If only Oculus wasn't a horror film.
I'm serious. Imagine this being a psychological study on how a failing marriage, a divided home, all the emotional trauma caused by the falling apart of one's life can manifest in a child's brain as actual horror. Imagine all the gore and the shock being metaphorical. Imagine the brother was right, and this movie was really about the sister's repression of the truth, portrayed through the medium of a more or less classic…
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
This is like "Dystopia 101", dumbed down for a young teen audience. If you can accept the fact that you will not get something deeper than glossy life lessons that would not be out of place on candy wrappers and bottle caps, it is actually a somewhat pleasurable movie.
Both the young lead and Jeff Bridges do a fine job here, even Katie Holmes is not too bad (she very much succeeds at playing the bitch you're supposed to hate).…
Here's the thing that bothers me: The "Expendables" franchise always had its niche: watch slightly too old actors in slightly too over-the-top action scenes. Of course, that in itself might not be considered worthwile by a lot of people - but now, as Stallone and friends have voluntarily abandoned their own justification for existing (by bringing in a "next generation" of young, bland faces that no one cares for), all that remains is just another sub-par action flick.
By going…
First of all, the movie knows what it is and what it wants to accomplish, and then goes ahead and does it, which I found to be very refreshing.
On the other hand, it is pretty short on both dialogue and emotions, but even in periods of lesser suspense (there are a few that drag on a tad), the movie is at least beautifully shot - especially considering the budget.
The question I've considered more and more lately, and which…
