#it's not the house that's haunted ; elise rainier

[tjreidwrites]

Movie reviews for spooky season!

A Haunted House movie who’s big tag line for promotion was ‘It’s not the house that's haunted’... This film depends on good characters, a creepy atmosphere, uneasy anxiety and scary imagery. James Wan is a legend for launching the ‘Saw’ franchise, and is possibly the best at practical effects in the modern horror genre.

We see a family move into a big old house that happens to be perfect for this haunting movie. Old school, lots of nooks and crannies. The Lambert family seems to have been pretty happy before all this went down. Josh (Patrick Wilson) is a teacher, Renai (Rose Byrne) is a piano player and the boy Dalton (Ty Simpkins) is the kid who likes to get into shit. When he eventually finds himself in the attic, he falls off a ladder. The next morning he doesn't wake up, the doctors say its coma but signs show otherwise.

Renee is the most convinced something supernatural is going on. Doors and windows are opening and closing on themselves. Boxes that are still heavy packed with things are getting shuffled around by who knows what. We (the audience) becomes even more sure than she is as we begin to see the beast in shadows.

The pacing begins to suffer a bit in the second act. As Renai becomes more and more aware of the creepiness and how real it really is, Josh the father starts staying at work to grade papers later than normal, and we get a good twenty minutes of Renai trying to convince Josh something is up. The acting is what saves this section, with some really good performances, its hard to notice the lull in story telling until watching a second time.

They hire a psychic named Elise Rainier (Lin Share), who send over two helpers who mainly exists for comic relief (Angus Sampson and the writer of the film Leigh Whannell). Lin Shaye actually becomes the face of the Insidious franchise, in this first film though, she comes to break the ice and let this family know exactly what she knows this to be by experience.

FINAL THOUGHTS

James Wan nailed this movie when it comes to practical effects, make up, and creating tension by real creepy imagery. There are a lot of jump scares in this film, but the difference is, and the reason this movie is better than all the cookie cutter genre films, is because every scare has some sort of pay off. Every time the score gets more dramatic something actually pops up that is creepy and the camera doesn't just cut away instantly, it lingers on the frame to let us see the creäture we are looking at.

The music plays beautifully with the direction. Lots of stringed instruments playing choppy, creepy chords. The cinematography plays off the writing in the same way, becoming paler in certain instances and brighter in others.

This movie does remind me of my past as well. I remember watching this for the first time in 2011. The scene in Dalton’s room with his dad, Josh. Josh is looking over all of his son’s drawings and comes across a duo that writes ‘Last night I watched myself sleep, and then I flew away.’ As Josh breaks down crying, he is convinced that his son can in fact astro project. In my case, this is called lucid dreaming. I used to be able to know I was dreaming. I used to be able to see myself sleeping and fly away too. Coincidentally, as I've gotten older its become more impossible to lucid dream again. Maybe what they say is true. A childlike mind is so free and capable of anything.

[kermitkarmz]

Insidious: The Last Key

Brilliant parapsychologist Elise Rainier receives a disturbing phone call from a man who claims that his house is haunted. Even more disturbing is the address -- 413 Apple Tree Lane in Five Keys, N.M. -- the home where Elise grew up as a child. Accompanied by her two investigative partners, Rainier travels to Five Keys to confront and destroy her greatest fear -- the demon that she accidentally set free years earlier.

[omniishambles]

“Leave a message after the beep” (for alexei from elise?)

Send “Leave a message after the beep” and my character will send your character a voicemail.

     * * *

   “Alexei, it’s Elise. I think there’s something strange going on out in the woods. I was with Warren and I saw- God, I don’t know what I saw, but I have to go back. Can you meet me in an hour? Whatever it was...I don’t want to go alone. But someone has to check it out. Call me back, please.” 

     * * *

[nidusblack]

"It's not the house that's haunted... it's your son." ― Elise Rainier, Insidious

[ao3feed-ineffablehusbandz]

Into the Further

Into the Further

by Ace_Of_Tales

After the events of the Nope-ocalypse, Aziraphale and Crowley thought it was time for a change of pace. Once they're finished moving into their new Cottage in the South Downs, Crowley and Aziraphale are ready to start their new life together. However, it would seem that life has decided to throw another obstacle at them.

One morning, Aziraphale doesn't wake up... The doctor's believe he is in a coma even though there are no signs of anything wrong. Soon enough, supernatural entities begin terrorizing Crowley in their new home as he waits for Aziraphale to wake up.

Desperate, Crowley calls on Anathema and Newt for help. After calling some associates of her Mother's, they inform Crowley and his friends that Aziraphale is not in a coma... But something more sinister is at work and it wants to take control of Aziraphale.

It is up to Crowley to save his beloved angel before the denizens of the Further go forward with their insidious agenda.

Words: 3639, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett, Good Omens (TV), Insidious (Movies)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Multi

Characters: Aziraphale (Good Omens), Crowley (Good Omens), Anathema Device, Newton Pulsifer, Specs (Insidious), Tucker (Insidious), Carl (Insidious), Elise Rainier, Lipstick-Face Demon (Insidious), Original Characters, Original Ghosts - Character

Relationships: Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens), Anathema Device/Newton Pulsifer

Additional Tags: Horror, Thriller, Haunted Houses, South Downs Cottage (Good Omens), References to Depression, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Original Character Suicide, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Past Suicide

From https://ift.tt/YJrKeWd https://archiveofourown.org/works/42335166

[omniishambles]

AHHHH I LOVE IT SO MUCH!!!

Happy Holidays! ⛄

Send ‘Happy Holidays! ⛄’ to my inbox and I’ll give you a treat!

@muddledmenagerie

The only thing I’m decent at is moodboards so here’s one for Krampus and Elise ;D

[aion-rsa]

Insidious: Is The Further Real?

https://ift.tt/39C1Z8d

“The Further is a world far beyond our own, yet it’s all around us, a place without time as we know it,” Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) explains in the 2011 occult horror film Insidious. “It’s a dark realm filled with the tortured souls of the dead, a place not meant for the living.” Director James Wan saw the astral world through the eyes of fear. It was how he was able to evoke the most terror from the nether regions of soul and thought.

Horror films have made a spiritual ghetto out of the universe which lies between dream, sleep and death. They focus on the malevolent realm of incubi, succubae and the Red-Lipstick-Face Demon. The map to the Further is not limited to shadowy studies. Many mystical practices are divided into black and white magic out of fear and superstition, but there can be room for both.

Insidious starts off like a fairly typical haunted house movie. It opens shortly after Renai (Rose Byrne) and Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) move into a spooky new house with their three children. When the property progresses from ominous to hazardous, the family move into an even spookier house, fire their real estate broker, and contact an astral travel agent. The psychically gifted supernatural expert, Shaye’s Elise, explains the hauntings are not a feature of the multiple houses, but the results of a family member embarking on nocturnal astral projection missions which he believes are dreams.

The concept that the soul can leave the body during dream states is ancient. But for all the purported cosmic intelligence culled from out-of-body incidents, practitioners have found no way to scientifically measure if a spirit leaves or enters a body. It is a concept rejected by scientists but beloved by filmmakers and other artists.

In the film, the first person to put the notes together is Renai, the mother of young Dalton (Ty Simpkins), who falls into a mysterious coma early in the first act. Renai, who is a songwriter, experiences two initial contacts. The first comes in a box of missing sheet music. Musicians have always been pioneers when it comes to gray areas of society and spirituality, and rockers chose to embrace the Further. George Harrison melodically rhapsodizes about the extracorporeal aspects of certain Hindu practices in the Beatles’ song “The Inner Light.” The Moody Blues harmonize on the idea that “Thinking is the best way to travel” on their 1968 album In Search of the Lost Chord, itself a musical blueprint for transcendental journeying. Through sonics, these artists ventured happily into the transformative aspects of the Further. Among true believers, “the Further” is also called Liṅga Śarīra, Akasha, and prana. But it’s probably best known as the astral plane, a shallow tag in itself.

“The term ‘astral plane’ is a poetic description, at best, or more accurately a misnomer,” says Zeena, a Tibetan tantric Buddhist yogini, and iconic occult authority and artist. “When our consciousness pierces the veil of our ordinary, everyday scope of perception, there are infinite other realities one might experience, not just one ‘astral plane.’”

In Insidious, the paranormal hunting psychic Elise explains that Dalton is a “traveler,” who was born with the ability to pierce that veil.

“Everybody possesses the potential for astral projection,” Zeena says. “It’s a natural part of being human, just as many other metaphysical or paranormal experiences can naturally occur. But the ability to actualize it is relatively rare, and the effects from the occurrences vary greatly depending on many factors.”

Rebecca Halladay, an occult writer, scholar, and lifelong practitioner and witch, describes astral projection as “working on the Inner Planes of consciousness. In terms of ‘dimensions,’ this would be considered [fifth-dimensional] or above. Journeying is work within the physical, Earthly realm, which is [three-dimensional].”

Certain practices are believed to bridge these dimensions.

“Astral projection during deep states of unconsciousness like sleeping, fainting, or coma, could be achieved by a master of such techniques,” Zeena says. “For one who’s trained most of their life in the esoteric method of willed astral projection, and has become highly skilled in the ability to focus the mind under all circumstances, then deep states of unconsciousness wouldn’t impede their ability.”

The cinematic spiritualist doesn’t believe Dalton fell into a coma because he slipped off a ladder in a creepy attic. Elise believes the boy, being only a child, couldn’t tell the astral projection from a dream and had no fear about going too far.

“The Further looks like your surroundings, but a different lighting shade of it,” says Emi Rose, a psychotherapist and founder of Paragon Solstice. “You can see yourself.”

Rose finds that “Insidious depicts the astral plane in similar levels. It is similar in respect to the idea of a ‘physical’ mirror image of your waking life. Your surroundings around you as you sleep are remarkably similar. The difference is the state of consciousness you are now in can shape and change that experience that exists out of time and space.”

Because of the familiarity and relative comfort of these projected surroundings, Dalton gets lost in his adventures, leaving only a lifeless body behind. Elise, a veteran soul-traveler herself in the movie, is ever mindful of the dangers.

It all amounts to a very literal translation of eastern philosophical contemplations. The Buddhist meditation practice Maraṇasati is constant remembering that death can strike at any time. Thukdam is a Buddhist phenomenon in which a realized master’s consciousness remains in the body despite physical death. While this isn’t what is happening with the young Dalton, he is plugged into medical sensors which, during at least one frightening pop-up, flatline.

Practitioners and researchers are divided on whether it is possible to slip away and die during astral travel.

“There is a risk that could happen if done incorrectly,” Zeena tells us. Kristna Saikia, who is a metaphysics and meditation teacher and filmmaker, as well as a fellow astral travel facilitator, disagrees.

“No one dies in Astral travel,” Saikia says “There is a silver cord which is always connected with our etheric body. When you astral travel, you are always aware of what is happening in the earthly dimension with your body. It’s an intentional out-of-body experience. You can come back to your physical body whenever you decide.”

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In Wan’s film, tormented souls vie against demonic forces for the chance to possess Dalton. Possession is a horror film mainstay, and Insidious offers an interesting alternative arc to the usual spectral evictions enforced by Hollywood. But is it possible for an entity to take over a body during an astral trip?

“If done incorrectly, yes,” Zeena tells us. It is also something which can be done with intent. “In ceremonial magic, this is the entire purpose of entering the Inner Planes,” says Halladay. “During the Rite of Isis, the Priestess goes into the Inner Planes to invoke the Goddess Isis to bring her into the Earthly realm. Now can an entity ‘possess’ a physical being while on the planes? I would have to say it is absolutely possible.”

It turns out Dalton isn’t the only traveler in the Insidious family. He gets it from his father, who was terrorized by the spirit of an old woman during his childhood. Josh suppressed the memory, but Elise opens old wounds and new ones for the patriarch. She hypnotizes Josh, triggering his long-resting phantasmal dislocation, and sends him into the Further to find his son and bring him back.

Zeena confirms people can be guided through the experience, but insists “it’s a very delicate process requiring a qualified teacher from reputable metaphysical lineages that specialize in that. And even then, astral projection, or directing one’s consciousness, is not the main goal, but rather a way to gauge preparedness for more advanced training on the path toward spiritual enlightenment. When done improperly, the results of attempting astral projection simply for experimentation, entertainment, or curiosity can be disastrous.”

The film presents a cinematically dark alternative to the physical plane, a netherworld of unlocked doors and an overarching feeling of dread. Insidious doesn’t imply the Further is Hell, but it does look like one of the many highways AC/DC bypassed.

“They gave the darker energies too much power in the movie,” says Emi Rose. “In the astral plane, we always have a balanced choice to engage on a subconscious or conscious level. On a conscious level you can power your will, create scenarios.”

Josh’s first encounter in the Further is with the Crying Woman, not the most inviting of hosts. Citizens in Insidious’ cinematic spectral realm include the spirits of a family doomed to relive their violent deaths on a spectral loop; a long-haired, leather jacketed ghoul with a sex-fiend tongue; and a mischievous little boy. At its center is the Lipstick-Face Demon. It is tall with horns, pointed ears, snake-eyes, spidery fingers, and hooves for feet. Its skin is black as the night sky, its eyes are blacker holes.

“When one has a mind-expanding experience through any number of means, whether astral projection, meditation, or psychedelics, one encounters infinite types of beings,” Zeena says. “Recently deceased beings; beings we knew in a former incarnation but recognize in their new reincarnated state; celestial beings; demons and hell beings; mythological or magical beings; Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; Gods and demigods.” They’re all among the usual suspects.

But what you encounter is also contingent on who you call. “It all depends on the law of polarity,” Saikia says. “If you project fear, you will encounter energy vampires and evil entities.”

Halladay agrees that there are other entities in the astral planes, but says “I have never personally met other travelers, only those I have astralled with.”

The Red-Faced Demon never speaks in the film. It has, however, spoken with Josh’s mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), in her dreams, which also appear to be of a special class: lucid dreaming.

“Astral traveling is a combination of Insidious and Inception,” quips Emi Rose. Inception is technically about lucid dreaming, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Dom is technically-aided to enter dreams to steal information or implant ideas. It is often mistaken for astral travel, but not usually weaponized in the way that film presents it. Reddit’s rogue “Astral Army” community claims they combine astral travel and remote viewing to post out-of-body surveillance reports on popular conspiracy theory obsessions like Area 51.

The different practices are often mistakenly considered interchangeable, but are quite different. 

“With astral projection, one is sending one’s consciousness–either in part or fully–away from their body to a designated place or realm, in this world or others, for a particular purpose,” Zeena explains. “Remote viewing is when consciousness remains in the body but one can view anywhere else from afar. These two phenomena are also different from the involuntary experience colloquially known as OBE (out of body experiences), which usually spontaneously occurs in conjunction with trauma, near death experiences, or extreme stressors or ecstasy.”

In the overall arc of the Insidious franchise, the Further is much vaster than originally imagined, and the source and tool of mystical workings.

“There is a difference between Occultist practices and some, though not all, Esoteric Traditions,” says Halladay. “Occultists, past and present, generally accept astral projection as a regular part of their practice. Eurocentric pagan traditions do not make it a part of their regular practice.”

Though a fan of the film, Rose thought “Insidious focused too much on the shadow side of the astral plane. The movie portrayed the astral world as a scary dark place with only negative entities waiting to take over your body. So many more things occur in our dream world that we can conceive beyond bad scenarios. It is where we can conduct unfinished business, live out fantasies, replay or create scenarios, and travel to places we cannot do in our waking life.”

Late 18th century occult orders Golden Dawn and the Theosophists believed they could journey to other worlds, heavens and hells, and astrological spheres through etheric travel. In the 1999 book, Astral Dynamics, Robert Bruce calls it the “Real Time Zone,” and says it is the non-physical dimension-level closest to the physical. The New Age movement actively promotes the brighter, more enlightening aspects of the Further, to the point where the practice is on the precipice of mainstream thought.

Insidious isn’t the first film to venture beyond physical realms, but its ongoing franchise is proof the inner universe is expanding.

Insidious is streaming on Netflix now.

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The post Insidious: Is The Further Real? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3mdBfAd

[12-3amproductions]

Insidious: The Last Key (2018)

Directed by: Adam Robitel

Written by: Leigh Whannell

Cast: Lin Shaye, Leigh Whannell, Angus Sampson

Rating: PG13

Screen Time: 1h 43min

Our Rating:  ★★☆☆☆

This Insidious chapter was pretty much a letdown when compared to the previous chapters. The movie centers around a parapsychologist, Dr. Elise Rainier and her nightmares from childhood. She lived in New Mexico with her brother Christian, her mother Audrey, and her father Gerald who would turn abusive whenever she claimed that she sees ghosts in the house. 

Elise however was called up by Ted Garza, a client, for help after being haunted from moving to a house in New Mexico. Elise turned the request down as she realized that the address of the haunted house was the same one she had lived and spent her childhood in. However, she changed her mind and accepted the job, alongside her assistants Specs and Tucker who then encountered the evil entity - the demon with keys as its fingernails.

We found the plot to be mundane, not as scary and in fact unrealistic as it was more like a monster than a demon. The jump scares were predictable but the audio and visual quality of the film was great - as with all Insidious movies. However, we just did not feel the kick and we expected more. 

Link to the movie: https://www2.solarmovie.one/movie/insidious-the-last-key-19410/watching

[omniishambles]

 She reached out for the glass he offered, trying to keep a straight face but unable to fight the flickering smile at the corners of her lips. She at least managed to roll her eyes before the smile overtook her and she chuckled.

   “It’s quite possible.” Elise said, sipping at the vodka. It was stronger than she expected, but being brought by Jack that shouldn’t have been a surprise. Her smile was easier now, letting it be free as she raised her eyebrows at him. “But spirits from a bottle don’t count, I’m afraid.”

@muddledmenagerie for elise lmao

A few quick knocks at the door and he walked in, setting the bottle of vodka on the table before unscrewing the top and taking two glasses. Who else would take such liberties? Of course it was him.

"Hey, so, if you don't pay your exorcist--" He asked, pouring both glasses three-quarters full and grinning like he'd just won the lottery; called back over his shoulder as he poured. "Do you get repossessed?" Turning around he held a glass out to her with an even wider grin, thrilled by his own joke.

[darthatlas777]

Top 10 Favorite Movies

Avengers Infinity War (2018)

Thanos: “The hardest choices require the strongest wills.”

Jurassic Park (1995)

Alan Grant: “Dinosaurs and man, two species separated by 65 million years of evolution, just thrown back into the mix together. How can we have the slightest idea what to expect?”

The Help (2011)

Abileen Clark: “No one ever asked me what it feel like to be me.”

The Conjuring 2 (2016)

Lorraine Warren: “This is the closest to hell i ever want to be.”

Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

Gandalf: “End? The journey does not end here. Death is just another path, one we all must take.”

Alien (1979)

Ellen Ripley: “This is Ellen Ripley, last survivor of the Nostromo, signing off.”

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Yoda: “Destroy the Sith, we must.”

Lion King (1994)

Mufasa: “Remember who you are...”

Prince of Egypt (1998)

Moses: “No kingdom should be built on the backs of slaves.”

Insidious (2011)

Elise Rainier: “It’s not the house that’s haunted. It’s your son.”

[vewormarketing]

Insidious the last key movie a telecharger gratuitement

#Insidious the last key movie a telecharger gratuitement movie

#Insidious the last key movie a telecharger gratuitement series

#Insidious the last key movie a telecharger gratuitement series

The first Insidious utilized Elise and her crew as supporting characters, and the series gradually brought them to the foreground, which is a smart move, since they’re what makes this otherwise generic PG-13 ghost franchise feel unique and interesting. Their goofy humor tends to be a bit much, especially when it comes to some unintentionally uncomfortable moments spurred on by a running joke where they awkwardly hit on a girl half their age, but some levity is welcome than none at all. Rainier also comes with her own set of comedy sidekicks, a bit of levity that’s sorely missing from The Conjuring films, in the form of two obnoxious but well-meaning techie ghost hunters named Specs (longtime James Wan partner-in-crime and screenwriter Leigh Whannell) and Tucker (Angus Sampson, who was terrific in Season 2 of Fargo). Elise is as adept at utilizing her paranormal gifts to connect to the spirit world as the Warrens, yet she has a relatable frailty about her, as if she’s using her services to help other people with their pesky ghost problems to deal with her own demons, literally and figuratively. The Insidious films, on the other hand, have Elise Rainier, played with subtle humanity and compassion by veteran character actress Lin Shaye. (The fact that the real people they’re based on are proven con artists doesn’t help matters.) Despite being played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, the characters are rarely written with much depth for the actors to sink their teeth into. The Conjuring universe has Ed and Lorraine Warren, whom I find to be entirely too self-serious, a bit smug and fairly interchangeable. The most important element to keep in mind while doing so is the paranormal expert characters themselves, our conduits into the spooky world that these movies inhabit. Hey, the formula obviously works-why mess with it, right? Since that’s the case, I don’t see much of a choice but to analyze the narrative and characters that surround those set pieces as the main approach to gauge the difference in quality between these films. At this point, after a significant number of entries in both franchises, it’s clear that we can’t expect the set pieces themselves to offer anything new and exciting.

#Insidious the last key movie a telecharger gratuitement movie

These demons rinse and repeat this plan in mind-numbingly episodic fashion, until they realize that the movie they’re in is reaching its second act break, which propels them to pull the cutest and most likable kid into the spirit world, forcing the experts to go into an afterlife that curiously look like a generic Halloween haunted house tour in order to save the poor rascal. They are both about a team of paranormal experts who help families get rid of evil spirits that have nothing better to do than lure unsuspecting, none-too-bright kids into dark rooms and basements, wait a ridiculously long time hiding in order to raise suspense as if they’re trolling their victims, before popping up to scare the bejeezus out of them before the screen cuts to black. In fact, I’d be fairly surprised if a crossover flick doesn’t happen sometime soon. As far as the general premises and overall technical moods of these films are concerned, they’re really not that different from one another. After popularizing torture porn with the Saw franchise during the early 2000s, Wan is now responsible for getting underway not one, but two PG-13 jump-scare ghost horror franchises: The Conjuring cinematic universe and the Insidious series. Any studio looking to kickstart a surefire horror franchise knows to hire Australian genre wunderkind James Wan and let him do pretty much whatever he wants.

[omniishambles]

“If I...." Alexei's face scrunches at the foreign word, trying desperately to get this Halloween joke he heard right, "... - ehm... zawmbie, I eat you... first. Funny, yes? ... no?" (i'm gonna assume one of the kids told him this joke and he doesn't get it dfsdjklfsd also this is for poor elise)

   | HALLOWEEN PICK-UP LINES MEME |

* * *

 Elise paused, her cup of soda hovering a few centimetres from her lips as she processed what Alexei was trying to say. A frown marred her features, softened only by the quizzical smile she gave him as she lowered her drink.

   “Did Dustin give you that joke?” She asked, nose crinkling as laughter threatened to escape. A moment later it did, and Elise counted herself lucky that she’d heard the joke before taking a sip of her pepsi- otherwise it would have been streaming out of her nose!

 It was just a shame that his unsure delivery had been funnier than the joke itself.

* * *

[subtitlesrt]

Insidious: The Last Key (2018) Subtitle Download

Insidious: The Last Key (2018) Subtitle Download

Brilliant parapsychologist Elise Rainier receives a disturbing phone call from a man who claims that his house is haunted. Even more disturbing is the address — 413 Apple Tree Lane in Five Keys, N.M. — the home where Elise grew up as a child. Accompanied by her two investigative partners, Rainier travels to Five Keys to confront and destroy her greatest fear — the demon that she accidentally set…

[sfdfmoviereviews]

Upcoming Flicks February 2018

Films coming out in Australia in February 2018.

February 1

·         Den of Thieves

Den of Thieves follows a group of bank robbers who have their eyes set on the Federal Bank, while the elite unit of cops with unconventional police morals chase them around every turn. Genre: Action Director: Christian Gudegast Stars: Gerard Butler, 50 Cent, Pablo Schreiber, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Recommendation: Skip it. There is nothing new here.

 ·         Molly’s Game

Molly’s Game based on the true story of Molly Bloom who started a high stakes poker tournament for celebrities and the super-rich, but it didn’t take long for her to be noticed by the FBI. Genre: Drama Director: Aaron Sorkin Stars: Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner, Michael Cera, Rachel Skarsten, Joe Keery, Chris O'Dowd Recommendation: See it. Aaron Sorkin is a brilliant writer and it’ll be interesting how he handles his first directing gig. Also, Jessica Chastain is always a pleasure to watch on screen.

 ·         Phantom Thread

A well-known dressmaker, Reynolds Woodcock, has his life turned upside down by a young and beautiful woman who becomes his muse and his lover. Genre: Drama Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Manville, Vicky Krieps Recommendation: If you are a PTA fan than go and see it. The few things I have watched of his I haven’t been interested in and based on the trailer this could have the same affect on me. It is up for 6 Academy Awards, all the big ones included, i.e. Best Picture, Director, Actor so I am sure it is nothing to sneeze at.

 February 8

·         Fifty Shades Freed

The third and final instalment of the Fifty Shades’ franchise, we finally see the how Christian and Anastasia’s relationship ends up. Genre: Drama/Romance Director: James Foley Stars: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Kim Basinger, Eric Johnson, Recommendation: The only good thing I can say about Fifty Shades Freed is that it’s the last one. Skip it.

 ·         Insidious: The Last Key

In her own home this time, Dr Elise Rainier must face her most fearsome haunting yet. Genre: Horror Director: Adam Robitel Stars: Lin Shaye, Javier Botet, Caitlin Gerard, Spencer Locke Recommendation: I’m mixed on this. Some of my horror friends in the US have said it isn’t that great but the trailer seems to have creeped me out, just out of pure curiosity I’m going to see it.

 ·         Stronger

Jeff Bauman is a man who lost both his legs in the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013. This is his fight for survival. Genre: Biography/Drama Director: David Gordon Green Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany Recommendation: It looks like a movie about the perseverance of humanity and the strength to overcome the extreme odds to survive. Those movies are always good.

 ·         Tad the Lost Explorer and the Secret of King Midas

Tad Jones, who is a better explorer and adventurer in his mind than in reality, must rescue his love from a millionaire who is seeking King Midas’ treasure. Genre: Animation Director: Enrique Gato, Javier López Barreira, David Alonso Stars: Óscar Barberán, Michelle Jenner, Adriana Ugarte Recommendation: Skip it. It may please the youngsters, but it doesn’t seem like it will be one that the parents can sit though willingly and enjoy the movie.

 ·         The 15:17 to Paris

Three American soldiers discover and thwart a terrorist attack on a train to Paris. Genre: Historical Drama Director: Clint Eastwood Stars: Spencer Stone, Anthony Sadler, Alek Skarlatos, Judy Greer, Jenna Fischer Recommendation: I like Clint Eastwood’s style and choice of films to direct generally. This looks like a great story of heroism. See it.

  February 15

·         Black Panther

Marvel furthers than universe with the popular character who made his debut in Captain America: Civil War, Black Panther takes his place as King of Wakanda after his father died whilst two of his foes join forces to destroy him and his Kingdom. Genre: Action/Drama Director: Ryan Coogler Stars: Chadwick Boseman, Andy Serkis, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Angela Bassett, Forest Whitaker, Sterling K. Brown, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya Recommendation: It’s Marvel. Of course, you should see it!

 ·         Lady Bird

An angsty seventeen-year-old girl and her mother struggle with their relationship through her final year of high school, Genre: Drama/Comedy Director: Greta Gerwig Stars: Saoirse Ronan, Laurie Metcalf Recommendation: I love a good coming of age film. This particular one is nominated for several Academy Awards. The trailer is engaging and relatable and Laurie Metcalf is a fantastic actress, so I think it will be worth the price of admission.

  February 22

 ·         2:22

Synopsis from IMBD: A man's life is derailed when an ominous pattern of events repeats itself in exactly the same manner every day, ending at precisely 2:22 p.m. Genre: Thriller Director: Paul Currie Stars: Teresa Palmer, Michiel Huisman Recommendation: I’ve read the synopsis, watched the trailer and I still don’t know what it is about. And it isn’t something that has me wanting to solve the mystery of what’s meant to be happening. Skip it.

 ·         Game Night

When a group of friends meet for a regular game night, they find themselves entangled in a kidnapping that they need to solve, while still thinking it is all a game. Genre: Comedy Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein Stars: Rachel McAdams, Jason Bateman, Michael Cyril Creighton, Jesse Plemons, Kylie Bunbury, Lamorne Morris Recommendation: I’m not keen on a lot of Bateman films, but this one seems pretty decent. It doesn’t seem to be an over the top comedy that we have been exposed to lately but more of a subtle humour that appeals to me. See it.

 ·         Finding Your Feet

A woman’s proper life is upheaved when she discovers her husband is having an affair. Genre: Romance/Comedy Director: Richard Loncraine Stars: Imelda Staunton, Timothy Spall Recommendation: Brit comedies are the best. They have such heart mix with their humour that is much more real and relatable than the SNL style American comedies. This trailer was very fun. I want to see it.

 ·         The BBQ

Dazza gives his neighbours food poisoning from his barbequing and seeks to learn from the best, a tyrannic Scottish chef. Genre: Comedy Director: Stephen Amis Stars: Shane Jacobson, Magda Szubanski, Julia Zemiro, Manu Feildel Recommendation: I don’t think this is one that is going to win any awards but if you want a down to earth Aussie comedy I think it’ll serve you well.

 ·         Winchester

The Winchester house is famed for being haunted, or believed to be haunted by Sarah Winchester, the heiress to the firearm fortune. So, to confuse the spirits she had rooms added on, and on, and on to the mansion. Genre: Horror Director: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig Stars: Helen Mirren, Jason Clarke, Sarah Snook, Angus Sampson Recommendation: Helen Mirren in a horror film about the Winchester house!!! Hell yes!

 My picks for the month are Black Panther, Lady Bird and Winchester.

  -Terry

[ciegeinc]

Movie Review...Insidious 4 The Last Key

(1/5) At this point this franchise is grasping at straws to come up with a story to keep things going. I have not liked any of the film’s past the first one and I feel the same way about the latest.  They keep going deeper and deeper into the past only to show you one scene that connects the story to other films and then you have another hour and half of unnecessary story and not scary moments.  Its to the point where they are reusing things from the first film as if this was a reboot.  Just bad all around...booooo.  Brilliant parapsychologist Elise Rainier receives a disturbing phone call from a man who claims that his house is haunted. Even more disturbing is the address -- 413 Apple Tree Lane in Five Keys, N.M. -- the home where Elise grew up as a child. Accompanied by her two investigative partners, Rainier travels to Five Keys to confront and destroy her greatest fear -- the demon that she accidentally set free years earlier.