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droneriot
cisgender

Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2004 1:17 pm
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Location: Spahn Ranch
PostPosted: Wed Oct 02, 2019 9:35 pm 
 

This will leave the film student types cold, but I finally watched 2004's The Punisher and it instantly became one of my top ten Marvel movies, because I'm sure the aforementioned types could criticise plenty of technicalities and all, but personally I felt it was incredibly intense and had me very emotionally involved nonstop the entire movie, the initial massacre was very emotionally heavy and really got across the motivation behind the character and the revenge part worked extremely well primarily thanks to John Travolta doing an amazing job at playing a man who is losing his mind more and more. Really awesome, intense movie, and would probably be the second most surprising high ranking in a Marvel movie ranking I'm thinking of doing.

The most surprising of course would be a high ranking of Man-Thing, that TV movie from 2005, which was a commercial and critical failure, but there's something I really loved about it, it made me think of how back in the day when he made the Scream movies, Wes Craven was talking about how he was basically trying to check all the boxes and include every last slasher movie cliché. Man-Thing does that exact same thing for creature horror b-movies, the whole movie is just one cliché after another, but that's what really makes it work so well because it just keeps ticking all those boxes all the way through.
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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Oct 03, 2019 2:36 pm 
 

No hate from me on that one. The Punisher (2004) is underrated.
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Kerrick
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:02 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 03, 2019 2:52 pm 
 

^For sure. One of the only Marvel movies I like...

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Face_your_fear_79
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Sep 21, 2014 8:18 am
Posts: 492
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sat Oct 05, 2019 1:44 am 
 

The Green Mile. I believe I am alone in my dislike of this movie. In fairness, the acting and cinematography are excellent. That said, the story and directing of the characters was extremely problematic for me.

Here we have this man who has an incredible gift to heal others and the audience looks on in amazement as he performs miracles but at no time do the characters on screen seem freaked out, excited, or exhibit any emotion other than "Hey lookey what he can do. Let's get him to cure my wife." That ruins the whole picture for me because it was no longer believable. If I witnessed such visually stunning miracles(stuff coming from the mouth etc.) I would be telling everyone I knew, calling scientists, papers, etc.

The other characters also didn't seem too hurt that they were going to execute an innocent man. Unbelievable! Especially an innocent man with extraordinary powers. In the real world many fight to keep real killers on death row alive and spare their lives but nobody fights for this man. Hogwash!

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GTog
Metalhead

Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 8:35 pm
Posts: 1196
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2019 12:22 pm 
 

The Green Mile only works because it's set in the 1930s in Hickville, Nowhere, USA. Not the time or the sort of people to mount a massive publicity/PR campaign for a black man convicted of murdering two white girls. And anyway, a huge point of the movie is Paul's extreme, lifelong regret that he didn't, and he should have.
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Sepulchrave
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:29 pm
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 06, 2019 10:56 pm 
 

I cried my eyes out watching The Green Mile for the first time, but I think I'd find it manipulative nowadays.
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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: Mon Oct 07, 2019 9:20 am 
 

Sepulchrave wrote:
I cried my eyes out watching The Green Mile for the first time, but I think I'd find it manipulative nowadays.

Saying a movie is manipulative has always struck me as being an odd criticism--all movies are manipulative, as they are manipulating you into identifying with their characters and following their story arcs.

It's like being mad at certain food for having flavors, when all foods have flavors...except tofu.
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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: Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:02 am 
 

Wrinkles the Clown - A pretty killer documentary about this real-life clown named Wrinkles who became a viral sensation in south Florida, with parents reportedly using him to scare kids and an entire nationwide mythology popping up - it also tied into the "scary clowns in the woods" back in 2016. This was a really well made piece of film. Like any good documentary, it uses interviews to skillfully make some points, here talking about fear and hype and paranoia, and comes out as a suitably weird, creepy and yet thoughtful documentary for the Halloween season.

Joker - On the one hand this was well made, with excellent performances, particularly from Joaquin Phoenix, and some eerie scenes. On the other it's kind of bullshit. I thought the "social commentary" aspects were poor and like a really shallow, dumb version of Taxi Driver. They try to make all these points about society and whatnot but it's all surface-level, and the movie is way more in love with its violent psychotic lead character than it wants you to believe. It should've either gone all the way as a comic book film or been more serious and well-written than it is - as is, it exists in a weird uncomfortable middle ground that doesn't work for its higher aspirations.

Hands of the Ripper - Old school Hammer flick about Jack the Ripper's daughter also being a killer. This was a bit slow, but in a sort of pleasant way, unfolding its weird, dark story and taking its time. Not entirely captivating, but it's a fun, charming little slice of darkness like a lot of old movies like this. Some fun slasher kills and the lead girl can be eerie at times. A sort of somber vibe at the end, too.

The Changeling - Haunted house flick about George C. Scott, a bereaved father, getting this big old house to live in that, surprise, happens to be haunted. I found this very well made and evocative, with some sad, creepy scenes here and there - though it didn't really go for the throat with the scares until the end. I did find the weird plot line behind the ghost, which is a sort of soap opera thing about family power, to be out of place for a horror film, but eh, when it was good, The Chanegling was a satisfying little romp.
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Smoking_Gnu
Chicago Favorite

Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:22 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:41 am 
 

Empyreal wrote:
On the other it's kind of bullshit. I thought the "social commentary" aspects were poor and like a really shallow, dumb version of Taxi Driver.


Wasn't Scorsese originally involved with Joker before dropping out? Makes me wonder if he dropped out after realizing it was just turning into a watered-down take on his own work.
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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: Mon Oct 07, 2019 10:44 am 
 

Smoking_Gnu wrote:
Empyreal wrote:
On the other it's kind of bullshit. I thought the "social commentary" aspects were poor and like a really shallow, dumb version of Taxi Driver.


Wasn't Scorsese originally involved with Joker before dropping out? Makes me wonder if he dropped out after realizing it was just turning into a watered-down take on his own work.


Hm, Wikipedia says he dropped out of producing it for "other obligations." It's not really a rip off of Taxi Driver per se, just a similar basic idea - and Taxi Driver, for my money, achieves what Joker tried to do much better. Not that I expected Joker to surpass it, but I did expect more than I got.
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Kerrick
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:02 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 11:06 am 
 

I watched the Argentinian film Blood Will Tell and... I wouldn't recommend. It's pretty dull and could be summed up as, "mean and selfish family members doing mean and selfish things to each other." Basically the matriarch of a family dies, the son-in-law suspects foul play from the father, and as the truth unfolds, there's not a likable character left. I'm really not sure what the point of it was...

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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:18 pm 
 

It: Chapter Two isn't quite as good as the first one, but oh dear GOD are the outright horror moments done perfectly. Inspired casting across the board, too, with every adult version looking similar enough to their child counterpart...except Jessica Chastain, but redheads be redheads.
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Resident_Hazard
Possessed by Starscream's Ghost

Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:33 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 1:38 pm 
 

acid_bukkake wrote:
It: Chapter Two isn't quite as good as the first one, but oh dear GOD are the outright horror moments done perfectly. Inspired casting across the board, too, with every adult version looking similar enough to their child counterpart...except Jessica Chastain, but redheads be redheads.


I think they just wanted to cast Jessica Chastain, but outside of that, have to agree, they paired adults with those child actors almost perfectly. I was most impressed with the actors chosen for adult Ben and Eddie.

And while I understand it was in the book (have not read), the gay-bashing in the beginning felt misguided and cringey.


Over the weekend, my son and I watched:

Friday the 13th (the original). My son was flabbergasted by Jason not appearing after being so inundated with him in a cultural aspect. I just laughed. The scares are not very strong in this one, timing and the like were not as solid. That two people in the film own the same Jeep was used well to create confusion, however. Something I'd never really caught. Still better than the remake though.


Child's Play 3. My son enjoyed this one. I have typically thought of this as the weakest in the franchise, but that might be Seed of Chucky. Certainly not as good as parts 1, 2, Bride, or Curse. But still fairly solid. This was actually the first one I saw when I was a teenager.


Joker. Both of us loved it. Surprisingly layered. While there are elements of "angry whitey goes nuts" and "abused become violent psychos" in there, that are rather tropey, the film did not dwell on any of these specifically.
Spoiler: show
Joker is hardly a completely empathetic character, and there are moments of darkness in this that rival actual horror films. A friend put it like this: It's more like Taxi Driver than anything else, and that's very apt. You are seeing a character become unhinged, you are seeing a mesh of problems compound to a breaking point. You are seeing a society fail a man who needs help. But you are seeing a man gleeful in remorseless.



Finally, by myself I watched:

Nightmare Weekend. Watched a segment about it on Good Bad Flicks on YouTube, then watched the film. It's pretty stupid and and barely held my interest. I was drawing instead of actively paying attention. A very weird computer basically kills people by... movie magic. It's weird shit, but was filmed by a guy who mostly did softcore erotica movies.

House on Tombstone Hill aka Dead Dudes in the House aka The Dead Come Home. The same Halloween where I first saw Child's Play 3, I saw this gem. For years I was convinced it was filmed on VHS because the quality had always been so poor. Even the original Troma DVD release seemed to be a transfer from VHS. Earlier this year, I learned it was made on film, 16mm instead of 35mm, but still, actual film. So they were able to do a solid Blu-Ray HD transfer of the film and this arrived from Amazon last week. Not a perfect film by any means, but with a great atmosphere, fun gore, and a fairly original story for what it is. Mean old lady killing a bunch of 20-agers in a cursed house. It's just a fun film.
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Smoking_Gnu
Chicago Favorite

Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:22 pm
Posts: 4797
PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 2:07 pm 
 

Resident_Hazard wrote:
And while I understand it was in the book (have not read), the gay-bashing in the beginning felt misguided and cringey.


I read an interesting review of the IT movie that noted how it largely missed one of the key themes of King's novel - that as children we're afraid of supernatural horror like monsters and ghosts and evil clowns, but as adults we become distant and apathetic to the horrors of the real world, like homophobic violence, religious persecution, etc, which got a lot more focus in the "adult" sections of the novel. I assume they added that scene to the part 2 to try and shove a bit of that plot thread in, but without the novel's additional context I agree it felt kind of awkward and out of place.
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Resident_Hazard
Possessed by Starscream's Ghost

Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:33 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 2:21 pm 
 

Smoking_Gnu wrote:
Resident_Hazard wrote:
And while I understand it was in the book (have not read), the gay-bashing in the beginning felt misguided and cringey.


I read an interesting review of the IT movie that noted how it largely missed one of the key themes of King's novel - that as children we're afraid of supernatural horror like monsters and ghosts and evil clowns, but as adults we become distant and apathetic to the horrors of the real world, like homophobic violence, religious persection, etc, which got a lot more focus in the "adult" sections of the novel. I assume they added that scene to the part 2 to try and shove a bit of that plot thread in, but without the novel's addition context I agree it felt kind of awkward and out of place.


Oh interesting point. I didn't catch that theme at all. And without handling that, the gay-killing in the beginning just smacks of the Kill the Gays trope (two of my best friends are gay and trans and were very unhappy with how it was handled). It also rather failed to properly set the tone that the town itself is, in a sense, just generally cursed because of It's presence. It's curious how many themes and elements were missed in Chapter 2 given the bloated almost three hour runtime. I also felt it had a bit of Return of the King-itis in the end, where it felt like the film meandered through multiple reasonable endings before it finally stopped.
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Smoking_Gnu
Chicago Favorite

Joined: Sat Mar 15, 2008 11:22 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 2:26 pm 
 

Yeah, I think that shows the timeless problem of trying to adapt a King-length novel to film. I saw another article that said the director was even considering making it three movies.
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Necroticism174
Kite String Popper

Joined: Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:46 pm
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Location: Canada
PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:32 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:

The Changeling - Haunted house flick about George C. Scott, a bereaved father, getting this big old house to live in that, surprise, happens to be haunted. I found this very well made and evocative, with some sad, creepy scenes here and there - though it didn't really go for the throat with the scares until the end. I did find the weird plot line behind the ghost, which is a sort of soap opera thing about family power, to be out of place for a horror film, but eh, when it was good, The Chanegling was a satisfying little romp.


The Changeling is a classic due to its awesome seance scene and music alone.

That being said, the movie is barely a horror movie. George C Scott is NEVER in danger and you don't feel he's ever truly desperate or not in control. At some point he walks into the house and shouts at the ghost, calling it a god damn son of a bitch, which is just the most George C. Scott thing.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
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PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:44 pm 
 

It was more of a light horror film than some of the really serious ones. More of a dark gothic tale than an actual go-for-the-throat thriller. But some of the scenes were pretty damn good and yeah the score was great.
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Resident_Hazard
Possessed by Starscream's Ghost

Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:33 pm
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 07, 2019 4:51 pm 
 

Necroticism174 wrote:
That being said, the movie is barely a horror movie. George C Scott is NEVER in danger and you don't feel he's ever truly desperate or not in control. At some point he walks into the house and shouts at the ghost, calling it a god damn son of a bitch, which is just the most George C. Scott thing.


Clearly the inspiration for that douchebag, Zak, from Ghost Adventures.
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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: Mon Oct 07, 2019 5:30 pm 
 

Coincidentally enough, my brother and I just rewatched The Changeling the other night to ring in October. I agree that it works best as a paranormal-tinged mystery thriller than an outright horror movie. It also reminds me of a problem I've had with movies in general for, geez, a decade now: What happened to memorable film soundtracks?!
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Skillet
Mallcore Kid

Joined: Wed Oct 09, 2019 7:43 am
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PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 7:48 am 
 

Hobbs and Shaw. 7/10
Too many blunders that hurt to look at.

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Belial
Metalhead

Joined: Thu Apr 06, 2006 2:39 pm
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Location: Tunisia
PostPosted: Wed Oct 09, 2019 4:28 pm 
 

Is Color Out of Space out yet? Has anyone seen it? I can't even find a trailer on youtube.
From what I gather, it's like a blend between Annihilation and Mandy. Both completely blew my mind last year. This one could very well do it too and become "my" movie of the year (title currently held by Midsommar), but I don't want to get too excited and then get disappointed. I'd be curious to see what people think of it, and how psychedelic it is.
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Resident_Hazard
Possessed by Starscream's Ghost

Joined: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:33 pm
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 10:06 am 
 

Belial wrote:
Is Color Out of Space out yet? Has anyone seen it? I can't even find a trailer on youtube.
From what I gather, it's like a blend between Annihilation and Mandy. Both completely blew my mind last year. This one could very well do it too and become "my" movie of the year (title currently held by Midsommar), but I don't want to get too excited and then get disappointed. I'd be curious to see what people think of it, and how psychedelic it is.


I've heard generally good things, some mixed, but it's just doing the rounds in film festivals at the moment. Been waiting for it to hit theaters.


So, I've been working from home the past two days and got in a lot of movies:

Sleepaway Camp II: (Seen before) Classic slasher fair, light on horror atmosphere, but heavy on campy fun. Great soundtrack opens with Anvil. More sex and nudity than I remembered.

Return of the Living Dead 3: (Seen before) Been a while since I've seen this one. This was the "90's extreme" film in the franchise. Did not realize that was Melinda Clarke in the lead role. The first time I watched it, I hadn't seen the previous two films in the series, so my reference for it was off. Big fan of the original movie now, though. This one isn't bad, but loses a lot of the fun of the first two films, and veers into some odd territory. Outstanding zombie effects and designs.

I Spit On Your Grave: (remake) (first time viewing it) Given my more progressive views on stuff like this, it's hard to cull anything resembling enjoyment from a movie like this. The violent rape scenes at least felt less exploitative and grueling than the original film. Adding in the local Sheriff, who loves his daughter of course, seemed interesting on the surface, but also felt cliche so they could throw in the "don't hurt my daughter, she's an innocent girl" line to combat it with "so was I." While the revenge element is something these guys deserve, at the same time, it's just so hard to imagine the female lead would go so bonkers off the rails like this. Also, she was better at finding these guys and figuring out where they live or would be hiding than their own friends. Not even sure why I watched this.

Breeders: (Seen before) Ridiculous, yet somehow watchable film about absurd insectoid aliens living beneath New York who violently impregnate virgins to propagate their species. Endless excuses to show nudity, including what I think was a solid minute or two of just watching a nude (remember, virgin) woman do very basic yoga. Had no bearing on the plot aside from an excuse to show her naked. For two minutes. Women in the hospital were also apparently just kept nude under their sheets. Softcore porn-levels of acting throughout. Creature effects varied from looking like a silly rubber suit to some actually pretty decent gore. New York City has a surprising number of 20-something virgins condensed into a single area.

Turkey Shoot: (First time viewing) Wacky Australian exploitation/action/horror cinema. In a bleak future super-state, people are sent to camps to be made into functional members of society. Ultimately, it's your basic "man hunts man" movie, a la The Most Dangerous Game. Starring Steve Railsback and Olivia Hussey. Fun gore, action, and violence. For no apparent reason, a giant hulking beast man character is in the film as a former "carnival freak". Literally looks like a dressed up Beast Man from Masters of the Universe. I know what you're thinking, that's just was Australian men look like, but he was even beastlier. Extended shower sequence in the beginning along the lines of Starship Troopers.

Se7en: (Seen before) Still a classic, still an amazing atmosphere, still one of my favorites. A little jarring now that we know Kevin Spacey really is a monster.

Shadow of the Vampire: (First time viewing) Great movie. Fictionalized telling of the making of Murnau's silent classic, Nosferatu. Malkovich does a great job as the director, but Willem Dafoe does a spectacular job as the shit-he's-real vampire Max Shreck. Great atmosphere, fun story, and just a solid film all around.

Dead Heat: (First time viewing) Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo horror/action/comedy about a shady company, run by Vincent Price and Darren McGavin who are working on a way to raise the dead and create eternal life. Treat Williams ends up as an undead cop as he and Piscopo fight off undead henchmen. A lot of great dialog and humor with absurd over-the-top satirical violence throughout. Gore effects look fantastic and the jokes and characters are really likeable and funny. So much humorous foreshadowing as well. Highly recommended. It's a weird movie, but so much fucking fun.
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BasqueStorm
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 12:26 pm 
 

Empyreal wrote:
Joker - On the one hand this was well made, with excellent performances, particularly from Joaquin Phoenix, and some eerie scenes. On the other it's kind of bullshit. I thought the "social commentary" aspects were poor and like a really shallow, dumb version of Taxi Driver. They try to make all these points about society and whatnot but it's all surface-level, and the movie is way more in love with its violent psychotic lead character than it wants you to believe. It should've either gone all the way as a comic book film or been more serious and well-written than it is - as is, it exists in a weird uncomfortable middle ground that doesn't work for its higher aspirations.

Resident_Hazard wrote:
Joker. Both of us loved it. Surprisingly layered. While there are elements of "angry whitey goes nuts" and "abused become violent psychos" in there, that are rather tropey, the film did not dwell on any of these specifically.
Spoiler: show
Joker is hardly a completely empathetic character, and there are moments of darkness in this that rival actual horror films. A friend put it like this: It's more like Taxi Driver than anything else, and that's very apt. You are seeing a character become unhinged, you are seeing a mesh of problems compound to a breaking point. You are seeing a society fail a man who needs help. But you are seeing a man gleeful in remorseless.

We liked too.
Joaquin Phoenix and the ambientation were REALLY good and the only thing I didn't completely like was the ending connection with Batman (Wayne's drama).

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at the gaytes
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PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 9:43 pm 
 

So, anyone excited about this Breaking Bad movie?

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ChineseDownhill
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Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:19 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Thu Oct 10, 2019 11:32 pm 
 

A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master - I try to re-watch the entire series (except the remake) every October. Although definitely not the best made film among them, part 4 might be the one I have the most fun watching. 8 / 10

Madison County - Two years before making the far superior Contracted, Eric England threw together this weak small-town slasher. The romantic subplots were especially annoying. 3 / 10

The Mind's Eye - This is such a shameless Scanners ripoff that even its poster admits it. I found it watchable anyway. 5 / 10

at the gaytes wrote:
So, anyone excited about this Breaking Bad movie?

To some degree, mostly because Vince Gilligan wrote and directed it. I might be more lenient on popular TV show finales than most people. I didn't hate how Dexter or Game of Thrones ended, for example. But I'd never claim their final episodes were as satisfying as Breaking Bad's. Hopefully the movie is good enough to justify extending a story that seemed resolved. (Yeah I watch Better Call Saul but that's a prequel so it doesn't count. :-P )
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LordStenhammar
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Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2012 10:46 am
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 8:56 am 
 

Watched the latest Rambo last night. Very slow start, but once it got going I liked it. Total violence. No surprise, since my taste is usually total opposite to that of the Finnish critics.


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nightbreaker33
Metalhead

Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 11:20 am
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Location: Greece
PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:26 am 
 

So I recently watched:

Repo Men

Dystopian Sci-fi film with a strong cast. The hand to hand combat choreography is pretty average and there isn't any John Wick style gun action. Average sci-flick with some plot holes, but I will give it a 8/10 because of the social commentary and well crafted plot twist. 8/10

The Rise of Leslie Vernon

Mockumentary film that parodies all the horror film clichés and basically presents in a comedic way how a standard horror film progresses its plot plus behind the face of the murderer footage. Towards the end it Swifts to traditional cinematography and kind of falls flat. 5/10

Hell house LLC Trilogy

The first two films are one of the creepies FF films I've ever seen. The third one is very weak. Cheesy VFX, laughable acting , less reliance on atmosphere and disappointing ending.

1. 8/10
2. 6/10
3. 3/10



The Terminator

Sci-Fi classic. Top-notch action, memorable quotes. The plot is not very original but the mythology that is built throughout the rest of the series is intriguing. Also I like the stop motion terminator scenes. Didn't notice them the first time I watched it.

9/10
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nightbreaker33
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Joined: Mon Jan 25, 2016 11:20 am
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PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:36 am 
 

Quote:
Se7en: (Seen before) Still a classic, still an amazing atmosphere, still one of my favorites. A little jarring now that we know Kevin Spacey really is a monster.





Se7en is one of my favourite thrillers. Really captures the crudreness of life but still explains that it is worth trying things in it. Very original concept which leads to a geniusely written ending. Kevin Spacey is also the highlight of the film playing the sociopath.
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Last edited by nightbreaker33 on Sat Oct 12, 2019 4:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Kerrick
Metalhead

Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2015 5:02 pm
Posts: 1414
Location: United States
PostPosted: Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:51 am 
 

I don't have much time for movies these days, but I started watching Ravenous (not the Guy Pearce classic, but the Netflix Canadian one) and so far, it's pretty good! I'm about halfway in. There's not much of a plot: just survivors of a zombie apocalypse trying to survive in rural Canada, but it works. I look forward to seeing how the rest of it unfolds.

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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35183
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:26 am 
 

Demons - A pulpy, insane and very silly trip that mostly serves as an excuse for a shitload of weird green slime coming out of peoples' mouths, over the top killing and a lot of ridiculous 80s style characters like prostitutes and gang members on cocaine. It's some of the most over the top, hilarious shit I've seen in a while. Couldn't get enough.

Phantasm - Hadn't seen this in over a decade I think. It's a masterwork. Just supreme, iconoclastic strangeness - the kind of imagery and story here were not anything like anything else, which gives it this totally singular feeling and sucks you in. The way the story unfolds in this smoggy dreamlike haze is just so addictive, and the story's allegories about death and people's attitudes toward it makes it a meaningful thing like a lot of classic horror could be.

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie - Love it. There's a little Breaking Bad fanservice here but I think the show has more than earned it, and something this huge is OK to do for fans once in a while. This is also just a first rate thriller, with tension so thick you can cut it with a knife. Every moment feels vital and dangerous. It's a cat and mouse type of Western-ish action thriller with Jesse Pinkman in danger basically from the first minute. Flashbacks and smaller character moments make it a meaningful one for Pinkman's character and a resonant, fitting end to this whole story. Gilligan's typical no-bullshit storytelling style makes it a treat; there's no pandering or slow-down moments at all. I couldn't turn away for even a second from this.

Deep Red - A strange old Italian murder mystery that had the bizarre trait of seeming almost light and goofy/comedic, until a brutal, suspenseful horror scene just came out of nowhere. Some beautiful scenery and director Dario Argento's usual mastery made this a feast for the eyes. I think the main story about a piano player solving a murder basically just because he's bored was hilarious. But some parts, when the killings happened, were some fucking first rate horror. Lot of emotions for sure!

Nekromantik - A 71 minute movie basically just designed to be disgusting - weirdo coroner dude brings home a dead body and his girlfriend starts to enjoy the dead body more, so he goes crazy. It was super raw and filthy and a good choice to watch as a midnight movie.
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iamntbatman
Chaos Breed

Joined: Sat Feb 21, 2009 5:55 am
Posts: 11421
Location: Tyrn Gorthad
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 9:42 am 
 

Saw Joker. Very, very well-made movie - lots of pretty shots and a great score.
Spoiler: show
I haven't read that much of the controversy around this movie, but it did make me sort of uncomfortable - in a really comic book sense, just having this purely chaotic evil character who's a genius and has super simple goals is just so simple. But then this movie humanizes the Joker to a degree that it's pretty hard to see this as a comic book movie. It almost becomes sort of like a theoretical biopic about mass shooters or something like that, and gets pretty tough when it comes to thinking about how much you sympathize with the character. For me it was hard to separate the moral ambiguity from the artistic intent of the movie, I guess, which is sort of a tough cookie to swallow when it comes to actually enjoying watching it.
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aloof
avant-gardener

Joined: Sun Dec 14, 2008 1:18 pm
Posts: 3174
Location: never neverland, palm trees by the sea
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 1:59 pm 
 

Resident_Hazard wrote:
Belial wrote:
Is Color Out of Space out yet? Has anyone seen it? I can't even find a trailer on youtube.
From what I gather, it's like a blend between Annihilation and Mandy. Both completely blew my mind last year. This one could very well do it too and become "my" movie of the year (title currently held by Midsommar), but I don't want to get too excited and then get disappointed. I'd be curious to see what people think of it, and how psychedelic it is.


I've heard generally good things, some mixed, but it's just doing the rounds in film festivals at the moment. Been waiting for it to hit theaters.


Richard Stanley has 2 good movies to show out of the 20 he's done, and with Cagey in this doesn't look good. Why can't they leave poor Howard alone? :(
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Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
Posts: 7735
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 2:30 pm 
 

Truth or Dare sucked. When Blumhouse miss they REALLY fucking miss. The story line is about half The Ring and half Unfriended, nowhere near as interesting as either. You just never have a reason to care.

I rewatched Midsommar with a buddy and there's no question but that I love it. Looking forward to owning/watching the directors cut.
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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: Sun Oct 13, 2019 2:38 pm 
 

Jonpo wrote:
Truth or Dare sucked. When Blumhouse miss they REALLY fucking miss. The story line is about half The Ring and half Unfriended, nowhere near as interesting as either. You just never have a reason to care.


Such a huge piece of shit this was. The ending was infuriating.
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Jonpo
Hyperc6l6mb6wler

Joined: Tue Jul 31, 2007 10:05 am
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PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 6:44 pm 
 

I wish I could say it even made me feel anger! All I really felt was disappointment that I didn't pull the plug 20 minutes in. In addition to being boring and lame it was way too fucking long.

About to watch Fractured on NF. Hoping for a tense psychological mindfuck to cleanse me of Truth or Dare.

Edit: Fractured is good not great. Doesn't hold a candle to The Machinist which it has some ties to.
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Last edited by Jonpo on Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
Posts: 2232
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 8:25 pm 
 

The lady and I are having a Halloween party next weekend and, during it, are running Horror Trivia. Grand prize is a copy of NOES 3, second is The Void, third place gets Return of the Living Dead. Whoever is in dead last, though? The Bye Bye Man.
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ChineseDownhill
Metalhead

Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 11:19 am
Posts: 1113
Location: United States
PostPosted: Sun Oct 13, 2019 11:24 pm 
 

If I ever get around to seeing Truth or Dare, the big question will be whether it's an even worse example of PG-13 horror than The Bye Bye Man. I've probably plugged this video before, but ralphthemoviemaker on Youtube spent a half hour ripping apart The Bye Bye Man and it might be my favorite thing on his channel.
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acid_bukkake
SAD!

Joined: Fri Jan 16, 2015 10:45 am
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Location: United States
PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:32 am 
 

The Bye Bye Man is a rare example of a movie so unbelievably awful in execution that it skips right past "so bad it's good" and circles back to "waste of time." Never finished it, could never get past the 30 minute mark. Shame, too, since I'll go to bat for the cold open being pretty damn good.
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Empyreal
The Final Frontier

Joined: Thu Nov 30, 2006 6:58 pm
Posts: 35183
Location: Where the dead rule the night
PostPosted: Mon Oct 14, 2019 8:07 am 
 

It's hard to say which is worse between Truth or Dare and The Bye Bye Man, but safe to say it'd be better if all copies of both were burned up in a random mysterious fire.
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