(Not so) Weekly Review #16: Grave Encounters

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here once more for another edition of our (not so) weekly reviews. Yes, yes, I know we’ve had way too many of these lately, but my next non-movie-review post is going to be kind of a big deal. If it makes it to the blog, that is. Well, let’s get to it then. Today I shall review Grave Encounters, yet another found-footage movie. It’s directed by the Vicious brothers and stars… people you’ve never heard of. And that’s a good thing. It’s basically an edit of footage taken by a reality television show searching for paranormal activity in an abandoned insane asylum.

     I won’t retread my views on the found-footage genre. Search around the blog for some older posts to find out. Grave Encounters starts out like any ghost-hunting show  does. People trying hard to make a seemingly abandoned place seem creepy and off-putting. It’s all intentional, and the humor really contrasts with the horrible events to come. The characters are genuinely interesting, so this first half-hour isn’t boring or lackluster. Things quickly start to pick up once- I won’t spoil it for you. Let’s just say that you owe it to yourself to watch this one to the end.

     Technically, the film really does look like a reality TV show. At least in the beginning. Eventually, once things start to go really bad, the filming gets more chaotic and movements more erratic. The overall atmosphere is impeccably creepy. From the stories of dead patients and Lovecraftian writings on the walls really help to keep you on the edge of your seat during the whole film. I’ll admit that a few found footage clichés find their way into the film, but it’s mostly some overused camera angles and some reactions. One thing is for sure, this movie is more The Shining than it is The Blair Witch Project.

     Alas, as I’ve repeatedly said before, nothing is truly perfect. Some digital effects look very amateur-ish, and some of the acting is quite stilted. The ending is predictable, but this is a found-footage film, so you can’t ask for much more than that. What really makes it worthwhile is the despair that kicks in after certain events. The actors really conveyed a sense of terror that (ironically) is absent in many horror movies these days. Grave Encounters is a scary film, with great atmosphere working alongside jump scares and unexplainable phenomena. All accomplished with little to no gore.

     Overall, I give Grave Encounters a solid 8/10. It may not be a classic, but the chills and intriguing story more than make up for the film’s flaws. I highly recommend it. It’s not that easy of a movie to find, but if you do stumble upon it, watch it. That concludes today’s  movie review. I hope it’s been of use to you. I’m preparing a big post for Friday or Saturday, but I can’t guarantee that it’ll work out. For now, here’s the trailer for Grave Encounters.

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

(Not so) Weekly Movie Review #15: Insidious

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here again for another movie review. I know that two in one week may seem like lack of creativity, but… Okay, it may be that as well. Anyway, today’s movie is Insidious, as suggested by our reader Amy. Insidious is directed by James Wan, the creator of the saw franchise, collaborating with Oren Peli, the creator of the Paranormal Activity franchise. ‘Tis an independent horror film about… Well, Poltergeist on steroids, basically.

     Haunted house films are all very similar. Especially ones dealing with families. With tropes such as the skeptic dad, the psychic with pages of expositional dialogue and  the kid that communicates with supernatural forces, it’s easy to see that this is a very innovative genre (Sarcasm, ha-ha!). Insidious promises to be different, boldly claiming that it’s not the house that’s haunted! That kid must be the hell-spawn of Satan himself right? Could this be the breath of fresh air that horror films desperately need? In short, yes and no. Mostly no.

     The film does innovate in some aspects, such as the, rarely explored in film, astral projection phenomena and some truly insidious creature designs (See what I did there? Ha-ha!) The general atmosphere is ultimately very unsettling, with production value not at all hinting at this being an independent film. Which it is. However, bits of mediocre story-telling and an unsatisfying climax almost ruin the experience. I still found it to be better than Saw, though.

     The acting is great for a horror film, though the character arcs are predictable. The special effects department definitely deserves a pat on the back for the great work with creature and set designs. The reptilian-spider-monkey-demon-thing was pretty much constructed out of physical manifestations of nightmare fuel. Or pieces of dead orphans. This is a scary film, no doubt. That’s a trait that, oddly enough, many horror films lack these days.

     Perhaps, if you think of the film more as a thrilling theme park ride, it succeeds in everything it sought out to do. It scares and shocks you, and leaves you a bit dazed by the end. In general narrative terms however, it feels lacking. With some more polish, specially in the third act, it could have been a genre classic. As it stands, it’s still good, but not as much as it should have been. Overall, 7.5/10.

     That concludes today’s review. Thanks for the suggestion, Amy. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, and stay tuned for our next review of… Grave Encounters! I’ll post it soon. For now, I leave you with the trailer for Insidious.

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: A monster made out of dead orphan limbs would be pretty scary. I’ll keep that for future reference…

PPS: Two 7.5s in a row? Could it be a mere coincidence? Actually, yes. 

(Not so) Weekly Movie Review #14: Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace 3D

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here once more for our (not so) weekly movie review. It’s no secret that I love Star Wars. George Lucas may tinker too much with the saga, but I love it anyways. However, I’ve always regretted not being able to see any of the films in theaters. And now I finally had the chance. The Phantom Menace, written and directed by George Lucas and originally released in 1999, is the first film in a trilogy of prequels to the original Star Wars trilogy. Now, it’s being re-released in 3D. 

     I’ve seen all of the Star Wars films, and The Phantom Menace is not the worst of them. By far. George Lucas is a real visionary, but sometimes the very human themes behind the story get lost amongst the stilted acting and over-used visual effects. There is an underlying theme of demystification of the Star Wars universe throughout the film, with thorough explanations of political themes and even the biological nature of The Force. This kind of exposition ends up only hurting the film, though it is clearly meant to attract a different kind of audience.

     At the same time, the first film of the new trilogy doesn’t show the same elegant manner of story-telling which, in the original films, reached out to kids, adults and everyone in between. It all seems a bit childish, to say the least. Not that the original films were hard-boiled, gritty tales of war, but a little subtlety goes a long way. Even so, I can understand what Lucas intended here. The prequels were never meant to only please fans of the original films, but to make new ones with a younger generation. With that in mind, the film succeeds.

     There have been many in-depth reviews of Episode 1, and this is not one of them. Sure, there is no true protagonist in the story. Sure, the slapstick humor gets old really fast. Sure the pacing is off and the tone is vastly different to the older films. It works. Not as well as it should, but it does. It’s not the horrible movie many hardcore fans make it out to be. It doesn’t make the older films any worse either. It just exists, despite me joking about it in previous posts.

     The Phantom Menace also has its merits, with a really cool villain and a really cool climactic battle. John Williams is as brilliant as ever, sometimes bringing life to what might otherwise have been just cut-scenes in some sci-fi video game. Liam Neeson was great, and there were some deep themes surrounding the story. The 3D was the best post-converted kind I’ve ever seen. Which sadly, isn’t saying much. If you’ve never seen Star Wars in theaters, or haven’t seen The Phantom Menace in a long time, give this one a go. Bring your kids too. It’ll be worth it in the end. Overall, 7.5/10.

     That concludes today’s movie review. The original trilogy is still miles better, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the prequels. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading, and keep an eye out for my future review of both Insidious and Grave Encounters. One of these I loved, the other I thought was pretty lackluster. Guess which is which. I leave you with the best scene of the film. This made me forget most of the film’s faults. Duel Of The Fates indeed.

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

PS: People still cheer when Darth Maul appears for the final battle.

PPS: Making Anakin the same age as Padmé would have fixed 60% of this film’s problems.

PPPS: Jar-Jar was less annoying than Anakin, but both sucked less than Attack Of The Clones as a whole.

Documentary And News…

Greetings,

     Optiluiz here to entertain you at least once more. As you may have noticed, I’ve only made on other post this year. Naturally, my timing seems to be a bit off. Or is it? Well ECB, I hate to do this again, but things are getting tense. I just can’t keep up with the blog anymore. Partly lack of time, partly lack of interest and partly lack of what to write.

     I’ve never been a really big fan of schedules. However, until “recently”, I’ve made it my mission to never miss a post. In my mind, I didn’t want to disappoint the readers. And then I started thinking. Who actually reads this blog? Sure there might be a few other bright souls that keep things interesting, but that’s about it. I don’t blame the readers though. It’s my fault. I don’t have anything particularly interesting on here for readers.

     I don’t use the blog to vent stress or things of the sort. If I shared most of my opinions on things, I’d be burned at the stake. Besides, no one would visit just to read what I write without the pretty pictures. collaborations are tricky as well, since you can’t really depend on anyone but your- wait… I’m not that dependable myself. Well, you get the point. Now let’s pause to contemplate Sr. M’s doodle.

     Something else that’s been keeping me busy are my film projects. Things like that take time and patience. I just can’t divide amongst everything anymore. But do not fret, Epic Club Blog. I will not abandon you. Rather, I propose a change of structure. I suggest that I keep updating, but on my terms. No more schedules or fixed dates. Rather, I’d post whenever I had the necessary content. Maybe once a week. Maybe once a month. Maybe various small posts during the week, one with comics, one with videos and etc…

     There’s hope for us yet. However, I’ll only agree to this on one condition. Show me your interest, ECB. Comment, share and message. I need to see that I’m helping at least some stranger out there by making them smile. Or think. That depends on the post. That’ll be all for today, readers. Thank you for putting up with me. As a token of my gratitude, here’s a teaser for my documentary on strange things going on in my neighborhood.

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz over and out.

Or not.

PS: 2012: End of the internet. End of the blog. End of the world?

Optiluiz’s Return!

Greetings!

     Optiluiz here for the first time this year. How’ve you been? Missed me much during my prolonged vacation? Yeah, I wouldn’t have either. So, this has been an eventful month. I’ve traveled quite a bit, and finally received my camera. Big things are coming for the Epic Club Blog this year, so I hope you’ll keep visiting us regularly and making the ECB and actual Club. Now for the news.

      I’m pretty sure that you’ve all heard of SOPA, so I won’t waste time explaining it. I’m also assuming that by now you’ve heard that it’s been shelved, probably because of the huge waves of internet protest that it caused. Piracy is a bad thing, sure, but it doesn’t warrant companies the right to censor the internet as they see fit. The United states have been going through a tough period, but that does not justify authoritarian stances regarding media. I’m proud of you, Internet. We’ve won the first battle, but SOPA isn’t dead yet.

     In other news, I’ve been planning a web series for a while now, and I’ll be posting it here soon. Well, maybe not so soon. Also, I’d like to find out what you guys think about me doing video reviews of movies. It’s easier for me, and maybe better for you. Maybe. For now, here’s some free beach-side publicity for the blog…

    

     Yeah, it’s not “Art-Attack”, but at least it’s original. I think. I used to hate the beach. The heat, the mosquitoes, the salt water. But you know what? I guess I’ve finally gotten used to it. I still prefer the cold embrace of my big cities, but I can deal with the beach now. I can even admit that it’s fun. It’s a Brazilian tradition to spend the end of the year at the beach. I still miss snow at this time of the year, but now I guess I’ve just learned to accept it.

     I was in an island city for 10 days with Sr. M. It looked like Isla Nublar from Jurassic Park, but with more people and less dinosaurs. I had more fun there than I’ve had at other beaches in a long time. So I guess I owe him this new appreciation of this sort of climate. I also lost some of my musical prejudice. That’s always good. If only my camera had arrived earlier… Well, this video is directed at him, but I think you’ll all like it. It’s good for the soul.

     Just… Whoah. Seriously, though, sunscreen is important. I’ve been sunburned more times than I care to admit, and it’s horrible. The other parts of the video are good too, I guess. One last thing before I go… RIP Megaupload. I loved that site. I had many things posted there. The blog had many things posted there too. Authoritarianism is making a comeback, I guess. We can’t let that happen.

Well, see you next time. Have a nice weekend, and sorry for being late. I’ve just been pretty busy. Life after school is actually busier than I thought it would be. Also, sleeping is nice.

Chainsaw cheers,

Optiluiz out.

2011 in review

HAVE A GOOD ONE, EPIC CLUBBERS!

Here’s an excerpt:

A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in 2011. If it were a NYC subway train, it would take about 4 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.