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Every week, Scott Davis and Austin Kennedy check out the latest, but not always the greatest films in the multiplexes. Everything from the biggest blockbusters, to the smallest indie films to the latest foreign films. Scott and Austin are film geeks by birth, keeping a critical eye on things, but bringing a lot of humor and energy to the proceedings as well. They don't always agree, but it's always entertaining.

• Archived Blog Post

  Date / Time: 10/18/2009 1:18 AM UTC

  PARANORMAL ACTIVITY, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, COUPLES RETREAT, THE STEPFATHER
  

  
  
  
  
  LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!!! Film Geek Central returns with five new reviews of big fall movies.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  First up is the little film that could. Is PARANORMAL ACTIVITY one of the classic horror films of all time? That's what the hype would have you believe. Everything about this is unprecedented. An $11,000 film picked up for distribution by a major, begrudgingly put in a few midnight showings. Then, it grew... and grew and grew and grew. Last week, it broke the top five while playing in 1/20 the theatres as the number one film in the country. So, after one million people demanded it, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY goes nationwide. We'll tell you if this is overrated or truly one of the scariest films ever made. Don't worry, the trailer we chose to embed is not the spoiler-heavy one that has been making the rounds recently.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Regardless of what happens, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE will most definitely take first place this weekend. It's a completely different kind of family film from Spike Jonze (ADAPTATION, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH) and based on the classic children's book. Naturally, being expanded to feature length, the film is different from the book, though not necessarily in spirit. The effects for this film were achieved by having people in creature costumes whose faces were then animated with CGI. James Gandolfini (THE SOPRANOS), Forest Whitaker, Catherine O'Hara and Lauren Ambrose (SIX FEET UNDER) are among those providing voices for the creatures while Max Records and Catherine Keener star as the non-wild things.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  We didn't do a show last week, hence this week will finally see our review of COUPLES RETREAT. This all-star comedy make look like all fun and games from the trailer, but also has a bit to say about romantic relationships and their ability to endure hardships. The all-star cast includes Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, Jon Favreau, Malin Akerman (WATCHMEN, THE PROPOSAL), Faizon Love, Kristen Bell (VERONICA MARS), Kristen Davis (SEX AND THE CITY) and Jean Reno (LEON).
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Only in a week this awesome could a film starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler be considered a dark horse. But LAW ABIDING CITIZEN is a dark horse, albeit an intriguing one. Butler plays a man whose family is murdered. He is enraged to see a high-profile D.A. (Foxx) make a deal with the killers. Butler then uses his vast knowledge from his government work to eliminate anyone who profited from the crime, including the law. The film is directed by F. Gary Gray who has a track record of both very skilled and very mediocre films. We'll see where this one falls.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Finally, let's just say it. We're not looking forward to THE STEPFATHER. This is the 327th horror remake this year, this one based on the 1980s film starring Terry O'Quinn and Jill Schoelen. In this one, Dylan Walsh (NIP/TUCK) plays a man who goes from family to family trying to find the perfect American home. When they disappoint him, he murders them and moves on. The teenage son of his newest conquest (changed from a daughter in the original) thinks something is up with his new stepfather which causes all sorts of problems. This is directed from the same guy who heaped extra stink on the already rank PROM NIGHT property a couple years back.
  
  All this plus movie news and our DVD Picks of the Week.
  
  The whole thing happens on Sunday at 8:00 PM Eastern/7:00 PM Central at Film Geek Central.
  
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  Should be a good one. Hope to see you there, Film Geeks!
  • Tags:
  • Paranormal Activity
  • Where the Wild Thing
  • horror
  • cult
  • indie
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