In this decade alone, Ed and Lorraine Warren have become figures of the supernatural with films made based on their case files like The Conjuring, A Haunting In Connecticut, and Annabelle. So, it’s safe to say that I was super excited to see that The Conjuring 2 was coming out and hence why I chose it for today’s film. In this film, it’s 1977 and Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine (Vera Farmiga) have been on a sabbatical since the events at the Amityville house. They get pulled out of that sabbatical when a strange case comes to them all the way from Enfield, London, England. Things are tough for Peggy Hodgson (Frances O’Connor) and her kids as they struggle to get by. Things ill start to get worse when it seems that her youngest daughter Janet (Madison Wolfe) starts to become possessed. The Warrens now have to fly out there to figure out if it’s true or if the girl is faking it. Can they help her or will they leave? The film also stars Lauren Esposito as Margaret Hodgson, Benjamin Haigh (The People Next Door) as Billy Hodgson, Simon McBurney (Body Of Lies) as Maurice Grosse, Franka Potente (Blow) as Anita Gregory, Bob Adrian (Twelve Monkeys) as Bill Wilkins, and the film was directed by James Wan (The Conjuring).
We all know that sometimes horror sequels are never really that good and we usually leave the theaters disappointed. While I still hold the first film in high regards, I really thought that this was a very good film that was just so spooky at times. There were those cheap scares, but they definitely scared me a couple of times. The demon int he film is just spooky as hell and is enough to really give you the creeps. I love how they started out the film at the Amityville house because they sort of explain what Lorraine felt when she was going through the house. I loved the soundtrack to the film which featured a lot of great music from the late 70’s, but I also loved the score to the film. The score to the film was so creepy that it made it worse for you as you waited for something to happen. While some things that the evil spirits did were a little predictable at times, it didn’t bother me because in my opinion this is the best horror film of 2016 so far. What makes it even more scary is that it’s true and it’s from their case files. Stick around to the end of the film because you get a special treat where you actually get to hear the real voice of the evil spirit that they recorded during their visit plus you get to see real pics from the experience. The evil nun in the pic you see was a great antagonist for Lorraine as it puts her faith to the test throughout the whole film. I would definitely recommend this film to anyone who is a fan of horror and these types of cases. I am going to give the film an A- for a final grade.
Out of all the films that have been filmed in and round the city of Boston, Mystic River was one of those films that I had never seen before. I figured what better place then here and what better time than now to review the film with an amazing cast and director. Mystic River stars Sean Penn (Fast Times At Ridgemont High) as Jimmy Markum, Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) as Dave Boyle, and Kevin Bacon (Footloose) as Sean Devine, three childhood friends who drifted apart after a tragic event in their childhood. Unfortunately, all three men will be reunited after it’s discovered that Jimmy’s daughter Katie (Emmy Rossum) was brutally murdered. The film also stars Laurence Fishburne (Boyz N The Hood) as Det. Whitey Powers, Marcia Gay Harden (The Mist) as Celeste Boyle, Laura Linney (The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) as Annabeth Markum, Kevin Chapman (Blow) as Val Savage, Tom Guiry (The Sandlot) as Brendan Harris, Spencer Treat Clark (Gladiator) as Silent Ray Harris, Robert Wahlberg (The Departed) as Kevin Savage, Jenny O’Hara (The King Of Queens) as Esther Harris, Adam Nelson (The Abyss) as Nick Savage, Ari Graynor (For A Good Time, Call…) as Eve Pigeon, and the film was directed by Clint Eastwood (Million Dollar Baby).
This was an amazing film from Clint Eastwood, who seems to have never directed a bad one in his career. This is one of those films that will leave you speechless when you find out who the killer is because it’s one of those I should have seen that coming. The whole time, you are ready to throw one of the characters up sh** creek because you think for sure that he/she is guilty and then they throw a curve ball at you. That is truly what I love about movies like this, I don’t want it to be predictable. I want to think that I have the person and then be shocked when it’s revealed. As far as the acting is concerned, you have Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon, and Tim Robbins all in one film. That alone should speak for itself as far as quality is concerned and then you throw in Laurence Fishburne and that is the cherry on top. If I had o pick an MVP of the film, It would be a toss up between Penn and Robbins, but there is one performance no one talks about. I think Marcia Gay Harden does a great job playing the wife who is all torn up inside as to what she should do regarding what she thinks she knows. That was a powerful performance as well from her in the film. The cinematography is in the film is great as it comes complete with some great shots of the city of Boston. It was a great movie overall and you can’t go wrong by picking this one up. I am going to give the film an A for a final grade. It was definitely a great film to close the month of March.
Soon enough you’ll figure out that I am a fan of Martin Scorsese (The Wolf Of Wall Street), but I honestly did not know that he directed today’s film. In 1999, Scorsese directed the film Bringing Out The Dead which starred Nicholas Cage (Raising Arizona) as paramedic Frank Pierce. Frank has been on the job for way too long to the point that he is burnt out and the ghosts of patients that he couldn’t save are starting to haunt him whether he is on the job or off. Over the course of three turbulent and mind exhausting nights, Frank will have to try and survive the nights without completely losing his mind in this drama/thriller. The film also stars John Goodman (Death Sentence) as Larry, Patricia Arquette (A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors) as Mary Burke, Ving Rhames (Mission: Impossible) as Marcus, Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan) as Tom Wolls, Marc Anthony (The Substitute) as Noel, Mary Beth Hurt (The Exorcism Of Emily Rose) as Nurse Constance, Nestor Serrano (The Day After Tomorrow) as Dr. Hazmat, Aida Turturro (The Sopranos) as Nurse Crupp, Cliff Curtis (Blow) as Cy Coates, and Sonja Sohn (The Wire) as Kanita.
This film is so intense in just about everything and it’s awesome. Nicholas Cage does a great job playing a guy who is just going through absolute hell and looks like he’s been going through absolute hell. This is one of those rare times that I really enjoyed his performance because he’s hit or miss with me. The film is very dark in nature so it has that look that Shutter Island had with it’s dark color tones with the bright reds, etc. I really enjoyed the scenes where every thing is all of a sudden sped up to make them look even more crazier than they are. The film also shows you how dark and dingy the city can be and it shows you sections you’ve never seen before as well. I love how Scorsese almost focuses on that as well like he’s making the city a vital character as well. I have to say that I truly enjoyed the side story between Patricia Arquette and Nicholas Cage because they are both struggling with inner demons while Cage is being haunted by the dead, she is dealing with a dark past of her own. It definitely added a cool dynamic to the film that kept the story rolling. Martin Scorsese is definitely one of my favorite directors and there are a lot of films that I still have not seen that will probably show up on this challenge. Check out the film for yourself, I am giving the movie an B for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 