The Purge: Anarchy
2014 | 103 min | Horror / Action
J:
We watched the original Purge a
while back, and it was alright. Nothing special. I did like the whole premise of
murder being legal for one night only, but I felt that the idea wasn’t used to
its full potential, we were just kind of lumbered with this boring group of
people in a house while some folks wanted to shank them. The second film was
much better though, the stakes felt higher and the cast was
really well used. This is everything the original version should have been!
while back, and it was alright. Nothing special. I did like the whole premise of
murder being legal for one night only, but I felt that the idea wasn’t used to
its full potential, we were just kind of lumbered with this boring group of
people in a house while some folks wanted to shank them. The second film was
much better though, the stakes felt higher and the cast was
really well used. This is everything the original version should have been!
L: I found the first Purge film to be a little boring, and although it was a really good concept for a film it just didn’t live up to expectations. However the second offering is much better. It follows the same idea as the first one but seems much more action packed and with more of a storyline and character stories to follow. I wouldn’t rush to watch it again but I wouldn’t rule out a second viewing.
Annabelle
2014 | 100 min | Horror
J:
Genuinely can’t tell you all that
much about this film…I kept falling asleep through it. That should tell you something
about how much I enjoyed it and how much the story gripped me. Yawn!
much about this film…I kept falling asleep through it. That should tell you something
about how much I enjoyed it and how much the story gripped me. Yawn!
L: I’m just going to get straight to the point and say this was a pretty boring film. It wasn’t at all scary and it just sort of trundled along with no real jumps or action. I really wouldn’t bother with this film if you haven’t seen it because you’re not missing anything.
Good Will Hunting
1997 | 126 min | Drama
J:
Right from the get go I knew it
was going to be a good film because it had Robin Williams in it, and who
doesn’t love a Robin Williams film?! Secondly I knew that it was going to be an
emotional ride as Robin had a beard, and as we all know, if he has a beard it’s
going to tug at your heartstrings. These are facts. The entire cast were really
good, and the story is a classic. I’ve never seen it before, but I’ve seen so
many friendly parodies of it from Family Guy and such that I felt like I’d seen
the film before. It took nothing away from it though, I really enjoyed it.
was going to be a good film because it had Robin Williams in it, and who
doesn’t love a Robin Williams film?! Secondly I knew that it was going to be an
emotional ride as Robin had a beard, and as we all know, if he has a beard it’s
going to tug at your heartstrings. These are facts. The entire cast were really
good, and the story is a classic. I’ve never seen it before, but I’ve seen so
many friendly parodies of it from Family Guy and such that I felt like I’d seen
the film before. It took nothing away from it though, I really enjoyed it.
L: How had I never seen this film until now?! I love a good Robin Williams film but this one just seemed to have escaped me. I was sure I’d cry because I do at a lot of Robin Williams films but I just about kept it together with this one. It’s a great story of a self taught genius who works as a janitor and can’t seem to keep out of trouble until he meets his match in the form of a psychologist. Of course Williams plays an excellent part as psychologist Sean Maguire but Matt Damon is equally as good as the troubled self taught genius, Will Hunting. This is definitely a film I’d watch over and over again.
The Muppets
2011 | 103 min | Comedy / Musical
J:
Wahaaaaay, a Muppet film!
Amazing! They’re like timeless friends that never age and never get not funny!
It’s everything you want in a Muppet movie: singing, dancing, boomerang fish,
comedy, heart warming moments…you know! There are also some really great
moments of breaking the 4th wall and making them seem clearly aware that
they’re filming a movie (for example, travelling by map and using a musical
montage to get things done quicker). Another thing is it segues really nicely
into it’s followup, Muppets Most Wanted. Though because of the strength of the songs in that
one, I feel it has a slight edge over this one. Still loved it though!
Amazing! They’re like timeless friends that never age and never get not funny!
It’s everything you want in a Muppet movie: singing, dancing, boomerang fish,
comedy, heart warming moments…you know! There are also some really great
moments of breaking the 4th wall and making them seem clearly aware that
they’re filming a movie (for example, travelling by map and using a musical
montage to get things done quicker). Another thing is it segues really nicely
into it’s followup, Muppets Most Wanted. Though because of the strength of the songs in that
one, I feel it has a slight edge over this one. Still loved it though!
L: You can’t beat a good Muppets movie just for the songs alone (although I do think the songs in the Muppets Most Wanted are catchier than the ones in this film!) The Muppets have to join together again to save their studio from falling into the hands of an oil tycoon meaning Kermit and Miss Piggy have to heal their rift and everyone has to dust off their acts and take to the stage one more time. They also get a little help in the form of Walter, a new member of the Muppet gang looking for his place in the world. I can’t really find fault with this film as it’s just simple, feel good fun.
Oculus
2014 | 103 min | Horror
J:
This one was confusing. Well, it
was and it wasn’t. There’s some crazy ass mirror that makes people kill
themselves and stuff, and there’s a lady, and the boy,and he’s a psycho, but
he’s not because it’s real, and then your teeth fall out, and then the affair
and the chains, and then it’s in the future and the past, but they’re at the
same time because the mirror is magic. Okay? Clear? Thought not. That’s kind of
how I felt watching this movie. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, and I’m sure it was
filmed in that way to help mess with your head and confuse you in the same way
that he characters were meant to be confused. It was…confusing. But good. Oh
just judge for yourself!
was and it wasn’t. There’s some crazy ass mirror that makes people kill
themselves and stuff, and there’s a lady, and the boy,and he’s a psycho, but
he’s not because it’s real, and then your teeth fall out, and then the affair
and the chains, and then it’s in the future and the past, but they’re at the
same time because the mirror is magic. Okay? Clear? Thought not. That’s kind of
how I felt watching this movie. Not that I didn’t enjoy it, and I’m sure it was
filmed in that way to help mess with your head and confuse you in the same way
that he characters were meant to be confused. It was…confusing. But good. Oh
just judge for yourself!
L: For Halloween night we both picked one film each from Now TV to watch, Oculus was my choice. It’s not the worst film I’ve seen by a long shot but I probably wouldn’t watch it again. It was a decent story and the way it jumped from past to present and then combined the two was pretty clever but it seemed to lack any real scares or jumps that I look for in a horror film. I like to be hiding a behind a cushion feeling terrified and I just felt kinda ‘meh’ with this!
Chained
2012 | 94 | Psychological Thriller / Slasher
J:
This was a proper lets-choose-the-crappiest-film-we-can-find
kinda Halloween film, and guess what…it turned out to be a really good movie
with a really unexpected twist. A boy and his mother get abducted by a taxi
driver who rapes and kills the mother and chains the boy up and keeps him as a
slave for years. The acting is brilliant, and the implied rape scenes are
really awkward. Awkward in a good way though. And surprisingly, despite all the
crazy stuff the guy does, you kind of feel sorry for him and empathise with
him. Imagine that, empathising with the abducting rapist murderer. Heart
warming, I’m sure you’ll agree! This was definately an unexpectedly amazing
film. A hidden gem, you could say!
kinda Halloween film, and guess what…it turned out to be a really good movie
with a really unexpected twist. A boy and his mother get abducted by a taxi
driver who rapes and kills the mother and chains the boy up and keeps him as a
slave for years. The acting is brilliant, and the implied rape scenes are
really awkward. Awkward in a good way though. And surprisingly, despite all the
crazy stuff the guy does, you kind of feel sorry for him and empathise with
him. Imagine that, empathising with the abducting rapist murderer. Heart
warming, I’m sure you’ll agree! This was definately an unexpectedly amazing
film. A hidden gem, you could say!
L: For our second Halloween night film (and Josh’s choice) we had Chained. I was completely mentally unprepared for this film, psychological thriller is certainly the right genre for this film. It follows a serial killer who kidnaps and adopts a young boy and eventually attempts to turn him into his protege. Their are certainly some very dark and twisted issues in the film and I felt like it really messed with your head as at times you felt sorry for the serial killer and you could see that in some weird way he probably wanted a son to raise. The ending has a pretty good twist too!
If you only watch one of these films it should be…
J: Chained
L: Chained
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