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paulandannaeckert
Reviews
Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)
Try to forget you ever saw a preview . . .
I've seen a lot of movies in the theater, and it seems every one of them had least one clip that was in the preview and not in the movie. These days they wind up as deleted or alternate scenes on the DVD.
But nearly the entire trailer left out? I guess that's going to be some whopper of a directer's cut when the DVD comes out. That being said, what was actually on screen was pretty darned good.
Had some issues with the way it started and ended (see SPOILERS below) but the actual content was both creepy and had some shock value. Plenty of jump out your seat moments, but what I love about these films is the way the tension slowly builds during a scene, until you know something is going to happen, you don't know exactly what, but you want it over with to get on to the next tension builder.
OK Rant time (SPOILERS) First scene shows Katie dropping off the box with tapes at Kristi's. Second scene shows Kristi and husband surveying the damage after the apparent break-in in PA2. They discover the box of tapes is missing.
Then all of sudden the 1988 tapes start on screen. Who's watching these tapes? Where did the box of tapes go? These questions are never answered at the start OR at the end. After that last (admittedly really creepy) segment I thought we might get taken back to the beginning for some kind of resolution, but the movie just . . . ends. I hope if there is a PA4 we get a few more answers and less questions.
However, this movie was still a pretty decent way to have a good fright near Halloween, or anytime you want to have the sh** scared out of you.
Miami Vice (2006)
ZZZzzzzzzzzzzzz...........
Thought process while sitting through Miami Vice . . . night club scene, guns, going under cover, . . . saw preview for Snakes on a Plane with Samuel L. Jackson, looks cool, . . . Jamie Foxx and hot babe in shower, drugs, meeting, . . . also saw a preview for The Departed with Matt Damon and Leonardo DiCaprio, looks way cool, . . . Colin Farrell and hot babe in shower . . . meetings, drugs . . . wife asks me if I want to leave, I say no, we paid for this we're sticking it out!
Colin Farrell and hot babe in car, . . . preview for Children of Men, in the near future all women become infertile, dooming the human race, interesting premise, . . . more drugs, meeting, girlfriend kidnapped, must rescue, . . . maybe they became infertile watching this movie, . . . big ship, drugs . . . do I clean out the garage on my vacation? . . . and so it goes . . .
You get the idea, it's not that this movie is poorly done, there are some decent action sequences, and Colin Farrell and Jamie Foxx do a pretty good job at doing what Micheal Mann wanted. The problem is that what he wanted makes the movie boring and difficult to watch.
You feel as if you were dropped into the middle of a TV episode, and are already supposed to be familiar with the characters and plot. Plot? What plot? This film is a blur of guns, drugs, meetings, explosions, and filmed in a dark gritty style that never lets up! Most of the scenes are at night, or in a dark place. Between that and the jerky hand held cameras, it is definitely not and easy thing to watch.
All in all, this is a boring mess of a movie: You might be better served by catching some zzzzz'z if the theater seats are comfortable enough. You'll feel better after wards.
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
Should have been better than the first, but it's not.
I have to admit, I was not a huge fan of "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl". (6 out of 10). But after seeing the previews for "Dead Man's Chest" I was optimistic. Caharacters were already established, seemed like there would be more action, and yes, more humor.
Well, appearances can be deceiving. This film tries, but ultimately winds up being a disappointment. Johnny Depp's Capt. Jack Sparrow was definitely the best thing about the first film, but here comes off as somewhat annoying rather than funny. Much of the film is played for humor, but it does not work very well. I found myself shaking my head at much of the slapstick instead of laughing at it.
The narrative is muddled and confusing, which is compounded by the fact that the film is too long. Too many scenes seem unnecessary and exist just to stretch things out.
However, the film is not a total wash. Things really pick up in the last 45 minutes or so and set up perfectly for the 3rd installment. Actually, based on the "cliffhanger" ending, I was thinking that now the story is really ready to take off! Too bad it took nearly 3 hours to get there.