Last Seen Contemporary Movie

[DeadbeatAtDawn]

Freeze, 2022. 6/10

Directed by Charlie Steeds




Children of the Corn, 2023. 5/10

Directed by Kurt Wimmer





Consecration, 2023. 8/10

Directed by Christopher Smith

[FryeDwight]

VALENTINE (2002). This reminds Me a lot of early 80's fare and about as good as most of them were; ie not very. If there were any messages in these films, one of them would be to be careful of Your past , as it may return to bite You! **

[Amaltheaunicorn2023]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[Tommy Jarvis]

1408 2007 ★★★★

I loved every minute of it. Thanks toJordi Ostir for giving me the idea to go in for a rewatch. Because this is a great film, a great film and certainly one of the best King-adaptations out there.

The build up alone is amazing. The tension between the cheeky, smarmy writer and the maître d' is palpatable and makes you wonder if anyone does exasperation better than Samuel L Jackson.

But when he gets to the room... holy moly. Everything is done to perfection. The radio that starts playing by itself, giving a great callback to Poltergeist. Or the references to the people who died and/or killed themselves in there. Or how the room seems capable of reading your mind and then turning your biggest fears and your deepest traumas on you and using them to drive you crazy.

Or even the jump scares. Normally a tired trope which only serves to annoy people and get an eyeroll when done by less imaginative filmmakers.

1408 sucks you in, wether you want to or not and a lot of the credit goes to John Cusack. Carrying a movie on your own is a most difficult task for any actor, but Cusack pulls it off wonderfully. Making you completely buy his descent into madness.

The only point of criticism I could imagine was that you could see the end of the hallucination coming. But the whammy with the tape player makes up for that.

Mama 2013 ★★★

A Guillermo Del Toro production and it shows. It does have a certain terrifying supernatural atmosphere. And director Andy Muschetti does a good job bringing it to the screen.

It has a lot of qualities. The moment in the opening bit with the father intending to kill his daughter is touching, as is the separation between the two sisters.

Once the girls move in with the main characters, the story gets going. It certainly has scary moments, especually with Jessica Chastain's character. A few moments and a bit of an underwhelming ending kept from four stars.

Maybe it will win the fourth star on a rewatch. Who knows?

[Tommy Jarvis]

Teenage Caveman 2002 ★

Dull as hell and annoying. I turned if off after about 35-40 minutes.

Final Destination 3 2006 ★★½

A rewatch because... because I have a Netflix-subscription and I have to make it count. Plus, it has Mary Elizabeth Winstead and that's also a plus.

Nothing memorable, but a decent entry in the series. The premonition is worked out well with cool practical effects and the kills all have a good dose of over the top of whoa! ho ho hooooo gross out feel to it.

1922 2017 ★★★

Let's get the negative out of the way first. This is no Green Mile or Carrie.

But it's entertaining and it shows a different side to the great writer. While it does have the typical King-ghosties, it also shows his aptitude at writing a tragedy. And tragedy it is, indeed. With Thomas Jane making a decent narrator.

Good stuff for King-fans.

Godzilla 2014 ★★

I'm no Godzilla-connaisseur, but it does seem to take an awful long time for us to see any actual Godzilla.

It's not as if the human characters were all that captivating. Aaron Taylor-Johnson goes from Kick-Ass to Blando McBlandia, and the others humans follow suit. Leading to a truck load of military types doing shouty stuff in bursty bits. And we could have done without the Bryan Cranston-storyline all together.

The clash between Godzilla and the Muto's is spectacular, but the movie cuts away too quickly before it becomes interesting.

Crimi Clowns: De Movie 2013 ★★★★

Crimi clowns started off as a dark sitcom. The protagonists? A family that performs as clowns by day. By night, they work as burglars and robbers.And here, they made their big screen debut.

With its dark humor and found footage style, it goes perfectly in the same bin as Man Bites Dog (which is even referenced at one point in its original French title) or the similar styled series called Matrioshki.

For fans of Goodfellas or some of the gangster stuff Guy Ritchie did like Lock, stock and two smoking barrels. Grittier? Maybe. But entertaining as hell. That's for sure.

Final Destination 2000 ★★★

FD gave me the idea to go for a rewatch of the series.

This turned out to be more enjoyable than the first time in the theatres. The premonition was set up nicely and the kills were cool. Maybe not as gory as in the sequels, but pretty good. And of course, there was the "Carter, you dick" running gag is good for a smirk or a giggle.

Devon Sawa and Ali Larter were doing well with the material they were given. But Sean William Scott was just rehashing a Stifler-vibe and the rest was forgettable. Apart from of course Tony Todd being a total badass as usual.

And this X-Files fan feels a bit guilty for not recognising Modell. How did I miss that?

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 2003 ★★★★½

In terms of food, this movie can be both an epic seven course meal or a bag of Dick's. And both are equally delicious.

Just what I needed for tonight's viewing.

Ghost Ship 2002 ★★★

This movie is mostly known for its gruesome opening scene. Funny thing is: it immediately drew me in, but not because of the reason that's shown in all the Youtube-videos and lists mentioning it. It was because it opened with a sensuous rendition of Senza Fine, an Italian song that I up until now only heard in a version by - of all people - Mike Patton. Hearing a woman sing it and the inevitableness of what was coming got me hooked.

Don't get me wrong. This film has it's qualities, no doubt about that. The opening scene topped with the steel chord bit was set up well. Some of the bits with Julianna Margulies and the little girl were fittingly creepy, especially the pool bit. The comraderie between the crew was more credible than, say, Alien vs Predator.

The overall atmosphere was spooky enough to keep you intrigued and going. And the ending had a bit of a beauty to it as well. Ah, the lost souls are finally free. Can you consider this cheesy? Yes. But I'm leaning towards the positive here.

Then why no four stars? Because there are enough silly bits to keep from going that high. For one, there's Karl Urban and Ron Eldard in pretty much the worst Jackass skit ever.

Or Isaiah Washington's character. I cannot be the only one cynical enough to see a character talking non stop about his fiancé at home and immediately think "you are so dead". Him getting killed by following his little Isaiah rather than his brain? It can both add to your experience and take away from it.

The exposition at the end and the whammy after the all's well on a stretcher bit. Bit on the fence about that, as I am about more things in this movie. I get why they did it, but ....

Then last but not least, there's Gabriel Byrne. A man ingrained in cinephiles' memory as Dean Keaton. A man with the classy voice and ditto looks to play in the same league as Colin Firth. Starring in films that compete for the high prizes in Cannes, Berlin, Hollywood,... Someone who does these films the same way Alan Rickman did Dogma.

I'm sure the man is perfectly happy with his career as is - and many would kill for it - but even here, he has a few moments that make you wonder "what if...?"

Oh, and somehow, I thought it was kind of fun to hear a bit of Mudvayne in a movie like this. Good band, that.

Recommended for ghosty people looking for a popcorn evening.

A Quiet Place 2018 ★★★★

It was a beautiful movie.

It's horror for family people. About doing everything within your power to help and protect your family, even if they do not notice most of the time. Even sacrificing yourself when the occasion calls for it. And what parent cannot relate to the terror of having to give birth in silence?

Also: Can we mark this as one of the last times in cinema history that fireworks were useful?

[Tommy Jarvis]

Villa Captive 2011 ★★★

As a straight up thriller, it has its merits.

The story comes along at a fairly good pace. It keeps you intrigued and manages to make you care at least a bit about the main protagonists.

A torture porn would have gone more explicit on the gore and made the revenge kills more elaborate.

[Tommy Jarvis]

Incantation 2022 ★★★★★

I thoroughly loved this one.

It's spooky and creepy and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I loved the flipping back and forth between the current day and the past, delving deeper into what happened in the "place where you can not come" and how it still affects Li Ronan to this day.

The death scenes, the gore, the jump scares, the fear,... Not making any predictions on how it will age, but right now... They all work magnificently.

Well recommended.

Transformers 2007 ★

At least this proves the genius of Ryan George. If you can make something funny out of this dreck, you have some kind of brilliance at your disposal.

Wow wow wow wow... wow.

[Tommy Jarvis]

2012 2009 ★★★

Make no mistake about it, this is hella dumb. And overly sentimental. And stereotypical as hell. And a few other things. And as far as Oliver Platt's character goes... Why are we supposed to hate him again?

That said, together with Independance Day and The Day After Tomorrow, this proves one thing: Emmerich does dumb well. Or at least better than Bay does.

Pair this with Cusack and Peet pulling off credible action leads. Or Woody Harrelson. You can drop Woody anywhere and he does a solid job.

That combination makes it at least enjoyable. Enjoyable popcorn trash.

The Wasteland 2021 ★★

El Paramo did not do much for me.

Too many jumpscares - granted, the I spy bit paid off - and too much run of the mill ghostiness.

For fans of supernatural films, but not much more than that.

Maniac 2012 ★★★★

Because it's completely filmed in pov, pretty much all of this movie relies on the performance by Elijah Wood. Apart from a few bloody moments where director Franck Khalfoun and writer Alexandre Aja (High Tension) get to live out their inner gorehound.

Weirdly, it was made more impressive by seeing and hearing the childlike enthusiasm with which Elijah talks about his craft and his love for his job.

While his performance relies heavily on his voice, arm movements and things like heavy breathing, it's not really completely like the voice acting in cartoons (or at least it does not seem that way).

His performance and the story also offer an insight into his character's torment and how his soul is torn apart by both the past and later the present. But right before you start sympathizing with him, let alone feel sorry for him, you are reminded every time that, by the end of the day, he is a psychopathic killer.

I liked the Anna subplot for several reasons. On first sight, it keeps the movie from becoming repetitive. Together with the dating scene, it also shows how Frank has the opportunity to connect with women. But at the key moment, the demons in his head keep him from further connecting.

Finally, this might be odd, but in a way, this movie can perhaps create more goodwill for something like #metoo than some of the more "aware" films that came later. It shows how Frank is capable of a (somewhat) normal conversation. Even more, it shows how you, as a woman, can have a pleasant evening with a man, or even build up a relationship based on trust. But at every moment, there is that possible fear on how this "nice guy" can turn on you at any given moment and become a threat.

Final conclusion: it's definetily as good as the original by William Lustig, if not better. Well recommended.

DeadHeads 2011 ★★

It was good for a few chuckles and at least they switched the generic metal for generic indie rock. That's... something.

Other than that, the characters are too generic and cartoony to be funny. The only enjoyable ones are Emily - Annie Potts meets Hooks from Police Academy - and tonight's Ken Foree, who is the closest thing to playing it straight. And zombies can kiss girls now, because... reasons.

Shrek 2001 ★★★½

Believe it or not, but tonight brought two doses of John Lithgow. (The day after being the other one)

Some of the lines and references have perhaps not aged that well. I mean, how many kids still know the Macarena?

But as a modern day fairytale, it still holds up. It's has enough good jokes and cool action pieces to keep you involved in the story. Very entertaining.

Mike Myers shines as Shrek and, in my opinion, Eddie Murphy has his best role since Coming To America.

[Amaltheaunicorn2023]

[IMG]https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/70834e96-067e-42b9-8c26-8fe104d3fbaa/ddjnrnl-8a0fb566-9744-4de6-b4ee-0379c3cfffdc.gif?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJ IUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQz NzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZT BkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6 W1t7InBhdGgiOIMG]

[hammerfan]

Boston Strangler (2023)

On Hulu, regarding the case of the Boston Strangler in the 60s. I thought it was very well done. Stars Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon as the investigative journalists who broke the story.