Movies

[Evil?]

Well, many reviewers and critics have stated that the new Halloween re-make is one of the most brutally violent and offensive things they have ever seen, lacking any real substance beneath the brutality.

Sounds like a good way to spend my Friday night after work, SUBSTANCE BE DAMNED!

 

[lurch70]

Well, many reviewers and critics have stated that the new Halloween re-make is one of the most brutally violent and offensive things they have ever seen, lacking any real substance beneath the brutality.

Sounds like a good way to spend my Friday night after work, SUBSTANCE BE DAMNED!

why? the original Halloween had substance?

 

[Evil?]

Why go see it? Because I have nothing better to do. It is that or hang around here which I do all the time anyway.

From what I have read, this version does away with the tension and anticipation of the first and replaces it with ultra-violence. This is what the critics are talking about when they talk about substance. That and the Michael Myers character is "de-mystified" because of the more in depth back story.

 

[Russell]

Just watched This Is England. It's about skinheads in the UK back in 1980s, when they were just turning from a middle class music movement into nazis.

Extremely worthwhile imo and brutal but also with quite am ample amount of side-splitting hilarity. Highly fucking recommended.

Yeah, that was a very good movie, really very effective and thought provoking.

Watched this godawful flick called Skinwalkers the other day. It manages to poorly rip off John Carpenter's Vampires, From Dusk Til Dawn, Underworld, and a touch of Desperado, and utterly fails at anything remotely resembling intelligence, excitement or involvement. Surprisingly enough, it's by the guy that directed Jason X.

Haha, snap. Try seeing it in the cinema at 1.30 in the morning after 5 films that day already. Man I was bored...

Anyway, in the last week I have seen the following (yeah, it’s that time of year again):

Black Sheep – NZ made sheep zombie movie. Dragged a little occasionally after the novelty of sheep zombies wore off, but generally very good. Never seen a movie with so many sheep shagging jokes in it either…

Black Water – Shit crocodile movie in the vein of Adrift, except instead they are out of the boat up a tree, avoiding a crocodile. Annoying characters and boring plot.

Doomsday preview – New film by the guy behind Dog Soldiers and The Descent. Looks like it’ll be a decent update of Escape From NY, looking forward to seeing more than a 5 min preview.

Hatchet (with live commentary) – Great old fashioned US horror movie that I saw last year, but this time with director Adam Green doing a live commentary. Really funny and very nice guy. Good film too.

The Sword Bearer – Pretty mediocre Russian comic book remake about a guy who has a sword erupt from his arm when he is angry. Dull and not really worth a look

Signal – Interesting film in 3 parts about what would happen if all telecommunications shut off, and broadcast instead a hypnotic signal which makes people go insane. First part semi-decent horror, second part hilarious off-beat comedy, third part a lot weirder but interesting. Altogether unusual and pretty cool.

1408 – Stephen King short story remake. Creepy at times, held my attention. John Cussak was very good,

Teeth – Excellent film about a girl with teeth in her vagina. Thought it would be misogynistic shite, but is actually a very funny movie, with a hell of a lot of subtext. Really nicely done and surprisingly maturely handled, it was a real surprise. Well worth seeing.

All The Boys Love Mandy Lane – was sold as a mix between the OC and a slasher, this was smooth and cool. Retro, nicely made, not mould breaking but stylish and solid whodunit. Quite unusual.

Shrooms – Irish horror movie about a group of tourists being killed off one by one while high on Mushrooms. A promising premise, but just proved to be boring with poorly drawn characters and an ending so crap that I felt intellectually violated after seeing it.

Cold Prey – A Norwegian slasher movie, set in some stunning mountains in an abandoned hotel. Likeable and believable characters, a long set-up which makes the scares towards the end more effective. Really nicely orchestrated and well made.

Joshua – A bit like the Omen, a movie about parents looking after their scary kid. Certainly had its moments, and creepy at times, but not worth going out of your way for. Further convinced me that I A.) Never want kids, and B.) Never want a job in the city.

Storm Warning – Aussie film with a slow build up as two lost travellers get abused then locked up ina remote house by the owners, which then develops into a fairly well made, at time gory tale of their escape. Entertaining towards the end, very watchable.

Wrong Turn 2 – Pure homage to classic exploitation, with the addition of Hnery Rollins as an Army commando (although they could have made better use of him, it must be said). A group of contestants on a reality TV show are killed off in the remote woods they’re told to survive in by a load of mutants. Entertaining stuff, better than the first too.

Disturbia – Probably out in the US, but I enjoyed this one too. I like Rear Window a lot, and I thought this was a well made remake.

The Devil Dared Me To – Pretty funny comedy about a NZ stuntman who wanted to jump the 20km straight between the N and S island. Very entertaining, definitely had moments of genius, if these are balanced by boring segments.

Jack Ketchum’s The Girl Next Door – I’m honestly not sure this will ever be released. A fictionalised version of a true story, set in the ‘50s about a guy and the girl next door, who is abused by her new family. With an audience of hardened horror fans in a horror film festival I’ve never seen so many people walk out. I’ve seen a lot of really fucked up shit in moveis, but this – without showing any gore or anything else – had amazing impact, emotionally and physically. All the people I was with – as I did – left the cinema with knotted stomachs but feeling for anything to have that much of an effect on an audience, it must have some validity as a film. Excellent movie.

Botched – Pretty dull horror comedy. The horror wasn’t great, the comedy was worse, and we all just got a bit bored. But then, it was a pleasing break from films like that above.

Postal – Uwe Boll movie with some really offensive humour, was generally fairly entertaining. Criticised everyone and everything. Didn’t have enough to fill its 2 hour running time, so was boring at times, but generally better than most of the director’s other films.

Seed – Another Uwe Boll film, this one a nihilistic horror. Ok, had some impact, buht didn’t like the scenes borrowed from PETA, partly because I hate PETA, and partly because they added nothing to the movie. Cheap shock tactics, and some poorly executed CGI later reduced the impact.

Waz – Very good serial killer movie about a geneticist who, based on an equation that ‘proves’ humans aren’t altruistic sets out to prove it by torturing people until they either kill a loved one, or die themselves. Interesting, fairly original, very well made, and an excellent ending, I really enjoyed this one.

Skinwalkers – Poor werewolf movie. Semi-high budget movie with no original ideas and even fewer watchable moments.

The Zombie Diaries – Blair Witch corssed with the zombie apocalypse. So much promise, but sadly it often failed to deliver

KM 31 - Can I have the 2 hours of my life back please?

Spiral – From Adam Green again, Hatchet director, this was a very interesting love story/thriller between an autistic guy and a bubbly girl. Started off as a really nice story, and then turned darker, and certainly keeps you guessing through most of the movie what the outcome will be. A pleasant surprise.

Day Watch – Sequel to Night Watch, same premise – truce between good and evil supernatural beings, some people trying to break it, others trying to keep it. Kitsch in the extreme and overly complicated scenario, this was a bit dull at times, but most of the time was entertaining, with some very impressive effects, and wonderful visuals. Pretty much an average sci-fi/fantasy blockbuster, albeit a Russian one

The Orphanage – Executive produced by Guillermo Del Toro, this is a ghost story set in an Orphanage. Some of the people I was with felt it topped Pan’s Labyrinth, but I don’t agree. Nevertheless it was a very well done chiller, with some truly creepy moments, definitely worth seeing if you like your small children ghost stories (although in a refreshingly different style to the Hideo Nakata style Japanese stuff).

One Last Dance – An interesting Singaporean gangster movie with Harvey Kaitel, certainly had its moments. Was pretty funny at times, and was told in an unusual way.

Bourne Ultimatum – Sure you’ve alls een this by now

Tales From Earth Sea – Not up there with Studio Ghibli’s best, but I thought this was solid, with some cool animation, and interesting themes.

Creep – Horror set on the London Underground. Pretty mediocre.

Alexander – Can I have that three hours of my life back please?

Philadelphia – Hadn’t seen this up until we rented it, pretty good.

Volcano High – Absolutely insane Korean film, about a high school for supernatural kids. Very strange.

Rosencrantz And Guildenstern Are Dead – Interesting postmodern film about two Shakespeare character’s lives when they are not on screen. Very interesting idea, certainly had its moments.

Last Horror Movie – Very cleverly done piss take horror movie/ fake documentary. Cool idea.

So basicall,y highlights were The Girl Next Door (thought not sure I'll ever watch it again), The Orphanage, WAZ, Spiral, and All The Boys Love Mandy Lane. Wrong Turn 2 was good fun, so was Hatchet and Day Watch.

 

[dorian gray]

HAHAHAHA fuck! there's an actual Wrong Turn 2?! That's hilarious!
Anyway, saw Halloween this afternoon. Not exactly sure what to say here. I liked it, but it bore no resememblance to the original whatsoever. Myers was still scary, especially towards the end, but in a totally different way. The violence is extreme and so are the characterizations, but then again, it's a Zombie movie and that's to be expected. It's easily his most tolerable film (I wanted to walk out of 1000 Corpses). The insight into Myers's younger years was interesting. There are some good cameos by Ken Foree (Dawn of the Dead) and Brad Dourif (Mississipi Burning, Lord of the Rings). All in all it's not comparable to the original but how can you compare to a masterpiece? Does Disturbia compare to Rear Window?

 

[dill_the_devil]

That The Girl Next Door sounds promising to me... Totally agree about the mediocrity of Creep, saw that on the TV a couple of nights ago, although the 'operation' scene made me cringe really quite effectively - nice build-up to that one. I really enjoyed 1408 too, until that cheat of a last fifteen minutes or so. As for Postal being better than Uwe Boll's other films - well, that's not really an achievement as such, is it?

 

[Russell]

HAHAHAHA fuck! there's an actual Wrong Turn 2?! That's hilarious!

Yup, actually prettty watchable in terms of entertaining horror. Does exactly what it says on the tin. That said, maybe the audience helped make it seem better than it will on DVD

All in all it's not comparable to the original but how can you compare to a masterpiece? Does Disturbia compare to Rear Window?

Very interested to see the remake, but then I like Zombie's other movies... It does sound very different, whereasRear Window and Disturbia are really quite similar. Disturbia is basically rear window, if it was made now. Since I'm sued to modern films I thought some parts of Disturbia worked better than the original, but at the same time a lot of it was just cliche.

That The Girl Next Door sounds promising to me... Totally agree about the mediocrity of Creep, saw that on the TV a couple of nights ago, although the 'operation' scene made me cringe really quite effectively - nice build-up to that one. I really enjoyed 1408 too, until that cheat of a last fifteen minutes or so. As for Postal being better than Uwe Boll's other films - well, that's not really an achievement as such, is it?

Thing with The Girl Next Door is it blindsided me. I hadn't read up on the films before the festival, so had absolutely no idea what to expect. Now I've given you warning it may not be as effective... But even so, it'll be worth seeing if it gets released.

I saw another Jack Ketchum remake last year at the festival, called The Lost - nowhere near as controversial as the girl next door - and that hasn't even been shown at a fesitval since, let alone be released on DVD. The Girl Next Door is so unmarketable I can't really see it being released anytime soon. It'll probably be cut if released here too.

And as for Uwe Boll, good call, but if you see it with the right audience it can be pretty funny. Saw House Of The Dead in a packed cinema of people taking the piss, was hilarious.

 

[spaffe]

Yesterday evening I continued my journey through the filmography of Humphrey Bogart with In a Lonely Place which was really enjoyable, and one of the better Bogart flicks I've seen. A nice classic suspense thriller with rough men and coy dames. Recommended.

 

[Russell]

Today I saw:

Santo in the Wax Museum: Quite entertaining '60s Mexican movie about a crime fighting wrestler. Very dated and extremely silly.

Al final del espectro: Colombian horror movie about an agrophobic who won't leave her flat, but starts to think it is haunted. This was pretty much by the numbers, well done, some decent scares, but nothing that hasn't been done before. Boring at times too.

Mr Brooks - Nicely made movie with Kevin Costner as a serial killer. Very entertaining and a cool idea, with some really funny moments. Although no amazing it's definitely worth seeing.

Also just bought Werewolf In A Girl's Domitory, pretty much purely on the name... Can't wait to see it!

 

[Krilons Resa]

gonna watch 1408 in a lil bit.

 

[lurch70]

so it seems that Rob Zombie is slowly becoming an A-list filmmaker

Rob Zombie's new take on John Carpenter's 1978 horror sensation "Halloween" slashed its way to a $31 million haul over the four-day weekend, surpassing the $20.1 million gross for 2005's "Transporter 2," which had held the record for best Labor Day opening.

 

[MajestikMøøse]

and by A-List you mean sensationalist crap, am i rite?

 

[Krilons Resa]

1408 was pretty damn good. recommended.

 

[lurch70]

and by A-List you mean sensationalist crap, am i rite?

i liked The Devil's Rejects and hated House of a 1000 Corpses ... Halloween seems to be on the right track to be another winner.

 

[JayKeeley]

i liked The Devil's Rejects and hated House of a 1000 Corpses ... Halloween seems to be on the right track to be another winner.

I also hated 1000 corpses, so much so that I avoided Devil's Rejects. Maybe I should give it a try.

If these big budget film studios are going to sanction remakes, they should at least remake stuff that didn't hit the mark the first time round: films with good intentions but poor execution.

The Thing is a great example of this, where the remake surpasses the original. But to remake Halloween? That is loco.

 

[JayKeeley]

Lined up for this evening: HOT FUZZ.

I loved Shaun of the Dead and I know I'm going to love this too.

 

[Dark One]

I also hated 1000 corpses, so much so that I avoided Devil's Rejects. Maybe I should give it a try.

While you still may not like it, it's an entirely different kind of movie than the first one. More substance for sure, but not really in a good way IMO. Either way, don't expect more of the same.

In the original, I thought the final underground cavern scene was fantastic, but yeah, it was otherwise way too erratic.

If these big budget film studios are going to sanction remakes, they should at least remake stuff that didn't hit the mark the first time round: films with good intentions but poor execution.

According to my Dad, who I infinitely trust, the movie is garbage and substitutes violence for atmosphere, which is what made many of the 70's classics like Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre so effective. You don't need to see the violence to know it's there - it's all about the build up, the suspense, the effect it has on your pulse. It's about caring about characters instead of waiting for morons and jerkoffs to be hacked to pieces. It's also about the mystery of the evildoers. I also don't want Michael Myers portrayed as a victim. That takes away the effectiveness of the character. I simply want to know he's evil in its purest form; a hollow, black-souled walking nightmare.

The Thing is a great example of this, where the remake surpasses the original. But to remake Halloween? That is loco.

Agreed. I felt the same way about The Fog, Dawn of the Dead, etc. Come up with something original and create a whole new classic. I'm sick and tired of the Lion's Gate theory of let's see how much gore we can cram into a movie and give everyone what they want. It's not what *I* want dammit. I want style, I want substance, I want to be spooked into looking over my shoulder when I hear a door creak or the wind knock a branch against the outside wall. *That's* effectiveness.

Jason

 

[JayKeeley]

In the original, I thought the final underground cavern scene was fantastic, but yeah, it was otherwise way too erratic.

If I remember correctly, there was too much screaming in 1000 corpses. I tend to get irritated with screaming girls after a while. The thing that annoys me the most about the last half of Texas Chainsaw Massacre is the ongoing screaming, which is interesting because the first half has practically no sound to it all, from the sequence of the chicken in the birdcage to the girl getting impaled on the meat hook.

According to my Dad, who I infinitely trust, the movie is garbage and substitutes violence for atmosphere, which is what made many of the 70's classics like Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre so effective.

Yeah, I could have guessed this, just from the trailer. This "make you jump out of your seat" scare trend, with music simultaneously blasting out the speaker is cheap. That's it really, cheap directing.

You don't need to see the violence to know it's there - it's all about the build up, the suspense, the effect it has on your pulse. It's about caring about characters instead of waiting for morons and jerkoffs to be hacked to pieces. It's also about the mystery of the evildoers.

Right, which is why Jaws and Alien are two of the most effective horror movies of all time. It's just amazing why we don't get people investing their time into making films like these -- where you DON'T see the monster, and DON'T see the killing. I'd be more scared by knowing something lurks in the shadows, without needing to see what it is that lurks there.

I also don't want Michael Myers portrayed as a victim. That takes away the effectiveness of the character. I simply want to know he's evil in its purest form; a hollow, black-souled walking nightmare.

...yep, with a William Shatner face mask.

 

[dill_the_devil]

Lined up for this evening: HOT FUZZ.

I loved Shaun of the Dead and I know I'm going to love this too.

Absolutely brilliant film. I saw it at the cinema, bought it on DVD and have watched it several times since. So densely packed with witty lines, 80s action movie references, and subtle sight gags (keep an eye out for the copy of Shaun of the Dead on DVD in a supermarket bargain bin), it takes about four viewings before you've caught everything.

 

[Evil?]

I also don't want Michael Myers portrayed as a victim. That takes away the effectiveness of the character. I simply want to know he's evil in its purest form; a hollow, black-souled walking nightmare.

This was one of my least favorite aspects of the remake. Meyers did not seem like the unstoppable evil force he was in the original. Just a fucked up kid in a mask.