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Posts Tagged ‘Weekend Box office’

Evil Dead: Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 7, 2013| Leave a Comment »

Evil Dead, The most anticipated horror film in years was released in theaters this past Friday.
The Sony Pictures production was a re-make of the original 80’s version, but the film also brought something new to Sam Raimi’s creation.

The story follows a group of friends as they travel to a remote cabin in the woods to help Mia, get off drugs “cold turkey.” Among the group is her brother David,he joins them in hopes to support his sister, but they obviously have some issues they need to work out. The group quickly settles in and Eric finds something that interests him; The Book of the Dead.
Under the care of nurse Olivia, Mia starts the process of withdrawal, in the midst of everything going on Eric reads an incantation from the book. As Mia’s withdrawal becomes more intense she is soon possessed by a dark entity. One by one the group of friends are devoured by the entity. David takes on the leadership role and tries to abide by the rules of the book which is to cleanse or purify the possessed body. He saves his sister by burying her and bringing her back. As they each die horrific deaths David decides to burn his family’s cabin. The ritual is complete and now the dark entity is ready to consume Mia’s soul. Mia gains the strength to fight the demon, and in the process loses one of her hands. She becomes the new Ash, and sends the demon back to hell.
The new Evil Dead was produced by Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell. This film was a great horror and very exciting to watch. There were some classic elements infused in the remake such as the necklace, the chainsaw, and the iconic scene in the woods when Mia was alone. New elements of the story included the history of the cabin which was very interesting and the obvious drug concept. This movie overall did not disappoint, and the gore and blood was over the top perfect. The special effects and makeup was done with a talented team. The sound effects and score brought movie goers into the film on a whole new level. As far as the actors, I think that the cast was a good choice and the fear they portrayed on camera was very realistic. I give this movie 4 stars
L.L

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Evil Dead excitement!!!

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on April 3, 2013| 1 Comment »

The new Sony production Evil Dead will be released in theaters this Friday. The movie tells the story of a group of friends that go to a cabin in the woods to help one of their friends quit drugs cold turkey.
That part of the story is very different from the original, but there are many elements that are the same. The same concept of possession is the foundation of the storyline. This movie doesn’t seem to have any elements of comedy like the original, which makes me very happy.
One by one the friends become victims of possession, as a consequence of reading the book of the dead.
Blood,gore, body dismemberment all make up the basis of an excellent, horror movie experience.
I was surprised to hear that Bruce Campbell wasn’t going to make an appearance, but learned that he would have a role behind the scenes as one of the producers. I am so excited about this movie, and my husband just purchased the first tickets for Saturday night’s showing!! Enjoy everyone, and my review will be coming soon.
L.L.

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Evil Dead remake:Horror Anticipation

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , on April 2, 2013| Leave a Comment »

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/16251/The-Evil-Dead-Movie-/overview

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Oz The Great and Powerful:Movie review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on March 11, 2013| Leave a Comment »

oz poster

Oz The Great and Powerful:movie review
Oz The Great and Powerful directed by the talented and creative Sam Raimi and starring James Franco tells how the origin of the Wizard of Oz came to be. Franco plays a struggling magician part of a traveling circus. A good man at heart, unfortunately Oscar learns how to live his life by tricking the people around him in order to make ends meet. After a day of creating illusions for a show Oscar is swept away in a hot air balloon when he is caught in a tornado.
(The introduction of the movie starts out in black and white just like the original Wizard of Oz.)
Oscar prays that if his life is spared he will change. And suddenly everything stops and he enters another world, Oz. From there on the movie is (shot in color.)
Oscar is memorized by the magic and uniqueness of this place. He soon meets a beautiful woman (Mila Kunis) that admits she is a witch and charms her just like he charms every beauty that walks into his life. In no time Oscar learns that this beautiful land is in trouble and is in search for the one that will save the people of Oz from the wrath of a wicked witch. Oscar quickly makes the people believe that he is the Great Wizard that the prophecy predicted. He uses his charms,wit and ability to create illusions to claim a throne of riches and fame that does not truly belong to him. Once he learns that he is in the middle of a great battle for power among three powerful witches (Rachel Weisz and Mila Kunis and Michelle Williams) he backs out trying to turn his back on the people and the mission to save the land. Forced to demonstrate his true nature of good he soon teams up with Glina the good witch and utilizes his trickster ways to create the ultimate illusion to defeat the two witches.
This movie is actually a prequel to the Judy Garland original. Sam Raimi did an excellent job directing this epic adventure. It was different than the classic Sam Raimi films that his fans know so well but he did not disappoint. The movie was filled with special effects. The effects were created with skill but there were times that I felt I was in Tim Burton’s world. Overall the movie was very entertaining and thrilling. The 3D version of this film did not enhance the cinematic experience for movie goers. That component was pointless. I would not recommend spending the extra money to see this film in 3D. The writing was creative and the make up was artistically developed. Mila Kunis’ makeup as the wicked witch was over the top with added laytex and construction considering the original witch had an elongated nose, warts and green face paint. The costume design was another element that added to the magic of this film. My goal for this review was not be long and obviously I did not meet that goal. ( LOL) The movie is a must see for adults and children to enjoy. I give this movie four stars.
Happy Reading!
L.L

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“The Hobbit” Movie review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 16, 2012| 1 Comment »

The hobbit

Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit starring Martin Freeman is the spectacular genesis of an epic adventure that follows a small hobbit a young “Bilbo Baggins” as he sets off on a journey to help a clan of dwarves reclaim their homeland at the Lonely Mountain which was stolen from them by a fierce dragon called Smaug. Recruited by the great wizard Gandalf, Bilbo is approached by the dwarves and their King Thorin to assist in their efforts. Labeled as a “thief” Bilbo is Reluctant to leave the comforts of home and branch off into the world. As the dwarves try to convince Bilbo to take on the task, he continues to let his fears of the outside world get the best of him.
Once the dwarves make way out the Shire, Bilbo soon decides that he will not be a product of his own fears and sets off on “an unexpected journey.”
Bilbo’s travels open him up to a vast array of possibilities that Middle Earth has to offer including the most important aspect of his journey which is his encounter with the creature Gollum and finding “The Ring of Power.” Bilbo and the dwarves encounter trolls, orcs, and even battles goblins on the journey to recapture the dwarf land.
The opening of the film was just wonderful. Bilbo starts off as the Bilbo we know and love in The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. He and Frodo (yes Elijah Wood makes an appearance!) are preparing for Bilbo’s birthday party. Bilbo is in the process of writing his book An Unexpected Journey.
This movie is the most perfect prequel that I have ever seen. I was looking at this movie as if I hadn’t seen the others. We learn more about the character that makes up Bilbo, as well as the relationship between Gandalf, Saruman, Elrond and Galadriel. It amazing how well Jackson tells this story.
Without giving away anything else, this movie is a must see and fans will be in awe once again over this cinematic experience.
The cast was stunning in their collective performance which included Ian Holm, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian Mckellen, Elijah Wood, Cate Blanchett, Andy Serkis, and Christopher Lee. Howard Shore graced the musical scene for The Hobbit and Jackson’s team of creatures and makeup artists ultimately created a film of sensational measure.
I give “The Hobbit” five stars.
L.L

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Paranormal Activity 4 Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 21, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Paranormal Activity 4 directed by Henry Joost and starring Katie Featherston takes place five years after Katie kills her family and kidnaps her nephew baby Hunter.  Hunter now known as Robbie, along with Katie are the new residents of a neighborhood in Nevada.  The moment Katie and Robbie move in across the street, Alice the teen that notices that Robbie is strange begins to experience paranormal events in her home.

The subtle noises in the night become elevated when Robbie is forced to stay a few days with Alice and her family.  Her friend Ben encourages Alice to video record all the strange activity.  Alice feels that Robbie is a bad influence on her brother Wyatt.  After viewing the tapes of recorded footage the teen is convinced that something maybe after her and her brother.  Alice ties to confront her mother about her findings, but her mother continues to not listen and ignore the signs.

Alice eventually discovers that Robbie may be linked to a coven of witches and a demonic force.  By the time she learns this information it is too late for her and her family.

The fast moving movie really was pointless and did not answer any of the questions franchise fans want to know concerning Katie and Kristi’s past that involve the demonic creature.  The movie was done the same way as the others.  A bump here, a crash there, then suddenly Katie pops into the home and randomly kills everyone.  Katie makes a statement at the end of movie telling the possessed Wyatt that “he will be ready soon.”

For those of you who still plan to see the movie, I will not give any more away, but to tell you the truth, I should have gone to see Taken 2, which I am three weeks late seeing.  I am not going to go over special effects or score, because this movie did not bring anything new to the franchise at all.  This movie should have gone straight to DVD and Netflix.  I cannot believe that the production company wasted money to release a movie like this.  I give Paranormal Activity 4 two stars.  I hope they do not make another one for next Halloween.

As a horror fan, I was disappointed and screamed only once.

Happy Reading!!

L.L

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Sinister “Movie Review”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on October 15, 2012| 1 Comment »

Sinister directed by Scott Derrickson and starring Ethan Hawke and Juliet Rylance follows the life of writer Ellison Oswalt as he makes an attempt to write his next best-selling novel.  As he struggles to get back on his feet, he begins his writing journey with moving into a new home that has a horrid past.  Keeping that past a secret from his wife and children, Ellison is best known for writing books centered around real murderers and murder victims.  As the family deals with preexisting strain it does not take long for Ellison to realize that it was a mistake to move his family into the house.

After the official move, Ellison discovers a box of home movies in the attic.  Believing that the movies could be useful research for his book, Ellison views the films and learns that strangely the home movies consist of footage of the actual murders.  As he continues to view the films, he is drawn deeper into the darkness that comes with being in the house.  When paranormal disturbances become prevalent, Ellison learns that there is a dark entity that potentially is the source of the murders.  The dark entity is an “eater of children” and consumes their souls over the course of time. When Ellison’s children become the target , the survival of his family is number one priority.  For the first time, Ellison transitions into a “real believer.”

Usually before I see a movie, I have some kind of background knowledge about it.  In this case I knew nothing about the film or what to expect from it.  Derrickson did a great job with the team of writers, production crew and visual effects artists to create a horror film that was meant to live up to the goal of scaring you. Overall the movie was well done.  The script was written well and the character development was realistic in its delivery and was presented in a way that was believable.  Ethan Hawke is not normally seen in this type of film,, so it was a pleasure to see him take on a character like Ellison. The score and sound were two other elements that added to the fear and made the movie more intense.  The score was an extension of telling the story and created a more balanced component to the film.

The idea of a demonic entity preying on children obviously has been done time and time again but It still brought a freshness to the world of horror.  I highly recommend this movie as part of your Halloween film list this season.  All the theatrical elements combined make this movie very haunting and entertaining.  I give Sinister four stars for its dark and malicious components that “draw in” the horror movie fan that gets a kick out of “things that go bump in the night.”

See you in theaters!!

L.L

 

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The Possession Movie Review

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , on September 2, 2012| Leave a Comment »

The LionsGate and GhostHouse production of the film The Possession directed by Ole Bornedal opened this Labor weekend.  The so-called “Based on a True Story” was not the horror movie that it claimed to be.  Starring Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffery Dean Morgan, the movie tells the story of a divorced couple, making an attempt to raise their two daughters in two separate homes.  One weekend as the girls spend time with their father in his new home, he takes them to a local yard sale to find items for the house.  His youngest daughter Emily is drawn to a large antique box and ends up buying the box.  Curious over the box it’s self and the possible contents inside the box, the daughter quickly becomes obsessed with it.  Slowly her father notices that his little girl is demonstrating odd behavior at home.  Her life at school is also affected to the point where her dad tries to separate her from the box.

Her downward spiral and her social and physical demise is fast-moving.  The obvious psychiatric evaluation is recommended as well as doctors appointments and MRI’s are scheduled in order for the parents to seek answers in what is wrong with their daughter.  Once medical issues are ruled out the father puts two and two together and learns that his daughter is possessed.  As he familiarized himself with the concept of possession, he realizes that his daughter must have an exorcism.  Finally embracing his heritage, Clyde makes contact with a Jewish priest to seek advice and plead for him to exorcise the demon.

This movie was not what I thought it would be.  The Sam Raimi element of the film to me was non existent.  The special effects were minimal and  the demonic transformation was disappointing.  The movie was not original and had elements of The Unborn, Emily Rose, The Devil Inside, and The Exorcist wrapped up into one film.

The acting skills were pretty basic, and that was not a negative reflection on  Sedgwick and Morgan.  I think it was the lack of commitment and passion from the writers.  Just because the story is “based on true events” does not mean that the writing can be dull.  Just the idea alone is not good enough.  The writing must be passionate so it can transform the story into something that will “Pull us in”.  It was a nice surprise to see Melrose Place’s bad boy Grant Show make an appearance as Stephine’s new man.  The character was really pointless, he took up space in the house and that is all.  The score was not that impressive and did not enhance the movie.

Overall this movie would be best to watch on Dvd or Netflix on a Friday evening when there is nothing else much else to do.  I give this move two and a half stars.

Happy Reading and Writing

L.L!!

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The Possession Movie Preview (Fall Preview#2)

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 20, 2012| 1 Comment »

The second movie within my fall preview series is a film called The Possession.  Produced by Sam Raimi and Ghost House Pictures this movie follows the true story of a family experiencing demonic possession.  When a little girl becomes crazy obsessed with a small-sized wooden box that she purchased from a local garage sale, life in the home starts to get unsettling.  As Em’s obsession for the box grows, her behavior becomes more peculiar with time. The haunting activity within the home is indeed disturbing.  Em’s parents do everything they can to seek answers as they make an attempt to save their daughter from the evil spirit that inhabits her soul.

I know some of you may say ” Not another demonic possession movie!”  but really as a true horror fan, for me I can not get enough of these type of horror movies.  Always excited about what Raimi produces creatively, I feel that this movie is going to do well for opening weekend.  Starring Kyra Sedgwick and Jeffery Dean Morgan, Raimi will no doubt fill seats in theaters in anticipation for this film.  I am looking forward to seeing some classic Raimi represented in the film and hope that this makes a lot of noise at the box office.  The movie is  expected to open in theaters August 31st.

Check out the trailer below, Enjoy!!

LaTaeya

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Fall/Winter Movie Preview Introduction “The Apparition”

Posted in Fantasy literature, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on August 14, 2012| Leave a Comment »

I checked out my sources and it seems like this fall and winter is going to be great season for new movies.  There are so many good movies to be released that I decided to do a series of movie previews on my site.  As the summer officially comes to a close I get geared up for the fall and expect a nice array of horror flicks to be released in theaters and on DVD.  A few movies to put you in the scary mood are first and foremost a movie called The Apparition, starring some familiar faces from Twilight, Harry Potter and Captain America: The First Avenger.  This movie tells an interesting story about a group of students that set out to prove that supernatural and paranormal events can occur if you create them in your mind and believe in the idea that you created. Check out the trailer below.  This movie is to be released August 24th.  Just by watching the trailer I am sold on the whole idea and really hope that it does a decent job in theaters.  For those die-hard horror fans that appreciate the genre, I think that you will give it a shot and be happy that you did.  Enjoy the trailer and Happy Reading and Writing!! L.L

 

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