Captain Phillips ~ They Are Not Here To Fish!

A new trailer for Sony/Columbia picture's "Captain Phillips," starring Tom Hanks due out in October.

In the trailer below, Captain Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks) calls for help when he spots raft approaching fast towards his ship the Maersk Alabama and he his told that they are just there to fish.  Phillips reply is "They are not here to fish!"

Here is Columbia Pictures official synopsis:

"Captain Phillips is director Paul Greengrass’s multi-layered examination of the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.  It is—through Greengrass’s distinctive lens—simultaneously a pulse-pounding thriller and a complex portrait of the myriad effects of globalization.  The film focuses on the relationship between the Alabama’s commanding officer, Captain Richard Phillips (two time Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks), and his Somali counterpart, Muse (Barkhad Abdi).  Set on an incontrovertible collision course off the coast of Somalia, both men will find themselves paying the human toll for economic forces outside of their control.  The film is directed by Academy Award nominee Paul Greengrass, from a screenplay by Billy Ray and based upon the book, A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, by Richard Phillips with Stephan Talty.  The film is produced by Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, and Michael De Luca. "

The movie opens theaters October 11th, 2013

Related

Captain Phillips ~ Tom Hanks and Barkhad Abdi In A Pirate's Tale
Captain Phillips ~ Pirates Take Phillips Hostage
Captain Philips ~ Posters | Phillips At Gunpoint - Pirates Board the Maersk Alabama
Captain Phillips - First Promotional Trailer

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Biography, Drama, Thriller 

Year:  2013

Staring: Tom Hanks, Catherine Keener, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman

Director: Paul Greengrass

Producer(s): Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca, Scott Rudin

Writer: Billy Ray, Richard Phillips, Stephan Tatty

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 134 minutes

Release Date: 10/11/2013

All images except for the book cover are courtesy of Sony/Columbia pictures

Prisoners: How far will you go for your family?

Would you die for your children or your family?

I admit I don't care for movies that exploit the audiences emotions by centering on one of the worst thing a parent can go through.  I refused to watch "Ransom” (1996) when my daughter was only 3 years-old.  My loss, I guess.  "Prisoners" is a disturbing film that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but ultimately is frustrating.  Two families similarly constructed living a nightmare after their young girls go missing in broad daylight on Thanksgiving Day.

Would you kill for your family?

Hugh Jackman (“Wolverine,” “Swordfish”) and Maria Bello (“Payback,” “A History of Violence”) are the Dovers, Keller, and Grace.  Terrance Howard (“Crash,” “Iron Man”), and Viola Davis (“Doubt,” “Solaris”) are Franklin and Nancy Birch.  Both have older teen children, but the focus is on Anna Dover (Erin Gerasimovich), and Joy Birch (Kyla Drew Simmons).  The Dovers arrive at the Birch household for Thanksgiving dinner.  All is fun and games until Anna and Joy disappear after turkey dinner.  While the adults entertain each other at the Birch's, the kids trek a block away back to the Dover's house to look for Anna's missing pink whistle.  After an initial search by the families, the Dover’s teenage son, Ralph (Dylan Minnette), mentions to Keller, that earlier in the day, the girls were playing on an old beat-up RV.

What would you do if your child was missing?

An All Points Bulletin goes out, and Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal – “End of Watch,” “Rendition”) turns out to be very close to the RV.  Inside is the confused and child-like Alex Jones played convincingly by Paul Dano (“There Will Be Blood,”).  After no sign of Anna and Joy, no evidence of their abduction in the RV, and after the legal limit the police can hold a suspect, Alex is set free.

This film, on one hand is a detective thriller, while on the other hand it becomes a psychological thriller.  Loki is the detective that always solves his cases using a balance of logic, hard work, and a bit of brute force.  After a few days Jackman's character, Keller, decides that, he knows better how to find his children rather than Det. Loki.

Alex lives with his aunt Holly (Melissa Leo -  “Oblivion,” “The Fighter”), a quiet and seemingly god-fearing woman.  Keller is a carpenter, and as a carpenter, he tends to use a hammer or brute force on everything.  He kidnaps Alex and takes him to his old house, and tortures him.  He gets very little out of him, as Alex seems to be of diminished capacity.  Keller brings Franklin and then Nancy in on his decent into madness.  Loki, chases leads and clues and in some cases seemingly red herrings.  Time is slipping away.

What bothered me about the character of Keller Dover is for all the talk of being prepared for all misfortunes, he is unable to take accountability for his own actions.  During the torture sessions with Alex, he constantly tells him that it is Alex's fault that he must beat him.  Keller tells Loki that it is Loki's fault that his child hadn't been found, and that his wife, Maggie stays in bed all day, depressed.  Instead of realizing that there are just some situations too big for one man, cooperate with the police, and help keep the moral of his family up, and be there when they need him.  He goes off on his own misguided sense of justice.  Time is ticking away.

The Birch family is not much better.  They refuse to help in the beatings, but they won't stop Keller in his nightly sessions.  Meanwhile, Loki continues to put pieces together.  The film is about who thin the family unit can be, and how important family is.  Keller’s father committed suicide.  Alex's uncle just disappeared one day, and Loki, was brought up by the state.  With Keller obsessed with beating the location of his daughter out of Alex, his wife slips deeper into depression.

The characters that Jackman and Gyllenhaal play are strong and sharply defined.  Both Keller and Loki show that they have brains and brawn, but in opposite amounts.  Bello spends a good deal of time in bed, as she denies that something bad has happened to her family.  In many ways, she pushes her husband to do something to protect his family and find his daughter.  Terrance Howard's character, although weaker, asks the questions that we all wonder about throughout the film-- what if you are wrong.  Viola Davis takes the middle road, not willing to stand up for the law, because she just wants her child back.  Who could blame her?

Melissa Leo's Holly is seen sporadically throughout the film.  However she is convincing in her belief on "waging a war against God" after their child died of cancer.  "Prisoners" is also about faith or a lack thereof.  Keller whispers the Lord's Prayer several times, but takes vengeance upon him.  Loki has faith in himself and his abilities.  When he is about to give up, he takes one more look at random clues and starts tying them together.

We have faith that Canadian director; Denis Villeneuve ("Incendies," "Polytechnique") will bring us, the audience, to a satisfying end.  Jóhann Jóhannsson's score is driving and unnerving at the same time.  Aaron Guzikowski's ("Contraband") script plays fair with the audience.  He brings up clues throughout the story and allows the audience to process them for themselves. Villeneuve does a great job bringing us a truly atmospheric thriller, and although he only hints at a certain conclusion, the most part of the film is on the money.

Movie Data

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Year:  2013

Staring: Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Maria Bello, Terrence Howard, Melissa Leo, Paul Dano, Zoe Soul

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Producer(s): Kira Davis, Broderick Johnson, Adam Kolbrenner, Andrew A. Kosove, Mark Wahlberg (exec)

Writer: Aaron Guzikowski

Rating: R

Running Time: 153 minutes

Release Date:  9/20/2013

The Family - A Fine, Fast, and Funny Film

Luc Besson's “The Family” is a funny look at the lives of a (dys) functional mob family in hiding in Northern France.  Luc Besson ("The Fifth Element," "Taken," "To Paris With Love") has focused his black comedy about organized crime directly on the subject of family.  Most of us, who watch films about the mob, the mafia, or whatever you want to call it, know that it is centered around the concepts of family.  In fact, the first scene Besson shows us is a family eating dinner at their table.  The family consists of an older father, a wife, a daughter, and a son.  There is a knock on the door and the father gets up to see whom it is.  The door explodes and a guy named Rocco (Jon Freda) enters and kills the family.  So, now we know what kind of people we are dealing with.  “The Family” is an hour and fifty minutes long, and rated R for violence and language.

Robert De Niro ("Godfather II," "Goodfellas") and Michelle Pfieffer ("Scarface," "Married to the Mob") star as husband and wife – mother and father of a family in the Witness Protection Program.  They have two children.  Their daughter is 17 and their son is 14 years-old.  Tommy Lee Jones ("The Fugitive," "No Country For Old Men") plays the FBI officer in charge of their safety.

Fred Blake (De Niro), from New York and also known as Giovanni Manzoni,  a former Capo in the Luchese family. You see, six years ago Giovanni snitched on the Luchese family.  He turned into a rat.  The FBI is constantly relocating his family to a sleepy little town in Normandy France.  The family has a hard time adjusting to the role of "normal" people.  In their first day in town, Maggie (Pfieffer) blows up the local grocery store.  Their son, Warren (John De Leo) gets his ass kicked, and daughter Belle (Dianna Agron) beats the crap of some guys at school who came off a bit too fresh for the American.  Fred on the other hand, decides he wants to write his memoirs. 

For some reason, we as an audience, find this very funny. Besson, a native of France, plays up the French character in this film as friendly, but with that underlying condescending attitude that American's just hate. 

Most people think of De Niro as a smart guy.  But, the impression one might get of Fred Blake or Giovanni Manzoni is not one who is capable of writing eloquent prose.  Considering that Fred's favorite word is F**K, he can convey whole sentences, nay paragraphs in just the way he says that word, why write?  It gets out to the neighbors in the town that the American is an author and is now an instant celebrity.  Not a good idea if you have the mob chasing you. Giovanni/Fred is so much a celebrity, that he is invited to speak at the town’s small film society.  The film for discussion is "Some Came Running" from 1958 starring Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.  Instead, they were sent the wrong movie.  The movie that came“Goodfellas,” makes for plenty of laughs.

"Like Al Capone said, asking polite with a gun in your hand is better than asking polite with nothing." Giovanni Manzoni

Michelle Pfieffer plays her character Maggie, both convincingly but with a certain sense of gusto.  The fifty-five year-old actress is staill as attractive as ever and an equal partner to De Niro's Giovanni. Pfieffer is whimsicale as she does her own fair share of damage to the stuck-up members of the small town.  Tommy Lee Jones, is well, Tommy Lee Jones.  His Agent Stansfield character is one that Jones has played before whether it was in "The Fugitive," U.S. Marshals," or in the "Men In Black" films.

What impressed me about “The Family” was the sense of respect that the two siblings have for each other.  Although I think that this ESS the least plausible part of the script, I found it one of the most likable.  Actor John D'Leo plays 14 year-old Warren as a mature kid, whose goal is, if not running the petty crime in his new school, he will settle for a cut while getting back at the bullies that beat him up the first day.  While his sister Belle (Agron) turns her interests toward a young, handsome Math substitute.  In spite of the trouble these two characters are having in the film, I liked the way their characters came to the aid of their family in a time of crisis.

In the Western musical scale, there is a finite collection of notes.  A musician must find a combination of notes.  Once those notes are found, the musician tends to play those notes repeatedly in different ways to come up with different melodic sounds.  Luc Besson has found a certain number of notes that certain people seem to respond to.  Have others used the notes before?  Yes, of course they have.  As I said, there are a finite number of notes that make music. 

In "The Family," Besson plays the mobster minor scale like the producer of a studio record, with masters of their instruments, or in this case, actors who are masters of their craft.  The composition requires the use of certain harmonies like actors who fit the characters and the parts they are playing.  Does this work tend to fall into stereotypes?  Of course it does, it is what we expect from a movie about the mob.  Luc Besson did the right thing when casting De Niro as a mobster; he is the expert at that role.  He can play the serious murderous gangster as he did in "Goodfellas," or he can play him comedic as he did in "Analyse This" and “Analyse That" with Billy Crystal’s many years ago. 

Luc Besson's "The Family" is not to be taken seriously. Made for a mere $30 million, "The Family," includes top-notch actors, genuine funny moments, and plenty of action interspersed with inside mob film jokes, and a third act that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Not one of the great mob films of all times, "The Family" is a solid, above average, entertaining film that is worth watching, if not in the theaters, then at home when it comes out on DVD and Blu-ray.

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime

Year:  2013

Staring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tommy Lee Jones, Dianna Agron, John D'Leo

Director: Luc Besson

Producer(s): Luc Besson, Ryan Kavanaugh, Virginie Silla, Martin Scorsese 

Writer: Luc Besson, Michael Caleo

Rating: R

Running Time: 111 minutes

Release Date:  9/13/2013

Ender's Game - Theatrical and Propaganda Posters

The "Ender's Game" storyline follows a young Andrew "Ender" Wiggin, who is a military savant. Asa Butterfield plays Ender who is his early to mid-teens when this story starts, trains at the Battle School. Going through a series of games designed to teach Ender the martial arts War Tactics). After successfully completing a zero gravity war game, the instructors agree that Wiggan is a tactical genus..

Director Gavin Hood's "Ender's Game" film releases three new posters this week. The first and last are propaganda posters, and the one in the middle is for the film. 

In recruiting poster above, The International Fleet is calling for leaders to help in the fight against the Buggers.

Harrison Ford, Ben Kingsley, Viola Davis, and  Hailee Steinfeld star opposite  Asa Butterfield in this fight for the future.

The propaganda poster above cries out "It's Us Or Them" while also letting us know that "That The Next Invasion Is Imminent."

The film is based on the widely popular books of author Orson Scott Card.

Summit Entertainment has a scheduled arrival date of November 1st, 2013. "Ender's Game" is distributed in the US by Summit Entertainment.

Related

Ender's Game ~ You Will Be The Last | Featuring Ben Kingsley
Ender's Game ~ Chosen One Trailer
Ender's Game ~ Propaganda Posters

Ender's Game Promotional One Sheet

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Year:  2013

Staring: Ben Kingsley, Harrison Ford, Abigail Breslin, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, Viola Davis

Director: Gavin Hood

Producer(s): Orson Scott Card,Robert Chartoff, Lynn Hendee, Linda McDonough, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci, 

Writer: Gavin Hood

Rating: Rated PG-13

Running Time: 114 minutes

Release Date:  11/1/2013

All images courtesy of  Summit Entertainment

Gravity ~ Character Posters of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney: Don't Let Go

Warner Bros. released two new character posters for Alfonso Cuarón  ("Children of Men," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,"  "Y Tu Mamá También").new film "Gravity." The director and his son Jonás wrote the screenplay.

Above is the character poster for veteran astronaut, Matt Kowalsky (George Clooney), who is the commander of the shuttle flight,

Below is a poster for Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock) a medical engineer on her first Space Shuttle mission 

During a spacewalk, the space shuttle is destroyed, and Stone and Kowalsky are stranded in space with no communications with Earth.

.

  The official synopsis from the film's web page is pretty long, but here it is:

"Academy Award® winners Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) and George Clooney (“Syriana”) star in “Gravity,” a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. The film was directed by Oscar® nominee Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men”). 

Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) in command. But on a seemingly routine mission, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. 

But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

“Gravity” was written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, and produced by Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman (the “Harry Potter” films). Chris deFaria, Nikki Penny and Stephen Jones served as executive producers. 

The behind-the-scenes team includes multiple Oscar®-nominated director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki (“Children of Men,” “The New World”); production designer Andy Nicholson (art director “Alice in Wonderland”); editors Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger (VFX editor “Children of Men”); and costume designer Jany Temime (the “Harry Potter” films). The visual effects were handled by Oscar®-nominated visual effects supervisor Tim Webber (“The Dark Knight”). The music was composed by Steven Price (“Attack the Block”). 

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents an Esperanto Filmoj/Heyday Films Production, an Alfonso Cuarón Film, “Gravity.” The film will be released in 3D and 2D and IMAX®, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company."

Warner Bros. is releasing "Gravity" to theaters in the U.S. on October 4, and in the U.K. on October 18th,  2013.

Related

Gravity ~ I've Got You Trailer
Gravity ~ Two New Trailers | Drifting - Detached
Gravity - First Look Poster

Movie Data

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Year:  2013

Staring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Director: Alfonso Cuarón 

Producer(s): Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman

Writer: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 90 minutes

Release Date:  10/4/2013

Gravity ~ Television Spot 3

Warner Bros. released this new trailer on September 16th, 2013. from director Alfonso Cuarón. 

Cuarón is the  director of the critically acclaimed "Children of Men," "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," and the Spanish film, "Y Tu Mamá También,"   "Gravity" was written by Cuarón and his son Jonás.

Cuarón's film, Gravity is about two astronauts attempt to return to earth after debris crashes into their space shuttle, leaving them drifting alone in space. Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is a medical engineer on her first Space Shuttle mission and is accompanied by veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky, who is in command of the shuttle flight, due to be his last. During a spacewalk, the space shuttle is destroyed, and Stone and Kowalsky are stranded in space with no communications with Earth.

In the trailer (above) shows more of the devastation that the shuttle and Bullock take on when a Russian satellite crash into them.
  
The official synopsis from the film's web page is pretty long, but here it is:

"Academy Award® winners Sandra Bullock (“The Blind Side”) and George Clooney (“Syriana”) star in “Gravity,” a heart-pounding thriller that pulls you into the infinite and unforgiving realm of deep space. The film was directed by Oscar® nominee Alfonso Cuarón (“Children of Men”). 

Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) is a brilliant medical engineer on her first shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalski (Clooney) in command. But on a seemingly routine mission, disaster strikes. The shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalski completely alone—tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness. The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth…and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. 

But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.

“Gravity” was written by Alfonso Cuarón & Jonás Cuarón, and produced by Alfonso Cuarón and David Heyman (the “Harry Potter” films). Chris deFaria, Nikki Penny and Stephen Jones served as executive producers. 

The behind-the-scenes team includes multiple Oscar®-nominated director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki (“Children of Men,” “The New World”); production designer Andy Nicholson (art director “Alice in Wonderland”); editors Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger (VFX editor “Children of Men”); and costume designer Jany Temime (the “Harry Potter” films). The visual effects were handled by Oscar®-nominated visual effects supervisor Tim Webber (“The Dark Knight”). The music was composed by Steven Price (“Attack the Block”). 

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents an Esperanto Filmoj/Heyday Films Production, an Alfonso Cuarón Film, “Gravity.” The film will be released in 3D and 2D and IMAX®, and will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment company."

Warner Bros. is releasing "Gravity" to theaters in the U.S. on October 4, and in the U.K. on October 18th,  2013.

Related

Gravity ~ I've Got You Trailer
Gravity ~ Two New Trailers | Drifting - Detached
Gravity - First Look Poster

Movie Data

Genre: Sci-Fi, Thriller

Year:  2013

Staring: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney

Director: Alfonso Cuarón 

Producer(s): Alfonso Cuarón, David Heyman

Writer: Alfonso Cuarón, Jonás Cuarón

Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 90 minutes

Release Date:  10/4/2013

Robocop ~ Reboot, Remake and Rehash Official Trailer

To be honest, I am not sure what I think about this new remake/reboot/rehash of the Robocop franchise This new reboot did what many others have done in recent past and make the main character darker, more serious and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.

Replacing Peter Weller s Alex Murphy the Robocop in this new version is Swedish-American actor Joel Kinnaman. Americans will probably best know Kinnaman from AMC's "The Killing."  He plays Stephen Holder opposite of Mireille Enos's character Sarah Linden, based on the Danish series, "Forbrydelsen" ("The Crime"). 

Abbie Cornish ("Limitless") plays Clara Murphy, Alex's wife. I am assuming that the story revolves more around Alex's personal issues after he is car-bombed outside his house.

There are some changes to the basic infrastructure updates to the story. The story still takes place in Detroit, and the writers give the bankrupt city another 14 years. The name of the corporation that the city contracts out its police protection to is now called OmniCorp, rather than Omni Consumer Products (OCP) in the 1987 original. 

The head of OmniCorp is a man by the name of Raymond Sellars who is played by Michael Keaton. Ronnie Cox played Dick Jones the CEO, however, even he had Dan O'Herlihy's character known only as The Old Man to answer to. I am not sure of the corporate hierarchy in this new OmniCorp. I don't remember the doctor too much from the original, however, in the new version, Gary Oldman ("The Fifth Element") plays Dr. Dennett Norton, the guy who created Robocop. I like Gary Oldman. Somehow in this new version, OminCorp's  head of marketing (Jay Baruchel) plays an important part. Perhaps he takes on Miguel Ferrer's character Bob Morton. Who knows...

The Anne Lewis (Nancy Allen) will not return, but Murphy does have a former partner by the name of Officer Jack Lewis played by Michael Kenneth Williams. Confusing, isn't it.

Samuel L. Jackson ("Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith") plays a charismatic media mogul, who I am sure is up to no-good.

Based on the trailer above, it seems like more of a "Bionic Man/Darth Vader" like character. This Alex Murphy seems to maintain some of his humanity, whereas, Peter Weller's original seemed more dead than alive, and throughout the film regained his personality and his humanity. I will take a wait and see attitude towards this new version of an 1980's classic.

Here is the official Sony Entertainment synopsis:

"In RoboCop, the year is 2028 and multinational conglomerate OmniCorp is at the center of robot technology. Overseas, their drones have been used by the military for years - and it's meant billions for OmniCorp's bottom line. Now OmniCorp wants to bring their controversial technology to the home front, and they see a golden opportunity to do it. When Alex Murphy (Joel Kinnaman) - a loving husband, father and good cop doing his best to stem the tide of crime and corruption in Detroit - is critically injured in the line of duty, OmniCorp sees their chance for a part-man, part-robot police officer. OmniCorp envisions a RoboCop in every city and even more billions for their shareholders, but they never counted on one thing: there is still a man inside the machine pursuing justice."

Movie Data

Genre: Action, Crime, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Year: 2014
Staring: Joel Kinnaman, Michael Keaton, Abbie Cornish, Samuel L. Jackson
Director: José Padilha
Producer(s): Marc Abraham, Eric Newman
Writer: Michael Miner, Edward Neumeier, Nick Schenk, David Self, James Vanderbilt, Joshua Zetumer
Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 117 minutes

Release Date: 2/17/2014

Insidious Chapter 2 ~ Into The Further With Our Fears

“Last night I watched myself sleep.”

Horror film sequels are an iffy thing at best.  They are also an acquired taste.  There are some average horror films and some exceptional ones.  Even the best of them, loose their sense of terror with each viewing.  For example, "The Exorcist" doesn't get scarier every time you watch it.  We can almost say the same thing about "Insidious Chapter 2.”  The good thing for horror fans who enjoy James Wan's brand of the paranormal, is that "Insidious Chapter 2" retreads familiar ground using many of the same tropes that he has been toying with in the first "Insidious" film and also in "The Conjuring.”  

With horror films, sometimes too much of a good thing, is that over time, it becomes dull and uninspired.  This is the case with James Wan and Leigh Whannel's sequel to the horror film "Insidious.”  Nine years ago they brought something new to the torture porn sub-genre of horror with their "Saw" films (They were involved with the first few films), and they have done this now in the paranormal sub-genre.  They did this first in 2007 with "Dead Silence" and then again with "Insidious.”  This summer James Wan and the Hayes brothers (Chad and Carey) brought us frights with "The Conjuring.”  In "The Conjuring," the story focuses on a haunted house and the possession of the family’s mother.  While "Insidious" centers on the demon's infestation of the father's body.  In-spite of Wan's use of tension building, and perfecting the timing of jump scares, "Insidious Chapter 2" is not as scary as the original film.  But it is still creepy and definitely worth watching.

As sequels go, this chapter gives the audience a sense of closure to the ordeal that the Lambert family has been dealing with.  We spend the first 10 minutes of the film back in 1986 reliving the meeting between a younger Lorraine Lambert (Jocelin Donahue), her son Josh (Garrett Ryan) and mediums Carl (Hank Harris) and Elise (Lindsay Seim).  In a scene reminding me of "Paranormal Activity," Carl and Elise record a session with Josh to determine who or what is haunting him.  The scene is memorable and ties in nicely with the climax.  Back in the present, it is only moments after grown up Josh (Patrick Wilson) and Dalton (Ty Sympkins) have returned from the Further.  While the family was celebrating in another room, Elise (Lin Shaye) takes a picture of the returned Josh, only to discover the creepy old woman that has been haunting him and his son inhabits his body.  Josh murders Elise and then leaves the room only to return when his wife Renai (Rose Byrne) enters the room and discovers the grisly scene.

"The shadows are your home now."

The police question Renai about Elise's death.  Suspicion is already pointing at Josh, and Renai is hesitant on voicing her fears about her husband.  While the police hold the Lambert's home as a crime scene, the family moves in with Lorraine.  On my list of places I refuse to go are creepy old houses, with creaky wooden floors and squeaky wooden doors.  Lorraine's house is the perfect setting with plenty of rooms, and filled with things that go bump in the night.  Immediately, Renai's suspicion of Josh grows as the strange noises, and visions continue.  Dalton's night terrors returns, and all this sets the backdrop for the true horror that is to begin.  If you saw the first film "Insidious" then you already know that the demon that lived in Dalton is now in Josh.  In that film, Renai endures the most of the terror as we lead up to climatic third act. 

Screenwriter Leigh Whannell splits the story in two and now we follow Lorraine as she contacts Elise's investigative companions Specs (Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson).  Weird, creepy stuff starts happening in her creepy old house as soon as her son moves in, and she needs their help in finishing off this demon thing that is haunting her family.  I don't have a major issue with splitting the story, and subsequently the cast, along with the scares.  This may make for more story, but it is a less intense story.  As it turns out, Specs and Tucker decide to call on Carl, the medium friend of Lorraine's from the 1980's.  He arrives, older, and hopefully wiser.  Carl's (Steve Coulter) method of talking with the dead is with lettered dice.  The answers to the questions Carl asks appear as he drops the cubes on a table.  For me, this is one of the more interesting aspects of ghost hunting.

“A dead soul killing living skin...”

Renai's life hasn't gotten any better.  She still hears voices on her daughters baby monitor as director Wan throws all the "Poltergeist" tropes at her.  Josh is acting strange, talking to himself, and making freaky faces.  Most folks would compare Josh's decent into madness to Jack Torrance’s in "The Shining.”  I think in Jack's case, it was in fact madness, whereas I think Josh's is more about spiritual possession.  A very specific spirit possesses Josh.  As it turns out, Lorraine and her ghost busting friend’s investigation leads to a dead serial killer who has some real mommy and gender issues.  The two stories interweave back and forth and ultimately not only tie back to each other, the story cleverly ties directly back to the first "Insidious" film.

Something to note, is that the tension starts out immediately.  From the campy "Insidious”, title card with Joseph Bishara's creepy, over the top musical score hitting both deep and high tones as he sets the dread-filled atmospheric environment.  The music drives the 1980's segment as the young Lorraine plays hot or cold with the malignant spirit.  The music heightens the scene as a strange woman in white smacks the crap out of Renai in Lorraine's living room.  The tension is there, the jump scares too, just something seems to be missing.  Maybe we, as an audience are desensitizing ourselves to murder, ghosts that walk in front of the camera, or appear and disappear within the frame, and somebody really needs to oil all the doors and floorboards.

The acting in this new chapter is solid. Coulter is great and likable as Carl, and Rose Byrne plays Renai as tired and haggard. Patrick Wilson, does possession well. Ty Simpkin's Dalton provides that innocence that we got from the first film. Leigh Whannell and Angus Sampson reprise the film's comedy relief. Lin Shaye is a welcome sight as Elise and gives hope to the family. Barbara Hershey provides her character with the strength that this family needs.

Director James Wan, I think has proved to himself and to us, that he has all the elements of the paranormal horror genre down pat.  It is time for Whannell and Wan to move on to something new.  As of this date, we know James Wan is filming the next "Fast and Furious" film, and I am hoping that this will give him some time to come up with new ways of terrorizing us.  In spite of Wan’s reuse of techniques that he perfected with his last two films, "Insidious Chapter 2" is enjoyable as it is scary and fulfills all of your nightmarish dreams.

In theaters starting Friday, 13 September 2013

Related

Insidious Chapter 2 ~ Family Curse
Insidious Chapter 2 ~ It's Still Happening
Insidious Chapter 2 ~ First Look Trailer
Insidious Chapter 2 ~ First Look
Reviewing a New American Horror Classic - Insidious

Movie Data

Genre: Horror, Thriller
Year: 2013
Staring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Barbara Hershey, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins
Director:James Wan
Producer(s): Jason Blum,Oren Peli,Steven Schneider
Writer: Leigh Whannell
Rating: PG-13

Running Time: 105 minutes
Release Date: 9/13/2013

All images are courtesy of Film District