CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Sounds like Terrence Malick was to you, what the Melanesian island was to Pvt. Robert Witt. 
The Official Movie Thread
- Thread starter Manic Ferocity
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Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
I'm fascinated by the process by which he made The Thin Red Line, if the Wikipedia article on it is accurate. That he wrote a 300-page script, did extensive research on all kinds of topics tangentially related to the film, cast a fuckton of big-name actors, shot the movie and then in post edited out most of the narrative until it was basically a nature movie (and in the process, cutting many of those big-name actors out completely or almost completely). Just reading about that made me like the movie more.
no country for old wainds
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along with the classic sentence "Malick edited the footage one reel at a time with the sound off while listening to a Green Day CD."
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Sounds fantastic. I've actually been on the lookout for his early films for some time.
By the way, do you bother to purchase films or just watch them digitally?
no country for old wainds
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CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Not passing judgement, just that people with extensive knowledge and experience with cinema flabbergast me. I watch movies as often as possible and I always feel so out of my depth. 
I just had The Quiet Earth delivered to my door, needless to say I am keen as mustard gas to see it.
I just had The Quiet Earth delivered to my door, needless to say I am keen as mustard gas to see it.
rms
Active Member
netflix dvd service got me into almost everything, I doubt it's as good as it used to be now. Keep seeing Filmstruck being advertised, something like 19 a month for 'real cinema' streaming
Einherjar86
Active Member
That's a fantastic movie. Talk about feeling out of one's depth when watching it, that one's a science-fiction mindfuck.
When I was younger I used to suffer an existential fear that I would wake up one morning and discover that everyone else in the world had vanished. This movie did not assuage that fear, but it helped somehow, in its own aesthetic way.
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
That makes me feel a lot better, sometimes I fear that a dystopian/post-apocalyptic film will be too cheesy but I have respect for your taste in science fiction so money well spent.
(Hopefully.)
(Hopefully.)
Einherjar86
Active Member
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
Oh yeah I understand that it isn't Mad Max or Steel Dawn but more along the lines of The Omega Man or something.
Vegard Pompey
ALLY TO GOOD, NIGHTMARE TO YOU
I have this too but in my case it's more of a wish than a fear.
no country for old wainds
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Not passing judgement, just that people with extensive knowledge and experience with cinema flabbergast me. I watch movies as often as possible and I always feel so out of my depth.
i feel out of my depth a lot too tbh. i have read an awful lot of (mostly online) film criticism over the years so i guess that helps me to express my thoughts/feelings on my moviegoing experiences, but there's still a lot i can't really grasp while watching, and there are an awful lot of classic movies i've never seen. i think a lot of the people who have intimidating knowledge are either academically trained in the subject or they just concentrate all their time onto that one passion, which is something i could never do - too many competing interests and hobbies etc. also i suppose some people just have more of a work ethic than me in terms of note-taking and reading books about cinema n shit.
rms
Active Member
Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
Capsule review a go-go:
Exposure (David Blyth, 2001) – This films seems like it was made in the wrong year. It may have been released in 2001, but its sleek look and overall aesthetic are more reminiscent of an early 90's late night erotic thriller and for a while its seems like that's the route the film is going to take. As the film progresses however and things get a bit strange with an odd dream sequence the film crosses over into full blown 70's Italian giallo mode complete with a religious subplot and an out of the blue twist that not even the most jaded of murder mystery fans will see coming. Even the storyline revolving around a photographer who becomes both the main suspect as well as the target of the actual killer after his top model is murdered could have served as the basis for a classic Italian thriller, but not once does it feel like Blyth is being derivative. Really a terrific under the radar thriller.
Ghost Bride (David Blyth, 2013) – A Chinese ghost in New Zealand. For a film with such a blatant title, this is actually an incredibly subtle tone poem of a film. Its slow, methodical way of going about things has even led to some not very bright reviewers online to bemoan that its not even a horror film which is preposterous yet hilarious in its narrow mindedness. Anyway, what makes the film especially fascinating is its clash of cultures, with it being centered around a young Chinese man who was raised in New Zealand and who's Chinese heritage seems almost alien coming face to face with forces of the supernatural superstitions of certain Chinese beliefs regarding marriage. The films real strength lies in its ambiance thanks to its brilliant editing with scenes seamlessly seguing into each other like a fractured sleepwalking session. A quote on the back of the DVD compared it to a “midnight swim” which is a fairly apt descriptor. A different, more sedate experience than some of Blyth's other works in the genre like Death Warmed Up (1984) or the visceral bitch slap Wound (2010) but a beautiful film nonetheless.
Under Capricorn (Alfred Hitchcock, 1949) – One of the most neglected titles in Hitchcock's oeuvre (leading man Joseph Cotten was quite harsh on the film, even referring to it as “Under corny crap”), at first glance this period melodrama might seem atypical when in reality the film is very Hitchcockian in nature from the murder that hangs over the heads of the main characters, the notion of social scandal, the wrong man concept and a nefarious, Danvers-esque housekeeper ala Rebecca (1940). The film even spills over into gothic horror territory near the end with a scene involving a shrunken head that had to be an influence on the likes of Mario Bava and any director who would work for Hammer. The 19the century Australia setting is curious because while the history of the continents inhabitants does serve a purpose as it relates to characters backstories, with some minor tweaking the story could really have taken place anywhere but the time and place does allow Hitchcock to go wild with style which is something the film has in abundance. Yet another technical marvel for Hitch with long, extended one takes and some excellent matte paintings, its a film much like The Paradine Case (1947) that deserves better than its gotten over the years.
Black Past (Olaf Ittenbach, 1989) – One of the best films from the German underground that burgeoned in the wake of Nekromantik (1987), the debut feature from Germany's premier goreteur also stands as one of the best from the golden age of shot on video horror. Lensed on a PAL VHS camcorder on the weekends, the quality is pretty damn incredible considering that Ittenbach had previously only done shorts that were more or less effect showcases. There are even moments that conjure up a genuine sense of atmosphere, quite the feat given its video format. Like so many SOV features, the film does feature moments of padding to fill out the run time, but even those scenes possess a certain charm to them and the sheer ambition on display overrides any amateurish mistakes that may be present in the film. Of course the films biggest highlights involve the gore effects which are beyond the pale, even at this early state in Ittenbach's career, with nightmarish hallucination scenes featuring numerous displays of utter disregard for humanity and a decent into a hellish netherworld that Ittenbach would outdue in his next film, the legendary The Burning Moon (1992). Essential stuff for the underground horror connoisseur.
Exposure (David Blyth, 2001) – This films seems like it was made in the wrong year. It may have been released in 2001, but its sleek look and overall aesthetic are more reminiscent of an early 90's late night erotic thriller and for a while its seems like that's the route the film is going to take. As the film progresses however and things get a bit strange with an odd dream sequence the film crosses over into full blown 70's Italian giallo mode complete with a religious subplot and an out of the blue twist that not even the most jaded of murder mystery fans will see coming. Even the storyline revolving around a photographer who becomes both the main suspect as well as the target of the actual killer after his top model is murdered could have served as the basis for a classic Italian thriller, but not once does it feel like Blyth is being derivative. Really a terrific under the radar thriller.
Ghost Bride (David Blyth, 2013) – A Chinese ghost in New Zealand. For a film with such a blatant title, this is actually an incredibly subtle tone poem of a film. Its slow, methodical way of going about things has even led to some not very bright reviewers online to bemoan that its not even a horror film which is preposterous yet hilarious in its narrow mindedness. Anyway, what makes the film especially fascinating is its clash of cultures, with it being centered around a young Chinese man who was raised in New Zealand and who's Chinese heritage seems almost alien coming face to face with forces of the supernatural superstitions of certain Chinese beliefs regarding marriage. The films real strength lies in its ambiance thanks to its brilliant editing with scenes seamlessly seguing into each other like a fractured sleepwalking session. A quote on the back of the DVD compared it to a “midnight swim” which is a fairly apt descriptor. A different, more sedate experience than some of Blyth's other works in the genre like Death Warmed Up (1984) or the visceral bitch slap Wound (2010) but a beautiful film nonetheless.
Under Capricorn (Alfred Hitchcock, 1949) – One of the most neglected titles in Hitchcock's oeuvre (leading man Joseph Cotten was quite harsh on the film, even referring to it as “Under corny crap”), at first glance this period melodrama might seem atypical when in reality the film is very Hitchcockian in nature from the murder that hangs over the heads of the main characters, the notion of social scandal, the wrong man concept and a nefarious, Danvers-esque housekeeper ala Rebecca (1940). The film even spills over into gothic horror territory near the end with a scene involving a shrunken head that had to be an influence on the likes of Mario Bava and any director who would work for Hammer. The 19the century Australia setting is curious because while the history of the continents inhabitants does serve a purpose as it relates to characters backstories, with some minor tweaking the story could really have taken place anywhere but the time and place does allow Hitchcock to go wild with style which is something the film has in abundance. Yet another technical marvel for Hitch with long, extended one takes and some excellent matte paintings, its a film much like The Paradine Case (1947) that deserves better than its gotten over the years.
Black Past (Olaf Ittenbach, 1989) – One of the best films from the German underground that burgeoned in the wake of Nekromantik (1987), the debut feature from Germany's premier goreteur also stands as one of the best from the golden age of shot on video horror. Lensed on a PAL VHS camcorder on the weekends, the quality is pretty damn incredible considering that Ittenbach had previously only done shorts that were more or less effect showcases. There are even moments that conjure up a genuine sense of atmosphere, quite the feat given its video format. Like so many SOV features, the film does feature moments of padding to fill out the run time, but even those scenes possess a certain charm to them and the sheer ambition on display overrides any amateurish mistakes that may be present in the film. Of course the films biggest highlights involve the gore effects which are beyond the pale, even at this early state in Ittenbach's career, with nightmarish hallucination scenes featuring numerous displays of utter disregard for humanity and a decent into a hellish netherworld that Ittenbach would outdue in his next film, the legendary The Burning Moon (1992). Essential stuff for the underground horror connoisseur.
Last edited:
RadicalThrasher
Active Member
rms
Active Member
well, the new IT was a big let down. almost as depressing as realizing a majority of the audience never saw the original either =/
CiG
Harbinger of Metal
