Originally Posted by _____V_____ (Post 822372)

Originally Posted by roshiq (Post 822277)

seen it lately and yeah...the ending was bit cruel & shocking but overall I enjoyed it though:)

Dawn of the Dead (1978)

http://img220.imageshack.us/img220/3...nofthedead.jpg

[Saw it for the first time:o]

This is a film that offers many things to many people - sharp consumer satire, black comedy, gore-splatter epic etc. Nevertheless it also shows a bleak, frantic worldview...one that encompasses all of mankind. And on that ground it's not a zombie movie or a common 'horror' film, to me it was a very human story. Like very few could have done, Romero's Dawn crosses the boundaries of its 'genre' and becomes a rare piece of milestone in the history of celluloid arts. It' a thrilling tale of survival & struggle of mankind against the nature, creatures and also within themselves like at a time of extinction or supposedly at a new beginning. The scariest part of the movie is how likely it makes the concept of total collapse of what we perceive as civilization. Such is Romero's skill as a director and writer that it manages to be all of these without pretension; more than 30 years on, this film's appeal still remains undimmed.

"Some kind of instinct. Memory, of what they used to do. This was an important place in their lives."

There are plenty of satirical moments between the explosions of violence and gore, moments that still make us realize to what extent the world has reverted to being a race of consumer zombies, congregating around massive shopping malls like they're the religious temples and trapped in not by so called 'freedom of choice', but mindless instincts. The overall sustained atmosphere, inside and outside of the bare environment of the shopping mall, is by far the film's salient contribution; even when there is no obvious action onscreen, there is the threat of an attack to come, and the clock is clearly ticking on the four protagonists. They discover the novelty of having as many of society's desirable goods as they could ever want wears off pretty quick when there's nothing on TV, nowhere to spend money and no one to appreciate expensive clothes and jewelry.

A beautifully frightening film...Romero's best.

>>: A

Originally Posted by _____V_____ (Post 822261)

You should check out Adaptation, Matchstick Men, Face/Off and Wild At Heart.
And, despite its minor flaws, I would recommend Knowing highly too.
Not a big fan of Cage either, and a lot of his recent work HAS been pathetic, but the man has delivered when asked upon. Too bad its been few and far between.
Check out 8MM too, if you havent seen it already.

Originally Posted by _____V_____ (Post 822379)

I thought it was pretty decent.
The characterisation felt like a bit of an eyeroller but the premise and plot are solid. Very good atmosphere created by some fantastic cinematography and artwork, nice use of symbolism and surreality, and complimented by some pretty neat direction.

I still prefer Altered States over this as my choice for Ken Russell. Havent seen some of his other works (Lair of the White Worm being the third one I ve seen), but I m pretty sure Altered States is his crowning achievement. Gothic would be second in line.