From Thursday October 20, 2011
This is an advanced screening review from the Scotiabank Theatre in Vancouver, BC. I was provided a pass for two by Jonny, the owner of Metropolis Comics & Toys, here in Burnaby. I highly recommend you go check out his store if you need anything from the geek culture. He's an awesome guy and knows his stuff.
Haven't seen PA 1 or 2, but I understand this is a prequel. I had only a heard little about PA 1 and they were all good things, yet had only caught the trailer once. I didn't even know there was a part two. When I got the ticket for PA 3, I looked up some interesting financial facts about the films.
The original movie was made for $15,000 and grossed just over $300M dollars worldwide, making it one of the most profitable movies ever made. The second movie had a budget of 3 million and grossed only $177M, showing a significant dent in earnings.
I will assume this movie had a slightly higher budget, and I expect that the world wide gross will be even less than the sequel. My prediction is $100M, give or take $10M. Anyone who knows this trend of Hollywood bombarding its audiences with sequels to a successfull film every year without fail, will also notice the same trend in earnings as people get tired of the franchise (see the SAW franchise...).
There were a couple of sponsor for the movie and as their representatives were preparing to present the movie there were some technical difficulties due to a shitty microphone and spotlight bulb replacement. Not a complaint, just funny. The bulb thing was probably just a joke by CFOX's Todd Allen.
After The Movie:
After The Movie:
Creepy. Really Creepy.
I think there is something about the ghost story combined with the found-footage thing that strikes a chord with me. I love slasher moviesand will them day in and day out, but, for me, they aren't scary, per se. During PA3, however, I noticed my body grew increasingly tense. By the end there was an expression on my face that I can't really explain; maybe a combination of constrained fright, uncomfortable tensity and that problem when you just cant look away. My arms were crossed and held tight, shoulders pushed up to my ears and feet tucked under my chair. I haven't had that feeling since I watched the original Ju-On in Japan with no english subtitles to tell me what the hell was going on.
Usually, I hate this type of home made movie style of film-making, I kind of think it sucks (see Cloverfield and that last god-awful Hellraiser movie), but it works here because people claim this type of thing happens to them everyday and is therefore very much plausible.
I was immediately pulled in. The first person view of the home video camera puts the viewer right in the middle of it. Complete immersion, like you are another member of the family who can only watch. The familiarity of the family pulls you in even more without needing character development. Something I loved, was, anytime ther was any attempt at character development it was to service the mythology of the story. Conversations, if you picked up on it, let you in on what happened on the other end of the story. Very subtle but also important bits of information to put together at the end which made the movie afterthoughts fun.
The philosophy behind this type of film, is that it is not necessary to get to know the characters. These people are just like anybody you know. You know this guy, he's friendly and cool; you know this woman, she's a divorced mom, you know these girls they are cute and kids being kids.
I remember watching the Blair witch project over 12 years ago and not caring about the characters at first until all the weird stuff started to happen; crazy random things in the trees, guy lost in the woods at night screaming his head off, that freaking cabin... etc. During this though I probably wasnt conscious of it at the time, I realized you don't have to know about the characters to care about what is happening to them. Everyone knows what it feels like to be afraid or creeped out, so it should be easy to relate.
I remember watching the Blair witch project over 12 years ago and not caring about the characters at first until all the weird stuff started to happen; crazy random things in the trees, guy lost in the woods at night screaming his head off, that freaking cabin... etc. During this though I probably wasnt conscious of it at the time, I realized you don't have to know about the characters to care about what is happening to them. Everyone knows what it feels like to be afraid or creeped out, so it should be easy to relate.
This ideology was lost on the group behind me; one gay guy says the dad is hot, the other says he doesn't know who these people are and therefore doesn't care and they should die, the two ladies in the middle not really saying anything.
The movie is chalk full of cheap shock scares. The kind in which someone/something pops out in front of the camera and the sound is pumped up enough to punch you in the chest and make you jump regardless if you were scared or not. I got the feeling, however, the director threw these at the audience as a sort of tongue-in-cheek-make-fun-of-you-for-falling-for-it type of thing instead of using them as genuine to be taken seriously scare tactics that usually fail.
The movie is chalk full of cheap shock scares. The kind in which someone/something pops out in front of the camera and the sound is pumped up enough to punch you in the chest and make you jump regardless if you were scared or not. I got the feeling, however, the director threw these at the audience as a sort of tongue-in-cheek-make-fun-of-you-for-falling-for-it type of thing instead of using them as genuine to be taken seriously scare tactics that usually fail.
These cheap scares were also used in a fun way. Every time one happened and the audience jumped and screamed (yes, even the guy behind me who after the movie said he didn't jump once), we all started laughing at our selves and each other, because, yes, we did fall for it.
The real scares come from the tension that is built through the use of nothing happening even though you know something will, and what happens is so subtle that it creeps the hell out of you and a couple big moments that start off with creepy subtle events into a cheap scare, and immediately continue with some seriously creepy high tension action. Though fast paced and short, I would say they were relentless.
There is also a clever tactic the "entity" uses to distract the mother while it tormented the little girls.
The real scares come from the tension that is built through the use of nothing happening even though you know something will, and what happens is so subtle that it creeps the hell out of you and a couple big moments that start off with creepy subtle events into a cheap scare, and immediately continue with some seriously creepy high tension action. Though fast paced and short, I would say they were relentless.
There is also a clever tactic the "entity" uses to distract the mother while it tormented the little girls.
There were only two shots in the film where I noticed the use of any CG. Very quick shots used to enhance rather than distract. Any others went by completely unoticed. I think all of the effects were done practically and with clever editing. The two shots though were not obligatory. The first is a simple particle shot to show the presence of an entity, and the second to show the entity becomes very hostile. Important shots, not just some producer yelling " MORE CG!!!" which is apparently what happens every day (see The Thing 2011)
Two negative points however. The oscillating fan camera became a little tedious, but just as I was thinking I had had enough it was used to great effect and the story moved on, so I guess it's fine . The other is the ending. Not the last climax of the film but the last 20 seconds I think were a little unnecessary and turned it a little cheese ball.
I was extremely pleased with the results of this movie. The effect it had on myself and the rest of the audience, the lack of CG, and the way it had me putting some pieces together when it was done. My girlfriend, however, said she was not scared during the movie and had a a light look of of boredom. When I started making jokes about Toby, she revealed the contrary.
Two negative points however. The oscillating fan camera became a little tedious, but just as I was thinking I had had enough it was used to great effect and the story moved on, so I guess it's fine . The other is the ending. Not the last climax of the film but the last 20 seconds I think were a little unnecessary and turned it a little cheese ball.
I was extremely pleased with the results of this movie. The effect it had on myself and the rest of the audience, the lack of CG, and the way it had me putting some pieces together when it was done. My girlfriend, however, said she was not scared during the movie and had a a light look of of boredom. When I started making jokes about Toby, she revealed the contrary.
I might have felt differently about this movie if I had sat through the two previous films. I don't think that it breaks any new ground in the way it was made (I don't think anymovie can do that anymore) or for its own story, but as long as the "gags" are new to each movie and nothing is recycled, it is very watchable and very scary. I will look forward to watching parts 1 and 2.
- Barretticus
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