|
STAC Goat posted:
I gotta rewatch Basket Case but my instincts tell me I'll be voting for it. Edit: May as well quote Goat's post for a new page
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 17:40
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 2, 2024 00:58 |
|
|
That Blood Quantum v Arachnophobia face-off is rough. I'm really gonna have to mull over how I'd want to vote there - I figure BQ is probably the better movie and everything, but Arachnophobia is just so much more fun. I never liked the original Unbreakable and I never bothered with Split, so Glass just feels like a movie I would have no possible interest in. I'm only neutral on Basket Case, but that still seems like it would win out over something I'm totally indifferent to.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 22:11
|
|
|
Basket Case not really as good as its rep iyam. It's no Frankenhooker, that's for sure.
|
|
#
?
Apr 1, 2024 22:42
|
|
|
Blood Quantum vs. Arachnophobia 7/10 vs. 8/10 Basket Case vs. Glass 7/10 vs. 7/10 I enjoyed Blood Quantum, but felt let down by the last act. There his were so many directions it could have gone, but it ended up going with one of the least interesting, most frequently used finales for zombie movies. What a let-down, for a film that I was otherwise really enjoying up to that point. Arachnophobia, meanwhile, is a film I've loved since I was a kid (though it did lightly traumatize me back then). Great performances, fantastic comedic timing and set-ups, and wonderful twists on 'standard' horror framing, letting the spiders have scenes that are effectively transplants from a slasher film. And the JJJ power team of Jeff Daniels, John Goodman, and Julian Sands, come on. Basket Case is rough around the edges... and the center... but just packed with ambition. Glass loses points for not only having to live up to being the payoff of a suddenly-enacted trilogy, but also feeling like the story loses its way in the conclusion. It feels detached from the initial direction it takes, is weighed down by latter-day Bruce Willis, and Mr. Glass is the only character I feel really gets a character arc that feels complete and sensical (and even then, it was more satisfying in Unbreakable). As Henenlotter's first feature film, Basket Case is impressive. As Shyamalan's thirteenth feature film, Glass feels more than a little wanting.
|
|
#
?
Apr 4, 2024 23:58
|
|
|
It’s Sunday. I totally forgot Saturday. My mind is fried. I need a break and I’ll get one in about 20 hours when Spring Break happens. But until then you still have a little time to watch/vote for this week’s movies. You can vote in this round until 12 noon EST Apr 8th (or when I get to it) Next Week! Spring Break! Spreadsheet Letterboxd List
|
|
#
?
Apr 7, 2024 21:38
|
|
|
I ended up going with Basket Case mostly based on the low budget charm of it, especially because it's up against a "franchise" sequel of sorts. If Glass was a 10/10 knockout of a film then sure I'd vote for it , but it's pretty forgettable even if well made overall like most of Shyamalan's films are.
|
|
#
?
Apr 8, 2024 15:14
|
|
|
  Basket Case unsurprisingly cruises to an easy victory over Glass. A sad end for M Night Shyamalan who was making a small run but now probably has run out of enough films to come back next year not on a team. But it advances the legacy Bracketology team NYC Grime Connection one step farther and into the Sweet Sixteen. And they’re joined by A Crate of Crichton Fright Freight as Arachonophobia inches out a win over Blood Quantum. A tough end for our HalloweeNIT winner Older than America but I do believe the best one of them has done so far. And that’s all I got for you this week because its Spring Break. We say good bye to Elvira and next week I’ll be back with a new horror host and six movies. Knock on wood. But for now I’m exhausted and fried and need a rest. And everyone else can catch up on movies they missed, prepare for May, watch something else, or I dunno. Go outside? Look at the sun? Its Spring Break. Just get one of those 3D glasses or something. Yeah, sorry, that’s all I got. I’m fried. Seeya next Monday. Next Week! Joe Bob's 16 Seed Play In: Empire International Pictures All-Stars vs. Neue Deutsche Filme vs. Team Australian Aberration Joe Bob's 15 Seed Play In: John Carl Buechler vs. Czech This Out vs. Low-Budget But Lovable Spreadsheet Letterboxd List
|
|
#
?
Apr 8, 2024 19:01
|
|
|
Ok Spring Break was fun. I mean I ate moldy bread and got food poisoning and ran a fever. But you know. It was warmer. But we’re back into things. We’ve made it a third of the way through the tournament now so we have to start up a new division with a new horror host and a bunch of new movies of… questionable quality. Bracketology is back! Joe Bob's 15 Seed Play In: John Carl Buechler’s Deep Freeze vs. (mbd’s Czech This Out) Juraj Herz’s The Ninth Heart vs. (Darth’s Low-Budget But Lovable) Damian Klaus’ Future Kick  We got an eclectic mix here which is more or less what you can expect from Joe Bob and the RNG. Juraj Herz is our sole returning director this week after making it to the second round last year with his unique but distinctive style of dark and weird fairy tales. He’ll have to fight his way back into the field of 64 to advance further with mbd’s Czech team and its another weird sounding one. Meanwhile John Carl Buechler is a debuting cult legend of sorts that I’ve never heard of even though I’ve apparently seen a couple of his films. Most known as a makeup artist for the B master Charles Band he brings a creature feature that seems to liberally harken back to The Thing. And finally we have the Bracketology debut of the legend Don “The Dragon” Wilson! Its weird how much that excited me to learn. Dystopian future martial arts cyber punk crime thriller? Or something? On a budget? Its Bracketology. May the best deep cut off the VHS shelf win. Deep Freeze is available for streaming on Amazon Prime, History Vault, Plex, and Tubi. The Ninth Heart is out there and available upon request. Future Kick is available for streaming on Plex, Shout TV, and Tubi. Joe Bob's 16 Seed Play In: (Weapon X’s Empire International Pictures All-Stars) Luca Bercovici’s Dark Tide vs. (mbd’s Neue Deutsche Filme) Michael Bartlett’s The Berlin Bride vs. (Darth’s Team Australian Aberration) Sean Byrne’s The Devil’s Candy  5 of the 6 films this week have less than 1000 views on Letterboxd which makes The Devil’s Candy’s 33K into this week’s version of a massive mainstream hit. A recently cully film out of Australia from a director who hasn’t done a lot but who has made an impression with what he has (The Loved Ones). Candy brings that Ozploitation into things? Meanwhile Dark Tide brings that 90s erotic exploitation into things with a horned up thriller starring Chris Sarandon and a lady who’s biggest credits are Red Shoe Diaries and some show called the G-Spot. Also probably our first NSFW movie poster of Bracketology history? Should I be putting a warning on this one? And last we have some German weirdness. Seriously that’s all I got. It just sounds super duper weird and I know nothing else about it. We’re digging pretty drat deep this week and who the hell knows what we’ll find? Dark Tide is available for streaming on Youtube. The Berlin Bride is available for streaming on Freevee and Tubi. The Devil’s Candy is available for streaming on AMC+, IFC, and Shudder. That’s our week. From the quietness of the thread I hope you all had a better Spring Break than me but I also hope you’re all ready to get back into this. Its a real grab bag of obscure VHS picks this week and literally all over the map with a diverse selection of American and other countries weirdness. And we’ll have to see if I can actually find enough different Joe Bob Briggs’ photos to make this gimmick interesting for the next couple of months. I dunno, folks. Its gonna be a challenge. But the best movies and horror hosts will come out ahead. Or just the weirdest ones to amuse us freaks. As always the goal is to just have fun and watch what you want. We try and make sure every film is reasonably available, some are a little harder to find than others and not everyone has the right streaming services so if you need help finding any of the films ask and help might be right around the corner. It will. I have the movies. Just ask. You can vote in this round until 12 noon EST Apr 22nd (or when I get to it) Next Week! 4. Tobe Hooper vs. 13. Renny Harlin 5. Team Zombie aka the New and Improved Knockoffs of the Living Dead vs. 12. Argenterror Spreadsheet Letterboxd List
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2024 20:04
|
|
|
I really like The Devil's Candy a lot, hard to imagine voting against it given the competition but maybe I'll be surprised.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2024 20:08
|
|
|
I’m just excited to see people’s reactions to Futurekick. This movie made a big impression on me as a kid.
|
|
#
?
Apr 15, 2024 22:06
|
|
|
Top tip for anyone else who doesn't live in the west and has a hard time accessing the paid services, Deep Freeze is also on YouTube.
|
|
#
?
Apr 17, 2024 12:19
|
|
|
I'll be nice and just say that Dark Tide was not a real contender here. It's like when the 150th ranked player in the world has to play Djokovic at Wimbledon, just not really competing.
|
|
#
?
Apr 19, 2024 16:39
|
|
|
It’s still Saturday. I forgot. You know the deal. 36 hours or so to watch and vote. It’s some real Sophie’s choices in this week, huh. But someone’s gotta win. And you decide who. You can vote in this round until 12 noon EST Apr 22nd (or when I get to it) Next Week! 4. Tobe Hooper vs. 13. Renny Harlin 5. Team Zombie aka the New and Improved Knockoffs of the Living Dead vs. 12. Argenterro
|
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2024 04:10
|
|
|
I had fun with Deep Freeze. Super cheesy, and not always in a good way, but it's the kind of late night beer and pizza movie that I always have a hard time dismissing.
|
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2024 16:33
|
|
|
Yeah. I’m giving that my vote. It’s not a good film but it was much more my kind of film than Future Kick or Ninth Heart. Just the kind of dumb film you’d pop on cable on a Saturday.
|
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2024 18:47
|
|
|
Buechler was a solid hand and you are pretty much guaranteed numerous rubber puppets with his films. Thought some of those in Deep Freeze were pretty fun.
|
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2024 19:04
|
|
|
Yeah I’m not sure the monsters quite made up for Deep Freeze’s flaws but they were fun and there was a lot more of them than I was expecting with a film such as this. The rest of the film is pedestrian at best but good rubber monsters go a long way.
|
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2024 19:08
|
|
|
It's The Ninth Heart and The Devil’s Candy for me, though I also enjoyed The Berlin Bride.
|
|
#
?
Apr 21, 2024 19:56
|
|
|
Ah heck, I was hoping for an easy double win with this one, but then [bNinth Heart[/b] was a huge letdown. I’m a sucker for both Czechosloviakian and 70s fantasy movies, and this one combines it in the most boring possible way. There’s elements that I love, but it just spends so much time with a boring setup before they begin their adventure, which involved a single (albeit neat) setpiece. I know budget and all, but I was expecting way more, especially since other movies from that team have consistently delivered. Future Kick threads the fine line where if it was a bit better or a bit worse it would be enjoyable, but as is it makes me wish I was either watching an Albert Pyun joint or an Italian Blade Runner/Terminator/Total Recall knockoff. It’s juuuust semi-ok, which is the worst position for a movie. The soundtrack is perhaps the best example, it’s almost good so it’s just very frustrating. Deep Freeze is bad, but just bad enough to be enjoyable. Any movie that ends with a stop motion puppet monster scene accompanied by scary organ music that fades into Texas twang has its heart in the right place. It sort of reminded me of a 50s/60s creature feature with lots of talking and few monster shots. And kudos to what might just be the worst science talk/visuals I’ve ever experienced in a movie. The terrible DNA sequences made me laugh but the zoology afterwards topped it. Amazing. Voting Deep Freeze Berlin Bride is so weird and charming, I can’t not vote for it (also it’s on my team). The Devil’s Candy is also very charming but not weird, so clearly inferior. Dark Tide gets kudos for finding real life Harlequin romance cover models to act in the movie, but it’s also really rapey. The version I watched had both the sex and rape scenes crudely cut out, which about balances out the good and bad of that. Ultimately boring, but I could imagine a version of this that doesn’t suck (honestly I’m pretty sure I’ve seen it on late night TV and it featured Billy Zane)
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2024 13:55
|
|
|
  Three ways can be toss ups, especially in low turnout weeks, but not this time. We get two decisive winners in John Carl Buechler’s Deep Freeze and Sean Byrne’s The Devil’s Candy. I mean if “decisive” is 5 votes. But it is here. Everyone gets at least one vote so no shutouts and everyone can go home with some dignity. But its Buechler and Darth’s Team Australian Aberration who advance into the Field of 64 and who we’ll see again in a couple of weeks. Which means its time for some more movies. 4. Tobe Hooper’s The Mangler vs. 13. Renny Harlin’s Exorcist: The Beginning  Tobe Hooper is back and he brings some Stephen King and Robert England to improve on his 6-4 Bracketology record. The Mangler isn’t exactly the most heralded King story or Hooper film. I’m not sure its a good one. But its got so much pure horror in one trash package it feels hard to imagine its not at least a little fun, right? I dunno. On the other side we have the… worse Exorcist prequel? Or the better one? If you don’t know the deal is that they filmed a whole prequel and finished it and then the studio decided they hated it so they brought Renny Harlin in to fix it and he just made a whole different movie. And then both ended up released and they’re just completely different films with the only thing they share in common is Stellan Skarsgård as Father Merrin. I think this is the worst received one but that could be because it was the first one and the studio recut so maybe the other one just had some built in bias in its favor. I dunno. I’ve seen both of these films but don’t remember either really. Its a whole tone of big names and big brands in this one but not exactly a pair of killer final products. That leaves this one a little wide open it seems and leaves room for an upset in one of our rare pure solo director vs solo director matchups. Sequel Alert: Sorta? Exorcist: The Beginning is the 4th Exorcist film of… 8? 6? 5? Its kinda confusing. The good news is its a prequel so you don’t really need to see any of the other films to follow. Although you definitely should be familiar with the OG film. Not just because its a classic but because it does tie most directly into this prequel and there’s stuff that you won’t really get without it. But I mean if you really don’t wanna watch it you’ll probably be fine. I dunno. The TV show is cool. The Mangler is out there and available upon request. Exorcist: The Beginning is out there and available upon request. 5. (Goat’s Team Zombie aka the New and Improved Knockoffs of the Living Dead) Sam Raimi’s Evil Dead vs. 12. (Sam’s Argenterror) Demián Rugna’s Terrified  Every once and awhile we get a matchup that just feels unfair. And to be honest I had completely forgotten that I had built a lazy super team and I’m ashamed to be responsible for this one. Because look… its Evil Dead. And that’s gonna be a hard one to beat, right? I mean its cheap and problematic in parts but its Evil Dead. But please don’t sleep on Terrified which is probably one of my favorite new films of the last decade. Like I wouldn’t even be mad if it won here. Hell, I could see myself voting for it. But do I think its gonna win? Not really. Its Evil Dead. But Terrified rocks so give it a chance. Evil Dead is out there and available upon request. Terrified is available for streaming on AMC+ and Shudder. I want to go on record that I think my images are ugly this week. My bad. I did it in a rush and just couldn’t nail things. I’ll try and do better next week. But this was a week that didn’t feel like it needed a ton of hype or help. Tons of big names and big films, and while some reaches in quality still films with a lot of bankable draw for one reason or another. We went from a full set of real deep cut trash last week to this and its that kind of randomness that keeps Bracketology interesting. As always the goal is to just have fun and watch what you want. We try and make sure every film is reasonably available, some are a little harder to find than others and not everyone has the right streaming services so if you need help finding any of the films ask and help might be right around the corner. It will. I have the movies. Just ask. You can vote in this round until 12 noon EST Apr 28th(or when I get to it) Next Week! 3. Horror Noire vs. 14. Always Back The Drac 6. In Space No One Can Hear You Stream vs. 11. Lucio Fulci Spreadsheet Letterboxd List
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2024 17:00
|
|
|
 Terrified was supposed to be the marque movie for the whole team and of course it goes up against one of my favorite movies of all time. Though that's really more fun, two big guys throwing haymakers rather than a beatdown. Echoing Goat, please just watch the movie even if you've already decided.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2024 17:20
|
|
|
I recommend checking out Dominion, which is mostly the same script as Exorcist: The Beginning but directed by Paul Schrader instead of Harlin. It's a pretty rare opportunity to be able to see two relatively big name directors make the same exact movie, I wouldn't say that either one of them are great but it's just a fun exercise to go through them both and notice the different choices made by each director.
|
|
#
?
Apr 22, 2024 18:39
|
|
|
I heck, a double loss. So now all my teams are dead, right? I might be wrong here but this week's outcome seems clear-cut.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2024 00:04
|
|
|
I've seen everything here this week except for Exorcist: The Beginning, and I remember only being lukewarm on all of them. (Yes, even OG Evil Dead.) I'll see if I can track down a copy of E:tB for this week, but it may end up coming down to a coin flip in both matches for me.
|
|
#
?
Apr 23, 2024 15:17
|
|
|
It’s Saturday. I’m actually more or less on time this week. There’s about 44 hours or so left to watch and vote this week. And then upwards and onwards into May. You can vote in this round until 12 noon EST Apr 29th (or when I get to it) Next Week! 3. Horror Noire vs. 14. Always Back The Drac 6. In Space No One Can Hear You Stream vs. 11. Lucio Fulci
|
|
#
?
Apr 27, 2024 21:30
|
|
|
The mangler was a good old fashioned hoot. Robert englund in old man makeup hamming it up was a lot of fun. Gets my vote. Evil dead hands down
|
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 02:04
|
|
|
Same votes here. The Mangler was entertaining; The Exorcist: The Beginning was not. Would have given Terrified a 4/5 if not for those last three seconds, but it was never gonna overcome Evil Dead for me.
Darthemed fucked around with this message at 04:49 on Apr 29, 2024 |
|
#
?
Apr 28, 2024 02:21
|
|
|
Easy choices this week Terrified is sooo good, until it isn’t. It sort of feels like a more sicko James Wan movie, but then through someones absolutely hare-brained decision thinks it’s a good idea to explain the haunting with ghost midichlorians or something. Totally took me out of the movie, but the ending is just generally a bit lackluster anyways. Rugna is still a director to watch out for, he really has a knack for unnerving imagery and ideas Evil Dead is a default winner so even with a better ending Terrified wouldn’t cut have it The Mangler is a total hoot. What could have been your bog standard possessed industrial laundry machine story is elevated by great direction and likeable actors. Loving the look of the Mangler, the factory, the Stephen King protagonist best friend who is gonna die’s house with the Hooper Christmas lights. Movie might have been a bit better with 15 minutes cut, but that’s the only thing I can really criticize. Exorcist:The Beginning has a fun setting, but it’s all bad cgi and truly tired scares. Get some new material! Also wild that people would give that little of a gently caress about the script that the entire premise of the movie is based on not even looking up basic history such as when did Christianity get introduced to East Africa. Easy win for Mangler, but to add insult to injury the exorcism scene in Mangler is better than anything in Exorcist.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 01:22
|
|
|
I do feel Evil Dead, taken just as a film, could well have lost out here, as it is not without its flaws. It's a horror classic, though, and still the right amount of comedy and messy horror to be a solid watch. I didn't find Terrified to be enough to really take it down. It's very good, just not quite great in my opinion. It doesn't quite seem to know if it wants to have a protagonist, or to try and have things explained or just disturbing and puzzling. It does well with the idea of all of this just not quite fitting in with our world, and does a good job conveying the mood visually. I felt pulled in and creeped out right from the start. Ultimately it was kind of disappointing, but it's the sort of disappointment of someone getting a double or a triple at the moment you expected them to hit a home run. As for the Mangler, I found it pretty entertaining, even if it's not top-tier Hooper. The cast is kind of uneven, though at least most of them seem to be having fun. Harlin's Exorcist: The Beginning does make you want to watch the better version of this script. The film just doesn't seem interested in exploring any of the ideas the script wants to bring up, and the only time it gets close to being interesting is when it's being loud and stormy.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 05:38
|
|
|
What the hell, I voted for Terrified just because I'd like to see that team move on. Not every vote has to be 100% rational. The Mangler was a super easy vote though. Exorcist The Beginning has absolutely nothing in it that can stand up to Englund chewing scenery.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 14:21
|
|
|
  Well we have our second unanimous victory of the year and surprisingly (unless you read the thread) its not Evil Dead. Sam Raimi’s classic does coast easily past Terrified but doesn’t get the shutout, sending my shameful super Zombie team into the next round and sadly sending Argenterror home early just as I figured out what the name means so could actually remember how to spell it without looking it up. But Tobe Hooper does pick up the 100% victory with crowd pleasing The Mangler leaving for an unceremonious but not unexpected run for Renny Harlin’s Exorcist prequel. On to this week’s movies. 3. (Goat’s Horror Noire) Ernest R. Dickerson’s Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight vs. 14. (Basebf’s Always Back The Drac) Édouard Molinaro’s Dracula and Son  I try my best to be objective but the god’s honest truth is I love Demon Knight and I think Ernest Dickerson is one of the most underrated filmmakers of modern times. Dickerson already has 1 official Bracketology victory with Bones and 1 unofficial win with Def by Temptation which he ghost directed, but Demon Knight is in many ways the evolution of that journey Dickerson was taking as a horror director. I’d even argue its a sort of unofficial trilogy in many ways. Of course on the flip side we can’t discount Christopher Lee in his final appearance as Dracula. I mean… it sounds… different. But its still Lee as Dracula. That’s gotta be worth something. I wanna be objective but I can’t here. But you do you and vote as you wish. I’m used to losing and at least I’ll have Billy Zane to keep me entertained if I do. Tales From the Crypt: Demon Knight is available for streaming on Starz. Dracula and Son is out there and available upon request. 6. (Weapon X’s In Space No One Can Hear You Stream) Jason Eisener’s Hobo With A Shotgun vs. 11. Lucio Fulci’s Voices from Beyond  Remember Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse? Remember the goofy fake trailers some of which were turned into actual movies like Machete and Thanksgiving? Well here’s another one of them you might not have known about. Or maybe you did catch this exploitation film that seems to have embraced every aspect of the Grindhouse idea for better or worse. Except maybe for the budget. On the flip side we have yet another legendary director drawing a TV movie, but I suspect there’s a difference between an American TV Movie made at the start of a legend’s career and an Italian TV movie made at the end of Fulci’s career. I dunno. But it sounds like Fulci if perhaps a little older or what have you. It sounds like a pair of films that aren’t that interested in holding back or offending anyone. Question is which one of them can come out with the win? Hobo With A Shotgun is available for streaming on Hulu, Plex, Pluto, Redbox, Roku, Tubi, and Vudu. Voices From Beyond is out there and available upon request. That’s our week. Some big names, some deep cuts, some fan favorites. A mix for sure and hey a nice jumpstarter for your May Challenge list if you so observe. If you love watching horror movies with our community here be sure to check out the now live May Challenge thread. Maybe we can confuse the gently caress out of people when a bunch of us watch the same random rear end obscure film. Who knows? As always the goal is to just have fun and watch what you want. We try and make sure every film is reasonably available, some are a little harder to find than others and not everyone has the right streaming services so if you need help finding any of the films ask and help might be right around the corner. It will. I have the movies. Just ask. You can vote in this round until 12 noon EST May 6th (or when I get to it) Next Week! 2. The Zombie Brothers vs. 15. John Carl Buechler 7. Chucky and His Pals vs. 10. Monsters, Monsters, and More Monsters Spreadsheet Letterboxd List
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 17:01
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 2, 2024 00:58 |
|
|
RIP to my team but at least we got Dracula and Son selected, I haven't actually seen it myself and I was very intrigued by the idea of it.
|
|
#
?
Apr 29, 2024 17:19
|
|