The Official Movie Thread

I'm with her on disliking weird movies. I just don't enjoy seeing disturbing images that get implanted permanently into my brain.
 
Death Delirium said:
Black Mass was good, but it could have been better. I would not say it had the same effect on me as Goodfellas,Carlito's Way,Scarface,Casino.
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I couldn't care less about Black Mass but to be fair those films are kind of benchmarks for gangster movies so that's a pretty high standard.

This probably going to be unpopular (par for the course when it comes to my thoughts on films it seems) but I've always preferred Casino over GoodFellas. It could have gone one for another hour and it probably would still fly by. It never gets any less fascinating either no matter how many times you see it.

Remember when 3 hour movies hit home video in the VHS days they had to be split up on two tapes? I pretty much wore out the second tape of Casino because it started where Pesci tells the guy he's going to crack his fuckin' head open in the bank. Amazing acting by Pesci that proves he could be intimidating as fuck without ranting and raving like a lunatic, although he's the king when it comes to that sort of acting.

 
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Oblivious Maximus said:
I couldn't care less about Black Mass but to be fair those films are kind of benchmarks for gangster movies so that's a pretty high standard.

This probably going to be unpopular (par for the course when it comes to my thoughts on films it seems) but I've always preferred Casino over GoodFellas. It could have gone one for another hour and it probably would still fly by. It never gets any less fascinating either no matter how many times you see it.

Remember when 3 hour movies hit home video in the VHS days they had to be split up on two tapes? I pretty much wore out the second tape of Casino because it started where Pesci tells the guy he's going to crack his fuckin' head open in the bank. Amazing acting by Pesci that proves he could be intimidating as fuck without ranting and raving like a lunatic, although he's the king when it comes to that sort of acting.

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I cared about Black Mass simply because I dig Crazy Heart. Heard an interview of the directors and thought he was going in an interesting direction, but it was not interesting.
 
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Edge of the Axe (José Ramón Larraz, 1988) - Slasher fans would be wise to seek this gem out. While its intentions were never to reinvent the slasher wheel, its main selling point is the mystery of who is responsible for all the axe hackings that happen throughout the film. What may seem fairly aimless for its first 10 minutes, it quickly reveals itself to be a very well composed and engrossing murder mysteries with a fantastic reveal at the end.

Even though it doesn't take the subgenre into any new directions, the film is still unique in that it features one of the earliest examples of characters communicating via instant messaging so it makes for an interesting time capsule.

You're in good hands with this one. It was directed by the late, very great José Ramón Larraz, a master of Euro horror. Among other things, he helmed two of the greatest horror films of the 70's, Symptoms (1974) and the lesbian bloodsucker masterpiece Vampyres (1974). Edge is certainty his most "American" film from an asthenic standpoint.
 
I just liked how it didn't go for cheap thrill and scares (I mean, there were a couple, but nothing gratuitous), but instead chose to build tension throughout. So stylistically I thought it was a powerful film. It achieves the effect where even an ambiguous figure walking in the background can create anxiety, which is awesome. There's a sense of foreboding and underlying threat, which occasionally surfaces but mostly remains hidden.

Some of the effects, specifically during encounter scenes, were kind of shitty; but I assume this has to do with budget. I'm thinking specifically of the scene on the beach, when the male character gets swatted away. That unfortunately looked pretty fake.

However, what I liked most was the subtext of urban decay and economic stratification. It was very purposefully set in Detroit, and the environment is always carefully considered. The opening shot (after the "prologue" sequence with the first girl) is of cracked asphalt in a middle-class suburban area. We get the sense throughout that these kids are kind of floating through this environment, never quite understanding the extent of it or how fucking shitty life is for some people outside of this area. The conversation about going south of 8 Mile really drove this home.

Basically, I choose to read the film less as a commentary on sexual activity and disease, and more as a commentary on the wealthier, whiter, suburban anxiety about the "bad part of town." It's very important that the entity "follows" the afflicted characters, all the time, and that this is the title of the film; it evokes the feeling of anxiety we have when we walk through bad neighborhoods and think we're being followed.

There's obviously a connection with sex, but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's suggestive that one of the characters who is "afflicted" is killed by the entity in an overtly sexual position, and pinned to the ground (full disclosure, it's a male character, not a female) - so threats of sexual violence seem to be underscoring the narrative as well.
 
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Just finished The Razor's Edge staring Bill Murray. It's rare to see Bill Murray do anything but comedy, but in this film he played a more dramatic role mixed with a few jokes only he could pull off.

I give this a 9/10 I really enjoyed this movie and one I'll be watching again.
 
Einherjar86 said:
I just liked how it didn't go for cheap thrill and scares (I mean, there were a couple, but nothing gratuitous), but instead chose to build tension throughout. So stylistically I thought it was a powerful film. It achieves the effect where even an ambiguous figure walking in the background can create anxiety, which is awesome. There's a sense of foreboding and underlying threat, which occasionally surfaces but mostly remains hidden.

Some of the effects, specifically during encounter scenes, were kind of shitty; but I assume this has to do with budget. I'm thinking specifically of the scene on the beach, when the male character gets swatted away. That unfortunately looked pretty fake.

However, what I liked most was the subtext of urban decay and economic stratification. It was very purposefully set in Detroit, and the environment is always carefully considered. The opening shot (after the "prologue" sequence with the first girl) is of cracked asphalt in a middle-class suburban area. We get the sense throughout that these kids are kind of floating through this environment, never quite understanding the extent of it or how fucking shitty life is for some people outside of this area. The conversation about going south of 8 Mile really drove this home.

Basically, I choose to read the film less as a commentary on sexual activity and disease, and more as a commentary on the wealthier, whiter, suburban anxiety about the "bad part of town." It's very important that the entity "follows" the afflicted characters, all the time, and that this is the title of the film; it evokes the feeling of anxiety we have when we walk through bad neighborhoods and think we're being followed.

There's obviously a connection with sex, but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's suggestive that one of the characters who is "afflicted" is killed by the entity in an overtly sexual position, and pinned to the ground (full disclosure, it's a male character, not a female) - so threats of sexual violence seem to be underscoring the narrative as well.
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Sounds like Gran Torino sans Eastwood's take.
 
Einherjar86 said:
I just liked how it didn't go for cheap thrill and scares (I mean, there were a couple, but nothing gratuitous), but instead chose to build tension throughout. So stylistically I thought it was a powerful film. It achieves the effect where even an ambiguous figure walking in the background can create anxiety, which is awesome. There's a sense of foreboding and underlying threat, which occasionally surfaces but mostly remains hidden.

Some of the effects, specifically during encounter scenes, were kind of shitty; but I assume this has to do with budget. I'm thinking specifically of the scene on the beach, when the male character gets swatted away. That unfortunately looked pretty fake.

However, what I liked most was the subtext of urban decay and economic stratification. It was very purposefully set in Detroit, and the environment is always carefully considered. The opening shot (after the "prologue" sequence with the first girl) is of cracked asphalt in a middle-class suburban area. We get the sense throughout that these kids are kind of floating through this environment, never quite understanding the extent of it or how fucking shitty life is for some people outside of this area. The conversation about going south of 8 Mile really drove this home.

Basically, I choose to read the film less as a commentary on sexual activity and disease, and more as a commentary on the wealthier, whiter, suburban anxiety about the "bad part of town." It's very important that the entity "follows" the afflicted characters, all the time, and that this is the title of the film; it evokes the feeling of anxiety we have when we walk through bad neighborhoods and think we're being followed.

There's obviously a connection with sex, but I'm not quite sure what to make of it. It's suggestive that one of the characters who is "afflicted" is killed by the entity in an overtly sexual position, and pinned to the ground (full disclosure, it's a male character, not a female) - so threats of sexual violence seem to be underscoring the narrative as well.
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i agree that a lot of the above may well be on the film's mind - certainly the use of detroit is very deliberate - but i go with the interpretation that it's primarily about the passage from innocence into experience. the complex relationship between sex and mortality has very deep roots in the horror genre, and i think IT FOLLOWS understands horror lore very well and is consciously playing with those rules. the monster of the film is essentially a metaphor for encroaching adulthood (and ultimately mortality) methinks. note how these kids are in this kind of innocent nostalgic adolescent bubble with no parents in sight, except when the monster's about to kill and suddenly it resembles one. they're clinging to the last vestiges of their youth but time is inexorably chasing them down.

it's quite a broad metaphor though, you can read a lot of different things into it and none of them are necessarily 'wrong', which i think can enrichen or harm the film depending on your perspective. the jury's still out for me, i loved certain shots (inc. the final one lots of people moaned about) and scenes but i felt pretty detached from it on the whole - might be one of those movies that's more enjoyable for me to talk about than actually watch, or maybe i just went into it with the wrong expectations (it's been VERY hyped by people i trust).
 
Well said. I love the point about the absence of parents until it comes down to encounter sequences (specifically the final one in the pool). I definitely think the approach of adulthood is an applicable reading; sometimes I like to try for the more counter-intuitive approaches and see where it takes me.

I also just really liked the power of landscape and background in the film, including how it made the most of its premise. During the sequence when two of the protagonists visit the school to find out the identity of the boy they're looking for, the camera pans 360 degrees and gives us a brief glimpse of a figure walking slowly across the lawn outside. Then, when the characters get back in their car, we can see the figure walking in the distance, toward the car. It was all done very well, I thought.
 
I liked Goodbye Mommy a lot. It reminded me of another movie (The Bobadook) but it went a step further. It's really not that scary to be honest, and the ending is really surprising. Did not see it coming at all. I would say it's more of a thriller.


I actually saw It Follows the other night, and have to agree that it definitely plays on the old horror myth that the first to have sex is the first to die, sort of thing. I really liked the sound effects they build throughout, but the ending sort of left me a little disappointed. I get it… it will follow, but I suppose I just wondered what was next.

It Follows also seems sort of intentionally set in suburbia, where neighbors are extremely paranoid and they spy on their nearest residents. There’s a blatant conversation late in the movie, when Jay and her friends are running away from the entity. There they discuss the property line that divides their "safe" neighborhood from the "dangers" of city life. I didn't get that parallel until that conversation, tbh. But overall thought it was a pretty good movie. Just wished the ending was more exciting.
 
Einherjar86 said:
I also just really liked the power of landscape and background in the film, including how it made the most of its premise. During the sequence when two of the protagonists visit the school to find out the identity of the boy they're looking for, the camera pans 360 degrees and gives us a brief glimpse of a figure walking slowly across the lawn outside. Then, when the characters get back in their car, we can see the figure walking in the distance, toward the car. It was all done very well, I thought.
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yeah, i loved the way it had me scanning the background in search of threats the characters hadn't even noticed, and there were a few really creative, unnerving shots along those lines. i actually wanted it to play with that kinda thing even more than it did.
 
Actually, lately Bill Murray has been doing some great non-comedy films.

Finally checked this out, it was pretty cool.
Bit of an under-the-radar one.

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