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Post by James on Oct 18, 2020 12:45:09 GMT
The Shawshank Redemption - 8/10 Throw Mama from the Train - 8/10
First Time Viewings:
None
Repeat Viewings:
Christine (1983) - Netflix One of my favourite King and Carpenter movies. 8/10
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Post by politicidal on Oct 18, 2020 13:07:35 GMT
Urban Legend (1998) 4/10
The Black Sleep (1956) 3/10
Night of the Lepus (1972) 2/10
Warpath (1951) 5/10
The Cassandra Crossing (1977) 6/10
The Burnt Orange Heresy (2020) 4/10
Just Mercy (2019) 8/10
Dead of Night (1946) 6/10
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Post by theravenking on Oct 18, 2020 14:59:33 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your host (me) posts my weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. I will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film. FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWINGBorder Incident (1949, Anthony Mann)
In yet another pairing of director Anthony Mann nd famed noir cinematographer John Alton, we have this wonderful little Border-noir. This one see's Mexican and American federal agents tackling a vicious gang exploiting illegal farm workers in southern California. Even with its low budget it is beautifully made and has a good cast but it sets itself apart with some pretty gruesome violence (for its day). 7/10 Marty (1955, Delbert Mann)
Ernest Borgnine (Escape from New York) plays a middle-aged butcher a who have given up on the idea of love who meets a school teacher at a dance who might change that. It is a pretty solid film but as with a lot of award winners its a bit underwhelming at times 6/10 REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont) blu ray
The classic prison film holds up well and works even if you know the twist. 7.5-8/10 Talk Radio (1988, Oliver Stone) blu ray
A riveting film that is mostly set on one room but the director makes the most of these limited locations. 7.5-8/10 The Defiant Ones (1958, Stanley Kramer) blu ray
Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis star as two convicts on the run in this entertaining film that deals with racial issues in 1950's america. 7.5/10 Auto Focus (2002, Paul Schrader) blu ray
Just as Zodiac (2007) was based on a Robert Graysmith book so was this film of the true life story of TV star Bob Crane (Greg Kinnear) and his strange friendship with electronics expert John Henry Carpenter (Willem Dafoe). Well made and acted with an interesting tale that I feel could have been fleshed out a little further, still very good though. 7/10 Throw Momma from the Train (1987, Danny Devito)
Fun comedy that uses the classic Strangers on a Train film as a jumping off point for its adventure. 6.5/10
WEEKLY FILM AWARDSBEST FILM: The Shawshank Redemption BEST ACTOR: Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption BEST ACTRESS: Ellen Greene - Talk Radio BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Willem Dafoe - Auto Focus BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Rita Wilson - Auto Focus BEST EDITING: David Brenner - Talk Radio BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Robert Richardson - Talk Radio BEST SCRIPT: Frank Darabont - The Shawshank Redemption BEST SCORE: Stewart Copeland - Talk Radio BEST DIRECTOR: Frank Darabont- the Shawshank Redemption 10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible) 09/10 - An Excellent film 08/10 - A VERY Good film 07/10 - A Good film 06/10 - A Solid film 05/10 - An Average film 04/10 - Below Average film 03/10 - A mostly bad film 02/10 - A mostly terrible film 01/10 - Awful through and through 00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont) I liked it, but wouldn’t consider it a classic like most people do. 7.5/10 Auto Focus (2002, Paul Schrader) While the story itself is interesting, the direction is rather flat and the movie almost comes over as prudish and reactionary. 4/10
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Post by theravenking on Oct 18, 2020 15:06:38 GMT
MINEHubie Halloween (2020 Steven Brill) - 5/10 Vampires vs. the Bronx (2020 Osmany Rodriguez) - 6.5/10 3 from Hell (2019 Rob Zombie) - 5.5/10 Wake in Fright (1971 Ted Kotcheff) - 7.5/10
Sweet Sixteen (1983 Jim Sotos) - 4.5/10 Fade to Black (1980 Vernon Zimmerman) - 7/10 Hellmaster (1992 Douglas Schulze) - 4.5/10 Mausoleum (1983 Michael Dugan) - 2.5/10 Satanic Panic (2019 Chelsea Stardust) - 7/10 Maniac (1980 William Lustig) - 5.5/10
It (2017 Andy Muschietti) - 7/10
Madman (1981 Joe Giannone) - 5/10 The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020 Aaron Sorkin) - 8/10Alone in the Dark (1982 Jack Sholder) - 4.5/10
Re-Animator (1985 Stuart Gordon) - 7/10
Just Before Dawn (1981 Jeff Lieberman) - 5.5/10Film AwardsBEST PICTURE - The Trial of the Chicago 7 BEST ACTOR - Dennis Christopher (Fade to Black) BEST ACTRESS - Hayley Griffith (Satanic Panic) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Frank Langella (The Trial of the Chicago 7) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - Sophia Lillis (It) BEST DIRECTOR - Ted Kotcheff (Wake in Fright) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - It BEST SCORE - Wake in Fright It (2017 Andy Muschietti) - 6/10
Haven't seen any of the others.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 18, 2020 15:22:37 GMT
Marty - 7/10 The Shawshank Redemption - 9.5/10 Talk Radio - Not sure why I haven't got around to this one yet. The Defiant Ones - 7/10 First Time Viewings: Sullivan's Travels (1941, Preston Sturges) This one is about a film director who sets out to experience life as a poor homeless person, to gain insight for his next film. Joel McCrea is good in the lead role and Veronica Lake is delightful, and the two of them share strong chemistry. The film itself is quite good too. 7.5/10 I Saw What You Did (1965, William Castle) This one is about a few girls who make prank phone calls one night, but end up calling a killer. Joan Crawford received top billing despite her limited screen time, but the whole cast is solid. I enjoyed the story and it has some nice tension at times. 7/10 The Abominable Snowman (1957, Val Guest) In this one a group of men go to the Himalayas in search of the Yeti. Peter Cushing is good as always and the rest of the cast is solid. The movie itself held my interest and had some strong moments. 7/10 Hocus Pocus (1993, Kenny Ortega) A teenager accidentally brings back three witches that were executed 300 years earlier in this one. It's definitely aimed at kids, but I had fun with it. The story is enjoyable, there are some good laughs, and the cast is good. 7/10 Frankenhooker (1990, Frank Henenlotter) This one is about a man who tries to construct a new bodies for his dead fiancé using prostitutes. It's ridiculous, but purposefully and I found it pretty fun. 7/10 Twice-Told Tales (1963, Sidney Salkow) Based on three different works of Nathaniel Hawthorne, this one stars Vincent Price in each segment. I liked all three stories. 7/10 Twins of Evil (1971, John Hough) This one concerns a group that hunts down woman suspected of withcraft. Peter Cushing is good as the leader of the group and I enjoyed the story. 7/10 The Relic (1997, Peter Hyams) In this one a creature from South America is lose in a museum. The cast is solid and it has its moments, but I feel like it wasn't quite engaging or intense enough to fully work. 6/10 Rabid (1977, David Cronenberg) Early Cronenberg film about a woman who develops a craving for human blood after plastic surgery. The story was interesting, but the main problem is the characters are so forgettable. 6/10 Dreamscape (1984, Joseph Ruben) This one is about a government agency that is experimenting with dream sharing technology. They probably could have done more with the premise, but I found it engaging throughout, with some very good moments. 7/10 Nightbreed (1990, Clive Barker) In this one a troubled young man is drawn to a mythical land where he believes monsters live. I watched the director's cut and it did seema bit long, but nothing too bad. Maybe I should watch the theatrical cut next time. I still liked it overall though, as I found it to be a well made and interesting horror film. 7/10 Repeat Viewings: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, Henry Selick) This dual holiday classic is always a fun watch. It has memorable characters, great character and sets designs, and great music too. 8/10 Edward Scissorhands (1990, Tim Burton) Very entertaining film with some strong performances. It's a creative film with some great moments and the score is really good. 8/10 Scream (1996, Wes Craven) One of my favorite horror movies. It's a lot of fun and the cast is awesome. 8.5/10 Scream 2 (1997, Wes Craven) Not nearly as good as the first, but a pretty good follow up in my opinion. 7/10 Scream 3 (2000, Wes Craven) Pretty entertaining sequel and Parker Posey is a fun addition to the cast, but the killer reveal/twist holds it back a bit for me. 6.5/10 Scream 4 (2011, Wes Craven) Another entertaining sequel. 7/10 Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010, Panos Cosmatos) Got into this one more this time around. It has terrific cinematography and the score is very good, creating a strong sense of atmosphere. 7/10 Candyman (1992, Bernard Rose) This one I also liked more this time. The score is wonderful and it tells a pretty interesting story. Good performances too. 7/10 Movie Awards: BEST FILM: Scream BEST ACTOR: Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands) BEST ACTRESS: Neve Campbell (Scream) BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Matthew Lillard (Scream) BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Kathy Baker (Edward Scissorhands) BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Norm Li (Beyond the Black Rainbow) BEST SCORE: Philip Glass (Candyman) BEST SCRIPT: Kevin Williamson (Scream) BEST DIRECTOR: Wes Craven (Scream) The Relic (1997, Peter Hyams) The creature was rather cheaply animated and it wasn’t quite as gripping as it could’ve been. This was for Tom Sizemore what Species was for Michael Madsen: Their only shot at becoming a Hollywood leading man. 6/10 Dreamscape (1984, Joseph Ruben) I saw this as a kid and found it really fascinating. Had been looking for it since then actually only finding out the title a few months ago. 7/10 The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993, Henry Selick) I never really cared for this one. It may be a decent Halloween movie but sucks as a Christmas movie. 4/10 Edward Scissorhands (1990, Tim Burton) Haven’t seen this for ages. I remember finding it weird but good. 8/10 Scream (1996, Wes Craven) Good clean fun. Few slasher movies are as smart as this. 8/10 Scream 2 (1997, Wes Craven) My favourite in the franchise, even though I agree with the naysayers that the finale reveal is kind of disappointing. 8.5/10 Scream 3 (2000, Wes Craven) Rather tame and bloodless sequel, they say the Weinsteins got cold feet after Columbine and insisted on less violence. Parker Posey and Lance Henriksen are good additions to the cast, but some of the other actors seem to be going through the motions. 6.5/10 Scream 4 (2011, Wes Craven) Not funny enough and especially not scary enough to revive the series. I only liked the opening sequence with Kristen Bell. 4/10 Candyman (1992, Bernard Rose) One of my favourite horror movies. As pretentious as this might sound: This almost qualifies as a real piece of art. 8.5/10
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Post by theravenking on Oct 18, 2020 15:33:59 GMT
YoursBorder Incident - 7/10 Marty - 7/10 The Shawshank Redemption - 7/10 Talk Radio - 9/10 The Defiant Ones - 7/10 Auto Focus - 8/10 MinePrivate Benjamin - I wasn’t particularly interested in the storyline, but at least the movie wasn’t quite as boring as I thought it would be. - 6/10 Mommy - Well made foreign film. - 7/10 The Best of Times - Most of the movie is boring and uninteresting, with the exceptions of the dinner scene (which made me chuckle) and the end of the football game. The talent and charisma of Kurt Russell and Robin Williams kept the movie from being terrible, but not by much. - 6/10 Welcome to the Dollhouse - My 2nd Todd Solondz movie, and like the other one, very good. - 7.5/10 Death Becomes Her - Better than I thought. I didn’t realize it was a Robert Zemeckis film, so no wonder. - 7/10 Dogfight - I couldn’t get into this one, despite the high IMDb rating. I found the “contest” in the 1st act more cruel than funny. The next hour was all romance and dialogue, both of which I found to be dull and uninteresting. The last 10 minutes was decent, but too little, too late. - 6/10 Beavis and Butt-Head Do America - Really fun movie. Very funny and kept me entertained. - 7/10 Inserts - This movie is just like a play, very few characters, all dialogue, with the movie staying in the same location for the entire duration. It’s not a movie for everyone, but the great acting by Richard Dreyfuss carries the film. - 7/10 Your Highness - I’m a fan of Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, so I had high hopes for this one. The set up had great potential, but they didn’t do enough with it. (The McBride/Green TV series of Eastbound & Down, Vice Principals, and The Righteous Gemstones are much better and much funnier.) - 6.5/10 Prime Cut - Had a promising beginning, but the 2nd and 3rd acts were pretty ridiculous (sorry dark, I know you’re a fan). Great cast, but kind of wasted on this movie. - 6/10 The Sitter - Another David Gordon Green film. I had fun with this one. Kind of a modern take on Adventures in Babysitting. Not for everyone perhaps, but it made me laugh. - 7/10 Dying of the Light - Paul Schrader film that seems to be hated by everyone. Other than Nicolas Cage’s bad acting (which is not unusual), I didn’t think it was all that atrocious. - 6.5/10 Ruby Sparks - I’d seen parts of this movie in the past, but never from beginning to end. It’s cute and creative. - 7/10 Lords of Dogtown - Starts a bit slow, but quickly becomes very good. - 7/10 Death Becomes Her – It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this one, I recall liking it, but it might be due for a rewatch. 7/10 Ruby Sparks – Sweet and really smart little comedy especially, if like me you love films about writers. Real-life couple Dano and Kazan are quite good in it. 7/10
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Post by theravenking on Oct 18, 2020 15:37:16 GMT
First Time Viewing:
The Day of the Beast (1995; Álex de la Iglesia) – Spanish horror comedy which was a huge hit in its native country even winning some of Spain’s major film prizes, the Goya awards. A priest finds out that the Apocalypse will occur on Christmas Eve with the birth of the Antichrist, so he tries to commit as much evil as he can and attempts to summon the devil to sell his soul to him. He is helped by a heavy metal fan and an occult TV show host. This is an incredibly silly movie which starts out enjoyably but soon starts feeling like a thin joke spread out over 2 hours. 4/10
Nine Miles Down (2009; Anthony Waller) – Event Horizon in the Sahara, this is how one could describe this. A drilling team in the African desert opens up a portal into hell and thereby releases some demons. This starts out with a great atmospheric sequence set in a sandstorm, but gradually goes downhill from there, failing to utilize its unique setting. I liked Adrian Paul on Highlander, but he is just the wrong type of actor for this sort of psychological horror. 4/10
The Omen II (1978; Don Taylor) – Rather boring, workmanlike sequel with flat characters. Perhaps the original director Mike Hodges could’ve done a better job with this. 5/10
Vampires (1998; John Carpenter) – A bit of a mixed bag this one. It has some lovely cinematography and a good score by Carpenter. James Woods is enjoyably badass in the lead, and even Daniel Baldwin acquits himself well. The plot is not particularly original, but its downfall comes in the action scenes which are just too silly, despite this being a horror-western I had the impression that Carpenter wanted to film his own John Woo movie with some over-the-top gunplay. It also suffers from not being scary at all, even though there is a generous amount of gore. The sometimes cringe worthy dialogue doesn’t really help matters either. 5/10
TV
Mr. Mercedes – Season 1 – This Stephen King adaptation is a rather dull affair, not even the always convincing Brendan Gleeson can save this one. 4/10
Repeat Viewing:
The Omen (1976; Richard Donner) – This doesn’t quite have the quality of other classics like Rosemary’s Baby or The Changeling, but it’s still a solid piece of entertainment. 6.5/10
The Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981; Graham Baker) – From all the Omen films this has actually the most promising story as Damien not only has to stay alive, but also has to kill the new-born saviour. Sam Neill is great in the lead as is the underrated Lisa Harrow as his love interest. It has another great Jerry Goldsmith score and good cinematography by Phil Meheux (Goldeneye). It also has some problems though: The antagonists, some Italian priests are dull and their death scenes largely boring and the script makes it too easy for the good guys to succeed in the end. Still an underrated movie though. 6.5/10
Omen IV: The Awakening (1991; Jorge Montesi; Dominique Othenin-Girard) – A decade after the release of part 3 this film tried to revive the Omen franchise. It’s a complete failure with a lacklustre plot which is almost a re-tread of the first movie only with an evil girl instead of a boy. Since this is a TV-movie there is also no blood and gore and the acting of the lead actress is also really awful. 3/10
The Omen (2006; John Moore) – This remake could’ve been a lot worse, but if you’ve seen the original, there is very little reason to watch this. 5/10
Session 9 (2001; Brad Anderson) – This was shot at an abandoned real-life mental hospital perhaps adding to the discomforting feeling that it could be a documentary. It starts out subtly, relying on atmosphere and some excellent acting from Peter Mullan, slowly building to a more violent and disturbing finale. When I first saw it I found the plot a bit confusing, but things fell into place on repeat viewings. 7/10
The Silence Of The Lambs (1990; Jonathan Demme) – This classic is still a smart and classy piece of entertainment 8.5/10
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Post by theravenking on Oct 18, 2020 16:09:35 GMT
The Shawshank Redemption - 8/10 Throw Mama from the Train - 8/10 First Time Viewings:None Repeat Viewings:Christine (1983) - Netflix One of my favourite King and Carpenter movies. 8/10Christine (1983) - Good as a coming-of-age story, rather disappointing as a horror though. 5.5/10
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Post by theravenking on Oct 18, 2020 16:10:44 GMT
Urban Legend (1998) 4/10 The Black Sleep (1956) 3/10 Night of the Lepus (1972) 2/10 Warpath (1951) 5/10 The Cassandra Crossing (1977) 6/10 The Burnt Orange Heresy (2020) 4/10 Just Mercy (2019) 8/10 Dead of Night (1946) 6/10 Urban Legend (1998) 5/10
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Post by politicidal on Oct 18, 2020 16:20:05 GMT
Urban Legend (1998) 4/10 The Black Sleep (1956) 3/10 Night of the Lepus (1972) 2/10 Warpath (1951) 5/10 The Cassandra Crossing (1977) 6/10 The Burnt Orange Heresy (2020) 4/10 Just Mercy (2019) 8/10 Dead of Night (1946) 6/10 Urban Legend (1998) 5/10 It kind of got a tad better as it went on. But man, the characters sucked. Most likable one...the dog. Poor Hootie.
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Post by jcush on Oct 18, 2020 18:25:31 GMT
First Time Viewing: The Day of the Beast (1995; Álex de la Iglesia) – Spanish horror comedy which was a huge hit in its native country even winning some of Spain’s major film prizes, the Goya awards. A priest finds out that the Apocalypse will occur on Christmas Eve with the birth of the Antichrist, so he tries to commit as much evil as he can and attempts to summon the devil to sell his soul to him. He is helped by a heavy metal fan and an occult TV show host. This is an incredibly silly movie which starts out enjoyably but soon starts feeling like a thin joke spread out over 2 hours. 4/10 Nine Miles Down (2009; Anthony Waller) – Event Horizon in the Sahara, this is how one could describe this. A drilling team in the African desert opens up a portal into hell and thereby releases some demons. This starts out with a great atmospheric sequence set in a sandstorm, but gradually goes downhill from there, failing to utilize its unique setting. I liked Adrian Paul on Highlander, but he is just the wrong type of actor for this sort of psychological horror. 4/10 The Omen II (1978; Don Taylor) – Rather boring, workmanlike sequel with flat characters. Perhaps the original director Mike Hodges could’ve done a better job with this. 5/10 Vampires (1998; John Carpenter) – A bit of a mixed bag this one. It has some lovely cinematography and a good score by Carpenter. James Woods is enjoyably badass in the lead, and even Daniel Baldwin acquits himself well. The plot is not particularly original, but its downfall comes in the action scenes which are just too silly, despite this being a horror-western I had the impression that Carpenter wanted to film his own John Woo movie with some over-the-top gunplay. It also suffers from not being scary at all, even though there is a generous amount of gore. The sometimes cringe worthy dialogue doesn’t really help matters either. 5/10 TV M r. Mercedes – Season 1 – This Stephen King adaptation is a rather dull affair, not even the always convincing Brendan Gleeson can save this one. 4/10 Repeat Viewing: The Omen (1976; Richard Donner) – This doesn’t quite have the quality of other classics like Rosemary’s Baby or The Changeling, but it’s still a solid piece of entertainment. 6.5/10 The Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981; Graham Baker) – From all the Omen films this has actually the most promising story as Damien not only has to stay alive, but also has to kill the new-born saviour. Sam Neill is great in the lead as is the underrated Lisa Harrow as his love interest. It has another great Jerry Goldsmith score and good cinematography by Phil Meheux (Goldeneye). It also has some problems though: The antagonists, some Italian priests are dull and their death scenes largely boring and the script makes it too easy for the good guys to succeed in the end. Still an underrated movie though. 6.5/10 Omen IV: The Awakening (1991; Jorge Montesi; Dominique Othenin-Girard) – A decade after the release of part 3 this film tried to revive the Omen franchise. It’s a complete failure with a lacklustre plot which is almost a re-tread of the first movie only with an evil girl instead of a boy. Since this is a TV-movie there is also no blood and gore and the acting of the lead actress is also really awful. 3/10 The Omen (2006; John Moore) – This remake could’ve been a lot worse, but if you’ve seen the original, there is very little reason to watch this. 5/10 Session 9 (2001; Brad Anderson) – This was shot at an abandoned real-life mental hospital perhaps adding to the discomforting feeling that it could be a documentary. It starts out subtly, relying on atmosphere and some excellent acting from Peter Mullan, slowly building to a more violent and disturbing finale. When I first saw it I found the plot a bit confusing, but things fell into place on repeat viewings. 7/10 The Silence Of The Lambs (1990; Jonathan Demme) – This classic is still a smart and classy piece of entertainment 8.5/10 The Omen II - Goldsmith provides another really good score, but the movie itself is kind of dull. 5/10 Vampires - More good than bad, but still part of Carpenter's downward spiral. 6/10 The Omen - Big fan of this one. 8.5/10 Omen III - Not terrible, but not particularly engaging. 5/10 Omen IV - Worst of the bunch. 4/10 The Omen - Pointless remake. 5/10 Session 9 - Pretty effective horror film. 7/10 The Silence of the Lambs - In my top 10 of all time. 10/10
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Post by James on Oct 18, 2020 18:45:47 GMT
First Time Viewing: The Day of the Beast (1995; Álex de la Iglesia) – Spanish horror comedy which was a huge hit in its native country even winning some of Spain’s major film prizes, the Goya awards. A priest finds out that the Apocalypse will occur on Christmas Eve with the birth of the Antichrist, so he tries to commit as much evil as he can and attempts to summon the devil to sell his soul to him. He is helped by a heavy metal fan and an occult TV show host. This is an incredibly silly movie which starts out enjoyably but soon starts feeling like a thin joke spread out over 2 hours. 4/10 Nine Miles Down (2009; Anthony Waller) – Event Horizon in the Sahara, this is how one could describe this. A drilling team in the African desert opens up a portal into hell and thereby releases some demons. This starts out with a great atmospheric sequence set in a sandstorm, but gradually goes downhill from there, failing to utilize its unique setting. I liked Adrian Paul on Highlander, but he is just the wrong type of actor for this sort of psychological horror. 4/10 The Omen II (1978; Don Taylor) – Rather boring, workmanlike sequel with flat characters. Perhaps the original director Mike Hodges could’ve done a better job with this. 5/10 Vampires (1998; John Carpenter) – A bit of a mixed bag this one. It has some lovely cinematography and a good score by Carpenter. James Woods is enjoyably badass in the lead, and even Daniel Baldwin acquits himself well. The plot is not particularly original, but its downfall comes in the action scenes which are just too silly, despite this being a horror-western I had the impression that Carpenter wanted to film his own John Woo movie with some over-the-top gunplay. It also suffers from not being scary at all, even though there is a generous amount of gore. The sometimes cringe worthy dialogue doesn’t really help matters either. 5/10 TV M r. Mercedes – Season 1 – This Stephen King adaptation is a rather dull affair, not even the always convincing Brendan Gleeson can save this one. 4/10 Repeat Viewing: The Omen (1976; Richard Donner) – This doesn’t quite have the quality of other classics like Rosemary’s Baby or The Changeling, but it’s still a solid piece of entertainment. 6.5/10 The Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981; Graham Baker) – From all the Omen films this has actually the most promising story as Damien not only has to stay alive, but also has to kill the new-born saviour. Sam Neill is great in the lead as is the underrated Lisa Harrow as his love interest. It has another great Jerry Goldsmith score and good cinematography by Phil Meheux (Goldeneye). It also has some problems though: The antagonists, some Italian priests are dull and their death scenes largely boring and the script makes it too easy for the good guys to succeed in the end. Still an underrated movie though. 6.5/10 Omen IV: The Awakening (1991; Jorge Montesi; Dominique Othenin-Girard) – A decade after the release of part 3 this film tried to revive the Omen franchise. It’s a complete failure with a lacklustre plot which is almost a re-tread of the first movie only with an evil girl instead of a boy. Since this is a TV-movie there is also no blood and gore and the acting of the lead actress is also really awful. 3/10 The Omen (2006; John Moore) – This remake could’ve been a lot worse, but if you’ve seen the original, there is very little reason to watch this. 5/10 Session 9 (2001; Brad Anderson) – This was shot at an abandoned real-life mental hospital perhaps adding to the discomforting feeling that it could be a documentary. It starts out subtly, relying on atmosphere and some excellent acting from Peter Mullan, slowly building to a more violent and disturbing finale. When I first saw it I found the plot a bit confusing, but things fell into place on repeat viewings. 7/10 The Silence Of The Lambs (1990; Jonathan Demme) – This classic is still a smart and classy piece of entertainment 8.5/10 Omen II - 7/10 Vampires - 7/10 The Omen - 8/10 Omen III - 6.5/10 Omen IV - 4/10 The Omen (2006) - 5.5/10 The Silence of the Lambs - 8.5/10
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 18, 2020 19:44:50 GMT
First Time Viewing: Vampires (1998; John Carpenter) – A bit of a mixed bag this one. It has some lovely cinematography and a good score by Carpenter. James Woods is enjoyably badass in the lead, and even Daniel Baldwin acquits himself well. The plot is not particularly original, but its downfall comes in the action scenes which are just too silly, despite this being a horror-western I had the impression that Carpenter wanted to film his own John Woo movie with some over-the-top gunplay. It also suffers from not being scary at all, even though there is a generous amount of gore. The sometimes cringe worthy dialogue doesn’t really help matters either. 5/10 The Omen (1976; Richard Donner) – This doesn’t quite have the quality of other classics like Rosemary’s Baby or The Changeling, but it’s still a solid piece of entertainment. 6.5/10 The Omen (2006; John Moore) – This remake could’ve been a lot worse, but if you’ve seen the original, there is very little reason to watch this. 5/10 Session 9 (2001; Brad Anderson) – This was shot at an abandoned real-life mental hospital perhaps adding to the discomforting feeling that it could be a documentary. It starts out subtly, relying on atmosphere and some excellent acting from Peter Mullan, slowly building to a more violent and disturbing finale. When I first saw it I found the plot a bit confusing, but things fell into place on repeat viewings. 7/10 The Silence Of The Lambs (1990; Jonathan Demme) – This classic is still a smart and classy piece of entertainment 8.5/10 Vampires - 6/10 The Omen - 6/10 The Omen (2006) - 5/10 Session 9 - 7/10 The Silence of the Lambs - 10/10 my favorite movie
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Post by darksidebeadle on Oct 18, 2020 22:40:28 GMT
The Shawshank Redemption - 8/10 Throw Mama from the Train - 8/10 First Time Viewings:None Repeat Viewings:Christine (1983) - Netflix One of my favourite King and Carpenter movies. 8/10Yeah Christine is great, I have it in 4kuhd, looks fab 7/10
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Post by darksidebeadle on Oct 18, 2020 22:42:02 GMT
Urban Legend (1998) 4/10 The Black Sleep (1956) 3/10 Night of the Lepus (1972) 2/10 Warpath (1951) 5/10 The Cassandra Crossing (1977) 6/10 The Burnt Orange Heresy (2020) 4/10 Just Mercy (2019) 8/10 Dead of Night (1946) 6/10 Urban Legend (1998) 4.5/10 The Cassandra Crossing (1977) on my watchlist
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Post by darksidebeadle on Oct 18, 2020 22:50:29 GMT
First Time Viewing: The Day of the Beast (1995; Álex de la Iglesia) – Spanish horror comedy which was a huge hit in its native country even winning some of Spain’s major film prizes, the Goya awards. A priest finds out that the Apocalypse will occur on Christmas Eve with the birth of the Antichrist, so he tries to commit as much evil as he can and attempts to summon the devil to sell his soul to him. He is helped by a heavy metal fan and an occult TV show host. This is an incredibly silly movie which starts out enjoyably but soon starts feeling like a thin joke spread out over 2 hours. 4/10 Nine Miles Down (2009; Anthony Waller) – Event Horizon in the Sahara, this is how one could describe this. A drilling team in the African desert opens up a portal into hell and thereby releases some demons. This starts out with a great atmospheric sequence set in a sandstorm, but gradually goes downhill from there, failing to utilize its unique setting. I liked Adrian Paul on Highlander, but he is just the wrong type of actor for this sort of psychological horror. 4/10 The Omen II (1978; Don Taylor) – Rather boring, workmanlike sequel with flat characters. Perhaps the original director Mike Hodges could’ve done a better job with this. 5/10 Vampires (1998; John Carpenter) – A bit of a mixed bag this one. It has some lovely cinematography and a good score by Carpenter. James Woods is enjoyably badass in the lead, and even Daniel Baldwin acquits himself well. The plot is not particularly original, but its downfall comes in the action scenes which are just too silly, despite this being a horror-western I had the impression that Carpenter wanted to film his own John Woo movie with some over-the-top gunplay. It also suffers from not being scary at all, even though there is a generous amount of gore. The sometimes cringe worthy dialogue doesn’t really help matters either. 5/10 TV M r. Mercedes – Season 1 – This Stephen King adaptation is a rather dull affair, not even the always convincing Brendan Gleeson can save this one. 4/10 Repeat Viewing: The Omen (1976; Richard Donner) – This doesn’t quite have the quality of other classics like Rosemary’s Baby or The Changeling, but it’s still a solid piece of entertainment. 6.5/10 The Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981; Graham Baker) – From all the Omen films this has actually the most promising story as Damien not only has to stay alive, but also has to kill the new-born saviour. Sam Neill is great in the lead as is the underrated Lisa Harrow as his love interest. It has another great Jerry Goldsmith score and good cinematography by Phil Meheux (Goldeneye). It also has some problems though: The antagonists, some Italian priests are dull and their death scenes largely boring and the script makes it too easy for the good guys to succeed in the end. Still an underrated movie though. 6.5/10 Omen IV: The Awakening (1991; Jorge Montesi; Dominique Othenin-Girard) – A decade after the release of part 3 this film tried to revive the Omen franchise. It’s a complete failure with a lacklustre plot which is almost a re-tread of the first movie only with an evil girl instead of a boy. Since this is a TV-movie there is also no blood and gore and the acting of the lead actress is also really awful. 3/10 The Omen (2006; John Moore) – This remake could’ve been a lot worse, but if you’ve seen the original, there is very little reason to watch this. 5/10 Session 9 (2001; Brad Anderson) – This was shot at an abandoned real-life mental hospital perhaps adding to the discomforting feeling that it could be a documentary. It starts out subtly, relying on atmosphere and some excellent acting from Peter Mullan, slowly building to a more violent and disturbing finale. When I first saw it I found the plot a bit confusing, but things fell into place on repeat viewings. 7/10 The Silence Of The Lambs (1990; Jonathan Demme) – This classic is still a smart and classy piece of entertainment 8.5/10 The Omen II (1978; Don Taylor) – I quite like it, i know there was some production history with the director being switched after first two weeks of shooting though. 7/10 Vampires (1998; John Carpenter) – for a while this was the worst theatrically released film I had ever seen, its still in my bottom 20 1/10 The Omen (1976; Richard Donner) – 8/10 a classic and one of my favourite horrors The Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981; Graham Baker) – 6.5 a good enough finale to the trilogy, it does have quite the same feel as the first two but it works Omen IV: The Awakening (1991; Jorge Montesi; Dominique Othenin-Girard) – feels more like a parody than any kind of continuation 2/10 The Omen (2006; John Moore) – bland but yeah couldve been worse 5/10 The Silence Of The Lambs (1990; Jonathan Demme) 8/10
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Post by sjg on Oct 19, 2020 9:46:27 GMT
Hi Dark,
Just one of yours this week:
The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont) 10/10
Mine:
1) Action in the North Atlantic 1943 (6/10)
2) I Married a Witch 1942 (5/10)
3) Johnny Eager 1941 (5/10)
4) Gascoigne 2015 (6/10)
5) Cabin in the Sky 1943 (5/10)
6) Dragon Seed 1944 (4/10)
7) The Way of All Flesh 1927 (3/10)
8) Last Men in Aleppo 2017 (7/10)
9) Days of Glory 1944 (5/10)
10) Five Graves to Cairo 1943 (6/10)
11) A Ship Comes In 1928 (3/10)
12) Blood on the Sun 1945 (5/10)
13) Can't Help Singing 1944 (4/10)
14) The Climax 1944 (4/10)
15) Crash and Burn 2016 (6/10)
16) Duel in the Sun 1946 (5/10)
17) The Enchanted Cottage 1945 (5/10)
18) The Blue Dahlia 1946 (4/10)
19) Champion 1949 (5/10)
20) Flame of Barbary Coast 1945 (5/10)
21) Anna and the King of Siam 1946 (6/10)
22) The Fallen Idol 1948 (6/10)
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Post by darksidebeadle on Oct 19, 2020 10:32:08 GMT
Hi Dark, Just one of yours this week: The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont) 10/10 Mine: 1) Action in the North Atlantic 1943 (6/10) 2) I Married a Witch 1942 (5/10) 3) Johnny Eager 1941 (5/10) 4) Gascoigne 2015 (6/10) 5) Cabin in the Sky 1943 (5/10) 6) Dragon Seed 1944 (4/10) 7) The Way of All Flesh 1927 (3/10) 8) Last Men in Aleppo 2017 (7/10) 9) Days of Glory 1944 (5/10) 10) Five Graves to Cairo 1943 (6/10) 11) A Ship Comes In 1928 (3/10) 12) Blood on the Sun 1945 (5/10) 13) Can't Help Singing 1944 (4/10) 14) The Climax 1944 (4/10) 15) Crash and Burn 2016 (6/10) 16) Duel in the Sun 1946 (5/10) 17) The Enchanted Cottage 1945 (5/10) 18) The Blue Dahlia 1946 (4/10) 19) Champion 1949 (5/10) 20) Flame of Barbary Coast 1945 (5/10) 21) Anna and the King of Siam 1946 (6/10) 22) The Fallen Idol 1948 (6/10) Heya dude 10) Five Graves to Cairo 1943 (4.5/10) 18) The Blue Dahlia 1946 (5.5/10) 22) The Fallen Idol 1948 (7.5/ 10)
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william123
Sophomore
@william123
Posts: 574
Likes: 213
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Post by william123 on Oct 21, 2020 13:46:33 GMT
Welcome back to another week of the BEST & WORST edition of 'what movies did you see last week?' thread. For those who haven't been part of it before, basically your host (me) posts my weekly movies and you can comment on those and list your movie for the same time frame. I will get back to you on yours and you can talk to other users here about their films. It's a great place to talk about film. FIRST TIME MOVIE VIEWINGBorder Incident (1949, Anthony Mann)
In yet another pairing of director Anthony Mann nd famed noir cinematographer John Alton, we have this wonderful little Border-noir. This one see's Mexican and American federal agents tackling a vicious gang exploiting illegal farm workers in southern California. Even with its low budget it is beautifully made and has a good cast but it sets itself apart with some pretty gruesome violence (for its day). 7/10 Marty (1955, Delbert Mann)
Ernest Borgnine (Escape from New York) plays a middle-aged butcher a who have given up on the idea of love who meets a school teacher at a dance who might change that. It is a pretty solid film but as with a lot of award winners its a bit underwhelming at times 6/10 REPEAT MOVIE VIEWING The Shawshank Redemption (1994, Frank Darabont) blu ray
The classic prison film holds up well and works even if you know the twist. 7.5-8/10 Talk Radio (1988, Oliver Stone) blu ray
A riveting film that is mostly set on one room but the director makes the most of these limited locations. 7.5-8/10 The Defiant Ones (1958, Stanley Kramer) blu ray
Sidney Poitier and Tony Curtis star as two convicts on the run in this entertaining film that deals with racial issues in 1950's america. 7.5/10 Auto Focus (2002, Paul Schrader) blu ray
Just as Zodiac (2007) was based on a Robert Graysmith book so was this film of the true life story of TV star Bob Crane (Greg Kinnear) and his strange friendship with electronics expert John Henry Carpenter (Willem Dafoe). Well made and acted with an interesting tale that I feel could have been fleshed out a little further, still very good though. 7/10 Throw Momma from the Train (1987, Danny Devito)
Fun comedy that uses the classic Strangers on a Train film as a jumping off point for its adventure. 6.5/10
WEEKLY FILM AWARDSBEST FILM: The Shawshank Redemption BEST ACTOR: Morgan Freeman - The Shawshank Redemption BEST ACTRESS: Ellen Greene - Talk Radio BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Willem Dafoe - Auto Focus BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Rita Wilson - Auto Focus BEST EDITING: David Brenner - Talk Radio BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY: Robert Richardson - Talk Radio BEST SCRIPT: Frank Darabont - The Shawshank Redemption BEST SCORE: Stewart Copeland - Talk Radio BEST DIRECTOR: Frank Darabont- the Shawshank Redemption 10/10 - Perfection (or as close to it as possible) 09/10 - An Excellent film 08/10 - A VERY Good film 07/10 - A Good film 06/10 - A Solid film 05/10 - An Average film 04/10 - Below Average film 03/10 - A mostly bad film 02/10 - A mostly terrible film 01/10 - Awful through and through 00/10 - Not only awful but offensive too hi, Dark. Here I am. Interested in Border Incident. Yours: The Shawshank Redemption 9/10 Haven't seen it in a while, but, yeah, classic. Talk Radio 9/10 Yep, great movie,I remember loving it. Auto Focus 8.5/10 Loved it, both Greg Kinnear and Willem Dafoe were great. Throw Momma from the Train 7/10 I remember thinking it was O.K., but really not much else. Mine: Scream of Stone 7.5/10 It's a Werner Herzog movie, with Donald Sutherland. It's about two rival mountain climbers, one who's expert and experienced and a younger hot shot, who both want to climb a mountain in Argentina that's never been climbed before, and has a reputation for being impossible. I liked it, I thought the story maybe was a bit dull, but the climbing and the mountain scenes are really incredible. It would be something to watch it on a big screen. I liked the actor who played the experienced climber, Vittorio Mezzogiorno, he had a great presence. I liked Donald Sutherland too. Scarface (1983) 8.5/10 Brian De Palma remake. Love it, it's not perfect maybe, but I find it really powerful. Love Al, the cast is great in general. I love Giorgio Moroder's score too, it's very 80s. Demon Seed 7.5/10 It's a movie with Julie Christie, about the wife of a scientist who becomes a prisoner of the computer built by his husband, who controls their home and grows sentient. I enjoyed it, it's pretty insane. Julie Christie is great. Street Smart 8/10 It's a Jerry Schatzberg movie, with Christopher Reeve and Morgan Freeman, it's about a NY journalist who's supposed to write a piece about a real life pimp, he can't find no one to talk to him, so he makes up the whole thing. But the lawyer of an actual pimp actually think the article is about his client and the journalist gets in trouble. I liked it, it's pretty good, it gets intense. Really loved Morgan Freeman, Kathy Baker too. Christopher Reeve was good as well.
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stonekeeper
Sophomore
@stonekeeper
Posts: 382
Likes: 24
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Post by stonekeeper on Oct 21, 2020 15:52:36 GMT
Heeeey!
The shawshank redemption: 8/10 I'll have to see Talk Radio Throw Momma from the Train: 7/10
The land before time (1988 DVD): 10/10
The great valley adventure (1994 DVD): 9/10
The time of the great giving (1995 DVD): 9.5/10
The kids and I brought the mattress down in the living room and had a lazy Sunday afternoon. I always watch these movies in french and the voices are perfect, the drawings are wonderful and the stories are all you can wish for in a children flick. That’s my childhood right there guys.
Society (1989 Tubi): I don’t know what freaked me out more; the creepiness of the film or the lead’s haircut. The guy was a baller and he had a brand new Jeep so I’ll give him a pass. Back to the film; I rarely watch a movie entirely in one shot but this one I had to watch till the end. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the mystery but the final insane unraveling wasn’t totally satisfying. That « let me give you a hand » monster or the “butt-head” were so ridiculous it took me out of the film a bit. My rating: 7/10
Curse of Chucky (2013 DVD): This one is more of a traditional horror movie; the « killer inside the scary house murdering the people one by one ». But the reason I love Chucky so much is the eccentricity, the colourful madness, the funny one liners and the quirkiness and I feel like they lost that a bit here. The first hour is pretty uneventful, we don’t even hear Dourif’s voice before the 45th minute and the kills are mostly poor, like rat poison in the chilli bowl followed by a car accident or simply dropping water on the floor where there is an electric cord plugged in the wall and person gets electrocuted. That axe to the face was something else though. It seemed like it was all going nowhere but the last 40 minutes wrapped things up pretty nicely connecting with the previous movies and leaving us hanging for the dreadful sequel; cult of Chucky. Because yes, I watched Cult before Curse because it was available on Netflix and I only recently bought the Curse. The sequel would definitely make more sense to me now but I don’t feel like watching this cold movie again. So, I’m officially done watching all the movies from this franchise and here are my ratings:
Child’s play: 8/10
child’s play 2: 8/10
child’s play 3: 7.5/10
bride of Chucky: 6/10
seed of Chucky: 6.5/10
curse of Chucky: 5.5/10
cult of Chucky: 5/10
Child’s play (2019): 5/10
Lady in the water (2006 TV): Very very boring. This is the second Night Shyalaman movie that I utterly hated. Giamatti is one of the few actors I mostly dislike and seeing him gasping for air coming out of a pool or making a milk moustache like a 8 years old was just cringe. The never-ending no-sense dialogue got on my nerves and I barely made it to the end. FFwd the last 30 minutes to see the monsters. What a disappointment. My rating: 3/10
Re-animator(1985 tubi): A good concept executed in a simple and entertaining way but slightly too random to fully hit the mark. Fun without a purpose, more for gore. My rating: 7/10
Black Christmas (1974 TV): Decent horror movie but lacked tension, except in the last 10 minutes, to really grip me. I did not care much for the characters, they often took stupid decisions (maybe that started the trend) and the sound was not very good. Plus their was a lot of noises, screaming and crying. Yeah, I could see that the killer was not happy about what he had to do, poor fella was crying all the time. Those phone calls where something else though. 6.5/10
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