“Movie review: 'Paranormal Activity' delivers chills - Union-News & Sunday Republican” plus 4 more |
- Movie review: 'Paranormal Activity' delivers chills - Union-News & Sunday Republican
- Central Florida movie summaries - Orlando Sentinel
- Secretariat movie in production - Detroit Free Press
- Movie remembers life of late Mayor Welch - Digital Collegian
- Movie review: 'Couples Retreat' drags along - Union-News & Sunday Republican
| Movie review: 'Paranormal Activity' delivers chills - Union-News & Sunday Republican Posted: 09 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT By The Republican Entertainment DeskOctober 09, 2009, 5:00AM
By STEPHEN WHITTY But the best horror films are the ones that make us do most of the work. They know it's not what we see that scares us. It's what we think we might have seen. "Paranormal Activity" has already gotten a lot of press, first for its truly indie beginnings (the film was made in a week, for about $11,000) and then for its unusual release strategy (midnight shows only at first in cities determined by online votes). I can see the hook in both. But they're hardly the most interesting things about the film. The movie borrows a lot from "The Blair Witch Project," thematically (young adults try to document strange experiences), economically (a small cast and very few effects) and artistically (a grainy video vérité look, as the actors film each other). It works, too. Not quite as well as "Blair Witch," mostly because the concept was fresher then (it hadn't yet been shaky-cammed to death by "Cloverfield" and "Quarantine"). Yet "Paranormal Activity" still delivers some very creepy scares. Dispensing with credits, the movie begins abruptly as we see Micah toying with an expensive new camera while girlfriend Katie rolls her eyes. Gradually we piece together that there have been some odd bumps in the night lately, and he's determined to document them. Nothing new there – that's been a scary-movie setup since the original "The Haunting," at least. Yet there are other things here that make this film very modern, realistic and original in its own way. The way the young couple bicker and tease, for example (sometimes repetitively — the downside to improvisation). Or the video footage itself, which — as the twentysomethings go to sleep, and the camera rolls on and on — gives the film a creepily voyeuristic kink. Filmmaker Oren Peli is a former software designer, and the movie is smart without always being stylish; even given the limits of the concept, some shots are just too blurry or awkwardly framed. (The jump cuts within shots are distracting, too.) But the film moves (a nearly 10-minute trim since its first film-festival showings has undoubtedly helped), and once the couple starts getting more than they bargained for on camera, the few effects are coldly effective. (Wisely, Peli saves his best scare for the end.) And the novice cast is extremely good. Micah Sloat is a bit annoyingly sure of himself as Micah — but that's who the character is (and it's exactly his cockiness that ends up making things worse). And Katie Featherston is appealing as Katie, who – it turns out – has been haunted before. She's sweet and charming, and the fact that she's not a size-0 starlet adds an extra touch of warmth and reality.
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| Central Florida movie summaries - Orlando Sentinel Posted: 09 Oct 2009 02:50 AM PDT New**COUPLES RETREAT (PG-13) Troubled couples go for a "healing" resort vacation. With Vince Vaughn, Jon Fravreau, Kristen Bell, Malin Akerman, Faizon Love, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davis. Sexual content and language. (1:53)St. Cloud Twin, Rialto Villages Town Square, AMC Altamonte Mall 18, Regal Loop Stadium 16, Aloma Cinema Grill, Cinemark Festival Bay 20, Regal Waterford Lakes Stadium 20 & IMAX, R/C Ocean Walk Movies, TMI Beacon 12 Theatre, West Orange 5, Touchstar Cinemas Southchase 7, Premiere Theaters Oaks 10, Regal Ormond Beach Cinema 12, United Artists Seminole Towne Center 10, TMI Victoria Square 6, AMC Pleasure Island 24, Regal Port Orange Six, United Artists Searstown Mall, Regal Winter Park Village Stadium 20, AMC Loews Universal 20, Regal Oviedo Marketplace Stadium 22, AMC West Oaks 14, AMC Lake Square 12, United Artists Wekiva Riverwalk 8, Regal Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 & IMAX, Epic Theatres of Clermont, Plaza Cinema Cafe FROM MEXICO, WITH LOVE (PG-13) Kuno Becker plays a self-destructive young boxer transformed by a grizzled trainer (Bruce McGill) in this indie drama. Steven Bauer also stars. Not reviewed. Sports violence, language, brief sensuality and drug references. (1:36) AMC Altamonte Mall 18, Cinemark Festival Bay 20, Regal Waterford Lakes Stadium 20 & IMAX, AMC Pleasure Island 24, Regal Winter Park Village Stadium 20, AMC Loews Universal 20, Regal Oviedo Marketplace Stadium 22, Epic Theatres of Clermont ****SERAPHINE (UNRATED) Bio-pic about the industrious but touched washerwoman-turned-painter Séraphine de Senlis. In French with English subtitles. (2:05) Enzian Theater & Cinema Cafe Continuing**9 (PG-13) Rag-doll creatures struggle to survive in a post-Apocalyptic world. Voices of Elijah Wood, Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly and Christopher Plummer. Violence and scary images. (1:17)AMC Altamonte Mall 18, Cinemark Festival Bay 20, TMI Beacon 12 Theatre, AMC Pleasure Island 24, United Artists Searstown Mall, Regal Oviedo Marketplace Stadium 22, AMC West Oaks 14, AMC Lake Square 12 **ALIENS IN THE ATTIC (PG) Kids try to protect their vacation home from alien invaders. Action violence, some suggestive humor and language. (1:26) Picture Show at Altamonte *ALL ABOUT STEVE (PG-13) Sandra Bullock's man-chasing misfit is a miscalculation in almost every waye. Sexual content including innuendoes. (1:38) TMI Beacon 12 Theatre, AmStar Stadium 12, AMC Pleasure Island 24, Regal Oviedo Marketplace Stadium 22, AMC Lake Square 12, Epic Theatres of Clermont ****AMREEKA (PG-13) A lovely, fresh, post-9/11 Palestinian spin on the coming-to-America tale that reminds us why immigrants still dream of these shores. Brief drug use involving teens, and some language. (1:37) Rialto Villages Town Square, Regal Winter Park Village Stadium 20 ****BRIGHT STAR (PG) Poet John Keats' life, love and death are the subject of director Jane Campion's latest period piece. Thematic elements, some sensuality, brief language and incidental smoking. (1:55) AMC Pleasure Island 24, Regal Winter Park Village Stadium 20, Epic Theatres of Clermont ****CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY (R) Michael Moore preaches to the choir. Some language. (2:07) AMC Altamonte Mall 18, Cinemark Festival Bay 20, TMI Beacon 12 Theatre, AmStar Stadium 12, Premiere Theaters Oaks 10, Regal Ormond Beach Cinema 12, AMC Pleasure Island 24, Regal Winter Park Village Stadium 20, Regal Oviedo Marketplace Stadium 22, Epic Theatres of Clermont ****CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (PG) Maybe the funniest animated film of the year, based on the popular children's book. Brief mild language. (1:21) AMC Altamonte Mall 18, Cinemark Festival Bay 20, Regal Waterford Lakes Stadium 20 & IMAX, R/C Ocean Walk Movies, West Orange 5, AmStar Stadium 12, Regal Ormond Beach Cinema 12, AMC Pleasure Island 24, Regal Port Orange Six, United Artists Searstown Mall, Regal Winter Park Village Stadium 20, AMC Loews Universal 20, Regal Oviedo Marketplace Stadium 22, AMC West Oaks 14, AMC Celebration 2, AMC Lake Square 12, United Artists Wekiva Riverwalk 8, Regal Pointe Orlando Stadium 20 & IMAX, Premiere Theaters Oaks 10, Epic Theatres of Clermont Copyright © 2009, Orlando Sentinel |
| Secretariat movie in production - Detroit Free Press Posted: 08 Oct 2009 11:59 PM PDT MOVIES: A movie about Secretariat, the thoroughbred who won the Triple Crown in 1973, has begun filming in Kentucky. Diane Lane is portraying Secretariat owner Penny Chenery, and John Malkovich is trainer Lucien Laurin. Randall Wallace, who directed "We Were Soldiers," is directing. A fall 2010 release is expected. |
| Movie remembers life of late Mayor Welch - Digital Collegian Posted: 09 Oct 2009 02:08 AM PDT Today, filmmaker Dorn Hetzel plans on paying tribute to the late Mayor Bill Welch, the man who bridged the gap between a community and a university, with his memoriam documentary These Things are Important to Remember. Penn State Public Broadcasting will air the documentary packaged with a rerun episode of Pennsylvania Inside Out that featured Welch discussing the topic of organ donations. Mayor Welch received a kidney from his daughter in 1994. These shows will run back to back starting at 10 tonight on WPSU. Hetzel, associate head of the Department of Film-Video and Media Studies, said he was proud to know Welch while he was alive and felt honored to make this film for him. A much shorter version was shown at Welch's memorial service but when given the opportunity to show the film on TV, Hetzel was thrilled with the opportunity to include more. The film is a compilation of interviews with people who knew Welch accompanied by old photos of the mayor and the town. It includes a musical score written by Arthur Goldstein with Welch in mind. "The music is just another part of Bill that will be in the film," Hetzel said. When Penn State President Graham Spanier spoke at Welch's memorial, he called him the "mayor of the university." Hetzel hopes that this film will make aware the level of dedication Welch put toward every aspect of his job. Hetzel said that the most memorable work that Welch and Spanier collaborated on was their work on tolerance. Hetzel listed a wide range of moments throughout Welch's term where he displayed integrity and tolerance in the face of discrimination. "At a time when many Pennsylvania officials were against gay and lesbian rights, Bill performed a commitment ceremony," Hetzel said. "After Bill first got word of the terrorist attack on 9/11, he went to the local Muslim center and sat with them all day and night in case there were any attacks. He knew that they were just as devastated as the rest of the community." Bianca Barr, senior promotions associate at WPSU, said the documentary works to help locals learn more about the late mayor through the eyes of his friends. "We are really excited about being able to put on an hour block of programming dedicated to Mayor Welch," Barr said. Hetzel said the film will help commemorate Welch's legacy and make sure it isn't lost to new generations of State College residents. "The film can create a document so those that we've lost can live on a little bit through future generations," he said. Hetzel said he was proud to make this movie, but it was definitely a group effort. Former students Mike Craven and Marty Camden played integral roles in the making of the movie -- their small gift to a man who dedicated his life to the town and the university. |
| Movie review: 'Couples Retreat' drags along - Union-News & Sunday Republican Posted: 09 Oct 2009 02:00 AM PDT By The Associated PressOctober 09, 2009, 5:00AM
"Couples Retreat" suggests what life might have been like if the guys from "Swingers" had grown up, moved to the suburbs and turned into lame, sitcommy cliches. Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn team up again, on screen and on the script (along with Dana Fox), for this broad comedy about four couples who go on a tropical vacation together. In theory, they're all there to support their friends Jason (Jason Bateman) and Cynthia (Kristen Bell) as they try to save their marriage through the couples' counseling the resort offers. Little do they know they'll get sucked into agonizing therapy sessions that reveal their own rifts. For example: Vaughn's character, Dave, doesn't care about picking out tile to redo the kitchen. His wife, Ronnie (Malin Akerman), does. It's a laugh riot if you think Paul Reiser's "Couplehood" is funny – and we haven't even gotten to their painfully cute young son whose defining personality trait is urinating and pooping in inappropriate places. Under the direction of Peter Billingsley (Ralphie from "A Christmas Story"), another longtime Vaughn friend and collaborator making his first feature, "Couples Retreat" veers back and forth in a jarring way between crude sexual humor and supposedly poignant moments. The couples endure forced nudity and a wildly erotic yoga class; Favreau's character, Joey, and his wife, Lucy (Kristin Davis), who married right after high school, each try to get it on with their respective massage therapists. But all must also bare their souls, which feels wedged-in and unconvincing compared to the proliferation of physical humor. Faizon Love rounds out the group as the divorced Shane, who brings along his 20-year-old girlfriend, Trudy (Kali Hawk), a shrill party girl who likes to call him "Daddy" and pour hot wax on his naked chest. Each of these characters is exactly the same person the whole way through, until one night when they all magically experience an epiphany that makes them more communicative, patient and loving. During such moments, a distracting, feel-good score – surprisingly from "Slumdog Millionaire" Oscar-winner A.R. Rahman – pipes in early and often. "Couples Retreat" makes fun of the people who run the place, including the New Age-y mastermind, Monsieur Marcel (Jean Reno in a braided tail and a Speedo), and the condescending concierge, Sctanley (Peter Serafinowicz) – spelled with a "c." But ultimately it embraces the very lessons the resort is trying to teach. It also finds time for a little shameless product placement along the way: an extended ad for "Guitar Hero," right as the movie is approaching its big, revelatory climax. A few funny lines and ideas emerge here and there – the rigid Jason's fondness for PowerPoint presentations is vaguely amusing – but "Couples Retreat" mostly feels repetitive and overlong at nearly two hours. You wouldn't mind getting voted off this island.
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