What was the last movie you've seen?

[Pulsar_t]

Stanislav Petrov saved the lives of countless millions and got no hero treatment for it, in fact the Soviet system stifled his career thanks to his vigilance. In the face of humanity's madness some humans have the integrity to think before acting.

[Ack]

The Night Evelyn Came Out of the Grave

Well, that title is a bit of a mouthful. You would think that this is a supernatural horror film with a name like that, but this is actually a giallo with some gothic trappings and a taste for BDSM. Rich aristocrat Alan has suffered a mental breakdown after the death of his redheaded wife, Evelyn, at some point after he discovered she was cheating on him. So now he gets his kicks by torturing and killing redheaded strippers and prostitutes that he brings back to his big old mansion back in the English countryside.

Here's the thing, though. Alan is the hero of this movie. Or the victim, depending on how you look at it. Because after some pining, he meets a woman named Gladys, falls in love again, and marries her, but his wife's supposed apparition keeps coming back to drive him insane! There are quite a few twists and turns in this movie's plot, and considering our boy Alan's actions, he's not exactly the easiest guy to root for. But then, just about everyone here seems like a bad guy, and considering he's basically being gaslighted...well, maybe he's not so bad. Plus he likes to whip sexy redheads who wear boots. He can't be all bad.

There are many other strange elements to this film though; seances, strange murders, and maids that have to wear blond afros are all just a part of it. And there is exploitative nudity galore! In fact, I'd say that was a major intentional goal of the director, Emilio Miraglia. Miraglia was mostly active in the 1950s and 1960s. Evelyn here is one of his final films, seeing release in 1971. Miraglia finished his film career with giallos like this and The Red Queen Kills Seven Times, which also featured a potentially murderous woman named Evelyn. I guess Emilio had a thing for the name.

If you're into giallos, give this one a go. It's a bit of an oddball with its setting, but Miraglia took his work seriously, making for a very watchable piece of cinema. Also, look forward to a little gore in one scene where foxes eat a corpse. Good times.

[Sano]

2Fast 2Furious.

RIP Paul Walker

[MrPopo]

Why is she only missing the skin on her skull? Shouldn't her entire body decompose at approximately the same rate?

[Ack]

Actually the lady in the movie poster looks very similar to a zombie Evelyn that appears in the film, though her body is covered in a much more modest robe. But nobody gets decapitated, and no severed heads are ever carried around either. It's more that the producers wanted a striking image for people to focus on, and you did just that. It got your attention and made you think about it, even if only to take issue with it.

Many films like this use unusual or shocking posters that may have little to do with the movie to advertise themselves. That's part of the reason why I try to post the posters that correspond with these films and occasionally comment on them. I want first to generate interest by getting people to notice them, and second because I also believe there is an art to these kinds of posters.

I remember when I was a kid always being attracted to the lurid and frightening images used in horror movie posters and VHS artwork. Jason Goes to Hell was one in particular that I would study every time I visited the rental shop with my family, because I wondered just what I was seeing and whether it ever actually appeared in the film. Meanwhile, John Carpenter's The Thing was always so mysterious to me, that it made me long to see the film just to know about it.

A recent one that I found while watching films like these and absolutely love is the poster for Superstition:



Nothing like this happens in the film. But the image is so haunting that I sought it out the instant I saw that picture. It's a good movie; not the greatest, but good, and I'm glad I got to see it. But without that poster, I might never have given it a shot.

Admittedly I can sometimes get mad about these things too, like the poster for R.O.T.O.R.:



It upsets me how cool that poster is, because R.O.T.O.R. is by far one of the worst movies I have ever watched. It makes my bottom five, definitely.

[Michi]

Why is she only missing the skin on her skull? Shouldn't her entire body decompose at approximately the same rate?

I think I read (or heard) somewhere that if the body has suffered some type of injury before death, than that part of the body will start to decay at a faster rate than the rest of the body due to the damage, but I could be wrong.

Of course, that still wouldn't explain why her skull is exposed while the rest of her looks remarkably intact.

So, as Ack pointed out, it's artistic license.

[BogusMeatFactory]

Why is she only missing the skin on her skull? Shouldn't her entire body decompose at approximately the same rate?

Fake boobs never die.

[Cronozilla]

Why is she only missing the skin on her skull? Shouldn't her entire body decompose at approximately the same rate?

Because she's still gotta be hawt, bro. You get a bag, and you're good to go.

Alternative theory: movie-acid was how she died, so it's actually a fresh corpse, but is just missing the face and head-organs.

[Forlorn Drifter]

La Dolce Vita

This was an interesting movie for me, at least as far as my understanding of what was going on. On my initial viewing, I didn't really get the point or what it was trying to say. Seeing as this is for my Italian Cinema class, I had cultural background information and research to do on the film, which helped me understand it.

It is the story of Marcello, a man who works as a journalist for gossip rags. He has a wish to become an intellectual, a writer, but his life in the sleazy world of journalism, his trysts with multiple women, and his general lifestyle keep that at bay. The booming economy of Italy in this period led to consumer culture, and the somewhat questionable lifestyles that emit from it and fame. Debauchery, money, and power all have their allure, and Marcello falls for the debauchery of the time, losing sight of his spiritual connections, moral views, and lifestyle. Elements of the film remind us that the chance for redemption still glimmers underneath it all.

[Pulsar_t]

^ Marcello Mastroianni was an awesome actor.



Is this Nic Cage's return to form? One can hope so.