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ultra429
Reviews
The Conjuring (2013)
Horror for Non-Horror Fans
I wanted to like this movie. I am an avid horror aficionado and watch almost anything I can get my hands on, including foreign horror.
This film just struck me as not very scary or original. It seemed like horror-lite or directed at an audience who prefers the scares tame and watered down. I was never scared, creeped out or impressed at any of the reveals or entities. I figured out early on the mother was the target of possession once they revealed the back story of the witch. The story, supposedly a true case of the Warrens', wasn't very inventive. It took a long time to reach the apex of the story and then the resolution felt rushed and uninspired.
Insidious and Sinister had a much creepier vibe and originality. Shelter, aka 6 Souls was better than this and that went to video. I am not really sure why the reviews are so high. Horror is personal and very subjective, what scares one person will seem lame to another. Ghost stories and paranormal really get to me. This one did not.
Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)
All the elements, no soul
This movie had all the elements to be great, but had little to offer in the way of depth, like the actors, save for Charlize Theron, were just going through the motions. The pace seemed off, the story bordered on a parody. Even during the action scenes, I was bored.
Kristen Stewart played again the only character she has in her repertoire, but I am not sure had a different actress played Snow White, if it would have been enough to save the film. The best part of the film was the faerie scenes.
Seems Hollywood has yet to get right a live-action version of Snow White. The best one still is Snow White: A Tale of Terror.
The Woman (2011)
Much more than it seems
Now those calling this film crap need to stop watching horror or anything remotely symbolic. Stick to your empty calorie action flicks.
This film is a horror movie on the surface, but really a commentary on both masculine vs. feminine and wild vs. civilized.
The men in this film abuse, oppress, subjugate, rape and even murder, the women around them who question their authority. This film is not misogynistic, the male characters are. Look at the end, the husband and son die horrible deaths. The mother, because she was weak and betrayed her own gender by not protecting her daughters from the husband, paid that price with her life. The oldest daughter was saved because she freed The Woman, who represents feminism and strength against male oppression, thereby freeing herself from the shackles of it. The female child is innocent, still untainted and will be raised to be strong.
The next aspect is wild vs. civil. The Woman represents the ancient, uninhibited side of human nature. Dark, unrelenting, unsympathetic to those around her. She kills without remorse, but also to survive. But she does not hide who she is by living a lie. She represents the truth and cruelty of nature.
Chris Cleek represents some of humanity. People who hide behind an exterior of normalcy, education, manners and society. They are just as vicious and cruel as The Woman, but have learned to keep their baser desires in the dark. These people are the serial killers, abusers, rapists and psychopaths of the world. Nature's instincts that could not be tamed. Chris's downfall was his betraying Nature, which is yin/yang, male/female. By violating the women around him, he violated Nature and, The Woman (Nature), paid him in return.
Now, this film does have its flaws. I was not a huge fan of the soundtrack. I would have preferred something more darkly symphonic, but I truly enjoyed this film very few I watch actually have a message to convey. I recommend it for both true horror fans and those who think outside the box.
Shuttle (2008)
Brings a real issue to light
OK, you could say this movie has flaws. I agree with some of the critique, but only in the sense that if it were me in that situation, I would have killed the driver the first chance I got. Survival is a fight and to win, you must do things you normally would never do.
I wanted this movie to end well, but once it was over, I see this was not the point. The point was to illustrate what hundreds if not thousands of women face, either real or the threat. As less likely it is to occur in the US as some other countries, this kind of thing happens and it is allowed to happen, because humans are greedy and many men in power are sick twisted souls.
I like this movie for making me aware, in a darker more definitive way than Liam Neeson's save the unrealistic day in Taken (great action, but would it happen, no). Keep in mind that when a woman is abducted into sexual slavery, she will probably not have a happy ending.
As far as the holes in the film, hey I'm not a critic. The acting was excellent, realistic, gritty. It kept me wanting more, to see what would happen next. It got my heart beating and me begging to see the women survive and kill the driver. This is much more than I could ever hope for in a film.