What was the last movie you've seen?

[dsheinem]

The Holy Mountain (1973) – Saw this on the recommendation of a forum member. I do not think a more visually stunning film has been made. A bizarre, twisted, insane film that attempts to put the most shocking, depraved, stunning, and instantly memorable visuals to celluloid. The film is light on plot (although an interesting one comes together in the last half), but that isn’t the point. The only thing I can begin to compare it to would be Baraka, although that film is celebratory and revealing in the way that this film is deviant and perplexing. The costuming, set design, music choices, and effects are all brilliantly conceived. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much nudity in a film outside of a porno, gore outside of a splatter film, nor as many profane acts outside of perhaps some over the top anti-religion horror film. But all these comparisons are not fair – The Holy Mountain stands on its own as a visual treat and shouldn’t be missed.
Grade: 4.5/5

Jodorowsky? If you enjoyed this one, you might check out El Topo.

Yup. I just popped the 3 Disc Box Set which includes this in my Amazon cart

[REPO Man]

Things to Come (1936)

Have it on VHS, but later found out that not only is it public domain, but I already have it on one of those budget-priced boxsets I have.

Corpse Bride (2005) – I thought I had seen this before, but I was wrong. So I watched it. And fell asleep. Twice. After rewinding and watching the whole thing, I can say that I was fairly unimpressed. The animation/claymation is top notch and the score is decent for setting the atmosphere – but the story is dreadfully dull and the characters were uninteresting. At least the short length felt right. Fairly indicative of Burton’s 15 year rut.
Grade: 2/5

Well, I liked it, and not just because I'm a Tim Burton fan (in fact, I saw this BEFORE knowing I was a fan of his work). I mean, you didn't note that Burton made the living world dull and dreary and made the world of the dead bright and lively. Or how Helena Bonham-Carter shines as the Corpse Bride.

But as for the score and animation, I agree. But then you went and lost me when you turned it into an excuse to rag on a man who is more than capable of taking a pre-existing work and making it his own. And yes, I know mostly he's doing adaptations now, but it's not just him. Other directors are falling prey to it as well.

Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth (1992) – This series, which doesn’t even start on a very high note, continues to provide diminishing returns. The start of the film was actually somewhat intriguing/interesting, but once pinhead and crew get into the action, the film just goes downhill fast. The new cenobites are laughable, the kills and effects are less creative than in the past films, and instead of borrowing from the best elements of the first two films, it seems to borrow from the worst. Unless someone can confirm that some later movie in this series is actually worth seeing, I think I’m done with the Clive Barker’s bore fest.
Grade 1.5/5

Well, at least it's better than the Rick Bota films, which seem more about cheap scares and so-so acting.

Although I'm a bit partial to H3 since it was the first Hellraiser film I saw and the one that got me into it.

And it's not Barker's fault, cuz he ducked out due to working on Nightbreed. And I kinda like the Cenobites in this one. Plus, the other Cenobites (Chatterer, Butterball, The Female) were


SPOILER ALERT:
killed by the Channard Cenobite in H2.

The Holy Mountain (1973)
Grade: 4.5/5

I wanna start watching this director's stuff soon. FYI, in the video for Marilyn Manson's "The Dope Show", a scene in the climax of the video is a tribute to a similar scene from Holy Mountain.

As for me, started watching:


Good so far, but I gotta see the ending.


Good so far. Heard they're gonna do another film adaptation of the book (as well as a B'way musical). Maybe they can get Gackt to play Jerome? And before you ask why... Gackt is the Bowie of his generation and I'm not the only one who believes that.

But today I rewatched:



It's been almost a year since I last watched it and it's still awesome.

[CRTGAMER]

First off a Razz Rant. Brand new DVD that does not have Anamorphic! Unbelievable, with advent of widescreen I can't believe movie studios are still putting video with black bars taking up screen estate! On my HD CRT 4:3 an anamorphic movie can be squeezed to fill the screen, on wide screen same thing it fills the screen.I guess this goes with the "Eco" holy DVD cases.

Ok, that said a very good movie, Dear John. A moving story of a soldier torn between family and dedication his country and his comrades on the field. Tragic events take place pressure entire unit to extend their tours, hence the title of the movie. Watch for Richard Jenkins who plays John's father as a charming recluse. Having served in the Military myself, my wife and I could connect with some of the reunion moments in the movie. Thankfully I never received that letter.

[dsheinem]

I mean, you didn't note that Burton made the living world dull and dreary and made the world of the dead bright and lively. Or how Helena Bonham-Carter shines as the Corpse Bride.

Because I didn't think that the difference was very interesting and I thought all the voice acting outside of Lee's role (including Bonham-Carter's) was sub par. It was mostly their fault I didn't find the characters engaging or sympathetic.

But as for the score and animation, I agree. But then you went and lost me when you turned it into an excuse to rag on a man who is more than capable of taking a pre-existing work and making it his own. And yes, I know mostly he's doing adaptations now, but it's not just him. Other directors are falling prey to it as well.

That was just kind of a throw back to our earlier discussion meant to be a "friendly jab." If it is any consolation, I watched this film because it was one that came up in that discussion and I wanted to see if he had made something I'd enjoy.

And it's not Barker's fault, cuz he ducked out due to working on Nightbreed. And I kinda like the Cenobites in this one. Plus, the other Cenobites (Chatterer, Butterball, The Female) were

Barker's name is still attached to it, and I was really referring to the bore fest that is all 3 of the films I've watched. The cenobites that appeared in the previous films were actually somewhat frightening looking and seemed like inspired design. The ones in the third seemed to be Borg-esque and were more comic relief than anything (the cameraman's cheesy lines are a good example).

I wanna start watching this director's stuff soon. FYI, in the video for Marilyn Manson's "The Dope Show", a scene in the climax of the video is a tribute to a similar scene from Holy Mountain.

I found this out after reading up about the film after I watched it/reviewed it (as I typically do for most films I watch). I need to re-visit the video at some point to see the nod...

Anyway, thanks for the comments and discussion - I like when the reviews that we post in here garner some kind of feedback and don't just fade away quickly!

[Pulsar_t]

Triangle. The most pointlessly annoying movie I've watched all year, which is quite an achievement because of all the dross I've suffered through so far. Melissa George is an annoying actress and the whole story is pointless and annoying. They should just come up with a new category called "Convoluted Mess Masquerading As A Psychological Thriller".

[Luke]

Well, I liked it, and not just because I'm a Tim Burton fan (in fact, I saw this BEFORE knowing I was a fan of his work).

Tim Burton's formula for success

[REPO Man]

I found this out after reading up about the film after I watched it/reviewed it (as I typically do for most films I watch). I need to re-visit the video at some point to see the nod...

Anyway, thanks for the comments and discussion - I like when the reviews that we post in here garner some kind of feedback and don't just fade away quickly!

And yet, I'm still the only person here who's seen Phantom of the Paradise. I mean, surely I'm not the only person (outside of Winnipeg) that loves this movie.

In fact, a lot of the movies I've raved about hardly come up on the list of films others here have watched recently. Or even spoken about them, for that matter.

And dude... two words. Gregg. Araki.

Especially Nowhere, The Living End, Mysterious Skin (technically, based on a book), and Smiley Face. And if you like Nowhere, it's the third part of a trilogy, the first two are Totally F***ed Up and The Doom Generation.

[Reverend]

Ponyo: Miyazaki never fails to impress. Though it's not my favorite Miyazaki movie by any means, it was still enjoyable. As far as the theme, I feel Princess Mononoke did a better job.

Toy Story 3: I'm the same age as Andy, so it really got to me. The emotional attatchment to each character did too. If I had to rate the movie compared to the two other Toy Stories, then I would have to say better than 2, but not as good as the original.

I saw the Godfather. Nothign can be said that hasn't been already.

[Limewater]

District B13: No, this isn't some mockbuster from The Asylum that you might have seen on SyFy. This French film co-written and produced by Luc Besson is one of the earlier ones to prominently feature free running. In some sense, I guess this kind of dates it to a few years ago (it came out in 2004), but it's still a lot of fun to watch. The story is very simple, and a little stupid, but it's enough to frame some great action scenes. It's about what you expect from a movie co-written by Luc Besson that isn't The Fifth Element or Leon. It's a lot of fun, and currently available streaming on Netflix.

[Jrecee]

I've seen phantom of the paradise. I own it. It's 70s cheese but entertaining.