Paranormal Activity 2
Genre: Horror
Director: Tod Williams
Rated: R

When a family thinks they were the victim of a break in they install a security system to monitor the homes activity, they soon realize they are dealing with something more sinister than vandalism.

The problem with most sequels is that they are clearly just a quick cash grab, particularly when the original was made for pennies and brought in boat loads of cash. Paranormal two could have easily gone this route the buzz from last year’s surprise hit would have brought in enough of an audience where they could have thrown anything on the screen and lined their pockets.
I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t just a bigger budget rehash of the original in fact the way they tied this into the first one was quite clever. Paranormal 2 starts before the events of the original when Kristi (Kati from the originals sister) returns from the hospital with her husband Dan and newborn son Hunter. She comes home to the rest of the family including Ali, Dans daughter from his first marriage their nanny Martine and loyal German Sheppard Abby. Both Micah and Katie the stars of the first one make appearances in the sequel lending credibility and creating a feeling of one entire family.
When their home is vandalized Kristi and Dan install a home surveillance system which allows for more footage of the home to be seen rather than just what is being videotaped by the family. The activity in the home quickly escalates and the family must come to terms with the fact that something is haunting their home.
Paranormal Activity 2 starts out as what appears to be a prequel, but the events in this occur over a longer period of time. Incorporating a time line before during and after the events of the original film while intertwining the stories they essentially made a sequel that is both a prequel and a sequel; creating a backstory, filling in a few gaps and at the same time generating a sense of closure.
Just as in the original the pacing of the film is intentionally slow to allow the audience to let their guard down and deliver a much needed scare. I am not sure how well this will translate to the small screen as the sound is a huge factor and seeing it with a large audience is vital to the enjoyment. It’s the type of movie that based on the setting you are watching it in will either make you enjoy it or hate it. Overall Paranormal Activity 2 succeeds in a way few sequels do, by staying true to the original and enhancing the story rather than simply trying to outdo and one up the original.

Grade-87

JackAss 3D

Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Bam Margera, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Jason Acuña

Genre: Documentary, Action, Comedy

Director: Jeff Tremaine

Rated: R

The third installment of the popular Mtv prank/stunt show to make its way to the big screen, this time in 3D!

There isn’t a lot that can be said about Jackass at this point, you know what each characters niche is and they don’t deviate from the winning formula. Knoxville will act as the ringleader and introduce the stunts. Bam will mess with his parents and skate, Steve-O will vomit and Pontius will wear far too little clothing.

While Jackass isn’t going to enlighten us it will most certainly entertain, there is something to be said for having a tooth pulled out by a speeding Lamborghini or a reverse bungie in a completely full port-a-pottie that is extremely funny and entertaining at the same time.

What truly sets this one apart from the first however is the 3D, every possible gimmick has been utilized to maximum effect whether its Knoxville getting upended by a bull or Steve-O’s projectile vomiting  3D has never been done like this, and I for one say it’s about time.  There is a great utilization of super slo-mo that really highlights the pain and suffering they endure for our entertainment.  Watching a cannonball shoot into the fleshy folds of Preston Lacey’s stomach or Bam get “Antiqued” by a gigantic hand has never been funnier than it is in 3D. The flow of the film is great; timing, pacing and variety for this type of movie is huge, to not have it done right could easily have resulted in a boring disjointed mess. Even the credits have scenes that could have made it into the main feature.

The only downside that I can think of is the overutilization of man junk , Sadly Pontius gives up his signature character Party Boy and decides to just be naked, this in combo with Bam’s Golden Shower escapades leaves way too much to see on the big screen.

Critics might say that the crew of Jackass lacks any discernable talent and that getting hurt requires  little in the way of skill, but what they those people forget is that Entertaining is a skill and one this group of misfits has mastered.

Grade-87

The Social Network
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Andrew Garfield, Armie Hammer
Genre: Drama
Director: David Fincher
Rated: PG-13

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The Social Network is the story about the founding of Facebook and the legal troubles that follow Mark Zuckerberg after its success.
From the onset of The Social Network it is glaringly obvious that Mark Zuckerberg (Jess Eisenberg) is an extremely intelligent man just as its obvious that for all his smarts he is completely socially inept and lacks any form of likeability, It’s as if he suffers from mild Autism possibly Aspbergers syndrome. Zuckerberg is a paradox he wants to be accepted and longs to be in a Final Club at Harvard to gain access to networking possibilities, yet the guy cannot seem to not say something rude every chance he gets. Even when he means well it comes out wrong.
Facebook like many things in this world, was started based on the events that followed Zuckerberg being dumped by his girlfriend Erica (Rooney Mara). Zuckerberg in his astonishment and anger decides to create a website that gathers all the female students of Harvard and has you rate them on looks compared to the other students. This site FaceSmash.com gets the attention of the Winklevoss twins Cameron and Tyler (Both played by Armie Hammer), who are looking for a programmer for their website HarvardConnect that at its heart is a social networking site that leverages the prestigious Harvard.edu address. This plants the seed for The Facebook which is financed by Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) Zuckerbergs only friend as well as a source of envy for being considered for a finals club when Mark isn’t.
Once the ball starts rolling and Facebook starts gathering steam Mark and Eduardo soon meet former founder of Napster the charismatic Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Parker quickly convinces Zuckerberg to move to California thus causing the catalyst of Eduardo and Zuckerbergs falling out.
Fincher cleverly intercuts the backstory of facebook between two Depositions that Zuckerberg is simultaneously giving one from the Winklevoss lawsuit over Zuckerbergs stealing of their initial idea and Eduardo’s lawsuit over being squeezed out of Facebook.
The social network is a fascinating journey of how a combination of Happenstance and Circumstance could lead a person with only one friend and no interest in money to create the most popular social network in history and become the world’s youngest billionaire. For every negative thing and questionable decision he made Zuckerberg always maintained his integrity when it came to his vision of Facebook, not selling out to advertisers for a quick buck and consistently doing things his way to protect Facebooks image and coolness. The Social Network is the type of movie that you will continue to think about long after it’s over. Working off an excellent script from Aaron Sorkin, Fincher shows that not only is he an excellent director but an excellent story teller.

Grade-89

This past week marked the 6th year that the SoCal Film Fest has descended upon the shores of Huntington Beach. The SoCal was held at the Public Library Theater from Sept 28th through Oct 2nd. Featuring over 90 independent films including both features and shorts. Not only was I able to attend but was also a Jury member for the annual fete.

For me and many from “Surf City” The highlight of the festival was the inaugural screening of “Shaped” the true story of the most influential people in the history of Southern California surf culture “The Surfboard Shapers”.“Shaped” was directed by Walter Georis, after the screening I caught up with him to find out what his inspiration was to tell this long overdue tale.

“In the 60s I had a band called The Sandals and we did the sound track to The Endless Summer. That connected me to the surf culture and industry. Our drummer and bass player worked for Hobie at the time. When I went back to San Clemente to visit friends 40 years later, it became obvious that the story had to be told. Shapers never really realized the huge roll they played in the evolution of the sport.. So, it was time to pay tribute to “the un-sung” heroes…”

Shaped is a must see film for anyone who has surfed the waves of Southern California, or is into Surf culture. It is fascinating to see the men behind the scenes who unknowingly impacted the sport for future generations, not for greed or profit but simply out of a genuine love for Surfing. Not only did they Shape boards but they Shaped and entire industry without even knowing it. Featuring interviews from Bruce Brown and Corkie Carol, this is a tale not to be missed.

In the feature length category my personal favorite was “Pushin up Daisies” A pseudo-documentary about a young upstart film maker Darren (Sheehan O’Heron) who travels to the small town of Tokyo (Toe Ki O) to create a documentary about his older brother Rusty’s (Simon Sorrells) flower business. While filming Darren soon finds himself in a town that is overrun by Zombies. While Zombie films are nothing new, the angle that Pushin up Daisies takes where the Zombies are not dangerous and really just nuisances who are getting in the way of Darren’s film, is a fresh and funny spin to what could have been just another zombie movie. Funny yet poignant I was glad to catch its west coast premiere.

In the Short category two films really stood out the touching and moving first being “The Last Three Minutes” When a man has a heart attack he sees his life flash in front of his eyes in reverse chronological order, with a moving score by Thomas Goodman Writer/Director Po Chan makes a finely honed film that is both emotionally moving and thought provoking at the same time. Not surprisingly the last three minutes took the award for best film.

The second standout for me was the highly stylish Clemency, an extremely engaging piece of film making. While being a short Clemency employs the look and feel of a much larger film. Featuring some excellent makeup effects, a Great title sequence and a nice swerve that kept the audience guessing, Clemency was an excellent film to end the fest on a Saturday night. Clemency was able to incorporate some of the best aspects of some great films that came before it, while still being enjoyable and original. The gritty feel of the first half was reminiscent of the film High Tension with an opening credit sequence that evoked the earlier work of David Fincher most notably Seven. Clemency is touring the festival circuit and hopefully audience will take the time check it out this twenty minute thrill ride.

Overall this 6th year of the SoCal brought a plethora of innovative entertainment. It’s a bright spot on the Calendar for a city which hosts many national events. Well run with a great and diverse group of films. I am already looking forward to next year’s event.