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Saturday, September 1, 2012

MOVIE REVIEW: THE POSSESSION

IN THEATERS ON DVD

THE POSSESSION




Inspired by Los Angeles Times writer Leslie Gornstein's article "A Jinx in a Box," this horror film from Ghost House Pictures and director Ole Bornedal (Nightwatch) tells the tale of a broken family that comes under attack from a malevolent supernatural entity of Jewish folklore. Shortly after her parents (Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Kyra Sedgwick) divorce, a young girl purchases an ornate antique box at a yard sale. In the weeks that follow, the young girl forms an intense fixation on the box, her behavior growing increasingly bizarre as she falls into the grip of a diabolical apparition. When the girl's father discovers that the relic is in fact a holding cell for the disconnected soul of a deceased person who has been denied entry into the afterlife and needs a human host to inhabit, he fights to rid her of the evil that threatens to consume her body and soul. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Ole Bornedal

Cast: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Kyra Sedgwick, Madison Davenport, Natasha Calis,

Release Date: Aug 31, 2012

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material involving violence and disturbing sequences

Runtime: 1 hr. 31 min.

Genres: Horror

Review:

The Possession is a fairly manageable retread of The Exorcist with a Jewish slant. Director Ole Bornedal delivers a well shot if sterile film that’s engaging enough to keep your attention. Its hits the same notes as The Exorcist but never really impresses. Bornedal’s over use of music kills what could be fairly solid sequences throughout, as if he doesn’t trust the audience to pay attention. It’s a shame because there are some decent set ups and moments. A pained Jeffery Dean Morgan does his best to carry the dramatic load throughout, doing yeoman’s work. He does the best he can with a clunky character that isn’t really given an organic feel. Madison Davenport turns in a solid performance as the possessed girl. Some of her work is annulled because of some shoddy CGI. It’s hard to imagine that the film as a whole would have worked better with more practical effects. Kyra Sedgwick is mostly relegated to the background and not really asked to do much. The film is watchable but hardly memorable since the characters and set up feel so familiar. That being said if you’ve seen Hellraiser, you should know not to mess with strange boxes.

C-

11 comments:

  1. I ll wait for cable. I really wasnt interested in seeing it anyways. Great write up.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for reading, probably better as a rental, you aren't missing much.

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  2. lol, yeah looks like everything else. but i will probably rent it.

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    1. It's not very original but it keeps your attention.

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  3. Can't disagree with anything!

    It was a very slick film but boarded on boring far too often. There was no tension whatsoever

    I'm glad you mentioned the music as I hated the score. The droning piano was awful

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    1. Yeah everything played out in very predictable ways. Don't usually care about the music but it was pretty terrible.

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  4. Ebert gave this a 3,5/4 - guess he's getting old :)
    No release date so far for Austria, but that doesn't matter since the trailers and the posters look extremely generic. I think it's also sad that they changed the original title. Dibbuk Box is way cooler than The Possession.

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    Replies
    1. Guess so man, it's about as generic as it comes. The actual story is more interestnig than the movie in reality.

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    2. 3.5/4 is very generous!!

      They must have paid him lol!

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    3. No kidding, that seems way too high!

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  5. I might like it. I just have to remember to add it in queue which is something I'm really bad at. Good review :)

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