Lights Out

Based off of the short film of the same name by David F. Sandberg and Lotta Losten (the link to which I will provide at the bottom) the latest James Wan-produced horror release ‘Lights Out’ is finally here, riding the coat tails of ‘The Conjuring 2’ and bringing us another classic story. When a strange figure begins to haunt the halls of his family home soon after the death of his father, Martin (Gabriel Bateman) recruits the help of his older step-sister Rebecca to help him cope with their reclusive and depressed mother Sophie (Maria Bello). Experiencing the same events during her own childhood when her father left, Rebecca (Teresa Palmer) has since become detached from her family, believing the figure to be a hoax manifested by her mother’s mental illness. Joined by her boyfriend Bret (Alexander DiPersia), she reluctantly decides to help her mother for Martin’s sake, as he has become paranoid about the dark. As the mysterious circumstances surrounding the figure begin to unravel, the group is left with one question: Who is Diana? 

The positives: This film wastes no time in getting right into the action and building tension, and doesn’t stop until the film ends, keeping that atmosphere that Wan’s films are becoming known for. Sandberg has done excellent work in keeping his simple premise as effective for a feature length film as possible. The performances were on the whole good with the standouts definitely being Gabriel Bateman who provides a foil for Rebecca and helps the viewers remember what it was like being afraid of the dark as a child, as well as Maria Bello’s caring yet unstable Sophie. I was also pleasantly surprised by DiPersia’s character Bret: it was nice to see a boyfriend in a horror film that wasn’t, for lack of a better word, an asshole. I enjoyed the ways that the film played on a fear within all of us: the fear of the unknown, the fear of the dark spaces in our houses we subconsciously avoid, and the fear of being abandoned. The premise of staying in the light is a relatively new take on this idea and was very entertaining.

The negatives: A common theme in a lot of the films I’ve seen of late, the most glaring issue for ‘Lights Out’ is pacing. At a mere 81 minutes, this film flies through much of the plot and character development, leaving the viewer looking for more of an explanation and having them make leaps in order to connect the dots. Perhaps this was done because there is currently a sequel in the works, but it still felt as though the film was incomplete. Because of its fast pace, it becomes harder to form an attachment with the characters and they tend to fall into some horror movie clichés (like making stupid decisions for seemingly no reason and painting Rebecca as the ‘rebellious young adult with equally rebellious boyfriend’), which was a bit of a let down.

On the whole, this movie is good for a scary night in and definitely brings a good old fashioned spook, but isn’t too revolutionary. The acting was decent and the plot was interesting, but I’m hoping that the sequel provides us with the answers the audience is looking for and a more solid, well paced story. If you’re a horror fan, its definitely worth a watch.

Lights Out (A Short Horror Film)

The Conjuring 2

Will there be a Conjuring 3? 4? If they’re as good as this one, I’ll definitely be lining up to see it. After the disaster that was 2014's 'Annabelle', I’m glad this series has found its’ footing again.

The Conjuring 2 brings us into the lives of paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) a second time, to tell the story of the infamous Enfield Hauntings (this one is also based on the true story from the case files of the real Ed and Lorraine Warren, known as ‘England’s Amityville’).  Tiring of sceptics denying their work and growing weary of constantly being in the public eye, as well as an unsettling premonition from Lorraine haunting her constantly, the pair decides to take a break from their work and focus on everyday life. Unfortunately, their time out is short lived as their services are called on by the Catholic Church to assess the case of the Hodgson Family. Across the pond, the family of five begin to experience a variety of frightening paranormal activities centred mostly on the youngest daughter Janet. As the family’s life begins to spin out of control at the hands of this spirit, Ed and Lorraine must find a way to balance what they know is right and their own safety, all while trying to determine whether or not this haunting is even true.

The positives: In terms of scares, this film’s got it. The most important part is that it doesn’t rely heavily on jump scares or too many overused tropes to help frighten its audience, and when tropes are used, they’re done so in an innovative and interesting way so that it stands apart from other horror movies. The cinematography, pacing and acting in this film all culminate together to help create a constant unsettling atmosphere throughout its entirety; there is never a moment where you can completely relax. As well as this, the film plays with your stance on the case: could it be that it’s all being faked? As said before the acting in this film is excellent, however there should be a special mention to Madison Wolfe who plays Janet, without whom this film would not have worked as much of it relies on her talent.

The negatives: This film is a haunting film, and as I said before it does use a few of the same tropes that can be seen in a variety of other horror films. Also, quick side note, horror films are really going to run out of nursery rhymes/poems to make into creepy mantras soon.

If you’re a fan of the franchise or just a fan of the horror/thriller genre, this may be one of the few occasions where the sequel is better than the original film. The intensity and attention to detail by James Wan really comes through, and upcoming horror films should take note from The Conjuring 2 on how to properly scare an audience in an innovative and entertaining way.

Furious 7

                                               "I can't believe we pulled that off"

The Fast and Furious is a wholly unique example of blockbuster film-making. In no other series could the sixth sequel of a franchise be both the highest grossing and the most critically-acclaimed in spite of a director-change and the death of one of the major stars. A franchise that's as lauded for the diversity of its main cast as for its outright lunacy and stupidity. As often as it is compared to the auteuristic style of "Bayhem", it is entirely separate, as the Furious 7 may be the only film of the decade to have an action set-piece that involves one Hispanic woman fist-fighting four hijab-clad bodyguards and an MMA champion all dressed in evening dresses and while a car flies between three separate sky-scrapers.

                                          "Time to release the Beast from its cage."

The climactic death of Han in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift was a grim eventuality during his tenure in Fast Five and Furious 6, but at the end of the latter it was teased that his death was deliberately perpetrated by British ex-Black Operations psychopath Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham). The motive being that by killing Han Shaw can bait Dom Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his adopted "family" as revenge for them defeating his brother Owen (Luke Evans) in Furious 6. From this point onwards the plot modifies this over-arching revenge story with a Macguffin side-plot involving the enigmatic and enthusiastic "Mr. Nobody" (Kurt Russell) and the sexy & intelligent hacker (literally her only characteristics) Ramsey (Nathalie Emmanuel of Game of Thrones). Russell adds an extra dose of enthusiastic wit into the mix, Rhonda Rousey and Tony Jaa appear to (successfully) beef up the fight scenes, and Djimon Honsou continues his recent trend of intimidating villainous roles. This all builds upon Furious 6's James Bond-like jet-setting trend and growing reputation for choice casting, allowing for ridiculous action set-pieces to take place in vastly different locations, and truly allowing the individuality of this series to shine.



Australian director James Wan (most known for his horror films The Conjuring and Saw) gives some new depth to the madness but stays mostly true to the style Justin Lin built in his tenure from Tokyo Drift onwards.  Sky-diving cars? Sure. Iggy Azalea cameo? Why not. The Rock flexing his way out of a cast? Oh baby, yes please. But the over-editing of the fights, cringe-inducing dialogue, the too-strong foreshadowing of Brian's departure, the objectification of Nathalie Emmanuel's attractive, but otherwise very capable Ramsey, and certainly the abundance of product placement thin the growing divide between Furious 7 and its contemporaries. Wan also retains the near pornographic scene transitions, the lunatic action set-pieces, and thematic obsession with family, but builds on them in many small ways (most often through just effective mis-en-scene and camera-work) throughout the whole film. The fights incorporate interesting camera and editing techniques. the film concentrates on the dynamics and psychology of the "family" over the Statham's entertaining but one-dimensional villain, and the music unashamedly switches entirely from an obnoxious hip-hop soundtrack to an overcharged orchestral score between scenes. The introduction to Deckard Shaw is excellent in the way it establishes James Wan's role. The scene begins with a relatively touching moment of Statham visiting an unconscious Luke Evans in hospital and then in a single shot pulls out to reveal the destruction he wrought to get there, the destroyed ward, the dozens of dead and dying police and Statham's own deadly swagger. The scene contains the familial spirit, the excess of action and even ends with Statham speeding off in a sports car to hit all the hallmarks of the franchise, but the style of the reveal and structure of this scene is more than just pure spectacle.


                                   
                                                   "Woman, I AM the cavalry."

While it's tough to shoot around Paul Walker's death at that stage of the production, it's dealt with adequately with the asides of Dom and Mia (Jordana Brewster) contemplating whether Brian will accept domestication. These moments, alongside the similar aside that delves into the psychological aftermath of Letty's (Michelle Rodriguez) return to the "Family", allows for a welcome change in pace and an easy introduction to the eulogy for Walker. It's important for films to know what they are, not just who their audience is but what the film is, what it says and the way it says it. The Fast and Furious films were never meant to get this outrageously big, and it is clear on every level that the film-makers, producers, and most of all the actors know exactly what they're there to do: entertain. And in Furious 7 there is no shortage of ways to evoke that message, it comes through loud and clear.




Go and watch this movie now.