Apartment 143 (2012)
A team of parapsychologists sets out to investigate a series of anomalous phenomena taking place in a newly occupied apartment. Telephone calls with no caller, mysterious shadows, extraordinary light emissions, flying objects, and exploding light bulbs are some of the events they will face while recording their every step with state-of-the-art technology. Using infrared filming, digital photography, psychophonic recordings, movement detectors, and magnetic field alteration meters, the group’s attempts to contact the “other side” will grow increasingly dangerous as they near a point of no return.
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Surprisingly incoherent and boring
Sorry, this movie sucks
Fantastic!
Admirable film.
Absolute drivel. You can tell the moment the movie starts, from the dopey-looking, moronic halfwit narrating, that this is going to be no Oscar-winner! It appears to have been produced by a "Movie-Making 101" class on their first morning.Lousy direction, pathetic "acting", dreadful cinematography specialising in dark, darker, the darkest scenes imaginable. It was a shame to bring little children into this mess, btw. WHY are movies of this type being made? WHO is the audience? NOT recommended, unless you want to punish yourself for something !
Slight spin on the paranormal activity found footage film which has scientists studying spiritual phenomena arriving at the apartment of a widower and his two children who seemed to have experienced their share of disturbing events, possibly poltergeist in nature. All the cameras located in areas of the house and devices to seek out phenomena are used. Monitors to study the house, shoulder cameras on the scientists so there's mobility in capturing "moving phenomena", audio devices to hopefully catch vocal response to questions, and even a "sensitive" (he doesn't want to be called a psychic and his ability he considers "channeling") is brought in to call upon the possible spirit to learn of what he or she wants and why this is the family bothered. Caitlin, the teenage daughter, seems to be the focal point of who the spirit is interested in (an image inside her room, in the dark background behind her, with resolution cleared, shows a female apparition), while the father, Alan, is the target of her rage. Caitlin seems to be totally at odds with Alan, as if he was responsible for her mom's death. The history of the mother's absence, her true character, and how she died seem to lie at the heart of the activity, as it started at their previous residence and followed the family to the apartment. The little boy seems oblivious to the scariness of the situation, spirited and excited at all the equipment and tech being brought into the apartment, following the scientists around as they take photographs, record activity and monitor possible evidence."Apartment 143" will probably be heralded for how the evidence is provided to us, the audience, while the material doesn't particularly outmatch all the Paranormal Activity films that have come down the pike over the years. The performances are realistic and quite impressive, especially Kai Lennox as the tortured father, Alan White, worried about his kids as the film starts to question if he done sinister things to his daughter and wife. Lennox' superb work when Alan is interrogated (at first an interview but Michael O'Keefe's head parapychologist begins to turn the screws) and breaks down about his wife's "wickedness", and how his daughter was witness to her infidelity (and the violence that ensued when the father takes action on the wife's lover and then her), certainly is a bravura acting showcase. Gia Mantegna is the teenage girl rife with animosity towards her father, and that attitude is so toxic the discomfort for the scientists is palpable. How the film paints Alan as suspicious only to exonerate him when he does all he can to save his daughter is quite well done. O'Keefe as the boss of the team gives off the typical clinical, cerebral, all-business parapsychologist looking at everything from a scientific standpoint, while Rick Gonzalez is the wisecracking, smart, active tech wiz and Fiona Glascott is the pretty, hands-on, reactionary jack-of-all-trades. These three experience a lot in Apartment 143, but O'Keefe is of the thought that all of the activity is a manifestation of Caitlin's loss of a mother she was especially close to, the oppression of what she saw her mother do with another man, hormonal maturation into a woman, and oncoming schizophrenia (the same as her mother had). Of course, the final scene, as Rodriguez removes each camera while talking with O'Keefe (about what they just experienced and the disappointment of not documenting "true PA"), before leaving the apartment, produces something opposed to scientific theory dismissing paranormal activity. Good special effects and the footage on the cameras don't cheat the audience. Still, you've seen one of these, you have seen them all Best scene: during the sensitive's channeling, the entity shows herself in Caitlin and Alan feels her wrath. That O'Keefe just feels all despondent his cameras didn't actually capture anything despite all we see is rather ridiculous...his disposition and countenance never change despite the astonishing evidence revealed on record.
I had high expectations for this movie. I love movies about ghosts, and I love found footage movies. So, I figured this one would be perfect. I was completely and totally wrong. I enjoyed the characters and the back story. That's all I enjoyed though. During much of the movie, I had to turn the volume up all the way, and I still had difficulty hearing the dialog. Then, came the end of the movie. Here is a paranormal investigator, standing in a room with a girl levitating over her bed, and instead of focusing the camera on the levitating girl, the investigator goes back and forth from the psychologist and the girl's father. I actually yelled at the screen, 'Just point the camera at the girl!' I was also confused as to why this movie was in the found footage genre. No one dies. I would call this more of a mockumentary than found footage.
Okay.... the acting was okay, the effects standard at best, the story line tired and technique well worn. But I can still watch and enjoy a movie provided it makes sense.This movie does not.... noises through the house (crashing, door bell etc), a kettle jumps from stove to counter and the stove goes off all in an instant, gale force winds in the house, girl hovering a meter over her bed...And the final decision on the cause from the professionals is... wait for it.... SCHIZAPHRENIA Disgraceful.For those that can ignore that logic good for you but it was a slap in the face for me looking for a compelling resolution. Very disappointing end to an average movie.