Quoting D_Davis (view post)
Agreed.
But still, Carpenter's > Zombie's.
By so much it hurts.
Agreed.
But still, Carpenter's > Zombie's.
By so much it hurts.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
No, what I'm saying is not subjective. It's a classic not because of its age or conventions, but because, much like Psycho, it's a defining film in the history of cinema and its genre.
This is what I meant by "aspects of the story which are irrelevant to the original". In Carpenter's film, Mike Myers is treated not so much as a real person but as an almost supernatural threat - credited as "the Shape". But that's not a failing of the movie, it's simply a choice. Zombie instead makes a film about the birth of a serial killer.
It would be the equivalent of writing a novel that was like Moby Dick but from the point of view of the whale. You couldn't really argue which one is the better novel because the second one is entirely dependant on the fact that the first one is a literary classic.
The House That Dripped Blood. Has anyone seen it? Biggest gip ending everrr. Although I get the feeling it's intentional and the film's laughing at me...
Also, I never said anything about Roger Corman's Tomb of Ligeia. It's silly and doesn't have much lasting effect, but I recommend it - it's surprisingly sophisticated, stylistically, and overall a bewitchingly offbeat film.
The Act of Killing (Oppenheimer 13) - A
Stranger by the Lake (Giraudie 12) - B
American Hustle (Russell 13) - C+
The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese 13) - C+
Passion (De Palma 12) - B
I recently watched two 40s British films by John Brahm (who?): The Lodger and Hangover Square. Both star the very talented Laird Cregar (who?). They're about as Horrifying as the Val Lewtons but with better acting performances all around. The first is a Jack the Ripper story, the second about a man who has blackouts during which he commits violent acts. Both were very good - up there with the best of Val Lewton's, sporting interesting stories, dialogue and cinematography. Laird died before the second film was released - due to complications from his weight loss program in which he shed 100 pounds. Reminds me of an effeminate Orson Welles.
I've seen The Lodger, thought it was pretty lousy to be honest. The cinematography looked good, and Cregar's performance was sufficiently amusing, if absurdly obvious, but that's about all I took from it. I wouldn't rank it anywhere near Lewton's work.
Letterboxd rating scale:
The Long Riders (Hill) ***
Furious 7 (Wan) **½
Hard Times (Hill) ****½
Another 48 Hrs. (Hill) ***
/48 Hrs./ (Hill) ***½
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (Besson) ***
/Unknown/ (Collet-Serra) ***½
Animal (Simmons) **
The Hitchcock one? If it's that one, I remember liking it.
I like that Hitchcock uses a shot of footsteps and then a reaction of someone listening - the guy was already ahead of his time.
Yeah, is this the silent Hitchcock film we're talking about?
Jen and I still have that one to watch.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Guys, read the first line of Yxklxy's post.
Letterboxd rating scale:
The Long Riders (Hill) ***
Furious 7 (Wan) **½
Hard Times (Hill) ****½
Another 48 Hrs. (Hill) ***
/48 Hrs./ (Hill) ***½
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (Besson) ***
/Unknown/ (Collet-Serra) ***½
Animal (Simmons) **
Curse of Frankenstein(1957) was excellent, and almost as good as the original 1931 Frankenstein. Cushing's Frankenstein was really dark, even creepy, really, and Lee's creature is beyond frightening, both to look at and through viewing his actions. Due to threat of legal action Fisher had to make a completely different version of the story, and I'm really glad he did-the movie is strong gothic horror, and helped to revive the genre in the late 1950s along with Horror of Dracula, which is also quite good. I'd like to see the rest of the Frankenstein and Dracula movies that Hammer Studios did-late 50s and 60s horror is really meaty and quite serious. No amount of camp, but not as mean and nasty as 70s horror really got, which makes sense considering some of the cinema restrictions hadn't been completely lifted by the studios.
Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon was goddamn creepy-its been a while since a slasher movie really got the best of me. The last one I can think of that I viewed were the first two Friday the 13th movies, but this one really was uber freaky. Comparisons to Man Bites Dog can be made, except that I think that Behind the Mask is slightly the better movie, and the more entertaining one. The character of Leslie is quite charismatic, so when he finally goes on his rampage its both disturbing and interesting: this is a guy who could have been many other things, but clearly choose to be the best damn serial killer he could possibly be.
Oh and the end credits are really amazing, honestly. []
This October I'm diving more so into modern horror, so I'm really glad I finally got around to this one. Even though I'll admit there are some serious flaws that undermine the movie, which is why its merely very good, not great.
BLOG
And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?
I think I already said it earlier on the thread, but I have a really hard time seeing how someone can think this.
[youtube]vy2nAOdBUlw[/youtube]
[youtube]dz0rTGOrBHk[/youtube]
[youtube]9hi_4GT35yc[/youtube]
Really? Its merely a loose comparison, but both movies have much in common. Only in Behind the Mask [] Plus the use of mockmentary style film making. I didn't like that they stopped doing in the last act-it would have been cool for the cameras to still be rolling while everything went down.
BLOG
And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?
Yeeeeaah I'll see this.
If it redefines my concept of Norwegian society or our generation or whatever, so be it.
The Act of Killing (Oppenheimer 13) - A
Stranger by the Lake (Giraudie 12) - B
American Hustle (Russell 13) - C+
The Wolf of Wall Street (Scorsese 13) - C+
Passion (De Palma 12) - B
That Troll Hunter trailer=WTF was that? :lol:
BLOG
And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?
No, I'm sorry, I didn't make myself clear. I understand why the films are comparable. What I don't understand is thinking Behind the Mask is better. In contrast I see it as a really amateurish film with one good idea.
Yeah, I'll see Troll Hunter, too.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Oh. Well I found it to be a really effective, creepy horror movie. The problem with Man Bites Dog is that it loses its power to disturb later on in the movie, and the last act is really weak. Both movies are hurt by weak acts, the difference is that Behind the Mask actually manages to finish strong. I'm not sure why people think Man Bites Dog is a great film-its well made, but there are too many flaws that drag it down and are rather noticable. Namely that it ends up trying too damn hard to be shocking, for one thing. Really only two points seperates the two movies, and I'd say that in the "Documentary Style Film Making" category of movies over the past 10-15 years Cloverfield is slightly better than both of them. I have yet to see a great movie from this category, but I hear REC is fantastic so I'll check that one out next.
BLOG
And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?
Both Jen and I thought Behind the Mask was quite good.
I think it loses its steam a touch in the second half, but nothing to ruin the experience.
Nathan Baesel's performance was particularly impressive.
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Oh and I really want a sequel. Leslie Vernon's not only got a fantastic, really freaky mask, but he's one of the most interesting horror villians in some time. Its a bit un-nerving how easy it would be to hang out with the guy outside of his killing time, which is what the camera crew and Taylor did.
PS: With the exception of the deleted scene about the girl who Vernon labeled a virgin, all the deleted scenes should have made it into the movie. Oh and I forgot to note how awesome Scott Wilson is in this movie-it took a while for me to remember that it was him, seeing as he's also great in The Ninth Configuration.
BLOG
And everybody wants to be special here
They call your name out loud and clear
Here comes a regular
Call out your name
Here comes a regular
Am I the only one here today?
I actually think it's awesome.
My Mom - 10
Heh, Troll Hunter looks fun.
Losing is like fertilizer: it stinks for a while, then you get used to it. (Tony, Hibbing)
I see what you're saying and I agree that both last acts are a bit of a letdown, but I like Behind the Mask a lot less than you. I think it really overstays its welcome with the killing spree, which turns out to be a predictable bore. Instead, Man Bites Dog retains its funny by constantly upping the stakes or introducing offbeat elements like the other killer with the other documentary crew. I didn't see that as "trying too hard". And besides, I find the filmmaking in Man Bites Dog miles more skillful than Behind the Mask - although maybe that's partly the black and white.
Hated Cloverfield, but yeah, [REC] is pretty good, you should check that out. Skip the sequel.
Watched one of 2010's best new horror offerings tonight, I bet many here will dig it. I'll reveal it along with a capsule review in my horrorfest thread.
Letterboxd rating scale:
The Long Riders (Hill) ***
Furious 7 (Wan) **½
Hard Times (Hill) ****½
Another 48 Hrs. (Hill) ***
/48 Hrs./ (Hill) ***½
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec (Besson) ***
/Unknown/ (Collet-Serra) ***½
Animal (Simmons) **
I'm intrigued.
I haven't been watching much horror lately, or much of anything else either. I'm a little burned out on my usual horror favorites, and am looking forward to a few new viewings, especially one called Frozen. I'm going into that one blind, but I heard a few good things about it.
My Mom - 10
The Hammer horror Night Creatures was, really, not particularly good. But my dad and I still got a kick out of it.
Peter Cushing's performance was the best part, playing the role of a seemingly too-good-to-be-true priest who smuggles booze, and may or may not have a history in piracy.
The effects are silly, the editing and pacing of the film are atrocious, and the story doesn't make much sense. But it is loaded to the brim with that Hammer gothic appeal.
Plus, Yvonne Romain is a babe...
Totally what Jen would call a "va-va-VOOM".
"All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"
"Rick...it's a flamethrower."
Posting Permissions
forum
Reply With Quote