Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones

There is one thing about the Paranormal Activity series I have never liked, and that is the involvement of demons, witches and all things evil.
That is a bit of an over-generalisation, I don't mind the evil stuff, but the over-the-top body-possessed-by-a-demon thing does not usually do it for me.
That kind of bias could have had a negative effect on my opinion of Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, but it was still an all right film.
It retains the same formula as the previous four films in the franchise by being shot on a handheld camera and developing the characters' backgrounds through every day events and general conversation between the leads which ends up giving us an even greater insight to their lives.
The story follows recent high school graduate Jesse (Andrew Jacobs) and his best friend Hector (Jorge Diaz). They play around with a handheld camera and GoPro (which involves goofy stunts, as young men tend to enjoy), and even spy on Jesse's downstairs neighbour Anna who they believe to be a witch.
One day Anna is found mysteriously murdered, and the following day Jesse wakes up to a bite mark on his arm. Fans of the series would recognise the mark as it is identical to the one sustained by lead Katie in the first film.
Jesse begins noticing changes and learns new abilities, and it is not long until things take a turn for the worse.
The idea of the handheld camera is to add to the realism; to make us believe they are recording extraordinary events in their lives using the same piece of technology you use on a day out with family.
While being an innovative means of adding some tension to the cinematic atmosphere, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is not as effective as previous chapters.
Whether the series is growing tired or we are more prepared for them than ever, this film is not nearly as scary as its predecessors.
There is nothing wrong with the way tension is built up throughout the film; Jesse's transformation from fun-loving high school grad to the demon-got-my-soul creep is one that drags you in for the ride.
You can, however, pick out the scenes where director Christopher B Landon intended to extract a few screams from the audience. Mysterious power failings, flickering lights - they have all been done before and are not executed as well as they could have been.
If you have seen the previous four films you will notice Landon's nods to each film: set features, actor/character cameos and the final few scenes at a familiar location. Those little bits and pieces of detail are some of the things that help this chapter find its place in the series, even if it is merely a "Latino spin-off".
It is not the worst movie you will ever see, but it is nowhere near the best.


For the record, I only jumped twice.

The Book Thief

An inspiring story of a young girl's desire to read on a backdrop of the rising Nazi Germany and anti-Semitic ideals, The Book Thief is one of the best films of the new year.
Most films tackling the heavy topic of the Holocaust and Nazi Germany focus all of their attention on the atrocities that occurred during those years, but The Book Thief takes a different route.
It is how it keeps it's PG rating, but also what puts it in elite company when it comes to "war-themed" films.
We are guided through Liesel Meminger's (played brilliantly by 13 year old French-Canadian actress Sophie Nelisse) story by the Angel of Death himself (voiced by Roger Allam).
Death is not one to beat around the bush with his message - he is the Angel responsible with taking people's souls after all. His role is no different in The Book Thief.
From the very first scene he sets the tone, explaining how everybody dies regardless of what they do to avoid it.
This is not going to be a comedy.
We first meet Liesel and her brother on a train with her mother on their way to meet their new foster parents in Grermany, 1938. It also then Death makes his first appearance, taking the life of Liesel's brother.
After a railway-side burial, Liesel spies a book that has dropped out of one of the gravedigger's pocket and takes it to remember her brother.
The only problem is she can't actually read.
Enter foster parents Hans (an outstanding Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson) Hubermann. Hans is the openly kind and caring parent while Rosa is the tough-skinned taskmaster who initially frightens and intimidates the young Liesel.
Hans takes an  instant liking to Liesel, portraying a soft outer shell that Rush does so well. He takes her under his wing, teaching her to read and going out of his way to make her comfortable. It is their closeness that is given the most focus out of four main relationships; their bond no better demonstrated when Hans boards a train destined for the war and she says softly "please come home".
It is that event that finally sees Rosa crack.
Rosa starts out as a harsh, intimidating piece of work who is known as just that in the small town, but as Liesel spends more time in her life she begins to show a softer side. Emily Watson doesn't have too much to do on-screen, but almost everything she does is gold. Whether it's a quick show of discipline, a harsh order, crying alone in an empty bed or complete and utter ecstasy when delivering good news to Liesel.
We also meet young neighbour Rudy Steiner (Nico Liersch) who instantly falls for Liesel, and he decides to become her friend and accompany her to school. The interaction between these two characters - the childhood romance if you will - provide a heartwarming escape from the early stages of Nazi Germany's influence on the small town.
Later on we meet Max Vandenburg (Ben Schnetzer), who is Liesel's fourth and one of the most influential relationships explored in the film. He is a Jew living in Germany, and was forced to leave his mother when Nazi troops raided a town earlier in the film. Taken in by Hans, who fought with Max's father in first War, he lives first upstairs of their tiny house then in the basement, away from prying eyes. His interactions with Liesel allow her to develop both her reading and imagination, her character growing with every scene they share.
Do yourself a favour - go and watch The Book Thief.
You are going to laugh, you are going to cry, but you also be inspired by Liesel Meminger's tale.

Is South Sydney's signing of Lote Tuqiri a good move?

ALSO PUBLISHED: at League Unlimited


Lote Tuqiri signs with South Sydney Rabbitohs on a one-year deal.
I can't say I'm overjoyed at the news, especially given his last few years with Wests Tigers, but looking at his career stats you can see why he is an attractive proposition for the club.
But his last few years haven't been too great.
If you need a refresher, it goes a little something like:

• standout year in 2010, scoring with his first touch of the ball in his return from rugby union, consistently good performances and even earning a spot on the wing for the Australian Kangaroos signalled a successful return,
• not a bad 2011 but only played nine games due to various injuries,
• after recovering from injury to make his 2012 debut in round five, he broke his arm in July and was ruled out for the rest of the season,
• the broken arm he suffered didn't heal properly so only played the last four games of the season.

You can't hate a bloke for getting injured, and Tuqiri has had some rotten luck in that department. The series of broken arms sent the feared and explosive winger back to the rehab ward for most of his last few years, and that is my first concern.
South Sydney have already been through the patch of being the competition's laughing stock for signing injury-prone 30-something year olds.
Rabbitohs fans can't forget the years of questionable signings and decisions made by the club - the one that sticks in my mind is Terry Hill, who signed as a 32 year old, injured his groin and retired, only to return with Manly the following year.
Initial reactions about Tuqiri's signing re along similar lines.
The other, and probably more glaring, reason is his form for the Tigers.
We do have to take into account how his confidence may have been rattled given his history of injuries, but his form was nowhere near where it should have been.
He was caught out in defence, was easy to stop with the ball and seemed to be reading opposition plays (most notably kicks downfield) a lot slower than in previous years. For a winger, being in position is as, if not more, crucial than finishing ability. Tuqiri's handful of games in 2012 and more notably in 2013 proved he was down the pecking order at the Tigers.
It would not surprise me if Tuqiri found himself at the North Sydney Bears for most of 2014. The Rabbitohs already boast impressive backline weapons in Greg Inglis, Nathan Merritt, Chris McQueen (when he's not in the forwards), Dylan Walker, Beau Champion, Bryson Goodwin, Aaron Gray and fellow newbies Joel Reddy and Kirisome Auva'a. And that list does not mention the other under-20s players.
What I can see Tuqiri doing is playing a mentoring role for the squad. Tuqiri has 151 first grade games under his belt, six Origins and 12 International caps (nine for Australia, three for Fiji), along with his 107 first grade rugby union games and 67 Tests for the Wallabies. There aren't too many player who can boast those numbers, and his 15 years of experience - where he became the premier winger in both codes - will prove invaluable for the next crop of Rabbitohs.
Despite the negative opinion I have of Tuqiri's defence, the man can still score tries. He crossed 27 times in his 52 games for the Tigers, which is a strike rate of just over 50%. If he can keep or even improve that strike rate if he plays first grade for the Rabbitohs, he will more than prove his worth.
Souths have had an average run in recent years despite maintaining injury-prone ways, before Michael Maguire stepped in to return the glorious club back to the top of the premiership ladder.
He's built a young and talented roster, promoting several junior players and fielded one of the best forward packs in the rugby league world.
He copped criticism last season when he brought Goodwin into the fold, which raised a lot of eyebrows. After a few shaky performances at the start of the season, Goodwin evolved into one of the more important centres in the cardinal and myrtle, playing 25 NRL games and being recalled by New Zealand.
Here's hoping he can have the same effect on Tuqiri.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

 Is the second enty in The Hobbit trilogy, The Desolation of Smaug, better than An Unexpected Journey?
Yes, yes and more yes; provided you watch it in 2D or 3D only.
We pick up where An Unexpected Journey left off, with the company of dwarves, led by Thorin (Richard Armitage), and their Hobbit "burglar" Bilbo Baggings (Martin Freeman) continuing their quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain.
Gandalf the Grey (Sir Ian McKellen) takes off on his own (again) despite promising to accompany the group (again). He leaves after finding "black speech graffiti" near the entrance to Mirkwood and promptly abandons the group to investigate and follow up on his suspicions.
It is from this sequence the pieces to the Lord of the Rings puzzle begin to fall into place, as we see the rise of the Necromancer and his orc army, the effect the one ring has on it's possessor (Bilbo in this instance), and Gandalf uncovers a horrible truth.
We meet new characters like Bard (Luke Evans), from Lake-town, who helps the dwarves on their quest. At the same time we are reintroduced to Legolas (Orlando Bloom) albeit a 60 year younger version than the one we met in Lord of the Rings. But it's the inclusion of Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) that has ruffled the most feathers.
Tauriel doesn't actually exist in the novel. In fact, Legolas doesn't either.
Their inclusion is merely a production decision made by Peter Jackson and crew.
I'm not the biggest fan of movie-makers or writers changing the content of novels in their adaptations and to invent characters is  beyond ludicrous. But I can see why they did it, and I think it works in this setting. Legolas helps the audience engage with the elves - his presence helps us be more familiar with them - and Tauriel is woven masterly into the story. Her relationship with the dwarf Kili present an unexplored dynamic to the story given the loathing between dwarves and elves. It is an intriguing change of which I'm looking forward to seeing the conclusion.
Another I had was how long the sequences with Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) were dragged out. I readily admit I haven't read the novels, and I am certain the dragon has dialogue in the texts, but it got a little old - perhaps a tad daft - after a while.
That is only a minor complaint but one that I'm sure is easy to get over.
My biggest gripe is, similar to An Unexpected Journey, is the high frame rate version.
My first experience with it came in the first part of the Hobbit trilogy but it was watching The Desolation of Smaug where it really had a detrimental effect.
The familiar cinematic feel is completely gone, which remarkably reduces how "real" I believed what I was seeing. It was too real to believe they were in Middle Earth. In some scenes where the whole group were involved, it looked as if you were sitting next to the director's chair and watching the actors acting rather than immersing oneself in the fictional world.
The glaringly obvious section was at the entrance to Mirkwood, when the company are just about to walk in. You could tell where the natural trees and surrounding environment ended and the set dressing began. It takes away from the whole experience and is an issue I hope is addressed before There and Back Again (the third part) is released at the end of this year.
The Desolation of Smaug is much better than An Unexpected Journey, but there is room for much improvement when There and Back Again is released.