Carrie

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While living in his trailer, a very young author Stephen King started writing "Carrie" for Cavalier Magazine. After writing three pages, he thew it in the garbage but was later pressured by his wife Tabitha to finish it. King, an English teacher at the time shaped the story from two girls he knew from high school and grade school. After successful profiting from the successful novel, King quit teaching and moved full time to being an author.
    
Only two years later in 1976, a film adaption was made and directed by Brian De Palma. A classic film for it's time, it made every actor in the film to what they are today and as the saying goes "The movie made the book and the book made Stephen King". You can also say that after the Carrie movie it was the norm to make as many as possible film adaptions of Stephen King novels.

Now in 2013, there is a Carrie remake. Actually, you could say it's the second remake of this story with a 2002 tv film being the first remake but no one really saw it. To me, remakes are always a mixed bag. It's puts an older story into the present world while putting new actors in. But usually there is a question of why do need a new story of one we have seen once before and it usually shows that the director does not a have creative bones. If a remake like this goes bad, it's a waste and just a bad film to usually good story or in the rare case sometimes, a bad film to a poor story (Prom Night).

Following the same story as original and using similar dialogue, Carrie is about Carrie White (Chloe Grace Moretz) who is an awkward teen who does not fit in well at high school. After a tampon incident in the girls locker room, Carrie learns that she has telekinetic powers that changes her life dramatically.  This is a story of horror, teen life and culture.

Carrie is a movie and more important than most remakes, where the cast is important. The story works and revolves around characters more than the other elements of the film. Chloe Grace Moretz has been around since even before 2010 with small parts but then found herself cast in larger movies like "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" and "Kick-Ass". She is a child actor that really has had a lot of variety to her career. Being pretty as she is, it's very hard to envision Moretz ever being an outcast in school but it's a flaw that is overshadowed by a powerful performance where she really runs with this character.

To anyone that's been through it, we know that the high school experience sometimes is not a positive one. While trying to do all the schoolwork, you have to try to fit into the cliques and the popular groups of the school. While Carrie White deals with that, she also deals with a crazy mother played by Julianne Moore.  Unfortunately, we are given no background as to how she had Carrie along with a very confusing first scene of Carrie's birth. This character is very unsettling and awkward and you want her out of every scene though that's exactly what the character purpose is and why she is there. When we will look at Moore's career down the road, this no doubt this will be one of her most different and unique roles while being still very much a positive one in this movie.

As mentioned earlier, this is a different type of remake with a really good cast and the prom scene is also very important different due to how it unfolds and it's importance to the plot and the close of the movie. There are some negatives with bad digital blood and a dated 70's feel but the prom scene does what it needs to do. It definitely shows another side to Carrie and is the big and spectacular action scene as it should be and it is very much out there.

In the long run, Carrie has a lot of  messages. A teen who in the end finds herself even though it's not a positive experience. A teen who's living with a difficult mother who never really resolves the issues with her. It is also about what really high school is and kid's manners and how they relate to each other. As with the original, there may not be a main overall message but this movie is still very powerful.

While a good movie, its is still really unnecessary. I don't think it is something that there is a big audience for and there are still much better horror movies out there in 2013. Like the 2011 movie Fright Night even with it's flaws, Carrie is a positive remake that pays homage to the original as well as bringing a good new and fresh light to this story.

3.5/5    
      

Hugo

I read the book Hugo in the 5th grade I think but it is only a vague memory. The film adaption is is a different type of kids movie. It is a masterpiece film that does everything the right way and works on every level.

The main setting is in a train station in the middle of Paris in 1931. The plot follows the book storyline of how an orphan named Hugo Cabret (Asa Butterfield) finds a key and a secret that dates back to his dead parents. The key and secret will change his life and history forever.

The film is directed by Martin Scorsese. He brings the film into the light by making it more of a family film than you might think. He makes Paris of the 1930's really stand out. CGI works in the backgrounds even though it's does not really seem like a heavy CGI film.

The film has some good performances. Asa Butterfield is a rather new actor who hasn't been in many movies and delivers a fine performance that should help his career. Chloe Grace Mortez is another lead who's really in her prime now and is also good. The supporting cast of well known actors from Jude Law, Ben Kingsley and Sacha Baron Cohen all do their usual solid work.

This film kind of got overlooked because I don't think this movie had a big target audience nor do I think many people remembered the book that well. I also think many people will regard it as only a kids film which it's not. Obviously, Martin Scorsese has done wonderful work in his career but to me, this is one of his most magical and powerful films. Hugo is a film that I wished more people cared about.

5/5

Let me In

Let Me In is a 2010 remake of the 2008 Swedish horror film Let the Right One in which was based off a 2004 book. I was opposed to this remake as Let the Right One in is in my opinion one of the greatest horror films of all time. It is a film that got me more into the horror genre and was a surprise for what it was. I really doubted that a remake could be anywhere near as good as the original. Well the remake Let Me In is in many ways very similar to Let the Right One in. It's kind of an uncanny picture that comes out a winner even though it shouldn't have.

Now set in 1983 in New Mexico, outcast and shy Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) learns that new neighbor Abby (Chloe Grace Moretz) is a vampire along with her father (Richard Jenkins). Through it all, love develops with consequences slowly appearing.

What really made the original so good is the young actors, Kare Hedebrant and Lina Leandersson. They were creepy, intelligent and fun to watch as a duo. Smit - Mcphee and Moretz, are not even close to the same level but still not bad. This duo has really decent chemistry that make this film move with vampires that are not typical and both really make this film as you would have hoped.

As with the original, this works as a dark piece. You get people burning, gore and a love story. A piece that feels typical but at the same, it goes against the grain and is a little different. It has an ending that is the same as the original which is ok but there are some holes with characters seeming to get around too easily and disappearing.

Being an 80's movie fan, I appreciate the idea of putting this in that decade and it is done just all right. There is period music, style and images but the time frame is still not related to the main theme of the film which it probably should be.

Let Me In is obviously different from the original and far from a flawless film, but still it is an-above average film. Who knows what the future holds but this one of my favorite remakes for now.

4/5

My most anticipated films of 2013

Every year, there are films that will stand out. Memorable films that are exciting, may add something to a series or whatever. Here are films scheduled to be released in 2013 that I am most looking forward to.

 

I really enjoyed the Kick-Ass movie. I see that Kick-Ass 2 is returning most of the great cast from the original. Kick-Ass 2 also adds Jim Carrey so anything can happen and I am looking forward to it.

 

After a brief absence of mob films, we get a new one, Gangster Squad in January. It's got a big and impressive case led by Ryan Gosling and looks to have some potential.

Being a fan of the original, I am really looking forward to this remake of Carrie. It will be interesting to see how Chloe Grace Moretz does in the lead.

Producer M. Night Shyamalan will hopefully get back on track with After Earth after some very rough and subpar movies in recent years. It will be also interesting to see Hayden Smith again.

Monsters University is another film that I am interested because what came before. Like the first one, this looks to have a great plot and animation.

Oblivion might only be remembered for Tom Cruise getting dumped while on set by his wife, Katie Holmes but who knows.

Dark Skies feels like an old fashioned film with children in some type of horror plot. This one could go either way and I am interested in how it turns out.

                                                                             

                                                                                                 

Oz appears to be loosely based on the classic Wizard of Oz movie. I want it to be great and or else because I wouldn't see a point of it if not.

 

Thor returns for Part 2 and Iron Man for Part 3. Both should be interesting after the original movies and also their parts in the recent Avengers movie.

Into Darkness is the new Star Trek movie and I loved most of the other Star Trek movies including the 2009 version. It should fun to watch and see where this series is going.


Obviously 2013 will have it's share of good and bad films but these are the ones I am most looking forward to.