Rate the Last Movie You Saw

[Sock Monkey]

CANDYMAN (2021): I'm the first to admit that I have not jumped on the Jordan Peele bandwagon. I thought that GET OUT was a smart little thriller and enjoyed it quite a bit, but thoughtUS was not nearly as clever and interesting as most reviewers thought it was. So when his name was attached as a producer, it wasn't a natural "sale" for me. His movies did have enough interesting ideas in them, that I couldn't just dismiss the new Candyman movie out of hand. Now after watching it, I wish I had.

I loved the original CANDYMAN. It's a smart, atmospheric movie that didn't quite get the love it deserved upon release, but is now almost universally praised as one of the few great horror movies to come from the '90s. Bernard Rose took Barker's original story and crafted a scary urban legend that still speaks to the racial tensions in America without getting didactic or preachy. It was a horror movie first and foremost. It unnerved with it's hook-handed killer, but also with the poverty-and-crime-stricken Cabrini-Green and it's residents who constantly live in fear of the terrors of the real world.

Nia Dacosta's new movie on the other hand almost forgets it's a horror movie. It absolutely wants the viewer to know that it is about something. And it almost gets there. Almost. The ideas of gentrification, police violence against African-Americans, and this same violence used as subjects of art are all touched upon and how this relates to the legend of Candyman is interesting. The problem is the movie is too interested in those ideas, about being about something that it forgets to give us reasons to care about the characters, to give the viewer something to latch onto. The movie is even confused about who the protagonist of the film is, switching POV in a manner that leaves the viewer disengaged.

This new movie also commits the gravest of sin that a horror movie can make: it forgets to be scary. The movie lacks tension even as it ramps up the supposed horrors. In fact, the majority of the violence of happens just off-camera. I'm not a gorehound by any means, and leaving things to the imagination can be extremely effective, if shot properly. Unfortunately, that's not the case here. The scary scenes lay flaccid on the screen, bored. Even some of the line delivery in these scenes are laughable and out of step with the tone with rest of the movie ("Is this real?" One character asks as his lover bleeds out on the floor in front of him, her throat slit before his eyes.)

There is some great ideas in this new film (and the animation sequences are outstanding), but more than anything, it just doesn't work. An interesting misfire, but a misfire nonetheless.

Grade: D

[Ben Staad]

The Night Eats the World.

Watched this mildly entertaining zombie movie today. It is one of those about a guy who ends up alone during the Z apocalypse. Nothing new here and nothing added to this particular genre of movie. It was just okay.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

[Ben Staad]

I just wrapped up a distracted viewing of a 1978 film called Magic starring Anthony Hopkins. In all honesty this film left me with a hole in my stomach.

3.5/5 distracted stars.

[Brian861]

I have seen The Howling, and, while I liked The Howling, I didn't love it. If I only had the chance to watch one or the other, for my money, it would be An American Werewolf in London by a landslide. Also, yeah, that transformation scene by Rick baker in An American Werewolf in London is freaking amazing. Had heard about it in the past, but, it still managed to knock my socks off. I'm a huge mark for practical effects and this one was outrageously good, probably the best werewolf transformation scene in history.

Especially considering how old the film is now, it still holds up remarkable well. I like how it just didn't happen and the process was made to seem extremely painful. As I'm sure it would be. Like you know something bad is about to happen to your body and you have absolutely no control over it. A huge element of fear in that as well.

[sholloman81]

Couldn't agree more. I have a confession as well. I've never seen The Howling and I think there are several of these? Having only the Werewolf in London to go off over; it's got to be the best transformation screen from man to wolf ever done.

I have seen The Howling, and, while I liked The Howling, I didn't love it. If I only had the chance to watch one or the other, for my money, it would be An American Werewolf in London by a landslide. Also, yeah, that transformation scene by Rick baker in An American Werewolf in London is freaking amazing. Had heard about it in the past, but, it still managed to knock my socks off. I'm a huge mark for practical effects and this one was outrageously good, probably the best werewolf transformation scene in history.

[Brian861]

Finally got around to watching a movie that has been on my radar forever but that I have always resisted watching for some reason, An American Werewolf in London. Really annoyed with myself as I enjoyed the heck out of this one. Definitely in the running for best Werewolf movie of all-time. Think I was put off of it by every review mentioning how much humor is in the movie as I generally do not enjoy the funny/jokey horror movies. That being said, the humor in this one was pitch perfect and very very dark. The film was also much gorier than I expected. Overall, I am very glad that I finally gave this movie a chance and will now be recommending it as one of my top Halloween watches!

Couldn't agree more. I have a confession as well. I've never seen The Howling and I think there are several of these? Having only the Werewolf in London to go off over; it's got to be the best transformation screen from man to wolf ever done.

[sholloman81]

Finally got around to watching a movie that has been on my radar forever but that I have always resisted watching for some reason, An American Werewolf in London. Really annoyed with myself as I enjoyed the heck out of this one. Definitely in the running for best Werewolf movie of all-time. Think I was put off of it by every review mentioning how much humor is in the movie as I generally do not enjoy the funny/jokey horror movies. That being said, the humor in this one was pitch perfect and very very dark. The film was also much gorier than I expected. Overall, I am very glad that I finally gave this movie a chance and will now be recommending it as one of my top Halloween watches!

[Ben Staad]

I agree with most of what you are saying. I wasn't happy with the choice of the 80s, Mike, and thought they could have done a little more with Henry's crew.

Went to my local AMC theater last night for another of their Thrills & Chills movie nights. The surprise horror movie they ended up screening was IT: Part One (2017). Saw this one when it was first released. Liked it but didn't love it. Still feel the same way after this 2nd viewing. While there was a lot to enjoy in this film (the score, the cinematography, as well as the superb acting job by the girl who played Bev), there were also an equal number of baffling choices that left me a bit cold as a viewer. Not sure that the film/story needed to be updated to the 80's as opposed to the late 50's other than to be able to bring in some of the 80's jokes/cultural references that would perhaps land easier for current audiences than 50's jokes/references. I actually think the 50's works better for the kids section as it helps to covey a bit more innocence than the 80's. Also, I still can't figure out why they shifted so much of Mike's character and arc over to Ben. Doing this turned Mike into a completely forgettable character in both parts of the movie, which is a shame. The Ben character already had plenty of things to work with such as the love triangle, body image issues, etc. that there really was no need to shoehorn so much of Mike's character/arc over to him. Overall, while I always enjoy getting to spend some more time with the Loser's Club, even a die-hard IT/King fan such as myself can't argue that this was a great film. Hopefully, some day, there will someone brave enough and with enough sway/resources to make the definitive version of IT.

[sholloman81]

Went to my local AMC theater last night for another of their Thrills & Chills movie nights. The surprise horror movie they ended up screening was IT: Part One (2017). Saw this one when it was first released. Liked it but didn't love it. Still feel the same way after this 2nd viewing. While there was a lot to enjoy in this film (the score, the cinematography, as well as the superb acting job by the girl who played Bev), there were also an equal number of baffling choices that left me a bit cold as a viewer. Not sure that the film/story needed to be updated to the 80's as opposed to the late 50's other than to be able to bring in some of the 80's jokes/cultural references that would perhaps land easier for current audiences than 50's jokes/references. I actually think the 50's works better for the kids section as it helps to covey a bit more innocence than the 80's. Also, I still can't figure out why they shifted so much of Mike's character and arc over to Ben. Doing this turned Mike into a completely forgettable character in both parts of the movie, which is a shame. The Ben character already had plenty of things to work with such as the love triangle, body image issues, etc. that there really was no need to shoehorn so much of Mike's character/arc over to him. Overall, while I always enjoy getting to spend some more time with the Loser's Club, even a die-hard IT/King fan such as myself can't argue that this was a great film. Hopefully, some day, there will someone brave enough and with enough sway/resources to make the definitive version of IT.

[dannyboy121070]

Thanks for that report. How was the theatrical experience with SARS-2 still around?

I will be watching, maybe tonight, on Peacock. Maybe I'll watch half tonight and the rest tomorrow, not sure the time I'll have (I know a lot of people disagree with that approach, but I see films as chapters and parts now, I guess for time-management reasons). From your report, sounds like this will be good. I enjoyed the previous one. Call me a wimp, but I am more squeamish these days than when I was younger, so I hope the gore/etc. isn't so out-there intense. Plus, gore for gore's sake no longer interests me, especially in the era of the Elevated Horror Picture Show.

I wonder if minimizing Laurie Strode's presence is a way to affordably cast Curtis? I read an interview with her on the movie at the Deadline site and have to say, this sounds too like it will offer some deeper commentary on violence/etc. She seems very proud of the movie, and I was glad to get that feeling.

I also need to remember to pick up the novelization. I know there's one available for this one (or will be soon, anyway), but I think that has become a lost art, hasn't it, or does it just seem that way?

You still get a decent amount of Curtis, but the canvas is opened up a little wider in this film, and you have a lot of returning characters from the original and more Haddonfield citizens.

[JJ123]

Thanks for that report. How was the theatrical experience with SARS-2 still around?

I will be watching, maybe tonight, on Peacock. Maybe I'll watch half tonight and the rest tomorrow, not sure the time I'll have (I know a lot of people disagree with that approach, but I see films as chapters and parts now, I guess for time-management reasons). From your report, sounds like this will be good. I enjoyed the previous one. Call me a wimp, but I am more squeamish these days than when I was younger, so I hope the gore/etc. isn't so out-there intense. Plus, gore for gore's sake no longer interests me, especially in the era of the Elevated Horror Picture Show.

I wonder if minimizing Laurie Strode's presence is a way to affordably cast Curtis? I read an interview with her on the movie at the Deadline site and have to say, this sounds too like it will offer some deeper commentary on violence/etc. She seems very proud of the movie, and I was glad to get that feeling.

I also need to remember to pick up the novelization. I know there's one available for this one (or will be soon, anyway), but I think that has become a lost art, hasn't it, or does it just seem that way?

[sholloman81]

Went to the theater last night and saw the new Halloween Kills movie. What a mean little movie! I actually liked it much better than its predecessor. Tons of unique kills and tons of gore. Pretty much no one is safe in this film. I also thought it was a smart move to expand the cast. You end up spending much less time with the Strode characters in this one, but, that ends up actually being a good things in terms of the plot. Still not sure how I feel about the ending of the movie. There were multiple red herrings in the last 15-20 minutes that left me truly guessing how the movie was actually going to end. The actual ending itself was very surprising and I'm sure will be a little divisive among fans, though, I understand why the choice was made in terms for the overall story arc. All in all, I would definitely recommend this one to anybody who has enjoyed past Halloween films or slasher films in general.

[JJ123]

I recently watched Malignant. This was discussed several posts back.

Just briefly, I really liked it. As someone else said in a comment (on another forum), maybe the best way to put it is it's more of a thriller/Columbo than a horror film. I suppose I understand some of the stated disappointment in this forum, but for some reason, it worked for me. Someone else mentioned they understood the twist before it happened. I am never good at that, so let me say, when the twist was revealed, I was surprised, and I did enjoy it. Not sure if this would be giving anything away, but...

Spoiler!

I'm assuming King's The Dark Half was an influence? Maybe this was already mentioned in the thread, if it was, didn't catch it.

Someone also mentioned Chills and Thrills, the random horror film showings. That is a pretty cool concept. The Dawn/Dead remake was a fun film at the time, and still is. On the subject of fast versus slow zombies, I will say, sometimes it is really nice to sit back and watch the original Night of the Living Dead and slow things down a bit. That must look dated as heck to kids now, and as I get older, I certainly get that. But it really is more atmospheric than we all remember, I think, which is something that sometimes happens in the reverse. Probably won't have the time this year, but one Halloween I have to be sure to make that the film I watch to celebrate (that's one problem with this month: so much stuff is on, you don't know where to turn!). That film, and Prince of Darkness by Carpenter, are really good day-of or day-before Halloween films.

And by the way: the idea of seeing a random horror film at a theater just screams to be made into either a short horror film or...something longer....or, maybe at least a short story.

[sholloman81]

[QUOTE=Sock Monkey;n190134]

Another REGION-FREE fan! Wife got me a region-free 4K player (Sony X800M2) after I bugged her for years and I’ll never go back. So many more movies available than what’s released on disc in the states.

I’m curious about TITANE as well, though I wasn’t the biggest fan of RAW. I think there was too much hype by the time I got around to it.

I’m also a huge fan of foreign horror movies. Love to hear your favorites as I’m always on the lookout for more.

Yeah, I'm all about the region-free player too and would never go back! In terms of my favorite foreign (non-English speaking) horror films, I'm having a hard time thinking of some the smaller gems on my movie bookcase at home, but, off the top of my head, some of my all-time favorites include: Audition, Oldboy, Train to Busan, Let the Right One In, The Vanishing, Funny Games, Raw, Martyrs, The Untamed, Irreversible, Rec, Eyes Without A Face, Susperia, Deep Red, The Devil's Backbone, etc. I'm sure there are plenty more that I am forgetting.

[Sock Monkey]

[QUOTE=sholloman81;n190114]

It's interesting how many good movies are coming out from overseas in the last several years. Big budget blockbusters is still the Hollywood thing but there are some amazing movies and shows from places like South Korea, Russia, Germany, and all over the place.

Definitely agree with this statement. With streaming providers offering a lot more platforms for these type of movies to be seen and with horror movies (finally) getting love at the awards ceremonies/from critics and thus being exposed to wider audiences, it seems like we're in a golden age for foreign horror films over the last decade. And as you mentioned in your post, it also seems like they are coming from all corners of the globe as opposed to being centered in one "it" location as if felt like they were in the past (for example Italy with all their Giallo horror movies or Spain with all their low budget vampire films). I would love some horror website or magazine to come up with a list of the top 50 foreign horror films of all time; or, a list of the top horror movies from each country. I know that I've probably got at least 15-20 foreign horror movies on my shelf at home and would love to find more titles that I may have overlooked or never heard about when they were first released. Having an all-region blu-ray player has definitely helped me expand my foreign horror blu-ray collection.

On a side note, since we are speaking about foreign horror films, I desperately want to see Julie Ducournau's new one "Titane". If anyone has seen it, I would love to hear their opinion of it. The description for it seems batshit crazy (in a good way), and I really loved her prior horror film "Raw". Those French horror directors sure make some extreme films.

Another REGION-FREE fan! Wife got me a region-free 4K player (Sony X800M2) after I bugged her for years and I’ll never go back. So many more movies available than what’s released on disc in the states.

I’m curious about TITANE as well, though I wasn’t the biggest fan of RAW. I think there was too much hype by the time I got around to it.

I’m also a huge fan of foreign horror movies. Love to hear your favorites as I’m always on the lookout for more.