Posts
2011, 10-18:
Review of film: “PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3”
+ Info on some movie SOUVENIRS given away at a screening
In 2007, a fairly cheaply-made horror film came out called “PARANORMAL ACTIVITY”. It became a huge hit, which, of course, led to SEQUELS...
... It was such a comparative phenomenon, that it was commented about during a 2009 “STATE OF THE MOVIE INDUSTRY” panel discussion I reported on (as seen at = http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2010/10/chronicling-panel-discussion-state-of.html ), wherein I stated this:
“ ... But, sometimes, buyers see a film they like that they find best to NOT remake. [One of the panelists] cited the example of ‘PARANORMAL ACTIVITY’, which, according to many who’d seen it, has ‘seemingly NO production values’, but which was acquired to be distributed ‘AS-IS’, feeling the low-budget feel of the film would -- like the ‘BLAIR WITCH PROJECT’ [which used the idea of fake ‘found’ footage in 1999] -- be a ‘SELLING’ point in itself to the public. And, that’s exactly what’s happened with it!… ”
... In 2009, a “# 2” SEQUEL to the first “PARANORMAL” came out, which I Reviewed (as seen at = http://voice-of-film.blogspot.com/2010/10/review-paranormal-activity-2.html )...
... To no great surprise, a 3rd movie in the “series” was released on 10-21-11, designed to be in-essence a “PREQUEL” explaining the “beginnings” underpinning the first 2 films....
... That 84-minute R-rated version (with the tagline “It runs in the FAMILY.”) was directed by HENRY JOOST & ARIEL SCHULMAN, & I’m now going to offer my thoughts on it...
... At certain points, we see two grown-up SISTERS in the family we’d met “before” (in the other films): Katie (KATIE FEATHERSTON) & her younger sister Kristie Rey (SPRAGUE GRAYDEN)...
... For most of this new movie, the setting is in 1988. We are introduced to those girls at a time when they were young KIDS. We meet their videographer father named Dennis (CHRISTOPHER NICHOLAS SMITH) & his wife Julie (LAUREN BITTNER)...
... They live in a fairly fancy (expansive) new house with their two daughters, Katie (played as a youngster by CHLOE CESEGERY) & her younger sister Kristie Rey (JESSICA TYLER BROWN as the child)...
... The girls love to have fun together (such as at playing “house” with tea-pouring type ceremonies & the like), & seem to have vivid imaginations...
... Little Jessica appears to have an “IMAGINARY” friend she talks to, seemingly named “Toby”... At first, her parents find that “cute”-- but it soon starts to “CONCERN” them when she seems to truly BELIEVE the unseen friend exists & is LIVING in the HOUSE...
... Naturally, given the genre, a series of “STRANGE” things start happening in the home, & that causes Christopher to feel that he’s sensing (as he comments at one point) “a real-life POLTERGEIST”...
... That encourages Chris to work with his film-making assistant, Randy Rosen (DUSTIN INGRAM, seen as the star of “MEET MONICA VELOUR” I reviewed), in setting-up a series of video CAMERAS in the house to capture some proof of what’s going on...
... One camera is set up in the girls’ bedroom (with the ability to film 6 hours of VHS video at a time)...
... And, another camcorder is set up in the kitchen area, using a jerry-rigged oscillating-fan base to “sweep” the area to also give a view of the living room as it moves back-&-forth (left-to-right & then back again)...
... Chris & Dustin later REVIEW the date-&-time-imprinted images, & are disturbed to see certain things:
... There are strange NOISES that occur at nite, + unusual occurrences such as LIGHTS suddenly going on for no apparent “reason”...
... Increasingly bothered by events, Chris eventually starts to look in the cubbyhole-type CLOSET in the girls’ room, since Jessica indicates invisible “Toby” is often in there...
... Of course, there’s an ESCALATION in the disturbances at the house:
... Hanging lights start FALLING in various rooms...
... A babysitter gets SCARED by noises & movements as she studies at the kitchen table...
... As witnessed by Lauren, items (like a green storage box) suddenly start FLYING AROUND in the girls’ room (& elsewhere)...
... And, electrical sockets start EXPLODING while strange NOISES keep occurring...
... As things become worse, Lauren worriedly announces at one point, “We’re getting OUT of here!...”
... Could it be the “noises” & “Toby” & strange happenings will “FOLLOW” them where they go?...
... Is it likely some other “EVIL” elements will “hover” around in their lives?...
... Will any of the family members prove to be in mortal DANGER?!...
... As regular readers of this blog may know, I’m NOT a big fan of the “horror” genre, particularly in the way its “modern” incarnations are usually suffused with “SLASHER” type goriness (which I deeply dislike)...
... However, this movie for the most part is in the more-acceptable “OLDER” style, wherein it’s NOT blood-splattered & it mainly concentrates on “UNSEEN” types of “hands” (& other elements) causing the scariness...
... There are the usual typical “HOLES” in the plot. For example, Chris’ business is making videos... Yet, rather than simply install a SEPARATE camera in the living room area, he devises an “alternating-image” (moving fan-base) setup wherein he keeps “MISSING” vital happenings that could give him “clues”... But, that’s not unexpected..
... The acting is decent, with the young girls being especially good...
... The SPECIAL EFFECTS are “OK”: they’re fairly “LOW-level” (rather than cutting-edge) for this day & time, but there were a few instances where I could hear people “OOH!” & “AH!” in surprise & pleasure...
... Since it WASN’T unduly “bloody” or gory & had some passable “frightening” effects, I’m rating this at 7.00 out of 10 stars (... tho, in my opinion, it’s NOWHERE NEAR “worthy” of the huge grosses it’s been piling up from the viewing public!)...
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Info on some movie SOUVENIRS given away at a screening
When I went to an advance screening of the film in Chicago, they had a special presentation by the B96 WBBM-FM RADIO people... The event was so popular, they had to turn away around 100-200 people in the “overflow” crowd...
... Host DOUGIE STYLZ spent like an hour at the Webster Place theater engaging in various “CONTESTS” and “games” with the audience, giving away various prizes to people who “won”, audience members with birthdays or anniversaries, people who agreed to “meet” an unknown audience member onstage, etc....
... They talked about the live performers (Joe Jonas, Selena Gomez, Enrique Iglesias, Jason Derulo, Karmin, etc.) who’d be at their upcoming December 17th “JINGLE BASH” performance show in Rosemont...
... The earliest “winners” got “PARANORMAL”-related merchandise such as CAPS , + there were some large radio-station plastic CUPS...
... Most people got POSTERS from the movie, as shown by the photo below of attendee Carlos...
... Everyone got something, such as special movie-related T-shirts emblazoned on the front with the movie’s poster image of 2 girls sleeping in their beds {as shown below}...
... And, the back had the special message “I saw it first. OCT 18, 2011 PM 10:00:00.” (although, technically, the movie was shown to at least one other different audience the day BEFORE at another Chicago-area theater)...
... But, all-in-all, a very SUCCESSFUL promotional effort: the audience was kept entertained in the hour before the movie started, & everyone was pleased that they got some “SOUVENIR” from a film that most seemed to enjoy attending..
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