31 Days of Horror #13

So, yeah, I was on vacation the last several days, hence all the retread posts. Now I have to get back to normal at work and home, which is always a little difficult. So, here's a reminder that two pretty good new horror movies are newly out on disc: 'Insidious: Chapter Three' and 'We Are Still Here.' Here's what I wrote about these back when I saw them at the cinema.

Insidious: Chapter Three-It's hardly terrifying, but I enjoyed how patient it was (The first scare doesn't happen for a good several minutes), focusing on its characters as much as the frightening stuff, flimsy though they both were. 71-year-old Lin Shaye is terrific. B

We Are Still Here-A middle-aged couple gets haunted by some burn victims and stuff; you know the drill. This is derivative and slightly half-baked stuff, but it's spooky and has a likable eagerness about it. You can tell that a lot was done with a little. B

And here's what I though of the other movies I saw recently---

The Martian-Ridley Scott has created a wonderful thing here, a dramatic thriller that is exciting, entertaining, and intelligent. I am informed that the science on display is fairly accurate, and even if it hadn't been, there's still the great screenplay from Drew Goddard, which covers a long period of time without rushing or losing the incredible urgency of the situation. And there's Matt Damon's performance as the Robinson Crusoe on Mars character, bringing many different shades of humanity to his solitude. It's a wonderful performance, and a wonderful movie. A

Sicario-This is another smart and realistic thriller, but in a completely different way. Where 'The Martian' is exciting and vital, 'Sicario' is cold and hypnotic. It presents life-like situations that are probable and intense in their up-close, this-is-actually-happening reality. Emily Blunt and Benicio del Toro are terrific and help anchor the movie with approachable characters that provide a point amidst the overwhelming pointlessness of everything going on. And that's the movie's only big flaw. The message is certainly thought-provoking, but it leaves the movie with a feeling that it lacks proper closure. Still, I liked it. A-

The Walk-A guy illegally walking a high-wire between the Twin Towers? That right there's a story, and director Robert Zemeckis tells that story with plenty of excitement and his usual visual flair (It's incredible how seamless digital photography can be these days. Pretty soon, we'll barely notice it.), though he does it with slightly too much forced whimsy, like he's telling a fairy tale instead of a so-crazy-it's-true story. Maybe that was intentional, but the light tone and the almost constant narration from the main character was a little irritating. Still, it really does look great, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt is very committed to his performance, though I don't totally buy his "I am, how you say, French" routine. B+