|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
06-23-2023, 11:58 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
The Unlocking 2022 ★★★
A nice little short film about a man locking the door to keep out the bad guys. At the behest of his therapist, he unlocks the door with catastrophic results. The monster looks good and the bullying with the chopped off hand is kind of funny. But the hamburger phone keeps the fourth star at bay. A Quiet Place Part II 2020 ★★★½ The biggest quality of the Quiet Place movies is that they are horror movies for family people. If you rate family above anything else, this is the stuff for you. Before really kicking off, part 2 takes a quick detour back to day 1. Not really sure why they had to do that, other than to introduce Cillian Murphy's character and give John Krasinski a bit of screen time. I did like the introduction of the monsters and the back and forth between the deaf daughter and the father. One second, you hear nothing and the next, you hear everything. Very off putting. From there, we pick up where part 1 left us. The mother and the children leave their house and start travelling, only to end up scattered in different places. Not sure if Krasinski was actually inspired by The walking dead, but the island where they end up does give away a bit of an Alexandria-vibe as the safe haven. Or the people outside the island trying to keep them from crossing. If there is one thing Krasinski can do, it's character writing. He really presens credible characters that suck you into the story and he shines when he gets to describe the relationships in a family. Also a special mention to the Emmett character, his carefullness and wearines of others, resulting in him at first mostly wanting to get rid of this family. His second major quality is creating tension. The scene before they meet Emmett is probably the best example because you don't know what's going to happen (the scene at the end somehow felt less threatening because you felt the last minute saviour coming). Somebody has them in their vizer, ready to shoot. The threat of the monsters is still looming and then the boy gets caught in a bear trap and understandably screams in agony. Proving once again his mastery of “family horror”. Great performance by Emily Blunt there as well. You can tell all the mixed emotions she feels and the internal conflict between what she wants to do (comfort her child) and what she has to do (tell him to keep quiet). Another example is the moment when Emmett discovers the boat. After all, you had a sense of security about how the monsters could not get to the island and then... they're heee-eere! Good stuff, that. That said, the movie felt a tad too much rinse and repeat from the first one. You can tell that Emmett was written as a replacement for John Krasinski. There is the self sacrifice element that comes back. Sometimes, it just felt a bit too repetitive. Good nonetheless, though. To Hell and Back: The Kane Hodder Story 2017 ★★★★ A very touching portrait of a man who has come a long way. From his childhood days being bullied (and badly too) to finding what would later become his love of horror movies. How an honest mistake nearly resulted in his career almost being over before it full well began. Or the story of how he landed the part that gave him his career (Jason Voorhees) and how he in turn gave new life to that character. Not in the least by his tireless efforts on the con circuit, giving thousands, if not millions of fans memories that will last them a lifetime. And let's not forget the whole Freddy vs Jason-hoopla. Not even an explanation. It's a brutally honest story. Hodder portrays himself very openly, openly talking about the dark thoughts that haunted him after the near fatal accident or how his OCD drove his family away. A story that gave me goosebumps and brought me close to tears on more than one occasion. A great documentary. Well worth checking out.
__________________
|
|
06-24-2023, 12:02 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Scanners 1981 ★★★★
I love being bewildered by Cronenberg's imagery and surreal themes. Classic sci-fi horror to which I will come back for a more extended review. But the exploding head always gets props. The Lift 1983 ★★★ Compared to the more humor laden material that followed, this is probably the most serious film in Dick Maas' filmography. The strange thing about it is that it's not an either or story. The premise of artificial intelligence messing with us sounds good, especially in the early eighties. That said, the goo-like “bad chips” do look a bit silly, as is the notion of a man “fighting” a lift. Does that take away from the film's qualities? Not really. It still had creepy passages. The decapitation still looks pretty good, except for maybe the final shot where the plastic head is is a bit too obvious. The shot of Felix crawling out of the elevator shaft at the end makes for a very solid image with the pale hand reaching out for dear life. And I'm sure the scene with the little girl and the doll had audiences wonder wether they were really going to go there. I don't really see the point in the subplot with the jealous wife and the supposed adultery, especially since it has no real pay-off apart from isolating Felix further in his obessesion with the lift. A solid eighties horror thriller with a few flaws that are not too hard to overlook. Check it out.
__________________
|
|
06-24-2023, 10:54 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Eaten Alive 1976 ★★★½
Tobe Hooper stays in similar water as with his absolute masterpiece, Texas Chainsaw. A white trash killer, scum characters (from the corner of my eye, I think I saw Rob Zombie take notes) and bloody kills. The alligator is pretty scary – certainly the bit with the little girl – but the main killer is not all that memorable since I've seen this before. Seeing RobertEnglund in a role without tons of make up was a nice change, though. His Buck – and yes, he has that roll eye line that rhymes his name with the f word – is the sort of scum you want to see die more than anything else. He makes you hate him with all your might and he dies a terrible death at the hands of the alligator. Not memorable, but certainly entertaining and I liked the poetic justice element to Judd's end. Three and a half stars. Eaten Alive! 1980 ★★★½ A groovy cannibal movie with a bit of Jonestown thrown in the mix for good measure. It has a good dose of gore, a good pace and I liked the actor who portrayed the cult leader. Very enjoyable seventies flick.
__________________
|
|
06-24-2023, 11:08 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Doom Asylum 1987 ★★
No masterpiece by any means. But an enjoyable piece of silliness with suitably bad acting and plenty ofwhat the fuckery. Preferably watched with friends and complementary substances. The dull plot did not keep my attention, but the movie has a few good kills and suitably weird characters. First of all the band. The only reason for Simon Cowell to turn around would be to tell them to stfu. Not to mention blonde Cyndi Lauper and her blonde bandmate and their inexplicable hysterical laugh. A Cary Elwes-lookalike with a gf who call him mom. (Ronald Reagan: And then people call me weird) The Paul Pfeiffer of the group. He gets the coolest kill after paying for his obsession with his Wade Boggs (Lord Palmerston!). Or the Velma-like character. Did she get a cool kill? I already forgot. That's this movie for ya. One more fun thing was the killer spending his time off watching vintage horror. Just a shame they drag it too long. A few good ideas, nut either they go nowhere, or they are stretched out too long. That's this movie in a nutshell. The Goonies 1985 ★★★★ After the emotional moments at the Oscar-ceremony – the teary eyed Goonies never say die – I felt a certain moral obligation to rewatch The Goonies. I'm sure I saw it one time or another but I definetily not put my finger on where. It delivered on every level. This is for all the eighties nostalgics who wants to go back on a trip to their youth. A perfect bland of cu-razy adventures and the type of cartoonish over the top villains you would expect in akids film. That last one is no surprise when you cast the mama from Throw mama from the train? But Cypher cartoonish? Or Robert Davi? The Bond villain who feeds FBI-agents to a shark and puts a traitor in a laundromath? Actually, you know what? He might be overqualified. Not to mention the cheekiness that kids have and get away. Tailor made for Coray Feldman. (On a sidenote: Imagine him doing Franco's part in Spring Breakers. What would that be like?) And of course the portrayal of a budding and lasting friendship. Friends who don't let each other down and do everything to look out for each other. Especially touching when you know the real life friendships that are rooted in the shooting of this film. And by the end with the predictable popping up of the ship, you are good and ready for a good sob. And who is not entitled to that every once in a while?
__________________
|
|
06-24-2023, 11:14 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Return to Horror High 1987 ★★★
The type of 80s slasher that's best enjoyed when you do not take it all that seriously. A perfect watch for when you are a bit uner the weather as yours truly is today. A dull killer reveal, but also pile of campy fun with a few good kills (if not fake) and the meta nature because of the film set. And lest we forget Clooney's glorious mullet. I Spit on Your Grave 1978 ★★★½ When watching the 2010 remake, it occurred to me that I had never seen the original. So I kept it in the back of my mind and last night, while rummaging through my watchlist and streaming services, the opportunity popped up. Seeing the film got me thinking about an impression I get from similar ventures, being a horror classic from the seventies getting a reboot in the naughties (or later). The reboot often seems to be more slickly made while also more explicit on the gore. The original, on the other hand, is perhaps less explicit on the blood and guts, but more gritty and/or mean spirited. Proving that it stems from the decade that spawned Taxi driver and Last house on the left. The premise may look and feel sleazy and the low budget production makes it look "less good". I get that. From a certain mindset, you could indeed call this a poor man's Deliverance and simply move on. For me, it did not look that way. The script and the cinematography really got across Jenny's innocence and how she just went about her business. In shril contrast with the thick headed (at times even primitive) single minded way of thinking of the men involved. The execution of the rape scene was discomforting on various levels. As a viewer, you sense the pain that she must be in. In a stroke of genius, the movie seems to let up for a minute, only to land a second and a third punch, each one somehow harder than the one before. Leaving you as a viewer shocked, apalled and thoroughly disgusted. From the remake, I remember that the revenge scenes were more drawn out. Here it is shorter, with more time focused on how she gives the men involved a false sense of security. The result, however, is still the same and you can still tell that Jennifer relishes in her revenge. Either from the way she toys with Stanley and the speedboat or from the way she lures in Matthew. Special mention for the way Johnny gets it. A good example of "what you don't see is scarier than what you do see". Well recommended for fans of gritty seventies stuff.
__________________
|
|
06-26-2023, 01:15 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Total Recall 1990 ★★★★
Ah, the joy of seeing a classic pop up out of nowhere. That's the plus of tv streaming with their ever changing program. One thing is for certain. Paul Verhoeven and Ahnuld go together perfectly well. Together, they got the tone for this one perfectly down. It does not take itself too seriously, and yet it does not become overly cheesy as well. Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as Douglas Quaid. At first overwhelmed by what's happening to him and then morphing into the catchphrase spewing hero we all love. And this one has more than enough of them. The action scenes are great. Verhoeven keeps you on the edge of your seat and the bits with the cab are pretty funny. And the cast? Sharon Stone riding her wave of fame after Basic Instinct, enjoying those years where she was on top of the world. Michael Ironside makes a great secondary villain, albeit looking more cartoony and less scary than he did in Scanners. And is there a more eighties villain than Ronny Cox? Classic stuff. See you at the party, Richter!
__________________
|
|
06-26-2023, 01:25 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Who Saw Her Die? 1972 ★★★½
An early seventies giallo that in theme and, at times in tone, feels reminiscent of Don't Look Now. Don't let that fool you. The at times somber, whistful tone of DLN does not compare to this one here. The opening already makes that quite clear. With an image of a muredered child being covered in snow in order to hide the body. That'll cause some nightmares for some people. The main story however, is a murder investigation after the daughter of an artist (George Lazenby with a seventies mustache) is killed. Said investigation having everything to keep you entertained: incompetent and seemingly not too interested cops, a witness being murdered, a kill in front of a bird cage (all that effort and all for the birds),... The acting is okay. Lazenby is solid as the passionate artist. But, to me, the real star is Ennio Morricone's amazing score with a haunting children's choir. That alone is worth the price of admission. Who saw her die. A hidden gem for sure. Check it out. The Fog 1980 ★★★★½ Back to the end of the seventies. John Carpenter delivers one of his better movies, both in atmos and in score. The man sure can compose a solid bit of movie music. The movie itself is a different stroke. To call it a slow burn would do it injustice, but it does take it's time in setting up the characters and their story arcs. The fidgety local politician, the single mom who has her own radio station by the sea, the hitchhiker who ends up getting more than she signed up for,... The fictional town of Antonio Bay is anticipating it's 100 year anniversary, only to find out that it's heroes were actually killers. And now the ghosts of the victims are coming back to haunt them and reclaim their gold. With kills interspaced enough to be close to a small burn, but not quite enough. We still get our beaks wet enough to be spontaneously invested. They save most of the tension for the ending. When the ghosts take over the town and go on their killing spree. Polite ghost killers, though. They wait for the kid to quit whining and head on up the stairs before offing his babysitter. But Adrienne Barbeau terrified on the radio as her son is in danger, the people in the church trying to fight off the ghosts, Jamie Lee's character and her impromptu crossing the town and saving the kid, Barbeau fighting off the ghosts,... Great stuff, that. You're on the edge of your seat throughout it. The kills themselves are closer to Halloween. Not as gory as Jason does it and, apart from The Thing, Carpenter has never really been a man of special effects and gore. He's more about moods and atmosphere. Or at least, that's the impression I have of him. As far as the characters are concerned: now that I think about it... It features among others a single mom and a sex positive hitchhiker, and everybody's cool with that. No negative sound or anything like that. The single mom DJ even has her fan club among the fishermen. I'm not sure if woke is the fitting term, but it did strike me that a seventies movie went there (in an era where slutshaming and other forms of shaming were common than they are today) and in some ways is perhaps more modern than you would intuitively give it credit for. How much of that came from Carpenter and how much of that came from Debra Hill? Hal Holbrook is solid as the priest, Adrienne Barbaeau is solid and kick ass as always. Jamie Lee Curtis does a good job as the happy go lucky hitchhiker and the same goes with Janet Leigh as the ever nervous politician. Come to think of, every other seventies or eighties film would probably have her be a chain/stress smoker, yet this movie does not. Also funny to see Holbrook and Carpenter share a scene in the beginning with dialogue (“Can I get paid?”) that, in real life, is more likely to be the other way around. Not for the ADD prone among us, but recommended for all other horror fans and cinephiles looking for a solid horror. Close Encounters of the Third Kind 1977 ★★★★★ What makes Steven Spielberg such a great director? Not saying that there is a simple, straightforward answer. It's probably a combination of factors. But one key element is his capability to merge movie magic with topics that appeal to a mass audience. Dinosaurs came later in Jurassic Park, but here he explores space for the very first time. While ET was later to be more family firendly, this is all about the mistery, the wonder, the discovery. The feeling of holy moly, something is out there! And they might be closer than we all think! The opening immediately has you covered with the mistery of the 1945 airplanes. What the hell is going on? Really no (cinema) sin to be found? Well... Sin 1: This movie does not feature David Duchovny (ding!) Sin 2: Or Gillian Anderson (ding!) Sin 3: And no sign of The Lone Gunmen or the Cancerman (ding!) All kidding aside, there is not much room for comedy here. The words that come to mind are more likely to be terms like bewilderment, obsessiveness and (no pun intended) alienation. Keep in mind: this was the era where merely investigating and believing in alien life was more seen to be reserved for fruitcakes and general weirdos. The bewilderment when you encounter something something that your mind does not and cannot comprehend. And the subsequent obesessive search in order to do so. Best example: Roy Neary is so obsessed with finding out about the aliens that he does not even notice how half his face is sunburnt. Or of course the infamous mashed potato scene. Interesting how this scene became iconic, since it is not the oddest thing he does while still in the family house. Maybe it's because this one still has somewhat of an attachment to everyday family life? And lest we forget, the alienation. It's not difficult to see how this behaviour alienatesNeary from his family, even with his wife trying to be a good sport about it all. Until, eventually, even she reaches her breaking point. Richard Dreyfuss brilliantly portrays a man getting more and more detached from society, up until the point where he only has a few diehard fellow travelers/believers left. Which brings us to the moment where the aliens arrive. I found it really touching to see how the two species found a common ground for communication in a form of music. The five tones we first hear in the massive group chant undeniably have a musical element to them and for reasons I cannot explain, it's comofrting to feel that music could accomplish that. I was also struck by the way of communicating. To me, the aliens using tonal vocabulary fits perfectly with the notion that one of the oldest languages in the world – Mandarin – is based on tones rather than words or verbs and conjugations. And it adds to the wonder of the Western characters discovering a manner of communicating most of them are completely unfamiliar with. Trying to discover patterns in what the others are saying. A base for talking, getting to know each other. Also also, how nice is to see people meet aliens and actually smiling? How you can have different species meeting and the overall sentiment is curiosity and wonder? How no one feels the need to blow up literally everything? The fact that this is “snowed under” by movies like Jaws, Schindler's List, ET or Jurassic Park only serves to show how amazing mister Spielberg's filmography is. And this is still a marvelous piece of cinema that you should see when you get the chance.
__________________
|
|
06-26-2023, 01:32 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Maniac 1980 ★★★
I had the pleasure of seeing this one via the YT channel of Creature Features. It turned out to be a fun introduction to both concepts. That goes with an interview with director William Lustig and the British guy with a bit of a What we do in the shadows/Richmond from the IT crowd-vibe about him. And of course the movie. Not to put the original down, but this is one of those cases where the remake improves on the original. Joe Spennell's performance may have been scary for seventies audiences (and again, he's far from bad), but by now, I have seen too many of these characters for this to really stand out. Third star for Tom Savini's cameo and his special effects.
__________________
|
|
06-27-2023, 10:49 AM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Quote:
__________________
. . . .  
|
|
06-27-2023, 12:38 PM
|
||||
|
||||
|
Bloody Birthday 1981 ★★★
Bloody birthday is a bit of an odd duck between the ream of eighties slashers. First of all, it makes no secret of the identity of the killers. And the killers themselves, well... not to spoil anything, but I can say that it's reminiscent of the Eve 6 episode in the X-files. Similar intelligence, similar pyschoticness and meanspiritedness. That makes up for the lack of originality with some of the kills. Not saying that I long for blood in this context, but in the average slasher, you are not really waiting for a few shootings. That said, the burial kill and the bow and arrow kill kind of make up for that. Good stuff if you are a slasher fan looking for something different. Body Double 1984 ★★★½ Solid thriller from Brian De Palma. A tad predictable and for some reason a lot less bloody than I recall. But decent overall and solid for what it sets out to do.
__________________
|
 |
|
|
