Double Dipping: Sinister and Butter

Film: Sinister

Starring: Ethan Hawke (Brooklyn's Finest)

Director: Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose)

Genre: Horror


Scott Derrickson's Sinister finds its way to theatres everywhere this weekend, and the R-Rated horror film doesn't disappoint. Ethan Hawke stars as Ellison Oswalt, a struggling true crime novelist who has failed to match the acclaim from the first book he wrote nearly 10 years ago. While relocating his family closer to the scene of the crime, Ellison purposely omits the fact that they're actually purchasing the home where an entire family was murdered (with the exception of one daughter who has gone missing).

Sinister follows in the wake of other supernatural horror movies we've grown to appreciate over the past decade such as The Ring and The Woman in Black. Ethan Hawke is a more than qualified actor and his performance certainly gives a sense of validity to the film. Furthermore, Derrickson (who also penned the screenplay) does a fantastic job of dropping subtle hints all along the way to the movie's satisfying conclusion. Although Sinister finds itself developing in the mold of horror flicks we've seen before, the scares are frequent and the story is creative enough to separate itself as its own entity.

Despite a sense of originality and some quality scares, Sinister has a few noticeable downsides. The film slowly progresses its plot through the use of constant redundancy. The audience dives deeper and deeper into the story through the use of "found footage" by Hawke's character. And no matter how terrifying these reel to reel images are, there's still a massive sense of repetition involved with Sinister. But all in all, Sinister's glowing aspects far outweigh its deficiencies. Thus making Sinister a rather enjoyable horror flick that I recommend seeing.


Stars: 3 stars out of 4

Grade: B





Film: Butter

Starring: Jennifer Garner (Juno), Olivia Wilde (People Like Us) and Yari Shahidi

Director: Jim Field Smith (She's Out of My League)

Genre: Comedy


I first came across Jim Field Smith's Butter almost one calendar year ago at the 20th annual Philadelphia Film Festival. As a late entry, Butter's credits rolled to an overwhelming applause by the surprisingly satisfied crowd. Like me, many other moviegoers in attendance really didn't know what to expect from the comedy. But without a doubt, we were all satisfied with one of 2012's funniest films.

Butter follows Laura Pickler (played by Garner) and her butter-carving legend of a husband Bob (played by Modern Family's own Ty Burrell). When the butter-carving community respectfully asks Bob to step away from competition to make way for the next great sculptor, whoever that may be, Laura goes on the offensive and decides to take up the hobby herself. Refusing to give up the glory that comes along with being the wife of the greatest butter carver in the world, Laura enters the competition. In a quest for keeping the gold medal in her family, Laura's only roadblock is an African American foster child named Destiny (played by Shahidi).

As a valiant challenger to Ted as the year's most politically incorrect film, Butter gets by on an over-the top screenplay and a constant ambush of outlandish scenes. The satire is a well paced 90 minute joy ride that never bores. Although the R-Rated comedy progresses nicely, it attempts to squeeze in a rather sentimental side as well. But it's easy to look past the schmaltz and recognize Butter for what it truly is, a fun-filled viewing experience.

Don't be alarmed by the rather poor reception that Butter has received. Despite the lack of critical acclaim, Butter is a hilarious comedy that finds itself alongside some of the year's best. Mainly available on Video on Demand, you won't be let down by this rental. So if you're spending the night sitting in and looking for something funny to watch, I highly recommend giving Butter a chance.


Stars: 3 stars out of 4

Grade: B