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23. Saw VI - 2009 Directed by Kevin Greutert The Saw Collection  Remember when it felt like they were just cranking out Saw movies, with one hitting theaters every year? You weren't dreaming. It really happened. 2004 through 2010. One every single year. 💀💀.5/5 Spooky May Spring Cleaning 11/13 1. Basket Case 2; 2. Basket Case 3: The Progeny; 3. 3 from Hell; 4. Attack of the Blind Dead; 5. The Ghost Galleon; 6. Night of the Seagulls, 7. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning; 8. Saw III; 9. Saw IV; 10. Saw V; 11. Saw VI GMM Challenges 8/13 1. Horror High - Bliss 2. Tales from the Cryptids - Mongolian Death Worm 3. Holy Terror - Incantation 4. Fresh Hell - The Pope's Exorcist 5. Shooting Zombies - The Fall of the House of Usher 6. Drawn and Quartered - Violence Voyager 7. Woke in Fright - Tales from the Hood 8. Second Chance - The Fly 9. Challenge of the Dead 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things 11. It's-a Me! 12. History lesson - Evil Ed (1990s); Do You Like Hitchcock? (2000s); Blood Moon (2010s); Hellraiser (2020s) 13. Geography Lesson Completed Collections * The Basket Case Trilogy * The Firefly Collection * The Blind Dead Collection * The Ginger Snaps Collection
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May 14, 2023 03:32
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 30 (42). Night Teeth (2021) Directed by Adam Randall; Written by Brent Dillon Watched on Netflix I largely enjoyed this although I do agree with those who say it lacks... bite. Bad puns for all. Its got a good cast, a slick and sexy look and vibe, a simple but cool world, a simple enough story. You could probably say its inspired to be Vampire John Wick in its world and maybe if it had leaned a little more into the world it was building it would have hit more? We really don't get to see any of the vampire structure. Megan Fox and that dude from Mad Men do little cameos but not much to it. And I loved the idea of this generations deep group of Boyle Heights protectors of their community who the vampires seemed to fear enough to hold a truce with. But again, we don't really see much of that handful of guys making a questionable run. And then there's like a whole other group of vampire hunters and some kind of drama between they who want to kill the vamps and the Boyle Heights crew who I guess just want to maintain peace. But this is just teased at without showing more. I these ways it reminded me a great deal of Day Shift, another stylish and solid Netflix vampire flick that feels like it builds a pretty interesting world that it just never digs deep enough into. And like that's a tough line because spending too much time on world building can take away from your core story. But I also think tossing too many ideas out there that don't get followed up on is kind of distracting in the same way. And whether that's a product of the streaming era where there's less editing of ideas and trimming of fat... or everyone trying to build a franchise... It has this negative affect where the film feels like there's more that just never comes. I did enjoy the core story though. Its my second Jorge Lendeborg Jr. film in a week and I really enjoy him as a likable, relatable lead. Its my first Debby Ryan movie but I enjoyed her, though she had solid chemistry, and I bought in with her as this kind of middle ground character who could be real bad, is real bad rear end, but might have the heart of gold. And Lucy Fry is solid as the psycho villain who you may be in more trouble with when she's nice to you than when she's mean. Its a solid crew and setup but it also feels like their story just kind of stalls out a little towards the end. I dunno. It followed through on the path it set and of course the real finale is with Victor and over everyone's fates. But I dunno. It did feel like it kind of meandered to that ending rather than build momentum. I dunno. I did mostly enjoy it though. I just kind of felt like there could have been more. Its hard these days not to assume that's just someone focusing more on building a franchise than one satisfying story but in this case its possible the film just suffered from its production being stalled by Covid? Or maybe its just as simple as a lot of ideas and not trimming them down enough to focus on 75% of it. It definitely feels like it could have been better, but I don't think that means it wasn't good. It just wasn't great.  31 (43). The Howling: Reborn (2011) Directed by Joe Nimziki; Screenplay by Joe Nimziki and James Robert Johnston A couple of years ago I watched the entire Howling franchise except this one because it wasn't freely available. And sure I could have sought it out but... I had just watched the entire Howling franchise. And its NOT good. I was very very ready for it to be over. But here I am with that one lingering movie and gotta close that book. And to be honest I think I may have seen this awhile back but I didn't remember it so yeah... And well actually its probably one of the better Howling movies. That's a low bar but like, its a mostly competent and watcheable werewolf movie. And its got like actual werewolves! That's not always a thing in Howling movies or werewolf movies in general. But this one's got full on, shameless werewolves and plenty of them. They're not great, but big points for just going for it. The big problem is obvious in how dated this is. It screams "Twilight for Werewolves." The tone, the soundtrack, the voiceovers, the adolescent malaise. Its all very of its time and feels dated. The film even directly references Twilight in that "no no, we're cool not like those other guys" sad way when its clear you're all kind of the same. Angsty teen melodrama with an inflated sense of poetry and purpose. And not the healthiest relationship. Although I actually really liked Lindsey Shaw. The lead is your usual boring generic lead dude and I can't even bother to look up his name. But I thought Shaw brought a cool energy to it where its not super clear if she's just a bratty rich girl playing with danger or genuinely kind of the girl who will get you in trouble. The film plays coy about who is a werewolf and who isn't and its all a little meh but she kind of pulls it off with her stares. I also just got done rewatching Banshee so it was nice seeing Ivana Miličević but like she doesn't get a lot to do and its kind of weird because she's gotta play that sexy sinister... mom? Its odd. I dunno. Its not a good film. Its not the worst film. Am I grading it on a curve because I was fearing much worse from a Howling movie? Maybe. But honestly it was watcheable and largely fine if just way, way outside its timezone and not nearly as cool as it thought it was. Its one of the more competent and at least understandable Howling sequel ideas and executions and considering the generally low bar for werewolf films in general not even standing out as bad for that. But its not a good film. And I think I'm mostly just happy that its all finally over. Wait... they're making another one? gently caress.  - (44). Let Me In (2010) Written and directed by Matt Reeves; Based on Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist Watched on HBOMax I know the thing to do is to compare this to the original and i get that but its just not where I am. For one I don't mind remakes. And I understand English remakes. It branches out to a broader audience. Some people just can't or won't engage the same way with a movie in a foreign language. I watch them but there's still often a disconnect that comes from not understanding the language and reading a translation. You miss out on details and performances. So just taking the same story and doing it again with a different group of talented artists? I don't see the harm. Sometimes I like a good cover song or second cast Broadway show too. But also like it seems like I always watch the remake and the original a couple of years removed from each other so the comparisons aren't as sharp for me. I enjoy both films and think they do what they're doing well. But details of how one does certain things or what goes more than the other just don't stand out to me. It feels to me like this version goes a little more overt on the idea of the circular nature of Owen's beginning and Father's end. That Father was probably once too a lonely and troubled boy that Abby seduced into her world to serve her. And that Owen's story too will end with him being a lonely, disturbed, and troubled man who's story can only end in violence and probably Abby sucking him dry. And there's that unspoken but obviously present question of the sexual and romantic nature of all of this. At what point does the cutesy romance between two "children" become something much creepier? Although at its core I think the real heart of this story is a kind of deconstruction of the entire romantic vampire thing. Because this relationship is always creepy. Abby is never a girl. She's always a god knows how old predator manipulating Owen. And I think it really is at its core kind of going at all those Twilight and Interview With a Vampire and Buffy stuff that plays the vampire as so romantic. And I mean the romantic stuff goes back to Bram Stoker and Dracula but it does feel like in the modern era of vampire films there was a super heavy focus on that teen fantasy element that is really kind of creepy. And it feels like maybe vampire stuff is getting away from that now and more into the truer nature under the glitter and pretty faces. And Let The Right One In/Let Me In feels like it deliberately sets up the story with children and an old man to really showcase that and tell us. Abby may look and act like a child, but she's a monster and predator. Its deeply disturbing and unnerving. And I think its probably as good as the original or close? Its close enough to warrant exposing the story to people who wouldn't or can't watch the original. I know people who just plain can't keep up with subtitles. And this is a talented cast and crew including two excellent child actors who have rounded into very good and accomplished adult actors. So its some quality stuff. Maybe not up to the original, maybe not worth your time if you feel that did everything you think it needed to. But really very good in its own right.
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May 14, 2023 06:41
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I am completely out of control. Send help.  - (45). The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) Directed by Alan Rafkin; Written by Jim Fritzell and Everett Greenbaum Watched on Svengoolie on MeTV I'd seen this before but with my playoff teams eliminated and me recovering from being sick I was enjoying a really beautiful day and was caught up on Svengoolie for once and happened to be watching nothing at 8PM so I actually watched Svengoolie live! Well... on DVR delay but I finished at the same time he did. And really it was a totally light and fun pleasant watch for my pleasant day. Exactly what I was looking for and what Svengoolie does best. Just goofing around with this old film and giving us little details about the cast and production. And a bunch of corny jokes to go with the corny jokes in the film. I don't think the story or movie is really amazing or anything but Don Knotts was just so drat good at what he did. No one did awkward and scared like him. He could just make everything shake at once in different vibrations. He's was a really gifted physical comedian and athlete. When he's running through the house his legs move in a way I really don't think I could make my legs move if I tried. He's just basically a living cartoon. Its wonderful. And I'm amused remembering the bit about how they dressed Joan Staley down because she was just too drat beautiful and sexy to work as Don Knotts' love interest. And like... yeah... no fooling. Even Don had to own it. "An average guy like me and an above average girl like you." Fo sho. Its a fun goofy little Scooby Doo story. Probably just too past its time for most modern audiences but just kind of perfect for the Svengoolie show or the mood I'm sometimes in to just be my dorky dad. Ain't nothing wrong with some good wholesome fun now and then.  - (46). Hatchet (2006) Written and directed by Adam Green Watched on Hoopla I was gonna watch Victor Crowley to just finish this franchise for good and never think of it again. And then I remembered who I am. I didn't really remember the Hatchet movies. Its been years. Pre-Letterboxd so I don't have reviews up. Can't even remind myself. So I did it... I started a full rewatch. God save me from myself. And the first one doesn't even have Danielle Harris! This might have been both worse and better than I remembered it. Its really stupid and its sense of humor is of that very early 2000s mean and edgy type. Its also obviously a very tongue in cheek attempt to make a very broad 80s slasher and like... that's not my thing but I get it. It is other people's thing. And its just kind of an unabashed full out red meat slasher of the 80s type for better and worse. That's not a genre I enjoy nor an era I want back but obviously there is an audience for it and that's fine. It wasn't unwatcheable though. The cast is competent and I enjoyed Parry Shen's totally shameless and corny as hell tour guide. Shamelessly corny. That's my sense of humor. Although once he drops the act and puts on the accent its a little... questionable. But again, that edgy early 2000s humor. There are bouts of cleverness and funny here. I get the sense that if Green wanted to make something just a little more clever he probably could. But its pretty lowest common denominator and broad for the most part and that's clearly all intentional. It is what it is. I'm sure there's an audience and I ain't gonna look down on them. You wanna see a generic slasher monster literally rip limbs off generic staple characters for no good reason? Don't mind or want that unPC 80s sensibility and problematic gags and ideas like the "deformed" child being a monster or heavy ethnic accents? Adam Green has got you. And it doesn't really ever go too far over the line to bug someone like me. Its tight and pretty to the point so its all pretty watcheable. I definitely didn't think it was good, even for what it set out to be. But it set out to be something it mostly is so there you go. At least I have Danielle Harris to look forward to in the sequels. At least that’s what I tell myself to justify my decision.  32 (47). Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008) Written and directed by Robert Hiltzik This is pretty bad. Its not like noteworthily bad. I'm pretty sure Hiltzik is trying to be a little broad but it doesn't graduate to full on camp. It feels like its him trying to sincerely make a sequel to his original cult classic. Problem is it feels very out of its time. It feels like a guy who last made a film in the 80s trying to make something for characters 25 years later. Its not very smooth. Like the entire core story is built around every single character in the film being incredibly cruel bullies to a completely over the top mess of a character who is "special". Maybe not overtly so but the movie directly uses that word to describe its overweight, bad hygiene, socially awkward, quick to anger, main character. And the movie's entire response is to just keep piling on and being as cruel as possible. Its all very, very, very mean in a kind of very distasteful way. Now that's obviously gonna work for some people. And I guess its sort of the point. I dunno. Its just really badly done. Maybe the weirdest part of the film was when the one character who is actually human to the kid is then attacked and suspected as the killer for actually being loving human. And again... its deliberate. The character doing so is clearly deranged. But its just a very mean and unpleasant time. An hour in I decided I was rooting for the smelly kid to just kill everyone. They kind of deserved it. Mostly its just not very good. Its not terribly well acted or written or directed. The surprise reveal is telegraphed pretty hard and not a surprise at all. Like really you have to really, really not be trying to not guess it. And I never try and guess the mystery in a movie. But this was plain as day. About the most memorable thing from this is the choice to cast Isaac Hayes literally as Chef. Like with the outfit and everything. Which I guess was kind of funny in 2003 when they made this? Its probably one of the few times the film felt like it went full camp instead of just broad. Which isn't to say its especially good. Its just like the only memorable thing. Its just a lot of nothing. Nothing terribly creative or clever or different. Everything feeling kind of just recycled from glory days. It was delayed for like 5 years supposedly because they kept tinkering with the CGI but to be honest it just kind of feels like maybe they knew they had a lot of nothing and just spent five years trying to figure out how to make it more interesting. But ultimately its just not. Maybe if you love the original its worth it for the few nostalgia notes and returning characters but like... its just not good and drags bad. And is quite possible one of the meanest films I've ever seen. 🌼💀Spook-a-Doodle Half-Way-to-Halloween ’23: Spring Cleaning💀🌼 Watched - New (Total) - (1). Scream (1996); 1 (2). The Invisible Man’s Revenge (1944); 2 (3). Viral (2016); - (4). Scream 2 (1997); 3 (5). Mostly Ghostly 3: One Night in Doom House (2016); 4 (6). Man-Thing (2005); - (7). Vampires (1998); - (8). Vampires: Los Muertos (2002); 5 (9). Vampires: The Turning (2005); 6 (10). Evil Ed (1995); - (11). Scream 3 (2000); 7 (12). Do You Like Hitchcock? (2005); 8 (13). Day of the Dead: Bloodline (2017); - (14). Scream 4 (2011); - (15). Scream (2022); 9 (16). This Island Earth (1955); 10 (17). A Field in England (2013); 11 (18). Scream: The Inside Story (2011); 12 (19). Scream VI (2023); 13 (20). My Best Friend’s Exorcism (2022); - (21). Fright Night (2011); - (22). Brain Damage (1988); 14 (23). Fright Night Part 2 (1988); 15 (24)Children of the Corn (2020); 16 (25). The Signal (2014); 17 (26). The Mole People (1956); 18 (27). Mom and Dad (2017); 19 (28). Big Legend (2018); 20 (29). Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1966); - (30). Extraterrestrial (2014); 21 (31). Blood Moon (2014); 22 (32). Son of Godzilla (1967); 23 (33). We Have a Ghost (2023); 24 (34). American Carnage (2022); 25 (35). The Rental (2020); 26 (36). Destroy All Monsters (1968); - (37). Hellraiser (2022); 27 (38). Oxygen (2021); 28 (39). The House (2022); - (40). Blacula (1972); 29 (41). Mega Python vs. Gatoroid (2011); 30 (42). Night Teeth (2021); 31 (43). The Howling: Reborn (2011); - (44). Let Me In (2010); - (45). The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966); - (46). Hatchet (2006); 32 (47). Return to Sleepaway Camp (2008); Return of the Fallen: 7/13 - Viral; Day of the Dead: Bloodline; My Best Friend’s Exorcism; The Signal; We Have a Ghost; Oxygen; Mega Python vs. Gatoroid; Completed Collections: 7/13 - The Invisible Man; Mostly Ghostly; John Carpenter’s Vampires; Scream; Children of the Corn; The Howling; Sleepaway Camp; GMM Challenges: 9/13 - Day of the Dead: Bloodline (Challenge of the Dead); A Field in England (Horror High); Scream VI (Fresh Hell); Brain Damage (Second Chance); Children of the Corn ’20 (Children Shouldn’t Play with Dead Things); Big Legend (Tales from the Cryptids); American Carnage (Woke in Fright); The House (Drawn and Quartered) Meta Challenges: History Lesson: 8/5 - The Invisible Man's Revenge (1940s); This Island Earth (1950s); Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (1960s); Fright Night Part 2 (1980s); Evil Ed (1990s); Man Thing (2000s); Viral (2010s); Scream VI (2020s); Meta Challenges: Geography Lesson: 4/5 - The Invisible Man's Revenge (North America); Evil Ed (Europe); Man Thing (Australia/Oceania); Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (Asia);
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May 14, 2023 07:59
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Movie #11: M3GAN (2022) 10. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things "M3GAN, you killed people!" "Oh big whoop." Well this was absolutely fantastic! Going in, I knew absolutely nothing about the movie. Well, next to nothing. I knew there was an evil doll of some kind, but that's it. Turns out there is an evil doll, but not in the "Chuckie" kind of sense. This is more like a four foot tall Terminator in a fun outfit. It's a story as old as time: maverick toy designer makes a revolutionary learning AI robot toy for her sad niece to help her get over the death of her parents, robot toy becomes sentient, starts murdering the poo poo out of everyone who poses a threat to the niece, and then just everyone in general. What surprised me about the movie was the amount of humour. I wouldn't call M3GAN a full blown horror comedy, but there's definitely comedy to be found here. I defy anyone to watch the movie and NOT lose their poo poo when the horrible bully gets turned into a red smear on the asphalt by a passing car. This is good, because the movie wasn't really scary. Some spooky visuals occasionally, sure, and of course on an intellectual level the idea of a super smart robot that turns against its creators is scary, but as a horror movie M3GAN wasn't very impressive. That doesn't really put a dampener on things, though, because the movie is extremely entertaining. I was immediately on board when the movie opens with a toy commercial for a Furby clone that's just the right amount off the rails. It isn't screaming HEY LOOK HOW WACKY AND NUTTY WE ARE HAHAHA AREN'T WE SILLY, but is still dropping phrases and details that make your brain kinda skip a beat. And that really is the whole movie. It's a lot of fun while being just the right amount of self aware. One thing I also enjoyed a lot is how the progress of technology has made something like M3GAN more feasible in a way that previously would have been either magic, or so high tech it might as well have been magic. Of COURSE M3GAN can turn off the lights when she needs to, we have wi-fi enabled lights now. OF COURSE she can just hijack a car when she needs to. OF COURSE she can listen in on phone calls, impersonate the movie's verson of Alexa etc. Obviously a sentient toy doll is still sci-fi, but it's neat that this bizarre technological hellscape we've created for ourselves makes this kind of stuff immediately understandable and at least movie realistic to everyone. Yeah, I had no expectations for M3GAN but I walked away super impressed. The movie starts off fast and never really lets off. Just about the only thing I would have liked is a higher rating than PG-13, because even though I'm not like the thread's biggest gorehound or anything, the movie could have used more carnage. But on the other hand the rating has allowed a bunch of young people to (legally) see the movie, and that's also cool. And on the other more different hand, the limitation forced them to get creative, and I would argue that some of the results are more fun and entertaining than someone exploding in a bag of gore, so I guess I'll just deal with it. The Best Part: I was going to highlight my favourite kill from the movie, but I already got to it above so instead I'll give props to the acting. The main cast all do really good jobs, and I was especially impressed by Violet McGraw as the traumatized young Cady. Her performance was really good by any metric, and for a child actor she was outright remarkable. Amie Donald is also really good as the physical M3GAN to the point where I would have bet cash money on her being CGI. Her movements are just perfectly in that uncanny valley where she comes across as human occasionally, but then does something that just hits your nerves. Perfect.  / 5My May 2023 Movies: 1. Black Friday!, 2. Hood of the Living Dead, 3. Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron, 4. Psycho (1960), 5. Mandy, 6. Knock at the Cabin, 7. Suburban Sasquatch, 8. Bay of Blood, 9. Saloum, 10. Braindead, 11. M3GAN Challenges Completed: 1. Horror High (Mandy) 2. Tales from the Cryptids (Suburban Sasquatch) 3. Holy Terror (Saloum) 4. Fresh Hell (Knock at the Cabin) 5. Shooting Zombies (Psycho) 6. Drawn and Quartered (Hellboy Animated) 8. Second Chance (Braindead) 9. Challenge of the Dead (Hood of the Living Dead) 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (M3GAN) 11. It's-a-Me! (Bay of Blood) History Lesson (Complete): Psycho (1960), Bay of Blood (1971), Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron (2007), Mandy (2018), Knock at the Cabin (2023) Geography Lesson: (4/5): North America (Psycho), Europe (Bay of Blood), Africa (Saloum), Australia/New Zealand (Braindead) Shaman Tank Spec fucked around with this message at 09:09 on May 14, 2023 |
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May 14, 2023 09:04
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#12: The Spine of Night 6. Drawn and Quartered  A very intentional throwback to classic 80s fantasy and adult animation, strong shades of Bakshi and Heavy Metal. If not for Patton Oswalt's voice you could easily believe The Spine of Night was made in 1985. It is genuinely the kind of movie they just don't make anymore. Not only because it's animated in the extremely labor-intensive rotoscoping method, but also in the genre and style of presentation. Classic capital f Fantasy, with out a drop of irony or a single wink to the audience. This movie takes itself seriously and expects the audience to take itself seriously as well. I love all that, all that's great, the amount of work that went into the movie and the dedication to create it is breathtaking. but unfortunately I would say that The Spine of Night is more impressive than it is good. The characters are quite flat and the movie is dull in parts. But what really lets it down is the score. This is a spectacle movie, you're supposed to be along for the ride. Some good music would have made that work way better. But instead the score is very placeholdery. There is music, but you won't remember it. Maybe they were in a bind because the appropriate music choices would be hack now. You're doing an intentional 80s throwback to adult animation, a soundtrack of 80s hits like Heavy Metal would make sense, but Guardians of the Galaxy and 50 other big movies and shows have already done that. Synth, similarly, would make the movie feel modern. And a big orchestral score would be prohibitively expensive for this low-budget labor of love. It's a little frustrating because The Spine of Night is impressive as hell and I'm glad that it exists, but it falls a little short of being a movie I actually like. Challenges in progress 13. Geography Lesson: North America (The Relic) Asia (Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya) Challenges complete 2: Tales from the Cryptids: Mothman Prophecies (because of mothman) 3. Holy Terror: Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya (because of Shinto) 4. Fresh Hell: M3gan 6. Drawn and Quartered: The Spine of Night 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things: Beware! Children at Play 12. History lesson: 1980s (Beware! Children at Play)1990s (The Relic) 2000s (The Mothman Prophecies) 2010s (Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya) 2020s (Scream)
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May 14, 2023 13:33
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 6) Nefarious - 2023 - Theater To start, I think I was one of three people in the showing I was in who wasn't a member of the Franciscans. Storyline for this is a psychiatrist evaluating a serial killer who claims to have a body hopping demon inside him. To be honest, I thought this was done better when it was 1998's Fallen. Compared to the trailer, the film was a bit on the bland side. So it kinda felt like a bit of a bait and switch to me. What little I watched of The Pope's Exorcist was more interesting. If I'd paid to see this or used one of my account credits, I would've been a bit salty. But since I did get to see it for free, I think I could've spent my time better watching something else. Only way I'd recommend this one is to those who are completionists when it comes to watching the possession sub-genre and even then if it's I can't think of anything else they haven't seen yet. gey muckle mowser posted:
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May 14, 2023 15:04
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9. Evil Dead Rise (2023) (first viewing) (watched via digital purchase)  The latest spin on hapless protagonists reading the Book of the Dead and fighting off Deadites mixes up the setting, if nothing else, by confining the action to the top floor of an apartment building. This one is closer in tone to the 2013 film than the original trilogy, playing it pretty straight and eschewing the humor that elevated the best of the franchise. I don't know about this one. The basic framework for an Evil Dead movie is pretty malleable, but something like this with a dour tone feels like wasted potential. The characters range from forgettable to mildly annoying. The plot contrivances to keep us in the apartment would be more forgivable if they utilized the setting in a more creative way. And the serious tone makes the requisite Evil Dead references feel shoe-horned in. Nowhere is this worse than a bookend story about a cabin in the woods that is detached from the main narrative. On the plus side, there were some moments that honor the visual creativity the Raimi originals are known for. There's lots of interesting camera perspectives, like shots through a peephole, POV shots from the perspective of a bathtub faucet half-obscured by water, and a nice shot in the reflection of a piece of shattered glass wielded by the main Deadite. And, as expected, there's some fun gore, although I honestly found the 2013 film more memorable in that regard. I will give a couple shout-outs to the bloodshed. There's some creative use of a cheese grater, although that's effective more for the anticipatory wincing of more realistic violence than it is for the actual goop. A rampage seen only through a peephole is also effective for what's left to the imagination. The post-Raimi/Campbell movies have been fine, but I also can't say I'm thrilled about this direction for the franchise. CHALLENGE: "Fresh Hell." --- CHALLENGES: 1. Horror High--A Field in England (2013) 2. Tales from the Cryptids 3. Holy Terror--Satan's Slaves (2017) 4. Fresh Hell--Evil Dead Rise (2023) 5. Shooting Zombies--Ringu (1998) 6. Drawn and Quartered 7. Woke in Fright 8. Second Chance 9. Challenge of the Dead--City of the Living Dead (1980) 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things--Dolls (1987) 11. It's-a Me! 12. History Lesson (5/5 completed)--The Shout (1978) ('70s); Dolls (1987) ('80s); The Fear (1995) ('90s); A Field in England (2013) (2010s); Pearl (2022) (2020s) 13. Geography Lesson (4/5 completed)--The Fear (1995) (North America via USA); The Shout (1978) (Europe via UK); Ringu (1998) (Asia via Japan); Satan's Slaves (2017 (Southeast Asia via Indonesia)
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May 14, 2023 15:37
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24. Saw VII 3D: The Final Chapter - 2010 Directed by Kevin Greutert The Saw Collection  I'm tired of these Saws, these trauma-based therapies. I'm tired of being caught in the tangle of cautionary tales from shop class. Highly recommended for fans of the eyeball scene in Zombi 2 or people who are marathoning the entire Saw franchise, but not really anyone else. 💀.5/5 Spooky May Spring Cleaning 12/13 1. Basket Case 2; 2. Basket Case 3: The Progeny; 3. 3 from Hell; 4. Attack of the Blind Dead; 5. The Ghost Galleon; 6. Night of the Seagulls, 7. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning; 8. Saw III; 9. Saw IV; 10. Saw V; 11. Saw VI; 12. Saw VII 3D: The Final Chapter GMM Challenges 8/13 1. Horror High - Bliss 2. Tales from the Cryptids - Mongolian Death Worm 3. Holy Terror - Incantation 4. Fresh Hell - The Pope's Exorcist 5. Shooting Zombies - The Fall of the House of Usher 6. Drawn and Quartered - Violence Voyager 7. Woke in Fright - Tales from the Hood 8. Second Chance - The Fly 9. Challenge of the Dead 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things 11. It's-a Me! 12. History lesson - Evil Ed (1990s); Do You Like Hitchcock? (2000s); Blood Moon (2010s); Hellraiser (2020s) 13. Geography Lesson Completed Collections * The Basket Case Trilogy * The Firefly Collection * The Blind Dead Collection * The Ginger Snaps Collection
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May 14, 2023 16:18
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twernt posted:
The first four came out when I was in college, and it somehow became a tradition for us to go see every one of these stupid things. I hopped off the train as soon as I graduated and I've never revisited them, although I do ponder it from time to time.
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May 14, 2023 17:53
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Crescent Wrench posted:The first four came out when I was in college, and it somehow became a tradition for us to go see every one of these stupid things. I hopped off the train as soon as I graduated and I've never revisited them, although I do ponder it from time to time. If you liked the other ones, it may be worth it. It's not a great series, but it's an actual series with continuity and IMO an important place in horror history.
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May 14, 2023 19:48
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twernt posted:If you liked the other ones, it may be worth it. That was a weird time for horror franchises, with both Saw and Paranormal Activity going hard on continuity despite also going for a disposable one a year format
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May 14, 2023 20:41
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 7) It Follows - 2014 - Netflix For as much as everyone else seems to have seen this but me, time to rectify that. Plot follows a group having to deal with a lethal paranormal STD. Overall, this was okay enough. If anything it did get my brain going into overdrive was thinking about the backstory of the 'It' given what rules we're told. How long has It existed? How did It come into existence? Is it a paranormal creature or magic created? Does it only transmit through any sex or is there a difference between casual and longtime monogamous? Overall, I do recommend this one and kinda hope for an eventual sequel. gey muckle mowser posted:
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May 14, 2023 21:22
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8. Curse of the Undead (1959) I wanted to watch a Western but I’ve got a quota to meet, so I picked this, which might be the first vampire Western ever made. To make a long story short: this started kind of rote and boring, then it got cool when they gave the vampire’s backstory and dropped some lore, then it got boring again because everyone was talking about land claims, and then in the last five minutes it got cool. I don’t know if I’d necessarily recommend it, but if you’re into this sort of thing it’s a worthwhile historical footnote, and even with occasional Tubi ad encroachment you’ll be done in under 90 minutes.
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May 14, 2023 23:22
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5) City of the Dead (1960) Challenge: ... of the Dead A young woman travels to a small Massachusetts town haunted by the curse of a 17th century witch. It's a bit of an odd fish, this one. The plot is quite straightforward and might remind you somewhat of Psycho in many respects. The cast is mainly people you might have heard of rather than people you have heard of - singer Dennis Lotis turns up towards the end of his short dalliance with movie stardom - but is lent weight by a small role for Christopher Lee and a somewhat larger one for the much underrated Valentine Dyall. Dyall cut his horror chops as the Man in Black, narrator of BBC Radio's 1940s horror anthology series Appointment With Fear and was mainly known as a voice actor, but he was perfectly serviceable in the flesh here. Overall, though, it's fine. Not a classic, I don't think I'll ever watch it again, but fine.
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May 15, 2023 01:22
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#13: Naked Lunch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sL102pyaLg 1. Horror High I didn't know anything about the movie going in, but I was not expecting that many anuses. And I certainly wasn't expecting the anuses to be that big. And I definitely wasn't expecting the anuses to get that much screen time. It's an unpleasant movie, it's about a dude getting stoned out of his mind after fleeing the country, there's a sweaty stickiness to the whole thing. If you remember the Chinese restaurant scene from Existenz, it's a lot like that, but it's a whole movie. I've never read Burroughs, so I kept thinking the movie had strong Phillip K Dick vibes. Weird drugs, aliens, a normal guy has to deal with all this stuff, etc. Fantastic practical effects and great acting. Weller has this low rumbly voice the whole time, and the first time he meets the big bug he barely even says words, he mainly just makes rumbly sounds, it's great. Weird movie. Challenges in progress 13. Geography Lesson: North America (The Relic) Asia (Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya) Challenges complete 1: Horror High: Naked Lunch 2: Tales from the Cryptids: Mothman Prophecies (because of mothman) 3. Holy Terror: Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya (because of Shinto) 4. Fresh Hell: M3gan 6. Drawn and Quartered: The Spine of Night 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things: Beware! Children at Play 12. History lesson: 1980s (Beware! Children at Play)1990s (The Relic) 2000s (The Mothman Prophecies) 2010s (Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya) 2020s (Scream)
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May 15, 2023 01:34
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Gripweed posted:That was a weird time for horror franchises, with both Saw and Paranormal Activity going hard on continuity despite also going for a disposable one a year format It's super weird. Even though so much of the lore depends on "ha ha! X was Y all along!" twists, it's still lore and somebody somewhere had it all diagrammed out.
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May 15, 2023 01:52
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25. Jigsaw - 2017 Directed by Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig The Saw Collection  According to Letterboxd, this wraps up the Saw Collection. There's still Spiral, but that'll have to wait until after the other challenges I think. When a franchise is collapsing under the weight of its own ridiculous lore, it makes sense to pare it down and start over. Then, you can build on what made the original entertaining, extending its mythology in new and interesting ways. Jigsaw takes another approach. 💀💀.5/5 Spooky May Spring Cleaning 13/13 1. Basket Case 2; 2. Basket Case 3: The Progeny; 3. 3 from Hell; 4. Attack of the Blind Dead; 5. The Ghost Galleon; 6. Night of the Seagulls, 7. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning; 8. Saw III; 9. Saw IV; 10. Saw V; 11. Saw VI; 12. Saw VII 3D: The Final Chapter; 13. Jigsaw GMM Challenges 8/13 1. Horror High - Bliss 2. Tales from the Cryptids - Mongolian Death Worm 3. Holy Terror - Incantation 4. Fresh Hell - The Pope's Exorcist 5. Shooting Zombies - The Fall of the House of Usher 6. Drawn and Quartered - Violence Voyager 7. Woke in Fright - Tales from the Hood 8. Second Chance - The Fly 9. Challenge of the Dead 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things 11. It's-a Me! 12. History lesson - Evil Ed (1990s); Do You Like Hitchcock? (2000s); Blood Moon (2010s); Hellraiser (2020s) 13. Geography Lesson Completed Collections * The Basket Case Trilogy * The Firefly Collection * The Blind Dead Collection * The Ginger Snaps Collection * The Saw Collection
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May 15, 2023 02:16
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Way behind on posting. Went on an 80s binge the weekend of April 29 & 30: 1. House (1985) - Classic 80s horror comedy that will make you look at Cheers differently. 4/5 2. House II (1987) - Classic 80s horror comedy that will also make you look at Cheers differently. 4/5 3. Evil Toons (1992, but basically the 80s) Drawn and Quartered - Is exactly what Fred Olen Ray would do in response to Roger Rabbit. 3/54. Screaming in High Heels: The Rise & Fall of the Scream Queen Era (2011) - Great documentary, more about the lives of Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and Michelle Bauer than it is about the era itself, but there's a decent amount of that too. 4/5 5. Witchtrap (1989) - Watched because it was mentioned in the previous entry, and I thought it was Witchboard. 2/5 6. Teenage Exorcist (1991) - The only good thing about this movie is the theme song, which is an absolute banger. 2/5 7. The Channeler (1990) - A bonus feature on the previous disc. They shouldn't have bothered. With any of this. 2/5 8. The Outing (1987) - Supernatural slasher with a genie in a museum. It's 80's cheese, but it's good 80's cheese. 3.5/5 9. The Spiral Staircase (1946) - Proto-proto-slasher? Old dark house, murder mystery, family drama, and the killer keeps killing. 3.5/5 10. The Skin (2011, Antigua and Barbuda) - The first of my leftovers from my October world tour, and an absolute disaster on every level. 1.5/5 11. Knock at the Cabin (2023) Fresh Hell - Perfectly fine little character piece. 3.5/512. Killer Crocodile (1989) - Jaws, but a Crocodile. John Williams should have sued for how completely they steal the theme. 2.5/5 13. Masked Mutilator (1994/2019) - Took 25 years to finish, and not worth it. 2/5 14. Night Watch (1973) - Compelling at times, but drags elsewhere. It may have been better as an anthology show episode rather than dragging it out to 100 minutes. 2/5 15. Don't Look Now (1973) - And, on the other hand, a film where they try to pack too much in. 3/5 16. Death Line (1972) - Everything that it should be. 3.5/5 17. Attachment (2022) Holy Terror - Great Jewish demon film with two strong leads. Ably handles the religious aspects without getting bogged down in it. 4/518. When the Screaming Starts (2021) - Decent "found" footage horror comedy about a documentary team following a wannabe serial killer. 3/5 19. The Last Thing Mary Saw (2021) - Competently done, but far too slow of a slow burn for me. 2.5/5 20. Mean Spirited (2022) - Another perfectly fine horror comedy. 3/5 21. Outlier (2016) - Andorra's entry on my world tour. Competently made, but they try to shoehorn absolutely everything into this. Murder in a small town evolves into family drama, a possible vampire, and they don't resolve any of it. 2/5 And some shorts: - Isolated (2015) - Frenetically paced animation. Roughly what it's like to be someone other than the protagonists in a Resident Evil game. 3.5/5 - COI: Lonely Water (1973) - British PSA about the dangers of playing near water. By which I mean Donald Pleasence threatens to murder your children for 3 minutes. 3.5/5
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May 15, 2023 02:35
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Sono posted:
This will always have my favorite subtitle of any sequel ever. House II: The Second Story.
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May 15, 2023 03:41
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50 films. Just completely out of control. 33 (48). Hatchet II (2010) Written and directed by Adam Green Watched on Amazon Prime Better than the first one by sheer virtue of Tony Todd getting a full starring role rather than a 1 minute cameo. This one is generally better in that regard in forgoing the cutesy cameos and actually just giving the horror names an actual starring role... for better or worse. Danielle Harris, Tom Holland, Kane Hodder. They're all called to act here and well... Holland isn't a good actor. I love Harris but she makes some choices here with her accent and the tone of her acting. In fairness I can't blame her for not really knowing what is expected here for a film that is simultaneously a complete camp lark and 80s pastiche but also tries to be the real deal. Harris is asked to play a melodramatic role so she plays it and because so much of the rest of the film is either goofy or just poorly acted she stands out as a rather over the top marker. Its weird but I blame the director more than the actor. This movie's just kind of all over the place. If it were funny I'd probably enjoy it more but most of the jokes are just some variation of a sex joke. Victor Crowley has deep sexual issues because he sure does like murdering people in sexually suggestive ways. Its weirder than it is funny, IMO. But your mileage may vary. I watched it late last night and honestly I've already forgotten a lot of it. There's just not a lot there. The Crowley stuff is all very generic and the supporting cast is just there to die in true 80s slasher fashion. Which is a shame because they actually seemed decent but they only had enough character for you to recognize who was dying randomly and pointlessly. They're cannon fodder. But its at least quick and to the point. They don't waste much time and Todd effectively delivering 90% of the exposition helps a lot. Obviously there's an audience for both this slasher homage/revival and Green's juvenile sense and gross of humor. It just ain't me. Sadly I am the audience for horror cameos and slavish devotion to finishing a franchise.  - (49). Signs (2002) Written and directed by M. Night Shyamalan Watched on HBOMax Its been a long time since I saw this so I was unsure if it would hold up. A lot's happened since then including us finding out what a piece of poo poo Mel Gibson is and M Night Shyamalan's career becoming a bit of a polarizing joke at times. I worried that too much baggage and too many crutches would show up here. And when the film opened with the over the top melodramatic credits I feared the worst. But this still worked for me. Night's jokes here landed for me unlike in many of his other films and they don't come at the expense of the tension and genuine chills. The twist is a little silly of course but thankfully this is early in Shyamalan's career where that felt less driven by a need to be weird or shocking and more just fitting the story and theme. And ok, the theme here is hokey but its harmless hokey. "Everything happens for a reason". I was discussing earlier how I find much sci fi philosophy very shallow and vacuous like that of a college freshman who is convinced that because they're having these thoughts for the first time it must be the first time someone's having them. But Night's stuff is more like a bumper sticker. Its simple and cheesy but its fine. And the monologue Gibson gives his brother midway through is a very good one to set the whole thing up. And ultimately it doesn't really matter, right? Signs or coincidences. Its just what you make of it and what you need. And the real emotional punch of that isn't actually the water or the bat, its the asthma. And I'm willing to admit that gave me chills and feels. It worked. Its well set up, well acted, and well written. And even if the CGI alien is a little wonky and we only get so much actual action that works because the fear isn't really about the real threat at play. Its the abject fear of regular people helplessly dealing with the unknown and impossible. The sheer panic and "what the gently caress do we do?" that would result from something as world changing as this happening. Told on a very small and simple level its very effective. Like watching people prepare for a hurricane x100. And played in parallel to the change of life of grief and loss it all just really works well. So I may hate Mel Gibson and I may think Shyamalan kind of jumped the shark awhile ago but when he works he works. And its funny because I recently watched A Knock At The Cabin and really didn't like it at all but in many ways it just feels like a bad retread of many of the ideas here. That could have worked against it too but nope. I just ended up really, really liking Signs still 20 years later.  34 (50). Evil Dead Rise (2023) Written and directed by Lee Cronin At least a teenage boy has a good excuse for opening the book. He's a teenage boy. He's supposed to be that stupid. Really, really dug that. Does not mess around and does not hold back at all. Mean and nasty and balls to the wall. The common complaint seems to be the same one levied against the 2013 film that its not enough like the campier place that the franchise ended up in with Army of Darkness and Ash vs the Evil Dead... or even Evil Dead 2. But I think both films feel true to the original tone of The Evil Dead and Raimi's sensibility. And Rise plays plenty of tribute to the franchise and Raimi but its also here telling its own story, which is good. Just like with '13 I think its much better that these films do their own thing than try and recreate the magic of Raimi and Campbell. And really for me the outline here is simple. Some idiot finds the book and reads from it, some poor bastards get possessed, Deadites wreck havoc and are total assholes while doing it, a lot of people die bloody and painful, and some unlucky SOB has to find a chainsaw. Lily Sullivan's Beth is probably not quite as memorable as Campbell's Ash or Jane Levy's Mia but that's a pretty big bar IMO. I think Sullivan is very good. And its really Alyssa Sutherland who steals the show and that's an angle that I don't feel like any of the Evil Deads have really played with quite to this degree. And that's part of what I think definitely made this feel like a proper Evil Dead film to me. Its referential and true to the franchise plenty but its also new and innovative in a lot of ways. I was particularly a fan of the entire act of the movie just observed through the peep hole. Which gets to another thing people were critical of that I really liked, the apartment setting. I guess people were bothered that they weren't like roving multiple floors and dozens of residents but I thought they really used the apartment setting well within their small story. Yes there could have been a bigger crazier thing but that would have been an entirely different movie. And honestly I wonder how many people who have that criticism have lived in apartments. A floor very much is its own world in and of itself and I think the film did a solid job with that with the neighbors being about exactly as deep as I felt they should be to feel like real people but not take time away from the family story. If you think Evil Dead has to be the camp of Ash then this is definitely not gonna satisfy you. If you think things are "CW" when there's pretty characters with relationships who have feelings about when bad things happen to each other then you might not like this. But I think this felt very much in line with '13 and the original film to me. So much so that I'm thinking of going backwards and rewatching them just to assure my memory is solid. And because I'm down to watch more idiots open the book and let hell loose. I hope they make a bunch more of these because the world is filled with idiots and the story and horror possibilities are only limited by the creativity of the artists involved. Groovy.
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May 15, 2023 05:12
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Bloody Muscle Body Builder in Hell - Japan, 1995, completing challenge 12 - History Lesson A journalist, a psychic, and a muscleman explore a haunted house. This is an Evil Dead tribute (Shinichi Fukazawa looks a lot like Bruce Campbell's Ash in the opening scene and by the end he's quoting his Evil Dead lines) mixed with Japanese haunting iconography. I would personally love to see more American films remade like this, infused with a different sensibility even when it wears its influences on its sleeve. The grainy VHS aesthetic here will make this one more appealing to some viewers; for me, it's a look I can't stand, I'm sorry! I watched an absolute ton of grainy horror on tapes and even back then it was difficult. Of course here it's an economical choice, the film was made by a tiny crew with Fukazawa writing, directing, editing, and playing multiple roles. I can't hold the quality against it, just saying that for some, it will add an additional layer of appeal. The homemade special effects, on the other hand, are absolutely charming, and I love that our idiot hero's power comes from his ability to punch, lift, and swing incredibly hard! It's gross, dumb, and a lot of fun. The big difference between Ash and Shinji is that Shinji can flex so hard it sends a ghost-zombie flying. Where Ash had a chainsaw, all Shinji needs are weights. Note: The version I watched on Shudder had weirdly mistimed subtitles; I tried a couple different devices and the text was displaying a good couple of seconds before any spoken dialogue in the second half of the film. I switched to Tubi and that version was fine.
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May 15, 2023 05:49
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 8) An Angel for Satan - 1966 - TubiTV It's always a joy to come across an older film I've never seen before especially when it has cast I've thought I've seen everything they've done before. Story in this one follows a sculptor hired to restore a statue that's been dredged up from the lake only to have strange things start to occur. Barbara Steele's amazing in this one and I think this would make an excellent companion piece to Black Sunday. It's definitely a must see if you love the Italian Gothic Horror subgenre. gey muckle mowser posted:
M_Sinistrari fucked around with this message at 13:38 on May 15, 2023 |
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May 15, 2023 06:30
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26. Survival of the Dead - 2009 Directed by George A. Romero 🎃 Challenge of the Dead 🎃  The most disturbing thing, aside from all of the implied inbreeding happening on Plum Island, is the fact that they didn't reshoot Seamus Muldoon's monologue after seeing that he had a piece of food stuck to his lip. 💀.5/5 Spooky May Spring Cleaning 13/13 1. Basket Case 2; 2. Basket Case 3: The Progeny; 3. 3 from Hell; 4. Attack of the Blind Dead; 5. The Ghost Galleon; 6. Night of the Seagulls, 7. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning; 8. Saw III; 9. Saw IV; 10. Saw V; 11. Saw VI; 12. Saw VII 3D: The Final Chapter; 13. Jigsaw GMM Challenges 9/13 1. Horror High - Bliss 2. Tales from the Cryptids - Mongolian Death Worm 3. Holy Terror - Incantation 4. Fresh Hell - The Pope's Exorcist 5. Shooting Zombies - The Fall of the House of Usher 6. Drawn and Quartered - Violence Voyager 7. Woke in Fright - Tales from the Hood 8. Second Chance - The Fly 9. Challenge of the Dead - Survival of the Dead 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things 11. It's-a Me! 12. History lesson - Evil Ed (1990s); Do You Like Hitchcock? (2000s); Blood Moon (2010s); Hellraiser (2020s) 13. Geography Lesson Completed Collections * The Basket Case Trilogy * The Firefly Collection * The Blind Dead Collection * The Ginger Snaps Collection * The Saw Collection
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May 15, 2023 14:49
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3. Picnic at Hanging Rock 1975 | dir. Peter Weir Criterion Channel The more I dig into Australian films, the more I appreciate the mystic terror of Nature. The sound design and the wonderful landscape cinematography make the first act of this unforgettably eerie. The lingering camera evokes sinister faces from the rocks and stones. The howling wind sounds like a there is a screaming black hole hidden somewhere in this exctint volcano. The rest of the film deals with the esoteric ennui of small communities reeling from the arcane, while also exploring feminity and the pressures and restrictions society shackles onto women.  It is absolutely gorgeous. Can a camera nerd share what film stock and camera this was? It's incredible. Recommended 4. Alligator 1980 | dir. Lewis Teague  This is a solid Jaws knock-off. The special effects are almost always great, outside of a few missed forced-perspective shots, and there's plenty of real alligator action. The pacing felt a little off, but the script is tighter than I expected. Forester is a charmer. A solid little crowd-pleaser. Recommended 5. VFW 2019 | dir. Joe Begos 4k UHD This is a hyper-violent love letter to the Bad rear end Boomer fantasy. That's not going to be everyone's cup of tea, especially right now. I watched this with a group of friends, and laughed about how much our dads would love this poo poo. (It's a little too bloody and gory for my dad, so we won't be watching this together anytime soon.) The premise, hedged on numerous fears of older generations (psychopathic zombie-ish drug addicts, drug dealers taking over cities, complete anarchy, old institutions left to crumble, and the only generation that can kick it's rear end is almost dead from old age, the glorification of a Young Military Man, the protection of Young Women cuz that's what a Man does) that it feels like satire. It's Dredd and Assault on Precinct 13 with Susperia-era Argento colors. The cast is absolutely incredible. The chemistry, the nostalgia each of the actors carry for the audience from their careers (everything from Karate Kid to Twin Peaks), and the real worn-out I'm Tired vibe from each of them lends a lot of sympathy, that even if I wouldn't like being around these old men, I feel the tragedy each of them feels as they lose another friend from their group. There are moments of vulnerability in the performances that you aren't expecting after you see a guy get his arm chopped off with a giant axe, and the tonal balance of all these elements really comes together.  It's a hyper-violent action horror film with classic 80's neon color gel lights and a great synth-score in under 90 minutes. It's a good time. Recommended Total: 5 New: 4 Rewatches: 1 Movies Watched: Tenebre | Twilight Zone: The Movie | Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975) | Alligator | VFW
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May 15, 2023 15:37
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 9) Nudist Colony of the Dead - 1991- Prime Considering how many 'of the Dead' films I've sat through and reviewed, this one was definitely a bit of a challenge in finding anything I've not reviewed yet. Story follows the residents of Sunny Buttocks Nudist Colony's revenge after they commit a suicide pact when the local religious busybodies get them evicted from their property. As the title gives it away, this is a horror comedy that leans heavily for the laughs. It's pretty much what I was expecting going in. Plenty of low budget cheesiness with a pleasantly surprising twist. Be prepared for plenty of saggy zombie boobs. It'd be a fine entry in a bad movie marathon with friends. gey muckle mowser posted:
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May 15, 2023 15:47
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Weekend catch-up time.gey muckle mowser posted:
 #13. Abominable (2006) (Peacock) A former climber, crippled in a climbing accident months ago, returns to his remote mountain cabin with an rear end in a top hat nurse in attendance. There, they, and the cabin of bridal shower partiers next door, come under attack from Bigfoot. This movie had such "Straight to DVD" energy - from the moment the lovely "early 2000s video plug-in graphics" opening titles started, I had an old Homestar Runner sight gag running through my brain: "So straight to DVD it hurts!" On top of that, an immediate question arises: "how did this lovely DVD project manage to get such good talent behind it?" It's got a bunch of genre staples (like Jeffrey Combs and Lance Henrikson and Dee Wallace in bit parts) and a handful of "oh yeah, that guy" actors (lead Matt McCoy has been in a bunch of stuff, but we also have Paul "the principal from The Breakfast Club" Gleason and Rex "that other dude from 'CSI: Miami'" Linn in here), all thanks to a shouldn't-need-to-stoop-this-low legendary casting agent (Junie Lowry-Johnson, who casts like all of your favorite prestige Premium Cable Shows). Plus it's scored by Lalo "I was nominated for 6 Oscars before this" Schifrin. I couldn't understand it, until I saw that the director's name was "Ryan Schifrin" and it clicked - this is a nepo baby project! And apparently his first, which explains why everything feels so tin-eared and not quite right - this was his first feature film, and he's obviously still figuring things out. He's not untalented, so he could get some decent material up on screen... if he learned to pull the camera back to something further than the tops of people's shoulders. And worked with a better gaffer and lighting crew, one that could do more than put incredibly blue direct lights right on people's faces - all of the night scenes are shot as if we're lighting for an office interior, not an outdoor exterior, so everyone has this unnatural blue-gray whitewash over their faces at all times. It's bizarre, and ugly to boot. It's not the worst film I've seen for this Challenge, but it is in the running for bottom 3. Which is a shame, because there's glimmers of potential here, mostly in the form of old pros trying their best to salvage this thing as a favor to their friend's kid. And you can see the intent, to make this a psychological character drama akin to Rear Window that a Bigfoot happens to wander into every now and again. But the script is too thin to give anyone anything to hold onto, and the pacing just doesn't maintain enough interest in the non-Bigfoot stuff to keep your interest until the Big(footed) Man shows up again. And even then, I'm not 100% sold on the Bigfoot design - he looks too much like an extra-hairy James Hetfield, and the CGI 'enhancements' to the eyes and mouth are too primitive to really sell the idea of this thing being either menacing or supernatural or anything. It's a film with a couple of neat ideas, but the talent and execution aren't enough to save this thing from its fate... being forgotten and buried in the bottom of one of those giant bins of $5 DVDs at the Peoria Wal-mart. /5Oh, hey, look at that... managed to meet my goal of 13 films. Didn't totally expect that this year, since I still have some junk to pack up before the move at the end of the month. But while I still have a few more Challenges to complete, I may as well try and run up the score, even if they don't meet any challenge criteria. Like so...  #14. The Omen (1976) (Theatrical screening) A politician and his wife begin to suspect that their adopted son is actually the Antichrist, as strange and violent accidents pile up around them. It's The Omen - it's a masterclass in slow-building tension and dread and it has one of the best final shots in movie history, period. It's got a masterful score (the only horror movie to win an Oscar for music!) and a great script and incredible acting all around and it just works like gangbusters. It's great. I saw this on a day trip to NYC, taking advantage of a screening at the Museum of the Moving Image, which is a spot I'd wanted to visit for a while but never made the time to trek out to go see. (I only seem to be able to commit to things like that when there's a time limit; since I'll be moving out of the Tri-State area in a few weeks, I needed to do it now or probably never.) That means I saw it with a group of high-minded Intellectual Film Appreciators, the kind of people who would go to see a spooky movie at a museum's 1970s retrospective series. They dutifully chucked at all of the film's more overtly religious bits, but their semi-disdain did underscore for me an interesting dichotomy in the film: it never condescends to the religious elements, but I don't know how much it believes in them, either. There's something about the way that former Doctor Who Patrick Troughton makes a meal out of all of his line deliveries that underscores the ghoulish element underpinning Christianity: "Accept Christ, sir... drink his blood." Makes you wonder if that wasn't secretly the film's thesis this whole time, that the cure is almost worse than the disease. If so, it would make it a much more interesting contemporary in the whole "Satanic Panic" era than I'd initially thought. /5 #15. Lyle (2014) (Peacock) A pregnant mother, consumed with grief after the death of her toddler, starts to believe that her neighbor is trying to steal her child and sacrifice it to Satan. Watched this one as an ironic Mother's Day option, and it was a perfectly adequate choice in that regard. Paranoid moms struggling through their grief and all that. Gaby Hoffman gives a pretty good lead performance as the distraught, pregnant lead who is letting her grief turn into paranoia, but the threadbare script doesn't really give her a ton of material to work with. The extremely lean runtime (just a shade over an hour) also ends up working against the film - it feels like there should be more buildup to certain plot beats, more time to let everything simmer. In the end, it all works, but as a modern update on something like Rosemary's Baby, it's just not going to hold a candle to its forebears. /5Watched so far: The Seed, Witchboard, The Visitor, Mad God, Eyes Without a Face, A Field in England, Dolly Dearest, Black Sabbath, The Boxer's Omen, Survival of the Dead, Deep Red, Road Games, Abominable, The Omen, Lyle
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May 15, 2023 15:58
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 Primal Rage The Bigfoot: A very interesting Bigfoot(or Sasquatch) to be sure. I give them credit for trying to do something new with Bigfoot and mostly succeeding. Without getting into too much detail, this Bigfoot has much more of a human characterization which I think has a side benefit of making the performer's movements less distracting. The Bigfoot is more human, therefore I don't mind that it's movements often feel very human. This was also on the higher end of the spectrum in terms of Bigfoot movie budgets. They don't shy away from showing the Bigfoot and they don't really have to, it looks pretty drat good even in daylight and close up. It's not perfect(I'm not a huge fan of the design of the face), but still clearly on another level from some of the crap I've already watched this month. I can't give it a perfect score because to me perfect would be a mean a more classic Bigfoot, but this is still a very solid score. Score: 8/10  Everything Else: Ehhhh it was hit or miss. Some of the acting was very good, but then even those same actors had some weird stilted scenes that weren't great. That's how it is with the two leads, it feels like they have good chemistry in one scene and then in another scene all the sudden they don't. Strange. One thing that does separate it from a lot of the cheaper Bigfoot films I've seen is that it does have some visual style to it. It's shot pretty well and it has a color grading that makes it feel a lot less flat than it would otherwise. Still, the main draw is the unique and well done Bigfoot. Score: 6/10 Total Score: 14/20 - One point better than Exists, making Primal Rage the top ranked Bigfoot of the month so far. 1. American Bigfoot 2. Terror on Bigfoot Pond 3. Scream 6 4. Clawed: The Legend of Sasquatch 5. M3GAN 6. Exists 7. Terrifier 2 8. Primal Rage Challenges Completed: 2. Tales From the Cryptids(take your pick) 4. Fresh Hell(Scream 6) 10. Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things(M3GAN) Meta Challenges: History Lesson(1/5), Geography Lesson(1/5)
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May 15, 2023 16:37
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Movie #12: Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum (2018) "Enter and you will die." So there's a haunted mental asylum in South Korea. But wait, it gets worse. It was built to house not only the mentally ill, but also political dissidents and brutal criminals. But wait, it gets worse. The hospital was built on a site where the Imperial Japanese Army committed some atrocities back in the 40s. But wait, it gets worse. In 1979 the hospital was closed down after a mass suicide by the inmates, and the sudden disappearance of the asylum's director. And now a group of Korean horror influencers are about to do a night-long live stream from it. The consequences? You can bet your rear end they're spooky. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum isn't exactly a found footage film, but more like ... the making of a found footage film? The gimmick is that a group of Korean ghost investigators are live streaming their investigation of the place, so everything we see other than an in-movie YouTube clip of two pimply-faced Korean teens disappearing in the hospital earlier, is live and first person. The crew are packing all kinds of high tech gear, from body mounted reaction cameras to multiple camcorders, pre-positioned corner cameras etc. This is a fun gimmick, and the movie plays well with it in many small (and big) ways. Like there will be a scene, where you suddenly realize that you're seeing all the characters on the screen at once. So who exactly is shooting the scene? There are also frequent technical problems with some video artifacting and corruption, signal dropouts etc, at significant times. It's cool. The movie also has a really effective tension curve. Things start only moderately tense, as our group are following a pre-written script, only for things to start going wrong in subtle, then moderately spooky, then very spooky, then fully terrifying ways. I watched the film in a room that wasn't pitch black, with my two kittens playing nearby, and even then I could feel my pulse going up and found myself tensing in several spots. It helps that the cast do a really good job, and once things start going all the way bad, it feels like they are all really terrified. Very impressive stuff. IF you're on the market for a very good and pretty classic haunted house movie, albeit one with a fun gimmick, Gonjiam is a fantastic place to start. The Best Part: The movie's ending is the cherry on top. Nobody confronts and banishes anything, or triumphs over the haunted hospital. Instead everyone loving dies, one by one, in horrifying ways. / 5My May 2023 Movies: 1. Black Friday!, 2. Hood of the Living Dead, 3. Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron, 4. Psycho (1960), 5. Mandy, 6. Knock at the Cabin, 7. Suburban Sasquatch, 8. Bay of Blood, 9. Saloum, 10. Braindead, 11. M3GAN, 12. Gonjiam: Haunted Asylum Challenges Completed: 1. Horror High (Mandy) 2. Tales from the Cryptids (Suburban Sasquatch) 3. Holy Terror (Saloum) 4. Fresh Hell (Knock at the Cabin) 5. Shooting Zombies (Psycho) 6. Drawn and Quartered (Hellboy Animated) 8. Second Chance (Braindead) 9. Challenge of the Dead (Hood of the Living Dead) 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things (M3GAN) 11. It's-a-Me! (Bay of Blood) History Lesson (Complete): Psycho (1960), Bay of Blood (1971), Hellboy Animated: Blood and Iron (2007), Mandy (2018), Knock at the Cabin (2023) Geography Lesson: (Complete): North America (Psycho), Europe (Bay of Blood), Africa (Saloum), Australia/New Zealand (Braindead), Asia (Gonjiam)
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May 15, 2023 19:10
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I’m rewatching As Above So Below, and I understand why I didn’t think much of the movie the first time. I’m intentionally trying to give the movie another shot and it took a serious force of will to not consign it to the trash heap when they translate a poem written in Aramaic and it rhymes in English.
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May 15, 2023 22:15
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 14. The Last Matinee (2020) Taking place in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1993, a student named Ana comes into work at a rundown movie theater to relieve her father and handle projectionist duties on a quiet, rainy evening. A murderer enters the theater, blocks all the exits, and goes on a rampage. I really liked this throwback slasher with its heavy giallo influence and simple story. It has a slow burn first act where we get introduced to the characters in the theater (a good variety - old grump, couple on a date, group of drunk rowdy teens, a little boy who snuck in to see the scary movie, etc.) but once the mayhem starts it is a ton of fun. Great gore effects, a nasty freak of a killer credited as Asesino Comeojos, aka Eye Eater Killer - guess what he does to the victims? and a lot of terrified people being chased around an old movie theater. One of the best things I've found during the challenge, for sure. 4.5/5 Completes GMM Challenge #13 Geography Lesson This is from Uruguay, crossing off South America. Previously, I've checked off Asia via The Sadness, Australia/Oceania via Roadgames, Europe via Faust, and North America via basically everything else I've watched this month, including this next one below.  15. Take Back the Night (2021) Heading home from a party to celebrate her art exhibit, Jane Doe is brutally attacked in an alley, by a strange monster. Finding no help from the police, the news, or even her sister, she takes to social media where she speaks to her fans and followers about trying to stop the beast before it can hurt anyone else. As you can probably guess, this is essentially a story about survivors of sexual assault being traumatized by their abuser and then traumatized again by the way society treats victims. The police question her about inconsistencies in her story, she has things thrown in her face to discredit her by the media (drug use, promiscuity, family history of mental illness), it's pretty loving depressing. Also, everyone is assuming Jane is referring to a man, but the monster is an actual monster (we find out that it's some sort of ancient something-or-other, it looks like a cloud of smoke and limbs but it has eyes and teeth and is genuinely pretty freaky looking). Eventually, Jane hears from other women who have been attacked by the same monster, and is pointed towards resources (an ancient book that describes how to make the blade needed to put the monster down) - time to forget about 'official' sources of help and go vigilante monster hunter mode. This movie definitely has its heart in the right place (helps that it was written, directed, and almost entirely acted by women, it ends with the numbers for both the national suicide hotline and a hotline for sexual assault victims) and the performances are good, but it really lags at some points and the ending is flat and unsatisfying. A tough watch, not something I would recommend without knowing what you're diving in to, but generally a good movie. 3/5 Completes GMM Challenge #7 Woke In Fright Likely clear from my review, this is a movie essentially based on assault victims being discredited and not believed by authorities. Only one GMM challenge left to complete, which for me will be to watch Bava's Blood and Black Lace for the first time. I still have about 20 movies to cross off for my HorrorX52 challenge over on Letterboxd, so I will be watching some of those as well. First time watches: 15/13 GMM Challenges:
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May 15, 2023 22:24
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#14: As Above So Below 8. Second Chance  I first watched As Above So Below a few years back as part of a big found footage catch up. I wasn't really impressed at the time. But I've seen people say nice things about it consistently so I figured it was worth a second go. It turns out it's good! I think I was just kinda burned out by bad found footage when I watched it and was in a very uncharitable mood. So when early on a guy translates a poem from Aramaic to English and it rhymes in English, I was just like, dumb movie, into the bin. But gritting my teeth and getting through that, the movie is pretty fun. It's way more Tomb Raider/Indiana Jones than you would expect from a found footage movie, with ancient stone traps and stuff. The catacombs/hell setting allows for a good variety of scares, there's lots of blood, some fun camera tricks. It's a good time. My one remaining reservation is that I'm not sure it's best served as a found footage. I think it could have worked just as well, if not better, as a traditional movie. But it is what it is and what that is is a fun spooky adventure time. Challenges in progress 13. Geography Lesson: North America (The Relic) Asia (Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya) Challenges complete 1: Horror High: Naked Lunch 2: Tales from the Cryptids: Mothman Prophecies (because of mothman) 3. Holy Terror: Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya (because of Shinto) 4. Fresh Hell: M3gan 6. Drawn and Quartered: The Spine of Night 8. Second Chance: As Above So Below 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things: Beware! Children at Play 12. History lesson: 1980s (Beware! Children at Play)1990s (The Relic) 2000s (The Mothman Prophecies) 2010s (Senritsu Kaiki File Kowasugi File 05: Preface True Story Of The Ghost Of Yotsuya) 2020s (Scream)
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May 16, 2023 00:34
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The Berzerker posted:
This is on my list too, but every time I see the poster my brain forces me to read it as The Last Manatee for a second and it keeps throwing me off 
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May 16, 2023 01:33
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27. The Pit - 1981 Directed by Lew Lehman 🎃 Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things 🎃  It's not a great movie by any stretch but it's definitely memorable. Where else are you going to find a movie about a Canadian kid who moves to Wisconsin, where he becomes a social pariah who befriends some troglodytes who are real and somehow avoided extinction? You don't even need to mention that the kid imagines his teddy bear talks to him or the incredibly uncomfortable thread of puberty driven sexual frustration that runs through the entire movie. 💀💀💀/5 Spooky May Spring Cleaning 13/13 1. Basket Case 2; 2. Basket Case 3: The Progeny; 3. 3 from Hell; 4. Attack of the Blind Dead; 5. The Ghost Galleon; 6. Night of the Seagulls, 7. Ginger Snaps Back: The Beginning; 8. Saw III; 9. Saw IV; 10. Saw V; 11. Saw VI; 12. Saw VII 3D: The Final Chapter; 13. Jigsaw GMM Challenges 10/13 1. Horror High - Bliss 2. Tales from the Cryptids - Mongolian Death Worm 3. Holy Terror - Incantation 4. Fresh Hell - The Pope's Exorcist 5. Shooting Zombies - The Fall of the House of Usher 6. Drawn and Quartered - Violence Voyager 7. Woke in Fright - Tales from the Hood 8. Second Chance - The Fly 9. Challenge of the Dead - Survival of the Dead 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things - The Pit 11. It's-a Me! 12. History lesson - Evil Ed (1990s); Do You Like Hitchcock? (2000s); Blood Moon (2010s); Hellraiser (2020s) 13. Geography Lesson Completed Collections * The Basket Case Trilogy * The Firefly Collection * The Blind Dead Collection * The Ginger Snaps Collection * The Saw Collection
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May 16, 2023 02:20
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 There wasn't a clear consensus on whether to retry this or the remake, so I let the decision go to what was most convenient to watch. And I was... fine with it? I still don't like it from the very conception, but it had been long enough that my hatred has cooled significantly. I forgot most of the stuff I hated was actually just in the remake and the original has some charming stuff. Plus not being 13 has made me able to better appreciate things that aren't my taste.
I'm giving it poo poo, but that means I care enough to. The cast is likable and it's done well enough that I don't feel like I had an hour and a half stolen from me. Which is incredibly faint praise but still a marked improvement from before. I took a break and forgot the number, 9? My real goal is the challenges Second Chances, 90's for History Lesson
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May 16, 2023 03:35
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 35 (51). Alice, Sweet Alice (1976) Directed by Alfred Sole; Written by Rosemary Ritvo and Alfred Sole Watched on Kanopy Its a Video Nasty, "American giallo", and "proto slasher" and I hate all those three things so It should come as no surprise I hated this. But I was actually coming in with some genuine open mindedness. Mainly because as much as I dislike giallo and slashers its mostly because of the derivative elements of the lesser majority. I find that the ealry stuff, the trailblazer that help shape a sub genre or fad often are way better. They're the films that did something new and different so well that it bore off a whole sub genre of imitators. And a Video Nasty is just sort of a generic label. It doesn't say whether a film is good or bad, just that it has some kind of offensive content. But I do find that much of the video nasty films kind of don't have much to show for them but the offensive stuff. But this one is a heavily praised, highly rated, cult classic so I was game. But I hated it. Mostly I was just kind of bored. So bored I paused to do my laundry. I don't really know what I was supposed to get from this besides that the director super hates Catholics. More on that later. The key mystery/thriller just didn't feel terribly eery or anything. It seemed much more focused on that Catholic stuff or the parents' bad divorce or just the kid's mental state. And I guess that's the point but it didn't feel like an especially good exploration of any of these things and I couldn't figure out what the focus was supposed to be. And then weirdly the movie resolves its mystery with like half an hour left. Ok? Maybe that will go somewhere? Nope. Just kind of more Catholic hate? Ok full disclosure, I'm what one calls a laxed Catholic. I was raised and educated Catholic but I've fallen out of practice. I believe in the core principles and values I was taught of service, kindness, love, forgiveness, charity. I don't know about the rest. And there's plenty of reason to be mad at Catholics whether its the Vatican doing bad poo poo or your local priest being an rear end in a top hat. From bad politics to rampant abuse and cover up, there's definitely reasons to be mad and being as familiar as I am with the Catholic Church I bet I have more reason than most who hate it. But there's really nothing here. Like the film doesn't seem to be saying anything. It just really really doesn't like Catholics. And I read the director's backstory so its clear that's much more of a personal hatred than it is any kind of idealogical one. And that makes sense. Because there's just not any substance to this stuff that I can tell. And look, dude did some hosed up poo poo, pissed off his local Catholic church, and they pushed prosecutors to make your life miserable. That's grounds to be mad. But that's people being lovely to each other. It ain't something deeper. And you definitely started it. But that's neither here nor there. I don't want to get into the questionable prosecutions around Alfred Sole's problematic incest necrophilia porn with iffy real cast and crew ideas of consent and usage of minors. Lets not open that can, I just got over the bad mood it put me in. But I didn't like this movie before I went looking for backstory and analysis to see what I may have missed in it. And honestly even without that stuff I just didn't feel like I got any substance from what others read. Yes its anti Catholic. Yes it seems to put a lot of blame on broken families. Maybe its got ideas of gender stuff? I'm less convinced of that. But is there any depth or insight here? Or even thought provoking starter questions? The 70s feels like it has a lot of this stuff. I guess people were really feeling the family and societal strife. Vietnam, civil rights, sexual revolution, etc. Ok. But I dunno. I just didn't get anything from this. It feels like it comes from a specific kind of sub sub genre of like middle class 70s angst or something. I dunno. But I'm not feeling it at all. And you throw in weird pointless poo poo like pedophiles and weird child sexuality stuff you lose me completely. gey muckle mowser posted:
 36 (52). Incantation (2022) Directed by Kevin Ko; Screenplay by Chang Che-wei and Kevin Ko Watched on Netflix Not a bad film. Its definitely got a lot of creepiness and a very emotional core story and solid performance from the lead. Its choice to tell the story through found footage and non linear ways is kind if disorientating. Others have said that it doesn't exactly follow found footage "rules". Like it gives some reasons for stuff but there's also a lot of angles and editing and stuff. I can't say I'm bothered by that but it was a very busy distraction. And then the non linear stuff adds more business. I can see why they chose to tell the story this way to preserve mysteries and big stuff but its just a lot. I think found footage works best with a simple story to give it a more intimate look and cover up some flaws. When you have a script like this that has so much going on and so many details and characters and acts it just kind of becomes messy I think. Still its a creepy film with some good stuff and even if it runs a little long and even if I was very tired and feeling terrible and hopped up on drowsy drugs I still stayed engaged to the end. Maybe all of that leaves my memory of details a little fuzzy or me not sure what to talk about but in the end its a decent film with a basic monster idea I always liked of like the kind of quasi Buddhist thing of thought/faith giving power to stuff being done pretty well. I do wish the film had found a cleaner way to tell the story but really not bad at all.  37 (53). All Monsters Attack (1969) Directed by Ishirō Honda; Screenplay by Shinichi Sekizawa Watched on HBOMax This movie is a fever dream. Or at least that's how it felt since I had been in pain for 24 hours and was filled with drugs and wasn't entirely sure I wasn't dreaming this entire film... which itself is a child's dream? What the hell is going on? And I appreciate the sentiment but I'm not sure smog is truly a worse monster than a rampaging fire breathing giant lizard destroying Tokyo. Godzilla killed a lot of people. Lets not whitewash that because he's a dad now. Ok, back to this weird kid dreaming his bully into a kaiju and him making friends to a talking Godzilla Jr so that Godzilla will kill his bully. Really, I can't tell if I imagined this or not. Ok so whether this is the product of Honda wanting to make a kid's movie or just the compromise of a low budget or both this is undeniably a weird film in a franchise that has a lot of weird films. I don't know if I think its the worst one but I'm not sure it isn't either. Its dumb. Mildly charming in its dumbness for a bit but that also kind of wears out. Had Honda come up with a good final act for this it might have come home. But its the kid being chased by wacky bank robbers in some Home Alone stuff while he imagines monsters giving him pep talks. Its weird. I get why Honda would remember this fondly. you make so many monster movies something different is gonna stand out and its a sweet idea. But like you shortchange the audience on the draw of monsters and don't really make a super great or different something else. You're gonna have some disappointed fans.
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May 16, 2023 05:12
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okay, gotta pick up the pace. Huesera: The Bone Woman (2023) - Shudder  Synopsis A young mother-to-be is haunted by a dark entity. Review I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I didn't full-on love it. It's got some great cinematography and sound design, and some very j-horror-esque visuals. There are moments of brillance, but overall, the plot was really thin and could've really used a bit more emotional heft. I felt like it started to slump around the middle, but it has some pretty satisfying payoffs in the climax, including some wild choreography. Definitely stay away if you have an issue with bone trauma. Completes the challanges- Fresh Hell and Geography Lesson (Central/South America) Rating:  / 5Movies Completed - 3/13 Challenges Completed - 2 1. High Horror - Blue Sunshine (1977) 3. Fresh Hell - Huesera: The Bone Woman (2023) 13. Geography Lesson North America - Blue Sunshine Central/South America - Huesera: The Bone Woman
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May 16, 2023 05:18
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 19. Monkey Shines [1988] FW I think George has something in this one, but just the overall length of the film really does bring it down for me quite a bit. We're living too much in these scenes that should draw frustration and tie us in with our lead some more, but its more like I'm bored trying to figure out why we're still here. The tedium I imagine was the point, but it works against the film constantly and all I kept imagining was a slightly shorter and tightened up story that got to the meat a lot more succinctly than it does currently. It's got some solid monkey camera magic and a fairly honest way of portraying the paralyzed and how they deal with a multitude of life issues, but picking up the pace might've helped just to get to the shinning a lot more sooner. Two and a Half  's 20. Unfriended [2014] RW Had a weird hankering to return to these two and they still largely hold up even if the actors in this first one are not that great and the ghost in the machine story feeling extra hokey compared to the real world horrors that exist already on the internet, but its still incredibly effective at generating these large bursts of emotion and fright, but then we're kinda stuck with these very unlikable characters which works for the story. Still pretty good, not great or even solid, but I think the next one really brings it up to where it should be. Two and a Half 's 21. Unfriended: Dark Web [2018] RW A lot more structured and interesting than the first one with at least a handful of characters that you care about and the underpinnings of something far more nefarious going on that you leave feeling intrigued and a bit frightened at the thought of how it would take much organization to keep this game going. You can draw all sorts of parallels from different cases about Swatting, revenge porn, gang-stalking, serial killer groups and good ol' fashioned online cyber bullying. The movie just works really well out of the box. Three 's 22. There Are Monsters [2013] FW I forget why I watched this one, but man just a bit of a snoozer. Some neat ideas here and there and some effective camera work ever so often, but otherwise you really feel both the budget and the talent on screen trying to shoot past where they're at, but it just doesnt work most of the time. It's not even a long movie, but I had to keep checking my watch at the time I was waiting to just move on. Interesting ideas that I think could be fleshed out some more, but that's about it. Two 's 23. The Cat [1992] FW Now this was a left field choice, but I'm glad I did because what a weird loving movie. There's tons of goop, big monsters, weird fights, gangsters being turned into silly putty and a heroic dog that's going to come up against its most powerful enemy, The Cat! less said the better for this one. Just a real weird time worth checking out if you can find it. Three 's 24. The Changeling [1980] FW [Geography Lesson] First time watching this one and its a classic! George C. Scott has never been better. the twists and turns this one takes and the full commitment to making this an honest to god ghost story really ratchets things up in meaningful and purposeful ways that just enhances everything going forward. Super good and adding this one to my media collection very soon. Five 's 25. Darkroom [1989] FW A bit too dry for my tastes and the low budget is definitely felt, but there's some funny little performances in here with a pretty good setup though the rest of the cast you're following is kinda not great. It's a slasher that should have more going for it, but is really held back by the overall production. Two 's 26. The Pope's Exorcist [2023] FW *This review is done in the accent Russell Crowe is doing* Much like a pizza, the way this movie comes together is in multiple layers that shouldnt work as well as they do, but then at the end all of a sudden you havea delicious pizza pie! Three and a Half 's 27. What The Peeper Saw [1971] FW [Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things] [History Lesson] I thought this was an evil kids movie and it sorta is, but the lady who is looking into the evil kid is also sorta turned on by him? and the kid fondles the step-mother and the step-mother strips down naked for the kid hoping to get the information she wants out of him. Then it has the greatest ending ever put to film. One and a Half 's 28. Prince of Darkness [1987] FW A stone cold classic that is like pulling out a group of friends who are doomed, but ya gotta watch the journey every time. I ended up watching this with Commentary on just for fun and it was! Five 's 29. Get The Hell Out [2020] FW [Get The Hell Out] I expected better, but it wasnt bad. It felt very very very style over substance, but that style even feels about a decade too late. I half expected a ninja, pirate and big foot to come out and help the day with nyan-cat making an appearance and some wacky character to acknowledge how crazy this all is. Again, not bad but not great but sorta good? I dunno. I wish there was more characterization and foundation to everything besides "what sounds cool right now?" which sometimes works and i think the third act is strong even if the ending is a bit of a wet fart. It was fine. Two and a Half 's 30. World War Z [2013] RW It's still amazing this thing exists. its purely out of this being the pinnacle of the zombie genre basically overshooting by a mile with a budget that didnt need to be this big, a scope that is unwieldy and effects that are kinda cool. It's not an adaptation at all which now a decade later is fine. we were only going to get a proper adaptation if someone wanted to pony up the cash for a 10 part Ken Burns style mini-series based directly on the book. this is just someone hot potato-ing this IP for too long until it was ready to pop but then what came out was a well enough put together movie, that is definitely too long, but filled with some of the dumbest poo poo possible that I barely feel the runtime. I'm either dumbstruck or awe-struck. no in between. Three 's 31. The Mothman Prophecies [2002] FW [Tales from the Cryptids] Boring is a strong word, but jesus christ i was checking my watch every 5 minutes thinking 20 had passed. there's some good vibes in here that a shorter runtime would've really befitted from, Gere is kinda cool being this unwieldy but he should've went even further with it. I was just grasping at anything though hoping something would happen and then we get to the third act and something finally does and its like OK. The movie is OK. Two and a Half 's 32. Blood Games [1990] FW I actually ended up liking this one kind of a lot and will probably go ahead and grab the physical sometime soon. The SA stuff was a bit much, but it plays into the genre at the time and it is what it is. The women do get their big payback and the dudes all get eviscerated so its at least got that going for it. Those dudes all deserved what they got and the movie doesnt mind making sure you know that for certain. Three and a Half 's
dorium fucked around with this message at 21:44 on May 16, 2023 |
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May 16, 2023 06:37
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STAC Goat posted:
Where'd you pull this info from? All I can find or read about his early movie, Deep Sleep, is that it violated old obsenity laws just because they filmed a porn and distributed it. Here's an article from 1973 about the charges: quote:Alfred Sole, a 29‐year‐old interior decorator in Paterson who produced the film, was charged with having conspired with Joseph Rose, a Paterson actor, and an actress identified as “Mary Canary” or “Kim” to commit fornication. He was also accused of having aided and abetted these actors to commit fornication, conspiracy with them to commit in private an act of lewdness or carnal indecency and of having invited the actors to a place or building for the purpose of lewdness. Maybe I clearly missed something that you've found? But there's even a short documentary about these charges and the trial. I'd think if there were more serious allegations like you've listed, they'd mention it. The whole thing reads like the FBI using it as an example to scare off other would-be adult filmmakers.
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May 16, 2023 13:09
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I didn’t dig too deep but I got most of the info from this podcast summation. https://www.therialtoreport.com/2020/02/09/deep-sleep-3/ It does sound like the charges were largely trumped up “obscenity” stuff due to pressure from the community and church. It also seems apparent that Sole engaged in a pretty exploitative guerrilla filmmaking process that set his community against him. Sole himself is credited as admitting he employed minors on his crew to score it and showed them the movie over and over and that he purposely deceived family and friends about the full content of the film by filming the sex scenes entirely separate from the rest. I didn’t really dig deeper because I was mostly curious as to whether he just filmed a regular porn and the law came down unfairly on him or if he actually did skeevy things. It sounds like both are true to me. He did skeevy poo poo but the prosecution against him was clearly political in nature. But it did give me I think some context for his anti catholic tone and the weird sex stuff in the film. Edit: Which is not to say that I think the skeevy filming practices or petty crimes he committed warranted the prosecutions of him. Just that I think he sounds skeevy. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 14:41 on May 16, 2023 |
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May 16, 2023 14:38
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| # ? Jun 4, 2024 18:19 |
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10. Suburban Sasquatch (2004) (first viewing) (watched via Tubi)  I was considering this based on the excellent spotlight episode of Best of the Worst, and Shaman Tank Spec's review gave me the final nudge I needed. In this true z-grade, shot-on-video feature, Bigfoot is terrorizing the town of Woodstown, Pennsylvania, for extremely unclear reasons. Despite the no-budget filmmaking and schlocky premise, director Dave Wascavage had pretensions of telling a deep story about man's relationship with nature. Unfortunately for him (but fortunately for bad movie fans), the storytelling is as incomprehensible as the filmmaking. The entire film alternates because scenes featuring our various protagonists--a Native American hunter, an intrepid wannabe reporter, and a cop with a personal grudge against the monster--and scenes featuring the introduction of nameless victims soon to be slaughtered by Bigfoot. It's always a little risky watching a bad movie you've seen featured on Best of the Worst, etc., because there's the risk that they showed all the good parts already, but Suburban Sasquatch is just wall-to-wall entertaining. Like Shaman Tank Spec, I watched this solo, sober, and in frequent hysterics. There's so much to nitpick that I was frequently rewinding in disbelief to confirm what I'd just seen. Even a simple shot-reverse shot conversation is rife with errors, from the color temperature to the blocking of the characters jumping wildly with every cut. The 180 degree rule is a mere suggestion to Dave Wascavage. Seriously, you name it, he hosed it up. Is that character using a flashlight in broad daylight? Yes. Did the arm that Bigfoot ripped off a victim re-appear re-attached in the very next shot? Yes. Did that character's dialogue include a typo from the script that they just left in? Yes. Did the director cast his grandma? Yes. Did grandma just sneak a glance directly into the camera, Pee-Wee Herman style? Yes. Highest recommendation for fans of bad movies. CHALLENGE: "Tales from the Cryptids." This also gives me bonus points for "History Lesson" (6/5 completed) as my first 2000s film of the challenge, because why the hell not? --- CHALLENGES: 1. Horror High--A Field in England (2013) 2. Tales from the Cryptids--Suburban Sasquatch (2004) 3. Holy Terror--Satan's Slaves (2017) 4. Fresh Hell--Evil Dead Rise (2023) 5. Shooting Zombies--Ringu (1998) 6. Drawn and Quartered 7. Woke in Fright 8. Second Chance 9. Challenge of the Dead--City of the Living Dead (1980) 10. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things--Dolls (1987) 11. It's-a Me! 12. History Lesson (6/5 completed)--The Shout (1978) ('70s); Dolls (1987) ('80s); The Fear (1995) ('90s); Suburban Sasquatch (2004) ('00s); A Field in England (2013) (2010s); Pearl (2022) (2020s) 13. Geography Lesson (4/5 completed)--The Fear (1995) (North America via USA); The Shout (1978) (Europe via UK); Ringu (1998) (Asia via Japan); Satan's Slaves (2017 (Southeast Asia via Indonesia)
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May 16, 2023 14:54
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