Movie Review: The Conjuring 2 (2016)

The Conjuring 2 is a 2016 supernatural-horror film directed by James Wan. The movie stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga as Ed and Lorraine Warren who reprise their roles. This time around the duo are investigating a family in Enfield, England who's daughter Janet is experiencing strange doings throughout their house. I reviewed The Conjuring a long time ago on my blog. I've also reviewed Annabelle which I thought was an enormous derail of this franchise. Luckily, I have good news which is that I loved this movie. The Conjuring 2 is a great movie and I loved every second of this film. What makes this movie so great are a number of really great factors coming together to create a very grand experience. First off, this movie is so freaking scary. The Conjuring one was a good film and was terrifying too, but this movie is far more scary and proved to be much more entertaining then the first installment. This is definitely one of the better horror films in recent years. Also, the performances in this film are impeccable. The most terrifying element to this film is how the characters are just at the end of their rope with these paranormal doings. This film also looks great. The cinematography is wonderful in this movie and it actually has a leg over the first installment with that. You probably sense from now that this is (at least what I think) to be one of James Wan's greatest movies. Perhaps this is Mr. Wan's best film? As far as his career is concerned, this is definitely my favorite of his. This is also a very old fashioned film. It's very refreshing to see a director who actually understands the art of horror. This is one of those films. The movie is also great because of it's ability to add relevant social commentary into the story. I won't reveal what it is, but there's an element surrounding one of the entities where if you say it's name it goes away. I think that's very applicable to our society today and I challenge those who read this review and then go see it to pick that up from this film. Overall, The Conjuring 2 is a really great horror movie that is by far my favorite James Wan flick and one of the better horror films in recent years. 3 stars

Movie Review: Apt Pupil (1998)

Welcome back to my Stephen King movie reviews! Thus far I've reviewed Pet Sematary and Thinner. Both of which I had a great time rewatching. Apt Pupil is a 1998 film directed by Bryan Singer. The film is based off the novella written by Stephen King and stars Brad Renfro and Ian McKellen in the lead. Apt Pupil by far is one of King's most disturbing and unsettling stories. The movie isn't just a horror film, it's actually a very intense and dense psychological thriller. Renfro's character Todd discovers that a next door neighbor of his named Dussander (Ian McKellen) is hiding a secret....he's a nazi war criminal. Todd is obsessed with the holocaust, we get that sense from the very opening of the movie and this leads his character to blackmail Dussander into telling him all about the crimes and felonies he committed against society. Of the three movies I've watched so far in this series of reviews, Apt Pupil is by far the best. This actually is a good film and what makes this movie stand out so much to me is the acting. Brad Renfro always chose really great roles, but they were always very gritty too. This is no different than that. Renfro channels a disturbing, serious, and even dangerous performance in this movie as a character who is just immensely un-likeable. Then there's Ian Mckellen's character who also is very untrustworthy and we don't like him at all. The acting shines in this film and the bond between these two characters (toxic maybe) is still a great on-screen relationship. As far as the overall story goes, I thought it was decent. Like I said, this movie really is very unsettling, but where it fell short was the overall conclusion and meaning. After the flick ends, I felt myself wondering what exactly I'd just seen. Bryan Singer himself called Apt Pupil a "study in cruelty" and explored how evil is spread. While I like the premise of that, I don't think Apt Pupil really understands what it's about. The film would have been so much greater and more meaningful if the conclusion actually elevated us as the audience, to a higher power. We needed to learn a lesson or hear a conclusion about life in this film.  Instead, it has an overly violent ending and tries on more than one occasion to needlessly disturb us. The film ends in such an odd manner that I scratched my head at why it even exists. I'm not saying that I didn't enjoy this film because I did. Apt Pupil is a good film, but it needed to elevate itself to something greater than just a thriller. Had it as a film done that, it could have been great. Overall, Apt Pupil is a good movie with good acting, interesting chemistry between characters, but doesn't have a real ending message or purpose, or point. Three stars

Movie Review: Pet Sematary (1989)

Pet Sematary is a 1989 horror film directed by Mary Lambert with a screenplay written by Stephen King. The film stars Dale Midkiff, Denise Crosby, Blaze Berdahl, Miko Hughes, and Fred Gwyne. This is my second review in my Stephen King series. I reviewed Thinner earlier this week and now I'm coming back to talk to you about Pet Sematary. The premise of this movie is very interesting. The Creed family moves into a new house. They get greeted by fellow neighbor Jud (Fred Gwyne) who introduces them to the Pet Sematary (purposely misspelled) that lies next door to their house. I won't go any further as not to spoil anything, but this movie basically seeks out to answer the question: is it better to be dead and end pain, or not die and deal with pain? It's a heavy question and I was surprised at how well this movie executes that idea. While it definitely does have a slant, this film really makes you think, and I like films that make you think. That being said, Pet Sematary aside from a few greatly directed scenes sort of gets boring. It feels weird to call anything Stephen King puts his hands on boring, but this  film has very slow pacing and the acting from everyone (except Fred Gwyne who gives a fantastic performance) is very flat and had no life. Don't get me wrong, Pet Sematary is a scary flick. In fact, 99.99% of the time I was creeped out or scared by something on screen. It's a very creepy movie. Perhaps what makes this film most creepy is the character of Zelda. If you haven't seen the movie I will not spoil it, but Zelda is probably one of King's finest on-screen characters. Her role as well as Gage's role in the latter half of the film, is where this movie actually succeeds in horror. It's very emotional and that mixture of disturbing and darkness makes something actually scary. As a horror movie, this film does work, but on the level of the acting and pacing..it falls flat. Also, one other flaw I realized was how this film really doesn't have a main character. It is a story explored on this grand scale, but we never get a clear protagonist or antagonist. That's my issue above everything else which is that being unfocused. Mr. Creed is almost a main character however due to the scope of the story and how he acts, it doesn't work. The special effects are really something though. Between the dead cat and the makeup on Zelda, I was quite satisfied with how this film looks. It also really makes great use of it's location. The Pet Sematary itself is a dark and scary place that I really felt effective. Even something as minor as seeing one character's breath makes you feel cold. It's scenery is great and I really felt that by far that was the strongest aspect of this piece. Overall, Pet Sematary is an alright film with good elements, but has flat acting in most roles and the pacing is extremely slow. Two stars

Movie Review: Stephen King's Thinner (1996)

Thinner is a 1996 horror film directed by Tom Holland. The film is an adaptation of Stephen King's novel under the same name. Thinner was never one of Stephen King's best hits. In fact, King wrote the novel under his pen name Richard Bachman. The book isn't bad, but it didn't reach the fame and iconic success and status that books like Carrie and Misery did. That being said, Thinner is a thought provoking movie. The film stars Robert John Burke, Joe Mantegna, Lucinda Jenney, and Michael Constantine to name just a few. Thinner tells the story of a man named Billy who after accidentally killing a gypsy woman with his car, is tracked down by the father and the gypsy father puts a curse on him. One that causes Billy to gradually lose weight until he is nothing....or "erased" as Billy says it. Thinner is a movie that up until today I'd not seen since middle school. When I saw it then I thought it was a great movie. When I saw it now, I realized many more flaws, but I actually do like this movie. Thinner is sort of a guilty pleasure for me. The movie isn't downright awful and yes it does have boring scenes sprinkled throughout, but I really think there are some good scenes in here. Not to mention the tone of this movie. You get this very dark and mysterious feel and for fans of the horror genre, they will appreciate this. Yes, the acting is all very over the top (especially from our lead) and there are scenes that get far too melodramatic. I recognize all of those things, but as a die-hard Stephen King fan I actually enjoyed most of this film. The one thing about this movie that bothers me (and plenty other people and critics) are how no character in this film is innocent except for Billy's daughter Linda. Everybody is corrupt in this film and I don't know how I feel about that. To make a character lack good morals you need to have them be likeable in one way or another. The characters in this film aren't all that likeable and that to me is often where this film falters. The characters are people we don't root for. Don't get me wrong though, I think this movie is a little unfairly treated by critics. It's kind of been overshadowed in the last twenty years and while I do see what the critiques were talking about...I think this movie is actually better than it's got credit for. Solely because the story is there and there is absolutely nothing wrong with the plot. It's how this movie is done that sort of makes more faults come through. I'd highly recommend watching Stephen King's Thinner if you're a fan of Stephen King, a horror fan, or just want an entertaining and suspenseful time. Overall, Thinner is a mixed bag of elements, but I actually like this movie and respect it as a work of Stephen King and as a guilty pleasure. Two stars

Upcoming News And Reviews

What's up guys? I just wanted to post about some new reviews and media that I'm going to be talking about on the blog. The first (which you'll have already read if you looked at my review for Perfect Blue) is that I've recently gotten very interested in the world of anime. I'm going to be starting anime reviews for series that I've watched or am watching as well as providing film reviews in the anime category. Also, Halloween isn't for a long time, but I'd like to start talking about some horror movies earlier than that. As a reward for the 1500 plus views I've got on Media World, I'm going to be reviewing more Stephen King movies (one every Sunday). I'll be talking about Thinner, Pet Semetary, Apt Pupil, Needful Things, and yes The Shining. Once I'm done with those, i will also be watching and reviewing all theatrically released Evil Dead movies. I cannot wait to talk about those, especially my own personal story from the first flick. I really hope this news encourages readers to the blog and I cannot wait to delve into these films and discuss them. Happy reading !

Movie Review: Perfect Blue (1997)

Perfect Blue is a 1997 psychological thriller anime film directed by Satoshi Kon. The movie revolves around a pop singer named Mima Kirigoe who decides to shed her squeaky-clean image and become an actress, where she's made to participate in dark scenes and completely loses herself. I've very recently gotten into the world of anime. I'm going to start reviewing more anime on this blog as well as researching the form of entertainment more on my own. Perfect Blue was a movie I discovered through YouTube film critic Chris Stuckmann. Stuckmann loved the movie, but especially praised how effectively scary it was. I went into this movie with high expectations, however I was only satisfied on few levels. Perfect Blue is an excellent example of what happens when a director puts too much style over substance. This film had too much grit and intensity that it managed to neglect a good story. I do have a lot of positives though. Besides the top-notch animation style, this film has a very interesting concept. Can we let go of our past selves? Do our pasts come back to haunt us? Can we ever truly become somebody else? I think the film did a great job of executing those questions and really giving us a lot in the way of good editing and symbolism. That being said, this film really lacked a lot of story. The movie's story needed to be less reliant on violence and more so on what you don't see. The scene in which Mima hears the stalker breathing over the telephone is a fantastic example of that. Instead of making a really gritty film that shows you the scares and chills, how about we just get hints at them? The phone scene was one of my favorites because it exemplified how well mystery works in a film like this. As far as the self-destruction aspect, I was satisfied with it. Mima's past self coming back and haunting her (in one scene engaging in a knife fight) was really smart and this movie is brilliantly created. It's just that the story didn't have enough. The style took over and became confusing. Rotten tomatoes holds this film with a rating of 68% and reads: "Perfect Blue is overstylized, but it's core mystery is always compelling, as are the visual theatrics." That perfectly states how I feel about this movie. It's like how I now feel about American Psycho. When I first saw that movie, I thought it was great because of how it pushed what was considered acceptable. However, looking back on the film I realized just how lacking in plot the flick is. That's how I feel here. The movie isn't bad, it's just decent. Overall, Perfect Blue was a movie that lacked a lot of plot, had good style, but far too much of the latter which lead it to need a tad more of the former. 2.5 stars