MAMA

A Mother's Love If Forever.

Here we go, as promised. Another scary movie for the month of October to celebrate All Hollow's Eve.

 

 

MAMA was released this year as a Spanish-Canadian horror film based off of the short film with the same title. Co-Written and directed by Andy Muschietti with Guillermo del Toro (Pan's Labyrinth) as executive producer.

The film is based on two girls who's father, at the beginning of the movie, kills their mother and runs away with the girls. On a snowy road, the father speeds through the mountainside before finally skidding off a ravine and down between two trees. He takes his daughters, one barely old enough to walk, and hunkers down in an old cabin they find along the way. The unstable father, about to kill the oldest daughter, is suddenly snatched up by a spirit of sorts and is killed.

Father of the year prize, right?

Well, Victoria and Lilly's uncle-- their father's brother-- spends years looking for them finally with success. By the time the girls are found however, they are the equivalent to wild animals. Victoria, the oldest, still retained the knowledge of the words she knew when the accident occurred and talks about a woman they call MAMA. Someone who took care of them, fed them, and kept them warm during the winters.

A psychologist who was dealing in the rehabilitation of the girls says that MAMA is a figure the children made up and that Victoria is trying to embody so they could cope with living on their own for so long. What the psychologist doesn't tell the uncle and his rock-band girlfriend is that the true purpose of his study is to actually find out about the woman who is MAMA, believing her to be a true person.

Well, against the girl's mother's sister (their aunt), the uncle fights for custody and eventually wins, letting the psychologist continue to help in their rehabilitation case work. Over a small amount of time you realize that MAMA never left their sides and has traveled to their new home with them. She, it is revealed, is the spirit of whom she was in life with some baggage left behind. Not to mention a pretty big jealousy streak when it comes to anyone else trying to take care of "her" children.

Anyway, Victoria seems to slowly want this normal life while Lilly is still very attached to the spirit of MAMA and prefers her over anyone else.

With an ending that is typical for Guillermo del Toro movies but still as heartbreaking and sentimental as ever, the movie ends.

My review? The movie was amazing.

I do have some issues with it though.

Negative's first okay?

I am never really a fan of movies that give away what the evil, supernatural creature looks like in the beginning. To me it is no fun and takes some of the surprise out of it later when you see the full figure up close.
I think the storyline also progressed very fast. You see the beginning, you see the kids rehabilitated, suddenly it is time to deal with the creature and then it is the end. I think they could have done a lot more when it came to the storyline, but as previously stated, it was based off a short movie so it was probably in their minds not to deter from the idea too much, which is understandable.

Positives?

I think the child actors who played their roles, did an amazing job. It is always nice to see child actors with the talent to act a certain way or have large lines and a good character history instead of sitting around the whole movie not doing anything.
Cudos on not killing the likeable uncle. I mean, this man spends all his own money to find his girls when the cops have given up and no one else will look. It is so nice to see that kind of good-heartedness after witnessing the douche-bag father of the year award go to someone so early.
I fully appreciate the storyline of the rocker girlfriend too who goes from thanking God that she isn't pregnant to fighting for these little girls lives. Not to mention the little girls themselves for, as I mentioned earlier, putting on some amazing roles.
The acting wasn't cheesy, which is always a plus, and the graphics were good, though they did sort of meld with "The Grudge" type of supernatural forces when it came to how the evil creature looked or acted, even moved.

The end was sad, and at the same time the little girl Lilly just makes you smile if you are the type of person to really appreciate the gentle and pure innocent smile and laughter of a young one.

My rating??



I highly recommend the movie for an October marathon of scary movies. The fear factor doesn't lie within the story itself but the moments when you least expect something to pop up or act a certain way and than it does. Nothing really involving gore, sex, or to much blood which is always a plus to me. I don't think there has to be nudity, sex, and guts flying everywhere to make a movie scary. To me it just wishes I didn't eat anything before or while watching it.

So, go out to your local Blockbuster, Wal-Mart or Family Video and rent or buy the movie for yourself. I suggest renting first, because this is obviously just my opinion, but I don't think you will be to disappointed.

Future Movie Update; Chronicle's of Narnia set to make 4th installment.

 

 

Are you a fan of the C. S. Lewis books that introduced a whole new world to us through the tales of Narnia?

If you can't remember, the stories created by C. S. Lewis are as follows in the order they were published;

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician's Nephew
and
The Last Battle

They begin by following four young children who were sent away from their war-embarked home to stay with a sort of "fosterer" and end up finding their way to Narnia.

Well, if you do not know the books than I am sure you have at least heard about the movies. Usually the cover of the DVD holds a large lion face on it representing King Aslan of Narnia.

Well, good news for the movie lovers, but bad news for the haters who want to see the franchise die like Aslan in the first movie.

The franchise has risen again! Much like Aslan also did in the first movie.



Although the first movie made a huge profit in both national and international box offices, the second and third movies didn't do as great on our side of the pond. However, with their international profit and the huge fan base that has been following and requesting another installment for a couple years now, the producers have finally decided to put the fourth book, The Silver Chair, into production.

The Silver Chair will center around two classmates. Eustace (some might remember him from The Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and Jill, who when trying to escape the grasp of local school bullies, end up back in Narnia where King Aslan asks them both to find Prince Rillian who disappeared years ago.

My excitement? Well, I am overjoyed.. really.. stop looking at me that way.

Okay fine, if I want to see the movie I will more then likely rent it at the local movie store after it comes out on DVD, but as far as my dvd collection of the Chronicle's goes, I have watched The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe a million and one times and I will watch it a million more. However, I don't even own the second two.



I highly recommend it for you children though. The colors, the characters and the graphics alone should keep them busy for hours and allow them to enjoy the world of Narnia as we all did in the books.

IT

 

Yes dearies, this is IT.

If any of you out there have mild or severe Coulrophobia; I having the latter, then you know exactly what movie I am talking about the fear factor it admits.

 

For my own sanity, I added the images last so I did not have to stare at them while typing. I honestly do not think my heart could take it.

 

Now, I also have severe Arachnophobia- a fear of spiders. However, unlike my Arachnophobia, I will actually watch movies on clowns. I am scared to death of them and they freak me out, even saying the word terrifies me to the end of looking over my shoulder and hiding under the table, but alas here I am to report on the scariest clown movie I have ever seen.

 

I felt like punishing myself on day and decided to go to the movie store and rent every movie I could that had a horror factor of clowns. Well, of course plenty scared me, but the one to terrify me to no end and become my most hated and yet sickly most beloved clown movie is Stephen King's IT.

 

IT, also refered to as Stephen King's IT, was made into the film adaption in 1990. The story revolves around a "inter-dimensional predatory lifeform" which has the ability to shapeshift into it's prey's worst and most horrid fears. Through the movie, however, it mainly takes on the form of -shivers- Pennywise, a sadistic and wise-cracking clown.

 

The group of people that the story revolves around call themselves "The Losers Club" and were tormented by this clown when they were children. The movie then turns to their adult years and the return of the foe they thought they had gotten rid of for good.

 

-shivers- Pennywise.

 

Although this movie loosely follows the plot of the novel, it is scary on its own. No, seriously, I am still trying to get up the nerve to read the book if that thing is scarier then the movie.

 

The main cast included Dennis Christopher, Annette O'Toole, John Ritter, Harry Anderson, Richard Thomas, Tim Reid, Richard Masur, Michael Cole and, starring as the lead role and the scariest clown to date; Tim Curry as, -shivers- Pennywise.

 

It was originally aired on television as a two-part mini series and received mixed reviews. The child actors and Tim Curry were praised for their acting but the second part was criticized for being melo-dramatic and not as terrifying and the first part.

 

Now there are plenty of differences, I hear, from the movie and the book.

A few examples include;

The film puts more of an emphasis on the Pen-- well, the clown's form then any other form the creature takes shape as. This is due mainly to the fact that clowns scare a very large general population.

Georgie, a main character's little brother, has a deeper and more violent death scene in the book then in the movie.

Forms that IT takes in the book include a werewolf, a leper, a mummy, and waterlogged corpses while in the movie it mainly remains a clown or "the deadlights".

 

Those are a few of the differences anyway. You can find these and more at Wikipedia.

So, now for my review.

When I first watched IT, yes, I was terrified. But, it wasn't until later, and more recently, that I found out who the actor was who played IT.
Now, I am a big Tim Curry fan. I liked him as Rooster in Annie, I loved him as Frankenfurter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, I laughed at him as the Butler in Clue, I adored him as Cardinal Richleu in The Three Musketeers and my daughter has loved his voice overs in Curious George, A Turtle's Tale, her Barbie movies, and more.

However, while watching IT, for the second time with my fiancée, Derrick, he looked at me and said "Man, I can't believe Tim Curry plays IT."

I looked at him,
Stared.
Stared some more.
Blinked a few times.
and than said..
"Excuse me?"

He then said it again and the next time IT was on screen, I saw him. For the first time I actually saw Tim Curry through the paint and fell in love with him again as the one true actor to have ever played a clown so ferociously that it truly terrified me unlike any other clown movie before.


I mean, the movie isn't perfect. I do agree that the second part lacks, but I think it lacks mainly near the end when you see the creatures true form. It really brings you down from the terrifying high you are in for most of the movie. Yes, I am scared of what he was than, too but it just isn't the same as -shivers- Pennywise.

I honestly do not think this movie is a let down though when you look for terror, freakishness and a movie to feed your fear of clowns in that sick, demented manner that only a person who is truly afraid of clowns can understand.

Really, watch it. If you hate it than that is your opinion but if you hate it, my opinion is that you are more psychotic then that damn clown will ever be.

Well, there ya go. Remember fellow "afraid of clown"ers. Don't watch the blowing sheets on the clothes line.

And don't look down the sewer grate.



Sweet Dreams.

Paranormal Activity Series

 

 

 

 

Okay, well, not yet anyway. It sure is getting close though and what better way to celebrate the month of October than watching scary movies!?

I have currently been obsessed with Season 3 of The Walking Dead that has finally arrived on Netflix but that doesn't mean I can't watch some scary movies too right?

So, to start the month off right, I have chosen a series that I am up to date and very familiar with. The "Paranormal Activity" franchise.

Now this movie series gets some mixed feelings. You have those who love it, those who hate it, those who can't follow it and those who just want to watch it for the sake of another sexy and scared girl on screen.

Me? I personally love the series and I like the scary movies that make you feel like it can really happen to you. As far as graphics, I like what they did. I didn't see any wires, the reactions I thought were awesome, but the fact that the first movie came out without the idea of it as a series and it had an alternate ending sort of ruined it for me, esp since I saw the first one second.

So, let's start with the summary and then I will get to the reviews. Sounds good? Good. Remember, spoilers as always.


Paranormal Activity was created by first time director Oren Peli who was so scared of ghosts that even Ghostbusters terrified him. He wanted to turn his fears into something positive and took over a year to prepare everything to be filmed within his own house. He even studied Demonology and researched paranormal cases, wanting the movies to be as realistic and "truthful" as possible.

Along with the current four that are out, there is set to be two more movies. The fifth movie is set directly after the fourth one and they are both set to be released in 2014. Oren Peli only directed the first one but was a producer for the prequel and the other films in the series.

The series is generally filmed using camcorders, home videos, security cameras and webcam's and it follows a family who turns out to have a terrible secret in their history which leads the current-day members of the family to deal with demonic possession and hauntings.


 The first movie revolves around a couple, Katie and Micah, who slowly become terrorized through the nights by a demonic entity that Katie believes to have been following her all her life.

The second movie starts of several weeks before the events of the first film with the demonic activity affecting Katie's sister Kristi and her family-- a husband and a step-daughter, after she brings home her first child, a son, named Hunter.


The third movie is set to be a prequel for the whole series, showing Katie and Kristi as they were kids and what happened when they were younger to make sense of the events said in the first two movies. This is when they encounter "Toby" for the first time by name.


In the fourth, and latest, segment of the series it deals with a new family that might have something in their history that brings them into the demonic bouts of terror. It is several years after the events of the second movie and Katie is seen moving in next to the family with her "son". The events of this movie tend to affect the new family's son, Wyatt.

Alright. So here is the jist.

I love the series, I really do. I feel like after I watch it that I need to be careful when I walk around my house and that my daughter needs to be checked on because anything can happen. Not to mention my daughter watched the Labyrinth with David Bowie in it awhile ago and decided to name one of her baby dolls Toby. Yeah, that was creepy.

Anyway, I do understand the confusion though and some of the dislike for these movies. First off, if you get vertigo by watching movies that switch back and forth or move around a lot. This series is not for you. With the webcams, security feeds and so on, it can make you a little twitchy.

As for the storyline, I followed it until the third movie when things just didn't seem to completely follow what was said in the second when their past was more revealed, but hey, whatever. Different writers, I get it.

The fourth one was a little harder on me because, well, using the webcam all the time, keeping the computer on, hacking in to the other cams in the house, really?

Sure, I sometimes wonder "why not put the damn camera down and do something!" but that would make for a pretty boring movie.

I do like though how they learned from the mistake of the first film. These movies do not have very many special features except for, maybe, some lost footage every now and then. The "alternate ending" to the first one, whether it was supposed to be a series or not, really takes away from the affect. So, really, if you get the dvd set, please don't watch the alternate ending to the first one, cause, it just sucks.

I do recommend the series though for people who like that "I cant really see it the monster but wait, is that someone breathing cold air on the back of my neck, OMG ITS HERE TOO" kind of thing.  I know I did and I intend to see the last two to see how it all gathers together.



Oh, if you also want to see some online things they did to promote the series and you have a facebook, check out the following link. It really doesn't have to do with the original family, but they did some amazing work trying to promote the series through getting people to interact online.

https://www.facebook.com/mrjacobdegloshi?fref=ts

Well, enjoy my lovelies and feel free to leave a comment on some of the awesome and terribly scary movies you have seen before so I might review them for other's looking for some truly scary, not all about the gore and bloodshed, terror films.