13 Sins (2014)

Genre: Horror / Thriller

Directed by: Daniel Stamm

Cast: Devon Graye, Mark Webber, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Ron Perlman

Running time: 92 minutes

This remake of a Thai horror comedy film tells the story of Elliot Brindle, a man who has a mentally handicapped brother, a dependent father and a wife-to-be to take care of, but, as his wedding date is approaching, he loses his job in sales. Desperate for money, he gets a mysterious call from a man telling him he’s been selected to take part in a game, where he will be asked to perform 13 evil deeds. The first thing he must do is kill a fly, but, as they go along, the demands become more and more extreme and are worth more and more money. If he reaches the end, he is a millionaire. If he quits, he loses everything.

I really enjoyed the premise of this film and I felt like the storytelling was really effective in keeping the viewer guessing. I loved the darkness of this movie’s tone, but I felt a bit let down by the ending. It fell kind of flat for me. That being said, I was still quite entertained by 95% of this film, so I certainly cannot trash it completely. As far as the acting goes, it was pretty good. This is worth watching, with medium expectations.

Rating: «««

Poltergeist (1982)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: Tobe Hooper

Cast: JoBeth Williams, Craig T. Nelson, Heather O’Rourke

Running time: 93 minutes

Steven and Diane Freeling are living in a cozy little Californian suburb, but their idyllic life turns to a nightmare when an evil spirit, or poltergeist, abducts Carol Anne, the couple’s youngest daughter, within her home. The Freelings will seek help from ghost experts to retrieve their sweet little girls from the grip of these malevolent ghostly creatures.

Written by the great Steven Spielberg, the original Poltergeist movie remains a classic to this day. The special effects were particularly well done, especially for the era when the film was made. Also, the Freelings felt like a real tight-knit family who would go through hellfire and brimstone to get one of their own back. It did not feel fake at all. Everybody was good in their respective roles.

While not the scariest movie of all-time, Poltergeist does a solid job of keeping you on edge. With good acting, a compelling storyline and great special effect, it is a film well worth seeing, if you haven’t already done so. If you have seen it, it is good enough to watch again. It is sad to think that two of the movie’s starts, Heather O’Rourke and Dominique Dunne, would die prematurely a few years after its release.

Rating: «««««

96 Minutes (2012)

Genre: Drama / Thriller

Directed by: Aimée Lagos

Cast: Brittany Snow, Evan Ross, Christian Serratos, J. Michael Trautmann

Running time: 93 minutes

This dramatic thriller covers a day in the life of four students, with distinct stories, whose path will cross. Over the course of a 96 minutes period, their lives will be forever changed as they travel together in the same stolen vehicle, with one of them badly injured by a bullet to the face.

96 Minutes goes back and forth between the intense car ride and the events that lead to it and it does a good job of it. The movements in time were seamless. Great job by the director, as the pace was kept fast, and we were kept guessing all the way through as far as how it would end.

As far as the acting was concerned, the performances were mostly OK, though nothing was really spectacular in that department. The ending was disappointing, and it felt a little rushed.

Overall, this is a decent thriller, with some good and bad elements. Very average.

Rating: «««

Le Ring intérieur (2002)

Genre: Franco / Documentary

Réalisateur: Dan Bigras

Distribution: Dan Bigras, Charles Ali Nestor, David Loiseau, Steve Vigneault

Durée: 75 minutes

Dans ce documentaire de 2002, le chanteur, musicien et cinéaste Dan Bigras s’est servi de sa propre aventure dans l’entraînement pour les arts martiaux mixtes pour faire un essai  sur la colère et sur les façons de la canaliser positivement. Bigras s’est adonné à ce sport pour rebâtir son corps, ravagé par des années d’abus d’alcool.

Dans Le Ring intérieur, Bigras discutent avec Charles Ali Nestor, David Loiseau et Steve Vigneault du parcours de vie qui les a menés aux combats extrêmes. Tout au long du documentaire, la colère demeure un thème principal. Ce film offre un petit séjour dans un monde fascinant tout en montrant qu’il est possible de se servir d’une énergie potentiellement destructrice pour en faire quelque chose de positif.

Rating: ««««

Very Good Girls (2013)

Genre: Drama

Directed by: Naomi Foner

Cast: Dakota Fanning, Elizabeth Olsen, Boyd Holbrook

Running time: 91 minutes

Lilly and Gerri have been best friends for a long time. During their last summer before college, they are both set on losing their virginity. But, when they fall for the same guy, an artist they meet on the beach, their strong friendship is tested to the max.

This is the first feature film directed by Naomi Foner, and it was severely bashed by most movie critics. I, for one, did not hate this film. Sure, it contains a good dose of clichés, but the acting on the part of Dakota Fanning and Elizabeth Olsen was pretty good. They managed to conjure the difficulties of those late teenage years, where drama is always close by.

All things considered, Very Good Girls is not a very good film, but it is not a bad one either. It could have been so much more, especially considering the supporting cast contained names such as Richard Dreyfuss, Demi Moore, Ellen Barkin and Peter Sarsgaard. The script kind of floated on the surface, never really sinking its teeth in the story. There are definitely some missed opportunities there, but what was delivered on the screen was still potable.

Rating: «««

Halloween (1978)

Genre: Horror

Directed by: John Carpenter

Cast: Donald Pleasence, Jamie Lee Curtis, P.J. Soles

Running time: 91 minutes

On Halloween night of 1963, young Michael Myers, 6, stabs his older sister to death in the family home. The boy is then committed to a mental institution, from which he escapes 15 years later. Myers travels back to his hometown with the goal to kill again. With Dr. Loomis on his trail, Michael Myers is on the loose, and Laurie Strode, who is babysitting on Halloween night, seems set to cross his path.

This film has become a classic of the horror/slasher genre. It is a very effective movie in the sense that it doesn’t rely in extreme violence and goriness to cause an effect. John Carpenter concentrates on setting a tone and an atmosphere, with a slow and deliberate pace and really good eerie music. You know something is coming, you just don’t know when it will come.

The acting is sometimes a bit hammy and some of the scenes of violence come off as a tad cartoonish at times, especially when you look at it almost 40 years later, but, when you see it as a product of its time, Halloween is a very good horror movie.

Rating: ««««

Keeping Up with the Joneses (2016)

Genre: Comedy / Action

Directed by: Greg Mottola

Cast: Zack Galifianakis, Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher, Gail Gadot

Running time: 105 minutes

Jeff and Karen Gaffney are a down-to-earth and plain suburban couple living in a cozy and beautiful cul-de-sac in Atlanta. Their calm lifestyle takes a sharp turn when Tim and Natalie Jones move next door. Karen soon starts suspecting the Joneses of being spies. At first, Jeff is too enamored with his new neighbors to believe it, but, soon enough, the Gaffneys are embroiled in a massive case of espionage that involves Jeff’s workplace.

This new release has been bashed by critics, but, in my humble opinion, this is a fun little movie that needs to be taken for what it is meant to be: Entertainment. All four main actors gave decent performances, though Jon Hamm basically played the kind of role he is known for, and the script contained many good jokes. There were some weaker moments, and the strong ones were not earth-shatteringly funny, but I was still entertained by this film. All things considered, it was a fun time at the movies.

Rating: «««