Midnight Run (1988) - 9
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
Sisters (1973) - 6.5
Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5
A drop from the original, but still quite fun. James Wan is too in love with his set-pieces; splendidly staged and often creepy as they may be, there are a few too many than necessary for the story, especially in the set-up act. The film could have benefited from shaving 10-20 minutes off. There is also a touch of Insidious films' extravaganza of fantasy-ish imagery creeping into a few set-pieces, which will be a "your mileage may vary" thing because they are done quite well and fun, although I miss the relatively lean-and-mean hauntings of the first one a little bit. What's still great is Wan's sense of creating relatable characters and spooky atmosphere. He also utilizes the new location fully, still directing the hell out of every corner and angle for maximum dread.
Sidenote: Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga are fast becoming one of my favorite cinematic couples; it's nothing more than the obvious care, respect, and love their characters have for each other, but somehow it feels moving and rather refreshing to me.
Midnight Run (1988) - 9
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
Sisters (1973) - 6.5
Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5
See, I wasn't much of a fan of the original because despite how handsomely it was designed (if shot a bit overly-digitally), I thought it relied too heavily on having you believe it all really happened (I don't), so its scares always felt like they were pulling their punches to stay on the side of what was documented (how boring), sacrificing subjectivity for stakes and it never really made me connect to any of the characters in the meantime. I loved moments like ones involving the clothesline and the tree, with some amiable bits in between, but it never clicked like...
THIS one, which I can definitely see what you mean Peng with the "mileage may very" since as much as its structure is the same, its approach feels markedly different elsewhere. I loved that audacity and insanity of a lot of the scares this time around (more in line with the anything-goes, funhouse fare that I found so effective in Wan's two Insidious efforts) and just how much Farmiga & Wilson's relationship is given time to feel so vivid and warm, as well as the well-developed family in the middle of it all (though I couldn't tell the two boys apart most of the time). Tethering the film in the realism and love they share (all the way to its final images) was an unexpected and impressive turn of events. Not to mention a scene like Watson singing "Can't Help Falling in Love" is a distinct highlight despite being an unreservedly sentimental scene in an R-rated summer horror sequel.
Also setpieces like the room with the paintings and the turned-away, out-of-focus conversation are just stunning in their fierce elegance. Also, I really enjoyed the varied point of views that the Warrens even take on themselves as the various factors in these sorts of things being hoaxes was refreshingly more nuanced than anything I recall in the original. Just lots of memorable moments even outside of its scares that I think will stay with me, especially ones that weren't included in any of its marketing (which is something that kinda diminished the great basement matchbox and "clap game" from the original).
A very nice surprise. Though I think in 2016 we need an indefinite moratorium on having movies/TV introduce London in their story while cueing "London Calling" over a montage. Luckily it's a rare, early sloppy choice, and the rest knocks.
*** / 7.6
Last edited by Henry Gale; 06-09-2016 at 03:56 AM.
Last 11 things I really enjoyed:
Speed Racer (Wachowski/Wachowski, 2008)
Safe (Haynes, 1995)
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (Parker, 1999)
Beastie Boys Story (Jonze, 2020)
Bad Trip (Sakurai, 2020)
What's Up Doc? (Bogdanovich, 1972)
Diva (Beineix, 1981)
Delicatessen (Caro/Jeunet, 1991)
The Hunger (Scott, 1983)
Pineapple Express (Green, 2008)
Chungking Express (Wong, 1994)
Oh yeah forgot to mention that. Definitely a highlight, despite not being big or elaborate. Just so chillingly effective in its simplicity. The 'morphing' is especially well done.Quoting Henry Gale (view post)
Midnight Run (1988) - 9
The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
Sisters (1973) - 6.5
Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5
I thought this was far better than the first movie. I wasn't really that much of a fan of that one, not really finding it to be all that scary, and in fact finding it to be unintentionally silly for the most part at that. This this one I felt was far more of an effective horror film, though. It had a genuinely haunting atmosphere, with great scares throughout (it rarely utilizes any actual jump scares, but the few that are in there are so fucking earned!), and maintaining just a chilling vibe all throughout.
But on top of that, I just loved the writing in this thing, which was just so powerful and full of emotion. This movie hit me in a way that most horror movies don't, and that's thanks to both the fantastic writing and the equally incredible performances all around. Like, holy shit! And many of my favorite scenes where when the actual horror aspect was either toned down or almost completely nonexistent for a moment, such as the guitar scene, or the conversation on the swing set. This movie was just so well balanced in that regard, which made it all the more prevalent when the terror kickstarted up again. I just found myself caring so much for all of these characters, who are all so well developed, where as in the first movie, most of them felt rather expendable to me.
I honestly was kinda expecting more of the same of what the first movie gave me, but this film more than exceeded my expectations. This all despite my having one of the worst audience experiences to go along with it. Seriously, my audience was so bad that I actually considered at many points walking out on the movie and trying again another time, everyone was talking, everyone was checking their phones every five minutes, several people were randomly screaming and making noises at inappropriate times to try and get a reaction out of the audience, trying to make the movie about them and not the movie itself that we actually all paid to see. Holy shit was I surrounded by the absolute lowest common denominator that you can imagine, and it was fucking miserable.
And yet even so, none of that detracted from my enjoyment of the actual movie itself. I actually kinda loved this movie, which was a huge improvement on the first one, and may well be James Wan's best yet at that!
Good to hear guys. I think the original is relentlessly terrifying and I'm excited for the sequel. Should see it next week!
[+] closer to next rating / [-] closer to previous rating
- Dark (S3) ✦✦✦½ [-]
- Fall (Mann, 2022) ✦✦✦½ [-]
- Ms. Marvel (S1) ✦½ [+]
- Dark (S2) ✦✦✦✦
- Moon Knight (S1) ✦✦½ [-]
- Get Carter (Hodges, 1971) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Prey (Trachtenberg, 2022) ✦✦✦ [-]
- Black Bird (S1) ✦✦✦✦
- Better Call Saul (S6) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Halo (S1) ✦✦✦ [-]
- Slow Horses (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- H4Z4RD (Govaerts, 2022/BE) ✦✦½ [-]
- Gangs of London (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- We Own This City (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Thor: Love and Thunder (Waititi, 2022) ✦✦ [+]
So it would appear I'm not the only one experiencing shit crowds with this movie:
Yeah, this was pretty great. It improves on the original in almost every facet. With a camera that's always moving, fantastic editing, and creative use of visual effects, James Wan improves his filmmaking craft with every film that he directs. The tension never lets up, the relationship between the Warrens is well developed, and it's unpredictable from one scene to the next. In a summer dominated by sequels, this stands out as one of the best.
Last Five Films I've Seen (Out of 5)
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse (Mackesy, 2022) 4.5
Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (Crawford, 2022) 4
Confess, Fletch (Mottola, 2022) 3.5
M3GAN (Johnstone, 2023) 3.5
Turning Red (Shi, 2022) 4.5
Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) 5
615 Film
Letterboxd
The ads claim that this movie will frighten you as few movies have, and, for once, the ads don't lie.
Ole Ebert was talking about Aliens, but it could apply to the Conjuring 2.
It's such an awesome feeling to go to the theater and actually experience genuine chills rather than as a figure of speech to say something was scary.
The movie is assaultive, but not in the negative sense, but rather its capacity to unnerve for virtually its entire runtime. When it was over, I realized how tensed I had been throughout its runtime as I felt my body relax a bit.
That's a four star movie right there. I don't even need to sleep over it before making the call.
[+] closer to next rating / [-] closer to previous rating
- Dark (S3) ✦✦✦½ [-]
- Fall (Mann, 2022) ✦✦✦½ [-]
- Ms. Marvel (S1) ✦½ [+]
- Dark (S2) ✦✦✦✦
- Moon Knight (S1) ✦✦½ [-]
- Get Carter (Hodges, 1971) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Prey (Trachtenberg, 2022) ✦✦✦ [-]
- Black Bird (S1) ✦✦✦✦
- Better Call Saul (S6) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Halo (S1) ✦✦✦ [-]
- Slow Horses (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- H4Z4RD (Govaerts, 2022/BE) ✦✦½ [-]
- Gangs of London (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- We Own This City (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Thor: Love and Thunder (Waititi, 2022) ✦✦ [+]
Story. Of. My. Life.Quoting TGM (view post)
Uh oh. It seems the creepy marilyn manson lookalike nun is getting her spinoff movie.
not sure if they'll call it The Nunjuring.
[+] closer to next rating / [-] closer to previous rating
- Dark (S3) ✦✦✦½ [-]
- Fall (Mann, 2022) ✦✦✦½ [-]
- Ms. Marvel (S1) ✦½ [+]
- Dark (S2) ✦✦✦✦
- Moon Knight (S1) ✦✦½ [-]
- Get Carter (Hodges, 1971) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Prey (Trachtenberg, 2022) ✦✦✦ [-]
- Black Bird (S1) ✦✦✦✦
- Better Call Saul (S6) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Halo (S1) ✦✦✦ [-]
- Slow Horses (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- H4Z4RD (Govaerts, 2022/BE) ✦✦½ [-]
- Gangs of London (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- We Own This City (S1) ✦✦✦½ [+]
- Thor: Love and Thunder (Waititi, 2022) ✦✦ [+]
CCU- Conjuring Cinematic Universe. (First Annabelle now Nunjuring)Quoting Morris Schæffer (view post)
Movie Theater DiaryQuoting Donald Glover
Relentless in its approach for scares, I never found it overbearing. In fact, it was quite effective the whole way through. Yes, there's a lot of jump scares, but the true horror is in between. I wonder if it works well with other generations, because it almost plays off from all my nightmares and scary stories as a kid, as far as what's under the tent, another room, dark spaces, etc.
Farmiga and Wilson elevate this with their relationship.
Only drag is that all exorcism movies have the same approach to the end as far as casting out the demon. Every dang time. It's kind of boring at this point as far as that goes. That's my only nitpick.
At least with Anabelle, that character only appeared in a single scene in The Conjuring, so it felt like there might've been more to actually potentially explore in a spinoff. But the nun was already the main antagonist of this movie, so what purpose is there really of doing another entire movie based around her?Quoting Morris Schæffer (view post)
[]
And her demon was cast away. So it'd have to be a prequel.Quoting TGM (view post)
Also, her scenes were the least scary in the movie. I'd rather know more about the Crooked Man.
Annabelle's little cameo was creepy enough in the background. I don't quite get why that carousel was put into the room of haunted things, I would've thought that chair, but I guess it's a lot less interesting to see Patrick Wilson lugging a huge freakin' chair into a packed room.
Starting to lose respect for Wan
Last edited by Irish; 08-28-2016 at 04:47 AM.
Could you elaborate?Quoting Irish (view post)
Briefly ---Quoting TGM (view post)
The script is unfocused, the beats are hackneyed, and Wan reuses visual ideas and motifts from both The Conjuring and Insidious in a way that goes beyond auteurism into self-parody and self-plagiarism.
I thought it was fine and found enough moments of inspiration to offset the been-there-done-that vibe, but only barely so. I'm glad Wan's moving into other genres.
Wan consistently has the ability to get me scared in scenes taking place during the day. And oh-my those gorgeous one-shots. His eye for the camera in a horror movie is wonderful.
As far as sequels go, I was entertained. Will I watch it as much as the first? Probably not.
“What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, er... an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks and that's all.”
What about all the spin-offs?Quoting Scar (view post)
I love this idea for a horror franchise.
I'll probably do a double feature with it when it comes out on Blu ray in a couple weeks.Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
I wasn't a fan of Annabelle, but I'm going to give that one another try.
“What we are dealing with here is a perfect engine, er... an eating machine. It's really a miracle of evolution. All this machine does is swim and eat and make little sharks and that's all.”
Just watched it and made a thread about it.