Silent Hill: Revelation 3D Review

Personally, I was very surprised by 2006's Silent Hill. I view it as one of those rare video game adaptations that really works as a stand-alone film. It had a creepy tone, decent acting, and some nice special effects. When I heard news of a sequel coming out, I was still looking forward to it because of the surprise the first film was to me.

Walking out of Silent Hill: Revelation, I felt cheated out of my money and my time. This didn't even feel like the first Silent Hill to me, it felt more of a ripoff of both the Resident Evil sequel films and all of the bad Saw sequels combined. It didn't even have the same creepy tone the first film had, one that differentiated horror films and video game adaptations for me.

I will get started with the acting in this film. This is possibly the worst ensemble cast I have seen this year! Everyone feels like they are reciting their lines rather than actually acting. Trust me, it was boring to watch! And the sad thing is, Sean Bean is even horrible in this film. Even in bad movies, the dude acts his best, but here, he is wasted by an awful director and an equally horrible script.

The script is pure garbage as well. There is awful dialogue throughout, mostly discussing character's courses of action and what they plan to do in the next scene. Being a film student, I was taught to never have characters speak about intents or courses of action, so this film fails in its writing. The film also relies on constant and obvious plot twists throughout. Whenever a character is introduced, you have a feeling that the character is up to no good. Surprise! It turns out that character is up to no good. The film fails at actually tricking its audience as well.

Technically, the film is bad too. The visual effects are awful here, worse than the first film released in 2006. The monsters look stupid here rather than horrifying and creepy. And Silent Hill itself doesn't even seem as creepy as the first film was. The only benefits I had from watching this film were listening to the awful but easily laughable dialogue and that the 3D actually wasn't that bad. But do these benefits really change my perception of this film as a whole?

The answer to that question is no. Silent Hill: Revelation 3D is truly a mess. This will go down as one of the worst sequels I have ever seen and easily one of the worst video game adaptations of all time. It's a waste of a sequel to a film I consider one of the stronger video game adaptations. Easily one of the worst of 2012, it's a must-avoid to fans of the first film and the video games.

Rating: 1 out of 10- Pure Garbage, barely any or no redeeming qualities to it at all.

Double Review: Argo and Sinister

Argo

Ben Affleck's latest directorial effort is his strongest effort behind the camera to date. Unlike his previous films Gone Baby Gone and The Town, he does not place his story in the crime scene of Boston but rather in Washington DC, Hollywood, and Iran during the Iran Hostage Crisis. This film could have been a simple political thriller, but thanks to Affleck's direction and Chris Terrio's intelligent script, the film becomes so much more.

Argo successfully blends the genres of political drama, Hollywood satire, and espionage thriller, and making these genres blend together efficiently. The three settings in this film each serve a particular genre and Affleck uses these settings to his advantage. The amount of detail Affleck uses in each scene proves himself as a director to watch out for.

The casting is also really spot-on here. Everyone does their role very well and no one slacks in the acting field. The real show-stealers are John Goodman, Alan Arkin, and Bryan Cranston. I hope all of them get Academy recognition at the end of this year. At the end of the credits, it amazes me how almost all of the actors look just like their real life counterparts in the movie. It proves Affleck's undying desire for accurate detail.

In the end, Argo proves to be more than just a simple political thriller. This film shows what I love in movies: spot-on humor, intense and suspenseful chase scenes, and excellent drama. If this film does not get Academy recognition, the Academy is obviously rigged. Argo is easily one of 2012's best and I want to see what Ben Affleck does next as a director. Stick to directing Ben, it's your calling.

Rating: 10 out of 10-Pure Masterpiece

Sinister

Sinister is the latest low-budget Hollywood horror film to arrive this Halloween season. I was a fan of the writer C. Robert Cargill's reviews and was curious to see what his writing brought to this film. Rather than being a simple found footage movie, Sinister somewhat pokes fun at that sub genre, creating a creepy and sometimes terrifying theatrical experience as a result.

I was never a fan of director Scott Derrickson's previous work (The Exorcism of Emily Rose and The Day The Earth Stood Still were both dull and boring films). However, I really enjoyed the creepy atmosphere that he brought to Sinister. This film is obviously influenced by earlier haunted house films, but the creepy tension here is unlike most recent horror films.

Ethan Hawke really carries the film on his own, playing a writer obsessed with solving this mystery. Every film he's in, he goes above and beyond and it's not different here. While the rest of the cast doesn't do the best here, it's Hawke who keeps the film from going south in the acting department.

One main problem I had with the film was the script. The film has a tendency to use really cliche characters and cliche dialogue throughout that it feels less original than it should be as a result. Also, there are a lot of jump scares throughout the movie. Some really worked, others didn't. They felt rather stupid and almost laughable than terrifying.

Regardless of its problems, I still had a lot of fun watching Sinister. It's one of the creepiest recent horror films I have seen since Insidious. And it's also Scott Derrickson's best film as a director, even though that's not saying much. It has its problems, but if you want to be creeped out this Halloween, see this movie.

Rating: 7 out of 10- Good