The Double was released in theatres on October 28th, 2011. The movie is about a mysterious murder of the Senator. The main character Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), a retired CIA agent, with the assistant of Ben Geary (Topher Grace), tries to decode the crime. Their goal is to track down a Soviet assassin who is suspected to be the murderer. Shepherdson, having spent his career chasing Cassius, is convinced his the suspect is dead, but is forced to take on the case anyway. After chasing and tracking this man for years, and now working through each and every crime, they discover that Cassius may not be the man he thought him to be. Years of analyzing this man made them believe they knew him farely well. Although their discovery made them start questioning all the people around them. Viewers seemed to have enjoyed the movie. Fifty percent of people that gave a review for the movie gave it a four out of five star rating. One user reported on rottentomatoes.com "A throwback genre flick, complete with a throwback lead, that gives away its double cross early yet maintains enough mystery to keep viewers moderately intrigued." There were many other viewers that felt the same way. They all seemed to enjoy the suspense and action within the movie. Although there was an abundance of viewers that felt as though the movie was a complete failer and stated things such as "Generic, formulaic fumble, misjudging its revelations and overestimating their impact," and "When the story starts to fall apart you're left wondering if the film was worth all the money and effort that went into making it." It seems as though this movie was produced to attract a particular audience and isn't one that all people will enjoy. Overall, the movie made $.1 million in box office, which seems like a pretty good amount of money for a movie that was only released in a few states across the U.S.
Elevate was released on October 21st. It is a very inspiring and touching movie about a few boys that rely on basketball for hope. The documentary is about Senegalese basketball players that are given the opportunity to get an education and play basketball in the United States. Although the movie focuses on their ability to play ball, you are able to see other things they struggle with as they get accustom to the culture in the U.S. Some of these things include learning English, meeting women, and learning to drive. Amandou Gallo Fall is one of the main character in the movie and has the most emotional impact on the audience. At an early age he was found by a Peace Corp member and later offered a Stateside basketball scholarship. Now the coach of the boys, he instills many things in his players, including pride, drive, and determination. Although he was just the coach, he had such an impact on his team and was in their eyes a true champion.
This movie was filmed for over four years and across two continents. According to IMBD Elevate received a 4.6 out of 10 rating, which isn’t outstanding, yet the critics stated that it was very “exciting” and “inspiring”. The opening weekend it made a total of $3,547, but it was only released in Los Angeles and New York. Many critics liked the movie, but thought it lacked the depth of emotion in the area of religion. The boys were all Muslim and struggled with their beliefs and the way other people felt about their beliefs, yet the director only briefly touched it. Movie critics enjoyed the movie, but I do agree with them. Incorporating their religion and expressing their feelings would really appeal to many people who have also struggled with their beliefs in society. Overall, the movie did very well and will be a great hit when it comes out on DVD.
Paranormal Activity 3 was released in theatres on October 21st. Although it only got a 3 star rating, it was claimed to be the best one so far. The opening weekend Paranoramal Activity took in $52 million at the box office. Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly magazine states that even the "scary" horror films such as Saw and Hostle don't compare to Paranormal Activity! He also states that the Paranormal movies "are the first movies in years that have audiences screaming in unison." They do this by incorporating things that affect the average person, things we can relate to. Then they use the home videos to work your imagination. You are unable to see the "creature" or thing torturing them, but you can see what it does to make the viewer use their imagination. This leads you to believe there is something there, without really showing you what it is. This tactic works in their advantage by sending fear through the audience. The story behind Paranormal Activity 3 is a prequel to the first and second movie. The two main women in the first two movies (Katie and Kristi) are younger, teenage girls in this one. Kristi is the teenage girl in the third that communicate with spirits, and believes that the ghost is her invisible friend. This movie has very similar "activities" to the first two movies, with a few new ones included. The directors do an excellent job at angling and placing each camera in the perfect position to build up anticipation! One of the downfalls to the movie was that it was stated to have bad acting, dull characters, and long stretches of boredom with a few spurts of excitement. This is why many viewers did not enjoy the Paranormal Activity movies. The entire movie is filmed by home video, and most of the film is captured at night, where nothing exciting happens, except a few minor "scares". One movie critic claimed "It preys on our fear of the unknown. As soon as that 'unknown' is revealed by the end, you can't help but feel kind of insulted." This is why many viewers were not satisfied by the movie. When the truth is finally revealed it is not as "elaborate" as it was made out to be.
Footloose was released on October 14th. It stars Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough as Ren and Ariel. The movie is a remake of the 1984 version starring Kevin Bacon. The story is about a town that bans dancing, loud music, and everything else that is fun. The people of the town decide to go against the rules and do it anyway! It's very engaging and entertaining. The music and dancing keep you on your toes and moving in your chair! Willard is Ren's sidekick, who keeps you laughing the entire movie. The movie is a lot like the first one, with a more modern twist. For example, instead of having chicken on tractors, there's a dirt race with modern buses. There are also many action scenes with brawls and fights. Some people thought it was much like Glee, High School Musical, and Step Up with more action. Although it was liked by many people, some say there was too much alcohol, violence, sex, and drugs in the movie. Another critics states that the original had some vulgar words, but nothing teens wouldn't hear or see at school. This version has very graphic scenes, including one with kids passing a joint around and dangerously racing buses. Some viewers were appalled by this. Overall, a majority of viewers thought the movie was a hit! They loved the positive message that the children stood up for what they believed in, and feel as though they deserve to be heard. I believe this movie appeals to the adults that have seen and enjoyed the original movie, and it is a great film to share with their teens. I love the fact that put a modern twist on it to appeal to the teenagers today as well. All-in-all it got an A- and a 4 out of 5 star rating. Everyone should go out and see it!
Hell and Back Again was released on October 5th, 2011. This emotionally stirring movie is about a soldier going to war, who returns a drastically different person. The trailer shows clips of the soldier and his troop at war. The soldier is involved in an accident and is then sent home. The affects of war are seen through the perspective of the soldier and his wife. She struggles with these changes and doesn't recognize her husband anymore. The trailer does an excellent job at combining music and emotional scenes to attract viewers. The movie looks very touching and powerful through out the entire trailer. Some comments within the trailer were "Vivid and moving" which was stated by Entertainment, and "Hell and Back Again is a game changer... takes the viewer into combat and into the very consciousness of a soldier" which was stated by FilmMaker. It was given a 6.1 out of 10 by IMBD users and has made over $11,000 since it's release date. This movie will attract many people that have been to war themselves or who's lives have been affected by someone who has been, or that are looking into a milatary career in life. This movie is very touching, and entertaining. I love how they incorporate the title within the trailer by showing the husband and wife together, and the wife says "I don't even know what keeps us together... we love each other... and I guess if you can get through that you can get through anything, even to hell and back." I think this clearly states where the man's wife stands on his situation and gives you a chance to see her character without actually seeing the movie. I also believe that the war clips give you a great feel for the movie without giving away too much. This movie caught my attention, not only because I have been affected by family members and friends that went to war in Iraq, but because it looks like a very moving story. I can't wait to go see it!
This blog is an analysis of movie trailers that are being release in the month of October. The list of movies I will be analyzing are Hell and Back Again which came out on October 5th; Footloose, which came out on October 14th; Paranormal Activity 3, which comes out October 21st; Elevate, which also comes out on October 21st; and The Double, which comes out on October 28th. I'm going to write my blogs with a style similar to Rolling Stones Magazine, which is a movie critics website that uses an expository writing style to provide information about the movie. The expository writing style will allow me to analyze the movie trailers and then comment on how other people felt about the movie after it has been released. This blog will start in October and continue into November and be posted once a week.
The Double was released in theatres on October 28th, 2011. The movie is about a mysterious murder of the Senator. The main character Paul Shepherdson (Richard Gere), a retired CIA agent, with the assistant of Ben Geary (Topher Grace), tries to decode the crime. Their goal is to track down a Soviet assassin who is suspected to be the murderer. Shepherdson, having spent his career chasing Cassius, is convinced his the suspect is dead, but is forced to take on the case anyway. After chasing and tracking this man for years, and now working through each and every crime, they discover that Cassius may not be the man he thought him to be. Years of analyzing this man made them believe they knew him farely well. Although their discovery made them start questioning all the people around them. Viewers seemed to have enjoyed the movie. Fifty percent of people that gave a review for the movie gave it a four out of five star rating. One user reported on rottentomatoes.com "A throwback genre flick, complete with a throwback lead, that gives away its double cross early yet maintains enough mystery to keep viewers moderately intrigued." There were many other viewers that felt the same way. They all seemed to enjoy the suspense and action within the movie. Although there was an abundance of viewers that felt as though the movie was a complete failer and stated things such as "Generic, formulaic fumble, misjudging its revelations and overestimating their impact," and "When the story starts to fall apart you're left wondering if the film was worth all the money and effort that went into making it." It seems as though this movie was produced to attract a particular audience and isn't one that all people will enjoy. Overall, the movie made $.1 million in box office, which seems like a pretty good amount of money for a movie that was only released in a few states across the U.S.
