We Bought a Zoo movie review (2011)

We Bought a Zoo (2011)

QuickRating: It's predictable, quite straightforward, and it lacks depth, but "We Bought a Zoo" is still sweet, pleasant to watch and even moving at times, plus, it showcases love and respect for both animals and humans, and it's full of likable characters and adorable creatures. Matt Damon delivers a pretty engaging performance as the kind and determined father, and Scarlett Johansson proves everyone who thinks she can't act wrong.

The Changeling movie review

The Changeling (1980)

"The Changeling" is a spooky story about a haunted house, that sounds a bit ordinary, as a premise, but is actually more complex than the average ghost story. This movie is kind of a hybrid of an old-fashioned ghost story and a crime story. The elements mix together pretty well as the movie has a few haunting moments along with quite a bit of mystery. Sure, there are the usual horror clichés but they're all done very effectively and keep you watching and wondering what the haunting is all about. It has a slow, suspenseful pace and interesting characters. George does a fair job, and he does carry the entire film almost single-handedly, and the leads are each given one fleeting emotive moment to heighten our engagement. The most terrifying moment occurs through Trish Van Devere's character, Claire Norman. Her expression of genuine fear is terrifying and very believable. The cinematography of the film is good - the sets are moody and perfectly fit the tone and atmosphere of the story. However, it doesn't have a particularly individual stamp on it. Lots of steady-cam tracking shots are employed by the minimalist Peter Medak, and they're rather effective here. This film manages to be spooky without descending into camp, and suspenseful without overdoing it. "The Changeling" is simple, yet effective and wonderfully subtle horror film, though it feels a bit dated for today's standards, and while spooky, it's not scary at all.

• My Rating: 7.00/10
• Rotten Tomatoes: 79% (7.3/10)
• IMDb: 7.3/10