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 49 (91). Super Hybrid (2010) Directed by Eric Valette; Written by Neal Marshall Stevens Easily one of the dumbest films I’ve ever seen. I don’t seek films like this out but awhile back I did catch parts of this with some friends who do love this kind of nonsense. To each their own. Watching at that time my only real member is that the terrible CGI and frantic car scenes just gave me a headache. And you know what? It gave me a headache again. I feel like I almost got motion sickness. Like these aren’t good car stats or chases or anything. Its just a LOT of footage of a car driving from different angles and lights speeding through dark corridors. Seriously, I should have taken dramamine. The characters and acting are mildly better than I expected. That made this relatively watchable when I wasn’t nauseous although there’s nothing flirting with “good” here. And in a lot of ways having competent characters makes the stupidness of this stand out more. Like the entire movie rests on the fact that some guy welded the emergency exits of a parking lot closed. And not like a Jigsaw guy doing it to set up a death trap. Just the world’s worst middle management decision. Its so dumb. Also why does the main character have a terrible boyfriend? What purpose does he serve in this? Its all just so dumb. But I guess it isn’t as bad as it could be. Its watcheable and surprisingly competent. But its bad and it made my physically pained. If you’re into really stupid trash stuff it might not be bad enough for you or it might find the ring balance of incredibly stupid taking itself seriously you like. I dunno. I just had to take a nap after it.  50 (92). The Wrath of Becky (2023) Written and directed by Matt Angel and Suzanne Coote Watched on Showtime I knew Stifler would end up a Proud Boy. If the first film stretched the limits of believability with its premise of a teenage girl so driven by spite that she’s able to murder a bunch of nazis by catching them by surprise then this film just laughs at you even thinking that way. Becky’s just John Wick’s lost daughter here. She’s basically Rambo. She’d be a member of the Fast and Furious family except she scares them. She’s practicing battle rolls and fantasizing about ripping people’s faces off. And going ham with a machete. But she still loves her dog and she still is human enough to feel for someone kind to her or even consider compassion at the thought of orphaning another kid. And maybe she wants to expose and take down a nazi terrorist organization? I mean she clearly doesn’t like nazis but its definitely a matter of convenience that they pissed her off. And the ending is just absurd. Its a full on step into John Wick/Fast and Furious nonsense. Just full on “gently caress it.” They stretch the original premise of this as far as it will go and when they finally decide they’re done accidently having her cross paths with nazis to murder they just move on because really they were always making Becky Wick. And that’s a-ok with me. This is probably the best of the female driven Wick knockoffs I’ve seen and maybe one of the best period. I’m not a huge action and gore fan myself but fun is fun and Becky is fun. Scary and unstable. But I’m sure hooking up with black ops spies is gonna clear that right up. They’ll be good role models. Can’t wait to see her end the Ukraine war and assassinate Putin in the 3rd film.  51 (93). Night Visions (1990) Directed by Wes Craven; Written by Wes Craven and Thomas Baum Watched on Youtube This is my last unseen Wes Craven horror film. Nothing left but the kids film, the musical drama, and the porn. And its something. Craven’s basically making a 90s edgy erotic cop thriller except its for TV so its all toned down. That’s kind of hilarious because James Remar and Mitch Pileggi are bringing all this edgy 90s cop energy and then they’re like “bite my butt!” Sincere laughter. Its core idea is weird though. Ostensibly its your basic cop teams up with a psychic to catch a serial killer thing but Loryn Locklin doesn’t seem to know she’s psychic and while everyone things its weird she’s got these hunches and is so intuitive no one’s taking that leap. And I guess the official explanation is that she isn’t psychic. She’s traumatized and she adopts the personalities of others when she’s stressed or afraid? Or something? But that doesn’t make sense because why would that make her able to teach aerobics or ride a motorcycle or beat up bikers? And why would she been adopting the personalities of people she never met? So like she’s psychic AND these personalities she connects with take over. Or something. They don’t want to say the “p” word and its all a bit vague. Anyway what you have is at times a plodding cop investigation and at other times… a weird movie about the not-psychic wandering around as other people while the cop tries to reason with her. The Spread Eagle Killer… yes, that’s what they call him… and weirdly it actually ends up mattering in a non sexual way… feels very much like an afterthought here. Nor is the kind of teased inappropriate aged romance between Remar and Locklin. Although maybe that’s not really about sex either, just about them having a connection as partners. He the alcoholic rear end in a top hat grizzled vet cop and she the barely out of school naive young non cop. Who is psychic. And has serious untreated mental issues apparently. I dunno. Its a curious one. Not good enough for me to really go to bat for. Not really bad enough for me to be mad about. I think the weirdness of the plot kept me engaged as well as the funniness of trying to do an R movie at TVPG. Plus it was my last Wes horror so it was a bittersweet bit of mediocre tv movie. RIP, Wes. No one had a career like you for better and worse. 🎃💀Halloween 2023: HooptoberX and HalloweeNIT💀🎃 Watched - New (Total) [i]- (1) Night of the Demons (1988); 1 (2). Night Terrors (1993); 2 (3). Nightbooks (2021); 3 (4). The Last Voyage of the Demeter (2023); 4 (5). Atomic Dog (1998); - Violence Jack: Harlem Bomber (1986); - (6). Pumpkinhead (1988); 5 (7). Bird Box (2018); 6 (8). Private House of the SS (1977); 7 (9). Vamps (2012); 8 (10). Red (2008); 9 (11). Malum (2023); 10 (12). The Visitor (1979); 11 (13). The Night Caller (1998); 12 (14). Smoke and Mirrors: The Story of Tom Savini (2015); 13 (15). Older than America (2006); 14 (16). The Boogeyman (2023); - (17). Demons 2 (1986); 15 (18). Night of the Demons 2 (1994); 16 (19). The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster (2023); - (20). House on Haunted Hill (1959); - (21). Pumpkinhead II: Blood Wings (1994); 17 (22). Flight 7500 (2014); - (23). Creep (2014); - (24). Pet Sematary (1989); -. A Creepshow Animated Special (2020); - (25). Pet Sematary II (1992); 18 (26). Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022); 19 (27). Wendigo (2001); - (28). Pet Sematary (2019); - (29). Killer Klowns from Outer Space (1988); - (30). The Crawling Eye (1958); 20 (31). Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965); 21 (32). Pet Sematary: Bloodlines (2023); 22 (33). Jack-O (1995); 23 (34). Chemical Wedding (2008); 24 (35). Night of the Demons III (1997); 25 (36). Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (2006); - (37). Graveyard Shift (1990); 26 (38). Sole Survivor (1984); - (39). Night of the Demons (2009); 27 (40). Pumpkinhead: Blood Feud (2007); 28 (41). Moloch; 29 (42). Depraved (2019); 30 (43). The Carpenter (1988); 31 (44). Rhymes for Young Ghouls (2013); 32 (45). From Beyond the Grave (1974); 33 (46). The Ranger (2018); - (47). [REC] (2007); 34 (48). Chiller (1985); - (47). Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948); - (48). Invaders from Mars (1986); - (49). [REC]² (2009); - The Fall of the House of Usher (2023); 34 (50). Dario Argento’s Dracula aka Dracula 3D (2012); - (51). Creep 2 (2017); 35 (52). The Crooked Man (2016); - (53). The Gate (1987); 36 (53). Stage Fright (2014); - (54). Secret Window (2004); - Violence Jack: Evil Town (1988); - (56). Poltergeist (1982); 37 (57). Dogtooth (2009); - Brand New Cherry Flavor (2021); - Violence Jack: Hell’s Wind (1990); 38 (58). Shaky Shivers (2022); 39 (59). Innocent Curse (2017); 40 (60). Old Man (2022); - (61). Grave Encounters (2011); 41 (62). Becky (2020); 42 (83). There’s Someone Inside Your House (2021); 43 (84). Unwelcome (2022); 44 (85). [REC]³ Genesis (2012); 45 (86). [REC]⁴ Apocalypse (2014); - (87). Ready or Not (2019); 46 (88). The Night Stalker (1972); 47 (89). Bedevil (1993); 48 (90). Dread (2009); 49 (91). Super Hybrid (2010); 50 (92). The Wrath of Becky (2023); 51 (93). Night Visions (1990); 🎃 HooptoberX: 32/41 🎃 HalloweeNIT ‘23: 25/31 🎃 Basebf’s SA Challenges: 27/31 🎃 Completed Collections: 5
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Oct 24, 2023 05:12
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 My own brother a goddamn, poo poo-sucking vampire! Ohhh, you wait 'til mom finds out buddy. 38. The Lost Boys No matter how many times I watch this, I'm always loving every minute of it. Even the dumb corny jokes that get mixed in with the good ones. Such an amazing soundtrack, and a great snapshot of the late 80s. This was part of my childhood. 5/5 Ever wonder what happened to this guy?  https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/lost-boys-sexy-saxophonist-tim-cappello-greased-up-hip-popping-balls-out-concert-scene-165737467.html He played sax with Tina Turner before getting the role, and is still playing sax with bands like synthwave legends Gunship. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-ZJYp06mhs Philthy fucked around with this message at 05:27 on Oct 24, 2023 |
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Oct 24, 2023 05:12
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 26.) Popcorn Alan Ormsby & Mark Herrier | 1991 | Blu-ray I was originally going to watch something on streaming, but my internet’s been a little poo poo so I decided to grab a blu-ray instead. I liked this movie. It’s not the most substantial film, the title is pretty apt, but it was pretty fun! I really liked seeing all the movies-within-the-movie, even though I wish we had more time with the third film. It has some fun kills, and the twist is a little neat. I also got a little kick out of seeing Lt. Murtaugh as well. Overall, it is a little slight, but it was fun. Also, the songs all slapped. Rating:  ½ Total: 26/31 New: 21 Rewatches: 5 Individual Bonus Challenges: 12/13 General/Meta Bonus Challenges: 16/18 or 3/4 My Letterboxd list (in progress)
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Oct 24, 2023 05:40
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Baskin (2016) Dir. Can Evrenol  Nothing to do with the ice cream, unfortunately. A Turkish horror film in which four cops get trapped in Hell, and things just keep going farther south until they are captured and mutilated by cultists. The culmination of the movie is basically torture porn, which is not a term I throw around lightly, administered by a guy using his unusual physical features to play a very Michael Berryman-like role. Well-shot but not enjoyable. The Beyond (1981) Dir. Lucio Fulci  Pretty much City of the Living Dead with a more focused narrative and a MUCH better film transfer on Shudder. You can see every detail of the goop and contact lenses. A woman inherits a hotel that happens to sit on top of one of the seven accursed gateways to Hell, and we can infer that the church in City of the Living Dead was another, because outside of more overt Lovecraft references in City, this is largely the same movie. Extremely ripe zombies show up and start making equally ripe additional zombies. There's some goofy plotline involving a blind woman who may be a ghost, and the zombies being able to strike other people blind, which CAN also make them zombies. The creativity is all locked up in the rancid zombies, convoluted kill sequences, vivid camera angles, and chunky gore, as usual. I enjoyed it more than City of the Living Dead, but only just, because at the end one of the heroes goes absolutely ham with a .44. There's also a downright comical tarantula sequence, with a couple of real tarantulas and a lot of not very convincing puppets, at least on a 4k transfer. 1. Baskin (2016) 2/5 2. Bats (1999) 3/5 3. The Beyond (1981) 3/5 4. The Bogeyman (2023) 3/5 5. The Boogeyman (1980) 2/5 6. Bride of Chucky (1998) 4/5 7. City of the Living Dead (1980) 2/5 8. Cobweb (2023) 5/5 9. Dark Angel: The Ascent (1994) 3/5 10. Deadly Games (1989) 4/5 11. Death Line 2/5 (1972) 2/5 12. Deep Red (1975) 5/5 13. Demons (1985) 3/5 14. Demons 2 (1986) 2/5 15. Dog Soldiers (2002) 4/5 16. The Haunting (1999) 1/5 17. Holidays (2016) 2/5 18. House on Haunted Hill (1959) 2/5 19. The Howling 2: Your Sister Is a Werewolf (1985) 4/5 20. The Lair (2022) 1/5 21. The Last Man on Earth (1964) 4/5 22. Lockdown Tower (2022) 2/5 23. Matriarch (2022) 3/5 24. The Meg 2: The Trench (2023) 4/5 25. Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar (2023) 4/5 26. Nightmare on Elm Street II: Freddy’s Revenge (1985) 5/5 27. Nightmare on Elm Street III: The Dream Warriors (1987) 5/5 28. Nightmare on Elm Street IV: The Dream Master (1988) 3/5 29. Pet Sematary Bloodlines (2023) 1/5 30. Petey Wheatstraw (1977) 4/5 31. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (2016) 2/5 32. The Power (2021) 2/5 33. Prom Night (1980) 2/5 34. Renfield (2023) 1/5 35. Santo and Blue Demon vs. the Monsters (1970) 3/5 36. Slaughterhouse (1987) 3/5 37. Slotherhouse (2023) 2/5 38. The Superdeep (2020) 1/5 39. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) 1/5 40. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 3 (1990) 3/5 41. Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994) 3/5 42. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) 2/5 43. Titane (2021) 4/5 44. Werewolves Within (2021) 5/5 45. Willy’s Wonderland (2021) 2/5 Name Change fucked around with this message at 06:14 on Oct 24, 2023 |
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Oct 24, 2023 06:11
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22. Re-Animator (Stuart Gordon, 1985) People fuckin' LOVE hucking poo poo at walls in this move, and I am all for it. The whole (extended edition) subplot with the creepy doctor's hypnosis powers sure was loving weird though. It rapidly made less sense as the movie went on, but also a headless body does shtick so what the gently caress am I complaining about.
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Oct 24, 2023 06:31
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24. Exorcist II: The Heretic Four years after being possessed and exorcized, Regan MacNeil (Linda Blair) is being treated by a psychiatrist (Louise Fletcher) who wants to use a hypnosis machine to see whether she's still got any buried trauma she's not dealing with. Meanwhile, Father Lamont (Richard Burton) has been sent by the Vatican to investigate the fate of Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow), especially as Merrin was suspected of heresy. Regan lets Lamont sit in on her sessions, where Lamont discovers that Regan is still being haunted by the demon Pasuzu. (Incidentally the statue featured in the original movie was of Pasuzu, so this tracks.) Regan also seems to display traces of unnatural abilities, which could be used for great good or great evil. Despite opposition from all corners, and the overbearing corruption of the demon itself, Lamont seeks a way to fight the evil surrounding her. Look, we all know Friedkin's Exorcist is an immaculate work of pure terror, and I'm glad Exorcist III is getting its overdue re-evaluation, but you can't dangle this topic in front of me and NOT expect me to go this way. Exorcist II is one of the most conceptually fascinating horror films ever, even if at the same time it is deeply flawed. Warner Bros. no doubt picked John Boorman for the job of helming the sequel off the strength of Deliverance, but this is closer to Zardoz; it's loving weird and Boorman is not about to meet the viewer on their level anytime soon. From the moment the film asks us to believe that people can examine each other's memories and psyches just by staring at a flashing light and making a machine beep slower, we're miles away from the elegant simplicity of the original and deep into a mix of New Age psuedopsychology and heady mysticism. Like a poem, the film is a collection of imagery and related concepts; there are visions of locusts, birds, flight, the wind, the "brushing of the wings" being both the corruption of a demon and the madness of a locust swarm brought on by overpopulation. In the midst of all this the film's pace occasionally flags while some scenes seem rushed past, and the literal plot is, well, not the easiest to follow. At times the dialogue also seems to be rushing past bullet points in lieu of any normal flow of conservation (the scenes featuring James Earl Jones being the best example.) The narrative definitely suffers for Boorman's focus on theme, but that's the trade he chose to make. Richard Burton starts at intensity 8, dials it to 11, and only occasionally pulls back; Linda Blair has some clumsy readings but also a real presence about her, at her best she's very natural. The experience of the film is just inevitably bumpy, but for every corny or contrived moment there's something beautiful or wildly imaginative. We go to an Ethiopian church in the cliffs and a giant mud city, Ned Beatty shows up as a dealer in religious supplies, and Ennio Morricone reliably turns out another score that would be a career best for anyone else. Even today, with horror as big a tent as it's ever been, this movie is just unlike anything you'd expect. When does this get its re-appreciation? Naturally slotting this in for The Exorcist at 50
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Oct 24, 2023 06:41
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 169) Gothika - 2003 - Prime I think the title has more bang than the movie. The film's a pretty standard shenanigans at a mental facility get uncovered when a new patient who formerly worked there gets admitted. Overall, it's okay. I might've had a higher opinion of it if I haven't seen this same plotline before multiple times. I don't regret watching it, but I'm probably not going to go out of my way recommending it.  170) Frozen - 2010 - TubiTV Here, three entitled idiots who think rules shouldn't apply to them, learn exactly why those rules are in place. For disclosure's sake, if I'm ever invited to go skiing, I'm going to be the shleb in the lodge by the fireplace with a fancy hot chocolate and a book. This film's a steady bad choice followed by worse choice followed by a choice that almost makes me facepalm myself dizzy. To start, the trio are told the last lift's done since the resort's going to close for the week because of incoming weather bringing safety issues. Rather than accept this reasonable decision and call it a day, they bribe the operator because they wanna have another go. Operator does tell his relief about them, but the relief figures three other people are the idiots and shuts the lift down, leaving the idiots trapped. As if this wasn't bad enough, one of them decided to toss their phones while they were on the lift because, y'know impulsive quirky. So, they're trapped with little to no chance of rescue. Two of them die trying to get down and become dinner for wolves, and the third eventually makes it down and is eventually rescued. The capper on this idiots on parade happens with an epilogue of sorts in Hatchet II where the survivor is seen mentioning how she successfully sued the resort for abandoning them to the wolves. Seriously, bullshit, bullshit, bullshit. I follow a few theme park disaster type channels where they break down how accidents happen, how the law works for who's responsible and so forth. Unless the resort employed Lionel Hutz as their lawyer, there's no way the resort could've been successfully sued. They followed their due diligence, and it was the trio's actions that brought about the tragedy and as far as the wolves go, that's Act of God type stuff. I will admit the gore's good, but that's about it. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 24, 2023 07:13
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I've been watching, but not posting. Time to get some reviews out! 19. Schramm  This is a German version of Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer and has a very similar vibe. Probably more a homage, or inspired, than actual plagiarism, it features a different plot, but camerawork and general feel are all spot on. It is bleak, distant and cold, just like Schramm itself. Biggest difference are a few intense scenes that I initially discarded as only there to be edgy. However, thinking about this for a few days now, I do think it added something instead of just shock value. 20. The Last Voyage of the Demeter  By-the-numbers, but well executed. You will find no surprises here, but decent characters, a nice creature design and some better-than-expected scenes make it a very easy watch. Counted for "Picnic in Space" 21. Brooklyn 45  Talk To Me, but with veterans and without going very far with the basic concept. That sounds a bit negative, but I had an okay time with this. It lacks ambition, with the obvious "ghost-from-the-past-come-backt-haunt-us" never taken literally and almost completely ignored, but the single room setting makes it feel like a play and the focus on conversation did work most of the time. The ending is a bit of a downer and I think that actually works out as a positive thing. 22. Studio 666  Very bland horror comedy with no original ideas, but the unnecessarily long runtime and the fact that it takes forever to get started are bigger problems. Almost none of the jokes land, but it features decent gore and has three very memorable kills that I wish I didn't have to wait so long for. You know, they should have just been in a different movie because they were awesome. 23. Unseen  This was a ton of fun! I have no idea how they managed to blend a tense survival scenario with a entitled trophy wive attacking an alligator-themed gas station, but it really worked. Maybe the escalation on both sides was synchronized, maybe it allowed it to keep the tension going because it switched between two very different scenarios so it didn't overextend one, but it kept me invested till the end. Very enjoyable. 24. Razzennest  This is a radio drama that happens to have pictures, not a movie in the traditional sense. You hear the recording of a director's commentary while watching the film they comment on. However, the film is just a collection of nature shots throughout a German region, no characters, no plot, and nothing on-screen is related to the commentary, so you can fully focus on the conversation. The pompous, rude arthouse director and his stories will either entertain you ("while filming Elijah Wood I nearly drowned in a Port-a-Potty in Peru!" or something similar) or get on your nerves real fast. Whichever one it is, I think it is preferable over what happens when the plot kicks in and it all devolves into German grunting. The interactions between the film crew and critic work, but possession story is just muddled and uninteresting. It tries something unique, but fails to make it engaging. All of the horror events are described and just don't land, I think actually filming them would have made more sense. 
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Oct 24, 2023 10:27
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46. Christine (1983) Dir. John Carpenter  "Some things can't be helped. Some people, too." A turbonerd with only one friend in the whole world buys a beaten up car for $250, against the advice of everyone except the spooky old man from Home Alone, with the intent to restore it and drive it to college. As his relationship with the car grows, its evil history as an inescapable cursed object comes to light. Under the car's magical influence, the dorky-but-likeable protagonist slowly becomes a self-absorbed greaser antagonist, and the problem becomes how exactly you rid the world of an evil automobile that can drive itself. Among many other things, this has got to be the rebelling-against-your-helicopter-parents-too-hard movie, and the acting really sells it. Every actor is great. The core gimmick is silly, but the movie's not really about the car as much as it is the deep consequences of things we might do in our youth. It is probably a top three John Carpenter movie, even though he described taking it as a "job" rather than one of his own projects. It's a lot more ambitious in scope and special effects than most of his movies.
Name Change fucked around with this message at 07:44 on Oct 26, 2023 |
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Oct 24, 2023 10:55
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 #21: Paranoiac The eldest scion of a wealthy family throws himself off a cliff. He is presumed dead but the body is never found. Years later, with the family on the verge of collapse and the family fortune mere days away from being put in the hands of the dissolute younger brother who will fritter it all away on drugs and cars, the elder brother returns. But is this man truly who he claims to be? And what is the source of the madness that has settled on the family in his absence? Paranoiac is good! Classic parlor drama, with shades of that old "they're gaslighting a woman into insanity" genre. Excellent acting, albeit in that fancy olde timey way, across the board. The movie also looks really nice, a couple times I noticed some camera movements and setups you don't expect from an olde black and white fancy people in a house type movie, and it turns out that's because it's directed by Freddie Francis. Better known as the cinematographer who regularly collaborated with David Lynch and Martin Scorcese! Paranoiac is a classic people in a house being snippy at each other type horror/drama, check it out. ----------------
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Oct 24, 2023 14:29
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 171) Maximum Overdrive - 1986 - TubiTV Saw this at the show back in the day. Me and my friends were headbanging with that intro, not to mention the King cameo. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwyiWxa7Esk This is based on the short story Trucks from the Night Shift compilation. There's some adjustments which I feel makes for a more entertaining film. It does have it's tense moments, but not the degree of bleakness from the short story. As much as people rag on this one being bad, comparing it to the later adaptation Trucks, this is Oscarworthy work. I do think this one's ripe for a new adaptation in light of how far technology's come since it was made. This is a recommend from me.  172) Squirm - 1976 - TubiTV I have a distant cousin in this film. I can't say who because we share the same last name which isn't common and there's familial resemblances. If I'd been told this by my immediate cousins, I would've written it off as they're trying to pull a joke, but it's been elaborated on by my Dad and a lot of the older members of the family to where it's legit. Story for this one is a downed powerline sets off an invasion of carnivorous worms. Yep, killer worms. This film's Rick Baker's first work with prosthetics and it's not too bad. They also used the local boy scouts troop to move the canvas used to make it seem like there were more worms in scenes and they got merit badges in return. Also, the sound of the worms screaming is the same audio that was used in Carrie when the pigs were killed. Overall, this one's classic drive in movie fare.  173) The Sixth Sense - 1999 - Prime Everyone knows the plot on this one, including the twist. I'm one of the few who guessed the twist fairly early. That's what happens when you sit through as many horror films as I do. It's a perfectly fine film, but I do feel it's overrated. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 24, 2023 14:41
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Russian Guyovitch posted:Review batch 5... Once again I've let myself get behind on my reviews, so I apologize for the giant post. Anyhow,... 25. Triangle – (Watched on Peacock) A group heads out on a friend's yacht one day for an afternoon pleasure cruise. When a freak electrical storm capsizes their ship and leaves them stranded, they take refuge in a seemingly abandoned ocean liner that passes them by. Once aboard, however, they find themselves being hunted, and one of them might know more about this ship then they're letting on. This was a pretty interesting take on a time loop movie. I like the wrinkle that we were really only seeing one iteration of a partial loop, with Jess catching a glimpse of a completely separate portion of the loop at one point that we never see. I also got a bit of a chuckle at just how quickly the protagonist Jess winds up being completely all in on the plot here. Things are weird for her for about an hour real time before she's completely changed her entire world view and is raiding the ship's armory. Not the best movie you'll watch this month, but you could do a lot worse. 26. The Black Phone – (Watched on Peacock) A predator known as the Grabber is stalking the streets of Colorado back in the late seventies, abducting adolescent boys. Shortly after the disappearance of his close friend, Finney is pulled off the streets by the Grabber and wakes up trapped in a sound-proof basement under the Grabber's home. It seems like all hope is lost, when suddenly, the disconnected phone in the basement with him rings... I liked this one. The pacing was solid and the movie never felt like it dragged. There were some solid performances from child actors, and Ethan Hawke gave a solid performance as the Grabber. Also, I'm just a sucker for that whole Gothic Horror-style “yeah, there's ghosts, but they're there to warn you, not haunt you” plot device. Definitely one of the stronger films I watched this year. 27. Slotherhouse – (Watched on Hulu) A sorority sister purchases a sloth from an exotic animal seller in a bid to gain enough popularity to be voted president of the chapter. It turns out, wild animals belong in the wild for a reason. This could have been funny. There were a handful of actors that actually seemed able to do comedy well (not you though, comic relief mma-loving sorority sister. Tone that poo poo down.). Additionally, the filmmakers seemed to know that they needed to commit to the craziness, having the first thing the sloth does in the sorority house be hopping on the protagonist's computer to start stalking her on Instagram. But then instead of ludicrous murder sloth action, we get a bunch of tedious sorority politics. A funny concept that could have been done well, but is ultimately wasted. 28. May – (Watched on Shudder) Socially awkward May just can't meet the right person. Everyone seems to have their good parts, but the whole never quite lives up to expectations. If only there were some way should could take the best from everyone and have the perfect person in her life. This one has been a popular choice so far among everyone in the challenge thread, and I can see why. It's got some strong performances from some actors who would go on to have decent careers. It was hard for me watching the first two-thirds or so of the film, as it's just an awkward, mentally ill person making terrible choices for themselves, but the last act really brings it all together. 29. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014) – (Watched on Prime Video) A requel of Charles Pierce's 1976 documentary-style slasher of the same name, this one sees the Phantom Killer of Texarkana returning to action 38 years after the release of the first film. Who could possibly be behind this new string of murders? A so-so slasher with some bigger names in it then I expected. It doesn't do anything you haven't seen before. Ultimately, fine if you're just looking to kill an hour and a half or so, but not anything you need to go out of your way to see, except maybe for the confused look on Anthony Anderson's face as he watches the trombone kill from the first movie. 30. Rec – (Watched on Prime Video) A reporter and cameraman from a Spanish late-night news magazine show are spending the evening filming at a local firehouse. When the two tag along to film an emergency call, they soon find themselves trapped in a desperate situation when health officials place the building under an emergency quarantine. A decent found-footage zombie film, though I don't know that it's quite worth all of the praise it received. There's not really anything that it brings to the table that hadn't been done before. And as for criticism of the American remake, that many feel is unnecessary, I kind of get why they did it now. Even just watching it on a television, the combination of subtitles and shaky cam was...not great. I can only imagine how I would have felt watching it in a theater. 31. Terrifier 2 – (Watched on Prime Video) Picking up where the first one left off, Art the Clown is mysteriously resurrected and goes on a killing spree in Miles County. This time, he's accompanied by a sinister young girl in clown make-up. But perhaps this time there's a prophesied hero that might put an end to his evil once and for all. I did not like the first Terrifier. I thought it was a bare-bones screenplay that existed just to give a vehicle to a glorified FX reel, and that what was there was pretty grossly misogynistic. But based on the general reaction of folks over in the CineD horror thread, I gave this one a shot, and I will say that it's a much better film. While the violence is still over the top and mean, it felt a lot more fun. Plus, the actor who plays Art absolutely brought his A-game, stepping up the clown antics of the character even more so than the first. The scene in which he stalks and menaces the protagonist Sienna through the costume shop is just straight up excellent. That said, this movie did not need to be as long as it was. This was a production that was funded primarily through crowd sourcing with no studio involved, and that shows. If you write and direct the movie, you maybe don't want to edit it as well. Bring in some outside eyes to help you trim out some of the fat. Still, worth the watch if you can stomach this level of gore and violence. 32. Day Shift – (Watched on Netflix) In order to keep his family close, a Los Angeles-based vampire hunter needs to get back in the good graces of the vampire hunters' union to raise enough cash to pay for his daughter's tuition and braces. However, the union won't let him go back to work unless he brings a union rep out into the field to keep tabs on his wild card ways. This could have been good. It's got some good performances and a premise that's sort of a fun spin on John Carpenter's Vampires, but what good it sets up in the beginning is let down by a rushed and convoluted conclusion. Ultimately, it winds up being a fairly forgettable outing, which felt lake a waste. 33. The Wretched – (Watched on Netflix) A teen is sent to go spend the summer working with his father at a marina on Lake Michigan after getting into some trouble at his mother's home. While there, his next door neighbor becomes possessed by an entity that causes people to be forgotten about by those around them so that it might feed on them without raising suspicion. Will anyone believe him before it devours the entire family? This was technically the #1 movie in the country at one point, based solely on the distributors smart move to aggressively target drive-in theaters during the first spring of Covid in 2020. At any other time, no one probably would have seen this, as it really struggles with its tone. The family drama element and the feel around that portion of the story puts it squarely in the YA category, but the goop-level of the horror half of the story is fairly high. As a result, the two halves of the story never quite mesh. Still it does do some interesting takes on witches in film, and the point in the last act when the hag's altar burns and suddenly Ben and the audience realize that Ben has a little brother that the hag has made him forget is a pretty well done twist. All in all, though, not anything that is a must see. 34. The Conference – (Watched on Netflix) A team of Swedish municipal employees head out on a team building retreat in advance of the ground-breaking ceremony for a massive new shopping mall in their quite town that they helped make happen. Not everyone on the team is actually for the development, however, and there's some suspicions of foul play in the paper work. But even worse, there are those in the community that are willing to do anything to stop the construction. Anything. This is one of the highlights of the month for me, so far. The filmmakers do a great job of making sure that the internal drama in the team surrounding the mall project in the first half of the film is compelling enough to keep the viewer engaged as the slasher elements ramp up towards the second half's hectic killing spree. Definitely one people should be checking out. 35. Influencer – (Watched on Shudder) Influencer Madison is traveling through Thailand to shoot content for her Insta when she meets CW, a young woman that promises to show her some more authentic spots in the country. After a break in at her hotel leaves Madison stranded in the country without a passport, and after an argument with her boyfriend Ryan over video chat leads to a long distance break-up, she decides to take CW up on her offer, so that she can spend some time actually enjoying her travels, instead of trying to get content. Unfortunately for her, CW takes Madison out to a remote island with no fresh water and abandons her there to die of exposure, then sets about stealing Madison's digital life through the use of Deepfake and AI voice cloning. This was a great modern serial killer film. Watching CW methodically stalk her next victim, laying the ground work to try and steal her life as she's done several times before, only to have the sudden, unexpected appearance of Ryan throw everything into chaos is chilling. She starts off in a chess match where she's clearly several moves ahead of her new prey, but eventually finds herself in an increasingly desperate series of pivots as she struggles to deal with the unwanted x-factor that Ryan presents. And finally, just when she thinks she's gotten herself in the clear, she can only smile to herself and admit defeat when it turns out that Madison was much more capable than she gave her credit, leaving CW stranded on the same island from the beginning of the film. Certainly in the top five of the films I've watched so far. And with this batch of reviews, I've surpassed my original goal of 31 first-time viewings, having watched 34 new-to-me films, plus three rewatches. From this point on, anything is fair game, so I might just indulge in some old favorites going forward.
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Oct 24, 2023 17:17
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 19. Day of the Dead (1985) Man, Day of the Dead starts with the stressed-out social breakdown levels already elevated to where most zombie movies end!! Absolutely artisanal gore and VFX work from Tom Savini, and George Romero wields it masterfully; you're already exhausted from characters screaming at each other when Romero stabs you with bright, disgusting images. It's never just dumping an excess of red-dyed viscera over the screen, it's always pinpoint targeted to disturb you and it always got a reaction from me. Okay, sometimes that reaction wasn't "hmm, very symbolic, very intellectual" so much as gleefully cackling when certain assholes get their just desserts, but that's another big part of why this one's so fun!   Challenges: Rob Zombie Challenge (Zombie film). Before the month closes I'll probably also do Lords of Salem to be more true to the spirit, but I love a full bingo card.  20. Messiah of Evil (1973) By far the genuinely creepiest film I've seen this month. Unnerving, eerie, dreamlike, all the adjectives that reward you for watching this in a terrible grainy transfer on Amazon Prime (when normally that would be a torment for me). Everyone in Messiah of Evil acts like some kind of weirdo, from offputting to skincrawling, and that "off" rhythm resonates to make brilliant music when it's paired with incredible atmospheric work: subtly discomfitting editing, shots of people wandering through eerily empty streets in town. the absolutely insane set design of an artist's house where the walls have been painted on with menacing life-sized human figures. When an actual threat of physical harm unveils itself it's a relief to have something tangible to be worried about, after so much stewing in hostile vibes!! Messiah of Evil doesn't have anything directly to do with H.P. Lovecraft but I think it's a must-watch for anyone who ever enjoyed his writing. A seaside town of strange folk with strange ways and a cold eye for outsiders, a transformation that sets in on the lead actress and preys on her mind and body, nightly beach bonfires where people gather and watch the ocean in wait for some foretold coming, a hollow and hopeless ending where even escape means the rest of life is waiting for some inevitable doom... man that's the good stuff, not space squids or racism.     .5 / 5Challenges: Horror is for Everyone: Woman director (co-directed by Gloria Katz)  So close!
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Oct 24, 2023 18:49
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 Basebf555 posted:WHAT DOESN’T COUNT?? Basebf is a loving cop. Let me count this.
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Oct 24, 2023 19:35
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Vanilla Bison posted:
"We sit in the sun and wait. We sleep...and we dream...each of us dying slowly in the prison of our minds." Yeah, that ending creeped me out.
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Oct 24, 2023 19:36
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31. Knife+Heart - 2018 This movie wasn't bad, but it did reinforce my stance that I'm just not a fan of giallo. Even French giallo that is also part magical realism. Well-acted, well-directed, no complaints about anything really, I just don't care for the masked-murderer-stalking-victims plot. 32. A Dark Song - 2016  Now this movie was much more my speed. A woman wanting to contact her dead son hires an occultist to help her summon an angel. This movie was great all the way through, and as someone with a passing interest in the history of the occult and grimoires I appreciated how accurate the movie tried to be. Historically summoning a demon was very difficult, and so many horror movies make the process seem very easy so I was happy to see a movie go the other way and show how many times they failed or how long the process takes. 33. Demons 2 - 1988  An Italian horror movie, so the usual thrown-together mess. Some good effects, but most of the characters are indistinguishable from each other (aside from the physical trainer, he actually had a personality) and while I was watching it I didn't care if anyone lived. Some of the edits in this movie were very jarring, like music I don't think was diagetic in one scene suddenly stops when the movie cuts to a new scene. 34. Shaun of the Dead - 2004  My wife mentioned she hadn't seen this so we had to fix that. I hadn't seen it in over a decade and I was a little worried it wouldn't hold up, but it 100% did. It's definitely a comedy but it hits the horror beats so well and so lovingly that it stands on its own as a decent horror movie. Edgar Wright and the cast really created something wonderful with this movie. 35. The Birds - 1963  First time watching this after growing up with it as a reference in popular culture everywhere. It was interesting. The first half moves pretty slowly, with lots of shots of Melanie just driving/walking/boating from point to point without any dialog. One of the weirder parts of the movie is probably just due to cultural change: Melanie meets Mitch in a pet store where he's shopping for love birds. She doesn't know his name so she finds it out and where he lives, buys the birds, and takes them to his apartment. When she gets there though she finds out he's gone for the weekend, so she drives the 60 miles to the town where his mother lives and asks around until she learns which house is hers. After that she hires a boat to sneak up to the house, waits until Mitch goes into the barn, then enters the house and leaves the cage with the love birds before trying to escape unnoticed. I'm sure this was meant to be playful and romantic, but watching it today all I could think was if a woman broke into my parents' house in a different city to leave me birds because we had a brief interaction the day before I'd be calling the cops. The scariest part of the movie though was finding out that Rod Taylor was at most 33 years old when it was released.  And with that I think I've completed all the challenges Total: 35/31 Watched: Dagon, Hagazussa, The Being, Infinity Pool, Possessor, Spiral, Brain Dead,Jeruzalem,Spirit Halloween: The Movie,Next of Kin,Tales from the Hood,The Stuff,Underwater,May,House 2: The Second Story,The Wicker Man,The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster,No One Will Save You,American Gothic,The Sadness,Timecrimes,Season of the Witch,The Burrowers,Tremors,History of the Occult,The Blood on Satan's Claw,Return of the Living Dead Part 2,Freddy vs. Jason,A Bucket of Blood,The Exorcist,Knife+Heart,A Dark Song,Demons 2,Shaun of the Dead,The Birds Individual Bonus Challenges 13/13 Birth of Horror 1/1 The Being The Samhain Challenge 1/1 Spirit Halloween: The Movie Bite-Sized Horror 1/1 Tales from the Hood CineD Horror Thread Poll Challenge 1/1 Possessor Back of the Video Store Challenge 1/1 Timecrimes Childhood Trauma 1/1 Tremors Picnic at Hanging Rock…..In Space!!! 1/1 The Burrowers Rob Zombie 20th Anniversary Challenge 1/1 Return of the Living Dead Part 2 Freddy vs. Jason 20th Anniversary Challenge 1/1 Freddy vs. Jason ”That Guy” Challenge Featuring Dick Miller and Keith David 1/1 A Bucket of Blood The Exorcist 50th Anniversary Challenge 1/1 The Exorcist Horror Adjacent 1/1 Shaun of the Dead When Animals of Unusual Size Attack! 1/1 The Birds Meta Bonus Challenges 4/4 History Lesson: 5/5 (1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s) New to You: 6/6 (Dagon, Hagazussa, The Being, Infinity Pool, Possessor, Spiral) Around the World: 4/4 (Europe [Hagazussa], Australia [Next of Kin], Asia [The Sadness], South America [History of the Occult]) Horror is for Everyone: 3/3 (Female Director [The Being], POC Director [Tales from the Hood], LGBTQ+ Themes [Knife+Heart])
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Oct 24, 2023 19:37
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Shrecknet posted:
This looks like art to me, but it's only 23 minutes long.
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Oct 24, 2023 19:44
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Shrecknet posted:Basebf is a loving cop. Let me count this. If there was a porn parody that I'd be tempted to allow you definitely found it but unfortunately I must deny your request.
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Oct 24, 2023 20:15
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I really need to catch up on write ups. I only did the first 6 I watched and have watched 38 movies since then.
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Oct 24, 2023 20:28
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dorium posted:I really need to catch up on write ups. I only did the first 6 I watched and have watched 38 movies since then. Jesus. After 5 I needed to go through my watch history to even remember what I’d seen. Good luck with that.
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Oct 24, 2023 20:30
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Xiahou Dun posted:Jesus. After 5 I needed to go through my watch history to even remember what I’d seen. I've got them all logged on letterboxd at least. I just get distracted in other stuff when I start to sit down and write out mini-reviews.
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Oct 24, 2023 20:41
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Philthy posted:27. Escape Room Glad you liked it! I can't remember if I mentioned it in my short review, but yeah one downside to so much of the movie taking place in life or death situations where time is ticking down is that EVERYONE IS ALWAYS YELLING! 15. Hotel Transylvania 2  I liked the first one and this one was fun too! Legitimately pretty funny. I usually thumb my nose at animated movies that are packed with celebrities because the ability to act doesn't necessarily mean they'll be a good voice actor but I think everyone does a great job here. Sandler as Dracula is giving it his all and really delivers. The action sequences are really stylish (directed by Genndy Tartakovsky of Samurai Jack fame) and the jokes are a good mix of jokes for kids and jokes that adults will enjoy too (written by Sandler and Rob Smigel - Triump the Insult Comic Dog). Most of the humor is relevant to the story also, which is nice. I recommend this one and the first. 4/5 16. They Cloned Tyrone  "You remember, uh, Thursday Tony, that trick I used to see on Tuesdays, who lost his house investing in some bootleg Bitcoin? Well, that nigga, his plight got me researching this poo poo. Cryptocurrency's a bubble, everybody knows that. But blockchain? Oh, that poo poo is the future." This was so cool! Really fun combination of characters and a great sense of humor throughout. If a Sci-Fi Horror movie about a mystery solving team made up of a Drug Dealer, a Pimp, and a Ho sounds up your alley then you should absolutely check this one out. 4/5 17. Coming Home in the Dark  "You know, later on, when you're looking back at this occasion... I think that right there is going to be the moment you wish you had done something." A friend recommended this one but warned that it was a rough watch. It was rough. A family road trip is interrupted by some bad dudes and it doesn't go well. The villain in this movie is excellent. He's so calm and collected throughout which makes the ordeal that he is putting the family through feel inevitable. Not one that's gonna make you feel real warm and fuzzy, but if you're looking for a bleak violent movie then I can think of few as affecting as this one. 4/5 Jolo fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Oct 24, 2023 |
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Oct 24, 2023 20:58
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 #31. The Birds (Theatrical) A rich and flighty socialite is trapped in a Northern California town when all of the local birds suddenly turn hostile and begin attacking humans. I'd seen this film once before, back in college for a class devoted entirely to studying the works of Alfred Hitchcock, but that was about two decades ago now (sweet loving Jesus). Plus, it's a Hitchcock movie on the big screen in October; I had to go see it, even if The Birds isn't in my top 3 fave Hitchcock movies, and possibly not even in my top 5. It still manages to be a great and suspenseful film, even if I feel it goes on a little too long and some of its dated elements work for it and some against it. (Pro: the weird 60s synthesized sound for the birds end up making the film a weird and offputting, almost atonal, thing to listen to at times, which helps increase the oppressive atmosphere. Con: I know Truffaut called out the editing in that brief sequence where Tippi Hedrin watches the gasoline trail fire spread back to the tanks before they explode as a textbook example of cinema; it still looks loving dumb in execution.) I've been chewing over what the birds themselves symbolize in their own film, and I keep coming back around on the idea that this is some kind of metaphor for encroaching domesticity in the form of unfettered freedom. The whole thing starts with an extended bit of 1960s romantic comedy setup between a haughty rich socialite and a smug high-minded big city lawyer, almost like a His Girl Friday riff or something. That the whole thing starts in a pet shop centered around a pair of "love birds" - the only two birds we see on screen that never go nuts, mind you - has to be meaningful. Then the wild birds basically slowly encroach onto this whole scenario of star-crossed lovers and their comedic slow burn love story by attacking things like family celebrations and domesticity and community until all of Our Heroes are sealed into their hermetic, nuclear family bubble. However, the Birds don't stop for meaningfully long enough for Our Heroes to get away until the free-spirited Hedrin character is attacked and sufficiently brow-beaten into submission into this new, tight-knit family unit - and is able to earn the approval of lover boy Mitch's cold-hearted and disapproving Mother. Nothing like a near apocalypse to bring a mother and daughter-in-law together, right? (I haven't watched any documentaries, or that one drama movie Hitch, that goes on about any of this, but this all has to be saying something about Hitchcock himself, right?) I know I said The Birds isn't my favorite Hitchcock film, and it isn't, but second-tier Hitchcock is still way better than most people's A-tier attempts, so it has to be rated accordingly.  /5And with that, I have hit my original target goal of 31 films watched this month, with all of the normal and meta challenges completed already. There's still a week left until the big day, so now I'm just gonna run up the scorecard. Watched so far: As Above So Below, The Angry Black Girl and Her Monster, Saw IV, The Exorcist, One Cut of the Dead, Slugs, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Saw X, The Return of the Living Dead, Tales of Halloween, No One Will Save You, Destroy All Monsters, Cujo, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Hocus Pocus, A Bucket of Blood, Mama, Child's Play 2, Friday the 13th Part 6, The Mummy's Ghost, Brain Dead, Saloum, Perpetrator, The Blob, The Vampire Lovers, Wake in Fright, The Evil of Frankenstein, The Faculty, Ernest Scared Stupid, Cobweb, The Birds Individual Challenges = 13/13 NEW-TO-YOU = 6/6 HISTORY LESSON = 5/5 AROUND THE WORLD = 4/4 HORROR IS FOR EVERYONE = 3/3 Halloween Bingo = #15 (COMPLETE)
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Oct 24, 2023 21:07
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Xiahou Dun posted:Jesus. After 5 I needed to go through my watch history to even remember what I’d seen. This is why I keep a list going of what I've done until I get them transferred over to Letterboxd. I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.
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Oct 24, 2023 21:17
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Jolo posted:17. Coming Home in the Dark I stumbled across this one back in the May challenge and yeah, if you want a properly bleak Feels Bad movie, this is definitely near the top of the stack. Fantastic movie and some fantastic performances, but just some real dark poo poo.
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Oct 24, 2023 21:31
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20. The Legend of Boggy Creek Just a fantastic fake documentary that is super cozy. The way its presented is excellent and its just a great relaxing film. ----------------
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Oct 24, 2023 22:03
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Xiahou Dun posted:Jesus. After 5 I needed to go through my watch history to even remember what I’d seen. Yeah I generally write 1-3 at a time otherwise I'll forget what day it is.
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Oct 24, 2023 22:16
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 29. The Witches of Eastwick (1987) I thought I had seen this before but I think I had it mixed up with a bunch of different movies in my brain. This isn't a horror movie but I think it should count. Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer are three single  4/5 30. House (1985) (Rewatch) This is definitely one of the VHS boxes that scared me as a kid, but the movie is more of a comedy than anything. A writer moves into his aunt's house after his aunt hangs herself, planning to write about his experiences in Vietnam. Unfortunately, he has PTSD and also the house is haunted and those two things turn into some slapstick shenanigans with George Wendt for whatever reason. It's not a great movie, but I like it because I'm a sucker for goofy practical effects and house has them out the wazoo. 3/5 31. Ravenous (1999) (Rewatch) Manifest Destiny and a big bowl of Dude Stew. I love this movie, I think it's criminally underrated. Robert Carlyle is fantastic and the score (done entirely on period accurate instruments) makes me feel like I am going insane, which is a compliment. 4.5/5Total Watched: 31/31 Completed Challenges: CineD Horror Thread (Basket Case), FvJ Monster Mash (Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man), Samhain (Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers), Back of the Video Store (Destroyer), Birth of Horror (Silver Bullet), HIFE POC (Scream Blacula Scream), Bite-Size Horror (V/H/S/85), HIFE Women (Totally Killer), That Guy Dick Miller (A Bucket of Blood), Horror Adjacent (Life), Childhood Trauma (Pet Sematary), Rob Zombie (World War Z), HIFE LGBTQ+ (Bit), Animals Attack (Alligator), Exorcist Anniversary (Prince of Darkness), Picnic in Space (Pitch Black) New To You: 17/6 (Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, Terrified, Hour of the Wolf, Destroyer, Gaia, Scream Blacula Scream, American Gothic, VHS 85, Shin Godzilla, Totally Killer, A Bucket of Blood, Life, World War Z, Star Time, Bit, Pitch Black, The Witches of Eastwick) History Lesson: 9/5 (1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s) Around the World: 4/4 (South America: Terrified, Europe: Hour of the Wolf, Africa: Gaia, Asia: Shin Godzilla) That's 31 movies hit and the thread challenges were already complete, so I've achieved my goal - but there's still a week until Halloween, so I know I will get some more movies in and I'll keep posting about em.
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Oct 24, 2023 22:34
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 39. Rawhead Rex A bunch of Irishmen accidentally wake up a god. A guy in a huge monster suit runs around the screen knocking things over. He terrorizes their village, eats some kids. The screenplay was done by Clive Barker. The effects are awful. The story is pretty bad. The actors aren't half bad, though. It was just middle of the road, overall. It did bring about one of my favorite industial songs. We used to put this in the rotation while skipping school in my parents Buick. Crank to 11. Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWB6sZZcl2E 3/5
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Oct 24, 2023 22:51
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I was genuinely unaware that the birds is considered a good movie.
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Oct 24, 2023 23:21
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10. Scream 4 Like all the other movies in the franchise, good opening, great cast. The thing that sinks this for is that the killers are not believable in terms of the kills they accomplish and the motive is trite. I expected 3 to be the worst of the series but I think it's 4. I will be fully prepared next time I must rank the Screams. 11. Scream 5 Second time I've watched Scream 5 in a calendar year and I had already forgotten who the killers were, which should tell us something about the movie. I still like it more than 4 even though Dewey's long overdue death was kind of lame. The one thing consistent about all the Scream movies, that I find enviable, is that the don't pull their punches. Anyone can die (other than Sidney) and its almost always pretty brutal. 12. The Faculty Been sleeping on this one for a long, long, time. This Uber-90s The Thing remix was right up my alley. Even though I'd never seen the movie, it gave me some hardcore nostalgia for the 90's. John Stewart playing a character named Edward Furlong in a film where Robert Patrick is a main baddie. The testing scene with the crew all snorting the pen drugs was an amazing homage to the blood test scene. Watching this gave me a real sweet tooth for 90s horror. I really love The Faculty. 13. The Relic Not as good as The Faculty but good enough. Tom Sizemore does Tom Sizemore thinks while a huge ancient beast runs amok murdering people without discretion. If movies have taught me anything you do NOT want to be in a museum at night. The beast is OK. The thing that stands out to me is that this era of movies is when they really started integrating crappy CGI, yet, I like it better than current much better looking CGI. Perhaps its the distinct lack of goop around the bad CGI. 14. V/H/S 85 BITE-SIZED HORROR I am on record as saying that I enjoy all the VHS movies and I'm sticking too it. As everyone else has noted, this version even has a good/the best wraparound of the series. I didn't think there was a really standout segment but my favorite was probably God of Death. 15. In The Earth AROUND THE WORLD - EUROPE Imagine if someone thought that combining The Happening and Altered States into a single film was a good idea. For most the movie I would have replaced Altered States with Midsommar but the last 10 minutes or so were trippy as hell and really the only redeeming part of a pretty boring movie. 16. Phantoms Despite watching Phantoms multiple times as a teenager I did not remember a drat thing about this movie. I do remember always thinking it was pretty good back then, I'm not sure that's how I'd describe it now. There are a handful of inconsistencies early on that make even less sense as the plot is revealed. I don't hate it or anything, its...fine. I can certainly understand why I didn't remember anything about it. 17. Friday the 13th Part 2 I've always been of the personal belief that the only actual quality film in the F13 series is the original. I can tell I'm going to have to rewatch them all because I've already been proven wrong. There isn't really anything campy or cheesy, it's just a quality 80s slasher. Boobs, Cabins, Blood. What more could you want from a movie? I kind of wish the cool rear end dude in a wheel chair didn't have to bite it, but at least his death was entertaining. Excited to re-dive into the series. 18. Baby Ruby HORROR IS FOR EVERYONE In general, I like movies that leave ambiguity in regard to if the things our protagonist are dealing with are real or occuring in their mind. Horse Girl, Unsane, etc. Baby Ruby is no exception and I enjoyed the vast majority of the film especially any of the scenes interacting with her mother in law. My wife gave me the greenlight on this one for Kit Harrington but he is barely in it (for better or worse) and really focuses on the post partum issues of mom. My only complaint really is that I did not enjoy the ending. A little too artsy for my taste and I generally enjoy that kind of thing. 19. Invaders from Mars CHILDHOOD TRAUAMA My dad and I watched this together when I was a kid. I remember being really scared by it back then and I suppose that makes sense. I was about the same age as the main kid and the teacher swallowing the frog thing was terrifying. Rewatching it, I think it would be better received if it were thought of as a kids movie and probably a better movie if they had leaned into that direction. There are a handful of cool scenes but for the most part the movie drags, looks bad, and has some pretty poor performances. Also the ending is the biggest wet fart ever Phew! It was all a dream. Wait whats going on?! *cut to the thing starting again* 20. Smile Man, Smile is so close to being good. The Ring meets It Follows has so much but the movie never delivers on it. First, only the first girl who passes on "The Smile" to our protagnoist actually looks creepy while smiling. They should have just used her the entire time because she was creepy as hell and none of the other smiles had the same effect. Also the final creature reveal was super lame imo and they should have used the final version of it the whole time in stead of the weird giant humaniod version they show must of the time towards the end. I really wanted to like this but it feel flat after the first half hour. TCC: All this walkin', made me drunk!
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Oct 24, 2023 23:30
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1. Deep Blue Sea - Scientists researching a cure for alzheimers find sharks may hold the cure, but the only means to aquire this is to ensure the researched sharks have big enough brains with lots of brain juice. Liked this one - this movie knows what it is, is constantly engaging, and regularly unexpected. I love the use of a single location in a movie like this - you get a really good feel of the base and it gives the whole movie a much inescapable feeling (E.g. Event Horizon/Thing also fit this). Also kinda fun snapshot of the point in time this was made is that they portray Genetic Engineering as the ultimate taboo. Lots of fun - some really fun and unexpected kills and really iconic scenes. 4/5 2. The Meg WHEN ANIMALS OF UNUSUAL SIZE ATTACK! - Watched this after deep blue sea, and they. This was fine, but really felt more like an action movie at heart. Very clearly high production values targeting an audience expecting a lot, and more or less delivered. It was generally entertaining, easy and fun to watch, but didn't really set out to challenge anything. Low kill count, survivors were clear very early on, and obligatory romance subplot that doesn't really feel that earned. Probably would have been better to watch in the other order - as I think deep blue sea is a much more engaging and unique experience 3/53. Cat People - Girl is haunted by an old tale from her past about her kind transforming about a cat triggered by love. Kinda highlights the problematic social issues at the time a bit, with the character's problems basically being dismissed by everybody as you might have mental issues of some sort? Well better just get over them yourself, or we'll have you committed.. The main character doesn't really do anything wrong but is still punished without much of a reason. . 3/5 4. Willy's Wonderland WHEN ANIMALS OF UNUSUAL SIZE ATTACK! - (I have not played FNAF but know the general idea) A silent traveler runs into car troubles in a town with no ATM and is promised his repairs will be covered if he just spends a night cleaning an old amusement restaurant - he takes this job very seriously. There are the pieces which would make this a completely forgettable FNAF ripoff - but Nicolas Cage transforms it into something special. He's completely silent the entire movie and still manages to pull out a fantastic performance. There wasn't much there with the side cast and plot, but Nicolas Cage carries his role so well that it kinda redeems the whole movie. It's pretty decently shot, but other than that there's not too much substance - probably pretty awful if you don't like Nicolas Cage. It's definitely a gimmick movie - but it's a really fun gimmick - had a great time with this one. 4/55. Cocaine Bear HORROR ADJACENT - Fun concept, but there just wasn't that much here to make this movie stand out. Lots of forgettable character, a few gory deaths, very straightforward plot without much nuance. A couple characters were decent but many more were pretty forgettable. Nothing outright awful but there's just not that much here to make it stand out beyond what's laid out in the title. 2.5/5
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Oct 25, 2023 00:09
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Philthy posted:
I've recommended this one in the past for people with similar inclinations: check out Fermat's Room if you can find it.
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Oct 25, 2023 00:17
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58. Evil Dead (2013) This movie isn't perfect, but I think its only real flaw is that it has to pretend to be a reboot. I really don't know why they did that, because if that had just given it a subtitle there surely wouldn't have been so much backlash at the time. Then again, I wasn't sure on seeing Rise in theaters just this year so who knows. While it takes a long time to get there, this movie has a spectacular finale that stands with anything the series (as far as I've seen) has to offer. The movie has some fantastic gore, some genuine scares, some gross, gross shots, and an absolutely incredible opening sequence. I think two things let it down, which is that for the vast majority of the movie's runtime it never feels consistently frenetic enough for my tastes (though scenes like that absolutely brutal bathroom scene or the face-cutting scare are awesome) and for the most part the characters just don't have the necessary spark to make the whole thing work like it should. Bruce Campbell's undeniable charisma (yet utter patheticness) makes the other Evil Dead movies, even when he's getting completely walloped, and no one in this movie gets there. At least, not until the finale. That said, it moves along at a quick clip, nothing overstays its welcome, and it does build to a wondrous bloodbath with a great final survivor and some excellent gore and guts, and a surprisingly emotional and punchy story. I just wish it hadn't meandered a bit to get there. This movie is a lot of fun because it's just a screaming bloody chiller. I liked it a shocking amount, and I'm glad I watched it. Frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if it was one of the better ones in the series, and it does convince me to watch the ones I've yet to see. Tangent related to a completely different movie: this film made me realize that Samara Weaving in Ready Or Not is a huge reason why that movie is so much fun. She's basically Girl Ash in how she constantly gets the poo poo kicked out of her and radiates charisma. I think that's cool. We need more Ash archetypes in movies. Let's have an Evil Dead (2013)/Ready Or Not crossover movie! Make it happen! Rating: 3.5 Oldsmobiles Out Of 5 Erin M. Fiasco fucked around with this message at 00:52 on Oct 25, 2023 |
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Oct 25, 2023 00:22
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 22)Dog Soldiers challengesGOAT TapesBeen on my watch list forever. And it's pretty good! Clever and inventive, cool action, and Marshall does a lot with his budget and practical effects. I don't know if the plot makes a ton of sense she was a werewolf the whole time, and it was her family and she was working with the government but, doesn't change until the night is practically over? I can buy that for those infected during the night... but gently caress it, it's pretty fun. There's a goddamn groaner of a matrix joke though, and that's pretty unforgivable. It's better than the Lair, which is kind of a spiritual sequel, but not as good as the Descent. Still a good popcorn action horror .5/51)My Little eye 2)Terrifier 2 3)A Nightmare on Elm Street 4:The Dream Master 4)A Nightmare on Elm Street 5-The dream child 5)Freddy’s Dead The Final Nightmare 6) Wes Craven’s a New Nightmare 7)V/H/S 85 8)totally killer 9)May 10)def by temptation 11)friday the 13th part V:a new beginning 12)friday the thirteenth part vii:the new blood13)Jason goes to hell:the final friday14)daughters of darkness 15)Saloum 16)Prophecy 17(Bay of Blood18)history of the occult 19)the undead 20)Slotherhouse 21)talk to me 22)Dog Soldiers 
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Oct 25, 2023 00:41
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48. Lifeforce 1985 Directed by Tobe Hooper  Can you bring me another dose of the hypnotic drug? What is even happening in this movie? There are psychic space vampires living on a gigantic ship next to Halley's Comet and they dry everyone out with their lightning mouths. Later there are zombies for some reason and everything is blowing up because, as far as I can tell, Tobe Hooper just really hates London. It's also a love story! It's magic. 👻👻👻👻/5
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Oct 25, 2023 00:48
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14. The Exorcist: Believer Prime Video  Every hill I have is a hill I'll die on. whether people whose posts I can see or can't/will never see thanks to blocks tell me otherwise. I don't say something more than once if I don't believe it; I don't say something more than twice if it's a thing I'll ever see myself wavering on There's nothing this decade in franchise horror I believe more in than in that David Gordon Green, in my opinion, made a great Halloween trilogy with a satisfying complete story and, with Ends, one of my top 2-3 favorite Halloween films in the series in general. An at-times harrowingly-tense extended tale over the course of three films of how one body's evil can infect and poison a whole population, how important choosing to love and be good to one another is to even hoping to combat that long-term, and how crippling avoiding the past can be to accomplishing that goal It wasn't just everything right about what horror can tell, what horror can be, it was everything right about how going back to franchises years, decades later, can be done if they really must be done. That not everything needs to focus on one person or a duo, that there's far more characters involved and the ones who are affected by the actions can have just as important a story worth telling The Exorcist: Believer, a near-2-hour story that's the first of a planned trilogy about a demon possessing two kids at once and making the parents choose, was absolutely nothing like that, in ways that are staggering and amateurish enough I had to rethink my immediate position the studios tried meddling with this like they did with Halloween just trying to get more and longer films out of what the director really wanted. A rush job couldn't have affected this this much by itself An outright tame exorcism film where the harshest thing onscreen is the relentless bullying of a woman who'd had an abortion, there's a shot that's utterly bewildering if it's not in the context of "homage to David Bowie's Blackstar video", and the most emotional performance may have sincerely been from the person who was only there for 4 of the last 10 seconds of the film If there ends up being two more sequels to this as planned, regardless of if DGG stays directing them or not, it'd take some gymnastics work to spin gold from what seems to be the story going forward (fallout from The Decision is my guess given the title "Deceiver" being one of the comments made from a character witnessing it). But if this is just the end of the line? Well...maybe that's for the best * 14/31 (NightMare, Appendage, VHS85, Pet Sematary: Bloodlines, Totally Killer, The Pope's Exorcist, It Lives Inside [2023], The Puppetman, The Conference [2023], The Devil on Trial, Night of the Hunted [2023], Lockdown Tower, 15 Cameras, The Exorcist: Believer) Calling my shot now, if When Evil Lurks sucks I might just end my month early. I've seen 9 feature-length films all year I gave only one star to; 3 were this month and 2 were this week already. Already locked in for my worst Shocktober month yet. Best parts were easily Fall of the House of Usher and Killers of the Flower Moon
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Oct 25, 2023 00:53
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twernt posted:48. Lifeforce I definitely want to see this version of
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Oct 25, 2023 00:54
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 #22: Kiss of the Vampire Not bad! Our opening scene is a funeral, a striking looking older gentleman with a grey stripe in his beard is given a shovel to throw some dirt of the coffin, but instead he flings the shovel directly through the it! A piercing shriek is heard as blood bubbles up through the hole in the wooden lid! Roll credits! Fuckin hell, you can't beat that for an opening of a vampire movie. After the credits we are introduced to our heroes, a doofy newlywed couple that I am convinced are what is being parodied by the couple in Rocky Horror Picture Show. i will do no research to find out if that's true, but I'm convinced. I do like how gormless our hero husband stays throughout the movie. He gets a couple moments to do something cool, but is largely shown as being completely out of his depth. Luckily that striking looking older gentleman from the opening is our van Helsing stand-in, and he eventually solves the crisis. The ending is great, and something I'd never seen before in a vampire movie. Our not Van Helsing kills all the vampires by trapping them in their castle with garlic oil, and then summons a flock of demonic bats which descend on the castle and drain all the vampires of their blood. That's great! The opening and the ending are the real strong points, there are some kinda dull parts around the middle, but overall a pretty good vampire time. I'd definitely rate it higher than Brides of Dracula, but perhaps a bit lower than any of the Hammer Draculas that actually feature Dracula ----------------
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Oct 25, 2023 01:08
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rodbeard posted:I was genuinely unaware that the birds is considered a good movie. You definitely have to watch it in the context in which it was released, since Hitchcock is often finding ways to undermine the characters for how empty and presumptuous they are, and that they feel like typical characters of the time period. Nature finally has enough of these awful people. I think there's a lot of media now that is basically The Birds but much more overt--characters that you can't wait to see run afoul of the monster, and so on. Or my interpretation could be completely wrong!
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Oct 25, 2023 01:12
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