Reviews

I'll start this by saying that Paranormal Activity is one movie that will stay with you after you leave the cinema. It is not often that this is true, but this film taps into such a core human fear that most of you will struggle to shake it.

The movie starts with a couple purchasing a (oddly large) video camera in an attempt to catch some strange going ons that have apparently been occurring in the house.

The films starts slowly, with not much occurring in the first 30 or 40 minutes, other than some occasionally humorous banter between the two leads. However the slow start is more than made up when paranormal occurrences start to intensify.

The film escapes the common "why don't you get the hell outta there" criticism of the haunted house genre by creating a rather convenient and weak back story of the ghost following the female lead, as opposed to haunting a specific house - however this just about works and on hindsight the film is better for it.

The last 40 minutes of the film achieves something that many supernatural thrillers fail to do - it creates a genuine sense of dread. It works on many levels and looking at two people sleep or staring at an empty room has never been so terrifying. I watched it at a packed theater, and every time the sleeping scenes begin, you could feel the impending sense of fear in the air.

Special effects are used sparingly, and most importantly never over the top. One such special effect moment will surely go down into horror movie history, though I won't spoil it for you here.

Throughout the movie, the suspense builds up continually and in the last 20 minutes or so, never lets up. The ending is fantastic and I don't ever remember being amongst such an animated theater audience. The film hits on so many areas, but the most refreshing aspect is the lack of cheap Hollywood scares. There is no Amityville Horror here, this is different, and it works brilliantly. For those Hollywood horror fans that thrive on the gore and shock moments, you won't like it. This isn't the same. This is far more intelligent, and so much better for it. May be there is life in the supernatural genre after all.

A well deserved 8 out of 10. You won't forget this movie in a while.

This is not an ordinary teen comedy - there's no gross out jokes or situations here - with is refreshing considering all the typical teen comedies being rushed out of the door recently.

The acting is great on all accounts, and I enjoyed seeing some of the Judd Apatow irregulars popping up in various small roles throughout the movie.

The movie reminded me loosely of a modern Dazed and Confused, where we're taken for a fun filled ride with the likable main characters during a night no one will forget.

Definitely a good, sit back and relax movie. Extremely enjoyable.

Craig

I am writing this with 10 minutes left before the film finishes. I feel comfortable writing it now, because unfortunately I know exactly how this film is going to end.

The premise is simple enough, rabid dog on the loose in a small town, kills people. Great - simple plot for a good fun camp 80s horror.

Uhh ..no.

The main problem is this is based on a book (Stephen King) and you can tell that is should not have really been adapted to film, at least not with the same plot. Why? Cuz its boring! The first 45 minutes tries to build depth to its main characters and create suspense. It however lasts too long (half the film!) - the characters are unlikeable and we never care for them anyway, and it just about creates zero suspense. The easiest film (according to plot and time) to compare this to it the classic Jaws. Everything that Jaws does right, Cujo does wrong. Jaws created good characters and a genuine feeling of dread. Cujo does neither. Jaws effectively creates a scary, creepy villain in its shark. Cujo has a dirty St Bernard running about growling and jumping, and not a lot else. Jaws is exciting and unpredictable. Cujo is a tireless bore that remains predictable right to the end.

Also confusing is the plethora of subplots that just act as boring red herrings to the films main plot.

If this film was rewritten for the big screen and had a better director this could have been good. But it wasn't. It was a waste of 90 minutes of my life.

People on here are saying this is one of the best King adaptations - Im sorry you could not be more wrong. The Mist is a hundred times better, Thinner is 10 times better and even the one with the cats is twice as good! This in my opinion is one of the worst! The only good thing was the action scenes with the dog looked real, even though they were dull.

Films ended now, and it didn't get any better. Avoid.

Beyond Loch Ness could have been such a great B movie, I mean like cult classic good, if only it didn't take itself so seriously! The acting was terrible, the CGI was laughable and the script was so wrong - all the key ingredients for a brill B movie, but alas - it was trying to be some rehash of Jaws or Jurassic Park when it should have been aiming for Lake Placid. Not a single joke in the whole film, and the only laughs it arises are the unintentional ones. And another thing, why is it called Beyond Loch Ness when its set in America? Loch Ness had some a small amount of screen time that it didn't really make much sense naming the film after Nessie!

I could give it a proper review but I've already wasted 1.30hours watching the damn thing!

Craig

24 is back! 24 is back with this 2hour special 'bridge' between series 6 and 7, which sees ex CTU Agent Jack Bauer in a war torn African nation hiding from the crimes he committed whilst saving the United States in the previous seasons of 24.

The past is catching up with Jack after the US discover his location and subpoena him to the US court. However, strife and trouble are never to far away as the country in which Jack is hiding is facing a military coup, and he gets involved in helping the school children of an old friend to safety, played by a pleasant appearance of Robert Carlyle.

Jack must rely on his unique skills once again as things quickly turn bad, and the viewer once again treated to the intense flurry of suspense, corruption and pure action that can only be 24.

I won't go into anymore plot details, as not to spoil the film for anymore else, but be prepared for a fantastic 90min of fun that sets up very nicely indeed to the new 7th season of 24.

Craig

For me Prom Night was actually a pleasant viewing. After reading the copious negative reviews on IMDb, and an appalling (then) 3.7 rating, I was expecting bad acting, no script, no brainer slasher, but this is not what Prom Night is at all.

A brief synopsis - maniac falls in love with schoolgirl, kills family, gets arrested, goes to jail, escapes from jail, goes looking for schoolgirl. Simple enough, and this is where the bulk of the film begins - Senior Prom Night, and the night Mr Maniac picks to ..uh.. woo Mrs Schoolgirl ..? Okay, so there's better and easier nights to pick, but this wouldn't do much for the films title.

The movie gets underway like any other average teen horror, predictable killings and cheap scares as the killer closes in on his prey, there's a small amount of underlying tension building throughout the first half, but it could have been done so much better if it wasn't ruined by the typical Hollywood rush job. But okay, its not a masterpiece. The second act for me is the best. I enjoyed the way the film introduced a Police Detective with evident intelligence, and as we soon learn the killers close on the tail of our schoolgirl heroine, the film reaches its best parts, and we're not just seeing the film almost purely from the viewpoint of the victim (like so many poor horrors), but seeing the whole situation for what it is. We're stepping back and saying 'Here We Are, This is Where We're At' and this for me was refreshing. The third act was predictably the big...let down. I take back the Police Detectives evident intelligence, you've let me down sir..some bad decisions on your half. Bit of an anticlimax ending also, but hey, what ya gonna do.

The acting? Good actually. No Oscars here, but there were hardly any cheesy lines, fake expressions or what not. Brittany Snow is good, and the supporting cast do what they can with the airtime they're given.

Overall, not a bad film. Probably better for me going in with low expectations, which may have heightened the experience. Its not a horror though, which some people may argue why it was bad. Come to this film expecting a thriller and you'll enjoy it more. There's no gore, not a lot of suspense and no creepy haunted house here. This is the straight to DVD kind of thriller.

Some people will moan about the predictable clichés (there were some) and the predictable plot (okay, the final act was predictable) but lets face it, its not going for any Film of the Year awards. Its good fun, just sit back, go in with no expectations and enjoy the ride. There are so many awful awful films out there with better ratings than 3.7, this isn't one of them.

Craig

Lucas Black takes the leading role from Paul Walker in this the third outing of the Fast & Furious series, that - unlike the previous two movies - focuses on the art of 'drifting'.

Director Justin Lin does a decent enough job here, with a lot to contend with from its superb predecessors. The setting is the streets of Tokyo, Japan, as Lucas Blacks character is shipped off from the US to Japan in order to avoid jail. There he gets involved in the underworld car racing, or should I say car drifting, scene.

The acting is average at best, with the relatively unknown Black doing the best he can, but clearly lacking experience. The racing scenes are, as expected, top notch, but the plot just seems silly, and it is these racing scenes that are needed to carry the film through to the end. The main problem with this film is that it really needed a stronger on screen presence, but since none of the original cast returned and all the actors are relatively unknown this was clearly lacking.

Overall it was an average attempt at a movie. The action is good but the acting and plot struggle throughout, and I think personally this was significantly lacking when compared to the first two movies.

Without spoiling the film, there is a nice surprise during the final couple of minutes, that added a point to my rating, but it wasn't enough. It gets an average rating of 6-10 - watchable.

C><