REPO Man wrote:Rewatched Trick r Treat. Still awesome.
Also watched Predators. Gr8, and Brody is SO not the same one I've seen in Dummy (quirky) and The Jacket (surreal).
If I can get a shit-ton of grading done today I intend to watch Trick R Treat (new to me) as well as Rob Zombie's Halloween I and II (also new to me) late tonight
Cabaret - I don't often watch musicals, and I didn't really expect to find myself enjoying this film, but I was pleasantly surprised. The plot follows two foreigners in the counter culture of 1930s Berlin as the Nazis are steadily taking over. The musical numbers serve to back up plot points, though the relationship isn't always obvious at first. I thoroughly enjoyed the film and the musical numbers, and now from time to time I enjoy looking over at my girlfriend, grinning, and saying "Two ladies."
Showdown in Little Tokyo - This film is ridiculous. If you like goofy martial arts-fueled buddy cop movies that deserve their hard R rating, then you'll probably enjoy this one, but keep in mind the two stars are the WORST. COPS. EVER. I watched it with friends, and we laughed continuously while they informed me how much they hated me for making them watch this film. Between Dolph Lundgren trying to speak in Japanese, to the amazingly gaudy outfits he wears, to Brandon Lee's flips for no reason and the one liners between them, we just couldn't take it. The explosive finale is hilariously bad.
Paranormal Activity 2 - First of all, half of the spooky stuff that's supposed to scare me can be chalked up to crappy contractors: the plumbing's crap, the air conditioner and duct work is garbage, and the wiring system is on the fritz. Beyond that, I haven't seen the first one, but apparently this film does very little that's new. It does tie in directly to the first, so you might want to see that one before seeing this one. Also, who installs video cameras but no security system? I mean really? The film does rely heavily on jump scares and loud noises, which are traits I detest in horror films(in those cases I've learned one can easily avoid the scares by plugging one ear). I made fun of it the entire time and blamed the whole thing on the pool cleaning robot.
REPO Man wrote:Rewatched Trick r Treat. Still awesome.
Also watched Predators. Gr8, and Brody is SO not the same one I've seen in Dummy (quirky) and The Jacket (surreal).
If I can get a shit-ton of grading done today I intend to watch Trick R Treat (new to me) as well as Rob Zombie's Halloween I and II (also new to me) late tonight
Both awesome choices
Trick R Treat is one of the best horror movies of the decade easily--i assume we are both talking about the same one, cuz I have not seen the one with Ozzy and Gene Simmons
The Battle of Algiers - A pseudo-documentary of the Battle of Algiers, part of the Algerian War from 1954-1962, in which the Algerians revolted against the French colonialist government. The Battle of Algiers focuses on both the tactics of the urban guerrillas and the French military's tactics against them. It's also pretty graphic in its detail, both of the guerrillas use of bombings and assassination, as well as the French use of torture for interrogation. While the film is fictional in its characters, it blatantly focuses on the violence that both sides commit. Despite this focus on the atrocities of both sides against civilians, the film is sometimes seen as pro-revolutionary, and such groups as the Black Panthers, the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front have gotten use from the movie. It was also supposedly the favorite film of Andreas Baader, of Germany's now defunct Red Army Faction.
The Great Dictator - This film is pretty much Charlie Chaplin giving Hitler the finger. It also portrays a sympathetic view of the Jewish plight under the Nazis through satirical portrayals of the Fascists. The film was applauded by the Jewish community for its willingness to tackle something considered too taboo for Hollywood at the time. Chaplin later wrote if he'd known how far Nazi atrocities had extended, he wouldn't have made the film. Chaplin plays a dictator named Henkel, representative of Adolf Hitler, as well as a Jewish barber who ends up mistaken for Henkel. The result is Chaplin giving a speech on the virtues of democracy versus tyranny and the need for mankind to come together to defeat oppression, instead using science and technology for the betterment of all mankind. The movie's also absolutely hilarious.
For the record, Hitler did see the film. Twice. When told later about this, Chaplin openly wondered what Hitler had thought of it.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW
For the movies Paranormal Activity 2, Severance, Tokyo Gore Police, Audition, The Eclipse, and Thirst
Paranormal Activity 2: I liked it. I liked the first one, but didn't find it to be scary, just make you jump type stuff, which I don't mind. I did find this one made me jump even more, but I am not actually sure if it is because it was any scarier or because I saw it in the theater with surround sound. It had a noticeably larger budget, which took away some of the novelty for me, I appreciated the first more because it was supposedly a case of doing the best with what you have. I like the way the second tied in with the first film, but I hope this is it. I think it would be a great place for the creators to bow out and be happy with what they produced.
Severance: English horror comedy. This was a pretty clever movie with a good cast. I guess you could apply a political moral to the story being told, but it's equally fun to just sit back and watch. Not the most original plot (group of people in the woods, killed off one by one), but the topless Russian chick at the end firing a machine gun to kill the bad guy somehow made it work.
Tokyo Gore Police: This reminds me of a typical Grindhouse style film and I liked it a lot. Don't go looking for the best special effects and don't be surprised if someone shot once with a hand gun explodes into a million pieces. It's over the top on purpose and had a great little story. I loved the lead actress, Eihi Shiina, and think she might be my favorite Asian actress at the moment.
Audition: When I found out, Shiina was in this film I couldn't wait to watch it. This movie was creepy as hell. It didn't do much to rely on twists and turns, you pretty much new how it was going to turn out from the start, but it didn't matter. Two scenes really stuck out. The first is Shiina waiting around for days in the same slumped position for her phone to ring, which, once it does, causes the suspicious sack in front of her to start rolling around on the floor. the second scene that really made me smile, because of how sick it was, was the end when Shiina is driving pins into the lead character playfully whispering "kire kire kire kire kkkiiirrreee."
The Eclipse: An Irish film that really got me good a few times. There are only like 6 "horror" scenes in the movie, but each one - even though they make it obvious it is coming - made me jump. I think the impact was stronger because it is more of an emotional drama that is really touching. Just when you let your guard down to feel for one of the characters BOOM. Nothing really fancy scare wise, just jump scares, but the story was good overall and I highly recommend the film.
Thirst: From the director (or writer?) of the Vengeance Trilogy, which I still have waiting in my queue. This movie was pretty great. It had a very high rating so I was hesitant to watch it at first (as much as that makes sense). Great concept though and the movie had many levels. It wasn't necessary to try to understand all of them, you could easily sit back and enjoy the love story, the action (eh kinda), or a unique vampire story. Some things that really stood out were the whole premise of how vampirism comes about in the main character, the way the lead actress looks and acts more like a vampire until she turns into one (pale, moody, etc.), the rocky and volatile relationship the two leads have, and the way the lead actress seems to accept everything and return to herself once she realizes her fate.
Lo: When I first started this movie, I understood why a lot of people turned it off 15 minutes in. It has a very college project feel to it. The mini sketches that are used to tell the story are odd, the one song is just uncomfortable. The story as a whole though is very unique and very clever. I did not guess the ending and was surprised at the outcome of the film. I was surprised, also, at how into the story I got considering that it is presented through those mini sketches. I am glad I decided not to turn it off because it is one of the more memorable films I have seen.
Last edited by vash23n on Mon Oct 25, 2010 10:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Iron Man 2 (2010) – This is not really a horror/Halloween movie (although many folks are in costume), but I finally got around to seeing this. In a word, this was disappointing. I liked the first Iron Man film and thought it really played to the strengths of the actors in telling a compelling origins story. This time around, the plot is a mess and the acting is even worse. The biggest problem, though, is undeniably the pacing. After several hours of meandering plot and character development where nothing really happens, everything kind of comes together in the last five minutes in one of the dullest endings to a super hero movie I’ve seen. The last “battle” lacks the impressive effects found in some of the earlier scenes in the film, the characters are finally completely reduced to one-dimensional caricatures, and the set up for subsequent films is obnoxious. It isn’t all horrible – the film did have a few laughs, the scene at Monaco is on par with some of the best scenes from other Marvel films, and despite walking through the paces here, Downey Jr. still is a great Tony Stark. The film gets bumped a half star due to Scarlet Johansen’s wardrobe.
Grade: 3/5
Trick R’ Treat (2007) – This wasn’t what I expected. I expected a gory “modern” slasher film that takes itself seriously and tries to be as “dark” as possible. What I found instead was a refreshing nod to some of the conventions of the best horror films from the 1980s. Take one part Goonies, one part Child’s Play, and two parts Tales from the Crypt and you have a nice combination of influences that are all evident in this fun film. That’s not to say there is no gore or fright, or that the film lacks originality – it balances a variety of elements well and sometimes pulls off truly great filmmaking while at other times it seems less than inspired. The biggest negative critique is that the film often feels like 3 or 4 TV episodes pulled into one movie, and a short one at that. I’d probably rate it a little lower any other time of the year, but it fits late October like a glove.
Grade: 3.5/5
The Devil Rides Out (a.k.a. The Devil’s Bride) (1968) – This is usually regarded as one of the best Hammer films. While it certainly has its moments, in the end it strikes me as the rare horror film that hasn’t aged especially well. Lee is great as always, but it is more fun to see him in the role of a villain (he’s a hero here). There are a few well done scenes towards both the beginning and the end of the film, but most of the middle seems plodding. The effects are a mixed bag: some are still impressive (much of the makeup work, for example), but others were already dated when the film was released in 1968. The biggest flaw though is that the film just doesn’t deliver any scares – visceral, psychological, or otherwise. I know that occult films were gaining in popularity at this time and that the subject matter was more frightening to audiences in ’68, but there were much better Satanism-themed films before this one and many released in the years shortly after.
Grade: 2.5/5
Demon Warrior: A lot of negative reviews out there for this movie and I don't know why. It gets pretty confusing in the middle, but things get fleshed out towards the end. There are still a couple of things I don't understand, but I will attribute that to my western ignorance. Nice action film with a pretty creative portrayal of the demons, the world they live in, and the cost of their powers.
Genesis: This short, dialogue-less film was okay. A take on the dangers of obsession and fear of moving forward. Very artsy feel to it. There were a few scenes that did not move me as I feel the director intended. I realize a silent scream has the ability to portray as much emotion as an audible one, but the actor had trouble mastering the facial expression and body language meant to portray such anguish. There was something lacking in the eyes, I think. It ultimately looked like the actor was just opening his mouth... he could have been burping for all we know.
