add some great complexities – this is one of those characters. So it's easy to forget about his bad films when you watch him in this one. And with co-stars like Ryan Phillipe, William H. Macy, Marisa Tomei and John Leguizamo, you can't really go wrong.
Aside from the shaky camera work at the beginning, some very wise choices are made by Brad Furman to help progress the story. Some great music accompany the drives including tracks from Bobby Bland, Eric B. & Rakim and Gangstarr.
Direction: 7/10 (Brad Furman could go far but still has a long way to go) Cinematography: 8/10 (Lukas Ettlin needs to refine his technique but it still looks great) Editing: 8/10 (Jeff McEvoy brings back some cutting reminiscent of his 'Wonderland' efforts) Acting: 9/10 (Matthew McConaughey reminds us of his acting skills with a great performance) Dialogue: 10/10 (I love the banter between McConaughey and his different clients) Sound: 8/10 (Some nicely compiled audio tracks) Effects: 9/10 (Intelligently done with nothing over the top) Art Direction: 10/10 (Well chosen to suit each scene and the team deserve recognition) Costumes: 7/10 (Some obvious choices bothered me but well put together nonetheless) Music and/or Score: 9/10 (If Rap is your preferred genre of music you'll love this soundtrack)
Total Score: 85/100
As far as legal dramas go, this one will grab your attention pretty quickly. A real treat to watch and a nice pace of action to keep you intrigued. If only McConaughey's character was real – he'd talk anyone into watching it.
Shortly after the birth of their new son, a family arrive home one day to a trashed house. Although nothing is stolen, they seek the expertise of security professionals and install various surveillance cameras around the house as a deterrent. But the cameras record odd occurrences that turn this film into a creep-fest.
Without wanting to spoil anything major for those of you who haven't seen it yet, it's certainly hard to believe that a family wouldn't be more distraught about a trashed house. There's something a bit too blasé about their reaction that bothered me early on. When you're watching a movie filmed to look like a 'real event' these small details always matter.
But aside from nit-picking small details it's hard to write about this film without mentioning the first. Sequels are, more often than not, built on the same formula as the original and this one is no different. A bigger budget obviously helped bring the realism to life but the premise and quality are almost identical; and there's nothing wrong with that for what they are trying to accomplish.
Direction: 7/10 (Tod Williams builds up a creepy feel throughout the film, but that's about it) Cinematography: 8/10 (Michael Simmonds dumbs achieves an authentic realism) Editing: 8/10 (Gregory Plotkin did well to stick with Oren Peli's formula from the first) Acting: 6/10 (Brian Boland fleshes out his character more than the others, but this doesn't save it) Dialogue: 5/10 (Not that noteworthy but enough to seem like their a part of the film) Sound: 8/10 (In a story where sound is everything the team does a quality job) Effects: 9/10 (They scared me enough not to watch it without the light on) Art Direction: 7/10 (The connection to the first film is obvious when you see the set) Costumes: 8/10 (If anything they add to the authenticity) Music and/or Score: 9/10 (The various sounds create an eerie ambiance to set the tone)
Total Score: 75/100
It doesn't take long for the horror to start. The film gets to the point quicker than the original and that's its way of refining the formula. If horror is your forte and you prefer a good scare as opposed to mountains of blood, this will be right up your alley. Let your imagination connect the dots and just enjoy the creepiness.
Without wanting to spoil anything major for those of you who haven't seen it yet, it's certainly hard to believe that a family wouldn't be more distraught about a trashed house. There's something a bit too blasé about their reaction that bothered me early on. When you're watching a movie filmed to look like a 'real event' these small details always matter.
But aside from nit-picking small details it's hard to write about this film without mentioning the first. Sequels are, more often than not, built on the same formula as the original and this one is no different. A bigger budget obviously helped bring the realism to life but the premise and quality are almost identical; and there's nothing wrong with that for what they are trying to accomplish.
Direction: 7/10 (Tod Williams builds up a creepy feel throughout the film, but that's about it) Cinematography: 8/10 (Michael Simmonds dumbs achieves an authentic realism) Editing: 8/10 (Gregory Plotkin did well to stick with Oren Peli's formula from the first) Acting: 6/10 (Brian Boland fleshes out his character more than the others, but this doesn't save it) Dialogue: 5/10 (Not that noteworthy but enough to seem like their a part of the film) Sound: 8/10 (In a story where sound is everything the team does a quality job) Effects: 9/10 (They scared me enough not to watch it without the light on) Art Direction: 7/10 (The connection to the first film is obvious when you see the set) Costumes: 8/10 (If anything they add to the authenticity) Music and/or Score: 9/10 (The various sounds create an eerie ambiance to set the tone)
Total Score: 75/100
It doesn't take long for the horror to start. The film gets to the point quicker than the original and that's its way of refining the formula. If horror is your forte and you prefer a good scare as opposed to mountains of blood, this will be right up your alley. Let your imagination connect the dots and just enjoy the creepiness.