Trance

If Danny Boyle is involved, I'll always be interested. And though Trance can be accused of being many things, I can never say boring was a word that came to mind.

James McAvoy plays Simon, an art auctioneer turned thief involved in a robbery gone wrong. In the process of stealing a highly coveted painting named "Witches in the Air", Simon is hit in the head, disabling any memories of where he put the painting. The other criminals involved in this plot, led by Vincent Cassell as Franck, are far from happy about Simon's recent memory loss and will do anything to help him recover where the painting in. This desperate time brings them to Elizabeth (Rosario Dawson), a hypnotist who might be the only hope in recovering this painting. What she brings to the table, her true intentions, and what Simon will remember are things that will take everyone for a spin.

Trance's visuals are a dream come true (pun intended). All of the scenes involving Simon's inner most thoughts look amazing, very reminiscient of Eternal Sunshine where there's almost an animated quality to the live action scenes you're viewing.

Though everyone gives a sturdy performance, once Rosario Dawson shows up, you won't be able to take your eyes off her. Her performance here is stunning. Every scene she keeps your mind going, your attention never drifts off and she really gives a strong base into her character. Her character is the best spell this movie will cast on you.

Unfortunately, Trance struggles in the execution. About halfway through, you know a big twist or two is coming. Which is really quite the understatement of the year. Trance takes so many spins and then more spins on those spins you feel like you're on Roger Rabbit's Wild Ride which is fun but also might make you queasy. Too many surprises and turns were added it feels like overkill. Trance is an unforgettable ride that might leave your brain in a permanent trance.

2/4

You're Next

I'm doing a revision on my original review of 2.5 stars, because after a second viewing, I fucking loved every minute of it. I loved the 80's feel watching it, I loved how wickedly nasty every character was and how most of their deaths matched it. I loved how even in the middle of bodies hitting the floor that didn't stop them from giving each other Shit and calling each other out (the scene with the slo mo run out the door is everything). One of the most underappreciated horror movies of the decade by myself included.

3/4

The Conjuring

If there's a more fun and effective way to get your blood pressure raised then The Conjuring, I sure as hell haven't heard of it. The Conjuring is a blast and easily one of the best horror films of the last decade.

Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson play Ed and Lorraine Warren, two charismatic ghost hunters who work with truth and logic on their side. Rarely is a case so bizzare or malicious that the two can't offer a reasonable explanation for it; until they meet the Perron family, a group whose signs of being haunted range from creepy sounds and things being moved, to dead pets and unexpected guests. And surely enough, it even manages to go downhill from there.

The Conjuring has such an authentic nature you never really feel like you're watching a movie. I could watch the leads play the Warrens all day long and never believe they weren't real people on screen, the leads manage to give their roles some charisma and personality as well. They aren't your typical stiffs. The Perron family led by Lili Taylor as Carolyn Perron will make your bones shiver portraying a sense of compassion in their roles as each are haunted to death.

It's refreshing how James Wan has proven his versatility as a horror director I must say. After watching movies like Saw, I knew he could do the gory shit well but I never knew he could do the suspense well and he nails it. Every scene is milked to its' utmost potential, sometimes resulting in a false alarm, other times resulting in pure terror. Every set piece, character, doll, situation is used perfectly to nail the feeling of terror. The Conjuring is a roller coaster ride of a movie.

One of my other biggest compliments about The Conjuring is its' look. It takes a lot for a piece of scenery to make you feel spooked but even the scenery in The Conjuring is made to frighten. Every set piece looks amazing it reminds me of something you would see in The Haunted Mansion.

And unlike most horror movies which tend to fizzle out towards the end, The Conjuring stays strong until the credits roll. The exorcism scenes are spectacular (The Last Exorcism...take notes) the make-up is astounding. Everything works in The Conjuring, I loved every minute of it.

3/4

Admission

I was completely on board to enjoying Admission, I was really hoping the formulaic previews weren't an accurate display of how Admission would play out. Sadly, I was wrong, Admission is even more predictable and sitcom-y then the previews indicated I was waiting for the laugh track to come on at any second.

I don't think Admission's disappointing streak can be blamed on the cast. Tina Fey's always on board for a good time, once again proving that in disappointing movies like this and Baby Mama, she can ALMOST elevate anything. She makes you root for her character even though you pretty much know how she will start up in the movie and where she will end off. Paul Rudd also fares well as her romantic interest, though he isn't given much to do, he does it well.

Tina Fey stars as Portia, a college admissions officer sent to a quite unusual school to look for recruitments. She meets up with Paul Rudd's character John who introduces her to an aspiring student who might possibly be the child she put up for adoption many years ago. The only issue is that he's unlike any other student on their acceptance list, getting him in seems almost impossible (but you know rules will be bent to get him in).

Every situation in Admission can be seen miles away. Though some of them are enjoyable (thanks mainly to the cast's charm) it's impossible to really enjoy it when you feel like you've seen it so many times. The last half definitely falls flat on its' face, as the comedic tones have been replaced by hum drum dramatic themes that never feel authentic. Admission is a by-the-books bore that could have been stronger if someone had taken a chance instead of phoning it in.

2/4

Hatchet III

It saddens me how ridiculously terrible continuations like Hatchet III make people forget about how awesome the original Hatchet was in every way. It was hillarious, the performances were full of fun, the characters actually had personalities, the gore looked great and it was actually quite jumpy as well. Movies like Hatchet III should be banned from anything having to do with such a high quality.

There's such little plot here it's impossible to stretch it out. Marybeth (Danielle Harris) thinks that she killed Victor Crowley, of course (due to some inane logic about Victor returning to his former self every night) he isn't dead, ripping through a new group of people in a matter of minutes, it's up to Marybeth to stop him and blah blah blah.

It's hard to say what's the biggest reason is why Hatchet III makes you wish the hatchet would go through your head instead of the characters on screen. Could it be the ridiculously terrible performances? (Even by straight to DVD standards...this shit is beyond belief. Could it be the laughable death scenes and awful makeup (see how Crowley looks in this entry for further proof)? Could it be that there isn't a single scare, laugh, or surprise from beginning to end? Regardless, the scariest part about Hatchet III is the poster where the tagline "This legend never dies".

The very thought of there being a 4th Hatchet entry is far more sinister and terrifying then anything Crowley will ever be able to do with his infamous weapon.

0/4

Stoker

Easily one of the biggest disappointments this year along with Great Gatsby and Oz, it's depressing how much better Stoker really should have been. The previews made it look so intriguing and sinister but in the end I felt like I had watched the slowest running episode of Scooby Doo in existence, that wears its' welcome out long before the grand finale.

Stoker's lack of excellence can't be blamed on the cast though; they're all top notch here. Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, and Mia Wasikowska are all giving it their A-game. The trio all know where the creepy is at. If the material they were given had matched the strength all of them are giving with these messed up, fucked up characters, Stoker would have been a knock-out.

One of the biggest problems with Stoker is that it's just lazy. Right off the bat after India Stoker's (Wasikowska) father dies and her uncle (Goode) mysteriously shows up, you know he's up to no good. You know that India's mother Evelyn (Kidman) has the hots for him. You know that by the way India stares at her uncle...that she will eventually have the hots for him. Stoker takes an idea about the deception in one's one family and just sits on it. All of these twists are obvious and you keep waiting for something else to arrive that never does.

Stoker is definitely eye candy, meticulous is easily the word I can think of when describing the visuals. But sadly, I feel that the visuals were emphasized to overcompensate for how empty the movie is (ironically this is the way I felt with Great Gatsby and Oz also). I mentioned before you keep waiting for an actual surprising twist to occur but the truth is, Stoker will leave you waiting for ANYTHING to happen. There's so many chances for a great thrill or exciting climax and you're left holding you're breath for no reason. Stoker is terribly dull.

Throughout the movie, Richard Stoker is mourned by all, but I feel the most deserved mourning should go out to everyone that makes it to the end of Stoker, a beautiful looking yet awfully ditzy disappointment.

1/4

Tyler Perry's Temptation

Temptation is a movie I question on how one would be able to consider it as a serious film. Between the laughable dialogue and over the top drama, unlikeable and ridiculously wooden characters, Temptation has such a ridiculous feel of camp I kept waiting for Madea to pop out and say "Just kidding guys".

What's up? The movie begins with a marriage counselor telling a patient her "sister's" big mistake that she made with a decision to put lust and excitment over true love and stability. Her "sister" is Judith (Jurnee Smollett) a dating therapist who is stuck in a rut. She's not on the career path she would like to be (who could blame her with Kim Kardashian and Vanessa Williams with her terrible French accent as coworkers) and her marriage to Brice (Lance Gross) seems to be stuck in a tedious rut. She soon gets a chance to spice things up with Harley (Robbie Jones), a coveted man who is everything that Brice is not. At first, Judith is appalled by Harley's blunt flirtations with her, but soon can't resist this mystery life, to the dismay of her loving husband and family. Judith soon learns that if something is too good to be true, there's probably good reason.

What's good? It's a shame that such talent is wasted in such a bizzare soap opera like Temptation because minus a few exceptions I felt the cast was pretty strong. Jurnee Smollett will catch and keep your interest as Judith even when she begins to turn to the dark side. Lance Gross does well as Brice as well, effectively gaining sympathy as Judith's betrayal brakes his heart. Robbie Jones does the bad boy role as well and I also enjoyed Brandy as a side character working at Brice's pharmacy, though I really do question what her character's purpose in being in the movie was in the first place.

What the fuck? I feel like Tyler Perry forgot to make any of his characters likeable in this movie. Judith cheats on her husband and breaks away from everything and everyone that she loves for a man she barely knows. Brice forgets about his wife and is written as someone who is to say the least...a bit vacant. And Harley is an asshole. Not to mention Kim Kardashian and Vanessa Williams' characters who honestly make the first three seem like saints. Who gives a shit what happens when everyone is so nasty?

Life and love can definitely be dramatic and trying times, but Temptation takes it to such an extreme level you would swear you were watching a spoof or a children's play. Nothing or no one feels authentic here, it feels like Perry might as well have put in subtitles at certain points, "LOVE CAN SUCK, AND MIGHT MAKE YOU CHEAT, WHICH WILL CLEARLY HURT BUT YOU'LL GET YOUR ASS BEAT" literally. I felt like at times I was watching a public service announcement about the consequences of being unfaithful. It feels silly, most notably being scenes involving the climax, and a an early scene with Judith trying to spice up the sex life in her marriage is flat out painful.

Overall Temptation is a painful, ridiclously overdone try on the difficulties of romance and the negatives of being unfaithful. It tries to eliver a message with all of the subtlety of a hammer while delivering laughable situations and ridiculously unlikeable characters that really make the movie drag. It's not a fun movie to watch, it's certainly not something I would take seriously and it's capable of being forgotten within a matter of days. The most meaningful confession you could hear by the finale is that this movie was created for the sole purpose of sucking up your money.

1/4