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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 15, 2023 22:36:26 GMT
One Missed Call 2 (Renpei Tsukamoto, 2005) The first One Missed Call film was a fun little J-Horror romp. It wasn’t the best that Japanese horror had to offer, but it was a fun watch that had a few creepy scenes. This sequel is worse in every way. It’s nowhere near as effective as the first film and it’s oddly convoluted. It honestly seems to break its own rules whenever it is convenient and was a major disappointment (also what was the deal with introducing a new ghost that kills in the same way, but also keeping the other one as almost a background plot?). I wasn’t expecting greatness by any means, but it’s sad how that this was the follow up. 3/10 One Missed Call 3: Final (Manabu Asô, 2006) I can tell by the IMDb rating that many seem to think this is the worst of the series. Honestly I found it better than the second in every way. It’s faster paced. We lose the random villain that we didn’t get much of an explanation for and the one new addition to the rules (forwarding your message causes another’s death) adds a nice bit of extra paranoia to the characters as they become more desperate and more likely to turn on their friends. It’s not perfect, but I enjoyed this one. 6/10 After just watching both, I kinda agree. The third film was more enjoyable, and at least added another dimension to the lore. Whereas the second film was a bland rehash of the original. Though there’s something about this series where my interest always seems to fade when it comes to the third act. In all three films. |
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 15, 2023 22:43:45 GMT
House Of The Long Shadows (1983)A cocky, young writer wants to find solitude in an old mansion while writing his latest novel. But he is constantly disturbed by various visitors; some of them are related to each other and are hiding a dark family secret. This British movie was made at a time when blood and guts were spraying across the screen in most horror movies, pissing off the MPAA who often demanded cuts to achieve R ratings. But this one is strictly an old fashioned, PG-rated horror romp, recalling the style of Hammer and Amicus productions. Old school ingredients such as constant thunder and lightning, lots of cobwebs, and sinister wardrobes are displayed throughout. Best of all, we get a host of lengendary horror icons; Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and John Carradine. It's a real pleasure watching these old pros do what they do best. They deliver typical classical performances, like they are doing Shakespeare. They're all superb in their roles. Desi Arnaz, Jr. isn't too bad as the writer (Leonard Maltin was hard on him, saying he almost sinks the whole picture). So all-in-all, this was a pretty good change of pace viewing for the Challenge. Apparently April Fool's Day wasn't the first movie to reveal that all the murders were fake and done as a prank; this one ends the same way. 6.5/10 The wonderful ensemble of Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, David Carradine and (Pete Walker regular) Sheila Keith really chew up the scenery providing the lively theatrics to Pete Walker’s trope infused, old dark house mystery-horror. Without ‘em, rather forgettable. |
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 15, 2023 23:10:17 GMT
11 days into the challenge, and the scariest thing I've encountered is Pierce Brosnan's French accent in Nomads. You telling me, he didn’t swoon you with that French accent. Wonder if Pepé Le Pew was the inspiration. But, yeah, scary indeed. The actors did a great job keeping a straight face. Because it was rather distracting. |
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 15, 2023 23:47:01 GMT
Watching Home Sick, one of Adam Wingard's first movies. There's a scene where 2000s B movie actress Tiffany Shepis finds her dead mom and proceeds to throw up on the corpse's tit and play around in her blood. I wonder if there will be a scene like that in Godzilla vs Kong 2. Maybe doing so, could give the human side of the story some personality. |
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 15, 2023 23:53:00 GMT
Had an Argento double feature with Cat o' Nine Tails and Four Flies on Grey Velvet for Friday the 13th. Both are part of the animal trilogy with the first being Bird with the Crystal Plumage which I watched for last year. Both were decent but I thought Bird was still the best. They all revolve around a murder mystery with a reveal/twist for the killer by the end...which is commonplace for this director's work but I suppose these three have the distinction of not only being his debut films but all their titles have an animal to which each film represents in their symbolism. Most people would prefer Cat but I like Four Flies about as much if not better as it's somewhat more enjoyable. Definitely share the same sentiments for liking Four Flies more than Cat O’Nine tails. I actually might like it slightly more than Crystal Plumage. I think Crystal is the better made film, but the plot of Four Flies entertains me more. |
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soggy
Sophomore
@soggy
Posts: 837
Likes: 1,419
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Post by soggy on Oct 15, 2023 23:58:23 GMT
One Missed Call 2 (Renpei Tsukamoto, 2005) The first One Missed Call film was a fun little J-Horror romp. It wasn’t the best that Japanese horror had to offer, but it was a fun watch that had a few creepy scenes. This sequel is worse in every way. It’s nowhere near as effective as the first film and it’s oddly convoluted. It honestly seems to break its own rules whenever it is convenient and was a major disappointment (also what was the deal with introducing a new ghost that kills in the same way, but also keeping the other one as almost a background plot?). I wasn’t expecting greatness by any means, but it’s sad how that this was the follow up. 3/10 One Missed Call 3: Final (Manabu Asô, 2006) I can tell by the IMDb rating that many seem to think this is the worst of the series. Honestly I found it better than the second in every way. It’s faster paced. We lose the random villain that we didn’t get much of an explanation for and the one new addition to the rules (forwarding your message causes another’s death) adds a nice bit of extra paranoia to the characters as they become more desperate and more likely to turn on their friends. It’s not perfect, but I enjoyed this one. 6/10 After just watching both, I kinda agree. The third film was more enjoyable, and at least added another dimension to the lore. Whereas the second film was a bland rehash of the original. Though there’s something about this series where my interest always seems to fade when it comes to the third act. In all three films. I get the third act issue in the second and third, but I didn't have that problem with the first. Maybe I was more invested in the plot or maybe it was just how out there it was getting (The TV station sequence) but that one worked a lot better for me. |
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 16, 2023 0:09:09 GMT
Anyone seen The Blackwell Ghost sequels? Worth checking out?  ‘The Blackwell Ghost’ was a modest no-budget documentary style horror film. Simple in formula, but I found it strangely compelling. Slow starter setting up the mood, usual no-budget frights and history building of its haunted house, but a likeable lead goes a long way. |
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Post by lostinlimbo on Oct 16, 2023 0:19:40 GMT
Since we are halfway through the challenge… what has impressed you so far when it comes to your first-time viewings?
Any repeat watches where your mind has changed… love it more, or think less of it?
And how are you travelling… pacing yourself, or hit a slump, or still going hard?
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 16, 2023 1:54:39 GMT
Cutting Class (1989)
Thank goodness for Brad Pitt being one of the main characters, because if not for him and Roddy McDowell as the perverted principle, this movie would have been even less watchable. This is one of the dumbest and dullest slasher movies I have ever seen. Nothing about it is scary or creepy, though it does seem to be more of a comedy, but it isn't funny either. The way the movie is written I can't even tell if the identity of the killer was supposed to be a mystery or not and there are parts of this movie that make no sense at all. It almost seems like an anti-slasher movie and if that is what it was going for I guess it sort of achieved that. The movie begins with an attempted murder of a DA, who the killer doesn't even bother to check to see if the character is dead and what is even funnier (whether ironically or intentionally funny) is apparently the DA wasn't even injured that badly. He is just walking around trying to get to help for the rest of the movie. That aspect of the movie was probably the most ridiculous. The movie actually avoids a hilariously ironic ending, though it would have been way too little way too late. The DA I was talking about finally makes it home and almost gets hit by a car being driven by Brad Pitt's character with the daughter of the DA in the passenger seat. So that would have made him surviving the initial attack make more sense if the set up was just to lead to him being killed by accident after walking all that way to safety. Instead it ends with a joke about cutting class, which is probably the most funny moment in the movie, but still, it ending with him being killed would have been far more ballsy and darkly hilarious. 
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Post by Marv on Oct 16, 2023 1:54:49 GMT
Since we are halfway through the challenge… what has impressed you so far when it comes to your first-time viewings? Any repeat watches where your mind has changed… love it more, or think less of it? And how are you travelling… pacing yourself, or hit a slump, or still going hard? Favorite first time views...Werewolves Within, Little Evil, Warm Bodies, and American Gothic. Most of the repeats haven't changed much although I found out that they cut the crab walk scene out of some versions of the Exorcist. I thought maybe i missed it when i went to the bathroom but nobody i was with saw it and I looked into it and apparently its cut out of some versions. Weird. Most days I try to get one horror movie in. I don't usually aim for more than that, although I had a Friday the 13th marathon and then I had a family gathering to watch a handful on saturday so the weekends have boosted my numbers quite a bit. Its a solid pace tho because I dont feel burned out on horror or anything. |
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Post by masterofallgoons on Oct 16, 2023 2:30:57 GMT
Since we are halfway through the challenge… what has impressed you so far when it comes to your first-time viewings? Any repeat watches where your mind has changed… love it more, or think less of it? And how are you travelling… pacing yourself, or hit a slump, or still going hard? Favorite first time views...Werewolves Within, Little Evil, Warm Bodies, and American Gothic. Most of the repeats haven't changed much although I found out that they cut the crab walk scene out of some versions of the Exorcist. I thought maybe i missed it when i went to the bathroom but nobody i was with saw it and I looked into it and apparently its cut out of some versions. Weird. Most days I try to get one horror movie in. I don't usually aim for more than that, although I had a Friday the 13th marathon and then I had a family gathering to watch a handful on saturday so the weekends have boosted my numbers quite a bit. Its a solid pace tho because I dont feel burned out on horror or anything. The spider walk was only in the rerelease of The Exorcist. It's not in the original theatrical release. I remember Edgar Wright making a good point as to why that was the right move in the first place; he said the concept of the threat in the movie was not a monster run amok, but that you had to enter into its domain. The characters had to go into her room and confront her/it for those scenes of horror, and the spider walk betrays that whole concept. I thought it was an interesting and largely true point. |
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soggy
Sophomore
@soggy
Posts: 837
Likes: 1,419
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Post by soggy on Oct 16, 2023 3:54:53 GMT
 The Wailing (Na Hong-jin, 2016) I’ve heard several call this the best Korean horror movie they’ve ever seen. I feel like I must have watched a different movie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad at all, but it’s nothing that I found spectacular and honestly there’s an aspect of an invading foreigner causing all the problems that I have a bit of an issue with... and yes, I know Japan and Korea have a history, but it still was uncomfortable and not in a fun horror way and it’s overlong for the story it tells (over two and a half hours). Worth a watch, but I don’t quite see what so many seem to. 6/10 |
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Post by theravenking on Oct 16, 2023 10:57:24 GMT
Since we are halfway through the challenge… what has impressed you so far when it comes to your first-time viewings? Any repeat watches where your mind has changed… love it more, or think less of it? And how are you travelling… pacing yourself, or hit a slump, or still going hard? My first-time viewings were okay so far. There were a few fun watches, like The Gate or Screamers, but I haven't discovered any masterpieces or new favourites. The worst things I've seen so far were the Masters Of Horror episodes, with Stuart Gordon's The Black Cat being the absolute low point. Watching animals getting viciously killed is a huge no for me. I'm willing to cut older movies some slack here, the Italians kept doing this very often, but I feel that in the 21st century there's absolutely no excuse for this.
When it comes to rewatches I changed my mind on Tenebrae, but I was expecting to like it better since this is the first time I saw the uncut version.
Overall sadly I think I hit a slump. My latest viewings weren't very engaging. Perhaps it's time for some more rewatches. The Sixth Sense is one I haven't seen for a long time, it might be comforting to watch some old favourites.
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Post by theravenking on Oct 16, 2023 10:59:52 GMT
The Wailing (Na Hong-jin, 2016) I’ve heard several call this the best Korean horror movie they’ve ever seen. I feel like I must have watched a different movie. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad at all, but it’s nothing that I found spectacular and honestly there’s an aspect of an invading foreigner causing all the problems that I have a bit of an issue with... and yes, I know Japan and Korea have a history, but it still was uncomfortable and not in a fun horror way and it’s overlong for the story it tells (over two and a half hours). Worth a watch, but I don’t quite see what so many seem to. 6/10 I've been debating wether to watch this. I actually already wanted to see it for last year's challenge, but then somehow didn't get around to it. I'm generally not the biggest fan of Asian horror, but in this case I found the trailer rather captivating. |
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Post by masterofallgoons on Oct 16, 2023 13:43:30 GMT
Since we are halfway through the challenge… what has impressed you so far when it comes to your first-time viewings? Any repeat watches where your mind has changed… love it more, or think less of it? And how are you travelling… pacing yourself, or hit a slump, or still going hard? My first-time viewings were okay so far. There were a few fun watches, like The Gate or Screamers, but I haven't discovered any masterpieces or new favourites. The worst things I've seen so far were the Masters Of Horror episodes, with Stuart Gordon's The Black Cat being the absolute low point. Watching animals getting viciously killed is a huge no for me. I'm willing to cut older movies some slack here, the Italians kept doing this very often, but I feel that in the 21st century there's absolutely no excuse for this.
When it comes to rewatches I changed my mind on Tenebrae, but I was expecting to like it better since this is the first time I saw the uncut version.
Overall sadly I think I hit a slump. My latest viewings weren't very engaging. Perhaps it's time for some more rewatches. The Sixth Sense is one I haven't seen for a long time, it might be comforting to watch some old favourites.
Did you watch the John Carpenter episode(s) of Masters of Horror? No surprise, really, that his was the best (I haven't seen them all, to be fair). But 'John Carpenter's Cigarette Burns' is his last great piece of work, and a huge step up from the last few movies he made before that. It's the only episode of that series that I really wish had a bigger budget and a longer runtime because it really could have been good. It's a great premise and he does some really good work visually and totally. |
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Post by masterofallgoons on Oct 16, 2023 13:52:42 GMT
Cutting Class (1989)
Thank goodness for Brad Pitt being one of the main characters, because if not for him and Roddy McDowell as the perverted principle, this movie would have been even less watchable. This is one of the dumbest and dullest slasher movies I have ever seen. Nothing about it is scary or creepy, though it does seem to be more of a comedy, but it isn't funny either. The way the movie is written I can't even tell if the identity of the killer was supposed to be a mystery or not and there are parts of this movie that make no sense at all. It almost seems like an anti-slasher movie and if that is what it was going for I guess it sort of achieved that. The movie begins with an attempted murder of a DA, who the killer doesn't even bother to check to see if the character is dead and what is even funnier (whether ironically or intentionally funny) is apparently the DA wasn't even injured that badly. He is just walking around trying to get to help for the rest of the movie. That aspect of the movie was probably the most ridiculous. The movie actually avoids a hilariously ironic ending, though it would have been way too little way too late. The DA I was talking about finally makes it home and almost gets hit by a car being driven by Brad Pitt's character with the daughter of the DA in the passenger seat. So that would have made him surviving the initial attack make more sense if the set up was just to lead to him being killed by accident after walking all that way to safety. Instead it ends with a joke about cutting class, which is probably the most funny moment in the movie, but still, it ending with him being killed would have been far more ballsy and darkly hilarious. I just watched this recently for the first time too. Brad Pitt is pretty good, the lead actress is completely lovely, but the movie doesn't know what the fuck it is. It tries to be funny sometimes and have real slasher stuff other times and neither really works. One of the wildest things about it is the extremely casual sexual assault and inappropriate sexual exploitation from every adult in the movie. And this leading lady is just totally fine with it. It's nuts. And Martin Mull is great but his part is stupid, but I agree that your ending would have been pretty fucking great. I actually might have come away loving this movie. But I will say, the reveal of the killer did surprised me. It seemed so obvious that it would have to have been a mislead, so when it wasn't I actually was surprised. |
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TheSowIsMine
Junior Member
@thesowismine
Posts: 2,680
Likes: 1,739
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Post by TheSowIsMine on Oct 16, 2023 14:38:20 GMT
Im watching a lot of movies I have on my hard disk, cleaning it up. Man there is some shit on that.
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forca85
Sophomore
@forca85
Posts: 441
Likes: 343
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Post by forca85 on Oct 16, 2023 17:29:55 GMT
All RV:
a Resurrection
Donner's pass
Island of the Dead (2002)
Dot Kill
Feeling burned out on Horror. But I'll keep it going.
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Post by Prime etc. on Oct 16, 2023 18:20:16 GMT
The wonderful ensemble of Vincent Price, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, David Carradine and (Pete Walker regular) Sheila Keith really chew up the scenery providing the lively theatrics to Pete Walker’s trope infused, old dark house mystery-horror. Without ‘em, rather forgettable. I especially liked the kung fu provided by Carradine!
I am just wondering how it would have been if the story was closer to Fright Night with them as horror actors or something being hired to deal with a monster. Someone did a fake movie poster for an alternate universe Ghostbusters starring them and Bette Davis!
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Post by moviemouth on Oct 16, 2023 19:28:57 GMT
Cutting Class (1989)
Thank goodness for Brad Pitt being one of the main characters, because if not for him and Roddy McDowell as the perverted principle, this movie would have been even less watchable. This is one of the dumbest and dullest slasher movies I have ever seen. Nothing about it is scary or creepy, though it does seem to be more of a comedy, but it isn't funny either. The way the movie is written I can't even tell if the identity of the killer was supposed to be a mystery or not and there are parts of this movie that make no sense at all. It almost seems like an anti-slasher movie and if that is what it was going for I guess it sort of achieved that. The movie begins with an attempted murder of a DA, who the killer doesn't even bother to check to see if the character is dead and what is even funnier (whether ironically or intentionally funny) is apparently the DA wasn't even injured that badly. He is just walking around trying to get to help for the rest of the movie. That aspect of the movie was probably the most ridiculous. The movie actually avoids a hilariously ironic ending, though it would have been way too little way too late. The DA I was talking about finally makes it home and almost gets hit by a car being driven by Brad Pitt's character with the daughter of the DA in the passenger seat. So that would have made him surviving the initial attack make more sense if the set up was just to lead to him being killed by accident after walking all that way to safety. Instead it ends with a joke about cutting class, which is probably the most funny moment in the movie, but still, it ending with him being killed would have been far more ballsy and darkly hilarious. I just watched this recently for the first time too. Brad Pitt is pretty good, the lead actress is completely lovely, but the movie doesn't know what the fuck it is. It tries to be funny sometimes and have real slasher stuff other times and neither really works. One of the wildest things about it is the extremely casual sexual assault and inappropriate sexual exploitation from every adult in the movie. And this leading lady is just totally fine with it. It's nuts. And Martin Mull is great but his part is stupid, but I agree that your ending would have been pretty fucking great. I actually might have come away loving this movie. But I will say, the reveal of the killer did surprised me. It seemed so obvious that it would have to have been a mislead, so when it wasn't I actually was surprised. The sexual assault harassment stuff was somewhat common in '80s teen movies, but it does seem more casual in this. I think the main female either didn't pick up on it or was just ignoring it. We see the principle's reactions and motives, but I think she is presented as a bit naive or just a pushover. The latter is certainly possible, because she is supposed to be this responsible girl but then just hands over the keys to school files to Brad Pitt with very little hesitation. Regarding the killer, I had a similar thought, but the misdirection is handled very poorly. At first I was like this is too obvious, but then as the movie progressed I started thinking he is definitely the killer and then they do make you think maybe he isn't the killer for a mere 10 minute span of the movie near the end and I was only partially fooled. That was a very strange scene with the daughter too when the killer just comes into her house and in into the bathroom where she is naked and she seems to just believe his story. She has no thought apparently of his just strolling into her house and into the bathroom where she is clearly naked. He also has blood on his face at that part. That is what I mean when I said I don't what the movie is going for with his character. It was just wierd. |
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