TV and Movies
Jan. 20th, 2010 01:53 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sailorhathorOh, I forgot to talk about "Life Unexpected." Meh. That's about all I have to say.
I lied. They filled in some of the holes I was concerned with, but it was still kind of dull. It dared to have the bullshittery of people allowing there to be dead air on their radio show while they dealt with their personal problems, and then later, people acted like complete idiots to add some extra, unnecessary conflict, as if the conflict of finding your kid after 16 years wasn't enough. Add to this the fact that there is zero chemistry between any of the people we're supposed to root for and you've lost me. Won't be watching that again. Buh-bye.
Paranormal Activity. Finally saw this. I have to say, it had a lot of potential, but it was a bit disappointing. One of those movies that creates a nice, spooky atmosphere, but doesn't deliver as many scares as it could have.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! The problems that I had with it:
1). Like The Blair Witch Project, things would start to get tense and just when you expected something to happen, it would abruptly end. Paranormal Activity went a step beyond that, though, as there were a few scenes that would be really fucking scary if you were actually experiencing it like the characters. Not that I wouldn't be scared if I was lost in the woods and all that, but I just felt it more with this movie for some reason. I guess it's easier for me to imagine myself in the position of someone with scary ghost shit going on in their house than a bunch of boneheaded college students who don't even take the time to learn about outdoor survival before going off into the deep woods.
2). It seemed like they were trying to create a backstory more than just Katie being haunted by this entity since she was 8, like, something happened to her/was caused by her that brought the entity to her, and then it didn't pan out. Disappointing.
3). I understand that they were going for the "it's what you don't see that's scary" angle, but it didn't entirely work. There were moments when I really wanted to see more and was very disappointed that I didn't.
4). Too much fighting. I've never been one to enjoy characters arguing exactly like real people because real fights are often stupid and full of people acting childishly. That's why I don't watch reality shows where people bicker like idiot children - because it isn't entertaining to me. I get that Katie is scared and doesn't want to deal with her demon problem, but her protests got old and irritating way too fast. Yeah, the filmmakers are trying to make this movie seem real (although no one was fooled), but there's nothing wrong with tightening up your fight scenes with some less grating dialogue. I mean, geez, Katie came off as such a fucking nag.
5). Too much filler. Give me 30 more minutes of ghost/demon research and cool paranormal happenings and 30 minutes less of arguing and I'll be a happier movie viewer.
6). The characters were being such morons that it made me feel less sympathetic towards them. Who has stuff like that going on in their house and doesn't turn on a fucking light? In fact, who has stuff like that going on in their house and doesn't turn on EVERY fucking light? You find the little door going into the attic askew and you have to go up there to investigate right that very moment?! Um, NO. You call the fucking cops to make sure it isn't a damn burglar first, then you wait until the goddamn sun comes up before you ever venture up there. Who do you think you are, Dean fucking Winchester? Who's stupid enough to go gee, I think I'll poke my head up there right after we heard something walking around, duuuuuh? Woulda served him right if he'd gotten his head bitten off by an attic monster.
Okay, sure, there are weird-looking footprints on the floor, but I'd still call the cops to check my house out just incase. 'Cause, you know, the attic? I'M NOT GOING UP THERE. Make the cop do it!
I know that later, the spooky shit started happening in the daytime too, but I still don't find it a realistic reaction for them to not immediately turn on a light the second they hear a strange noise. Micah was constantly jumping out of bed and investigating IN THE DARK. Stupid.
Also, after spooky things had happened in your house, why would you sleep not only without some sort of light on, but with the door into the hall open? I understand that Micah wanted to get some awesome demonic camera footage, but... okay, the demon probably would have just opened the door, but still... People just feel safer with the door closed when something has been walking around in the hall outside their bedroom.
Oh wait, one last thing! The demon attacks Katie, dragging her down the hall and biting her, and she says she wants to stay and is acting really weird, so what does Micah do? He just goes to sleep. WITH THE LIGHTS OUT AND THE DOOR OPEN. Who DOES that??
7). Because this was a low budget, camcorder style movie, I couldn't understand about a fourth of what the characters said. Not good. Very annoying.
8). My God, that house was big. Were they planning for children or just hoping that roommates would fall in those extra bedrooms one day? I don't know why, I just found that distracting. I kept expecting the big white bear to move around by itself.
9). I think that's the most disappointing part, the lost potential. I really don't know what kind of budget they had to work with; I don't think it was a lot. But having the demon need to turn on a light for some random reason and then turn it off... yeah, that only goes so far. There were so many more scary things they could have done.
10). Macrovision encoded. GRRRRRRRR.
11). The ending was too abrupt. And it sucked. The basic idea was okay (Katie becomes possessed and kills Micah), but the way they did it was lame. First, we don't get to see anything because the characters go traipsing off into the dark, then Katie does that stupid, cliche evil face and goes RAR at the camera. How long did it take them to think that up? 9_9
And now, for the good:
1). The scenes that DID work worked really well (save for Katie and Micah running around in the dark like idiots). I can see how it would be scary to be in the middle of something like that. If you don't put yourself in the position of the characters, you would be like big deal, what's so scary about that? but that's just how a movie like this is. I mean, I'm not an easily scared person when it comes to what many other people are scared by horror movie-wise. Most horror movies don't bother me. But I've always been scared of and strangely fascinated by ghosts and ghost activity. Those are the kinds of movies that can send me to bed with a sense of foreboding and make me sleep with the light on. I'm doubtful that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre could ever happen to me. But Paranormal Activity? Can't help it, I do get spooked.
2). Basically, if you took the spooky scenes and strung them together, you'd have a much better movie. A lot of the filler inbetween just bogged things down. I liked all the stereotypical ghost/demon stuff. Heavy footsteps. Shadows on the wall. Doors moving by themselves. Voices. The loud rappings on the wall, followed by running downstairs and finding the chandelier swinging. All that stuff was cool by itself.
3). I liked Katie sleepwalking, although the fact that they didn't do much with it made me sad. I mean, her standing there and just staring at Micah for hours was freaky; I've always liked stuff like that (that's why I've had sleepwalking Paul do it in my SPN/Miracles stories!). It's fucking spooky to think of someone sleepwalking and just standing there by the bed, staring at you for two hours. There really could have been more of that and I would have been a happy camper. Why couldn't Micah find her sleepwalking a few more nights, doing various freakyass things that wouldn't make sense until near the end of the movie? It was just too random. Liked the idea, wasn't impressed with how little they chose to use it.
4). When I was a kid, the little door into the attic in my sister's closet spooked the shit out of me. It was my brother's room until he moved out, then it was my sister's. I always had trouble sleeping in that room. Little attic doors in the ceiling just scare me. They're a scare trigger for me. There's so much potential for some spooky little beastie to be living up in the attic. I always thought the door was going to move while I was looking at it. So you can imagine which scene in the movie made me most tense. :D I don't know if I could ever sleep in that house again after discovering not only footprints on the floor, but the attic door askew.
5). I loved that Micah actually took the time to research what was going on. I wish they'd done more with the EVP and the Ouija board. That could have been good. Didn't really get why he was so opposed to the paranormal researchers, though. Nor why the one paranormal guy beat cheeks out of there. I guess he's never encountered anything like that before, I don't know; the whole scene just seemed pointless and overacted, for him to spend five seconds in the house and leave.
6). The scene where Katie was pulled out of bed and dragged down the hall was really cool and very shocking. I had no idea what was going to happen there, so it was a nice scare.
7). I really liked the paranormal researcher guy. I wish he'd been in the movie more. They needed someone who knew what they were doing to try to communicate with the demon; it would have been neat to watch. I don't think I could handle something like that in real life, but watching it in movies can be cool. Like, there's the tapes of demonologist Ed Warren and his wife, psychic Lorraine Warren - I don't know if that stuff is faked or real, but it all looks and sounds pretty scary and spectacular. I would have loved a scene like that in the film, the knowledgeable paranormal dude trying to talk to Katie's demon.
I think that's all I had to say. If I think of anything else, I'll add it.
Paranormal Activity was a masterpiece compared to the 2009 movie version of Land of the Lost. Couldn't have been more pointless and unfunny. Did it even have a plot? I couldn't tell. I pretty much checked out when they changed the identity of The Zarn. Oh HELL NO. What a piece of shit. I truly hope that people aren't thinking that the original series was anything like that godawful string of bathroom jokes, 'cause it WASN'T.
I lied. They filled in some of the holes I was concerned with, but it was still kind of dull. It dared to have the bullshittery of people allowing there to be dead air on their radio show while they dealt with their personal problems, and then later, people acted like complete idiots to add some extra, unnecessary conflict, as if the conflict of finding your kid after 16 years wasn't enough. Add to this the fact that there is zero chemistry between any of the people we're supposed to root for and you've lost me. Won't be watching that again. Buh-bye.
Paranormal Activity. Finally saw this. I have to say, it had a lot of potential, but it was a bit disappointing. One of those movies that creates a nice, spooky atmosphere, but doesn't deliver as many scares as it could have.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!! The problems that I had with it:
1). Like The Blair Witch Project, things would start to get tense and just when you expected something to happen, it would abruptly end. Paranormal Activity went a step beyond that, though, as there were a few scenes that would be really fucking scary if you were actually experiencing it like the characters. Not that I wouldn't be scared if I was lost in the woods and all that, but I just felt it more with this movie for some reason. I guess it's easier for me to imagine myself in the position of someone with scary ghost shit going on in their house than a bunch of boneheaded college students who don't even take the time to learn about outdoor survival before going off into the deep woods.
2). It seemed like they were trying to create a backstory more than just Katie being haunted by this entity since she was 8, like, something happened to her/was caused by her that brought the entity to her, and then it didn't pan out. Disappointing.
3). I understand that they were going for the "it's what you don't see that's scary" angle, but it didn't entirely work. There were moments when I really wanted to see more and was very disappointed that I didn't.
4). Too much fighting. I've never been one to enjoy characters arguing exactly like real people because real fights are often stupid and full of people acting childishly. That's why I don't watch reality shows where people bicker like idiot children - because it isn't entertaining to me. I get that Katie is scared and doesn't want to deal with her demon problem, but her protests got old and irritating way too fast. Yeah, the filmmakers are trying to make this movie seem real (although no one was fooled), but there's nothing wrong with tightening up your fight scenes with some less grating dialogue. I mean, geez, Katie came off as such a fucking nag.
5). Too much filler. Give me 30 more minutes of ghost/demon research and cool paranormal happenings and 30 minutes less of arguing and I'll be a happier movie viewer.
6). The characters were being such morons that it made me feel less sympathetic towards them. Who has stuff like that going on in their house and doesn't turn on a fucking light? In fact, who has stuff like that going on in their house and doesn't turn on EVERY fucking light? You find the little door going into the attic askew and you have to go up there to investigate right that very moment?! Um, NO. You call the fucking cops to make sure it isn't a damn burglar first, then you wait until the goddamn sun comes up before you ever venture up there. Who do you think you are, Dean fucking Winchester? Who's stupid enough to go gee, I think I'll poke my head up there right after we heard something walking around, duuuuuh? Woulda served him right if he'd gotten his head bitten off by an attic monster.
Okay, sure, there are weird-looking footprints on the floor, but I'd still call the cops to check my house out just incase. 'Cause, you know, the attic? I'M NOT GOING UP THERE. Make the cop do it!
I know that later, the spooky shit started happening in the daytime too, but I still don't find it a realistic reaction for them to not immediately turn on a light the second they hear a strange noise. Micah was constantly jumping out of bed and investigating IN THE DARK. Stupid.
Also, after spooky things had happened in your house, why would you sleep not only without some sort of light on, but with the door into the hall open? I understand that Micah wanted to get some awesome demonic camera footage, but... okay, the demon probably would have just opened the door, but still... People just feel safer with the door closed when something has been walking around in the hall outside their bedroom.
Oh wait, one last thing! The demon attacks Katie, dragging her down the hall and biting her, and she says she wants to stay and is acting really weird, so what does Micah do? He just goes to sleep. WITH THE LIGHTS OUT AND THE DOOR OPEN. Who DOES that??
7). Because this was a low budget, camcorder style movie, I couldn't understand about a fourth of what the characters said. Not good. Very annoying.
8). My God, that house was big. Were they planning for children or just hoping that roommates would fall in those extra bedrooms one day? I don't know why, I just found that distracting. I kept expecting the big white bear to move around by itself.
9). I think that's the most disappointing part, the lost potential. I really don't know what kind of budget they had to work with; I don't think it was a lot. But having the demon need to turn on a light for some random reason and then turn it off... yeah, that only goes so far. There were so many more scary things they could have done.
10). Macrovision encoded. GRRRRRRRR.
11). The ending was too abrupt. And it sucked. The basic idea was okay (Katie becomes possessed and kills Micah), but the way they did it was lame. First, we don't get to see anything because the characters go traipsing off into the dark, then Katie does that stupid, cliche evil face and goes RAR at the camera. How long did it take them to think that up? 9_9
And now, for the good:
1). The scenes that DID work worked really well (save for Katie and Micah running around in the dark like idiots). I can see how it would be scary to be in the middle of something like that. If you don't put yourself in the position of the characters, you would be like big deal, what's so scary about that? but that's just how a movie like this is. I mean, I'm not an easily scared person when it comes to what many other people are scared by horror movie-wise. Most horror movies don't bother me. But I've always been scared of and strangely fascinated by ghosts and ghost activity. Those are the kinds of movies that can send me to bed with a sense of foreboding and make me sleep with the light on. I'm doubtful that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre could ever happen to me. But Paranormal Activity? Can't help it, I do get spooked.
2). Basically, if you took the spooky scenes and strung them together, you'd have a much better movie. A lot of the filler inbetween just bogged things down. I liked all the stereotypical ghost/demon stuff. Heavy footsteps. Shadows on the wall. Doors moving by themselves. Voices. The loud rappings on the wall, followed by running downstairs and finding the chandelier swinging. All that stuff was cool by itself.
3). I liked Katie sleepwalking, although the fact that they didn't do much with it made me sad. I mean, her standing there and just staring at Micah for hours was freaky; I've always liked stuff like that (that's why I've had sleepwalking Paul do it in my SPN/Miracles stories!). It's fucking spooky to think of someone sleepwalking and just standing there by the bed, staring at you for two hours. There really could have been more of that and I would have been a happy camper. Why couldn't Micah find her sleepwalking a few more nights, doing various freakyass things that wouldn't make sense until near the end of the movie? It was just too random. Liked the idea, wasn't impressed with how little they chose to use it.
4). When I was a kid, the little door into the attic in my sister's closet spooked the shit out of me. It was my brother's room until he moved out, then it was my sister's. I always had trouble sleeping in that room. Little attic doors in the ceiling just scare me. They're a scare trigger for me. There's so much potential for some spooky little beastie to be living up in the attic. I always thought the door was going to move while I was looking at it. So you can imagine which scene in the movie made me most tense. :D I don't know if I could ever sleep in that house again after discovering not only footprints on the floor, but the attic door askew.
5). I loved that Micah actually took the time to research what was going on. I wish they'd done more with the EVP and the Ouija board. That could have been good. Didn't really get why he was so opposed to the paranormal researchers, though. Nor why the one paranormal guy beat cheeks out of there. I guess he's never encountered anything like that before, I don't know; the whole scene just seemed pointless and overacted, for him to spend five seconds in the house and leave.
6). The scene where Katie was pulled out of bed and dragged down the hall was really cool and very shocking. I had no idea what was going to happen there, so it was a nice scare.
7). I really liked the paranormal researcher guy. I wish he'd been in the movie more. They needed someone who knew what they were doing to try to communicate with the demon; it would have been neat to watch. I don't think I could handle something like that in real life, but watching it in movies can be cool. Like, there's the tapes of demonologist Ed Warren and his wife, psychic Lorraine Warren - I don't know if that stuff is faked or real, but it all looks and sounds pretty scary and spectacular. I would have loved a scene like that in the film, the knowledgeable paranormal dude trying to talk to Katie's demon.
I think that's all I had to say. If I think of anything else, I'll add it.
Paranormal Activity was a masterpiece compared to the 2009 movie version of Land of the Lost. Couldn't have been more pointless and unfunny. Did it even have a plot? I couldn't tell. I pretty much checked out when they changed the identity of The Zarn. Oh HELL NO. What a piece of shit. I truly hope that people aren't thinking that the original series was anything like that godawful string of bathroom jokes, 'cause it WASN'T.
