video review : The Conjuring

video review : The Conjuring

The prelude, which introduces “paranormal investigators” Ed and Lorraine Warren via their Annabelle Case, is silly, but the following story begins decently enough. It has a family; a husband and wife along with their five daughters; moving into a house in Harrisville, Rhode Island. The year is 1971 and, despite a janky furnace, the retro vibes are warm and inviting.

It’s when the spooks begin; the house is, of course, haunted; that things start to get silly again. Perhaps The Conjuring, with a less ominous title, would’ve been better as a light Brady-Bunch-like coming-of-age story. As is, the movie, which is supposedly based on a true story, with all its lazy horror genre clichés, gets more and more ridiculous the longer it goes.

my rating : 2 of 5

2013

video review : The Departed

video review : The Departed

Under the wing of crime boss Frank Costello, Colin Sullivan manages to infiltrate the Massachusetts police force as an informant for the Irish Mob. At the same time, the police manage to plant an undercover rookie in with Costello’s crew to bust him from the inside. It’s when the two rats start tailing each other that the plot starts to captivate.

my rating : 4 of 5

2006

video review : Orphan

video review : Orphan

If you’re thinking of adopting a child, you may want to think twice, then a few more times, because some kids come home with more luggage than you bargained for. The orphan in this movie; a nine-year-old girl named Esther; is very bad. That’s part of the problem. She’s too bad too quick; a fact that, even given the big revelation at the end, strains the believability of a plot that is otherwise engaging and plausible.

My favorite character is the deaf girl; Ester’s new “sister”. She’s cute, but I also like the parents, particularly the father Ester plays the role of Daddy’s little girl to while former-alcoholic Mommy raises her eyebrows in suspicion. It’s a silly story in the sense that not enough reason is given for all the extreme things Ester does when she does them, but it works well for what it is; essentially a psycho killer thriller.

my rating : 4 of 5

2009

video review : Orphan : First Kill