Apartment 143 (2012)

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

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.

The movie opens up with quite a strong and promising start, does OK in between but ends abruptly on a fulfilling note. The characters try to hold the story but you can easily see through it. There is hardly a twist present.Few chills though, in between but fails to create anything substantial to hold on. It fails to grip the atmosphere, that is generally required in these types of films. And Finally lemme get this straight,in the end, the so called Paranormal Experts are bunch of stupids, talking gibberish and has fancy equipment. I really wish that they had contributed something to the movie besides explaining the use of their equipment.

More and more and more footage is being found this day. Most of it hasn't even been lost. Like this which isn't really found footage, just recorded footage with added drama and effects. The story itself isn't that different from any other exorcism story and even in that field we had some really good movies (Last Exorcism to name one).But the movie does have some scary (read: good) moments in it and some might even really love the ending (it's an entire different matter, if it makes sense or not). The relationships between the characters are nicely drawn, but everything plays in one apartment and there is only so much room to go (pun intended).

I love a good movie. I even love the occasional bad movie! I am also enough of a movie buff to be fair when watching a B film, but this film was beyond awful. I can only assume that the makers of Emergo (or Apartment 143 as it was titled on Netflix) decided to try to cash in on the popularity of movies like Paranormal Activity and make their own. They failed in a completely miserable way. What they ended up with was a stinker so bad, that I couldn't wait to inform you all not to waste 85 minutes of your time. A family is having difficulties here. Mom died and Dad appears to be doing the best he can for his two children. The teenage daughter blames him for her mother's death and hates him, and his young son is just a happy little kid that apparently is unaffected by anything. Now strange, paranormal things are happening in the house (ie: slamming doors, windows, moving furniture, etc.), and when Dad moves his family, the paranormal activity follows them to their new house. Now Dad hires a paranormal investigative team to help. Sounds like a movie worth watching if you like that sort of stuff right? Wrong! Here's the bottom line: Plot? Garbage. Premise? Garbage. Acting? Garbage. Dialogue? Garbage. Characters? Unlikable, unbelievable garbage (The "Doctor" tells Dad to relax and do nothing while his daughter is being physically hurt! Yeah the Doc was the worst character of all) Sound Garbled garbage Lighting? Dull garbage. Special Effects? A 6yr old could do better garbage. I'm so glad that if I had to watch this at all, I saw it on Netflix. At least I didn't waste money on a ticket. But I want my time back. I cannot remember the last time I was so disappointed in a movie... and I paid money in a theatre to see the Blair Witch sequel!