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  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    A mixed bag over the past few nights, in terms of subject matter and quality.

    First up was Neil Marshall's DOG SOLDIERS, which didn't hold up as well as I had hoped. I struggled with the thick accents, and a lot of the soldier's personalities grated on me. The werewolf effects still got the same response from me a few decades later: An innovative approach, but they basically looked like Cirque De Soleil performers in bodysuits, on stilts, with immobile dog masks on. I loved it when it first came out, but didn't thrill me as much the second time around. It was, however, great to discover that my favorite GAME OF THRONES actor, Liam Cunningham, appeared in the film.
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    The next night found me finally giving in and watching NIGHT OF THE DEMONS, which I have put off for years. I'm glad I pulled the trigger...It was the kind of film my friend Bryan and I would go to our local dive to see every weekend in the 80s. My move upstate must have caused us to juuuuust miss this one, as it would have been right up our alley. The final girl is maybe the worst actress I have ever seen in a movie like this, and that's saying something. The effects and gore were a lot of fun, and I'm sorry I put this one off for so long.
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    Finally, after a day that dealt me some truly life-altering news, I felt like I needed a laugh, and since I'm reading her autobiography, I decided to watch ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK, which did the trick, and provided me with a lot of smiles, and a few unexpectedly deep belly laughs. (I had to pause the film when Elvira is messing with the letters on the theater marquee, because I was laughing so hard, and didn't want to miss anything.) Unexpectedly dirty for a PG-13 movie....I had another great laugh when, after getting bonked on the noggin, Elvira is asked "How's your head?", to which she replies "I haven't had any complaints." And it was written by the guy who played Jambi the Genie on PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE! I had a lot of fun, and may just watch the sequel tonight.
    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTHgZj5P2AEG7CEPsWOCRwz-2cXEJPtS6k1Bw&s.jpg

    Leave a comment:


  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    Halloween Movie #6

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    Annabelle Comes Home (2019): This movie was nowhere near being on my Halloween viewing agenda, but we had a dinner with some of my wife's work friends and they all decided that watching a horror movie would be fun. As a pretty diehard movie fan, I helped put together a list of movies, but really didn't want to weigh in too heavily because there's horror fans who do super deep dives into things and then there's horror fans who kinda skim the surface of mainstream fare. I'm not judging either because everyone's got their tastes, but being in the former camp, it is very easy to misjudge what other people think is "scary." I'd hate for someone to be, like, "I want to see a very scary movie" meaning like The Conjuring or Scream (which I like both), but I show up with like I Saw the Devil or Martyrs or something way off the wall. Anyways, they settled on this trilogy-capper to the Annabelle franchise. I did watch the first Annabelle and didn't think too much of it, so I skipped both the second and third film. This one kinda works as like The Conjuring 1.5 and I still like Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga in the roles of Ed and Lorraine Warren, even if the movies don't quite match up to their chemistry. Unfortunately, most of the film is about the Warrens' daughter, her babysitter, and the babysitter's friend battling it out against the demon in control of the Annabelle doll. To be fair, I actually really liked all the characters and there was a lot more emphasis placed on character development and suspense than I had anticipated. Yet, the movie falls victim to the problem I have with a lot of James Wan's movies and their spinoffs: they show the ghosts/monsters/demons too darn much. When the movie gets cranking it's all weird werewolf ghosts (that can tear up a car, but gets scattered into mist when hit with a guitar?) and possessed dresses and visions of dead parents. It all ends rather abruptly, but, overall, it's perfectly fine. If I was 15, then this might have absolutely been my jam and I did enjoy it for what it was. Grade: C-

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  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post

    Phenomenal film. I believe it was also the only film Charles Laughton ever directed. I might have to try to squeeze this in before Halloween.
    It is Laughton's only directorial effort and it just blows my mind because it is so accomplished. I'd love to see what else he would have done if given the chance or inclination.

    Leave a comment:


  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post
    Halloween Horror Movie #5:
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    Night of the Hunter (1955):

    This has been on my "To Watch" list for so long and I'm really glad that I finally got around to watching it, but I don't think I was prepared for what the movie was. While the plot centers around the battle between two children to keep stolen money away from what is essentially a serial killer posing as a preacher (played by Robert Mitchum, who deserves all the acclaim he receives for his portrayal), there is so much subtext in this movie around sexuality, violence, religion, and morality. I was really stunned how thematically dark the film was in the themes that the film touches on. There's a sequence about a teenage girl basically prostituting herself for affection from the boys in town and the viewer really has to pay attention to what's being said to grasp this whole dynamic, but it is so compelling as to how it situates itself into the narrative as a parallel to Shelley Winters's character. The cinematography and set designs are amazing and it does lend itself to feeling like a fairy tale in parts. While I do think this is much more of a noir than a horror film, I can see why so many horror aficionados claim it as one of their own. I really liked this film, but I know that I'll grow to love it upon repeat viewings. Grade: A
    Phenomenal film. I believe it was also the only film Charles Laughton ever directed. I might have to try to squeeze this in before Halloween.

    Leave a comment:


  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    Halloween Horror Movie #5:
    8cfdb55f98754bd89b0ae809e70cd6e8.jpg

    Night of the Hunter (1955):

    This has been on my "To Watch" list for so long and I'm really glad that I finally got around to watching it, but I don't think I was prepared for what the movie was. While the plot centers around the battle between two children to keep stolen money away from what is essentially a serial killer posing as a preacher (played by Robert Mitchum, who deserves all the acclaim he receives for his portrayal), there is so much subtext in this movie around sexuality, violence, religion, and morality. I was really stunned how thematically dark the film was in the themes that the film touches on. There's a sequence about a teenage girl basically prostituting herself for affection from the boys in town and the viewer really has to pay attention to what's being said to grasp this whole dynamic, but it is so compelling as to how it situates itself into the narrative as a parallel to Shelley Winters's character. The cinematography and set designs are amazing and it does lend itself to feeling like a fairy tale in parts. While I do think this is much more of a noir than a horror film, I can see why so many horror aficionados claim it as one of their own. I really liked this film, but I know that I'll grow to love it upon repeat viewings. Grade: A

    Leave a comment:


  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    Originally posted by dannyboy121070 View Post

    I saw this when it first hit Shudder a while back, and, while I thought it was well done, I just found it incredibly stupid that these people would basically stay in a really weird, potentially dangerous situation, just to be polite. I mean, at one point, they left, and came back for a stuffed animal...? Buy the kid a new one.
    Yeah, I had the same the feeling about the stuffed animal moment. I gave the film a little bit of a pass on it because while I would have turned to my kid and been like "sucks to be you," I feel like the film did establish not just the lengths that the dad would go to get the stuffed animal back when it was left behind at the beginning of the film, but also his reaction when being complimented about how he was "a hero" for doing that for his daughter. I can see where stuff like this is a breaking point for some viewers, though.

    Leave a comment:


  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    A couple of goodies over the past few days:

    First up was the ROSEMARY'S BABY prequel, APARTMENT 7A, on Paramount+
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    Much better than I expected it to be! Granted, nowhere near as good as the Polanski film, but it held my interest, which most prequels do NOT, and had some good performances, especially Dianne Wiest channeling Ruth Gordon. I had a good time.

    Next up was a 35-year-later rewatch of THE WICKER MAN, which I have put off forever because I feel like I remember it too well to watch again. Turns out I remember the plot and the ending, and nothing else, so it was like a new film, basically. The joys of getting older! I forgot that it was, for all intents and purposes, a MUSICAL, with some very ear-wormy tunes! Christopher Lee looks like he had a blast making this film....he positively radiates joy. Lee in drag towards the end is a sight to behold. And who knew that there was a SEQUEL??? Although it doesn't appear to be streaming anywhere, I'm excited to finally learn that THE WICKER TREE is out there. Someday.....
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    Leave a comment:


  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    Just got back from seeing TERRIFIER 3. I am amazed that a film like this can be seen in a theater in this day and age.....it took me back to my early teen years in The Bronx, when it seemed like there was an unrated gorefest playing in our local dive theater almost every few weeks. RE-ANIMATOR, EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN, DAY OF THE DEAD, etc. This was a real throwback. Mercifully, it was shorter than the last one, but at the expense of the story flow. By the finale, you could tell that a lot of connective tissue had been snipped out to shorten the run time. I can't say that I enjoyed this film....it's more of an endurance test than anything else. The gore is almost unlimited, and mean as hell, but that stuff doesn't really bother me. I would probably refrain from telling Horror-haters that I saw this film, as this is the type of movie that would make people assume you were crazy for paying to see, lol.
    Terrifier-poster.jpeg?w=724.jpg

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  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    MAXXXINE hit Max yesterday, so that was last night's film. (Mild spoilers to follow.)
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    I've found the trilogy to be OK so far....X was fun, but overrated, PEARL was great...this one was a slam dunk until the end, with a revelation that was always in the back of my mind, but seemed to be too ridiculous to really consider. And that was the way they chose to go...? Ugh. Not bad enough to ruin the film, but ludicrous enough to taint all that has gone before. Fun performances all around, some really gnarly gore, and I loved the 80s aesthetic Not too shabby, but someone should have vetoed that end reveal..

    Leave a comment:


  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    Originally posted by Sock Monkey View Post
    Halloween Movie #4:

    Speak-No-Evil-2022-movie-poster.jpg
    Speak No Evil (2022): While I've heard very good things about the remake starring James McAvoy, I'm a sucker for viewing the original film first, especially if it's foriegn. Akin to Funny Games in the way that it plays with the way politeness is exploited as weakness, this bleak thriller follows a family as they find themselves increasingly unnerved on a weekend visit to some new friends they met on a recent vacation. Speaking any further about the plot gives away too much, but this will not be a film for everyone what it reveals itself to be is almost nihilistic. All that being said, while this isn't a film I'd necessarily revisit often, it is well made and I did enjoy it, though there is something in its build up and pay off that holds it back from being an absolute must see. Like I said, if bleak horror is your jam, then you might want to give this one a shot. Grade: B
    I saw this when it first hit Shudder a while back, and, while I thought it was well done, I just found it incredibly stupid that these people would basically stay in a really weird, potentially dangerous situation, just to be polite. I mean, at one point, they left, and came back for a stuffed animal...? Buy the kid a new one.

    Leave a comment:


  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    Halloween Movie #4:

    Speak-No-Evil-2022-movie-poster.jpg
    Speak No Evil (2022): While I've heard very good things about the remake starring James McAvoy, I'm a sucker for viewing the original film first, especially if it's foriegn. Akin to Funny Games in the way that it plays with the way politeness is exploited as weakness, this bleak thriller follows a family as they find themselves increasingly unnerved on a weekend visit to some new friends they met on a recent vacation. Speaking any further about the plot gives away too much, but this will not be a film for everyone what it reveals itself to be is almost nihilistic. All that being said, while this isn't a film I'd necessarily revisit often, it is well made and I did enjoy it, though there is something in its build up and pay off that holds it back from being an absolute must see. Like I said, if bleak horror is your jam, then you might want to give this one a shot. Grade: B

    Leave a comment:


  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    Halloween Horror Movie #3:


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    Caveat (2020): There was quite a buzz around this movie when it first came out and I can see what draws people in about the film. The movie centers itself around a man who recently has had an accident that impairs some of his memory and he to get some money he agrees to watch over a young woman with some mental health issues in a rundown house on an isolated island. Upon arriving, though, he finds that he has to be strapped into a harness that chains him to an anchor in the basement and limits his movement in the house, assumedly in an attempt to foster a sense of safety for the young woman. Twists and turns and possible supernatural occurences abound and should have been my cup of tea, but unfortunately, a lack of clarity in some twists and some leaps in logic that just went a little too far pulled me out of the movie. The director did a great job building up atmosphere and tension, but the script needed a little reworking to pull off what they were hoping. And, finally, yes, that bunny is freaking creepy.
    Grade: C-

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  • Sock Monkey
    replied
    I feel the same way about THE SACRAMENT. I found it interesting, but also slightly off-putting in the switch back and forth. It isn't West's strongest film, but still very interesting. Maybe I need to give it a rewatch at some point.

    JENNIFER'S BODY, on the other hand, has been getting a pretty big repraisal lately and I think rightly so. It got lumped into a whole lot of Megan Fox/Diablo Cody backlash when it came out and the initial reviews don't really do it justice. Yes, the dialogue is hyper-stylized and, no, it isn't really scary, but it has have a lot more on its mind then what you'd think. I rewatched it a couple years back and really enjoyed it.

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  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    Last night was a TCM double feature: THE BODY SNATCHER and MARK OF THE VAMPIRE.
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    I've seen both before, but I was still blown away by Karloff's performance in THE BODY SNATCHER. A kindly old cab driver to a child, and a menacing murderer to the Doctor who uses his after-hours services. Phenomenal ending, as well.
    MARK.....I watched it again because it was a short enough film to squeeze in as a double-header, but the Scooby-Doo aspect was, and remains upon this repeat viewing, ridiculous, as well as a cheap out.

    Leave a comment:


  • dannyboy121070
    replied
    Last night's film was JENNIFER'S BODY on Peacock. This was just a spur-of-the-moment decision...I saw it there on Peacock the other night, and felt in the mood for some possession, despite avoiding the film like the plague for the past 15 years. I think I made a bad pre-judgment originally. Much better than I expected, with some good performances, as well as quick appearances by a baby Chris Pratt and J.K. Simmons with hair and a hook hand. I had a good time. I used to plan out what I would watch, but now I just kind of drift from night to night and see what I'm in the mood for. It seems to be working out so far....
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