Movie Review: The Last Exorcism

Starring:  Patrick Fabian, Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr, Louis Herthum

Director/Producer: Daniel Stamm/Eli Roth

Genre:  Horror

Synopsis:  Ready to expose his miraculous deeds as mere trickery, Rev. Cotton Marcus (Patrick Fabian) invites a documentary crew to film his final exorcism. But when the devil actually possesses a girl's body, Marcus must regain his faith and engage in the fight of his life. Produced by Eli Roth and directed by Daniel Stamm, this frighteningly realistic horror movie also stars Ashley Bell, Iris Bahr and Louis Herthum.

Ratings (out of 5 stars): 

Average Rating: 3.1
My Rating: 2

The Trailer:



My Review:

The Last Exorcism tries to be an homage to arguably some of the best horror films ever made: Rosemary's Baby, The Blair Witch Project and of course The Exorcist itself. However, where all three of those movies succeeded is sadly where The Last Exorcism failed and miserably so. In my opinion, Blair Witch was the only movie ever truly successful using the mockumentary style because when it originally came out moviegoers believed those events had actually taken place. It wasn't until months later that we found out it was all a hoax. From the get-go the director makes it extremely obvious that The Last Exorcism is a mocumentary, therefore all events that follow are not to be believed. This mentality immediately kills the movie immediately and viewers can't take the film seriously. Horror fans want to get scared, but when you know that the whole thing is fake, it really takes all the fun out of it. I think these types of films are much better when the audience is allowed to suspend their own sense of disbelief. That is precisely why The Exorcist was so wildly popular. What was frustrating about The Last Exorcist is that it doesn't treat the viewer with dignity or respect. It's almost as if the director is insulting us for being intrigued about the films very subject matter. I for one did not appreciate fraudulent aspect of the reverend at all. In the Exorcist Father Damien was losing his faith, just like Rev. Cotton in this film. The difference is that you sympathized with Damien's plight. He was able to make the audience feel that he really wanted to believe and that by assisting Father Merrin to save Regan that he could perhaps redeem himself. In The Last Exorcist, there was no attempt at all to perform a real exorcism or to help this girl. No holy water, no praying, nothing. The Rosemary's Baby Type ending appears to be a pathetic last minute throw in. It's poorly executed, nonsensical and a complete insult to the Roman Polanski classic.  Pass on this one an wait for the DVD.  There will be much better horror films coming out right around Halloween.

Movie Review: Watership Down

Featuring the Voice Talents of: John Hurt, Ralph Richardson, Michael Graham Cox, Richard Briers, Zero Mostel and Hannah Gordon

Director: Martin Rosen


Genre: Anime/Animation


Synopsis: From Richard Adams' bestseller comes an animated adventure and set in the rolling hills and meadows of England, Watership Down celebrates loyalty, courage and adventure with this tale of a maverick band of rabbits who, against all odds, set out on a quest for a new home, a better society. Join commonsensical Hazel, visionary Fiver, courageous Bigwig, and clever Blackberry as they escape peril to find their ultimate freedom.

My Rating: Four Out Of Five Stars

The Trailer:  FYI not the greatest quality. And you'll have to pause my playlist to the left for sound.





My Review: Watership Down is listed in listed in the Family/Children Category on Netflix and in my opinion should not be. It should be listed under Anime/Animation. This is a wonderful movie and animation was the most logical format for the story considering the setting and characters. But, I think the subject matter is far too mature for young kids to grasp. It is slow in some parts that children may find boring and even I was disturbed by some of the violence portrayed in the film. It's very unusual to see rabbits tearing each other apart (perhaps that is precisely the reason Richard Adams chose rabbits for his story). I would highly suggest to parents, watch the movie on your own prior to showing it to your kids to determine if it is suitable for them. You know your kid best. I do however, agree with the Parental Warning listed on Netflix, 11 years old is just about right. The animation in the movie may not live up to today's standards, but the animators took great care in their work. This is most obvious in the impressive way they animated the rabbits' movements. I have owned pet rabbits since I was a little girl and I can say with a great amount of certainty that the movements and natural rabbit behavior was animated not only beautifully, but realistically as well. There are so many valuable lessons pointed out in this movie that are directly related to the Human Condition such as fighting tyrannical authority, standing up for what you believe in, friendship, following your own path, the pursuit of happiness etc. But one issue that hasn't been discussed much on other reviews,that is very currently relevant is the film's portrayal of how humans are so apathetic towards their environment and fellow creatures. A great example of this is in my favorite scene when Captain Holly locates the wayward bunnies and recounts to them how the humans destroyed their warren. BigWig then says "Humans have always hated us," and ever so poignantly Holly replies, "No. We were just in their way." This film is disturbing yet, inspiring and thought provoking. It will affect all who view it.


The Soundtrack: The score is pretty standard as far animated features go. Each musical piece is emotionally appropriate to each scene it's matched with. Nothing incredibly memorable, however. And there is strange interlude mid-film which contains the musical "highlight" of the film, a song called "Bright Eyes" sung by the legendary Art Garfunkel (you can tell this movies was made the year I was born 1978, my mom was a huge Garfunkel fan!). Enjoy the video below.



DVD Special Features: The DVD that I watched was released in March 26, 2002. For those of you who are big fans of the "WD" saga a deluxe collector's edition with filmmaker interviews and other interesting bonus material wad released a bit more recently in October  of 2008. The particular release I watched extremely lacking in entertaining or informative extra footage but here's a brief rundown anyway: 

• Richard Adams Profile: A brief biography about and list of other written works of the book's author.
• "Watership Down Today":  A brief history & geography lesson on the actual location.
• Original Theatrical Trailer: I think this one is self-explanatory.
• Bunny Talk Glossary: The most useful of all the bonus material. If you are unfamiliar with Watership Down you should know that the Rabbits have their own language & religion. I would highly suggest that newbies to the Watership Down Saga (there are several follow up books and movies) to peruse this Rabbit-to-English Translation Guide before viewing the film. It will make the story easier to follow and the movie more enjoyable to watch.

If you've seen the movie or read the book and would like to voice your opinion ... please feel free leave a comment!