RETURN TO PARADISE (1998)

Directed By: Joseph Rueben 
Written By: Wesley Strick & Bruce Robinson 
Based on the original Screenplay FORCE MAJEURE by: Pierre Jolivet & O. Schatzky Cinematography By: Reynaldo Villalobos 
Editor: Craig McKay & Andrew Mondshein 


Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jada Pinkett Smith, Anne Heche, Joaquin Phoenix, David Conrad, Vera Farminga, Nick Sandow, David Zayas, Richard Yang, Elizabeth Rodriguez 


Three friends share an exciting vacation in Malaysia, full of fun, drinks, women and hash. When the vacation is over, each have dreams of continuing their lives, and they all go their separate ways. One of them remains on the tropical paradise to fulfill a dream of working with apes for research. Two years later, a lawyer comes to New York and hunts down the other two friends to give some sad news. A few days after they left the island, police raided their camp and found amazingly large quantities of hash left about. Phoenix was still residing there, so he had to take the blame. He is set to be put to death in 8 days, and the only way the charges can be decreased is if the two friends come back to paradise and take their share of the responsibilty. If they do, they both will spend three years in prison. If only one does, he will spend six years behind bars.

THE CONJURING (2013)

Directed By: James Wan 
Written By: Chad Hayes & Carey Hayes 
Cinematography By: John R. Leonetti 
Editor: Kirk M. Morri 

 Cast: Vera Farminga, Patrick Wilson, Lili Taylor,Ron Livingston, Joey King

SOURCE CODE (2011)

Directed By: Duncan Jones
Written By: Ben Ripley
Cinematography By: Don Burgess
Editor: Paul Hirsch

Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farminga, Jeffrey Wright, Russell Peters

ORPHAN (2009)

Directed By: Jamie Collet-Serra
Written By: David Johnson
Story By: Alex Mace
Cinematography By: Jeff Cutter
Editor: Tim Alverson


CAST: Vera Farminga, Peter Sarsgaard, CCH Pounder, Isabelle Fuhrman, Karel Roden, Margo Martindale, Jimmy Bennett

The film succeeds in a lot of ways until you get to the third act which I know disappointed a lot of people with it’s ridiculousness. I think it is because the film so far plays but logical realistic rules so far and then you have this twist that belongs in a crazier movie. Especially since all the advertisements say “you’ll never figure out the ending” they are right you won’t no one could have. It’s like those mysteries where they give you all this evidence and clues to suspect one of the characters you know about up to this point is the murderer then they bring out a character out of the blue making all that came before it null and void fully knowing you were never really meant to figure it out.