The Conjuring - Thoughts

Though I’d seen the cover art for The Conjuring, owing to its not so popular cast, and its seemingly lackluster title and poster, I decided to skip checking out the trailer. Alas, there are so many good horror movies vying for our time, that some cuts need to be made. A few months later, closer to release date, people were talking about the movie; that’s about when it caught my attention. Post release, I heard additional feedback, along the lines of it being a solid horror flick, one that left the audience satisfied when they left the theater  Its somewhere around then that I decided to give it a watch. The Conjuring is based on a true story, wherein 2 paranormal investigators help a family deal with a demonic presence that haunts the house they've recently moved into.

Set in the 70’s, The Conjuring starts of slow and almost like a family drama. Though I’m not a fan or period depictions, they don’t go overboard with it, and frankly the setting just feels like a quiet town. As the plot unfolds, the possibility of the dark presence in the house is very gradually and realistically exposed, seemingly in parallel to the audience and the cast of the movie, in an extremely realistic manner. A good part of the success of The Conjuring is the fact that the plot builds momentum and gathers various bits and pieces before the true evil is finally exposed, which happens considerably late into the movie. Another aspect that makes it authentic is that unlike movies where cast members need to be singled out for the action to take place, things in The Conjuring happen as it would in real, be it two or a few, and with a level of science and thought applied to it. Add to this the fabulous characters, their development as the narrative proceeds, and the phenomenal sound effects, its obvious why The Conjuring is hard to fault, and easy to enjoy if horror is your thing. I have seen a few decent horror movies, Mama and Shutter being some of the recent ones, but rest assured The Conjuring is one of the best I have seen in a long time. Combining exorcism elements, demonic presences, and a level of reality, with an overall positive yet subtle note that faith has its benefits; expect to be satisfied like none other.

As much as I've said the cast didn't catch my attention, post the movie I stand corrected. A large part of the success can be attributed to the excellent performances from the cast members. Lili Taylor who played Carolyn Perron, though unfamiliar to me did splendidly, going through the motions of the loving and very normal homemaker, coming across as plain, yet fond as a mother would be; her progression through the course of the movie, including her portrayal of fear and aggression coming out exquisitely. Ron Livingston played Roger Perron, the head of the family, a loving father, barely making ends meet; clearly seeming in over his head with the things happening around him. Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson play the roles of Lorraine Warren and Ed Warren respectively, the two paranormal investigators. Their bond is also portrayed well, with mutual love, contributing to their strength as a team. Vera Farmiga is pretty standout, in the compassion and emotion that she brings out in the Lorraine character.

The Conjuring released in theaters just recently in India; with all the positive buzz surrounding it, some friends and I decided to watch this in the theater  Owing to its success, it was being played in a large 70mm screen, as against the newer more common 35mm multiplex experiences. Picture was good throughout, with mild post processing color tones added to maximize the period and quiet setting. Even with all the dark scenes and eerie moments, visuals were clear. The sound effects deserve special mention, as the intense bass reverbs were used throughout the initial narrative build-up, to signify moments of paranormal presence. Though sound is usually more effective in smaller rooms, I felt the sound effects were great. As with all horror movies, the sound effects did a good job of ensuring constant thrills and chills.

My Recommendation: Kick Ass (A very real, and possibly the best horror movie in recent years)

Dredd - Thoughts

I was a little surprised when I first heard of this movie, as it was near release day, and I’d have thought there’d be more pre release promo material and trailers. Though unfamiliar with the comic 2000 AD, I had watched the 1995 Judge Dredd movie with Sylvester Stallone, and remember liking it. The post apocalyptic future and the new hybrid law enforcement system of judge, juror and executioner rolled into one, quite appealing to me. In this iteration, Dredd, one of the toughest law enforcement Judges goes against a gang and their perverse leader Ma-Ma, in an effort to uphold the law.

The opening sequence of the movie with the narration, kinda sets the stage for the dystopian future, and aids in quickly involving the audiences with the theme at play. While you will hear of Mega Cities and Mega Structures, what you won’t hear is that Dredd is Mega Violent! There are several action sequences, some pretty intense ones, and a good deal of blood and carnage. I usually don’t care for extreme gore, and I find the likes of movies such as Hostel quite putting off; that said, I found the violence here in keeping with the theme of the movie, the state of decay of the society, and the limited value for life. So I can’t complain. The pace of the movie is nothing short of riveting, with no time to breath as the movie picks up. From the get go to the closing credits, the movie was non-stop, and that in some sense is synonymous to the relentless pursuit of justice that the Dredd character embodies. If like me you enjoy action; you’ll probably enjoy the 2012 iteration of Dredd. The action sequences are awesome, with the trio chain-gun scene being standout. The setting, the mega-city, and the mega-structure within which the bulk of the movie happens, has a mood, which coupled with the ambiance and sound enthralled me. Dredd is a dark, gripping, and gritty action extravaganza you’ll quite enjoy.

The lead role of Judge Dredd is played by Karl Urban, whose face you will incidentally never see, in keeping with the comic. So giving little weight to facial expression, and limiting the evaluation to dialog delivery, and body language, the performance was pretty good. Urban is cold and mechanical, which per the comic is the accurate representation of the Judge Dredd character. For this assignment Dredd is assigned a rookie partner, Anderson, played by Olivia Thirlby. She does an admirable job as the fresh out of the academy rookie, who is new to the grim violence of Mega City 1. Lena Headey performed the role of Ma-Ma, the head of the crime syndicate in control of the mega-structure, and is fabulous as the twisted, ruthless, psycho-vamp. She comes across as hardened and scorned, which is fitting based on her back-story. As an actress Lena Headey has phenomenal range, and usually does splendidly in intense and powerful roles; Ma-Ma being no exception to her filmography.

As much as I’d have liked to watch this one in the theatre, in 3D, due to its limited worldwide success, it exited the theatres quickly, and I had to wait to get my hands on the DVD and check it out. The DVD I sampled was an India spec Region 5 DVD, but thankfully there were no issues in terms of quality. Video was clear, and even in the dark scenes there was decent definition. The sound was unparalleled, giving life to the mood and ambience of the main mega-structure. Positional sound, and ambient sounds totally wowed me, and the gun fire as plentiful as it was, was well supported. Among the special features on the disk was a Dredd prequel motion comic which is worth the watch; it adds to the story and makes for a dark violent comic companion to the motion picture. .  

My Recommendation: Watch It + (Mega Action, Dredd Style, in Mega City 1)