Sanctum

  I hope the film industry does not think they can continue to fool the public by making sub-par films in 3D to draw the crowds into the theaters. with out the 3D label, I am positive many of these  “techno” films would gain half of their audience. I hope we get back to letting the actual film do the walking instead of the computer program used to create it.
I have to be honest. I fell asleep 1hr 15min into this film. I woke up and had no desire to go back to the point I fell asleep and finish the movie. So, I can only make comments on what I have seen. Seeing that I fell asleep, should tell you SOME feeling I have toward the film created by James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar) as the next 3D film to continue this new fad. The actors are all relatively unknown and Australian which makes it easier for us to accept them dying off in the caves of S. America.
Explorers go into the biggest unexplored caves in hopes of finding a route to the ocean. Missing the call for a storm leaves them struggling to escape rising tides, twisted turns, decompressing, and claustrophobia from the confined spaces. Due to the fact that they are underwater cave-diving, the need for oxygen plays a huge rule….will they make it out in time?!?! I actually don’t know. Like I said, I missed the last 25 minutes of the film…. who knows????
Elementary Grading Scale: Needs Improvement
1-10: 5

The Rite

I always get scared when I see a young woman act possessed. Fortunately, I have only seen this on the movie screen, I think. Bizarre languages, contortionist-like movements, and the hollow eyed, pale skinned, twitchy possessed woman leaves me frightened almost every time. I find myself watching movies with squinted eyes, hoping that having my eyes half open will allow me to close them faster at the scary moments. And lucky for me, I think movies are great when they can draw this type of fear from just a group of actors and film crew trying to portray what the writers were hoping would  scare us. The Rite does a great job creating as much realism as possible as to what an exorcism, an exorcist, and the possessed might really look like and deal with…. Viewers beware. 

Another demonic possession movie to keep me up at night…. Anthony Hopkins (Silence of the Lambs) and  Colin O’Donoghue (The Tudors) star as priests commissioned to exorcise the escalating amount of demons from unknowing people throughout Europe. Hopkins plays Father Lucas Trevant, a priest with years of experience freeing people from their demons. O’Donoghue stars as Michael Kovak, a priest still in school but considering leaving and walking away from his faith. He believes  that evil is “not real” and becomes oblivious to fear of the devil’s tricks. Considering all the demonic happenings are psychological issues needing a therapist allows him to assist in the exorcisms without the fear that so many other priests were avoiding. Lo and Behold, Father Lucas (Hopkins) becomes the possessed and Hopkins does what he does best…..scaring the crap out of us…..

Elementary Grading Scale: Progressing Satisfactorily

1-10: 7