What was the last movie you've seen?

[dsheinem]

Also, pretty bad article. Almost as bad as the movies noise likes.

I just did a quick search for "Oscar nominated horror films". Yeah, the article is lame, I just wanted to show that the genre isn't completely shut out.

[Michi]

The Psychopath


TCM must have just been messing with me earlier, since last weeks movie offering contained an honest-to-god, coherent plot, despite their measly one sentence write-up about it (Wheew!). That, or whoever was in charge of the page for the last couple of weeks decided to be a lazy ass. I’m sure I’ll never know.

The Psychopath is about a series of bizarre murders set in England that poor, but tenacious, Inspector Holloway must solve. Along the way he discovers a link not only between the murders, but also investigates a possible conspiracy that leads all the way back to WWII.

What makes the murders bizarre is not the method of death. Victims are stabbed, strangled and pinned down in dead-end alleys by mid-century automobiles…



Beep, beep, mother*&^%#$.

That’s all very mundane. What makes the murders odd is what the killer leaves behind after each murder. It’s something so horrifying that to this day it still haunts the nightmares of grown men, women, and children alike. Something so disturbing that even Spielberg utilized them. I’m talking, of course, about creepy-ass little dolls.


Don’t be coy, you little bastard. We knew you were up to something the minute we saw you.

Thankfully these dolls aren’t possessed by ghosts or the souls of wisecracking serial killers. They’re jus there to bear a likeness to the recently deceased and be creepy enough to perplex Inspector Holloway and to haunt your waking dreams.


*shudder*

Unfortunately, they’re integral to the plot, as they show up immediately after or immediately before each murder. So the damned things are everywhere and there’s no way to ignore them.

The only thing that could make the whole doll-thing worse is if there were one or more scenes where there was a whole room filled with nothing but-


GAH!

I hope none of you have phobias.

The good Inspector has his work cut out for him, as this is a movie with no shortage of suspects. It could be anyone from the boy and his wheelchair bound mother, to one of the friends of the first victim, to one of the victim’s daughters (who just happens to work at a toy shop making dolls), to the daughter’s impoverished American med-student fiancé. Though the Inspector is eventually given the upper hand as the suspect pool slowly dwindles as more and more cast members begin to drop like flies.



Did I mention that they’re also appropriately attired?

Unfortunately, one of the downsides of The Psychopath is that it’s really, really easy to pinpoint who the killer is. If you can’t figure it out within the first 20 minutes, you’re either not trying, or you weren’t paying attention to the damn poster.

The movie also suffers from being bogged down in places with a bit too much exposition. In a movie that’s not all that ‘action-packed’ it can feel a little grating.

One of the things the movie has going for it though, is its sense of style. The film has a good eye for color (red, mostly) and lighting and set pieces cast eerie and disturbing shadows that add to the films chilling and mysterious aspects.







The Psychopath was written by Robert Bloch, which some of you may know is the author famed for penning Psycho. After watching the film, it’s easy to notice a few similarities, though unless you knew that going into it you probably wouldn’t pick up on it.

All in all, The Psychopath is an entertaining little film. It aims to be chilling, rather than terrifying. The atmosphere is appropriate and the acting is decent. Though it has a tendency to be bogged down with a bit too much explanation and you can see several plot points coming from a mile away, the ending is genuinely disturbing and, I believe, worth the wait. If you like horror or mystery films this something you may want to look into.

[Michi]

On Saturday I saw Django Unchained, which met, and in some cases, exceeded expectations.

It's really very good, isn't it? I had my doubts since Inglorious Basterds was "good" not "great" and QT seems to be stuck in a "revenge-film" rut. I was expecting something on par with IB, not something as awesome as I what we got.

I agree. I enjoy Tarantino's films in general, but I did feel that it was better than Inglorious Basterds. If I had to rank it based on my enjoyment, I'd probably put it just barely a notch below the Kill Bill films.

[dsheinem]

On Saturday I saw Django Unchained, which met, and in some cases, exceeded expectations.

It's really very good, isn't it? I had my doubts since Inglorious Basterds was "good" not "great" and QT seems to be stuck in a "revenge-film" rut. I was expecting something on par with IB, not something as awesome as I what we got.

I agree. I enjoy Tarantino's films in general, but I did feel that it was better than Inglorious Basterds. If I had to rank it based on my enjoyment, I'd probably put it just barely a notch below the Kill Bill films.

would you say it is below each Kill Bill Film by themselves, below both together, all of the above, or none of the above?

[Jmustang1968]

Also, pretty bad article. Almost as bad as the movies noise likes.

Hey! As long as he didn't like Gummo or The Tree Of Life then it's fine.

Haha surprised to see someone else mention Gummo. That is a strange movie. F'n Rabbit!

[Michi]

It's really very good, isn't it? I had my doubts since Inglorious Basterds was "good" not "great" and QT seems to be stuck in a "revenge-film" rut. I was expecting something on par with IB, not something as awesome as I what we got.

I agree. I enjoy Tarantino's films in general, but I did feel that it was better than Inglorious Basterds. If I had to rank it based on my enjoyment, I'd probably put it just barely a notch below the Kill Bill films.

would you say it is below each Kill Bill Film by themselves, below both together, all of the above, or none of the above?

Multiple choice

I'd say below both together. I love both Kill Bill movies by themselves, but together they make a very strong whole. Like Luke, I'd probably have to watch them both back to back, and then watch Unchained again to give a solid opinion if I were going to separate the two.

[Jmustang1968]

Multiple choice

I'd say below both together. I love both Kill Bill movies by themselves, but together they make a very strong whole. Like Luke, I'd probably have to watch them both back to back, and then watch Unchained again to give a solid opinion if I were going to separate the two.

I haven't seen Django yet, but I believe the first Kill Bill to be better than the 2nd.

[dsheinem]

Multiple choice

I'd say below both together. I love both Kill Bill movies by themselves, but together they make a very strong whole. Like Luke, I'd probably have to watch them both back to back, and then watch Unchained again to give a solid opinion if I were going to separate the two.

yeah, well I am a educator, so what do you want?

I'd say

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Hypothetical Kill Bill 1+2
4. Django Unchained
5. Kill Bill 2
6. Death Proof
7. Kill Bill 1
8. Jackie Brown
9. Inglorious Basterds

Each one is an excellent film, of course!

[Jmustang1968]

Multiple choice

I'd say below both together. I love both Kill Bill movies by themselves, but together they make a very strong whole. Like Luke, I'd probably have to watch them both back to back, and then watch Unchained again to give a solid opinion if I were going to separate the two.

yeah, well I am a educator, so what do you want?

I'd say

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Reservoir Dogs
3. Hypothetical Kill Bill 1+2
4. Django Unchained
5. Kill Bill 2
6. Death Proof
7. Kill Bill 1
8. Jackie Brown
9. Inglorious Basterds

Each one is an excellent film, of course!

I would say Jackie Brown and Death Proof are at the bottom of mine.

1. Pulp Fiction
2. Kill Bill 1
3. Kill Bill 2
4. Reservoir Dogs
5. Inglorious Basterds
6. Jackie Brown
7. Death Proof

Baby interrupted our Django watching

[Golgo 14]

Amour

Not entertaining in any sense, this is a brutal examination of love in old age. I'm not dying to see it again, but I won't forget it. Completely unsentimental, this film doesn't spare anyone - characters and audience alike.

Monsters University
Not finished yet, but it's going to be very good. My problem with most animated films for kids is that many end with an interminable chase scene and the inevitable message about how it's important to be yourself. Monsters University has a little of both, but only a little. I liked it even more than the excellent original.