Saw VI

So here we have yet another installation of the Saw series. You almost have to review the movie independently as well as part of a whole. So here goes the independent review...This time Jigsaw is taking a little bit of a political stab at some current events. The first scene involves two loan managers that are handing out loans to folks they know can't afford to pay them back. The rest of the movie deals with the department of health insurance companies that look for faults in order to deny coverage. You find that you don't mind so much when some of the characters end up upside down and inside out. The film is EXTREMELY gory and I may have actually winced once or twice and that's impressive. There are a lot of dead folks in this one and it appropriately takes it up a notch from the last movie. I am always impressed at the new, creative and of course graphic way they come up with to kill someone. As a film on it's own I'm afraid the average viewer would really have a hard time knowing what's going on without having seen all of the movies. The Saw movies are becoming so intertwined that they are even confusing to a seasoned viewer. I fear that although they are creative in intention they are actually becoming more involved than they need to be. If you've followed the movies at all you know we are actually on our 3rd or 4th killer by now. So overall I would only reccomend this film if you are intimately familiar with the previous 5.
Now, as a part of a whole...It's ok. The first Saw rocked because you were like "what the hell just happened?" Now it's more of "who is that, what did he do in the last one, is that the lady from the first one, are we in yet another flashback?" Overall this movie gets just a D.

Paranormal Activity

This was soooooo much fun! This movie makes you tired from how tense you are throughout the hour and a half. The acting is very natural and real. The actors look like normal people and not playboy models. The setting and relationship are all very real. So that's a great start. The plot is nice and simple but not stupid which allows you to concentrate on how scared you are or will be. Now I'll admit, it didn't scare me very much, but the company I shared didn't even want to walk to their cars alone after the movie ended. My husband left in the fight or flight mode and is just now cooling down. I love that they leave the demon up to your imagination (it's always scarier that way). I've heard the film was made for just $11,000 but they made that money work! I give this movie a solid "A". It's a must see.

2009 Last House on the Left

First I want to admit that I have not seen the original 70's version of this film. With that said it's a hard one to rate. It's basically the story of a girl in the wrong place at the wrong time. The "kill" her and leave the scene to find shelter and end up at the home of the unfortunate girl. Her parents welcome in the weary travelers. She pulls herself to their doorstep half alive and it's revealed to the parents who the guests really are. So I actually find the plot to be very interesting. When I decided to watch it it was because I wanted to see how parental vengeance could play out. Usually it's the bad guys with the upper hand and I was interested in the tables being turned. The cinematography wasn't anything spectacular but wasn't poor either. The characters and acting were pretty good. The overall film was ok. I have a couple of issues with it though. First, there is a very graphic rape scene that literally made me want to cry. I don't like them and I think implying them can often be just as effective if it needs to be included at all. I was watching trying to figure out why anyone would agree to this scene and then realized it was the vehicle that would ultimately make you have no pity when the bad guys got theirs from the parents. Next issue...I wanted the dad in particular to be %100 bad ass when it came to protecting his daughter. Instead it was pretty much luck that he finished them all off. Even the father's ultimate revenge in the very end didn't seem severe enough for what I had to endure during the scenes leading up to the action. Overall I give this film a D+. It didn't scare me as much as it just made me mad but it did at least muster up some emotion.

Stepfather

So this is a movie about a man who comes into the lives of a family whose father has been out of the picture for some time. The son is just home from military school and sees how much everyone loves this new guy but the son has his suspicions. Turns out the suspicions are valid and the stepfather is a murderer. Overall the movie is pretty predictable with some jumpy moments. Oh wait, I haven't seen the movie. I've only seen the 4 minute preview that lays the entire movie out for you. After the preview you can feel satisfied that you know the entire plot and don't need to bother seeing the hour and half show. I guess I can't really rate the movie but I give the preview a D.

Sorority Row

This movie was, well, ok at best. On a scale of 1 to 5 for blood and guts it gets about a 2. There was only one creative killing and the rest were all eh. The plot line gets a one or two because it becomes a "who done it." I prefer to know who and be very afraid. It really was "I know what you did last summer" in a sorority. The nudity wasn't even very impressive. It was enough to get an R rating but not enough to carry the dead horse that was the story. The scary factor was at a big fat 0. Nothing scary unless you have recently killed a friend, covered it up and are now being haunted by your deed. If that's the case, this movie may be too much for you to handle, otherwise you should be fine. Overall the movie gets an F.

Rob Zombie's Halloween 2

Ok, so on a scale of 1 to 5 in the blood and guts category I give this one a 4.5. The sound effects may be the deciding factor that take it up to a full on 5. This is a good 5...not a "The Hills Have Eyes 2" 5. The plot, script, and cinematography were fantabulastic. The only complaint I really have was that I really wanted the original kid that played the young Micheal in the first one. The replacement kid was not as good at acting.
Favorite shot of the whole thing...last shot in the insane asylum.
Whores...feel free to chime in with your thoughts.