What movie did you watch today?
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Comedy Quaddafi
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Tommy Bunz
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Deathdream aka Dead of Night (Bob Clark, 1974) - I went into this not knowing really anything about the movie other than it was from Bob Clark (director of Porky's and A Christmas Story), so based on that and the cover art I was expecting something a bit campy and humorous but this was a pretty dark horror film. A young man dies in the Vietnam war. The army shows up at his family's doorstep and tells them that their son/brother is gone; and then only a few days later, Andy is standing at their doorstep. They are so relieved to see him that they refuse to acknowledge that something is really wrong with him. He barely speaks, doesn't eat and things just get wierder from there. Even when he kills the family dog they barely react. The movie has some interesting things to say about the bonds of family, the father has a stronger bond with the daughter and the mother obviously sees Andy as her favorite. So as the father begins to come around to the point where he realizes Andy is a killer and wants to stop it, his wife resents him for it. A dark chilling little movie with some great low-budget makeup effects. Recommended.
The Horse Soldiers (John Ford, 1959) - One of the various Ford/Wayne collaborations, this one centered around a Union cavalry that is chosen to go on a mission deep into the Confederate territory to destroy a railroad station important in supplying the southern forces. Along the way their plan is overheard by a southern belle and they are forced to drag her along so that she doesn't warn the Confederates of their mission. This was a solid film, like a lot of movies of its time its a bit too lighthearted for the subject matter but I enjoyed watching it.
8MM (Joel Schumacher, 1999) - Seen this one a bunch of times, pulled out the VHS and watched this over a few nights while falling asleep (needless to say I had some pretty fucked up dreams). What struck me about this film this time was how seriously great Nick Cage in is this...his transformation from a regular Joe Schmoe to the vengeful antihero is played to perfection...I might go as far as to say this is his best performance put to screen. The supporting cast is really awesome too, Joaquin Pheonix and Catherine Keener did a great job but the villains specifically (James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare & Frank Sobatka) were so vile that I almost felt that I needed to wipe my tv screen off afterwards. I love how unflinching the subject matter is, its basically a modern day exploitation movie and its almost shocking that this was put out by a major studio.
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drizzle
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Piranha 3d - what's here is amazing, and is worth joining the upper ranks of Story of Ricky/Brain Dead/etc splatter canon. BUT, what's here feels only like 2/3s of a movie, it literally seems like there's a reel missing from the end. the final sequence makes for a great denouement for a second act that should've segued into another bigger set piece, but it's very unsatisfying as the ultimate conclusion. Still, i loved the rest so much that I even feel kinda bad for bitching at all.
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo
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Comedy Quaddafi
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Timecrimes - Excellent little timetravel-story with a very interesting premise. There's one major thing I'm unsure of but I can explain it to myself with pseudo-philosophical nonsense about alternative realities and loops in time, so that'll do. Really liked H2's part in the movie.
Matador - Almodovar's only thriller and not surprisingly my favorite movie of his. It's his least mature work perhaps as it is needlessly provocative and lacks the warmth and compassion for characters which we've become used to. A good example is when Banderas turns himself in for raping a girl and the female cop remarks "some girls have all the luck." It opens with a guy wanking while watchin Blood and Black Lace and Bloody Moon LOL. Good lead-performance from Nacho Martinez who plays a neurotic retired bullfighter. The movie is NC-17 and it's one of the few movies I've seen where violence is constantly sexualized. It's low on suspense in most parts because of how the story is told, but there's many other things going on worth appreciating, the dark perverse humor and crisp acting, mainly.
Matador - Almodovar's only thriller and not surprisingly my favorite movie of his. It's his least mature work perhaps as it is needlessly provocative and lacks the warmth and compassion for characters which we've become used to. A good example is when Banderas turns himself in for raping a girl and the female cop remarks "some girls have all the luck." It opens with a guy wanking while watchin Blood and Black Lace and Bloody Moon LOL. Good lead-performance from Nacho Martinez who plays a neurotic retired bullfighter. The movie is NC-17 and it's one of the few movies I've seen where violence is constantly sexualized. It's low on suspense in most parts because of how the story is told, but there's many other things going on worth appreciating, the dark perverse humor and crisp acting, mainly.
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
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La Horde (aka The Horde) (2009)
After the death of one their team-mates, a bunch of cops decide to call it payback time on a ruthless gang holed up in a squalid apartment building, it just so happens it's the same night of the zombie apocalypse. This was a really enjoyable horror action flick with some really stunning scenes particularly the parking lot and basement sequences. Apart from the Nigerian crime lord in this film, there's very little character development here and for much of the time the characters feel very two dimensional, which is especially exemplified when a larger than life eccentric resident is introduced into the movie who seems to add comic relief more than anything else. I did enjoy both leaders of their respective squads trying to quash all hostilities and get everyone working together amongst all the chaos, but in these types of films you can see where it's all going. At times this film reminded me a little of [REC], 28 Days Later and a good mix of Dawn Of The Dead thrown in there. Despite it's level of predictability, the action on offer was really intense and I'm sure that the car scene no matter how striking it looks was clearly there with little logic in mind but to look fucking cool. It's a really shallow film but as zombie films go, this is a really good entry that stands out to some extent in the over-saturated sub-genre. I had low expectations for this film considering it's mixed reception, but I found this a wickedly entertaining film despite all it's flaws. A very good zombie film and a nice swan song from France's good innings in horror movies from the last decade.
After the death of one their team-mates, a bunch of cops decide to call it payback time on a ruthless gang holed up in a squalid apartment building, it just so happens it's the same night of the zombie apocalypse. This was a really enjoyable horror action flick with some really stunning scenes particularly the parking lot and basement sequences. Apart from the Nigerian crime lord in this film, there's very little character development here and for much of the time the characters feel very two dimensional, which is especially exemplified when a larger than life eccentric resident is introduced into the movie who seems to add comic relief more than anything else. I did enjoy both leaders of their respective squads trying to quash all hostilities and get everyone working together amongst all the chaos, but in these types of films you can see where it's all going. At times this film reminded me a little of [REC], 28 Days Later and a good mix of Dawn Of The Dead thrown in there. Despite it's level of predictability, the action on offer was really intense and I'm sure that the car scene no matter how striking it looks was clearly there with little logic in mind but to look fucking cool. It's a really shallow film but as zombie films go, this is a really good entry that stands out to some extent in the over-saturated sub-genre. I had low expectations for this film considering it's mixed reception, but I found this a wickedly entertaining film despite all it's flaws. A very good zombie film and a nice swan song from France's good innings in horror movies from the last decade.
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Comedy Quaddafi
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I'm not sure what those who wrote negatively of La Horde expected.
Perdita Durango - Only a true square-bear would turn his nose upwards at this. It's an amazingly fun action movie and should be a household item for any QT fan. Rosie Perez is great in her role as a mexican psycho-whore and her santeria priest companion Javier Bardem kills his role as well, they're really having fun with this. Even when Rosie orders a coke it's a hoot "Coke, Pepsi" - "diet?" - "are you fucking kidding me?!" <3 it. Some of the jokes miss the mark trying to be a little too cool but why nitpick when you watch such and unapologetically stupid and violent movie? It's upper echelon entertainment eventhough the story is a bit disjointed. It's 2 hours long and doesn't drag anywhere, there's always plenty of cursing, sex, violence and one-liners around the corner. I've no idea how known this one is but it's a real "dude movie" to crack beers and enjoy yourself with, cabron. Wild At Heart is based on the same novel but takes a completely different approach.
Messiah of Evil - No idea how to describe this, so "zombie arthouse nightmare" will have to do. It's obviously low budget which is a bit of a shame since it would benefit from a cleaner look and better effects, but that's not what the movie is about anyway. It's more about establishing a mood and a surreal atmosphere, which it does excellently. It's impossible to relate to anything that's going on, I wonder how filmmakers achieve this, I've no real clue, even after seeing more than a few movies that does it. Many scenes stand out but the ones near the end are my favorites. I need an MP3 of the main theme but no such luck.
Perdita Durango - Only a true square-bear would turn his nose upwards at this. It's an amazingly fun action movie and should be a household item for any QT fan. Rosie Perez is great in her role as a mexican psycho-whore and her santeria priest companion Javier Bardem kills his role as well, they're really having fun with this. Even when Rosie orders a coke it's a hoot "Coke, Pepsi" - "diet?" - "are you fucking kidding me?!" <3 it. Some of the jokes miss the mark trying to be a little too cool but why nitpick when you watch such and unapologetically stupid and violent movie? It's upper echelon entertainment eventhough the story is a bit disjointed. It's 2 hours long and doesn't drag anywhere, there's always plenty of cursing, sex, violence and one-liners around the corner. I've no idea how known this one is but it's a real "dude movie" to crack beers and enjoy yourself with, cabron. Wild At Heart is based on the same novel but takes a completely different approach.
Messiah of Evil - No idea how to describe this, so "zombie arthouse nightmare" will have to do. It's obviously low budget which is a bit of a shame since it would benefit from a cleaner look and better effects, but that's not what the movie is about anyway. It's more about establishing a mood and a surreal atmosphere, which it does excellently. It's impossible to relate to anything that's going on, I wonder how filmmakers achieve this, I've no real clue, even after seeing more than a few movies that does it. Many scenes stand out but the ones near the end are my favorites. I need an MP3 of the main theme but no such luck.
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
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StormShadow
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[REC]2 (2009)
I've waited over a year to finally get my hands on this movie and this was absolutely worth the wait. It's predecessor was easily the best zombie/infected people style horror movies around that easily put many of it's peers to shame. Directors Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza's follow-up completely builds upon [REC]'s closing twist and delivers a completely thrilling movie that's kicks off with a SWAT team (equipped with head cams) sent inside the sealed off apartments fifteen minutes after the first film. It was great seeing them being all cocky and confident before entering the building and quickly getting scared shitless and then fighting for their lives and sanity in their dark claustrophobic surroundings. It actually felt like a dope FPS game but with plenty of plot revelations running concurrently that added to the atmosphere rather than just be badly handled after-thoughts. The introduction of the foolish teenagers kind of halted the fast pace of the SWAT team and felt unwelcome at first, but the film quickly picks up again and returns to it's rollercoaster rush. It's interesting that as illogical and far-fetched as it seems, the cast here deliver thoroughly convincing performances which makes the film so gripping and very easy to sink into. My favorite aspect of this film was how it mixed the whole religious angle amongst all the desperate chaos which is usually badly handled in plenty of religious based horror movies. The re-introduction of an original cast member did raise my suspicions with how the film would end (no smug kid) and proved me right but it's nowhere near as contrived as The Descent 2's sloppy re-introduction. [REC}2 did a really great job of not repeating the first movie's template to a tee just with new cast members like other horror sequels and it's ending left me wanting to see what would happen next. It successfully built upon the foundations of it's predecessor and expanded upon it's major overall theme. The kids breaking the pace of the film were perhaps the film's flaw and while they did add an essential input to the film's plot, [REC]2 is not quite as good as it's predecessor but only by a tiny fraction mind. It does however offer plenty of atmosphere and expands upon the brilliance of the [REC] franchise and most definitely doesn't feel like a cash-in sequel. One of the best horror movie IP's around right now and I can't wait for the two proposed follow-ups and see how this plot unfolds on a potentially much grander scale. Loved it!
I've waited over a year to finally get my hands on this movie and this was absolutely worth the wait. It's predecessor was easily the best zombie/infected people style horror movies around that easily put many of it's peers to shame. Directors Jaume Balaguero & Paco Plaza's follow-up completely builds upon [REC]'s closing twist and delivers a completely thrilling movie that's kicks off with a SWAT team (equipped with head cams) sent inside the sealed off apartments fifteen minutes after the first film. It was great seeing them being all cocky and confident before entering the building and quickly getting scared shitless and then fighting for their lives and sanity in their dark claustrophobic surroundings. It actually felt like a dope FPS game but with plenty of plot revelations running concurrently that added to the atmosphere rather than just be badly handled after-thoughts. The introduction of the foolish teenagers kind of halted the fast pace of the SWAT team and felt unwelcome at first, but the film quickly picks up again and returns to it's rollercoaster rush. It's interesting that as illogical and far-fetched as it seems, the cast here deliver thoroughly convincing performances which makes the film so gripping and very easy to sink into. My favorite aspect of this film was how it mixed the whole religious angle amongst all the desperate chaos which is usually badly handled in plenty of religious based horror movies. The re-introduction of an original cast member did raise my suspicions with how the film would end (no smug kid) and proved me right but it's nowhere near as contrived as The Descent 2's sloppy re-introduction. [REC}2 did a really great job of not repeating the first movie's template to a tee just with new cast members like other horror sequels and it's ending left me wanting to see what would happen next. It successfully built upon the foundations of it's predecessor and expanded upon it's major overall theme. The kids breaking the pace of the film were perhaps the film's flaw and while they did add an essential input to the film's plot, [REC]2 is not quite as good as it's predecessor but only by a tiny fraction mind. It does however offer plenty of atmosphere and expands upon the brilliance of the [REC] franchise and most definitely doesn't feel like a cash-in sequel. One of the best horror movie IP's around right now and I can't wait for the two proposed follow-ups and see how this plot unfolds on a potentially much grander scale. Loved it!
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drizzle
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i hate you. the american dvd is cut by like 15 minsComedy Quaddafi wrote: Perdita Durango - .... It's 2 hours long and doesn't drag anywhere, there's always plenty of cursing, sex, violence and one-liners around the corner.
btw, the new Iglesia movie is about rival clowns and looks amazing.
http://twitchfilm.net/reviews/2010/09/t ... review.php
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo
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Comedy Quaddafi
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I can hardly see how it would make any sense with 15 minutes omitted. You can most likely find the proper one somewhere online.
That upcoming yawn looks a lot of fun for sure. I've got Day of the Beast to hold me over until then.
That upcoming yawn looks a lot of fun for sure. I've got Day of the Beast to hold me over until then.
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
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drizzle
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accion mutante and crimeno ferpecto are well worth your time too
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo
Here's what I watched this week:
Thank You for Smoking (2005) - I liked this when I saw it, but here I am a week later trying to recap my thoughts on it, and I can't remember what I enjoyed about it. I guess it was a forgettable comedy.
Hamlet (1948) - I knew Laurence Olivier played Hamlet, but I had no idea he directed it, too.
I knew little to nothing about this Shakespeare play going in, but I ended up liking it. It was a little difficult to understand at first because the dialog wasn't modernized, but after a little while I got used to it.
The ghostly voice of Hamlet's father (voiced by Olivier) was especially cool/creepy.
This was the Best Picture winner of 1948, so I can add another to my Best Picture watched list.
F/X (1985) - Always wanted to see this when I was a kid, but somehow never did. 24 years later I finally catch it.
I figured being an adult now, I would lose the joy of seeing this, but I really liked this movie. Sure it was dated, but it was still clever.
The sequel is on IFC this weekend. Should I watch it?
Gigi (1958) - Supposedly this is considered the greatest musical ever made. I only watched this just so that I could say I've watched it. Plus it was a Best Picture winner.
They Died with Their Boots On (1941) - This film follows the life of General Custer. I figured, cool, I'll learn a little about Custer.
Since I watched this on TCM, it had an intro/outro by film historian Robert Osborne. At the conclusion of the film, Osborne recites a famous quote from some reviewer, "the only thing true about this film was that Custer died."
Oh well, still enjoyable.
The Stranger (1946) - This movie has been sitting on my DVR for a while. I knew I wanted to see it since it was directed by Orson Welles, he also stars in it along with Edward G. Robinson.
It wasn't until I saw a post on www.cinemaretro.com about a theater in New Jersey promoting "3 of the best films Hitchcock didn't make." The Stranger happened to be one of them, so I decided to watch it.
It definitely had a Hitchcock feel to it. I really liked it, especially the ending.
The Moon Is Blue (1953) - This was a highly controversial film when it was released. It was the first US film to use the words 'virgin', 'mistress' and 'seduce' in a sexual context.
I found the movie itself to be very funny. I thought it was great.
Thank You for Smoking (2005) - I liked this when I saw it, but here I am a week later trying to recap my thoughts on it, and I can't remember what I enjoyed about it. I guess it was a forgettable comedy.
Hamlet (1948) - I knew Laurence Olivier played Hamlet, but I had no idea he directed it, too.
I knew little to nothing about this Shakespeare play going in, but I ended up liking it. It was a little difficult to understand at first because the dialog wasn't modernized, but after a little while I got used to it.
The ghostly voice of Hamlet's father (voiced by Olivier) was especially cool/creepy.
This was the Best Picture winner of 1948, so I can add another to my Best Picture watched list.
F/X (1985) - Always wanted to see this when I was a kid, but somehow never did. 24 years later I finally catch it.
I figured being an adult now, I would lose the joy of seeing this, but I really liked this movie. Sure it was dated, but it was still clever.
The sequel is on IFC this weekend. Should I watch it?
Gigi (1958) - Supposedly this is considered the greatest musical ever made. I only watched this just so that I could say I've watched it. Plus it was a Best Picture winner.
They Died with Their Boots On (1941) - This film follows the life of General Custer. I figured, cool, I'll learn a little about Custer.
Since I watched this on TCM, it had an intro/outro by film historian Robert Osborne. At the conclusion of the film, Osborne recites a famous quote from some reviewer, "the only thing true about this film was that Custer died."
Oh well, still enjoyable.
The Stranger (1946) - This movie has been sitting on my DVR for a while. I knew I wanted to see it since it was directed by Orson Welles, he also stars in it along with Edward G. Robinson.
It wasn't until I saw a post on www.cinemaretro.com about a theater in New Jersey promoting "3 of the best films Hitchcock didn't make." The Stranger happened to be one of them, so I decided to watch it.
It definitely had a Hitchcock feel to it. I really liked it, especially the ending.
The Moon Is Blue (1953) - This was a highly controversial film when it was released. It was the first US film to use the words 'virgin', 'mistress' and 'seduce' in a sexual context.
I found the movie itself to be very funny. I thought it was great.
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drizzle
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shit id love to go see the stranger, and im gonna be in jers that night too, bu at dinner with the fam right at 6. balls
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo
Randomly rented Johnny Mnemonic from a local grocery store's Red Box when I was doing groceries. 
Holy shit. Dolph Lundgren as a Heston in the 'Saigon unreleased album title' lookin wigga, Ice-T, Henry Rollins, a crazy dolphin named "Jones" and so many weird different cameos where you're like "Awww shit, I know that dude from Mr. Baseball with Tom Selleck" shit. I remember loving it when it first came out (I was like 9) but I really laughed my ass off for half this movie. Why does Keanu do all these semi-decent sci-fi movies storywise that would be so much better with a decent lead actor? My roommate said it was one of the worst sci-fi movies he's ever seen and he missed the first half.. So:
10/10 (19% on Rotten Tomatoes)
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Holy shit. Dolph Lundgren as a Heston in the 'Saigon unreleased album title' lookin wigga, Ice-T, Henry Rollins, a crazy dolphin named "Jones" and so many weird different cameos where you're like "Awww shit, I know that dude from Mr. Baseball with Tom Selleck" shit. I remember loving it when it first came out (I was like 9) but I really laughed my ass off for half this movie. Why does Keanu do all these semi-decent sci-fi movies storywise that would be so much better with a decent lead actor? My roommate said it was one of the worst sci-fi movies he's ever seen and he missed the first half.. So:10/10 (19% on Rotten Tomatoes)
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Comedy Quaddafi
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Blow-Up - I thought I was about to see a suspense movie, when the movie reached the hour-mark and the murderstory began, so to speak, I knew this wasn't it. Cue purple orgy and David Hemmings running around frantically, colliding with mimes and a pop-rock band. The movie is highly interesting and looks great. There's good use of ambigous dialog and themes during the whole ordeal. "I wish I was rich" - you drive a Rolls Royce and have young women waiting at your doorstep, cunt! The broken guitar, the corpse, the tricks on your perception and the perception of the protagonist, and so on and so forth. One of those movies where it all has to sink in to form a bigger picture but it's still enjoyable enough to watch as it is all happening. I did enjoy the scenes in the park in particular. I wanted this movie to be different from what it was, desperately - but it's hard to fault it on that behalf. I'm at a loss for words trying to describe it or even review it, honestly.
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
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Itגs Antonioni, which is definitely what I didnגt understand about it when I first saw this. Seems bizarre in retrospect, but this was broadcast on primetime tv (CBS) back in the 70s in a severely cut version where the scissor-people made the גmurder mysteryג front and center. (I figure they must have cut at least 20 minutes, so with commercials it would fill out to 2 hrs.) When I finally saw it in a theater with the scenes back in I was amazed at how slow it was. Iגm a huge Antonioni fan and I love this film but I wonder what I would make of that tv cut now.Comedy Quaddafi wrote:
Blow-Up - I thought I was about to see a suspense movie, when the movie reached the hour-mark and the murderstory began, so to speak, I knew this wasn't it. Cue purple orgy and David Hemmings running around frantically, colliding with mimes and a pop-rock band. The movie is highly interesting and looks great. There's good use of ambigous dialog and themes during the whole ordeal. "I wish I was rich" - you drive a Rolls Royce and have young women waiting at your doorstep, cunt! The broken guitar, the corpse, the tricks on your perception and the perception of the protagonist, and so on and so forth. One of those movies where it all has to sink in to form a bigger picture but it's still enjoyable enough to watch as it is all happening. I did enjoy the scenes in the park in particular. I wanted this movie to be different from what it was, desperately - but it's hard to fault it on that behalf. I'm at a loss for words trying to describe it or even review it, honestly.
It was Antonioniגs first film in English and set outside of Italy, so itגs very much a foreignerגs take on Swinging London. He was always about diagnosing a certain גsicknessג in modern society (i.e. alienation, ennui and decadence in the upper crust, etc.). I never much cared about that. They are visually terrific and I like the way he holds a shot way past the time you think it should last. If you havenגt seen The Passenger and Zabriskie Point, you should find those at least very interesting as well. Also see Deep End by Jerzy Skolimowski, the flip side of Swinging London as seen by another outsider.
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drizzle
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i'm not a huge antonioni fan aside from a few films, but this one is def one of them. the mime tennis scene is bizarrely great.
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Comedy Quaddafi
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Avoid these
Super High Me - I thought I was getting a documentary about the effects of prolonged weed-use. Instead I got unfunny self-promo from inept comedian Doug Benson. His slacker personnae is, to his credit, effortless but never once approaching even remotely funny, stupid anecdotes that go nowhere paired with "lol stoners are lazy and have bad memory" and even worse cameos from even more terrible comedians. There has to be someone funny somewhere in the US and this would have been a blast if they had done it instead. I'm not even sure this guy inhales either, not that it really matters, since this was never a documentary along the line of Supersize Me, which it poses as. I remember seeing that guy in Last Comic Standing and I think he was a finalist, oh dear, I suppose CRASH-DDZ could have won the whole thing if he had given it a shot.
The Prowler - By-the-numbers early 80's slasher with a good villain and excellent effects by Tom Savini. Unfortunately the fun ends there. There are multiple unresolved sub-plots, which is usually a good indicator that the writers didn't know how to bump it up to feature-length running time. Endless scens of guys walking around with flashlights and the like kills any suspense. It's very similar to the much better My Bloody Valentine which came out the same year.
Cold Eyes of Fear - Enzo Castellari thriller about two people taken hostage in an appartment belonging to a judge who the antagonists has a grudge against. It's very chatty and light on the action but whenever we're outside the house the scenes are pretty good and very stylish.
Super High Me - I thought I was getting a documentary about the effects of prolonged weed-use. Instead I got unfunny self-promo from inept comedian Doug Benson. His slacker personnae is, to his credit, effortless but never once approaching even remotely funny, stupid anecdotes that go nowhere paired with "lol stoners are lazy and have bad memory" and even worse cameos from even more terrible comedians. There has to be someone funny somewhere in the US and this would have been a blast if they had done it instead. I'm not even sure this guy inhales either, not that it really matters, since this was never a documentary along the line of Supersize Me, which it poses as. I remember seeing that guy in Last Comic Standing and I think he was a finalist, oh dear, I suppose CRASH-DDZ could have won the whole thing if he had given it a shot.
The Prowler - By-the-numbers early 80's slasher with a good villain and excellent effects by Tom Savini. Unfortunately the fun ends there. There are multiple unresolved sub-plots, which is usually a good indicator that the writers didn't know how to bump it up to feature-length running time. Endless scens of guys walking around with flashlights and the like kills any suspense. It's very similar to the much better My Bloody Valentine which came out the same year.
Cold Eyes of Fear - Enzo Castellari thriller about two people taken hostage in an appartment belonging to a judge who the antagonists has a grudge against. It's very chatty and light on the action but whenever we're outside the house the scenes are pretty good and very stylish.
Whether to Jason of Philaflava or John Podesta, I will speak my fucking perspective openly
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The International-after reading the reviews, my expectations were low enough to perhaps aide my enjoying the flick. Bonus points for having the hitman be a totally average looking dude. Tykwer can shoot a beautiful film, but I'd consider this flick a couple steps down from Perfume (seriously deranged but masterfully grimy). Couldn't buy Naomi Watts' character, but this was a solid Redbox/Netflix streaming type of flick.
Galaxy Of Terror (1981)
Essentially an Alien rip-off in the first half of the film which turns into a very psychological affair where the cast battle against their worst fears (including a wtf giant maggot rape scene) manifested by some god like being in the second half of the film. This was a surprisingly weak and disappointing effort and nowhere near as enjoyable as another alien knock off by Roger Corman, Forbidden World which is technically inferior but far more honest with it's intentions. Much of the more interesting characters served as supporting cast kill fodder early on in the movie. There's a very young looking Robert Englund in this film who was perhaps the better actor amongst the cast which include the chick who played Joanie Cunningham in Happy Days and Sid Haig (mostly mute because he hated the movie dialogue). The visual effects and set design were surprisingly good considering how low budget this film was, you'd never tell the hallways were made from styrofoam burger boxes raided from the bins of Burger King (no bullshit!). I think this film aspired to be in tone at the very least, serious sci-fi but ultimately failed spectacularly for being so boring and has more in common with the tackier market of sci-fi films especially for it's unnecessary rape scene. Altenatively, Tales From The Lumber Yard: The Making Of Galaxy Of Terror is pretty fucking awesome and worth copping the Shout Factory DVD just for that feature alone. A really insightful behind the scenes extra with plenty of interviews and retrospective anecdotes about the film and it's second unit director James Cameron (apparently he was even a douche back then too). Funny how he went from an Alien rip-off movie to it's official sequel in just a few years.
Road Games (1981)
A really well made road movie thriller with heaps of obvious inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock. Never seen this movie before and I was surprised by how good this was. Stacy Keach plays an eccentric and very chatty truck driver hauling a meat shipment across Australia where he starts to suspect that the mysterious van driver he continuously runs into along the way might just be a serial killer. There's a good amount of suspense and tension on offer here right from the film's opening sequence, what's also great is the amount of claustrophobic set pieces dotted in the movie that's a major achievement considering much of the film is set in Australia's rural Outback. This film could have turned into a slasher, especially since Jamie Lee Curtis co-stars in this, not to mention the year this was released. It's also worth noting Keach and Curtis worked really well together and the behind the scenes flack they got for not being Australians in this film might have worked to the film's advantage in their on screen chemistry. Also, Boswell - Stacy Keach's dingo/dog was a really great pet and made want to get. I would have preferred this film to have been a little darker but that's a minor gripe as this was a really good film.
Essentially an Alien rip-off in the first half of the film which turns into a very psychological affair where the cast battle against their worst fears (including a wtf giant maggot rape scene) manifested by some god like being in the second half of the film. This was a surprisingly weak and disappointing effort and nowhere near as enjoyable as another alien knock off by Roger Corman, Forbidden World which is technically inferior but far more honest with it's intentions. Much of the more interesting characters served as supporting cast kill fodder early on in the movie. There's a very young looking Robert Englund in this film who was perhaps the better actor amongst the cast which include the chick who played Joanie Cunningham in Happy Days and Sid Haig (mostly mute because he hated the movie dialogue). The visual effects and set design were surprisingly good considering how low budget this film was, you'd never tell the hallways were made from styrofoam burger boxes raided from the bins of Burger King (no bullshit!). I think this film aspired to be in tone at the very least, serious sci-fi but ultimately failed spectacularly for being so boring and has more in common with the tackier market of sci-fi films especially for it's unnecessary rape scene. Altenatively, Tales From The Lumber Yard: The Making Of Galaxy Of Terror is pretty fucking awesome and worth copping the Shout Factory DVD just for that feature alone. A really insightful behind the scenes extra with plenty of interviews and retrospective anecdotes about the film and it's second unit director James Cameron (apparently he was even a douche back then too). Funny how he went from an Alien rip-off movie to it's official sequel in just a few years.
Road Games (1981)
A really well made road movie thriller with heaps of obvious inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock. Never seen this movie before and I was surprised by how good this was. Stacy Keach plays an eccentric and very chatty truck driver hauling a meat shipment across Australia where he starts to suspect that the mysterious van driver he continuously runs into along the way might just be a serial killer. There's a good amount of suspense and tension on offer here right from the film's opening sequence, what's also great is the amount of claustrophobic set pieces dotted in the movie that's a major achievement considering much of the film is set in Australia's rural Outback. This film could have turned into a slasher, especially since Jamie Lee Curtis co-stars in this, not to mention the year this was released. It's also worth noting Keach and Curtis worked really well together and the behind the scenes flack they got for not being Australians in this film might have worked to the film's advantage in their on screen chemistry. Also, Boswell - Stacy Keach's dingo/dog was a really great pet and made want to get. I would have preferred this film to have been a little darker but that's a minor gripe as this was a really good film.
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Tommy Bunz
- Posts: 17474
- Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 9:02 am
Galaxy of Terror review breaking my heart over here, was really looking forward to that one. (still gonna buy it though)
Phenomena (Dario Argento, 1985) - A young American girl (a very :pedo-dids: 15 year-old Jennifer Connelly) with an unexplained paranormal connection with insects is sent to a Swiss boarding school where a killer is on the loose. The movie is a serious clusterfuck of random ideas.....hard rock soundtrack, superpowers, hallucinations, killer kids, lots of blood and gore and a chimpanzee thrown in for good measure. Normally the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach in movies leads to disaster but Argento somehow keeps it all together in a very enchanting and spooky piece of horror. The finale of this movie is absolutely out of control and I loved every minute of it.
Black Narcissus (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1947) - Mesmerizing film about a group of nuns who attempt to set up a convent in a former brothel high up in the Himalayas in India. The change of scenery isn't easy for them; the locals are suspicious of them, the weather sucks and the presence of men in their community awakens thoughts of the past and their innermost desires. This is in a very subtle way one of the more erotic films I've seen and it gets very dark towards the end and still seems surprisingly respectful towards faith. Beautifully shot movie too, the set is so elaborate its hard to believe it wasn't shot on location (obvious painting backdrops aside).
The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970) - An Italian fascist is sent on an undercover mission to assassinate one of his former professors. He takes with him his newlywed wife and when he meets his professor he finds out he's married to one of his former lovers. Marcello struggles with himself and his mission as he becomes endeared to the couple. Another stunningly gorgeous movie, Vittorio Storaro uses a multitude of camera techniques, long takes, shoots in natural and artificial light, uses different red and blue filters, even has a very effective scene using shaky cam following a person being pursued in the woods by assassins. You'd think all of this would be distracting but it all blends together beautifully. Great character study of the weak-willed mind, glad I picked this dvd up earlier this year since all Paramount dvds are now out of print and going for stupid money on amazon now.
Invasion of the Bee Girls (Denis Sanders, 1973) - Hilariously boner-rific "B" movie about a group of genetically mutated "bee" women who seduce men and fuck them to death in an attempt to reproduce. The State Department sends someone to investigate after a top scientist dies and soon after his arrival the men of the town start dropping like flies. The movie is absolutely as ridiculous as it sounds, the bee women convert other women to their hive by covering them in a honey residue, sticking them in a radiation chamber and then making out with the queenbee girl.
Lots of entertaining deaths, top-shelf axe wound, just a whole lot of fun. I'm going to have to buy this one.
Phenomena (Dario Argento, 1985) - A young American girl (a very :pedo-dids: 15 year-old Jennifer Connelly) with an unexplained paranormal connection with insects is sent to a Swiss boarding school where a killer is on the loose. The movie is a serious clusterfuck of random ideas.....hard rock soundtrack, superpowers, hallucinations, killer kids, lots of blood and gore and a chimpanzee thrown in for good measure. Normally the "everything but the kitchen sink" approach in movies leads to disaster but Argento somehow keeps it all together in a very enchanting and spooky piece of horror. The finale of this movie is absolutely out of control and I loved every minute of it.
Black Narcissus (Michael Powell & Emeric Pressburger, 1947) - Mesmerizing film about a group of nuns who attempt to set up a convent in a former brothel high up in the Himalayas in India. The change of scenery isn't easy for them; the locals are suspicious of them, the weather sucks and the presence of men in their community awakens thoughts of the past and their innermost desires. This is in a very subtle way one of the more erotic films I've seen and it gets very dark towards the end and still seems surprisingly respectful towards faith. Beautifully shot movie too, the set is so elaborate its hard to believe it wasn't shot on location (obvious painting backdrops aside).
The Conformist (Bernardo Bertolucci, 1970) - An Italian fascist is sent on an undercover mission to assassinate one of his former professors. He takes with him his newlywed wife and when he meets his professor he finds out he's married to one of his former lovers. Marcello struggles with himself and his mission as he becomes endeared to the couple. Another stunningly gorgeous movie, Vittorio Storaro uses a multitude of camera techniques, long takes, shoots in natural and artificial light, uses different red and blue filters, even has a very effective scene using shaky cam following a person being pursued in the woods by assassins. You'd think all of this would be distracting but it all blends together beautifully. Great character study of the weak-willed mind, glad I picked this dvd up earlier this year since all Paramount dvds are now out of print and going for stupid money on amazon now.
Invasion of the Bee Girls (Denis Sanders, 1973) - Hilariously boner-rific "B" movie about a group of genetically mutated "bee" women who seduce men and fuck them to death in an attempt to reproduce. The State Department sends someone to investigate after a top scientist dies and soon after his arrival the men of the town start dropping like flies. The movie is absolutely as ridiculous as it sounds, the bee women convert other women to their hive by covering them in a honey residue, sticking them in a radiation chamber and then making out with the queenbee girl.
Lots of entertaining deaths, top-shelf axe wound, just a whole lot of fun. I'm going to have to buy this one.
Don't let my faggoty movie opinions put you off, man. If you found Invasion Of The Bee Girls entertaining, then you'll probably really like Galaxy Of Terror. The whole second half of the movie and it's dull lead actors were what really annoyed me the most, but it's worth copping the Shout Factory release for the Making Of doc which was I thought was superb and more entertaining than the actual film.Tommy Bunz wrote:Galaxy of Terror review breaking my heart over here, was really looking forward to that one. (still gonna buy it though)
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drizzle
- Awesome Vatican Assassin
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- Location: where people throw ducks at balloons and nothing is as it seems
Star Crash - awesome, like trashy super low budget star wars X barbarella x og clash of the titans. hilariously bad plot and dialogue, but that just makes it better. the makers obv had tons of ambition and imagination, and that goes a long way. some of the visuals are surprisingly artful considering the lack of resources, reminded me of Bava's Planet of the Vampires. peep game
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo