The Official Movie Thread

[Einherjar86]

the sequel was set up to potentially be this deceptively complex meta-horror littered with commentary on the original film inc. some of the themes you highlight

That's fascinating. I never saw the sequel because I assumed it was terrible--such a missed opportunity...

On a related note (speaking of "meta-horror"), and at the risk of conflating film and literature discussions, I'm curious if anyone here has read the novel Experimental Film, by Gemma Files? It's a wonderful and weird dark fantasy about experimentation in early film and the occult; basically harps on this idea that all films are, by their nature, ghost stories. I thought it was a treat.

 

[Oblivious Maximus]

I've developed a rather mystical attitude toward the 1998-99 period of film releases. Shit just got so much more modern in those years, and not just because of the CGI in The Matrix - it's like witnessing a big bang event where the Internet global consciousness explodes on screen out of nowhere.

Obviously this premise isn't entirely original (I'm thinking of older movies like Videodrome), but I think you're right that there's something to the power of its popularity at the end of the twentieth century.

Don't forget that eXistenZ came out in '99 and could be described as Videodrome with games. Given the rapid advancement and level of immersion in RPG's/virtual reality since 1999, Cronenberg once again becomes a tech Nostradamus.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

I never got into The Blair-Witch Project but it’s been ages since I’ve seen it. Might give it another go soon.

 

[-CC-]

Jeez I remember renting Blair Witch on VHS in 1999 and just laughing my ass off at how bad it was. Mind you, I was a little shit too, just 10 years old, fully expecting to be scared - only to be thoroughly disappointed. Maybe I missed something, but I remember feeling that the movie was the definition of hype with no substance.

 

[Einherjar86]

It probably was the first hype-driven horror film. Like OM said, it benefited from excellent marketing.

 

[Talos of Atmora]

One of the biggest cases of "That's it?" that I have ever gotten from a film was when I watched Blair Witch. What a pile.

 

[rms]

I remember thinking it was real as a kid and my father taking us to see it. The ending was an awesome sequence worth seeing. Can't imagine we get an atmosphere like that ever again. Cool to be a part of.

 

[TageRyche]

Haven't seen this yet but heard its pretty entertaining.

It's a decent enough B-level action thriller. Good enough that they made a sequel anyway.

 

[TageRyche]

I watched The Long Kiss Goodnight last night.

 

[Satanstoenail]

Just watched Under Siege on TV. Hadn't seen it in some time. What a masterwork. They thought he was just a cook, but they were WRONG.

 

[TageRyche]

Just watched Under Siege on TV. Hadn't seen it in some time. What a masterwork. They thought he was just a cook, but they were WRONG.

Funnily enough, I just bought a double DVD of both Under Siege movies today at a store closing sale.

 

[CF87]

I watched The Long Kiss Goodnight last night.

Watched that movie a few times months ago, Geena Davis, Samual L Jackson, good stuff.

 

[no country for old wainds]

a third viewing of FURY ROAD confirms the first half or so as among my favourite movies, despite the occasional mis-step (the score and horror flashbacks lack character compared to everything else). convention really starts to creep in when you get to the quiet stretch in the middle though (character stuff isn't really miller's forté), and while still littered with amazing moments the final set piece feels a little perfunctory to me, rushing through to the conclusion and definitely not topping the incredible chase sequence of the first half. still, even with these flaws it's the best action movie of the '10s (edit: along with BLACKHAT anyway).

 

[TageRyche]

I watched the Denzel Washington - John Lithgow thriller Ricochet last night.

 

[Einherjar86]

Saw Annihilation last night. I'm a huge fan of the VanderMeer books, so I was looking forward to this.

Visually speaking, it was spectacular; but it was a bit of a letdown, narratively speaking. It was really different from the book, and some of the changes just didn't make much sense to me. Dragged quite a bit at times, and it skipped past some of the more interesting elements of the plot overall.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Saw Annihilation last night. I'm a huge fan of the VanderMeer books, so I was looking forward to this.

Visually speaking, it was spectacular; but it was a bit of a letdown, narratively speaking. It was really different from the book, and some of the changes just didn't make much sense to me. Dragged quite a bit at times, and it skipped past some of the more interesting elements of the plot overall.

i stopped when it got into spoilers but i imagine this is worth a read.

 

[Einherjar86]

That was pretty good. I can't quite tell the author's opinion of the film, but the review makes me feel that I seriously misread the adaptation. There are some pretty compelling suggestions about Annihilation as an expression of despair. Needless to say, that's not how I viewed it, which likely has more to do with my knowledge of the book than my assessment of the film. I'm a firm believer that the book is a work of eco-horror, i.e. it's an expression of how ecological collapse is always beyond our perception, so to speak. The film dropped many of the details that affirmed this position for me; but that reviewer makes a convincing case for reading the film as an exercise in the sheer weight of existential agony.

Perhaps that, whereas the novel is interested in the epistemological limits of knowing our world, the film is more interested in the existential uncertainty that arises when that world no longer makes any sense.

Either way, it makes me want to watch the movie again.

 

[RadicalThrasher]

Watching:

 

[Einherjar86]

The wife's out for the weekend, so I'm Netflix and chilling with some pizza and beer. Have a couple good ones lined up (I hope).

But for now I'm finishing a little work with The Descent on in the background. I forgot what a good movie this was.

 

[RadicalThrasher]

Watching tonight:

Spoiler