Color me surprised. I didn't think much of this from the trailer. Personally, the only film that I care enough for in the found footage genre is Cloverfield, everything else can fuck off. However, this benefits highly from a decent script, quick pacing, and a young cast and a director who knows the ins and outs of what being young means and how to execute it all to the best of his abilities. Tank really uses the gimmicks really well here, minor quibbles aside. The most invigorating aspect of the story is the main character Andrew and his development throughout. A kid who downward spirals with his newfound powers due to the constant bullying - inside his own home and outside. The last act was quite nice, however it did feel a bit rushed which I thought was weak, it built up but in the end left me wanting more. Though, it's still a decent surprise in the found footage territory, but Cloverfield still wins

First and foremost, it's definitely best to know as little as possible about a film like this. I knew from the beginning that what I was going into would not be a typical horror film. Yet, it was that, and it wasn't. And what wasn't, was pretty fucking mental. The way the film does not hide its mysterious aspect throughout the film, but builds up towards it truly just made me go 'holy shit'. Richard Jenkins and Bradley Whitford kill it in the laughter territory. This film is such a refreshment in the horror genre, you owe it to yourself to see it in the theater. The experience will be fulfilling. Just like Ridley Scott seemingly bringing great sci-fi back, Goddard w/ Whedon have done it with horror.

It's always refreshing to see a film, particularly a crime film that has a different setting or integrates elements into it that usually aren't touched upon, or rarely are touched upon in other films. The entire container ship angle is that kind of angle and I love that it takes more than a few scenes of the film. Michael Mann's touched upon it briefly in Miami Vice, and I guess you can say Nolan, in Batman Begins. I guess in Hollywood nobody could figure out a way how to make a film out of it, other than use it as a quick device for a smuggling of "X Y Z" in a film. It took a European, specifically an Icelandic, to remake a film he starred in to bring it all to the forefront. I've always loved films that use the industrial complex as a setting, plus it always works for as the realistic aspect. The film was decent, but practically everything else is a tired formula of a "guy fucks up. other guy fixes shit by taking on the job. etc etc" However in all its familiarity, it's still a fun film.

This film says two things. Hollywood has long been pussy-whipped and that people can be fucking scum, and if you think that films like Hostel and of course this one isn't based on reality, look no further than Unit 731, which this film immediately made me think of. My actions would not be any different than the ones of Lucie in the beginning of the film if I was ever a fucking victim of what went down in this insanity of a film. I salute everyone involved, while others may be disgusted, I give props for the balls everyone had in making of this film because, you know, shit like this needs to be shown. It ain't all sunshine and rainbows in this world for sure. By about the end of the film I was ready to burn that fucking house down with everyone in it, and if the tone of this review is any indication of how I feel right about now, well, that's because it is how I feel. There isn't much I can truly say anymore other than it's a polarizing film. In my case, I dug it, but not something I'll come back to again unless I want to feel like shit again. And that ending is I think executed in the same way Nolan executed Inception - ambiguous, but certainly deep.

Has all the right moves from Kevin Smith which all I could really ask for from a View Askewniverse film. A soundtrack that evokes the nostalgia in you (depending on what gen you are, I guess), and a perfect blend of comedy and existentialism. Yet it's the climactic scene between Randall & Dante in the jail cell that really pulled it all together for me and was the true heart and soul of this piece. A true testament to true friendship and a philosophy of life you'd normally not get in a film like this. Oh yes, it's good.

When it comes down to visuals, Tarsem Singh is by far one of the best out there. He's somewhat like Michael Bay (only better), in that every frame can easily be a poster on your wall - the difference here is that Tarsem has a keen eye for poetic, Renaissance-like painter's style. Fincher - who's a good friend of his - once said on Benjamin Button's commentary about him, something like "if you're gonna do second unit, you might as well hire someone who shoots better than your first AD" The guy just has it in his blood. That said, the film doesn't particularly have an exciting story to tell. Perhaps the most memorable character is Hyperion played by Mickey Rourke, although even Rourke isn't a villain who was intimidating. The most exciting aspects for me were the actual immortals and the war they waged against the Gods (that would be a good direction for Tarsem to go into much deeply than he went with), which only comes to fruition towards the latter half of the film - which in itself really redeemed the film from being devoid of anything remotely interesting. Anytime a God was involved this is where Tarsem particularly shines with the use of slow motion which gives it an entirely new definition in my opinion. And boy did they looks fan-fuckin'-tastic. The scene when one of the Gods wreaks havoc on a group of 'baddies' and the last battle between...[more]...

Like Crazy along with another recent favorite of mine - Blue Valentine - can easily be played as a double feature in a showcase of modern "unromanticized" love genre that, to my knowledge, had first shown its roots in Mike Nichols' Closer, and please, the more the better. I am glad modern day filmmakers are recognizing that love and relationships aren't sunshines and rainbows as its been portrayed for years. A little bit of truth, needs to be injected in this genre to balance things out, Drake Doremus does just that. Inspired as well as based on his and fellow screenwriter Ben York Jones' real experience in long distance relationships, this film brings an honest approach to the relationship between two college kids caught in a predicament when one chooses to overstay the Visa's welcome to the good ol' USA. What follows is how the two try to keep the fire going while living on two different sides of the Ocean. I found it to be quite genuine (most of the dialogue was ad-libbed with a 'goal in mind') but the film does have some slight faults but not enough to sway me into a territory of dislike.