The Conjuring

2013, 15, Directed by James Wan

Starring: Lili Taylor, Ron Livingston, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson 
 

James Wan has most certainly made his mark through deliverance of well-honed, if a little preposterous, yet damn effective horrors. Look past the six sequels, and Saw (2004) remains a top-rate twist-ridden gem; the opening 45 minutes of 2010’s Insidious, many would argue, is a masterwork of the tensest proportions. What better way to introduce his latest attempt to terrify than The Conjuring - an out-and-out spook fest, that isn’t without its gimmicks, but refreshingly toes the ghost story line and remains en route right up until its closing shot: the innocent family; the old-fashioned new house; the creepy basement; the music box. All present and correct, and completely outdone by the daddy of ‘em all; the creepy doll - it’s the Perron’s (headed by Lili Taylor and Ron Livingston, trailed by their five dainty daughters and dog) who are being terrorised by unseen haunts pretty much from the get-go. Enter left Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), supernatural investigators who agree to check out the place when approached by a haggard Mrs. Perron after attending one of their lectures. Perhaps racking up the tension somewhat is the shared knowledge that The Warren’s are real-life investigators – famously embroiled in the notorious horror of Amityville - who have only very recently agreed to share their experiences (so we're told.)

 In a chiller featuring all the expected hi-jinks, it’s somewhat refreshing to be led through the narrative by characters that feel genuinely real, with Taylor’s Carolyn Perron a real beacon of fear (it doesn’t take a lot for her to suspect something’s not quite right – finally, a horror victim with brains), not to mention a particularly bad investigation experienced in the past by The Warrens that threatens to endanger the present.

 A fantastically effective opening and final moment - unnervingly isolated from the remainder of the film - bookend something largely run-of-the-mill, but not without its standout moments to elevate it above standard fare; just dare someone to clap in your vicinity afterwards. It's disappointing then that when The Conjuring reaches its final third, chills dissipate in place of jumps, dampening the patchwork crafted before it. With September's release of Insidious: Part 2 to come before James Wan parts ways with the horror genre for the time being in favour of Fast & Furious escapades, this is a fine way to leave his salivating audience wanting more.

Especially now there's a good chance he'll be remembered as the guy who caused grown men to dispose of any dolls lying around the house.

 3/5

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Fast and Furious 6

12, 2013, Directed by Justin Lin
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez

Let’s face it - a new fast and furious film is either going to get your motor running or turn your engine off. For those edging towards the latter, let it be made clear that every film in the series is probably everything you'd expect it to be; mindless action intercut with clichéd characters spurting ridiculous dialogue in between the revving of engines and shooting of guns. But, as the people in the former's camp would tell you, the action - mindless may it be - is usually well-crafted heart-racing material; the characters - clichéd may they be – are, for all intents and purposes, much-loved additions to the action; whilst the dialogue - ridiculous may it be – is... ridiuclous, amped up to ninety. 

With the cast returning in 2009’s disappointing Fast and Furious, the franchise seemed destined to grind to a tumultuous halt. That was before 2011’s Fast Five – with newly added Dwayne Johnson – revitalised the series by delivering the best thrills of the series thus far, not to mention a film many considered a superior action flick. And so we have Fast and Furious 6, the next ‘episode’ of Vin Diesel’s street-racing posse. Living the high life in Brazil following their financial coup at the end of Fast Five, all seems well in paradise until Hobbs (Johnson) shows up picking up where that tantalising post-credits scene left off; Michelle Rodriguez’s presumed-dead Letty is alive, amnesia-ridden and rooting for the wrong villainous team under the guide of Luke Evans’ brooding big bad, Owen Shaw. Yep, his slimy, yet refreshingly English, villain wishes to enact something as forgettable as other villains before him have done in ways that pave the way for ensuing car-nage. Don't roll those eyes just yet.

The series is officially on a different page to what it was when we first met Toretto (a heroic Vin Diesel) back in ’01; the initial trilogy was all about full-speed ahead action – the pulsating street races in exotic locations more than enough to make a sizable dent at the box office. But the past three films (under the protection of Justin Lin, directing since 2006's Tokyo Drift) has transitioned the series to character-driven ensemble. First-timers beware - Fast and Furious 6 feels like a soap opera on steroids.

Fortunately, the sixth outing has built on the set-pieces. Here, we have mayhem in the form of vehicles dangling from Russian cargo planes, a grenade-shooting tank and 'flip' cars - think racing cars designed to cause motor accidents. Lin has a real knack for both capturing this action so strategically and intercutting it with fulfilling character moments; although nothing quite reaches the heights of Fast Five's bank vault chase, Lin's standout is an extended sequence involving a tank which contains a zany payoff that will undoubtedly stir appplause in cinema screens.   

Back are the favourites: Tyrese Gibson’s Roman Pearce, Sung Kang’s Han, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges’ Tej and, of course, Michelle Rodriguez’s Letty, more than living up to her fellow female counterparts (most prominently of which is MMA superstar Gina Carrano of Haywire fame – the two brutually lock fists on the London underground in a scene that would break up many a commute.) And so, with most of the film’s action grounded in London, which means we have to deal with a few inevitable missteps – namely Mr Stereotype in the form of uppity policemen and a camp car salesman, not to mention a cameo from bloody Rita Ora. But it’s still neat to see familiar locations falling prey to the driving skills of Diesel and Ridriguez, even if you can’t help but wonder when the streets of central London have ever been that empty.

The film boasts little originality (save for Vin Diesel’s delivery of a flying headbutt), nothing particularly fresh in the way of technical filmmaking and Chris Morgan’s script is going to earn no acclaim. But what Lin hands to the audience is well-thought out vehicular action, supplying the fans with everything they desire in the form of hilarious character interaction, entertaining sub-plots and treats galore - not to mention an exhilarating part-and-parcel post-credits sequence that teases in a big way.

In a time where cinema is bogged down by the need to put on glasses to achieve maximum visual potential, it’s a real pleasure to announce that Fast and Furious 6 is pure and simple good ole-fashioned two-dimensional fun.   

…and for a franchise that could have gone the way of the junkyard long ago, that’s not bad going.

3.5/5

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