Last Seen 70s/80s Movie

[Jokuc]

Well I just watched Ju-On (The Grudge) :)

[Elvis_Christ]

Originally Posted by neverending

I know a Hollywood insider who claims Charlie Varrick was originally intended for Charles Bronson, but the role was given to Mathau by a producer in an effort to convince him that she could put him in ANY movie and have it be a success.

Wow that's really interesting. So he was convinced he'd only be successful in the comedy side of things. The guy was a fantastic actor that can can happily watch in anything.


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Night Of The Hell Hamsters

Usual Peter Jackson styled horror comedy. More fun than most. The director's upcomming film The Devil's Rock sounds like it will be interesting.

Gulliver's Travels

Shit. Same old Jack Black jokes all over again. Dude needs a new dance.

[newb]

Originally Posted by Elvis_Christ

Wow that's really interesting. So he was convinced he'd only be successful in the comedy side of things. The guy was a fantastic actor that can can happily watch in anything.

He followed "Charlie Varrick" up with, "The Laughing Policeman" and "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 ". Neither of which were "comedies". Both highly recommended by the newbster.



that's right....I called myself the newbster.

[psycho d]

After.Life (2009). This is a movie that could go either way for many people, and rightfully so. It really takes many liberties in the telling of this tale, and the viewer must allow for a somewhat loose script. But for those willing to side-step its faults, the director's message will be more than worth it.

Taking on the theme of death can be a cinematic death ray, but director Agnieszka Wojtowicz-Vosloo does a fine job of questioning the afterlife. This move really leaves us with more questions than answers, and anyone that thinks it should have been the other way around is, well, kinda retarded.

The acting was exceptional, at least after Justin Long's chunky first appearance. After that the performances are all top notch. That Liam Neeson is extraordinary is almost to be expected. Christina Ricci's portrayal of transitional confusion was splendid. Child actor Chandler Canterury was also a positive in his role as a creepy adult in training.

What impressed me most about this flick was that it gloriously flouted any pretensions to a genre, but was its own type of movie. Though potently dark, it never felt like a horror flick proper. It keeps the viewer guessing down to the end, and even then it refuses to play nice in the arena of a movie catalog.

The technicalities were all spot on, with the camera effectively creating its magic without much fuss, but Mr. camera guy's flair does sneak out on occasion and much to our delight.

By the end, unless you are stuck in the realms of picking apart this movie for its flaws, the weighty subject matter of this one will keep your mind compliantly busy for some time.
d

[roshiq]

Silver Bullet (1985)



>>: B+

Riding the Bullet (2004)



>>: C+

[roshiq]

The Grapes of Death (1978)



Though in some reviews they mentioned it as Jean Rollin's Zombie film but there weren't any zombie actually; rather than people turns slowly bit crazy after infected by a rare kinda skin disease caused by drinking some special type of wine(!)...which is quite an interesting idea. Pretty atmospheric & gruesome in some parts. The best from Rollin...as I've seen so far.

>>: A-

The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010)



>>: B

[SAWfreak]

The Steam Experiment

[psycho d]

The Bicycle Thief (1948). Vittorio De Sica's masterpiece has stood the test of time for one primal reason, the plight of man has yet to change. The proletariat, the commoner, will forever be relegated to the social periphery, ceaselessly manipulated by the whims of the world's rich and powerful, at least until the time is near for votes to be cast. The titular object of this film is of no particular importance to everyone but its owner, but his very survival, his family's survival, rests upon that dang bicycle. And this tale is one of the commoner as he is faced with the reality of his significance in the eyes of the world as opposed to his dependents.

This is a rather grim tale, and it really captures the mood of an Italy at a time when survival is the is a family's chief concern. Our protagonist is just a down and out commoner, no better or worse than the rest, and hence when we feel the ache of his plight it is the plight of most of his countrymen. To judge the actions of these desperate men, where hocking bicycles and even your bedding is the only means by which to obtain a meal, is a difficult endeavor for us today, comfortably chubby and ensconced in our loveseats.

The acting was phenomenal, even more so as this Italian paradigm of neorealism used unprofessional actors in the lead roles. These were people whose plight in life was real, and this translates supremely in the hand of Vittorio. The father son relationship is one of particular importance, marking a symbolic transcendence from the naive to the real world, and in as grim a manner as can be imagined. A special note should be said of child actor Enzo Staiola. When this kid literally looked up to his father one could almost sense his pride and faith, as strong as any pilgrim has of his god.

Little more need be said of the direction. Serving as the go to example of Italian neorealism, The Bicycle Thief rightly confers Vittorio's name to be equated with cinematic brilliance for eternity.
d

[psycho d]

Let Sleeping Corpses Lie (1974). This is one of those movies that defies being a bad movie in spite of itself. At times corny and cheap, with silly plots twists and unreal moments of victim retardation, it is difficult to pin down what makes this a candidate for a near horror masterpiece. Further compounding description is that this was an Italian creation set in England and yet dubbed in English. Perfect.

The story itself was thin, but what gave it so much appeal was its delicious subtext. The typical "stupid humans" and society as a blob of mindless followers was of course exploited to its fullest, but touches such as the taint of fascism were also nicely infused into this movie. The grim comedy was superbly understated, much like a spice that leaves you in want of more.

The acting was above average for cheesy movies. Lovelock's lead character was charmingly annoying and fit the bill perfectly. His unlikely partner gave a decent performance as well, but she really did not have much to work with. The near villainous inspector was the real treat, a fascist wannabe in a detective's uniform.

The direction must be lauded here, for it was Jorge Grau that took this simple premise and made a great movie out of what could have easily become dismissible dung. The score was gratingly chilling, creating the perfect atmosphere for a movie that existed outside of the norms of the genre without betraying it. The real star of this movie was the cameraman. Whereas the other elements of this flick were appreciably low budget, the camera captured the events in a manner that fully exploited the moment. The mise en scène was delightfully arranged for each scene, and not a detail was missed in the richly colored photography.

For its time, the special effects must have made a wicked impression. This was not a schlocky gore-fest, but when the ghouls do come out their flesh-tearing designs were revealed to their fullest.

In the end, this was an uncompromising movie that had a lot to say but whose message did not intrude upon the fun. And with dialog such as "I'm mad about apples," how could you go wrong with a night spent with this terrific little number.
d

[Bizarre]

I watched 'Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas' and 'Braindead' last night.

I had just finished reading fear and loathing so the film was okay. I like Johnny Depp as an actor and he was very good in this. He played the completely twisted Raoul Duke perfectly; just as I'd imagined. I'd recommend the book over the film as the film basically quotes from the book verbatim and cuts some scenes out. Hunter S Thompson is brilliant, regardless.

Braindead is a film I've wanted to see for a while and only just got around to it. I'm sure most of you have seen it already but it really was crazily violent. It's good for just a stupid film to chill whilst watching and had some funny parts. I don't think it is in the same league as The Evil Dead, mind.