Reviews

The found footage horror genre feels like a train that should have left the station a long time ago but sticks around waiting to see who else they can cram on board so they can squeeze a couple more bucks out of. Well, I'm glad that train stuck around to let "Creep" in, proving the genre isn't quite out of steam yet.

It's not so much the found footage aspect that makes "Creep" successful but the creative infusion of the mumblecore genre that breathes some life and/or scary death into the film. "Creep" is a two-hander that is co-written and co-acted by Patrick Brice (who also serves as director) and mumblecore king Mark Duplass. Brice and Duplass are able to funnel the mumblecore's priority of character development and use of a more natural dialogue, or in this case, a very naturally unnerving dialogue, into the staples of a Jason Blum (Paranormal Activity) produced horror film. The combination of these three's efforts make for one, well, creepy film.

Brice plays Aaron, a normal guy looking to make a little extra cash when he answers a craigslist ad that will pay him $1,000 for a days work to videotape a day in the life of Josef, played by Duplass. The shoot has Aaron driving to Josef's family cabin at a remote mountain town where instantly both we the audience and Aaron feel things aren't right. Josef greets Aaron with a loud sneaky surprise hello, and then, foregoing a handshake, straight to a stranger hug. That last sentence pretty much captures the film experience as you go back and forth from shocking jump scares and very unsettling interactions between the vulnerable Aaron and the assertively goofy Josef.

Kudos to Mark Duplass for creating a character that is thoroughly terrifying but relatable enough and more importantly sympathetic enough to believably keep Aaron in a situation that just gets weirder and dangerously weirder. Scenes that include a naked bathing Josef giving a mimed bath to his unborn son, which he calls "tubby time", will long stay in my memory banks under the title 'frightening'. "Creep" excels by shifting gears from hilarious, to sad, to scary, to sometimes all of that at the same time. And to each their own, in the SXSW Q & A after the screening Duplass said it was great to watch as some of the audience would laugh at one part but others in the audience would wince in terror.

While Duplass and Brice heaped praises on horror guru Blum, saying they helped them achieve effectiveness in a genre they've never attempted, I still had my qualms. The jump scares become all too repetitive hitting a mathematical equation that Duplass said Blum taught them. "One jump scare every 10 minutes to keep them in the mood." Another one of my horror pet peeves is when the holder of the hand held camera in a found footage film only see's what the lense sees. So when in an open room and the camera moves left so does the character's vision which results to something surprising them by jumping out to us on screen when all that character has to do is move their own head back and forth to keep informed on what's around them (thanks for letting me rant).

The end which I won't get into has a few moments of 'you should have called the cops so much sooner', but that can't take away from intense ominous vibe that permeates. I dug "Creep", it's a film that is greatly helped by a very good actor who taps into his inner creep and gets under your skin.

"This" gets under your skin.

1 Timothy 4:1

You know that famous line from, Almost Famous, "I am a golden god!"? That quote pretty much sums up the life and times of Shep Gordon, a would be prison guard turned drug dealer turned one of the most famous managers to some of the biggest musicians of their day. You know that scene from Almost Famous where the plane is going down, and the bandmates blurt out confessions? Shep Gordon was on that plane and so was Cameron Crowe, when he put that true outrageous moment into the movie. Shep Gordon's life is one very outrageous movie and now Mike Myers, in his directorial debut, turns it into a good time love letter and at times, moving documentary movie.

More than outrageous, Shep is a legend in his excess of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Not one to miss an opportunity with the ladies, he would wear a t-shirt on tour that said, "No head, no backstage pass". But the magic of this film, something that Myers didn't craft on accident, is that the biggest legend of Shep's excess was the capacity of his heart. A kind and very generous man, Shep was every famous person's best friend because, unlike 99% of the music managers with their slimy reputation, he had the biggest heart in the room.

After being ostrasized by the fellow prison guards because of his big unkempt hairstyle, Shep found himself holed up in a Hollywood hotel. That hotel turned out to be the infamous Landmark Motor Hotel selling drugs to none other than Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix. When Shep knew the heat would catch up to him sooner than later, he stepped away from dealing and got the idea from Hendrix to start managing music. "You're a Jew aren't you? You should manage music", and that's how it all started. Shep's first client was Alice Cooper, and they've been inseparable since. Even many, many, years and famous clients later, when Shep decided to retire he didn't retire from his best friend Cooper.

It was with Cooper that Shep improvised press out of thin air turning Cooper into a star. Shep was a very adaptable manager who had a diversity of clients that spanned the hard rock stylings of Cooper, to the R&B Teddy Pendergrass, to the Canadian country good girl Anne Murray. He reached beyond music with many film producing credits, and when he became infatuated with the culinary arts, he represented the greatest chef's in the world, inventing the celebrity chef (Emeril Legasse among many others). The insight into each of these clients is truly wild and usually ended up with a happy ending; Pendergrass ending up a mixed bag tale.

And while we could listen to Shep's wild tales and conquests forever, Myer's gets us deep access into his personal life, never letting us forget that this is a good human being who really made a difference in so many lives. His want for offspring keeps surfacing throughout. The mix of his earlier promiscuous life with his self sacrificial motivation to bring all of his clients everything they could ever want has left him without an heir to the Gordon empire. Shep gets closest to being a dad when tragedy strikes as an old girlfriend's grandchildren lose their mother and he comes to the rescue not only wildly financially but also as a loving father figure. That selfless deed is where the true legend of Shep Gordon lies, a supermensch, aka a superman.

"this" selfless deed is where the true legend of Shep Gordon lies, a supermensch, aka a superman.

Matthew 7:12

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com

Don't see it again for the very first time...

Let me ask you a couple of questions. Did you like the original "The Hangover"? Did you ever wonder what it would be like if you took that film and put a Bangkok, Thailand green screen over it? If you answered yes to both of these questions, well stranger, boy do I have a film for you. If you realized my second question was sarcastic than goooooood for yoooooooooou (it's hard to write sarcasm).

I answered yes to that first question but not so much to the second, and as I feared "The Hangover Part ll" is nothing more than an unimaginative carbon copy to Todd Phillip's wildly successful 2009 original. By no means is the original a masterpiece, but it was a lot of fun. That fun came from the films mystery element of being right there with the three bewildered men's night of debauchery and trying to figure where the story was going to take you next. This time around the notorious Wolf Pack's ride is raunchier and it's not that you won't laugh, and it's not that you won't cringe from time to time but all of that devious mystery is gone as beat by beat it's paint by numbers in this numbing sequel.

Wanter of the quiet life, Stu (Ed Helms), is getting married to a very nice Thai girl named Lauren (don't look for more female development than that- not one of Todd Phillips strong suits). Making their trip to Thailand for the wedding is the morally challenged Phil (Bradley Cooper), the perpetual bi@%# of the group Doug (Justin Bartha) who's 15 minutes on screen is used for nothing more than to tell us the other guys have done wrong, and the reluctantly invited, socially handicapped Alan (Zach Galifianakis). After almost a shot for shot recreation of the celebration toast, things once again go very awry, as they wake up in a gritty and dirty Bangkok hotel with no recollection of how they got there. Only this time they lost Lauren's 17-year old brother Teddy played by Mason Lee (director Ang Lee's son) with only one of his severed fingers remaining in the room.

Todd Phillip's and crew try to push the envelope as much as they can, which includes Stu and a Thai prostitute. Oh wait, didn't Stu have an encounter with a Vegas prostitute played by Heather Graham in the first film- SO LAZY! Phillip's might see all these recurrences as a love letter to the first film, but to me it appears as much more of a love letter to making money. These are talented actors who have an excellent rapport together. Galifinakas has the funny one-liners for the most part and Ken Jeong makes a hilarious return as Mr. Chow the Chinese gangster.

Phillip is on record saying that he imagines the series ending as a trilogy, let's just hope for the finale he can change things up more than just the location. Lets just hope for the finale he can change things up more than just the location. (get it)

(get "this")

Ephesians 5:18

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com

Miguel Arteta's "Cedar Rapids" is a film of non-epic proportions. This small film out of Sundance could have just come and gone but a premium mixture of an outstanding group of supporting actors and a genuine sweetness that persistently washes over you makes for a winner. "Cedar Rapids" takes the raunch shenanigans of a "Hangover" and cradles it with the small town values and self-discovery of a Capra film. This doesn't have the emotional punch and scope that "The 40-Year Old Virgin" challenged us with but Artera's focus on characters instead of situations creates humor that will make you happy and sad. Gotta love the sad humor.

A grand supporting player himself, that is up to now, "The Office's" talented Ed Helms takes the lead as Tom Lippe. Lippe is a uber-naive Midwest insurance salesman from the very small town of Brown Valley, Wisconsin. When the top salesman suddenly passes away, the big boss (Stephen Root) hands over the reigns to Lippe to travel to Cedar Rapids, Iowa for the annual insurance convention to bring home the coveted Two Diamonds Award. This will be a trip of firsts for Lippe. Including his first trip to a metropolis that he gets to by taking his first plane ride, where he will stay in his first hotel. While on the plane Lippe endearingly takes the emergency exit seat responsibilities to heart.

Lippe is roomed with convention veterans Ronald Wilkes ( Isiah Whitlock Jr.) and the one man he was warned to stay away from, Dean Ziegler, played by professional scene-stealer John C. Reilly. Reilly ignites the screen instantly with belly laughs as the foul-mouthed party animal Ziegler. Reilly is the pepper to my mothers pork chop; a decent dish by itself but you can never add enough pepper to it. More Reilly pepper please. Rounding out the crew is the goofy sexy Joan Ostrowski-Fox (Anne Heche). Heche really brings a playful attractiveness that I haven't seen from her in years. Heche captures Joan, a mother of three, who treats these excursions with the attitude of what happens in Cedar Rapids, stays in Cedar Rapids. Heche is funny and dangerous as that sweet woman who seeks out the nerd, making Lippe a prime target.

Small town Lippe of course gets in way over his head where the big lights and characters of Iowa's second city challenges moral convictions. Helms is just right for this role of a man who gets nudged out of the nest but goes kicking and screaming. When Helms flashes that child-like grin it makes you happy and when consequences make for a frown and regretful eyes you're right there with him as well. A hilarious drug addled scene of Lippe screaming "So bummed out" shows Helms is capable of staying in the lead.

Director Arteta is responsible for the squirmy " Chuck & Buck" and fellow Reilly flick "The Good Girl". "Cedar Rapids" might be his best one yet as he delivers a fast paced 86-minute roller coaster ride that never falls off despite loose bolts about to rattle off. When situations get extreme, we're not calling BS because of those sublime characters that were developed along the way. Arteta and scribe Phil Johnston don't quite go for the jugular with the religious satire as much as I'd liked, making for missed opportunities. "Cedar Rapids" makes up for it with it's blessings of fine performances that also include the wonderful Sigourney Weaver and "Arrested Develpments" Alia Shawkat. "Cedar Rapids is a film that may not have the staying power of others but while you're watching you'll be in a better place for it.

"This" will be in a better place for it.

Luke 12:7

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com

Now close your eyes. Imagine planning the perfect romantic night at home for your love. They come home to a spic and span house/apartment that you've meticulously cleaned all day. Those pecan scented candles they love are everywhere even though you have a minor allergy. A sensual CD mix of Neil Diamond and Lil' Wayne nobody thought would ever work but does plays as he or she follows the trail of rose petals leading to the kitchen where a seven course meal of everything they desire the most is waiting for them, finishing with that Warm Chocolate Chip Lava Cookie Maple Butter Blondie they had at that fancy restaurant that one time that blew their friggen mind! You can't believe how perfect the night has gone. They've got that look in their eye like they're going to do that thing to your ear that you've only read about in books but first your loved one requests a romantic movie to clinch the night before you retire to the bedroom. You reply, "one step ahead of you my love. I bought "Just Married" for us to watch" (she or he shakes their head no). No worries I also got "My Boss's Daughter" just in case. No? O.K., what about "What Happens in Vegas", or "Valentine's Day", or "Killers" (all angry no's as your mate grabs the car keys and says they and the kids will be staying with their mother for a while.

You blew it! That's what you get for shopping in the bargain bin.

Sorry I had to paint such a long illustration but it's important to know how the most perfect of efforts can be spoiled by one big mistake. In this case, the Kutcher mistake. Fair to say I'm not a big fan of his screen efforts. I'd rather be Scott Bakula's Dr. Sam Beckett from a "Quantum Leap" episode stuck as a roadie at the Lilith Fair than watch his movie marathon. Oh boy. But each effort deserves a fresh slate of honest criticism and alas, Kutcher does rise...as much as he can rise in "No Strings Attached." His performance here is the most sweet and effective I've seen him, really making you feel for the bugger. Don't want to give a back handed compliment but you play better when you have better to play with and he's never had as good as Natalie Portman to play with (pun intended) (no disrespect Katherine Heigl...o.k. a little disrespect).

Kutcher plays the overly sweet Adam who's an assistant for a High School Musical/ Glee type show but is really an aspiring writer and Portman plays Emma the self-professed emotional peanut-like allergic to relationships who's a doctor that works 80-hour weeks. Adam and Emma have been running into each other off and on for the past 15 years and when attraction erupts they agree to be nothing more than friends with benefits, if you know what I mean, and I think you do. Will they amount to more than just sex friends? Of course they will because Elizabeth Meriwether's first time screenplay is as formulaic as it gets. You know how it's going to play out from the beginning. "No Strings Attached" is a film that tries to go outside of the box with its crass dialog but it doesn't hold a dirty erotic dripping on the chest melting candle a la "Body of Evidence" to a Judd Apatow script which it desperately wants to be. Meriwether's script also suffers from overstaying its welcome on a honest, funny, or touching moment; not trusting the audience's intelligence. At the helm here is famed Ghostbusters's and Dave's director Ivan Reitman, who is just as much to blame for this. Rietman, who has more blunders than triumphs as the director, fails to take the opportunity to give this generation a relevant twist on the rom-com.

Supporting characters do go along way. Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig, Jake M. Johnson, and Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges add a lot of comedic touches. I especially liked Lake Bell's nerdy timid performance as Adam's boss a great deal. But the real praise goes to Natalie Portman. Coming off of her Golden Globe win and probable Oscar win for "Black Swan", Portman takes to raunchy comedy in a way that we've rarely see her. Portman lights up the screen in a hilarious and sexy way, extending her incredible range as one of the most bankable actresses in the business.

With that said, I still can't recommend a film laden with all its obvious contrivances and missteps. Add "No Strings Attached" to the bargain bin of romantic night don't's.

Add "this" to the bargain bin of romantic night don't's. Proverbs 5:17-23

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com Ron Howard's "The Dilemma" is a multi-faulted film in search of itself but one that actually has something interesting to say and that's led by a highly charged performance from lead Vince Vaughn. Vaughn harks back to his younger years of more passionate portrayals rather than just relying on his frat boy shtick, even though Allan Loeb's uneven script tries over and over to trap him there. At many times you don't know whether to laugh or cry as the story fumbles to have a consistent tone. One moment it's slap-sticky yucks by having Vaughn fall into poisonous plants and then real situation drama with a tearful heartfelt prayer to God on a street bench. This film may get a lot of flack for indecisiveness but it's that same trait that fuels Vaughn's complex character's- and forgive me this- dilemma.

Ronny Valentine (Vince Vaughn) catches his best friend's wife Geneva, played by Winona Ryder, cheating. The dilemma- whether or not to tell his best friend Nick Brannen, played by Kevin James. Or course he should. Right? Well, Ronny is in the car business with Nick and they are in the middle of a make or break it deal for the both of them. Ronny's the mouth (something that Vaughn has made a career out of) and he doesn't want Nick, who's the brains (something that James has not made a career out of), to let his ulcer ridden stress-out nature ruin the deal with heartbreaking news like that. But that only scratches the surface of how Ronny makes it so tough to decide. Ronny's habit of lying to solve the problems around him is perfectly summed up by Beth (Jennifer Connelly) his serious girlfriend; "You're not fixing anything, you're just breaking more stuff." One thing director Howard really taps into is the heavy responsibilities that come with having a best friend and how sensitive that relationship can be. Having to tell your very best friend in the world that his wife is a no-good-dirty-little-jackwagon-skank is no easy task (sorry, I'm getting married in less than four months) (married to the most beautiful and wonderfully faithful lady alive, that is!). Howard keeps the question in focus throughout of how long does it take to know someone or whether we can ever really know someone. Forget what the buddy comedy/ date movie trailers tell you, the very hurtful truths and consequences of extra-marital affairs are shown in all their ugliness. Again, this paints a confusing picture but at the same time it paints an uncomfortable and tense one that's at some slight level very thought provoking.

With so many distractions in "The Dilemma" it's Vaughn's performance that saves this film. His confrontations with Ryder's cheating Geneva sizzle, showing two sides to every story. In a tremendously raucous scene where Ronny finds the young tough guy with a sensitive side named Zip, played by Channing Tatum (here-me-now-and-believe-later Tatum will be one of the better young actors within the next few years), who's sleeping with Geneva, ends with Vaughn's crazed howling at the night using a make-shift blowtorch. A bravo scene indeed! Connelly and Ryder also handle their own weight just fine while Kevin James never reaches any other emotion than anxious and fearful while Queen Latifah's lame sexual metaphor spouting part is all but forgotten.

The climax takes place in the usually comedic setting of an intervention that doesn't know how to spilt time between comedy and dark drama. Like a Black & Tan beer the black Guinness drama pushes the tan Bass comedy to the bottom of the glass. This is Vaughn's film which made for no dilemma on whether or not to recommend "The Dilemma" to you. Recommended.

"This" made for no dilemma on whether or not to recommend. Proverbs 17:17

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com Was it a bad idea to take the over-used superhero film template and reinvent it in a pop-culture fashion that's heavy on the comedic tone? Most certainly not. Was "The Green Hornet" successfully entertaining in that fashion and tone? MOST CERTAINLY NOT! A lot of people scoffed when they heard comedic slacker Seth Rogen was taking on the role as the green masked crusader that was made famous by a TV series based on old radio shows. Turns out those people were right to scoff at the choice of Rogen as the lead. Among the myriad of disappointments this gem has to offer, Rogen's bumbling performance as the Green Hornet is its greatest offense. This may sting a bit, but after all was said and done, I kinda hated this film. KA-POW!!! Los Angeles newspaper mogul James Reid (Tom Wilkinson) passes away early in the film from a deadly bee sting (thank goodness for the great Wilkinson), leaving his empire to his party animal idler son Britt Reid (Seth Rogen). Kato (Jay Chou), the manservant who makes Britt's coffee and fixed his father's cars, turns out to be a Swiss-army knife of talents, which includes martial arts, an expert inventor of souped-up weapon vehicles and he can twist the caps off of beers in a cool way. Britt offers no skills to match, besides being a egocentric spoiled brat, but that doesn't stop him from coming up with a plan to be a superhero along with Kato to rid LA of its escalating crime. That crime is led crime lord Chudnofsky (Christoph Waltz) who has a complex about his appearance which apparently fuels his crimes (in a bit that gets lame and old, as most everything does in this film). The film doesn't try to hide how little Rogen's Reid is qualified to take on this endeavor by having him get all his master plan ideas from his secretary Lenore Case because she has a minor in criminology. She is played by the wildly out of place Cameron Diaz.

At the helm of this snooze fest is the alternatively gifted Michel Gondry. The person who was responsible for one of the more wonderful and original films of the last 20 years- "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind "- is amazingly bland and lost. Besides some stylistic touches to Jay Chou's fight sequences and an inventive car chase at the very end that earns a few bonus points, it feels as if Gondry has been stripped of his flare. Overwhelmed by a budget he's unaccustomed to, the action falls flat. On top of that, his film falls into the sad pile of 3D why bother's.

Back to the real problem. I am a Seth Rogen fan. You get him and his other Apatow compadres together and I'm there usually loving it. In "The Green Hornet" though, Rogen has only one acting style- annoying exuberance. His douchebag characterization of Britt remains a douchebag throughout the film and so Rogen gives us no reason why we shouldn't cheer on Chudnofsky to off Britt asap.

As for Christoph Waltz's Chudnofsky, this is exactly the kind of underwritten action villain role I prayed he wouldn't take after his Oscar winning first-rate turn in Tarantino's "Inglourious Basterds ". Don't know how his agent is going about marketing him but the boy can act and let's see him in parts where he's allowed to. As for Taiwanese star Jay Chou, that boy can move his arms and legs in an exciting fury. As for Chou moving his lips to make believable use of the dialogue, it's not so good. At the center of the film is Chou's and Rogen's nonexistent bromance that attempts Chan/Tucker ground but like everything else in "The Green Hornet" is a overwhelming flunk. "The Green Hornet" floats like a failure and stings like a dud.

This floats like a failure and stings like a dud. Ephesians 4:15

"Season of the Witch" (2011) Directed by Dominic Sena Starring Nicolas Cage, Ron Perlman Running Time 95 Minutes, Rated PG-13 1.5 Mitch's out of 5 Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com

In true dubious first film of the new year fashion, I give you the colossal suck-fest that is "Season of the Witch". Oh Nicolas Cage, you are a contradictory delight. The Oscar for "Leaving Las Vegas" is proof that you're worth the admission price. And recently your quirky on screen presence in "Bad Lieutenant: Port of New Orleans" and the great "Kick-ass" brought flourish to the movies. But it's that childhood mentality that gets him in trouble so so much. More times than not it seems like Cage is just interested in playing dress-up and crossing off the characters he imagined during school's recess. Sure, "Kick-ass" rocked but being a sorcerer in "The Sorcerer's Apprentice", a hit-man in "Bangkok Dangerous", or a bear in "The Wicker Man" did not. These films, much like dressing up as a knight in "Season of the Witch", needed so much more than just fun costumes.

There is so much wrong with "Season of the Witch" it's hard to know where to start. Cage teams back up with his director from "Gone in 60 Seconds", Dominic Sena. Sena's last effort was the abysmal "Whiteout" and "...Witch" is no better. Terrible F/X that wouldn't pass in today's video games, a script that seems like it was originally out for laughs but was edited against that idea, and overall just a boring story that's poorly executed. Not to mention acting without effort from Cage, who doesn't mesh at all with Ron Perlman who's just recycling his "Hellboy" shtick.

After that awesome enticement I bet you're just salivating for some sweet plot synopsis? Well I'm gonna give it to you anyways. Behmen (Cage) and Felson (Perlman) are Crusader knights who've decided enough is enough with the blood-thirsty church. They defect and return to Behmen's home which has now become infested with the Black Plague. The Black Plague is blamed on a young girl who's accused of being the Black Witch. Behmen has his doubts but agrees to take the girl (Claire Foy), who is billed poetically enough as The Girl, on the long, dull, and dangerous journey so that she may have a fair trial against her charges.

Wouldn't you know, mild danger ensues. The kind of cliché crap you'd hope the filmmakers would be able to not put their characters through. But they did. A young follower named Kay (Robert Sheehan) who wants to be a Knight himself is discovered. Felson tries to shoo him away but learns in a swordfight, that he actually does have skills to offer. This lame swordplay, much like the earlier Crusade battle scenes are supposed to pass as exciting entertainment. FAIL! My least favorite moment includes the crossing on a rickety old suspension bridge with heavy horses as the rope is giving way. C'mon, really?

What's most odd is "Season of the Witch" hints that it was written to play in the comedic tone of a film like "Army of Darkness". A demon that sounds like an angry Jar Jar Binks, and 80's action one liner quips from Perlman, such as "now she's sedated", amount to no humor at all but elude to some being attempted in an earlier draft. The accents are also incredibly odd. Their journey's guide, Hagamar (Stephen Graham), sounds like he's from the Bronx, while Cage goes so in and out with an English accent you don't blame him for not even trying by the middle of the movie and Perlman doesn't even bother. Anywhoo, you get the point. "Season of the Witch" is a season to hibernate your way through.

Nicolas Cage, who turns 47 the same day this film is released, hopefully will start acting his age and put down the playtime costume characters that have treated him so poorly throughout his career.

Hopefully "this" starts acting his age.

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com Looking for some holiday movie cheer for you and your kin to bring in the seasonal cheer? If a film about a married couple coping with death of their young son does it for you, then go see "Rabbit Hole". But seriously folks, "Rabbit Hole" could just be another life-is-pain film clawing away for the awards season, but instead, we're blessed with so much more. Grand performances open a window to people's pain of the hardest kind, and David Lindsay-Abaire's screenplay from his Pulitzer Prize winning play allow for a truer look at events no one is equipped to handle.

Eight months after losing their young son Danny in a car crash, Becca (Nicole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) are past the point of the shock and now are left in a living purgatory of despair. Kidman and Eckhart somehow put the weight of their characters on their shoulders and are able to convey the strain and loss of the purest thing that two can create. A scene of Howie being devastated by Becca accidentally erasing a father/son video on his Iphone or a scene of Becca losing it on a mother at a grocery store will tear you to pieces. But director John Cameron Mitchell doesn't allow "Rabbit Hole" to become grief-porn, letting his actors use an amazing screenplay to go deeper by using glib humor to seep through agony. Fine supporting performances from Diane Wiest as Becca's mother who compares tragedy with the loss of her son and Sandra Oh as a professional wallower at the self help groups Howie and Becca attend, fill out a tough but challenging film that will take you down the rabbit hole.

"This" will take you down the rabbit hole.

John 17:24

Mitch Hansch/ moviesiwithmitch.com Sophia Coppola's fourth directed feature film is an abstract love letter to her legendary directing father, Francis Ford Coppola, to the tempo of a snail's pace. Sophia Coppola gives "Somewhere" a glacial unwinding that allows for, and I don't even know if I'd call them scenes, but moments to fully play out. Whether it's five laps in a Ferrari around a racetrack, pole dancing sets from twin double-mint blonde vixens, or an entire ice skating routine, the characters are spotlighted in the scenes other directors would have let reside on the cutting room floor. While still making us envious of that life, Ms. Coppola lets us be privy to a story of a life that's lost, wandering, and void of so much.

That life is L.A. movie star, Johnny Marco, played by Stephen Dorff. Sophia Coppola returns to the cinematic residency of a hotel, a la her well-received "Lost In Translation", with Marco staying at the Château Marmont, the hotel for the rich and infamous. Marco meanders on autopilot most nights as his childhood friend Sammy (in the stunt casting from Jackass' Party Boy himself, Chris Pontius, that actually pays off well) throws parties, until he's bored enough to get drunk, find a girl, or have a girl find him. To Marco, sex is not a trophy to obtain; it's simply something his fame offers him without any labor, which he's not in the practice of turning down. Long shots of Marco racing on the L.A. freeway shows us he's going nowhere fast. The only time that he realizes that he has to be somewhere is when his publicist lets him know when there are things to be done in the day.

When Marco's daughter, Cleo (Elle Fanning), is dropped off for an unannounced stay because her mother needs some time for whatever reason, he is forced to reflect upon his life. I know, I know, lets stop and have a tear for the tortured wealthy performers plight because it's right up there with the genocides in Africa, but this is a story of a man regardless. Finally becoming aware of the soulless hole he has dug himself is a rewarding journey that, if you stick with it long enough, will take you somewhere. Sophia Coppola's script doesn't allow you to reel with lament on being privileged but rather enjoy the perks that her childhood brought, as she exceeds in writing what she knows.

Elle Fanning shines as a beautiful young girl who is spending more time with her father than she's accustomed to. Small pleasures are put under a microscope; such as making her dad a meal and a giddy smile watching him receive an award in Italy will warm your heart. Stephen Dorff is quietly funny, bringing a lot to the Sophia's short condensed dialogue. Dorff slowly allows Marco to warm your heart as well. Even when Marco unadvisedly has the girl from the night before share breakfast with Cleo and him, a conversation of just looks with Cleo across the table shows he's acknowledging his sins. Excelling at enjoying their company, a shot of the two rewarding themselves by basking under the sun is a wonderfully gratifying scene. Under the perfectly used music from the band Phoenix, this moment is strikingly pleasant to watch, so much that I found myself very happy for their happiness.

"Somewhere" delivers a relaxed retrospect that's delightful to view. Sophia Coppola shines once again bringing style and substance to the screen.

"This" brings style and substance to the screen.

Psalm 72:12-13

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com Masterful technician Darren Aronofsky follows up his 2008 tortured male athlete film, "The Wrestler", with the female counter piece, "Black Swan". Aronofsky delves deep into the cut-throat world of ballet with its intensely demanding physicality and harsh office politics. Aronofsky casts Natalie Portman in a sure-fire Oscar nomination as the repressed and insecure dancer who finally gets her shot to shine as lead in the production of "Swan Lake". Portman's portrayal of Nina Sayers obsessive strive for perfection that veers into dementia is perfection. I wish I could say the same for Aronofsky's dictatorship..ur.. I mean direction. His overbearing hand frustrated this viewer, keeping me from throwing red roses on stage for "Black Swan" instead merely keeping me from throwing rotten tomatoes.

Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake tells the story of the white swan princess who when she finds love, is betrayed and in her madness, darkly becomes the black swan. The fragile Nina (Portman) can play white swan no problem but tapping into the black swan is. Stage director Thomas Leroy (Vincent Cassel) and his womanizer reputation casts her believing he can get the black swan from her. When the younger care-free dancer Lily, played with a powerful sexuality from an excellent performance by Mila Kunis, comes onto the scene she becomes Nina's alternate and a constant object for Nina's insecurities. As you can see, Aronofsky is quite literal with his story of Swan Lake. Excellent performances aside, "Black Swan" isn't as interesting as it seems, simply depending on horror-esquire tactics that jar the senses but are hollow in content.

Dance is Nina's life. When asked to introduce herself, she replies "dancer" instead of Nina. Her room is pink with stuffed animals and she's still under the thumb of her supremely oppressive stage mother (Barbara Hershey). Nina is buckling under the pressure and slowly begins a path towards madness. Visions of doppelgangers in the subway show influence from Adrian Lyne's "Jacob Ladder" and vividly horrifying nightmares of physical trauma blur with reality of what is and is not. A bad habit of scratching resurfaces for Nina that her mother hides with some make-up and a controlling clipping of her nails that's ramped up audibly, keeping you on edge. Early on Thomas explains their version of the swan lake will be stripped down and bare. I wish Aronofsky would have done that with the film. Instead, there is an obsessive-compulsive control over every shot, beating us in the face with his style and not letting Portman's harrowing performance take spotlight as much as it should.

Portman is amazing, doing 90% of her own dancing including the spectacular climatic show stopping performance. Aronofsky makes the world of ballet a riveting backdrop which is rarely shown in film. Portman is nakedly intense and brings us along best as she can as she loses herself in Nina's fall but we're manipulated by Aronofsky continually pulling out the horror-laden-madness rug from under us. Her maddening is angering instead of gut wrenching, as it could have been. At the end of Aronofsky's "Requiem For a Dream" we feel the characters' complete loss and we're in despair for them but in "Black Swan" he wanted the outcome to be tragic yet beautiful, however I didn't feel much of either.

Propelled by outstanding performances, none more than Portman's, Aronofsky's "Black Swan" is a dance worth accepting even if it has several missteps along the way.

"This" has several missteps along the way.

John 10:20

http://movieswithmitch.com/ Mitch Hansch "It takes a LEGEND to make a STAR!" It takes Stanley Tucci in this FILM for me not to blow my brains out all over my POPCORN! Out of the 2 stars I've given to "Burlesque" one goes just to Tucci's performance. As the calming stage manager of Cher's erotic dance club, he did just that- calm me. Making the film's talkie parts bearable with his immeasurable talent of being able to raise the performance of his co-stars and make it possible to almost enjoy the silly world around him.

I'm definitely not the intended viewer for "Burlesque" but if a film's good, I'll appreciate it. Heck, if a film's so bad it's good, I'll appreciate that as well. But director Steve Antin couldn't even get that right, missing the mark on consistent camp and only succeeding in plain old bad filmmaking. This is no train wreck like "Glitter" or "Showgirls" but "who cares" sub-plot after "who cares" sub-plot along with stolen choreography from "Moulin Rouge" and "Chicago" make for a viewing experience that almost made my eyes rolling in the back of my head permanent.

A Midwest (duh) waitress named Ali (Christina Aguilera) has big dreams and moves to Hollywood (dur), learns of the sexy and exotic world of Burlesque dancing and gets the bug (dur-dur), then through much begging is finally given a chance from club owner and star Tess (Cher) and finally a rival jealous dancer's attempt at treachery actually backfires allowing Ali to show off her awesome pipes that nobody knew about (dur, dur, dur). Throw in a romance with a hot bartender (Cam Gigandet) and Tess dealing with threats of her club's foreclosure and there you have it folks.

In her film debut, Aguilera wasn't nearly as bad as I thought she would be. The "dirrty" girl isn't much for conveying lots of emotion unless it's up onstage singing but it's a smooth enough delivery that it doesn't take away too much focus. As her rival dancer puts it, played horribly obnoxious by Kristen Bell, "she's a girl with mutant lungs". Her famous lungs even had me bopping a little to the film's title song. How do you get Cher to return to her first full film since 1999's "Tea with Mussolini" and only give her two songs? One of them coming in my least favorite scene where the number is completely unrelated to the film and is just there because Antin remembered he had Cher in the movie. Cher, who has an Oscar, deserves some sort of award for taking on the horse crap dialogue she was forced to deliver.

"But Mitch you're just a ruff and tuff man's-man that can slam a Smirnoff Ice like no one I've ever seen, this isn't the type of film you'd ever enjoy." Wrong about never enjoying these kind of films . It's called "Moulin Rouge" and I'll watch it with you right now mister! Again, I'm not the intended demographic for "Burlesque". That intended group is people who enjoy crappy films.

"This" is intended for people who enjoy crappy films. Psalm 149:3

"Faster" (2010) Directed by George Tillman Jr. Starring Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thorton Running Time 98 Minutes, Rated R. 3 Mitch's out of 5 Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com

"Faster" almost ran out of gas even before its first lap. The revenge-motivated flick joins the vintage-whatever- exploitation trend of late (Machete, Black Dynamite). After effective opening shots of the glistening super-jacked Dwayne Johnson character, known as The Driver, "Faster" red-lines us a full throttle false start following with atrocious over-stylized character development. This includes getting to know the heroine addicted, days before retirement cop played by Billy Bob Thorton accompanied by the song "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)" by Kenny Rogers and The First Editions. To me, it's a crime to use that song. "Just Dropped In" will always be tied to "The Big Lebowski" and should be put on the "Do Not Use in Movies" song list. That's like using "I'm Alright" from Kenny Loggins in a film other than "Caddyshack" or "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now" from Starship in "Mannequin". Tsk, tsk. But somehow, despite the film's many flaws, including an obvious ending and a weird assassin subplot, director George Tillman Jr., who takes a break from the lighter fare of "Soul Food" and "Barbershop", steers "Faster" back on course, due to Billy Bob's acting, Johnson's unstoppable masculine force, and pure holiday counter-programming of simple and intense violence that turns out to be a lot more enjoyable than I thought it would be.

The film hits its groove when it lets The Driver, Dwayne Johnson, do his thing. And that is without hesitation systematically crossing each person's life off who was responsible for putting him in jail and more importantly, accountable for his brother's death. The violence is brutal as Johnson rides around in his muscle car with nothing fancier than a Terminator determination approach to his revenge. This is the intensity I've been begging from Dwayne Johnson since he lost the "Rock" in his name. Action enthusiasts root for The Rock...er...I mean, Johnson, to be the next Schwarzenegger and knock that "Tooth Fairy" and "Race to Witch Mountain" crap off. Johnson is a very charming and funny actor but we want to see him kick butt first and make kids go Disney a distant sixth. "Faster" is not the script or director he deserves but this is a very thick muscled step in the right direction.

The Driver shares "Faster" with two other story lines that converge; the aforementioned Billy Bob as "The Cop" who gets on the case with a fellow detective played by a well cast Carla Gugino, who together have great chemistry. The other story is at times fascinating but more often silly, with the The Killer played by Oliver Jackson-Cohen. The Killer spends his time conquering yoga, loving his lover (LOST's Maggie Grace), and taking hit jobs to fight the boredom that is life after being a young software billionaire. The Killer, who was contracted by an anonymous caller to take out The Driver, struggles with the challenge that is Johnson's hell-bent revenge machine. This character is an applauded attempt at riskier story telling but failed in its execution with its overt awkwardness. Just because Gus Van Saunt took a risk of remaking "Pycho" shot for shot didn't make it pan out.

This is a blazingly fast film that slows when The Driver departs from his single mindedness. When conscience starts to eek its way into the bloodthirsty lead, a flash of his brother's death puts him right back on track. Although that doesn't mean a scene where when of one of the former thugs responsible for his brothers death, now turned sincere Evangelist ("LOST's" Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) trying to get forgiveness through to The Drvier doesn't absolutely rock our socks off. It is refreshing to view a man in the ministry on screen who is actually doing God's good work and not a child molester or thief or serial killer. "Faster's" action does justice to the genre and makes you glad you're watching Johnson and not one who crossed him. Again, the ending didn't surprise me but the ride there sure was nice.

"This" sure was nice.

Matthew 5:38-42

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com It's a bird, it's a plane, no... it's Denzel Washington and director Tony Scott working together on their fifth film! They need to be faster than a speeding locomotive to save the day this time. Actually, it's a runaway speeding locomotive carrying a horrible toxic cargo that's heading for highly populated disaster. Oh no!!! Worry not good citizens, a bland script with not even enough character development to fill a mini-sized thimble is no match for Scott's visually highly-charged adrenaline train ride extravaganza that is "Unstoppable". Tickets please.

Seriously folks, if Tony Scott was a horse at the tracks, I would not be betting on him. His track record hasn't shown a decent film since maybe his first collaboration with Washington in "Crimson Tide". And their team-up last year for the "so what" picture, "Taking of Pelham 1 2 3" didn't amount to much so they decided to give the train film another go. Turns out they got this train movie right. With a minimalistic story, Scott stays focused on the escalating danger at hand, using all the tricks in his stylized quick-cutting, slow-to-focus bag. You can figure out the whole film in the first ten minutes but that doesn't end up being a fault due to the so-called inspired by true events tale that Scott tells with action that's big, brash, loud, and always showcasing the power of the runaway train.

You want story huh? Well... it's a day like any other day until a railway employee doofus (Ethan Suplee) leaves his moving train to switch the tracks and is unable to get back on the train, leaving train "777" unmanned and increasing it's speed up to 80mph. If you can make an effective heart racing action sequence with the portly typecast misfit Ethan Suplee, than you've really accomplished something. On the same track is the 28-year veteran Frank Barnes, played by Denzel Washington, who's always lackadaisical in hazard's way. Barnes is showing the ropes to Will Colson, played by the steely-eyed Chris Pine (better know as the new James T. Kirk). Mini sub-plots of the non-union Barnes losing jobs to the yellow-shirted union, as well as Colson and his spouse's drama are gradually faded out in lieu of the MUST STOP TRAIN portion that overloads and rocks our cerebral cortex.

Yardmaster Connie Hooper (Rosario Dawson) gives us all the rest of any exposition needed with her extreme dramatization of this calculus problem. If a runaway train leaves from point A at the speed of death and a rescue train on the same track leaves from point B with a speed of Denzel, how long will it take for awesome to collide? Not long. Tony Scott shoots actions scenes first and sometimes asks questions later. Using close-up shots of the terrorizing train, Scott portrays it as a conscious being that knows the evil it's about to perform, almost growling in the wind. The last hour of "Unstoppable" is truly that, unstoppable, making for a white-knuckled thrill ride that plays to our need for heroism and succeeds. By the end I was chanting U.S.A. under my breath.

By the end I was chanting "this" under my breath.  2 Samuel 23:8-39

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com What exactly is your story "Morning Glory"? I'll field this question, thank you. "Morning Glory" is a big ol' fat fluff piece. Which turns out is the very thing Becky (Rachel McAdams), a young perky workaholic producer begs the esteemed no-nonsense new anchor, Mike Pomeroy (Harrison Ford) to give into doing; puff pieces. "Morning Glory" argues the merits of entertainment vs. news; waging higher on entertainment. Too bad this film isn't all that entertaining, instead amounting to that fluff piece which, just like the real morning talk shows specialize in, is good for a few smiles and then is quickly forgotten.

Rachel McAdams is definitely one of the few bright actresses able to take over Julia Robert's throne. Like the film itself, McAdams takes a while to hit her stride. She attacks Becky at first with a gross perkiness that eventually evolves into an engaging awkwardness, becoming the film's strong leader that earns her top billing over the likes of screen legends Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford. But unlike the film itself, when she does hit her stride, she keeps getting better.

Becky's the young vunder producer at a New Jersey morning talk show, who when gets a call up from the boss, is expecting a promotion, even wearing specially made t-shirts that say "I accept", but instead gets canned due to the station's budget problems. To keep what her mother calls an embarrassing dream going, Becky goes on a relentless job search. She finally lands a producing job with IBS headed by Jerry Barnes, played by the always smoothly soothing Jeff Goldblum. IBS is the fourth place network morning talk show that's lower funded, lower viewed, and lower respected than its big brother "The Today Show".

Becky's big task of turning the ship around starts with her winning over the long disgruntled former beauty queen anchor Colleen Peck, played by the still gorgeous and hilarious but sadly under-utilized Diane Keaton. Becky wins her favor and the rest of the staff on day one by firing a sleazy male co-anchor, played by the spot on Ty Burrell. Day two consists of her basically blackmailing the Dan Rather-esq Mike Pomeroy into being the other co-anchor and giving the show the jolt it needs in the ratings from having a big name attached. Cue inevitable conflict. Pomeroy doesn't do cute field pieces; he's a Pulitzer Prize winner. Pomeroy doesn't cover celebrity interviews; he's an eight-time Emmy winner. Pomeroy most certainly doesn't do cooking pieces; he's been shot on air. But Pomeroy will do the show so he doesn't lose the six million dollars in his contract. Ford fuels the cantankerous Pomeroy with enough gravel in his voice to build a highway. I couldn't help but think of the parallels between Ford and Pomeroy as an old stuffy big name who hasn't done much in a while (I'm not counting that last Indy Jones head scratcher) who, probably like his character, had to be begged to take this job.

The unwillingness of Pomeroy to budge mixed with Becky's trying to improve the show goes on for way too long, yada, yada, yada. Oh yeah and there's a somewhat involved love story developing between Becky and former tortured employee of Pomeroy, Adam Bennet, played by Patrick Wilson (who I still don't think has been utilized as well since his breakout performance in "Little Children"). Director Roger Mitchell (Notting Hill, Venus) doesn't get the ball rolling until the inevitable "get the ratings up or you're fired" scene of the film. When Becky finally stops playing by the rules, chuckles start piling up. Additionally, Peck and Pomeroy's on-air bickering alongside the very funny antics of the "do anything for ratings goat" weatherman (Matt Malloy) would make me want to watch that morning show. But after a few laughs, the film loses what little steam it had going by falling on its schmaltzy face, killing us with forced sentiment.

"Morning Glory" didn't have enough to keep this viewer. Let's see what else is on.

Let's see what else "this" is on.

Lamentations 3:23

Zombie films are nothing new, neither are POV horror flicks but you don't have to break new ground if you can execute it well. Directors Juame Balaguero and Paco Plaza do exactly that in Spain's very effective cinematic embodiment of unsettling fear. The film takes a while to get going but as you come the bone chilling third act in this short 78-minute film, the splendid nerve-wrecking scares will have you feeling the claustrophobia and fear just as the movie's trapped characters do. The Hollywood court-ordered American version "Quarantine" came out shortly after but stick with the original if you want to do it right.

Angela Vidal (Manuela Velasco) is a perky TV reporter who, along with her trusted side-kick cameraman Pablo, follows the events of a Barcelona firehouse for the night. When a call comes in to the fireman from an elderly woman screaming in her apartment complex, Angela and Pablo tag along. When they arrive, with no explanation, the old bat takes a bite out of a policeman on the scene, shortly thereafter the building is locked down in a quarantine. The bites, of course, make you undead but what makes this film a cut above the rest is the claustrophobic conditions told in real time via Pablo's handy-work and Angela's diligence to get to the story despite her fear. What's even better is that you never feel any hope of rescue as people realize the gravity of their situation and that there's nothing to be done about it. There might not be much in character development but watching these people trapped in this sealed off building discovering more and more bad news proved "Rec" to be a wonderful trick and a petrifying treat.

Unfortunately, to review this movie I'm going to employ one of the most overly used review phrases but I can think of no better way to describe Peter Jackson's comedy-horror classic, "Dead Alive", but as a "tour-de-force" in blood, guts, and gore! Jackson's flawless film is an amazing achievement not only in horror, being maybe the goriest film ever, but in cinema as a whole. Superbly crafted, Jackson goes for broke, perfecting sickening sight gag after sickening sight gag with the help of off the chart gore effects from Richard Taylor and prosthetics by Bob McCarron. On top of that, there are wonderful performances all wrapped in a love-letter look at 1950's New Zealand, all making "Dead Alive" the "Casablanca" of horror.

Lionel Cosgrove (Timothy Balme) is a bumbling momma's boy who becomes romantically entangled with the enchanting Paquita (Diana Penalver). While Lionel's overbearing mum (Elizabeth Moody) is spying on their first date at the zoo, mum gets bit by the cursed Sumatran rat-monkey. Shortly there after, mum dies but doesn't stay dead, coming back to life eating everything alive, including Paquita's dog in a spectacular gross-out scene. Mum wreaks havoc on the town, making zombies out of the nurse, a gang of greasers, a kung-fu priest, and half the rest of the town which culminates in an orgy of a bloody climax that has no rival in any other film. It's up to Lionel to choose between his mass murdering mother or saving the day and getting the girl. "Dead Alive" is a masterpiece of horror that does no wrong. You will do no wrong by watching this film as soon as possible!

By the end of "127 Hours" when Aron Ralston (James Franco) gruesomely removes himself from the 800-pound boulder his arm is pinned to, we, the audience, are left in a euphoric state. It is a celebration of the great victory of a man overcoming death and finding the will to survive. This film is such an intense experience. Director Danny Boyle and James Franco take us on an exhilarating journey of the shock, acceptance, regret, anger, and hope that resulted in this reviewer squirting a few tears of joy. "127 Hours" is the story of a life inspired put on screen and easily one of the better films of the year.

Based on best selling memoir, "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", Ralston recounts the events that took place in Utah's Blue John Canyon in April of 2003. Boyle introduces us to the film and to Ralston with an energetic opening split screen of dutch shots (static shot from a slanted angle) of busy crowds alongside Ralston hurriedly grabbing his gear in his apartment for his weekend trip. Boyle doesn't drop the hammer right away, instead showing the exuberance of Ralston playing in his nirvana. When Aron comes upon two pretty girls lost in Blue John he plays guide and shows the ladies the best way to reach the deep bright blue lake. Ralston parts with the girls, skipping off to his next destination.

Shortly thereafter, the solitary Ralston slips resulting in his arm being stuck. This is where the film would have been lost with a lesser actor. But Franco seizes every scene as he and Boyle begin to put us through the emotional ringer. Franco impressively relays those first few moments of paralyzed shock, to angrily realizing his will and determination alone aren't enough to save him, to beginning to assess the situation and think his way out. The only things he has with him are his camcorder, watch, climbing gear, a cheap dull knife and most importantly, very little food and even less water. Ralston's greatest asset is that, for the most part, he is not one who panics, which Franco maneuvers by using his goofy nature to keep his wits about him.

Since Ralston is the sole character on screen for the majority of the movie, Danny Boyle uses music as another character. Opening with the kinetic "Never Hear Surf Music Again" from Free Blood, to pulling an exhausted Ralston and audience back up with Bill Withers "Lovely Day", Boyle never lets the film get stagnant from the restraints of his location. This is due in great part of his successful decision to use two cinematographers in Anthony Dod Mantle and Enrique Chediak. The two different visions play off each other as Aron Ralston struggles with the physical and psychological effects of being trapped. Extreme close-ups of Franco and nifty camera shots through the water bottle keep the viewer tightly encased with Aron.

What Boyle really gets right is putting us in Aron's head. The longer Aron is forced to look death in the eye, the more his memories, nightmares, and delusions pop up. When Aron's mind races all the way back to his vehicle for the Gatorade he left on the seat, as commercial visions of beverage refreshment take over, I've never been so thirsty. Regrets and an inner look at his life's decisions become more agonizing than the physical aspect. Realizing his selfishness of not picking up his mother's phone calls or letting the girl get away, torment Aron but it's the vision of what life has in store for him that ultimately leads him out of peril. When the self-amputation scene arrives it may be too strong for some but it is necessary. The intensity it takes to do such a thing creates a powerful moment that won't quickly leave your memory. Inspired is the best word for what remains because you're left there finding what you want to live for and how you'd lose an arm to do it. When Ralston miraculously sees people, he screams, "I need help", for the first time in his life allowing himself not to be a superhero.

"127 Hours" is definitely up there with "Trainspotting" as one of Danny Boyle's best films and I don't need to say it but I will anyway; it's a foregone conclusion that James Franco will be nominated for Best Actor and at this point I've seen no other performance that would beat it.

I've seen no other performance that would beat "this" Matthew 24:13

Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com THEY DID IT!!! I'm amazed, they actually succeeded in releasing a successfully terrifying follow up to the 2009 surprise break-out smash hit, "Paranormal Activity", which grossed over $193 million worldwide on the anemic budget of just $15 G's. They delivered a white-knuckle film worthy of carrying the name of, and I don't say this lightly, one of my top ten scariest films of all time. "They" being director Tod Williams who takes over for Oren Peri who is now a producer this time around. "Paranormal Activity 2" is a spine-tingling success. It may not reach the fright level of the original due to the novelty of that one but by the end of "PA:2" it is an event to behold, that is, if you can hold it.

Horror films are the least critically successful genre but when done right they are the most rewarding. To be authentically scared (and scarred) at the movie theatre is something that becomes sparse with age and so must be savored like a fine wine. You may pooh-pooh 2009's "Paranormal Activity" but that film scared the Christian in to me (more that I already am). I couldn't look down my hallway for six months without whispering a little prayer and I can think of no bigger compliment to give a director of a horror film.

Sequels are even harder to do but rest assured this is no "Blair Witch 2". I shouldn't say sequel but in fact the brilliant idea of prequel, starting "PA:2" three months before the first film ended. Katie (Katie Featherston) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are back but in smaller roles as this time around we follow Katie's similarly evil spirit plagued sister Kristi (Sprague Grayden) and her family which includes husband Daniel (Brian Boland), step daughter Ali (Molly Ephraim), Martine the nanny who knows something's up, baby Hunter and the family dog who know even more but are both unable to speak.

After Kristi's house is mysteriously broken into, a six camera 24-hour around the clock security system is set up. What a simple smart device to record all the bumps in the night to come. Like the first film, Tod Williams keeps the pace deliberately very slow, using repetitious shots of the humdrum house which inches up tension brick by tense freaky-deaky brick. Shots held on pots and pans or a pool-cleaning unit become sinister without anything happening. Until sinister stuff does start happening when the viewer is rewarded for keeping their eyes peeled on the screen at all times (if they can) and on all four corners of the screen. The scares are more frequent and more sustained in "PA:2" and the goose bumps stay on high alert for the last 15 minutes, fantastically giving a better climax than the first.

Some of what works for "PA:2" also can take away. Brian the dad, is just the right amount of much needed humor but is basically a carbon copy of Micah from the first film as the wise cracking successful male who's the last one to believe. Maybe Katie and Kristi just have the same taste in men as the added lore invented for this film hints to. All in all, it didn't really bother me as "PA: 2" didn't try to fix something that wasn't broken, using the strengths of the first film and heightening them.

"Paranormal Activity 2" is the perfect scream inducing, hair standing up on the back of the neck, grab the person next to you film for the season. Let's just hope I can walk down my hallway again.

Let's just hope for "this".

Psalms 106:35-37 Mitch Hansch/ movieswithmitch.com