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STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

I definitely agree that the setting of Delicatessen isn't very well established, but I dunno. I just kind of accepted that as part of the charm and whimsy especially once I put together the allegory.

Of course I'm also not that into big sci-fi/fantasy or post apocalyptic/dystopian worlds or the movies that spend a lot of energy realizing them. So a film that did sacrifice whimsy for "why are we cannibals?" probably would have lost me a bit.

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MacheteZombie
Feb 4, 2007
Still need to watch the Sion Sono movie, but it's gunna be hard to beat delicatessen.

I'm on the fence for other one but need to watch impetigore before having an informed opinion.

twernt
Mar 11, 2003

Whoa whoa wait, time out.

MacheteZombie posted:

I'm on the fence for other one but need to watch impetigore before having an informed opinion.

But I already said that Impetigore is the best one :confused:

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer
I'm using this challenge as a drawing challenge too. But only for movies I liked.

married but discreet
May 7, 2005


Taco Defender
Eyy, loving the drawing!

Basic reviews coming in:

Blackcoats Daughter is the rump of a stereotypical A24 horror without anything to make it stand out. The thing is shot competently, the music is exactly as you’d expect, nothing interesting happens and the movie overall is dreadfully boring to me. I got nothing to say except that I’m pleased about Perkin’s massive improvement in subsequent movies.

Impetigore IMPETIGORE! With a nonsensically metal name like that you’d except anything but that movie. The setting is delightfully foreign (to most) but the movie is comfortably familiar, yet still mixing up things well enough to keep you on your toes. I love the Indonesian sets, both rural and urban, I love the banter between the leads. Although do racoons exist in Indonesia? How can one stink like a dead one if they don’t live there? What is the real animal you’re talking about? Tell me about the animal you cowardly subtitlers! I love when the angry mob is told to “listen up” via the amazing phrase “BABABABAIDIBUP”. I have a clip of it and play it on my phone whenever I need cheering up. I don’t love that the movie sort of loses steam eventually, but it’s very solid overall.

Before I Wake drat it Mike Flanagan, you made a movie I genuinely like! It does the dark fantasy/magical realism/understanding the monster thing that Del Toro does so well, but actually doesn’t come off like aping him. There’s some really boring Muschietti-style jump scares that could have been left out, but I really like the Canker Man. More grey alien style spookadoodles please! Others disagree here, but the reveal of what is actually going on, at least for me, really made the movie and improved my opinion of it tremendously. I’m also a sucker for positive endings in my horrors, and this definitely scratched that itch. It's a comfortable, sweet watch, and drat it I might have to vote for Flanagan based on how it made me feel (it made me feel warm and fuzzy).

CelticPredator
Oct 11, 2013
🍀👽🆚🪖🏋

Franchescanado posted:

I'm using this challenge as a drawing challenge too. But only for movies I liked.



Please draw some trash humper art.

Trash humpers loving kicks rear end

MacheteZombie
Feb 4, 2007
Impetigore loving whips rear end. Easy winner.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Its Thursday, and I guess that's when I do this now. You've still got 52 hours or so to watch movies and vote. 2+ days before may be too soon? I dunno. It gives you enough time to watch Forest of Love's uncut version if you really want! Voting stays open until 12 noon EST Saturday Jan 15th (or when I get to the computer). I still gotta get a Before I Wake rewatch it if I'm going to be fair. Then I have to get all over sensitive defending Mike Flanagan. That's just Bracketology tradition.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
I'm liking the extra day, having Friday afternoon/evening to finish up a movie or two that I couldn't get to during the week has been a big help so far.

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer

Basebf555 posted:

I'm liking the extra day, having Friday afternoon/evening to finish up a movie or two that I couldn't get to during the week has been a big help so far.

Same. And also the chance to get a last-watch in on Saturdays. Fridays are my day off, usually, and the schedule last season didn’t work as well with that.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

I've just done Jan 1st both years, but yeah, in future seasons it might just be best to go with a repeat of this schedule. It does feel easier and more natural than last year's mid week setup. Also less stressful for the writeups (although I'm still adjusting to the routine since it was SO chill last week I forgot to do it).

And definitely the dumbass 3 AM deadlines/starts I had last year are 100% retired. That was just stupid. We don't actually have an extra day but I guess the noon change does sort of end up creating an extra night?

STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 14:57 on Jan 14, 2022

M_Sinistrari
Sep 5, 2008

Do you like scary movies?



Basebf555 posted:

I'm liking the extra day, having Friday afternoon/evening to finish up a movie or two that I couldn't get to during the week has been a big help so far.

With how crazy my work schedule's been (Thanks Spiderman), the extra day's been appreciated.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Misery Division 15 Seed: (Goat’s Team K🖕ng) Mike Flanagan’s Before I Wake vs. (mbd’s Indonesian Insanity) Joko Anwar’s Impetigore aka “Perempuan Tanah Jahanam” vs. (Kangra’s Sister Act 2: Backing the Habit) Oz Perkin’s The Blackcoat's Daughter

I kind of bounced off Before I Wake the first time I saw it a year ago, but I realized this week that I watched it during a VERY difficult week so I probably just wasn't in a good place. I also called it one of his weaker films at the start of this week but now I think I'm flipping on that and calling it one of his best. It feels like one of his most complete tales of horror as a vehicle for grief and healing through love. Its not perfect by any means. The bully stuff in the middle of the film feels like its there to just add more horror and establish the monster but it feels kind of clumsily disposable given the bigger thesis on loss. And its Flanagan so he ends the film with a long monologue instead of something punchier. I'm ok with that but I totally get why its less effective and loses some people. Honestly, I get why Flanagan is polarizing and why people who are out for shocks and gore and schlock and slashing and sicko stuff don't get any of that from him. And even other horror directors like Ari Aster doing something similar end up going a lot meaner and darker than Flanagan's "happy endings" (an idea I find silly, but yeah, I guess for horror they are "happy endings"). But I respond big to the sort of stuff Flanagan does and this one brought out the tears for me.

I dug Impetigore in a lot of ways. It looked real good, if a little too dark maybe. But I liked the setting and the different play on the usual secluded horror thing. And I like the kind of fake lead in to what seems like its setting up for a haunted house film but turns into something else. And I basically like what it turns into, but I think it kind of loses its way somewhere in the middle. Or at least it lost me a bit. I think once they get to the village everything just starts feeling a little loose and slow. The women don't have a ton of agency and stuff is just kind of happening. And then the movie has to dump a TON of explanation and backstory all at once. And weirdly like repeats itself while its doing that. And I dunno. That kind of pulled me out of the experience. I stopped experiencing the film and became very aware of it as a movie if that makes sense. I did mostly like the film and I don't think it really would have taken much for me to feel stronger on it. Pace the backstory stuff better, give the women more agency and let them discover some of that stuff, and maybe make a few scenes less dark. I did really like one thing that I felt like the movie implied but didn't outright say. The idea that the woman who's husband had gone into the city to find a different cure was actually the dude from the beginning who had just gone to try and murder the girl proactive. That was clever. The film had a lot of good. I just think it was a little messy.

I also enjoyed Blackcoat's Daughter. No surprise there since I'd seen it before and Perkins was on one my teams last year and I just lost him this year to the draft. I think Perkins is great at laying out tense, creepy atmosphere and I think Kiernan Shipka puts in a great performance (and Emma Roberts is good too). I don't have a problem with the idea of the ending at all. I don't really care that Shipka and Roberts don't look the same. I'm willing to give the movie artistic freedom on that. But I think Perkins struggles to really tie it all together neatly. Roberts' story feels disconnected, Rose's story feels perfunctory, and the big ending in the boiler room gets strung out by an extended prologue that makes Flanagan seem terse. But I like the journey and the performances and for a first film I think Blackcoat's Daughter is very good and shows stuff Perkins built on in his later films.


So in the end its 3 films I enjoyed that all have basic flaws. But I think Flanagan just has the most complete for me, and also has the one that most clicks with me. Big shocker, I'm voting for Flanagan and my team. But hey, I'm the Flanagan fan for a reason. His stuff hits with me. The other films did too, just not as much and their flaws felt bigger to me.

Basebf555
Feb 29, 2008

The greatest sensual pleasure there is is to know the desires of another!

Fun Shoe
Ughhhh this is really a tough one. I'm torn between Before I Wake and Impetigore and like a lot of these situations where I feel conflicted it's because the two options are so different. Blackcoat's Daughter didn't have enough individuality and uniqueness for me to seriously consider it here.

It's so close that it's coming down to factors that don't sound that important but I have to break this tie somehow. For instance, Impetigore has an interesting and unusual setting that I personally haven't seen a whole lot of in horror films, whereas Before I Wake mostly takes place in a regular suburban house. Impetigore also has some very very striking shots in the second half that I'm not sure Before I Wake can really match. So I think I'm talking myself into Impetigore here as I post this, but it really came down to how I'm feeling about it today, if I voted tomorrow I could easily flip.

Kangra
May 7, 2012

Getting my vote in late. I liked that at least one match-up was all enjoyable films. Before I Wake I liked more than I expected to; the creepy parts were quite well-done, the performances are decent and it does a good job with the concept. I think I like the substance of what it's trying to do a little more than the finished product, especially with the over-explained ending. Impetigore was very impressive and maintained a strong visual style throughout. It, too, had some missteps in exposition; I think it spent a bit too long keeping the audience in the same confused position of the main character, but then realized it also wanted to clarify the motivations of the other characters and that didn't work as well. I kind of want to see more like this so I won't be disappointed if the team gets in. The Blackcoat's Daughter might suffer from the opposite problem of the first two, of underexplaining. There is maybe a little too much going on and it's not all portrayed well. What I do really like is that I think it's going for a variance in perception from the different characters; how they see each other and are seen by others, and trying to portray their mindset, which is my interpretation of the different actors used. I also think that it can be read as having no actual supernatural elements, simply a matter of belief and perception (though that requires a bit of a stretch on one point, I think it's plausible).

The other match-up I'm going for Delicatessen, even if I don't love it, it's the best one of the match-up. Trash Humpers doesn't excite me and Forest of Love is too crass. Even if it is maybe criticizing exploitative fictional portrayals a little bit, it's not doing very much in that regard, and seems more interested in exploiting the idea of the crime than approaching it honestly. The two films I thought of while watching it were To Die For, which takes a similar route of wanting to tell its own story about actual events regardless of the events, and Kore-Eda's Distance, which even being totally fictionalized is actually engaging with the real-life tragedy while using it to tell the story the film wants. Forest of Love is also kind of structurally weak, since I think a lot could have been trimmed from it.

Scumfuck Princess
Jun 15, 2021

Bracketology Streams tonight and tomorrow at 7pm EST!

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer
Before I Wake was fine and good. Tremblay is a really good child actor. I figured out the monster pretty early on, and even though I liked it’s design (lots of physical effects for it), they show it way too much and it’s not that scary.

I think the ending is a bit too loose. We kill off a major character with zero emotional repercussions because the characters have more to do, and the ending is more into the movie logic of a happy ending rather than it truly making sense (no way she gets the kid back as the story stands).

It’s a successful Flanagan film, which is surprising, but not a unique or ambitious film, just one that remains compelling enough to finish. It’s full of emotional and horror cliches, and that’s why Flanagan as a filmmaker bores me overall.

Also this is secretly a rip-off of the novel The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.



No major surprise this week. Impetigore might have had less of a split than the divided opinions suggested but it seemed like the favorite of the group and it cruises to a pretty easy win. Same for Delicatessen which may not have had a groundswell of love but also didn’t have too much criticism like the other two films. Everyone else nets a respectable 2 votes so they can go home not too embarrassed. Sister Act and Rule Breakers both fall to 0-2 in their second season of 1 and done. Sion Sono loses his first matchup in Bracketology. But Mike Flanagan makes Bracketology history by becoming the first ever director to go 0-3 in the tournaments. That’s not easy to do and while it might get matched this year its impossible it will be beat until next year. And you can bet I’ll renominate Flanagan next year to defend his record. Its what I do. Meanwhile Deb’s Bon Appetite (which evens its record to 1-1) moves on to face Fran’s Femme Fatale Returns and mbd’s Indonesian Insanity goes against mbd’s Uplifting Austrian Filmmakers. Whoopsie. Scheduling oversight. My bad.

Feels good to have a mistake I can hate myself over. Lets get the new week going.

Gen X/Giallo 16 Seed: (mbd’s Satan Satan Satan Satan Good Satan, Great Satan) Sara Lohman’s Good Satan vs. (twernt’s Buggin' Out) Jason Wulfsohn’s The Bone Snatcher vs. (Darth’s Team Vulgarity / Relationships Are Hard) David Worth and Richard Robinson’s Poor Pretty Eddie


I’ll be honest with you, I’m just all salty about this matchup because I HAD TO REDRAW ALL THREE FILMS! Matter of fact I redrew one of them 5 times before I found a movie that was even relatively available to watch online. The matchup deserves better but as I sit here thinking about what to say about the movies that’s all I got. I’m unfamiliar with all three films (I can’t even remember which ones they are off the top of my head since I originally had 3 other films written down) and all three are original teams with random directors I’ve never heard of so I can’t do any kind of stats or matchups thing. I guess the most significant thing about this matchup is that its the full realization of the heavily gimmicked team pattern we had this year. There’s no super team or centralized creator or solo director to go against. Its just three random movies from 3 kinda random (but not really, but sorta) teams. May the best movie win.

Redraw Alert: As I said I had to redraw this entire lineup. I couldn’t find ANY of the original movies from any of the teams and went through half of one of the teams before I found one. It was… bothersome. Its a mental note for next year. Redrawing a team until you get to its more mainstream entries might be an unfair edge over other teams/directors. And in the past there’s been very mainstream films that weren’t streaming anywhere that I let pass. So I dunno. Maybe next year if you put together a hard to find team that’s just a handicap you accept? But ultimately we want to be able to watch the movies. I’m probably just salty I had to do some extra work. All three teams got redrawn so it should be relatively fair in this case. The original lineup was Satan (2006) vs Infested vs Love Object.


Good Satan is on IMDBTV, Pluto, and Tubitv
The Bone Snatcher is on Filmrise, IMDBTV, Roku, Tubi, and Vudu
Poor Pretty Eddie is on Plex, Tubi, and Flix Fling



Gen X/Hammer 15 Seed: (Goat’s Lucky McKee and Friends) Lucky McKee’s The Woman vs. (Servoret’s Top Forties) Robert Siodmak’s Son of Dracula vs. Danny Boyle’s Shallow Grave


Lucky McKee is the only returning face here as he makes his 3rd straight tournament appearance, but unfortunately for him he’s 0-2 losing to Alfred Hitchcock and Stuart Gordon the last two years and now runs the risk of following Mike Flanagan as the second 0-3 director in the tournament. I know how to pick winners, don’t I? This time around he’s working with Jack Ketchum for a movie that is very jarring and ugly but may be more of a Bracketology’s speed? Then again he’s got a newcoming potential heavyweight in Danny Boyle to contend with and his well received feature film debut. And dark comedies have been kind of cleaning up in this tournament so far so is that wave going to continue? And we shouldn’t count out a Universal film but… well… its not one of THOSE Universal films. Son of Dracula has its fans, its own flavor, and completes the full set of Lon Chaney Jr playing all four major Universal monsters. But does a 3rd string Universal sequel have enough to win in this thing? I guess we’ll find out.

Redraw Alert: In proper karma I had to redraw my team here too. The original draw was Angela Bettis’ Roman and I really wanted to see that but I couldn’t find it ANYWHERE unless I bought a DVD (which I might). So see, I’m a big meany doing the same thing I’m mad at others for. DOH!

Sequel Alert: The Woman ended up being the redraw and technically its the second of a trilogy. McKee produced the 3rd film Darlin’ and Pollyanna McIntosh directed. The first film doesn’t seem to involve McKee at all but all three star McIntosh as The Woman and seem to be a continuous story. I haven’t seen the other films so I can’t say for sure. That being said I think The Woman stands on its own so you don’t have to seek out the other films if you don’t want to. Both movies are also on this team so if it advances they may get drawn later.

Also Son of Dracula is… ostensibly a sequel to Dracula as well as Dracula’s Daughter. That being said Universal sequels don’t tend to actually connect to each other at all (outside of the Larry Talbot Saga that is). Its been a minute since I’ve seen Son of Dracula but as I recall its almost entirely standalone. Dracula and Dracula’s Daughter are better films and all Universal films are pretty short and easy watches, so like… I won’t discourage you from watching them. But I don’t think its necessary.


Dracula is on the Criterion Channel
Dracula's Daughter is on Internet Archive

Offspring
Darlin’ is on AMC+, Peacock, Plex, Shudder, Spectrum, Tubi, and Vudu.

The Woman is on Amazon Prime, AMC+, Shudder, Spectrum, ARROW, and DIRECTV
Son of Dracula is on Plex and TubiTV
Shallow Grave is on Youtube




That’s our week. A pretty full one if you’re crazy enough to want to do all the connected ones. I’m not, I don’t think. But I’ve seen the Dracula films before so it doesn’t count. But 6 more new, deep cut films. Who can make history like Tim Burton’s shutout or Mike Flanagan’s #1 loser status? We’ll see!

Vote or change your vote until 12 noon EST Jan 22nd (or when I get to the computer)


Next Week!
- Deb’s Team Iron Curtain vs. Goat’s Team YA vs. M. Night Shyamalan
- Basebf’s Steve's Monster Blockbusters vs. twernt’s Dracula.co.jp vs. Rob Zombie

Spreadsheet
Letterboxd List

STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 18:41 on Jan 15, 2022

twernt
Mar 11, 2003

Whoa whoa wait, time out.
Sorry about the redraw on the bug team! It looks like Dracula.co.jp may have similar problems. I swear things were more available when I put that team together.

Servoret
Nov 8, 2009



Son of Dracula’s really not bad, but it got bolted onto my team to fit the tournament requirements, so I won’t be sad when it loses. Planning to vote for Shallow Grave myself, but I want to give it a rewatch because it’s been like twenty-five years since I saw it last. The Woman is not in contention for me.

The other match-up I have no idea about, having heard of none of these films before. I’d be excited about Poor Pretty Eddie because I can get behind some Seventies grime, but my Letterboxd follows that have seen it have panned it.

Servoret
Nov 8, 2009



The voting page for this week seems to be down. It says it’s no longer accepting responses?

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

My bad. Should work now.

Scumfuck Princess
Jun 15, 2021

Unfortunately I was sick last night, so I'll be streaming every film today from 1pm est! See you there!

married but discreet
May 7, 2005


Taco Defender
Aw yea I was worried my team would lose, but I suppose me and Goat were actually the only ones voting for Flanagan. Sad that it's going to be up against my own team now, but at least one will go on.

Not seen any of the movies in this round except Shallow Grave, but I mostly forgot about that one.

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer
All of these are new to me, too. Pretty excited to start digging in. Shallow Grave’s been on my to-watching for a while after I watched a video about the cover design for Criterion.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

Pull me out

Franchescanado posted:

All of these are new to me, too. Pretty excited to start digging in. Shallow Grave’s been on my to-watching for a while after I watched a video about the cover design for Criterion.

Shallow Grave holds up remarkably well. Turns out lovely people never change

Servoret
Nov 8, 2009



I’m abstaining from voting in the Gen X/Giallo bracket as I couldn’t finish any of the movies. Good Satan I found intensely grating and The Bone Snatcher dull, and I’m wondering which of those two is going to win because I’m pretty sure Poor Pretty Eddie has no chance at all on account of its content issues (plot centered around rape and the rape scene is in mind-bogglingly bad taste, plus there’s animal snuff).

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer
If a whole bracket doesn't get votes, do they all get a re-draw, or are they all unanimously removed for losing?

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

If they all got no votes and then I suppose… that’s a tie? And they all advance? So it’s a 4way next round? cringe

Vote responsibly.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Gen X/Giallo 16 Seed: (mbd’s Satan Satan Satan Satan Good Satan, Great Satan) Sara Lohman’s Good Satan vs. (twernt’s Buggin' Out) Jason Wulfsohn’s The Bone Snatcher vs. (Darth’s Team Vulgarity / Relationships Are Hard) David Worth and Richard Robinson’s Poor Pretty Eddie

i spent the day working through all three films... and it took a long time. I'm not even gonna bother to write any kind of reviews for them. The Bone Snatcher is a movie I barely remember hours later. It was dull and just rolled off me. The monster was kind of cool but I have no idea what it was or how it worked and I'm not watching it again to find out. Good Satan is basically a bunch of people watching What We Do In The Shadows, saying "lets do that but with Satan", and then managing to make it happen but not actually managing to write anything funny or clever beyond the elevator pitch. Its a bad sitcom pilot stretched out to feature length. The best think I can say about it is that I recognized the green guy as Jimmy from The Mick and that inspired me to watch episodes of that as palette cleansers. And then there's Poor Pretty Eddie. I hated that film. Deeply. And I hate the categorizing of it as a "revenge" film or "message" because that doesn't feel true at all. Its not a rape/revenge film. When the revenge happens the rape victim is standing frozen in shock. The revenge doesn't happen over a black woman's rape. It happens over a dog being murdered. And you could argue that's the message but it feels flimsy and disinterested to me. There's no agency or voice for the character. The film is much more interested in everyone and everything else and it feels like an exploitation and titillation film made by skeezy porn people who were arrested by the FBI weeks after finishing the film. Because that's what happened. I did not like and I continue to not understand or respect "transgression" or "exploitation" as motivating genres.

So who am I voting for? I guess I rather watch another forgettable SyFy bug movie than a movie that pisses me off or is a chore to get through. Score one for mediocrity.

Scumfuck Princess
Jun 15, 2021

What I really loved about Poor Pretty Eddie is it's a rape film from the perspective of the rapist, whilst watching it I compared it to Martin, and I really think it was going for a similar vibe, only braver. Instead of the male lead being an "other", a mentally ill loner who we can distance ourselves from, Eddie is everything 70s society told men they should be, charismatic, attractive, talented, smooth with the ladies, but as we see in the rape scene, it's all an artifice, a warped contortion. He's a scared spoiled boy who's been told he can have anything he wants because he's a man, and now he's acting in a way that's logical to him and destroying lives in the process.

I also don't think it's fair to criticize the film for employing sex workers, or for the arrest of a financial backer. I will have criticize it for three depictions of real animal cruelty though, which consequently prevent me from voting for it. I think the next runner up for me would be Good Satan, but I think I'll abstain instead.

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

I don’t mean to judge them for making porn. Just that like any industry there’s sleazeballs taking advantage and serving to the lowest common denominator. So I’m skeptical about granting benefit of the doubt to them on an exploitative rape film when the film itself felt so problematic to me.

And the animal cruelty probably speaks to that. Because it didn’t have some kind of intent or purpose. It was casual and unconcerned. It just felt like it was there to be more. And that’s the vibe I got from the film.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

Pull me out

STAC Goat posted:

If they all got no votes and then I suppose… that’s a tie? And they all advance? So it’s a 4way next round? cringe

Vote responsibly.

A tie with an equal number of >0 votes is an equal number of people saying "this film should go forward"

A tie at 0 votes is a rejection of the whole group of films and should be treated differently

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

I honestly don’t know what I’d do if that happened. I’d hate to give someone a bye. Byes suck. Maybe that would be the time to utilize the “crab bucket”/“void” idea tossed around last year of pulling something from the reject pile? But I dunno. It seems unlikely we’ll ever actually get 0 votes on a matchup. Someone always loves every weird thing and every nominee has a sponsor.

I do have nightmares about a 1-1-1 tie though. That’s mostly why I’m not abstaining. Three ways can be tricky.

Scumfuck Princess
Jun 15, 2021

I really don't think it's a terrible group. Good Satan has a certain charm, I love the narrative of queer acceptance. The bone film sucked, but the monster had an amazing design worthy of a vote. And Eddie is redneck Get Out meets Martin, it's wonderful.

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer
Son of Dracula

I like Dracula movies and I like vampire movies.

Is Son of Dracula an effective vampire film? No.

Is Son of Dracula effective as an entry into a canon of Dracula films? No.

Does it bring anything unique or interesting to either groups of film? No.

Will it get my vote? No.

It plays things pretty safe, and assumes repeating the plot of Dracula in a new setting will work, and it doesn't. I like Lon Chaney Jr., and his understated performance as Dracula is a vacuum which is filled with Louise Allbritton. I will say that Kay's plot of trying to become immortal through vampirism is interesting, because it paints her with narcissism, like somehow she will be able to overcome a curse that has ruined many other people for hundreds of years before her.

There are two effects I liked. Lon Chaney's Dracula floating towards Kay over the water is the most dynamic the film gets visually and feels like an actual idea and risk was taken. The second is another special effect, which is Dracula fading into mist at the sight of the crucifix. It's one of the few times the film thought about blocking, cinematography and framing and visual story-telling.

In general, the film feels equally lazy and treats the audience like a group of imbeciles. It feels disdainful of horror, or vampires, or of being a film for horror audiences.


Tarnop posted:

A tie with an equal number of >0 votes is an equal number of people saying "this film should go forward"

A tie at 0 votes is a rejection of the whole group of films and should be treated differently

I agree with this. If somehow all three films get 0 votes from everyone abstaining, that should mean three expulsions. If, like Goop says, a team seems promising, there's nothing stopping someone for voting for a team despite the film, and it moving forward. If that doesn't happen, then that's still a vote itself. I like the idea of abstinence still creating a result against teams rather than technically allowing them to continue.

Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 14:15 on Jan 18, 2022

Scumfuck Princess
Jun 15, 2021

I was not prepared for sexy Lon Chaney jr

STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

I’m not near as down on Son of Dracula as you but it definitely is partially hurt by the staple of needing the dude to be the main character when he’s a patsy the whole film. The story would have been better if it fully committed to Kay as the protagonist, I think. But 40s Universal.

Franchescanado
Feb 23, 2013

If it wasn't for disappointment
I wouldn't have any appointment

Grimey Drawer

STAC Goat posted:

I’m not near as down on Son of Dracula as you but it definitely is partially hurt by the staple of needing the dude to be the main character when he’s a patsy the whole film. The story would have been better if it fully committed to Kay as the protagonist, I think. But 40s Universal.

40's Universals have a vibe that I love, and I'll throw them on for tone and background noise, and for that, the film is fine. However, if I'm expected to sit and watch it for 80 minutes critically, it's boring as sin. It could be used as a tool for terminal patients to help appreciate every passing moment, because it somehow made 80 minutes feel like 160.

Comparing it to other vampire movies, or Dracula movies, it's an absolute failure. If taken on it's own merits, it's still an absolute failure, because it was boring.

Thematically, the movie is kind of interesting. If the first film is still seeped in the virginal fears of conservative Victorian society, fears of sexuality, fears of foreign men who will destroy our women, then Son of Dracula is positing that women are conniving but ultimately foolish and will lie and manipulate men for immortality, even if it destroys everyone else. "Interesting" also is problematic here. There's not a lot of the Southern Gothic in it to make me have any read on that besides "set dressing".

Needs More Goop posted:

I was not prepared for sexy Lon Chaney jr

His look is great. His voice was surprisingly soft.

Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 14:29 on Jan 18, 2022

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STAC Goat
Mar 12, 2008

Watching you sleep.

Butt first, let's
check the feeds.

Franchescanado posted:

40's Universals have a vibe that I love, and I'll throw them on for tone and background noise, and for that, the film is fine. However, if I'm expected to sit and watch it for 80 minutes critically, it's boring as sin. It could be used as a tool for terminal patients to help appreciate every passing moment, because it somehow made 80 minutes feel like 160.

Comparing it to other vampire movies, or Dracula movies, it's an absolute failure. If taken on it's own merits, it's still an absolute failure, because it was boring.

Thematically, the movie is kind of interesting. If the first film is still seeped in the virginal fears of conservative Victorian society, fears of sexuality, fears of foreign men who will destroy our women, then Son of Dracula is positing that women are conniving but ultimately foolish and will lie and manipulate men for immortality, even if it destroys everyone else. "Interesting" also is problematic here. There's not a lot of the Southern Gothic in it to make me have any read on that besides "set dressing".

His look is great. His voice was surprisingly soft.
I didn't really find it boring but I think I tend to find most Universal films very easy watches. I actually found the setting interesting because there was this kind of "vampire comes to the old south" feel to the story that amused me. Like Alucard wasn't even really doing stuff and the good ole boys were all "Kay likes a foreign man! Throw her in the asylum!" "Kay married the foreigner! Shoot him!" "You shot you girlfriend because she dumped you for a foreign dude? Lets cover that poo poo up and prove why its his fault!" Alucard is actually pretty passive in the film, which works with the eventual twist but it also created this kind of madcap commentary on the south to me. I also felt like it kind of made Alucard this bit of a failson character. Not really a doof or anything but this son of an aristocrat and name that was just kind of stumbling into this swamp instead of preying on it like his dad would have. And I think that fit Lon Chaney Jr well.

All of that might have been entirely unintentional though. I don't know if it intended to be kind of silly like that. I think it might have. One of my favorite parts is that someone deciphers "Alucard" like 15 minutes into the film. That cracks me up. But whether it was intending to be funny or not I still don't think it was a full success or particularly good film. Just kind of an amusing B film for me.

And I watched it back to back with Dracula's Daughter so I kind of liked the different takes on the three vampires and found myself really wishing they had all interacted together. In like some goofy family comedy. Like Wes Anderson's The Royal Draculas.

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