The Cook (2013)

A young TV actor holds a memorial party for his deceased sister. It is held in an abandoned park where, a murderous, shamanistic drug-lord lives. The actor and his friends are hunted by this seemingly supernatural killer.

Carrie (2013)

This movie is hardly a scene-by-scene account of Brian De Palma brilliantly 'Carrie'. Yes, it impossible not to compare any remake to its original version, especially when the original is considered a classic. It is sad that with these days' shortage of originality, even a seemingly talented director such as Kimberly Peirce, succumbs to the commercial appeal of movie-making in the sole interest of monetary gain resulting in watered-down quality. Well, I'm not even sure if this movie will make its money back, given the mediocrity in all aspects of its quality. But then again, there are a lot of junks out there that make tons of money. All the efforts for the reimagining, whether it be an attempt to create a franchise or sequel or to modernize the narrative has totally undermined the essence of this otherwise compelling story. The destructiveness of social isolation, religious fanaticism, BULLYING, to name a few, underlined in Stephen King's novel were in no way conveyed effectively in this movie. There is a lack of connection in Moretz's performance and she is unconvincing as a socially deprived and awkward girl. Julianna Moore as always delivers a competent performance. But she can only carry the movie so far. As talented as Moretz is, she is a miscast for this movie. As such, the movie is moderately entertaining at best.

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

I really liked the first thor, it had a great Shakespearean tone with an interesting and engaging main character and an even more intriguing villain. It was one of my favourite films of 2011 and after the Avengers which is I believe to be one of the best superhero films ever made (only second to The Dark Knight). I was excited for Thor: The Dark World, So I went in with big expectations. The acting was all on top form, Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman had decent chemistry and both were comfortable in their roles and Tom Hiddleston once again stole the show as Loki. However Christopher Eccleston's Malakith was a weak and lacklustre villain that followed a dull and average plot that gave our main villain no real motivations for his evil scheme. However don't get me wrong I really liked this film the rest of the Dark Elves are truly creepy and well designed characters. The production values of this film is unflawed and you can see just the amount of work that has gone into the design. The humour is a refreshing change of pace and keeps it fun and light hearted. The Action is marvellous too giving us fantastic battles, chases and epic fights, with London being an brilliant setting for the film. Interesting character development, a terrific score (even if I did miss Patrick Doyle's first theme) and the special effects are some of the best in the business. As well as being far more action packed and epic than the first. However the ending will either get some grinning with joy or just darn frustrated. In conclusion, anyone who is a marvel fan I believe will enjoy Thor: The Dark World as will anyone who liked the first with plenty of throwbacks to the original and enough set-up and cameos for the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Phase 2.

Phantom (2013)

When I saw the trailer for "Phantom" and read the details of what it is about I immediately got the feeling that it was going to be a really good movie and that I had to go see it. Ed Harris brings depth to any character he plays, and his portrayal as Demi, the captain of a Soviet submarine with a few skeletons in his closet is no exception. Given one last command at a time when the Cold War tensions between the super-powers are at an all time high, he must battle more than the Americans, he must battle the enemy within his own ranks. David Duchovny is brilliant as Bruni, the radical KGB agent on board who is bent on taking command of the submarine and firing a nuclear missile aimed at the United States. The twist to this is that the submarine is also armed with a secret weapon called the "Phantom" that will give off a signature signal that will lead the Americans to believe that the missile was launched from a Red Chinese submarine instead of a Soviet one. Bruni and other members of the KBG believe this will trigger an all out nuclear war between China and the United States and allow the Soviet Union to sit back and survive the holocaust unscathed. Tensions run high as Captain Demi and other loyal crew members work to diffuse the missiles warhead and retake control of the sub from the KGB agents. "Phantom" is loosely based on the true events involving the Soviet submarine K-129 in 1968.
As I sat back and enjoyed this movie I must admit that at first I found myself thinking of David Duchovny's character as being Fox Mulder. I think there are a few "X-Files" episodes that involved submarines, specifically the 17th episode of the second season titled "End Game" which led me to feel that way. However, as the movie went along and Duchovny's character Bruni developed I got over that feeling.... This is a very good solid movie and I highly recommend seeing it.

The Last Exorcism Part II (2013)

Before I start I must say I love the first movie, great story and acting. Normally I dislike the amateur camera story telling, but the camera shots were well handled and was only distorted when the theme calls for it which fuse well with the dramatic ending.
I really don't believe this movie (the sequel) deserves all the negative reviews and here is why.
From a technical perspective, I thought the cinematography was superb, lots of beautiful artistic shots adding to the mood of the movie. The build up of hopelessness and dread, it lays solid foundation to the climatic ending. I was expecting something similar to the last movie but the change was quite refreshing.
In terms of acting, Ashley Bell did a terrific job as a terrorized girl with no one to trust and no where to turn.
Granted the story is simple on the surface and shot with many of the "jump from behind" scene to startle the viewer. It may seem like "god" has forsaken Nil as she was chased by the demon throughout the film and finally the ones who was suppose to help her tries to kill her as they realize they are no match for the demon's power (clearly no one is looking out for Nil). The ending is non-traditional where Evil wins over good, but is the "good" deserving? (Girls watching YouTube videos to makes fun of Nil, the Order whom tries to kill Nil when they are frightened by the demon's power, the care taker is perhaps the only one none deserving of his fate)
This type of ending is more frequent in Japanese horror where the dark force cannot be conquered by man and shows how small we are in nature. Perhaps the slight to our all controlling north American ego and an attack on "God" failing to step up as the mighty protector is the reason behind all the negative comments placed on this film.

Stoker (2013)

This is the first English language film from South Korean director Chan-Wook Park. He is probably most famous for the intense psychological thriller Oldboy. With his American debut he reigns in the extremity somewhat but does retain the visual inventiveness that is also one of his trademarks. In many ways Stoker is a modern update of Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt (1943). Like that one, this film has a mysterious uncle re-emerge into the life of a family after many years of absence. Before long it becomes pretty clear that all is not as it seems with this man and he is in fact extremely dangerous. The main character is an 18 year old girl called India Stoker played by Mia Wasikowska who was recently in the not very good but very popular Alice in Wonderland. She leads the film very well and carries off the bookish character effectively. There is also able support from Nicole Kidman as her mother.
The look and feel of Stoker is impressive. The atmosphere is well sustained throughout. If I had a criticism it would simply be that the story ultimately isn't all that original and there aren't really a lot of surprises. What it does do though is to take a fairly standard psychological thriller story and make it interesting by way of cinematic techniques. It isn't a movie that is exactly going to break the mould but it is pretty accomplished nevertheless and is a pretty good first English language feature from its director.

21 & Over (2013)

This is a movie you hate from the first minute on. The characters are unlikable and very forgettable, it has a feeling like it's trying to be important but comes off lame and there is very little comedy in this comedy. Another teen party movie, although them being 21 and legal is supposed to be rebellious? The Asian kid has an important meeting the next day yet his dumb friends take him out drinking, and even when he is drunk they just keep going to bars and parties and dragging him around. In an age of cell phones, the internet, GPS and every other form of communication they can't find someones address? The guy is awake several times yet they don't ask him his address, instead they compete in party games and drink a gallon of milk. A seriously dumb movie. Go watch Superbad again if you want a funny movie like this.