Paranormal Activity 2 Review:

 

     Paranormal activity was one of the most significant sleeper hits (a movie that makes more money than expected)  of the decade, having been demanded by audience, and climbing the charts at the box office. The film alone grossed over 190 million dollars worldwide, with only a budget of $15,000 making the film one of the most successful movies of all time, along with “Blair Witch Project” and “Mad Max”. Only a year later Paranormal Activity 2 has now hit theaters hoping to have the same success as its predecessor, but with a new director and much bigger budget, will this sequel be a hit? Paranormal Activity 2 is a prequel, taking place before the events of the first film, with the last five minutes acting as the sequel for the film. The story follows relatives of the predecessor’s protagonist as they encounter numerous paranormal events, and the same entity that haunts the main characters in the last film. The movie offers more scares than its predecessor, but at points gives off a been there done that feel, as many of the paranormal events are replicas of the first films.  The film still has the slow build up of the mockumentary genre, but always has you feeling like something scary is just around the corner. Although the film has a much bigger budget, much of the originality remains in tack and never feels too special effect oriented, rather than past mockumentary films such as “The Last Exorcism”. The acting is solid and helps make you believe that the characters are reacting to real events. The film is well made and has a much more structured and professional feel which is what the predecessor lacked. Although the film does drag in the beginning with numerous cheap scares, it makes up for it in a finale that most movie goers wont see coming.  It is disappointing that the film doesn’t have much innovation, but is definitely  more entertaining and engaging than its predecessor was. This is a rare sequel that takes what the original had and improves it on nearly ever level, the scares get better as the film goes along, and the story isn’t as unbelievable as the last film, with the box office success that the film has had so far, hopefully Paranormal activity 3 will bring something new to the table, rather than repeating the same story over and over…………..Saw would be a great example of that.

3 out of 4

The Town Review:

The Town is an excellent film that helps show the directorial skills of Ben Affleck, along with engaging the audience in a heist thriller like no other. The movie tells the tale of Doug MacRay whom is leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers, who have been perform professional heist in the district of Charlestown. After a bank heist goes wrong, Doug must than deal with the repercussions of his actions, while preparing his crew for one last heist. The films story is well told and executed perfectly, the acting is well tuned, along with immersing the audience into the troubles and conflicts that the characters are facing. The supporting cast gives great performances all around, especially last year’s Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker), whom gives the story a lot more tension and emotion as you uncover the origins of his character. Ben Affleck does a fantastic job of executing the various action sequences, and building a lot of tension around each of the firefights, at some points it hard not to root for the main characters, although they are the bad guys. The performances are phenomenal, the execution perfect, and the overall experience is one of the best this year. The Town is a triumph with its great use of its low budget, and cast. Although this year has shown its fair share of innovative films, the town shows that creativity and worthwhile movie going experience aren’t in short supply.

4 out of 4