Paranormal Activity – The Marked Ones

I love horror movies but, to be honest, the last decade or so has been reasonably devoid of decent horror flicks. Then along came Paranormal Activity which reminded filmmakers that scary movies are more about suspense than gore, blood and detailed monsters. Love them.

So here are some clips of the upcoming latest PA movie.

Inside Llewyn Davis

What’s it about?
A week in the life of a struggling artist trying to make it in the folk music scene of 1961 set against a backdrop of winter in New York.

 What did we think?
Elizabeth says: Interesting but not accessible. There are some really lovely moments here but that’s all they seemed to me: fleeting, disconnected moments. Inside Llewyn Davis feels like awards bait. It wallows so desperately in its own melancholy and is so focused on the insular creative scene that it feels a bit pretentious. It’s like it was crafted purely for the Coen brothers to say “Screw your movie conventions, this is ART and if you don’t like it then clearly you aren’t sophisticated enough.” And everyone else nods in agreement, shouting “It’s brilliant, you’re visionaries!” and pats themselves on the back for being so artsy high-brow wonderful. Except me. Bah humbug.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

What’s it about?
While working undercover as a junior analyst for the CIA, Jack Ryan (Chris Pine) uncovers an imminent terrorist attack designed to destroy the US economy.  

What did we think?
Elodie says:  If you blink, you’ll probably miss something.  And once you’ve missed it, good luck trying to keep up with the plot.  Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit is fast-paced, action-packed and topical, drawing on issues such as 9/11 and global economic instability for emphasis.  At times, the action scenes could be from almost any spy drama.  However, Pine meets expectations in a polished performance – he’s shed Captain Kirk and taken on shades of Jason Bourne.  Worth seeing, even if only for Keira Knightley’s gawky American accent.

47 Ronin

What’s it about? A Hollywoodisation (I thought I just made up a word, but someone on the internet has already taken credit) of an 18th-century Japanese “national” legend The Revenge of the 47 Ronin.

What did we think?
Casey says: Clearly aimed at an audience that doesn’t like too many words, can’t spell numbers and hasn’t stopped smoking pot since the release of Bill & Teds Excellent Adventure, Ted’s latest romp falls somewhat short of a well-crafted depiction of a compelling Japanese legend.

Flags, costumes, cherry blossoms, traditional architecture, awesome sword fights and cool flippy fabric things are all in this film’s favour. Keanu Reeves, random helpful demons, and awful dialog are not.

 

Free Birds

What’s it about?
Two turkeys travel back in time to prevent turkeys becoming the main menu piece for thanksgiving.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: This movie will make you wish time travel was possible … so you could go back in time and stop yourself from seeing it. Or go back and stopping the film being made at all.

The script is so badly written it beggars belief. There are far too many ’70s references for grown-ups, none of which are funny. This movie is so bad I can’t even be bothered working in a joke about it being a ‘turkey’. It’s worse than that. Much worse.

Academy Award nominations 2014

And the Oscar goes to… Well no one just yet but the nominations are out and being the hardcore film buffs we are,SuperQuickReviews  stayed up til the wee hours of the morning for the announcement. Seriously, we did. Check the time stamp if you don’t believe us!
Below are the 2014 nominees. Who’s your pick? Will Jennifer Lawrence win her second Oscar? Will Meryl’s 18th nod be the lucky one? Will the Academy finally give Leo a statue to say “sorry we left you out of the nominations for Titanic?” Make your predictions below!

BEST PICTURE

“12 Years a Slave”
“American Hustle”
“Captain Phillips”
“Dallas Buyers Club”
“Gravity”
“Her”
“Nebraska”
“Philomena”
“The Wolf of Wall Street”

BEST DIRECTOR 

David O. Russell, “American Hustle”
Alfonso Cuaron, “Gravity”
Alexander Payne, “Nebraska”
Steve McQueen, “12 Years a Slave”
Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street”

BEST ACTOR

Christian Bale, “American Hustle”
Bruce Dern, “Nebraska”
Leonardo DiCaprio, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Chiwetel Ejiofor, “12 Years a Slave”
Matthew McConaughey, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ACTRESS

Amy Adams, “American Hustle”
Cate Blanchett, “Blue Jasmine”
Sandra Bullock, “Gravity”
Judi Dench, “Philomena”
Meryl Streep, “August: Osage County”

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

“American Hustle”
“Blue Jasmine”
“Her”
“Nebraska”
“Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

“Before Midnight”
“Captain Phillips”
“Philomena”
“12 Years a Slave”
“The Wolf of Wall Street”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Lupita Nyong’o, “12 Years a Slave”
Jennifer Lawrence, “American Hustle”
June Squibb, “Nebraska”
Julia Roberts, “August: Osage County”
Sally Hawkins, “Blue Jasmine”

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

Barkhad Abdi, “Captain Phillips”
Bradley Cooper, “American Hustle”
Michael Fassbender, “12 Years a Slave”
Jonah Hill, “The Wolf of Wall Street”
Jared Leto, “Dallas Buyers Club”

BEST ANIMATED FILM

“The Croods”
“Despicable Me 2”
“Ernest & Celestine”
“Frozen”
“The Wind Rises”

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

“The Grandmaster”
“Gravity”
“Inside Llewyn Davis”
“Nebraska”
“Prisoners”

BEST COSTUME DESIGN

Michael Wilkinson, “American Hustle”
William Chang Suk Ping, “The Grandmaster”
Catherine Martin, “The Great Gatsby”
Michael O’Connor, “The Invisible Woman”
Patricia Norris, “12 Years a Slave”

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

“The Act of Killing”Joshua Oppenheimer and Signe Byrge Sørensen
“Cutie and the Boxer” Zachary Heinzerling and Lydia Dean Pilcher
“Dirty Wars” Richard Rowley and Jeremy Scahill
“The Square” Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer
“20 Feet from Stardom” Nominees to be determined

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT

“CaveDigger” Jeffrey Karoff
“Facing Fear” Jason Cohen
“Karama Has No Walls” Sara Ishaq
“The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life” Malcolm Clarke and Nicholas Reed
“Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall” Edgar Barens

BEST FILM EDITING

“American Hustle” Jay Cassidy, Crispin Struthers and Alan Baumgarten
“Captain Phillips” Christopher Rouse
“Dallas Buyers Club” John Mac McMurphy and Martin Pensa
“Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón and Mark Sanger
“12 Years a Slave” Joe Walker

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“The Broken Circle Breakdown” Belgium
“The Great Beauty” Italy
“The Hunt” Denmark
“The Missing Picture” Cambodia
“Omar” Palestine

BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING

“Dallas Buyers Club” Adruitha Lee and Robin Mathews
“Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa” Stephen Prouty
“The Lone Ranger” Joel Harlow and Gloria Pasqua-Casny

 

What’s Popular

Kung Fu Panda 3

What’s it about?
Po discovers not only his long-lost father but an entire village of pandas. In karmic payback he has to train the lazy and clumsy brethren for an upcoming battle.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Full of frenetic energy and colour, the third Kung Fu Panda instalment won’t disappoint the younger audience but adults will struggle with the fact that we’ve seen it all before. With no real character development since the first movie, KF3 is just the same characters doing the same things in a different setting with new action figures… I mean friends. Nothing inherently wrong but just feels a bit tired. Kids will love it though: Kung Fu Panda – now with more pandas!

The Jungle Book

What’s it about?
An orphaned child is raised in the jungle by animals but not all have a fondness for him and in the face of a threat from a savage tiger, Mowgli is to be returned to the man village.

What did we think?
The second of Disney’s live-action remakes of classic cartoons, The Jungle Book is surprisingly true to the original. It’s got extra grit and is less childish but manages to recreate the charm that will put a smile on your face regardless of your age. There are a few scary moments for the younger audience members but they are thankfully brief and easily forgotten in the face of impressive effects and performances, most notably the show-stealing Baloo voiced by Bill Murray. Neel Sethi is impressive as Mowgli especially considering he didn’t share a scene with a human the entire movie. Genuine fun for the entire family. 

Brand New Testament

What’s it about?
God is real. And living in Brussels. And he’s a bit of a dick. So his ten-year-old daughter moves out into the real world where she follows in the footsteps of her older brother (JC) and seeks out some apostles.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: This quirky and somewhat blasphemous Belgian-French movie is a dark little comedy that playfully dances around a lot of questions without answering many and that only adds to its appeal. It’s a lesson Hollywood could learn. The endearing star is balanced out against a range of characters in the randomly chosen apostles each with their own unusual subplot. You’re never quite sure where the stories are going but it’s such a fun irreverent journey you reallydon’t care: you’re just enjoying the ride. The casual – and accepted – surrealism only adds to the odd theme and sense of mirth. If you like the sound of the plot, you’ll enjoy the pic.

Zootopia

What’s it about?
The modern metropolis of Zootopia is a city where animals of all kinds coexist in peace and harmony. A young rabbit realises her dream of becoming the first bunny on the police force but has to battle judgement and stereotyping all while trying to solve a missing person’s case. She enlists (forcibly) the aid of a con artist fox and the natural enemies are pushed closer and closer together.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Zootopia is simply a delight. From the incredible animation which showcases not only an intricate city of wondrous detail but also entire worlds of imagination. All held together by an engaging and clever story. Yes it’s predictable – hey it’s still a kids’ movie – but there’s enough for adults to get lost in as well. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are outstanding as the rabbit and fox detective duo which touches on politics and race tensions in a very subtle manner. Just great hearty fun.

 

Editor's Choice

Kung Fu Panda 3

What’s it about?
Po discovers not only his long-lost father but an entire village of pandas. In karmic payback he has to train the lazy and clumsy brethren for an upcoming battle.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Full of frenetic energy and colour, the third Kung Fu Panda instalment won’t disappoint the younger audience but adults will struggle with the fact that we’ve seen it all before. With no real character development since the first movie, KF3 is just the same characters doing the same things in a different setting with new action figures… I mean friends. Nothing inherently wrong but just feels a bit tired. Kids will love it though: Kung Fu Panda – now with more pandas!

The Jungle Book

What’s it about?
An orphaned child is raised in the jungle by animals but not all have a fondness for him and in the face of a threat from a savage tiger, Mowgli is to be returned to the man village.

What did we think?
The second of Disney’s live-action remakes of classic cartoons, The Jungle Book is surprisingly true to the original. It’s got extra grit and is less childish but manages to recreate the charm that will put a smile on your face regardless of your age. There are a few scary moments for the younger audience members but they are thankfully brief and easily forgotten in the face of impressive effects and performances, most notably the show-stealing Baloo voiced by Bill Murray. Neel Sethi is impressive as Mowgli especially considering he didn’t share a scene with a human the entire movie. Genuine fun for the entire family. 

Brand New Testament

What’s it about?
God is real. And living in Brussels. And he’s a bit of a dick. So his ten-year-old daughter moves out into the real world where she follows in the footsteps of her older brother (JC) and seeks out some apostles.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: This quirky and somewhat blasphemous Belgian-French movie is a dark little comedy that playfully dances around a lot of questions without answering many and that only adds to its appeal. It’s a lesson Hollywood could learn. The endearing star is balanced out against a range of characters in the randomly chosen apostles each with their own unusual subplot. You’re never quite sure where the stories are going but it’s such a fun irreverent journey you reallydon’t care: you’re just enjoying the ride. The casual – and accepted – surrealism only adds to the odd theme and sense of mirth. If you like the sound of the plot, you’ll enjoy the pic.

Zootopia

What’s it about?
The modern metropolis of Zootopia is a city where animals of all kinds coexist in peace and harmony. A young rabbit realises her dream of becoming the first bunny on the police force but has to battle judgement and stereotyping all while trying to solve a missing person’s case. She enlists (forcibly) the aid of a con artist fox and the natural enemies are pushed closer and closer together.

What did we think?
Anthony Sherratt says: Zootopia is simply a delight. From the incredible animation which showcases not only an intricate city of wondrous detail but also entire worlds of imagination. All held together by an engaging and clever story. Yes it’s predictable – hey it’s still a kids’ movie – but there’s enough for adults to get lost in as well. Ginnifer Goodwin and Jason Bateman are outstanding as the rabbit and fox detective duo which touches on politics and race tensions in a very subtle manner. Just great hearty fun.

 

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