Ouija (2014) - Yawn your way to the netherworld

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A dark and anticipation-building poster for Stiles White's Ouija

 

A young woman, who has recently played with a Ouija board, hangs herself. But her friends are not 'finished' with her and contact her in the beyond, - with the Ouija board. That was a bad idea!

 

Ouija is written by Juliet Snowden (Knowing (2009)) and debuting co-writer/director Stiles White (Boogeyman (2005, writer)).

With uninteresting characters - and actors - and a deeply yawn-worthy plot, where dialog and action reeks of Movie as opposed to reality, - Ouija turns out a vapid and exceedingly dull time. It is strictly for the youngest and newest arrivals to the exciting world of horror.

 

Related post:

 

Stiles White: 2014 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]

The Possession (2012) - Bornedal's possession horror struggles with the demon of mediocrity (screenplay, also co-written with Snowden)

 

 

Watch a behind the scenes feature here

 

Cost: 7.9 mil. $

Box office: 103.6 mil. $

= Mega-hit (returned 13.11 times its cost)

[Ouija was released 23 October (Malaysia, Singapore, Slovenia) and runs 89 minutes. Development began in 2008, and scores of talent were involved over the years, with the film envisioned as a big-budget (up to 125 mil. $) tentpole picture for the first several years of development, before the scope and project changed to a 5 mil. $ film. Shooting took place from December 2013 - January 2014 in California, including Los Angeles, with extensive re-shoots in May-June 2014 after poor test screenings. Reportedly half the film was re-shot; Lin Shaye was also cast in a new character to bolster the film at this point, and the extensive re-shoots are likely what caused the budget to balloon 58 % over-budget to 7.9 mil. $. The film opened #1 to a 19.8 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent another weekend at #1 and then one more in the top 5 (#4), grossing 50.8 mil. $ (49 % of the total gross). The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were Mexico with 6.6 mil. $ (6.4 %) and the UK with 5 mil. $ (4.8 %). The success prompted a sequel (without the involvement of White and Snowden or any of the film's cast), Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016). White has not returned to directing but is announced to be writing an untitled Bermuda Triangle movie. Olivia Cooke (The Signal (2014)) returned in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015). Ouija is rotten at 6 % with a 3.20/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

 

What do you think of Ouija? 

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015) - Andrews' and Gomez-Rejon's quirky and sincere youth dramedy

♥♥♥♥♥

+ Best Youth Movie of the Year

The young stars of Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; Thomas Mann, RJ Cyler and Olivia Cooke adorn the poster

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is an adaptation of Jesse Andrews' 2012 debut novel, which he adapted himself, with Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (American Horror Story (2011-14)) directing it as his second feature.

Greg is a senior high school student, whose mother pressures him into spending time with a girl he knows, who is diagnosed with leukemia. Greg and his friend Earl make short films together and end up having a profound relation to the girl, as she struggles with her illness.

The film tells its story in a quirky, possibly a little over-narrated way, but as the aim is to get us into Greg's shoes, I think it accomplishes this well. Andrews and Gomez-Rejon embrace Greg and Earl's film-nerding activities, which are pretty funny, if you know some or all of the titles they are remaking. Most of this will be lost on people with little or no film history knowledge, however.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is earnest, very amusing and boasts some creatively stimulating stop-motion sequences made by Edward Bursch and Nathan O. Marsh. By its third act, the film luckily steps somewhat out of its own irony-infused comfort zone, as the story tightens. The conclusion breaks your heart, even if you are mostly 'just' pleasantly amused with the first two acts of the film.

Connie Britton and Nick Offerman in Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

The movie falls in the vein of Stephen Chbosky's masterpiece The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), without achieving that film's complete success. It also bears resemblance to the great Juno (2007), although the themes are switched around from giving birth to death.
RJ Cyler (War Machine (2016)), Olivia Cooke (Ouija (2014)) and Thomas Mann (Beautiful Creatures (2013)) give fine performances as Earl, Rachel and Greg, and Mann makes some stellar Werner Herzog impressions that are easily the film's funniest moments, (at least for Herzog fans.) Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation (2009-15)) is dryly funny as Greg's father, but it is Connie Britton (Spin City (1996-00)) and Molly Shannon (Scary Movie 5 (2013)) as the two important moms in the film that really make an impact, and both give great, affecting performances.
Finally, Me and Earl makes perfect use of Brian Eno music, especially his The Big Ship (1975), SPOILER which plays during Greg's Stan Brakhage-inspired short film to Rachel in the end.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is a film that loves film, loves life, - and which you will love.

Related posts:

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED IV]

2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED III]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED II]
2015 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]

The book cover for the movie re-print of Jesse Andrews' novel

Watch the trailer for the movie here

Cost: 8 mil. $
Box office: 8.4 mil. $ and counting
= Uncertainty
[Andrews' script came to be on the 2012 Blacklist and came to the attention of Gomez-Rejon, who used to be personal assistant and second unit director for Alejandro González Iñárritu, Martin Scorsese and Nora Ephron. The movie was shot in four weeks in June-July 2014 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, among other places in Andrews' family home, which is Greg's home in the film. The film debuted at Sundance to a standing ovation, winning both the US Grand Prix: Dramatic and the Audience Award and was picked up for distribution in a bidding war by Fox Searchlight for a whopping 12 mil. $. Despite great reviews, the film failed to set the box office on fire in a slowly growing release strategy: The film has grossed 6.7 mil. $ (79.8 % of the total gross) in North America, not impressive, especially when compared to the success of similarly themed The Fault in Our Stars (2014), which grossed 307.2 mil. $ on a 12 mil. $ budget! Me and Earl's 2nd and 3rd biggest markets are the UK (1.1 mil. $/13 %) and Australia (0.3 mil. $/3.6 %). It looks like it will end up a huge flop commercially. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl is certified fresh at 81% with a critical rating of 7.6 on Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Me and Earl and the Dying Girl?