A few opinions to digest

Alright, now for some rapid fire opinions on some movies I’ve seen over the last month or two.

Paranormal Activity. When this movie was in theatres I remember overhearing a conversation in the office at work where someone was explaining , “Now, I’m no lightweight. I do not scare easy. I’m no wuss, but Paranormal Activity scared the bejesus out of me!” Well, I had already seen the trailers and wasn’t too impressed. These poltergeist-types are a dime a dozen these days and it just looked like a film trying to exploit a TV phenomenon. But the guy I was hearing give his terrified testimonial was pretty convincing so I had to see for myself.

Paranormal Activity does a couple of really awesome things. First, they begin the movie with a thank you to the San Diego police department for releasing the material that the viewer is about to witness. For those of you that remember The Blair Witch Project, you may remember that the intrigue that propelled it to horror deity was the possibility that it was actual footage. Paranormal Activity follows the same blueprint by having unknown actors, using their real names, teamed up with horrible camera-work which together create an amateurish, close-to-home feeling that seems to work so well for the genre. I compare it a little to when my siblings and I would watch Unsolved Mysteries on Sunday nights. I knew it was all re-enacted and embellished but the idea that it was based on a sliver of truth caused us all to check and recheck the locks on the backdoor and close all the blinds and drapes. It’s the antithesis of the “Jason X; Jason In Space” or whatever… I don’t ever remember watching a movie like that and thinking “I sure hope the next time im hanging out with a bunch of irresponsible college students in an abandoned space-station I don’t run into that guy!”

So, while Paranormal Activity did have some suspenseful moments and some great production ideas, I do not join the ranks of those who worship it as a horror top ten. My opinion is simply based on the fact that its hard for me to be scared of nothing. The entire movie is based on noises and superstition. There is nothing there to be scared of except your own beliefs or ideals. Some would argue that’s exactly what makes it so great, I’m just not on board. The movie feels a little repetitive and drawn-out in a lot of moments and there isn’t really a big payoff at the end to make it worthwhile. When all is said and done though, this movie was reportedly made on an estimated $15,000 budget and grossed close to $108,000,000. So, love it or hate it; mission accomplished.

Easy A. Okay, so when I first looked this movie up it was listed with other recommendations such as 40 year old Virgin, I Love you, Man, and Going the Distance giving me the impression it was just gonna be another one of those teenager-targeted raunchy comedies. But, after watching it, I was pleasantly surprised that it had very little in common with any of those titles. Easy A is fun, fast and clever from its story and script to its acting and accuracy in recreating a high school experience.

Often times when describing movies I try to use other movies as benchmarks to help create an image for someone who hasn’t seen it. For example, an easy one would be if I were trying to describe Armageddon to someone. I would say something like “It’s like Deep Impact, except its good and not horribly long and boring!” On second thought, that’s a horrible example because everyone has seen Armageddon and I think I’m the only retard that sat through Elijah Wood staring at a tidal wave for two-and-a-half hours. But I think you can get the idea. For Easy A, I would relate it to Juno and Mean Girls. Its witty and funny and somehow manages to carry some good, subtle life lessons on honesty, gossip and abstinence. Maybe the greatest thing about it is that you can sit through 90 minutes and not find a big glaring problem with it. It’s solid from beginning to end. If you haven’t seen it, surely it wouldn’t hurt to.

Apocalypto. I finally watched this movie after neglecting it for so long. In my own defense though, I never really heard anything about it when it came out. I know lots of people saw it, but apparently nobody had much to say. It’s hard not to marvel at the amount of work done for this movie. The amount of detail and historical value alone is worth watching. The biggest strike against it is obvious. Its 140 minutes long. But, if you have half-a-day free and you’ve not seen Apocalypto yet I would recommend it. Who doesn’t like a movie about a young Mayan warrior defending his child and pregnant wife against all odds? “I am Jaguar Paw! This is my forest! My sons and their sons will hunt here after I am gone!” Immediately im on board and rooting for this guy, booby-traps and all! I compare it to a kind of Mexican Home Alone. Alright, so they aren’t Mexican… whatever. But really, whats the difference between Jaguar Paw’s declaration and Kevin McAllister saying “This is my house, I have to defend it!”?