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Last movie watched...

Started by SmallBlueThing, 04 February, 2011, 12:40:44 PM

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The Enigmatic Dr X

Quote from: Barrington Boots on 15 October, 2021, 10:30:14 AM
Quote from: pictsy on 15 October, 2021, 10:28:01 AM
I haven't decided whether I should revisit the Hellraiser franchise.

Watch the first one and then leave it at that!

Hellraiser 2 is a fantastic film, a direct sequel written by Barker.
Lock up your spoons!

Rara Avis

For the month that's in it:

We summon the darkness - Set during the Satanic panic of the 80s, 3 girls attend a rock concert and meet 3 guys in a van who they bring home with them. Murder and chaos ensues. A nice little indie horror.

It comes at night -  If you like the A24 slow psychological horror style of film, you will love this.

Cargo - Set in post apocalyptic Australia, it's the story of a man trying to find a safe home for his infant daughter. Absolutely terrific cinematography; I had no idea Australia could be so beautiful. It's a bit racist but overall I enjoyed it. 


pictsy

The Girl With All the Gifts

I only recently found out this film existed and I don't know why.  I was expecting it to be decent, but was surprised at how good it actually is.

Firstly, it looks fantastic.  I love everything it does visually.  The overgrown abandoned civilisation thing is really my bag and I don't think I've seen it done this well in film.  And it just gets better as the film progresses.

Sennia Nanua's Melanie is infectiously likeable and she shines in a film that is already full of good performances.  This is great because the story is very much about Melanie and Sennia Nanua's performance played a major part in my enjoyment of the film.

The story is interesting.  It is a pretty basic survival horror movie.  Nevertheless, it takes an interesting approach from getting from A to B and in the case of this type of movie, the journey is what is most important.  I absolutely love the ending as well.  I found it extremely satisfying and hitting the tone just right.

The horror is also good.  I actually felt tension.  The zombies of this film feel threatening in a way that is refreshing.  Let's face, zombie's have been oversaturated in media and their edge has long faded.  There are broader horrors and implications within the film that all lead to the conclusion of the film.  I guess the overall tension of the film is change.

There are glaring similarities with the game, The Last of Us.  Despite what they have in common, this film is very different.  The similarities appear to be coincidental.  The short story that lead to the book that this film is based on and The Last of Us were both published in the same year.  I bring it up because if you have played The Last of Us this film is definitely going to remind you of it.

Is there anything I have forgotten to gush about?  So far, this is the standout film for my horror marathon and I think that says a lot when I also watched The Lighthouse.  I'm not sure if it is clear but I had a great time watching this film.

repoman

Yeah that was a good film.  I generally don't rate zombie films at all.

pictsy

Night of the Living Dead

This is the first time I've watched this film.  I have seen Dawn, Day and Land.  I was always aware of the cultural significance of this film, the analysis of it in context of the civil rights movement, the codification of the zombie genre.  I knew it was a bit of a cheap affair.  I know many people love it and hold it in high regard.  And you can count me... not among them.  I struggle to say this film is even OK.

It's dated and ropey.  It doesn't really stand out against the imitations that followed. for me.  It's kind of boring.  It is certainly worth watching because it is the originator of a lot of cinema I've consumed, but I am disappointed it wasn't better.  Maybe my opinion is skewed because the film I watched the previous night provided such a good time, but I doubt that.

I am really glad that when I was curious about Zombie film roots many, many years ago that I chose Dawn of Dead.  That film I thoroughly enjoyed.  It is also dated and ropey, but it's not boring.  It's very interesting and compelling, and unlike Night, it is better than many of the imitations that followed.

Anyway, I might struggle in saying that Night is OK, but it's not a terrible film.  It has things going for it, especially Duane Jones' Ben.  It's a good performance.

The end is good as well.  I knew how this film ended before watching it because spoilers weren't always a thing.  Watching it knowing it is coming, it is still good.  Different to what I expected.

For tonight's film the Living Dead will Return.

Trooper McFad

Quote from: pictsy on 17 October, 2021, 10:16:03 AM
Night of the Living Dead

This is the first time I've watched this film.  I have seen Dawn, Day and Land.  I was always aware of the cultural significance of this film, the analysis of it in context of the civil rights movement, the codification of the zombie genre.  I knew it was a bit of a cheap affair.  I know many people love it and hold it in high regard.  And you can count me... not among them.  I struggle to say this film is even OK.

It's dated and ropey.  It doesn't really stand out against the imitations that followed. for me.  It's kind of boring.  It is certainly worth watching because it is the originator of a lot of cinema I've consumed, but I am disappointed it wasn't better.  Maybe my opinion is skewed because the film I watched the previous night provided such a good time, but I doubt that.

I am really glad that when I was curious about Zombie film roots many, many years ago that I chose Dawn of Dead.  That film I thoroughly enjoyed.  It is also dated and ropey, but it's not boring.  It's very interesting and compelling, and unlike Night, it is better than many of the imitations that followed.

Anyway, I might struggle in saying that Night is OK, but it's not a terrible film.  It has things going for it, especially Duane Jones' Ben.  It's a good performance.

The end is good as well.  I knew how this film ended before watching it because spoilers weren't always a thing.  Watching it knowing it is coming, it is still good.  Different to what I expected.

For tonight's film the Living Dead will Return.
I watched this many years ago not long after watching Dawn and really enjoyed it for what it was and the "genre ground breaking" film it was. It was the ending which I'd didn't know at the time which made the film. I agree when you revisit it it doesn't hold up well (the remake wasn't that good and didn't bring anything to the franchise)
Citizens are Perps who haven't been caught ... yet!

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: The Enigmatic Dr X on 15 October, 2021, 01:19:24 PM
Hellraiser 2 is a fantastic film, a direct sequel written by Barker.

Notwithstanding the bizarre shift where they try to pretend that the first film had been set in the US all along, despite the whole film being unmistakably set in England.
Stupidly Busy Letterer: Samples. | Blog
Less-Awesome-Artist: Scribbles.

Barrington Boots

Quote from: The Enigmatic Dr X on 15 October, 2021, 01:19:24 PM
Hellraiser 2 is a fantastic film, a direct sequel written by Barker.

It looks great on the whole and it's got some seriously messed up (cool) ideas, but it spends a lot of it's time explaining stuff that didn't need to be explained and trying to humanise the cenobites and make them weirdly ethical. I think all of that makes the first film weaker and that it works best as as stand alone, where it's an extraodinarily good horror.
That said, it's about a thousand times better than any Hellraiser film that came after it and I'm not saying it's crap.

I didn't know there was a reboot coming in 2022.
You're a dark horse, Boots.

pictsy

Return of the Living Dead

Brains!  Brains!

This was pretty enjoyable.  I found it amusing, chuckling to myself a couple of times and smiling more than once.  It has a good soundtrack that sets the mood perfectly and even cues important plot points rather than use dialogue.  Which is great because it really pays off at the end (even if it does double down with a bit of dialogue).  But it's not explicit.  The characters say pretty much what they know.

The effects are great.  The shambling horror from the pod is just a stunning piece of effects work and I loved every moment it's grotesque presence was on screen.

I like the zombies.  Not typical in the slightest and their motivation is a horror in itself.  Chemicals are a better explanation than some nonsense from Venus.  They are fast, fully cognisant and need to eat your brain.

Overall, a fun time had with a very fun movie.

milstar

Quote from: pictsy on 18 October, 2021, 10:44:10 AM
Return of the Living Dead

Brains!  Brains!

One thing I hate about the film is naked woman dancing in the graveyard. Unnecessarily exploitative, with appropriate name.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

milstar

The Omega Man

I wonder if we will ever get an appropriate Richard Matheson's novel adaption. The treatment of The Omega Man is a typical for nearly ever B SF film of the 1970s. This film looks basically empty and strictly by the book. And the plot only works because writers were obviously self-indulgent to say it works. The whoe thing about the plague is rushed up. And if the plague was such a problem, why some people died, others were turned into albinos? Why those turned into albinos act like religious zealots. Honestly, I wish if their leader had more thoughtfulness, instead of being a rambling one-dimensional villain. Charlton Heston is...well, Charlton Heston. I guess it worked for him to play one and the same character over and over, whose role is very similar to one he did in Soylent Green, so he was okay, no surprise there. The black female co-star thespian abilities are limited, and she gives a lot of cheesy one-liners, that are by now, extremely dated. But what annoys me the most, what stands out as the elephant in the room is the disco score and is just plain awful to listen. At least plain awful for the film.

In short, this was a waste of time for me.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

paddykafka

Quote from: milstar on 19 October, 2021, 10:59:31 AM
The Omega Man

I wonder if we will ever get an appropriate Richard Matheson's novel adaption.

Oh, I still have a soft spot for Jack Arnold's adaptation of Matheson's The Shrinking Man. Those scenes with the spider still give me the absolute creeps!

milstar

I remember that piece. Very harrowing, very sad.
Reyt, you lot. Shut up, belt up, 'n if ye can't see t' bloody exit, ye must be bloody blind.

Hawkmumbler

VENOM 2: LET THERE BE CARNAGE

Probably the best cape movie of the last few years. An absolute riot.

pictsy

Train to Busan

Well this one ended up punching me in the feels.

Thoroughly enjoyable movie, highly entertaining.  It does so much with the premise of Zombies on a train and the horrors go beyond the Zombies themselves.  What I like is how it explores the idea of competition versus cooperation.  What it is, at a fundamental level, to be a good person.  And it's done with a heartbreaking story about a girl and her father.  There is so much going on and it's done with such efficiency.

The film, for the most part, looks great.  There are some dodgy CGI moments, but they are few and far between and we mostly are treated to a visual feast.  The pacing is spot on and I found myself captivated throughout.

Even though the Friday movies ended up being a slog, I'm really glad I'm doing this now because I've seen three outstanding films this month.  I'm not sure what I'm watching tonight, but I think I'm done with the Zombies for now... perhaps.