Argento Overrated?!
 

Never though those words would pass my lips but its the way I'm beginning to feel. I've always enjoyed his films but latley I've just found them average and he doesn't compare to Fulci. I mainly enjoy Argento for the shock value atomosphere and music but after checking out a few of his films I hadn't seen I found it lacking. I was really dissapointed with Deep Red which had a few cool moments but was ultimatley average. I mean he's still better than 90% of the stuff out there I was just wondering what you guys thought? Does he deserve all the praise?

I'm watching Tenebre now so maybe this will change things for me.

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I like Dario Argento better than Fulci.

for me it's Fulci thats overrated ...

when you put the best of one against the best of the other ... argento does it for me ..
his style is richer, his pacing, his cinematography ..

i always take shit for this but i think Fulci is a bit of a hack ..


20 years ago .. i would probably have said the reverse but my tastes have refined with age :D

I agree.
I do enjoy Fulci's work but Argento is still one of the mmasters.

I think Argento has a better sense of irony, where Fulci is in it for the gross-out!

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I feel the same way except about Fulci being a hack. Who knows what I'll think in 20 years though. :D

i used to love the gross out factor .. but after a while everyone is doing it .. trying to push the envelope, etc ..

after a while its the story and acting, etc, that make the difference ..

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I've never been too much into gore really. If I can get really into a movie through a good, well told story with convincing actors, I'm totally happy.

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and thats Argento - mostly :D

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with some stylishly italian cinematography to smooth over the rough bits :D

i think of fulci as the nasty italian corman .. heh

thats gonna draw some shit :p

I think Fulci is more the Italian H.G Lewis. I've found Fulci's films have a better pace than Argento's and a lot of Dario's characters are badly executed because of the poor acting. Fulci's films have some terrible acting don't get me wrong but the gore is the payoff and his films have a creeper doomy atomosphere.

But yeh I'm a total splatter freak so I'm biased :)

shit when i was in my 20's i was insane for the stuff ...

thats the downside to seeing everything .. the novelty wears off ... and other things make you lose your taste for certain kinds of nastiness (having a kid for one)
too many years of exposure to the daily attrocities of the news is another


i still enjoy the Story of Ricky type splatter though .. it's cartoonish

I see most gore as cartoonish and over the top but I guess I don't watch a hell of a lot of stuff that'd is meant to be taken too seriously. I know what you mean about losing your taste for the gore, sometimes (usually after WAY to much smoke) I'm like "Why the fuck am I watching this shit?". But I've always enjoyed intense cinema and gore tends to be a part of that.
But I've got a really dark sense of humour you'll always see a wee grin and a chuckle during something gruesome. I get some funny looks at the theatre :)

if something is inspired and done well - i'll still get a kick out of it ..

Final Destination 2 is a good example ... this film was a major suprise for me ... the kills were terrific ... it wasnt the kind of film where you gave a shit about the characters so i didnt feel sadistic admitting that - it was pretty over the top ...


i'm going to have to watch that one again ..

It's amazing how much Argento's stuff varies in quality but the fact that some of his stuff sucks certainly doesn't take away the fact that some of his stuff is great does it? If a film-maker pumps out 1 masterpiece and one hundred pieces of crap I hope people still respect his masterpiece and remember him for that.

for M. Night Shyamalan's sake, i hope that's true !

LOL

I think M. Night will get credit despite The Village (and I actually have a soft spot for Unbreakable no matter how predictable).

What about Ewe Boll though? If he does something amazing you think we'll forget House of the Dead, Alone in the Dark, and Bloodrayne?

unbreakable is a fucking amazing film ... i'll stand by that one ...

but signs and the villiage ... yikes a steady slide downhill.


ewe boil is incapable of doing anything amazing ... i wont hold my breath on that one ..

Great film, great packaging, great extras... one of my favorite DVD purchases.

I thought Signs was simply ok but The Village... *shudder*.

What about Dungeon Siege? It's got Michael Madsen! lol

Anyway, if you're ever in doubt of Argento watch Suspira again. I love that film and although it's his most famous, I think it is so for a reason.

I thought he was in top form with DEEP RED and SUSPIRIA. His other films are fun and good, but those two are really REALLY good, I think.

Didn't get into Deep Red and Suspiria has its moments but is overrated too. The two I really dig are Creepers (I prefer that cut) and Terror at The Opera.

my opinion of Argento has always been that he's a very talented director that works in the wrong genre. He's made good horror movies (Suspiria and Trauma in particular, although I haven't seen Creepers), but if he'd done more work out of the genre he might've made some really great movies. Fulci isn't as good, but I'd put him in the same boat.

Re: Argento Overrated?!
 

argento is certainly the more talented of the two.fulci though a good director can be brutal at times and that can translate into excessive gore(all part of his charm) while argento has a better eye and all around story telling.

as for bad acting,your always going to lose a little of the performance in the translation...it's all forgivable.

I love them both but I'm firmly in the Argento camp. My faves being Terror At the Opera, Stendhal Syndrome, Suspiria, Tenebre and The Bird With The Crystal Plumage.

My fave Fulci films being Zombie Flesh Eaters, New York Ripper, House by The Cemetary and The Beyond.

Argento though for me!

Both Argento and Fulci are overated, in my opinion.:rolleyes:

I really enjoy Argento. The only film I've seen of his that I've been disappointed in is his version of 'Phantom of the Opera.'

apparently The Card Player - or whatever it's called .. is supposed to be his lowest point ..

Ahh yes...I've heard nothing but bad things about that. However, a lot of people bashed Sleepless, and I really enjoyed it.

I think the Card Player by far is his worst work to date...

..I dont like the way Argento uses music in different scenes...it often feels misplaced...too rock'y to be scary...he should use more ambient/atmosphere music..

I liked the music in the Argento flicks Terror At The Opera, Creepers and Suspiria. I got really annoyed with the music in Deep Red and Tenebre because I thought it was really tacky.

I think the "rocky' aspect is kinda trashy and cool. Stabbings to Iron Maiden, Motorhead and Steel Grave kick ass :p

Yeh I heard the Card Player is total garbage but critics reactions to horror films never sway me either way its just something you have to see to decide for yourself.

I heard his film Sleepless was a return to form tho.

cardplayer was sub-par sure but sleepless was fantastic.you should give it a gander.

I REALLY enjoyed Sleepless (aka I Can't Sleep.) It had one of those murder scenes that really got to me. Not to mention it was a nice mystery story along the lines of Tenebre. I agree you should give it a shot.

Cool I will.... it has the Priest out of the Exorcist starring in it?

I liked Deep Red, the other stuff was too boring/cheesy.

You can't be serious.

You're thinking of Max von Sydow. Yes, he's in both.

Thats the name that was on the tip of my tongue. Was too lazy to look it up.

Read........my...............lips.

bava>argento>fulci