TheSowIsMine
Junior Member
@thesowismine
Posts: 2,652
Likes: 1,684
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Oct 3, 2020 18:17:46 GMT
I watched Rent-A-Pal today. That was a great indie film, with some good performances.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 3, 2020 20:58:41 GMT
Crosspost (edited) from a different thread: I started with Hostel and Hostel part II. Thought I had seen both before but the second isn't familiar at all. It stars Lauren German (Lucifer) and they never show her body or even her figure, she's somewhat frumpy the whole time. Even when she's in the pool it's only her head sticking out of the water and when she exits the pool she holds a robe in front of the camera. Just strikes me as odd. Maybe I'm desensitized but both movies are relatively tame when it comes to gore. In the first there is a decapitated head, some body puncturing and cutting, some shooting, but there is little psychological weight to it. In the second there is a scene where someone drags a scythe over a woman's body hard enough to bunch up the skin and it leaves no mark, not a scratch or even red line. Both take about half the movie before the horror part kicks in. The first carried you through with some nudity but there is a lot less in part II. In part II there is a deep background rumble in the abandoned factory which doesn't make sense. I'm sure it's for 'ambiance' but still doesn't make sense. The first is interesting in that the victims are all males. Missing is the mean spirited violence of some other Eli Roth movies like Aftershock and Cabin Fever. I still enjoy both and this has put me in the torture porn mood, maybe I'll watch the box set of Saw movies I bought on sale a few years ago.
New content: Child's Play 2019 isn't very popular and I expected to hate it but you know what, I think as reboots go it was updated perfectly for young audiences. Possessed killer doll and killer robot have been done to death but Buddi is an advanced AI, Bluetooth/wifi enabled doll that can communicate with all your Kaslan (think Amazon) devices, not a new idea but IMO the best implementation. If we've learned anything by now, robots with AI are always a bad idea and robots that can play and record audio, video, and communicate with electronic devices is even more terrible idea. Firing people before their shift ends is almost as bad. Combine all these elements and you get Child's Play 2019. The target audience is my 18 yo daughter and it was effective, she had to hide her eyes or turn away during several scenes and seemed to be engaged all the way through. As a burgeoning luddite, I was definitely entertained. Aubrey Plaza was excellent casting and nails her role. The kid was adequate. Chuckie looks -- well he looks creepy as hell and fits current pop culture tropes. People calling it Chucky for Millennials are missing the mark, this is Chucky for Zoomers and nails it.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 3, 2020 22:11:32 GMT
Some thoughts on the films I watched so far:
Midsommar (2019; Ari Aster) – I would say this is best enjoyed as a fun black comedy with some hilariously bizarre scenes. I saw it as a criticism of organised religion. Like Hereditary it’s over-directed and too leisurely paced to be really gripping, even though it looks gorgeous. Florence Pugh proves that her ace turn in Lady Macbeth was no fluke, this is one lady who can definitely act. 6/10
Psycho II (1983; Richard Franklin) – Decent sequel with a terrific Perkins. 6.5/10
Psycho III (1986; Anthony Perkins) – A bit cartoonish and clearly not to be taken too seriously. Still a fun slasher. 5.5/10
Bone Tomahawk (2015; S. Craig Zahler) – I had seen the second half of this years ago, decided to watch the entire thing now. Zahler is clearly a man with a unique vision, his laconic dialogue has a Cormac McCarthy-esque quality. I just wish the movie would’ve been more interesting visually. The low budget unfortunately shows. The beginning is also painfully slow. Emotionally it remained a bit distant and cold even though Kurt Russel and Richard Jenkins brought their A-game. I was less taken with Patrick Wilson’s performance, he did what was required of him but nothing more. 6/10
Psycho (1960; Alfred Hitchcock) – Well, it’s a classic and still holds up well if we exclude the ending which is obviously over-explained. 8.5/10
Haunter (2013; Vincenzo Natali) – This is a movie I didn’t really like much at first, but it grew on me after repeat viewings. The first act can seem a bit confusing and requires the viewer’s full attention and quite a bit of patience, but once it kicks into gear after about 30 minutes it becomes a fascinating time-loop-ghost story. 6.5/10
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Post by TheOriginalPinky on Oct 4, 2020 0:52:48 GMT
Mary (2019) Started out slow, looked promising, was almost there . . . but it just couldn’t make it. Ending was kind of predictable. Not terrible, but there have been better. Some scary moments in the form of jump scares. Although I like Oldman, he was blah in this film and couldn’t save it from itself. 5/10 Gary Oldman Emily Mortimer
The Tenant (1976) Have always wanted to see this and treated myself last night. I was hooked from the beginning. Loved the way it played out. Polanski was really good, and I loved seeing Winters, Douglas, and Van Fleet in this. 9/10 Roman Polanski Isabelle Adjani Shelly Winters Melvyn Douglas Jo Van Fleet
The Disappointments Room (2016) Her hair always perfect (and blonde), Kate Beckinsale plays Dana, architect wife. Typical couple move into old manor, want to restore, creepy things happen. Uneven in places, some okay moments. Good to watch on a boring rainy day. 5/10 Kate Beckinsale Mel Raido
The Devil’s Doorway (2018) A really good found-footage film. Not a fan of them, but this is shot in 16mm and the story takes place in the 1960’s where two priests are sent to investigate a bleeding statue of the Virgin Mary in a Magdalene Laundry in Irelend run by the Catholic Church where undesirable women (criminals, prostitutes, unwed mothers, the poor) are forced into basically slave labor. Surprisingly realistic and compelling, although there are some cliché’ things that happen toward the end, but all in all, pretty good film. 8/10 Lalor Roddy Ciaran Flynn Helena Bereen
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Post by Captain Spencer on Oct 4, 2020 2:39:38 GMT
Saw a couple of duds tonight. SHARK EXORCIST: Well, FridayOnElmStreet warned me this was a very bad movie, but curiosity got the better of me so I checked it out on YouTube. Oh my god, this was way beyond bad! I find it really difficult to believe that the budget was $300,0000 because it had the cheap production values of a porno; looks like it was recorded on a low quality smartphone. There are no decent makeup effects and whenever the demonic shark is shown it is mostly the same footage over and over again. The acting is absolutely horrible; most of the actors looked like they were bored with the material anyway. No sense of fun at all, just a lot of stupidity. But then again, what did I expect from a plot that deals with a shark possessed by Satan? THE CHILDREN: A nuclear power plant accidently releases a radioactive mist that turns local children into little monsters with the ability to microwave people to death. I've always wanted to see this 1980 shocker, but it turns out the waiting wasn't worth it. Absurb story with no logic and a terrible ending. But hey, at least it's much better than Shark Exorcist!
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Post by Sarge on Oct 4, 2020 3:30:00 GMT
Captain Spencer, I watched some amount of Shark Exorcist on Syfy a couple years ago and it is bad. Started watching The Curse of Frankenstein, forgetting that watched it last year, and quit after 20 minutes. Great movie, I have loved it since I was a kid, but I've seen it so many times.
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Post by MooseNugget on Oct 4, 2020 6:51:59 GMT
October 1st Apollo 18 (2011) - First time viewing Terror Level: Medium This film gave actually at points. Being alone out in space with just one other dude on the moon and finding a dead body gives me the chills. The atmosphere scared me more then the actual monsters in the film. You know I thought they were going to make the rocks work as monsters but them transforming into spiders was just too much for me. Plus this could have really worked as a found footage film if there were less movie effects. The Blair Witch Project and Cannibal Holocaust worked because there were minimal special effects used. Anyway I was into the film but I doubt it would hold up with a second viewing. 6/10. #Saraitda (2020) - First time viewing Terror Level: Low I can't imagine this movie being without the Coronavirus pandemic in mind. It's interesting to see a zombie film follow what a person does when all they can do is barricade themselves inside their apartment. What are they going to do all alone when they run out of food, water, companionship and things to do? I think this is the perfect zombie movie for 2020 and it'll be interesting to look back at after the pandemic is over. 8/10.
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Post by MooseNugget on Oct 4, 2020 6:52:24 GMT
October 2nd The Thing from Another World (1951)Terror Level: Low While this pales in comparison to John Carpenter's remake this movie has its moments and is a lot of fun to watch. While I'm not so keen on the idea they're fighting a giant carrot monster from outer space the filmmakers do fit some suspense into the film while also having a wild scene where the Alaskan crew sets the monster and their base on fire. The fact that everything isn't taken too seriously helps as this would have aged poorly seeing how this film just has a guy running around in a silly monster costume. 7/10.
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Post by MooseNugget on Oct 4, 2020 6:52:47 GMT
October 3rd The Undead (1957) - First time viewing Terror Level: None The concept of this movie was a lot more interesting than what was executed on screen. I was interested in the idea of a girl being hypnotized and being sent back through time where she gets hunted down for witchcraft. Sadly this was rather dull. Smolkin The Gravedigger was the highlight of this film with his singing and talk of being a madman. 4/10. Mad Love (1935) - First time viewing Terror Level: None I was rather disappointed that Colin Clive didn't have a larger role in this film although our other horror heavyweight Peter Lorre was the star. Lorre falls in love with Clive's wife and after he's involved in a train accident Lorre replaces his hands with that of a knife throwing murderer. It's a ridiculous concept today although it is kinda funny. The problem is I've seen before done better in Night Gallery shorts. This holds up more as a drama rather than a horror film. 6/10. Mermaid Down (2019) - First time viewing Terror Level: Low There's fun ridiculous film and then there's films that are just stupidly random. Mermaid Down is the latter, a movie where a mermaid is captured, cut in half, grows legs, is put into a insane asylum, befriends a ghost, grows her tail back and so much more. Honestly reading it this should be one of those films that it's so bad that it's good but the movie is dull. There's other girls in the asylum as well but we never get to learn anything about them. The last half hour of this movie turned up the randomness to 10 and I just checked out. This dude was killing people and this girl needed to use the bathroom so she just walks right past him to use the toilet. After she's done he tried to kill her twice while she just stands there and watches him before he gets her the third time. You know for something like that to work you need someone to be the "straight guy" and we just didn't have that here. 2/10.
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Post by Sarge on Oct 4, 2020 8:51:13 GMT
MooseNugget #Alive / #Saraitda, I believe was inspired by the first story in World War Z, there are a lot of similarities. The book has good ideas but is poorly researched and poorly written, shame it never got a proper movie. Watched The Dead 2015, well made, well shot, good acting, slow as molasses. The plot is simple, which I like, 2 strangers moving across the countryside trying to escape zpoc and reunite with their families. Most of the running time are the two men bonding during the adventure but the story is thin and they meet the usual moral and physical challenges. Things pick up in the last half hour and make it worth watching but I feel another round of editing would help the pacing without hurting the story.
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Post by darkreviewer2013 on Oct 4, 2020 9:12:31 GMT
Mark of the Devil (1970) - 6/10 [FTV]
This was an unpleasant watch. Not a bad film, mind, but certainly one that made for uncomfortable viewing. Produced on foot of the success of the 1968 Vincent Price movie Witchfinder General, this West German flick is a cruder, more visceral take on the subject of witch-hunting, overflowing with scenes of graphic torture and sexual violence that are unsettling even 50 years after its release. Essentially an exploitation film that foreshadows the torture porn subgenre of later decades, it's not one for the faint of heart.
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Post by stefancrosscoe on Oct 4, 2020 11:20:55 GMT
Managed to watch about 10 films, for the past few days, and where my main focus have been on looking up First Time Views, but since I have had little luck or "success" with that, at least finding solid or very good ones, I decided to also pick up a few personal favorites, which I had not seen for a while, but remember having recently been brought up in the Film General section, and made me want to have see them once more. As of right now, here is how I would rank and rate the ones I have seen for now: 01. The Dead Zone (1983) 8,5/1002. Psycho II (1983) 8/1003. Day of the Animals (1977) 6/1004. Son of Dracula (1943) 5,5/1005. Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor (1989) 5/1006. Dracula’s Daughter (1936) 5/1007. Death Valley (1982) 5/1008. Alien Space Avenger (1989) 4,5/1009. Zombie Nightmare (1987) 3/1010. Sweatshop (2009) 1/10The last one on the list made me realize that I just cannot watch too many of that kind of absolute waste of time , as it would surely kill off my motivation if I come across more of that same "quality", so hopefully I might get a bit more lucky with the future impulse picks. Anyway, I am surely hooked on at least get to see 2 horror films a day, and looking forward to spending the nights in the dark, watching these kind of movies is also a bit of the fun part, even though I might regret that, as mentioned earlier.
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TheSowIsMine
Junior Member
@thesowismine
Posts: 2,652
Likes: 1,684
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Oct 4, 2020 11:59:00 GMT
I just watched Curse of Chucky on netlfix, it was not the unrated version I saw originally.
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Post by Marv on Oct 4, 2020 16:04:06 GMT
Childs Play 2019....I was actually surprised how much i enjoyed this one. I am a fan of the original series of films and the disjointed yet continuous plot that has evolved over decades of those films from the og childs play to cult of chucky...but this one felt fun in a different way. This one was much more of a stalker movie. You can see it on the fringes early on, even without knowing anything about the childs play franchise...but Mark Hamills voice as Chucky just puts a smile on your face and he comes across perfectly as a kind of loveable yet dim little brother type throughout the first half, and you can follow some of the logic that leads him to becoming rather murderous and uninhibited. The human cast was fine too. The secondary kids were mildly annoying at times but not so much that they took away from the film. The Andy-Chucky relationship really sells this one for me.
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Post by sostie on Oct 4, 2020 17:01:44 GMT
#Saraitda (2020) - First time viewing Terror Level: Low I can't imagine this movie being without the Coronavirus pandemic in mind. It's interesting to see a zombie film follow what a person does when all they can do is barricade themselves inside their apartment. What are they going to do all alone when they run out of food, water, companionship and things to do? I think this is the perfect zombie movie for 2020 and it'll be interesting to look back at after the pandemic is over. 8/10. Really enjoyable film and a new addition to the "stuck in an apartment during a zombie apocalypse" sub-sub-genre (joining Rammbock, Death Do Us part, Night Eats The World, La Horde et al)
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Post by sostie on Oct 4, 2020 17:05:42 GMT
I See You (2019) Re-watch A solid 8/10 first time I saw it, down a bit second viewing as it's impact is lessened. Still a well made film with some unexpected surprises and twists. The trailer is really great because it gives you no idea what kind of horror category(s) it falls into.
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Post by Marv on Oct 4, 2020 23:34:15 GMT
Rescheduled my egg ball game today so I made it a child’s play day instead...
Watched the remake, child’s play 2 and child’s play 3. I enjoy this series as a whole.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 4, 2020 23:41:19 GMT
Some thoughts on what I've seen: House (1986) - 7/10 [Repeat Viewing] By the mid-80s, campy horror-comedies had become a staple of the genre and this movie was the first that I know of to adapt that approach to the haunted house subgenre. Nice to see George Wendt from Cheers playing the bungling neighbour, even if he is a little under-utilised. The movie also features some old-school prosthetics and creature effects that serve to give it an Evil Dead II vibe at times. Pretty good overall. John Carpenter's Vampires (1998) - 6/10 [FTV] Carpenter's foray into the vampire western subgenre is a passable effort, but fails to ignite any great passion. As much an action flick as a horror movie, the standout scene involves a massacre early on in the film's runtime that is never matched by any subsequent events. James Wood is the chief highlight, playing the role of a violent and borderline sociopathic vampire-hunter. The dude was born to play assholes. Sleepaway Camp (1983) - 8/10 [FTV] I'd been meaning to get round to seeing this film for several years at this stage and am glad to have finally taken the plunge. Clearly modelled on the more famous Friday the 13th (replete with the mystery killer trope), this is a surprisingly fun little chiller. Fun and not to mention weird. I'd already learned about that ending long before seeing it, but my foreknowledge didn't blunt its effectiveness. The Keep (1983) - 6/10 [FTV] On paper, this film has a lot of things going for it - haunting visuals, a chilling soundtrack, a novel World War II setting, Nazi protagonists, some big name actors, a freaky antagonist and a unique storyline. The premise is certainly intriguing and the movie is mostly well-acted. What ruins it is the editing. The original cut was apparently over 200 minutes long, but the studio had it edited down to about 90 minutes, purging the film of large chunks of its character development in the process. The end result is a film that, though tantalizing novel, feels incomplete. Sleepaway Camp II: Unhappy Campers (1988) - 7/10 [FTV] A radically different film from its better known predecessor, this derives its template from Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives as opposed to the original Friday the 13th. It's a horror-comedy with its tongue planted firmly in its cheek and a glorious celebration of cinematic tastelessness, awash with gratuitous nudity and over-the-top violence, that completely abandons the more sombre approach and tone of what came before. Very much its own thing, I quite enjoyed this. The Funhouse (1981) - 6/10 [FTV] Tobe Hooper's attempt at a straightforward slasher is a relatively by-the-numbers vehicle that takes its time to get going. The funhouse setting was clever and the killer is certainly disturbing to behold. The film displays some traces of the grittiness in which his more famous Texas Chain Saw Massacre is steeped, but it never comes close to achieving that level of brilliance. The Monster Squad (1987) - 6/10 [FTV] This is the kind of film I wish I'd seen about 20+ years ago. I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more back then. It's essentially a kids horror movie with some blood and guts thrown in for good measure. At 36, I didn't really feel myself to be the target audience for this kind of thing anymore. Horror Express (1972) - 7/10 [FTV] Reminded me of a Hammer film, though the science fiction-oriented plot a departure from their more traditionalist gothic approach. It's a fine film with a creepy monster, based upon the same novel that would later give rise to The Thing. Though far less visceral in its violence in comparison with that film, it is quite bloody by early 70s standards. It's also perhaps the only film wherein Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are on the same side. The Keep is a strange one, but I always keep coming back to it. It’s a mess of a film, but I just find it hypnotic thanks largely to Mann’s stylistic brushes and the tangerine dream score. I might just re-watch it this month. I remember reading that the studio asked Mann to cut down his 3+hr film to 2 hrs, which he did, but the studio still wasn’t pleased, so they cut it to what it is now. The alternate ending was floating around. Then not helping matters the person in charge of the special effects/FX died. Scenes were still incomplete and he was the only one who knew how some of special effects worked. So instead of getting in a new SFX guy, they tried to figure it out themselves. You gotta think this limited some set-pieces too.... maybe the final 15 mins would have been way more expansive than how it turned out? I kinda feel the same way about Monster Squad too. Saw for the first time when I was in my late teens, and it didn’t do much for me. Outside of the monster fx. A friend lent to me, who was a big fan of it, but he grew up with it. Last time I saw it was a couple years ago at a cinema during a film festival. Actually enjoyed it more this time around, but I think it was just the atmosphere of the theatre of watching with what looked like mostly fans.
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 5, 2020 0:25:47 GMT
Rewatching Candyman the other night, I forgot how a lot of the violence/deaths happen off-screen. Excluding the doctor’s death, which I saw for the first time uncut. Brutal death. The psychology interplay really cuts deep... but my memory had me thinking it had more straight-forward slasher streaks. Maybe I’m confusing it with the sequel: Farewell to the Flesh? I never bothered with the second sequel; Candyman: Day of the Dead.
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Post by Marv on Oct 5, 2020 0:34:00 GMT
Rewatching Candyman the other night, I forgot how a lot of the violence/deaths happen off-screen. Excluding the doctor’s death, which I saw for the first time uncut. Brutal death. The psychology interplay really cuts deep... but my memory had me thinking it had more straight-forward slasher streaks. Maybe I’m confusing it with the sequel: Farewell to the Flesh? I never bothered with the second sequel; Candyman: Day of the Dead. Candy man has a great sound to it. I love the music.
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