|
Post by Craig Herbertson on Jun 13, 2011 12:50:21 GMT
Excellent idea Franklin. Wish i could have attended.
|
|
|
Post by franklinmarsh on Jun 13, 2011 13:00:59 GMT
You'd have been most welcome, Craig. Shame I didn't have The Stone Tape, The Stuff or the Peter Cushing as Holmes BBC Hound Of The Baskervilles. Also a shame I flunked out of The Beast Must Die and Re-Animator on Sunday. And that Peter Sasdy didn't turn up chez Marsh. You can't win 'em all.
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Jun 13, 2011 13:09:03 GMT
The Exorcist. Time hasn't been too kind to some of the shock elements - the foul language and suggestions seem merely risible, but the effects just about hold up, many taking place in brightly lit scenes. Max Von Sydow in redoubtable form. The good bits now seem to be the non in-yer-face elements. Exactly my thoughts. Just saw this a couple of days ago on tv in the extended version, and the things which really grabbed me were the mundane things. As somone who had MRA-screening and such I thought the scenes of the little girl going through the horrible mecidal exams - which must have been space age technology at the time - more scary than the peas-soup. And the level of realismn in the out-door takes! I couldn´t name one Hollywood big screen movie of last year where a city looked that authentic than here. (I know, this hasn´t got anything to do with a horror movie per se, but even dire stuff like low-low budget from Roger Corman or Ed Wood have sometimes fascinating authentic locations) Not that such a movie could me made today at all. An underage kid going through all of this sexual stuff? Impossible. Also watched the remake of Nightmare on Elm Street. I can´t stand the remakes, but I was curious. Nightmare 1 has a special place in my heart. What a pointless waste of money. Alternatly they copied the original 1on 1 or dumbed the rest down. What is the problem with these things? Are those directors and writers really that untalented hacks? Nightmare 1 was a B-Movie back then, and they are not capable to make a remake not boring or more idiotic? The only remake which was halfway decent was Dawn of the Dead (not that it came close to the original in terms of atmosphere or intention, but at least it was watchable), the rest all terrible failures like abominations as The Fog or TCM which I especially loathe.
|
|
|
Post by franklinmarsh on Jun 13, 2011 13:19:47 GMT
Hee! I watched the remake of Nightmare On Elm Street recently Andy, and found it a fascinating comparison with 80s youth. It was so downbeat and sombre. You're used to having the teens being sex/drink/drug crazed party animal;s and this lot were so miserable that dying may have improved their lives.I do like the way that they can't communicate either, despite having so many modern methods at their disposal. The Freddie was too small and non-descript. It was easy for my Mrs to suss when anyone was dreaming, so the scares were minimal - we watched New Nightmare shortly afterward and that threw her for a loop - she didn't know what was going on!I too absolutely hated the remake of TCM. Quite liked The Hills Have Eyes and Friday 13th though, and Piranha was a hoot (wish I'd seen that in proper 3D at the cinema - 'twas a struggle on the TV).
|
|
|
Post by Dr Strange on Jun 13, 2011 13:44:06 GMT
This was followed by the Karnstein Trilogy (The Vampire Lovers/Lust For A Vampire/Twins Of Evil) back to back. I'd never seen them in such close proximity before (good job I'm getting old) and it raised (oo-er) a number of questions, not least about the chronology. Is the death by staking/decapitation (fire won't do) from Le Fanu? It's stressed in all three pictures. In the book Carmilla is staked, then decapitated, then head and body are reduced to ashes on a pyre, and then the ashes are thrown into a river.
|
|
|
Post by franklinmarsh on Jun 13, 2011 14:00:11 GMT
Cheers, Doc. Much to my embarrassment I've never read Carmilla, despite having the Fontana paperback Vampire Lovers tie-in at one stage. Weird about the fire though, Lust and Twins make a big deal of it being ineffective - hard cheese for poor old Gustav Weil - it's his main method for despatching comely wenches, be they witches or vampires or he just doesn't like them.
|
|
|
Post by Johnlprobert on Jun 13, 2011 14:28:02 GMT
Cheers, Doc. Much to my embarrassment I've never read Carmilla, despite having the Fontana paperback Vampire Lovers tie-in at one stage. Weird about the fire though, Lust and Twins make a big deal of it being ineffective - hard cheese for poor old Gustav Weil - it's his main method for despatching comely wenches, be they witches or vampires or he just doesn't like them. I read Carmilla a year or so ago and was impressed with how good it was. Then it came time for an Ingrid tribute & I was surprised at how much of The Vampire Lovers is actually from the source material. Overall the Hammer Karnstein movies aren't terribly good but LeFanu's original is a cracker!
|
|
|
Post by Craig Herbertson on Jun 13, 2011 15:20:07 GMT
You'd have been most welcome, Craig. Shame I didn't have The Stone Tape, The Stuff or the Peter Cushing as Holmes BBC Hound Of The Baskervilles. Also a shame I flunked out of The Beast Must Die and Re-Animator on Sunday. And that Peter Sasdy didn't turn up chez Marsh. You can't win 'em all. I'll definitely try and catch the next one then . Nothing better than an endless marathon of horror films
|
|
|
Post by Dr Strange on Jun 13, 2011 15:58:01 GMT
I read Carmilla a year or so ago and was impressed with how good it was. Then it came time for an Ingrid tribute & I was surprised at how much of The Vampire Lovers is actually from the source material. Overall the Hammer Karnstein movies aren't terribly good but LeFanu's original is a cracker! I completely agree. On dispatching vampires - I've always liked the stake, decapitate, then bury head and body on different sides of a river combo.
|
|
|
Post by andydecker on Jun 13, 2011 16:00:32 GMT
found it a fascinating comparison with 80s youth. It was so downbeat and sombre. You're used to having the teens being sex/drink/drug crazed party animal;s and this lot were so miserable that dying may have improved their lives. Absolutly. They were like moping Twilight rejects. I distinctly remember the manic energy of the original crew in their efforts to not sleep, how Patricia Arquette - god, how young she was - working desperatly at her little wooden house at the begining of Part 3. The new bunch seemed to be 29 going on 80, you didn´t believe for a second that these were high school kids. But the Freddy scenes were so ... lifeless? Unimaginative? The only dream-sequence which had a faint whiff of creepy originality was the swiming-pool to factory where emo-boy #1 suddenly stood freezing on the factory ground. But the rest was just blah. I to absolutely hated the remake of TCM. God, this was bad, wasn´t it? I later read somewhere that it was supposed to be a period piece. Yeah, right. It just isn´t enough to take away their cells to convince the audience that it is suddenly 1975 again. And those kids seemed to be fugitives from a jeans-ad, and after 5 minutes I rooted for the chainsaw. Friday 13th though, and Piranha was a hoot (wish I'd seen that in proper 3D at the cinema - 'twas a struggle on the TV). I watched both Friday 13th and Bloody Valentine 3D because of the stars which I quite like on Supernatural. Friday left me cold despite the carnage - which was much more brutal than the original - and the great sexy girls , and Valentine - which I find the original as boring as Prom Night - was unfortunatly badly cut. But the "surprise"-ending where they changed the killers identity was still a groaner. Piranha is a hoot though. I never understood what is supposed to be so great about the original that merited a remake, but this was a lot of fun. It didn´t made any sense whatsoever and wore it on the sleeve, had absolutly tasteless jokes which I would never had expected. Not too mention the gore. Great stuff which absolutly delivered.
|
|
|
Post by H_P_Saucecraft on Jun 13, 2011 17:55:07 GMT
Keep forgetting to post, so it's catch-up time:
Down Terrace (2009)
Off-beat black comedy about a family of gangsters, with real-life father & son Robert Hill & Robin Hill playing the same.
I warmed to it slowly & ended up liking it, the humor is fairly dry & may not be for everyone, but it sends up gangster cliches well, & Julia Deakin (the mother) does a great job here. Give it a go.
Madhouse (1974)
First time I've seen this one & it's Impossible not to have fun with it. Mad Vince is overacting even by his own standards .
Adrienne Corri puts in a fine performance too & it's good to see Cushing & Quarry in this as well (at the costume party, he's almost re-creating his Count Yorga role)
I also liked the scene of the detective researching Dr. Death's films to study the connection, who gets a complaint from his boss:
"well do try to keep the volume down, this isn't a blasted picture palour you know"
Solid entertainment.
Saxon (2007)
Sean Harris plays Eddie Pierce, a former criminal just released from prison. The trouble is, no sooner is he out, then his eye is put out by the creditor & his other eye will only be spared on payment.
Eddie has no option but to seek help from an old friend, on the rough 'Saxon' housing estate of the title (Roundwalls housing estate, Croydon I think). Linda (Sarah Matravers), also has problems of her own, her husband having gone missing after some trouble. But she has money, her husband won in a quiz show & after intial reluctance, agrees to pay Eddie to find her husband.
Eddie doesn't seem too good at this job to begin with, & has lost his drive, but seems to gradually pick it up after going back to the drink he'd sworn off.
It's great to see Harris in a lead role & Saxon is a bit western, a bit gangster film & includes other genres to good effect (The Shining referenced is several times - Linda's twins, etc.). It has plenty of dark humour too, there's an element of shameless to it too (the situation & a few characters) - but to call it a darker version of that, would be to do it an injustice.
It does get slow in a few places, but it holds together nicely. I got this from amazon cheaply, when I couldn't find it from the library to rent, glad I did, recommended.
Bride Of Re-Animator (1990)
Loved it, but the original is still the best. Though Jeffrey Combs never disappoints & I'm hoping there's still a chance that 'House Of Re-animator' gets made.
This time it owes more to Mary Shelley than H.P. Lovecraft (yes I know Lovecraft took influence from frankenstein, but you get what I mean)
The Hand-foot creature kicking West, then grabbing him round the throat was hillarious, it may even beat the eye-spider creature - but first place has to go to the return of Dr. Hill.
The Losers (2010)
I was looking forward to this one, but it turned out a bit meh. It's not particularly bad, but not particularly good either. I think from the artwork, I was probably expecting something along the lines of Smoking Aces, in style.
It's not looking to be original or take itself seriously, which is a good for an action film. It just feels like it never really goes for it & occupies the middle ground.
I still keep mistaking Jeffrey Dean Morgan for Robert Downey Jr. when I see him in a film - they actually have similar styles, but I think Downey would have the edge & would have improved this. Wouldn't mind giving the comics a look, to see the source material.
Didn't hate it, but didn't love it either.
|
|
|
Post by dem bones on Jun 13, 2011 21:16:13 GMT
courtesy of Saucy Dave's Paperback & DVD Emporium, a rematch with Ghosts ... Of The Civil Dead (still harrowing) and .... Rubber, the story of Robert, the lonely tyre with amazing powers of telekinesis. Do tyres feel guilt? Do they suffer from suicidal depression? do they really book into hotel rooms to watch fitness DVD's and spy on women in the shower? do they feel grief at watching hundreds of dunlops rounded up and burnt on a pyre, and all because of their seriously anti-social behaviour? Rubber raises a number of serious issues but if you've seen the trailer, you've seen the "good" bits and best of all, you've not had to suffer the desperately unhilarious preamble that sabotages the flick before it's began. the 'do you want some roadkill on that pizza?' moment was sick funny, Robert plays a blinder, likewise Roxane Mesquida and Roxane Mesquida's arse, but i'm struggling to think of anything else nice to say about it. (ta to H. P. Saucecraft!)
|
|
|
Post by David A. Riley on Jun 14, 2011 9:18:05 GMT
Thanks for giving me another list of films to order from Love Films. ;D
Bought a DVD recently of a British zombie movie, Colin. Sounded potentially interesting as it was supposed to be the first zombie movie made from the zombie's perspective.
Big mistake. A more boring zombie movie I have yet to see. Virtually no dialogue or interesting characters. And watching a main character shambling around as a George Romero zombie for what seemed like ever, is even worse than watching paint dry.
The film makers obviously forgot that really the only interesting thing about a zombie movie are the non-zombie characters. Zombies, after all, by their very nature, are the most characterless of all horror tropes.
Avoid.
|
|
|
Post by ramseycampbell on Jun 14, 2011 11:32:48 GMT
Valentine - which I find the original as boring as Prom Night... It mightn't change your mind, but have you seen the recently restored DVD of the original My Bloody Valentine?
|
|
|
Post by H_P_Saucecraft on Jun 14, 2011 20:33:03 GMT
Straight To Hell (1987)
I didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I was going to. It had all the right elements to be great, but it just didn't gel. The tone is deliberately camp/bad, but here it unfortunately comes off as cringe-inducing.
You can see Alex Cox loves the Spaghetti Western genre & he certainly knows his stuff. There were scenes I enjoyed & it wasn't a complete loss, but just not enough to really engage me.
It's a shame, as it was looking to be a good one, how you can go wrong with a cast consisting of The Pogues, Elvis Costello, Joe Strummer & others I don't know. The less said about Courtney Love, the better. I can see why she went into music, she was fairly useless here - other than to shout & scream at the nearest man.
It's a fun ride in places, but a bit of a misfire.
& not Horror or Exploitation,etc. but..
1900 aka Novecento (1976)
Ah, this makes up for recent film disapointments. The best film I've seen in ages.
I watched it in 2 sittings, but in one go still would have been good, the slighty over 5 hours running time is not noticed as you become lost in the story.
The film follows two friends, Alfredo Berlinghieri (Robert De Niro) & Olmo Dalco (Gerard Depardieu), from their birth in 1900 through to 1945. One born a peasant (Olmo), the other to aristocracy. Family conflicts & politics abound, as it goes from peacful & happy farming life, to the rise of fascism in Italy; events unfolding to separate both friends, their politics pitting them against each other in later life, yet neither truly hating the other & both remembering happier times.
Plenty have secrets to hide, once fascism comes into play & Donald Sutherland is excellent as Atilla the blackshirt leader - & what a thoroughly nasty bastard he plays, ably supported by Laura Betti as his wife Regina (equally as nasty).
Not a film that could be made today (at least in the mainstream), with some of the material covered (too much ground covered to list everything here).
The Music is great & the locations are stunning, the whole package just really works. In tone & similar structure, it would make a great double bill with Once Upon A Time In America.
The ending is Humorous & Poingnant too, making it a perfect note to end on, after the grimness before.
Certainly one I'll be revisiting.
|
|