Paranormale activity 2

March 26, 2011Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) **1/2Directed by Tod Williams My tweet:Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)- Devoid of any fresh ideas. A whole lot of nothing leads up to an effective conclusion. **1/2 out of 5 Other thoughts: There are ways in which one could say that Paranormal Activity is the most financially successful film of all time. With a budget of only $15,000, the movie unexpectedly went on to gross over 100 million dollars, thereby making more than a staggering 650,000% profit. It all started as an internet phenomenon with petitions to have the film shown in local theaters. With huge sellouts and long lines, th! is low budget horror originally on no one's radar screen started expanding, ultimately becoming a midnight movie triumph.Those first viewers of Paranormal Activity experienced the film as it was meant to be experienced. The whole thing played out like it was found footage of a young couple terrorized by unhappy spirits inhabiting their house. There were no opening or closing credits, giving the film a vicious coldness, as if the viewers of this unknown movie stumbled upon something they shouldn't have. After it became the phenomenon it did, the intended effect wore off. People were going to a cultural event when seeing Paranormal Activity after its success solidified. No longer did it thrive as pseudo-snuff. Therefore, Paranormal Activity 2 was bound to be less unsettling from the outset. Everyone knows it's fake. As such, it needed to have been the responsibility of the filmmakers to work tirelessly to achieve a sense of real life as much as possible. Otherwise, this seque! l runs the risk of complete corniness. Despite a really viciou! s conclu sion which is much more effective than the original, Paranormal Activity 2 is completely unnecessary, and yes, it is often laughably corny. This tale of terror serves as a prequel of sorts to the horrors seen in the original. Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston do return, which is allowed because the movie takes place months before at least one of them dies. Katie's sister Kristi has a new baby named Hunter with Daniel, Kristi's older husband who has a teenage daughter named Ali from a previous marriage. Daniel is played by Brian Boland, and Ali is played by Molly Ephraim. Both are adequate enough, especially when judged next to the performance of Sprague Grayden who plays Kristi. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've never seen such a bad attempt at delivering lines like a real person than Grayden as Kristi. The footage is shot using a camcorder as well as webcams installed throughout the house after a supposed break-in, so the actors are meant to sound like they're auth! entic human beings and not characters written for a fictional movie. Grayden's line delivery is so distractingly artificial that I couldn't help but want to see her character meet an unpleasant fate. I won't say whether that's what ultimately happens, but let's just say that there were moments while watching that proved quite satisfying for me. I enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity as a fairly mindless yet totally entertaining slice of horror. However, I'm not sure I gave Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston enough credit for their performances. In comparison to the cast of Paranormal Activity 2 in general and Grayden in particular, Sloat and Featherston are quite charming and exponentially more engaging in the original. The first hour and ten minutes is completely devoid of scares. There are a few startling moments involving bangs and noises, but there's no real sense of terror precisely because there's no sense of reality whatsoever. Any feelings of dread are much more man! ipulative considering that this time around we're dealing with! a dog a nd a baby in peril. Ali answers a lot of the questions that stem back to the first film by reading websites about demons who need first born infant males for sacrifice or something like that. Paranormal Activity had the guts to trust its audience to buy into the film even though we never learned why the hauntings were taking place. The sequel spends time spelling everything out, thereby leaving us with nothing whatsoever to figure out for ourselves. Also, when people take websites about demon possession seriously, it's understandable to sort of wish they'd actually be terrorized by demons if for no other reason than we would have less gullible people in the world. Too many scares are recycled verbatim. The film's narrative structure and tone completely mirror the original, once again saying to the audience that the only motivation is to make money off the success of another movie without much effort on the part of the filmmakers. Thankfully, Paranormal Activity 2 does almost! redeem itself with a really unnerving final twenty minutes. There's not a lot of intelligent ideas in the conclusion, but the palpable scares are there. Without giving anything away, the last two minutes reach a level of viciousness that the Paranormal Activity series merits. There's a tameness to the scares within the first Paranormal Activity, presumably due to its limited budget. There's no reason at all to hold back. In fact, I argue that Paranormal Activity 2 could have been even more sadistic. The premise is mean, and only the final few minutes really deliver upon its potential for brutality. Sadly, even during its few effective moments, Paranormal Activity 2 is too mindless and manufactured to merit even existing at all. With some effort, the sequel to such a phenomenon could have been a real achievement in itself. There are so many moments where we're just looking at a room through a camera waiting for something to happen. During each of these sequences, something ! does happen, and yet, I wonder why there couldn't have been mo! re somet hings happening. They could have subtlety textured these creepy scenes, thereby welcoming repeated viewing so the viewer could try and catch details that he or she missed the first time around. Instead, each surveillance sequence ends with only one or two obvious payoffs. Sadly, this is just another example of the cynicism and condescension behind this vapid excuse to cash in on the success of a superior sleeper sensation.
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Warranty (2004)

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DO Ashton Kutcher and Justin Bieber, which combine tons upward one the Freundchiquenaude?

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All the movie reviews. The best films

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Paranormale activity 2

March 26, 2011Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) **1/2Directed by Tod Williams My tweet:Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)- Devoid of any fresh ideas. A whole lot of nothing leads up to an effective conclusion. **1/2 out of 5 Other thoughts: There are ways in which one could say that Paranormal Activity is the most financially successful film of all time. With a budget of only $15,000, the movie unexpectedly went on to gross over 100 million dollars, thereby making more than a staggering 650,000% profit. It all started as an internet phenomenon with petitions to have the film shown in local theaters. With huge sellouts and long lines, th! is low budget horror originally on no one's radar screen started expanding, ultimately becoming a midnight movie triumph.Those first viewers of Paranormal Activity experienced the film as it was meant to be experienced. The whole thing played out like it was found footage of a young couple terrorized by unhappy spirits inhabiting their house. There were no opening or closing credits, giving the film a vicious coldness, as if the viewers of this unknown movie stumbled upon something they shouldn't have. After it became the phenomenon it did, the intended effect wore off. People were going to a cultural event when seeing Paranormal Activity after its success solidified. No longer did it thrive as pseudo-snuff. Therefore, Paranormal Activity 2 was bound to be less unsettling from the outset. Everyone knows it's fake. As such, it needed to have been the responsibility of the filmmakers to work tirelessly to achieve a sense of real life as much as possible. Otherwise, this seque! l runs the risk of complete corniness. Despite a really viciou! s conclu sion which is much more effective than the original, Paranormal Activity 2 is completely unnecessary, and yes, it is often laughably corny. This tale of terror serves as a prequel of sorts to the horrors seen in the original. Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston do return, which is allowed because the movie takes place months before at least one of them dies. Katie's sister Kristi has a new baby named Hunter with Daniel, Kristi's older husband who has a teenage daughter named Ali from a previous marriage. Daniel is played by Brian Boland, and Ali is played by Molly Ephraim. Both are adequate enough, especially when judged next to the performance of Sprague Grayden who plays Kristi. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've never seen such a bad attempt at delivering lines like a real person than Grayden as Kristi. The footage is shot using a camcorder as well as webcams installed throughout the house after a supposed break-in, so the actors are meant to sound like they're auth! entic human beings and not characters written for a fictional movie. Grayden's line delivery is so distractingly artificial that I couldn't help but want to see her character meet an unpleasant fate. I won't say whether that's what ultimately happens, but let's just say that there were moments while watching that proved quite satisfying for me. I enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity as a fairly mindless yet totally entertaining slice of horror. However, I'm not sure I gave Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston enough credit for their performances. In comparison to the cast of Paranormal Activity 2 in general and Grayden in particular, Sloat and Featherston are quite charming and exponentially more engaging in the original. The first hour and ten minutes is completely devoid of scares. There are a few startling moments involving bangs and noises, but there's no real sense of terror precisely because there's no sense of reality whatsoever. Any feelings of dread are much more man! ipulative considering that this time around we're dealing with! a dog a nd a baby in peril. Ali answers a lot of the questions that stem back to the first film by reading websites about demons who need first born infant males for sacrifice or something like that. Paranormal Activity had the guts to trust its audience to buy into the film even though we never learned why the hauntings were taking place. The sequel spends time spelling everything out, thereby leaving us with nothing whatsoever to figure out for ourselves. Also, when people take websites about demon possession seriously, it's understandable to sort of wish they'd actually be terrorized by demons if for no other reason than we would have less gullible people in the world. Too many scares are recycled verbatim. The film's narrative structure and tone completely mirror the original, once again saying to the audience that the only motivation is to make money off the success of another movie without much effort on the part of the filmmakers. Thankfully, Paranormal Activity 2 does almost! redeem itself with a really unnerving final twenty minutes. There's not a lot of intelligent ideas in the conclusion, but the palpable scares are there. Without giving anything away, the last two minutes reach a level of viciousness that the Paranormal Activity series merits. There's a tameness to the scares within the first Paranormal Activity, presumably due to its limited budget. There's no reason at all to hold back. In fact, I argue that Paranormal Activity 2 could have been even more sadistic. The premise is mean, and only the final few minutes really deliver upon its potential for brutality. Sadly, even during its few effective moments, Paranormal Activity 2 is too mindless and manufactured to merit even existing at all. With some effort, the sequel to such a phenomenon could have been a real achievement in itself. There are so many moments where we're just looking at a room through a camera waiting for something to happen. During each of these sequences, something ! does happen, and yet, I wonder why there couldn't have been mo! re somet hings happening. They could have subtlety textured these creepy scenes, thereby welcoming repeated viewing so the viewer could try and catch details that he or she missed the first time around. Instead, each surveillance sequence ends with only one or two obvious payoffs. Sadly, this is just another example of the cynicism and condescension behind this vapid excuse to cash in on the success of a superior sleeper sensation.
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Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

My interest into film regarding the extraterrestial life is child far away from more. The numerous film investigate the topic in much has different child that my thirst in such a way is for more infinity. Fortunately my gropes does emergency more suffer from my need and became more fastidious than before. „Battle: Of Los Angeles kept “my hopes upward during its several grounds off the side just now ME tons more over the screen disappoint. Special Yes, the effects acres emergency completely largely - and like that acres those „the horizon “- more other how young steam turbine and gas turbine system. Goal is which everything this imported? Emergency RK ME. This boring film sometimes, which concentrated one the was fields, when has history tons of Tel. the topic mentioned just now by describing, tons what incoming goods Tagelöhner one the CN lake. I did emergency go ton the theatre around has was film seeing. I searched from the maintenance with has fresh concept and f! rom the emergency repeated explosion and has betäubenden noise. Went the days, where content were more important than views. And yew everything goes wave, someone this task wants take tons convert and it into something that I had waited. Off the humanly Factor off history emergency-hung much remains independent with you. WAITs and of lake. ★★Director: Jonathan Liebesman
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After the dark knight the one which edge fuel element again loaded Batman of waives itself

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Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

My interest into film regarding the extraterrestial life is child far away off more. The numerous film investigate the topic in much has different child that my thirst in such a way is for more infinity. Fortunately my gropes does emergency more suffer from my need and became more fastidious than before. „Battle: Of Los Angeles kept “my hopes upward during its several grounds off the side just now ME tons more over the screen disappoint. Special Yes, the effects acres emergency completely largely - and like that acres those „the horizon “- more other how young steam turbine and gas turbine system. Goal is which everything this imported? Emergency RK ME. This boring film sometimes, which concentrated one the was fields, when has history tons of Tel. the topic mentioned just now by describing, tons what incoming goods Tagelöhner lake one the CN. I did emergency go ton the theatre around has was film seeing. I searched off the maintenance with has fresh concept and off! the emergency repeated explosion and has betäubenden noise. Went the days, where content were more important than views. And yew everything goes wave, someone this task wants take tons convert and it into something that I had waited. From the humanly Factor off history emergency-hung much remains independent with you. WAITs and of lake. ★★Director: Jonathan Liebesman
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Warranty (2004)

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Paranormale activity 2

March 26, 2011Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) **1/2Directed by Tod Williams My tweet:Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)- Devoid of any fresh ideas. A whole lot of nothing leads up to an effective conclusion. **1/2 out of 5 Other thoughts: There are ways in which one could say that Paranormal Activity is the most financially successful film of all time. With a budget of only $15,000, the movie unexpectedly went on to gross over 100 million dollars, thereby making more than a staggering 650,000% profit. It all started as an internet phenomenon with petitions to have the film shown in local theaters. With huge sellouts and long lines, th! is low budget horror originally on no one's radar screen started expanding, ultimately becoming a midnight movie triumph.Those first viewers of Paranormal Activity experienced the film as it was meant to be experienced. The whole thing played out like it was found footage of a young couple terrorized by unhappy spirits inhabiting their house. There were no opening or closing credits, giving the film a vicious coldness, as if the viewers of this unknown movie stumbled upon something they shouldn't have. After it became the phenomenon it did, the intended effect wore off. People were going to a cultural event when seeing Paranormal Activity after its success solidified. No longer did it thrive as pseudo-snuff. Therefore, Paranormal Activity 2 was bound to be less unsettling from the outset. Everyone knows it's fake. As such, it needed to have been the responsibility of the filmmakers to work tirelessly to achieve a sense of real life as much as possible. Otherwise, this seque! l runs the risk of complete corniness. Despite a really viciou! s conclu sion which is much more effective than the original, Paranormal Activity 2 is completely unnecessary, and yes, it is often laughably corny. This tale of terror serves as a prequel of sorts to the horrors seen in the original. Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston do return, which is allowed because the movie takes place months before at least one of them dies. Katie's sister Kristi has a new baby named Hunter with Daniel, Kristi's older husband who has a teenage daughter named Ali from a previous marriage. Daniel is played by Brian Boland, and Ali is played by Molly Ephraim. Both are adequate enough, especially when judged next to the performance of Sprague Grayden who plays Kristi. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've never seen such a bad attempt at delivering lines like a real person than Grayden as Kristi. The footage is shot using a camcorder as well as webcams installed throughout the house after a supposed break-in, so the actors are meant to sound like they're auth! entic human beings and not characters written for a fictional movie. Grayden's line delivery is so distractingly artificial that I couldn't help but want to see her character meet an unpleasant fate. I won't say whether that's what ultimately happens, but let's just say that there were moments while watching that proved quite satisfying for me. I enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity as a fairly mindless yet totally entertaining slice of horror. However, I'm not sure I gave Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston enough credit for their performances. In comparison to the cast of Paranormal Activity 2 in general and Grayden in particular, Sloat and Featherston are quite charming and exponentially more engaging in the original. The first hour and ten minutes is completely devoid of scares. There are a few startling moments involving bangs and noises, but there's no real sense of terror precisely because there's no sense of reality whatsoever. Any feelings of dread are much more man! ipulative considering that this time around we're dealing with! a dog a nd a baby in peril. Ali answers a lot of the questions that stem back to the first film by reading websites about demons who need first born infant males for sacrifice or something like that. Paranormal Activity had the guts to trust its audience to buy into the film even though we never learned why the hauntings were taking place. The sequel spends time spelling everything out, thereby leaving us with nothing whatsoever to figure out for ourselves. Also, when people take websites about demon possession seriously, it's understandable to sort of wish they'd actually be terrorized by demons if for no other reason than we would have less gullible people in the world. Too many scares are recycled verbatim. The film's narrative structure and tone completely mirror the original, once again saying to the audience that the only motivation is to make money off the success of another movie without much effort on the part of the filmmakers. Thankfully, Paranormal Activity 2 does almost! redeem itself with a really unnerving final twenty minutes. There's not a lot of intelligent ideas in the conclusion, but the palpable scares are there. Without giving anything away, the last two minutes reach a level of viciousness that the Paranormal Activity series merits. There's a tameness to the scares within the first Paranormal Activity, presumably due to its limited budget. There's no reason at all to hold back. In fact, I argue that Paranormal Activity 2 could have been even more sadistic. The premise is mean, and only the final few minutes really deliver upon its potential for brutality. Sadly, even during its few effective moments, Paranormal Activity 2 is too mindless and manufactured to merit even existing at all. With some effort, the sequel to such a phenomenon could have been a real achievement in itself. There are so many moments where we're just looking at a room through a camera waiting for something to happen. During each of these sequences, something ! does happen, and yet, I wonder why there couldn't have been mo! re somet hings happening. They could have subtlety textured these creepy scenes, thereby welcoming repeated viewing so the viewer could try and catch details that he or she missed the first time around. Instead, each surveillance sequence ends with only one or two obvious payoffs. Sadly, this is just another example of the cynicism and condescension behind this vapid excuse to cash in on the success of a superior sleeper sensation.
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Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

My interest into film regarding the extraterrestial life is child far away from more. The numerous film investigate the topic in much has different child that my thirst in such a way is for more infinity. Fortunately my gropes does emergency more suffer from my need and became more fastidious than before. „Battle: Of Los Angeles kept “my hopes upward during its several grounds off the side just now ME tons more over the screen disappoint. Special Yes, the effects acres emergency completely largely - and like that acres those „the horizon “- more other how young steam turbine and gas turbine system. Goal is which everything this imported? Emergency RK ME. This boring film sometimes, which concentrated one the was fields, when has history tons of Tel. the topic mentioned just now by describing, tons what incoming goods Tagelöhner one the CN lake. I did emergency go ton the theatre around has was film seeing. I searched from the maintenance with has fresh concept and f! rom the emergency repeated explosion and has betäubenden noise. Went the days, where content were more important than views. And yew everything goes wave, someone this task wants take tons convert and it into something that I had waited. Off the humanly Factor off history emergency-hung much remains independent with you. WAITs and of lake. ★★Director: Jonathan Liebesman
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The film off Fraggle skirt `supported company by tartar

It’s been almost a year since we heard any news about a Fraggle Rock movie. That goes for the director too. As more and more properties from the Seventies and Eighties get remade, rebooted or reimagined, the idea of a Fraggle Rock movie like a no-brainer. Now Cory Edwards, the director of Hoodwinked who has long been attached to Fraggle Rock: The Movie has posted an update to his blog about the film and it seems like the ball is totally in the court of the Weinstein Company. Read Edwards’ update after the break.

Here’s what Edwards had to say on his blog:

Many, many, many of you have repeatedly asked for some kind of update on the Fraggle Rock movie. The truth is, I got nothin’. There’s nothing to report except that The Weinstein Company has everything they need to move forward, and the ball is in their court. They’ve talked about getting a new writer, which I’m willing to do. They’ve talked about starting over from scratch, which I’m willing to do. But I have not heard a peep from their camp in almost a year. I completely sympathize with all of you that are waiting for a movie, but let’s all remember that the next best thing to making a Fraggle movie is avoiding making a BAD ONE. So at least we’re doing that. Until something new happens to awaken the project from its deep coma, we can at least enjoy the untainted TV series on DVD and The Hub Network. As for me, I’m already working on new things. I hope you’ll stick around and check in here… I’ll be announcing my next project very, very soon.

This project was first announced in 2008 and even last summer it still seemed to be swimming around in development hell, with a lot of talk about the film connecting with “an older, more sophisticated audience.”

It’s certainly discerning that Edwards hasn’t heard from the Weinstein Company in a year about the project but there are probably two things that they’re looking at before moving forward with a Fraggle Rock movie. First, Edwards’ next film, Hoodwinked Too! has yet to be released so they probably want to see how that film will do just to make sure he’s the right man for the job.

Second, Disney’s The Muppets is currently in post-production, aimed at a November release. Considering Hollywood is filled with followers instead of innovators, the Weinstein Company is probably excited Disney will be the first take a risk on a puppet movie and then – if it’s a success – they can move forward with theirs.

Do you feel like this movie is ever going to happen? Do you understand the Weinstein’s trepidations about moving forward?

• Muppet Update: Michael Gracey Sought to Direct Jim Henson Biopic, Fraggle Rock Goes Pop
• Fraggle Rock Movie Details Revealed
• The Weinstein Co to Make Fraggle Rock Movie
• Corey Edwards: Weinsteins Want Fraggle Movie To “Connect With an Older, More Sophisticated Audience”
• Weinsteins Searching For New Fraggle Rock Screenwriter, Want “More Edgy” Take
• Brian Henson Updates On New Dark Crystal and Fraggle Rock Pictures

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Paranormale activity 2

March 26, 2011Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) **1/2Directed by Tod Williams My tweet:Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)- Devoid of any fresh ideas. A whole lot of nothing leads up to an effective conclusion. **1/2 out of 5 Other thoughts: There are ways in which one could say that Paranormal Activity is the most financially successful film of all time. With a budget of only $15,000, the movie unexpectedly went on to gross over 100 million dollars, thereby making more than a staggering 650,000% profit. It all started as an internet phenomenon with petitions to have the film shown in local theaters. With huge sellouts and long lines, th! is low budget horror originally on no one's radar screen started expanding, ultimately becoming a midnight movie triumph.Those first viewers of Paranormal Activity experienced the film as it was meant to be experienced. The whole thing played out like it was found footage of a young couple terrorized by unhappy spirits inhabiting their house. There were no opening or closing credits, giving the film a vicious coldness, as if the viewers of this unknown movie stumbled upon something they shouldn't have. After it became the phenomenon it did, the intended effect wore off. People were going to a cultural event when seeing Paranormal Activity after its success solidified. No longer did it thrive as pseudo-snuff. Therefore, Paranormal Activity 2 was bound to be less unsettling from the outset. Everyone knows it's fake. As such, it needed to have been the responsibility of the filmmakers to work tirelessly to achieve a sense of real life as much as possible. Otherwise, this seque! l runs the risk of complete corniness. Despite a really viciou! s conclu sion which is much more effective than the original, Paranormal Activity 2 is completely unnecessary, and yes, it is often laughably corny. This tale of terror serves as a prequel of sorts to the horrors seen in the original. Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston do return, which is allowed because the movie takes place months before at least one of them dies. Katie's sister Kristi has a new baby named Hunter with Daniel, Kristi's older husband who has a teenage daughter named Ali from a previous marriage. Daniel is played by Brian Boland, and Ali is played by Molly Ephraim. Both are adequate enough, especially when judged next to the performance of Sprague Grayden who plays Kristi. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've never seen such a bad attempt at delivering lines like a real person than Grayden as Kristi. The footage is shot using a camcorder as well as webcams installed throughout the house after a supposed break-in, so the actors are meant to sound like they're auth! entic human beings and not characters written for a fictional movie. Grayden's line delivery is so distractingly artificial that I couldn't help but want to see her character meet an unpleasant fate. I won't say whether that's what ultimately happens, but let's just say that there were moments while watching that proved quite satisfying for me. I enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity as a fairly mindless yet totally entertaining slice of horror. However, I'm not sure I gave Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston enough credit for their performances. In comparison to the cast of Paranormal Activity 2 in general and Grayden in particular, Sloat and Featherston are quite charming and exponentially more engaging in the original. The first hour and ten minutes is completely devoid of scares. There are a few startling moments involving bangs and noises, but there's no real sense of terror precisely because there's no sense of reality whatsoever. Any feelings of dread are much more man! ipulative considering that this time around we're dealing with! a dog a nd a baby in peril. Ali answers a lot of the questions that stem back to the first film by reading websites about demons who need first born infant males for sacrifice or something like that. Paranormal Activity had the guts to trust its audience to buy into the film even though we never learned why the hauntings were taking place. The sequel spends time spelling everything out, thereby leaving us with nothing whatsoever to figure out for ourselves. Also, when people take websites about demon possession seriously, it's understandable to sort of wish they'd actually be terrorized by demons if for no other reason than we would have less gullible people in the world. Too many scares are recycled verbatim. The film's narrative structure and tone completely mirror the original, once again saying to the audience that the only motivation is to make money off the success of another movie without much effort on the part of the filmmakers. Thankfully, Paranormal Activity 2 does almost! redeem itself with a really unnerving final twenty minutes. There's not a lot of intelligent ideas in the conclusion, but the palpable scares are there. Without giving anything away, the last two minutes reach a level of viciousness that the Paranormal Activity series merits. There's a tameness to the scares within the first Paranormal Activity, presumably due to its limited budget. There's no reason at all to hold back. In fact, I argue that Paranormal Activity 2 could have been even more sadistic. The premise is mean, and only the final few minutes really deliver upon its potential for brutality. Sadly, even during its few effective moments, Paranormal Activity 2 is too mindless and manufactured to merit even existing at all. With some effort, the sequel to such a phenomenon could have been a real achievement in itself. There are so many moments where we're just looking at a room through a camera waiting for something to happen. During each of these sequences, something ! does happen, and yet, I wonder why there couldn't have been mo! re somet hings happening. They could have subtlety textured these creepy scenes, thereby welcoming repeated viewing so the viewer could try and catch details that he or she missed the first time around. Instead, each surveillance sequence ends with only one or two obvious payoffs. Sadly, this is just another example of the cynicism and condescension behind this vapid excuse to cash in on the success of a superior sleeper sensation.
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Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

My interest for the prone film of outer OF the extraterrestrial life is more manner far from more. Off the film many explore the subject OF as wave various manners as my thirst for more is interminable. Fortunately my gropes does emergency more suffer from my need and became more demanding than front. “Battle: Off Los Angeles” kept counterpart its several bottoms OF PAGE right OF ME of strikes my hopes pours tons disappoint it on the screen. Yes, the special effects acres completely large - and thus acres those you “horizon” - NO of other COMMENTs here. Is Corn that all this imported goods? Emergency with ME. This tedious film of sometimes, more concentrated on the fields OF was that more ton tell A history which evokes the subject, just BY depicting what incoming goods lake more DAILY on CNN. By did emergency go more outer theatre ton lake A film OF was. Ever sought you entertainment with A fresh approach and reiterated explosion emergency and A deafening noise. Gon! e of acres the days when the CONTENTS were more important than glances. And IF all is wave somebody wants take this task and ton transform it INTO something until I had waited. Independently you humanly side OF the history, emergency-hung much remainders with you. Let US WAIT and lake. ★★Director: Jonathan Liebesman
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Video The off Jon entbeint Jones, before it which famous

Here is a video featuring Jon Bones Jones back in 2008 at a grappling tournament submitting a guy who beat everyone else that day.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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Ton roofing stone like has standard in 10 days (2003)

All the movie reviews. The best films

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

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All the movie reviews. The best films

Into of undermines limps - one off letters

Hi everyone! Sorry this is a bit late (yeah I know- understatement), my cat just died (she had FIV, basically the cat version of AIDS, which she was apparently born with.) and I completely didn't feel up to posting. I promise there will be minimum moping in this post :PRecieved for Review:You Wish by Mandy Hubbard (TBR August 5th, 2010 from Razorbill Publishing) (finished already)The Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway (TBR August 3rd, 2010 from Razorbill Publishing)Thanks so much to Razorbill Publishing for giving me complementary copies of these two great books for review!Library:From 2 different libraries... I know it seems like a lot, but I returned all the other books I had out, soooo.... it evens out, right? *cough*Kitchen Princess Vol. 1 (Manga)The Heart is Not A Size by Beth KephartMe, the Missing and the Dead by Jenny Valentine (one of my favorite authors)Margherita Dolce Vita by Stefano Benni (I'm in love with this imprint, Europa Editions!)Solanin by Asano Inio (Manga I've been trying to get FOREVER)The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti (I really haven't liked Caletti's work at all, but I'm giving her another chance)The Moving Toyshop by Edmund CrispinA Good Day for Love Letters- George Asakura (not sure how I feel about the art)Gentleman Prefer Blondes- Anita LoosCooking With Fernet Branca- James Patterson-HamiltonGourmet Rhapsody- Muriel BarberyThe Queen of the Tambourine- Jane GardamKimmie66- Aaron Alexovich (I wish this imprint hadn't closed, Minx w! as so great!)Emily the Strange: The Lost Days-Rob Reger (I hav! e no ide a what this is, it just looked cool. Is it a series?)The Ghosts of Ashbury High- Jaclyn Moriarty (YAY! I love this series!)The Evolution Man, or How I Ate My Father- Roy Lewis (Weird, I know :P)Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- Jonathan Foer The Line- Teri Hall (I never got to finish it)Sorry- Gail JonesGimme A Call- Sarah MylnowskiWonderland- Tommy Kovac and Sonny Leiw (Pretty.... *gape*)JPod- Douglas Coupland (love it even more than I thought I would, considering I'm not a fan of the pessimistic, vaguely pretentious Generation X stuff)*deep breath* Even more than I thought I'd checked out.Bought:All but 2 of these (the one on top and the one on the bottom) are from a used book store.! I got them for only 50 cents each down in Mississippi! *dance* Oh, and I got the Great Gatsby too, but I forgot to dig it out from under my bed (books are everywhere under there in my room, as I just got a new bookshelf and have yet to stock it). It's scary under there.Dr. Slump Vol. 1 by Akira Toriyama (my favorite manga ever! The art is so simple but genius. Toriyama is great.)The Taker- J. M. Steele A Farewell to Arms- Ernest HemingwayGreat Short Works of Mark TwainThe Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings- Oscar WildePygmalion and 3 Other Plays- George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion and My Fair Lady (in too horrible condition to show: my dog got a hold of it! Luckily I had finished it on the trip back from Texas :P)The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald (I like it much more than I expected to.)***********888Finally done with the list! I got a lot of great books this week, and didn't even spend that much money. A lot of these I've been trying to track down, and finally did, ! which is awesome :) Mostly mangas that weren't at B&N or e! ither of my libraries. So, what was in you mailbox this week?
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Paranormale activity 2

March 26, 2011Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) **1/2Directed by Tod Williams My tweet:Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)- Devoid of any fresh ideas. A whole lot of nothing leads up to an effective conclusion. **1/2 out of 5 Other thoughts: There are ways in which one could say that Paranormal Activity is the most financially successful film of all time. With a budget of only $15,000, the movie unexpectedly went on to gross over 100 million dollars, thereby making more than a staggering 650,000% profit. It all started as an internet phenomenon with petitions to have the film shown in local theaters. With huge sellouts and long lines, th! is low budget horror originally on no one's radar screen started expanding, ultimately becoming a midnight movie triumph.Those first viewers of Paranormal Activity experienced the film as it was meant to be experienced. The whole thing played out like it was found footage of a young couple terrorized by unhappy spirits inhabiting their house. There were no opening or closing credits, giving the film a vicious coldness, as if the viewers of this unknown movie stumbled upon something they shouldn't have. After it became the phenomenon it did, the intended effect wore off. People were going to a cultural event when seeing Paranormal Activity after its success solidified. No longer did it thrive as pseudo-snuff. Therefore, Paranormal Activity 2 was bound to be less unsettling from the outset. Everyone knows it's fake. As such, it needed to have been the responsibility of the filmmakers to work tirelessly to achieve a sense of real life as much as possible. Otherwise, this seque! l runs the risk of complete corniness. Despite a really viciou! s conclu sion which is much more effective than the original, Paranormal Activity 2 is completely unnecessary, and yes, it is often laughably corny. This tale of terror serves as a prequel of sorts to the horrors seen in the original. Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston do return, which is allowed because the movie takes place months before at least one of them dies. Katie's sister Kristi has a new baby named Hunter with Daniel, Kristi's older husband who has a teenage daughter named Ali from a previous marriage. Daniel is played by Brian Boland, and Ali is played by Molly Ephraim. Both are adequate enough, especially when judged next to the performance of Sprague Grayden who plays Kristi. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've never seen such a bad attempt at delivering lines like a real person than Grayden as Kristi. The footage is shot using a camcorder as well as webcams installed throughout the house after a supposed break-in, so the actors are meant to sound like they're auth! entic human beings and not characters written for a fictional movie. Grayden's line delivery is so distractingly artificial that I couldn't help but want to see her character meet an unpleasant fate. I won't say whether that's what ultimately happens, but let's just say that there were moments while watching that proved quite satisfying for me. I enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity as a fairly mindless yet totally entertaining slice of horror. However, I'm not sure I gave Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston enough credit for their performances. In comparison to the cast of Paranormal Activity 2 in general and Grayden in particular, Sloat and Featherston are quite charming and exponentially more engaging in the original. The first hour and ten minutes is completely devoid of scares. There are a few startling moments involving bangs and noises, but there's no real sense of terror precisely because there's no sense of reality whatsoever. Any feelings of dread are much more man! ipulative considering that this time around we're dealing with! a dog a nd a baby in peril. Ali answers a lot of the questions that stem back to the first film by reading websites about demons who need first born infant males for sacrifice or something like that. Paranormal Activity had the guts to trust its audience to buy into the film even though we never learned why the hauntings were taking place. The sequel spends time spelling everything out, thereby leaving us with nothing whatsoever to figure out for ourselves. Also, when people take websites about demon possession seriously, it's understandable to sort of wish they'd actually be terrorized by demons if for no other reason than we would have less gullible people in the world. Too many scares are recycled verbatim. The film's narrative structure and tone completely mirror the original, once again saying to the audience that the only motivation is to make money off the success of another movie without much effort on the part of the filmmakers. Thankfully, Paranormal Activity 2 does almost! redeem itself with a really unnerving final twenty minutes. There's not a lot of intelligent ideas in the conclusion, but the palpable scares are there. Without giving anything away, the last two minutes reach a level of viciousness that the Paranormal Activity series merits. There's a tameness to the scares within the first Paranormal Activity, presumably due to its limited budget. There's no reason at all to hold back. In fact, I argue that Paranormal Activity 2 could have been even more sadistic. The premise is mean, and only the final few minutes really deliver upon its potential for brutality. Sadly, even during its few effective moments, Paranormal Activity 2 is too mindless and manufactured to merit even existing at all. With some effort, the sequel to such a phenomenon could have been a real achievement in itself. There are so many moments where we're just looking at a room through a camera waiting for something to happen. During each of these sequences, something ! does happen, and yet, I wonder why there couldn't have been mo! re somet hings happening. They could have subtlety textured these creepy scenes, thereby welcoming repeated viewing so the viewer could try and catch details that he or she missed the first time around. Instead, each surveillance sequence ends with only one or two obvious payoffs. Sadly, this is just another example of the cynicism and condescension behind this vapid excuse to cash in on the success of a superior sleeper sensation.
All the movie reviews. The best films

Into of undermines limps - one off letters

Hi everyone! Sorry this is a bit late (yeah I know- understatement), my cat just died (she had FIV, basically the cat version of AIDS, which she was apparently born with.) and I completely didn't feel up to posting. I promise there will be minimum moping in this post :PRecieved for Review:You Wish by Mandy Hubbard (TBR August 5th, 2010 from Razorbill Publishing) (finished already)The Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway (TBR August 3rd, 2010 from Razorbill Publishing)Thanks so much to Razorbill Publishing for giving me complementary copies of these two great books for review!Library:From 2 different libraries... I know it seems like a lot, but I returned all the other books I had out, soooo.... it evens out, right? *cough*Kitchen Princess Vol. 1 (Manga)The Heart is Not A Size by Beth KephartMe, the Missing and the Dead by Jenny Valentine (one of my favorite authors)Margherita Dolce Vita by Stefano Benni (I'm in love with this imprint, Europa Editions!)Solanin by Asano Inio (Manga I've been trying to get FOREVER)The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti (I really haven't liked Caletti's work at all, but I'm giving her another chance)The Moving Toyshop by Edmund CrispinA Good Day for Love Letters- George Asakura (not sure how I feel about the art)Gentleman Prefer Blondes- Anita LoosCooking With Fernet Branca- James Patterson-HamiltonGourmet Rhapsody- Muriel BarberyThe Queen of the Tambourine- Jane GardamKimmie66- Aaron Alexovich (I wish this imprint hadn't closed, Minx w! as so great!)Emily the Strange: The Lost Days-Rob Reger (I hav! e no ide a what this is, it just looked cool. Is it a series?)The Ghosts of Ashbury High- Jaclyn Moriarty (YAY! I love this series!)The Evolution Man, or How I Ate My Father- Roy Lewis (Weird, I know :P)Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- Jonathan Foer The Line- Teri Hall (I never got to finish it)Sorry- Gail JonesGimme A Call- Sarah MylnowskiWonderland- Tommy Kovac and Sonny Leiw (Pretty.... *gape*)JPod- Douglas Coupland (love it even more than I thought I would, considering I'm not a fan of the pessimistic, vaguely pretentious Generation X stuff)*deep breath* Even more than I thought I'd checked out.Bought:All but 2 of these (the one on top and the one on the bottom) are from a used book store.! I got them for only 50 cents each down in Mississippi! *dance* Oh, and I got the Great Gatsby too, but I forgot to dig it out from under my bed (books are everywhere under there in my room, as I just got a new bookshelf and have yet to stock it). It's scary under there.Dr. Slump Vol. 1 by Akira Toriyama (my favorite manga ever! The art is so simple but genius. Toriyama is great.)The Taker- J. M. Steele A Farewell to Arms- Ernest HemingwayGreat Short Works of Mark TwainThe Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings- Oscar WildePygmalion and 3 Other Plays- George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion and My Fair Lady (in too horrible condition to show: my dog got a hold of it! Luckily I had finished it on the trip back from Texas :P)The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald (I like it much more than I expected to.)***********888Finally done with the list! I got a lot of great books this week, and didn't even spend that much money. A lot of these I've been trying to track down, and finally did, ! which is awesome :) Mostly mangas that weren't at B&N or e! ither of my libraries. So, what was in you mailbox this week?
All the movie reviews. The best films

Ton roofing stone like has standard in 10 days (2003)

All the movie reviews. The best films

Paranormale activity 2

March 26, 2011Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) **1/2Directed by Tod Williams My tweet:Paranormal Activity 2 (2010)- Devoid of any fresh ideas. A whole lot of nothing leads up to an effective conclusion. **1/2 out of 5 Other thoughts: There are ways in which one could say that Paranormal Activity is the most financially successful film of all time. With a budget of only $15,000, the movie unexpectedly went on to gross over 100 million dollars, thereby making more than a staggering 650,000% profit. It all started as an internet phenomenon with petitions to have the film shown in local theaters. With huge sellouts and long lines, th! is low budget horror originally on no one's radar screen started expanding, ultimately becoming a midnight movie triumph.Those first viewers of Paranormal Activity experienced the film as it was meant to be experienced. The whole thing played out like it was found footage of a young couple terrorized by unhappy spirits inhabiting their house. There were no opening or closing credits, giving the film a vicious coldness, as if the viewers of this unknown movie stumbled upon something they shouldn't have. After it became the phenomenon it did, the intended effect wore off. People were going to a cultural event when seeing Paranormal Activity after its success solidified. No longer did it thrive as pseudo-snuff. Therefore, Paranormal Activity 2 was bound to be less unsettling from the outset. Everyone knows it's fake. As such, it needed to have been the responsibility of the filmmakers to work tirelessly to achieve a sense of real life as much as possible. Otherwise, this seque! l runs the risk of complete corniness. Despite a really viciou! s conclu sion which is much more effective than the original, Paranormal Activity 2 is completely unnecessary, and yes, it is often laughably corny. This tale of terror serves as a prequel of sorts to the horrors seen in the original. Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston do return, which is allowed because the movie takes place months before at least one of them dies. Katie's sister Kristi has a new baby named Hunter with Daniel, Kristi's older husband who has a teenage daughter named Ali from a previous marriage. Daniel is played by Brian Boland, and Ali is played by Molly Ephraim. Both are adequate enough, especially when judged next to the performance of Sprague Grayden who plays Kristi. I'm not exaggerating when I say that I've never seen such a bad attempt at delivering lines like a real person than Grayden as Kristi. The footage is shot using a camcorder as well as webcams installed throughout the house after a supposed break-in, so the actors are meant to sound like they're auth! entic human beings and not characters written for a fictional movie. Grayden's line delivery is so distractingly artificial that I couldn't help but want to see her character meet an unpleasant fate. I won't say whether that's what ultimately happens, but let's just say that there were moments while watching that proved quite satisfying for me. I enjoyed the first Paranormal Activity as a fairly mindless yet totally entertaining slice of horror. However, I'm not sure I gave Micah Sloat and Katie Featherston enough credit for their performances. In comparison to the cast of Paranormal Activity 2 in general and Grayden in particular, Sloat and Featherston are quite charming and exponentially more engaging in the original. The first hour and ten minutes is completely devoid of scares. There are a few startling moments involving bangs and noises, but there's no real sense of terror precisely because there's no sense of reality whatsoever. Any feelings of dread are much more man! ipulative considering that this time around we're dealing with! a dog a nd a baby in peril. Ali answers a lot of the questions that stem back to the first film by reading websites about demons who need first born infant males for sacrifice or something like that. Paranormal Activity had the guts to trust its audience to buy into the film even though we never learned why the hauntings were taking place. The sequel spends time spelling everything out, thereby leaving us with nothing whatsoever to figure out for ourselves. Also, when people take websites about demon possession seriously, it's understandable to sort of wish they'd actually be terrorized by demons if for no other reason than we would have less gullible people in the world. Too many scares are recycled verbatim. The film's narrative structure and tone completely mirror the original, once again saying to the audience that the only motivation is to make money off the success of another movie without much effort on the part of the filmmakers. Thankfully, Paranormal Activity 2 does almost! redeem itself with a really unnerving final twenty minutes. There's not a lot of intelligent ideas in the conclusion, but the palpable scares are there. Without giving anything away, the last two minutes reach a level of viciousness that the Paranormal Activity series merits. There's a tameness to the scares within the first Paranormal Activity, presumably due to its limited budget. There's no reason at all to hold back. In fact, I argue that Paranormal Activity 2 could have been even more sadistic. The premise is mean, and only the final few minutes really deliver upon its potential for brutality. Sadly, even during its few effective moments, Paranormal Activity 2 is too mindless and manufactured to merit even existing at all. With some effort, the sequel to such a phenomenon could have been a real achievement in itself. There are so many moments where we're just looking at a room through a camera waiting for something to happen. During each of these sequences, something ! does happen, and yet, I wonder why there couldn't have been mo! re somet hings happening. They could have subtlety textured these creepy scenes, thereby welcoming repeated viewing so the viewer could try and catch details that he or she missed the first time around. Instead, each surveillance sequence ends with only one or two obvious payoffs. Sadly, this is just another example of the cynicism and condescension behind this vapid excuse to cash in on the success of a superior sleeper sensation.
All the movie reviews. The best films

Battle: Los Angeles (2011)

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All the movie reviews. The best films

NEXT Tom Hooper could miserable fuel element adap the

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All the movie reviews. The best films

Into of undermines limps - one off letters

Hi everyone! Sorry this is a bit late (yeah I know- understatement), my cat just died (she had FIV, basically the cat version of AIDS, which she was apparently born with.) and I completely didn't feel up to posting. I promise there will be minimum moping in this post :PRecieved for Review:You Wish by Mandy Hubbard (TBR August 5th, 2010 from Razorbill Publishing) (finished already)The Secrets of April, May and June by Robin Benway (TBR August 3rd, 2010 from Razorbill Publishing)Thanks so much to Razorbill Publishing for giving me complementary copies of these two great books for review!Library:From 2 different libraries... I know it seems like a lot, but I returned all the other books I had out, soooo.... it evens out, right? *cough*Kitchen Princess Vol. 1 (Manga)The Heart is Not A Size by Beth KephartMe, the Missing and the Dead by Jenny Valentine (one of my favorite authors)Margherita Dolce Vita by Stefano Benni (I'm in love with this imprint, Europa Editions!)Solanin by Asano Inio (Manga I've been trying to get FOREVER)The Nature of Jade by Deb Caletti (I really haven't liked Caletti's work at all, but I'm giving her another chance)The Moving Toyshop by Edmund CrispinA Good Day for Love Letters- George Asakura (not sure how I feel about the art)Gentleman Prefer Blondes- Anita LoosCooking With Fernet Branca- James Patterson-HamiltonGourmet Rhapsody- Muriel BarberyThe Queen of the Tambourine- Jane GardamKimmie66- Aaron Alexovich (I wish this imprint hadn't closed, Minx w! as so great!)Emily the Strange: The Lost Days-Rob Reger (I hav! e no ide a what this is, it just looked cool. Is it a series?)The Ghosts of Ashbury High- Jaclyn Moriarty (YAY! I love this series!)The Evolution Man, or How I Ate My Father- Roy Lewis (Weird, I know :P)Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close- Jonathan Foer The Line- Teri Hall (I never got to finish it)Sorry- Gail JonesGimme A Call- Sarah MylnowskiWonderland- Tommy Kovac and Sonny Leiw (Pretty.... *gape*)JPod- Douglas Coupland (love it even more than I thought I would, considering I'm not a fan of the pessimistic, vaguely pretentious Generation X stuff)*deep breath* Even more than I thought I'd checked out.Bought:All but 2 of these (the one on top and the one on the bottom) are from a used book store.! I got them for only 50 cents each down in Mississippi! *dance* Oh, and I got the Great Gatsby too, but I forgot to dig it out from under my bed (books are everywhere under there in my room, as I just got a new bookshelf and have yet to stock it). It's scary under there.Dr. Slump Vol. 1 by Akira Toriyama (my favorite manga ever! The art is so simple but genius. Toriyama is great.)The Taker- J. M. Steele A Farewell to Arms- Ernest HemingwayGreat Short Works of Mark TwainThe Picture of Dorian Gray and Other Writings- Oscar WildePygmalion and 3 Other Plays- George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion and My Fair Lady (in too horrible condition to show: my dog got a hold of it! Luckily I had finished it on the trip back from Texas :P)The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald (I like it much more than I expected to.)***********888Finally done with the list! I got a lot of great books this week, and didn't even spend that much money. A lot of these I've been trying to track down, and finally did, ! which is awesome :) Mostly mangas that weren't at B&N or e! ither of my libraries. So, what was in you mailbox this week?
All the movie reviews. The best films

RK the defense off the Wurzelschösslings Punch - exhibition off `the method behind the insanity off serrate Snyder

[The following contains major spoilers for Sucker Punch]

Battle: Los Angeles. I Am Number Four. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. Clash of the Titans. The Wolfman. Resident Evil: Afterlife. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.

What is it that these tentpole action films have in common?

They all received better reviews than Sucker Punch.

Yes, once hailed as being among the more anticipated cinematic outings of the year, writer/director Zack Snyder‘s fantastical pop culture mash-up was unleashed in theaters this week only to be met with an overwhelming amount of sneering hostility and ridicule. And yet, amidst the critical excoriation of the film for its spastic overindulgence and numbing stupidity, as well as the outright repudiation of its girl power themes (even /Film’s own Angie Han has shared her thoughts on the failed feminism of the film), I stand alone to shamefully whisper: I kind of liked it. And I think it’s about time to give this film its due.

PART I: WHY IT FAILS, AND WHY THAT’S OK

There are three layers of fantasy to Sucker Punch — the reimagined hospital “reality”, the reimagined brothel “reality”, and the newly imagined fantasy worlds — and each brings to the film varying levels of self-awareness, peeling back its own layers to allow for further social criticism and/or cultural exploration.

The central problem with the film though is that it’s unable to satisfyingly marry the story to its underlying meta-awareness, causing the entire narrative structure to come crashing down.

Aspects of the story — which takes place in the mid-’50s, just before gender inequality was confronted by the second wave of the feminist movement — are sound, if a little messy. I love that the entire movie exists as a multi-layered dream world in which reality is hinted at but never shown, with Sweet Pea having concocted the character of Baby Doll to spiritually save her — serving as a guardian angel, as the film denotes — in the immediate moment prior to her being lobotomized. I love how Baby Doll serves as a symbolic representation of the real Sweet Pea — a troubled girl who constantly struggles against male chauvinism, and is viewed by her male oppressers (including us) as nothing more than a pouty-lipped sex object. And I especially love how Sweet Pea uses her fantasy world to repurpose her past trauma (i.e., accidentally killing her sister when trying to save her) into a deliberate and necessary sacrifice on her sister’s pa! rt to help set her free.

But then we arrive at other elements of the film — specifically, the action sequences — that very obviously occur because an intemperate filmmaker wanted to stuff his movie full of genre-blending set pieces, and don’t at all make sense as part of Sweet Pea’s imagination. Perhaps if Snyder had spent as little as 30 seconds establishing Baby Doll as someone with a vested interest in influential pieces of literature and cinema — oh look, she’s a fan of Tolkien and Asimov and Kurosawa! whaddya know! — it would be easier to justify her nonetheless anachronistic visions. But really, I think Zack Snyder would prefer we not even question the character or plot rationale behind it.

Because of this glaring fault, Sucker Punch doesn’t work as a coherent, self-contained story.

And that’s OK.

Sucker Punch isn’t terribly concerned with story anyway. It gets far greater joy reveling in self-aware cultural reflection, with each additional layer to the overall framework continuing to build on its exploration of geek culture and women’s place within it. Snyder seems intent on getting his ideas onto the screen however he can, treating each action vignette as a short film unto itself, and mirroring them to the outside “reality” more through their dance-like rhythm than anything pertaining to the plot. But when viewed within the greater context of the film, they take on a new relevance, and actually contribute to the narrative in some fairly compelling ways.

This is a film with a lot to offer, and I think the key to being able to appreciate those endearing qualities is a two-step process: (1) Do away with the belief that there are rules a movie needs to abide by; and (2) Accept that this is a picture that willfully forgoes narrative cohesion for what is essentially an attempt at synthesizing blockbuster cinema with avant-garde self-examination.

PART II: FEMINISM FOR DUDES

Sucker Punch is unquestionably a film intended for men. If it seems like the picture’s depiction of empowered females is too heavily skewed by a male gaze, it is. That’s the point. The film is very much about the male gaze, because that’s the lens through which females have been depicted in pop culture. Just as the men in the film are entranced by Baby Doll’s provocative dancing, so too are males in the audience meant to be entranced by these girls’ familiarly arousing attire and sexually suggestive posturing.

Sweet Pea dismisses Baby Doll’s dancing as nothing but overtly sexual thrusting and gyrating. It’s not female empowerment; the only purpose the sexuality serves is to turn guys on, and that still leaves them in a place of being held under the sway of what guys want from them instead of what they want from themselves. So they devise a plan to gain freedom, this time using the power of their sexuality to hypnotize the men and hold them under their sway instead. It’s at this point that the film thrusts us into its several fanciful scenarios, each of which hopes to have exactly the same effect on any young men in the audience.

These action vignettes very deliberately pander to adolescent fantasy, dressing up the girls in fetishistic garb that highlights their thighs, midriffs and frequent upskirts. But just as the girls continue to take back control from the men in the real world, their appearance in the action fantasy worlds gradually takes a backseat to their ability to simply kick a ludicrous amount of ass, in very much the same way any male action star might. More importantly, by unifying and fighting together — in both worlds — the girls are able to put forth the effort needed to defy the physically imposing yet emotionally weak-willed males who aim to keep them in their place. They’re fighting to take back the control that’s been taken from them.

And while it may be the girls’ sexuality that allows them to manipulate their leering oppressers, they find their true strength elsewhere: In each other.

That’s right. Sucker Punch is The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. But with dragons, robots and Nazi zombies.

PART III: WE NEED TO GO DEEPER

But wait, isn’t there a conflict of interest? How can you denounce something while at the same time so clearly savoring every moment of it?

Sucker Punch isn’t the first film to encounter this point of contention, but it may be the first film to directly confront it. Revenge films, for example, often take great pleasure in depicting violent acts against deserving parties, even while ultimately condemning the act. The message seems hypocritical. But revenge films, like most films, don’t have the luxury of actively separating the grim reality its message is intended to correlate to from the fictional medium its operating within.

Sucker Punch does have that luxury, because its unconventional format affords it the opportunity to convey that exact distinction.

Yes, the girls in Sucker Punch are sexy, and that has its merits — I seriously doubt Zack Snyder would deny that, since he takes as much pleasure showing off sexy school girl imagery as he did greasing up bulging abs and biceps in the beefcake-heavy 300 — but on one level you have playful fantasy, and on the other level you have harsh reality, and as depressing as it is to admit, we still have yet to reach the point where guys (a lot of them, anyway) seem capable of separating the two. And that’s what Sucker Punch is: Zack Snyder’s attempt to separate the two. Literally.

By bluntly transitioning between the misery-amplified “real world” and the fun cartoon fantasy world, the film introduces a very clear delineation between what’s acceptable and what isn’t. It manages to confront the all-too-real prospect of girls being used and abused in society, but does so without negating the visceral appeal of strong, sexually-charged females in pop culture.

Some may find that to be a mixed message, and it’s easy to understand why: It’s almost impossible for depictions in pop culture to operate free from their social context, since its relation to reality is always lingering over it. But consider: Nobody complained when 300 similarly objectified the male form for the purposes of substance-free, popcorn entertainment. Why? Because men don’t live in fear of being objectified. And if Zack Snyder had his way, the same would be true of women. But it’s not. So, through Sucker Punch, Snyder has drawn the line as he sees fit, fighting for a world where take-charge female badasses are allowed to be empowered by their sexuality without running the risk of being seen exclusively as fuck objects for men.

The problem lies with the world we live in, not with Sucker Punch‘s depiction of feisty, leather-clad heroines. We choose how we want to perceive people of either sex, regardless of the clothes they wear. It shouldn’t be necessary for women to fear and abandon their inherent eroticism to make progress in the world. They should be free to embrace it, without worry of being labeled a whore or a victim of rape. You want true equality? There it is.

PART IV: HATERS GONNA HATE

As a whole, I think Sucker Punch is a seriously flawed effort. But it’s not fair to write the film off as being a completely mindless one. In an age of derivative shit like Battle: Los Angeles, an amibitious failure like Sucker Punch is something to be supported and admired, not violently derided and shunned. Many may deem it a disaster with a deeply confused sense of morality, but surely there’s something to be said for trying something new. Isn’t that, above all else, what Hollywood is in need of right now?

I’m not arguing that you shouldn’t hate Sucker Punch.

All I ask for is that you hate it for the right reasons.

• On Zack Snyder’s ‘Sucker Punch’: Why Ass-Kicking and Empowering Aren’t Always the Same Thing
• ‘Sucker Punch’ – What Did You Think?
• Cool Stuff: Ken Taylor’s ‘Sucker Punch’ Poster
• New ‘Sucker Punch’ Short Films Fill In Imaginary Back Story
• VOTD: ‘Sucker Punch’ Trailer Recut With Disney Princesses
• Sucker Punch Set Visit and Interview With Director Zack Snyder

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