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I barely made it to 15 movies last year, but I think a big part of that was me slacking off since I knew my goal was fairly easy and I had more time than I needed. Going for the full 31 this time, I'm being more diligent about watching things and I'm very happy to have made it to the (nearly) halfway point. Seen some really great stuff this year and I'm excited for the next 16! #15: Q (1982)  A giant winged serpent terrorizes NYC. I'd previously seen and enjoyed The Stuff but this still caught me off guard with how fun it was. The serpent itself is fairly goofy but I kind of loved it. I have a big soft spot for those sorts of monster effects and it really hit for me. Getting brief glimpses of it as it flies around the first half of the movie eating swimmers and beheading window washers was good enough, but seeing it in all its stop motion glory at the very end was wonderful. I also love how casual the entire police force is about this thing existing. There's no mass panic as the creature soars the skyline (though there's some light fear at one point when blood rains down from the sky), and there's no pretense about trying to capture the thing alive to study like you might expect to see in a movie like this. The police really just want to go and kill it. It's just sort of another case, and they mostly just act like it's more trouble than it's worth. Also, Michael Moriarty is a blast to watch as he stumbles around the city, and I really enjoyed that the police department at one point tries to give his character a gun and bring him on as part of the strike team presumably because they're annoyed at him and are hoping he gets himself eaten. Good stuff. Watched (15/31): #1 Gozu (2003), #2 Spider Baby or, the Maddest Story Ever Told (1967), #3 Viy (1967), #4 Mondo Cane (1962), #5 Dark Water (2002), #6 Blood and Black Lace (1964), #7 Daughters of Darkness (1971), #8 Sliders of Ghost Town: Origins (2016), #9 One Cut of the Dead (2017), #10 Possum (2018), #11 EGG. (2005), #12 Adventures of Electric Rod Boy (1987), #13 House of 1000 Corpses (2003), #14 Ganja and Hess (1973), #15 Q (1982) Challenges (3/3):
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Oct 14, 2019 04:37
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 Hypercube? more like... DIAPERcube!!! 20. Cube 2: Hypercube (2002) (digital) Just like in the first Cube, a group of prisoners wake up in a strange high tech structure with no memory of how they got there. Instead of escaping by figuring out advanced math problems, this time the focus is on quantum mechanics and time dilation and stuff like that. It sounds cooler than it is. This is worse than the original in basically every way. While still mostly filmed on a single set, this time the colors don't change between rooms, so 99% of the movie takes place in the same ugly boring white room. Instead of gruesome traps, we get rooms where the gravity changes or time goes faster than usual. Neat idea, but much less visually interesting than a guy getting cut into little cubes by razor wire. The characters are uninteresting and in some cases super annoying. The effects are all CGI and look really really terrible. I don't want to write anything else about this because it isn't good and you shouldn't watch it. It's dull as hell. 1.5/5 Total: 20 Watched: Dead of Night | Child's Play (2019) | Escape Room | Hell Night | The Wind | Evil Dead (2013) | Cure (Samhain Challenge #1) | Tigers Are Not Afraid | The Craft | Tower of London | In Fabric | Popcorn | Cube | Uninvited | Galaxy of Terror (Samhain Challenge #2) | Brightburn | Body Bags | The Tingler | The Wax Mask | Cube 2: Hypercube
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Oct 14, 2019 04:47
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 13. Q - The Winged Serpent (1982) This was pretty fun. It was wild to see Michael Moriarty as a lowlife, since I mainly know him from the early seasons of Law & Order. The monster shots were cool and the gore was solid. Just a fun creature flick.  Super Samhain Challenge #3: Horror Noire 14. Tales from the Hood (1995): This movie slaps. The rare anthology movie where the frame story is interesting. Not all of the stories hit (the one with David Alan Grier isn’t great) but the ones that do hit hard. The last segment in particular is pretty intense. Strong recommend.  15. Children of the Corn (1984): This movie kinda sucks. It takes way too long to get to the action. The adult characters aren’t very interesting and the child characters who should have been interesting, Isaac and Malachi, were poorly acted. The climax was kinda cool, but this movie didn’t do much for me. Having now seen this, I’m absolutely puzzled at how many sequels it spawned.
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Oct 14, 2019 04:49
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14. The Haunting (1963) I hadn't seen this one in a while, despite considering it one of the all time greatest horror films- and well, I stand by that. The definitive Haunted House story (and an early example of prestige horror), one in which there's no single inciting incident deep in the past, but rather a succession of horrors all marking the house itself as something wrong. Julie Harris is amazing as Eleanor, portraying a deeply relatable loneliness and desire for something greater, an innocence that can turn nasty, but- and this is the key thing- the film never is just about one person's psychological problems, the house isn't a metaphor, the house is something outside of that. Also worth noting that for a film made in 1963, it has one of the least subtle screen lesbians ever- Claire Bloom as Theodora is also a fascinating character, never fully falling into stereotype, she's sometimes mean to Eleanor but always caring, not really predatory, more protective. On top of this the photography is superb, the set design astoundingly detailed, and the ghosts, not being really human, don't manifest, but they make their presence known. No film I think does a better job of tapping into those night terrors when a pattern on a wall or an inexplicable noise are absolutely something terrible, but refusing to manifest. Not really a ghost story, but like all good ghost stories, fundamentally sad.
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Oct 14, 2019 05:24
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#17: Next of Kin (1982) I caught this on the Scream Stream tonight, and honestly I'm glad I did because without the communal experience of goons being just as perplexed as I was in the chat, I probably wouldn't have gotten through this on my own. It's very slow, and plods through a "plot" about a woman coming back to run her mother's estate after the mother has passed away, which has been turned into an elderly retirement home. A resident is found dead having drowned in a bathtub and it is implied some sinister supernatural poo poo is to blame. The only actor of note for me was John Jarratt, who I was introduced to last week as the psycho killer in "Wolf Creek," except here he is the young male love interest which was kind of a fun twist. There are some elements in here that remind me a bit of "The Shining," but I feel like that is implying it contains way more interesting things than it actually does. A quick google search on reviews revealed that Quentin Tarantino is a big fan of this film, and that just puzzles me. Maybe it's me, I just don't get it. But overall it was slow, confusing, and not actually scary outside of one or two moments in an otherwise dull film. There is a twist near the end that propels the final set piece, and those last 10 minutes are easily the best part of the movie. I just wish the rest of it had been infused with some of that energy. Different strokes I guess. 1/5 #18: Zombie, aka Zombi 2 (1980)  gently caress yes. This was more like it. This was feature #2 on the Scream Stream tonight, and while I have heard of this movie before, I had never actually seen it. In fact I don't think I've seen any Lucio Fulci films, so this was a fantastic introduction to a filmmaker I know people love and gives me a reason to check out his work. What's not to love here? It's zombies mixed with weird Italian cinema and shamelessly mixes nudity and gore (frequently in the same scene) in ways that I've never seen before. It has possibly the single craziest thing I've ever seen captured on film, and I mean that from a logistic "how did this get made" standpoint. A zombie in the ocean fights a shark. Like, a real no-poo poo bigger-than-you-are shark. An actor did that. Underwater. What the actual gently caress.   And there's so much more. This movie is insane, and it keeps giving great visuals and amazing practical gore effects right to the very end. The zombies themselves look incredible, they give the better parts of "The Walking Dead" a serious run for their money. In fact I can see how this movie was a big visual inspiration to that terrible show, and they do it with style. This movie is visually fantastic, even the bigger establishing shots of boats and landscapes really jump out as something created by people who know what they're doing. The plot almost doesn't even matter, and most of the characters act in such hilariously stupid ways most of the time, but I just shrugged and went with the vibe this thing gave off. Two scenes in particular are ones that will stick with me for a long goddamn time, and I can't wait to show this to my friends. It's no cinematic masterpiece and I have watched way better movies on my list this month, but I'm giving this full marks because a man fought a loving shark. I mean, come on. 5/5 Watched: Midsommar; One Cut of the Dead; Apostle; Wolf Creek; Lake Mungo; Viy (Challenge #1); Demon Knight; Witchfinder General; Razorback; Joker; A Quiet Place; Spider Baby, or the Maddest Story Ever Told (Challenge #2); Hereditary; The First Purge (Challenge #3); Killer Condom; Road Games (1982); Next of Kin; Zombie, aka Zombi 2 Total: 18 T3hRen3gade fucked around with this message at 06:13 on Oct 14, 2019 |
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Oct 14, 2019 06:04
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24. Thankskilling (2008) I saw this one with some friends over the weekend because they just “had to show me this”. Yeah, it’s an intentionally so-bad-its-good film along the lines of Troma. It’s about a killer turkey resurrected that goes on a murder spree against pure stock slasher victims in ultra-low budget glory. It’s sick, tasteless and crude (the Troma comparison is apt) and campy/schlocky to the max. I only recommend this one if that’s up your alley. I got a hard laugh out of the MS Paint-level special effects and atrocious acting. Recommended even if it’s so drat crazed.  /525. Beetlejuice (1988)  Another one I haven’t seen in ages. I’m sure everyone knows the gist of this one: Tim Burton. It’s from when he was more than just a brand name (I’m sorry, I believe it) and was known for his unique imagination. This film has really held up. Even the dated stop-motion effects work amplifying the cheesiness of the film. Michael Keaton is really such a talented actor and it’s wonderful his career has seen a resurgence in the 2010s. As Beetlejuice he just nails his performance out of the park delivering a dark comedy and maniacal character to perfection. /526. Psycho (1960)  Yes, the classic, the original slasher and the Hitchcock film that everyone thinks of first when they hear the name. It’s a drat classic, what more can be said? Anthony Perkins delivers an amazing performance as Norman Bates who plays a character of unassuming nature but carrying a terrible secret to say the least. The music is iconic and to this day I believe its the reason why this film is as amazing at it is. It would be like if Star Wars didn’t have John Williams’ theme, we’d likely talk about it in a different light. /527. Gacy (2003)  This one is an entry in a small “series” of DTV features about real-life serial killers (Jeffrey Dahmer, Ted Bundy, etc.). I remember seeing them at Blockbuster thinking they were just exploitative films and I wasn’t far off. There was an effort to portray John Wayne Gacy in this one (Mark Holton in the role). By the film really cannot decide if it wants to be exploitation or explore Gacy thus it just meanders and loses focus. Overall, kinda crap if you want one or the other because the middle didn’t work at all. /5Total: 1. One Cut of the Dead (2017), 2. Chopping Mall (1986), 3. All the Creatures Were Stirring (2018), 4. Creepshow 2 (1987), 5. Black Christmas (1974), 6. Dracula (1931), 7. Frankenstein (1931), 8. The Monster Squad (1987), 9. All Hallow’s Eve (2013), 10. The Addams Family (1991), 11. Grizzly (1976), 12. The Mummy (1932), 13. See No Evil (2006), 14. The Invisible Man (1933), 15. Why Horror? (2014), 16. Bad Moon (1996), 17. Head Count (2018), 18. The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), 19. House of 1000 Corpses, 20. The Wolfman (1941), 21. Body Bags (1993). 22. Us (2019), 23. The Craft (1996), 24. Thankskilling (2008), 25. Beetlejuice (1988), 26. Psycho (1960), 27. Gacy (2003) Super Samhain Challenges: Justin Godscock fucked around with this message at 07:13 on Oct 14, 2019 |
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Oct 14, 2019 06:44
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 19 (22). The Curse of the Cat People (1944) Recorded off TCM, currently on Watch TCM, also on Criterion Channel and Fubo. A lonely and imaginative little girl (with a lovely dad) makes a wish for a friend and meets an aging old actress and a beautiful magical woman who happens to be the ghost of her dad’s ex wife who came from a people of witches and shapeshifters. That might not end super well. I had recorded Cat People but deleted it to make room on my DVR. I kind of regretted that once I realized this was a direct sequel that brought back the whole cast, but I remember the original pretty well and the sequel doesn’t actually have much to do with it despite the returning cast and characters. The story seems to go that Cat People was meant to be a B creature film but Val Lewton and Jacques Tourneur elevated it to a moody, atmospheric tale of a woman’s mental and emotional state with the truth of the nature of the film hidden with revolutionary light and camera tricks, making a huge and lasting impression. The studios then wanted a sequel with more scares so Lewton again threw them a curve ball and told a story about a young girl’s loneliness and emotional state that basically had nothing to do with cat people, the original film, or anything monster related. The studio execs must have loved that Lewton guy. I don’t know if its a hot take or anything but my takeaway from Cat People was that it was a story of lovely men mistreating a woman. Some guy woos and marries a young woman new to America and clearly a bit overwhelmed, then dismisses her beliefs and ideas, sends her to a shrink because she doesn’t want to have sex with him, goes and starts a relationship with another woman, and then dumps his wife when she says she’s worked through her issues and right before her shrink sexually assaults her. Then she dies and her husband is free to go marry someone else. So naturally World’s Best Husband becomes World’s Best Dad and has a daughter that is introverted, shy, and has a vivid imagination so he decides she’s got problems “just like” that other “troubled” woman he once knew and had no hand in her mental or emotional state. Dad: Did you play with your friends? Daughter: I tried but they ran away from me. Dad: Did you run after them? Daughter: They got away and then some lady called to me from a house. Dad: LIAR! Mom: Hey, stop yelling at our kid and hear her out. Dad: YOU SPOIL HER! I loving hate this dude and I have no idea if I’m supposed to or not. And naturally the same pattern continues where the other men in Amy’s like are like “Go there alone/Why did you go there alone?!” Dad spanks Amy and Mom is visibly shaken and told “not to bother with those kinds of things.” This could all be just signs of a backwards view of women and toxic men, but considering Lewton’s Seventh Victim dealt with a woman suffering depression, isolation, and sexual identity questions who a bunch of men kept telling her what her problem was (one of them being the same shrink who assaulted Irena in Cat People) I’m starting to think Val had some pretty progressive ideas about the way men treated women. Its making me wish I had kept my recording of I Walked with a Zombie since that’s another well regarded film of his and I’m curious to see if the pattern holds up. I’m curious about Lewton and his other work is on my radar. On the actual film, its an interesting film. Not so much a horror film as it is a haunting and sad ghost story presented as a kind of fairytale or children’s story. If you hadn’t seen Cat People you wouldn’t even get any of the implied danger in Irena’s re-appearance. It would just be a sad and lonely girl with a fairy princess or imaginary friend. While it might not have a lot to do with the original film it has the same atmospheric quality and kind of deceptive use of a fantastical premise to tell a simple human story. Amy’s life is sad and heartbreaking, and the decisions she makes that seem easy and sometimes magical to her carry a danger that kid just doesn’t see. Also her dad is an rear end in a top hat. A few days ago i had no idea who Val Lewton was, now I’m really curious about the guy and his catalogue of films. They’re not the scariest or most horror films, but they’ve all obviously got something to say. I actually wish I had waited and watched The Seventh Victim after this because I think I might have received it differently if I was a little more open and aware about Lewton’s thing. September Pre-Game Tally - New (Total) 1. NOS4A2 (2019); - (2). Splice (2009); - (3). Drive Angry (2011); 2 (4). The Twilight Zone (2019); - (5). Event Horizon (1997); - (6). BrainDead (2016); 3 (7). The Dark Tower (2017); 4 (8). The Collector (2009); 5 (9). The Bad Batch (2016); - (10). Rose Red (2002); - (11). Salem’s Lot (1979) October Tally - New (Total) 1. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920); 2. Nightmare Cinema (2018); 3. Dead of Night (1945); The Queen of Spades (1949); 5. Tragedy Girls (2017); 6. House of Wax (1953); SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #1: 7. The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016); 8. In the Tall Grass (2019); 9. The Night of the Hunter (1955); 10. The Thing (1951); - (11). The Thing (1982); 11 (12). The Thing (2011); - (13). Halloween (1978); 12 (14). Dracula (1931); SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #2: 13 (15). Q (1982); 14 (16). The Black Cat (1934); 15 (17). The Unknown (1927); - (18). Halloween II (1981); 16 (19). The Seventh Victim (1943); 17 (20). The Beast With Five Fingers (1946); 18 (21). The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923); 19 (22). The Curse of the Cat People (1944)
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Oct 14, 2019 08:31
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Gripweed posted:#23: Mermaids: The Body Found so probably no one else will try it but i did. I liked it a bunch but I also love all that weird alternate history ancient aliens poo poo. I just find it delightfully fun. Apparently they did some kind of weird sequel called "Mermaids: The new evidence" but I havent tracked that down yet. Thanks for the writeup!
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Oct 14, 2019 09:10
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#15. Sleepaway Camp Weird movie. A lot of things worked on their own, but it never really came together for me. The big twist is a bit wonky, but certainly memorable. At least now I finally know where all those avatars last year came from. #16. Dog Soldiers  My first rewatch this month. Had some friends over and I knew they would appreciate this. Dog Soldiers is solid, start to finish. It doesn't waste a lot of time and once it gets going it almost never lets up. Even the quieter moments have some sort of tension and it works really well. That said, it is not perfect. Some of the jokes feel out of place, the werewolves and their motivation could be fleshed out a bit more, the camera flash as a weapon feels off and I know some people can't get over the legs in the monster design. Still, I love this for the rollercoaster ride it is. #17. I Saw the Devil  Another rewatch, same reason. I Saw the Devil is one of my favorite Korean movies, so I knew I was in for a good time. Not having seen it for 6+ years I was worried perhaps it might not be as great as I thought it was. Well, it was. It is everything I remembered it to be and more. I Saw the Devil is gorgeous to look at, from the snowy desolation to the rare shots of a sparsely decorated penthouse it is breathtaking. I Saw the Devil is long, but never boring. Time just flies by. I Saw the Devil keeps you guessing, the movie seems like it will be over just an hour in, but there is so much more. I Saw the Devil is about terrible events and neither person involved can really stop them. It is a car crash in slow-motion. I Saw the Devil has Choi Min-sik going all out. I am certain a lot of big-name Western actors would hesitate to play this role, if their agents would even let them, but he embraces it fully. I Saw the Devil is dark, violent and depressing, but has the typical Korean moments of comedy in there. There are weird slapstick situations that create a wonderful tonal whiplash. Everyone should watch I Saw the Devil!If you already have, go watch The Chaser. A very similar Korean film and just as good. If you've seen both, good on ya! #18. 3 From Hell SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #2 - DEAD & BURIED  I saw House of 1000 Corpses for the first time this October and enjoyed it. I saw The Devil's Rejects for the first time this October and loved it. Finished up with 3 From Hell and....it was really disappointing. It is muted, tame and wastes a lot of time doing nothing too interesting. It doesn't seem to care much for its roots going into the finale, portraying people you really shouldn't like as action heroes and not even doing a good job with it.
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Oct 14, 2019 09:56
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 Franchise: Amityville Horror I was iffy about tackling this one just because there's so much. But after much thought and how much I loathe what huckster scam artists the Warrens are, I might as well kick this pig. I remember when the news broke of a family fleeing a house they'd not lived in long because of it being haunted. My Mom and cousins ate up every bit of news that came out afterwards. The book was a first day purchase in the family. It wasn't until years later with the Internet that I started to hear the other stories that the Amityville thing was bullshit. As I've always been interested in the paranormal, seeing Warren devotees flipping their poo poo at any criticisms of the Warrens cases was another red flag. Last nail in the coffin was reading The Amityville Hoax by Dr. Kaplan. I highly recommend it as he details everything from the DeFeo murders that happened at the house to his first being contacted by the Lutz family to do a paranormal investigation and his battle with the Warrens which likely contributed to his later poor health and death. If that wasn't enough to convince, there's the fact the Lutz's are/were some viciously litigious people. They, along with Jay Anson own the name The Amityville Horror and there was a court battle over the names of the film. Since they can't own the name Amityville, that's why only two films have Amityville Horror as the title. It's also why there's no direct sequels or adaptations of the assorted books. The Lutz's must've been seething with each Amityville film they couldn't dip thier hooks into. The Amityville story becoming a franchise is oddly fitting in that it ends up a money grab much as the haunting story was. I think it beats out the usual Demons/Children of the Corn count for most films in a franchise. While Conjuring 2 has a bit dealing with Amityville, I don't feel it's enough to warrant including it in a franchise watch.  67) The Amityville Horror - 1979 - Hulu I saw this at the show back in the day. Then as now, it's more of a 'fear that insurance won't cover that' film. It's not until the near end of the film that it kicks into gear and pretty much expects viewers to've already read the book first to fill in all the gaps. On its own, it's extremely 'meh' as far as haunted house films go. It's okay to watch as an example of a moment of past popculture, but not worthy enough to be added to a haunted house marathon.  68) Amityville II: The Posession - 1982 - TubiTV Saw this one at the show too. More of a prequel, this one is a heavy glossing over of the DeFeo family and the eventual murders. It's unwatchable to anyone with real knowledge of the DeFeo family and its tragedy. George Lutz apparently wanted the film to be an adaptation of the second Amityville book and got sue happy when it wasn't going to happen, but did get posters put up that the film has no affiliation with George and Kathy Lutz. I'm perfectly fine not watching this one again, I got plenty better to sit through.
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Oct 14, 2019 10:06
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22) Monster House 2006 I decided to watch a spooky kid's movie for a change. It's an early example of modern 80s nostalgia but they don't lean too hard into it. We see an arcade, the kids ride chopper-style bikes and so on but there are no pop culture references I noticed. It's a little slow to start, the scenes with the boys trying to impress the girl were more irritating than funny and the art style is serviceable at best. It's not without charm, but I wouldn't rate it highly compared to Paranorman. 23) Inseminoid 1981  Space archaeologists come across an alien life form, one of them gets impregnated and goes nuts. The rape scene would have been horrifying if the alien didn't look so goddamn goofy, like they stole it from a Dr Who set The lead actor does OK with what she's given, which involves a lot of screaming and crying and closeups of more screaming. Her fillings get a lot of screentime. Some of the supporting characters are a bit poor. One in particular is that awful cliche of a woman in peril who just becomes completely useless with fear and lets those around her die. It's fairly well made for what it is. Comparisons can be made to Alien and the Roger Corman sci-fi horrors of this time
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Oct 14, 2019 11:14
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 Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter Swashbuckling? In my Hammer? What a blast. After watching Sleepy Hollow I needed to get my fix of the real thing, and boy oh boy was this a good option. As always, Hammer nails the atmospherics. The action/swashbuckling aspect is somewhat at odds with the languid pace and editing, but overall it works. The cast is terrific, especially the lead who plays the perfect mix of Eroll Flynn and the on-the-horizon 80s beefy action stars. The movie is horny as hell and is all the better for it. The vampire is solid, but definitely feels more like a monster-of-the-week filler episode villain than a show-stopper like most films of its ilk. In fact, it's a crime that this wasn't a series. Hammer's House of Horror is fun and all, but if they did a Captain Kronos TV show I'd watch every drat episode over and over again. I could go on, but I've got to run out and bury some frogs in boxes. Rating: 8/10 Beetlejuice: 10/10 (rewatch), Sleepy Hollow: 10/10 (rewatch), Ghoulies II: 9/10, Hobo with a Shotgun: 9/10, Demons: 9/10, The Fog: 8/10, Critters 2: 8/10, Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter: 8/10, Demons II: 7/10, Ghoulies: 6.5/10, The Changeling: 4/10, Critters: 2/10
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Oct 14, 2019 12:34
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M_Sinistrari posted:I got plenty better to sit through. you say that, yet you are choosing to watch the other 20+ films in this terrible franchise??
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Oct 14, 2019 13:20
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gey muckle mowser posted:you say that, yet you are choosing to watch the other 20+ films in this terrible franchise?? What's this bringing reasonable common sense in my 'I'm starting to think I should've put more thought into this' decision?  69) Amityville 3-D - 1983 - TubiTV Saw this at the show too, it was part of the early 80s 3D craze. Only commonality this one has with the previous films is the Amityville house is haunted/possessed. There's no mention of the Lutz family. Overall, it's an okay enough haunted house film. Not awful, but not good either. Probably something to have on for background noise when there's nothing else on. At the time this one was made, the actual house was moved elsewhere due to Amityville tourists disrupting the town and locals.  70) Amityville 4: The Evil Escapes - 1989 - TubiTV This one is the first of the 'item from the house brings the haunting with it' entries. It was also originally a TV movie. It's pretty bog standard for a cursed object film. Not particularly stand out on the scale of things.
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Oct 14, 2019 13:24
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M_Sinistrari posted:
My god. I thought you were crazy for watching all the Children of the Corn movies in order. This is the Mount Everest of horror challenges. Scratch that, it's actually pretty easy to get up Everest. This is the K2 of horror challenges. Are you including My Amityville Horror in the list? It's not part of the franchise but it's kind of significant.
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Oct 14, 2019 13:29
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gey muckle mowser posted:you say that, yet you are choosing to watch the other 20+ films in this terrible franchise?? I thought that was hyperbole, but holy poo poo, there are that many films in this series.
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Oct 14, 2019 13:46
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There's a reason that, for part of my challenge this year, I'm only watching up to the 2005 remake and not the whole series. The first three are eh, the fourth is unintentionally funny, the fifth is boring as hell and I'm midway into the sixth and its also not so good. Most of these feel like "we have a haunted house movie to film, let's throw the Amityville name on it and call it a day," particularly starting with the fifth. The sixth is hamhandedly trying to jam references to the original in and it's done very badly.
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Oct 14, 2019 14:02
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 #5: Cannibal Women and the Avocado Jungle of Death So this one was a surprise, and perhaps even more than Evil Bong this one is hardly horror in any sense (letterboxd has under this genre). That out of the way, it is not too different from other “horror” comedies. Basically, a professor in women’s studies and a professed feminist is contact by the D.O.D. concerning a growing crisis in America caused by the inability for pickers to harvest the interior of the Great Avocado Jungle of Northern California, fearing attacks from the Piranha Women, a sect of ancient feminists who split off long ago and formed their own society deep in the jungle that spans just south of Bakersfield and extends to the Mexican border. The Piranha Women are cannibals, making them literal man-eating feminists. Given this setup, including a sweaty Colonel Mattel anxiously explaining the growing avocado gap forming between the U.S. and the Soviets. you have a dean at the university who speechifies about democracy and protecting an educational environmental, all while mouthing in the professors ear regarding how much he will gently caress her life up if she doesn’t go along. Her mission? To make contact with the other researcher that went missing there, Dr. Kurtz, a leading feminist in the field. This was when I realized I was watching a Heart of Darkness spoof/Apocalypse Now parody. Okay. Stop. You know what? This is a horror movie and I have proof: it stars Bill Maher. If you didn’t know that he was playing himself he’d be endearingly goofy, as it stands I just have to settle for the fact that they used him well for the movie. It’s your failson Indiana Jones character. That aside, I actually thought this movie was pretty good, as did the others watching with me. In 2019 jabs at essentially academic white feminism just doesn’t have the same bite, and the jokes about the schisms are pretty funny too. I have no doubt people have watched this and laughed thinking it was essentially a war of the sexes, both-sides-can-be-silly story—but it isn’t. It does actually seem to be operating from a far-left perspective, to the point that centrist schisms are almost the butt of jokes (Which could be me reading the times around us into it, certainly!). Filmed almost entirely at UC Riverside, using their avocado research grove and gardens. I now wonder where in the orientation the guides these days point out a little creek off the path, and tell the freshmen that’s where the topless scenes of Cannibal Women were shot. Despite said topless scenes, the rest of the film was remarkably lacking in male gaze, despite the obvious opportunity. Bill Maher strips off more clothes in this movie than the women for the most part (earning it those horror credentials). Just for the surprising quality of scenes, and use of set locations, as well as the political humor, I rated this higher than some of the other movies that I think are technically the same or better in craft because of this bias on my part. A movie about feminism and film tropes that plays Bill Maher’s philosophy as so obviously wrongheaded its used in the movie as an example of stupidity. The downside is he probably got some kind of pay out of this. It’s not profound, but it’s more than I expected from the title. “Bunny! Bunny. You don’t have to live your life to please me! The important part is that you’re happy. And as for what I’ve taught you…well…. Listen, I’ve always believed that every woman should get as much education and intellectual stimulation as possible, and that she should develop her mental abilities to their utmost potential. But in your case….there’s just no point.” “Really!? Then I should marry Jim?” /5 #6: Scream Add this to the list of movies I can’t believe I waited until 2019 to watch. I agree with others about how heavy the meta-stuff is at a few points, but it’s fine and I enjoyed that part of it. The blatancy helps almost lighten the mood in a few places, like where Meek’s in danger. I laughed when Jamie was telling Jamie to watch out behind him, as the people in the news van watch Jamie Kennedy watch Jamie Lee Curtis not look behind her. Also, Matthew Lillard is just amazing in the end there. The music and cinematography in this was just great, I’d been watching some more classic exploitation horror and lower budget stuff until now, excepting The Silence, which had production values and not a lot else. Was this shot somewhere around Santa Rosa? Because a lot of scenes looked like the hills south of Lake County. Final thoughts are certainly not original: Hell of an opening that sets the stakes and is a good use of Barrymore. I feel like today the opening subverts the expectations that they wouldn’t kill an actress who seems like she might be a main character, but I’m not sure how much of a household name Barrymore was at the time this came out, so I’m not sure if it’s just a surprisingly brutal opening or otherwise. Interestingly one of the better movies I’ve watched and I have the least to say about it. Highly recommend if you’re like me and somehow managed to never be spoiled about the plot in over twenty years. "You sick fucks. You've seen one too many movies!" /5Getting behind a little as the month wears on, and most of what I watched was with the scream stream the last week+, so catching up on those reviews. #7: Who Can Kill a Child This is one of those campfires where you light it and it consumes all the kindling and then fizzles out after a few minutes without catching any of the actual wood. Suffers from a severe case of characters-who-learn-things-but-never-share-them syndrome. Finally the film answers its question: Tom. Tom can kill a child. Children even, plural. Now, these children remind me of the splicers in Bioshock and the ending reminded me of the bad ending from Bioshock. ...Oh did I mention the genocide documentary reel in the beginning? "I don't know. Some sort of madness. I can't understand this." /5#8: The Seventh Curse Young Chow Yun Fat with a pipe. A man who’s blood curse has lasted for more than 8 hours. Tiddy-blood magic. Demonic baby gods. Garnished with a steady flow of near-constant martial arts scenes that are actually pretty fast and good. Worm tribe is possibly worshiping the baby that killed Tom’s wife in Who Can Kill a Child. "Yes it's made of 100 children's blood." /5#9: Killer Condom This is a movie I’ve seen the poster for hundreds of times in my life and I’m glad I finally saw it. Solid commentary, humor, characters, and designs. It both doesn’t disappoint and doesn’t go where I thought it might. It’s a good movie to be surprised by. Looking forward to showing it to others. Luigi Mackeroni posted:
.5/5#10: Zombie Classically stupid characters, impressively gorey zombies and effects. Point one, for some eye-gore that truly serves the movie well, and that underwater scene has been mentioned by others already. It really is quite “WTF” to think of how they got that footage. Someone last night mentioned that it has that real old world european racist overtone and I would agree with that too. "What is all this about the dead coming back to life again and... having to be killed a second time? I mean, what the hell's going on here?" /5Watched: 10/31 The Fog, Evil Bong, The Silence, Death Ship, Cannibal Women and the Avocado Jungle of Death, Scream, Who Can Kill a Child, The Seventh Curse, Killer Condom, Zombie Peacoffee fucked around with this message at 16:53 on Oct 14, 2019 |
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Oct 14, 2019 14:05
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Peacoffee posted:
She wasn't a first billed lead just yet but she was still well known enough (especially vs. Neve Campbell) for people to assume she was the lead. In fact, and this may be apocryphal, I think the story is that she was cast as the lead until suggesting the surprise to Wes Craven.
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Oct 14, 2019 14:30
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SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #4: Inktober Artists everywhere have been doing Inktober annually for about three years. (Pales in comparison to how long this challenge has been going!) A list of prompts are posted in September and the artist is supposed to do an ink drawing based on the prompts. (People break these rules all the time, though.) This challenge is inspired by Inktober. Pick a film that you haven't seen that corresponds to any of the Inktober prompts. Please make sure to list which Inktober prompt you are using, and maybe a little detail on how you chose your film. An example: "I have never seen Cronenberg's The Dead Zone, so I'm going to watch that for '11. Snow' " or "I have never seen Ringu, so I will watch that for '1. Ring' ". You get the jist. OR Watch a horror film you've never seen that heavily features art or artists, or the main character is an artist.
Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 14:40 on Oct 14, 2019 |
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Oct 14, 2019 14:37
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M_Sinistrari posted:
I like to call all the "Cursed Items du jour" movies part of the "Garage Sale of the Damned" section of the franchise.
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Oct 14, 2019 14:49
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Franchescanado posted:SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #4: Inktober Would ballet count as art in this context or would it just be physical medium? I've been looking for an excuse to finally watch Suspiria.
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Oct 14, 2019 14:52
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Lumbermouth posted:Would ballet count as art in this context or would it just be physical medium? I've been looking for an excuse to finally watch Suspiria. Yes. Performance arts are totally included, so ballet, figurative dancing, a dance troupe unknowingly dosed with LSD, all that counts. As does sculptures, miniatures, fashion designers, modeling, etc.
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Oct 14, 2019 14:57
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Packed a bunch of movies in this weekend, more to come later today... An American Werewolf in London Another yearly rewatch for me, it's one of those movies that really makes me feel like it's Halloween time. Growing up with this film, I experienced more than one level of enjoyment from it because when I was young it terrified me. Then, as the years go on I was able to appreciate the humor and the horror influences that it proudly wears on it's sleeve. I think it's a credit to the movie that this is such an iconic werewolf film and yet the werewolf itself is probably not one of the scariest or most convincing. In fact, for the most part it's not even seen in full view and especially not in motion. But the glimpses you do get are extremely effective at giving you the outline of what's happening so that your imagination can run wild filling in the rest. But in the end the werewolf itself isn't the draw here, and that's the genius of the film.  Bad Moon I wasn't expecting much from this, if for no other reason than it's just not a werewolf movie you ever hear about. I mean, there aren't a whole lot of quality werewolf flicks out there, so if this was any good wouldn't it get more love? Well, having watched it I can see both sides. The characters are a bit flat. It's not a particularly good looking movie in terms of cinematography(there are some decent looking outdoor scenes I suppose) or production values. But what it DOES have is an awesome hulking monster of a werewolf and some gnarly gore. And really what more do you need? The werewolf shows up in a prologue scene and I was impressed by it, but I thought "ok, maybe that was just to give you a taste and then the werewolf will be mostly off-screen until the climax". Nope, there's plenty of werewolf throughout and really very little attempt to shoot around it with trick angles or low lighting. They were clearly proud of this werewolf and rightfully so. So in a fairly limited sub-genre, I'd have to give this a recommendation because there are only so many opportunities to see monsters like this on-screen. Watched: 1. Child's Play(1988) 2. Child's Play(2019) 3. VHS: Viral 4. Tales From the Crypt 5. (SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #1)Viy 6. House of Frankenstein 7. Van Helsing 8. The Shining 9. Salem's Lot 10. Poltergeist 2: The Other Side 11. Pumpkinhead 2: Blood Wings 12. The Ravenous 13. Alucarda 14. Horror of Dracula 15. Dracula: Prince of Darkness 16. Midsommar 17. Candyman 18. Hellraiser 19. An American Werewolf in London 20. Bad Moon
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Oct 14, 2019 15:19
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17. The Red Queen Kills Seven Times (1972) - New To Me #9 A fun giallo. Like most of them that I've seen, it's gorgeous to look at. It has a fast pace, lots of characters in a complicated relationship web, murders, an overall gothic feel due to the curse of the titular revenge-seeking ghost. Definitely one I'll be revisiting! SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #3 - Horror Noire 18. Bones (2001) - New To Me #10  I didn't expect much. I didn't realize this was an Ernest Dickerson movie, and had Pam Grier and Katherine Isabella in it (though she seemed underused). I expected to watch a fairly cheesy movie where Snoop Dogg gets to creep around as some kind of undead pimp. What I got was a fairly tight, good looking, well-written supernatural revenge story on a level I didn't expect. There's more meat on these bones (ahem) than I expected - Snoop turns in a good performance along with the rest of the cast. Sure, it's not going to sit up with the best of the best, and isn't as good as Dickerson's own Demon Knight, but I'm really happy I stumbled onto this for the challenge. 19. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) - Rewatch #5  This all time classic is just an easy ride into bonkers territory and I've enjoyed it every time I've seen it. I don't think it will ever get old. 20. Zombie (AKA Zombi 2, 1979) - Rewatch #6  Another rewatch, caught this on the scream stream. The infamous eye-pierce I remembered, for some reason I had completely forgotten about the insane zombie vs. shark fight. Great movie. Movies So Far - 20: Rewatches: 6 - Deep Red, One Cut Of The Dead, The Endless, Train To Busan, TCM 2, Zombi 2 New To Me: 10 - Dolls, Borderlands, Child’s Play (2019), Memory: Origins Of Alien, Who Can Kill A Child?, The Seventh Curse, Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde, Hell House LLC 2, The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, Bones Finally Watching Owned Movies: 4 - Werewolf Of London, She-Wolf Of London, Isle Of The Snake People, Creature From The Black Lagoon
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Oct 14, 2019 15:45
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 25. The Mummy's Tomb (1942) DVD Meh. At least the kids liked it. I far prefer the previous film but it was at least an adequate way to fit a seasonal watch into my day and have time to head outside for a while before dark. I'll give it some bonus points for a fair amount of pipe smoking. Watched - 1. Get My Gun (2017), 2. The Last Man on Earth (1964), 3. It Stains the Sands Red (2016), 4. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), 5. Errementari: The Blacksmith and the Devil (2017) *Tied for Current Favorite*, 6. Halloween (1978), 7. One Cut of the Dead (2017), 8. Phamtasm II (1988), 9. Ramekin (2018), 10. Les Affamés (2017), 11. Braindead (1992), 12. Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), 13. The Haunting (1963) *Tied for Current Favorite*, 14. House of Wax (1953), 15. Shock (1946), 16. Annihilation (2018), 17. Westworld (1973), 18. Kuroneko, 19. In the Tall Grass (2019), 20. Sound of Horror (1966), 21. Rubber's Lover (1996), 22. Bubba Ho-Tep (2002), 23. The Similars (2015), 24. Creatur from the Black Lagoon (1954), 25. The Mummy's Tomb (1942) Decade - 1920s, 1930s, 1940s (III), 1950s (II), 1960s (IV), 1970s (III), 1980s (I), 1990s (II), 2000s (I), 2010s (IX) Black & White:Color:Hybrid - 9:15:1 By Country - Canada (II), Japan (III), Mexico (I), 'Murica (XVI), New Zealand (I), Spain (II) New:Rewatch - 21:4 Super Samhain Challenge - 1. Westworld (1973), 2. Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), 3. N/A, 4. N/A
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Oct 14, 2019 16:11
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16. One Cut of the Dead 2019 (US release) | dir. Shinichiro Ueda  Echoing the "Go In Blind" sentiment, but I'm gonna break the silence and talk a little about this fun flick without spoiling. Really, the biggest thing this movie has going for it is how enthusiastic it is about film-making, indie films, and the creative process. It delivers this with memorable characters. Instead of making anyone an outright villain, the drama comes from the chemistry between the characters. This is one of the more successful found-footage films, and manages to use the format to it's full advantage, while cleverly subverting it and joking about it's own premise in creative ways. Fun film parallels: Bowfinger meets Adaptation. meets Tucker & Dale meets April Fool's Day. With Zombies. I was a little worried about the film during the first act. But then things started clicking into place. By the time the credits rolled, I had a big smile on my face. It's a delightful and charming film that left me with a warm glowing feeling at the end. Also, take a quick look at the director's pic on Letterboxd. This guy is dapper as gently caress.  Strong Recommendation 17. Ma 2019 | dir. Tate Taylor  What a conundrum of a film. To begin: I like this movie. I think the cast is great. Diana Silvers caught my attention earlier this year in Booksmart, and I was excited that she had the main role of this film. She grounds the group of kids by being the Good Girl, who's cool and hip and pretty and smart but still will hit the joint and have one beer. The rest of kids are weirdly accepting, friendly while seemingly being the popular elites. It's a soft reworking of classic horror tropes. McKaley Miller, who plays cool girl Hailey, in other films would just be a bitch, but here she's just snarky and jaded but still down to clown with whoever. Andy, the quiet but cool guy that Maggie (Silvers) likes, is a likeable dude that's willing to DD for his friends cuz he has the van, and not an arrogant jock or anything. It's a solid group to hang with for a film. Opposite them are the three adults. Juliette Lewis is great as Maggie's mom, Luke Evans is great as Andy's rear end in a top hat father, and of course Octavia Spencer totally deserves her title role of MA in her portrayal of Sue Ann. The setting of a small town in nowhere, while really not played for anything, is also charming. Everyone remembers everyone from high school. Every generation has spent time sneaking booze by the rocks, under a bridge. It's neat. It never fully delves into the horror of the premise. MA is for-sure creepy, as would any adult that wants to party with teenagers, but that's about it. The crazy murderous lady I was expecting doesn't really ever pop up. The back story hinted at throughout the film, when revealed, would be traumatizing in real life, but as it is for a horror film origin story, it's a little underwhelming. It's no bucket of pigs blood at prom. There's still plenty of fun throughout. MA's predatory nature is characterized by the camera objectifying the male body, including a brief moment that involves showing dick, refreshing for a main-stream horror movie aimed at teenagers. There's a sorta-running joke that Ma is in charge of the music at the parties, so it's full of Top 40 songs from when she was a teenager. There's some great moments where Spencer gets to act really creepy. So, ultimately, at 99 minutes, I like this film. It's fun. It's charming. The acting is all great. But by the end, specifically as a horror movie or thriller, it's underwhelming. I would totally rewatch this as a lazy afternoon movie, but I'm gonna skip this as a Halloween watch. It just doesn't really fill the craving for a horror movie. Lightly Recommended 18. The Devil Rides Out 1968 | dir. Terence Fisher Edgar Wright's 100 Favorite Horror #29  It's refreshing to see a Hammer film with a modern setting. All of the actors are great in the film. This is a really fun representation of Satanic Panic. The pacing and plot structure is kind of bananas to a modern audience, with crazy moments coming seemingly out of nowhere. It's a really solid flick that I think is kinda best left unspoiled. Highly Recommended. 19. Halloweentown 1998 | dir. Duwayne Dunham rewatch  Watched this with horror-averse friends for nostalgia (same group that watched Under Wraps). This movie premiered on Disney Channel in 1998. Since then, it is considered by many millennials as a Halloween essential. But is it all based on nostalgia? Halloweentown is pretty fascinating. It originally premiered on October 17, 1998. It deals with a 13 year old who loves Halloween and horror and spooky things. She lives with a repressive mother who hates that poo poo. She finds out on Halloween that she and her family are actually magic users. They belong to a hidden world full of magic and monsters called Halloweentown. Not only is Maggie a loving witch, but she's the youngest witch in a famous lineage of magic users. They're prophesied to save the day a lot! Sound familiar? Yeah, cuz it's basically Harry Potter. Wanna know something crazy? Harry Potter was released in America on September 1st, 1998. Halloweentown is barely a month older than Harry Potter. Most US-based kids wouldn't have heard of Harry Potter at this point, and would have probably seen Halloweentown first. (UK kids would probably know HP by this point, though, since it came out in the UK summer of 1997) Beyond the evergreen premise of a repressed child finding out they're special and magic, there's some cool stuff going on behind the scenes of Halloweentown. The director made a career out of making some of the most popular DCOM flicks, but before DCOM, they made Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey and the football classic Little Giants. If you take a look at Dunham's filmography, almost all of his films are female-lead, and have strong positive representation of girls being strong and taking the lead. The theme music for Halloweentown is pretty memorable. Parts of it sound a little like the shop music from Ocarina of Time, but it has a nice bouncy feel that manages an Autumnal tone. Why is the theme so catchy? Maybe because it was composed by Mark Mothersbaugh of DEVO fame. The film noticeably has a limited budget. The cinematography is pretty creative, in that they managed to make Halloweentown feel like a real town, despite only really showing a handful of locations, half of which are outside. There is a clever moment where they manage to a make a class of monsters aerobicizing despite only having four monsters to work with. The cinematography was done by Michael Slovis, who would later work on many different TV shows, including Fringe, 30+ episodes of Breaking Bad and now he's on Better Call Saul. The production design and make-up design is also really good. The make-up effects on the scarecrow warlock villain is excellent, even now in the times of high definition.  To top it all off, Debbie Reynolds plays everyone's favorite magic grandma. Her vivacious take on Aggie Cromwell is full of infectious Halloween spirit. I've always been impressed with Judith Hoag playing Gwen, the mom who represses her witch lineage to be boring and normal. Robin Thomas gets turns as both a charming mayor and an evil demon hamming it up, making Kalabar pretty memorable. And then you have Kimberly J. Brown as the stand-in for every kid watching, a kid that loves spooky stuff who's super enthusiastic to use magic, even if they don't know how. Overall? Yeah. This movie is good beyond it's flaws, beyond it's weird turn into child-logic fetch-quest, beyond it's meager budget, beyond it's silly sequels. At 81 minutes, it's a no-brainer annual watch. Recommended, especially for families and nostalgic Millennials. Movies Watched: Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom | Annihilation | Evil Bong 2 | Overlord | Dead of Night | The Ruins | Under Wraps | Attack The Block | Don't Go In The Woods | Body Snatchers | Island of Lost Souls | Village of the Damned (1960) | Wrinkles the Clown | The Dead Zone | The Fog | One Cut of the Dead | Ma | The Devil Rides Out | Halloweentown Rewatches: 4 Total: 19 Edgar Wright's 100 Favorite Horror: 5/20 Super Samhain Challenge: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 14:25 on Oct 15, 2019 |
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Oct 14, 2019 16:28
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Another weekend, another set of movies: 5) Galaxy of Terror (1981, Blu-Ray) There were a bunch of post Star Wars late 70's/early 80's Science Fiction movies that had a certain pre-computer age style to them, this is one of those movies. It's a mostly decent B-movie, although nothing really to write home about, with an uncomfortable rape-monster scene. The practical effects were nice, and I loved that the mission commander was actually using drafting tools on the bridge of the ship. Score: 3/5 6) Pledge Night (1990, Blu-Ray) Good old Vinegar Syndrome does a great job at making forgotten films look great. This was unfortunately one of the rare misses for me. It's almost as if they attempted to make a clone of Animal House and realized that they didn't have enough material, and the other half is a horror movie. I liked the first half, where it was straight up a bunch of Frat House hazing poo poo, and then the monster arrives and it just poo poo the bed for me. Score 2/5 (One point was added because the soundtrack is by Anthrax) 7) The Shining (1980, 4k UHD) It's The Shining. The UHD looks fantastic to the point I almost have to ding it because I spend too much time looking at the new transfer instead of watching the movie. After learning that there is some backstory in the book to the ghosts that Shelley Duvall sees at the end, I like how they're just there and unexplained in the movie because it just adds to the what the gently caress she has to be going through as you turn the corner and see a prot-furrie blowing a dude with his rear end hanging out. Score: 5/5 8) The Vineyard (1989, Blu-Ray) Another Vinegar Syndrome release, but I like this one a lot. James Hong is turning people into wine because it makes him live longer with a stolen jade amulet. Don't think too hard about it honestly, but there's some Chinese/Aztec/voodoo mashup with zombies and poo poo, but it's nicely self-aware and everyone seems to have been having a good time making it. Unlike most Vinegar Syndrome drops, I had somehow seen this one before, and I'm not really sure how. It's a movie that I think should be more popular than it actually is, because I've never heard it mentioned before, and it's just fun. Score: 4/5
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Oct 14, 2019 16:47
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Franchescanado posted:SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #4: Inktober  #88) Earth vs. the Spider (1958), a.k.a., Earth vs. The Giant Spider, a.k.a., The Spider Sleepy Anytown, USA, gets a nasty surprise when some local teens investigating a car crash encounter a spider. A spider that has somehow become an overgrown menace, spinning web-strands the size of ropes and decorating its cave with skeletons. Since it's the '50s, the townsfolk can't leave it alone or notify some scientists, they have to go storming into its cave to rile things up. From there, it goes about the way you'd expect. The special effects (done by director Bert I. Gordon) are considerably better than those of Tarantula!, which had come out only three years earlier. The fuzziness (no joke intended) of that film's giant spider is gone, and the director seems to take pride in giving us sharp views of the big ol' spider striding towards its prey. The spider does have a bit of Anaconda syndrome, in that it makes noises a spider (even a giant one) would never make, but it's all in good fun. Got a good laugh out of a man standing in the doorway of the sheriff's office yelling at people to "Get inside! Find cover! Get off the streets!" during the big panic scenes. All the cave scenes are shot quite nicely, and lend some uncommon flavor to the standard '50s giant monster formula. The ending is a bit of a let-down after the fun body of the movie, but what'cha gonna do? Special mention of the dipshit cop who, in exploring the cave, felt the need to shoot a non-bothersome bat. You could certainly do worse for this time and this sub-genre, but aside from the sharp effects and general competency, there's not too much helping this one stand out from its peers. rating: 6/10"Who said anything about giving up? We're just getting started."
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Oct 14, 2019 17:02
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Just popping in to say this is one of the greatest posters I've ever seen.
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Oct 14, 2019 17:15
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Franchescanado posted:This is one of the more successful found-footage films, and manages to use the format to it's full advantage, while cleverly subverting it and joking about it's own premise in creative ways. in what way is it a found footage film? that’s not a label I’d ever think to apply to it.
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Oct 14, 2019 17:38
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I'm stupidly behind because my personal challenge was a horrible idea. I'm probably going to ditch it, because... I'm gonna be honest, most of these DTV movies I can't make it more than a third of the way into before I bail, and I can't clock it if I didn't at least make a good-faith effort to finish it, you know? #3 - Project: Metalbeast (1995)  For example, I don't know how the gently caress I made it to the end of this movie. On paper, this should be one of the greatest bad movies ever made: it's about (and I swear to God this is not a joke) a CIA project to create cybernetic werewolves. It is so, so much less fun than that description would make you think. It opens pretty strong; the 70s sequence is pretty entertaining due to the guy who becomes the titular Metalbeast hamming it up like crazy. But then he wolfs out and dies, and spends more than a third of the movie as an occasionally-groaning coma patient while people in labcoats discuss the mechanics of cyber-werewolves around him and give him medical attention. When there's werewolf action, it's fun; the werewolf costumes look like absolute poo poo, but the fun kind of "absolute poo poo" where it works out kind of endearing, and the other effects are pretty gnarly courtesy of John Carl Buechler. There's just not anywhere near enough of it, and when the movie does give you brief flashes of wolf carnage before the climax, they're all off-screen discretion shots. And it's got a cast of nobodies other than Bostwick, who can't carry the movie to save their goddamn lives despite it very much relying on them. I should not be checking my phone this much when watching a movie about a loving CIA cyber-werewolf. / 5
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Oct 14, 2019 17:40
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gey muckle mowser posted:in what way is it a found footage film? that’s not a label I’d ever think to apply to it. The whole first third is a found-footage film by format. The concept is a film crew captures an actual zombie attack in one take. The camera man is explicitly a character within the inner-film’s reality. The only thing that breaks this is that the camera “levitates” at the end. The whole premise is to make a zombie film in one take that can be broadcast live. The director decides that found footage is the best way to do it. If we're considering the movie as a whole, then it's not found footage. But if we're playing the game of being coy with the twists and what the movie does, then calling it a found footage is fine. And my point that they deconstruct "found footage" movies stands. It doesn’t explicitly refer to it as “found footage”, but I don’t know a single found footage film that does outside of VHS’s wrap-around or text bumpers that mention finding the footage. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 17:51 on Oct 14, 2019 |
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Oct 14, 2019 17:45
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Franchescanado posted:The whole first third is a found-footage film by format. The concept is a film crew captures an actual zombie attack in one take. The camera man is explicitly a character within the inner-film’s reality. The only thing that breaks this is that the camera “levitates” at the end. The whole premise is to make a zombie film in one take that can be broadcast live. The director decides that found footage is the best way to do it. If we're considering the movie as a whole, then it's not found footage. But if we're playing the game of being coy with the twists and what the movie does, then calling it a found footage is fine. And my point that they deconstruct "found footage" movies stands. I see what you mean but that’s like saying The Life Aquatic is a documentary because the characters are making one edit: that sounded more dismissive than I meant it. Just saying that you could make the argument that the film they are making is found footage, but within the context of the film as a whole it's explicitly a fictional film they are making and never presented otherwise gey muckle mowser fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Oct 14, 2019 |
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Oct 14, 2019 18:00
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gey muckle mowser posted:in what way is it a found footage film? that’s not a label I’d ever think to apply to it. The credits scenes are all true making-off footage, as well. So fake found footage first act, regular movie sexondnand third, actual found footage credits. E: This references One Cut of the Dead for others failing to follow along before I spoil someone's fun.
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Oct 14, 2019 18:05
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SUPER SAMHAIN CHALLENGE #2: Dead & Buried #9: House of 1000 Corpses, 2003 A group of friends on a road trip run afoul of a sadistic, murderous family in deep Texas  Finally, after watching almost all of Rob Zombie’s other films, I watched his first. I love Lords of Salem, but have been kind of lukewarm on The Devil's Rejects, which seemed too gratuitous and mean-spirited to me the first time I watched it. I expected to feel the same way about House of 1000 Corpses, which is why I’ve avoided it so long. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed it a lot more than I thought, and would probably also see The Devil’s Rejects in a new light if I watched it again now. The cutaways, and inverted colors in the dream sequence felt like a Rob Zombie music video (in a good way). The film reminded me of the experimental parts I really enjoyed from Lords of Salem, while clearly drawing inspiration from classics like Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Rob Zombie clearly enjoyed making this film and telling this story, and it shows. Sid Haig was fantastic, and like others have said, it’s a shame he’s not in more of the movie. .5 / 5, "and thanks for coming into Red Hot Pussy Liquors!"#10: Deep Red, 1975  A pianist and a journalist investigate a series of strange murders I was fortunate enough to see this for the first time with a live score by Goblin, and they did not disappoint! I’ve found that with most Argento movies I’ve seen, the dubbing doesn’t bother me as much as the music, which often seems out of place for the scene. (Phenomena was particularly egregious with this, imo). I did find that to be the case for Deep Red as well (There’s a scene where the protagonist is hanging off a building’s trellis, and the music was much more rock and roll than tense and suspenseful) but since the music *did* rule, and Goblin was playing it right in the same room, I wasn’t upset. Clearly, this is the way to watch old Italian Horror films. If Goblin is coming to your city on the back half of their tour, go see them! / 5
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Oct 14, 2019 18:08
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Butch Cassidy posted:The credits scenes are all true making-off footage, as well. So fake found footage first act, regular movie sexondnand third, actual found footage credits. ehh, I see what you mean but that seems like a stretch of the definition too anyway I'm just being pedantic because I know a lot of people get turned off by the "found footage" label and I wouldn't want them to skip this excellent movie because of it
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Oct 14, 2019 18:17
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8. Slumber Party Massacre (1982) USA dir. Amy Holden Jones A fun little slasher but by it's reputation I was expecting it to be a lot more overtly comedic in it's parody. There are a lot of funny moments but it's more of a slasher with comedic and slight meta elements than a full on comedy. Which I think is actually a good thing because even if you were to take away the jokes it would still be perfectly functional and solid slasher. I´ve heard the sequel is a lot less restrained. Another interesting thing is how early it comes in the genres history, just four years after Halloween and long before the genre was starting to run itself into the ground. One thing that might have limited it's appeal is the fact that the killer isn't really that much of an entity. He doesn't have an iconic look or even a cool mask. He's just a guy in a jean jacket with a very blatantly phallic drill. I suspect this might be a conscious choice by the filmmaker. In a lot of slasher films the victims are just disposable archtypes with no purpose other than to serve as fodder for the actual star of the show: the killer. By making the killer fairly bland Jones is taking the spotlight of him and putting it on the girls he is massacring. 9. Parasite (2019) We see socks hanging out to dry on a plastic hook by a window looking out at the street. We can see we're looking out from a basement because the bottom of the window is level with the street. The street outside is dirty and there is a row of dumpsters right by the window. The titles appear first in Korean then in English on the right edge of the screen framed by a section of the window South-Korea dir. Bong Joon-Ho Not technically a horror film BUT:  also there is the scene where the little boy sees a "ghost" Parasite is the story of a poor family infiltrating the home of a rich family in order to extract as much of their money as possible. The titular parasite. However the poor family is always a lot more sympathetic than their rich counterparts, even when they gently caress over people of their own class in the process. It's a very interesting film and at times it reminded me a lot of the Japanese film Shoplifters another film dealing with a family in poverty bonding through criminality. Shoplifters though is more of a neo-realism piece while Parasite has some more heightened elements. The less I say about the actual events of the film the better just go see it if it screens near you. Probably my favorite film of the year so far. Just fantastic in every way. 10. Tenebrea (1982)  Italy dir. Dario Argento An American writer, specializing in gory murder mysteries, arrives in Italy to promote his latest book. Just before he lands a girl is found murdered with pages from one of his books stuffed into her mouth. Soon he begins to receive notes from the killer who appears to be obsessed with his work. A fairly standard giallo. An unseen killer in black leather gloves, an amateur sleuth trying to uncover the crimes, lot's of stylized murder. It's not quite on the level of say Deep Red or Suspiria but I'd rank it among Argento's best. Watching some of his old films always makes me a bit sad that his post 1990 stuff has all been abysmal.
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Oct 14, 2019 18:21
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7. Body Bags A great treat! I'm surprised there was an anthology horror movie that I hadn't seen before. I knew the ultimate resolution to the Mark Hamill scene, maybe I'd seen that part on TV or it was another retelling of the story? I'm going with the no-rewatch rule, but also the rule of "if I haven't seen it in 20+ years and only barely remember certain frames, it's new to me". The wrap-around segment was amazing, very Crypt Keeper-esque. There was a ton of tension in the first story; until it's revealed what's actually going on, literally anyone could be the threat the movie is obviously leading up to. Second one was a bit corny, though Stacy Keach really leaned into it and made it enjoyable. And I have no complaints about Mark Hamill in the Eye segment, despite that plot trope being done to death.
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Oct 14, 2019 18:22
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gey muckle mowser posted:I see what you mean but that’s like saying The Life Aquatic is a documentary because the characters are making one That's not really fair. There are several things in One Cut of the Dead that specifically make the first third a found footage film. The movie starts with the movie-within-a-movie-withing-a-movie being interrupted by the director character. They explicitly talk to a camera character and tell him to keep filming multiple times, like a found footage film. There's a whole gag about the camera character(s) falling down several times, which is reflected in the movie-within-a-movie-within-a-movie. The whole movie-within-a-movie is shown in it's entirety--that's "The Found Footage". It airs on television within the movie as a single-cut found footage zombie film to air on a television channel. So as to not edit my original post, which I was purposefully being coy with: As a whole, One Cut of the Dead is not a found footage movie. However, the first act of the film, the information we are presented with, is a self-contained half-hour long textbook found footage film. The 2nd and 3rd act, while not in the found footage format--cuz it's only a format we're pedantically arguing about about--is still a deconstruction of a found footage film, as the whole joke is "How Do You Make a Single Cut Found Footage Film When Movies Productions Are Chaos"? If The Life Aquatic made their first act an entire documentary about Steve Zissou's character and then spent the rest of the movie showing the behind the scenes making of the fictional documentary film, then I would still argue that it's deconstructing documentaries, not found footage. A film crew making a zombie movie where real zombies kill everyone and a camera man films it all is...I mean, what else is it besides found footage? The camera is a physical object within the story! It's dropped! Someone has to pick it up and carry it again!
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Oct 14, 2019 18:22
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