Endings ruin everything... usually.

This is a random post, it may happen every Friday or maybe just at anytime I feel like it, but I feel as though a break from the reviews and just a random entry might be useful.
Basically, what I wanted to say, was that and ending to a movie can ruin a great movie, especially with horror movies. The movie can be as good as a movie can get but when it comes down to the ending, if it's not satisfactory then that movie went from great to horrible. I feel like the best endings come as a surprise, and is not something that was thrown together last minute with the small budget they have left over. An ending needs impact, which is something that is seriously lacking.

Just as a notice, the next movie reviews will consist of:
The Woman In Black, Silent House, and Cabin Fever (there may be a couple more added if I have enough time).

But in conclusion to my first paragraph, I have decided to write a letter.
Dear Hollywood whoever,
As a movie fanatic, please spend more time on your endings, because frankly, they suck.
Sincerely,
Me

Cloverfield- I'm Dizzy.

This movie consists of more runny-nose shots than the Blair Witch Project (review coming soon). Throughout the movie, the hand-held camera which this movie is shot on makes you feel like you're on a carnival ride, but not one of the enjoyable ones.

Directed by Matt Reeves and written by Drew Goddard, Cloverfield came out in 2008. This movie "Revolves around a monster attack in New York as told from the point of view of a small group of people," (imdb.com). The movie is shot on a hand-held camera while 'Hud' (T.J. Miller) tries to capture every moment of it. Hud is obviously not the most graceful person, so he falls, drops the camera, and shows random shots of the ground. All of this combined could make a simple bird look scary.

Pros:
-The monster is truly amazing
 Even though you get about only one good look at the monster, I feel it is stunning and that the film's main film effects supervisors Nick Tom and Phil Tippett did a great job. I was truly enticed by the creature.
 -There was still a story.
Some horror movies I have watched fail to have a good story behind it, but I found that this movie had an enjoyable one. There was depth behind the group of friends and not only that, but there was even a "love story"-type thing throughout the story. Don't worry guys- it's a very minor story throughout the movie

Cons:
-I'm going to be sick
 By the end of the movie I felt like I was going to be sick, I was so dizzy that I couldn't see straight. Unlike Blair Witch (sorry, I keep referring back to this movie but I feel this is a good example of a movie that uses a hand-held camera) there was way too much running, falling and quick turns. I couldn't see straight.

Overall, this movie would have been very enjoyable if it hadn't made me so dizzy.

RATING: 6.7/10

"I think when they started filming Cloverfield, somebody accidentally dropped the camera. Someone else said, "Cool." So they kept dropping the camera. And they threw it, and jerked it, and kicked it. And it went into terminal spasms."

-Tony Macklin, Fayetteville Free Weekly

Even If You Watch Movies- You Can Still Look Good

So, as the title says, you don't have to be a boring nerd even if you love to watch movies. So, I'd like to share a friend of mine's tumblr.

Go ahead and check it out!

http://the-beautie-junkie.tumblr.com/

The Hills Have Eyes- But I Wish I Didn't

This movie may be one of the extremely gruesome movie's that I can actually deal with. Not only is this movie better than the 1977 remake, but I find the gore more bearable.

In 2006 director and writer Alexandre Aja released a remake of the 1977 movie which was directed by Wes Craven (one of the best horror directors/writers ever. And yes, it is probably because the original came out in 1977, but this remake was actually better. "A suburban American family is being stalked by a group of psychotic people who live in the desert, far away from civilization." (imdb.com) Although, I disagree with the use of "psychotic" in the description (they're mutants... not retards) , I feel as though this is able to sum up the movie without an overuse of adjectives, unlike other synopsizes I stumbled across earlier.

Pros:
-Gruesome works.
Without all of the gore, I feel like this movie would be just a bunch of people running around a desert trying to escape a mutant-filled area....and that's just plain boring.
-Cool idea
The story idea was a good one for a horror movie, not a single-slasher movie, where there is one bad guy... instead there is a full town!

Cons:
-There's always some form of sex.
Rape...really? It was not necessary. AT ALL. It was just a time filler and I guess it was something to make horny guys watch? I'm not quite sure though.
-Scenes seem repetitive.
It may be just me but I feel like scenes are repeated a lot throughout the movie, and that most scenes are very similar if not exactly the same.
-....Derp.
So, this movie takes place in a desert that has been abandoned for multiple years, maybe even decades, because of an explosion, and radiation etc., BUT, somehow anyone can drive near it, or get out of it... how unrealistic.
-Questionable.
I question why some actions took place in this movie, but for fear I might give away something, I will keep what it is to myself, but I guess an overall characteristic is UNREALISTIC actions.
 -Characters.
You really don't like the characters. That's a problem, because instead of screaming in fear, you're cheering along with the bad guys saying, "YEAH! Rip his head off!"

Overall, this movie was lacking in certain areas but was able to pull it together to make a descent remake.

RATING: 7.9/10

"The film is intelligent and aware, if utterly gross, and on a technical level it's first-rate."
-Frank Lovece, Film Journal International 

Sorry this was a shorter review, I hope to add more to it soon.

Donnie Darko - The Demoic Rabbit?

This I must say, is one of my favorite movies of all times although I can barely count it as horror. This is a sci-fy, futuristic, movie about time travel and a guy in a demonic rabbit suit. Crazy sounding...right? Even though, it shouldn't be under the horror category, on some websites it is, so I thought it would still be suitable to write a review.

Released in 2001, Donnie Darko was directed and written by Richard Kelly. The common description (courtesy imdb.com) "A troubled teenager (Jake Gyllenhaal) is plagued by visions of a large bunny rabbit (James Duval) that manipulates him to commit a series of crimes, after narrowly escaping a bizarre accident," does not do this movie justice.  Sure, it sounds intriguing but it probably leaves you with a look of what the fuck on your face. You have to actually watch the movie before it starts to make sense.

Pros of the movie:
-This movie is actually one where you become close to the main character.
Sure, the fact that Jake Gyllenhaal is portraying an angst-ridden teenager might help slightly, but throughout the movie you can look past a few outbursts and telling his sister to "suck a fuck", you may actually find that you start feeling for the characters.
-This movie is truly unique.
How many movies can you name that have a guy in a demonic bunny suit and about time travel?
-The ending leaves you in a state of awe.
I don't want to give anything away, because the ending is truly one of the best and most shocking parts of the film....If only I could give subtle hints without spoiling the movie, but that doesn't seem possible for this movie.
-The visual effects are stunning.
For this time-travel ridden movie you can't have simple visual effects and this movie was far from simple. The effects had my eye from the beginning, and really added a great deal to the movie.
-Great soundtrack.
Usually in horror-- or even sci-fy movies-- the music sucks (not in all movies though), but this movie did a great job of picking songs that went well with the mood and still didn't distract from what was happening in the scene.
-It may not be horror but some scenes made me jump.
The whole evil-bunny thing really worked for this movie. It added such a darker part to it and the costume was genuinely creepy, so when you weren't excepting it, you would be startled for a moment.
-Humor makes everything darker
The saying is true. Humor does make everything darker, so when humor is added into this movie the only thing it can do is make it better. The humor is in the perfect scenes and is not overpowering the darkness of the movie.

Cons of the movie:
-STAY AWAKE.
The only bad part about this movie is the fact that every little thing has a greater meaning and will help you put together the ending. Basically, this is not a movie for 3 a.m.-- trust me.

Overall, this movie was well directed and cast, the visual effects were perfect and there was only one downside to the whole movie.

RATING: 9.8/10

"Donnie Darko is a bit like a teenager: brooding, complex, rebellious, and difficult to comprehend."

-James Plath,  Movie Metropolis

Welcome to the New (?)

Horror movies aren't the only things being poorly remade. Today, I decided it's time to restart. New reviews, new movies, new layout. Hope you guys like it.


To those of you who are new to this blog, I'm going to give you a quick overview. Are You Scared Yet is a horror movie review blog. I will try to post a new movie review at least once a week, if not more. The ratings will usually range anywhere from 0.5 to 10 (I don't like giving zeros). If you have a specific movie you want me to review before you decide to watch it, go ahead and leave me a comment and let me know.