rjwilli1414 Reviews

The Conjuring (2013)

James Wan Is a Dark and Twisted Mastermind of Horror

[10/10 · 19 July 2013]

"The Exorcist" has held the title of the most commonly voted "scariest movie of all-time" by Horror fans for 41 years. I strongly believe that "The Conjuring" will soon take its place on the throne.

Bold statement...I know...but I will explain why it is true.

I went into this movie with high hopes not only because the horror genre has been dormant this summer with the flop of "The Purge" but because I read many great reviews from early screenings that got me even more excited than I already was. It did not disappoint. If I was one to have nightmares, I most certainly would not be sleeping tonight. This movie will scare the living crap out of you like you cannot imagine. I normally judge a horror movie on how many times it gives me the chills/goosebumps, as I am not one to normally fall for jump scares. However, not tonight. I kid you not, I jumped countless times and about broke my armrest on my theater chair. The terror is unexplainable and it only builds stronger as the movie goes on.

So yea, it's scary so what?.. you might ask..well that is just the beginning. The acting is definitely great for a horror movie and I would call it above average for say, a drama or comedy where it is more strongly criticized. The cinematic effects/camera angles/audio/directing was A++ for me. There were no CGI effects that were noticeable, though I'm sure some had to have been done in certain scenes. The best part was, the plot was actually enjoyable and even if you took away the fact that it was scary as hell, it would still be a watchable movie.

I have seen hundreds of horror films and this is hands down the best in my opinion. Some will argue that of course, but in today's online world where so many think they are experts and feel like they mean something when they hate on the entertainment industry, no movie will be liked by everyone. Bottom line, you aren't a horror fan if you don't go see this movie ASAP..In theaters, this weekend. Don't wait. I wouldn't have been upset if it cost me $50 to see this movie.

Lastly, I would like to thank James Wan for somehow making a horror movie about possession and doing it so well that I haven't even thought about comparing it to the many others before it. Bravo Sir. We will all be blessed with more of his work than we already have been, in years to come. This is just the start of his prime.

This Is the End (2013)

How amazing this movie is to you will depend on...

[10/10 · 12 June 2013]

Are you under 30? If so, no need to continue..QUIT READING AND SEE THIS MOVIE ASAP. Your welcome.

For everyone else,

If you love these actors, you will love this movie..plain and simple. HOWEVER, if you don't know if you love these actors or you only like a couple of them, follow this guide to know how much you will enjoy the humor.

If you are an 80's baby, this will probably be one of the best comedies you have ever seen.

If you are a 90's baby, this will probably be one of the best comedies you have seen in the last year or so.

If you are a 70's baby, your opinion of the film will depend on how much slapstick humor and more modern comedy trends you are familiar with and find funny.

If you were born in the 60's or before, spend your money elsewhere. Sure you will laugh at some things and perhaps find the overall story descently entertaining, but there is absolutely no way you will enjoy it as much as myself or anyone else in my demo did and will.

Keep an eye out for any bad reviews for this movie and see if they weren't written by an older person. Anyone under the age of 40 that does not give this movie AT LEAST A 6, is a liar..or mental.

Sure there's more to write about other aspects of the movie than humor, but I'll leave that to the experts. Quite frankly, I just was hoping to find this movie funny. Hah, like that was going to be a problem. It was also very cool that everyone played themselves. I had never seen that done by a whole cast. I left the theater trying to remember the last time I laughed that much at a movie. Maybe once ever..not sure yet.

10/10 A++++

In Their Skin (2012)

Well executed knock off of "Funny Games"

[7/10 · 10 November 2012]

The only difference between this movie and Funny Games is in this movie it is a psycho family, some nudity and sex scenes and a few more gunshots. Other than that I couldn't believe this movie script didn't get thrown out as a complete knock off of Funny Games.

Now if you have not seen Funny Games, then I suggest you pick your villain. If you want to see two psycho young men torture a normal wealthy family, go see Funny Games. If you want to see a psycho lower class family torture a normal wealthy family, see this movie.

Both movies have great casts and great acting but I would have to give this film a slight edge in that category. However, when it comes to the disturbingly psychopathic factor in the villains, I give that edge to Funny Games.

All in all, don't waste your time like I did with this movie if you have seen Funny Games. Definitely a good experience I imagine for those who haven't.

Paranormal Activity 4 (2012)

"Worst plot, Best Ending" of the series for me

[8/10 · 2 November 2012]

The ability of viewers to forget what the other paranormal activities were like ceases to amaze me when i read the reviews on this film. Sure, it is the 4th movie in 4 years and its hard to keep pumping out mind-blowing horror phenomenons like the 1st one became to many, but not all lets remember. Even the 1st in the series was either loved or hated.

That being said, The first 75% of the movie was slow-building, and boring at times, but i suggest viewers that have seen them all and hated this one; go back and watch the first and second installment and remind yourself those plots were nothing special and boring at times too. Even though, the build-up was clever to me in a way because it continued to use the same "guideline" as you will, as its predecessors, and still had the jump scares in unique places i didn't often see coming. They were'nt that scary at all however and kind've pointless; as the build-up of all the movies in the series are in my opinion.

What really brings it home for me and the reason I keep watching each of these movies is to see that Demon Katie take me from dozing off to a chilly spine in seconds. The ending of these movies is always ten times better than the rest of the movie combined. As far as endings go, I would rate Paranormal Activity 2 and 4 as the scariest, and 1 next, slightly ahead of 3. As a whole movie however, 4 left a lot to be desired and if I ever watched it again, I would take a nap through the 1st hour.

Go into this movie remembering that the plot is not what has made these movies popular and it never will be. The real-life atmosphere in suburban neighborhoods and seriously freakish demonic endings are going to make this series a serious cash crop for Hollywood for years to come in my opinion. If only they would spend more time making more than just the ending scary and entertaining.

Pitch Perfect (2012)

Predictable, To the Point, and did I mention AMAZING!!!!!!

[10/10 · 20 October 2012]

Just saw this movie and I got exactly what I wanted from it. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen and it had a very predictable plot. However, as stated in the heading, this movie is amazing.

What makes this movie work so well is the perfect cast, great acapella music, and of course the incredible Fat Amy. Also this movie is very to the point. What I mean by that is there are no scenes that aren't vital to the plot of the movie. The movie could not have been a minute shorter without some serious plot holes. That was the only surprising part of the movie was how fast it progressed. It was very clever of the writers to do it that way because of the predictable "underdog rising to the top" type of film it is that everyone has seen before.

This movie will keep you laughing, thoroughly entertained and if you are like me, you will be very anxious to see what the Bellas end up putting together at the end.

Back to Fat Amy for a minute, what can I say, she's hilarious. I see Rebel Wilson (Fat Amy) as a female Chris Farley for this generation. I predict she will become a huge star in the years to come and everyone will know her name.

I recommend this to anyone for a good movie experience. If you are a Glee fan, or a music fanatic, you will especially love this movie as much as I did.

10/10

REC (2007)

Too much to say for a proper title other than "Brilliant"

[10/10 · 11 October 2012]

This is possibly the best horror movie I have ever seen. The last 30 min will take you to the most intense level of terror imaginable. An absolute masterpiece in my mind.

So lets pretend the director and writers were told to make a horror movie on a very low budget, use no images or concepts that haven't been seen before, lackluster acting (or so it seemed because I was watching an English audio version), and leave it open to a sequel while still ending the movie brilliantly.........If that was their task, this is the best movie ever made. How they were able to incorporate such an intense and original feeling to this movie without doing anything original was just unbelievable in my opinion.

This movie is very short with a runtime of 75 minutes or so but trust me, they did not even need that much time. The beginning had me skeptical as it seemed rather boring and had me wondering where it was going. Lets just say I'm glad I didn't turn it off. The story builds emotion and horror very well all the way to the end with no letdown. Each minute is more intense than the one before.

I am very interested in the sequels and can only hope they compare to this one.

VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to any horror fan, especially to zombie/infection movie fanatics because all other movies in that category pale in comparison to this. As I said earlier, the only thing this movie lacks is originality (which it does mighty fine without), and stellar acting (good chance the acting was better in the original language vs. the English dubbed version I watched). Watch this movie in a dark room, late at night with no distractions and no pauses and you will wish you had seen this a long time ago.

10/10

Grave Encounters 2 (2012)

Great sequel..Do not watch the trailer if possible!

[8/10 · 6 October 2012]

I saw this having seen the first movie but not the trailer and having now watched the trailer, I am thrilled I didn't see it ahead of time, because that really would have cut down on the surprises I got from the film.

The vicious brothers did both films but its hard to believe despite a couple similar scares. These take nothing away from the movie though as there is shock after shock as this plot goes along. Perhaps there were a few too many scare moments but I didn't mind. The first half hour of the movie might make u wonder if your in the right theater but be patient because the setup is awesome and worth it. Getting to know the characters prior to the asylum is a nice addition missing from the first film. The characters could have used more growth and the acting could've been better but I can't knock it much because of the many great improvements from the first.

This is a must see if you so much as kindve liked the first movie. Only one part did I predict and that's the elevator scene (you'll see)..but one of the coolest things was that there was scare moments that reminded me of a lot of other scary movies yet all still being from the same type of evil which was rather fantastic.

Overall comparison to 1st film: Better story, better acting, better scares, totally different and impressively improved Lance, and much more.

8/10

Excision (2012)

That is one twisted girl

[6/10 · 2 October 2012]

This movie was a letdown for me and had the potential for much more. However, if you want to see very creative psycho-sexual fantasies, the ugliest, most disgusting, and most twisted character Anna Lynn Mccord could ever play, this is for you.

I pray there are no people in the world with even close to the personality of this crazy character but even with the twisted mind and potential of relatively good acting, this movie did not deliver.

Worth watching if your into unique horror movies but don't expect for your mind to be blown. The plot is slow and really has no path and it all leads to a sick, but still underwhelming ending. One positive is the acting, which is well done by the entire cast.

What this movie needs is a more active plot, more believable main character, and a better director. Nothing really connected the way it should have. The idea had so much potential but blew it big time.

Overall 6/10

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Ben Affleck shines in directorial debut!!!

[10/10 · 12 February 2008]

This movie is all around perfection at its best. This is definitely the best movie I have seen in at least a few months. Casey Affleck is not just a little brother of the director trying to make a name for himself. He is the absolute perfect character for this role and does tremendous throughout.

The most amazing part of this movie is the acting, as hard as it to even call it that. Throughout the film, not at one point can you even imagine that what you are seeing is fake. Incredibly real atmosphere throughout with very realistic dialogue.

Parents beware of watching with children because there are a lot of curse words but in my opinion they are needed in the certain scenes that include them, because it adds to the realness of the film.

Overall, this movie will leave you talking for a while and its one of those that almost make you wanna applaud when it ends. I definitely look to see this movie at the Oscars. I recommend it to all adults and mature teenagers that love a quality film.

However, if you sit down to watch this movie, watch it. Because it is very in depth and requires focus to fully understand.

I look forward to the future with Ben Affleck as a director because this movie was incredible. A+