Final Trailer for PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE GHOST DIMENSION

It's been six long years since Paranormal Activity took movie theaters and audiences by storm. The mythology has since grown to almost incomprehensible levels, but the latest (and supposedly last) film from the series looks to put it all to rest. Oren Peli, who pioneered the whole franchise, is nowhere to be found with this installment though as four screenwriters were brought in to craft this sequel while first-time feature director Gregory Plotkin is at the helm. To be honest, I have little to no interest in the franchise anymore given there has simply been too much time in between the fourth installment and this one. Granted, there was The Marked Ones last January, but even that felt forced (despite connecting to the overall narrative) and I can only imagine The Ghost Dimension will suffer for being perceived as another off-shoot rather than the fifth film in the ongoing saga. As far as I can tell that is what this new film is, Paranormal Activity 5, but you wouldn't know that from this supposedly final trailer for the final Paranormal Activity film either. What we're given instead is a collection of hidden camera pranks that follow innocent people looking to buy a house who just so happen to be looking at the original Paranormal Activity house that has been rigged to scare the crap out of them. I don't really like this approach given it takes away from the "realness" that these films have worked so hard to keep intact, but again, I don't really care at this point so why even let it bother me? If you're interested though, Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension "stars" Chris J. Murray, Brit Shaw, Ivy George, Dan Gill, Olivia Taylor Dudley, Chloe Csengery, Don McManus, Michael Krawic and opens on October 23rd. Hit the jump if you dare...

THE WEDDING RINGER Review

Writer/director Jimmy Garelick and star Kevin Hart know what they have on their hands with The Wedding Ringer. It is clear from the first moment Hart shows up on screen and they wear it on their sleeve with a badge of honor. In what is essentially a mash-up of Wedding Crashers and I Love You, Man as well as any other movie you've ever seen with "wedding" in the title there is nothing innovative or unconventional about this film, but it has its laughs and that's all that really matters. With that, the film breezes through its expected beats with a care-free tone and consistent laugh factor that kept the audience I saw it with rolling (granted, they did get to see it for free). Still, this is a film that not much was initially expected of and, if anything, solidified the fact that studios were definitely trying to mold Hart into the next Adam Sandler as here the comedian is blatantly ripping on the title of Sandler's 1998 hit. Sandler is currently experiencing something of a slight drought in bankability and so the studios have moved in on who else they might turn to and Hart has proven a winning candidate so far. The man will allow them to throw together slapdash efforts of films that will turn huge profits on minuscule budgets year after year while trusting that the on-set riffs and improvisations are enough to satisfy audiences need for laughter. Yes, The Wedding Ringer is no doubt a film put together by a committee to appeal to as many people as possible and yes, it is predictable, slightly sexist with a cast of male chauvinist pigs at the core and never aspires to be more than it has to be, but in initially setting its bar so low it doesn't have as hard a time surpassing that bar. I realize this isn't high art, but it's not intended to be and so, for what it's worth, I found the film to be highly entertaining, extremely funny at parts and a raunch aspect that serves to ease the fact this is little more than a rom-com from the perspective of the fellas. The Wedding Ringer is what it is and if you buy a ticket knowing that, you'll get what you want. I wanted a mindless comedy and that's what I was given so consider me a happy customer, Mr. Hart.