I'm sorry this movie just doesn't cut the mustard, or in this case mustard seed soak with chicken feet.
This movie is the latest in psychological dramas that attempt to lead the watcher down one path and blow their mind away with an awesome ending. Of course, with most of these movies it is relying more on the ending and less on the actual flow, plot, and acting of the movie.
Acting:
The only one who is good in this movie is John Hurt (the older Ben) Gena Rowlands was just not as good as her Notebook performance. Kate Hudson, well her character just had too many holes...for this kind of movie.
This kind of movie relies entirely on building a relationship b/w the characters and the audience. So, for those who say a movie is a movie, just enjoy it...well that is what you have to look for. Like with the 6th sense characters, or Nicole Kidman in The Others.
Flow and PLot.
This movie is also very slow...mind you not as bad as The Village. Some of these thrillers get move so slowly (i.e. themes, imagery, music scores) i find peoples attention begin to wander.
Story is strong with a good historical foundation. A few erie scenes, but not enough. I thought the movie needed more development with the potential ghosts rather than the HooDoo crap...Perhaps it was difficult to fit into the story.
You know immediately that the deveraux wife is possessed (at least i did), but maybe with the children the bought from in the 60s, or the are the children themselves. But as soon as the Estate lawyer reappeared, i figured he was possessed. I kind of felt like a learned the secret to soon, and therefore the ending didn't really blow me away.
All in all, the movie is OK for a rental or cheap theater, but with so many of these kind of movies recently is was blasé. Its like watching a basketball player continually doing dunks from the free-throw line. We've seen it in the early 80s, we saw Jordan redefine it in the later 80s, we've seen it copied in the 90s...now its time to change it up. This movie just did not do that.
This movie is the latest in psychological dramas that attempt to lead the watcher down one path and blow their mind away with an awesome ending. Of course, with most of these movies it is relying more on the ending and less on the actual flow, plot, and acting of the movie.
Acting:
The only one who is good in this movie is John Hurt (the older Ben) Gena Rowlands was just not as good as her Notebook performance. Kate Hudson, well her character just had too many holes...for this kind of movie.
This kind of movie relies entirely on building a relationship b/w the characters and the audience. So, for those who say a movie is a movie, just enjoy it...well that is what you have to look for. Like with the 6th sense characters, or Nicole Kidman in The Others.
Flow and PLot.
This movie is also very slow...mind you not as bad as The Village. Some of these thrillers get move so slowly (i.e. themes, imagery, music scores) i find peoples attention begin to wander.
Story is strong with a good historical foundation. A few erie scenes, but not enough. I thought the movie needed more development with the potential ghosts rather than the HooDoo crap...Perhaps it was difficult to fit into the story.
You know immediately that the deveraux wife is possessed (at least i did), but maybe with the children the bought from in the 60s, or the are the children themselves. But as soon as the Estate lawyer reappeared, i figured he was possessed. I kind of felt like a learned the secret to soon, and therefore the ending didn't really blow me away.
All in all, the movie is OK for a rental or cheap theater, but with so many of these kind of movies recently is was blasé. Its like watching a basketball player continually doing dunks from the free-throw line. We've seen it in the early 80s, we saw Jordan redefine it in the later 80s, we've seen it copied in the 90s...now its time to change it up. This movie just did not do that.