Rating: 
Summary: A mixed bag.
Review: "The Blair Witch Project" is not a beautiful or profound movie; it is a really scary and entertaining one.
I like horror movies and I've seen dozens of them, by great directors (Murnau, Dreyer, Mamoulian, Browning, Tourneur, Murakami, Polanski, Kubrick etc.), uneven directors (Carpenter, Corman, Craven, Hooper, Raimi, Romero etc.), and bad directors (the vast majority - including of course Stephen King the film maker). Often those which we lazily categorize as "great horror movies" are not meant to be simply horror-genre movies: they often are psychological, even psychoanalytical, thrillers (think of Jacques Tourneur and Stanley Kubrick), social satires (Roman Polanski), fantasies (Haruki Murakami), allegories etc. However horror-genre movies are primarily (and often exclusively) meant to be scary entertainments; as such, I think "BW1" is a pretty good movie (as such, worthy of 4 stars). Quite the opposite is true of "BW2", which is an awful mess, a boring, ridiculous, poorly written, shot and acted trash-movie (0 stars - I abhor it). Avoid it.
Rating: 
Summary: I disagree...
Review: ...with those who said "Book of Shadows" is not good. I found it to be pretty entertaining and overall well done. I mean I woudn't say it's too scary, but it's a nice thriller.
This time Artisan doesn't lie about movie being a documentary but rather makes it look that there might not be any ghosts or haunted witches in Blair at all.
You will be the judge of that...
You see all those weird things going on in the woods and may think there defenatelly are evil force is involved in the storyline (Strange things and puzzles can be seen on tapes, People killed, Some going crazy etc.) But at the same time you see involved people using alcohol and drugs which kind of makes you ask a question, Is this really going on? Or we just see the reality through the eyes of people under effects of alcohol and drugs? Or are they simply crazy?
Like I said, that you will decide for yourself.
In addition, "The book of shadows" Dvd includes hidden puzzles and images that you will want to solve to get some answers to the question you might have after the movie.
Also they include alot of "Free things" mail in forms, so you can get some nice gifts by only paying for shipping.
I think this movie is worth buying. Well, atleast I'm not disappointed.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Package Deal!
Review: A must-have for Blair Witch fans! I bought it for the DVD of the original Blair Witch Project, and it was like getting the sequel for free. Both DVD's are loaded with extras, and Book of Shadows even comes with the complete musical score. Plus, Book of Shadows doesn't suck nearly as much as I though it did the first time around. Just keep an open mind!
Rating: 
Summary: the winner for worst sequel ever!!!
Review: and in top 10 worst movies of all time!!! you will not find this director doing anything outside of the commercial realm anytime soon after this mess.and i doubt any of the actors will survive this.only the grips may walk away unscathed.i could spend a glorious lifetime detailing how awefull this was.it made part 1 seem like citizen kane!!! but i wont do that.instead ill just try and warn those who might buy this to think again.spend that money on 50 pounds of discarded banana peels,pidgeon feathers,getting drunk,or even hold up that $20 and burn it.anything but using it to buy this junk will make you a happier consumer.
Rating:
Summary: Blair Witch 2 BEATS Blair 1 OR maybe SCREAM anyday
Review: I found Blair Witch 2 Book Of Shadows to be a vastly entertaining and insightfull commenatary into media and popular culture.In it one of the characters said he made money from ebay. I can relate to that and is such a techno=savvy word to use. It was apparent in the Blair Witch 1 dvd commenatry where the directors sold there camera on ebay. Anyway this movie, Blair 2 is not your standard video camera Blair 1. It uses a sophisticated plot and many camera angles. On top of that the DVD features comprehensive and value for money special features. Turn the disc over and you have a soundtrack. This is not your standard low volume hard to hear classical standard soundtrack. This one is loud instrumental plus 4 rock songs. I have yet to try it on DVD ROM but it claims to have a full size script while you watch the movie. So whilst it dosen't have complete special features you can utilise the script as replacement for subtitles. Overall this movies has a great story, very different and unique. It's way better than the first one. It might just even beat Scream and I know what you did last summer.
Rating:
Summary: A modern FUTURE day anti-media fairy tale warning?,
Review: I found Blair Witch 2 Book Of Shadows to be a vastly entertaining and insightfull commentary into media and popular culture, a modern FUTURE day anti-media fairy tale warning? Sinply this movies has a great story, very different and unique and definitely better than the Blair Witch 1. The knockout punch is it puts an original spin on the late 90's teen squeal series of Scream, Urban Legends, I Know What You Did Last Summer film genres and conversly puts them to shame. Extending on it's modern/future day society insights, one of the characters said he made money from ebay. I can relate to him as it's such a techno savvy and new age word to use. It extended on the original Blair Witch dvd commentary where the directors sold there camera on ebay...
Though that's where the similarities end as 'Book Of Shadows' is not your standard home video camera farce. All in all it uses more sophisticated plot devices, well constructed dialogue and usual plethora of expensive camera angles. On top of that the DVD features comprehensive and value for money special features. Turn the DVD over and you have a CD album soundtrack which is not your standard low volume, classical score type: it's more a sonice band composition. Well worth using the DVD ROM for it has a full size script during the movie. So whilst it dosen't have complete special features you can utilise the script as replacement for subtitles.
Rating:
Summary: What might have been...
Review: I found this set in the bargain bin. It was inexpensive enough, so I bought it, being a fan of the original Blair Witch Project (and also coming from Orlando, like the film-makers), and having no idea what the sequel was like -- other than most people said it stank up the joint. The set is a mixed bag. Despite some genuine hackle-raising moments (when the video camera is hunting in the dark and we hear, for God's sake LAUGHING CHILDREN in the woods), the original Blair Witch is uneven, with the improvised dialog occasionally backfiring. There are moments when the spell breaks and we can tell that the actors are self-consciously going for moments, rather than remaining immersed in their characters. But these are quibbles. The Blair Witch Project remains a stunning acheivement if for no other reason than its sheer audacity. The nerve of these guys, Myreck and Sanchez. The chutzpah. I admire it. Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows is almost a good movie, and probably would have been, were it not for idiot studio bean-counters A) rushing the production (soup to nuts in ONE year), and B) interfering with the creative process. Listen to director Joe Berlinger's somewhat pained commentary track and you'll understand what I mean. His intent (which probably would have worked), was to go for a subversive, darkly satiric take on the so-called "Blair Witch phenomenon" and its subsequent backlash, while at the same time making a genuine psychological thriller on the nature of evil (human? occult? a mixture of both? he wanted it ambiguous). Alas, while creative people and thoughtful film-goers like philosophical ambiguity, studio bosses don't. So they made him dumb it down. Berlinger is a gifted documentarian who should have been allowed, for his first feature film, to exercise his creative muscles in the realm of a fictional narrative. As it stands, a lot of carefully modulated effects are placed out of their original sequence. Only a viewing of his original cut would tell us if they would have worked better as originally conceived, but as it stands, Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, is a noble ruin -- a film with some very good ideas that are not allowed to get very far. It's a shame. The DVDs are chock-full of extras, including some nifty puzzles and creepy, hidden images. Overall, it's worth the purchase, if only as a cautionary tale to other would-be film-makers -- be they from Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else.
Rating:
Summary: What might have been...
Review: I found this set in the bargain bin. It was inexpensive enough, so I bought it, being a fan of the original Blair Witch Project (and also coming from Orlando, like the film-makers), and having no idea what the sequel was like -- other than most people said it stank up the joint. The set is a mixed bag. Despite some genuine hackle-raising moments (when the video camera is hunting in the dark and we hear, for God's sake LAUGHING CHILDREN in the woods), the original Blair Witch is uneven, with the improvised dialog occasionally backfiring. There are moments when the spell breaks and we can tell that the actors are self-consciously going for moments, rather than remaining immersed in their characters. But these are quibbles. The Blair Witch Project remains a stunning acheivement if for no other reason than its sheer audacity. The nerve of these guys, Myreck and Sanchez. The chutzpah. I admire it. Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows is almost a good movie, and probably would have been, were it not for idiot studio bean-counters A) rushing the production (soup to nuts in ONE year), and B) interfering with the creative process. Listen to director Joe Berlinger's somewhat pained commentary track and you'll understand what I mean. His intent (which probably would have worked), was to go for a subversive, darkly satiric take on the so-called "Blair Witch phenomenon" and its subsequent backlash, while at the same time making a genuine psychological thriller on the nature of evil (human? occult? a mixture of both? he wanted it ambiguous). Alas, while creative people and thoughtful film-goers like philosophical ambiguity, studio bosses don't. So they made him dumb it down. Berlinger is a gifted documentarian who should have been allowed, for his first feature film, to exercise his creative muscles in the realm of a fictional narrative. As it stands, a lot of carefully modulated effects are placed out of their original sequence. Only a viewing of his original cut would tell us if they would have worked better as originally conceived, but as it stands, Blair Witch 2: Book of Shadows, is a noble ruin -- a film with some very good ideas that are not allowed to get very far. It's a shame. The DVDs are chock-full of extras, including some nifty puzzles and creepy, hidden images. Overall, it's worth the purchase, if only as a cautionary tale to other would-be film-makers -- be they from Orlando, Florida, or anywhere else.
Rating:
Summary: BLAIR WITCH 2-BOOK OF SHADOWS
Review: i like "BLAIR WITCH 2-BOOK OF SHADOWS" but on the back of the dvd case it says: "Notice: This DVD+CD may not play in all players.May cause damage to in-dash car audio systems."
it didn't work that well in my home player. my player made a grinding noise so i took it out. the disk with "THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT" worked fine on my player.
it even had "THE CURSE OF THE BLAIR WITCH" on it.
Rating:
Summary: I have to disagree with everyone else here
Review: I watched the Blair Witch Project with an open mind. I waited and waited and waited for something to happen. Something finally happened other than a bunch of ... kids running around in the woods, and the movie was over. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT. Then I got to see Book of Shadows. I was so impressed. This movie is so much better than the first one. Things happened!! It made me think. It confused me a little bit. I couldn't tell what was going to happen next, and that, to me, makes it one of the best movies I've seen in a LONG time.
|
