The Cosplayer Nation Documentary Premiere

On a warm sunny November afternoon, I was fortunate enough to attend the premiere of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary. The documentary was part of a film festival that was held at the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square featuring local film makers and musicians. Amongst these artists is of course our friends, Cosplayer Nation. The CEO and Founder, Joshua Adams and the President and Co-Founder, Uke Li were in attendance. During the first intermission, I got a chance to talk to them and gave them my opinion of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary premiere. They're very nice people and never too busy to say "hello" and chat. So, if you ever see Cosplayer Nation at a convention, don't be shy, just say go up and "Hi!" What did I think of the documentary? Oh... "But wait," you exclaim! "What is Cosplayer Nation?" The short of it, Cosplayer Nation is a project of love started by local New Englanders whom are fans of cosplay. This project later became a legit Organization. Cosplayer Nation travels the world attending conventions seeking out cosplayers and documenting their love and devotion to the art of cosplaying. Basically, cosplaying is dressing up as your favorite character from but, not limited to anime, comic books, movies, pop culture, etc. There's a much deeper level to it but I'll let the real documentarians tackle that. It's literally, "COStume PLAY." A tribute to ANY character or any THING that you're a fan of. You like Einstein? Go ahead, dress up as the wacky atom splitting physicist. Your favorite is a German from the 40's? Sure? BUT! Make sure you don't unintentionally turn that into a hate crime. I'll save the skin and Nazi part of cosplaying for another post. Now, how did I like the Cosplayer Nation Documentary? I enjoyed it a lot. Uke Li was nice enough to show me a trailer of the documentary a couple of years ago and asked me to give an opinion. I ungraciously forgot (sorry Uke. I hope this post makes up for it). My reaction to that initial trailer was very positive. When Cosplayer Nation announced the premiere of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary, I immediately made plans to go and check it out. The film opens with a news reporter interviewing a cosplayer. The reporter was wondering why the cosplayer was dressed up since it wasn't Halloween. Then the film cuts to the news room and you can definitely see the confusion in the news correspondents' weirded out faces. It provoked laughs in the audience but more importantly it sets the tone of the film on answering the question, "what is cosplay?" From the intro, the film rolls into a segment with people dressing up as their favorite characters. Cosplayer Nation definitely took the time and effort to go through hundreds of hours of footage to cut together a very impressive looking group of cosplayers. The music Cosplayer Nation chose to accompany the colorful characters on screen was a very interesting (good interesting) cover of the Legend of Zelda theme with a melodic beat. I have to say, it's pretty Cool! There were people in the audience bopping their heads to the beat. The documentary is not a just a drawn out showcase of people in costumes. It's an unbiased look into the world of cosplaying and goes deeper into the psyche of the culture. It included interviews on the whys and the whats of these devoted artists. Why the many painstaking hours of work in making the costumes? What inspired these people to work so hard to risk being ridiculed? Some of these costumes are much better than what the professionals in Hollywood with a huge budget can create. Actually, I'd always felt that simply calling these incredible works of art "costumes" and "cosplays" does them injustice. But for a lack of my limited vocabulary, I'll stick to what I know. The love for this art also shines through the making of the documentary. The Cosplayer Nation Documentary took us back in time to WorldCon with The First documented costume. It even educated us on the etymology of the word "Cosplay." Diving deeper into the meaning of this art form, the film makers interviewed Danny Choo, the Dancing Stormtrooper of Tokyo, who gave us his take on the culture over in Asia. Another well known cosplayer interviewed was Holly Conrad. She's a Mass Effect cosplayer who got noticed by the movie and videogame industries. Now she's a professional costume designer. Holly Conrad was also featured in Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con movie, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. A segment in the documentary that I really liked was the counterpoint of cosplaying. You know, that person who just doesn't get the art: "Why are you dressed up?" "Are you trying to get attention?" "What's the difference between this and a cry for help?" Later on, the film appropriately cuts to professionals such as system administrators, accountants and lawyers who participates in cosplay as an art form and self-expression. It included a well known Mr. T cosplayer in the New England area telling us what it's all about. He sounded rough but very articulate which is a lot like the documentary itself. The documentary is a bit rough on the edges. I had trouble hearing some of the interviews because the audio was a bit low. But the message it was getting across was legible. During my talk with the film makers (Joshua Adams and Uke Li), they assured me that the sound mixing will be better in the final cut. Yes, final cut. The version of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary shown at the Brattle Theater was only 15min long. This was not because of the film makers short sight. It was because of the time constraint set by the Film Festival. The film makers went on saying that the finished documentary will be much more focused and it'll touch upon the different cultures of cosplaying in other countries. I can not wait. I'd seen documentaries on Pop Culture Conventions such as Trekkies and Morgan Spurlock's Comic-Con movie but, none of them focused on just cosplaying. Cosplaying has became a phenomenon. You've probably seen someone walking down the street as some sort of character when it wasn't Halloween and wondered if the person was crazy. Maybe? But this art form definitely needs a movie if not, a series of movies to tell its story and to clear up misconceptions. It's been months since I did any real writing on this blog let alone, a review. I am glad that the Cosplayer Nation Documentary gave me the inspiration. There is a preview version of the documentary that is longer than 15min and it might show up in a theater, college or convention near you. I highly recommend checking it out if you get a chance. Whether you understand this type of art form/culture or not, the film is highly enjoyable and you'll definitely come out knowing much more about cosplaying. The Cosplayer Nation Documentary was both captivating and fun and as a cosplaying friend of mine would simply put it, "EPIC!" Below is a link to the Cosplayer Nation youtube channel and Facebook. There are hours of cosplay footages and interviews from all around the world. I highly recommend subscribing: Cosplayer Nation's Youtube Channel Cosplayer Nation on Facebook I also linked the trailers of the Cosplayer Nation Documentary. Enjoy! You Know My Name - Cosplayer Nation "CMV" - Cosplay Music Video Cosplayer Nation Cosplayer Nation (2011 Trailer) - Documenting American Cosplayers across the U.S. Cosplayer Nation One of the highlights of the premiere was Cobra Commander shown at 0:47 of this trailer getting a huge applause. RATING: 4/5

The Dark Knight Rises

I don't want to review The Dark Knight Rises. There's a bunch of reviews out there already which are definitely more eloquent then what I can write up. With that said, if you're still sticking around and would like to know my opinion: The Dark Knight Rises is a good movie but, it's not a good stand alone movie. Unlike Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, you'll have to know what went on in the previous two in order to understand The Dark Knight Rises. If you are on the fence about watching The Dark Knight Rises and don't like Anne Hathaway, stay away from this one. Personally, I really enjoyed Anne Hathaway's portrayal of Catwoman. I like the street smart "Audrey Hepburn-esque" cat burglar portrayal much more than the seductress that recent stories had painted her out to be. If you liked Batman Begins but hated The Dark Knight er... give The Dark Knight Rises a watch. This recent installment addresses certain issues from Batman Begins and provides resolutions. In fact, the consequences of the Joker's actions in The Dark Knight looms over The Dark Rises like a dark cloud. So, in a way the Joker is in this movie. If you like Joseph Gordon-Levitt you will like The Dark Knight Rises. Why? Just trust me on this. But if you want to know more I'll discuss that after the "JUMP!" If you don't care much for Chris Nolan's style of Gotham, definitely skip this. Other wise, it's a pretty good movie and it's uplifting. The Dark Knight Rises closed the series on a good note. For more, I have a list of spoiler-full observations and maybe a smidgen of a review after the "JUMP!" The Dark Knight Rises - Official Trailer #4 WarnerBrosPictures RATING: 4/5

Prometheus

I'm going to start with listing some of the Prometheus flaws that I've heard: Being a prequel to Alien, it doesn't answer enough questions It's too open ended Too slow Not the movie that was advertised If you are looking for the action that was introduced to the series by James Cameron and continued on with Paul W.S. Anderson, chances are you will not like Prometheus. The trailers and promos are sort of misleading and strangely enough, it gives away a lot and at the same time it doesn't spoil anything. Even after watching Prometheus, I am left with more questions than answers. Ridley Scott had left most of the ideas introduced in this movie to be vague and open for interpretation. It's really tough to talk about the movie with the mindset of not spoiling anything while, I'm not even sure if there's anything to spoil. With that said, I'm going to have a spoiler section after the review at the "JUMP!." I found more strengths in Prometheus than flaws. With most Sci-Fi stories, more questions are asked than answered. This is the same with the original Alien movie. The first act introduced a lot of questions which some were finally answered 33 years later in Prometheus. Then there was Blade Runner, we didn't get answers to the replicants' story until it was analyzed many times over since the movie's premier in 1982. What about 2001: A Space Odyssey? Some of the ideas from that movie is still a mystery and it is considered one of the best Sci-Fi movies ever if not one of the greatest films of all time. I consider Prometheus not being a true prequel as a huge plus. The movie introduced a lot of concepts which expands upon the universe that the Alien Series is a part of. This gives the stories more depth and makes it richer. The Star Wars Prequels were sorely missing this. The universe is a BIG place, if you have every single thing connected in the saga, this makes it feel like a small community and not a "saga." When I first heard Ridley Scott say that Prometheus is not a prequel, at first I thought to myself, "yeah, ok. Have you gone insane? How can it not be a prequel? This is set on the same planetoid that the Nostromo in the original Alien film explored (Update: actually, according to the Prometheus website, the moon the Nostromo crew landed on was designated LV-426 while the Prometheus crew explored LV-223)." I finally realized what he meant after watching Prometheus. The movie is set in the same universe as the Alien Series. Weyland Industries funded Prometheus' expedition. The space jockey  (Update: I found out that there's a strong chance that this might not be the same Space Jockey in Alien) A space jockey (called an "Engineer" in this movie) made an appearance; which answered some of the first movie's mysteries and also interjected more ideas. Xenomorphs invaded (raped) and terrorized the expedition crew. Xenomorphs, not necessarily THE Xenomorph. Those are the connections that I can remember. The movie opened up a bunch of concepts and veered off into a tangent that moves sideways from the Alien Series. What the hell am I talking about? Well, let's go with what Prometheus is about. Simply, it's about searching for the origin of life. As you can tell from the trailers, Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and Charlie Halloway (Logan Marshall-Green) discovered a star map from the art of Earth's ancient civilizations which pointed towards a distant moon, LV-233. Once they touch down on the moon the crew of the Prometheus discovered what they didn't expect and had their faiths shaken. Impressively enough, even the android's, David's (Michael Fassbender) faith as well. Surprisingly enough, even the "Engineers' '" faith was put into question. Essentially, Prometheus is about procreating and the relationships between Parents and Children. What the hell am I still talking about? Actually, I don't really know what I want to say, especially without giving away too much of the movie. Let's see, how is it not a prequel? Again, there are xenomorphs in this movie which are different from the ones we are used to in the previous Alien movies. We were introduced to, what I can best describe as a parasitic type of organism that breaks down DNA and reconstructs it into another type of being. Hmmm... that still sounds like THE Xenomorphs. Let's start from the beginning then. I don't think I'll give too much away talking about the beginning of the movie. There is no secret that human DNA comes from the "Engineers." All the trailers had introduced this. So, the movie started with who I like to call Prometheus (an "Engineer"), standing on a cliff, near a waterfall on Earth. He drinks out of a vial, the contents causes his body to break down immediately. Eventually, he falls into the waterfall. As his remains washes down river, the camera zooms in and gives us a look at his DNA string. It breaks apart and reforms and then the camera zooms out and shows us a familiar cell mitosis. Then the rest of the movie is about finding out why this happened. What was the reasoning behind it? Was there a meaning? Was it deliberate? With these questions being the background of Prometheus, we don't get the survival horror movie or the action movie. We get a philosophical movie. Prometheus was not what most people expected it to be but, it was still creepy and scary. I liked it a lot and I have a lot of ideas rolling around in my head while I'm still digesting the movie. I was talking to RFblues after watching the movie and he had an interesting observation. Prometheus is a haunted house movie. The characters sticks their nose into where they shouldn't and gets haunted and possessed. To go a bit further, I thought it was like The Mummy from 1932. With the expedition, the infections (cursed), the "Engineer" being... well, I'll touch upon that after the "JUMP!" Is the movie for everyone? No. For me, Prometheus is along the lines of Solaris (both versions), Moon and Sunshine. It's thought provoking, haunting and exhilarating. Sure, there are action sequences in Prometheus but it's mostly built by tension and less of the "Get away from her, you Bitch!" type. It's atmospherically scary and not the slasher movie/cat scares type. If you are still curious, ignore the trailers, and go in with an open mind. The acting was great as you might have already heard from other critics. Prometheus had an awesome cast which includes Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green, Noomi Rapace, Guy Pearce and Michael Fassbender. Even the minor characters played by Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliott, Benedict Wong and Kate Dickie were really good as well. But Noomi Rapace as Elizabeth Shaw and Michael Fassbender as David, I just need to mention that they were amazing. Noomi Rapace plays an annoying idealistic archeologist in the beginning of the movie which convincingly grows into Perseus by the end (keeping in the theme of Greek Mythology). Michael Fassbender as the android David, stole the show. If you liked Rutger Haur's Battie in Blade Runner you will like David. Actually, there are a lot of parallels between David and the Battie. Hmm... My absolute favorite scene with David was when he confiscated one of the crew member's rosary because he believed it might be "contaminated." At this point in the film the crew member's faith was shaken. When David said it might be contaminated, did he mean physically or spiritually? Keep the rosary in mind because it comes back later near the end of the movie. It's a small subtle scene but, it's a huge statement on faith and the soul. Ridley Scott is both amazing and insane at what he wanted to show us in Prometheus. His statements on reaching the heavens and finding the creator/s and procreation is both familiar and alien. With the screenplay written by Jon Spaihts and Damon Lindelof... Lindelof being one of the head writers on Lost, no wonder Prometheus has a similar tone in mystery and faith as J.J. Abram's TV Show. One thing that absolutely met my expectations were the visuals. Prometheus is such a terrifyingly beautiful movie. Even the weird looking phallic designs were captivating. Was it worth it in IMAX 3D? It was worth waiting one and a half hours in line to get good seats at the IMAX theater. It was also worth awkwardly wearing the stupid 3D glasses over my own prescription glasses for the great atmospheric 3D. If you care about the visuals and not too opposed to 3D movies. I highly recommend watching Prometheus in 3D. There are some great 3D shots: the Prometheus shuttle traveling in space, the storm on Moon LV233, the "Engineers' " star map...those were the scenes that stood out for me. The 3D was not distracting at all. Nothing poking you in the eye. Speaking of atmosphere, the music was built a lot of tension and really sets the mood. It was done by Marc Streitenfeld who also worked on most of Ridley Scott's films like American Gangster and Robin Hood. Prometheus is a great film and works as a stand alone movie (from the Alien Series). It introduced THE Xenomorphs in a way that allowed the story to veer into another arc. As for the flaws, I really don't consider the open ended ideas as a flaw. I also didn't believe Prometheus is a ploy to create more sequels. I think as movie goers we are so used to the devices that film makers set upon us that we tend to look for gimmicks and it has become hard for us to see pass the cynicism. Ironically, the Prometheus trailers being cut like the Alien trailer was a gimmick to get us back into the survivor horror mind set and it worked. The movie is not entirely different from the advertisements but it is different enough to disappoint certain viewers. It was a bit slow at times but, there's always some sort of mystery and tension. I found the mysteries to be more compelling than an annoyance. It's unfair to judge Prometheus with the same expectations as Alien. The 1979 movie gives off a claustrophobic feel, while the 2012 addition opens up the universe and reminds us why we fear the unknown.. For me, Prometheus is Sci-Fi at its best! Prometheus International Launch Trailer Prometheus6812 Prometheus Viral Clip # 4 (Elizabeth Shaw) FilmsActuTrailers RATING: 5/5

Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope

Wow! It's been a while since I wrote a review? I was referencing one my movie review templates and Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was the last one? In any case, I had been super busy transitioning to a new job along with a few other things in my personal life. I apologize for not being able to find time to update GroggyBot. A lot has been happening for me. Going to conventions and watching movies has been part of that. Oh, also the NBA Playoffs are on! This year I'm rooting for the Boston Celtics. If they'll get eliminated, which they won't but, if they do, I'm going with the Oklahoma Thunder! Oh right, movie review... here goes... Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is a documentary on the convention scene directed by Morgan Spurlock. You might not recognize his name but most likely you'd recognize his work. He's the guy who directed Super Size Me. That's the movie with the guy (Morgan Spurlock) eating nothing but fast food for 30 days from one of the well known burger places; the one with the giant yellow arches. He also directed Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden and a very interesting TV show called 30 Days. 30 Days is similar to Super Size Me but, instead of Spurlock being the "test" subject, it features different people whom are willing to live outside their comfort zone for 30 days; to walk in other people's shoes. I highly recommend checking the show out. As for Morgan Spurlock's latest documentary, Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope... I went to a special screening at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline, MA where the director himself made an appearance. Morgan Spurlock gave us a brief introduction before the start of the movie and he stayed after for a Q&A session. In the introduction Spurlock gave us an interesting story about Comic-Con Episode IV's conception. Stan Lee (of Marvel Comics) is in the same movie agency as Spurlock. On a fateful day in 2010, Morgoan Spurlock met Stan Lee through their agents. During the impromptu meeting Stan the Man said to Spurlock, "we should do a movie." Spurlock told Stan Lee that he's trying to film a Comic-Con movie. Shortly after their meeting they both met with Joss Whedon and that was when Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope started to take shape. The idea was to get separate camera crews to follow the different type of convention goers at the 2011 San Deigo Comic-Con. Auditions were held and the final cut of the documentary features: The Comic Book Vendor: the owner of Mile High Comics, Chuck Rozanski trying to sell a rare Marvel comic, Red Raven #1 The Toy Collector: Camping out in line long before the convention opens its doors in order to get the Con Exclusive Galactus Figure The Attendees: a couple who are seemingly attending San Diego Comic-Con but, the boy friend of this couple plans to propose to his girl friend at Kevin Smith's panel. The Cosplayers: Holly Conrad and her team of cosplayers signing up for the Con's Masquerade and hoping to win first prize. While in the contest, they have a chance to be noticed by effects team and costume departments in the movie and gaming industries. The Aspiring Artists: Skip Harvey and Eric Hanson treats the Con as a job fair. Showing off their portfolios to different comic book companies, hoping they can land a job as professional artists. The documentary does a great job jumping from one story arc to the next eventually culminating with resolutions. Inter-cut between the stories are talking heads made up of convention goers and guests such as artists and celebrities. Stan Lee, Kevin Smith, Seth Green, Eli Roth, Joss Whedon, Paul Dini and Grant Morrison were some of the more well known people who showed up as the talking heads in Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. There were a few who got cut out because of time constraints; like Felicia Day and Nathan Fillion. What I like most about Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope is that it doesn't poke fun at the convention scene or the people who attend. In documentaries such as this, they tend to point out certain people as the "freaks" of society. Spectacles to ridicule and to be laughed at. Sure there are stereotypes at Comic Book Conventions or, at any conventions for that matter. It could be a Car Show, a Garden Show, a Work "Forum" (come on we all know it's a convention), even at Sporting Events. Yes, ESPECIALLY Sporting Events! Why is the "fat drunken guy who painted his body and face in his favorite team's color" different form the "fat comic book geek dressed up as Wolverine?" Why are the fanatics at Sporting Events more accepted? There are always the stereotypes and the super fanatics everywhere you go. We tend to forget about the passion, the devotion and love for the subject and just laugh at what we don't understand. Morgan Spurlock did a great job with this understanding in Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope and my hope as a fan is that the documentary is able to convey the fun side of conventions and that it's more than just a barrel of geeky fish for people like "Men's Fitness Magazine" to shoot down with their derogatory gun. I highly recommend Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. Not just to people who are into comic books but to everyone. The documentary follows real life people whom we can all relate to and this makes it easy to follow without any inside comic book knowledge. It also impressively explains the different aspects of comic book fandom in under 90 minutes. Again, highly recommended! I'm not sure if the theaters are still showing Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope. It was released in theaters on April 6, 2012. There is no video release date yet. But there will be a DVD full of extras. That was one of the Q&A questions and Morgan Spurlock confirmed it! Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope Official Trailer #1 movieclipsTRAILERS RATING: 5/5

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol

A couple of weeks ago, over Thanksgiving weekend, my friends and I had a serious discussion on who would win in a fight: Ethan Hunt or Jason Bourne? There were biases on both sides of the argument for each actor: Tom Cruise vs. Matt Damon. The favor was leaning towards Jason Bourne because not only is he a human weapon, he also doesn't need a team or any sort of back up. I tried  to come at it in different directions and thought about that one scene during the Mission Impossible 2 trailer where Tom Cruise is holding himself up on the side of a mountain with his arms spread out in a wingspan. That takes strength! And to be in that predicament, he must have been crazy. Then again, my argument was invalid, it proves nothing and MI2 is best forgotten. It was a mess of a movie. MI2 almost prevented other Mission Impossible movies to be made. It took 6 years for the right creative team to get together and produce a quality movie in Mission: Impossible 3. J.J. Abrams of Alias and Lost has a high appreciation for updating older TV shows/ideas. Abrams was in the director's chair for the 3rd Mission: Impossible while Tom Cruise not only starred but was also among a long list of producers. It was nice to see that Tom Cruise still has passion for the Mission: Impossible movies. The series started off great with the first movie but the second movie... let's just say it never happened. Tom Cruise comes back for Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol as Ethan Hunt and once again he is among the list of producers. Oh right, who would win in a fight between Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne? Before watching the 4th Mission: Impossible, my money was on Jason Bourne but, I'm not so sure anymore. Ethan Hunt kicks ass and gets his ass kicked, blown up, hit by a car (or was it cars?), drives a car head first into the ground, hits his head more than once, falls and falls and falls but, he keeps on getting back up for more. He is the blunt intuitive weapon while the rest of the IMF team are the brains, eyes, ears and stealth. Dark Knight Rises preview post Before I talk more about Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, I want to make a small confession: I went to the IMAX not for Ghost Protocol but for the Dark Knight Rises 6 min preview. Jordan's Furniture in Framingham, MA was one of the few IMAX theaters in the U.S. to have the preview and I am extremely glad about that. Now, I am even more excited for Dark Knight Rises. When it comes out in July, I'll be fighting the crowd at the IMAX again for a good seat. I wish the IMAX theaters were more spacious with better seating arrangements. I'll talk about the preview in a separate post. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol jumps right into the middle of the action once it starts and never truly lets up. Even for some of the potential slow moments that might break the pacing of the movie, like I.D. verification, is also packed with action. Ethan Hunt and and Agent Brandt (Jeremy Renner) runs along side a train trying to get a retina scan in order to get into a secret IMF box car. Doesn't that sound ridiculous?! I wonder how it looked on paper? Brad Bird made it work. So far, Brad Bird had only directed animation and the list is not that long. But once you see the list of movies he'd directed you can see why Ghost Protocol is so good: The Iron Giant The Incredibles Ratatouille Not a long list but definitely a heavy list. Here's a bit of trivia for the 80's kids. Do you remember a Steven Spielberg produced TV show in the late 80's called Amazing Stories? Brad Bird directed the only animated episode on that show, Family Dog. Along with Tom Cruise, Simon Pegg reprises his role as Benji. Because of the promotion to Field Agent, Benji has a lot more to do in this installment and he's very entertaining to watch. Which proves once again that more Simon Pegg is a good thing. The other IMF agents introduced in Ghost Protocol are Jane (Paula Patton), Brandt (Jeremy Renner) and Hanaway (Josh Holloway). They face off against a couple of established actors outside of Hollywood. You will know them in the movie as: Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist), Sidorov (Vladimir Mashkov), Brij Nath (Anil Kapoor) and Sabine Moreau (Lea Seydoux). Even though the movie revolves around Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, each of the actors listed above were able to bring gravity to their roles. This is a testament of their acting abilities, charisma and Brad Bird's direction. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocols has a few twists and turns but it is not tough to follow. The story is actually pretty simple unlike the excellent first Mission: Impossible. The trailer actually gives away the entire plot. This is another movie that proves a good story doesn't necessarily need to be complicated. With that said, I'm not dismissing the first movie, it's just a different type of story with different necessities. The entire movie is engaging. Brad Bird does a masterful job building up the action and setting the tone for danger. The action in Ghost Protocol was carefully staged with very few quick cuts. I was able to follow the insane action sequences. Even the less action packed espionage scenes kept me on the edge of my seat. During the slower character development scenes, I found myself wanting to know more about what each player in the movie had to contribute. Not one scene was wasted. There were a couple of cool and humorous references to the original TV show as well. I highly recommend Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Go to the IMAX for it if possible. I'm so glad that my brother and Batman persuaded me to go to the IMAX for this one. Parts of the movie was shot with an IMAX camera. The scene where Ethan Hunt was climbing (no stunt double) on the outside of the Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai was breath taking. Then there were the on location scenery shots of Prague, Moscow, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Vancouver... they felt like it was lifted from an Omni Theater movie at the Museum of Science in Boston. Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to fight the crowds this holiday season at the IMAX and, follow the disavowed IMF team in Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Mission Impossible 4 - Ghost Protocol - Official Trailer 2 VISO Trailers RATING: 4/5

War Horse

The U.S. release date is December 25th. The January 13th date is the UK release Date After watching the trailer for War Horse I thought it was going to be a sappy Oscar bait type of movie. Why did I doubt Steven Spielberg? I have no idea. Why did I doubt a Steven Spielberg war movie? I don't know. Why did I doubt the movie after seeing that beautifully shot sequence in the beginning of the trailer when the horse is running through No Man's Land? I must have been super cynical that day. My preconceptions for War Horse were shattered after watching the advance screening. War Horse is a majestic movie about the First World War told through the perspective of a horse named Joey. This type of story telling allowed Steven Spielberg to shoot the movie in new creative ways. Like that one zoomed in shot of Joey's eye in the trailer, where you see the reflection of the girl opening a barn door. That was not an effects shot, it was a practical shot! I found this out during the Q&A session with Steven Spielberg via satellite (he was at the Empire AMC Theater in New York City) after the advance screening. One of the questions asked was how many CG shots were used in the movie? Surprisingly, he only did three CG sequences and, that was only for the safety of the horses. He made sure that all the horses were safe and comfortable during shooting. Steven Spielberg went on to say that he had been living with horses for 14 years and he was surprised by their level of intelligence and loyalty. He wanted to be able to show these qualities on film. Spielberg also noticed how horses tend to have an acute awareness of human emotions and that was definitely well represented in the movie. Steven Spielberg's War Horse is an adaptation of the book with the same name written by Michael Morpurgo. In between shooting Tin Tin, Spielberg had 10 months of free time and decided to make War Horse after being inspired by the stage play and the book. According to Spielberg, he wanted to translate the emotional aspect of the book onto film. There were moments in the movie which were extended from the book. The part with the two young German soldiers deserting the war was fleshed out more in order to add on the connection between the horses with their human counterparts. There is no question as to why Steven Spielberg is a master of his art. The parallels drawn between human and animal as they go through the brutality of combat and the discovery of humanity within each other is literal but yet, he does it in a way that is not heavy handed. The story and the characters felt organic and earned every single bit of emotion drawn from the audience. This to me is very important, if I felt like I was blatantly manipulated, I'll come out of the movie feeling cheated and my impression of the movie will not last. It's been a few days since I watched War Horse and I'm still thinking about it. The journey that Joey goes through in the movie is a very familiar one. We had seen it before in movies like the original Star Wars trilogy or, if we go further back to an even older story, The Odyssey. It is the classic story of a "hero's journey". Once I recognized this while watching War Horse, I feared what was to come for the last act. In a "hero's journey", the hero either dies or find his/her way home. Sometimes, "home" is a metaphor for death ("death" can also be a representation for change). No matter what the outcome is, the hero is changed. But we are getting ahead of ourselves... The movie begins with Joey's birth and then it goes on to develop his friendship with Albert (Jeremy Irvine). They go through a bunch of hardship while living on Albert's family's farm but that doesn't compare to what was installed for Joey later in the story. His adventure begins when he gets enlisted into the British army as part of a cavalry. He meets a black stallion named Topthorn in the cavalry stables and they become brothers in arms throughout the rest of the story. It's amazing how Spielberg is able to represent the themes of brotherhood and loyalty through Joey and Topthorn. Joey is the factor that connects all the different characters in the story and through his point of view, we get to see how these characters are affected by the ugliness of war. Even with the harsh story setting in War Horse, the movie is filmed in a way that it's suitable for all audiences (with some discretion of course). The subject matter of war is still kept brutally honest but, handled with creativity and skill. Deaths were handled off screen and gore was absent. This did not diminish the importance of the sacrifices made because of the war. In a way, this made the causalities a lot more tragic since the graphic shock value was not there to distract me. Within this honesty it also made the benevolence and the hope shining through the indomitable spirits of the horses so much more beautiful and heartbreaking. With this said, War Horse is grounded in reality. There was never a moment when Joey winks at the audience or possess any magical abilities. War Horse was filmed with a wide lens which makes the movie feel old fashioned. Spielberg also did not shy away from the grainy quality of film. He left them in the movie because he felt that film grain makes the movie seem alive (I have to agree). The cinematography was excellent and well... majestic. Spielberg wanted the scenery of the movie... "the land to be a character in the movie" and with the help of the director of photography, Janusz Kaminski, he was able to accomplish this. John Williams score was just as beautiful and heartbreaking as the rest of the movie. Steven Spielberg and John Williams goes together like bread and butter. The acting was excellent as well. There are a few somewhat familiar faces, if you are familiar with British television and movies. Here are some names you might recognize: Tom Hiddleston who played Loki in Thor Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock Holmes in Stephen Moffat's Sherlock Holmes David Thewlis, Lupin Remis in the Harry Potter series Emma Watson from Red Dragon, Gosford Park and Equilibrium But the two new actors who stood out for me in War Horse was Jeremy Irvine (Albert) and Celine Buckens (Emilie). Spielberg said that he likes working with new actors because they usually bring fresh acting abilities and ideas. He found this to be true with Jeremy Irvine and Celine Buckens. He even got inspiration from Finder and Abraham, the two principle horses (out of 8) who played Joey in the movie. He didn't consider the two principle horses difficult to work with at all. Finder and Abraham were able to bring up the spirits of the entire crew no matter how grumpy they got. This was translated onto the screen as Joey and his war buddy Topthorn were able to persevere through every trial they encounter. The trailer opens with a horse running through a war zone, dodging artillery fire and wanton destruction, determined to find a way home. A valiant spirit representing hope rushing through a bullet ridden night during the brutal warfare of the First Great War. That sequence is the most beautiful film moment I had seen this year and, it is quite possibly one of the most awe-inspiring sequence caught on film. When the story got to that point shown in the trailer, it was exhilarating and very moving. I was afraid that the horse wouldn't make it past between the trenches of No Man's Land. The audience was cheering for Joey to be able to make his journey home but, as I said before War Horse is set in reality and Joey... I'm not going to give it away! In order to find out you'll have to go watch the movie (or you can find spoilers online). I highly recommend War Horse. I know I had "highly recommended" movies on this blog before but, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND WAR HORSE! There is something in this movie for everyone. It seems as though Steven Spielberg is the only director alive who is able to speak to every demographic through his film making. It could be because his films are honest enough to the audience also, his creativity behind the camera doesn't hurt either. Once War Horse hits U.S. theaters officially on December 25, 2011, I'll be there for my second viewing. It's on my favorite movies list. War Horse Trailer WarHorseMovie RATING: 5/5

Immortals

Oh my gods! Immortals was visually amazing! I can forgive the shortcomings of the movie thanks to the direction, costume design, set design and Freida Pinto. If you are familiar with Greek mythology it's best to leave that at home. They took Theseus' story and did their own thing with it. Don't expect to see the minotaur as a beast. He's just a man in headgear and Theseus' labyrinth challenge is only a second thought in the movie. Just don't expect to see a faithful translation of the classic. Immortals tells Theseus' story in it's own way and I'm not complaining. Immortals skims on the border of beauty lacking substance but, under Tarsem Singh's (The Cell) meticulous direction, each frame in his movies serves a purpose. Unlike other certain directors, Tarsem Singh's choice of aesthetics is not an arbitrary placement of props and actors. He somehow does it with the illusion that he was able to catch that one perfect angle at the right moment. The entire run of Immortals is like a moving 3D painting and to enjoy the movie to the fullest, you'll have to watch it in 3D at the theaters. Some of the grander shots were done in super wide HD, creating depth perception instead of having things seemingly poking the audience in the eye. Actually, there was one scene when Helios' hammer was thrown towards the foreground. The hammer hurled in the air and it breaks the 4th dimension by seemingly cracking the lens of the camera. I can't do Immortals justice by talking about it. If I had to use one word to describe this movie it would be "Beautiful." Immortals definitely won me over. It seems that Tarsem Singh has a high appreciation and a deep passion for film making. Even though the writing of Immortals is weak at certain points, I still enjoyed it as a movie "experience." A concept that a lot of recent film makers seemed to have forgotten. Even during one of the slower scenes when Theseus (Henry Cavill) was talking to Phaedra (Freida Pinto) in some ruins with the dark blue night sky behind them, I can't keep my eyes off of the film. During other movies, that'd be my cue to take a bathroom break. I still haven't mentioned much about the Gods yet! It's been hours since I watched the movie and I still can't make up my mind if the depiction of the Greek Gods was a disappointment or not. It was definitely different. I really like the concept of the Greek Gods not looking old or middle aged. They are young and beautiful as they are immortals. They moved much faster and a lot stronger than mortals (which they should be). The film interpreted this with high speed super slow motion (same technique used in 300), then coupled with the 3D... you just got to see it. Just prepare for some divine fun when the Gods show up for a fight. Theseus already displays a good amount of heroic feats in the movie but Zeus (Luke Evans) and company adds a bunch of kick ass incentive. The movie definitely make it apparent why they won Heaven over the Titans. Then there are the Titans... to me they represent the drawbacks of Immortalas. I like Immortals a lot. Just as much as I like Tron: Legacy but, to look at Immortals objectively as a movie, definitely there were flaws. The movie starts off explaining that the Titans were powerful and even feared by the Gods. The first shot of the movie shows the Titans in their prison under Mount Tartarus. Even with their importance, they are very generic. There's no distinction between each Titan, no personality. They just seemed like some sort of dark demons. Nothing special. Same with some of the Gods. Without their armor to tell them apart, I'm not sure which God was which (safe for Zeus and Athena). Near the end when the company of Gods show up to fight the Titans, there were two Gods in the group whom I have no idea who they were. They all look the same. Also, some of the motivations can be left as movie logic. I am confused about Lysander's (Joseph Morgan) purpose. Then there was one scene when Theseus gives a heroic speech to a demoralized Hellenic army. After the speech, they just followed him blindly even though, he was condemned to be a bastard during the beginning of the movie. But, I am willing to forgive all the flaws. Immortals is visually stunning and I just love the abstract style. A lot of the credit definitely goes to Tarsem Singh's direction but, Eiko Ishioka's (Bram Stoker's Dracula, The Cell) costume design adds a big part to the palette. Along with the amazing set designs done by Jean Kazemirchuk, Michele Laliberte and Michael Manson the movie gives off a surrealistic feel that this Greek Myth is alive in an epic painting. And as for the action, Jean Frenette's choreographer is kinetic poetry. I'm not sure who filmed the fights, whether it was Tarsem Singh or Jean Frenette, the action was done with wide shots and full takes. You can see each slash, each punch, each spin... during the fight between Theseus and Hyperion (Mickey Rourke) you can clearly see the wrestling techniques used as the camera pans around them. This is a lot better than using quick edits as a trickery to energize the action. There were some quick edits in Immortals but it was done sparingly. I'd like to end with saying that all the actors in Immortals gave a worthy performance. John Hurt always does a great job. I want to see more of Freida Pinto. Not just because she's pretty but this is the third film I'd seen her in and it never looks as though she "phones" in her performance. Henry Cavill was able to play Theseus as more than a one dimensional character. With heroes, especially with Greek heroes, it's tough to portray them as more than their representation. I'm interested to see what Henry Cavill can do with Zack Snyder's Superman. Mickey Rourke was able to portray King Hyperion as sympathetic but yet charismatically monstrous. The only complaint I have of him is that he slurs a lot of his lines and when he puts on his mask, I have no idea what he's saying. I recommend checking out Immortals in the theater, only if you have no problem with abstract art. The scenes with the Greek Gods is worth the admission. Don't expect an action film though. There were more than a few slow moments. Immortals Trailer 3 TheTubeTrailers RATING: 4/5

Paranormal Activity 3

Halloween Movie As I said before, in my Last Exorcism review, crowd reactions are priceless. The crowd reaction at Paranormal Activity 3 was super entertaining. I think I enjoyed the gasping and the screaming from the audience more than the movie itself. There were a lot of cat scares in Paranormal Activity 3 and some of them were just old fashion jump out at the camera scares that had nothing to do with the paranormal. I still think this is a cheap trick but, I did enjoy one of them a lot. I love a good practical joke. I think after I die, I'd come back as a poltergeist. Don't get me wrong, the movie is still creepy at parts and it was entertaining. The screaming audience is the proof of that. I want to talk more about Paranormal Activity 3 but I can't do so without spoiling some of the fun. I'll leave the rest of this review after the "JUMP!" It's not a detailed assessment. It's just a general review but, I'm going talk a bit about the first two movie and, it might spoil the story for people whom haven't seen them before. The three movies are connected and the continuity is set up nicely. It's not necessary to watch the first two Paranormal Activity movies before this one but, it would help. For now, I highly recommend checking out Paranormal Activity 3 during this Halloween weekend. It's a very fun time. When the movie was over, a couple of people in the audience couldn't wait to get out of the dark claustrophobic theater. Paranormal Activity 3 Trailer3 RATING: 3/5 (5/5 if watched in the right atmosphere and company)

The Thing (2011)

Halloween Movie "The Thing" is an alien organism that invades its hosts on a cellular level and imitates them. Creating a near perfect copy of its victims. Ironically, according to a film critic, the 2011 version of The Thing is just like the alien in the movie. It (the movie) imitates the John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). I'd have to agree. Right off the bat, at the beginning of the 2011 film, the old 1982 Universal Studios logo was shown. The tonal structure of the movie was a lot like the 1982 version. Even the score is very similar to Enrico Morricone's composition for John Carpenter's movie. The Thing (2011) is a facsimile of the 1982 version but, much like the alien's imitations, it looks the same on the outside but something is off... That's as far as I'd agree with the critic because, I enjoyed the The Thing (2011). I think the similarities were done to be consistent with the 1982 version. At least that's what I got out of it. Sure the plot with the guessing game of who's a "thing" and who's not is just like the 1982 version but, we do get to see some pretty far out concepts. We get the story of what was in that slab of ice. Don't expect to see a full shot of the alien though. I was disappointed by that. We get blurry glimpses and parts of it but, the full infested alien was never on screen. I thought the entire movie was going to be like that. I'm glad it wasn't. All the infested human were shown in horrible mutilated alien logic. I don't even know how to describe them. A lot of tentacles and one of them was a huge mouth. I wonder if the "The Thing" is one huge organism that was broken apart on a cellular level and spread throughout the galaxy? In any case, this movie delivered on the "you gotta be $%#*'ing kidding" moments. Also, we finally get to see the inside of the alien ship and designs for the um... engine? controls? Whatever was in the ship, the designs were pretty interesting. I wish more of the ship was explored. Not only does John McLane (Die Hard) kick ass, so does his daughter, Mary Elizabeth Winstead. With the parallels of this movie and the 1982 version, she takes on a similar role that Kurt Russell had in the older film. I was afraid that Mary Elizabeth Winstead had too much of a doe eyed demeanor and couldn't take on the action that the The Thing (2011) demanded but, she kicked ass. I shouldn't be surprised, she did alright in Live Free or Die Hard and Scott Pilgrim. Joel Edgerton (Owen Lars from Revenge of the Sith) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Abaje (Mr. Eko on Lost) played the American helicopter pilots who were in charge of taxiing the Norwegian scientists from the Antarctic research base back to civilization. They could have been played by anyone. Almost all of the characters in this movie can played by any actor and the roles are interchangeable. They were there as fodder for the alien organism. That's one of the drawbacks of this prequel. I didn't care much for the characters other than Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Kate Lloyd. Yes, it's a prequel. Even at points, it feels like a remake. The Thing (2011) shows us what happened to the Norwegian base that Kurt Russell explored in the 1982 movie. All the details of the destruction was fleshed out... the axe on the wall, the holes in the base, the scorch marks, the fused body... creepy... Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. direction was able to give off the creepiness and other worldly concept of the organism. Heijningen also did a really good job of not just haphazardly blow a hole in the wall just because it was there in the 1982 film. All the predestined mayhem (like the axe on the wall) was done very well and felt organic. The Thing (2011) is not as bad as most critics made it out to be. There are some logic holes but nothing that's super dumb. Also since this film is set in 1982, there was nothing that I could spot which did not belong in that era. Technology for example. It's definitely worth checking out. Especially when you want to be creeped out in the season of Halloween. You don't need to watch the 1982 movie to understand this one. But if there is one Thing to watch, I'd go with John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). Every subsequent scene of the alien organism in the 1982 version makes me forget the previous $%#*'ed up moments. Rob Bottin's creature designs in the 1982 version is just #*$%'ing unreal. The Thing (2011) Trailer RATING: 3/5 A bit of trivia: The Thing (2011) is the prequel to John Carpenter's The Thing (1982). John Carpenter's movie is a remake of Howard Hawks-Christian's 1951 movie The Thing from Another World. The 1951 movie is an adaptation of John W. Campbell, Jr.'s novella Who Goes There?.

The Last Exorcism

Halloween Movie In the Drive review, I talked about how stingy I am about going to the theaters. There was a time in my life when all I did was go to the movies. It's one of my favorite past times. Watching the colorful explosions, hearing the sound mixes and score, seeing the giant pretty faces (sometimes bodies) on the big screen, inspired by epic wide shots of landscapes and also, experiencing a good audience reaction is priceless. I was there when Maximus took down the chariot in Gladiator. The audience clapped and cheered and at one point we started to chant "MAXIMUS!" For that one moment, everyone in the audience was united. Just thinking about it again gives me goose bumps. Then there was this one time watching The Others, we sat with the overflow crowd of the sold out American Pie 2. This audience was mostly girls and wow, what a fun time we had hearing the crowd scream in unison during the scary moments. Sometimes, even ignorant crowd reactions can be funny. Once, during the opening of a Chinese film starring Jet Li (李連杰) and directed by Zhang Yimou (張藝謀), Hero (英雄), someone yelled out, "I didn't know I had to read! Motherfucker, I can't read!" In any case, you might go to the movies for the majestic cinematography, or for the sake of a date, or for the popcorn, or just to escape the heat during the summer or the cold during the winter... Me... I love crowd reactions and when I got my first real taste of it during Gladiator, I kept on going back for more. What does my recent frugal sensibility and my love for audience reaction has to do with The Last Exorcism? I regret that I missed this in the theaters. I decided not to watch The Last Exorcism at the theaters because Eli Roth's name was attached and it's another mockumentary type of horror. Didn't the Blair Witch Project run that well dry with, sadly, one attempt? Also, I understand Eli Roth's work but, at the same time, I just "don't get it." I do not mind torture horror movies, or super gory horror movies. I love the Saw series. So, maybe Eli Roth will grow on me in the future? Eli Roth did not direct The Last Exorcism he's the producer and was sitting on this project for a while until he found a director for it: Daniel Stamm. Stamm previously wrote and directed a film in a documentary format called A Necessary Death. The film impressed Eli Roth and he wanted Stamm's vision for The Last Exorcism. I can say what I will about Eli Roth but he knows his horror and, he knows his talents. Later on, Ashley Bell was brought on board as the possessed girl after an amazing screen test. Patrick Fabian also had a great screen test as the Reverend Cotton Marcus. There's an interesting story with one of the screen tests: Caleb Landry Jones had an alright screen test and was told to come back later after he's less high. He told the casting crew that he didn't smoke up, that's how he looks like normally and he gets that a lot. The casting crew decided to cast him anyway because they were impressed with his subtleties so, to our benefit and, according to Patrick Fabian, to the ensemble's benefit, Caleb got the job. How do I know all this? Blu Ray extras baby! At first, I got the movie from Netflix. I was so impressed by it that I went and bought the Blu Ray. I really like The Last Exorcism and I can only imagine what the crowd reaction was like at the theaters. I wish I was there. There is a dark and creepy mood in this movie which is a result of the supernatural subject and the documentary format blending well together. The credit definitely goes to Daniel Stamm and his cinematographer Zoltan Honti. They did a fantastic job holding the audience's vision to their mercy. They have an understanding which most horror mockumentaries tend to be ignorant about, that the set up is as important as the scare. Another important factor are believable actors to draw us into this faux reality. Patrick Fabian as Reverend Cotton Marcus has a lot of on screen charisma. He sold me right off the bat in the beginning of the movie with his banana bread recipe sermon. I don't remember seeing Patrick Fabian in anything else. The production crew of the The Last Exorcism made it a point to cast "unknowns." The film crew following the Reverend around is made up of two people: the cameraman, Daniel Moskowitz (played by Adam Grimes) and Iris Reisen (played by Iris Bahr). Iris Bahr is the only person I can positively recognize in this film. She was in "The Ski Lift" episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Reverend Cotton Marcus is hoping that the documentary can expose exorcism as a fraud. Cotton Marcus grew up as a child preacher and comes from a long line of exorcists. He believes that exorcism is more of a psychological practice than supernatural. Especially after he read a news article of a child's death from asphyxiation during an exorcism. This also shook his faith in religion. For the sake of the documentary, Cotton Marcus answers a cry for help at an old Louisiana farm house. This is when we meet Nell Sweetzer, played by the astonishing Ashley Bell. If Patrick Fabian's charisma was not enough to pull you into the story, Ashley Bell's charm definitely will. When we first see her as the possessed girl, Nell Sweetzer, she comes off as a heart warming sweet young lady. I didn't want to believe that anything awful had or will happen to her in the film. Why would anyone or anything would want to hurt such a lovely girl?! Nell's story is truly heart breaking. Until the ending of The Last Exorcism the audience was free to wonder if Nell was really possessed by a demon. Was she abused by her alcoholic father or, was she bullied by her bother Caleb? The father, Louis Sweetzer (played by Louis Herthum), is a devout Christian who lost his wife to cancer and afraid that he might lose his daughter's soul to the devil. I might have seen Louis Herthum in other movies before, he does look familiar. Caleb Landry Jones is Nell's brother Caleb, who holds his own whenever he's on screen. The casting crew was right about his subtle talents. After The Last Exorcism, Caleb Landry Jones appeared in X-Men: First Class and also did a memorable acting job as Banshee. Back to The Last Exoercism... So, was the family the reason for the possession problem? Keeping that question in mind, this is where Ashley Bell is astonishing. Her acting kept us wondering the true nature of her possession. With minimal special effects and make up along with great lighting, Ashley Bell as the nastier possessed Nell, the sweet girl is totally gone and it's easy to believe that another person or thing took over. Is this schizophrenia? Even some of the seemingly impossible body contortions are real. Ashley Bell is double jointed and studied dance, she can preform some cringe worthy uncomfortable "bends." For one of the exorcism scenes, Ashley had an idea during the night before the shoot to bend the way she did and the director Daniel Stamm decided to use it. As I said, it's until the end of The Last Exorcism that we are left wondering. The ending drew a lot of arguments for and against the film. Whether you like or hate the film, the ending is key. I for one, love it. I believe it completes the journey of Reverend Cotton Marcus. There are talks of a sequel. I just hope the sequel doesn't diminish the Reverend's actions at the end of this film. I highly recommend The Last Exorcism for Halloween or anytime of the year for that matter. It just seems a bit more creepier during Halloween. I really like the film (did I say that already?) but, it's not without its flaws. For me, personally, I don't like the idea of music being edited in. Then again, The Last Exorcism is edited as a finished documentary and not as a "found footage" type of realism. On the subject of editing, Shilpa Sahi did an amazing job editing The Last Exorcism. She went through hundreds of footage and chose great moments for the final cut. Then there is the cameraman. Whenever we don't see the cameraman (Daniel Moskowitz) on screen, it is the film's cinematographer, Zoltan Hontim, navigating a huge and heavy camera through the cramped areas during one of the hottest summers in Louisiana. There are four possession movies I truly like and The Last Exorcism is #2. This is due to the great cast and crew. I almost wrote this movie off as nothing but a gimmicky draw. I'm glad I didn't. The Last Exorcism Trailer RATING: 4/5 HALLOWEEN LESSON: heavy boots helps with back bends GEEK CREDS: Ashley Bell's parents are Victoria Carroll and Michael Bell. Both of her parents are voice actors. Her mother, Victoria Bell, did voice acting on Scooby Doo, Batman the Animated Series, The Smurfs and a whole lot more. Ashley's father, Michael Bell, did a whole bunch of voice acting as well but, what blows my mind is his voice work on Transformers (80's animation). He was the voice of: Prowl Sideswipe Scrapper Brainstorm