Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

This film is loosely based off the German folk fairy tale Hansel and Gretel, which was recorded by the Brothers Grimm. After defeating an evil witch in the woods, Hansel and Gretel become professional witch bounty hunters known all around the world. With large disappearances of children and a fabled blood moon arriving, the two must face a new form of evil. They will also learn more about their past.

This film was directed and written by Tommy Wirkola. I did not see this film in 3-D. This film has a very familiar story to those who have seen modern dark fantasy films. This a genre piece without being a genre piece. It's applied for horror fans, but it does not make you scared or make you think. There isn't enough attachment to the character's back story to make a different for the film. The story is like Raimi's without having a lot of campy gore humor to pull from. Its comedic jokes are too familiar to be funny. Unfortunately, this film isn't serious enough to be a dark story either. So it falls in the middle ground. This film has plenty of repetitive gore that comes off as cartoonish. The over the top makes it feel like it was mad for children, but the over use of gore keeps it from being so.What is good is that most of the witches are actually monsters. Unlike most modern films that tear away from the classic monster flick, it revels in it.The design of this film feels like a rip-off of either Burton or Del Toro without developing its own unique style. I did also find it strange that Hansel's disease feels so much like an magical form of diabetes. Surprisingly, there is talks of a sequel to come in the future. Jeremy Renner played the role of Hansel. His character was amazingly strong when it came to being dragged by witches. His character remained the strong ignorant brother through the entire film. Gemma Arterton played the role of Gretel. She was the obvious sexy image of the film. Her character could tear you apart while also being fragile. Famke Janssen played the role of Muriel. She made a great simple villain.

I give this film 2 out of 5 stars! This film had plenty of potential, but its weak story hinders it. It's over the top repetitive use of blood makes it too cartoonish to be enjoyed.

Answer to last blog: Actress Katee Sackhoff, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, starred in the film Riddick.

Que: What other film has actress Gemma Arterton starred in?

Inception
The King's Speech
Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
Winter's Bone

The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

This film is based off events that happened in Wyrick House in Ellerslie, Georgia. It is also loosely based off the novel The Veil: Heidi Wyrick's Story. This film is also an indirect sequel to the film The Haunting in Connecticut. The young Wyrick family move into a new home in Georgia and soon discover that their families ability to see ghosts has followed them. The ability becomes more of a challenge as the ghosts attempt to reach out and warn the Wyrick family.

This film was directed by Tom Elkins. This film has done better than its predecessor, but not by much. It keeps a small truth in following some of the families haunting accounts, but it too strives to reach a morbid explanation. This film does follow a similar story telling with its creepy back drop and jump scares. It does take a different approach in that not all the ghosts are scary. It also presents a new variation in people with psychic abilities combating evil. This film is fairly predictable, but contains plenty of morbid sequences. Although, I am unsure as to why this film was kept the title of its predecessor while taking place in a different state. It would've sounded much better just being The Haunting of Georgia. This film is about to be part of a trilogy. Abigail Spencer played the role of Lisa Wyrick. She created the image of another desperate mother trying to escape her fears. Emily Alyn Lind played the role of Heidi Wyrick. It was impressive to see her acting abilities on screen especially for her age. Katee Sackhoff played the role of Joyce. It was great to see her opposing Spencer on screen.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! This film takes a different turn from its predecessor while keeping several similarities. However, this film is more creepy than terrifying.

Answer to last blog: Actor Kyle Gallner, The Haunting in Connecticut, starred in the television show The Walking Dead.

Que: What film has actress Katee Sackhoff starred in?

Elysium
Riddick
Pacific Rim
Europa Report

The Haunting in Connecticut

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

This film is loosely based off the Snedeker family experience. The Campbell family beginning a new home to help with constant trips for medical purposes. After moving in, strange occurrences begin happening to the eldest son-Matt.

This film was directed by Peter Cornwell. This film is based off actual accounts from the family. But the investigation were highly changed to create a logical explanation and a more cinematic experience. Interestingly enough, a lot of the horror cliches stem from following the family accounts. The plot is highly generic for ghost stories, but it creates a creepy reasoning for the haunting. The story does rely heavily on jump scares and a creepy atmosphere. The ending of the film has one major problem that is never addressed; what happened to the little girl? She was told to hid in the house and was never seen escaping before the fire. She was also never seen in the ending with the family outside of the house... so, why did no-one notice her disappearance? The film is well acted though.Virginia Madsen played the role of Sara Campbell. She created the perfect image of a desperate Catholic mother. She really brought a sorrowful hero to the film. Kyle Gallner played the role of Matt Campbell. It was great to see him on screen as a person fearing all forms of death. Erik J. Berg played the role of Jonah.He managed to create a tragic monster that was both creepy and saddening.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! Being a horror film it does its basic job. However, it is not unique and offers nothing new to the genre.

Answer to last blog: Actor John D'Leo, The Family, starred in the film The Wrestler.

Que: What television show did actor Kyle Gallner star in?

Bates Motel
Hannibal
The Walking Dead
Supernatural

The Family (Malavita;2013)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

This film is based off the novel Malavita written by Tonino Benacquista. The Manzoni family are in the witness protection program in Normandy, France. The family is finding it difficult to adjust in this new community. But, the old life is close to finding their hide out. 

This film was directed and written by Luc Besson. This film has a very familiar story set-up for a dark comedy. However, this film would have benefited much more if it just stuck to being a mafia drama. It tries to depict a more comical version of mobsters while keeping it dark. The comedic scenes do not achieve more than a snicker, because of its frequent shifts in tone. The film has disorganized story telling, is neglectful of its secondary plots, and has an undefined back story. The characters remain nothing more than remorseless psycho's with no further development.There is plenty of action and violence in the film. There is also some sexuality in it. However, this film does gather its strength from its impressive cast. Unfortunately, it could have gained more by creating more defined and terrifying villains. Robert Di Nero played the role of Fred Blake/Giovanni Manzoni. He did great creating a highly sarcastic mobster. His character is very familiar to the mafia genre, but has a hint of a humorous twist. Michelle Pfeiffer played the role of Maggie Blake. She was good at making her character unapproachable. She had the perfect persona for the character, but lacked any heart. Dianna Agron and John D'Leo played the roles of Belle and Warren Blake. They were great in their familiar roles of child mobsters. 

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! The acting makes this film worth watching. But its greatly hindered by its lack of a well thought out story.

Answer to last blog: Actress Rose Byrne, Insidious: Chapter 2, starred in the horror film 28 Weeks Later.

Que: What other film has actor John D'Leo starred in?

The Wrestler
Iron Man
Gran Torino
The Reader

Insidious: Chapter 2

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

This film is a sequel to Insidious. The haunted Lambert family find refuge in Josh's, their father's, old home. They quickly discover that their troubles have followed them into this new house. As this entity seeks death on the Lambert family, Lorraine Lambert, the grandmother, tries to uncover the secrets of this entity.

This film was directed by James Wan. This film is a direct sequel to the events in the first film. This film uses more imagination to carry its audience further into this new realm, but it doesn't present any new horrifying creatures, and only produces one new creepy ghost. This films continued creativity makes it feel more like a continuation instead of a retelling of its predecessor. However, there are far fewer deaths in this film. Making un-terrifying. The eerie setting and the eerie images of the ghosts keep it moderately scary. This film is highly predictable, and it keeps its characters uninteresting to watch. Patrick Wilson returned to his role as Josh Lambert. He was good, but not great. He did present some mental changes in the character when it was necessary, but failed to make it a physical change. Rose Byrne returned to her role as Renai Lambert. She was good at being highly predictable. After having experienced this once before, her character should have grown more. Barbra Hershey played the role of Lorraine Lambert.She was good in her limited role. Her character brought together all the loose pieces of the film. Tom Fitzpatrick played the role of Bride in Black and Old Patrick. He was good at being scary, but it was just odd seeing him on screen. Showing the back story of this character only made him strange and creepy. Stephanie Pearson played the role of Dark Haired Woman. She was great creating all the horror for the film. Too bad she did not appear more often.

I give this film 2 out of 5 stars! It is a creepy film, but it does not offer enough adequate scares to make it a horror film. 

Answer to last blog: Actor Hal Yamanouchi, The Wolverine, starred in the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. 

Que: What other horror film has actress Rose Byrne starred in?

28 Weeks Later

1408

28 Days Later

Eight Legged Freaks

The Wolverine

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

This film is based off the Wolverine character created by Marvel hero comics, and is the sixth installment to the X-Men film franchise. Logan, Wolverine, is summoned to Japan by an old war acquaintance, Yashida. Logan protected Yashida from an atomic bombing. Logan soon finds himself fighting his past demons and fighting to keep his immortality while protecting Mariko Yashida.

This film was directed by James Mangold. This film servers as a sequel to the X-Men series and a prequel to the new X-Men film about to be released. This film keeps its cartoon like style, but mixes it with emotional heart and highly computerized animation action. This film's story focus' more on recovering the character's soul while testing his emotional and psychical limits. I think about having seen the Wolverine as pretty much the lead in the X-Men films, and a prequel of his story, his character had been over used. There are other X-Men out there.This film just makes his past even more complicated than before. However, there are several moments when the story goes against set in stone facts. It also shows very few other mutants. This film has plenty of intense action. It also has plenty of computer animation. 

Hugh Jackman returned to his role of Wolverine. As always, he makes the film worth watching. He has discovered some new angels of the character to play and build off. Tao Okamoto played the role of Mariko. She was good but she did not do anything to make her stand out in the film. It unfortunately, made her character feel unimportant. Rila Fukushima played the role of Yukio. She was good in her very limited role. She created a new personality that is almost never seen on film. Svetlana Khodchenkova played the role of Viper. She did great creating one of the must disturbing mutants in the franchise. Hal Yamanouchi, Haruhiko Yamanouchi, played the role of Yashida. He was good for the very short amount of time he was on screen.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! It has a lot to create an even more complicated story for Logan, but it doesn't feel important to the franchise. 

Answer to last blog: Director Seth Gordon and actor Jason Bateman, Identity Thief, both worked together on the film Horrible Bosses.

Que: What other film has Hal Yamanouchi starred in?

Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind
Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
The Aviator
Sideways

Identity Thief

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

Business man Sandy Patterson travels from Denver to Florida after he discovers that his identity has been stolen. His goal is to find the woman who stole his identity, Diana, and force her to confess to her crimes. This proves even more challenging when Diana is being hunted by other criminals and a bounty hunter.

This film was directed by Seth Gordon. This film follows a recent trend in having identities stolen, and takes it a step further into finding the culprit. It is a fun and original idea that gets bogged with too much unnecessary additions. Having the criminals and the bounty hunter, that is never really explained, is too much for the story, They are only added to keep comedic action in this film's story. The emotional elements of the film feel too forced. A lot of the comedy comes from its physical comedy, and actress McCarthy's general over the top nature. The film is highly predictable with its adult humor. Jason Bateman played the role of Sandy Patterson. He plays the familiar straight laced business man role that everyone is familiar with. He is good in this familiar role, but isn't highly likable. Melissa McCarthy played the role of Diana. She returned to her familiar over the top role. The emotional parts of the character feels way to forced.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars! It does have it moments of humor. Its a bit too over the top, and is bogged down by some unneeded characters.

Answer to last blog: Actor Josh Hutcherson, The Kids Are All Right, starred in the film Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant.

Que: What other film has director Seth Gordon and actor Jason Bateman worked together?

Horrible Bosses
Four Christmases
Paul
This Is 40

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

Joni and Laser decide to visit their sperm donor father, Paul. This leads to difficulties with Jules and Nic, their lesbian (bisexual) mothers.  

This film was directed by Lisa Cholodenko. This film follows a familiar story and changes it. It shows that lesbian families can face the same problems as any other couple. No matter how different the story is, it contains all the heart and spirit of a dramatic family film. The story does find a nice balance between drama and humor. This film does contain some sexuality in it. This film is very predictable, and it is has predictable characters. Annette Bening played the role of Nic. She created the highly familiar controlling partner who is losing control. Julianne Moore played the role of Jules. She created another familiar role in a partner looking for comfort. They played off each other very well in this film. Mark Ruffalo played the role of Paul. He did good opposing Bening and supporting Moore. Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson played the roles of Joni and Laser. They were good playing the typical teenage roles.

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! It creates the image of a modern family, but it follows a very familiar story of family values.   

Answer to last blog: Actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and Actress Catherine Keener, A Late Quartet, starred in the film Capote.

Que: What other film has Josh Hutcherson starred in?

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

The Blind Side

Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant

Star Trek

A Late Quartet

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

Peter Mitchell, Daniel Lerner, Juliette Gelbart, and Robert Gelbart are a part of the renowned musical quartet known as The Fugue. On their 25th anniversary they discover troubles within their relationships with one another, and within themselves, which is causing disharmony in their music.

This film was directed by Yaron Zilberman.This film is geared more to those who enjoy listening and composing great music. The musical references are understandable to all audiences. This film's story follows these four people as if they were a pieces of music trying to find harmony within each other. The characters turmoils are very familiar to dramatic romance stories. The ending concert sequence was amazing to watch, because it told so much in just a few simple movements of music. The music is great to listen to on screen, because it adds to the telling of the story. It is also generally just good to listen to. Christopher Walken played the role of Peter Mitchell. Naturally, he was great in creating this character fighting against old age while trying to keep the group together. It is a general standard role that he brought lots of emotion to. Mark Ivanir played the role of Daniel Lerner. He created a character of control, and who could not live accordingly without it. Catherine Keener played the role of Juliette Gelbart. She created the standard role of a career driven mother. She had lots of heart in the role, but didn't do much to stand out from the rest of the cast. Philip Seymour Hoffman played the role of Robert Gelbart. He did great keeping from his general controlled chaos. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars! It might follow a familiar story line, but the acting and the music makes it worth the watch.

Answer to last blog: Actor/Director Ben Stiller, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, directed the film the Cable Guy.

Que: What other film has actor Philip Seymour Hoffman and actress Catherine Keener star in together?

Into the Wild
Capote
Almost Famous
Watermarks

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Caution: This Might Contain Spoilers!

If you enjoy my blog, you may enjoy my facebook page!

Film Code Link!

This film is based off the short story, with the same title, written by James Thurber, and is remake of the 1947 film with the same title. Walter Mitty works for Life magazine, but spends most of his life fantasizing about romance, heroism, and action. Walter finds his job at risk if he can not obtain a missing photo from Sean O'Connell. To locate this missing photo, Walter sets out in search of O'Connell, and discovers the adventures his life has been missing.

"That is the purpose of life." This film was directed by Ben Stiller. This film was made to be an adventure comedic film. However, the story focus' a lot on drama trying to bring more substance to the story. There are plenty of comedic moments, and one scene that is hilarious. However, many of the plot points that needed to be important were hindered by the script. The grand scheme of the story is a great concept. The grandeur of the backdrops adds to the scheme of the story. The cinematography in this film is great because it reminds us of the vastness of the world. The film did get bogged down by its acting. Ben Stiller played the role of Walter Mitty. This film really does feel like a one man show. Ben began the film great, but it never felt like his character truly evolved. 

I give this film 4 out of 5 stars! It is a great imaginative film with moments of humor. It is hindered when it attempts to reach for dramatic moments.

Answer to last blog: Director Paul Thomas, The Master, directed the film Boogie Nights.

Que: What other film has Ben Stiller directed?

Flirting with Disaster
Happy Gilmore
The Cable Guy
Black Sheep