Winchester disappoints in the telling of a true spooky tale

Movie Title:      Winchester

Grade:  D

Rating: PG-13, 
1 hour 39 minutes

In a Nutshell:   I don’t like scary movies, but I was curious about this one because I grew up very close to the actual Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, California.  

I wanted to see what the Spierig brothers would do with it. Whenever we would drive by the spooky mansion, I would shudder.  I was told the creepy stories of the house, but never actually visited the tourist attraction.  It is still one of the most haunted mansions in the USA.

With lots of jumps and scares, it’s a pretty clichéd horror movie.

Like many of the stairs at the Winchester mansion, the movie doesn’t go anywhere.   

By the way, this film is not connected to Supernatural: Season 1 - Part 1 [Region 2]   .

                                             

Tips for parents: 

• Some creepy, scary moments.
• Guns and death.

                                           

Uplifting theme: 

• “Sometimes we need a little help to see the difference between reality and illusion.” – Dr. Eric Price (Jason Clarke)
• “Fear only exists in your mind.” – Dr. Eric Price
• Those who die are still alive.

                                    

Things I liked:

• Helen Mirren is a national treasure that both England and America like to claim.  I was kind of surprised she would go for a movie like this.  She was great, as always.

Things I didn’t like:

• The first time you meet Jason Clarke's character, you see him with a bunch of prostitutes, so you think he's a scumbag, making it hard to feel connected to him throughout the entire movie.
• The real reason why Sarah Winchester kept building on to her house is actually changed in this movie.  Why?  As a little girl, I was told that she believed that if she kept building, the spirits would be confused and not harm her.  Very little of the movie was filmed at the real Winchester mansion because the rooms are too small and dark.
• The movie missed out on a real opportunity of showing what the house is really like.  There are stairs that lead to nowhere, windows in the floors, and doors that opened into walls. Creepy.  Lionsgate purchased the rights to the images in the mansion, so now tourists are no longer allowed to take pictures when they tour the home.  Lame.
• Pretty clichéd.

Interesting lines:

• “Instruments of death have a powerful connection to the afterlife.” -  Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren)
• “Grief can be far more crippling than arthritis, Doctor.” – Sarah Winchester, who had terrible arthritis
• “There are worse things in this world to lose than that, Doctor.” -  Sarah Winchester talking about losing control of her company holdings in the Winchester rifle empire. 

@trinaboice

Ghostbusters isn't as good or bad as you thought it would be

Movie Title:        Ghostbusters

  

Grade:  B

Rating:  PG-13, 105 minutes

In a Nutshell:  Some of the funny women of Saturday Night Live, including 4 time guest host of SNL Melissa McCarthy, star in this reboot of the 1984 smash hit.  

The beloved original (which I loved) is hard to beat, but this version gives it a respectable shot.

Written and directed by Paul Feig, this movie isn’t as good as you want, but also not as bad as you thought it would be. 

Uplifting theme: 

• “No woman should walk around unarmed.” – Jillian
• “The purpose of life is to love.” – Jillian
• Female empowerment.

Things I liked:

• Cameos and references from the fantastic cast of the original movie.
• Terrific cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, and Cecily Strong.
• Keep watching during the final credits for a peek at the sequel…
• At the end of the movie, it says “For Harold Ramis.”  A lot of people don’t realize that he died in 2014.
• Chris Hemsworth.
• You’ll laugh out loud at least a couple of times.
• The action sequences are better than the original, thanks to new movie technology.
• I thought Zach Woods’ comments as the tour guide at the very beginning of the movie were really funny.

Things I didn’t like:

• It doesn’t have quite the charm as the original.
• Does this reboot add anything new to the original?  No, not really.  Oh yeah, Chris Hemsworth.
• The script didn’t allow these comediennes to really knock our socks off.  The material just isn’t as good as they are.
• Every male character in this movie is either an idiot or a jerk.
• Although this film isn’t the greatest ever made, it certainly doesn’t deserve all the hate that has been spewing over it online.
• The villain isn’t anything special or memorable.
• Needs better pacing.

Funny lines:

•  “Something big is gonna happen!” - Erin

“The word we’re looking for is Apocalypse!” – Jillian

• “That is a deadly high five.” -  Abby
• So, I don’t know if it’s a race thing or a lady thing, but I’m mad as hell.” – Patty
• “How can you be eating right now?” – Erin Gilbert

“Try saying no to these salty parabolas.” – Jillian Holtzmann

• “Am I on crack or is this a good logo?” – Jillian
• “That’s where I saw that weird sparking thing.” – Patty Tolan

“What was it?” – Erin

“If I knew what it was, I wouldn’t say ‘weird sparking thing.’” – Patty

• “Why am I using the untested nuclear thing?” – Erin

“You have the longest arms.” – Jillian

• “Ah, it’s always the sad, pale ones.” – Jillian
• “You hate to see the smart ones go bad.” – Jillian
• “You guys, this is exactly how I pictured my death.” – Jillian
• “Who’s the flying beefcake?” – Rourke
• “What year is it?” – Abby

“It’s 2040.  Our president is a plant.” – Jillian

• “I’m just looking for a reasonable ratio between wontons and broth.  This is absolute madness.” – Abby
• “It transports ghosts and I don’t know where, but I think it’s Michigan.” –
• “Safety lights are for dudes.” – Jillian

Tips for parents: 

• A lot of crude jokes.
• Some of the ghosts could be frightening for small children.
• Some profanity.
• Lots of slime, which your kids will love.

Was a remake of Poltergeist really necessary?

Movie:   Poltergeist

PG-13, 1 hour 33 minutes

Grade:  C

In a Nutshell:    Ok, let me first say that I don't like watching scary movies, but I had requests to review this one....so you better appreciate my sacrifice!

Well, there’s no surprise here if you saw the original Poltergeist from 1982, not to mention Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986 and Poltergeist III in 1988.   In fact, it doesn't really add anything to the prior movies. This remake doesn’t exactly shed new light (pun intended) on the old story, but if you’re looking for a fun scream flick, you’ll enjoy the ride enough, complete with creepy clowns, things that jump out, gross skeletons, menacing drills, and scary music.

A more interesting movie might have been a look at the real world deaths of former cast members that have resulted in a belief in the Poltergeist movie “curse”.  http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/poltergeist.asp

Uplifting Theme:

·         Do your due diligence before purchasing real estate.  Ha ha

·         Don’t keep a box full of creepy dolls.

Things I liked:

·         Jared Harris (Carrigan) seems to be in all the creepy movies lately.   He does a good job, as does the rest of the cast: Sam Rockwell (Eric Bowen), Rosemarie DeWitt (Amy Bowen), Kyle Catlett (Griffin Bowen), and adorable Kennedi Clements (Maddie Bowen).

Things I didn’t like:

·         I hate it when little kids swear, imitating their foul-mouthed parents.  NOT cute.

·         Griffin asks: "Why would someone collect a box of clowns?"  Great question.   

·         The kids are constantly bickering with each other.  The teenage daughter, Kendra, (Saxon Sarbino) is so annoying that you don’t care if a poltergeist gets her.

·         What this family needs are some nosy neighbors who check in long before the crazy poltergeists destroy everything.
-      Nothing very original here.  Why the remake then?

Amusing lines:

·         “What if it doesn’t work?” – Amy

“It’s going to work.” – Eric

“This better work!” – Eric to Carrigan

·         “I hope we never see you again.” – Eric

“I don’t know why they always say that.” – Dr. Claire Powell

·         We were young and stupid.” – Carrigan

“Only one of us was stupid.” – Claire

·         “I have special powers, you know.” – Carrigan

“They’re not that special.” – Claire

·         “Is everything ok?” – Claire

“If it were, I wouldn’t be here.” – Carrigan

Interesting lines:

·         “I’m scared.” – Griffin

“Me too.  I feel a little braver though.” - Eric

Tips for Parents:  Young children will definitely be frightened by the scary skeletons and creepy events.  The movie is better suited for teens who want to scream during a sleepover.

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