Saw 3D is the seventh installment in the Saw series, which began what feels like an eternity ago in 2004. 6 increasingly gruesome and repetitve films later, here we are, Saw 3D, the natural progression of the series into today's 3D revolution. The film appears to take the series full-circle, supposedly tying up all the loose ends (of which there are a LOT), and filling the gaps in the actual plot, storyline and dialogue with a now familar tale of a man attempting to overcome various gory but admittedly inventive traps in which his colleagues and loved ones are ensnared. That bit of the plot is what the Saw fans have come back to see times, and they won't, and if you are one of these, you won't exactly be disappointed, there is plenty blood and guts to keep you satisfied, which, with the addition of 3D, occasionally appears to fly at you from the screen, boring and cheap if you ask me, terrifying if you ask another, fun if you ask someone else (who may be a bit weird). So if that's what you're looking for, yeah, by all means go for it, pay the extra money for the glasses and enjoy it, which you by all means ought to. However, if you are looking for some sort of film from which you can take a message, or find some Oscar-worthy performances, you may want to look elsewhere, its not exactly what I would deem a classic. It's a Saw film, through and through, though, so will no doubt go down well with the series' loyal and bloodthirsty fans.
Paranormal Activity 2 - Tod Williams - 7/10Paranormal Activity 2 does exactly what it says on the tin. Following on from the huge cult success of Paranormal Activity 1 from last year, this new follow up, set before the actual events of the first one, promises more bumps in the night than the admittedly terrifying first installment, whether it follows up on these claims is a different matter. The main reason why I think PA1 worked so well was because of two things. 1: people didn't know what they were in for, and 2: the all-important hype. The movie was an internet sensation, after being played in small college towns in America, it was demanded by millions and eventually gained a worldwide release. This second one however, has lost the element of surprise. Paying viewers have walked into that cinema knowing exactly what to expect, and they're right to be fair to them, the movie is full of jumps and scares, demonic presences and as mentioned before, bumps in the night. I got the feeling that the audience I was with were treating it as an excuse to laugh at each other when they got scared, the atmosphere created by this ruined the jumpy bits slightly. One moment in particular raised such a laugh that I almost felt like the movie I was watching was a spoof of its predecessor (I'll give you a clue, it's when the baby gets dragged up its cot, hilarious) . However, the movie still packs a creepy punch, and I was certainly scared by it, not as much as the first one maybe, but I'd definitely recommend this one if you're up for a good fright.
This was inevitable. Facebook, the common link between 500 million people worldwide, finally gets its story told on the big screen. Mark Zuckerberg, the man behind the friend requests and notifications, said he 'just wished they waited till after he died to make a film' about him, sorry Mark, no chance of that happening, Facebook is too well-known, too marketable to not be made into a film. So, its quite important that this film is good, then, right? It represents a generation, the Facebook generation, and how their (I should say 'our', I'm definitely one of these people) lives have become revolved around status updates and the continuing perils of Facebook chat. Anyway, onto the film. It is pretty good, the dialogue is excellent in places, and Zuckerberg is portrayed brilliantly by Jesse Eisenberg, who delivers one-liners and mind-boggling equations alike to an absolute tee. Justin Timberlake is not so good, no shock there, and some of the characters seem a bit, defenceless, the upper class twins are made to look like fools, as is Zuckerburg's best friend (incidently, it is these characters that end up sueing Zuckerberg in the film). Also, Zuckerberg himself does come across, overall, as a bit of a twat, really, which makes the film sort of hero-less, there is no-one the viewer can get behind, empathise with, support, but other than that it is a very strong effort from Fincher, who can boast films like 'Se7en' and 'Fight Club' in his repertoire, and it is a film that grew on me, and I make it one of the best this year.
