The Last Exorcism

The Last Exorcism (2010)

Rated: PG13

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Run Time: 100 minutes

Director: Daniel Stamm

Hopefully this is the last exorcism. I don’t think I can sit through another young girl throwing up on herself and talking in a possessed voice that clearly isn’t her own. Now I must preface this review with the explanation that I don’t get scared at scary movies anymore. I haven’t for a long time now. So each time I go in with the hopes that I will be scared or creeped out. Unfortunately this time I was not. However, there were many people in the theater who were scared and screaming. I can see where most people would be scared. So for the general movie public, I think you’ll be afraid, if not jump a few times.

So the movie, it’s interesting. The approach was different. It is documentary style where they are following a preacher, Cotton Marcus, who once did exorcisms all the time but has lost his faith and is now set to show exorcisms for the hoaxes that they are. This is supposed to be the last exorcism that he ever does. So he heads out to the backwoods in Louisiana and meets a father who is concerned that his daughter is possessed. So you see the preacher, played brilliantly I must admit by Patrick Fabian, go about his routine for rigging up a great exorcism. He assures the family the demon is gone and he and his film crew leave. But they have clearly gotten more than they have bargained for with this family.

Now I warn you that there will be spoilers after this point so if you don’t want to know what happens you should stop reading now. The weird starts with the girl, Nell, showing up in the preacher’s hotel room in the middle of the night. They take her to the hospital where she checks out fine. Once back at her house the crew gets the feeling that something isn’t right with the family and that maybe the girl needs some psychiatric help. They come back from seeing the local minister and find that the girl has cut her brother’s face wide open. They offer to stay with the girl while the dad takes him to the hospital. At this point this is where you start to see that the girl really is possessed by something. The film crew and Cotton though still want to hold on to the belief that the girl just needs a therapist. They learn that the girl is pregnant and right away think there is some creepy incest action going on. Nell starts acting strange and throwing up and disturbing pictures of how the film crew is going to die. Nell starts attacking the crew and trashes her room and it gets weird. The group is starting to think maybe she is possessed. When the dad gets back they confront him about the pregnancy and of course he insists his daughter is a virgin. They make another attempt at a real exorcism. Here comes out the “possessed voice” and weird body contortions and back bends. The actress, who played Nell, Ashley Bell, was very convincing. This exorcism ends very abruptly and they think they have gotten the demon out. It then comes out that she had sex with a boy in town and never told anyone. So the film crew has the local minister come out and they pray with the girl thinking that will help. Then the film crew packs up and leaves.

This would have been a disappointing ending so they didn’t end it there. While leaving they stop and talk to the boy who supposedly got Nell pregnant. He says it never happened and he’s gay so it would never happen. Now normal people would just keep going home but not these people. They head back thinking the girl lied to cover up for the dad and incest. When they get to the house no one is there and the house is covered in satanic cult signs and has been trashed. They hear a commotion and chanting from out in the woods and go and check it out. In a surprise twist, which honestly I didn’t see coming, the father is tied to a post blindfolded and the local minister, his wife, and the congregation are chanting and in robes and seem to be helping Nell with going through labor. When she gives birth the baby doesn’t seem to look human and then the minister throws the baby into the large bonfire they have going. The crew is saying they have to get out of there but Cotton stupidly goes out towards the crowd and tries to fight them with Jesus. That’s the only way I can explain it. The crew starts to run and unfortunately don’t make it and actually end up dying the way Nell’s pictures foretold. The movie ends with the POV of the camera guy looking at Nell’s brother who then cuts his head off with a scythe and the body falls to the ground.

From my point of view, it wasn’t great. It had promise, like most scary movies do. The acting was pretty good. I was impressed by that. And I was pleased that there was a twist I didn’t see coming. That hardly ever happens. Overall though, I was disappointed. I wasn’t scared and they cut the movie off when it was getting interesting. The general public however will be scared. So if you like to be scared go see it. There are many weird details I didn’t include in here. Overall I give this movie 3 1/2 frames. But that's just based on my personal tastes.

Feel free to discuss this movie here or over at the j1studios forum under Picture On A Wall.

Until next time kids, this has been Hava.

Batman: City of Scars... Watch it here!

Batman: City of Scars

Enjoy this 30 minute short film made by Aaron Schoenke with a budget of $27,000, which is nothing in the movie industry! Not only was this a low budget fan film, but this was also filmed within a month!!!

Story:

When the Joker escapes from Arkham and murders the parents of a young boy, Batman recalls the pain of losing his own parents as a child. He is pushed past his limits to the point where his focus becomes revenge on all who stand in his way, including many of Gotham’s underworld. Finally, Batman is forced to look at the psychological profile of his own mind and accept the consequences of his life to find resolve.

Characters to look out for:

Joker

Harley Quinn

Mr. Zsasz

Scarface and his Ventriloquist Wesker

WATCH IT BELOW!

What did you think? Let us know through here, or through the J1 Studios forum under "Picture On aWall".

My apologies

Hey faithful readers. Blogger has been giving me some problems with uploading pictures and videos. When it cooperates I will post up some videos from "Flipping Out." Thank you very much for your understanding.

Hava

When I flip, you flip, we flip!

"Flipping Out"

Channel- Bravo

Day & Time- Tuesdays @ 9pm est

So have you ever had a boss who was very demanding and likes everything “just so” and is anal about everything? Well if you have, times that by a million and you will have Jeff Lewis from the Bravo show “Flipping Out.” The show is centered on Jeff and the employees at his company. What they do is “flip” houses; which is buying houses, fixing them up, and then selling them for a profit. Jeff has lately been doing a lot of remodeling and design work since the housing market tanked. But they went through all that turmoil in the last season. The new season, which started last week, is all about getting back into business and getting more jobs and making some more money. Also, the season is apparently about grooming some of his assistants to take on my responsibilities in the company.

These first two episodes threw you back into Jeff’s world and all the new work and projects he is working on. He has a couple clients from the previous season but he has some pretty interesting new clients. Some have big personalities, as Jeff puts it. He has big projects, such as remodeling a well-known restaurant that has a lot of history out in Los Angeles. He is also helping to design and model a house in northern CA that is being built.

While the whole show is about the flipping and remodeling of these houses and the work that they do the most compelling stuff is how Jeff behaves. He is extremely sarcastic, has OCD tendencies, and expects you to know what he wants before he wants it. He isn’t the most orthodox of bosses. He will ask you to do things you wouldn’t expect from your employer (i.e. ask for your urine to keep coyotes away from the property). His punishments for messing up on the job are different (i.e. having to wear a smock/jumpsuit all day no matter where you have to go). He has no problem yelling at you when he thinks that you’ve messed up in someone. One of the reasons why the show is called “Flipping Out.”

I personally don’t mind Jeff’s mood swings. But I deal with crazy people for a living so this is nothing new to me. Other people may not take so kindly to his attitudes and way of doing business and all of his personal proclivities. There is no other company I would rather watch to do these jobs though. His employees are amazing. Some hilarious and some still trying to figure Jeff out. I can try to explain Jeff and his employees but it’s really something that has to be watch. So I will provide a couple clips for you to enjoy.

I give this show 5 frames. It may be biased since I love the man to death but if you watch the show you will see how fair that rating is.

Well, until next time kids, this has been Hava!

Scott Pilgrim vs the World

Scott Pilgrim vs the World (2010)
Rated: PG-13
Genre: Comedy, Action, Adventure
Running Time: 112 minutes
Director: Edgar Wright

Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) is a 23 year old dating a high-schooler. Yes. Indeed. Who is this guy and why should we care? We should at the least be interested because he's an awkward yet gutsy kid whose world consists of playing (um, if you can call it that) bass in his band (Sex Bob-omb), who is also out of work and sharing a teeny apartment with his gay, quick-witted roommate Wallace (Kieran Culkin). He, amidst even dating a high schooler, meets the girl of his dreams... with a catch. This girl, Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), is amazing yet the path to win her isn't an easy one. They have great, even other worldly chemistry but chemistry won't win the battles against her exes. Seven of them. He learns amidst a rough encounter that to date her, he has to fight, and win, against all of her seven evil exes.

Why how could it be that there is ANOTHER comic book turned movie?! You'd think after the success, even overdoing, of quite a few in this area - the hype would die down. That or a director would screw up and we'd learn not to put all our marbles in one bag. Yet the author of the series, Bryan Lee O'Malley, should be commended on creating such a creative, homage-to-all-things-geeky while still relatable, out of this world and truly lovable story.

The silliness is so much fun; comic-type thought-like bubbles appear to clarify and provide emphasis, the quips from everyone, Scott's ex and drummer in their band, Kim (Alison Pill) gives us her dry and even bitter two cents, Wallace is that friend to state the obvious, yet not because he doesn't get it - but because he does! Ode's to comic books and video games were abundant. If Scott beat an ex he'd win coins and depending upon the difficulty level, could get from $2 bucks to $7k. Hilarious scenes were plentiful. For example, when Scott is fighting an ex named "Roxy", she states something clever (as a threat) and he asks as if it were a quote from a film,"Where's that from?" and she responds "My brain". Corny = yes. Amusing = quite. This new genre seems to be what's happening (Kick-Ass for e.g.) and it may get old at some point but not yet and/or not here. This movie wasn't trying too hard - the writing was truly from someone who knows he's a geek, is quick and can put everything in a cohesive manner, even for us outsiders.

Overall a success and I have given this four out of five frames. Nowadays everyone is stressed and needs a great laugh - here's your chance to get a great laugh in - so go see it!



Here's a trailer for your viewing pleasure:



Danae signing off!

source:traileraddict.com

I Failed You!

Why the harsh title? Well, the plan was, this past weekend, to catch a somewhat newly released movie. The possibilities: Dinner for Schmucks, Despicable Me or The Other Guys). Did I complete this task? Nope! Although the couple of days were enjoyable due to lots.... and lots.. of eating, I didn't make it! Thus you don't have my (hopefully) desired opinion on any of the new releases BUT I can give you the few films I am certainly looking forward to. Take a peek at these!

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010)
Directed by Michael Apted and set to be released on 12/10/10, the third installation of the C.S. Lewis books-turned-movies, looks to feed my childhood fantasy hunger. While the second movie, Price Caspian, didn't bring in the same level of revenue as the first, I doubt we will be disappointed with the pure spiritedness of this release and will hopefully bring back that feeling-like-you're-back-in-your-room-as-a-child-reading-late-at-night-under-the-covers-in-a-wonderful-other-worldly-place :)



Let Me In (2010)
Directed by Matt Reeves, this is the American remake of Let the Right One In, originally filmed as a Swedish flick. Set to be
released on 10/1/10, I am excited to see what will come of us 'mericans redoing the disturbing yet well-composed thriller/horror story. From the trailer, it seems to mostly stick with the original and if it's done right the first time - why change it (even with the story-telling of a different than usual pacing/nature)? Here's the trailer of the Swedish version (already out) and directly following is the American remake:





Red (2010)
Directed by Robert Schwentke and set to be released 10/15/10, surprise, surprise, another comic book turned movie. Hey, everyone wants to get in on this bandwagon eh? Looks amusing, we shall see......



Here's an odd situation. This is a trailer based off of a comic book that honestly, doesn't look too interesting. It seems very adult (which is fine) yet nothing intrigued me. Mentioning it only because I think I should, considering all that www.j1studios.com is about comic-wise but I'd really like to know if anyone has read this comic and/or is interested in seeing this:

The Goon (2010)

No release date yet but will be sometime this year:



Current goals so as not to let you down: See Scott Pilgrim vs. the World this weekend! It's being released this Friday, August 13, 2010. Let this gal not make any excuse, for the sake of us all.

Danae signing off!

source: www.traileraddict.com

Who wants funeral potatoes? Masterchef does!

Masterchef
Channel: FOX
Date & Time: Tuesdays at 9pm
Rating: Had profanity. May want to keep the kids away from this one.


So this summer FOX has continued its love affair with foul mouthed, trash talking super chef Gordon Ramsay. Personally, I’m okay with their love for him. I share the same affections towards the man. This is now FOX’s third show featuring the man. First there was Hell’s Kitchen, where if you read this blog at all you know I am desperately in love with. Second there was Kitchen Nightmares, which I do love but not as much. Now they have Masterchef. I am still on the fence about this one since it is only two episodes in. All of these shows are American takes of the British versions over there on the BBC.

I think everyone knows about Hell’s Kitchen so I won’t go into what it’s all about here. Kitchen Nightmares is less known. It takes the same elements that Ramsay is known for (i.e. yelling obscenities, cooking, making profitable restaurants) so no one is thrown off. In this show it’s not about getting the best chef. It’s about taking a failing restaurant and making it a profitable, successful business. Of course along the way Gordon insults the owners, and the wait staff, and the chefs, and the décor, and the menu and just about anything he can think of. But he also tells them how to make it better. In the end he usually turns the business around and the people are a lot better off for asking him to come in and curse them out.

The new show is Masterchef. Not only is there Gordon Ramsay judging, but there are two other well accomplished chefs. The first is Graham Elliot who was the youngest four star chef in America. That is no easy feat. Many chefs don’t accomplish that in their lives. The other judge is Joe Bastianich. Joe has opened, I believe, 12 successful restaurants around the world and also owns a vineyard or two. These are some pretty impressive judges. If I was a contestant on this show I would be peeing my pants on a regular basis.

So what is the point of Masterchef you guys must be wondering. Well, to be honest, I’m still wondering that myself. I have watched the first two episodes and it has been basically a bunch of “home cooks” preparing a dish that speaks to who they are or some nonsense like that. The cooks that have potential are chosen to be on the show. The ones that they don’t like are insulted and pretty much told to not cook again. Which I think is fine by some of their families. Some of that food looked nasty. After this what happens? Well from what I gather they put the chosen ones through a series of challenges to see who the best is. They are turning a home cook into a professional. It’s not clear if they win any money. I know they don’t win a restaurant. I’m guessing notoriety is what they are looking for here. Justification for leaving whatever job they have now to be a cook. They haven’t been completely clear on what the prize is here. But since I enjoy watching people get screamed and cursed at I’m game to continue watching. It kind of makes me think of Hell’s Kitchen and Top Chef rolled into one. And since I love both shows this could potentially be enjoyable.

So far, and based just on the first two episodes, I'm giving this show 3 1/2 frames. It may deserve more frames later on. But like judges for figure skating, I'm not throwing out the 10s till I see all the skaters.


This is part of the first episode. I couldn't get a shorter clip. Watch the whole thing, it's good. But what I wanted to show you starts in around the 6 minute mark.


Well, until next time kids, this has been Hava!