DARK SKIES

Blumhouse Production

Directed by: Scott Stewart

Starring by: Kerri Russel, Josh Hamilton, Dakota Goyo, Kaddan Rocket

Loosing up a work could be difficult for everyone, especially for a husband who had a family to feed up, and that’s what happened to Barret’s family. Believe me, I know what it feels. The husband, Daniel, had no work for the last three months and it put a lot of strain on his relationship with Lacy, his spouse. That’s why the elder son, Jesse, always tell the story about sandman to his little brother, Sammy, every night so they shouldn’t have to listen the fight of their parent.

It turns out that the sandman story becoming real when Lacy found out weird thing inside the house like food stern across the kitchen floor, the missing vegetable from the fridge, and missing photo from the frames. They set up the alarm to detect and one night its scream aloud to warn the Barret, but they found out that the system was broke down because the sensor on nine spot was trespassed at the same time, which impossible to do by natural cause.

The awkward get high when Lacy and Daniel stuck up in a lost time. Lacy loss almost six hours when she thinks that she was companied a couple of client to look at the house, and Daniel loss three hours when he got up at night and walked out of the house unconsciously. If Lacy had a brushes on her forehead, Daniel had a nose-bleed. Until Lacy caught a strange figure standing on Sammy’s bed and when she turn on the light the room is empty and her little son was out already in the front yard.

Gather all strange events that occurred Lacy searching on internet to find the answer, and it makes me pleased when alien become the cause. It’s not ghost or supernatural power but alien. This movie becomes refresher for me…a sci-fi horror and as you can predict, it make the rest minute more exciting when I watched it.

I won’t tell about the ending because it wouldn’t surprise you, but I knew the end of the story when I heard Jesse says to Sammy, when he told him about the sandman, that his little brother had not to be worry because the sandman will come to him first. Dark Skies has a marvelous scene, the scene that I liked most, at massive dead of a bird that flew to the house, but the funny thing is when wildlife official who invited by Barret to check the birds says that she will do some autopsy on them.

I think autopsy only performed on human, but for animal? I don’t know the term but I don’t think autopsy is the right word. Other thing I found as a missing logic is the battery on Lacy’s I-phone. If she said that she loss 6 hours of her time on that day, so it probably a half left or almost empty.

I love the implicit message in this film, no matter hard the situation for the family members when they’re facing trouble that comes from external cause they should stick each other…care each other… watch each other so they wouldn’t let anything happened to one another. And look how tough Daniel is when he’s doing everything to protect his wife and kids.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 5 (THE MARKED ONES)

Paramount Picture

Directed by: Christoper Landon

Starring by: Andrew Jacob, Jorge Diaz, Gabrielle Walsh, Renee Victor

It’s been a brand new year…the year of 2014…and this is my first review on this year. It feels too long since the last time I put Cherrie to this blog because I’ve been busy by some deadline…chased by publisher to give them a novel script about graveyard of Jeruk Purut…thanks God it’s finished and the first thing I did after that was going to the cinema and watch the next series of Paranormal Activity (ParAc)

Make a different perspective than ParAc 2,3, and 4 that using a child as main target of terrorize, in this 5th series Christoper Landon using a teenage of 18th years old Jesse who always get so curious about many thing on his neighborhood. The murder of Anna, the neighbor of Jesse, by Oscar on one night made Jesse want to know more about it and he take his buddy, names Hector to enter Anna’s house. They didn’t find interest thing in that house besides the murder spot which covered many blood. But after that night, Jesse got a strange mark on his hand.

Many strange things happened after he got the marked, the toy that can buzz itself when he talked to it, hovering in the air when he dropped himself, and invisible power that could threw pair of scumbag that want to take Jesse’s bag pack with force. Firstly, he found it was awesome thing but when he meet Oscar that warn him about the marked, and made suicide in front of him, Jesse could no longer accept all the strange thing and try to throw it out. But the curse already possessed him and he can’t get away easily so his grandmother and Hector had to find some help from a shaman priest.

The shaman priest gave an egg to her to exorcist the spirit inside Jesse, but they refuse. From that, the war began and Jesse managed to kill the old woman by pushing her through the stair. Hector and Marisol asking help from Arturo, Oscar’s brother who also a gang boss, to find and stop Jesse from being sacrifice at some haunted house that inform by Ali Rey. But they all got killed there by ghostly troops.

The series still makes bated breath while watching it, and I admired the expertise of the writer to connect the plot in this series to another, like when Hector entering the door of time which bring him back to scene on ParAc 1 when Micah was killed by Katie. But despite that, I think the suspense on The Marked Ones decreases, and the sighting of the ghost can’t be maintained.

I like ParAc 1, 2, 3 because they hold the sighting until the end of the story…truly at the end…so it creeps the audience because they don’t expected the monstrous face like that would appears. But on the marked ones, we could see the sighting at the middle scene, when Jesse entering Anna’s house to search his dog that lost inside the house, as a sighting of two little girl with spooky eyes.

Funny thing I’ve got when I watch The Marked One is when Hector shoot the wall that shrink and suddenly explode, with Jesse in front of it, right just after when Jesse’s grandmother scrub him with eggs that given from the shaman priest, the entire living room had mess up; picture was torn apart, chair was upside down, but there was no damage on the television at all, whereas the TV was place in the corner where the explosion had come. It’s a strange thing when considering LCD TV is very susceptible, little shock can damage the screen and that thing happened to my TV at home when my boy knocking our television by accidentally.

I don’t know about you, but I found out that Arturo, Oscar’s brother, was not truly a gang boss like Jesse and Hector said when they’re discuss about how terrified they were to report their tape about Oscar appearance on the night when Anna was murdered, because Arturo was the leader of vandal gang. When Marisol and Hector ask him for help it appears that Arturo only bring one of his friend…so much for the gang…if he’s really a gang leader, Arturo should bring a dozen men or more to demolish those who had killed Oscar. A dozen of gang member with arms against the supranatural forces of devil’s follower…that would make the battle much more interesting and become an interesting peak scene at the end of this series. 

CARRIE

Misher Films

Directed by:  Kimberly Pierce

Starring by: Chloe Grace Moretz, Judy Greer, Julianne Moore, Portia Doubleday, Gabriella Wilde

It’s a special movie from special writer…therefore I’m looking for special friend to accompany me to watch the movie…and it turns out to be my friend from Disciple Class of PLPR 28 names Costan whose got the chance…otherwise he come from a long place…Sanger, it’s a small island near North Sulawesi…and not many time we have a chance to get along with a friend from that far…

I’ve seen Carrie about ten years ago, the first film was conduct on 1976 with Sissy Spacek as a star and she plays well. So I wonder if this 2013’s Carrie does the same. Moreover, I give some recommendation for my wife’s boss that asked me about this film, so if it’s not good as I think I know the shame will be mine…

Carrie was adapted from King’s debut novel. He was 26 years old when he was paid for the right of that film, and from since his name rise to the top level of the great novelist in US. And like king at that time, Sissy Spacek was also 26 when she appears on the movie to role Carrie at 15. But one thing I like from this movie is Chloe Grace Moretz who played Carrie on this 2013 movie is on the same age as Carrie in the novel.

The idea is simple but splendid in plot. It’s about a shy girl that always mock and being object for her friend to bullies, her lack of knowing about her period one day turns out to be horrified moment and she was thrown up by many of her friend in the school bathroom with tampon.

Tampon?

Yeah sure is…when King wrote the novel in early seventy, woman at that decade majorly was using tampon to handle their period, but funny thing when I see this movie the girls thrown Carrie with pad like Softex…that’s different thing…the script writer probably want to prevent what King write for the tampon but it show inconsistency when he / she make some scene when Chris and her friends uploading Carrie’s bloody tragedy, which recorded by Chris, to Youtube….something that can’t be done in first Carrie because there’s no Youtube in those days

  

A shy girl Carrie taught very hard by his mother to perform her religion, such pray and reading Bible, sometime by force and the violence sometime doesn’t make Carrie uncomfortable with her life. And by that condition she finally realized that she had extraordinary talent to move things. She’s looking more about her ability and train it so the power become greater…something that made her mother terrifies  because she think it comes from evil.

Carrie knows that her mother try to kill her if she knew about her telekinetic power so the girl hide it well until she can’t stand the argument when Tommy Ross, Sue Snell’s boyfriend and the most popular guy in school, asked her to go to the promp, something that every girl has dreaming for, moreover she like Ross very much so how she can say no to the handsome guy like that?

Every decision had consequences. Carrie had to deal with the mother’s anger so she pushed to show her ability to control the situation, in order to get her wish to go out with Tommy Ross on that special occasion. The girl prepare the whole thing to make the special day happened but one thing she doesn’t know that her enemy, Chris, also preparing something awful to her for the promp.

Best scene I’m waiting at this movie is when Carrie was showering by pig blood from atop. Like the first movie, this one also makes a number of times to repeat the scene. And the best part is to see when the girl was furious by the mocked, moreover when she saw Tommy Ross was dead after the bucket hit him, I don’t understand why a bucket that fell from above could kill people if it’s empty anyway, perhaps it made from an iron or there’s some fatal spot on human’s head that injured people when it got hit, but I enjoy her rage when she’s settles the score by murdering those who insulted her one by one. Forget about some tiny mistake about blood stain on Carrie’s face that change couple times between shot but I do like to see the style of carrie when she demonstrate the power…she’s devil-like indeed…

In such anger, I think Carrie was not carry away because she can shove her madness to the people she hate most, but not with them who always nice to her like Mrs. Dusjardin or Sue Snell. The end of this rage was obviously to catch the girl who did this to her, Chris and finished her for good, something that wasn’t hard at all for mighty Carrie.           

At the end, Carrie was buried inside the house after she defended herself from her mother that try to kill her, because she think Carrie become a witches whose power getting greater, and I ‘m glad they’re not doing the same mistake like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. On Carrie’s tombstone written like this, Born : 1998, Died : 2013.

Like I said on my BlackBerry status, Carrie is still Extra Ordinary and it’s mustsee movie class…  

THE CONJURING

New Line Cinema

Directed by:  James Wan

Starring by: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor, Ron Livingstone

My interest in this film, so I choose to watch it this week is because Ed and Lorraine Warner, husband and wife couples who known well as a demonologist (ghost hunter) whose shaking Connecticut with their famous file, Amityville Mystery. On the teaser, the couple of protagonists shown in the scene when they help to solve the case of their client that had been terrorize by Annabelle doll. The succeeding to lock up the devil doll catch many people’s attention to know more about their capability.

Ed speech that very convincing in front of the class always inviting curiosity from many student to ask him question about ghost, and his answer that always sharp made them believe that they’ve almost succeed in their job, catching ghost but what narrator text said that something evil that hiding by Ed and Lorraine catch my attention to look the film intentionally.

Like Amityville Horror, The Conjuring also played a horror situation around and inside the house. When The Perron Family, conduct by their dad, Roger, and his wife, Carolyn, move to their new house they hadn’t notice strange thing about the place. If they weren’t so excited, they must realize there’s something wrong with the house. Especially when their pets, a dog names Dusty, refuse to come inside. Tension in this film constructed step by step.

Start from the family that found out about the basement under their house, which is shield by wooden beams in some dormitory, when they played hide n seek. The brushes that marked every morning on Carolyn’s body, the dog that killed in the morning, and strange disturbance in every night such as door banging, foot step on the top floor, or noises from the basement. The increasing terrors that made everyone on Perron’s family are being haunted, finally make Carolyn ought to see The Warner’s to ask for their help. Especially when her daughter, Christine, was terrified in horror one night and saying that some ghost will killed them all.

Ed and Lorraine check on Perron’s house. Lorraine, who’s got a sixth sense, realized there some powerful spirit, the bad ones, who try to intimidate those families and not intend to release their dominant over them. She’s had a vision, which I’ve said it’s cool, since the time she came to their door. The spirit behind Carolyn who opened it and pleased them to come, something behind the daughters, and hanging figure on a large tree branch which located at the backyard.

   

The Warners conduct some serious investigation then. Not only wearing the four rooms in that house with many audio equipment and camera to censored the movement of the spirits, they’ve also gathers data about the house’s history that turn out to be some property which belongs to a witch names Betsheba. The witch committed murder in her boy and condemn the land that she’s own before she hung herself. Since then, the property was curse and everyone who bought it end up dead.

The spirits of Betsheba who consume Carolyn soul also want her to kill all her daughters. And like any case of the demon possession, the spirit targeting the most vulnerable person in the circle, which is the mom and made her an object that crushed brutally. Ed and Lorraine had to stop Carolyn to killed her daughters and throw out Betsheba who stay inside. The help they’ve need from Vatikan to send a Pastors who can do the exorcism didn’t come, that’s why Ed decide to make it by himself.      

What made The Conjuring powerful is strong emotion play on the story by main characters, so were not only treated with frightened moment or horrifying scene but also built some sympathies for the character. The happiness of the family is always something precious and undefeatable, and someone or something who try to spoil becomes cruel party that should be removed. After successfully repel the spirit of Betsheba Sherman in Perron’s house, at the end of the film is told that Lorraine ask Ed to meet some Pastors in Long Island who’d like to discuss some case, and that was Amityville Horror. Actually, it isn’t right because this film take year on 1971 whereas Amityville case did not occurred several years later.

Despite little mistake such as the sound meter needle on the recorder that doesn’t move when Ed and Lorraine listening the interview in audible pattern, I think The Conjuring was great movie. It gives some happy ending that pleased everyone, and most of them won’t to know that was different scene in real life. On some interview, which published by Youtube, Lorraine Warner gave her testimony that the ghost didn’t actually leave the family. Like she says on the film, once you’ve being haunted is like sticking your life by gum, it won’t live you unless you clean it, and the ghost indeed remains with the family every where they’ve go, until they accept Christ and Lord of God for eternal salvation.

EVIL DEAD

Ghost House Production

Directed by:  Fede Alvarez

Starring by: Jane Levvy, Shilloh Fernandez, Lou Taylor Pucci

My friend, a writer names Lonyenk RAP made an announcement on social media that we’ve used to watched this movie if we call ourselves a horror-maniac. Somehow, I knew this film is a repackage from the one before in 1981’s era…and sure is still creepy to the last bones…creepy and made me sick !!!

Begin with a girl who’d been chased by some weirdo in the woods, and caught up at the end. Strange companion drag her to a dungeon where she killed there. The girl is possessed by some demon; therefore she burned to death in a cold blood and shot in the head by her father. 

The place which used to assassinate the girl is the same place where five friends stay together that night. They are David, Natalie, Olivia “the nurse”, Eric, and Mia. Natalie and Eric come to that place because they want to help David to cure her sister, Mia.  Mia is a junkie…a drug user relapse…so Olivia decided she had to succeed this one and willing to do anything to make Mia back to shape…

There’s many hint that show how this film try to lead us to the original film before. When David met Mia on the first scene, Mia is sitting on a 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88, the same car that used in the first two Evil Dead films. Mia also wears a Michigan State sweatshirt that also wears by the main character in the opening scene of the original.

Situation turns upside-down when Eric found some old book in the basement. When he studies the books, he didn’t realize that he released evil. The creature possessing Mia, after that sorrow and the killing starts. 

Showing the stories, as a horror film used to be, Evil Dead lead us to watch how the creature killed the fourth one by one. But what Eric do, made him understand how to destroy the thing. Eric tells David that if he want to ends all the terror, he should killed the demon-possessed Mia by three ways, burn her with fire, buried her alive, or mutilate to rest her soul.

This film are full of violent, the combination of horror and slasher, which not afraid to show people that sometimes they have to cut their body if necessary, especially when your life is threatened. Two times I’d seen a person who’s able to cut their own arms in order to release the pain… the first done by Natalie, the second one by Mia. And it also filled by sexual material, where the slither root slipped between Mia’s crotches to made the spirit take over Mia’s body. 

Not to mention, the nauseating kiss, performed by Mia and Natalie in the basement or by Mia and Olivia that ends up with a vomit on the face. But I’m enjoying the film, despite the fact that no scenes are special or worth to remember…

No..no..sorry…I think one of the scene that I remember is when blood rain happened. Well, it really a mesh and I think there must be a lot of tons gallons of blood they had to prepare…and when I’m thinking about it a fad, there’s a symbol appears by the name of the characters…if you’re realize that… David, Eric, Mia, Olivia, and Natalie…take all the front letters of the name and you’ll get DEMON. Awesome thought…

Still, there’s some mistake about this film. You can see on the scene after David refuse to take Mia back to town, she tear up the necklace that he gave…but  suddenly the necklace come back to her, almost in the end scene, on a full scale. 

One other thing, when the five friends found the door under the floor and revealed the carpet to look into it, it’s supposed to be flat. But when they’re start to nailing down chain, suddenly loops and i-hooks appear out from nowhere. 

You also can found the false continuity from Mia on the last scene, after she dealt with the last demon she walks to the distance with a wrong limping leg. It should be her right, not left, because her right leg is the one that cut out by a knife when she’s hiding on the narrow space of the shed.

100 GEREJA TERINDAH INDONESIA

100 Gereja Terindah Indonesia

Majemuknya suku dan budaya di Indonesia membuat misi Zending di jaman kolonialisme mengalami penyesuaian supaya agama Kristen diterima di seluruh bumi nusantara. Banyak hal, seperti bentuk bangunan atau pun bahasa pengantar, diadopsi dari budaya setempat agar masyarakat Indonesia bisa merasakan agama Kristen sebagai bagian yang tak terpisahkan dari dirinya.

PARADE ARTIS & PRINCE CUPU JILID 2

Ruben Onsu

Rizal Mantovani

Tamara Blezinsky

Thessa Kaunang

Chika Jessica

Citra Scholastika

Kevin Julio

Novita & Alex X-Factor

Boim Lebon

Raffi Ahmad

SINISTER

Blumhouse Production

Directed by:  Scott Derrickson

Starring by: Ethan Hawke, Juliette Rylance, Fred Thompson, James Ransone

The first image of family murdered that impressed on Super-8 footage film catch my sight in a close moment. Four members of the family who standing beneath a tree with hoods over their head and nooses around their neck. When tree branch is cut and pulled all members of the family, it tickling my curiosity for the unseen suspect who done such nasty thing. The main character, true-criminal’s novelist names Ellison Oswalt always tickling every writer like me to watch the movie carefully.