shaunpiersonx Reviews

The Roommate (I) (2011)

A decent thriller...

[5/10 · 6 February 2011]

The Roommate is one of those films, that when you first the trailer, you think to yourself, "This is gonna suck". But only when you actually see the film do you realize that you were only partly wrong. The Roommate's premise is simple enough. A young pretty girl is being stalked and obsessed with by her roommate. The film revolves around Sarah (Minka Kelly) who is on her own, going to college and learning new things. Little does she know that she has a stalker roommate, Rebecca (Leighton Meester). As soon as Rebecca and Sarah become closer to each other, strange events begin to occur. Each of Sarah's close friends or allies becomes hurt, or sometimes even killed. I wonder who could've done this?

The good thing about The Roommate is that it is a pretty decent thriller. Even though it doesn't even come close to meeting the standards of a horror movie, it still delivers some chills and even some cheap jump scares. The acting is good as well. With the exception of Minka Kelly. Cam Gigandet delivers a solid sometimes annoying performance as Sarah's new beau. Even though he is not in the film for long, he lifts our spirits when things are going rough, which is pretty much every 10 minutes. But the real scene stealer here is Leighton Meester as the crazed roommate. Meester delivers a believable potent performance, psychotic one moment and sweet the next.

The bad things about the film are that in the very beginning it moves far too fast. Jumping from one thing to the next in the blink of an eye. Also, the writing really could've used a makeover. I mean, the dialogue in this film is ridiculous. All in all, the film is at times stupid and the deaths aren't very well executed, if executed at all. But the acting and characters keep you around for the show. Overall, The Roommate is a film I would recommend, but only to open-minded movie watchers.

Halloween II (2009)

Typical Zombie Material

[7/10 · 31 January 2011]

Since Rob Zombie's epically terrible re-telling of the first Halloween film, many people have been praying, "Please don't make a sequel". Guess what? He did. Halloween 2 was released in August of 2009 and grossed a rather small amount. Reviews from critics have completely bashed the film saying that it was just bad. I tend to think otherwise.

Rob Zombie's Halloween 2 is a solid slasher remake flick. A gory horror infested nightmare. In this film, Zombie brings back much of the first cast but tends to stay as far away as possible from the original Halloween 2. This is what makes the film better. In his remake of Halloween, Zombie stays close to the original and almost translates the entire thing. But in this one, Zombie directs with style and sometimes even artful intentions. Even though, a lot of the time the artsy things don't pay off as much as they should, it's good to see something attempted. The film starts off boisterous and gory with it's 26 minute opening scene where murderer Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) once again attempts to kill Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton). This scene gets really long at times and feels much to dragged out.

Most of the film doesn't really deliver any good scares because of it's predictability but it sure delivers tons of gore and buckets of blood which are enough to make you cringe. The acting in this movie though, is also cringe worthy. Sherri Moon Zombie does a terrible job, once again, portraying Michael Myers ghostly white matriarch. Every word that comes out of her mouth is preposterous (partly blaming the script). Scout Taylor Compton is OKAY as Laurie. At times, which is most of the movie, all it is is Scout screaming her head off.

Overall, the movie is very stupid and campy. But thats what makes it fun. I appreciate the film for attempting to be do something and not be boring. Even though the acting is dreadful and the script could use a makeover, Halloween 2 will leave you either mad, sad, horrified, cheated, happy or disappointed. I would recommend this movie only to horror fans.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

The best Potter film yet, but it is only an appetizer, prompting us for the main course.

[9/10 · 17 January 2011]

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, is the third Potter film to be helmed by director David Yates. Since Yate's catastophe he called, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" got bad reviews, he kicked it up a notch, directing beautifully in, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince". This time, in Deathly Hallows, he kicks it up about 12 notches. Beautifully filmed, this Potter film is without question, the best. The film really is brilliantly acted as well, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint really give it their all in this sometimes emotional and dreary entry. Radcliffe is still mediocre though, and we can't help but feel that his acting is kind of weak at points. But Helena Bonham Carter's over-the-top Bellatrix counteracts that weakness, even though she is in the film for only a small period of time. Alan Rickman as Snape, is barley even there in this film. We see him once in the film's killer opening sequence, but then he vanishes.

In this Potter installment, Harry and friends must destroy the evil Lord Voldemort once and for all. They set out on a dangeous and life threatening mission to find Horcruxes, each an object where Voldemort had split his soul and hid. If you are a Potter virgin, please do not go see this film. You wil be baffled by the countless names and places included in the story.

Gorgeously lensed by the magnificent cinematographer, Eduardo Serra, this film is a lot more sullen and more bleak than the others, which is very apparent considering the material worked with. It seems less magical and more real life. The early technicolor palet that chris Columbus often used is a farewell to us. This is the prelude to the last Potter finale, which will be in theaters July of 2011, so it does feel unfinished. But that is the adventure in the Potter films. You never know what your gonna get.

The Social Network (2010)

One of the best films, not only of the year, but of the decade.

[10/10 · 17 January 2011]

How could they ever make a film about Facebook? The Social Network is one of those films that could've been bland and pointless. But screenwriter Aaron Sorkin's brilliant script is the exact opposite. With a lot of dialog and very little detail about the surroundings, director David Fincher's priority was to use his imagination for that part. And boy did it pay off. The Social Network is a beautifully directed, brilliantly scripted film. The story revolves around young 19 year old Facebook creator, Mark Zuckerberg, and the stemming of his idea to create "Facebook", a social networking website, that is immensely popular now with millions of users.

The film's killer opening scene, really starts off the film nicely, with the witty quick dialog that Jesse Eisenberg and Rooney Mara exchange. The film really is a gem with the wicked score by Trent Reznor & Atticus Cross. The bleakness of the music at times, really generates a somber scene. Greatly acted, and beautifully written and directed, The Social Network really has no faults. But clocking in a 120 minutes, the film does a seem a little bit overstretched.