Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

The thing that I enjoy most about Wes Anderson films is that they each feel like a great adventure and in this sense I think Moonrise Kingdom is his best yet. It tells that tale of Sam, an orphan on scout camp, and Suzy, a misunderstood girl, as they run away together. At first I found the two actors playing the kids to be kind of limp but after a few minutes I warmed to them and I actually think they were both pretty good overall, particularly Jared Gilman who plays Sam and even more so knowing that it's the first acting he's ever done. The rest of the cast are all pursuing or helping them in some way and there a couple of sub-plots with the island's policeman (played by Bruce Willis) and the parents of Suzy (Bill Murray and Frances McDormand).

I thought that the rest of the cast was great. In fairness I am a bit biased because I love Bill Murray, Edward Norton, Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand but even so I have to say that they were all really good, especially Edward Norton who plays the scout master, and Bill Murray. There are also a couple of minor roles for Jason Schwartzman, Harvey Keital and Tilda Swinton who were also a lot of fun. Everyone in the cast fits into their role really well which is obviously exactly what you want, but not only is that the case for the main roles but also for the less important ones, like the scout troupe (especially Sam's 'enemy'), Suzy's three brothers or the oddball narrator.

Cinematography wise I didn't think this movie was particularly spectacular, especially in comparison to other Wes Anderson movies like 'The Life Aquatic' or 'The Royal Tenenbaums'. There were a couple of shots that were cool though, some really long zoom outs (which sounds clichéd but it worked) and the doll house type ones that I love and think are awesome.

I wouldn't expect to wet your pants laughing at any moment in 'Moonrise Kingdom' but it is funny. There are a couple of laugh out loud moments and as a whole the jokes are pretty sharp and intelligently done. The reason I like the humour in this movie is that it's a part of the ambiance and feel of it, it won't make you crack up but it will make you have a smile on your face for pretty much the whole thing and leave you feeling strangely happy.

That kind of ambiance is really why the movie is so good, and is possibly Wes Anderson's best movie. The whole story is this fantastic blend of reality and child-like dreaming and it's wonderful. At times I felt kind of nostalgic and sad that I'm not a kid anymore. On the other hand it feels like a tribute to those myths and dreams of being a child and it works so well. This is the kind of film that I feel I could watch over and over again, each time spotting something new but also feeling good and enjoying the overall purpose.

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Palo Alto (2013)

Shy, sensitive April is the class virgin, torn between an illicit flirtation with her soccer coach Mr. B and an unrequited crush on sweet stoner Teddy. Emily, meanwhile, offers sexual favors to every boy to cross her path - including both Teddy and his best friend Fred, a life wire without filters or boundaries. As one high school party bleeds into the next - and April and Teddy struggle to admit their mutual affection - Fred's escalating recklessness starts to spiral into chaos.

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The Virgin Suicides (1999)

A man about forty years of age tells the story from when he was a teenager in upscale suburban Detroit of his and three of his friends' fascination with the mysterious and doomed Lisbon sisters. In 1974, the sisters were seventeen year old Therese, sixteen year old Mary, fifteen year old Bonnie, fourteen year old Lux, and thirteen year old Cecilia. Their fascination still remains as they try to piece together the entire story. The sisters were mysteries if only because of having a strict and overprotective upbringing by their father, who taught math at the girls' private co-ed school, and overly devout Catholic mother, who largely dictated the household rules. The story focuses primarily on two incidents and the resulting situations on the girls' lives. The first was an action by Cecilia to deal with her emotions over her life. And the second was the relationship between Lux - the sister who pushed the boundaries of the household rules most overtly in doing what most teenagers want to...

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Blue Valentine (2010)

Dean Pereira and Cindy Heller Pereira are a young, working class married couple - Dean currently working as a painter, and Cindy working as a nurse in a medical clinic - with a young daughter named Frankie. Despite their relatively tender ages, they are both ravaged by the life they've eked out together and by the experiences they've had leading into their marriage. Dean, a high school drop out, comes from a broken home, where he never really had a mother figure. He never saw himself getting married or having a family despite falling in love at first sight with Cindy. He doesn't have any professional ambition beyond his current work - which he enjoys since he feels he can knock off a beer at 8 o'clock in the morning without it affecting his work - although Cindy believes he has so much more potential in life. Cindy also comes from a dysfunctional family, with her own mother and father not setting an example of a harmonious married or family life. One of her previous serious ... 

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Unmade Beds (2009)

I went to see this film because it was described as being "young and fresh". Afterwards, I can only say it is boring and pretentious. There is no story to speak of, no dialogue apart from some vague conversations, no character development, no point.

There is, on the other hand, a lot of loud music by bands I don't know (but are undoubtedly very hip), there are a lot of images of young people uttering would-be philosophical wisecracks, and there is a lot of partying, drinking and smoking going on.

This could be a sort of nouvelle vague-ish, real life document about young people and the way they live, but I'm afraid it utterly fails. Or maybe I'm too old for this sort of film.

There is one plus: wonderful Belgian actress Déborah François.

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The Namesake (2006)

While traveling by train to visit his grandfather in Jamshedpur, Calcutta born, Bengali-speaking Ashoke Ganguli meets with fellow-traveler, Ghosh, who impresses upon him to travel, while Ashoke is deep into a book authored by Nicholai Gogol. The train meets with an accident, and after recuperating, Ashoke re-locates to America, settles down, returns home in 1977 to get married to aspiring singer, Ashima, and returns home to New York. Shortly thereafter they become parents of a boy, who they initially name Gogol, and a few years later both give birth to Sonia. The family then buy their own house in the suburbs and travel to India for the first time after their marriage. The second time they travel to India is when Gogol and Sonia are in their late teens, and after a memorable visit to Kolkata and then to the Taj Mahal, they return home. Gogol falls in love with Maxine Ratliff and moves in with her family, while Ashoke spends time traveling, and Sonia moves to California, leaving Ashima...

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Miss Lovely (2012)

A lot better than any other genre of this movie. If you can portray so much reality in a movie, then the movie maker is really outstanding. Reality in looks, in language, in expressions, in problems and their solutions. Reality can be more felt when someone is really from these regions of the world.

The kind of tension and awkwardness that is shown can be generally felt in these regions.

Most importantly I liked the posters of the film. They are like I am seeing the covers of 60s and 70s...

I was first alerted of this movie by the sheer waves it was making in the Cannes Film Festival, and for the very obvious reason that it featured the hugely talented maverick director, Ashim Ahluwalia, but after they won the award i was not surprised with the results.

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Hate Story 2 (2014)

One of the most popular facts of Hindi films market is that here other than the star system the one element which can easily bring in the crowd into the theaters is Sex or Erotica. And since 70s there is a certain section of film-makers who have always kept this basic fact in mind before making their irrelevant films just to earn some quick money from the box office and nothing else. In other words a market where a porn star can so easily be transformed into a television celebrity reaching your whole family in the evenings and also manages to generate a decent amount of fan following without doing anything significant on the screen in terms of acting. It is pretty obvious that sex based films remain a hot property for the distributors as well as for the producers, with a minimum risk factor and a high repeat value ensuring some safe returns.

So no points for guessing that HATE STORY 2 is also one of those deliberately made business products just in search of the viewers willing to see another naked body on the screen of a known face instead of cinema. Plus it's once again a sequel which has nothing to do with its first part. But does follow the same pattern of presenting a sexy girl who can bare it all, gets exploited before the intermission and then goes on to take her revenge in the second half displaying the inner power of a woman (to put it in some respectable words).

However where the formula did come up with something watchable in its prequel, the second part falls way short of that already achieved mark, basically (again) due to its pretty ordinary second half executed in a hasty & repetitive style by the director Vishal Pandya.

Though it all begins with an inspired sequence straight away reminding you of Uma Thurman, still the progression holds your interest nicely before it all becomes easily predictable heading towards the interval. The early part of the script borrows heavily from Quentin Tarantino's cult revenge thriller KILL BILL and once it tries walking on its own, the film falls completely flat and goes even beyond the level of bearable in its final moments to say the least. In short, HATE STORY begins well, becomes average in the first 40 minutes and then simply slides down towards the bottom becoming plain ordinary, boring and even funny ruining all the hard work done by its actors in its first half.

Interestingly where the sex factor did have a steaming impact in its part one (due to Paoli Dam), the sequel surprisingly remains a non- performer in that particular aspect with nothing exciting or engaging in its revenge drama too in the later part. The erotic sequences fail to impress due to an almost none chemistry between the on screen pair and further all comfortable killings of the main targets simply ruin the expectations raised earlier.

To give them their deserving due, a few sequences in the film have some well written dialogues in its initial hour and the two lead actors Surveen Chawla and Sushant Singh do leave a mark in their opening scenes emoting well. Yet Surveen questionably uses the film as her do or die attempt following the easiest path of taking her clothes off, which unfortunately is not going to yield some great results for her as it seems. The girl has been around for a while doing some regional films, music videos and few anchoring assignments too. But I really wasn't expecting her to dive down to this level of desperation quite frankly. Plus she still has to look a lot into her styling and make-up urgently as her face does appear to be entirely different in some casually chosen costumes & hairstyles in an uneven manner.

Sushant, as mentioned above plays it tough enough to make a decent impact at first, but is reduced to a repetitive clown towards the end spoiling the good build-up. Jay Bhanushali gets limited scope in his small role whereas Neha Kaul is terrific playing Sushant's suppressed wife having no voice of her own. The supporting cast performs OK and cinematography captures the essence of the movie rightly but background score tries too hard to make it sound like a great revenge thriller post intermission.

Musically other than the pathetic 'Pink Lips' featuring Sunny Leone (jumping out of nowhere into the film post interval), the soundtrack also comes up with an average new-age version of the late 80s path breaking track "Aaj Tumpe Pyar Aaya Hai" from DAYAVAN (1988). And as history repeats itself, even after the gap of 25 years the fabulously composed song once again becomes famous more for its visual content only instead of the melodious musical notes, unfortunately (which inspires me to write a focused article on the same in the next days). Apart from the above two, few other songs in the film do appear to be soothing at their first listening. But their unintelligent timing in the script (one also coming in the climax), doesn't allow them to make any kind of impact on the viewer, whatsoever.

In all, there is no Paoli Dam here to say it indicatively and the film is nothing but an exploitive attempt just interested in en-cashing the curiosity generated by its steamy promos at the earliest. And if you still wish to see this empty tin making some good noise, then the choice is all yours.

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Kamasutra 3D

Set in the backdrop of the ancient, Kamasutra 3D is the journey of a soulful love embodied with betrayal and war. It weaves the trans formative changes in body, mind and soul by the forbidden world of sexual love and sensuality. This movie is a trilogy of the same name in different versions - Kamasutra 3D, Kamasutra 4D, Kamasutra 5D. The 4D and 5D versions would be released after the launch of the 3D version.

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Clown (2014)

As far as clown slasher go, I rarely see any true effort put into them

• especially these days. "Clown" is actually a pretty refreshing entry

in the genre - being clearly of modest budget, yet still managing to come across as a professional looking flick with an unusually likable cast of characters, a reasonably memorable villain! There's also a few decent and relatively gory deaths, cleverly themed after traditional clown tricks.

The gore level in this movie is extremely high. Every kill is based upon a trick that a clown but all with the intention of making your skin crawl. It won't be to every one's taste, as limbs are literally ripped from bodies, heads kicked of.

think that most will enjoy this movie knowing ahead of time that it's a gory slasher.

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The Last King (2016)

The Last King (Birkebeinerne) is the fourth Northern from acclaimed Norweiagn Oscar nominee director Nils Gaup, which was Ocar nominated for his first inside just this genre, Pathfinder (Veiviseren). And this film has many parts which resembles just that film.

This is also based on an ancient old story. Back in 1206, when there was a civil war raging Norway, with basis in religion and country over the wast country in Nothern Europe. we're told the fight for the crown of the Norwegian empire. Also Pathfinder was based on a long gone true story, at least as a story told through generations.

I would think Nils Gaup should be able to make a rally good movie out of this, like he did with both Pathfinder and the brilliant The Kautokeino Rebellion. I'm afraid this film is a bit closer to the flop Tashunga. all of which were Northers, with stories i snowy landscapes.

The film wants to entertain. maybe a bit too much. The audience did laugh,several times, but the excitement and the funny parts are not that well kept together as I would like. Still this film has many interesting and worthy parts, making this an overall OK entertainment, while the true story is well kept in story telling.

This film is very beautiful, with awesome nature and winter filming. It's also fantastic to see the skiers do their part. The film functions to a great part, though there are some fighting scenes which I don't think works that well, I also found some of the dialog a bit stale, but that won't bother most watchers around the world. a couple of actors also seems like they have trouble, like Kristofer Hivju, who really uses his big eyes too much, and the young princess is also less believable, I'm afraid.

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Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made (2015)

'RAIDERS!: THE STORY OF THE GREATEST FAN FILM EVER MADE': Four Stars (Out of Five)

A documentary on the making of the fan film 'RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: THE ADAPTATION'; which is a shot-for-shot remake of the classic 1981 Steven Spielberg movie. It was made by two 11-year-old Mississippi boys, and their friends, over the course of 7-years. They finished the entire remake, except for the final airplane battle sequence. The friends reunited, 30-years later, to finally film that one missing scene (and finish their movie). This film documents that process. It was directed and written by first time filmmakers Jeremy Coon and Tim Skousen; and it was based on the book by Alan Eisenstock. Being a past childhood filmmaker, myself, and a huge movie nerd, as well (to this day), I really enjoyed this documentary.

Two 11-year-old childhood friends, Eric Zala and Chris Strompolos, setout to remake their favorite movie, 'RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK', in Mississippi in 1981. The film was not available on video yet; so they had to rely on a lot of other resources to pull it off (like a published script, and magazine articles), as well as their friends and memories. They completed filming every scene of the original movie, over the next 7-years, except for the landing pad battle sequence. 30-years later, the friends finally reunited; and raised the money they needed (through a Kickstarter campaign) to finish their childhood dream.

I've never seen the fan film, this movie is about, but I have (of course) seen Spielberg's 1981 masterpiece (multiple times). I love the original film still, and I'm sure I'd probably like the kids' remake too. Spielberg has seen it (and he loves it), so have many others; like filmmaker Eli Roth and film critic Harry Knowles (who both appear in this documentary). Even though I haven't yet seen the beloved fan flick 'cult classic' (this is based on), I could still really appreciate this documentary; because it beautifully captures what a 'love for movies' is all about. I was a childhood filmmaker, and I still try to make movies (today); so I definitely found this film inspiring and relatable (to say the least).

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Tickled (2016)

Let me start by saying I wanted to like 'Tickled', and went in thoroughly expecting to do so, after having been left intrigued and excited by a very well made trailer for the documentary. What I ended up finding though, was sadly that I'd seen pretty much everything this had to offer in said trailer. The trailer promised elements of horror and mystery, but sadly delivered zero horror and little, if any, genuine mystery.

The whole thing gets off to a roaring start in the first 20 minutes, setting itself to seemingly be a great ride, hopefully leading to a thrilling conclusion. Sadly, the first 20 minutes are by far the best 'Tickled' has to offer. The middle is filled with just that - filler. The pace slows dramatically and we are left wondering what the significance of what we are actually seeing is. The ending lacked any punch at all and leaves you with a feeling of "Is that it?" 

David Farrier tried his best, but was clearly out of his depth in a lot of situations. He's fine when the person wants to talk and is giving a willing interview, but as soon as a situation comes up where the interviewee is being evasive, his attempts to get a word out of them are amateurish and hardly worthy of making the final cut. Also his frequent swearing while giving interviews and talking to the camera are a bad look and take away any sense of class that a documentarian should always possess.

I guess the bottom line for me was that I felt let down. I don't think there was anything here that couldn't have been covered in a '60 Minutes' segment, and warranted me paying money to go and see it at the cinema. The story is quirky enough and has a twist (of sorts), but is that enough? I think I would have felt completely differently had it delivered a knock out punch to end things. Sadly it didn't though, and for me goes down as a forgettable experience that I won't be recommending.

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Swiss Army Man (2016)

The Jury Prize for Best Directing caused more than a few controversies at this year's Sundance Film Festival with some audience members walking out, while others complained about the film's uncouth behavior. What might get lost in the mix is how impressively this unique and uncompromised debut feature can be seen through completely opposite lenses.

One way of responding to SWiSS ARMY MAN could be to contagiously laugh at the screwball actions of Hank (Paul Dano), a man stranded on a desert island with a dead body (Daniel Radcliffe). Another way would be to question Hank's reliability as a narrator and view this surreal, spiritual spiral as an existential journey into complete madness. Either way, Daniel Radcliffe's performance as a dead body is the kind of profound achievement you might expect from a Harold Pinter or Samuel Beckett play.

Swiss Army Man is not just the most infamous film at Sundance this year; It is the perfect Hollywood calling card for first time filmmakers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinart, as well as being a completely neo-sincere film. Movie lovers should put aside all of its buzz and just experience it for themselves. Love it or hate it, it's one film from 2016 that most definitely will not be forgotten.

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Swiss Army Man (2016)

The Jury Prize for Best Directing caused more than a few controversies at this year's Sundance Film Festival with some audience members walking out, while others complained about the film's uncouth behavior. What might get lost in the mix is how impressively this unique and uncompromised debut feature can be seen through completely opposite lenses.

One way of responding to SWiSS ARMY MAN could be to contagiously laugh at the screwball actions of Hank (Paul Dano), a man stranded on a desert island with a dead body (Daniel Radcliffe). Another way would be to question Hank's reliability as a narrator and view this surreal, spiritual spiral as an existential journey into complete madness. Either way, Daniel Radcliffe's performance as a dead body is the kind of profound achievement you might expect from a Harold Pinter or Samuel Beckett play.

Swiss Army Man is not just the most infamous film at Sundance this year; It is the perfect Hollywood calling card for first time filmmakers Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinart, as well as being a completely neo-sincere film. Movie lovers should put aside all of its buzz and just experience it for themselves. Love it or hate it, it's one film from 2016 that most definitely will not be forgotten.

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Central Intelligence (2016)

A comedy crime film has a dual burden: being funny and suspenseful at the same time. Central Intelligence tries to be both and succeeds some of the time, mostly on the comedic side. Surprisingly, its thematic elements about bullying and humans reaching potential elevate the film above quips and slapstick.

Bob (Dwayne Johnson) and Calvin (Kevin Hart), former high school chums, get involved 20 years later in a haphazard investigation of a secret government activity that involves foreign spies and questionable US agents. The challenge of determining who is good and who is bad is middlin' but entertaining.

Their friendship goes back to when Calvin, the "Golden Jet," was the most likely to succeed senior and Bob the obese object of bullying; their hookup now before the reunion provides a chance for the director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, and his writers to run a theme about "what have you done with your life?" Calvin feels as an accountant he has not reached the heights his early accomplishments promised, despite the fact that he married the best female in the class, who became a successful attorney.

Bob, on the other hand, has grown from a fat boy into, well, the "The Rock," with marvelous muscles, a world-class smile, exuberance, and a job with the CIA. That he still idolizes Calvin is a questionable obsession until we figure out a couple of the reasons. Overall Bob seems to have a more balanced life.

The comedic parts are sometimes of a higher order, for instance, when Calvin explains he doesn't do therapy because he's Black, goes to the barbershop, and watches Barbershop movies. The largely African-American audience at my screening enjoyed the stereotyping.

Central Intelligence has numerous stock jokes and situations for the buddy comedy, especially the mixed races and the little man paired with a veritable giant (think Wilder and Pryor, Gibson and Glover, and Murphy and Nolte for the races)... One thing is for sure, Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson are an intelligent comedy team, which should be central to our summer enjoyment for years to come.

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Central Intelligence (2016)

A comedy crime film has a dual burden: being funny and suspenseful at the same time. Central Intelligence tries to be both and succeeds some of the time, mostly on the comedic side. Surprisingly, its thematic elements about bullying and humans reaching potential elevate the film above quips and slapstick.

Bob (Dwayne Johnson) and Calvin (Kevin Hart), former high school chums, get involved 20 years later in a haphazard investigation of a secret government activity that involves foreign spies and questionable US agents. The challenge of determining who is good and who is bad is middlin' but entertaining.

Their friendship goes back to when Calvin, the "Golden Jet," was the most likely to succeed senior and Bob the obese object of bullying; their hookup now before the reunion provides a chance for the director, Rawson Marshall Thurber, and his writers to run a theme about "what have you done with your life?" Calvin feels as an accountant he has not reached the heights his early accomplishments promised, despite the fact that he married the best female in the class, who became a successful attorney.

Bob, on the other hand, has grown from a fat boy into, well, the "The Rock," with marvelous muscles, a world-class smile, exuberance, and a job with the CIA. That he still idolizes Calvin is a questionable obsession until we figure out a couple of the reasons. Overall Bob seems to have a more balanced life.

The comedic parts are sometimes of a higher order, for instance, when Calvin explains he doesn't do therapy because he's Black, goes to the barbershop, and watches Barbershop movies. The largely African-American audience at my screening enjoyed the stereotyping.

Central Intelligence has numerous stock jokes and situations for the buddy comedy, especially the mixed races and the little man paired with a veritable giant (think Wilder and Pryor, Gibson and Glover, and Murphy and Nolte for the races)... One thing is for sure, Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson are an intelligent comedy team, which should be central to our summer enjoyment for years to come.

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Finding Dory (2016)

Everything about this movie was delightful and truly was a treat for the whole family. Just do your best to not suffer from short term memory loss and follow the sea shells or the roads (if you live above sea level) back home after it's over. I have noticed some overtones that might offend people in other recent Disney movies but I really don't think there was an offensive thing in this entire movie and it will tug at your heart strings as well. Pixar brings you back to the magical underwater world that Finding Nemo was lost in. Pixar usually knocks them out of the park and they definitely did a great job with this flick too! So go grab a friend or the entire family and come out and see Finding Dory!

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Let the Right One In (2008)

I saw it in Bangkok International Film Festival 2008 and love this movie very much.

It has something big and stunning about this lovely storyline to rivet my attention from the beginning to the end. Moreover, the cinematography and atmosphere in this film are undeniably superb. The chemistry between two preteen protagonists is outstanding and very believable. Everything in this film is well-made in synchronization. 

This is the first film related to a vampire that I think is least connected to Vampire's teeth baring at audience all the times, like other familiar horror we used to see. Other than some gory scenes in this film, we can yet see some flesh and blood moment of humane Vampire. And that is truly written to the core plot.

The last scene at swimming pool is totally mesmerizing and mind-blowing.

By the way, if Sweden submits this movie to be in competition with other nominees around the world for Oscar foreign-language film category this year, this masterpiece should win or at least be short-listed for the final fives.

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Mulholland Drive (2001)

Originally filmed in 1999 as a TV pilot, "Mulholland Dr." was rejected. The next year, David Lynch received money to film new scenes to make the movie suitable to be shown in theaters. He did so - and created one of the greatest, most bizarre and nightmarish films ever made.

The film really doesn't have main characters, but if there were main characters, they would be Betty (Naomi Watts) and Rita (Laura Elena Harring). Betty is a perky blonde who's staying in her aunt's apartment while she auditions for parts in movies. She finds Rita in her aunt's apartment and decides to help her. You see, Rita's lost her memory. She has no clue who she is. She takes her name, Rita, from a "Gilda" poster in the bathroom. So the two set out to discover who Rita really is.

David Lynch has been known for making some weird movies, but this film is the definition of weird. It's bizarre, nightmarish, and absolute indescribable. It's like a dream captured on film. By the 100-minute point, the film has become extremely confusing - but if you've been watching closely, it will make perfect sense. Having watched the movie and then read an article on the Internet pointing out things in the film, I now understand the movie completely.

The acting is very good. Watts is terrific. Justin Theroux is very good as a Hollywood director facing problems with the local mob. The music is excellent. Angelo Badalamenti delivers one of his finest scores. And the directing - hah! David Lynch is as masterful a filmmaker as ever there was.

Is this your type of film? Well, that depends. You should probably view more of Lynch's work before watching this movie. You'll need to be patient with the film, and probably watch it a second time to pick up the many clues Lynch has left throughout the movie. For Lynch fans, this is a dream come true.

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The Ring (2002)

The Ring did three things no film of late has done. It took the genre of Horror seriously without going over the top. It is derived from a superior story and translated to American film superbly, regardless of what the naysayers say. And, while it starts off typically, it ascends into a beautiful, darkling, twisted, genuinely creepy story, which holds you through to the end.

Gore Verbinski's style is unmistakable. He has left this work well marked with his stylistic shots, and suspenseful progression.

Actually, I found this far superior to most horrors done in the last thirty years or so. A lot has been said about Ringu, the work from which this was adapted for American cinema, and inevitable subsequent comparisons made, however, that is certainly NOT the case. That argument is moot, as this work was based on the novel, "The Ring" by Koji Suzuki, so if you want something to which an honest comparison may be made, I would suggest you read the book, and leave Ringu where it belongs. Personally, I found the American adaptation much more to my liking than Ringu.

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The Conjuring (2013)

I got a chance to see this movie at the film festival, and boy was I TERRifically surprised! James Wan's 'The Conjuring' is one of those rare gems in the horror industry that finds a spot beside the classic titles of horror, 'The Shining', 'Poltergeist', and 'The Exorcist' due to James Wan's ability to balance an atmospheric dreadful tale involving wonderfully crafted characters with a haunted house that had my palms sweating and my heart pounding during some of the most horrifying moments (There are a few of those; make sure you empty your bladder BEFORE entering the theater).

The things that make 'The Shining', 'Poltergeist', and 'The Exorcist' good is that if the editor were to chop out all the jump-scares and those sequences that fry an image into your brain, you would still have a moody, edgy story that makes you sympathies for the characters and their struggle. This is what Wan does right in this film, and it's then that you realize horror is more than what pops out at you, or what makes you scream. Rather, it's that feeling of dread you get that escalates into sheer terror and suspense, aided by shocking scares.

BUT WAIT! All this not to say 'The Conjuring' doesn't have its share of frightening visuals and pee-your-pants moments; believe me when I say I also rank this as one of the scariest movies I've ever seen. Yet, Wan realizes here that jump scares aren't what moves a story along, but what defines that classic image everyone gets in their head when someone talks about a certain horror movie that frightened them the most, kind of like a celebrity's autograph in the corner of a huge poster of their face.

All of this hence to say, "The Conjuring" is an exceptional piece of film that pulls all the right stops to frighten the audience, leaving a lasting impression on your mind as well the recently tired genre of horror.

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