As Above So Below - Found Footage

Rating: 8/10

Summary: Scarlett (Perdita Weeks) an archeologist, Benji (Edwin Hodge) a documentary filmmaker, and Ben (Ben Feldman) their translator, go on one of the greatest digs in history: a dig for the philosophers stone. They venture down into the Paris catacombs with a group of regulars, and get into a little more than they bargained for.

Usually, found footage films are a bigger source of hilarity than real quality entertainment, and more often than not they are hard to invest yourself in. As Above So Below completely knocked that stereo type out of water. This is one of the most fascinating and engaging found footage, and horror, films I SPOILER not everyone dies).

have ever seen, and that is not at all an understatement. It may just be fascination with ancient civilizations, mysteries and the catacombs in general, but this movie was honestly amazing (even if it did lack in the scare department). The film was also completely original and nothing I have ever heard of, it wasn't the typical scary-ghosty-paranormal-activity-type movie and it didn't even have the ending I was expecting (which is that everyone dies in the end

Now, if you have read and seen the Harry Potter books/movies you know exactly what the philosopher's stone is and what it does. If you haven't it basically has the power to bring eternal life to whoever uses it, and it also has healing abilities, it was created by an alchemist by the name of

Nicholas Flemmel (sound familiar yet? Sorcerers Stone anyone?). Scarlett basically decides she is going to find this stone, not for fame or glory, but because she wants to, or maybe because she has something to prove to herself.

At the very beginning of the film it is made clear that Scarlett knows no bounds, she does what she wants when she wants to, and she will die before anything gets in her way of discovery. Immediately she becomes the most infuriating and intriguing character, she is so head-strong and persistent that you can't help but root for her the entire time. Her relationship with Ben also adds to the suspense, from the start it's easy to tell that they have had history together and the entire film is just waiting for the moment for them to rekindle it. As for the other characters, they remained secondary characters but they were still rounded and complex, each had their own background story that was somehow presented in the film, providing the audience a better understanding of their lives.

The only downfall to providing background to secondary characters is the fact that nothing was really made clear enough. The audience is aware that something haunts each character, and we get a slight

glimpse of it, but no more than that. In order to provide a better understanding of the characters, their personalities, their way of life, etc, it would have been nicer to get more history. If each of their demons had been described or explained in more depth like Scarlett and Ben's, the film would have been much more appealing and probably would have been a 10/10 film.

Overall, As Above So Below is one of the best found footage/horror/thriller/supernatural films I have ever seen, if not the best. It is definitely something I recommend watching. The scare factor isn't very high, but the entire premise of the film is so fascinating and eye catching it doesn't even need to be scary to be a good film. Though, if you are easily scared, this film does have some jump scenes, and pretty gruesome faces and accidents. I highly recommend this for horror fanatics, or anyone who wants to watch something with an interesting story, complex characters,and pretty good jump scenes.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2011) - Drama/Mystery

Rating: 8/10

Summary: After Oskar (Thomas Horn) loses his father after the attack on the world trade center on 9/11, he finds a hidden key and goes on a journey to find who is belongs to.

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a heartbreaking film that follows Oskar Schell on his journey to self discovery and he owner of the mysterious key he finds. Though the film got a little slow in the middle it did not take too much away from the rest of it. This film is one that pulls at the heart strings and brings on tears multiple times throughout it's entirety. Oskar's journey is not so much one that

searches for the owner of the key, but a journey of understanding. After the death of his father he is lost, and lonely without the company of his best friend and the only person in the world that really understood him. In the end it's clear he didn't really care about the key, he just wanted answers to why his father had to die, which is what is so terribly gut wrenching about this film. It's about a child who so badly wants to understand but can't; because there are somethings that don't make sense.

Thomas did brilliantly for such a young actor. His performance was sensational, he played the oddball child perfectly and in the more emotional and serious scenes he became mature behind his years. More

importantly he was believable. For once I didn't find myself thinking, "Well he's good for his age," he was amazing in general. This is even more impressive considering he was placed next to incredible and award winning actors; Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis etc. Thomas moved me to tears and had me feeling for him which is incredible for an actor of his age.

There is not much more to say about the film except that I very much recommend this to everyone. It's (for the most part) a family film, with some very important themes I think are important for children to learn. It's also very much a tear jerker so bring tissues and a blanket, make sure you have a buddy with you as well because watching this alone is extremely difficult (take it from me I needed about a million hugs after this film). Overall I thought it was a wonderful movie, very entertaining, very sad, but also triumphant and heart warming, 8/10 passing grade.

Copenhagen (2014) - Comedy/Drama

Rating: 8/10

Summary: William (Gethin Anthony), a childish and destructive twenty-something year old, goes to Copenhagen looking for his estranged father. There he meets young Effy (Frederikke Dahl Hansen) who tags along and helps him on his search, teaching both of them a lesson or two about life.

Copenhagen is a hilarious, emotional, and triumphant film that reflects both youth and growing up in a beautiful way. William is grown man who, frankly, doesn't know how to behave around adults, or how to be one himself. He is immature, cocky, and juvenile, and really has no idea what he's doing. Effy is young, but mature and quick to hide her age and convince people that her birthday is soon so her age

doesn't really matter. Contrasting the two character's Effy wants to grow up for too quickly, and William is trying so hard to remain young and carefree. By the end of the film the two characters learn important lessons from each other--Effy learns it's not good to grow up too quickly and cherishing your childhood is important, whereas William learns there comes a time when we all have to grow up and it's better to go with it rather than fight it.

Gethin Anthony was devilishly charming and free spirited, yet he annoyed the hell out of me at the same time. He somehow managed to remain attractive while I sat there loathing him and his foolish personality and antics. It almost made me uncomfortable to see a grown man acting like an overgrown

eight year old. I happened to notice though, that when he did act like a fool it was when William was put in situations where he felt uncomfortable or lonely in a way. It seemed that, like a child, he would rather get negative attention than no attention. Gethin played the role of William perfectly, allowing the loneliness being his youthful eyes to come out at just the right moment, just enough for me to see how scared that man really was of growing up and facing the world, and how lonely he truly was and how terrifying that seemed to him. The most impressive part William was his ability to at last grow up and let go of the child left in him. In the end he did the right thing for once and refused to destroy anything else in his life. Gethrin was magnetic on screen and his juvenile personality was hilarious, in all he did amazingly.

Frederikke Dahl Hansen did just as well playing the girl who so baldy wanted to grow up. Effy was so insecure about her age and what people would think that she lost herself as she waited to get older. Putting her beside William it was easy to see which one of the two was more grown-up, which was extremely saddening. It was sad to see a girl so desperate to be an adult so she could finally be with a man that wasn't even himself entirely an adult. In the end it was almost a relief to finally see her accepting herself and her age, and the fact that, yes, she would grow up, but it didn't have to be right away.

This film was hilarious, and emotional, and extremely entertaining. The location and setting was incredible and gives off an adventurous and youthful vibe that goes well with the characters and their personalities. The acting is impeccable and the soundtrack is just as good. I highly recommend this film, it is entirely worth a watch. Definitely not a family film, but maybe something to watch with friends, a significant other, or even by yourself if you're up to it. This is a definite B+ movie, and a must see.

Watch Copenhagen Here

In Your Eyes (2014) - Indie/Romance

Rating: 8/10

Summary: Rebecca (Zoe Kazan) is a sheltered housewife in New Hampshire. Dylan (Michael Stahl-David) is an ex-convict in New Mexico. These two very different people share one thing; they can communicate with each other telepathically.

When the film first started I was a bit disheartened, the acting was poor and it felt forced. Although after the first three minutes I was pulled right back into the story. It was interesting to see the juxtaposition of Rebecca and Dylan's lives. Rebecca is a little housewife, sheltered, and completely "kept in her place." While Dylan is a troubled ex-convict completely caught up in himself. As different as the characters may seem on the outside it turns out they are very similar, and when they are put together they create something incredible.

Zoe Kazan was superb, her quirky personality was perfect for the role of the bubbly yet shy housewife, but when it was time to get serious her performance was heart-rending. She made Rebecca go from lively to greatly afflicted in a matter of seconds. Zoe also made Rebecca relatable as a shy, self-

conscious woman, with a low self-esteem who is simply looking for some kind of greater meaning to herself and her life. Though she may not find it, Rebecca finds compassion and comfort in the person closest to her that also happens to know her the best and understands every aspect of her being.

Michael Stahl-David was perfectly charismatic and charming and was excellent the entire film. Through the dazzling charisma and dashing smile he showed the troubled bit of Dylan just enough for the audience to know there is more to the ex-con. The confident looking man turned out to be just as low on the self esteem spectrum as Rebecca. Michael was endearing and witty and helped bring more emotion to the film and kept me wanting more.

The characters and actors were amazing, but what made the film was the friendship between Rebecca and Dylan, not the romance. These are two people who, didn't know it then, knew each other their

whole lives. They felt each other's pain and understood each other in a way that is indescribable. We all have a friend like that (not in the same degree obviously. [unless you're telepathic, in which case right on.]) and it's easy to feel the happiness they feel when understanding the connection they have with each other. Though the romance was nice, and I was rooting for them the entire time, the friendship was the most beautiful and what made the film relatable and funny and engaging.

This film is a good one, I suggest watching it whenever you get the chance, I very much recommend it. It's something you can watch with friends, significant other, by yourself, with your dog, probably not family though because that might get a little weird (unless you're fine with watching sexy scenes with your family in which case, again, right on).

P.S: If you liked Her, you'll like this one.

Watch In Your Eyes Here

In Fear (2013) - Thriller

Rating: 5/10

Summary: Lucy (Alice Englert) and her new boyfriend Tom (Iain De Caestecker) are on their way to a music festival when they decide to take a detour and they find themselves being harassed by unknown persons.

Usually the problem with horror films is that they don't have enough of a scare factor, almost as if the actors are bored. In this case I think the actors were over enthusiastic making the film seem overdone in a way. The plot itself was not bad, in fact it had quite a bit of potential--even though it wasn't really that

original. It was the basic young-couple-gets-followed-and-harassed-they-make-dumb-decisions-and-it-turns-out-to-be-that-one-guy-that-was-doing-it-the-entire-time type of movie. Total scare factor was a zero because, basically, I could see everything coming; they leave the car alone--something happens to it, they decide to keep going instead of turning back--obviously someone is going to die, they pick up the only other person on the road--obviously he is the bad guy. It lacked suspense and mystery because it was totally predictable.

The acting wasn't that impressive either. Alice Englert seemed like she had the right idea it just wasn't precise enough. Instead of boring me to death she over did it to the point to where it was annoying, at times in the film she would get frustrated and start yelling or overreact to the tiniest things. Iain De

Caestecker was obnoxious throughout the entire film and there were some aspects of his character that I isn't understand. For example, why he didn't want to tell Lucy what happened at the bar before they left? Was it really so hard for him to explain to her that there had been a confrontation and he had to buy some guys a few beers? It honestly seemed like an irrational overreaction that was hard to really wrap my head around.

The only character I truly found interesting was Max, he was perfectly psychotic and it was so entertaining to watch him completely manipulate Lucy and Tom. In a matter of minutes he managed to turn them against each other, and for what reason; because he could. That is what made him the perfect

little villain, he simply took joy out of causing them pain, and confusion. He also somehow managed to remain in control the entire time. While the ending of the film may suggest otherwise; he got what he wanted. He had successfully finished what he said out to do without anyone really thinking about it or realizing it.

Overall the film was pretty bad, but not the worst. I suggest you watch it when you're bored or want to have a laugh with some friends (it's actually kind of funny the way everyone freaks out in the movie), bad acting and predictability is always pretty funny.

Watch In Fear Here

And While We Were Here (2013) - Romance

Rating: 6/10

Summary: Jane (Kate Bosworth) goes to Italy with her viola playing husband while he prepares to perform in an orchestra. While there she meets Caleb (Jamie Blackley) a young, spirited, carefree boy who opens Jane's eyes and mind, and helps her realize she is not living her life to the fullest.

And While We Were Here is a beautiful film, with the perfect setting for a romance such as this. It was a cheese ball romance film that made me feel like I gained twenty pounds because it was so sweet (sugar joke [insert laugh track here]), which was exactly the problem for me. I have never been a fan of

overly romantic films because they often make me cringe, I suppose if you like that sort of thing this movie is perfect for you (maybe you can watch this instead of The Notebook on valentines day). The magic and romanticism of Italy was expressed accurately in the most modest way, as the film did not go the stereotypical route when it came to locations. The cinematography also helped encompass the beauty of Italy and did not overdo the ooey-gooey romantic side of the country.

I was especially impressed with Jamie Blackley's performance. Jamie was heartbreakingly youthful, and crushingly naive and childish, he perfectly captured the essence of what it is like to be young, dumb, and in love, his line, "You make me feel calm," is a perfect example of his purity when it comes to emotional experience. He was innocent yet seductive, and lively, for the most part he shined thebrightest in this film. He played the role of Caleb with such ease and grace it was as if he was simply playing himself in the film.

As for Kate Bosworth, her performance was less than pleasant (I'm also not a fan of her), but I suppose she did quite well seeing as she was playing a completely unlikeable character. Jane was self-absorbed, manipulative, and confused the entirety of the film. she manipulated both her husband and Caleb in

order to find meaning in her life, bringing young Caleb down with her in the end. The most impressive part of Kate's performance was her ability to completely explode with emotion towards the end of the film. She displayed a great flurry of screams and fiery eyes that you could feel with watching the confrontation scene she has with her husband. Other that one scene she displayed almost no other emotion besides a monotonous excuse for neutral to match her love life I suppose.

The film was no awful but I was not impressed, or completely sold on Kate's performance. Jamie Blackley did incredibly and if it wasn't for him this film would not have bee entertaining what-so-ever. Perhaps, with another female lead it would have been much better. Overall, I say watch this film if you enjoy lovey dove gooey films and Jamie Blackley and his perfect eyebrows.

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Mr. Jones (2013) - Horror/Thriller/Found-Footage

Rating: 5/10

Summary: A filmmaker Scott (Jon Foster) and his photographer girlfriend Penny (Sarah Jones) move into a secluded town to work on their relationship. But, things change when they realize their neighbor is the famous "artist" Mr. Jones (Mark Steger). They then decide to change their focus and make a film about him, until things start getting strange.

I am a huge horror fan, unfortunately scary movies aren't so scary to, therefore I am extremely critical when it comes to horror films. Mr. Jones, like most others, wasn't too memorable to me. The only thing that made it exceptionally interesting was the plot and turn of events that took place at the end; where the antagonist wasn't at all that. Unfortunately, he ending was not made clear enough and became too hard to follow. Even after looking through various synopsis I still found it hard to understand the

ending. This is where the film lost me, have there been various Mr. Jones' and that is what Scott had become? And what was the significance of the sculptures affecting people in the way that they did? It was clear that they forced people to have terrifying nightmares, but other than that why had Mr. Jones sent them out into the world? This may just be me missing some points of the film, regardless it made the film difficult hard to follow as much as I did actually want to understand.

As for the acting; I was not impressed. As far as horror movies go, it didn't have the worst acting but the actors were not amazing performance wise. The problem, I think, lies with the story. The main characters Scott and Penny were hard to relate to and sympathize with because of their actions throughout the film, ex: Breaking into Mr. Jones' home, Scott stealing the baby sculpture that, and I'm

just taking a wild guess here, seemed like it was put there for a reason and really it seemed absurd for him to even think about taking it. Also the fact that Penny was not at all fazed by Mr. Jones when they were up close and personal. It seems hard to believe that someone would not be terrified of someone who has created such macabre pieces of "art," which to me often times looked like human remains. She did not even question the strange, quiet, and extremely creepy man who, also, took their car keys? For some reason that didn't seem at all suspicious to her.

Overall, I was not impressed with the film but it was fairly entertaining to watch. There are better horror films out their definitely, so I would only recommend this one if you have nothing to do and nothing else to watch. Maybe watch it late at night in the dark to make a little scarier, or if you're easily scared don't do that. I don't know I'm not your mother. As far as found-footage films go, the idea is original, interesting, and far more entertaining than paranormal activity.

Watch Mr. Jones Here