Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

My View:  Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones  (2014)  R  Jessie (Andre Jacobs) lives in an apartment, and a woman dies in the apartment below. Jessie and his friends think they heard what happened when the woman died and decide to search her now vacant apartment. In their investigation, they discover black magic items and mysterious VHS tapes. Later, Jessie finds a bite mark on his arm, and he soon learns that he has been marked for possession.  Unfortunately, this is another in a long line of "found footage" films, a plot device that has gotten old quickly, and this film brings nothing new to the genre.  The film isn't very scary, with most of the horror coming from very predictable scenes.  What is interesting is that this film is aimed at the Hispanic audience, with sections of dialogue in Spanish without subtitles.  But that novelty can't overcome the very basic plot in a horror film without much horror.  My Rating:  Cable  Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones Website

The 50 (A Movie from My Best/Worst Film of All Time) 
#3 Worst Film:  Leonard Part 6 (1987)  Leonard Parker (Bill Cosby), is a former CIA spy who is recruited by the government to track down an evil vegetarian who brainwashes animals to kill people in a plot to make everyone vegetarians.  This is a movie that even the PETA organization can’t stomach. He saves the world by using Alka-Seltzer (you have to see it to believe it, but don’t). Even though the film was created by, produced, and starred Bill Cosby, he told audiences to save their money and stay away from the film.  Leonard Part 6 Info

Forgotten Film:  Hollywood Shuffle  (1987)  R  Robert Townsend plays Bobby Taylor, an actor who is trying to make it in Hollywood without playing the stereotypical roles that the film world thinks he’s only qualified for.   The film is a light-hearted look at what plagued black actors for years in the film industry, that the only roles offered to them were for gangsters, pimps and “Eddie Murphy” type roles.  The film does an outstanding job of showing Townsend's struggle to be taken seriously as an actor.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Hollywood Shuffle Info

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I’ve Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea):  A Haunted House 2 (2014)  Once again, Marlon Wayans is in a “comedy” that will make fun of the latest horror films.  So, a bad movie will make fun of a bad movie.  What’s that old saying, two wrongs don’t make a right?  It works for this film, though.  A Haunted House 2 Website

In Case You Missed It (A Film Just Released on DVD / Blu-ray): Don Jon (2013)  R  This film is about a man (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who tries to give up his addiction to on-line porn when he starts dating the woman of his dreams (Scarlett Johansson).  I like this film but it has a number of porn scenes in the first fifteen minutes (a number of people left the theatre during my screening) that almost overwhelm you with nudity.  If you can get past the first part of the film, it becomes an enjoyable romantic comedy with stellar performances by Gorden-Levitt, Johansson and Julianne Moore.  My Rating:  Bargain Matinee  Don Jon Website

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones:  Latino Advisor

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You:  The Grand Budapest Hotel  (2014)  R  The latest from director Wes Anderson about the adventures of a concierge, played by Ralph Fiennes, who  works at a European hotel  between World War I and II.  The film is brilliantly cast, including Saoirse Ronan, Jude Law, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson, just to name a few.   The Grand Budapest Hotel Website

Until Next Time!