DEV
The Night The Sun Came Up [2011]
3.5/5

I haven't been the worlds biggest Dev fan over the last year. Her collaboration with Fast East Movement on "Like A G6" was beyond annoying, and her stand alone singles 'Booty Bounce' and 'Bass Down Low' seemed to show that she was a one trick pony who sang to the same beat over and over. The only time she did anything that caught my interest was when she released 'Fireball' earlier this year, it was a great track which sadly didn't make the final cut for her album.

After hearing 'The Night The Sun Came Up', i was surprised at how much more varied her production choices were throughout the album. There's a trademark vibe to a lot of the songs which have become very particular to her music thanks to production from frequent collaborators, 'The Cataracts'. Songs like 'In My Trunk', and early single 'Bass Down Low' carry Dev's signature dirty electro beats which long time fans will no doubt love. Other songs like 'Breathe' and 'In The Dark' go down a more Euro-house route, which mixes up her dance tracks nicely.

The opening track, 'Getaway' is proof that Dev should go deeper into more trip hop type of music with the song starting as a piano ballad and then quickly changing into a slow pumping rap tune. Production wise, it's one of the most interesting tracks on the album, and works perfectly as the first song on the record because it shows the listener you'll be in for a few surprises.
'Take Her From You' uses a more rockier sound, complete with whistle hook, 'Lightspeed' is another euro dance heavy track that changes direction ever minute, keeping things fresh throughout the song, and 'Kiss My Lips' could have been handed to anyone from Rihanna or Britney and gone straight to #1 as the next big pop hit if it had a more high profile performer selling it.

Where the album starts to fall apart is with the ballads. None of them are particularly strong, but a couple of them are enjoyable enough. 'Me' is a charming little track and 'Perfect Match' has some nice production sprinkled through it. 'Dancing Shoes' was awful on first listen, it has grown on me more on repeat listens and i can play it, but i find it a bit too sickly sweet, especially for an album that can be very bass heavy at times. It should have been given to Taylor Swift. Another ballad that falls flat is the last track on the album, 'Shadows', it's not awful, but it doesn't really go anywhere and it's a bit dull.

As a debut album, there's enough to enjoy on 'Night'. I can appreciate that Dev has tried to actually offer an album full of different sounds rather than just singing 'G6' 12 times. She has an interesting sense of direction with some of her tracks and it shows she has real potential to take things further on future records. Outside of a couple tracks, there isn't anything overly amazing about the album, but it's a good introduction to Dev as an artist, it's an easy listen.

Kelly Rowland
Here I Am: Deluxe Edition [2011]
3.5/5

After years of one off singles, Kelly has finally taken the time to put together another solo album. Kelly found a lot of success outside of America when she jumped from r&b to dance music after being featured on songs with David Guetta and The Freemasons, but Kelly's newest album takes a surprising leap backwards to her old skool r&b days.
I've enjoyed a few of Kelly's dance songs over the last few years, but i'm glad 'Here I Am' is an r&b record. As much as i like the current sweep of dance music all over the world, it's refreshing to hear a straight up urban album that doesn't sound like everything else that's on radio atm. Not that the album offers any sort of grand production that we haven't heard before, it's all very generic, but as an r&b music fan, it's nice to hear this early 2000 sound back on the radio.

The album isn't completely dance free, it does feature the Guetta produced single , 'Commander' and another euro track, 'Down For Whatever'. The rest of the album is pretty much straight up r&b though. The best songs on the album are the faster ones. 'I'm Dat Chick' is an amazing way to open the record, and other tracks like 'Work It Man' and 'Turn It Up' are fun club bangers.
The album is also fantastically over-sexed, which may be eye rolling for some as being a cheap way to sell the record, but i always enjoy that sort of stuff, so it doesn't bother me.

Where the albums suffers a little is with the ballads. They aren't terrible, but most of them are boring and a bit too generic. The only two that stand out for me are, 'Feeling Me Right Now' and of course the sexy, 'Motivation', which reminds me a lot of an old skool 90's slow jam.

Another issue with the standard edition of the album is how short it is. After so many years since her last album, and after releasing so many one off singles, you'd think they'd have enough material to bulk up the record with more than just 10 songs??? The last 2 tracks on the record do stick out like a sore thumb since they aren't r&b, why not just add 2 or 4 more dance tracks to give the ending of the record a bigger euro dance finish?
The deluxe comes with a few decent bonus tracks that help fatten up the track listing, 'Each Other' is a hot mid-tempo club track, and the urban mix of 'Commander' is a nice bonus, however, with so many singles out there with her name attached to them, they could have easily given us a bit of what has been on offer from her over the years. She has a new single called, 'What A Feeling', which isn't on the record, even though it's all over radio outside of the U.S. It's a bit odd how all over the place she is atm with her music.

Minor gripes aside though, 'Here I Am' is a decent enough effort from Kelly, and certainly a big step up from her last record, 'Ms. Kelly' which was a really uninteresting and boring album. 'Here I Am' may not get any points for being unique, but it at least does generic well, and Kelly has a great voice.
Play Beyonce's '4' for some good slow r&b this year, play Kelly's new one for some good r&b club tracks.

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 [2011]
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ralph Fiennes, Emma Watson
Directed by: David Yates
4/5

Harry, Ron and Hermione continue their search to find and destroy the remaining Horcruxes that will once and for all put an end to the Dark Lord and his quest for immortality.

Finally, the Harry Potter series comes to an end. Last years 'Hallows, Part 1' was a slow burner. Some people thought it was a bit too heavy on the drama and not heavy enough on the action, i disagreed. Characters needed to be established before the big finale, and the struggle of trying to survive the Dark Lord's obsession with Harry's death was a burden that needed to be explored properly. Part 1 may have been lacking in the action department, but they well and truly made up for it with 'Hallows, Part 2'.

Essentially, 'Hallows 2' isn't really a part 2, it's more of a 1.5. The story set up was pretty much completed in part 1, and the bulk of part 2 is the final battle at Hogwart's where Harry finally has his big showdown with Voldemort. Event though there are a couple of big secrets revealed within the story in part 2, most of what we see on screen is wizard fighting and Harry rushing around to find and destroy the final Horcruxes.
The movie runs at a very fast pace. That's both good and bad. After the slow burning Part 1, the lighting speed of Part 2 was needed. Part 2 is the "pay off" movie that Part 1 teased at. At the same time though, i did feel that certain sections of the film were rushed through a little too quickly. The battles could have lasted a bit longer, and a key scene involving Snape's big reveal should have been fleshed out more. The running time for the film isn't as long as the HP films usually are either, so i'm not sure why an extra 10 minutes of story development wasn't added to the film to bulk it up a bit. This isn't a major issue though, and other aspects of the film make up for any short comings.

Where Part 2 succeeds is both in scale and emotion. The movie certainly feels epic, the danger of the battle is felt very strongly as the teachers of Hogwart's set up their protection barriers for the dark wizards oncoming assault. You really feel like Harry and the gang are desperately trying to remove Voldemort's immortality so they can have a chance at killing him. The urgency is tense.
Emotionally, it has the same strengths as the final book did. Harry's struggle feels like a burden as you watch him frantically crawl and run for dear life, and when he is faced with possible death, you can't help but get teary. The meeting between Harry and his dead loved ones was a beautiful way to lead into the start of his confrontation with Voldemort, i thought it was very moving.
Snape's final moments were perfectly done as well, his last breath as he looks into Harry's eyes was heartbreaking. Th following scene about Snape's true intentions makes it that much more depressing.

Even though there are strong parts of 'Hallows 2', it still didn't give me the PERFECT shot of brilliance i wanted from a closing film. It should have been longer, it should have tired me out, it felt like they could have pushed it a tiny bit further. Maybe it will feel more complete watching it as one big movie right after part 1?

Overall, they did a good enough job at finishing up the saga in a big way. It served up enough magic and drama to satisfy any Potter fan i'm sure. The series has been a lot of fun, and the last few films have really been what's kept me on board all these years waiting for the end. I can't wait to own all of the movies in one big mouth watering blu-ray box set!.

Beyonce
4 [Deluxe Edition]
3.5/5

Beyonce has always seemed like a bit of a dark horse to me when it came to being a serious contender in the pop music scene. A lot of her music is generic r&b/pop [i mean that in a nice way], but there's also been a slow growing need to go against the grain a little throughout her career.
On her first album, 'Dangerously In Love', it was a fairly standard affair as far as music production goes. R&b ballads and urban dance floor fillers were pretty much what the album was full of. Her second album, 'B'Day', showed a bit more musical experimentation, with a more old skool urban influence on the record, and a more organic use of instrumentation on the production of the music. Her 3rd album, 'I Am...Sasha Fierce', was an even bigger leap forward as far as bringing in different musical styles was concerned. Between more electronic urban beats and more simple guitar driven ballads, it was obvious Beyonce's palette of influences were broader than we were led to believe based on her earlier work.

Her 4th album, '4', is certainly her most interesting album to date. Not so much because i think it's her best, it's not [i give that title to her last album, 'Sasha']. But '4' marks an important time in her career, and that is reflected in the music on the album. This is the first record Beyonce has done without the guidance of her father, who has been her manager since her Destiny's Child days. With Beyonce asserting herself in her own career, comes a new found confidence and freedom to branch herself out even further as an artist.
After the huge success of 'Sasha', you'd think '4' would have been an obvious attempt to cash in on the success of that album and offer more of them same. To my surprise however, Beyonce has chosen to put together a much more sombre body of work this time around. Instead of jumping on the dance bandwagon that's filling mainstream radio right now, Beyonce has decided to go completely in the opposite direction and has created more of an old skool 90's r&b record with very little club bangers to go nuts over. In many ways it pays off, and in other ways it kinda fails.

The majority of the album is well produced. The ballads are nicely done for the most part. 'I Miss You' sounds like something Phil Collins could have sung back in the day, '1+1' takes obvious notes from Prince and features a gorgeous electric guitar solo and 'Dance For You' could easily fit on any sexy early 90's r&b slow jams album.
The more dance heavy tracks offer some nice moments too. 'End of Time' uses infectious drum beats, 'Countdown' has a catchy big band sound, and my favourite off the album, 'Run The World', features a hot tribal beat and aggressive vocals. I know a lot of people dislike that song, but i think it's fantastic, i love the 'Diplo' inspired production on the track. If 'M.I.A' did more commercial music, it would sound something like that.

Credit has to be given to Beyonce for not churning out an album that fits into the mold of what is popular right now. Don't get me wrong, most of the songs on '4' don't necessarily tread new ground. We've heard Beyonce do r&b music before, this isn't surprising to anyone. However, it's not a genre that's really selling right now though, especially with an album like '4' which consists of mostly slower tracks.
As a lead single, 'Run The World', wasn't an ideal choice either. The genre it borrows from is way too particular, and not something mainstream listeners are into. As much as i love it, i can see why so many people hated it.
Beyonce has my respect for doing an album she truly wanted to make, regardless of how unexpected it may be. She seems to be more focused on growing as an artist, rather than JUST selling records. It's refreshing to see after her last massive album.

Technically, there isn't anything really wrong with '4', however, it does have a few bumps along the way.
As nice as most of the songs are, the album can feel a bit dull as an overall listen. A couple more upbeat or heavier tracks wouldn't have hurt, especially ones along the lines of 'Run The World'. There's a bit of "meat" missing from the album. It all plods along a bit TOO comfortably at times, and i find that i really need to be in the right mood to listen to the album in full.
Also, the track listing order is a fucking mess. '1+1' is an awful way to start the record, it's just way too slow and feels more like a closing track than an opening one. Following that sort of slow opener with another 2 ballads really doesn't set up the album well. It's just too "sleepy". I shuffled around my track listing on my iTunes and found the album flows a lot better with the mid-tempo tracks and ballads mixed around more. The official track listing feels like i've started the album half way through the play list when i play track 1. It's just odd and it really kills the flow.

'4' is a decent album. It has a couple strong moments, and even though the rest of the album is nice enough, i don't feel like it reaches any truly great heights for me. There could have been a bit more of an energy in the music to liven it up a more, and some of the songs are a bit bland production wise. If i'm not in the mood for the album, it can be boring. I find that it works more when i listen to tracks individually than as a complete record. There's SOMETHING missing, it feels like it needs a bit of a "fun" injection. As a ballad heavy record though, it's enjoyable enough if you like that sort of thing.

Bridesmaids

Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne

Directed by: Paul Feig

4.5/5

Picked as her best friend's maid of honor, Annie looks to bluff her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals with an oddball group of bridesmaids.

I'll be honest, the first time i saw the trailer to this movie, i wasn't impressed, in fact, i thought it looked pretty awful and unfunny. Once the film got released though, in came the endless critical praise, and audience rave reviews. In fact, pretty much everyone i have bumped into since the films release has urged me to go see this movie. I was surprised by the reaction to the film, and decided to give it a chance.

I'm glad i did, because Bridemaids has become one of the most funniest movies i have ever seen. I was laughing non stop throughout the whole thing, that hasn't happened in a long time with a comedy, not to that extent.

What's great about Bridesmaids, is that it's written as an every day comedy. The characters are real and relatable, the situations could actually happen, and the general story actually has some genuine heart behind it.

The lead actress, Kristen Wiig, carries the movie perfectly. Not only is she hilarious with the comedy [her penis impersonation, lol!], but her character is layered and not 2 dimensional. At times you want to slap her, at other times you feel really bad for her, she puts in a fantastic performance. The other stand out in the cast is Rose Byrne. I'm used to seeing her do more serious roles, so it was a nice change to see her play something like this. The hateful chemistry relationship between Wiig and Byrne's characters is hilarious. The ''toast off''' they compete in at the brides engagement party is genius writing.

Thinking back on the film, i've lost count of how many great moments the movie had. From the pilled up plane sequence to the giant cookie attack, the funny moments were endless.

Another great thing about Bridesmaids, is that even the none comedic parts of the story are written well. Wiig's character finding new love is charming, and the crumbling of her sanity while at work or dealing with a bastard ex is depressing and realistic. The film has a lot more going for it under the surface than a lot of other "chic flicks", and for that, the movie opens itself up to a broader audience. This isn't a cliched movie just for women, it's not 'Bride Wars', it's much smarter than that and would appeal to pretty much everyone.

Forget any other comedies this year, the tired 'Hangover 2', the hit and miss 'Bad Teacher', they don't hold up well against something as fantastic as 'Bridesmaids'. It's become one of my favourite films ever, i can't wait to see it again.

X-Men: First Class
Starring: Michael Fassbender, James McAvoy, Rose Byrne
Directed by: Mathew Vaughn
4.5/5

In 1962, Charles Xavier starts up a school and later a team, for humans with super human abilities. Among them is Erik Lensher, his best friend.....and future archenemy.

There's a lot of story to get through in First Class, and although some people have said it felt a little rushed in parts, i personally thought it all flowed nicely and the pacing was surprisingly more fast paced than i expected.
The great thing about First Class is that as an origins film, it establishes the characters and relationships perfectly. There's a lot of links between all of the X movies that join it together to create a cohesive universe, and with so many characters involved in the X films, it could have been a messy delivery, but it all works well in First Class.
Director Mathew Vaughn has separated the more meaningful relationships away from the smaller ones to reconnect the dots to the previous films. The main storyline in FC is centred around Magneto and his revenge story on the man who killed his Mother during World War 2. That then opens up the doorway for the second storyline which serves more of a purpose to the previous X films, the relationship between Magneto and Xavier and how they helped each other to create the first class of X-Men mutants. There's also a smaller, yet still important 3rd storyline which revolves around the early friendship between Mystique and Xavier, and how Magneto later became her mentor and drew her away from Xavier's plans for the future. Although i would have liked to see more scenes establishing Xavier and Magneto's friendship further, there's still enough emotional pull within the story to make up for any minor short comings.

Casting wise, everyone delivered their roles on point. Jennifer Lawrence was great as a young Mystique, not only re-capturing Rebecca Romijn's natural sex appeal from the previous films, but also giving Mystique a layered story arc. Next to Magneto, she pushed the emotional aspect of the story the strongest. Her search for inner acceptance between Xavier, Beast and Magneto felt very genuine. For me, she's the most interesting character from the X films.
Nicholas Holt as Beast also did well with his role, especially with his mutation struggle being mirrored with Mystique's and January Jones was believably dangerous as Emma Frost.
Acting wise however, the film belonged to Michael Fassbender as Magneto. Not only was he threatening and powerful, but the amount of emotion he brought to the character opened up his performance 10 fold. It's not easy to make audiences feel a connection with a villain, but Michael's portrayal of struggle was one you couldn't help but stand by. He completely carried the film.

There's a return to quality with First Class that reminded me a lot of what made the first 2 X-Men films so fantastic. I personally still enjoyed X-Men 3, but it did have it's flaws and Bryan Singers absence as the director was felt. First Class brought back a bit more elegance to the franchise. The story was rich, the characters were well developed and you really connect with the universe on screen. There were also a few cameos in the film featuring actors from the previous movies that were really fun to see unexpectedly pop up during the movie, loved those.

Lady Gaga

Born This Way [2011]

4.5/5

Born This Way was always going to be a big transition album for Gaga. We already had 2 albums worth of the types of songs that have made her famous over the last 3 years, and as entertaining as those albums were, she needed to showcase herself more as an artist than a pop star with her latest record. Luckily, she seems to have fully understood this, and has pushed herself as hard as she could on her new album. There are only tiny glimmers of old skool Gaga on BTW, mostly on the tracks, 'Judas', and on the ballad, 'You and I'.
New genres are explored, new ways of using the full ability of her voice are showcased, and more depth has been added to her writing. It doesn't come off as trying too hard or contrived either, she really pulls off every new direction or idea on the album perfectly. She's obviously been waiting to spread her wings for a while.

1 // Marry The Night 4/5

Big and bold, the perfect way to open the album. The song opens as a piano ballad, but quickly turns into a heavy disco track. It sounds a lot like old skool Whitney Huston.

2 // Born This Way 3.5/5

I've learned to enjoy this over time, and even though it's one of the weaker songs on the album, i still think it made sense as the first single and it works within the context of the whole album. It's catchy.

3 // Government Hooker 5/5

The amount of time Gaga has been spending in Eastern Europe is very obvious on this track. It sounds like something out of grimy Euro sex club. Production wise, it's the coolest song on the album. If Marilyn Manson was doing pop music, it might sound a lot like this.

4 // Judas 3.5/5

It took me a while, but i've finally warmed to it. It's rating would be much higher had the melody and structure of the song not sounded like Bad Romance part 2, for that, it loses a bit of wow factor due to RedOne's lazy production. I do love the heavy tribal beat though, and since the album offers so much stronger material, i don't mind this as a filler track. I still think it shouldn't have been a single though.

5 // Americano 4/5

The most oddball moment on the album. It sounds like a pop song written for a Broadway production. It's very boisterous and silly, but also very catchy. I would have really fallen in love with it if the mariachi aspect of the music was even stronger.

6 // Hair 4/5

I need to be in the mood for it, but when i am, i think it's a lot of fun and the message behind it is sweet. The carefree vibe of the music reminds me of Cyndi Lauper.

7 // Scheisse 4/5

I don't seem to be as amazed by it as most other fans of the album are, but i still think it's a cool song. I love the faux German, i wish we heard more of it in the lyrics.

8 // Bloody Mary 5/5

I can't get enough of this song, i love the sweeping melody of the chorus and the creepy music during the verses. I'm not sure why, but it reminds me of ABBA.

9 // Black Jesus + Amen Fashion 5/5

The early 90's production on this track is perfect. It sounds like something that would be played all over runway shows in New York. It reminds me a lot of something Madonna would have done on her Erotica album.

10 // Bad Kids 4/5

I've noticed people tend to get turned off by the overly upbeat vibe of the chorus after they hear the much more aggressive verses. I think it works though, and the song has really grown on me over time. I kinda love it.

11 // Fashion For His Love 3/5

Cute song, but obvious filler. Another Whitney Huston 80's inspired track. I like it, it has a great upbeat vibe, but it's also forgettable.

12 // Highway Unicorn [Road To Love] 5/5

I can see why a lot of people don't like it, i admit, first time i heard it, i thought it was really messy, but i've grown to adore it and it's now one of my favourites on the album. It sounds exactly like the type of song you'd listen to driving on a highway, the beats have such a great thumping rock momentum to them, and the chorus is big and loud. Production wise, it's the most experimental track on the album. There's all sorts of crazy shit going on in this.

13 // Heavy Metal Lover 5/5
It's one of those songs you hear that you know everyone will love. The beat is dark and sexy, and i love the Daft Punk inspired bridge with the distorted vocals. Hot song.


14 // Electric Chapel 5/5

The 80's metal guitar intro to this is bad ass. If Alice Cooper did dance music, it would sound something like this. Can't wait to see this live.

15 // The Queen 2/5

I struggle with this song. The first half is a bit too cheesy sounding for my taste, like something Avril Lavigne rejected from her first album. The music transition halfway through however is really great. I love the slowed down tempo, and when the guitar comes strumming it, it sounds beautiful. I only wish the whole first half sounded like the second half.

16 // You and I 3.5/5

This reminds me a lot of a Motley Crue rock ballad meets Elton John. It's a great song, but one that is mostly enjoyed when i'm in the right mood for it.

17 // The Edge of Glory 5/5

It's so uplifting and beautifully produced. The chorus is massive and Gaga's vocals soar of the music so perfectly, it almost gives me goosebumps. There's such strong emotion behind the track, it's euphoric. One of the best songs she's ever done, and an amazing way to end the album.

There's some really great production scattered throughout BTW. The fusion of rock and dance music is mixed perfectly into some of the songs on the record. Gaga said the album was created around the idea of the album working in a live setting, and that's exactly what the album sounds like, a body of work waiting to explode properly on stage. That's probably why the production works so well, Gaga's strong side has always been her ability to take her music from album to stage and improve on it because of her ability as a live musician and performer. The stage gives her an opportunity to interpret her work in different ways.

With a "live setting" frame of mind being used to create the music, it's allowed the songs to have a much bigger sound, as well as letting her voice truly shine on many of the tracks.

With so much image marketing behind Gaga's product, it's easy to forget that she is first and foremost a singer and songwriter. Vocally her voice is fantastic on BTW, and writing wise, she has expanded the types of issues she covers in her songs when compared to her more superficial first 2 albums.

The albums themes aren't only heavily related to Gaga's personal life [Marry The Night, Edge of Glory], but they also address many world issues as well, ranging from the political [Government Hooker] to the social [Born This Way, Americano]. She doesn't do it in a boring preachy way either, even though the topics themselves are serious, they're all presented to us a with a trademark Gaga wink. Gaga wants us to have fun, not feel depressed.

The album isn't perfect, there are a few bumpy turns along the road. RedOne continues to showcase how tired his sound is becoming, especially on 'Judas', which is a decent enough song, but a step back as far as doing something new is concerned. He does much better on 'Hair', but still seems unable to let go of that stupid trademark sound effect he always has appearing in all his work. He only appears on the album a tiny bit though, so it's not a major issue.

A couple of the bonus tracks on the special edition also add little to the overall experience of the standard album. I do love one of them in particular [Black Jesus], but they aren't essential when it comes to looking at the album as a whole product. Aside from that though, there really isn't much else to fault on BTW.

Gaga hailed her new album as "the best album of the next decade", a ridiculous and over the top statement for sure, but after hearing the album countless times, there's no doubt BTW is a very strong record. A decade from now, who knows where the album will stand, but as of RIGHT now, Gaga is hitting pretty much every right note she can with the release of this record. By the time the BTW era is at an end, she will have no doubt proved she's here to stay for the long haul.

Insidious 2/5

Starring: Rose Byrne, Patrick Wilson

Directed by: James Wan

A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their son in a supernatural realm called The Further.

I held off torrenting this because it recieved a decent reception from critics. It's hard to come by horror movies that actually do well on a wider scale like that, so i thought it'd be worth my while to check this out on the big screen. Plus, the trailer was impressive. I wish it could have lived up to my expectations though based on the reviews i had read, sadly, it didn't.

Insidious stars off really well. Right from the opening credits, you feel like you're in for something creepy and interesting. The entire first half of the film is executed perfectly, with some nice slow pacing and a few genuinely creepy scares. I did jump a couple times, and i was loving the sense of dread growing throughout the story. Once the film starts heading into the second half of the story however, we lose all sense of tension and scares, and start watching a completely different movie all together.
The movie takes a dramatic turn, and goes from being a slow burning haunted house thriller, to an over the top demon fantasy adventure. At first i was surprised by the sudden switch in tone, but thought maybe the film would take more of a horror fantasy route, similar to Poltergeist [which is a great movie]. I certainly loved the introduction of the demon character, and seeing it appear behind people and in dreams was rather startling.
Sadly, an hints at Insidious being Poltergesit 2.0 were quickly washed away once we enter the realm of 'The Further'.

At that point in the movie, everything was an over the top mess. The story change wasn't the problem, i accepted the fact that we were heading in more of a fantasy direction, but the director seemed to lose any sense of what he was actually trying to do at this point and it all started feeling disjointed and uneven.
A whole group of new and unintentionally hilarious spirits were introduced into the story, and rather than being exciting or creepy, it was all just silly and almost like a horror parody. The spirits looked like extras from Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video, it was hard to take any of it seriously. The demon they perfectly presented as a ghastly figure in the first half of the film, all of a sudden became some sort of ridiculous cheesy movie monster, at one point it even sat at a sewing machine making clothes for string puppets [don't ask]. It was all over the place.

It was frusturating watching Insidious because it showed a lot of potential. There are some great things in the movie, but it all gets so muddled by the end, that i was laughing rather than feeling scared at anything i was seeing. The casting is good, and some of the creature design was nicely done, especially with the demon. Some of the creature design howeverwas just way too cheesy, and the movie didn't know what the hell it wanted to be. At one point we are even introduced to 2 ghost hunters, who for whatever reason were meant to provide some un-needed comic relief, it just didn't fit the tone of the movie at all.

If you want an entertaining horror fantasy that knows how to mix atmosphere with over the top visuals, watch Poltergeist. Insidious however is a wasted opportunity filled with great ideas that sadly don't know what direction to go in.

Thor [2011]

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Anthony Hopkins, Natalie Portman

Directed by: Kenneth Branagh

3.5/5

The powerful but arrogant warrior Thor is cast out of the fantastic ream of Asgard and sent to live amongst humans on Earth, where he soon becomes one of their finest defenders.

I knew very little about Thor going into this. I was aware of the character of course [being a comic reader myself], but i've never read anything from the Thor comic series. Similar to Hulk and Iron Man, Thor has never been something that looked all that interesting to me.

After seeing the movie though, i'm surprised to say that the origins of the character are actually very original and creative. Thor could have turned out to be a huge fucking mess if it wasn't done right. While watching it, i couldn't help but be reminded by bad 80's "fantasy/real world" cross over movies like He-Man and Beastmaster. Mixing such vastly different styles of worlds without being hokey or cheesy is a tricky thing, but they really pulled it off in this.

The world Thor comes from, Asgard, is beautifully created on screen. The mix of magic and technology that is littered throughout the architecture in Asgard would have been a designers wet dream. It can be a bit jarring when you first visit Asgard, simply because it's such an odd mixture of styles and colours, but overtime, you get used to it much more. There are other realms to be explored in their Universe [9 to be exact], but the only other none Earth one we see in this movie is an icy barren planet [can't remember the name], inhabited by giant blue skinned and red eyed creatures, that are the villains of the story. Their world was even more exciting to see, with it's eerie deserted, crumbling mountains and massive rampaging monsters. The villains in the story were very cool.

Casting wise, everyone did a great job. Chris Hemsworth completely embodied Thor, not only physically [drools], but he was also very charismatic and like able when he spoke, especially in the later parts of the film where his character loses the arrogance and becomes a true hero. Natalie Portman [who i love] looked like she may have ended up with a really boring part in this, but her character was surprisingly like able, funny, and complimented Thor nicely once the romance aspect of the story kicked in. She looked beautiful too.

Thor's brother, Loki, was played well by Tom Hiddleston. Even though he ends up being one of the "bad guys" of the story, there was till a sympathetic side to him that made his plight somewhat understandable, even if what he was doing was wrong. Anthony Hopkins was, well......Anthony Hopkins, strong presence, elegant, and believably loving between both of his sons.

The movie does feel like it could have been a little meatier. By that i mean, i wanted to see more of the worlds that we saw in the story. It all felt a bit too short [even though it wasn't running time wise]. I wanted more backstory about Asgard, about the icy race of giants that they waged war with, more of Thor and Jane's romance, ect. I just feel like it could have pushed itself a tiny bit further to be even more larger scale than it already was, more fleshed out. Mexico was the perfect setting for Earth once Thor arrives on our planet, but it was also the most boring of the 3 realms we see. More of the unique and interesting locations they visit would have made my personal experience with the movie a little more fun.

There was also an unanswered question about Loki which i would have liked to see explained. I can't get into that without spoiling a big secret though.

Overall, Thor was an entertaining origins story that feels like it needs to open up even more with a few more sequels. There was a lot of light humor in the script which worked really well against the more dramatic parts of the story, and the entire cast bounced off each other nicely.

It's certainly one of the more interesting super hero movies to be coming out this year, i look forward to seeing more of it down the line.

Scream 4 [2011]

Starring Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox, David Arquette

Directed by: Wes Craven

3.5/5

Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. Unfortunately, her home town appearance brings about the return of Ghostface, which puts her and the entire town in danger.

A Scream movie in 2011 has a lot working against it. The last time this franchise wrapped up, we were left with a slightly underwhelming finale, Scream 3. It wasn't a bad film, and it certainly tied up the series into a comfortable trilogy, but compared to the first 2 Scream films, it all felt a bit tired and messy. A new Scream also has a whole new generation of young horror fans to adapt to. The writers won't be able to play on the films of the 80's and 90's anymore because horror has changed a lot over the last decade, so adapting to a new audience while still remaining true to the old fans is important.

Luckily, Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson managed to pull their ideas together well enough to make a decent 4th entry in the series.

Imagine Scream 3 with all it's problems ironed out. That's exactly what Scream 4 is. Firstly, Scream 4 takes viewers BACK to Woodsboro, where the original murders took place. Scream 3 always felt a bit disconnected to me because it didn't take place around the same locations the first 2 films were set in. It was set in Hollywood, and although the setting made sense within the context of the story, it still felt a bit too far from where i liked seeing my characters. I appreciated the creators trying to keep it fresh by giving us something new, but Scream 4 really needed to bring things back to the beginning, and thankfully it does. Middle class suburbia is where things fit best for this series, and seeing Woodsboro again gave me happy fan butterflies in my stomach.

Character development was also a must in Scream 4. In Scream 3, Sidney was written well, but the rest of the cast had little else to do, and most of the side characters that were killed off were very boring. In Scream 4, i wasn't exactly jumping for joy with the new teenage cast, but i didn't enjoy seeing the characters i liked die either. Plus, bringing back the old cast was always going to win me over even if the newer characters failed. Luckily though, all the characters were well placed within the story.

It's always heartwarming seeing Sidney again. A lot of us grew up with her story, so seeing her all these years later much older [she has wrinkles!], was fun to watch. I also liked how much stronger she has developed as a person since Scream 3. She finally seems at ease with her life at the beginning of 4, which makes the return of Ghostface that much more uncomfortable to watch. She seems forever unable to escape her past, and at one point in the film, i thought maybe she should just finally die to bring peace to her and everyone else around her. Sidney doesn't represent death though, she represents survival, as fucked up as her life has been, she's managed to fight her way through it all and still remain standing. After all these years, even if you know her death would mean the end of all the bloodshed, you still hope she will come out alive.

Another great thing about Sidney in 4 is that she's developed a similar relationship with Ghostface that Jamie Lee Curtis's character developed with Michael Myers in Halloween. We've watched Sidney and Ghostface fight against each other for so long, that there's an odd familiarity in Sidney's eye when she faces against him now. She runs for her life, but she also seems almost comfortable with having him around. It's almost like she isn't exactly running for her life anymore, but running because she knows what to do next.

Gale Weathers had the second most interesting storyline in the movie. Washed up and bored with her life, it was hilarious seeing her try and find something to do when the murders start happening. I only wish she was around more in the second half of the film.

The rest of the cast did well, Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere were good, even though Hayden had really ugly and distracting hair. Anna Paquin and Kristen Bell also have a great cameo in the beginning of the film. David Arquette was typical Dewey, though i'd say this was Dewey at his most boring, and Adam Brody seemed completely pointless. Maybe he took the role because he was a fan and was desperate for a cameo? who knows, but it was useless.

The kills this time around have also been improved on. Deaths seem to have lost their more old skool drawn out style, and things happen a lot quicker, with focus on tension rather than cheap jump scares. Everything also seems at it's most bloodiest, there was a decent amount of gore [guts on the bed!].

Screams opening death scenes have become a trademark for the series, and although the opening does put a clever spin on things in the way that it's presented to the audience, the actual scene death scene itself is fairly standard.

Cultural references in Scream 4 are thrown in by the bucket load, with swipes at horror remakes and new survival rules being used all the time. The younger characters in this story are even more self aware than the teens from the last series were. The killer reveal at the end of the movie also gets a chance to make a nice social commentary on today's media obsessed youth culture and how fucked up we all are. Like the old films though, it never feels forced, in fact all of it rings very true and is relevant to the times.

Is Scream 4 as good as part 1 and 2???..........no, it's not, but it IS a worthy inclusion in the franchise, and a MAJOR step up from Scream 3. You need to look at 4 from a certain perspective, this is the 4th film in a slasher franchise, the fact that it turned out as good as it did, is in itself a major achievement. They clearly tried to create something decent with Scream 4, and even though it's not as fresh or brilliant as it was back in the day, it does resurrect an old story successfully while trying to put an entertaining spin on what is common in horror movies today.

I see little room for growth from this point forward though. I really cant see how much further they could take some of these characters in a 5th chapter. I did have my doubts about 4 turning out as good as it did though, so maybe Wes and Kevin will surprise me again and pull off another trilogy over the next decade. I guess time will tell. Until then though, this was a lot of fun.

Britney Spears
Femme Fatale: Deluxe Edition [2011]
4/5

I'll admit, this is the first Britney album i've heard that has taken me a good while to absorb. Her work is usually a lot more instant for me, and even though a lot of the album was great on first play, there was a good portion of it that i had to take my time with. Of course there's nothing wrong with that, getting to know a record over a period of time and slowly having songs unravel is a great way to discover an album, it was just an odd change of pace for me as a Britney fan.

1 > Till The World Ends 5/5

This is the best opener she's ever had. The song builds and builds into a beautifully vast dance song with a blistering euphoric chorus that blasts it's way right into your ear drums. I only wish it was longer, the chorus is so big, it should have been repeated at the end.

2 > Hold It Against Me 4/5
This took a while to really grow on me, and even though it feels slightly less than what it could have been for a lead single to a new album, i've come to really enjoy it.

3 > Inside Out 5/5
It's been years since Brit has released a slow track as a single, this song is the perfect opportunity to do so. This track isn't only the best song on the album, but one of the best songs of her entire career. The slow pumping bass line is really sexy, and the lyrics are cleverly written, they reference a couple lines from her old songs.

4 > I Wanna Go 4/5
I really liked the build up of bass line from the first chorus to the second chorus. I can't say it's one of my favourites, but it's nicely produced and i can see why people really love it.

5 > How I Roll 3/5
I really hated this when i first heard it, i was shocked that Bloodshy would produce such a tuneless mess. Over time it has grown on me though. When in the right mood, i can live with hearing it, but i do think it's the weakest song on the album. Don't take my word for it though, everyone seems to adore it.

6 > [Drop Dead] Beautiful 3.5/5
Britney's vocals on this sound great, i love the conviction behind her voice. An unknown rapper named, Sabi is featured on this, no idea why, her 20 second rap is pointless. Great outro though.

7 > Seal It With A Kiss 3.5/5
This could have easily come off Kylie's 'Aphrodite' album. It's a cute upbeat track with a hot dubstep dance break during the middle 8. Filler, but decent filler.

8 > Big Fat Bass 5/5
Will.i.Am's involvement in this seems to have really turned some people off this song. I can understand why, he has produced some awful dance music over the last couple years, but to his credit, he has given us a few decent ones as well. Personally, i think this is one of the strongest songs on the album. I love the mix of the piano melody with the dance beat.

9 > Trouble For Me 4.5/5
Best pre-chorus on the album? i think so!. The beat in this is amazing.

10 > Trip To Your Heart 5/5
It's like Heaven On Earth 2.0, except about 1o times better. The dreamy Ibiza production on the song is gorgeous, and the repetitive beat is really catchy. The way the beat stops and then kicks in again during the middle 8 is perfection, that's the best part of the entire album.

11 > Gasoline 4/5
It took a while to grow on me, but i really enjoy it now. It's got a hot beat and i love the music breakdown during the bridge.

12 > Criminal 4/5
One of the most unique tracks she's sung. The guitar with Britney's melodic vocals sounds great, her voice also seems a bit less processed on this song. It's nice to hear her actually sing.

13 > Up 'n' Down' 3.5/5
Another Kylie-esque dance track, the chorus can be a little annoying, but it's nicely produced overall.

14 > He About To Lose Me 4/5
Criminal is certainly the best choice as the main albums mid tempo ballad, but this track is just as good quality wise. Great mellow summer beach song.

15 > Selfish 5/5

One of the best bonus tracks she's ever had, and my second favourite song from the album. The hook in this is insanely catchy and the beat is really sexy. It should have been on the album.

16 > Don't Keep Me Wating 3/5

As a stand alone song, i like it. As a song on this album though, it doesn't make any sense. The entire album is electronic/dance, and then this track randomly pops up as a pop rock Kelly Clarkson reject. Surely she could have added something that suited the rest of the tracklisting a little better?. Oh well, i guess i can't deny she's pretty versatile genre wise.

How does Femme Fatale fair against her other albums? well essentially Femme Fatale is Circus 2.0, except a lot more slicker and less dated sounding. There have been some reviewers comparing Femme to Blackout, but i really don't understand why. They aren't similar at all in style or tone outside of some very minor similarities. Fatale shares more of the bubblier pop qualities of Circus than it does with the much darker and sexier Blackout.
I think Fatale completes Britney's essential album trilogy along with Blackout and In The Zone. Which one comes in at #1 changes depending on my mood, so for now i'll just say they're all her best albums for different reasons, with Femme Fatale having the slightly more appealing complete package between the 3 of them.

Fatale is great because it mixes Britney's usual sound with some really fresh production. Every song [even the weaker ones] all focus in on strong hooks and a familiar vibe that binds the tracklisting together making it her most cohesive album since Blackout. Every song makes sense, and it's less muddled with too many styles [like Circus]. It doesn't feel like a compilation, but a proper body of work with a beginning and an end.

Jessie J

Who You Are [2011]

3.5/5

Jessie has been building her profile for a good year now with YouTube videos and writing credits [she wrote Party In The U.S.A for Miley]. It was a smart move because she got to really showcase her vocal ability and create a good reputation for herself before launching herself into the music scene. Her debut album offers a mixed bag, some of it great, some of it not so great, but there's a lot of potential and versatility that shows she can pull out something incredible if she does it right.

The main problem with Who We Are is that it suffers from way too much dull filler. There's no denying that the vocal ability from Jessie is impressive, in fact, she's got the best voice i've heard in years, but it can get lost in hook-less ballad production. There are a couple of nice slower tracks on the album, like Big White Room, which may be a little over long, but it's got a nice quiet flow to it, and the addition of the live audience give it a bit of extra life. The albums only true high point when it comes to ballads however is the title track. It's a gorgeous song that builds and builds into a beautiful melody and really showcases Jessie's vocals. These are the only two ballads that do anything for me, the rest just aren't catchy enough, and are bogged down with messages about being yourself and staying strong [Stand Up] , which is great and all, but it only adds more to the already pedestrian production. There's no LIFE in them.

When the album does get good though, it gets VERY good. Her debut single 'Do It Like A Dude' is the best track on the album, Jessie can bring a lot of attitude to her music and it fits in perfectly with this song. Her second single, 'Price Tag', is a lot more upbeat, but has a great hook and is a nice intro to the rest of the album. 'Nobody's Perfect' reminds me a lot of American r&b, something that Mary J. Blige or Keiysha Cole would sing. So do other upbeat tracks like, 'Rainbow', 'Who's Laughing Now' and 'Abracadabra'. Those are the types of songs she shines the most on.

She even goes a little old skool Motown on 'Momma Knows Best', which has a very similar vibe to her track that was featured on the Easy A soundtrack, 'Sexy Silk'. A bit more of this sort of type of style would have elevated the album a lot more in my opinion.

As a debut effort, there's a lot to like on Who We Are. There are some boring ballads, a bit of outdated production and a lack of attitude that brings it down a few points, but the good out weights the bad, and there's more than enough on the album to enjoy. I don't think it's a blistering debut, but it's a nice introduction.

Burlesque [2010]

Starring: Christina Aguilera, Cher

Directed by: Steve Antin

2.5/5

A small town girl runs away to L.A and finds a job as a dancer in a run down burlesque club.

We've seen this story 100 times before, and Burlesque doesn't really offer a new spin on this over used "small town girl in the big bad city" type of movie. It does however attempt to give audiences something a little more meaty as far as acting goes, and even though it doesn't really cross any overly impressive lines in that respect, it's nice to see that they at least tried.

The first 30 minutes of this film was almost unbearable, with every cliche under the sun being thrown at us at a very fast pace. There are some unintentional laugh out loud moments where Christina's character prances through the streets practicing her new dance moves, or whipping her hair stupidly while serving customers as a bar waitress. It makes you wonder how the director wasn't laughing at it while cutting the film together, it's cringe central.

The film does pick up a little after the half way mark though, and even though the story stays as obvious as it was from the beginning, it at least started to hold my attention a little more. Sadly, it never managed to really take me anywhere i hadn't been before.

Even the dance numbers offer a mixed bag, with some of the performances being really dull, to others being well choreographed and fun. There are a couple of good songs performed also.

For her first movie role, Christina actually does pretty decent with the type of role that was given to her. She shows real potential as an actress, and even though she does fall into the trap of giving some crappy lines, that isn't really her fault, it's the script writers. Cher was good, and even though her face is stiff as a board, she does look great for her age [she's in her 60's]. Stanly Tucci has great chemistry with Cher, but his need to play gay in nearly every movie he does is really starting to get annoying. Does this guy not get sick and tired of playing the same role over and over?. Outside of those 3 actors, the rest were fairly average. Kristen Bell was boring as the bitchy rival dancer, Eric Dane looked good, but had little to do, and although Cam Gigandet is good looking, his endless pouting and shirtless posing became cringe worthy and tiresome.

I knew exactly what i was in for going into this, so i can't say i was all that disappointed by it. I do feel however, that the movie wasn't written well enough to be truly good [like Chicago], or retarded enough to be entertainingly shit [like Coyote Ugly], so what you get is a fairly "in the middle" average movie that just doesn't really do anything except boringly run it's obvious course while offering a couple nice moments here and there.

It's watchable enough, but you'll forget it soon after.

Black Swan [2010]

Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis

Directed by: Darren Aronofsky

4/5

A ballet dancer wins the lead in 'Swan Lake'. She is perfect as the delicate White Swan, but slowly starts to lose her mind when she tries to embody the dark Black Swan.

It's hard to describe Black Swan to people. It's part thriller, part fantasy horror, part ballet drama, it offers a mixed bag of genres and styles that aren't easy to explain in just one word. Black Swan is all about the experience, it's a movie that tugs on your senses and forces you to feel what is happening on screen in front of you. That's where the movie is at it's strongest, when it feels more like a personal diary rather than an actual movie.

Darren Aronofsky completely lets us absorb ourselves into Nina's [Natalie Portman] world. I don't think there were that many shots in the film that didn't focus on Natalie, whether it was her face, or body or her visions. The camera comes in real close, every eye brow twitch and focused stare from Natalie is inescapable. In a way, it's almost claustrophobic, but it's needed to really get us right into Nina's mind, too experience the story from her eyes.

That sort of approach to telling the story allows Darren to pull off some really great direction. The ballet segments are beautifully shot, the opening scene being the main highlight of those shots for me. Nina's slow descent into madness offered a much darker 'blink and you'll miss it' type of editing that really toys with your mind and puts you on the exact same roller coaster ride Nina is on. Did she just see what she saw? or was it just a trick of her eye?........you actually do have to focus in on a few scenes to pick up on the subtle images that scattered throughout some of the scenes. The scene involving Nina venturing into a night club is probably the best way Darren showcased this, with the dance floor soaked in red lighting, and flashes of Nina dancing frantically hidden amongst shots of the Black Swan's face making an appearance within the crowd. You'll see certain things for half a second before you realize what is actually going on in front of you, it's very effective.

Obviously the films next big strong point is Natalie Portman's portrayal as Nina. She was fantastic in the role, not only is she beautiful, but as an actress, she's always had a very strong access to her emotions, and that ability was put into good use in Black Swan. From her uptight innocent beginnings in the film to her out of control, emotionally broken ending final act, Natalie eats it up from start to finish. It's not only her emotional side as Nina that was impressive to see, but the role also asks a lot of her sexually. From her graphic, but awkwardly hilarious masturbation scene, to her aggressive, but very sexy lesbian scene with Mila Kunis, you haven't really seen Natalie be as open as this before.

If the acting itself wasn't impressive enough, her dedication to the role is most obvious when you watch her dance. An entire year was set aside for Natalie to train in ballet for the role, and she pulls it off perfectly. As an entire package, the role was incredibly demanding, and it's amazing to see her pull it off so effortlessly.

The remaining cast in Black Swan do a great job also, Mila Kunis was perfect in her role as Nina's hot rival, she also did well in giving the movie a more relaxed vibe since so much of the film is focused around Nina's incredibly stiff and serious personality. Vincent Cassell was also cast well in this, his character gives the movie a few needed moments of light comedy, and even though his character can be seen an somewhat inappropriate, he's also very like able.

Black Swan is much more than what the movie trailer for the film makes it out to be. It's a fascinating look into the mind of not only peoples obsession with perfection, but also how much mental instability can affect us if we can't grab a hold of ourselves. Essentially, Black Swan is a 2 hour hallucinatory journey into the mind of a very unwell young woman, while she tries to not only grow up, but also follow her dreams. The movie will really pull you in and shake you up, it stays with you.

The Greatest Films of ALL TIME! #19

Hellraiser [1987]
Hellbound: Hellraiser II [1988]
Starring: Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman
Directed by: Clive Barker

"What's your pleasure?"

I'm going to do a write up on both Hellraiser 1 and 2, because essentially what we are given is one big movie cut into two chapters. Yes, one could be better than the other when it comes to certain aspects, but essentially, i like them both equally, and feel both movies should be watched one after the other as double feature.

Hellraiser 1 & 2 follows the story of Frank, a man who purchases a strange puzzle box from a street dealer in North Africa. He takes the box back to his home in the U.S. and eventually solves the puzzle. Unfortunately for him, the solving comes at a price, and Frank is immediatly ripped to shreds by chains and falls victim to a group of demonic Gods called, Cenobites, who take his body and soul to another realm, leaving Franks house abandoned.

Soon after these events, Franks brother, his wife, Julia, and their daughter, Kristy, move into

Franks home assuming Frank is still away on his North African trip. Eventually, Franks presence in the hell realm is awoken as he breaks free from his demonic prison, and uses his brothers wife, Julia, to feed him human victims so he can rebuild his body within the physical world once again.

Eventually, Julia, the young daughter, discovers what is happening in their home, and before Frank can use her body to build his strength back, she escapes with the puzzle box in hand. As Julia learns the secrets of the puzzle box, she becomes aquainted with the demonic Cenobites, who offer her a trade: they'll spare her life, if she can give them Franks back. As Julia sets out to put a stop to her flesh hungry Uncle's rampage, she'll soon learn that her mission won't be short lived, or as finished as it may seem once she reaches the end of her journey.

That's as far as i'll go in explaining the basic storyline of Hellraiser. That pretty much covers the first films synopsis, if i go any further, i'll be giving too much away.

Both Hellraiser films are heavily connected with the same characters from movie 1 being crossed over to movie 2. The storyline is also an exact continuation from part 1. There are a few different qualities each film has that help seperate themelves from each other though.

Hellraiser 1 is a much more contained film. Most of the events that occur in the film take place within the confindes of a house, we see little of the outside world, and the horror of what happens to the characters feels almost claustraphobic. In Hellraiser 2, the story breaks free from those sorts of contraints, and really broadens it's horizons. We aren't being held prisoner in a dark house anymore. Not only is the human world expanded on, but so is the Hellraiser universe. We get to see a lot more of what the magic puzzle box is capable of.

Another big change in tone between both films is the different presence of a male and female villain. In movie 1, we see the Hellraiser experience from a male perspective, in part 2, we see it from a females. This doesn't put a major change in how the story is told, essentially both villains aim for the same outcome, but it's interesting seeing how both genders react to powers of the puzzle box.

Although some of the flashier computer visuals in Hellraiser 2 have dated a little, it still holds up enough without ruining the asthetics of the film. Where Hellraiser really shine visually however is in movie 1, mostly around the scene where the main villain comes back to life via a puddle of blood and guts. For a film pushing 30 years old, it's still impressive to see how they went about pulling off his ressurrection so effectivly, especially since it's all done CGI free.

What i love about Hellraiser 1 and 2 is that it doesn't soley depend on horror imagery or gore to sell itself. It actually has an interesting and dark story with a rich histroy behind it. We are also given unique and likeable demon characters with Pinhead and the rest of the Cenobites as well. You'll find yourself rooting for the wrong team every so often just because the Cenobites are so cool.

I'm also a big fan of horror fantasy, and Hellraiser 2 really brings that side of the story out with giving the viewer a first hand look at the weird and trippy world within the puzzle box. The flow between both films from the darker smaller introduction of Hellraiser 1 to the more explosive and exciting colourful finale of Hellraiser 2 is a lot of fun to watch.

There have been a lot of sequels within the Hellraiser franchise, some are better than others, but none really have the quality of the first 2 films. Also, you don't need to see the rest of the series to enjoy the first 2 movies, they work perfectly enough as a pair with a contained 2 part story.

Hellraiser 1 and 2 are great for horrors fans because it offers enough gore to satisfy what horror fans are after, while still being original and interesting enough for none horror fans who want a bit more meat with their storylines.