Gil discovers himself, with a little help from Ernest Hemingway...

Midnight in Paris

Released:                           

10 June, 2011

Directed by: 

Woody Allen

Produced by:

Letty Aronson

Stephen Lenenbaun

Jaume Roures

Written by: 

Woody Allen

Starring: 

Owen Wilson

Rachel McAdams

Marion Cotillard

Kathy Bates

Adrien Brody

Carla Bruni

Michael Sheen

Summary: Gil and his fiancée, Inez, are in Paris with Inez’s parents. Gil, a successful Hollywood scriptwriter, is attempting to write his first novel – where his passion lies – and is completely taken up with the city. Inez on the other hand, cannot understand what is so beautiful or amazing about it. The couple bump into her old friends Paul, who happens to be pretentious and his partner Carole. While Inez is taken up with Paul’s ideas, Gil begins to discover just how amazing Paris is - when, at midnight, he finds himself going on adventure after adventure with the writers and artists from the past whom he most admires. Things begin to make sense for Gil, as his novel develops with help from the likes of Ernest Hemingway and Gertrude Stein.

My Favourite Scene: I think a particularly good scene was the one in which the two couples visited an art gallery and a painting by Pablo Picasso, which turns out to be the same one him and Gertrude Stein were discussing the night before – with Gil present at the conservation. So, when Paul beings to expound his knowledge of the painting and artist, Gil jumps in with an incredible understanding of it – causing Inez to ask: “what have you been smoking?”

This scene was entertaining because for the first time in the film the pompous, irritating Paul has been silenced by an impossible knowledge of the background of the painting from Gil. Of course, what is so amusing is that it is only the audience who know why Gil knows so much. It almost seems as if he must have spoken to those who painted and influenced it, which he obviously had. His final line: “She was an absolute volcano in the sack”, before causally walking off, leaves the others looking clearly perplexed. It was nice to see the annoying Paul and Inez, who is extremely impressed with him, silenced for once!

My Favourite Quotes: 

Inez: You always take the side of the help. That’s why Daddy says you’re a communist.

Gil: Can you picture how drop dead gorgeous this city is in the rain? Imagine this town in the ‘20s. Paris in the ‘20s, in the rain. The artists and writers!

Inez: Why does every city have to be in the rain? What’s wonderful about getting wet?

Gil: It’s understated but elegant. That’s what you always say.

Helen: Cheap is cheap. That’s what I always say.

My Thoughts:  As a bit of a Woody Allen fan, I was looking forward to what he would do with ‘Midnight in Paris’ and it has to be said that it was a little disappointing. Firstly, the characters all appeared to be cameos – and so were predictable in their behaviour. Overall, it seemed the film itself was not so original. The idea of a couple, not fit for each other, visiting a romantic city and one of them finding themselves, rings every much of ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’. I very much enjoyed that film, but was expecting Woody Allen to do something different with his next.

As ever, he delivered a very intelligently witty script. If there was something not so predictable about the film, it was the script. I also think that there were so profound-(ish!) moments. Gil’s realisation that we will always be thinking another time period is better than the one we are currently in, was quite interesting and I liked the overall idea of the film, that by the end Gil had found what he needed – in Paris and the writers who inspired him.

However, the almost Cinderella-style idea of escaping in a carriage to a past time seemed a bit… well, naff. There were parts which seemed quite shallow and for a director like Woody Allen, I would have expected something deeper. It appears that he is moving closer and closer to the mainstream rom-com style of film that he managed to brilliantly miss with ‘Annie Hall’. The neat dénouement ending was something I like ‘Vicky Christian Barcelona’ not having!

Overall, there were some humourous moment and the film was well-scripted. However it seemed a little shallow with one-dimensional characters. I enjoyed it, but felt that it lacked the depth Woody Allen is so good at producing. The film was pretty much a copy of ‘Vicky Christina Barcelona’ and has only helped in convincing me that I preferred his older work.

B

It will get you.

Contagion

Released: 

September 9^th, 2011

Directed by: 

Stephen Soderbergh

Produced by:

Michael Shamberg

Stacey Sher

Gregory Jacobs

Written by: 

Scott Z. Burns

Starring: 

Marion Cotillard

Matt Damon

Laurence Fishburne

Jude Laq

Gwyneth Paltrow

Kate Winslet

Summary: When Beth Emhoff feels ill at the airport, she puts it down to jet-lag. However within hours of returning home from her trip, she’s dead. But the highly-infectious disease she was carrying has already passed onto others. Before the infection can be controlled, it has turned into an epidemic. No-one knows if they have it until it’s too late, and medical experts have no clue how to start finding a cure or vaccine. Soon millions are infected with the deadly disease and, as panic sets in, society starts to break down – with people prepared to do anything for some sort of cure.  Contagion follows the desperate attempt to save humanity.

My Favourite Scene:  A scene which I found particularly interesting was when an Epidemic Intelligence Officer, Dr. Erin Mears (Winslet) gathered with a group of government experts debating what action to take. Mears was attempting to show the danger of not doing enough to stop the disease, while others were cautious of the risk of over-exaggerating the issue. The scene demonstrated the problem of whether to frighten people (ensuring they would attempt to protect themselves) or to deal with the issue calmly, but risk it spreading by keeping it quiet.

This scene highlights the theme of conspiracy in the film and poses the ethical question of whether it is ever right for governments to keep information from the people. Throughout the film, blogger Alan Krumwiede fights for the truth to be known – swearing that there is a cure that the government are keeping a secret. However in the end, Krumwiede’s claimed cure ‘Forsythia’ does more harm than good.

My Favourite Quotes: 

Mindy Macready: Blogging is not writing. It’s just graffiti with punctuation.

Dr. Ally: Hextall It’s figuring us out faster than we’re figuring it out.

Erin Mears: Don’t talk to anyone! Don’t touch anyone!

My Thoughts:  This film really captures the power of fear and panic in a society. Medical experts, including those from the Epidemic Intelligence Service and World Health Organisation, are alarmed at the rate of which the infection is spreading. However the government is afraid of unnecessarily worrying the public. This conflict is interesting, especially as it relates to the real-life situation of Swine Flu.  It is a difficulty which would inevitably result if we found ourselves having to deal with a similar infection – is it worth severely panicking people? And might that have disastrous consequences? The film was praised among the scientific community for its accurate portrayal of medical practices, which I think is important as it adds to the realism of the circumstances – making the film more interesting. 

  

I thought that the film, as a whole, lacked the emotional repercussions that such a wide-spread disease would cause. ‘Contagion’ was focused on the medical experts and the issues of vaccines, food distribution, civil unrest, coping with large numbers of dead bodies and where to keep the sick. While of course being important matters to consider, this meant that no spotlight was cast on the millions of people affected, in terms of death. In this sort of film I think that it is necessary to consider the impact of an epidemic such as this on ordinary people. Another criticism I would have of the film is, that it was very much a copy of other disease - leading to the end of humanity – films. The ‘edge of the seat’ effect is lost when it’s clear what is going to happen – people becoming crazed and destroying shop windows, for example. It’s difficult to be really affected by a film which seems to be similar to many other films of this type. 

Despite these criticisms, the film is still interesting and quite frightening at points. It demonstrates the power of an idea which terrifies people and I think presents an accurate picture of the action a government might take in this sort of situation. Overall, I enjoyed the film and the situation definitely grabbed me. However, I felt disappointed that it did not really offer anything different and lacked an emotions depth. 

B

Not Your Ordinary Superhero.

Kickass

Released: 

16 April, 2010

Directed by: 

Matthew Vaughn

Produced by:

Matthew Vaughn

Brad Pitt

Kris Thykier

Adam Bohling

Tarquin Pack

David Reid

Written by: 

Matthew Vaughn

Jane Goldman

Starring: 

Aaron Johnson

Chloe Moretz

Lyndsy Fonseca

Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Mark Strong

Nicolas Cage

Summary: Dave Lizewski is a slightly geeky student, with few friends and a crush on his English teacher. Dave does not understand why, with all the ‘evil’ in the world, no-one has attempted to be a super-hero. As he sees it, there is nothing too difficult about putting on a costume and fighting crime. So he decides to become ‘Kickass’. Dave then meets fellow super-heroes, ‘Hit Girl’ and ‘Big Daddy’ – a former police officer with a grudge (after he was framed as a drug dealer) and his 11-year-old daughter, who he is training using rather extreme methods. Things start to spiral out of control, when crime boss Frank D’Amico sees Kickass as a real threat. Before he knows it, Dave is out of his depth in the crime world…

My Favourite Scene: Near to the beginning of the film a scene takes place, which for the first minute or so seems to be a father about to shoot his daughter, Mindy. As it develops, it is revealed that the girl is wearing a bullet-proof jacket and in fact they are simply practicing so Mindy will not be afraid when ‘some junkie asshole pulls a glock’. Mindy begins to get bored, so they make a compromise, two more rounds and they will go bowling and get some ice cream afterwards.

I thought this scene was hilarious because of how casually the event of a father shooting his daughter was taking place. What made it so brilliant was the fact that it appeared to just be a normal everyday occurrence for Mindy! They were discussing a treat for her afterwards, like it was similar to a chore. This scene represents what makes ‘Kickass’ such a good film: it takes a situation which would normally horrify people and turns it on its head. The idea of a father shooting his 11-year-old daughter seems appalling, but somehow this scene makes it incredibly entertaining.

My Favourite Quotes: 

Mindy Macready: (after telling her horrified dad she would like a puppy for her birthday) I’m just f***ing with you Daddy! Look, I’d love a Benchmade model 42 butterfly knife.

Hit Girl: Okay you c***s… now let’s see what you can do now!

Dave Lizewski: In the world I lived in, heroes only existed in comic books. And I guess that’d be okay, if bad guys were make-believe, but they’re not.

My Thoughts:  For me, the main reason this film is so good is that it turns the idea of a superhero on its head. It shows realistically (to a certain extent!) what would actually happen if a normal teenager decided they wanted to be one. And while Dave attempts to adjust to being Kickass, he is also battling with teenage problems – such as the girl he worships believing he is gay. This adds to the realistic feel of the film.

The character of Mindy Macready, who plays Hit Girl, was another aspect of the film I loved. Finally a young girl is doing something in an action film, other than needing to be rescued. Mindy was just so ridiculously and outrageously over the top – every scene with her was brilliant. I thought the script generally was great, but her dialogue was particularly good. Such a large amount of swearing is just not expected from a young girl (with the exception of ‘The Exorcist’)!

Another interesting element of the film was that it conveyed the power of the internet. Kickass’ fame is built around him becoming a YouTube phenomenon and popular on MySpace. Instead of appearing in traditional forms of media, like newspapers, Kickass becomes well-known through the internet – again adding to the realism of the film because that is actually how a modern, teenage superhero would rise to fame.

Of course there are many, many unrealistic scenes in Kickass - from an 11-year-old girl being able to defeat a mob of criminals using mainly karate, to Kickass using a jetpack. However the ridiculousness of some parts, is what makes the film so hilarious. So if you’ve read the Daily Mail review*, just ignore the idea that the film is ‘evil’ and watch it. Kickass is a combination of a realistic situation and absolute absurdity – making it a great watch.

A

*and if you haven’t, please do - just to make yourself laugh.

Four Deadly Terrorists, Half a Brain each.

Four Lions

Released: 

7 May, 2010

Directed by: 

Chris Morris

Produced by:

Mark Herbert

Derrin Schlesigner

Written by: 

Chris Morris

Jesse Armstrong

Sam Bain

Simon Blackwell

Starring: 

Riz Ahmed

Kayvan Novak

Nigel Lindsay

Adeel Akhtar

Arsher Ali

Summary: Four Lions is a comedy which follows the lives of five jihadists as they attempt to prove themselves - in the name of their religion - by plotting to commit an act of terrorism. The film focuses on their clueless ideas as they struggle to agree on even what building to target (with one recommending the mosque and another, a Boots store). The would-be terrorists attempt to plan an attack, while dealing with family issues and the police trying to track them down – after some badly-executed trials-runs.

My Favourite Scene: I found it very difficult to pick a favourite scene in ‘Four Lions’ because so many were brilliant. However I particularly liked a scene towards the end of the film, in which Waj has a hostage in a kebab shop – while on the phone to Omar, asking what he should do. Eventually the police storm the shop and Waj is sat with his hands up. He says: “Sorry lads. I don’t really know what I’m doing!”

I found this scene extremely humorous but also hard-hitting because it makes the point that Waj is in a situation, of which he does not understand the implications. While playing the fool, Waj also portrays how a person can become sucked into a way of life – believing that they are doing something for the right reason. Omar’s explanation of why they are doing it is along the lines of: it’s like being in the lines for the rides at Alton Towers. He poses the question to Waj, do you want to be in line or on the rides? I find this scene poignant because it highlights how easy it is to manipulate people in the name of religion.

My Favourite Quotes: 

Omar: I'm taking my team up to the top floor now. I'll see you up there.

Barry: It's the parts... they're Jewish.
Omar: What parts in a car are Jewish?

Malcolm Storge MP: The report makes crystal clear that the police shot the right man, but as far as I'm aware, the wrong man exploded. Is that clear?

My Thoughts:  Apart from the hilarious script, I reason I really enjoyed this film and thought it was actually quite profound was because it gave a humanising affect to the idea of a ‘terrorist’. We currently have a view of suicide bombers being ‘evil’ and I’m definitely not justifying their actions, but this film conveys that terrorists are just people. They have jobs, partners and children, just like everybody else. I think when it comes to a subject, such as terrorism, we cannot just dismiss the people as ‘evil’ or whatever. To stop anything, it has to be prevented and that requires understanding. Four Lions displays the emotions of men who are prepared to sacrifice their lives in the name of their religion. There are comical scenes in the film, which are moving as well - such as Omar explaining to his son how his and Waj’s experience at a training camp went wrong, through a bedtime story based on The Lion King.  

Another element in the film which I found interesting was that not only were the terrorists incompetent, but so were the police officers and politicians. From shooting down the wrong person in fancy-dress and claiming that actually the wrong person exploded, to a politician hiding underneath his desk when thinking a member of the public was a suicide bomber. It portrays a stupidity surrounding the issue, which was another refreshing angle to the film.

I think that Four Lions, like some of the funniest films, is comical because it takes a completely serious situation and twists it around. One would expect a film directed by Chris Morris (a satirist) to be just like this. Even the death of Faisal (who accidentally blows himself up while running with explosives) is rather hilarious – seeing the five ‘lions’ going down to four.

The only thing I’d have against the film is that it lacked the necessary one or two serious scenes, in which the ‘lions’ justified their actions. There was no proper explanation of why their religion asked them to do this, no mention of the Iraq war and no real questioning from their families – Omar’s wife smiled proudly when Omar told her he would ‘see you up there’. Despite this, overall I think that Four Lions is an excellent film. It is entertaining, original and thought-provoking.

A

Mind where you put your feet...

The Exorcist

Released: 

26 December, 1973

Directed by: 

William Friedkin

Produced by:

William Peter Blatty

Noel Marshall

Written by: 

William Peter Blatty (based on his novel)

Starring: 

Ellen Burstyn

Max von Sydow

Lee J Cobb

Kitty Winn

Jack MacGowran

Jason miller

Linda Blair

Mercedes McCambridge (voice)

Summary: Something is not right with Regan. Over time, she has dramatically changed - both in her behaviour and her appearance. It becomes apparent to her mother (Chris) that she needs help. The efforts of the medical professionals are useless, and in a desperate effort to save her daughter, Chris begs a priest (Father Karras) for his help – who then contacts Father Merrin. Convinced that Regan is possessed by the devil himself, the two begin exorcising Regan to cast out the demon and return her to her former self- however this is not an easy process…

My Favourite Scene:  In the final exorcism scene, the possessed Regan breaks free of her straps and begins to levitate, while her eyes turn a glassy white. Chilling as this part of the scene is, it is actually the dialogue before, which I find most scary. Regan says: “You killed your mother. You left her alone to die.” The fact that the devil inside Regan is preying on Father Damien Karras’ guilt about his mother’s death, conveys not only the strength of the being – to be able to get inside his head and know what his darkest emotions and thoughts are – but also how twisted and cruel it is to make him suffer. I think something that makes the film particularly interesting is this combination of physical and mental power. The devil is able to not only perform incredible things (the levitation and spider-walk) but also somewhat infect people’s minds to gain control.   

My Favourite Quotes: 

Father Damien Karras: “I think it might be helpful if I gave you some background on the different personalities Regan has manifested. So far, I’d say there seem to be three.”

Father Merrin: “There is only one.”

Father Damien Karras: “Why her? Why this girl?”

Father Merrin: “I think the point is to make us despair. To see ourselves as… animal and ugly. To make us reject the possibility that God could love us.”

Demon: “I’m not Regan.”

My Thoughts: I have to admit, I found The Exorcist more disturbing than scary – but I think this is mainly because I was told from the age of about ten, that this film is the scariest of all time and I should probably wait until I’m in my twenties to watch it. So with my expectations extremely high, I was slightly let down in that it didn’t give me any sleepless nights! However I was not disappointed – in fact the opposite! This film really is quite chilling, I think because it takes a perfectly normal, innocent child and turns her into something very, very strange.

Something I really like about the film was the pace and how the plot was gradually built up. I think this was important in showing the contrast of Regan’s character from when she was a sweet young girl, to when she was completely possessed – projectile vomiting and levitating! The process of her going through doctor analysis after doctor analysis, test after test, gave a strangely realistic feel to the film. Regan’s mother was desperately trying to explain what was happening to her daughter. This portrayed the film to not simply be all ‘blood and guts’, but about a mother just wanting her daughter returned – even after the possessed Regan attacked her, she does not give up – going to the extreme of finding an exorcist to save her child.

The Exorcist was groundbreaking and since there have been various devil-possession films. At the time it caused outrage and protests among some religious groups for obvious reasons surrounding the subject matter! What I found particularly frightening about the film is the idea that possession is something we cannot control. In other films, psychopaths can be ‘caught’ and kept away from people, but this film shows that ‘demons’ are totally out of our control and do horrific things to people, with them having no means of escape.

A*

Percecution, Paranoia and Motherhood... with Satan

Rosemary’s Baby

Released: 

12 June, 1968

Directed by: 

Roman Polanski

Produced by:

William Castle

Written by: 

Roman Polanski, based on the novel “Rosemary’s Baby” by Ira Levin.

Starring: 

Mia Farrow

John Cassavetes

Ruth Gordon

Sidney Blackmer

Maurice Evans

Ralph Bellamy

Summary: Rosemary and Guy have only recently moved into their New York City apartment, when strange events begin to happen – particularly involving their neighbours Minnie and Roman. Rosemary is a somewhat naïve housewife and Guy is a struggling actor. Unknown to Rosemary, with the promise of his career improving, Guy makes a pact with the Devil for Rosemary to carry his baby – with the encouragement of Minnie and Roman. Rosemary does not think that things are right, and begins to feel like people do not want what is best for her baby. As she becomes more and more isolated and confused, Rosemary attempts to uncover what is actually happening before it is too late.

My Favourite Scene: For me, the most poignant scene and the one which remained with me afterwards, was when Rosemary visits her doctor (not the devil worshipping Abe Saperstein, but a different one!) and confides in him everything she has discovered about the ‘witches’ and expresses her worries for herself and the baby.  The doctor sympathises and tells her that she will be okay. After the conversation Rosemary is shown to a room where she can rest. It is clear that she feels a huge sense of relief and tells her baby that everything is going to be fine. However, just when we think that Rosemary is protected from them, the husband and Doctor Saperstein come and collect her, saying: “if you say anything more about witches or witchcraft, we're gonna be forced to take you to a mental hospital. You don't want that, do you?” It is obvious that the doctor Rosemary thought would help her, did not believe her - and thinking that she was mentally unwell, contacted her husband and doctor to take her home.

This scene really made me feel for Rosemary. When she found someone she could talk to, it seemed that she was no longer alone and someone was going to help her. However, it turned out that the story was so ridiculous, it was not credible. Perhaps the most distressing element of the scene is the knowledge that now the ‘witches’ know Rosemary is aware of everything, they will trap her to make sure nothing more could possibly go wrong. This scene in the film really highlights the sense of Rosemary being defenseless and isolated, with nothing and no one to help her.

 

My Favourite Quotes: 

Rosemary Woodhouse: Witches… All of them witches!

Minnie Castevet: He chose you, honey! From all the women in the world to be the mother of his only living son!

Rosemary Woodhouse: What have you done to him? What have you done to his eyes, you maniacs!

My Thoughts: I found ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ really very gripping as a ‘scary film’ because as the plot progressed and more of Rosemary’s character was revealed, the audience connect with her and empathise with her situation – as anyone would! This makes what happens to her more hard-hitting and has a strong emotional effect on the viewer, I believe. The brilliant element of the plot, is the way in which it is slowly revealed.  Rosemary’s sense of a lack of security and trust as a result of what is happening to her - is felt by the audience also and therefore, it is difficult to know whether someone is helping Rosemary or not. This gives the film a very frightening feel.

I cannot imagine Rosemary being portrayed more perfectly than by Mia Farrow. I think she really captured the weak, fragile and vulnerable character. She also depicted the paranoid element to Rosemary’s character excellently, as the film developed – in such a way that it almost appears to be her that is insane, not the ‘witches’. The characters of Minnie and Roman Castevet (Ruth Gordon and Sydney Blackmer) were also portrayed brilliantly. The pushiness of Minnie and slight delusionary aspect of Roman, create an element of their characters being slightly loveable – as in some aspects, they present a realism which is not usually portrayed in the ‘baddie’ role in scary films. They, and the other Satan ‘worshippers’ also question the idea and existence of evil, as they are presented as just normal neighbours.

Something I found fascinating about ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ is that it is believed the isolation and persecution of Rosemary, is a reflection of director Roman Polanski’s own experience growing up as a Jewish person in Nazi-occupied Poland. I found this parallel very interesting and think that for a director to incorporate their own experiences in a film, really shows strong commitment and passion.

A powerful theme in ‘Rosemary’s Baby’ is the idea of the bond between mother and child – although in this case, the child happens to be satanic! The end scene of the film really conveys that that bond is unbreakable because despite knowing that the child is evil (spawn of the Devil probably would be!) Rosemary still decides to rock the baby’s cot – portraying an element of her accepting the baby. I thought this film was really excellent. It was incredibly gripping and presented the strength of Rosemary attempting to protect her baby against everything. While the film revolves around Rosemary being surrounded by evil – there seems to be an underlying message of love.

A*

You are not in control

Paranormal Activity

Released: 

14 October 2007

Directed by: 

Oren Peli

Produced by:

Steven Schneider

Jason Blum

Written by: 

Oren Peli

Starring: 

Katie Featherston

Micah Sloat

Summary: Katie and Micah have been living together for three years, but recently they do not feel that they are alone in their house. Strange things start to occur – especially at night. To attempt to find out what is happening, Micah starts to film them all day, every day, in hope of discovering what it is. However, while he sees it as a fun project, Katie (who we discover has been ‘haunted’ since she was eight years old) knows that the situation is dangerous. They call a ghost specialist to help them with the inexplicable presence they feel, however he tells them that their problem is far beyond his expertise. Katie becomes more and more disturbed by the ‘hauntings’ – which are followed by Micah’s video camera.

My Favourite Scene: One scene I found particularly unnerving was the one in which Katie wakes up and gets out of her bed. She then stands by the bed and watches Micah sleeping. Katie appears to be possessed as she hardly moves, with the camera showing hours and hours passing by.  In the morning she has no recollection of waking up during the night at all.

I found this rather freaky as it conveys the idea of someone not being in control of themselves and the fact that Katie couldn’t remember anything makes it even more frightening. In the film, I believe it highlights that the ‘presence’ terrifying them had all the power, and that Katie and Micah were completely defenceless. I think it is interesting to have a ‘scary film’ in which the most chilling scenes are not all blood and guts, but are simpler - and arguably more realistic because of it.

My Favourite Quotes: 

Physic: If you do try to play games with it, that’s inviting it in.

Micah : No I promise you I wasn’t going to buy a Ouija board. I didn’t buy a Ouija board. I borrowed a Ouija board. 

Katie: I feel it. I feel it breathing on me.

My Thoughts: It is really refreshing to see a scary film, which stays clear of the blood and guts. Of course, what is really terrifying about Paranormal Activity is the element of realism (if you actually believe that you could be ‘haunted’ by some sort of spirit). The idea of being trapped in this never-ending nightmare is so much more powerful than someone running around with a knife, killing people.

Filming a scary film with the effect of a hand-held camera is such genius, you wonder why more films have not used the idea! It really gives the audience a sense of living the experience with Katie and Micah. Especially the scene in their bedroom where Katie is dragged from her bed and Micah is desperately trying to help her. The fact that the camera stays where it is and only the screams can be heard is really quite chilling and it lets the most terrifying thing happen - one imagining what is happening to her.

Something I found particularly interesting about the film was the fact that it was filmed only in one location – their home. This really elucidated the feel of being in the house with them, scared and confused as they were. The one location was also significant in giving the sense of being trapped. I was really impressed by Sloat’s and Featherston’s performances. They were not over the top and ridiculous like in many scary films, but instead portrayed real characters – especially Katie.  As the film progressed there was a sense that she was just becoming more and more weak, giving up as she realised she could not fight this ‘spirit’. It was also interesting to try and perceive when Katie was just Katie, and when she did not seem like her but instead, possessed in some way.

Having finally seen one of the most talked about films of 2009, and I have to say I was slightly disappointed. The film had been built up so much - I thought I was going to be terrified! I found it quite scary, but I think the Blair Witch Project idea is nothing new – and I definitely found that film more frightening. However it will definitely freak you out and if you wake up in the middle of the night, it is best not to imagine being invisibly pulled out of your bed screaming, by a spirit – try counting sheep instead.

B-