The Office - "The Target" (Nov. 29, 2012)

This week, Angela enlists Dwight to help her find someone to launch an offensive on her husband's "mistress".  Jim takes Phyllis and Stanley to lunch in hopes of convincing them to cover for him as he transitions to a part-time job while Pam begins work on a mural in the warehouse.  Everyone else in the office spends time building a tower out of customer complaint cards.
This week had me LOL'ing consistently throughout; more so than the past episode or two.  I loved Phyllis and Stanley at the restaurant where Jim takes them for lunch.  Seeing them suffer from a little too much liquid libation in the middle of the day was a riot.
For future episodes, I'm interested to see if anything happens with Erin and Pete while Andy is away.  SPOILER ALERT: It's hinted in this episode that Erin might be having feelings for Pete.  I also can't wait to see the changes that come for Angela's character now that she knows the identity of the Senator's "mistress".

Till next Thursday...

Joe Dante's "The Hole" Review

Okay, I get it.  A title like The Hole in 3D is sure to garner a few chuckles at first.  Heck, even the characters in the movie wring a double-entendre or two out of the idea because they know the entire audience is thinking it.  But otherwise there isn't a whole lot to laugh or scream about in the latest thriller from the director of Gremlins and Small Soliders.
The Hole is about two brothers who move away from the hustle & bustle of Brooklyn to a small suburban town with their mother.  In their new house, the boys stumble upon an old trapdoor in the floor of their basement.  Together with the cute girl living next door, the kids attempt to discover the secrets of "the hole", as it shows them their deepest fears and nightmares.
I think I watched a trailer for this months ago when it came out.  I knew it was about a group of kids, but I didn't know exactly how kid-friendly it would be.  After finally seeing it I thought this movie had "Nickelodeon Original" written all over it.
Genre cliches abound in The Hole, but rather than attempt to parody them like Eli Craig's Tucker & Dale vs Evil, the film falls victim to them, making The Hole a ho-hum effort overall.  Sure, they try to add a bit of depth with the examination of the characters' fears and there are some scares that are probably too intense for really young viewers, but I think any kid over the age of 8 can handle this one, despite its PG-13 rating.  It's a perfect gateway film for budding horror fans, but as an established one myself, it didn't do the trick.

2 of 4 stars

American Horror Story: Asylum - "Dark Cousin" (Nov. 28, 2012)

Okay, so I'd love to give you this episode in a nutshell like I usually do, but so much craziness went down this week that I fear anything I'd try to say would spoil too much.  Just know that I think this has been my favorite episode of the season so far.

THIS PARAGRAPH CONTAINS SPOILERS: I loved everything this week.  It was taut, tense, exciting, mind-blowing, horrifying, and confusing all at the same time, but if you really pay attention, it's not that difficult to follow.  I especially enjoyed the twists involving Sister Jude and the girl she was suspected of killing years earlier.
My favorite scene was when Sister Jude meets the "Dark Cousin" (a.k.a. the "Angel of Death") in a diner to discuss the sister's predicament.  "I just come when I'm called," says the Dark Cousin, inferring that Sister Jude wishes to die rather than face the consequences of her troubled past.  But what makes this scene for me is its ending, where two waitresses at the diner look on as Sister Jude is conversing with the Dark Cousin, appearing to the naked eye as if she's talking to an empty seat.  "Maybe we should call Briarcliff," one of the waitresses says.  "At least they'll give her a bed for the night".  (I LOVE IT!!!!! AAHHH THE IRONY!!)
I am also interested to see in the coming weeks what's going to happen with Kit.  He loses someone close to him in this episode, so I can't wait to see how this affects his character.*

And poor Lana!  I swear that woman can't catch a break.  Her life is one huge train wreck after the other!

Till Next Wednesday...




*I think American Horror Story thrives on its characters.  Sure, there are aesthetics that make for a creepy atmosphere, but the true horror and drama comes from when the characters' layers are peeled back like onions.  Everyone is so multidimensional and deep that it excites me just to learn more about these people.  They all seem to have backstories fraught with pain, angst, and suffering, and I love seeing how each characters' psyche is shaped by their circumstances and how this drives their interactions.  I think that's the true "horror story".

"Sinister" Review (My First for CHH)

This is the first review I did for the College Heights Herald. It's on Scott Derrickson's "Sinister". I've reworked it from my original rough draft & the edited version that made copy.

Dated: Friday October 19, 2012

"Halloween season is officially upon us, and a fresh batch of horror movies is rolling into theaters over the course of the month.
The two that immediately come to mind are Sinister and Paranormal Activity 4. With the annual hype building steadily around the next entry in the Paranormal Activity series, Sinister may have been overlooked on your list of films to see this fall. There were a few trailers and promotional spots playing sporadically on television and on the internet, but the hype was not as huge as one might think heading into opening weekend. Sinister relied heavily on word-of-mouth from those who saw the trailers.

From a technical standpoint, it’s a very modest film compared to most of today’s mainstream genre entries. IMDb estimated Sinister’s budget at only $3 million, which could help explain why its marketing seemed so thinly spread.

That being said, I believe that Sinister, like the original Paranormal Activity, proves that you do not need a bloated budget to terrify an audience. I encourage everyone to see this movie in theaters because it is the best and most terrifying horror movie I have ever seen, and they did it without an abundance of blood and gore.
I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I sat down to view this movie last week. I had seen one or two trailers, thought it looked scary, and even roped a handful of my friends into seeing it. But I was not entirely clear on what the story was about or what I had gotten us all into.

From what is probably the most shocking and disturbing opening shot of any film I have ever seen, it is clear that director Scott Derrickson does not want his audience to get a wink of sleep for days. I rarely, if ever, get genuinely terrified watching a horror film, but Sinister finally shook me to my core and has stayed with me for about a week now. Any film that can do that certainly earns my seal of approval, especially this time of year.

Sinister is about a true-crime novelist named Ellison Oswalt, played magnificently by Ethan Hawke, who relocates his family to a home where another family was murdered in the backyard not long before their move. Ellison’s objective is to study the house and surrounding neighborhood for clues about the murders, which are the subject matter for his latest book. Using a box of Super 8 films he conveniently finds sitting in his empty attic, Ellison discovers that the murders at the house were linked to other unsolved murders around the United States throughout the 20th century, leading him on a terrifying quest to uncover the truth that puts him and his family in the path of a dangerous supernatural entity.
As the plot unfolded before us, I jumped out of my seat consistently from beginning to end, as did the vast majority of my fellow patrons in theater 7. The footage sequences that Ellison watches for his research are what kept me on edge the most.
There are also some classic haunted-house elements in other scenes, such as subdued lighting, creepy music, and jump scares (beware the attic!), that combine to create the most horrifying movie experience I have ever been a part of.

I would also like to take the time to formally apologize to the girl sitting next to me, whose hand I’m sure I nearly broke with my nervous vice grip.

I urge everyone to go see “Sinister” in theaters this season. It is a perfect Halloween movie that is guaranteed to provide nightmares of your own". 4 of 4 stars.

Christopher Nolan's "Insomnia" Review

Today for my lunch break I watched Christopher Nolan's Alaskan murder mystery Insomnia, starring Al Pacino, Robin Williams, and Hilary Swank.  I was interested to find out that this was actually a remake of yet another Swedish film of the same name, released in 1997.  (Those Swedes seem to love their dark murder mysteries... See Oplev's version of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Alfredson's Let the Right One In.)

In Christopher Nolan's Insomnia, two Los Angeles homicide detectives go on assignment to a small Alaskan town where the sun doesn't set to help local police investigate the murder of a local teenager.  Things start getting cagey when Det. Dormer (Al Pacino) accidentally shoots his partner Det. Eckhart (Martin Donovan) while chasing a suspect on foggy mountain terrain.  From here, Det. Dormer's lack of sleep, guilty conscience, and involvement with a shady crime novelist (Robin Williams) push him to the brink as he attempts to solve the mystery.
It sounds like an interesting enough premise, and I love seeing Pacino's character work, especially with all the factors weighing against him.  But this isn't my favorite of Christopher Nolan's movies.  I hate to call it his worst because Insomnia is actually pretty decent.  But compared to all his other work, even his very first short film Doodlebug, Insomnia just doesn't do it for me.  I think it's his least entertaining, most uninspired film to date.  There seemed to be no noteworthy plot twists, and aside from Pacino and Williams, the characters seemed very one-dimensional and devoid of mystery.  I couldn't help thinking I've seen this movie a hundred times before.  I've come to expect more from Nolan, especially after his exciting work with Memento and the Batman trilogy.  I will say I actually enjoyed seeing a serious side of Robin Williams.  He wasn't melodramatic, and I enjoyed watching him toy with Al Pacino's weaknesses a little bit.  I was okay with the fact that he didn't make me laugh at all because it wouldn't have worked for the character.  It's unusual to see Williams portray the villain, but after seeing Insomnia I think he was perfect for the role.  I thought the cinematography and sound editing were also well done.  I felt like I was actually in the brisk Alaskan locations, and I got a true sense of what Det. Dormer's "insomniatic" impairments were like for him.
Check this one out if you're a fan of Christopher Nolan's work.  If not, you're better off watching something else.  3 of 4 stars.

The Walking Dead - "When the Dead Come Knocking" (Nov. 25, 2012)

On this week's episode of AMC's The Walking Dead, Glenn and Maggie get questioned and tortured at Woodbury, Michonne finds her way to Rick & the group at the prison, the newborn finally gets a name, Andrea helps Milton with an experiment, Merle's loyalty is called into question by the Governor, and Michonne leads Rick and Daryl to Woodbury to try and rescue Glenn & Maggie.

Even though I think things get stranger every week, there is really nothing to not love about this show.  I love how weird and complicated things get because I know somewhere down the line, there will always be repercussions.  I think everything in the world of the show happens for a reason.   SPOILERS: I thought the most exciting scene of this episode was when Merle sics the walker on Glenn during his interrogation. I also think my feelings about The Governor have been confirmed, especially after the stunt he pulls this week with Maggie.  Sick bastard.  I knew he wasn't a good guy, but from the look of things Andrea seems to be warming up to him quite nicely.  Will she stay that way or come back to the group later on?  
I'm sad that next week will be the last episode until February.  Mid-season hiatuses are the worst.

Till next Sunday...

American Horror Story: Asylum - "The Origins of Monstrosity (Nov. 21, 2012)

In this week's episode, a mysterious young girl is dropped off at Briarcliff.  We also get a glimpse at the origins of Bloodyface, and Monsignor Howard comes to recommend Sister Jude for a different position at a home for misplaced girls in Pittsburgh.

This episode was pretty good, but not outstanding.  It was thrilling to see Dr. Thredson and Lana act towards one another as they did.  I'm interested to see where the "Mother" thing goes.  Otherwise, not much develops between the two this week.  By that I mean no improvement in Lana's predicament.  She's still chained up in the basement.
I also wonder about the mysterious little girl, whose story didn't quite conclude.  It seems like she may be even more messed up than originally thought.  And is Sister Jude really departing for Pittsburgh?  If so, how will Briarcliff handle the regime change?  It's obvious Dr. Arden and Sister Eunice have a pretty sinister agenda, but what for exactly?  I still don't quite understand their common goal yet.  Also I kinda find their interactions awkward at times, and I wasn't spared this week.  James Cromwell is awesome in the role of Arden, but he's too old for Eunice.  I'm just glad he agrees with me in this episode.
And what's going on with Jenna Dewan-Tatum's character? I don't quite see how it connects yet.  Has she been subject to the work of Bloodyface? And if so, is it still the Doctor or is someone new carrying out his work?  The questions and possibilities are endless.