Official Movie Website Theatrical Release 10/28/2011 Home Video Not Available MPAA Rating Rated R for language, brief drug use and sexuality. Running Time 110 Minutes Genre Drama, Comedy, Crime Director Bruce Robinson Writer Bruce Robinson Cast Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Aaron Eckhart, Richard Jenkins, Giovanni Ribisi, Amaury Nolasco Studio Film District |
THE RUM DIARY (2011)
SYNOPSIS
Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson.
Tiring of the noise and madness of New York and the
crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America,
Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) travels to the pristine island
of Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, run by
downtrodden editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins).
Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Paul soon
becomes obsessed with Chenault (Amber Heard), the
wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancée of
Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). Sanderson is one of a
growing number of American entrepreneurs who are
determined to convert Puerto Rico into a capitalist
paradise in service of the wealthy. When Kemp is
recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his
latest unsavory scheme, the journalist is presented
with a choice: to use his words for the corrupt
businessmen's financial benefit, or use them to take
the bastards down. -- (C) FilmDistrict
Based on the debut novel by Hunter S. Thompson.
Tiring of the noise and madness of New York and the
crushing conventions of late Eisenhower-era America,
Paul Kemp (Johnny Depp) travels to the pristine island
of Puerto Rico to write for a local newspaper, run by
downtrodden editor Lotterman (Richard Jenkins).
Adopting the rum-soaked life of the island, Paul soon
becomes obsessed with Chenault (Amber Heard), the
wildly attractive Connecticut-born fiancée of
Sanderson (Aaron Eckhart). Sanderson is one of a
growing number of American entrepreneurs who are
determined to convert Puerto Rico into a capitalist
paradise in service of the wealthy. When Kemp is
recruited by Sanderson to write favorably about his
latest unsavory scheme, the journalist is presented
with a choice: to use his words for the corrupt
businessmen's financial benefit, or use them to take
the bastards down. -- (C) FilmDistrict
© 2003 St. Louis Movie Review Weekly. All rights reserved, except where indicated.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
All movie titles, pictures, etc...are the property of their respective studios.
| ST. LOUIS MOVIE REVIEW WEEKLY |
For all those fans of Paranormal Activity 1 and 2, the third installment in the series,
Paranormal Activity 3, hit theatres with a bang. This third prequel sequel takes us back to before
the activity of the first two began and tries to explain the source of the “hauntings”. It starts
with a scene from Paranormal Activity 2 and then it flashes back to 1988 when the girls were
being videotaped at Katie’s (Chloe Csengery) birthday party by their mom’s boyfriend Dennis
(Christopher Nicholas Smith), a wedding videographer with a passion for videotaping. It
moves on to show him videotaping other events around the house. In one of the tapings Christy
(Jessica Tyler Brown) mentions her imaginary friend “Toby”. Dennis starts wondering about
Christy’s imaginary friend and the weird noises in the houses and similar to the first two movies
he puts static cameras in the two bedrooms. The girl’s mother Julie (Lauren Bittner) thinks
Toby” is just “a product of wild imagination and will be gone in two weeks” and does not fully
give into the concept they are being haunted. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman who
directed the blockbuster “Catfish” in 2010 made a brilliant addition to this low budget series by
having Dennis strap a camera onto an oscillating fan that panned the downstairs living room
and kitchen. This added a whole new effect to the static camera filming in the previous two
as the audience pans the screen for the next terror that awaits them. This constant waiting for
things to happen and the listening for the source of the noises is what keeps the audience on
the edge of their seat. The ending brings even more questions to the already chilling tale and
obviously leaves room for a fourth; however, this ending is not quite as haunting as the previous
two and ends rather suddenly. For those who don’t like the previous two this one offers no
surprises; however, those who have been a fan since the first one will not leave disappointed.
Paranormal Activity 3, hit theatres with a bang. This third prequel sequel takes us back to before
the activity of the first two began and tries to explain the source of the “hauntings”. It starts
with a scene from Paranormal Activity 2 and then it flashes back to 1988 when the girls were
being videotaped at Katie’s (Chloe Csengery) birthday party by their mom’s boyfriend Dennis
(Christopher Nicholas Smith), a wedding videographer with a passion for videotaping. It
moves on to show him videotaping other events around the house. In one of the tapings Christy
(Jessica Tyler Brown) mentions her imaginary friend “Toby”. Dennis starts wondering about
Christy’s imaginary friend and the weird noises in the houses and similar to the first two movies
he puts static cameras in the two bedrooms. The girl’s mother Julie (Lauren Bittner) thinks
Toby” is just “a product of wild imagination and will be gone in two weeks” and does not fully
give into the concept they are being haunted. Directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman who
directed the blockbuster “Catfish” in 2010 made a brilliant addition to this low budget series by
having Dennis strap a camera onto an oscillating fan that panned the downstairs living room
and kitchen. This added a whole new effect to the static camera filming in the previous two
as the audience pans the screen for the next terror that awaits them. This constant waiting for
things to happen and the listening for the source of the noises is what keeps the audience on
the edge of their seat. The ending brings even more questions to the already chilling tale and
obviously leaves room for a fourth; however, this ending is not quite as haunting as the previous
two and ends rather suddenly. For those who don’t like the previous two this one offers no
surprises; however, those who have been a fan since the first one will not leave disappointed.
By Brenda S. Ladd
