The Cabin in the Woods [movie review]

Whenever I saw previews for The Cabin in the Woods, I would shudder in a tiny bit of fear AKA I needed to go see this movie ASAP. It looked like a fairly typical horror film (which I love), but boy was I wrong. This movie was far from typical.

Five friends — Dana (Kristen Connolly), Curt (Chris Hemsworth), Jules (Anna Hutchison), Marty (Fran Kranz), and Holden (Jesse Williams) — take a trip to a cabin… in the woods (surprised, right?). It doesn’t take too long for the fivesome’s mini vacation to be rudely, and might I add violently, interrupted. By who (and/or what)? Why? You most definitely need to find out for yourself. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.

I loved The Cabin in the Woods. It was so different from anything I’ve ever seen. I thought it was the perfect mix of horror and comedy. Yup, that’s right… it was funny (and not in a this-acting-is-so-bad kind of way). The movie subtly pokes fun at the corniness you find in some most horror films (not to the point of a spoof like Scary Movie though) and I thought it was hilarious. There would be intermittent jabs at the right moments when you’d normally be thinking to yourself: “Oh, how typical…” Nothing normal or typical about this movie though (and I mean that in the best way possible). While I’m emphasizing the movie’s humor, I don’t want to desensitize its horrifying moments (because believe me, there were quite a handful). I was very much on the edge of my seat at times, wanting to watch the movie through my fingers (I didn’t though).

I don’t want to say too much about the storyline, but I was completely thrown for a loop (from the very beginning to the absolute end). The trailers certainly don’t give any hints as to what’s really behind this movie, which I absolutely love. I mean, the movie was directed by Drew Goddard, the writer for Cloverfield (another great movie), so I shouldn’t have expected anything less. Keep ‘em coming, Goddard (apparently I’m a fan).

Acting-wise, I think everyone did great a job. Everyone played their stereotypical  horror film roles to a T, whether it was the jock, the dumb blond, the virgin, the pothead, etc. The actors did well when it came time to fear for their lives, but they also did well when they needed to poke fun at their own characters in funny, not corny way. I think my favorite character was Marty, who played the stoner. He certainly provided plenty (sometimes much-needed) comic relief with his drugged up, philosophical rants.

Overall, I give The Cabin in the Woods… I’m gonna do it… 5/5 stars. This movie kept me engaged the entire time (whether it was through fear and/or laughing) and I couldn’t stop raving about it after I left the theater. This will definitely be a movie I’ll be adding to my DVD collection.

Chronicle [movie review]

Alright, I’m not gonna lie… I was dying to see Chronicle after seeing those nonstop, vague trailers for it. I was intrigued to see what it was all about, so I went to go see it a little after it debuted (sorry for the tardy review).

Chronicle is about three guys –Andrew Detmer (Dan DeHaan), Matt Garetty (Alex Russell), and Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan) — who make a strange, underground discovery, which leads to the possession of superhuman powers. What are these powers, you ask? Oh, y’know, the ability to fly and move things with their minds… stuff like that. These newly acquired “powers” start off as fun and games, but things start to get a little unsafe when Andrew, the outcast of the group, begins to abuse his powers. Let’s just say, I wouldn’t want to rub Andrew the wrong way. Will Andrew take his powers too far before it’s too late?

I wasn’t sure what to expect when I went to go see this movie because, as I mentioned, the trailers were so vague. Chronicle turned out to be a little darker than I had expected. While Matt and Steve used their new powers for fun, Andrew used his for revenge, whether it involved his abusive father or the bullies at school (and eventually innocent people). But, if all three boys used their powers for fun, then there wouldn’t have been much of a movie (thanks Andrew). There were definitely a few oh-my-God moments, including some unexpected twists. This was kinda one of those movies where you turn to the person next to you as the end credits are rolling and say something like: “what the hell just happened?”

While Chronicle wasn’t as good as I expected it to be, it still kept me entertained and I’m glad I saw it (although I probably could’ve waited until it came out on DVD). Overall, I think I’d give it 3/5 stars.

Paranormal Activity 3 [movie review]

I was a little hesitant to go see Paranormal Activity 3, since I didn’t really enjoy Paranormal Activity 2 that much, but I had the opportunity to go see a free, advance screening in New York City last night, so I thought “why not?” I must say, the third movie definitely made up for the second one.

Paranormal Activity 3 takes place in 1988, which is set earlier than the first two movies and it explains how the hauntings began. In this movie, young Kristi Rey (Jessica Tyler Brown), who’s played by Katie Featherston when the character’s older, starts talking to an imaginary friend named Toby. Dennis (Christopher Nicholas Smith) starts to get a little concerned by this behavior, even though his wife, Julie (Lauren Bittner), assures him that she’s just going through a phase and it’ll go away soon. Dennis doesn’t buy it so he sets up video cameras around the house to catch any suspicious activity. As days go by, things get weirder and weirder. Let’s just say, Toby isn’t as imaginary as Julie might’ve thought.

Paranormal Activity 3 was scarier than I thought it would/could be. I had chills during every scene that had a paranormal entity present, which was most of the scenes. There were a number of jaw-dropping scenes and I, a lover of scary movies, couldn’t wait for it to be over at one point… that’s how scared I was. I don’t know exactly what was scarier about this movie than the others, but it was intense. My friends and I were squirming in our seats, covering our faces and jumping nonstop. Thought the Bloody Mary scene was scary in the previews? Just wait until you see the full scene in the movie. As usual, the movie gets scarier and scarier as it gets closer to the end and the suspense is beyond belief. The end of the movie was crazy… something happened that I’ve never seen in either of the other movies. Freaky stuff, guys. Freaky. Stuff. You have to see it for yourself, but be prepared.

On a scale of 1-10, this movie was a 10 in terms of scariness. Overall, I give Paranormal Activity 3 4.5/5 stars. It served its purpose of scaring me (and everyone else in the theater) and I think that’s worthy of a good rating. Not only was it scary, but the story was interesting and it explained things that were referenced in the first two movies. It was interesting to see where everything began.

Paranormal Activity 3 comes out at midnight tonight! If you’re in the mood to be scared, this will certainly do the trick. Perfect movie to go see around Halloween AKA now.

The Lost Symbol [book review]

I just finished reading my fifth Dan Brown book, The Lost Symbol. If you’ve read The Da Vinci Code and/or Angels & Demons, then you’ll recognize the main character, Robert Langdon, Harvard symbologist. Langdon is unexpectedly summoned by prominent Mason and longtime friend, Peter Solomon, to give a lecture in the U.S. Capitol Building. Upon Langdon’s rushed arrival to Washington D.C., he soon realizes that we was tricked into this trip and Peter was not the man behind this last-minute request.

We soon learn that Peter has been kidnapped by a crazed, tattooed, lunatic named Mal’akh. Mal’akh informs Langdon that he must follow his instructions carefully to ensure Peter keeps his life. Langdon’s main objective is to solve an age-old Masonic mystery to unveil the “Lost Word” so Mal’akh can complete his “transformation.” In the mix of it all, Peter’s sister, Katherine, a researcher of Noetic science, is dragged into the mess to join Langdon in his efforts to solve the mystery and save their beloved friend and brother.

The Lost Symbol is another great suspense novel by Dan Brown. I genuinely enjoy all of his books because he writes with such a great style that keeps me so engulfed in the material, and this book is just another great example of that. The Lost Symbol has an insane twist… Literally jaw-dropping. I give this book 4.5/5 stars. Definitely give it a read if you haven’t already — especially if you’re a fan of Dan Brown, or suspense/thriller novels in general. Can’t wait for his next book!

The Roommate [movie review]

After much excitement (for me at least), The Roommate finally debuted in theaters this past weekend. The movie is about two girls, Sara (Minka Kelly) and Rebecca (Leighton Meester), who are assigned to room with one another during their freshmen year of college. The two roommates start out as friends, but there’s something noticeably wrong about Rebecca. Throughout the movie, Rebecca’s tendencies become progressively stranger to the point where she becomes psychotically obsessed with her roommate. Rebecca will do just about anything to have Sara all to herself.

Overall, I give The Roommate 2.5/5 stars… It just wasn’t scary enough for me, and the acting was subpar. Leighton Meester did play a good psychotic roommate though. It certainly wasn’t the best thriller I’ve ever seen, but it wasn’t the worst either… It was entertaining to say the very least (let’s just say I was laughing at points). If you really wanna see this movie, I suggest you wait until it comes out on DVD/Blu-ray.

The Walking Dead

It’s about time that they made a television series about zombies!

The Walking Dead, a new television series on AMC, begins with a sheriff, Rick Grimes (played by Andrew Lincoln), who is injured during a shootout and taken to the hospital. Days later, he wakes up to an abandoned hospital, completely unaware of what has happened to the world around him. As Rick musters up the strength to explore the hospital, he comes across a sign that reads: “Don’t Open Dead Inside.” Not exactly  something you want to wake up to after being unconscious for days. Rick then leaves the hospital, only to discover that the area is crawling with groaning, flesh-eating zombies, or “walkers.”

You’d think flesh-eating zombies would be enough to create a compelling storyline, right? Well, you’re wrong. Zombies aside, I was still completely taken off guard by some of the shocking plot twists that have already occurred within the first two episodes. Just think of your favorite drama series. Then add zombies to the picture. How much more intense did it get? Now you have a feel for what The Walking Dead is all about.

The Walking Dead is extremely suspenseful, keeping me on the edge of my seat at all times. Every time I tune in, I feel like I’m getting ready to watch a movie. I think The Walking Dead is extremely unique in comparison to other television shows currently on the air. I really applaud AMC for pulling this show off. I’m very exited to see what the rest of the season has to offer.