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What was supposed to be shocking or offensive about it?
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May 16, 2013 08:17
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Finally got around to watching The Tall Man, and I'll reiterate what seemed to be a common response to the film in this thread: it's good. I am not too surprised that the film didn't do too well (how did this have an $18 million budget? Was it even released in theatres?), because the trailer sells it as a horror film, but it's really more of an amalgamation of a bunch of genres. It's not a perfect film, but I think the social/political message that is the basis of the film is interesting and important. The "villain" is actually just super altruistic. For some reason, I got huge Beasts of the Southern Wild vibes from this film, but I don't know if that was because it was a thought I just had while I was waking up this morning: Both films deal with real social/political issues, focusing on a town that is both alienated and exploited from the rest of the world. Within both, there are fantastical elements, but have groundings in our reality. Of course, there are a lot of differences to the two films, as in BofSW offered more hope, and gave a richer, more fleshed out look of the town, although this may because of the difference in the two views we are offered in the films (one is a child on the inside, whereas the other is an adult outsider).
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May 16, 2013 16:37
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HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:What was supposed to be shocking or offensive about it? Yeah that's a weird comment. Maybe he misinterpreted everyone talking about how "weird" it is (supposed to be) structurally as talking about content? Twin Cinema posted:Finally got around to watching The Tall Man, and I'll reiterate what seemed to be a common response to the film in this thread: it's good. I am not too surprised that the film didn't do too well (how did this have an $18 million budget? Was it even released in theatres?), because the trailer sells it as a horror film, but it's really more of an amalgamation of a bunch of genres. It's not a perfect film, but I think the social/political message that is the basis of the film is interesting and important. The "villain" is actually just super altruistic. For some reason, I got huge Beasts of the Southern Wild vibes from this film, but I don't know if that was because it was a thought I just had while I was waking up this morning: Both films deal with real social/political issues, focusing on a town that is both alienated and exploited from the rest of the world. Within both, there are fantastical elements, but have groundings in our reality. Of course, there are a lot of differences to the two films, as in BofSW offered more hope, and gave a richer, more fleshed out look of the town, although this may because of the difference in the two views we are offered in the films (one is a child on the inside, whereas the other is an adult outsider). Beasts of the Southern Wild is a really really interesting comparison since I personally saw it as basically a film of hyper-romanticized / fetishized southern black poverty, taken to a stereotypical hollywood extent where FEMA and social workers are the bad guys etc. I know a lot of people don't agree with me so I'm not looking necessarily to argue about that right now. But having that gut reaction to the film and then having it compared directly to a movie where rich urban liberals literally kidnap poor southern kids to "improve" their lives (and yeah in the movie they are obviously taking the kids out of abuse and poverty etc.) is really interesting. Like those are the two extremes of the intellectual atmosphere for liberals in the '10s. Ha.
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May 16, 2013 18:50
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Is Cabin Fever 2 worth watching? I've never seen the first one (I imagine it isn't related) but I like the other Ti West stuff I've seen.
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May 16, 2013 19:52
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Koholint posted:Is Cabin Fever 2 worth watching? I've never seen the first one (I imagine it isn't related) but I like the other Ti West stuff I've seen. It's a neat grossout horror movie but the ending is criminally bad. acephalousuniverse posted:Yeah that's a weird comment. Maybe he misinterpreted everyone talking about how "weird" it is (supposed to be) structurally as talking about content? I almost caught myself because a lot of stuff in it is ostensibly "offensive" (as in, the ideas meant to offend are kind of passe) but yes, it depends on the extent that you find Rob Zombie's aesthetic corny. HUNDU THE BEAST GOD fucked around with this message at 20:52 on May 16, 2013 |
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May 16, 2013 20:49
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Xandoom posted:I'm enojying DBAOTD so far. How's the Children of the Corn series? (Im looking for great Netlix instant horror that's not Cabin in the Woods, Evil Dead, House of the Devil, Pontypool, or Hellraiser. The first Children of the Corn (1984) is a solid, quintessentially '80s horror film. Like I recently commented, there's seriously like a solid reel of tracking shots on hand tools. It's a messy film, and nothing anybody does makes a lick of sense, but I really kinda dig the overall atmosphere of the film. Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice (1992) is a quintessentially '90s straight-to-VHS schlockfest. There's not much to recommend it, it looks like absolute rear end, and Rosalind Allen is the big name in it, if that puts things in perspective. It's also got this weird inability to maintain tone that so many horror flicks of the era have. There's this scene where an old lady is getting crushed to death and it's played as straight horror---right up till she starts screaming, as she dies, `What a world, what a world!'. At one point the main evil child (of the corn) uses an RC car's remote control to take over an old lady's wheelchair. That kind of thing. Not good. Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest (1995) is one of those giddy exercises in connecting as many over-the-top splatter effects as possible, gently caress continuity and plot. If you're into that kind of thing, it's kinda great. The plot involves two children (of the corn) being adopted by a couple in Chicago, and there's a scene where one of them gains the acceptance of a black guy by demonstrating that he can shoot hoops, and the film is completely aware of what it's doing there. Lots of topspin. Good. DS9 chat: at least two actors who have bit parts on DS9 are in it in substantial roles. For whatever that's worth. Children of the Corn: The Gathering (1996) is one of those horror films that you watch and then immediately afterword you have trouble remembering any goddamn thing about it. The plot is basically a Nightmare on Elm Street type thing, where it turns out that all the old people had it coming because of the Terrible Secret of their Dark Past. Naomi Watts and Karen Black are the big names here, looking like they wished they were elsewhere. Bland. Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998) desperately wants you to think its hip and it's just as bad as you'd expect a straight-to-video film from 1998 that wants to be hip to be. This is a film that includes a scene in which David Carradine's head splits open and a flamethrower thing pops out and it shoots Fred Williamson in the face blowing a gaping hole in his head and catching him on fire and it's still terrible. Dwell on that awhile. Blah. Children of the Corn 666: Isaac's Return (1999). They got the guy who played the main child (of the corn) in the first film to revise his role in this one. If that doesn't excite you, the film probably won't either. Stacy Keach is here and so is Nancy Allen, and both of them have seen better days and much, much better films. The material is as old and wore-out as they look. Tired. Children of the Corn: Revelation (2001). The highpoints here are the five minutes Michael Ironside is in this one, and the fact that this is the first Children of the Corn film with tits. I like Michael Ironside and tits. I did not like this film. Saggy. Children of the Corn: Genesis (2011). This is about 9/10ths of a decent psychological horror flick. It feels almost like one of those recent remakes of '70s exploitation films than a Children of the Corn film. Billy Drago is the big name here. I can't say it's a good film, but compared to most of the series it's Sergei loving Eisenstein.
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May 16, 2013 21:14
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acephalousuniverse posted:Beasts of the Southern Wild is a really really interesting comparison since I personally saw it as basically a film of hyper-romanticized / fetishized southern black poverty, taken to a stereotypical hollywood extent where FEMA and social workers are the bad guys etc. I know a lot of people don't agree with me so I'm not looking necessarily to argue about that right now. But having that gut reaction to the film and then having it compared directly to a movie where rich urban liberals literally kidnap poor southern kids to "improve" their lives (and yeah in the movie they are obviously taking the kids out of abuse and poverty etc.) is really interesting. Like those are the two extremes of the intellectual atmosphere for liberals in the '10s. Ha. I think you are correct in your assessment, or rather, it is difficult to argue that that isn't happening in Beasts. However, I think of the key differences is that The Tall Man is aware of its position, in that it knows it is being critical, whereas I didn't get that same feeling from Beasts. It sucks, because I really enjoyed Beasts, but it's difficult to reconcile some of the issues you (and others) have brought up. One film seems unabashed of its liberalism, whereas the other is critical of the altruism that stems from liberalism. I think more interesting similarities and differences could be made, and the more I think about it, I think both films contrast each other pretty well. I am only continuing to spoiler my posts, just because I think discussing The Tall Man like this spoils the ending.
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May 16, 2013 21:43
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Even though it got immediate pushback because the film is so charming and visually arresting, I still think that's a completely coherent criticism of Beasts of The Southern Wild.
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May 16, 2013 21:47
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 The Intruder Within is a blatant made-for-tv Alien rip-off on an oil rig starring Chad Everett and Jennifer Warren. How big a rip-off is it? Well,  Pretty big. It has the eggs. It has the insemination. It has the birthing. It has the crew member who works for 'the company' and jeopardizes the crew's life. It has the alien's 'stages'. It has the red lights and alarm ringing at the end. It has the explosion killing the monster.  It's pretty by the numbers save for an occasionally inspired performance by an underused Chad Everett. Hell, the best scene in the movie is a three minute scene where Chad and Jennifer are talking while eating an omelet. Is it worth seeing? No. But it's funny to see elements used here that would be explored in the actual sequel to Alien, Aliens and even Prometheus. Such as the woman (forcefully) inseminated by making love to (let's be honest here: being raped by) an infected crew mate. Or her whispered pleas when she realizes what is happening for the others to "Kill me..." While watching I thought, hey this movie is doing a lot of stuff we'd later see in movies such as Xtro, Leviathan, The Thing... Only to realize of course that all those movie elements take their own inspiration from older movies like Invasion of the Body Snatchers (a film which clearly also inspired this one) and are in no way original here, just clustered. It's a big mash-up of different sci-fi films, but mainly Alien and it really doesn't come together very well. There's no real reason to see this movie (there's not even any gore for those who are into that, making the birthing scene in particular a more abstract but uninteresting affair) but I did, so I'm going to tell all of you about it.  Also, the alien sounds like a throaty Fonz going, "Aaaaaay!" all the time. e: Being infected makes you walk around like Frankenstein's monster. 
Dissapointed Owl fucked around with this message at 22:05 on May 16, 2013 |
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May 16, 2013 21:56
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Twin Cinema posted:I think you are correct in your assessment, or rather, it is difficult to argue that that isn't happening in Beasts. However, I think of the key differences is that The Tall Man is aware of its position, in that it knows it is being critical, whereas I didn't get that same feeling from Beasts. It sucks, because I really enjoyed Beasts, but it's difficult to reconcile some of the issues you (and others) have brought up. One film seems unabashed of its liberalism, whereas the other is critical of the altruism that stems from liberalism. I think more interesting similarities and differences could be made, and the more I think about it, I think both films contrast each other pretty well. I haven't seen Beasts for comparison but I was actually pretty impressed with The Tall Man when I had the revelation that, yeah, despite (perhaps because of?) its weird melodrama, the movie actually offers a pretty interesting critique of liberalism. Man I can't believe I just typed that. But anyway, the point when Jodelle Ferland looks out of the camera at the end is both cheesy as heck and also a genuine question: 'I had a lovely life where I came from in a rural town, and now I have a better life in an affluent city but at dubious cost, so what do we actually want to do to solve this problem?' The doctor couple operated under the assumption that the 'system was broken' and when they couldn't save children abroad they (with a notable logical leap) turned to secretly and deceptively 'saving' children at home, thus implicitly worsening conditions in their town, and completely foreclosing any possibility of structural reformation abroad or at home. Blah blah read for the absent center blah Zizek whatever Long story short, I'm glad other folks picked up on these threads in the film.
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May 16, 2013 22:15
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Is that somebody's nuts on that tray?
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May 16, 2013 22:19
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They're tiny underwater alien eggs. Some are pointy.
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May 16, 2013 22:59
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This thread moves fast! Anyway, I finally got around to watching Red--y'all were right, definitely good, definitely not a horror film. I'm also probably going to sad all night because of it (while I like Ketchum, I always refused to read the book 'Red' because dogs and old men make me sad). I definitely have to track down May now. I really wish my first introduction to McKee wasn't through Masters of Horror. I avoided him for years based on my intense hatred of his stupid episode of that. Apparently he's really good when not making MoH episodes about weird lesbian bug sex.
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May 17, 2013 00:03
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I dug McKee's episode of MoH. Really enjoyed Mundae's complete freak out on Bettis about halfway through. But yeah, you gotta catch May as soon as possible. It's fantastic. You can skip The Woods sadly.
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May 17, 2013 00:47
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Glamorama26 posted:I dug McKee's episode of MoH. Really enjoyed Mundae's complete freak out on Bettis about halfway through. I agree with everything in this post. Sick Girl and Deer Woman were the only two Masters of Horror episodes I thought were any good. The Woods is a decent timewaster and Patricia Clarkson's very creepy in it, but it retains very, very little of what I like about McKee's style.
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May 17, 2013 01:12
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Really? All of Sick Girl just came as insanely over-the-top to me. Thinking back, I definitely remember it having the same sort of style as The Woman, though. Maybe I should give it another chance. It's been years since I've seen it, and I probably wouldn't have liked the Woman much back then either, though. I liked most of Masters of Horror while I was watching it, really, but remember little of it. Sick Girl is one of the few that really stood out to me, mostly because of how much I hated it. Granted, at least I remember it!
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May 17, 2013 01:49
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hyenabones posted:Really? All of Sick Girl just came as insanely over-the-top to me. ...it is. Is that inherently a bad thing? Some of my favorite horror films are insanely over the top.
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May 17, 2013 01:52
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For a movie about people turning into bugs it's not THAT over the top.Twin Cinema posted:I think you are correct in your assessment, or rather, it is difficult to argue that that isn't happening in Beasts. However, I think of the key differences is that The Tall Man is aware of its position, in that it knows it is being critical, whereas I didn't get that same feeling from Beasts. It sucks, because I really enjoyed Beasts, but it's difficult to reconcile some of the issues you (and others) have brought up. One film seems unabashed of its liberalism, whereas the other is critical of the altruism that stems from liberalism. I think more interesting similarities and differences could be made, and the more I think about it, I think both films contrast each other pretty well. Yeah I think it should be spoiled and people should mostly go in clean (or even better thinking it's a slender man movie  ). I still can't decide how much it was critical and how much it was Boondock Saints for liberals kind of. I mean you'd have to be dumb to not think "oh well it's more complicated than that" but I feel like there would have been non-abusive-hicks if it was really that conflicted about it (or if it was more conflicted than, like, Batman movies). Either way I think it's a perfect encapsulation of its era/subject in the same way that, like, Falling Down is, haha.HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:Even though it got immediate pushback because the film is so charming and visually arresting, I still think that's a completely coherent criticism of Beasts of The Southern Wild. Yeah, I mean, it's a technically beautiful film, I don't think anyone can deny that. (Also not even remotely a horror film in case anyone is confused by this.)
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May 17, 2013 06:01
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Was in some sort of strange mood and just watch Halloween 3 Season of the Witch am I wrong in saying this isn't a bad movie at all or at least not as terrible as people think. I kind of like it for what it is and what it tries to do take a series in a new direction that otherwise let's be honest got terribly stale after 2. I mean I thought that was a really cool idea to make it kind of a "horror" anthology series like Tales from the Crypt. I really think Rob Zombie has some good films in him and am super hoping that they make Halloween 3 in the same vein as that would just be awesome.
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May 17, 2013 06:19
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Any movie with Tom Atkins can't possibly be bad at all.
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May 17, 2013 09:05
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Hollis posted:Was in some sort of strange mood and just watch Halloween 3 Season of the Witch am I wrong in saying this isn't a bad movie at all or at least not as terrible as people think. No, Season of the Witch is a lot of fun and has some dark, memorable moments.
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May 17, 2013 09:22
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Halloween III is the greatest of all Halloween films. Visually and aurally, it's a goddamn cornucopia.
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May 17, 2013 09:59
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Dissapointed Owl posted:No, Season of the Witch is a lot of fun and has some dark, memorable moments. Wasn't it written by Nigel "Stone Tape" Kneale?
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May 17, 2013 12:32
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Jedit posted:Wasn't it written by Nigel "Stone Tape" Kneale? Yeah, an early draft before "Mr Carpenter carpentered it into sawdust".
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May 17, 2013 12:53
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Halloween 3 is by some margin the best Halloween sequel, the only one even in contention is Rob Zombie's H2.
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May 17, 2013 14:03
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So I watched Creepshow for the first time and loved it. Any more reccomendations for campy horror anthologies like that (I've seen Tales From the Crypt and am watching Creepshow 2 tonight)
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May 17, 2013 14:33
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I think the venerable Mr. Zombie said no more remakes because after he did halloween that was all he ever got offered. I think he said he only did Halloween 2 because they basically just told him to go nuts and do whatever.
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May 17, 2013 14:35
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acephalousuniverse posted:For a movie about people turning into bugs it's not THAT over the top. I think the ending is pretty open-ended in the way it wants you to interpret it, but the girl sounds like she's pleading, like "this is better...right? Right?" As if she is not even convinced that it was worth losing her identity and family for this. The portrayal of the town is pretty negative, but I think it has to be to show that the girl is going to a better place, but it's the cost that seems to be in doubt. Also, there is only one guy who is abusive throughout the film, whereas the others only change after finding out that it was Biel's character who took those kids. I also think The Tall Man is more interested and critical of its politics than any of the recent Batman films. Also, Season of the Witch probably would better received if it didn't have the Halloween tag on it. It's good.
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May 17, 2013 15:50
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Xandoom posted:So I watched Creepshow for the first time and loved it. Any more reccomendations for campy horror anthologies like that (I've seen Tales From the Crypt and am watching Creepshow 2 tonight) Tales from the Darkside would fit well into this, and VHS really tried to tap into that same vein, with short stories and a wrap around plot, however while it has a few neat ideas and imagery, it never really delivers on it the way I would have liked.
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May 17, 2013 15:54
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Full Battle Rattle posted:I think the venerable Mr. Zombie said no more remakes because after he did halloween that was all he ever got offered. I think he said he only did Halloween 2 because they basically just told him to go nuts and do whatever. Lords of Salem is obviously Rob Zombie's Halloween 3.
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May 17, 2013 16:05
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Strontosaurus posted:Lords of Salem is obviously Rob Zombie's Halloween 3. Yep.
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May 17, 2013 16:09
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Strontosaurus posted:Lords of Salem is obviously Rob Zombie's Halloween 3. I haven't seen Lords of Salem yet (I want to, if only to just open my eyeballs and drink in the imagery like I did with Beyond the Black Rainbow), but from the trailers, it looks like he took House of 1000 Corpses and put it in a centrifuge, separating it out into The Devil's Rejects and Lords of Salem. House of 1000 Corpses felt less like a movie to me and more like a sort of cinematic sketchbook.
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May 17, 2013 16:27
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Craig Spradlin posted:I haven't seen Lords of Salem yet (I want to, if only to just open my eyeballs and drink in the imagery like I did with Beyond the Black Rainbow), but from the trailers, it looks like he took House of 1000 Corpses and put it in a centrifuge, separating it out into The Devil's Rejects and Lords of Salem. It's really just House of 1000 Corpses with a steadier hand.
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May 17, 2013 16:33
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HUNDU THE BEAST GOD posted:It's really just House of 1000 Corpses with a steadier hand. That's sort of disappointing, in that I thought House of 1000 Corpses would have benefitted from going full-tilt gonzo instead of having just enough story to make the weird little interludes and the relatively out-of-nowhere ending seem more distracting than anything else.
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May 17, 2013 16:36
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Xandoom posted:So I watched Creepshow for the first time and loved it. Any more reccomendations for campy horror anthologies like that (I've seen Tales From the Crypt and am watching Creepshow 2 tonight) John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper did a made for TV one called Body Bags. It's OK.
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May 17, 2013 16:42
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Craig Spradlin posted:That's sort of disappointing, in that I thought House of 1000 Corpses would have benefitted from going full-tilt gonzo instead of having just enough story to make the weird little interludes and the relatively out-of-nowhere ending seem more distracting than anything else. Yeah, I could see how that would be a big letdown to some people. Personally I can't stand House of 1000 Corpses but loved Lords of Salem but they're both recognizably from the same director!
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May 17, 2013 17:00
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Xandoom posted:So I watched Creepshow for the first time and loved it. Any more reccomendations for campy horror anthologies like that (I've seen Tales From the Crypt and am watching Creepshow 2 tonight) For some great Vincent Price stuff, check out Tales of Terror and Twice Told Tales. From Beyond the Grave is another good one from Amicus Studios, who also did Tales from the Crypt. The Vault of Horror is decent too.
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May 17, 2013 17:15
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I watched Lords of Salem last week, and thought it was amazing. It seemed very much like an American take on giallo. My only problem is Sheri Zombie. I just don't like her acting very much. She was alright in this though, so it didn't distract me.
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May 17, 2013 17:27
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Jedit posted:John Carpenter and Tobe Hooper did a made for TV one called Body Bags. It's OK. Better than okay and it's coming out on Blu from Scream Factory sometime this Fall! Also on the Vincent Price anthology front, From a Whisper to a Scream is pretty great as well. The Monster Club is...uh, it's okay. It has a good story or two but the wraparound stuff is loving awful.
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May 17, 2013 18:08
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| # ? Jun 3, 2024 17:58 |
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Wilhelm Scream posted:Better than okay and it's coming out on Blu from Scream Factory sometime this Fall! You just reminded me of one of the best: Dead of Night.
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May 17, 2013 20:43
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