movie reviews by PvtCaboose91

"People just do the strangest things when they believe they're entitled. But they do even stranger things when they just plain believe."

Following a career of profane comedies and light-hearted relationship dramas, Kevin Smith moves into darker territory with 2011's Red State. A jarring mishmash of horror and action supplemented with satire, the film is morally repugnant and unbelievably incoherent, ushering in a different side of Smith that I hope to never see again. Critics often describe films as being "schizophrenic," but the term is overused and now comes off as pretentious. Red State, though, undoubtedly earns the label: it's schizophrenic to extremes. In a notorious move, Smith fostered a lot of interest in the film by purchasing the distribution rights himself and screening the film during a multi-city tour which also included Q&A sessions and memorabilia auctions. Indeed, Red State developed into more of an event than just a film. Unfortunately, however, the finished product is stunningly underwhelming, to the extent that it feels like a bad joke on the part of Smith.

In the South, three randy teenage boys - Jarod (Gallner), Travis (Angarano) and Billy-Ray (Braun) - begin using the internet to find easy sex, and organise to hook up with a mysterious woman (Leo) who lives near their hometown. What the boys fail to realise, though, is that they are being set up by a controversial group of extreme fundamentalists who detest homosexuals. Presided over by the psychotic sermon-spouting patriarch Abin Cooper (Parks), the boys are drugged and bound, with the pastor looking to ritualistically murder them all before his congregation. However, a group of ATF agents led by Joseph Keenan (Goodman) arrive at Cooper's compound with orders to move in and slaughter everyone inside.

Why exactly were these young teenagers chosen for ritual execution? Blown if I know. The church are vehemently anti-homosexual, yet they want to kill a bunch of kids who were attracted to the notion of pussy? It's mildly suggested that the church abhors sexual deviancy, but the film fails to touch upon this notion in any considerable fashion, and there's absolutely no motivation. Not to think too deeply into Smith's thinking, but it sets off alarm bells that the writer-director refused to insert gay protagonists into this story about a church of homophobes.

It's clear that Smith's primary objective with Red State was satire, but his ambitions far outweigh his abilities. The film initially sets its sights on religious fundamentalists who fool themselves into believing that they can commit unspeakable acts in the lord's name. To Smith's credit, the religious satire is actually spot-on, with Smith staging a number of nail-bitingly tense and frightening sequences. But Smith soon progresses the story into, well, another movie entirely. Suddenly, Red State dissolves into a mindless action flick which is so tonally schizophrenic that you may get whiplash. Smith's satiric target becomes the American government, reinforcing the tired message that Americans are terrible at handling terrorist situations. But whereas the religious satire was mature and effective, the governmental material relies on outright slapstick, dumb theatrics and predictable throwaway lines, as if a teenager wrote it. It feels like two separate people wrote the two halves of the film, and Smith just jammed them together with no thought towards thematic or narrative coherence. Consequently, Red State is a jumbled mess of ideas. Smith wanted to do too much within the film's scant 85-minute runtime that none of the satire ultimately leads anywhere, and the film fails as both an action picture and a horror movie.

As the picture begins to wind down, a late twist suggests that all hell is about to break loose and the production is about to take on an entire new meaning that could've transformed it from audacious dud to minor miracle. But alas, it was not to be. Smith just cuts away at random, and the rest of the movie comprises of Agent Keenan explaining the boring specifics of how the skirmish ended. The twist itself, meanwhile, just becomes a punchline for a dumb joke. It's deflating, but all the more infuriating if one reads Smith's description of the ballsy original ending. The final scene here is completely unnecessary and exceedingly pedestrian, with the characters spelling out every thought and message in Red State's cinematic body. It's the equivalent of having an 8-year-old boy yell straight into your ear with a megaphone. Furthermore, Smith clearly takes issue with abuse of government power to silence potential terrorists. But Cooper's church are terrorists; they stockpile guns, they kill on a whim, and they're morally damaged. This confuses the movie's entire concluding point. What the fuck?

Smith often excels as a writer (though this is not demonstrated here), but he's a mediocre director. 2010's Cop Out emphasised how incompetent Smith's filmmaking is, and Red State is equally disheartening. A lot of the editing is much too harsh, which botches the tempo of several scenes, while director of photography David Klein heavily leans on predictable visual tactics like shaky-cam and body-mounted cameras to poor effect. There's also a tremendous problem with the climactic shootout: there's no rhythm. All Smith does is stage a lot of minor character dialogue moments set to non-diegetic gun-firing sounds, and every few minutes we get a customary shot of a few people firing their guns for which they seem to have unlimited ammunition. It diminishes the sense of immediacy, because people only seem to get shot every 5 minutes or so, and there seems to just be a lot of mindless shooting without casualties. As a result, the whole enterprise grows mind-numbingly tedious, and the actual shootout itself becomes too much of a fringe threat.

At the very least, Smith assembled one hell of a cast here. In particular, Michael Parks delivers a stunning performance as Pastor Abin. If Parks knew that Red State was bad, he doesn't show it; he truly went for broke, and he's easily the film's most valuable asset. However, Smith seems too enamoured with Parks to discipline his performance, resulting in sermons that drag on forever. Yes, I know that Smith had a lot to say, but brevity is appreciated. John Goodman, meanwhile, is predictably good as Agent Keenan, and the trio of boys playing the teens all did a great job. Special mention must be made of Kerry Bishé, who will probably be forever known as the one who destroyed Scrubs after having become the new protagonist in the show's dismal final season. Here, Bishé shows genuinely impressive acting chops as Cheyenne, one of the only adults in Cooper's church with something resembling a moral compass.

I'll credit Red State with one thing: it's wildly unpredictable, and it has its moments. Whatever fans of the movie which exist will probably proclaim that it's entertaining because it's uniquely crazy, but that entirely comes down to opinion. For me, the picture may work in pieces but it fails to gel as a whole. Smith tried to pack the film with historical and societal relevance, yet the filmmaker stumbles to do anything substantial with his ideas, merely staging brainless shootouts and tediously extended monologues. It seems Smith simply made things up as he goes along, hoping that heightened shock value and repulsive acts will add up to something laudable. In the end, Red State is exceedingly superficial; it's all about gimmicks rather than genuine substance.

3.8/10

"Although I am but one man, I have thousands of brothers and sisters who are the same as me. They will lay down their lives for me and I them. We stand watch together. The thin-blue-line, protecting the prey from the predators, the good from the bad. We are the police."

End of Watch was written and directed by David Ayer, who has spent his entire filmmaking career exhibiting a keen interest in exploring the inner workings of the Los Angeles police department. In the past, Ayer wrote such films as SWAT, Training Day and Dark Blue, and directed Street Kings and Harsh Times. However, End of Watch is arguably Ayer's greatest achievement to date. Using the popular found footage aesthetic, the film provides a realistic, gritty portrayal of both the danger and tedium of police work.

Brian Taylor (Gyllenhaal) and Mike Zavala (Peña) are LAPD officers who have developed a tight bond during their time as partners, spending their days thwarting the efforts of criminals and doing the daily rounds while keeping themselves entertained and sharing details of their lives. For a school film project, Brian begins using camcorders and hidden spy cams to capture their day-to-day exploits. However, during a routine assignment, the two officers uncover a human trafficking ring managed by a Mexican drug cartel. Though the Feds warn Brian and Mike about what they have gotten themselves into, the curious pair can't resist delving further into the case. As a result, they become targeted by the malicious Mexican gang, who are determined to make the pair pay a steep price for putting their noses where they don't belong.

The cartel stuff is more of a fringe conflict than anything else - End of Watch progresses without much of a plot, providing a slice-of-life portrayal as we ride along with Brian and Mike. On top of this, the film probes the personal lives of the officers, with Mike expecting a child while nursing a relationship with his wife (Martinez), and with Brian becoming involved with the sweet Janet (Kendrick). Such material heightens the picture's scope, giving the characters further depth and raising the stakes.

Unlike such films as Paranormal Activity or Cloverfield, the found footage approach does not overwhelm the production. End of Watch is not entirely comprised of footage shot by the characters - rather, the "real" footage is used as an enhancement tool, supplementing the traditional camerawork to add a nice degree of authenticity. This allows us to get insight into events and tender character moments we would otherwise have learned about via impersonal captions. Truth is, the found footage gimmick only rarely works in a genuinely satisfying manner, and the familiar style is outright boring and too predictable at this point. Hence, a new spin is appreciated. On the other hand, though, the divide between Brian's footage and the traditional film stuff is blurred, and you will often be left wondering whether you're watching one or the other. It would have been more effective if the found footage looked like consumer camcorder footage, while the rest of the material carried a slicker polish.

End of Watch's most valuable assets, easily, are Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña, who are superb as Brian and Mike. Stripped of theatrics, the two feel credible and unforced, and share a camaraderie that seems remarkably organic. It's still hard to shake the thought that these guys are recognisable Hollywood performers, but the duo do their best to sell the illusion. Even the supporting players are remarkable here. Anna Kendrick is down-to-earth and endearing as Brian's love interest, while Natalie Martinez makes the most of her role as Mike's wife. Most impressive, though, is Frank Grillo as the Sarge. Funny and natural, Grillo seems like the type of blue-collar worker you'd encounter in a police station. The interplay between all of the characters is spot-on. It feels like we're watching real footage of family and friends who've known each other for years, which bolters the comedy and the drama.

Ultimately, End of Watch is a celebration of the brotherhood which exists between the men and women in blue. Police officers are fundamentally a dysfunctional family who joke around and support one another as a way to cope with this cruel, unforgiving world of frightening criminals. The film has received flack for its final outcome, but this reviewer was left moved, devastated and satisfied. A deus ex machina works extremely well in the very last scene (bear in mind, people can survive a lot of gunshot wounds as long as they promptly receive proper medical assistance), and the picture closes with a comedic outtake that reinforces the camaraderie between the central characters and heightens the sense of tragedy.

David Ayer does not exactly tell us anything new about police work with End of Watch, but that's not the point. The found footage perspective gives the flick a realistic slant, allowing us to see the world through the eyes of the officers who endure scary situations on a consistent basis. The climax, in which Brian and Mike are alone with just their side-arms and instincts in an unfamiliar environment surrounded by hostiles, is petrifying and unnervingly visceral, far more intense than anything glimpsed in the latest Paranormal Activity film. Thus, while there are better cop movies out there, End of Watch is one of a select number which truly conveys how harrowing it is to be a policeman.

8.2/10

"It is our job to protect the children of the world. For as long as they believe in us, we will guard them with our lives..."

Movie-goers have understandably grown weary of holiday-themed motion pictures released during the lead-up to Christmas, a time when studios believe that audiences are in the mood for cheap and nasty festive distractions aimed at the lowest common denominator. Rise of the Guardians, however, is a completely different beast, as indicated by the fact that it's executive produced by Guillermo del Toro. Based on the Guardians of Childhood book series by William Joyce, Rise of the Guardians boasts a premise bound to make every screenwriter in Hollywood wonder how they didn't think of it first: uniting holiday icons and childhood folklore figures for an Avengers-style team-up movie. The resultant picture is a magnificent fantasy experience permeated with imagination which reworks familiar icons in a satisfying fashion. It carries a harder edge than expected, yet it's entirely suitable for children, with its adventurous plot giving rise to excitement aplenty. The flick could have been a numbing kiddie fare, but it's much more audacious.

Rise of the Guardians posits that - in addition to carrying out their respective duties - Santa Claus (Baldwin), the Easter Bunny (Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Fisher), and sleeping agent the Sandman comprise an elite team of magical warriors who work together to battle the forces of evil who threaten the innocence of the world's children. The all-powerful moon presides over the team of esteemed Guardians, and brings suitable threats to their attention. The Guardians' arch nemesis, boogieman Pitch Black (Law), re-emerges from the darkness, seeking the chance to thwart all the goodness in the world and claim power over the minds of children across the globe. To stop Pitch's devious plan, Jack Frost (Pine) is extended an invitation to join the group. A loner with no knowledge about his past who has developed into a flippant troublemaker, Frost is hesitant to join the Guardians, but agrees to help overthrow Pitch when he learns that the boogieman may hold the key to his missing identity. As war wages between the forces of good and evil, and as children's belief in the mystical icons begins to fluctuate, the Guardians come into contact with a young boy named Jamie (Goyo), who unwaveringly believes in them and whose faith helps to fuel the team's endeavours.

The title of Rise of the Guardians is actually a tad misleading (not to mention hopelessly generic), as the Guardians rose to prominence long before this story takes place. A lot of the film's whimsical charm is derived from the marvellous re-imaginings of these fantastical icons: Santa (known as North here) is portrayed as a muscled Russian behemoth with "Naughty" and "Nice" tattooed on his forearms; the Easter Bunny is a badass Aussie warrior with a boomerang; the Tooth Fairy a hummingbird-esque nymph; Jack Frost is a slacker teen; and the Sandman is a quirky mute who communicates via objects he manufactures in gold sand above his head. The dynamics between the group are remarkable, with the screenwriters manufacturing in-jokes and bestowing each team member with quirks and personalities, not to mention each of them possess an inherent competitive streak that's most notably glimpsed in a side-splitting montage of the team taking care of a night of tooth collecting. If there's a disappointment in terms of the characters, it's Pitch, who looks like some type of generic emo rather than a sinister entity. Granted, Pitch had to be kid-friendly, but look at The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Amid the group dynamics, the picture required a strong central anchor. Jack Frost fulfils this need; he represents an emotional entry point for the audience, with the film essentially providing Jack's origin tale. As he has no memory of his life predating his turn towards immortality, Jack yearns to find his centre and understand where he came from. It's a formulaic concept, to be sure, but it bestows the picture with humanity, and everything gels thanks to the smart script by Pulitzer Prize winner David Lindsay-Abaire. Moreover, Rise of the Guardians does a wonderful job with its mythology - the film makes it clear that the existence of these fantastical figures is reliant on children around the world believing in them. It's a solid idea, and the reinforcement of the film's central message is far more successful than Robert Zemeckis' drab misfire The Polar Express. Guardians eventually culminates with a marvellous finale that will warm your heart and leave you smiling, all without resorting to cheap manipulation or opting for the lazy way out.

Guillermo del Toro's influence is all over the visual design of the feature. Guardians looks positively gorgeous, and each frame bursts with colourful imagination. The flick features unique character designs, a selection of vibrant backgrounds, and lively photography thanks to the input of famed cinematographer Roger Deakins. The film is packed with awe-inspiring moments of whimsy and several breathtaking flights of fancy, not to mention visual humour courtesy of Santa's amusing minions. Whenever the movie cuts loose with action, the results are spectacular, displaying heightened creativity in its depiction of the protagonists' combat abilities. Who knew the Sandman was the one you really don't want to mess with?

Vocal performances are spot-on right across the board, with each actor injecting their role with an agreeable personality. Hugh Jackman is perhaps the best, giving the Easter Bunny a very funny Aussie twang. Jude Law is the most instantly recognisable performer here, and he's great as Pitch, belying the character's weak design by making him dark, mysterious and even charismatic. As Jack Frost, Chris Pine is a solid leading man, boyishly charming and believable as a devil-may-care slacker. Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin is a good fit for North. His Russian accent is just believable enough, and the esteemed performer additionally gives the role a degree of welcome gravitas. Rounding out the main players is Isla Fisher, who makes for an adorable Tooth Fairy.

From start to finish, Rise of the Guardians is absolutely wonderful, a superlative fantasy adventure packed with action, a terrific sense of humour and extravagant animated imagination. The best family movies are those which appeal to varying demographics, and this picture succeeds in that regard. Kids will adore the fast pace and the eye candy, teens will have a blast due to all the action and comedy, and adults will appreciate the film's depth and originality. Sure, it would've been nice to find out more about the other Guardians, and the film doesn't supplement the spectacle with much emotion, but it feels mean-spirited to point out the minor foibles of this otherwise extraordinary effort, especially in a market dominated by the likes of Ice Age 4 and The Smurfs. It's a shame the movie was not better rewarded at the box office, as I'd love to see the Guardians return for duty again someday, and I'd love to see them joined by a few new friends.

8.2/10

"Have any of you heard it? The heartbreak of a parent who's lost a child... When a parent's heart breaks, the sound can travel for miles. So I really need to say this to you. Be as nice to Gang-du as you can. Don't scold him, okay?"

Korean cinema is often highly regarded by critics and film buffs alike, as South Korean filmmakers produce horror films and action-thrillers with more verve and creativity than their Hollywood counterparts. 2006's The Host is South Korea's attempt at an epic monster movie in the vein of Godzilla and King Kong. Directed and co-written by the Oscar-winning Bong Joon-ho (Memories of Murder), The Host does not disappoint, with the Koreans successfully nailing yet another genre. Despite a comparatively paltry $11 million production budget, this is a superlative monster movie, and its production values are only a few notches below a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster. Consistently thrilling and involving, The Host benefits from competent storytelling, engaging character drama, strong creature effects and top-flight filmmaking from top to bottom. It succeeds as a straight-up monster movie due to the many exhilarating and edge-of-your-seat sequences involving the creature, yet the film also works as a familial drama, examining the breakdown of a dysfunctional family in a time of great crisis.

A dim-witted family man, Gang-du (Song Kang-ho) runs a concession stand along the Han River with his father and young daughter. A nearby U.S. military base dumping toxic chemicals into the river over several years results in the creation of a ferocious amphibious creature that suddenly emerges from the Han River to begin a vicious rampage. After slaughtering multiple people, the beast flees and returns to its lair carrying Gang-du's daughter, Hyun-seo (Go Ah-sung), for future consumption. Gang-du naturally assumes the worst, and his family comes to his aid to grieve Hyun-seo's presumed death. However, word surfaces that Gang-du's daughter is, in fact, alive in captivity and being held somewhere in the concrete storm drains feeding into the Han River. Though the authorities quarantine Gang-du due to an apparent virus threat, he escapes and works with his family to bring the girl back home safely.

The Host does ask you to briefly suspend your disbelief to accept the plot. After the creature rises, we watch as it ruthlessly slaughters several people, devouring some and leaving others to die of blood loss, before snatching young Hyun-seo and taking her back to its lair alive. One imagines that she should have drowned due to the beast's constant submersion under the water, or at least received whiplash as a result of being carried around like a ragdoll. Luckily, beyond this hard-to-swallow contrivance, The Host is a top-notch flick mixing monster movie theatrics with moments of black humour, outright slapstick and biting satire. However, the humour is not a dumb distraction, as it feels like an organic extension of the characters' personalities. When Gang-du's family sprawls all over the floor, writhing around in clumsy hysteria over Hyun-seo's apparent death, it is simultaneously poignant and hilarious. Joon-ho competently navigates the challenging tonal changes, which is also a testament to the excellent performances from a capable cast.

To Joon-ho's credit, he wastes little time before diving into the tour de force set piece involving the monster's first attack along the Han River. Especially with an R rating in place that allows for shocking bloodletting, it's an astounding sequence, and it is so unnerving and riveting due to how plausible it seems. Indeed, Joon-ho dials down the theatrics to create a scarily brutal attack guaranteed to send chills down your spine. Momentum unfortunately slows down following this initial rampage, and the film runs too long at almost two hours, but there are far more strong moments than weak scenes. The attack scenes throughout the picture are absolutely killer, with cinematographer Kim Hyung-koo using exceptionally crisp and steady framing to capture the mayhem, allowing for maximum visibility to let us properly marvel at the abilities of this beast. The climax, in particular, is a stunner - a competently orchestrated showdown that is astonishing and emotionally affecting in equal measure. The creature design by Weta Workshop is commendable, and the special effects by American production house The Orphanage (The Day After Tomorrow, Superman Returns) are quite good, even if the beast is not always entirely convincing. Sometimes, the CGI looks too obvious, but Joon-ho's direction is strong enough to belie such shortcomings.

Song Kang-ho (Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance) is hugely effective as the bumbling Gang-du. He's a terrific comedic presence, but his love for his daughter always shines through. Moreover, the actor impeccably sells the character's transformation from a slacker father to a mature parent. It's refreshing for The Host to feature a dysfunctional family battling the beast rather than a selection of soldiers or scientists. Speaking of which, The Host is an unorthodox creature feature that outright rejects Western mentalities: Joon-ho shows the monster in full view early into the film, the characters take precedence over action, no characters are safe, and the downbeat ending is unexpected. As a result, the film is a breath of fresh air within a genre that has grown stale of late.

There are political and satirical undertones throughout The Host, as Joon-ho drew inspiration for the movie from a widely-reported scandal involving the dumping of formaldehyde down drains running into the Han River. In the film, American soldiers combat the creature using the chemist agent known as "Agent Yellow," an obvious reference to the infamous Agent Orange from the Vietnam War. Indeed, Joon-ho openly admits that this movie is a metaphor and a political commentary about the United States. The Host is not perfect due to its occasionally rickety digital effects and a few patches of wobbly pacing, but it perpetually retains a quirky charm. It contains several standout action sequences, yet the film also follows the time-honoured Spielbergian formula of a dysfunctional family that must come together in an hour of crisis. If you like monster movies, seek out The Host as soon as possible.

7.7/10

"He opened a gateway, you know? Friedkin did. He took the real world and the spirit world and he mashed them together."

Although it was greeted with a mixed reception, Grave Encounters developed into something of an underground internet sensation, with the trailer racking up an astonishing 25 million views to date on YouTube. Masterminded by The Vicious Brothers, Grave Encounters was a creepy spin on the found footage subgenre, providing plenty of thrills and an engaging narrative. Its cult following guaranteed a sequel, which was hastily thrown together and released scarcely a year after its predecessor. Written by The Vicious Brothers but directed by newcomer John Poliquin, Grave Encounters 2 does carry a certain degree of merit, but it ultimately underwhelms. It exhibits promise in its conceptual framework, yet the flick crumbles as it approaches the finish line, introducing idiotic ideas and ill-advisedly leaving room for another sequel.

In a commendable masterstroke, Grave Encounters 2 swiftly establishes itself as being part of our reality in its opening sequence. The film begins with a montage of clips showing YouTube video bloggers reviewing the first film. One of the vloggers is nerdy film student Alex Wright (Harmon), who's less than impressed with the flick. Alex is a wishful budding filmmaker who hopes to be the next Craven or Carpenter, and believes that every current horror film is pure junk. In response to his review, a YouTube user known as "Death Awaits" sends Alex a series of anonymous messages implying that the events of Grave Encounters are genuine. Curious, Alex digs deeper and deeper into the mystery, becoming increasingly convinced that the film is in fact comprised of real found footage. Having been given the location of the haunted asylum from the movie, Alex spearheads a road trip to investigate, recruiting a few fellow film students - including close friend Trevor (Playfair) and love interest Jennifer (Lapp) - to join him. Alex is prepared, too, bringing an array of filmmaking equipment to document anything and everything that transpires.

Using YouTube clips to open the film was a terrific creative decision, but the subsequent first act is tedious, moving at a mercilessly slow pace through uninvolving scenes of character interaction. Naturally, the aim was to build up to the return to the haunted asylum and develop the central characters along the way, yet intention is not the same thing as achievement. An early party scene is borderline unwatchable, and Alex's growing fascination with Grave Encounters fails to gain as much traction as it should have done. It's also unbelievable that the characters would film as much of their personal lives as shown here - it's simply too convenient. With that said, though, the brilliance of this sequel's plot cannot be overstated. Grave Encounters 2 is exceedingly meta, often in an impressively creative fashion. The Vicious Brothers have answers for everything that would make us believe the first film to be fake: we learn that the cast members used stage names for the sake of their ghost-hunting TV show, the original film's producer admits they added cheesy digital effects to enhance a few moments, and The Vicious Brothers are revealed as just a couple of low-level interns who agreed to have their names put on the picture.

Thankfully, Grave Encounters 2 begins to foster momentum following the re-introduction of Jerry Hartfield (Wilkinson), the producer of the first film. And things get really interesting when Alex pitches the idea that he may be in the middle of making the sequel to Grave Encounters. How meta can you get?! Once the proceedings shift to the familiar asylum, though, the results are a mixed bag. The picture is atmospheric and at times horrifying, to be sure, but the material grows tiresome fairly quickly since we can predict what will happen. Moreover, Poliquin is not as skilled as The Vicious Brothers in terms of pacing or scares. It's a wonder why The Vicious Brothers opted out of directorial duties this time around.

In order to justify this sequel's existence, The Vicious Brothers needed to expand the mythology of the original film and introduce a fresh batch of novel ideas. Alas, this is where the wheels really fall off, as the picture begins to dabble in the realm of sci-fi. I won't spoil too much, but, suffice it to say, Lance Preston (Rogerson) makes his return here to explain some metaphysical nonsense that becomes too much to deal with, shifting the premise from simple creepy horror to something more akin to Stargate. The attempt to expand the franchise's lore is appreciated, but it's handled poorly, and this type of justification for the hospital's disposition diminishes the experience. This culminates with a character-betraying climax which fails on practically every front, though a final scene with Jerry Hartfield is a stroke of meta genius. Oh, and the movie's internal logic crumbles in one scene when we're shown security camera footage from a building that, as it turns out, does not actually exist.

The biggest strength of Grave Encounters 2 is Sean Rogerson, who returns to play Lance Preston here as a mix of Gollum and a crazed prospector. It's a strong performance which gives the actor the chance to do something different rather than rehashing his work in the previous film. Ultimately, if you're willing to endure the sluggish first act, fans of the original Grave Encounters may enjoy this follow-up, though its nowhere near as strong as its predecessor. The Vicious Brothers for the most part do a terrific job of breaking the fourth wall and subtly tearing at the edges of our reality, even though the positives are unfortunately affected by a number of poor decisions.

5.6/10

"You're like the fucking Hebrew Dolph Lundgren or some shit."

Written by Jay Baruchel and Evan Goldberg, 2012's Goon is a loose adaptation of Doug Smith's autobiographical book Goon: The True Story of an Unlikely Journey into Minor League Hockey. It is also a brash, crude, bloody, mean-spirited and nasty motion picture, but it's these exact qualities which makes the film such a uniquely enjoyable treat. Indeed, despite ostensibly being an uplifting underdog tale, Goon does not fall into the traditional sports film category, as there are no feel-good comebacks or inspiring coaches. Rather, the picture is wall-to-wall swearing, gushing wounds and punches, with bits and pieces of romance and debauchery tossed in for good measure. It never exactly reaches exhilarating comedic heights, but Goon is fun and watchable enough, and even those without an interest or understanding in ice hockey should enjoy it.

A dim-witted albeit affable brute, Doug Glatt (Scott) works as a bouncer in Massachusetts, but his unrewarding trade renders him a tremendous disappointment to his family. While on the sidelines during a hockey match, Doug shows off his unbelievable fighting abilities and sheer brute force, impressing a local hockey coach into convincing Doug to give the sport a try. Called upon to use his pugilistic tendencies to protect his teammates, Doug unexpectedly becomes a star player in the hockey world. He can barely skate and doesn't know much about the sport, but his ability to beat the shit out of anyone gives him the opportunity to try his hand at the big time in Canada. His task is to watch over burnout Xavier LaFlamme (Grondin), who scores more drugs than goals. Doug finds it hard to fit in with his team, however, and the threat lingers of league menace Ross Rhea (Schreiber) who's legendary for his beat-downs. Meanwhile, Doug finds love in promiscuous local woman Eva (Pill), who's disarmed by Doug's sweet side.

Goon is fairly predictable from a narrative standpoint. Although it disposes of several clichés often glimpsed in sports films, the picture's final outcome is still unsurprising. Nevertheless, Baruchel and Goldberg's script is otherwise solid, smartly devoting as much time to Doug's personal life as his exploits on the ice. And while the hockey scenes are good fun, the film really sparkles during scenes of Doug and his teammates, and his romance with Eva gives the picture a sweet, heartfelt core which feels neither half-hearted nor tacked on. Goon's pacing is admittedly uneven, and the film loses momentum into its third act, but it promptly recovers with a ripping climax featuring a satisfying confrontation between Doug and Ross Rhea.

It's clear that Baruchel and Goldberg are hockey enthusiasts, as Goon is packed with detail about the sport. But while there are several puck-oriented sequences, the film is ultimately a celebration of an aspect of hockey that's been downplayed of late: badass fisticuffs on the ice. It makes sense, too; I mean, are there any other team sports which feature mano-a-mano conflicts that are actually tolerated by referees? Fortunately, the fights are well-staged here, and director Michael Dowse and his team have skilfully captured the speed and danger of ice hockey. The hockey sequences are not perfect since more visual creativity would have been beneficial, but they're proficient and smooth. Likewise, the locker room bantering is lively and energetic. Hockey players and followers will pick up on more of the in-jokes and slang, but the uninitiated should not be discouraged as there's plenty of humour here to be enjoyed by all.

Ever since his infamous appearance as Stifler in American Pie, Seann William Scott has enjoyed a career playing likeable, comedic-centric supporting characters. Goon is Scott's first movie where he actually plays the lead protagonist rather than a supporting character or as part of an ensemble, and he handles leading man responsibilities extremely well. He easily sells Doug's brutish abilities and he's a believable fighter, yet Scott also permeates the character with a sincere core that allows us to like him. Moreover, Scott is essentially the antithesis of Stifler here, which really shows the actor's unexpected range. Alongside him, an unleashed Jay Baruchel steals scenes as Doug's marvellously foul-mouthed best friend. Baruchel often plays soft-spoken nerds, so it's hilarious to see him in such a vulgar role. Meanwhile, Alison Pill is funny and likeable as Eva, and Liev Schreiber makes the most of his antagonistic role.

Goon is a mightily pleasing and refreshing comedy, providing a nice handful of laughs and a few entertaining blasts of hockey-playing brutality. It's standard in terms of narrative trajectory, to be sure, and more energy and laughs would be appreciated, but it's hard to be entirely dissatisfied with the flick.

6.5/10

"Marines don't die, they go to hell and regroup."

Red Dawn was filmed and completed three years ago in 2009, but its studio, MGM, went bankrupt and lacked the money to grant the picture proper distribution. The same fate was shared by Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard's The Cabin in the Woods, which was at long last released earlier in 2012. The two films share a common star in Chris Hemsworth, but the comparisons end there. While Cabin in the Woods is an outstandingly original horror movie and one of the year's notable highlights, Red Dawn is merely a middling actioner. The best remakes are those which produce an exciting new take on an old idea, or at least improve upon the execution of the original film. This Red Dawn does neither. It begins with promise, but soon collapses under the weight of its glaring idiocies, forgettable characters, and incomprehensible photography.

Jed Eckert (Hemsworth) is on leave from the Marines, living with father Tom (Cullen) and brother Matt (Peck) in their quiet Washington State hometown. Not long after a mysterious power outage sweeps the Pacific Northwest, Jed and Matt wake up to the sound of gunfire and a sky littered with armed paratroopers. With North Korean invaders hastily moving into the country, Jed and Matt skip town, forced to leave their beloved father as they flee to a forest in the local mountains with as many of their friends as possible in tow. Calling themselves the Wolverines after their high school football team, Jed begins presiding over a resistance unit, turning to terrorist tactics in the hope of defending their tattered country and thwarting the takeover effort run by Captain Cho (Lee).

As Red Dawn languished on a shelf awaiting release, the invading force was changed from China to North Korea, necessitating extensive dubbing, a new opening title sequence, and digitally altered flags, uniforms and insignias. The decision was purely motivated by money, as the distributors realised that China is a huge market for action blockbusters, and Chinese invaders would diminish foreign box office takings. North Korea was fair game, though; nobody cares what they think. To the credit of those involved, the change is seamless, but the notion of North Korea successfully invading America is risible. I mean, North Korea cannot even take over South Korea. Plus, the country's population falls short of 25 million - even Texas alone has a higher population. Hell, the amount of armed citizens in the whole of America would outnumber the invading soldiers by a hilarious margin. It's implied that the Russians are assisting the takeover, but the extent of their involvement remains a mystery. We only see one Russian in the entire film.

Screenwriters Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore not only neglected to fix the glaring idiocies of the original Red Dawn, but they introduce a new slate of stupidities as well. What is North Korea's game plan? What do they aim to achieve? Plus, the Wolverines seem able to easily come to town and leave as they please. Are there no road blocks to prevent them from escaping into the forest? How is the forest not overrun by North Korean forces seeking to find the squad's base camp? Cell phones are often used to take photos as well, despite the fact that the characters have nowhere to charge the things. And not to worry, although America has been taken over, Subway restaurants are still in operation. Moreover, all it takes is one training montage for Jed to single-handedly turn his inexperienced would-be soldiers into competent militias able to shoot and fight. Red Dawn is bloody cheesy, too. No matter which way you cut it, chanting "Wolverines!" and giving motivating speeches can never be taken seriously.

Director Dan Bradley's years of experience as a stunt coordinator and second unit director serves him well here. This Red Dawn admittedly works in fits and starts, with bursts of stand-out action here and there. The initial takeover is chilling and nail-biting, a petrifying vision of what a modern military invasion might look like. Added to this, a few shoot-outs are fairly awesome. But here's the thing: Bradley merely aspired to blow shit up and use the teen guerrillas as action figures with perfect marksmanship skills who can superhumanly jump from great heights without breaking any bones. (Are these Wolverines reinforced with adamantium?) In other words, while John Milius' original Red Dawn explored the devastations of war, this reboot is all cheap thrills, but without any actual bloodshed since this is a PG-13 film. The 1984 film was one of the first pictures to receive a PG-13 rating, yet it's far more violent and edgy than anything in this sanitised, bloodless remake.

Compounding its many flaws, the film's attempts at character development oftentimes fall flat. The screenwriters even use the old "forcing a naïve newbie to consume something nasty under the guise of it being tradition," even though the stale old joke hasn't been funny for over a decade. The characters are much too indistinguishable beyond the three main characters. Whenever one of the characters died, I struggled to figure out who it was, and struggled even further to care. It doesn't help that Bradley's team heavily leaned on lazy shaky-cam techniques. Throughout the action set-pieces, the cameramen keep suffering epileptic seizures, so it's hard to tell who dies and how they were even killed. Interestingly, the cast of the original Red Dawn (including Patrick Swayze and Charlie Sheen) went on to become big stars. Meanwhile, the stars of this update became big names between filming the movie and the film finally being released. Heh. In the lead role of Jed, Chris Hemsworth is suitably authoritative and strong, whilst Peck is merely okay as Jed's younger brother. Josh Hutcherson (The Hunger Games) and Connor Cruise (Tom's adopted son), meanwhile, play some of the most forgettable characters in the film, though it's hardly their fault; blame Bradley and his writers. Honestly, if someone lined up all the Wolverines in the film, I would not be able to tell you whether or not they died, or, more pertinently, how or when some of them died.

1984's Red Dawn was relevant at the time of its release. Created at the height of the never-ending Cold War, it was a response to the public's heightened paranoia that the Soviets could be on their doorstep at any minute. Moreover, although the film is cheesy, it had a wonderful sense of political awareness and its portrayal of war was effective. 2012's iteration, on the other hand, has no relevance or ambition; it's a random stab against a country with no beef against the United States. To be fair, this Red Dawn may entertain you, and there are worse action movies out there, but overall it's a wasted opportunity. Its initial sequence depicting the takeover is chilling, yet the film doesn't follow through with its promise to be a complex, challenging war movie emphasising the terror of a foreign invasion.

5.1/10

"At this moment, I didn't feel shame or fear, but just kind of blah, like when you're sitting there and all the water's run out of the bathtub."

Terrence Malick's masterful debut feature, Badlands is a deliberately-paced thriller of immense power and striking visual lyricism. The picture was produced for a paltry $300,000, and is loosely based on the real-life killing spree of Charles Starkweather and Caril-Ann Fugate, whose senseless actions shocked the American public in the late 1950s. Malick, who produced and wrote the film on top of directing, stripped any sense of romanticism from the story, preventing any comparisons to Bonnie & Clyde. Certainly, the dated '70s aesthetic and the idea of a couple on the run is comparable to Bonnie & Clyde, but the similarities end there.

Kit (Sheen) is a 25-year-old garbage collector from South Dakota who looks a lot like James Dean. Not long into the film, he meets Holly Sargis (Spacek), a 15-year-old with a privileged upbringing and a keen interest in reading and music. The two fall head over heels for one another, but Holly's widower father (Oates) strongly disapproves of the relationship. In order to be with Holly, Kit murders his lover's father in cold blood, and the two set the house on fire and flee to the badlands of Montana hoping to start a new life together. But the authorities are not far behind the pair, and Kit eventually turns to killing a string of innocent people as Holly and himself go on the run.

Badlands is easily the best motion picture Terrence Malick has ever made, as it's the most focused and possesses the most amount of narrative momentum. Unlike Malick's intolerable later output, the film is not weighed down by self-indulgence or undisciplined storytelling. Rather, Badlands is a ripping thriller which briskly establishes its two protagonists before sending them on their crime spree. Malick packs a lot into the film's 90-minute running time, and the pace is often kept taut. Admittedly, the picture does occasionally plod, and there is a fair amount of obvious and slipshod ADR, but Malick gets more right than wrong. The most remarkable aspect of Badlands is its visuals - cinematographers Brian Pobyn, Tak Fujimoto and Steven Larner skilfully photographed the harsh bleakness of the South Dakota badlands, while the score by George Tipton bursts with haunting melodies. The surreal yet banal landscapes essentially reflect the empty souls of Kit and Holly. Thus, instead of choosing between style or substance, Malick mixed the two, a trick that more filmmakers should learn.

From start to finish, Kit and Holly remain bewildering characters, with Malick telling their story as it is and leaving viewers to interpret what they see. Holly's motivations can possibly be understood in terms of simple boredom, naïveté and being in love with Kit, though it's hard to say for certain. Kit, on the other hand, is a genuine enigma. Consistently described as a dead ringer for James Dean, he's a fascinating combination of boyish charm and cold-blooded killer. Kit's brand of evil is peculiar, as he does not seem to carry any emotional baggage. In fact, he seems detached from the violence - the people he kills are not bad and do not deserve to die, and Kit kills them without any sense of remorse. Thus, Malick creates a fascinating scenario: viewers will want to get closer to the pair and find out precisely what makes them tick, yet the film keeps us at arm's length, never pretending to know all the answers. Some may dislike Badlands for this reason or perceive it as lazy, but this reviewer found the experience uniquely enthralling. After all, Kit and Holly's real-life counterparts are question marks, hence armchair psychology would be foolish.

Badlands greatly benefits from the presence of Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Sheen is the better of the two, probably because he's given the most to do as Kit. Sheen's boyish charisma is a huge asset, and he really nails the characteristics which make his character such a mystery. Sheen moves like a primal force, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason to his actions. But he also baulks from making Kit outright evil; he always maintains a sense of charm and amiability, which is exactly what makes his actions so shocking. Meanwhile, Spacek provides solid support for Sheen; her quiet, understated performance as Holly is a revelation. Spacek was in her early 20s here, yet she's tremendously nuanced, and it's no surprise that she went on to have a remarkable career.

After Badlands and Days of Heaven, the infamously reclusive Terrence Malick disappeared from the filmmaking scene for twenty years, after which his films suddenly became bloated and unfocused. It is therefore refreshing to watch Badlands and see just how disciplined and masterful Malick used to be.

7.9/10

"The symbol is associated with a Pagan deity named Baghuul... He consumes the souls of the human children."

Let's not mince words here: Sinister scared the fucking shit out of me, and that is not an accolade I hand out lightly. It's rare to stumble upon a truly scary movie in this day and age; the horror genre has grown stale of late, with filmmakers constantly wasting our time with predictable jump scares and poor attempts at tension. 2012's Sinister is a diamond in the rough, an authentically terrifying low-budget horror gem that puts to shame 99% of horror movies released in the last decade. Directed in the classical style by Scott Derrickson - who made a huge impression in 2005 with his breakthrough chiller The Exorcism of Emily Rose - the film is of a rare breed that burrows under the skin and haunts you for days.

A true crime author, Ellison (Ethan Hawke) made a huge splash a decade ago with his hit book Kentucky Blood, but followed his debut with a string of humiliating misses. Looking to write another hit, Ellison moves his family to rural Pennsylvania. Unbeknownst to Ellison's family, including wife Tracy (Juliet Rylance) and daughter Ashley (Clare Foley), he has actually moved them into the very house where four people were killed in the horrific unsolved murder case that Ellison plans to write about. Hoping to connect to the crime and conduct extensive research about the brutal murder, Ellison sets up a private office in which to do his work. However, Ellison stumbles upon far more than he bargained for when he discovers a box of 8mm home movies in the attic. The box, as it turns out, contains disturbing snuff films showing families being murdered by a demonic ghoul. Delving further and further into the case, Ellison reaches the point where the line between reality and nightmare is blurred.

Unlike most horror flicks, Derrickson and co-writer C. Robert Cargill show interest in developing the characters as genuine human beings. The scenes of Tracy and Ellison arguing over what's best for the family feel organic rather than tacked on, and help to generate a sense of danger. Likewise, the film works as a careful character study of Ellison, who's struggling to reclaim his former glory at any cost. Striving to make a lasting legacy, Ellison grows distant from his family as he becomes overwhelmed by his obsessive work practises. Some may question why Ellison does not automatically pick up and leave as soon as he thinks something is up, but this is all part of Ellison's flawed character; he doesn't want to believe anything is wrong. He's so consumed with the thought of finishing his book, and so convinced that supernatural stuff is non-existent, that he refuses to think straight. Added to this, Sinister may look like a standard horror fare on the surface, but it's surprisingly inventive, with a late plot twist and a climax which had this reviewer's jaw gaping open.

Scott Derrickson is a real talent in the field of horror. The Exorcism of Emily Rose is one of the creepiest horror movies of its decade, yet Derrickson has upped the ante with Sinister, showing that his tragic remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still was just an unfortunate fluke. Admittedly, Sinister is occasionally predictable and Derrickson serves up a smattering of jump scares, but the film is extremely effective nevertheless because the images which trigger the jump scares are goddamn petrifying. The way that Derrickson builds and maintains tension is legendary, and a late scene grows so intense that you could be forgiven for screaming in terror alongside Ellison. Every set-piece is well-staged and effective; the snuff films are too immediate for comfort, and tension is intoxicating whenever Ellison wanders his house's dark hallways. Furthermore, Derrickson's crew clearly understood the importance of an effective soundscape in horror. Christopher Young's score is harrowing and skin-crawling, and the soundtrack is otherwise filled with creepy sounds, whisperings and chants. It's rare to see a horror film in this style that's so technically proficient.

Ethan Hawke was faced with a tough task in portraying Ellison; he was required to communicate the writer's bruised ego and sell his self-destructive ambition, all the while remaining watchable and maintaining audience sympathy. Remarkably, he pulled it off. Hawke seems genuine terrified whenever the occasion calls for it, and he makes Ellison seem like a real person. Moreover, a lot of the more gruesome imagery from the 8mm home movies is never actually glimpsed; Derrickson instead replaced a few unsettling moments with Hawke's horrified reactions. It amplifies the power of said scenes, and it also prevents Sinister from devolving into dumb torture porn. Meanwhile, in her first major motion picture, Juliet Rylance holds her own playing Ellison's wife, Tracy. In a welcome twist on the usual cliché, Tracy does not see anything that makes her suspect the house is haunted. Also in the cast is Vincent D'Onofrio, glimpsed via iChat as a University professor who assists Ellison in his research. An amiable James Ransone plays a helpful deputy, while Fred Dalton Thompson is excellent as a sheriff who detests the thought of Ellison moving into his town.

Sinister is a true breath of fresh air. This is an exceptional horror film, reinforcing that Derrickson is one of this generation's finest horror filmmakers. Perhaps what sets it apart from its contemporaries is how focused it is. James Wan's remarkable Insidious was spine-chilling, yet the terror was broken up by a sense of funhouse camp. And while Ti West's The Innkeepers is scary, it gives us two fun central characters and a healthy sense of humour. Sinister has none of that. It's a downright petrifying film which scares the fucking hell out of you and never lets you feel safe. If you watch it in a dark room by yourself late at night, you won't sleep for days.

8.3/10

"Can we take a direct flight back to reality, or do we have to change planes in Denver?'"

After Christmas with the Kranks, Surviving Christmas, Fred Claus, Four Christmases and similar interminable dreck, a lot of people groan at the very notion of a family Christmas film as if they're on their way to a root canal. Not to mention, Christmas movies with Tim Allen are typically a special kind of awful. With this in mind, it's surprising to report that 1994's The Santa Clause - a Disney-produced Christmas flick with Tim Allen - is enjoyable, wholesome family entertainment with a few genuine laughs and some heartfelt sentiment. The debut vehicle for TV sitcom star Tim Allen (Home Improvement), The Santa Clause was a surprise hit for Disney back in 1994; grossing over $144 million in the United States alone. Being a PG-rated Christmas film, it is aimed more at children than adults and is a feel-good fantasy about belief, dreams and childhood innocence, but the film is nonetheless firmly rooted in good old-fashioned holiday spirit; something that's missing from 95% of other contemporary yuletide movies.

Tim Allen plays Scott Calvin; a successful, divorced toy executive whose latest project has earned him great respect and praise. Unfortunately, his home life is less successful. On Christmas Eve, Scott is allowed to spend time with his son Charlie (Lloyd), though Charlie is less than keen about seeing his old man. During the night, Charlie and Scott are awakened by a loud clatter on the roof. Suspecting a prowler, Scott goes outside and catches Santa in the act. Losing his balance, the big man falls off the roof and is killed instantly. Spurred on by Charlie, Scott climbs into the sleigh, dons Santa's suit, and spends the remainder of the night delivering presents to children across the world before ending up at the North Pole. Head elf Bernard (Krumholtz) informs Scott that by slipping on the red suit, he has activated the "Santa Clause," making him contractually bound to carry out Santa's annual duties. Making matters worse, Scott's subsequent changing appearance and Santa-esque eccentricities prompt his ex-wife Laura (Crewson) to file for sole custody of Charlie.

The Santa Clause is a fun, heart-warming movie which is perhaps the best contemporary portrayal of Santa and his fascinating universe. Such a feat was not pulled off with cheap emotional manipulation or hokey dramatics about the power of believing (like The Polar Express), but instead by using gentle humour and a heavy dose of contemporary life. Custody battles, divorce, scepticism, police and psychiatry all factor into this tale, making it relevant for modern audiences. Fortunately, though, these elements do not make the proceedings dreary. In fact, it actually gives the story real weight, grounding the more fantastical elements. Moreover, it extends the appeal of The Santa Clause to more mature viewers who'll have more to latch onto than mindless saccharine. The film is not quite airtight, though, as the year separating the two Christmases depicted in the movie flies by too quickly, feeling like weeks rather than months. Also, is anyone else horrified by the notion that Scott got the job by killing Santa, and nobody in the North Pole even cares?

There are echoes of Miracle on 34th Street throughout The Santa Clause, particularly in the theme of "Is it crazy to believe in Santa?" that's invoked in the scepticism everyone faces when news of Scott's Christmas adventure begins to spread. Accomplished television director John Pasquin (who worked on Allen's Home Improvement) has crafted an understated, character-driven film here. Eschewing obvious pitfalls and childish gags (with a few exceptions, such as a fart joke), Pasquin and his crew concentrated on the natural humour found within Calvin's crisis of identity. Plenty of funny situations stem from this, and Scott's consistent one-liners are side-splitting. The Santa Clause also answers a number of cynical questions about the Santa Claus myth; it addresses how Santa fits through chimneys and gets into homes without chimneys, and how Santa is able to deliver presents across the world in one night. The only head-scratching plot hole - and this applies to most Santa movies - is simple: how can adults not believe that there's a Santa when he delivers presents each year that the adults would find to be of unknown origins?

The script by Leo Benvenuti and Steve Rudnick was tailor-made to suit Tim Allen's sarcastic, dry line delivery. Allen is more of a personality than an actor, but his performance as Scott is effective, heartfelt and genuine - never does it feel as if Allen is simply reprising his role from Home Improvement. On the other hand, The Santa Clause is let down by a notably ineffective child actor in Eric Lloyd, who whinges and whines but comes across as irritating. In the throwaway roles of Laura and Neil, Wendy "watch me be emotional" Crewson and Judge "I always play the same role" Reinhold are merely passable. Fortunately, as Bernard the elf, David Krumholtz is a constant delight. It's a bit unfortunate, though, that Krumholtz was given such a small amount of screen time.

In spite of its flaws, The Santa Clause is a hugely funny, sweet fantasy suitable for family viewing. The best children's movies are those that kids will love, and will continue to love as they grow up and become adults. The Santa Clause is just such a movie - it will appeal to children and it will keep adults entertained, making it an ideal slice of family entertainment for the festive season. The film has unfortunately been diminished by a couple of horrendous sequels, but rest assured that this first instalment is something special.

7.9/10