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Reviews
The Quarantine Hauntings (2015)
Aussie horror destined to be cult classic
A group of teenagers, led by the troubled Jasmine (Lauren Clark), conjure up the spirit of an equally troubled ghost in The Quarantine Hauntings. What follows is an interesting contemporary Australian horror film mixing Blair Witch-type found footage, creepy surveillance shots that parallel Paranormal Activity and some Tarantino-style grindhouse scenes of girls kicking ass.
The film's directors (Bianca Biasi and Arnold Perez) work well to maximise the constraints of a low budget and craft a genuinely creepy tale. The cast deliver sound performances - stand outs for me were Lauren Clark, Dalisha Cristina as the ghost and Elizabeth Wiltshire, who truly anchors the film as Jasmine's ballsy best friend Skye.
The Quarantine Hauntings hits the right marks considering its low budget limitations and has all the elements to be a worthy entry into the Ozploitation horror cult canon.
The Ring (2002)
The Ring is a classic horror film of the 2000s
Rachel (Naomi Watts) is a journalist who investigates a mysterious video tape that purportedly kills its viewer 7 days after watching it. The Ring is an American adaptation of the Japanese horror film Ringu. Following the success of this movie, it spawned its own sequel and introduced the Western audience to J-horror adaptations, notably The Grudge.
There's intense tension, scares and mood developed in this film that are still palpable every time you watch. In doing so, director Gore Verbinski shapes a timely narrative about communal disconnect, modern alienation and the all-conquering power of technology with this adaptation. Naomi Watts delivers a superb performance as Rachel and I'm so glad it propelled her into mainstream consciousness. Martin Henderson too is equally on form as Noah, her confidant.
No matter how many times I've seen it, I enjoy watching this film. The Ring is a classic horror film of the 2000s, if not 'the' classic horror film of the 2000s.
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015)
Fantastic feel-good musical comedy of the year
Pitch Perfect 2 combines all the elements that made the first movie great (including a hilarious underground sing-off this time hosted by David Cross) - but director Elizabeth Banks injects even more sass and moxie in the sequel.
Now more rounded as a truly in-sync ensemble, the Bellas face their last semester at Barden. The group find themselves embroiled in a scandal at the start of the film, which offers some outrageous presidential cameos, and soon the Bellas realise that atonement comes in the form of winning an international acapella group competition.
The scene stealer from the last film, Fat Amy (Rebel Wilson) shines even brighter here and is given a more rounded role opposite an equally on form Adam DeVine. I'm glad Rebel has been given more to play with. New addition Hailee Steinfield does her best with such a limited support role, but is solid as always. I was impressed with Elizabeth Banks' direction and look forward to seeing more of her directorial work.
Pitch Perfect 2 was an enjoyable experience at the movies, I recommend it.