Paranormal Activity (2007) United Kingdom Blu-ray - Rental

Overview:
Katie (Katie Featherson) and Micah (Micah Sloat) are a twenty-something couple who've just moved into a new home in San Diego, California. Katie has an interest in the paranormal and believes that malevolent spirits have been following her since childhood, though Micah is not so easily convinced. However, after several nights of loud noises and strange happenings, Micah starts to agree with Katie that some sort of ghost may have followed them to the new home. After a paranormal researcher tells the couple he can't help them, Micah decides to take control of the situation and sets up a battery of video cameras so if a spirit manifests itself, he can capture its behavior on tape. Once the surveillance cameras are in place, Katie and Micah bring in an Ouija board in an effort to talk to the spirits, a move that deeply offends the ghosts. Paranormal Activity was the first feature film from writer and director Oren Peli.

My Thoughts:
Despite a microbudget of just $15000, Paranormal Activity was one of the biggest hits at cinemas of 2009. Unfortunately as this was my first viewing I was unable to avoid the hype that the movie generated which usually makes me expect more than I get. This is no different. The movie builds up the suspense and the tension phenomenally, in fact it does it so well, that when the time comes for a scare you feel completely annoyed as you get nothing but a large sound effect or Katie being pulled away. The acting and direction is very good as far as debuts go and it'll be good to see what Oren Peli brings us in the future but I just can't help but feel that I was overcome with the hype when it came to actual scares, despite enjoying the tension building segments. I have heard mixed feelings about the ending on the theatrical version (which is what I watched) and I'm undecided as to whether I liked it or not at this time. Despite the things I didn't like though, I think this was a great achievement considering the budget and certainly think it will be worthy of an eventual buy. 3.5/5

The Hurt Locker (2008) United Kingdom Blu-ray (rental)

Overview:
From visionary filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker is an intense portrayal of elite soldiers who have one of the most dangerous jobs in the world: disarming bombs in the heat of combat. When renegade Sergeant William James (Jeremy Renner - 28 Weeks Later, The Assassination of Jesse James) takes command of a highly trained bomb disposal unit, he frequently risks the lives of himself and those around him with his suicidal methods and a complete disregard for danger. Caught in the middle are his subordinates Sergeant J.T. Sanborn (Anthony Mackie - Half Nelson, We Are Marshall) and Specialist Owen Eldridge (Brian Geraghty - We Are Marshall, Jarhead), who can only watch as their leader descends further into addiction: an addiction to war.

My Thoughts:
I was a little skeptical of this one because my old man said that he didn't like it as much as he thought he would. Usually this wouldn't mean anything to me, but he was a bomb disposal technician for his full Army service of over twenty years serving in the Gulf for over a year and Northern Ireland during some etchy times. Thankfully, he completed his full service just before the current war started and he now works for a private defence company. Despite this, I'm glad I did watch it because I enjoyed it. Not working in the field, I don't notice some of the technical stuff he was banging on about and instead I focused on the story which had me gripped. Bigelow manages to make the movie tense and suspenseful in all the right parts with a perfect spraying of both drama and action. Great stuff. 4.5/5

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back is a tale of adventure on the open road. When Dante and Randal (of Clerks fame) get a restraining order to keep the punchy Jay and his hetero life-mate, Silent Bob, from selling drugs in front of the Quick Stop convenience store, their lives are suddenly empty. They find new purpose when their friend, Brodie, informs them a movie is being made featuring two infamous characters based on their likenesses. After visiting one of the creators of the Bluntman and Chronic, Holden McNeil, they set out to get what fat movie cash they deserve and hopefully put an end to people slandering them on the Internet. Along the way, they learn the rules of the road from a hitchhiking George Carlin, ride with a group of gorgeous jewel thieves, and incur the wrath of a hapless wildlife marshal for liberating an orangutan named Suzanne. The quest takes them from New Jersey to Hollywood where a showdown involving the police, the jewel thieves, and the Bluntman and Chronic filmmakers will decide the fate of Suzanne, Jay, Silent Bob, and their good names.

My Thoughts:
Before I start I suppose that first I should admit I am a Kevin Smith fanboy and don't even think Jersey Girl was that bad. Jay and Silent Bob, as any Smith fan will know, are two of the most popular characters in Smith's movies although they had previously always been on the sidelines. Finally, in 2001, they got their own movie which follows all of Smith's traits from his skill at writing hilarious dialogue right through to his self-confessed technical inabilities. He also manages to get some great cameos in this including Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Biggs and many more and we also get to see some familiar faces. The only thing that spoils this movie slightly for me is the poor casting of Will Ferrell but apart from that, if you enjoyed any of Smith's other movies, then chances are you'll like this. Clerks is still his best though. 4/5

Stop buying BluRays with it and get the set I told you, finish the bava marathon and give us the chance to read the missing reviews you has in our marathon

See why I don't want to get a reader. Of course the fact it doesn't make any differences with the genre of movies I like also help... Anyway, I don't watch a movie to see an evercleaned image with a false non-sense audio; I want to feel and experience it the way it was originally (minus the drunk bum asleep near me and a couple of other things ).

Wow! That's a heck of a run. "Off shore"? What do you do, Sam?

Cool! I've always been an IT technician and currently do a job that keeps me changed to a desk. 

Detroit Rock City (1999) R2 United Kingdom

Overview:
Known as the greatest band in the land, KISS rocked the world during the 70's with their outrageous lyrics and eccentric style. Paying tribute to the legendary rock band that gave new meaning to the term 'Rock Superstar', DETROIT ROCK CITY is an hilarious coming-of-age comedy about four teenagers who embark on a wild pilgrimage to attend a KISS concert in Detroit. Driven by their passion to see their favourite rock group live, the teens will stop at nothing to scam their way into the sold out concert.

My Thoughts:
Before I start, I suppose I should say that I don't really care for KISS or their music but I do enjoy comedies about having to get something or somewhere (like Newcastle season tickets in Purely Belter). I actually picked this up because of actress Melanie Lynskey who doesn't get as much recognition as she deserves and she is unfortunately underused here, albeit in a nice little sideplot. There is a great cameo from Shannon Tweed (who is married to Gene Simmons) and as a whole the cast are OK for the movie with Edward Furlong and Lin Shaye putting in the better performances. As far as the story goes, it's what you expect. Everything goes wrong and then everything goes right. The only real problem with this movie is the lack of laugh out loud moments. There are one or two but I expect more from this type of comedy. Still, it's worth picking up. 3/5