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Snow White and the Huntsman

June 9, 2012

John wrote a review for this film…check it out

Snow White and the Huntsman is an enjoyable romp that excels in creating wonderful sets, shots and creations.

However, the characters are given little development and personality. First time feature director Rupert Sanders shows a lot of visual promise but will need to give his characters more personality amidst the unique CGI, vistas and hair styles.

Kirsten Stewart does a fine job as Snow White. However, the role asks for her to look at stuff, be amazed and rock a sweet warrior pony tail.

Hemsworth is a drunk huntsman who finds her, saves her and smooches her. Hemsworth’s physicality works well in the role but he isn’t given much to do. The blandness is not a fault of the actor. The script makes him a drunk widower who eventually becomes a less drunk widower.

Snow White, the huntsman and a young duke battle the vicious Charlize Theron and her blond brother. Theron married Snow White’s father then killed him on the wedding night. The kingdom goes to ruins and the majority of the fair maidens get their souls sucked out. Eventually, the soul sucking queen learns Snow White will be the fairest and naturally decides to eat her heart.

White escapes into the dark forest, meets some murderous dwarves and bonds with the huntsman. They attack the big castle and many things look beautiful. Sanders handles the action well but he edits the fights so quickly you are never quite sure what is going on. He should have followed the Thor handbook and allowed Hemsworth to show off his action chops with longer shots and better fights.

You are never absorbed into the story but you enjoy the majority of the stuff you look at. This film also teaches a very important lesson. If you are a king/queen and you defeat an army of glass soldiers then find a beautiful imprisoned  woman/man do not marry them the next day. Because, if you do you will be stabbed in the heart by a large knife.

The promo photos for this film were very entertaining. In hindsight they guaranteed a visual delight and forecasted what was to come. Stewart is always looking at stuff with lovely hair, Hemsworth poses well with axes and Theron is a believable ice queen.

1. Kristen Stewart never looks at the camera. I’d wager it is to show off her fantastic hair.

2. Hemsworth must hate axes now. He mastered the saucy axe look.

3. Theron loves crows and knives.

Watch Snow White. Dig the look. Count the crows. Enjoy the hair.

We Need to Talk About Kevin

June 9, 2012

I still cannot believe that Tilda Swinton was not nominated for an Academy Award. How in the world did Rooney Mara get nominated over her? It makes zero sense. Tilda is a force of nature and carries tons of dread on her shoulders. Mara’s character is a carbon copy of a wonderful creation. I know Swinton is basing her character on a literary character but she is wonderful as a self-possessed woman dealing with a psychotic/manipulative/destructive child.

I do not want to give too much away about this film. I will say that it is about a woman who used to travel, live and love. Then she got married, settled down and had a devil spawn. Her dislike of the child is evident and this flips around as he begins to torture on all mental fronts. There are never scare tactics or jumps. The horror comes from deteriorating mental states.

She lives in a house that after years never feels lived in. It is like she always wanted something else and now she is stuck with a clueless husband, a sadist child and a miraculously sweet girl. She is not an innocent woman. There is a scene early in the film where she tells the child “she would rather be in Paris.” He clearly doesn’t understand but I’d wager he understood her dislike. What follows is her punishment for the dislike.

The movie is filled with dread, loaded with quiet moments and will not leave you happy. However, you will appreciate the intensity and performances from Swinton and Ezra Miller. The non linear editing and lack of horror gimmicks make this a unique and powerful film that sticks in your memory like the paint splashed on Swinton’s wall.

I really like this movie. However, I find it hard to recommend because of the source material loaded with dread. So, be warned. You will appreciate the filmmaking but it won’t make you happy.

Men in Black III

June 8, 2012

MIB III works because of Will Smith’s and Josh Brolin’s chemistry. Without these two men the movies would have been crushed under the weight of its unclear plot, disposable bad guy and talk of time travel.

The movie revolves around Will Smith going back in time to keep The Flight of the Conchords Jemaine Clement from killing a younger agent K who is played wonderfully by Josh Brolin. He is equal parts cranky, happy and confident. When acting alongside Will Smith Brolin proves to be equally as capable and the two form a fun relationship of equal personalities.

All the action and plot are secondary to the funny moments between Josh Brolin, Will Smith, Bill Hader and Alice Eve. Watching Will Smith threaten Bill Hader’s Andy Warhol is far more entertaining than any of the loud CGI action.

The biggest disappointment of the film is what they did with Jemaine Clement. Clement has proven to a force of nature in the comedy world but in this film he is given nothing to do and his personality never shines through the boring bad guy Boris. Vincent D’Onofrio was incredibly memorable as Edgar the bug. His big bug man was threatening, humorous and did not want world domination. Thus, he was believable and a perfect foil to Will Smith’s rookie agent. Clement is a monotone, one-armed dude who only wants destruction….Thus, he is boring.

The MIB series has always featured inventive creatures by Rick Baker. MIB III keeps up the tradition of creative design. This film features some creative retro design.

This movie has earned the fresh 69% rating on Rotten Tomatoes because it features likable characters who you enjoy spending time with. However, due to the paper-thin plot and stock bad guy it will be known as the second best MIB film.

Man on a Ledge

June 7, 2012

The curious case of a Man on a Ledge.

I enjoyed Man on a Ledge. I’d watch it again. However, nothing is at stake, there is zero tension and the only way the plan would work is if EVERYTHING went right.

What I like about this film is that it is a nice little movie that you can watch after a long day of work. I myself had just gotten back from five days of working the Philly Comic Con and I needed something brainless and fun. The film zips by and asks for little but enjoyment.

The plot revolves around a wrongly accused man (Sam Worthington) trying to clear his name. So, he escapes custody and climbs on a ledge.

His ledge antics get everyone’s attention while his brother (Jamie Bell) and his girlfriend (Genesis Rodriguez) attempt to steal a diamond from  an overly evil Ed Harris.

Bell and Rodriguez are the best parts of this film. Bell is attempting to help his brother and Rodriguez is %100 in on the plan. They are in over their heads but they never stop trying. You enjoy their bickering, arguing and covenant ways to fit into leather catsuits.

Man on a ledge Genesis Rodriguez catsuit

Joining them are wonderful actors who play stock characters.

Elizabeth Banks – Depressed/drunk negotiator who begins to trust Worthington

Anthony Mackie – Former partner who is undoubtedly corrupt

Kyra Sedgewick – Sassy reporter

Edward Burns – Sarcastic cop

Bill Sadler – Nicest hotel employee ever.

SPOILER

ALERT

DO

NOT

READ

THIS

UNLESS

YOU

WANT

TO

KNOW

A

MAJOR

PLOT

POINT

At the end Sam Worthington makes a mad dash of the top of a building. I was incredibly excited because I thought maybe he was trying to jump on Ed Harris from 30 floors up. This did not happen because he landed on a large inflatable pad. However, how cool would it have been if Sam was up here.

And he landed on Ed Harris.

Of course they both live though. I immediately would have bought the film and told everyone about the moment of awesomeness.

Watch Man on Ledge, appreciate Man on a Ledge, keep the hope alive that someday Sam Worthington will jump on Ed Harris from 30 floors up.

Movies, Films & Flix Roundtable: Snow White and the Huntsman

June 6, 2012

Hello all. Mark here.

The MFF crew broke down the Snow White and the Huntsman trailer. Enjoy, read and appreciate the fairest blog post of them all.

Mark: They have succeeded in making the film look epic. However, I still don’t believe that Kristen Stewart can pick up a steel sword.

John: Epic, yes.  But Kristen Stewart destined to be the fairest?  Please!  She reminds me of a tomboy ballerina.

Mark: ouch. I’m assuming that the people in the kingdom would rather have a morose tomboy ballerina as opposed to a heart eating, milk bathing, monotone shape shifting princess.

John: Ummmm, a heart-eating, milk-bathing, monotone shape-shifting princess that’s HOT!  Lookin’ all sexy sucking the souls out of the virgin fair youth of the kingdom.

Sweet Sugar: I wonder if the milk queen likes Oreos or Famous Amos?

Mark: If an evil milk bathing Derek Zoolander was the king of an empire and killed off all the good-looking dudes I’d rock a mullet and wear parachute pants. Problem solved, and I don’t have to slide into any sewers.

Chuck Finley: I have to admit this movie is kind of epic looking. Kristen just strikes me as the girl you went to high school with who listened to Wilco and other more obscure shit and smoked Parliaments. She couldn’t beat eggs let alone glass knights, magic crows, and a Mega hot queen. Thor looks tough though. But probably because he’s Nordic.

Mark: I agree. I got goose bumps the first time i watched the trailer. It looks like a visual cornucopia and after watching Young Adult I know Theron will be a wonderful bad person. I wonder if her torture methods include listening to Good Charlotte cover Wilco.

Ryan: Does the queen win? Like as in Anakin vs Dooku in Revenge of the Sith win. I want her hands chopped off with a look of complete disbelief on her face.. then the unceremonious scissor cut as her head pops off and rolls away with a thump. Feast on the heart. Roll credits. Best movie ever.

Mark: At about :50 seconds Stewart accomplishes the greatest “slide into a sewer” ever. I was hoping there would be a gate just slightly inside the drain….

John: Stewart weighs little more than a house cat and, as such, slides across the kitchen floor when over-excited.

Mark: The first time I looked at this poster I thought “There are way too many crows.” It is like a crow bonanza.

Sweet Sugar: Those axes look really small. He must be chopping some tiny logs.

Jay: So is this what happened to Thor when his father stripped him of his powers?

Mark: Chris Hemsworths last four movies have involved him getting hit by large creatures (frost giants, zombies, Hulk and large tree goblins) I bet he wishes he could do more movies like Perfect Getaway where he only gets the stink eye from Timothy Olyphant.

John: The ‘phant is one of the only man ever to give a convincing stink eye from behind a cardigan.  That eye is nothing to be taken lightly.  I’d rather take a sucker punch from a playfully bitter Hulk than the ‘phant-eye.

Mark: Megan looked at the poster and noticed Kristen Stewart’s fantastic hair. I watched the trailer again and I hate to admit that her hair looks fantastic throughout. Her warrior ponytail is a marvel of nervous stylists. Then I started looking at the posters and noticed that Stewart is never looking at the camera. Her head is always to the side showing the glorious coiffure. I call it “hair acting.”

O’Lasavath: Maybe the reason why Charlize “Mr. F” Theron wants Stewart killed is because she’s jealous of her hair. Ultimately it doesn’t matter as both of their do’s pale in comparison to Hemsworth’s luxurious mane.

Mark: Imagine if this movie featured the Arrested Development cast. who would be the huntsman? Jason Bateman or Will Arnett? The fairest maiden would be Tobias Funke.

O’Lasavath: Here’s how I see it going down: Michael Cera would be cast as Snow-White, Jason Bateman would play the huntsman, Will Arnett as the voice of the magic mirror, and Carl Weathers would be the castle cook making a big pot of stew.

Mark: Carl Weathers make the best stew in all the land. “We’re getting our stew on baby!”

Megan: No way, I think the huntsman would have to be Ann ‘Egg’ Veal, you can’t really read her but I think she has the heart of a killer under that bland exterior.

Chuck Finley: I’m afraid that this will be a case of epic trailer making a movie look way more badass than it actually is. Kind of like Good Charlotte “punk” music.

Bad Movie Tuesday: Good Reviews for Bad Movies

June 5, 2012

Have you ever seen these reviews before?

Lots of Action

Lots of Explosions

The Car Chases are fast

Whenever a bad movie is released there are always the random good reviews that you see on the DVD or poster. If you are a beginning movie blogger and want to make a name for yourself I highly recommend that you begin writing good blurbs for bad movies.

I was going to do a mid year bad movie awards BMT but I’ve decided I need to practice the good review for the bad movie. You might be seeing my blog soon on the cover of Season of the Witch 2!

1. One for the Money

1. John Leguizamo is in it

2. It reminded of Two for the Money.

2. Wrath of the Titans

1. Lots of CGI and loud noises

2. Liam Neesons beard is wonderful

3. You will only get a minor headache from the 3D.

3. Seeking Justice

1. This movie prevented me from going into bankruptcy.

2. Nic Cage succeeds in Seeking and finding justice.

4.  Mirror Mirror

1. Snow Whites eyebrows are amazing.

2. They cast dwarves to play the dwarves.

5. This Means War

1. Tiniest cast ever

2. Everything is very shiny

3. Features only one nut shot!

Big Miracle

1. They save a whale.

2. The actors look realistically cold.

Underworld: Awakening

1. There is a really big werewolf who throws people into walls.

2. The squishy sounds are phenomenal..You feel the squish.

3. The CGI creation of Scott Speedman almost looks like Scott Speedman.

Contraband

1. Mark Wahlberg scratches his back whilst holding a gun.

The Raven

1. John Cusack tries really hard and sports wonderful facial hair.

2. Alice Eve is pleasant.

3. They don’t go crazy on the birds like they do in Snow White and the Huntsman.

Ghost Rider 2

1. It isn’t Seeking Justice.

2. Idris Elba is in it.

John’s Shamefully Bad Horror Corner: Dreamaniac (1986)

June 3, 2012

MY CALL:  If Netflix taunts you with this senseless smut, don’t take the bait.  Without some sort of drinking game or comic relief outlet this movie is just about unwatchable.  WHAT TO WATCH INSTEAD:  This movie was a lousy version of any movie from the Night of the Demons franchise.  I’d watch one of them or The Hazing (2004).

Okay, just a sec here.  I can’t possibly NOT compare an in-crisis Britney Spears to the Dreamaniac movie poster.  This is equally scary, but based on a “true” story.

Back in the 80s and early 90s ultra-campy horror flicks used to make preteens wait until about the thirty-minute mark for their taste of scream queen nudity.  Promising to be disastrously awful, Dreamaniac introduces nudity in the very first scene—an awkwardly bloody shower make-out session.  Maybe I shouldn’t judge just yet, though.  I mean, Of Unknown Origin (1983) had an opening shower scene and I ended up loving that movie—no, because of the shower scene.

Our lead character (Adam) is in to heavy metal.  Now as any 80s parent knew, this meant that he worshipped the devil, right?  Of course he does!  He lights a few candles to set the mood, unwinds with a cigarette and his favorite infernal hymnal, and prays to the dark lord to “grant [him] this one night.”    In the spirit of Weird Science (1985), this conjuration summons the girl of his dreams—his bloody, naked make-out dreams.  This dream takes a nasty turn when she gets a little zombie on him during a BJ.  Just another dream…or was it?

Adam and his college friends have a little house party and one of the guests brings bloody shower girl as his plus-one.  What a coincidence.  They do some drugs, drink too much and have some premarital sex to cue the audience that they’ll be dying one by one later on.  This wish-upon-a-devil succubus (Lily) kills and then apparently feeds on the blood of Adam’s schoolmates.  She gets a bit stabby with a couple of them, strangles one and electrocutes another.  These kills are awful, you never see any of it happen, and there is practically no attempt at fun gore.  A couple attempts at humor were evident, but their delivery horribly failed.  In this respect, this felt a lot like Sleepaway Camp (1983).

I know what you’re thinking.  “Please, oh please, let these douche bags die.”  They do.

Is it me, or is he even standing there in his underwear like a douche bag?  She’s a succubus, bro.  It doesn’t take much to impress her into bed.

Lily toys with Adam, who can’t seem find the strength to send her back whence she came to stop her killing spree.  Adam even starts to like her evil work and watches her bite off one of his frat buddy’s manhood.  He even starts participating.  Essentially, this is exactly what concerned mothers worried about when they’d find Slayer or Pantera albums on your dresser back in your high school days.

This “succubus” falls into a gray area for horror trivia experts.  We see her drinking blood from a dead guy’s corpse—maybe she’s more of a ghoul than vampire.  Someone reads Adam’s “evil book” and learns that to you must kill her by beheading or a stake through the heart—now more vampy.  Yet, she seems to have no powers at all.  Or does she?  After she kills a few people, they come back to life with a murderous spirit and try to kill Adam’s girlfriend, Pat.  Pat ends up killing these killed killers herself and does a more impressive job than Lily when it comes to dispatching Adam’s friends.

This lovely ski pole placement earned Pat a place on the scoreboard.

Really showcasing the inconsistency of this flick or perhaps the utter stupidity of the writer and director, Pat desperately explains “We have to kill her, and Adam, too, or we’ll never get out of here alive!”  But no one at any time in the movie, not even after finding a dead body or being attacked, tries to open the front door and exit to safety.  WTF!!!!!  Just leave!  Worse yet, at no point does anyone even try to pick up a phone and dial 9-1-1.  I guess these chicks were all just majoring in “dumb slut.”

The best part of the movie—or, perhaps, the only good part—was near the end when Pat powerdrills Adam’s head off.  This was very stupid, very funny, and the only part of the movie with a lot of blood and screaming.  Then the ending is of paramount idiocy.  Lily turns out to be some escaped mental patient who is collected by her caretaker, who really doesn’t seem concerned that the people in the house are covered in blood.

Yes, ladies.  A powerdrill makes perfect sense to use as a weapon against someone who stands perfectly still.  But, what if they move?

Typical Slayer fan metal-head.

I think this movie was made to please hormonally raging youngsters who are just a bit too young still to follow through on their impulses with a partner.  All of the women in this flick are extremely horny and people are engaging in some manner of sexual contact basically throughout the movie.  This flick oozes awful.  The star, Thomas Bern, has never been in any other movie or TV show ever!  The chick who plays the succubus shared a similar fate (four acting credits).  Ashlyn Gere (aka Kim McKamy; who played Adam’s girlfriend Pat) transitioned from super-cheap scream queen to porn stardom.  This flick’s writer has done nothing else and the director, who has done a LOT of smutty exploitative horror under various male and female pseudonyms (who knows for what weird reason), hit the high point of his career with the mediocre Puppet Master 3.

Do yourself a big favor and don’t see this.

Snow White and the Huntsman (2012)

June 2, 2012

MY CALL:  Bored.  I can’t remember waiting for a movie to end for so long.  There was disappointment, but mostly boredom.  Might I add that there is little less credible in the world than Kristen Stewart’s armored Snow White wielding sword.  WHAT TO WATCH INSTEAD:  I’m going to go way out on a limb here and say that The Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) accomplished what this film was trying to.  Not your style?  Then I’d wind back the clock for some nostalgic darker fantasy fun.  How about Legend (1985), Willow (1988), Labyrinth (1986), The Dark Crystal (1982), Wizards (1977), The Last Unicorn (1982), The Whiz (1978) or Return to Oz (1985).  Too old for you?  Then why not just aim for LOTR or The Brothers Grimm (2005).

Another misleading trailer. I thought I was in for a contemporary fairy tale with epic action. Instead I yawned my way through two hours as Kristin the one-look-Zoolander Stewart sulked her way through another over-produced, underwritten movie with an emotionally bewildered expression which begs the question…

Did somebody just fart?

I think that the Legally Blonde girlfriends of America have formed a united front to get their boyfriends to suffer through this well- wardrobed fairy tale.  I was horrified to see that Amazon’s first five reviews averaged 4/5 stars.  Blonde espionage at work—doubtless!  Meanwhile, I think the evil queen’s soul-sucking aim is a little off because Kristen Stewart is still alive and I feel like I’ve been drained of all vigor.  [End rant]

This really could have been epic.  Many snippets, scenes and concepts/ideas were excellent; it’s just that many others were not.  The opening winter scene was stark, but oh so powerful (most memorable of the movie, I’d say).  But then it was largely followed by scenes shot too close up to enjoy the storybook grandeur.  However it wasn’t all bleakly shot.  Formidable castlescapes impressed and the brilliant enchanted forest reminded me that there was some insight behind this film’s production while also breaking the lowlight gray color palate of the scenes from The Dark Forest and the dungeon-like castle.  The fairy forest was like Ferngully meets Pandora, filled with all manner of enamoring CGI flora and fauna.  Conversely, the fairies seemed like something out of a Saturday morning children’s show as if they were thrown together at the last minute before the movie’s release.  These are but few examples of the inconsistent quality throughout the film.

I thought this would be an action/adventure movie.  But it didn’t feel like one.  The chthonic troll was my favorite critter.  But the action (i.e., between the troll and the huntsman) was brief, ill-imagined and ultimately anticlimactic.  The queen’s glasswork soldiers are cool early in the movie as they shatter in slo-mo on the battlefield, but the scene is all about the effects and not about action.  During the finale, these minions are animated semi-humanoid blobs of glass shards which move so fast you can’t tell what they’re doing.  I wish I could unsee that scene.  In general, the action in this movie was like poor quality background noise.  It was never the focus of anyone one scene, but it was always too distracting to ignore.  Anyone expecting Lord of the Rings quality sword fights or man-versus-creature bouts would likely be disappointed.

For whatever reason, the King never questions why his foes just “shattered” into black glass shards or where they came from.  He just marries their prisoner hottie the next day and gets black widowed.  Good call, King!

Really, Charlize Theron’s queen made for the best moods and moments.  Her wardrobe was creatively architected to look both painfully donned and elegant while royal with trappings of the macabre.  At times her acting may come off as a bit extreme, but hey—she is playing an evil aging witch queen obsessed with youth and power.  You could feel her desperation, pain, flagging sanity…oh yeah, and evil.  The best effects were cast on the queen’s sorcery as she shifts form.

Like a Goth prom queen, claw-ring and all.

I expect an Oscar nomination for costume designer Colleen Atwood.

Got milk?

I wonder if she even knows how much a gallon of milk costs.  The price of beauty, right?

Chris Hemsworth (The Avengers’ Thor, The Cabin in the Woods) portrayed the right character the right way, but with the wrong lines, weak character development and no heroic scenes.  His action scenes either focus little on his character (rather the whole battle or situation) or result in him getting his butt kicked.  They also made the huntsman a depressed alcoholic widower, but offer little to justify his convenient noble transformation throughout the movie.

So they gave Hemsworth a Scottish accent and a big axe.  This was a failed attempt at keeping us from thinking of him as the Norwegian hammer-wielding Thor.

The dwarves, who in three minutes quickly shift from murderous mercenaries to stalwart allies, were really only as interesting as the actors you recognized behind the odd haircuts and facial prosthetics—namely Bob Hoskins, Ian McShane (Jack the Giant Killer), Nick Frost (Paul) and Toby Jones (The Hunger Games, Your Highness).  They offer little to lighten the mood, in fact often distracting from the tone with too many weak lines, frequent and ineffective attempts at comic relief, and way too much screen time. Oh, right, and the “Prince” guy (William) felt like a completely needless character.

Just like LOTR‘s Gimley; another failed attempt at fantasy dwarves by Hollywood.  Just cast real dwarves for God’s sake!  Game of Thrones‘ Peter Dinklage and Willow‘s Warwick Davis would make a good start, right?

Stacked upon all this is that a lot of things go unexplained.  Just because you can get away with that in a kid’s fairy tale doesn’t mean you can do that with the adult contemporary version.  I’m complaining a lot here, but the movie isn’t necessarily to be skipped.  Many of the effects and scenes would be far more enjoyable on the big screen (or at least a large HDTV) and surround sound.  Just don’t make a Friday night event out of it—save it for a rainy Sunday afternoon.  A portion of these scenes, effects and ideas are why I say this movie could have been epic.  The skill set was there.  But the writing wasn’t—in terms of story fluidity above dialogue.  But hey, this was director Rupert Sanders’ first film.  For a first job, and one of such magnitude, he showed some serious imaginative chops…he just didn’t do so consistently.  Keep an eye out for him in the future.

Goon

June 1, 2012

My brother already wrote a wonderful review for this film so I’m not going to repeat everything. I just had to put a couple of thoughts out there in an attempt to promote this film

Goon is a charming little flick that had me laughing, cheering and biting my nails. It is anchored by two fantastic performances by Seann William Scott and Liev Schreiber.

Scott plays a hockey enforcer named Doug Glatt who is recruited to play for a minor league team to protect the star player. The all-star lost his mojo when Schreiber knocked him out and made him scared of his own shadow.

What follows are fights, laughs and a wonderfully dumb/smart Seann William Scott.

Goon was released by Magnet (13 Assassins, Tucker and Dale) and their movies always end up on Netflix. So rent, buy or watch this film on Netflix. Recommend it to a friend and pass it along.

Trailer Talk: The Apparition

May 31, 2012

CLICK HERE TO GO TO THE REVIEW OF THIS MOVIE

The concept is interesting enough.  Some young attractive folks test a theory that ghosts only exist because we believe in them.  Ergo, to believe in a ghost can facilitate the manifestation of one.  It works, “it” is pissed, and it haunt-hunts them down one by one.  The imagery and F/X strategy feel just like Pulse, but the trailer offers a variety of approaches to prey upon the paranormally-intrigued protagonists.

Release Date: August 24th, 2012

CLICK HERE to watch the trailer.

This looks like Americanized releases of Pulse (2006) and The Grudge (2004) had a child…as if the Grudge ghost was the evil force in Pulse, more specifically.  Trailers can be very deceiving.  This flick has all the potential to be as good as either of its siring movies, but could just as well turn into another One Missed Call disaster.

I’ve been batting just over .500 with horror trailers lately.  My Trailer Talk on Grave Encounters paid off well.  So did The Cabin in the Woods.  But my hopeful expectations of Chernobyl Diaries led only to crushing disappointment.

No means no, Grudge ghost!

Some Concerns:  First off, writer/director Todd Lincoln hasn’t really done anything yet other than an early screenplay for the Devil’s Due comic-to-movie Hack/Slash; the producers have almost no horror experience between them; and none of the actors have the experience to capture the audience—not that horror movies typically do.  The cast includes Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy of the Harry Potter series; Rise of the Planet of the Apes) and the lovely Ashley Greene (the Twilight series) prancing around in her underwear looking scared.

Don’t worry, Ashley Greene.  If the Grudge ghost shows up he’ll use his baseball bat.  That should work, right?  Right?  A bat against a ghost…that only exists because we believe it does?