Review: The Conjuring

If you’ve never heard of director James Wan, then you are probably not a fan of horror movies.  He, of Saw and Insidious fame, is slated to direct the seventh installment of the Fast & Furious franchise where he is sure to gain a lot more mainstream notoriety.  But before departing the genre in which he made his mark, he has delivered yet another an edge-of-your-seat narrative in The Conjuring – a movie whose slick trailers have promised tense storytelling and scream inducing visuals.  In a time when most movie trailers prove more entertaining than the actual feature film, I am happy to say that Wan’s film delivers on most of its promises.

The plot of The Conjuring focuses on Ed and Lorraine Warren – two paranormal investigators, whose real-life exploits and questions about their legitimacy can be found via a quick Google search.  The events of this film find the Warrens investigating a series of paranormal occurrences that are plaguing the Perrons,  a family of seven who have recently moved into a new home.  As they work to discover the mystery behind the hauntings, the Warrens find that all involved may be in great peril. 

The plot of the film is based on a true story albeit a highly contested one.  Coupled with the creative license that Hollywood tends to employ in such circumstances, it seems the “true story” tagline is more a marketing tool than anything else – especially considering some of the over-the-top sensational visuals.  And truth be told, there are times where the film wreaks of cheese, but none of this in any way detracts from the entertainment value of the movie.  It is quite thrilling.  That is no small compliment given that the saturation of the horror genre has rendered most suspense inducing plot mechanisms tired and contrived.  Still Wan manages to do a good job of pacing the film and bringing the terror to a slow boil.

What really helps here is the presence of Patrick Wilson.  Wan and Wilson worked together on the surprising Insidious and its apparent that director and actor have chemistry.  Wilson brings depth and layers to the role of Ed Warren that most protagonists in horror films seem to lack.  His Warren is a believer and a family man with a mix of resolve and doubt that makes him feel authentic.  Vera Farmiga, as his wife Lorraine, is not quite as impressive.  In some of the slower scenes reserved for character development, she overplays her hand and hams up Lorraine’s clairvoyant abilities.  She does however faire better during action sequences immersing herself more naturally into character.

As for the rest of the cast, collectively they do a nice job. Ron Livingston and Lili Taylor are good as the Perrons – portraying the sheer sense of terror and claustrophobia associated with the paranormal attack on their home.  As the victims of many of the paranormal assaults, Shanley Caswell, Hayley McFarland, Joey King, Mackenzie Foy, and Kyla Deaver likewise do a solid job adding to the film’s tension by portraying raw unbridled fear.  Lastly, Shannon Kook (Drew) and John Brotherton (Brad) balance out the proceedings by providing a bit of comic relief to the tense emotional pressure that permeates this film.

So yes, The Conjuring is not cinematic art and at times feels a bit cheesey, but the narrative is taut, suspenseful, and punctuated by a strong sense of isolationism and creepy 70’s décor.  It is so rare that I enjoy horror films these days and even more rare when I recommend one, but I absolutely recommend seeing The Conjuring and seeing it in the cinema.  The crowd that I watched it with was engaged, terrified, and very expressive and this wholly enhanced the viewing experience.  And if the post-movie chatter is any indication, every person who walked out of their room felt as though they had gotten their money’s worth.  What more could anyone ask for from a film?

Standout Performance:  Patrick Wilson.  Amongst a bevy of capable performances, his was the most compelling.

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Review: Safe House

It was Ben Franklin who once espoused that death and taxes are the only sure things in life, but that’s because he never saw a Denzel Washington movie.  Because the one thing that we can all be sure of is that Denzel always delivers a strong performance that is both complex and loaded with conviction.  Crimson Tide, Training Day, Remember the Titans, Philadelphia – he consistently makes good choices as an actor.  Heck, the man is even entertaining when he is being parodied (as in this skit).

With Ryan Reynolds…not so much.  It appears to be feast or famine when it comes to movies featuring the man formerly known as Van Wilder.  And coming on the heels of two very subpar movies in The Change-Up and Green Lantern, Reynolds was definitely in need of a hit.  So as I settled into my seat to watch Safe House, I wondered if this was going to be more of a Denzel movie or more of a Ryan Reynolds movie.   

And the answer is…a fair amount of both.

All the usual elements are present in this CIA-centric action flick - rogue agents, foreign assassins, double crosses galore, and a young idealistic protagonist.  Director Daniel Espinosa does a decent job of keeping these plot pieces moving via high-speed car chases, hand-to-hand combat, and a hailstorm of bullets.  There seems to be a sense of motion that perpetuates throughout the film.  My major beef with the cinematography is the overly gratuitous use of the unsteady camera.  In moderation, it serves a purpose.  When abused, it induces nausea.  In Safe House, the filming technique was definitely abused.

As for the cast, overall the principles do a good job.  Washington and Reynolds mesh well as there is a complex duality that underlies the contrast between their respective characters - namely veteran vs. newbie and cynic vs. idealist.   Likewise, Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, and Sam Shepard do a nice job portraying CIA suits whose ethics rely on the "varying degrees of gray" scale.  Really though, the driving force in this film is the intense action sequences.  

On the strength of those sequences alone, I recommend this film although I could do so with more conviction had things not unraveled a bit at the end.  It really is unfortunate that the answer to the whodunit question can be seen from a mile away and that the payoff to the film asks for a little too much suspension of common logic.  However, watching Reynolds and Washington fight would-be assassins and each other proves worthy of your time and money.  Big screen or in the comfort of your own home you really can’t go wrong either way.

Standout Performance: Ruben Blades delivered some fantastic lines during one of the few respites from the action.

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