Hollywood Movie Review: The Conjuring

The Conjuring

Everyone on Facebook and Twitter are talking about how they screamed and shouted to their lungs as they got hooked up to the horror flick The Conjuring. Directed by James Wan, the film tells the story of paranormal couple Ed and Lorrain Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) who were asked to help a family that's been under an evil speel in a secluded farmhouse. The couple did not know that they were about to face the most "horrifying case of their lives."

Critics were all praises for the plot and for the film's director.

Cath Clarke of Time Out wrote: "Wan builds mounting dread with silence and suspense, lingering the camera unsettlingly long here, creaking a door there."

Meanwhile, New Yorker's Bruce Diones hailed Wan for building "many bumps in the night into a small Hitchcockian symphony of terror by way of long, eerie tracking shots, dramatic silences, and sudden scares that are frighteningly immersive.

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Hollywood Movie Reviews : Star Trek into Darkness earns certified fresh reviews from Rotten Tomatoes

Star Trek Into Darkness

The J.J. Abrams-directed sci-fi action flick garnered “certified fresh” reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. While some critics panned the twelfth installment of the long-running Star Trek franchise because it lacked the thrill that its other predecessors are known for, still, a lot of reviews hailed into Darkness for its “action-packed popcorn flick with witty dialogue and enough references to Trek lore to (mostly) placate diehards.”

Christopher Orr of The Atlantic was quick to point out that just like its predecessors, the latest Star Trek still “ruminates loudly, if never very coherently, about war and peace, vengeance and justice, preemptive attack and negotiated settlement,” praising the cast for the excellent performance.

While Orr appreciates the film’s very Star-Trecky scenes where every runs after one another, then falls and fights, the critique does not appreciate the soap operatic vehicle, where “Enterprise crew are merely bickering and bantering among themselves.”

J.R. Jones of Chicago Reader noted that the film lacked the actual “sci-fi” element that was so present in preceding Star Trek movies. He added :

“…though you might enjoy watching the skinny young actors approximate their counterparts from the 60s; Chris Pine is especially good as Captain Kirk.”

Meanwhile, NPR’s Bob Mondello was less harsh and more enthusiastic: 

“Happily, there's a good deal of fun if you like things crashing violently into each other and out of warp-drive at regular intervals.”

Mick LaSalle of Hearst Newspapers lightly treated the film and wrote:

“For all its chasing and falling and fighting-and the movie supplies a great deal of each-Star Trek Into Darkness is at its best when the Enterprise crew are merely bickering and bantering among themselves: less space opera than soap opera.”

John Anderson of Wall Street Journal praises the film, writing:

“While the action is often electric, it's the relationships that matter. That, and a lippy regard for a cultural legacy.” 

All in all, the film garnered positive reviews for the stellar cast, sci-fi magic and everything high-tech and outworldly that this film has to offer. What do you expect? The mere mention of Star Trek makes you wanna think of exploring the outer space. Image source: Huffington Post.

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