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In the movie business, the U.K. has been under the radar. Do not put this movie in the back of your mind because it came direct-to-video in the United States.Eden Lake did well in the United Kingdom, but "Dimension Extreme" decided to not put this up for theatrical release. Little did the world know, they would begin making one of the best horror movies of the year.The story is nothing complex. It is a simple story of a couple going on vacation on the beach near the forest when a group of raunchy teenagers get pissed off at the couple. It soon becomes a cat and mouse game and a fight for survival.
The acting is good. Even the teenagers do a good job and the couple sticks onto you. Each character has the right look for his or her part. Everybody involved with the film put in their blood, sweat, and tears and it really shows. This is a wonderful thing to see in a film and the audience needs to see more of it.
The visuals are fantastic. Scenery is great and gives a perfect setting for the story. The cinematographers did a stunning job with everything and should get recognition for what they did with this movie.
Overall, it is a masterpiece. The film has small plot holes, but looking at it as a whole, it is truly wonderful. It is a disturbing, violent and yet well-crafted film. The ending is shocking and very well done. One thing that really stuck out for me was the main character, Eden. Most horror movie characters are dumb as a rock, but Eden is one of the smartest characters I've seen in a horror film. Eden Lake is highly recommended to any fan of the horror genre.
Next movie: King Kong
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The character King Kong has been around since 1933 in sequels, remakes, and spin offs. Each one seems to get worse and worse, which may make you cautious about the 2005 remake. Do not let this fool you, this may be the only sequel or remake that has been good.Everybody seems to know the story of King Kong, but if not, then I suggest to see the original before the remake. It is simple, yet a beautiful story of love, adventure, and thrills. The remake stays fairly close to the original, but does have different incidents and creatures than in the original to make this a more fresh 21st century take on the film.
The casting choice is one of the weirdest I have seen. Jack Black is known to do the air guitar and be crazy, and a bit obnoxious. He stars as a film director and breaks his usual acting habits. Jack gives a great performance being serious, yet funny in an ironic way. Naomi Watts plays the beauty that the beast (Kong) falls for. Her performance was stunning and realistic. The bonding scenes with Kong and her are brilliant and she gives the role something new that the original never had, which is heart. Naomi made it clear that her character is afraid of Kong, yet very sympathetic. It's a strange cast for the movie, but a strong one.
When it was known that King Kong was being remade, fans of the original were enraged. Fans of the series were anxious to hear who was willing to direct it, and it turned out to be the legend, Peter Jackson. He has been a great film maker and is known very well in the industry. Fans began to have a little bit of hope, but were still worried that it would not turn out well. Peter Jackson has never let the film audience down, and does not intend to.
The visuals and audio are absolutely stunning. This is not surprising giving the fact that it has won three oscars. King Kong won in the categories of "Best Achievement in Sound Editing", "Best Achievement in Sound Mixing", and "Best Achievement in Visuals Effects". Every scene was shot perfectly with beautiful views, great CGI, and a great set. This is the strongest point of the movie and anybody would agree, whether they like or dislike the movie.
Overall, King Kong is a great surprise. Nobody expected it to be very good, but they were wrong. Almost everything in this movie is great, but there are some gripes I have about it. The movie lasted much longer than it should have, having a 3 hour running time. This is the theatrical, not even the extended version. Scenes begin to get repetitive once the sea voyage begins. Any fan of King Kong or to anyone who is new to it, this is highly recommended!
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Decades of bad slasher movies have passed by. A small part of that category is a different type of slasher movie, which involves a killer kid. Most of these tend to be awful, but this is one of the only ones that has not followed that trend.The story is interesting, but is enough to drive the public crazy. Orphanages and foster homes have been protesting against the story of this movie. They claim that the trailers are implying that orphans and adopted children are bad and not loved as much as other children. This obviously gives the movie more hype and more people will want to see it. It is a simple story, but is able to manipulate it into a well-made thriller.
Nobody expects any oscar worthy acting in a film such as this. The child actress who plays Esther, Isabelle Fuhrman, did a mind boggling job. Her stare alone sends chills up your spine. She has the perfect look and still is able to deliver her lines perfectly. This child actress will have a lot going for her in the future.
There are not many visuals in Orphan, but the ones that were used are great. The cinematography is awesome, the camera angles and light are just right. This added a lot to the film and showed just how good the visuals can be in a horror film.
Overall, Orphan is a large step forward for horror. It shows that a horror movie can have blood, violence, and a lot of cussing without it being mindless exploitation. This is the best movie with a killer kid since The Ring and The Omen (1976). Esther is scary and menacing. The acting is fine, as are the visuals. There is a huge twist in the end that is going to shock any viewer. This is the creepiest and best killer kid movie you will find. Orphan is recommended as an in-theater movie, if possible.
