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pyratebastard
Metalhead

Joined: Sat Mar 16, 2019 9:05 pm
Posts: 405
Location: Pacific Northwest US
PostPosted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 5:05 pm 
 

I saw the final James Bond film in the Daniel Craig line last night, and enjoyed it. It was a bit over-the-top, and more depressing than others that came before, but I thought it was well done. If a Bond film isn't a bit over-the-top, what's the point? Hans Zimmer's music was mostly great, though there was one bit towards the end where he had a "oh shit are they going to make it?" sort of theme going, and it sounded so much like some music he did on the Nolan Batman films that it took me out of the moment. To give it credit, despite its very long runtime, it did not feel like a long movie when I was in the theater.
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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:46 am 
 

Revenge (2017) is a must-see. A mistress spends the weekend with her married beau before his friends show up for a hunting trip, but they arrive early. One friend ends up raping her as the other leaves them be, fully aware of the events, and her beau tries to pay her off for her silence. When she threatens to tell his wife, they try to murder her by pushing her off a cliff...but she survives. The three married men then try to hunt her down through the American desert as she tries to survive, mortally wounded, and fight back.

The plot reads and feels like a mix between I Spit on Your Grave and (insert Most Dangerous Game take here), and it is. The plot is excessively simple. What makes this movie stand out is the amazing cinematography, brisk pacing, incredibly solid acting, and gut-churning gritty violence that permeates its second half. There is a pivotal scene that amounts to 5-6 minutes of the mistress and one of her assailants trying to chase each other around a circular hallway and it is one of the most wonderfully tense chunks of cinema I've witnessed in quite some time.

There are flaws, sure, but they are so few and far between that they barely matter. 7.5/10. Available via Shudder, written and directed by Coralie Fargeat.
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ChineseDownhill
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Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:19 am
Posts: 1113
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 9:30 am 
 

I was just thinking of that movie after watching Promising Young Woman's unusual approach to rape & revenge.

acid_bukkake wrote:
gut-churning gritty violence

One character suffers a lower body injury that still makes me squirm:

Spoiler: show
broken glass in the foot :grr:
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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 12:52 pm 
 

Aye! Between that and the peyote scene, I found myself squirming. That hasn't happened in literal decades.
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Curious_dead
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 12:13 pm
Posts: 1476
PostPosted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 3:22 pm 
 

Have you seen this crazy story? Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins shot dead on set, in all likelihood a freak accident with a prop gun, by Alec Baldwin? What a really sad and tragic story.

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Oct 24, 2021 3:12 pm 
 

Holy shit, Halloween Kills is every bit as hilariously stupid as people have been saying. The gore is incredible, sure, but the plot and dialogue are just so, so ridiculously shit that any remotely decent parts are covered up and all we're left with is heaping piles of garbage that submerge what positives may exist.

This feels like a first draft that was rushed to production. It feels, somehow, even more hare brained than parts 5 or 6. This makes Scream 3 look like it belongs in the upper echelon of horror sequels.
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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
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Location: Pennsylvania
PostPosted: Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:40 pm 
 

acid_bukkake wrote:
Holy shit, Halloween Kills is every bit as hilariously stupid as people have been saying. The gore is incredible, sure, but the plot and dialogue are just so, so ridiculously shit that any remotely decent parts are covered up and all we're left with is heaping piles of garbage that submerge what positives may exist.

This feels like a first draft that was rushed to production. It feels, somehow, even more hare brained than parts 5 or 6. This makes Scream 3 look like it belongs in the upper echelon of horror sequels.

And it's a shame, because Halloween 2018 was an excellent slasher film (a bit of a contradiction, but I stand by it) and marked a welcome return to form. And now the franchise has been kicked back down the staircase again.
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Empyreal
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 24, 2021 6:42 pm 
 

Nah the 2018 one was OK but far too safe - just more of the same old shit, though not bad. I was kinda prepared to not like this new one based on that. For all the ridiculous stuff in this new one it's the most I've enjoyed a Halloween film outside the original really.
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Curious_dead
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 9:31 am 
 

I really liked Halloween 2018. But it felt like a proper send off; I thought the franchise should be laid to rest, at least for a while. So I'm not really interested in what I consider a wholly unnecessary sequel to what was a good ending, with a stupid name too, that would lead into another ending "for realsies this time".

On the other hand, I watched Dune.
Spoiler: show
That one. That one I really loved. First of all, after the tense Sicario and the contemplative and slow Blade Runner and Arrival, this new movie from Denis Villeneuve is almost explosive. But it doesn't feel like the action is forced or the focus, it just complements a great story with awesome world building. It was greatly acted. I was afraid Chamalet would be a very stoic main character, because he looks like it in the previews, but he is given the chance to show a greater range; though not exactly what I'd call Oscar-worthy, it felt a step above the average sci-fi protagonist. But the supporting cast is also great; Skarsgard is great as the Baron; Oscar Isaac is as always a great presence; and Rebecca Fergusson as Jessica was awesome too. Hard to say about Zendaya since she doesn't appear much in the movie.

Also kudos to everyone involved in visual effects. It felt more tangible than a lot of movies, and it has a really pleasing design. Same goes to the awesome costumes. The short delegation scene where the Empire cedes Arrakhis to the Atreides was just an awesome showcase of costumes and sci-fi design. The score was also predictably amazing. Really the only thing I can say is that waiting a few years for the sequel is going to be painful.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 9:51 am 
 

Yeah I mean on the one hand the 2018 one was an enjoyable enough flick, but it's just frustrating to me because it falls back on the same old cliches and story structure as if it were a Mad Libs thing and it was just like how much more of this do we need. But it did have a few interesting things. Halloween Kills on the one hand is ludicrous with the dialogue and all, but I just really found something fun about watching that.

Spoiler: show
The silliest thing and most disappointing with Halloween '18 and Halloween Kills was that they purported to take out the stupid plot about them being siblings, but just replaced that with such an overt reverence to the original that there's still the same sense of unneeded seriousness and legacy there anyway. Changing most of the lines that just talk in a hushed tone about the 1978 one would make it better all around.


Anyway...

Motel Hell - A weird old 80s horror flick about a seedy motel with a secret. This is a bit odd just because it doesn't get going for so long. Some interesting and creepy stuff in the beginning, but a lot of the middle gets kind of bad - and it's very long for this kind of movie. I just kept feeling like the sense of danger and horror just wasn't strong enough, like a weak signal on a cell phone. The ending provides some much needed catharsis to it all finally. I don't know if it's a great flick but it was at least somewhat entertaining.
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CoconutBackwards
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Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 2:02 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:32 am 
 

I watched Demonic Toys yesterday for the first time.

It was definitely what I was in the mood for.

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"No, it's your dick"
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Luvers
Writes generic (and possibly meandering) posts

Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2006 10:34 pm
Posts: 542
Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 8:59 pm 
 

Curious_dead wrote:
I really liked Halloween 2018. But it felt like a proper send off; I thought the franchise should be laid to rest, at least for a while. So I'm not really interested in what I consider a wholly unnecessary sequel to what was a good ending, with a stupid name too, that would lead into another ending "for realsies this time".
I think Jamie Lee Curtis has become to Halloween what Arnold is to Terminator, while the most recognizable character the popularity of the actress supersedes the character, meaning she is instantly attached to every decision the franchise wants to make. Halloween has followed a trend throughout its history, right from the beginning.

Halloween 1: Made with the intention of creating great art. A fully thought out concept.
Halloween 2: Made with profit overriding that genuine interest in art, immediately becomes a letdown since the heart is lacking.
Halloween 3: Made with the intention of creating great art. A fully thought out concept.
Halloween 4-6: Made with profit overriding that genuine interest in art, immediately becomes a letdown since the heart is lacking.
Halloween 7: Made with the intention of creating great art. A fully thought out concept.
Halloween 8-10: Made with profit overriding that genuine interest in art, immediately becomes a letdown since the heart is lacking. Also, Rob Zombie made 2 of these.
Halloween 11: Made with the intention of creating great art. A fully thought out concept.
Halloween 12: Made with profit overriding that genuine interest in art, immediately becomes a letdown since the heart is lacking.

At this point, the ONLY hope the Halloween franchise has for a welcomed entry is to rehash silent killer pursuing a person, who went from a sibling to someone this killer is obsessed with. Sad part is that only works for a single film, this was proven as far back as the first two films. It did not feel as derivative back then simply because all of the same crew/cast was involved and the decades of pop culture had not happened.

I maintain that it might seem wrong to say Carpenters original is not the best (I do think it is the best of the Myers story) Halloween 3 is my favorite of the franchise. In the current climate where everyone loves shared universes, making films about different stories related to Halloween is more in vogue then deemed possible in 1982. Halloween is more than just a silent killer stalking some lady for different reasons. I would be interested in seeing the Irish folklore of Jack o'lantern brought to the big screen. It is a story about someone interacting with the devil, how do you get more horror movie than that? Especially considering how popular Supernatural horror is.
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jimbies
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Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 2:52 pm
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Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 10:35 pm 
 

I don't post in this thread anymore really, but I just came back to announce that 3 years late, I finally did it.

This pansy finally watched Hereditary.

Yes, it's scary. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't. But yes, the hype got me. I was borderline expecting to be traumatized.

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darkeningday
xXdArKenIngDayXx

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 1:20 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 11:02 pm 
 

I watched it in an empty theater with my girlfriend between 11:30pm-1:30am. It fucked. Me. Up.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 25, 2021 11:04 pm 
 

I think it still holds up all these years later. A genuine unrelenting nightmare of a movie. Midsommar took it in some other new directions. Looking forward to his new one soon, hopefully.

Blacula - A genuinely fun, entertaining blast of a flick. Killer fucking soundtrack. No wasted time in the story - just stylish, snappy action and some pretty cool scenery and scares. Charismatic acting and the plot moves along at a nice clip. I had thought this was gonna be something too goofy to really like, but this was engaging and fun in a really killer way. Not really very scary or atmospheric, but it works for what it is.
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Smalley
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:06 am
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 3:01 am 
 

jimbies wrote:
I don't post in this thread anymore really, but I just came back to announce that 3 years late, I finally did it.

This pansy finally watched Hereditary.

Yes, it's scary. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't. But yes, the hype got me. I was borderline expecting to be traumatized.

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Curious_dead
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Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 12:13 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:38 am 
 

jimbies wrote:
I don't post in this thread anymore really, but I just came back to announce that 3 years late, I finally did it.

This pansy finally watched Hereditary.

Yes, it's scary. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't. But yes, the hype got me. I was borderline expecting to be traumatized.


When she's
Spoiler: show
hanging silently on the ceiling in the background. Jesus. Or just the weird way she is floating up to the house in the tree, it's nothing spectacular, but for some reason that little detail really stuck with me. Sadly, it took seeing History of Horror to convince me to watch it, and it kinda spoiled a few things, like the death of the sister.

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CoconutBackwards
Bullet Centrist

Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 2:02 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:33 am 
 

I won't be watching Hereditary.

Fuck that.

The older I get the more of a puss I become.
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jimbies
Noose Springsteen

Joined: Thu Jul 21, 2016 2:52 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 12:30 pm 
 

Curious_dead wrote:
jimbies wrote:
I don't post in this thread anymore really, but I just came back to announce that 3 years late, I finally did it.

This pansy finally watched Hereditary.

Yes, it's scary. Don't let anyone tell you it isn't. But yes, the hype got me. I was borderline expecting to be traumatized.


When she's
Spoiler: show
hanging silently on the ceiling in the background. Jesus. Or just the weird way she is floating up to the house in the tree, it's nothing spectacular, but for some reason that little detail really stuck with me. Sadly, it took seeing History of Horror to convince me to watch it, and it kinda spoiled a few things, like the death of the sister.


Spoiler: show
I actually found the floating up to be very unnerving as well. But the part that actually scared me the most was right near the beginning where Annie sees her mother. Right away, I was like FUCK, I don't know if I can do this whole film.

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 8:53 pm 
 

Hereditary is a hilarious trainwreck after the halfway point (telephone pole). Y'all finding that final scene "unnerving"...sheesh.
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oldmetalhead
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Joined: Tue Apr 13, 2021 1:30 am
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Location: Helltown, United States
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:12 pm 
 

Dune - 2021

Fucking incredible, I will watch this at least 2-3 more times. Can't wait for the sequel. Finally, this story was done right.

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Razakel
Nekroprince

Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2006 8:36 pm
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Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:14 pm 
 

acid_bukkake wrote:
Hereditary is a hilarious trainwreck after the halfway point (telephone pole). Y'all finding that final scene "unnerving"...sheesh.


"Unnerving" would honestly be an understatement. It fucked me up real good.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:28 pm 
 

oldmetalhead wrote:
Dune - 2021

Fucking incredible, I will watch this at least 2-3 more times. Can't wait for the sequel. Finally, this story was done right.


Gonna see it after Halloween. I seem to be something of an outlier with the book as well as Squid Game in that I have very lukewarm takes on both and just think they're fine and nothing else.
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oldmetalhead
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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:43 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:
oldmetalhead wrote:
Dune - 2021

Fucking incredible, I will watch this at least 2-3 more times. Can't wait for the sequel. Finally, this story was done right.


Gonna see it after Halloween. I seem to be something of an outlier with the book as well as Squid Game in that I have very lukewarm takes on both and just think they're fine and nothing else.

I think you'll enjoy this. Knowing the book helps but is not necessary. If you remember the David Lynch "disasterpiece" of this movie, this one splits the story in half, yet covers a lot. It was obviously made for a second part, I hope they can do as good with that. My understanding is it has already been green-lit to start.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Tue Oct 26, 2021 9:46 pm 
 

I was admittedly annoyed that Villenueve was spending his time on these huge sequels and adaptations rather than the kinda shit he was doing before. But I do always say artists should just do whatever they want. So I'm curious.
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marktheviktor
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 6:01 am 
 

I’ll probably get around to seeing Dune because I know it’s going to be the one of the very best looking science fiction films ever, but I could never be fucked to read the novel. I read a lot of books, but I’m an avid non-fiction reader much more than fiction.

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ChineseDownhill
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 8:25 am 
 

Yeah Dune 2021 is a lot better than Dune 1984. I'm looking forward to Part 2.
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CoconutBackwards
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Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2016 2:02 pm
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 8:44 am 
 

acid_bukkake wrote:
Hereditary is a hilarious trainwreck after the halfway point (telephone pole). Y'all finding that final scene "unnerving"...sheesh.


*I retract my shit talking, but it sounds like most of this board found something in that movie "unnerving".
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acid_bukkake
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 12:30 pm 
 

There's plenty to find unnerving about a lot of the movie, and I think Toni Collette carried that movie kicking and screaming on her back, but the goofy haunted house stuff at the end was silly. It not only came across as something you'd see on an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? or Goosebumps, it actually undermined the tension built up. I burst out laughing in a crowded theater and I wasn't the only one.
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Zelkiiro
Pounding the world with a fish of steel

Joined: Sat Apr 18, 2009 5:30 pm
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 12:34 pm 
 

acid_bukkake wrote:
There's plenty to find unnerving about a lot of the movie, and I think Toni Collette carried that movie kicking and screaming on her back, but the goofy haunted house stuff at the end was silly. It not only came across as something you'd see on an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? or Goosebumps, it actually undermined the tension built up. I burst out laughing in a crowded theater and I wasn't the only one.

Ah yes, because when I think TV-Y7 kids' horror like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, I think of people noisily severing their own heads with piano wire.
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Curious_dead
Metalhead

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 2:40 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:
I was admittedly annoyed that Villenueve was spending his time on these huge sequels and adaptations rather than the kinda shit he was doing before. But I do always say artists should just do whatever they want. So I'm curious.


He's great at it though. Arrival, Bladerunner 2049 and now Dune, the guy gets sci-fi.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 2:48 pm 
 

Curious_dead wrote:
Empyreal wrote:
I was admittedly annoyed that Villenueve was spending his time on these huge sequels and adaptations rather than the kinda shit he was doing before. But I do always say artists should just do whatever they want. So I'm curious.


He's great at it though. Arrival, Bladerunner 2049 and now Dune, the guy gets sci-fi.


I wasn't really into 2049. Arrival was what I was talking about, it was based on a book but as far as I know it wasn't some huge legacy property. That's what I wanted more of - original stories. Sicario is my pick for favorite he did personally. But I hope I will like Dune.

Re: Hereditary... I wouldn't say it was like Goosebumps or anything. It did lean hard into genre tropes (seances and strange ghosts in the corner and whatnot) in the same way Midsommar did with the Wicker Man folk horror aspects. Initially I remember being a bit disappointed that it wasn't more murky and psychological. But I like that Aster is using the framing to tell different kinds of stories though.
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Curious_dead
Metalhead

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 3:07 pm 
 

I think you'll like it. It has a batter pacing than 2049, which IMO was the movie's biggest flaw - it felt too lingering and contemplative, and sometimes it hurt the overall movie. I read that some people who hadn't read the book were lost, but neither me nor my girlfriend had read it, and I haven't even ever seen Lynch's adaptation in full, so I knew about spice, big worms, lots of sand, I knew a few character names. And everything was crystal clear, sure there are a lot of characters, and some things aren't resolved, but it's only Part 1.

But it didn't feel like it was a typical Hollywood blockbuster either. Even when things get explosive or violent and messy, it doesn't feel like we're seeing the movie for explosions and sword fights, it feels like we're there for the story AND it happens to include explosions and sword fights. Not sure if I'm clear. Anyway, I can't wait to see it again.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 3:32 pm 
 

It's just always been disappointing to see these really creative people attached to stuff that has to stick very close to a source material with a shitload of fans and worshipers - same when talented actors like Brie Larson get sucked into Marvel stuff. But of course there's the financial appeal for them and you'd be crazy not to go after that.

And on the other hand there's always plenty of visuals and directorial grandeur they can show off so there is always that aspect.

With Dune and other stuff like IT it does make sense because the originals were trainwrecks.
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oldmetalhead
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 3:43 pm 
 

Regarding Dune, I watched it at home via HBOMax but now I want to see it in IMAX. The visuals and the music are so great. They don't make the movie, the story, characters, pacing and so on do but they add a lot to the overall feel. Dare I say, best movie I've seen in the last two years, anyway.

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Smalley
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Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:06 am
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 27, 2021 5:54 pm 
 

Zelkiiro wrote:
acid_bukkake wrote:
There's plenty to find unnerving about a lot of the movie, and I think Toni Collette carried that movie kicking and screaming on her back, but the goofy haunted house stuff at the end was silly. It not only came across as something you'd see on an episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark? or Goosebumps, it actually undermined the tension built up. I burst out laughing in a crowded theater and I wasn't the only one.

Ah yes, because when I think TV-Y7 kids' horror like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, I think of
Spoiler: show
people noisily severing their own heads with piano wire.
Spoilers, dude. Anyway, while I don't see the comparison between Hermehditary and Goosebumps, I do agree that it was often an unintentionally funny movie, due to one of its very fatal flaws; a lot of the time, there was absolutely no restraint to anything about it. I mean, Collette's obviously a great actress, but even she couldn't put in a good performance when she was forced to go SO fucking over the top, so much of the time, in order to match the tone of the movie around her, with that non-stop parade of goofy faces that would make Jim Carrey envious. The movie was just never going to work with that fundamental approach, you know?
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aaronmb666
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Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2005 3:37 am
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 5:45 am 
 

Paranormal Activity- next of kin... I thought it was fun, but
Spoiler: show
it has nothing to do with PA, apart from some of the "found footage". It felt more like an Outlast plot.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
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Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 9:55 am 
 

Spent yesterday checking out a bunch of just released stuff...

Antlers - This is at once a dark drama about family and children left behind and a supernatural horror film. I could really get into the creeping sense of murky mystery here, and the build up was exquisite. Good characters that do what they have to. Evocative, desperate settings of small-town decay that really say even more than the dialogue often does.

Spoiler: show
The ending sort of forsakes all the drama from before and goes into a more pure action-horror type of thing - which ends up sort of robbing the movie of a larger symbolism. But it's hard not to be into the way the directing really makes you feel like that monster is right fucking there. It looks astounding.

Last Night in Soho - I like that Edgar Wright isn't just branding himself the Shaun/Scott Pilgrim guy forever. This had a shitload of style. Amazing visuals - even if everything was constantly flickering and blinking in your face. I'd hate this if I got seizures. The story initially comes off as a rumination on loneliness and being in a new place, though I am not sure it really stuck to a strong message or was really trying to. But even if the story didn't have a resonating overall theme, it was an entertaining thrill ride, surreal and sort of paying homage to a lot of stuff at once. I liked it.

Horror Noire - Astounding anthology of Black-centric horror. These are just really cool stories and even the simpler ones satisfy. Like much of the best horror, the really great stories here are scary and symbolic, going beyond ghouls and monsters and into deep seated human fears and resonance. I think this was put together well - some of the stories are a bit campy in a good way, while others are dire and deadly serious and utterly ruthless horror. Very well balanced. Very human. Go see it.
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acid_bukkake
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PostPosted: Sat Oct 30, 2021 11:10 am 
 

After laughing at Halloween Kills, we've been working our way through all of the Myers sequels, with the plan being to cap it all off with the original tomorrow night. A few quick notes:

-The original Halloween II retains a lot of the atmosphere of the classic Carpenter slasher, but is a boring slog. The most noteworthy bits come from Dr. Loomis, whose memorable line "i shot him six times" originated here. Also of note is that this is where Laurie being Michael's baby sister is started, and done so very poorly through drug-induced hallucinatory memories.
-Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers is probably the best sequel, overall. It has a good balance of dread and slasheriffic tropes, but the MPAA of the late 80s does it no favors. The worst Myers mask of the series, though, but Myers himself is still treated as a bogeyman. The town lynch mob that forms is clearly an influence on what happens in Kills but executed better by virtue of it being both so much closer to the original spree and involving parents of the victims.
-Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers is when the Cult of Thorn stuff starts to stick, to mixed results. Its supremely lower budget betrays itself, and there are weird story beats that don't quite match up (even if the continuity does), but there are two really, really good sequences here that make it worthwhile (the barn, and then the final act in the old Myers house).
-Halloween 6: The Curse of Michael Myers is a mess, plot-wise, but is the most visually appealing of the series since the first. Shots are framed extremely well, there's a lot of character "show, don't tell" moments in how they dress and how their rooms are decorated, etc. The first half is almost flawless, as far as slashers go, and you'll be wondering why this movie gets so much hate...but then the second half comes and it feels so rushed and half baked that even the good parts (Michael slaughtering the doctors, for example) don't seem to matter. And then it ends. Just...poof. End credits. The most offensive part, really, is how goddamn good the work behind the camera is only for it not to matter with how much of a diarrhea mess the final act is.
-Halloween H20 starts the trend of ignoring the "Thorn Trilogy" (4-6), with Laurie Strode having assumed the fake identity of Keri Tate and becoming the headmistress of a private school in California. This has the Scream influence all over it, treating Myers more like one of the Ghostface killers while also trying to subvert slasher tropes, to mixed results. This is a well made movie, I can't lie, but by the time it really gets going it becomes an action movie, disregarding the horror in favor of a brief chase sequence. Myers shows up at the school and quickly comes face to face with Laurie, then their showdown takes 10 minutes, and then it ends. This needed another 15-20 minutes on it, at least, to stretch the final act out and let it breathe.
-Halloween Resurrection is a steaming pile of dogshit that feels like one of those direct-to-Cinemax horror flicks that played between softcore porn flicks back in the day. Total garbage. Nothing to see here.
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Smalley
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:06 am
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 31, 2021 2:54 am 
 

I finally watched the new Dune a couple of days ago (not on HBOMax, but in a theater as God intended), and as far as its (moderate) flaws go, I'd say the biggest one is with the movie's slightly unwieldy overall structure, where the first half spent a ton of time on character introductions, table-setting the central conflicts, and general world-building and exposition with the various cultures and technologies of the "Duniverse", while the second half was essentially an overlong extended climax, with the number of false endings used proving to be even more egregious than those of Return Of The King.

That being said though, I still liked the movie a good deal on the whole, and speaking of Lord Of The Rings, like that series, I think part two of this will be even better, now that part one's done a lot of the hard work of introducing us to this particular universe. For now though, I'll just say that, even as someone who's never read the book (or even watched the reportedly abbreviated Lynch adaptation), this Dune still did a good job of acclimatizing me to the iconic world that Frank Herbert created, as, despite the overall complexity of the story, I was still fairly engaged throughout, rarely at any serious loss as to what was going on, and besides that, it feels like a movie tailor-made for Villeneuve's strengths as a director, as both an overwhelming sensory experience (an attack by a massive sandworm on a Spice harvester stands out in particular), as well as a bold work of Science-Fiction, full of big, ambitious ideas, the kind that's made the genre a favorite of mine; bring on part two, baby!

Final Score: 8.5
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