Jordan’s Review: Why you shouldn’t ‘Pay the Ghost’.

For those of you who are excited for this October’s spooky festivities, you may be better off turning your attention away from Nicolas Cage’s new horror flick, Pay the Ghost. Alongside the lackluster Academy Award Winner is The Walking Dead actress, Sarah Wayne Callies, who out of the two of them, gave a more believable performance. The film was brought to us by critically acclaimed German director, Uli Edel, who’s 2008 film, The Baadere Meinhof Complex, was nominated for a Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Yet despite all the award winners and nominees, the film lacked immensely in its scare factor.

After a weak and not-so-scary opener, the story moves into modern-day New York City, where we see the lives of Mike (Cage) and Kristen Cole (Callies) with their son Charlie (Jack Fulton). The plot quickly shows signs of a supernatural presence outside Charlie’s bedroom window, which of course is immediately disregarded by his mother and father. It wasn’t until Halloween night that Charlie started seeing the ghost more closely. While he and his father were attending a Halloween Festival on their block, Charlie turned to his father and told him to “pay the ghost,” which as most parents would, Mike assume he was talking about all the costumes and decorations. Then only a few moments later, Charlie disappeared.

Pay the Ghost, never brought anything new to the realm of horror. If anything it felt as though it copied from other films, such as James Wan’s Insidious. The film felt lazy considering the amount of plot holes, which occasionally made the film funny rather than frightening. Overall, Pay the Ghost might appeal to some, however for the real horror film connoisseurs, this film might not be the scare you are looking for this Halloween season.

2 out of 5 stars

Nicolas Cage takes on the supernatural in ‘Pay the Ghost’ trailer

Pay the Ghost poster

THEATRICAL, VOD AND iTUNES RELEASE DATE:  September 25, 2015
DIRECTOR:  Uli Edel
WRITER:  Dan Kay
CAST:   Nicolas Cage, Sarah Wayne Callies
SYNOPSIS:  Oscar® winner Nicolas Cage (Leaving Las Vegas) stars in this intense and chilling thriller about one man’s desperate search for his missing child. One year after his young son disappeared during a Halloween carnival, Mike Lawford (Cage) is haunted by eerie images and terrifying messages he can’t explain. Together with his estranged wife (Sarah Wayne Callies, The Walking Dead), he will stop at nothing to unravel the mystery and find their son—and, in doing so, he unearths a legend that refuses to remain buried in the past.

September Movie Preview – 61 movies opening including 12 documentaries & 13 also on demand

September-Movie-Preview-Reel-News-DailyThere are an insane amount of movies releasing this September. There are 12 that are on the top of my watchlist. Which are on yours?

  1. 99 Homes
  2. About Ray
  3. Ashby
  4. Cooties
  5. Dragon Blade
  6. Finders Keepers
  7. Mississippi Grind
  8. Prophet’s Prey
  9. Sicario
  10. Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
  11. Stonewall
  12. The Keeping Room

September 2nd

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution

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Produced by PBS, this is likely to be in a classic documentary style.


A Walk in the Woods

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Robert Redford tried to make a comeback last year with his solo effort, All Is Lost, but this time he teams up with Nick Nolte. Potential to be great.


September 4th

Before We Go – available to rent

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Chris Evans directs with the unpredictable and amazing Alice Eve. She also stars with Matthew Broderick in Dirty Weekend, out this same day.


Bloodsucking Bastards
Also on VOD
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Liz is reviewing – stay tuned!


Break Point

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Dirty-Weekend_Press_1 TribecaDirty Weekend
Tribeca Film Festival 2015, also on VOD
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This didn’t impress Liz or myself, but Jeremy is going to give it a try. Stay tuned for his review!


Dragon Blade

Also on VOD
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Adrien Brody, Jackie Chan and John Cusack. Swords, armor and anticipated over-acting.


My Voice, My Life

Documentary

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Number One Fan

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The Transporter Refueled

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Coming Home

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Welcome to Leith

Documentary[imdb id=”tt3962848″ plot=”short”]

Jeremy is reviewing – stay tuned!


chloe and theo stillChloe and Theo
Also on VOD
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Jordan is reviewing – stay tuned!


Steve Jobs-3Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine
Also on VOD
Documentary[imdb id=”tt4425064″ plot=”short”]

Liz and I will attended a special screening and Q&A with director Alex Gibney – stay tuned for their side-by-side reviews! Can you guess which is the iPhone user?


Wolf Totem


September 9th

The Visit

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Are you going to give M. Night another shot?


Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials

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September 11th

TIME OUT OF MIND NYFFTime Out of Mind

On demand September 18th
New York Film Festival 2014
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Sleeping with Other People
Tribeca Film Festival 2015
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Don’t even think about it – just see it. I raved about it here.


Breathe

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Mélanie Laurent directs. I’m there.


Goodnight Mommy

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Listening
also on VOD
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Meet the Patels

Documentary

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Paul Taylor Creative Domain

Documentary

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Triple 9

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TBD


90 Minutes in Heaven

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The Perfect Guy

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September 18th

Captive

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Cooties

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Pawn Sacrifice

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Kate Macer (Emily Blunt, right), Dave Jennings, (Victor Garber, center right), Phil Coopers (Hank Rogerson, center left) and Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya, left) in SICARIO. Photo Credit: Richard Foreman

Kate Macer (Emily Blunt, right), Dave Jennings, (Victor Garber, center right), Phil Coopers (Hank Rogerson, center left) and Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya, left) in SICARIO. Photo Credit: Richard Foreman

Sicario
Toronto International Film Festival 2015
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Emily Blunt once more kicking ass. Love it.


About Ray
Toronto International Film Festival 2015
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Black Mass-00001Black Mass

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You can catch the doc on Netflix right now here.


Everest

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This might be worth the extra moola for IMAX.


Katti Batti

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The New Girlfriend

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Prophet’s Prey

Documentary

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Amy Berg has wowed me with West of Memphis and Deliver Us From Evil, so I’m looking forward to this.


Uncle John
Also on VOD

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War Pigs

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Some Kind of Hate
Also on VOD
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Jeremy Scott: The People’s Designer

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September 23rd

Pay the Ghost
Also on VOD
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Trailer TBA


September 24th

The Reflektor Tapes

Documentary, Toronto International Film Festival 2015

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September 25th

Finders Keepers

Documentary[imdb id=”tt3462002″ plot=”short”]


Mississippi Grind

Ben Mendelsohn is one of those actors that greatly elevates the movie without overshadowing it. CAN’T WAIT. (Insert joke from @harmonov about Ryan Reynolds)

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Stonewall

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Before I Wake

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The Green Inferno

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Misunderstood

Also on VOD, New York Film Festival 2014

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Mission to Lars

Documentary

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The Intern

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10 Days in a Madhouse

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99 Homes

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A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story

Documentary

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Ashby

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Ashby TrailerLife is about knowing how to take a hit. Brace yourself, Ashby opens in Select Theaters, On Demand and DIGITAL HD September 25th!

Posted by Ashby on Saturday, August 22, 2015


Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon

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Labyrinth of Lies

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The Keeping Room

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Before I Wake

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Hotel Transylvania 2

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Brand: A Second Coming

Documentary

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Could not find a trailer. This is not a good sign.


Wildlike

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September 30th

The Walk
New York Film Festival 2015
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