Change Your Image
waldenbergerm
I am no movie critic but I know what I like, what I don't like and what I am willing to spend my rare moments of downtime doing or watching. If I can pass along some bit of my experience that would help others to make a decision on how best to spend their time when it comes to movies, then I am more than happy to help.
I have no lofty goals or observations when it comes to movies, they either entertain or they don't. They either capture your imagination, make you think, stir emotions, grab you and shake you or they don't.
I am not concerned so much with character development or the subtleties of a movie as much as I am about the content, the story and whether or not the film elicits some response from me. If it makes me think or causes me to examine the underlying message, even better.
Reviews
616: Paranormal Incident (2013)
Another "Found Footage" Mishap
What can I say that probably already hasn't been said of "found footage" movies. Some can carry it off, at least enough so you stay focused on what you are watching and can view it to the very end. Others? Not so much. I watched 616 Paranormal Incident in the hope that the trailer I saw gave me some indication of what to expect. I was deceived. The flow and premise of the story makes it unbelievable from the start. The characters and the roles they play are neither believable nor are they interesting enough to compel you to really "get into" this movie. It's almost as if every moment designed to make you jump and gasp in fright is like every other you've seen with movies of this genre and after a while you are left with a feeling of "been there, done that, not impressed". The location to me looked very much like the notorious Linda Vista Hospital in L.A., a notoriously active paranormal location that is soon to become apartments. To me, that would have made a better story for a movie than this did. I mean imagine it, creepy hospital shut down over charges of mistreatment of patients and with a long list of potential candidates for haunting it gets bought by a developer with designs on turning that facility into an apartment complex. That my friends is fodder for a real scary movie! Some may fault the actors in this film for not delivering the movie as it was intended. It isn't their fault, you can only do so much with what you have and even the best actor in the realm of television or big screen could not have carried off this movie and saved it from its obvious lack of substance, story line or anything else that makes for a movie experience the audience can comprehend and enjoy. Don't shoot the messengers for this mishap, the actors did fine given what they had to work with. I thought that the makeup was somewhat well done. It was in line with what I have come to expect from these types of films but it was also done well enough that I didn't find myself rolling on the floor laughing at the attempt. This movie, for me, was a one and done. If you have nothing else to watch, it is an option for you but only if you have nothing else to watch.
Act of Valor (2012)
Finally, A True Movie About Real Heroes.
I sat back today and watched Act of Valor and I am impressed. Most people who have never served in the military cannot understand the bond that forms between members of a unit, like the SEAL team in this movie. It's more than your country, more than patriotism, more than a job. It's about the man next to you and in the end, that is what combat is about. You forget all the patriotic speeches and the bands playing and your world shrinks to the mission and the men you who you rely on and who rely on you. It's easy to forget that our soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines are people too. They often get portrayed in the media as mindless machines following orders. It was refreshing to see a movie that didn't have dialogue that tried too hard and showed these men as just like you and me, everyday people with everyday lives and concerns. The difference being that when these men go to work, they and their families know that they might never see each other again. I'm not going to beat anyone over the head with the usual elitist snobbery and pick the various elements of this movie apart because I can't and I wouldn't. At a time when everyone is looking for real heroes and wondering where they are, this movie showed you that they are all around us and most of us don't even know it. The men who serve in special operations teams, like the SEALs, could be your next door neighbor, that guy you pass in the grocery store or the Dad spending the day with his kids in the park. I really have to applaud the idea to use real American heroes in a movie about American heroes. No actors, no dialogue that seemed forced or fake, no over the top heroics, no underlying patriotic message. The movie broke it down to the bond of a group of men who did what needed to be done and relied on each other and saw each other as brothers. Real people feeling loss, sadness, grief and pain. Real people who took it upon themselves to protect and defend an entire nation and its people and whose efforts for the most part go unnoticed and unreported. You can't find fault with this movie, you just can't because it is an experience unlike any other movie experience you will ever have. When you see it as it was meant to be seen and get the real message of the film, it hits you hard where it counts. Forget the snobbery and the leftist hacks who will pick this movie apart. There was no agenda, no political bent to this movie. It's about men who come together as brothers doing a job most of us would never do for all of us. That's the message.
Playback (2012)
An Eye Into Depravity
I've read the reviews here and I've watched the movie. What I came away from the viewing experience with was that yes, it does take some of its moments away from other movies in the horror genre but it has enough of its own bends and twists to make it an alright experience should you choose to watch it. I often hear people writing about characters and plots and all the other rubbish associated with movies. My advice would be to come into this without all that baggage. This movie isn't a modern day adaptation of a book for the screen, it isn't a great play or a cinematic revelation. It is a horror movie, designed to shock you, make you squirm and jump and maybe occasionally marvel at the wickedness you see on the screen. What should be noticed is the depravity of the main characters. Total indifference to the feelings or well being of others as long as they can fulfill their own selfish and often brutal needs. Along the way, the implication of other unseen depraved people who need their fix gets implied too. What you are left with is a small picture of society in which people forget the boundaries of "civilized" society and are doing nothing more than acting as "normal" while being anything but. Yeah, I know, it may be a bit deep but if you look at in that way then you might just be shocked at how "real" the characters in the movie really can be. Just think about that girl you see on the street or that cop that just drove past you while you were out walking and think about how every person you pass by in the course of your day might have some deep, dark desire or passion or obsession that they secretly act upon when the eyes of civilized society aren't watching. There is a thin line between being civilized and being what society would call a monster. Sometimes the most hideous things are the things that we don't see as hideous, abominable or despicable. The things that we don't pay attention to, the subtle links between this and that which nobody pays attention to. That is until someone notices something and starts to pull back the mask of the monster. Movies like this offend because they are so close to real. We can see the potential for someone to act that way because people have acted that way. In every story, there is a purl of truth. Think about that as you watch this movie. Blood and gore aside, horror genre aside, there is a message. Whether you choose to see the message is up to you.