Unnerving Movies

by Kaylee

 

Nearly everyone goes through what I would call a Scary Movie Phase, and it might only happen once when you’re 15 or it might happen every year around Halloween time, but during this aforementioned phase you spend days and days talking/watching/breathing/living/reliving old classics like Alfred HItchcock's Psycho and the Birds and checking off your list of which Friday the 13th remakes you’ve seen and which ones you never want to see.

Scary movies are usually filled with gore and pop ups meant to make you jump; it really just depends on what you find “scary.” There are psychotic and elucid serial killers, ghost and demons imbedded in the foundation of old houses, aliens that will snatch you and your loved ones from your beds at night, but there’s a special type of scary movie that seems to be forgotten amidst the guts and gore - the believable and unnerving thriller. Mostly tales of home invasion, this breed of movie replaces axe-wielding crazies with quiet and sneaky everyday people. Innocent next door neighbors, the people who you wave to in the mornings and share a mailman with, are suddenly turned hostile, and that’s when things get real. And you thought you were safe in your home.

The Strangers (2008): This was the first really unnerving movie I ever saw. It scared me the most because of how quiet the whole thing is. It starts with a young couple who, after leaving a wedding reception, decide to spend some time in their isolated vacation house. A late night knock at the door begins a series of increasingly creepy events involving three masked strangers who just decide, “Hey, let’s go scare the crap out of whoever’s home,” and like a friend of mine said when I showed him the film, it scares you because “THAT COULD HAPPEN TO ME SO EASILY.”

 

Funny Games (1997): This movie was never intended to be a horror flick, but what was produced was one of the most unsettling films ever produced. Before watching it I heard countless tales of people leaving in the middle of the movie and vomiting, and it was even banned from several film festivals. It bothered me from beginning to end. The first shot is of a nice, civil-looking family - a man, woman, and little boy. They’re playing a game in which one of them plays a classical song and the other guesses the composer, and in the middle of them rolling through the idyllic countryside, they just cut it off in the middle with very loud and pretty terrifying screaming and drum pounding. Everything seems to be going well for the family until two boys who are friends with the neighbors come over and ask to borrow some eggs. And then they drop the eggs. And ask for more eggs. And things go wrong so quickly that it’s difficult to watch. The two boys seem so friendly until they’re not. The movie is shot in a way that makes it feel less like a movie and more like a terrible alternate reality all the way up until the end, and you’ll be left wondering why there is no justice for the innocent and anyone would ever make a movie like this. But it was good to the point that there was a shot-by-shot remake done in the late 2000s, so the director did something right.

 

In Their Skin (2012): I found this movie by accident one dark midnight, and I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but looking back on it, I’m glad I did. Some people consider this a knock-off of Funny Games, and as I watched it, I could tell why. Once again, a family of three (a husband, wife, and little boy) take some time off in their vacation home out in the woods after the death of their daughter. While things are awkward and uncomfortable in the first place, more complications arise when the neighbors (see the pattern here?) come over in the early morning to bring over a little firewood. This family also consists of a husband, a younger wife, and little boy, but they are less than socially adept. After an awkward dinner party filled with too many intrusive questions and creepy smiles from the neighbor’s wife, things get real fast, and the night unravels into a scene that had me on edge the entire time.

Requiem for a Dream (2000): This wasn’t originally going to be a part of my list, but as I thought about what movies scared me more than anything else, this came to mind. It’s not exactly a horror story about neighbors gone wild, but it gives you a front row seat to how addiction and drugs can lead you to do terrible, terrible things. It starts out harmless and slips out of control so quickly that you don’t notice how bad it’s gotten until the end. After you watch it once, you won’t want to again, but it’s worth being on edge for.

The Color Morale

by Sarah

 

Enter The Color Morale, an up and coming band that has been thrown into the genres of metalcore, post hardcore, and progressive rock by websites like sputnikmusic. However, their Facebook page describes them as simply a five piece post hardcore band from Rockford, Illinois. Contrary to the generic information given to suffice the fans that like to memorize every detail of a band’s history, the music is what truly speaks for them to prove that they have what it takes to stand next to the other accomplished bands that have paved the way before them.

With Garret Rapp delivering the lyrics with his voice of gems and wonderful screams, he does his job as frontman while supported by his ever-so-talented bandmates. Devin King and Aaron Saunders bring the guitar to life as they shred away; Justin Hieser ties the other instruments together with his talent on the bass, while drummer Steve Carey gives the band the beat to base themselves off of. These are the current members, but they have gone through their fair share of switching positions and substitutes throughout the years.

 

In 2009, The Color Morale released their first full album, We All Have Demons, which features songs such as “Hopes Anchor,” “Close Your Eyes & Look Away,” and “Resource : Recourse.” During the same year, they were signed to the well-known label, Rise Records. Since then, they’ve come out with two new albums, My Devil in Your Eyes in 2011 and their most recent album, Know Hope, in 2012.

They’re currently getting ready for a tour in the UK that’ll kick off February 25th and come to a close March 2nd. They’ll be performing with bands such as We Came as Romans, Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!, and Palm Reader. For those of you that could travel across the pond to see them, I envy you. However, if you’re like me, and that’s not a possibility for you even in your wildest dreams, they have been announced for the 2014 Warped Tour lineup. Warped Tour has locations all over the country, as opposed to a country quite a bit away. If you’d like to learn more about what it’s like to go to Warped, check out Kaylee’s article on what she says was the best day ever. You can find it here: http://trendmillentertainment.blogspot.com/2013/08/not-for-weak-of-heart.html

Hopefully upon listening, this band will color its way into your music taste.

Stuck in Love

by Sarah

 

"I remember that it hurt. Looking at her hurt." This was the first phrase to fly from anyone's lips in the underrated movie, Stuck in Love (2012). Directed and written by Josh Boone, the story follows a family that all have their own take on love. High schooler Rusty (Nat Wolff) crushes on this girl he refers to as an angel from afar in his English class; college girl Sam (Lily Collins) refuses to fall in love and would rather live without getting close to anyone; Bill, their father, (Greg Kinnear) holds tight into his promise to his ex-wife that he'd wait for her, a promise that was made before she ever left; Erica (Jennifer Connelly) is the mother that has lost touch with her daughter and isn't sure of the choice she made to leave.

While the film follows multiple characters in lives that intertwine like the well-known movie, He's Just Not That Into You, it's less of a cruddy chick flick that the middle-aged housewives swoon over and is instead realistic and has an actual plot with depth and character. Aside from that, for all the music lovers out there, Boone made sure to please the ears with the soundtrack that accompanies the well-thought-out movie.

The characters experience several twists of fate, good and bad, whether it be through the writing careers that 3/4 of the family members have or the developing relationships through the other people in their lives. Toward the beginning of the movie, Bill tells Rusty that writers are the sum of their experiences, so he advises him to get out more and truly live to help his creativity flow. He takes the advice, and his story follows the results of that decision. When Sam meets a fellow classmate and gets a book published at a young age, her life and viewpoints in life have the potential to change. Then, of course, the parents have their own issues: their own personal conflicts and the relationship between the two of them.

 

Personally, I’d award this movie a 4.5/5. There was very little I could find wrong with considering upon writing this it’s my third time watching and adoring the movie. I’m trying to pick out a flaw from the movie, but I literally. can’t. find. one. Because of this, I’d honestly give the movie the full five stars it deserves, but then most people would believe that I was exaggerating or that my taste is just mediocre because this movie isn’t a classic like The Godfather. Oh, the struggle.

Due to the R rating, I of course have to at least mention that it’s not necessarily meant for audiences younger than 17, but it’s truly not heavy in sexual activity, violence, or strong language, but it does include some. You have been forewarned.

Revisiting the personal opinion aspect of this article, I may be slightly biased with my love for the movie considering my desire to be a published fiction author and that’s exactly what a few of the characters accomplish. Plus, it involves numerous references to the ever-so-talented author, Stephen King, who is best known for his novels in the horror genre. You’ll see his books laying around, being held, discussed, and being treated by the precious gems that they are (except by Sam, who says that her “idiot brother” is the one who’s the fan). As someone who’s writing a seven page paper on the man for her English class, you could say that these things were considered huge bonuses to me.

If you want to experience a film that’s truthful, emotional, humorous, and laced with wonderful tunes, this movie is more than likely for you. I’m not going to promote just watching it for free instead of searching for a DVD that you’ll have to spend, ya know, actual money on, but… Hint hint, nudge nudge. Plus, it’s on Netflix instant que, so I don’t understand why you’re still on this site and not getting cozy in front of your laptop screen as the movie kicks on. Hm. Change that, then get back to me. Merry watching, folks.

Credit to photo and cast names: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2205697/?ref_=nv_sr_1&licb=0.8163524048868567

The Criminal Minds Effect

by Molly

Admit it. Try as we might to get away from Criminal Minds, we just can’t seem to get enough. We always end up running back to the show, which, for most of us, was our introduction to “grown-up” television. Yes, at one time or another, everybody has become enthralled by the nerdy, flamboyant Penelope Garcia (Kirsten Vangsness), the sheer sex appeal of Derek Morgan (Shemar Moore), or the boyish charm of Dr. Spencer Reid (Matthew Gray Gubler).

For many seasons now, Criminal Minds has appeared to be on its last leg, pulling stunts that less prominent, less successful shows would have to try in order to keep their viewership. Gone were the days, we thought, of touching back stories and witty one-liners. How wrong we were, though. This season, Criminal Minds is the best it has been since, I daresay, as far back as season three.

That’s the most frustrating part about this show. You could have one stellar season and then have three or more years of lackluster plotline before getting another good season! Somehow, though, while digging through the never-ending voids that are our DVRs, we always seem to come across Criminal Minds, and make time for it.

An outstanding core group of performers had lent itself to an even more outstanding initial plot. At first glance, it appeared NBC had hit the jackpot with this cast. Before taking the role as Aaron Hotchner, Thomas Gibson had lent his talents to the ABC sitcom, Dharma and Greg. AJ Cook starred in several movies before being cast as SSA Jennifer Jareau, one of the most prominent being The Virgin Suicides (1999). Matthew Gray Gubler had had a relatively successful career as a fashion model before being cast as Dr. Spencer Reid. As you can see, they were all relatively unknown before being cast as the characters that would define our generation.

One of the most intriguing things about this series is that the characters have very set responsibilities within the plot that are very seldom diverged from. Still, we hope for things to be different, and there is room in the plot for a small shake-up, for sure. No matter what we may say, we all yearn for an episode where, for once, Reid can be the hero and not the damsel in distress.

Among one of the most excited (and frustrating) things that occurs within this show is the shake-ups within its core cast. Obviously, switching out several main characters in the course of a season keeps the viewers on their toes, but continually pushing new people in and old ones out can confuse the viewership to a point. I realize that actors’ contracts expire and they move on to bigger and better things, but couldn’t the network spread the expiration dates out a bit so we don’t lose all of our favorites at the same time?

We all definitely have our own opinions and ideas as to why Criminal Minds continues to be as successful as it is. One thing is for sure, though. Criminal Minds has been the show we have loved to hate for nearly ten years running. And with any luck, it will be around for ten more.