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I did it. I did the nihilistic triple feature in one night. 10. Possession 1981 | dir. Andrzej Żuławski | rental wildcard suggestion by feedmyleg Divorce turns people into monsters and destroys everyone around them!  A violently disorienting portrait of two people overwhelmed with despair. Mark comes home from a secret work-related trip and his wife Anna says she wants a divorce. They begin to completely and horribly lose themselves. It's a maddening experience. It's difficult to articulate a film that doesn't allow the viewer (at least not on first watch) any grips on reality. There is, from the beginning, a horrific magical realism to every moment. There's an impressive feat with the acting between the two leads--it seems almost obvious to say that Sam Neill puts in a career-best performance, and yet he is still overshadowed by Isabelle Adjani-- and the three major supporting actors--Heinz Bennet as the spiritual psychedelic Heinrich, Margit Carstensen as Anna's sister Margit, and Michael Hobgin has Bob, Anna and Mark's child--where the human interaction is surreal, inhuman, emotionally draining and yet completely believable. What makes this a horror movie before any bright red blood is oozed from these people tearing each other apart is their interactions with each other. There is so much manic energy on display. Bruno Nuytten's cinematography adds his own dizzying layer of energy with the camera panning, swooping and rotating throughout many of the scenes. The lighting feels natural, and gives everything a pale, cold look, and emphasizes the beautifully gritty environments. This movie left me puzzled in the best way. There are many moments that feel gleefully manipulative--like the references to doppelgangers, using the film editing to confuse time, the home movies, weird apartment layouts. There's more to this film to explore with multiple viewings. Highly recommended, especially for Yorgos Lanthimos fans. The Lobster took many cues from this one. 11. Under The Skin 2013 | dir. Jonathan Glazer | Netflix wildcard suggestion by CRAYON ScarJo is a scary fish out of water!  This is a polarizing movie? Of course it is. I was properly prepared, I guess, by knowing it was a mostly-silent film that left a lot of work up to the viewer. That is, however, becoming one of my favorite type of film. It's a beautiful film that soaks in the unique Scottish setting. I already knew ScarJo was a great actress--her performances in Ghost World and Her solidified that for me years ago--but her performance is amazing here. I kept wondering if they somehow physically or digitally altered her eyes. You can see the creature's mind working, wondering, trying to understand the world around her, and ScarJo just has a blank expression on her face. The film gives us a dichotomy to see this creature in action. She goes from hunter to hunted. She is a predator who decides to understand her prey. But when attempting to understand humanity, she seems to realize that she will never be more than an impersonation. You also have to hand it to this film for how grounded it is. I learned that most of the people--especially the victims--were real people either caught on camera and/or recruited. If a film crew asked me to play a victim to an alien played by Scarlett Johanssonn by dancing with an erection, I don't think I'd have it in me. I also learned that the victim with facial disfigurements from neurofibromatosis was a real person named Adam Pearson. His performance (which he rewrote with the director) is the best scene in the entire film for me, and acts as the turning point for the narrative. Just absolute excellent film-making that creates a beautiful puzzle of alienation. Highly recommended for people interested in minimalist sci-fi and visual storytelling 12. Martyrs 2008 | dir. Pascal Laugier | rental wildcard suggested by Spatulater bro! I'm not going to pretend that I know what I just watched but  People have a hard time with this movie? I can't imagine why. I had no idea what this movie was about. It's on every Best Horror Movie List, and goons have been talking about it for years with posts full of spoiler texts and gross tags and promises of never watching it again. What I find most fascinating about this film is it's presentation. The narrative is written and edited so as to be as horrific to the viewer as possible. A family is slaughtered in front of us before we are told that they "deserve it". A character mutilates herself to death because no one will believe her, and then we are given evidence to believe her. This movie capitalizes on the suffering. In it's very structure the theme is repeated: you must completely suffer before you are allowed to achieve enlightenment. It's hard to really know how much the movie actually believes that. Essentially, that theme is what occurs for the main character and the audience. She is tortured into ruin, but then is given nirvana, or a heavenly epiphany. We suffer through a nihilistic and cruel movie, and then we are blessed with it being over, and allowed to continue on our lives thankful that we're not completely submerged in painful cruel torture. I do think--at least for me--that this is one of the torture porn films that justifies its existence. The ultraviolence on display (at least for the first act) manages to be over-the-top and disturbing at the same time. I dunno. I totally get why people dislike this or hate it or would never want to watch it again, but there's something about it--possibly having watched it in conjunction with the two other films--that I think is very good and that deserves a rewatch. Recommended. I actually highly recommend this triple feature. It thematically works and flows really well. Each of the films use editing to emphasize the themes and ideas, they're all visually powerful and distinct, the themes all kinda flow together. Overall, it was an interesting night of films for me. Movies Seen: Hell House, LLC | Dagon | The Bird With the Crystal Plumage | Critters 2 | Serial Mom | Monster Squad | The Neon Demon | Motel Hell | Vampyr | Possession | Under The Skin | Martyrs. Total: 12 Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Sep 29, 2018 |
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Sep 29, 2018 17:48
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I love how that German poster for Monster Squad is so polite as to use formal pronouns to address what is presumably children.
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Sep 29, 2018 17:51
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Spatulater bro! posted:M_Sinistrari's the rear end in a top hat in school who constantly scored 100% on tests and hosed up the curve for everyone. Hey... I am not that bad. I've just been seeing how much I can maximize my viewing time. Case in point, I got woken up at 5am because my cats decided to have a slap fight over who's going to lay by my head and I caught a catfoot in the eye. Since I wasn't going back to sleep, I started watching the Daimajin films. After this post, I'm heading out to the store to pick up what I need to make Italian Beefs for dinner and do the home made Chex mix for tomorrow's football game for my fiance. I will be watching movies as I cook since it's a small apartment. Besides, I'll get steamrolled in movie count when everyone who's been waiting for Oct. 1 to start.  67- Daimajin 1966 - DVD The Daimajin has to be my favorite kaiju. I like him more than Godzilla. The formula used by the Daimajin films is simple and satisfying. The people living in the shadow of a massive statue that's imprisoning a fearsome demon god get oppressed and pray to the statue for payback. The payback is positively glorious.  68- Return of Daimajin 1966 - DVD This one I felt went a bit long in the build up towards the eventual Daimajin rampage. It's still good, just didn't feel up to the level of the first film.  69- Wrath of Daimajin 1966 - DVD The final film feels more like a return to form. Very much worth watching. Nice tidbit is outside the Kadokawa Daiei studio, they have a pair of Daimajin statues.
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Sep 29, 2018 17:58
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M_Sinistrari posted:69- Wrath of Daimajin 1966 - DVD Nice
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Sep 29, 2018 18:41
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14. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylumquote:Should have ended a minute or two earlier, but otherwise great. Obnoxiously over-animated IRL streamers desperate for views is a great premise, and was done convincingly. Having just watched Hell House LLC II wherein a streamer mugs the camera and says "yeet yah, eh?", I found the authenticity of Gonjiam refreshing. There's enough new gimmicks that come with the premise (and budget) that the long setup was itself enjoyable to watch. Overall a pretty fresh and scary FF movie, even if it wears its inspiration on its sleeve. This one's kind of under the radar I think, the only place I've heard about it was a few posts in the main thread a while ago. It's a pretty drat good Korean FF movie. It's available through Hoopla.
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Sep 29, 2018 19:18
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Deny it all you want, you're a machine without pity or remorse, built for movie watching. There's a strong chance you'll beat my record before I even get a chance to start this year's watching in a little over 36 hours. Lol that you think people will pass your lead that start on the 1st. Regarding your nice update, I love the true kaijuu nature of Daimaijin where first yeah he goes after whatever oppressive bad guy, he then just turns around and rampages and destroys the peasants too.
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Sep 29, 2018 19:19
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 11. Beyond the Gates (2016) Seven months after their father goes missing, brothers Gordon and John start packing up the old video store he ran. Inside his locked office, they find an old school VHS board game called "Beyond the Gates" (basically a fictional version of "Nightmare", if you remember that), with the tape still in the VCR. They decide to play the game later that night, but it soon becomes clear that this is not a normal game, and are forced to finish in order to save their father's soul. In other words, this is the horror version of Jumanji. I love the concept of this film, but unfortunately it doesn't live up to its potential. It has some of the usual problems you'd expect from lower budget horror movies - weak acting, lame dialogue - but the biggest flaw is the pacing, it's just all over the place. They are in the middle of playing this possessed board game that kills people in real life, but keep taking breaks to cook dinner and pack up video tapes at the store. There is a scene where a friend's head literally explodes and then the next scene is them just casually chatting over a home-cooked meal. It felt like the director was trying to shoehorn in moments of character development, but it brought the film to a screeching halt every time it happened, which was pretty frequently. It isn't all bad - Barbara Crampton plays the host of the game, and she seems to be having fun with the role. Some of the special effects were quite good, too. This might've worked better as a much shorter film - but at 82 minutes, I can see why they would be reluctant to cut it down any further. Not really recommended, although it is on Netflix if you still want to check it out. Movies Seen: The Witching Season | Lifeforce | Terrifier | Unsane | I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House | From Beyond | 13 Ghosts | The Ritual | Child's Play | Twice-Told Tales | Beyond the Gates Total: 11
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Sep 29, 2018 19:27
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Popping in to say I'm planning on participating for the first time this year starting the first of October, 31 movies total, none of which I've seen before. I ran bandit last year, and met my goal, listing the movies I watched on the fridge and everything, but this year I think I'll do it officially since I know I can. It was a lot of fun to institute the first time rule, because I discovered not only a lot of new and weird movies I wouldn't otherwise watch, but also realized how many classics I just never got around to seeing. Looking forward to the same experience this year. It's funny because I'm not really a horror person most of the year. Something about October, I guess.
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Sep 29, 2018 19:41
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15. Monster House (2006) Might be the standard def but the animation feels pretty dated, like, maybe a tier or two above Food Fight. But it's only in the character bodies and the way they interact with things, it seems choppy. The faces though still hold up very well. The acting seems more natural than usual too since I guess the motion capture let everyone actually say lines more naturally than you would get standing around a sound booth. Monster House really is a cute story for kids and normally I'd be sad they didn't go with the darker elements that were on the table, but I think it works to make the ending feel good while still keeping a certain darkness as the story is told. I was probably a bit old for this but would have been totally in love as a kid. 3 out of 5
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Sep 29, 2018 19:47
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Time to begin the Fran Challenges!Franchescanado posted:
I had a hard time choosing something for this challenge. At first I wanted to find something I hadn't seen from a director I dislike. The only thing I could come up with was Kevin Smith, but I really didn't want to watch a Keven Smith movie. So I decided instead to rewatch a film that I was down on the first time. 12. Phantasm (1979, Don Coscarelli) Source: Shudder  The only other time I've seen this was way back in 2000 when I was in high school. I was just dipping my toes into horror and I think this was too far outside any obvious genre description to sit well with me. Rewatching it now I realize that's precisely what makes it worthwhile. It's a movie whose elevator pitch would be three pages long and even then wouldn't make much sense. It seems like a movie that was more likely to come out a decade later as a response to the influx of formula-driven slashers. But it came out in 1979, which makes it seem quite ahead of its time. Its convention-less nature makes it pretty drat unpredictable. Who are those little dudes running around? Why's there a giant insect attacking people? How can the Tall Man lift a 500lb casket? gently caress if I know. And even when we do get explanations they're still rather WTF. And you know what, I really like that about it. It's a fun ride. I also appreciate how smart the main kid is. What other horror character would have the intelligence to shoot out a tire from inside the car he's trapped in? Or to unlock a door by taping a shotgun shell to a hammer? He's one industrious little weirdo. I'm glad I rewatched this. Now that I've been through the ringer for the past couple decades of cliches and worn out conventions, Phantasm is a breath of fresh air.   (4 flying blood-draining razor balls out of 5) Spatulater bro! fucked around with this message at 20:15 on Sep 29, 2018 |
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Sep 29, 2018 20:11
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FRAN CHALLENGE #1: Love Something You Hate
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BTW, are the Phantasm sequels worth a look?
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Sep 29, 2018 20:24
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Spatulater bro! posted:BTW, are the Phantasm sequels worth a look? 2 and 3 definitely are. 4 is weird, but interesting. I haven't seen 5 and have heard universally awful things.
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Sep 29, 2018 20:29
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I remember enjoying II but I thought the further i got in the less they made any sense or were working for me. They all kind of throw away parts of the previous ones and just do other weird, tough to explain/understand things. I ended up burning out before getting to V. I'm considering it for Fran's Challenge. I'm not sure I "hated" the Phantasm sequels but it definitely turned me away. But others seem to really love it and its really zonked out crazy stuff if that interests you. For my part I think it just has diminishing returns. Weird and ethereal can be fun and thought provoking in small doses but if you keep going and trying to offer explanations you tend to get a dissatisfying mess.
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Sep 29, 2018 20:32
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They're each weird and crazy in their own unique ways, but yeah, V is really kinda bad, and you can definitely tell Coscarelli didn't direct it. Lots of bad computer effects and no budget scenery and acting. Reggie's still fantastic as always at least.
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Sep 29, 2018 20:56
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16. Vampire In Brooklyn (1995) WORST OF THE BEST CHALLENGE  Doing a little reading it seems like this became a mess as far as tone since Wes Craven and the Murphy brothers had different ideas for what the movie should be like. Wes implies he wanted more horror and Eddie insisted on comedy, while Eddie and Charlie claims the opposite. The casting even seems all over the place in that regard (though good). You don't really call in John Witherspoon for serious horror. But either way a guy getting his heart ripped out in the first five minutes shouldn't comically say, "Ouch" if you want something serious. Eddie Murphy also said the wig he wore as Max was too bad, but he really should have been more critical of the contacts he wore and the vampire finger nails that look like candy corn. The accent he's going for also suffers from trying to talk around the fangs. It's frustrating because he's charming, has charisma, and delivery, but just doesn't carry himself with the menacing presence of a vampire. Generally though the performances are good especially from Julius, the titular vampire's ghoul. As for the writing, the general plot points they want to hit are good and the changes they've made to the lore of vampires to accommodate their story are as well. But... things just sort of happen for the sake of the plot and Max only has vampire weaknesses when convenient, like when Max is in a van full of crosses unaffected but minutes later crosses in a room bother him. Or when our detective lead protagonist is portrayed as a rather poor detective or even downright stupid for not even having suspicions about her roomate literally disappearing with all her belongings in hours and conveniently not remembering the very obvious ghoul she's met before. A whole scene of Max transformed into a preacher pretty much doing a comedy skit? What? After that Max just blatantly rips a person to pieces (off camera) in front of an open restaurant run by the mob. The effects also seem a bit all over the place. Max in full vamp mode is rather unimpressive and most of the blood and gore is kept to a minimum. Julius as he descends further into being a ghoul though looks pretty nice and sometimes really gross, almost like Freddy Krueger towards the end actually But for all the good and bad after an hour the movie just lost me. I was painfully bored and nothing they were doing could really draw me back in for the finale. Which was still 40 or so minutes away. I honestly felt like I was watching a vampire practice the D.E.N.N.I.S. system on some poor woman for almost two hours. Maybe going flow blown comedy would have saved this production, because the potential was really there but sadly this poo poo is a mess. 1 out of 5.
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Sep 29, 2018 22:37
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15-The Mummy Returns I watched the first one with my son a couple months ago and this was finally on TV. It's a real mixed bag of quality compared to the first; it's a lot bigger and more action focused, with better performances all around (Voosloo in particular seems to be having a lot of fun in the role), but it's also considerably less scary than the first and probably a bit too big in scope. Between all that and the introduction of a plucky kid, it's pretty clear they were looking to expand the franchise with this one. What's surprising is that for as big as this one is, the CGI is ROUGH, even compared to the first one. Not even "good for the time" as I remember people ragging on the Scorpion King even back then. Although on that note, I feel like this The Rock guy might have a promising film career ahead of him!
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Sep 29, 2018 22:58
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 70- The Raven 1963 - DVD & PRIME One of my all time faves. If I'm having a crap day, this film's guaranteed to cheer me up. As far as Poe adaptations go, only thing raveny is we're introduced to Dr. Bedlo after he got polymorphed into a raven. It makes me wonder if the only faithful adaptation of The Raven was a Simpsons Treehouse of Terror episode. This one's more of a 'how many Poe references can we fit in here' as the story's pretty much about a buildup to a caster fight. We have Dr. Erasmus Craven played to perfection by Vincent Price. He's been mourning the death of his wife Lenore while raising his daughter Estelle. He's visited by Dr. Adolphus Bedlo played by Peter Lorre who's been polymorphed after getting drunk and picking a caster fight with Dr. Scarabus who's played by Karloff. Bedlo gets restored and makes the claim that he's seen Lenore with Scarabus which makes Erasmus have to investigate and culminating into a mage duel which probably ate a good chunk of the budget. Back when I played Dungeons & Dragons, this was what I was thinking of during caster fights. In fact, this film is why I always choose an arcane caster type in any fantasy game/MMO I play. If I ever met Jack Nicholson, I would try to get him to autograph my copy of this. This film's a total must see with Price, Karloff and Lorre all chewing scenery like a starving man at a buffet. It's absolutely glorious. If you like fun, you will need to see this delightfully cheesy entry. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvngX_-K-NI  71- The Fearless Vampire Killers 1967 - PRIME I debated counting this one since I know how divisive Polanski is, but as it's the first Polanski film I'd seen I figured why not. I also find it interesting that when he's been asked how he feels about his films, this is the one he's said he's most happy with. In this one we have two very inept vampire experts who have travelled to where they believe is the center for Austro-Hungarian vampirism for proof to thier theories. Of course nothing good's going to come from this. The scene which has left an impression on me is during the dance at the Count's mansion where you see the ballroom's full of people only to have a mirror get uncovered and you realize there's very few living people present. It's not a bad film but I understand if anyone chooses not to give it a chance.  72- Island of the Burning Damned 1967 - DVD While the rest of the UK is having a particularly harsh winter, the island of Fara is having an unusual heatwave with temperatures reaching up to 90 degrees. It's so hot cars are stalling, electronics are overheating and beer's exploding. Eventually people start turning up burnt to a crisp. We know things are only going to get worse from here. First time I sat through this it was one of our 110+ degree days in New Mexico and the air conditioning was pretty much working in name only. More than a few times as the people in the movie are almost ready to faint at 90 degrees I'd be calling out some snippy comments since 90 degrees ain't poo poo. Watching it in cooler weather was definitely a better option since I could now pay better attention to the rest of the movie proper. There's plenty of drama between the people on the island in addition to what's causing the temperatures. Often this would seem like a distraction or throw off the film's pacing, but it works here. All in all, this one's a nice one to sit through, I just recommend waiting until Fall or Winter.
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Sep 30, 2018 00:09
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Franchescanado posted:
14. Carnival of Souls (1962) on Amazon Prime  I'm a horrible horror fan that hasn't seen this movie until now. It's partially filmed in Lawrence, Kansas -including a drag race that tears through an intersection I drive through everyday. Now that I've seen it I can pretend I'm hurtling my car towards some kind of existential nightmare of an afterlife rather than going to work everyday. Needless to say the place was much more rural back in 1962. It's clear why this is such a revered cult movie. Its tiny budget is obvious sometimes, but it's completely overshadowed by creative camera work and the overall eeriness of the whole thing. This scene made me loving jump too, which is not something that happens to me when watching older movies:  Really great experience watching it. I'm a fan for life. 5/5 Movies seen: 1. Terrifier | 2. A Nightmare on Elm Street | 3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | 4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 5. Scream | 6. Mandy | 7. November | 8. Salem's Lot | 9. The Resurrected | 10. Demon House| 11. Pumpkinhead | 12. Prom Night | 13. Tales from the Crypt | 14. Carnival of Souls Drunkboxer fucked around with this message at 00:53 on Sep 30, 2018 |
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Sep 30, 2018 00:16
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Watch a film that was filmed in the state you currently live in.
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16. Halloween (1978) 4K Rewatch A classic and possibly my all time favorite, well, Halloween movie. Both the franchise and holiday. I make a point of watching a couple of specific films every year around this time - Trick R Treat, Evil Dead, and, of course, Halloween. There isn't much I can say about this film that hasn't been said since 1978, except to comment on the new 4K Blu-Ray release, and I'm certainly no expert on the matter. However, I thought it generally looked great, with some popping colors and textures during the daytime scenes and much deeper shadows once things get spooky in the latter half. The original actor who played Michael Myers said he was concerned that the added clarity would ruin a particular scene, where we're meant to see Michael slowly fade in from a darkened doorway. While I haven't see the original blu-ray release since last year, I didn't notice it lessening the effect whatsoever. Maybe someone who has both and compare side-by-side can correct me.  /517. The Fly (1986)  Another one crossed from my list of shame, and one of the few Cronenberg I haven't seen. This is an incredible monster movie that truly feels like it was nabbed right out of the 1930s and given a Cronenberg coat of paint. The evolution of Jeff Goldbloom's character, both emotionally and physically, is both tragic and disgusting. The practical monster effects may be the most visceral and impressive I've seen since The Thing. It's a shame I missed out on this for so long. /518. Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)  Another list of shame and I am on a roll with great Horror this week. I've heard for years that Henry was a cold, vicious (largely fictionalized) adaptation of the life of serial killer Henry Lee Lucas and they weren't joking. Henry and his cohort Otis feel both very human and completely detached from anything that can make a human good. Michael Rooker plays a great contrast to drunken, perverted and angry Otis, with Henry being quiet, cold and calculated. You can see the mental switch flip when Rooker exits being being normal Henry and becomes serial killer Henry. He also brings a terrifying vibe of just...not caring. Henry kills people. He puts a slight effort into not getting caught but at times he seems more like a cruel force of nature. And the conclusion may be one of the most heart-sinking moments I've seen on film. You can see it coming from a mile away, but that doesn't do anything to diminish it's emotional gutpunch. .5/519. Noroi: The Curse (2005)  Wow. Another one that I've heard of for years but never got around to watching. I always had a soft spot for Asian Horror. The general aesthetics always struck me as so naturally subdued and spooky, and the mythology that tends to inspire it is just foreign enough to me to stand far apart and distinct from America's own slasher and ghost stories. Noroi is told in found-footage/documentary style and follows Masafumi Kobayashi, a paranormal investigator, and his cameraman Miyajima, as they film their documentary "The Curse." We are told at the beginning that our protagonist, Masafumi, was declared missing after his home burned down with his wife's remains being found inside after the blaze. I hesitate to say more, as the story has some excellent twists and turns while being genuinely compelling and spooky. It's easy to forget the intro that our hero has already suffered a mysterious fate as we're following him through the film and all we can hope is that the documentary itself lends some answers to where he could have gone. .5/5
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Sep 30, 2018 00:23
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9) Burnt Offerings (1976) This movie was made between The Haunting and The Shining and it was definitely influenced by and an influence upon those two movies respectively. I think I should have enjoyed it more than I did, but I wasn't engaged with it. Burgess Meredith and Eileen Heckart are wasted in tiny roles before the stage is turned over to Ollie Reed and Karen Black hamming it up. Bette Davis was a highlight, though.
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Sep 30, 2018 00:48
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Taking up the challenge with films that I own on blu ray, some of which I have never seen or never seen on this format before. In alphabetical order (probably not the order I will watch them in): 1. Alien 2. Aliens 3. Alien 3 4. Alien: Resurrection 5. The Birds 6. The Crazies 7. Dawn of the Dead (2004) 8. Dracula (1991) 9. Frailty 10. From Beyond 11. Interview with the Vampire 12. Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) 13. Phantasm 14. Phantasm II 15. Phantasm III 16. Phantasm IV 17. Phantasm V 18. Prometheus 19. Psycho 20. Saw 21. Saw II 22. Saw III 23. Saw IV 24. Saw V 25. Saw VI 26. Saw VII 27. The Shining 28. The Thing 29. Thirty Days of Night 30. Twenty-Eight Days Later 31. Twenty-Eight Weeks Later I'm going to have to get started straight away because I'll be out of town for about three days in October. As it happens I have exactly 31 movies that I believe fit this challenge and no more, which is I just watched Frailty about a month ago and Phantasms II-V are... mostly yeesh, so I'm thinking for that one I may put commentary on for those. I have never seen any Saw movie after the first one.
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Sep 30, 2018 00:54
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12. The Last Shift (2014) Watched On: Netflix This could pretty much be called Thing That Is There And Then It Is Not: The Movie. A frustratingly mediocre movie that spoils its solid premise with a bucketload of exposition and a goofy ending. I think the thing that frustrated me the most about this movie was its utter lack of geography. There's no sense of how big the police station is or how it fits together. The phone at the front desk is audible from every single room, but every single room also looks the same so there's nothing to give you a sense of the space. I wish some of the creepy set design had stuck around (the photos on the floor, drawings on the wall, et al.) as opposed to disappearing every time Loren turned her head. I wish I liked it more, honest to god, but there were enough issues that I couldn't really recommend it.
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Sep 30, 2018 01:12
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Haven't watched a horror in two whole nights. Its still September so I don't feel bad about it but I wanted to catch up with Fran's challenges before October 1st. But I guess they're more appropriate in October during my main 31 Years challenge. I still have a September Kanopy borrow to watch.ketchup vs catsup posted:I am thoroughly enjoying y’alls’ writeups, thanks for taking the time on them. 1 (1). A Cure For Wellness (2016) - Max Go - (2). Slither (2006) - Starz App 2 (3). Castle Rock (2018) - Hulu - (4). The Forsaken (2001) - Amazon Prime 3 (5). The Night Eats the World (2018) - Hoopla 4 (6). The Girl With All The Gifts (2016) - Amazon Prime 5 (7). The Voices (2014) - Netflix 6 (8). Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010) - Shudder 7 (9). Jug Face (2013) - Hoopla (I think its an Amazon too) 8 (10). Coherence (2013) - Kanopy
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Sep 30, 2018 01:31
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16- Monster Squad This one has been on my list for a while; A nice, family friendly horror film! Man, the 80s sure were a different time. Lots of swearing, homophobic language, and a dash of sexual blackmail made this a bit tough to sit through. It's fun otherwise and the make up work is good, but I can't say I'd recommend it here in 2018 or watch it again myself, bit too problematic
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Sep 30, 2018 02:05
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Retro Futurist posted:16- Monster Squad I sort of feel like it's a toss-up with that movie, because... yes it's problematic, but it's also very very very accurate to how shithead kids act. Like even nowadays.
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Sep 30, 2018 02:21
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LORD OF BOOTY posted:I sort of feel like it's a toss-up with that movie, because... yes it's problematic, but it's also very very very accurate to how shithead kids act. Like even nowadays. That was mainly why we figured we'd power though. I mean I don't want my kid to hear someone call someone else a human being at the best of times, but at least you can make the argument that it was done by a bully who gets his comeuppance
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Sep 30, 2018 02:41
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 14)Hold the Dark drat is this film bleak. It's apparently from the duo that did blue ruin, green room, and murder party. I haven't seen any of them, but I definitely want to check them out now. This is very Cohen brothers, and the horror element, that there might be a werewolf/skinwalker, is almost entirely incidental. it's not incidental entirely, but it's definitely metaphorical and not supernatural It's crazy violent, and dark, and it's closest relative might be Old Country for No Men. It's creepy and unsettling and I can't recommend it enough, though it might lean a more toward thriller than horror for some tastes. 5/5
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Sep 30, 2018 03:00
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15. The Fly II (1989) on HBO The first film is so much more personal and much more concerned with making the viewer feel what Brundle is feeling. In the original, the brundle-fly isn't something you'd want to become for any reason. It's dangerous, but it's also pitiable and broken. In this movie it's more of an avenging demon, exploited by an evil corporation it then sets out to destroy. It even likes doggies still. I like the gore (see the above gif) and the monster effects but overall it's just not as impactful a movie as the first one. 2.5/5 Movies seen: 1. Terrifier | 2. A Nightmare on Elm Street | 3. A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge | 4. A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors | 5. Scream | 6. Mandy | 7. November | 8. Salem's Lot | 9. The Resurrected | 10. Demon House| 11. Pumpkinhead | 12. Prom Night | 13. Tales from the Crypt | 14. Carnival of Souls | 15. The Fly II Drunkboxer fucked around with this message at 03:05 on Sep 30, 2018 |
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Sep 30, 2018 03:03
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LORD OF BOOTY posted:I sort of feel like it's a toss-up with that movie, because... yes it's problematic, but it's also very very very accurate to how shithead kids act. Like even nowadays. Yeah, this is where I stand on it. It's not necessarily condoning it, it's just showing that kids are little shits to each other.
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Sep 30, 2018 03:04
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Franchescanado posted:
Lucked out on this one, because to my surprise there's a classic filmed here that I hadn't seen since I was very very young... 15. Beetlejuice - 4.5/5 quote:What's not to love here? It's such a genuinely fun and funny movie. I particularly love all the rear end in a top hat bureaucrat ghosts. The sets are a treat, and any movie shot in New England—Vermont, no less—gets free points from me. I feel nostalgic for a place I haven't even left. Winona Ryder owns and I cannot believe that's Michael Keaton. Everyone responsible for this movie was really firing on all cylinders. I was gonna swing by the town it was filmed in with all this nice autumn foliage, but it seems it's wasted away a bit since then.
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Sep 30, 2018 03:21
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Updating here with where I watched stuff: 1) Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser Part 1 - Shudder 2) Caltiki, The Immortal Monster - Youtube 3) Blood Feast - Shudder (also on Tubi) 4) Demon of Paradise - Tubi And a new one: 5) Hungerford - Netflix I went into this one blind. Meh. It's a found-footage movie about four student flatmates in a small town in England who have to deal with the town being invaded by alien insects that turn their neighbors into screeching rage zombies. The first 20 minutes are boring as hell, the last 20 minutes take place almost entirely in the dark, I didn't really find the characters to be likeable, internal inconsistencies abound (removing the parasites kills you, but one of the heroes gets infected, gets his bug removed and survives just so he can deliver a few lines of exposition about what the threat is), etc. Once it gets going, it's...just okay? It has a few funny things about it - besides firearms, aerosol deodorant(!) is the main weapon, as it repels the xenobugs and forces them out of their human hosts - but it's otherwise pretty forgettable. Apparently the guy playing the main character is also the writer and director, and he was 19 when this was made, so...it could have been way, way worse?
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Sep 30, 2018 03:23
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Franchescanado posted:
#5 / 31 - Bride of Chucky (1998) ★★★★★  This is the one where the series takes a... left turn. Up to 1998, Child's Play had been a relatively serious horror franchise, aside from the inherent black comedy of a Brad Dourif-voiced killer doll menacing people. Bride of Chucky is an outright horror-comedy, with more in common with, say, Re-Animator than with Friday the 13th. And it absolutely loving rules. Seriously, everything about this movie is utterly wonderful. Dourif's voice acting is the best it's been up to that point, and he gets some absolutely incredible material to work with. Jennifer Tilly makes an excellent counterpart to him, able to match up to him both in menace and in comedic chops, and she even gets some emotional character work at the end that... really, really should not work, but really, really does. The kills are both hilarious and technically well-executed (aside from a bit of spotty 1998 CGI), and the moving doll effects, courtesy of Kevin Yagher, are the best they've arguably ever been in the franchise. Now, as for why this is queer. I really genuinely feel like this is kind of a tenuous one, because the closest the movie's themes come to being queer is that it constantly references Bride of Frankenstein. However, it is notable for one goddamn huge thing: one of the side characters is gay, this is never made a joke of, and he is treated completely and utterly respectfully by the movie. While he does die, he's not the first one to, and his death is completely mundane. Don Mancini, the guy behind the entire Child's Play franchise, is also openly gay, which is probably partly why this is a thing, but I didn't want to count it for that reason because he didn't actually direct the movie and it didn't say gay writer/producer. watchlist with links WeedlordGoku69 fucked around with this message at 08:15 on Oct 7, 2018 |
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Sep 30, 2018 03:47
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Day -2 - Bride of Frankenstein https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYD3-pIF9jQ Picking up from yesterday, this movie definitely conflates "Frankenstein" with the creature. The title implies it, of course, even if the credits reject it. But at the climactic moments of the film Pretorius declares her to be "The bride of Frankenstein!" even though the doctor is right there and already has a bride. So I guess audiences at this point were already calling the monster "Frankenstein". As nicely as Frankenstein is shot, Bride is a big step up. It reminds me of Whale's work on The Old Dark House, which when I watched it I was impressed by the very dynamic camera work for a film from the early 1930's. There's a lot of wonderful looking shots. It's kind of amusing that Boris Karloff has gone from being credited as "?" in Frankenstein to "KARLOFF" in this movie. Anonymous guy behind some make up to single word name in four years. Dr. Pretorius is so much more interesting than Dr. Frankenstein that it's disappointing to go back to him. I think it's a flaw in the Whale movies that he's put in the position of protagonist when he's a real shithead. I have this impression that the movies want to have it both ways with Frankenstein. He's a bad guy who does bad things early on and at the end he's the hero who survived the terrible ordeal *cough* that he caused *cough* and gets to live happily ever after. This is one area where the Hammer films really outdo the Universal ones; the Hammer films Frankenstein is the real monster in his movies. It's always struck me as odd that Bride doesn't penetrate the public consciousness as much as the original film does. Oh sure, they know the tall, striped hair, but the movie itself doesn't reach as many people despite the fact that you'll be hard pressed to find a film buff who doesn't think of Bride as the better movie. I assume it's just Frankenstein being first that does it. One more rewatch day to go and then the challenge truly begins.
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Sep 30, 2018 04:11
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LORD OF BOOTY posted:While he does die, he's not the first one to, and his death is completely mundane. My favorite Chucky kills are the ones where Chucky doesn't even kill them directly, the person just has a totally rational reaction to seeing a living doll and then they die after freaking out.
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Sep 30, 2018 04:21
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Bruteman posted:Updating here with where I watched stuff: This any good? I googled it and it seems like there's an 11 hour version of this documentary that covers Hellraiser I and II.
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Sep 30, 2018 04:54
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gey muckle mowser posted:Hmm, that's a good one. I'm thinking Wes Craven's My Soul to Take, I actually own it (got it as part of a lot of movies some dude was selling) and have never bothered to watch it. I'm not starting until October, but if nothing else watch the first like 20 minutes for the insane amount of exposition dumps. I caught all but the last 20 minutes of it at a hotel last week and what comes after the flurry of poo poo at the start is just sad, recognizably Wes Craven but in an "aging pitcher lost his fastball" kind of way.
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Sep 30, 2018 05:01
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My original plan was to watch all 30 (or 31 if you count El Dracula) of the Universal classic monster movies since a Blu-ray set came out, but it's been delayed. So, here's my new lineup consisting of unwatched or "it's been too long" The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad Alien Aliens Alien3 Alien: Resurrection Blue Velvet Dial M for Murder (in 3-D!) Faust (Murnau) Hobgoblins King Kong '33 The Lodger '27 M '31 Night of the Living Dead '68 (restored) The Nightmare Before Christmas The Old Dark House '32 The Phantom of the Opera '25 The Silence of the Lambs Spirited Away The Terminator The Wicker Man '73 Also hoping to receive my UK box set of William Castle films in time (with The Tingler, 13 Ghosts, Homicidal, and Mr. Sardonicus)
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Sep 30, 2018 05:40
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Alien (1979) Theatrical Cut (with Director Commentary On) Having seen this quite a few times I decided to watch it with Ridley Scott’s commentary. Alien is considered a classic in set and shot design in science fiction, and it is, but it’s funny listening to how much of the work was done on the day of the shot, sometimes almost on a lark. - Lots of trouble getting the shot effect that Ridley wanted when they’re looking for the loose facehugger. - One particular Ash scene doesn’t have Sigourney Weaver reaction shots, and so dwells eerily on Ash, because there was simply no time to shoot them. - Scott describes “growing tired” of the set and the lighting, and deciding to spray paint it certain colors. The colors in the movie are so techno-organic that I never noticed that part of the set is spray-painted gold, creating a wonderfully weird place for an Egyptian tomb feel. - Burning the android body was done in one take for a cost that Scott imagines to be “200 quid.” Scott also describes trying to sow doubts about whether the cat is compromised by alien infection, but that may or may not be after the fact. To me the cat is always a source of (at times grim) levity, which is why it goes into hypersleep before the ending. I think in any lesser movie there is an explicit cat reveal to set up the nihilistic horror movie ending. That it essentially has a happy ending is brave, in a way--though it of course sets up a franchise, which we were lucky yielded one unmitigated good sequel.
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Sep 30, 2018 05:50
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 Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter (1974) What an odd, charming film. A late period Hammer Horror production that is a swashbuckling occult detective romp full of action and sex as much as a Hammer vampire flick. Kronos has a superhero emblem, a cool jacket, perfect hair, and, for some reason, a katana that he occasionally dual wields with a rapier. He even does the Iaijutsu trick where he kills three dudes with one slash and they don't fall over until he's finished sheathing his hanzo steel. He travels the countryside with his hunchbacked assistant, Professor Hieronymus Grost, and, well, they hunt vampires. https://i.imgur.com/Cu3zarl.gifv This vampire mythos runs with the idea that there are many, many different "types" of vampire with their own feeding habits and quirks and weaknesses. The bad guy here feeds on the youth of beautiful young women rather than blood. This also leads to one darkly comic incident where the team tries out a bunch of classic vampire killing methods to no avail on a poor man who realizes he's been turned and volunteers his life so they can figure out how to properly kill the master vampire. Hammer had hoped to launch this character into a new series, and it at times it feels more like a sprawling pilot for a tv show than a proper movie. But despite the low budget it is full of strikingly stylized indoor sets and distinctive character designs, arcane folkloric tricks and mystic gadgets, and some very well done action. Best of all, you can watch the whole film for free on Hammer's youtube page!
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Sep 30, 2018 06:21
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The Endless I really liked this one. The fleshing out how the being from Resolution operates is really compelling and kept me hooked. They really nail the tone and pacing, it's eerie the whole way through. I also really like the whole look and feel of the movie. I've heard rumors there are plans to do more to flesh out the mythos of the franchise more, which I am very much game for. 5/5
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Sep 30, 2018 06:36
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