"Project X" Review by Chris

Most teens dream of having the most epic party of all time, but when 17-year-old Thomas’s (Thomas Mann) birthday party guest list goes viral, thanks mostly to his friend Costa (Oliver Cooper), he gets the chance to have that epic party. As expected, everything gets out of hand, and he'll either have to go with the flow or have his reputation ruined forever.

"Project X" is little more than a collection of youtube videos cut together to make a story. This works well for a found footage documentary feel, but video quality is sacrificed. The majority of the shots are fuzzy and wobbly, which doesn't make it a comfortable movie to watch. Around a third of the shots are of people partying that don’t add anything to the story. But this being a party film, you're not coming here for quality cinematography or a deep story.

Comedy is what "Project X" is all about. From beginning to end, this film gets progressively crazier and sets some hilarious scenes. Thomas's reactions to the events are only semi-realistic, and in contrast Costa's, are over the top. Neither actor presents a hashed out or realistic performance, but they’re adequate enough to move the movie forward. Once the party gets started, their dialogue is humorous and well planned, but in earlier scenes it feels improvised and contains mostly profanity.

The other half of the comedy is a "best of youtube" reel blown drastically out of proportion. Nut shots, car crashes and vomiting are the film’s bread and butter. Don't expect to see footage you can find on the Internet because even the simplest act is pushed to the extreme. Adding to the craziness is a collection of events that are completely implausible children with tasers and balloon-airlifted dogs are just the beginning of these shenanigans.

"Project X" is a funny and energetic film, but its comedic style, language and nudity make it suitable only for a specific audience. It will give more enjoyment to older teens and young adults, and is best seen with a group of friends who are ready to laugh at its craziness. It has no lasting appeal beyond the first viewing.

2.5 "Crazy Parties" out of 5

Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron

"Gone" Review by Chris

After her sister disappears, Jill (Amanda Seyfried) believes a serial killer from her past is back for revenge. If her past experiences have taught her anything, it’s to use her instincts, and she's going to need all of them to find her sister in time. The police believe Jill is crazy, and are hunting her to keep those around her safe, but we won’t discover the truth until we’ve watched the Heitor Dhalia directed “Gone.”

The premise behind the film is nothing new — Jill's story is far from original, but Seyfried’s portrayal seems more realistic than most films of a similar nature. She's spent the years since her kidnapping in therapy and self-defense classes. She avoids human contact and can't trust any stranger walking down the street. Her paranoia helps make her relatable, but as the movie advances this starts to change. Her investigations turn up little evidence, making it progressively easier to believe she really is insane.

And as if you need any more reason to doubt her, Jill finds her evidence though dumb luck, and it's mostly circumstantial. And every time she sees a roll of duct tape — used to restrain her during her kidnapping — she acts like she's found a huge clue. She never stops to consider that if everyone who used duct tape was a serial killer, home repair would be virtually impossible. It doesn't help that every time she finds any real evidence she undermines her own credibility by lashing out or acting crazy in some way. It seems clear that as a director, Dhalia didn't want a straightforward film, but she also succeeds in alienating the audience from Jill as she seems to become more and more insane.

Despite this, Amanda Seyfried does provide a strong lead and a solid performance. She plays the paranoid victim with skill, making it evident that the faults with her character are directorial. This becomes even more apparent when characters like Detective Hood (Wes Bently) are introduced. He's portrayed as a sinister potential suspect, but vanishes from the story almost instantly. When he's seen later, he's little more than a background extra. These extra characters appear for no reason and muddle the story

Heitor Dhalia has strong camera work throughout. At points, the action becomes difficult to discern, which helps the audience slip into Jill's shoes. The events behind the original kidnapping are slowly revealed in traditional back-story style, keeping the air of mystery alive. The sound design focuses on details like room-filling board creaks, while the music is toned down for most scenes so the subtly of the sound work can shine.

Sadly, the decent cinematography does little to save "Gone" from having bad character work and a unoriginal plot. Increasing disconnectedness from Jill makes it hard to stay attached to the film. The audience can enjoy the high tension and mystery, but once all the questions are answered, you'll never want to ask them again.

2 "Rolls of Duct Tape" out of 5

Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron

"Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" Review by Chris

I think most would agree that the original "Ghost Rider" movie is one of the worst super hero films ever created. The characters were flat and the action was slow, to say nothing about the terrible computer graphics. Directors Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor have challenged themselves to create a sequel that repairs the damage of the first film and refreshes the franchise. Aside from mentioning Johnny Blaze's (Nicolas Cage) deal with the devil that gave him his powers, this film barely references the first film at all.

If Johnny Blaze can learn to focus his power and prevent the devils son, Danny (Fergus Riordan), from becoming the antichrist, then a priest named Moreau (Idris Elba) will help him be free of his curse. Although his ultimate goal is to stop being the Rider, the film spends huge amounts of time on the origins of the Ghost Rider’s powers before Johnny Blaze got them. The end of the film answers most of the questions presented at the beginning, but the watered down plot is clearly just a vehicle to go from one battle to another.

The lack of a decent plot in an action movie is certainly nothing new, and it doesn't make it a bad movie. But any way you look at it, an action movie with a lack of cohesive action does. The majority of the film is cuts sporadically, following music video rules more than film. The method makes some moments thrilling while it makes others impossible to follow. Every scene feels unnecessarily tense, even when the group is just sitting down for lunch. The directors are constantly cutting to unique camera angles that add to the excitement, but also make it hard to tell what's happening.

The acting and script are equally unbalanced. Most of the characters are completely flat, but in a flat sort of movie like this, they tend to serve their purpose in the story. Danny feels more like a moving statue than a thirteen year old whose life has been turned upside down. He reacts without emotion and to easily accepts the bizarre changes in his life. Nicolas Cage‘s portrayal of Johnny Blazes is also hit or miss. In some moments, he's a man struggling against a very real darkness and in the next moment you'd think he escaped from a psyche ward. As an actor, he's made many characters come alive, but Johnny Blaze isn't one of them.

It's hard to write off "Spirit of Vengeance" as a completely terrible film. When it does things right, it does them well. The good action scenes are stunning, and many of the jokes will have you laughing out of your seat. The visuals aren't always perfect, but let's just say these guys know how to set stuff on fire. Whenever the Rider comes out and transforms some new vehicle into a flaming death machine, it’s gorgeous. Sadly, for every great joke or eye popping visual, there are two childish puns and incomprehensible battles to follow it.

"Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" is a child's interpretation of the comics. It focuses completely on visuals and has no story to make it worthwhile while it attempts to distract you by adding increasingly crazy set pieces. It sets itself apart from the first film and becomes a different experience, but manages to be equally bad in a different ways. Despite having some entertaining moments, this is one franchise that should be laid to rest for good.

1.5 "Flaming Skulls" out of 5

Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron

"The Grey" Review by Tim

            I’m going to be honest with you. I’m not a huge fan of indie cinema, but “The Grey” started out as such a strong concept (Liam Neeson goes down in a plane crash and must fight wolves n’ stuff to survive in the wilderness) that I had to give it a chance.  I mean — just typing that out made me feel like a manly man! So I went to the movies thinking this was going to be an all out slugfest between Liam Neeson and nature. What I got was a slow and gory existentialist romp in the woods with Liam Neeson, Dermot Mulroney, and a bunch of other guys I don’t know (Gosh, I wonder if they survive...).

            Much of this movie is just disturbing. In the first 15 minutes of the movie, it is established that Liam Neeson feels like he has nothing to live for because his wife “left” him. Could that possibly mean more than one thing? Anyway, he puts a gun in his mouth and is about to pull the trigger until he hears the howl of a wolf. Ok, great. I get it. Nothing like a fistfight with a wolf to make you feel alive, right? Then Neeson’s character and several others board a plane bound for civilization. The plane crashes. Well directed. Terrifying. Where are the wolves? The small band of bloodied and broken survivors unite. Still no wolves! Dude keeps having visions of his wife... FINALLY, wolves are established as the villains. The wolves see the little group of survivors as a territorial threat, and hunt them—not to feed, just to kill. You know how wolves get sometimes…

            And that’s it. That’s the rest of the movie. Run from the wolves. Build a fire. Neeson has visions of his wife. Run from the wolves again. Hide. Jump. Another fire. Damn, those wolves are smart. Run again.

            This is not to say the film is without merit. Great care is taken to illustrate parallels between the men who must work together to survive and the pack hierarchy of the wolves hunting them. Though sometimes, it just comes across as clumsy — like when the group of men hears an unseen scrap between the wolves and Liam Neeson’s character explains that whatever the challenge was, the Alpha wolf settled it. Within 30 seconds, one of the other men challenges Neeson’s character as leader of the group. OHHHHHHHHHHH I get it! Alpha… but with people… I see what you did there… The film also makes extensive use of the “BOO!”-scare, when everything goes quiet and all of a sudden something jumps out with a loud noise. The scare technique itself is fine — it’s a classic movie trick, but if you use it too much it becomes cheap and predictable. Almost as cheap as the movie’s climax, which I’ll explain next.

            So at the risk of spoiling a movie I strongly encourage you NOT to see, I’ll tell you that every character dies except for Liam Neeson’s, who finally ends up face to face with the Alpha male. They stare each other down. Neeson quickly tapes broken bottles between the fingers of one hand. In his other hand, he tapes a hunting knife. He knows this is it. His whole life has led him to this showdown. He lunges forward and so does the wolf. AAAAAAAND—Credits. Oh and his wife was dead the whole time. Those “visions” were flashbacks. She died in a hospital. I guess that’s supposed to make you feel okay that his death is imminent, but if this dude is so desperate to die, WHY DOES HE SPEND THE WHOLE MOVIE FIGHTING TO SURVIVE!?

            Oh, and be sure to stay after the credits for a super-special 5 second clip of an indiscernible mess of fur and Liam Neeson. Magical. Worst movie ever? No. Huge disappointment? Totally, though all in all I really only have one issue with this film, which is that it isn’t very good.

One Severed Dog Head out of Five

Written by Tim

Edited by Aaron

"Chronicle" Review by Chris

When three teenagers stumble upon a mysterious object, they develop telekinetic powers. Like a muscle, the more they use the powers the stronger they get, and soon they can move cars and soar through the air. They begin to question what they should do with these newfound gifts, but when it becomes clear that all three aren’t in agreement, it sets the stage for “Chronicle.”

At first glance this appears to be like any other superhero film, but it's far from the stereotypes. The main character Andrew (Dane DeHaan) has had a lonely life and lives in fear of his abusive father. Gaining powers turns everything around, and he befriends Matt (Alex Russell) and Steve (Michael B. Jordan). Together they experiment and have fun with their new gifts while the chemistry between the three actors draws you in. Like real teens would, they use their powers for pranks and don't think to be something greater.

Andrew starts as a much darker character then the other two. It becomes clear early on that he will never get past his history, and that this isn't the origin of a super hero, but a villain. His life does take a turn for the better, but even then there’s something about him that’s still a bit off. The hope for his salvation keeps you locked in your seat and sets the film apart from other Superhero stories.

Setting it further apart is the use of the "found footage" technique. The first two thirds of the film are shot predominantly from Andrew’s portable camcorder. As the story continues, more cameras are introduced, which sets up some interesting shots, but the technique really comes into its own during the final battle. Every cut to a new shot is from a different camera, and the film bounces from cell phones to security cameras, news copters and more. This technique gives you the same effect of a high budget action film but with a documentary feel, and is an exhibition of the found footage technique as something more than a gimmick.

The small collection of flaws do nothing to hinder this film. Some of the characters feel a little fake and don’t add much to the story, and not all of the visual effects are convincing. A few of the plot points are also taken straight from other films, but the movie keeps drawing you in. The writing and main characters come together perfectly, which helps you suspend your disbelief.

"Chronicle" may appear on the surface like a low budget gimmick film, but what it does with its writing and story make it unique. Other superhero movies should practice their high jumps, because this one is raising the bar.

4.5 "Telekinetic Powers" out of 5

Written By Chris
Edited by Aaron

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" Review By Chris

After his journey to the center of the earth, Sean (Josh Hutcherson) has spent a few years searching for his next adventure, when he receives an encoded message from his grandfather, Alexander Anderson (Michael Caine), telling him the location of Jules Verne's Mysterious Island. His stepfather Hank (Dwayne Johnson) helps him find the island in hopes of bonding with his stepson. They find the island together but become stranded, and the real adventure begins.

The first movie was a good family film, but nothing revolutionary. Its sequel makes little connection to the original, and reintroduces terms like "Vernian,” so it can stand on its own, making it more welcoming to new viewers. The beginning of the movie focuses on plot and does a good job of explaining important information to those who haven't read Jules Verne's books. When pilot Gabato (Luis Guzman) and his daughter Kailani (Venessa Hudgens) join the cast the humor goes full throttle.

The script intelligently draws bits and pieces from its source material. The added humor keeps it fresh and has a lot for all audiences. The rivalry and banter between Alexander and Hank is particularly hilarious. Whenever Gabato jumps in, it adds wackiness with a cartoon feel. Of course there's also the teen romance and family drama, but they take a back seat to comedy and adventure.

The island’s giant-sized creatures are computer-generated wonders, and are complimented by real sets. There are enough props and environments to fill a Vernian theme park. For obvious reasons, green screen techniques are used quite often, but it's hard to notice where sets end and the computer graphics begin. The 3D has some stunning moments, but is flooded with more gimmicks than jaw droppers.

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" is a funny and energetic family adventure. It has laughs for all ages and themes that everyone can relate too. Parents will have as many favorite moments to talk about as the kids.

4 "Giant Bees" out of 5.

Written by Chris
Edited by Aaron