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In the same way video shot containing failed offers and lost auctions would be edited out of the show, the show would gravitate towards footage containing the more complex and challenging flips because that will naturally bring more interesting content. When flipping houses, complexity and challenges usually result in a higher cost of repair so that should mean the net profit should be lower than one of their uneventful and unaired typical flips.

But this is not what we see. Instead, in usual reality TV flipping drama, we have Ken and Barbie fretting about losing money only for the final minute to show they actually made $50-$100K. Every time. This simply cannot be true and here is why:

In a number of shows they have mentioned that they have a number of other flips in progress simultaneously. The ones we see usually take 4-8 weeks to complete and net around $50-$100K. Also in a number of shows they try to make it sound as if they are stretched thin, borrow money from relatives, and act as if one unprofitable flip will force them into poverty. The only way this could be true is if they either lose money on houses we do not see or make a minimal amount on a typical flip. At any rate, I want to see that. I want to see why a house failed to flip profitably! I think that would be extremely educational and be a far more interesting show than one where we already know the ending!

It's like watching an episode of Gilligan's Island where they have a chance on getting rescued. C'mon, even if the show was airing new you know they aren't getting rescued.

I'm not some airhead socialist condemning someone their right to earn their profit, but I do want to see the truth in now successful these flips really are so that the faux financial drama that is put into the show at least feels real. The show where they asked Barbie's father for a $15,000 loan and then cut to break as we sat on the edge of our seats waiting to find how what happened is a bit much.

You don't go to a Adam Sandler movie and rip it for not being a documentary and you don't go to a Jason Statham movie and rip it for not being a romance. Likewise, you should not go to a found-footage movie and be disappointed because it failed to have the deep story and thrilling action of The Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises.

Found footage movies are what they are: snippets of "real" life spliced together to make a coherent story. They are often designed to give the impression that the events actually happened, and they have to dance a fine line in order to explain why key moments are luckily captured on camera. I'm very hot or cold with this genre and avoided it for years after The Blair Witch Project put a bad taste in my mouth but the PA movies seem to get it right. I judged this one an "8" because it's an "8" for this genre, but if you don't like these kinds of movies then you are guaranteed to hate this one too. I found it a good entry because:

1) The filming of the events seemed plausible 2) The main characters were likable 3) The PA story was advanced (yes, it actually did but the story was a bit confusing) 4) The cinematography was done well and numerous locations were used (i.e. this was not a nausea-inducing "Blair Witch" thing)

I didn't rate it a 9 or 10 because I found some holes with the plot.

Personally I find this the second best in the franchise with the best being PA-2. PA2 was great in that it gave meaning to the first, expanded upon the first, and acted as both a prequel and sequel. The 3rd was enjoyable but seemed the least original and the paranormal scenes the least creepy.

I really find it baffling how fans of 1, 2, and 3 can hate this entry with such passion. Many wanted scarier scenes, and I ask: like what? Toby fully embodied as a Freddy Kruger-style boogy man? That might have been good, but this is not what Paranormal Activity is all about: it's supposed to be like a creepy camp fire story and exploits all of those creepy little "bumps in the night" that we actually encounter in life. No one ever encounters a three headed dragon in their basement and those kinds of things are better left to movies built for them.

I am hopeful that the series eventually comes to a conclusion with either the coven or Toby getting what's coming to them, but I'm not going to slam this entry because it didn't happen here.