Movie Reviews

[srsizzy]

I haven't watched B5, wasn't in on SciFi? I don't have cable, so I never watched it, but I'm not enticed to, mainly because it's "nerdy" fanbase puts me off. But I'd say as far as space/sci fi shows go, the new Battlestar Galactica beats them all.

 

Has anyone seen Lady in the Water yet? I really want to see that soon, but I don't have any money.

Edited July 27, 2006 by srsizzy

[reverie]

I think B5 predates the SciFI Channel. I think it aired on T.V. following the Star Trek: The Next Generation Strategy. Run the show in syndication on local affiliates on what later became either the UPN and or WB networks (I hear they're joining forces by the way). But, I'm not sure about this.

 

 

As per request:

 

Lady in the Water

 

The critics panned it, but I went to see it anyway. I was going off on an insane Final Exam preparation head-trip, and I needed something to calm me down. So, I went to the Theater with the intent on seeing "something that looked good and was about to start" (from Jackie Brown)

 

Anyway, I liked it. For an M. Night Shyamalan film, it was pretty straight forward. I thought it was going to be thriller, horror, or even a suspense type thing, but honestly it came across to me as kind of a modern day fairy tale. A decently enjoyable one too. Though, it is lightly framed by some social commentary of Modern Man's obsession with War. Do you need to see this in the theater to appreciate though? Nope, if you're on a budget, then wait for it to show up in the second/third-run theaters or video. Though, if you have some extra cash, and have nothing better to do, I don't think you'd be too disappointed.

 

Oh, the Shyamalan "awe/wonder" filter is in full effect on this film as well. See Signs and The Sixth Sense and to get an idea of what I'm talking about. The Village has it too, but most ppl didn't like that one. I enjoyed it, but then again, I was just really into the Strong-Blind-Red-Headed Girl's way of talking. So proper and serious, yet still fun and slighty mischievous.

Edited July 28, 2006 by reverie

[Wyvern]

I saw "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" and "Little Miss Sunshine" in theatres recently.

 

"My Super Ex-Girlfriend" was a predictably bad humerous spin on the super hero genre, dealing with the sorts of fits that lonely super heroines throw after their bad break ups. The humor of the film was rather hit or miss to begin with, but it was the casting that really dragged this one down in my opinion. Aside from the perfect fit of Uma Thurman as psycho super-bitch, the actors really didn't make the characters of the film very likeable. Luke Wilson plays a kind of nice guy and/or player type who's just too much of a whiney snob to sympathize with, and Anna Faris almost single-handedly ruins the entire movie with her awful airheaded acting of the "nice girl" we're supposed to be attached to. Yui and Aegon were present for this one as well (it was Yui's choice of movie, actually, so there - HAH!), and they didn't care for it either if I'm not mistaken. Not very good at all.

 

"Little Miss Sunshine" was a comedy about a family car trip gone completely awry... we're talking vehicle malfunctions, detours, shattered hopes, and even dead bodies. Yet, despite all the bleakness that occurs over the course of the family's many miles of bonding, the film proves to be a mostly funny romp through well-timed awkward moments. The initial exposition of the film dragged a bit for me, but once the road hazards began things got a lot more interesting. Overall, I'd say it's a pretty good movie.

 

The count down to "Snakes on a Plane" remains at the top of my current movie priority list, but there were some very promising coming attractions preceding the aforementioned movies. The coming attractions for "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" had a preview for some film about a writer who is writing the life of an actual person without realizing it, and who's struggling to find some sort of way to kill him off. I can't remember the name of it at the moment, but it features Will Ferrel and it looks very interesting. The previews before "Little Miss Sunshine" showed a film called "The Science of Sleep," which seems to be a cooky love story about a genius inventor type who has difficulty distinguishing his imagination from reality. It features the acting of Gael Garcia Bernal and is directed by the person who did "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," so I'll definitely be checking for it when it arrives in theatres. :-)

[reverie]

Talladega Nights

 

It's no Anchor Man, but it definitely has it's moment. Neat little satire on Nascar and well American in General. Plus the movie is also one really big and long commercial. However, since Nascar pretty much is one never-ending commercial itself, this actually gives the film some credibility, if you can believe that. The fake commercial spoof during the credits are probably the best part of the film. A mean a public service announcement concerning an alarming and increasing tread of cat's contracting snow-blindness is pure genius. If you like irreverent comedy, you'll might enjoy this film.

 

rev...

Edited August 8, 2006 by reverie

[reverie]

The Night Listener

 

I went to see Robin Williams' new suspence thriller with my Dad on the random recommendation from the nice lady standing in front of us in line. Hmm. Personal note: don't listen to people standing in line next to you that you know nothing about.

 

The film was just plain creepy. *shudders* Wierd too. Especially so to take you're dad too. Now my dad's a very very jaded individual, but this movie even creeped him out. It's not exactly scary, just creepy. Hmm, okay I'm being vague, you'll just have to see it to get what I mean. What makes it even worse is it's based on true events. Funny thing though, every single movie in the pre-show previews were also based on true events. I sense a tread in the air. Pseudo-non-fiction must be in style again.

 

 

rev...

Edited August 10, 2006 by reverie

[Elvina]

B5 I could describe in one word: Epic. Absolutely Epic. The transformation of the characters throughout the series, and of humanity itself, I found thoroughly absorbing, triumphant, tragic, and even mind-boggling, depending. Truly an underrated classic, IMO.

Wow, got it in one, Zool! I do have all five seasons of Babylon 5. Your description of "epic" matched it exactly. In no other series have I seen such incredible characterisation (G'Kar!) and plot foreshadowing (Valen!!! w00t!!). Mira Furlan did a great job as Deelen, as well. When it was on TV I never had much interest in it, but there came a time I worked late shifts and was awake all through the night with nothing to do, so I rented every single Bab 5 video from the video store and would watch something like four a night. Needless to say, I got sucked in, as did my husband who only came in halfway through!

 

Anyway... I'm supposed to be reviewing here...

 

 

Aeon Flux

 

When this first came out, the previews they showed looked really stupid (basically, just Charlize Theron flipping around all over the place), and I'd heard weird things about the animation it was based on, so I didn't see it in cinema. After hearing so-so reviews from relatives, though, I thought maybe it wasn't that bad, so I rented it on DVD. Having never read the comics or seen the cartoon, Aeon Flux came across as a very self-contained story. The twist, for me, was quite surprising, and the mystery of it all certainly kept me interested throughout. The technology I found really intriguing as well. In watching the extras, I saw interviews where someone (the director?) talked about wanting all the technology to be very naturalistic, so you get images in puddles of water instead of great big sci-fi-ish viewscreens and so forth.

 

Overall, I was satisfactorily surprised with this movie. It wasn't amazingly good, but nor was it really bad. Somewhere in between, but enjoyable if you're after some light entertainment.

 

 

Elvina

[Wyvern]

I recently saw the films "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and "V for Vendetta," and also watched through the anime series "Samurai Champloo" with a friend.

 

"Mr. and Mrs. Smith" was shown for free on one of my relatives' high-class HBO television stations, so I decided to give it a shot. The concept behind the film sounded promising, plus Angelina Jolie is always nice to look at, so why not? I thought that the film had some pretty amusing moments sprinkled throughout the first half, but it suffered by dragging itself out for too long. This might have made an entertaining thirty minute short, but I thought it really wore its concept thin over the course of two hours, and I'd lost interest in it well before it ended. A respectable thumbs down.

 

"V for Vendetta," on the other hand, was a very pleasant surprise. I had fairly low expectations for it since I'd read many mixed reviews of it here and elsewhere, and wasn't too sold on the Watchowski Brothers after their mind-numbing "Matrix" sequels. They seem to have redeemed themselves, though, as "V for Vendetta" was excellent and hands down the best Watchowski work since the original "Matrix." A great deal of credit should go to Alan Moore's comic book for such an intriguing take on the sci-fi superhero genre - V is a black rose in a sea of stagnant red, a kind of futuristic representation of Zorro. It's really refreshing to see a hero (or anti-hero) with a sense of sophistication and purpose in a film, and V's political statements and actions are thought-provoking throughout. I also agree with Zadown that the low key uses of sci-fi make the setting of the film feel very real, which only strengthens its approach to politics. Granted, there were a few over-the-top moments such as Natalie Portman's imprisonment, but the film held together very well overall and was consistantly entertaining. Definitely recommended.

 

I also watched through every episode of "Samurai Champloo" in a three-night marathon recently, and thoroughly enjoyed the series. :-) There were a few episodes of filler, such as the zombie and baseball episodes that preceded the final three-parter, but I found the anime 98% entertaining. You can tell that the series is directed by the same person who did "Cowboy Bebop," as it follows a similar episodic arrangement that doesn't rely much on backstory but still gets you attached to the characters over the course of their adventures. A few episodes that stood out to me were the one where Mugen gets duped into taking out an illegal coin manufacturer by a ninja girl working in a brothel, the one with the scrub "samurai" (and his beatboxing sidekick) who wants to beat Jin, the one that deals with Mugen's past with Mukusu, the episode with the blind traveling performer (no spoilers), and of course the thrilling three-episode conclusion. The animation is high quality throughout, and the series packs plenty of style, action, and humor along with an excellent soundtrack courteousy of folks like Fat Jon and Nujabe. Oh, and I liked all of the references to hip hop culture that the show made, of course. ;-) Very worth seeing.

[reverie]

Confederate States of American

 

Brilliant. Simply Brilliant. A mockumentary of what life could be like in an alternate history with France and Britain sided with the Confederacy of the American South, causing the South to win the American Civil War.

 

In one example the director uses the actual plans of C.S.A for future expansion into South American to document the CSA rise as Empire on the world stage.

 

Several other aspect of the alternate histories are elaborated on. Some seem more far fetched then others, like the cold war with Canada. But I think it's as accurate as you can get with guess work.

 

rev...

Edited August 19, 2006 by reverie

[The Portrait of Zool]

Durring the weekend I managed to watch 'Howl's Moving Castle' in bits and pieces on some cable movie channel. It's not the newly released dubbed version, but the subtitled version. I REALLY enjoyed it.

 

This movie is animated japanese, and takes full advantage of the medium. The movie is very imaginative, mythically rich, with excellent characterization, and a very moving story. The unexpected occurs regularly. The backgrounds and visuals are often stunning. I wish I had more time to go into more detail about this movie, but suffice it to say that I really enjoyed it.

 

There are many themes covered, some very dark, though of course all turns out all right in the end. In fact, I would say the only weakness in this movie is the end, that it seems a bit abrupt and leaves a few ends hanging - but it is really, after all, a fairy tale, so some things must be taken on faith.

 

I can't wait to see the dubbed version in the theater now!

[Zadown]

I've seen Howl's Moving Castle also and for me watching it was a bittersweet experience, as while it was good, I expected far more from Ghibli. It is clearly one of their weaker movies, the lack of coherence that was evident already in Spirited Away getting far worse in this movie. It's as beautiful as any Ghibli movie, but I felt the dramatic structure of it, the way it told its story, was inherently flawed. Despite many of my friends liking Howl's Moving Castle, I can't personally recommend it.

 

Ghibli has made a number of great movies though, go check the list out. Ohhhh a movie about Earthsea! *giddy*

[The Portrait of Zool]

I will have to see what Netflix has of Ghibli's - some do look very interesting!

 

Yes, I would agree that coherance was it's biggest problem, becoming most evident in the end. Still, IMO it's a quantum leap ahead of most of the dreck gracing the cinema these days. ;p

[Wyvern]

I recently watched three pieces of artsy cinema: Gaspar Noé's "Irreversible," Jim Jarmusch's "Mystery Train," and Spike Lee's "When the Levees Break."

 

To be honest, I have no idea how I was dragged into seeing "Irreversible," as I was against seeing it from the get-go. The film is very controversial for it's extreme violence, which includes an extended nine minute scene of rape. Still, I was somehow pulled into seeing it with my grandfather, and despite a few artistic flourishes with cinematography and structure, my fears were pretty much confirmed. Gaspar Noé achieves his ambition of showing sadistic violence as it really is on screen, but the problem with films like this one is that they inevitably end up being a form of sadism in and of themselves. This is an ugly and ultimately pointless film; don't bother torturing yourself with it.

 

"Mystery Train" is a Jim Jarmusch oddity that covers three stories about Graceland in Memphis, the birthplace of Elvis. The random humorous details and odd events that transpire are not quite as tightly knit as some of Jarmusch's better films ("Dead Man," "Ghostdog"), but the film still possesses the unique Jarmusch charm and is worth seeing if you're a fan of his stuff. The best out of the three stories is the first, which deals with two tourists from Yokohama, Japan who seem totally alienated in the Memphis atmosphere. A very quirky and fun flick.

 

"When the Levees Break" is Spike Lee's four-hour documentary on the events of Hurricane Katrina. I watched it on two seperate nights in two-hour segments, and found it very thorough and well done. Spike Lee leaves all of the narration of the documentary to those struck by or involved in the New Orleans tragedy, and touches upon many heart-wrenching stories. Though the documentary obviously has a central tragic focus, Spike Lee isn't afraid to switch up the tone a bit with some comedy (ex: Kanye West's televised statement) and artistic expression (poetry, song, etc.). The rich culture of New Orleans was also tied into the film very well, and it felt like a very complete documentation of events. Worth seeing.

[Mynx]

Cool World

This film is Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on an acid trip.

One of those "lets put a human on a set and surround him with cartoons" attempts, the plot (if there is one) revolves around blonde bombshell Holli Would (If she could. Geddit?) and her attempt to escape the "doodle" world of Cool World into our "noid" world (I'm always going to assume that the term doodle for cartoon came from the action of random drawing as some of these critters are weird and that the term noid for humans is just...I dunno a shortening of humanoid?).

While amusing, this is one of those movies that really needs to be viewed under some form of inebriation as there are otherwise too many stupid things that distract you from watching (especially the ending. It was all too...convenient).

Seriously. Acid trip.

 

Oh. And there's a very young Brad Pitt staring in it too and Kim Basinger as the noid version of Holli...not sure if that makes this thing more or less desireable. General debate agrees that she's cuter as a cartoon. As for the concept of a cartoon Brad...mneh.

[Wyvern]

Wyvern hobbles into the Cabaret Room with an awkward strut, almost tripping over a loose end of the white bandages that cover him from head to tail. The overgrown lizard double-checks to make sure that there are no enraged gargantuan Weremonkies anywhere near the Cabaret quarters, then grins through his bandages and takes a stand at a podium near the Mighty Pen's film review guide. He adjusts the position of the bandages around his neck, then sets a projector on the tip of the stand and shines it onto a blank canvas that hangs on the opposite wall.

 

"Ladiessss and gentlemen, I'd like to discuss an important piece of sociological cinema with you for a brief moment." Wyvern flicks a switch on the projector, and the words "Snakes on a Plane" appear in bold on the canvas. "Thisss beautiful movie documents the free will and spirit of serpent-kind, while sssimultaneously providing a guideline for fellow reptilians to live by."

 

Wyvern taps at the projector, and the image switches to a freezeframe from the film, depicting Samuel L. Jackson holding up a dead snake with a tired look on his face.

 

"The film clearly shows the outright discrimination and hatred made towards snakes and their reptilian brethren, and the courageous yet ultimately hopeless war that the snakes wage for their own independence and dignity as a race. Even as the snakes struggle against the barriers of man and Mother Nature's winds, their determination to make a stand is sssimply undeniable." Wyvern raises a clenched claw proudly. "In all their heroism, they are blamed by the human race as being (quote Samuel L. Jackson) 'on crack,' and are viciously slaughtered with axes, blowtorches, shoe heels, and microwave death traps. Yet, throughout the ordeal, the humansss recognize the persistancy and determination of serpent-kind. Reptilians will leave the theatre with a sense of empowerment, knowing that the mark of the snake hasss been made."

 

Wyvern taps the projector again, and the image switches to another freezeframe, this one of a snake biting a woman's nipple.

 

"The film alssso provides invaluable knowledge to reptiliansss everywhere. For example, if you move too fast with a gal in an intimate situation and she gets upset, the film demonstrates that you can just blame it all on pheromone-enhanced flowers! All in all, I encourage intellectual reptilians and humans alike to indulge in this well-crafted work of philosophical cinema."

 

With that, Wyvern strikes a stiff-bandage bow and removes the projector from the film review stand. The black asp on Wyvern's leg hisses loudly, then uncoils itself from its position and begins slithering through the pennite crowds, searching for a ventilation grid to slide into... or another unsuspecting pennite's leg to attach itself to.

 

;-)

 

OOC: Thus ends the black asp's position coiled around Wyvern's leg... "Snakes on a Plane" met all of my expectations. A hilariously bad movie that cracked me up the whole way through!

[Wyvern]

Two interesting films that I saw recently: “The Science of Sleep” (in theatres) and “The Best of Youth” (on DVD).

 

“The Science of Sleep” is Michael Gondry’s second full-length film, following his debut oddity “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.” I had pretty high expectations for it and, like “Eternal Sunshine,” the film more or less delivered without exceeding expectations. My favorite part of “Science of Sleep” was the way that Gondry conveyed the main character’s dreams, as the combination of random-yet-interconnected details and odd stop animation effects really conveyed the feel of dreams well. The interactions and misunderstandings between the main characters felt very true to real relationships, and Gael Garcia Bernal did a typically good job in the lead role. The feel of the film is very similar to “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and deals with similar subject matter in a similar matter, so those who didn’t care for “Eternal Sunshine” probably won’t enjoy this one. Worth checking out, in my opinion.

 

"The Best of Youth" is an epic italian film that I saw about a month ago, which I've been thinking about in a very positive light as of late. I was a little ambivalent about it after first seeing it, as the movie is literally six hours and fourty minutes long and takes a huge hunk of time to watch (I saw it in two three hour and twenty minute segments on two seperate evenings... thank God for halftime intermissions). I must say that, a month after seeing it, there are definitely scenes that stick with you long after seeing it. The characterization over the course of the film's length is so profound that you really feel that you know the lives of the characters in the most intimate detail. It's like following a friend's life from adolescence to old age, and the events that occur throughout it leave a lasting and meaningful impression. Definitely good stuff, and well worth seeing if you're up to devoting over six hours of time to a subtitled film.

[Mardrax]

*stumbles in, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes*

Whawazzat about dreams? Subtitles? Bah! Get used to them, it's not like the rest of the world doesn't have to

 

;-)

Edited October 13, 2006 by Mardrax

[Mynx]

The Devil Wears Prada

 

Not usually being a major fan of "chick flicks" or romantic comedies, I would normally avoid a film like this, or at the very least wait until it came onto free TV. But this one was different, and I think the main reason being the fact that (over here in New Zealand at least) it wasn't over publicised to hell. I wasn't bombarded with trailers and reviews for an entertaining, feel good comedy, in fact the only thing I really knew about the film is that it starred Meryl Streep (an actress for whom I have huge respect) and the basic plot, which I read from the back of the book. And the only reason I picked up the book is because I liked the cover art. Shallow perhaps, but it worked this time, making this film that was based on Lauren Weisberger's novel a pleasant surprise.

 

The story is textbook: a naive young girl comes to the big city (in this case, New York) and scores the job of a lifetime as assistant to the editor of one of the biggest magazines in fashion - only to find that the dream is more of a nightmare. Although a year at this job would open almost every door in the journalism world for our young heroine, the problem arises in keeping the job, and sacrificing almost every other aspect of her life in exchange. While there have been a number of films with similar themes (especially since Bridget Jones' Diary), this one just works fantastically. The humour is lighthearted and enjoyable - enough that the boyfriends who are "dragged" along will find some entertainment, if only from the pretty pretty girls. The pace is steady, and the story is well laid out with a simplicity that is rare in movies these days - not so simple that it made you feel patronised, but neither was it full of complexity that requires a fully alert mind to watch.

 

The acting was top notch. Meryl Streep as Miranda "the Devil" Priestly was absolutely fantastic. Her quiet assertion of power was right on the spot - she never raised her voice beyond a calm tone and yet she gave me the shivers sometimes - and while I haven't read the book to know how the character was depicted in writing, I'm sure Streep did the character justice. Brrrr!

Anne Hathaway was charming as our heroine Andy Sachs. The almost childlike naivety that scored her such roles as Mia in The Princess Diaries was visible here, but toned down into a much more mature - and yet still naive - role. Hathaway is growing up, and she was an endearing and charming asset to the film.

There are so many more roles in the film that were also played brilliantly, especially that of Nigel and Emily, as well as the neglected friends, but I fear I've already written enough. I will say however that whoever casted this film did a bang on job. Even if they didn't match the book, they worked for the film.

 

Overall, while the story may have been rather textbook, and the ending very hollywood, it was none the less an enjoyable ride that easily killed a couple of hours of my weekend. I left the theatre with a smile and no bad feelings, even though I would normally spend at least an hour afterwards yelling about such an ending. Maybe I was hypnotised by Streep's devil's stare.

While it might not be to everyone's liking, I think there will be few who don't get at least some entertainment from it. I think I'm going to go read the book now.

"That's all."

[Appy]

Blow

 

We bought this movie with Johnny Depp without knowing it, and it was well worth it. Being an avid Johnny Depp fan I could be biased, but the story about one of the biggest Druglords of the USA (a true story which it is based on) just carries you off and you can't but help feeling sympathetic to his cause.

I can't really tell much more about the story itself, because that would be too much info. What I can tell is that they did marvelous things with costumes and make-up. Especially the hair is horrid every now and then (anyone remember the 80's?)

 

All in all I really recommend this movie, it left me pondering for days after, and there aren't many entertaining movies which do so.

One last thing, if you don't like Johnny Depp, you don't want to watch it because he has 75% screen-time (lucky me *grins*).

[Wyvern]

First of all, I just want to take a moment to thank folks for sharing their recent thoughts on movies here. :-) It's always interesting to hear what you have to say about films, and I always enjoy reading your reviews. Mynx- I might check for The Devil Wears Prada on DVD at some point under your recommendation. I have the same fears you had about it, but also the same respect for Meryl Streep. Appy- for a minute there, I misread and thought you were referring to that old Travolta flick "Blow Out"... Johnny Depp as a drug lord? He seems to adapt well to different roles as an actor, so I'm sure he pulls it off nicely. :-)

 

Over the course of the last couple of weeks, I've been exposing myself to a bunch of David Lynch's earlier films, which I thought would be an appropriate subject for discussion with Halloween upon us. To those who haven't heard of Lynch's works, they're essentially nightmares put to film. His movies are probably some of the most abstract and difficult to understand in U.S cinema, so if it's a typical sense of plot and character development you're searching for, you're bound to wind up frustrated watching his stuff. Having said that, there's something to be said about his bizarre films.... something deeply unnerving and, in my opinion, really frightening. I think Lynch has a real grasp of how nightmares bend and weave, and the kinds of imagery that really scares us in our sleep. The typical horror movie will make me nervous and cause me to jump or shut my eyes a couple of times, and then I'm completely fine once it's over. David Lynch's films, however, have haunted me and kept me up at night, sometimes long after seeing them. Maybe it's because the subject matter he deals with typically involves things that we choose to block out of our minds, rather than some common horror movie convention we all know and suspect. Or maybe it's just that he knows how to really set a mood of dread in his films. It's hard to pinpoint - many of his films aren't even considered horror, since he often adds elements of comedy, hope, sadness, and drama to his works, but it's hard to argue that they're not dark and sadistic at their core.

 

Anyway, the most recent Lynch films I viewed were: "Lost Highway", "Eraserhead", "Wild at Heart", and "The Elephant Man."

 

"Lost Highway" (1997) and "Eraserhead" (1977) are 100% David Lynch, as described above. "Lost Highway" starts with a couple recieving anonymous video tapes of the outside of their house in the mail, which eventually escalate to tapes of the inside of their house and tapes of them sleeping. Things spin out of control in an impossible-to-follow yet deeply disturbing way as the film progresses. It's pretty much impossible to make coherent sense of what happens by the end of the film, and Lynch doesn't offer any explanations for anything at its close, but the scenes follow through each other like an intricate nightmare-scape, and Robert Blake's character creeped the living hell out of me. "Eraserhead" features an even more abstract dreamscape, which seems to ressemble a post-apocolyptic world of some sort. Don't let the black and white or release date fool you: this film contains horrifying scenes and images that easily rival anything being released in current horror movies. The film mostly deals with a man who has to care for a mutant baby that his spastic "wife" left him with, and features large spermozoid worms and a lady with disfigured cheeks that performs from within a radiator. Seriously disturbing stuff... the final scene will scar you, if you get that far.

 

"Wild at Heart" (1990) and "The Elephant Man" (1980) were very different from the films that I'm accustomed to from Lynch, and didn't quite scare me like his others. "Wild at Heart" struck me as mostly a comedy/Wizard of Oz homage, with a few disturbing moments sprinkled thoughout. I definitely found the film funny and eccentric in a way that only Lynch could deliver, but it may not be the best representation of his works to those who aren't familiar with him, and it probably wouldn't suite a Halloween fright-fest. "The Elephant Man" is a film that deals with the life of John Merrick, who was considered the ugliest man alive. This one left me feeling a bit disappointed. Lynch was hired to direct this film and didn't conceive it, and it shows in the movie's lack of surrealness. It does feature good acting (young Anthony Hopkins) and has its share of disturbing moments, but it definitely felt more like an old Hollywood drama than an epic Lynchian nightmare. It probably falls at the bottom of my Lynch movie list... though for the record, I didn't bother seeing "Dune."

 

Anyway, if I had to rank David Lynch's movies in order of preference, I think it would be along the lines of: "Mulholland Dr.," "Blue Velvet," "Lost Highway," "Eraserhead," "Wild at Heart" and "The Elephant Man." Out of those films, "Mulholland Dr.," "Blue Velvet," "Lost Highway," and "Eraserhead" all really scared me.

 

If anyone wants a tiny taste, here's the official movie trailer for "Lost Highway," courteousy of youtube:

 

Any other pennites agree on the subject of Lynch? What are some films that really scared you? (Kubrick's "Shining" is probably still the scariest I've seen, personally)

[Mynx]

I'm on a constant search for a film that actually scares me. Although Lost Highway didn't succeed in that, it is not something I should have watched at 2am...

I need to watch more Lynch by the sounds of it, Wyv. Thanks for the heads up

 

I have never been truly scared by a film I don't think...there are some that have scenes that bother me, but I've never been truly scared. Probably the closest was the first time I saw The Exorcist. Being raised a Catholic and somewhat young when I first saw this movie, it certainly left an imptrint.

 

The Evil Dead has an interesting scene that involves a girl being gang raped by trees. I'm only mentioning that one cause I saw it last night during a Halloween get together I was throwing. Amusing watching everyone's expressions...

 

Of the more twisted horror films I've seen, the ones that leave the strongest imprints are usually ones that have a sadder undertone.

Blood is a depressingly sad film about a girl who was the victim of genetic engineering, leaving her blood with such narcotic qualities that she was locked away and 'milked' for an underground drug market.

I Spit on Your Grave was difficult to watch because the first third of it is extensive rape.

 

*realises I'm rambling a bit and coughs uncomfortably*

 

Sorry. Horror movies make up 95% of my collection.

I have to say that of my absolute favorite movies, my top two are Halloween, and Saw. The first because...well for me there are too many reasons. The second....well I find it hard to find a movie that even surprises me at the end. It kept me guessing and thrilled.

 

Sorry Wyv, I've kinda taken the topic a little off Lynch. Although thanks to you I'm going to actively search him out now

[Wyvern]

Just want to quickly say that there's no need to apologize, and that I wasn't planning on focussing the thread's direction on Lynch or anything - was just curious to see if any other pennites had opinions on his work. :-) Like I said, his films are wildly interpretive and there are people who even find them funny rather than frightening, so my apologies if the recommendations don't freak you out (they're excellently directed, regardless!). Personally, his work tends to scare the hell out of me.

 

Thanks for sharing your impressions of various horror movies, by the way. :-) I didn't realize you were such a horror movie buff! I haven't seen the original Exorcist, but have heard from many people that it's frightening, so maybe I'll check that out one of these days. I haven't seen the original Evil Dead, but I did watch Evil Dead 2 with a friend and we both found it hilarious all the way through. I heard that Bruce Campbell decided to make the sequels of Evil Dead more deliberatly funny after realizing how awful the first one was, though.

 

Out of curiousity, did you see Stanley Kubrick's version of "The Shining"? That's still the scariest flick I've seen, overall... that film made me extremely nervous around dark bathrooms and bathtubs for at least a couple of months! Great movie too, really stirring imagery.

[Mardrax]

I'll have to jump on Mynx's bandwagon and say there really isn't any movie that's actually scared me. Kept me interested and wondering? Sure. Disturbed? Rarely. The only movie I ever turned off halfway through because of that was Passion of the Christ. Not because I was really disturbed by it, rather getting bored. My then-girlfriend didn't like it too much though

 

The Shining... That really didn't do anything for me. Then again, King-movies mostly leave a bad aftertaste in my mouth. I'm too much a fan of his books, and too little of a movie-fan I guess. The only King movie that freaked me out when I first saw it was It, but probably only because I was about 8 when I saw it, and I hadn't read the book by then Then again, I am looking forward to the It remake the Sci-fi channel announced. Ahh, reliving childhood memories

 

Verdant gang rape? Sounds like someone'd been watching too much hentai But yeah... most horror flicks just crack me up.

 

Will be adding Lynch to my to-look-out-for list though

[Gryphon]

Last Night Mynx and I watched Panic Room on TV.

 

This one's been around long enough that I suspect anyone who wants to see it already has, however while we were watching I was trying to work out why some segments of the movie felt really entertaining, realistic and drew me in while other segments of it made me want to leap up and down and yell about how stupid and fake the movie was.

 

I think I've got it sorted out now so let me share this with you all.

 

The movie portrays Jodie Foster as Meg Altman, a recently divorced mother who's looking at spending a sizable chunk of her ex-husbands money on a place for her and her daughter (Sarah) to move into.

 

The beginning of the movie leaves me thinking of Meg as a quiet and fairly mousy type of person who doesn't really have much going for her in the way of strength or Self. These impressions are reinforced left right and centre by Jodie Foster's rendition of the character, quiet, subdued... she's essentially playing a mouse in human clothing.

 

As the movie progresses the character develops into a proverbial lioness, particularly when it comes down to the defence of her daughter however I'm getting distracted from the main point of this which is why I consistently the conflicting impressions through the course of the movie. My conclusion is that while there is a fairly smooth transition between the mousy mother and the defending lioness with Jodie's character, at times there are random regressions into stupidity.

 

My personal favourite is the bit where Meg and Sarah are trapped in the Panic Room by the Bad Guys and they use a small battery powered torch to signal SOS out an air vent to the neighbours across the street. That's the sane part - if you can ignore the fact that the small battery powered torch is putting out enough candlepower to light up an entire room on the other side of a street and wake up it's occupants and cause them to draw the blinds. To be honest I usually can't suspend my belief long enough to deal with that inconsistency, but it gets worse. Having woken up the person across the street, instead of continuing the signalling with the super-torch to get them to investigate, they turn the torch off, and start screaming through the tiny air vent... At the person who's in another house... About 100 meters away. Stupid.

 

Despite moments like these I do admit that this movie never fails to draw me in and entertain me and for the most part Jodie's transformation into the strong parent defending her daughter and fighting back against the Bad Guys does a mighty fine job at taking me along for the ride.

 

If you've never watched this movie and you're bored one night I'd suggest a trip to your local video hire store to pick it up as a good way to kill just under a couple of hours.

[Mynx]

Thanks for sharing your impressions of various horror movies, by the way. :-) I didn't realize you were such a horror movie buff!

*chuckles* yeah well...not as much of one as I'd like to be...but I'm building my library

 

I haven't seen the original Evil Dead, but I did watch Evil Dead 2 with a friend and we both found it hilarious all the way through. I heard that Bruce Campbell decided to make the sequels of Evil Dead more deliberatly funny after realizing how awful the first one was, though.

Evil Dead 2 was actually more of a remake of Evil Dead. It never made sense to me the first time I watched it after I'd seen the first as I couldn't understand why Ash was willingly returning to the house and acting like he'd never been there before. I think Sam Raimi gave it the sequel title because it wasn't a remake by someone else. Evil Dead 2 is definitely a lot sillier, so I'll believe Campbell decided to make it so.

If you ever want to see the third, it's called Army of Darkness sends Ash back in time and is so stupidly silly that it can only be classed as a comedy. My favorite scene's a toss up between Ash introducing his shotgun to the peasants as his "Boomstick", or the scene with the mini demon Ash's attacking the original Ash with dinner forks.

 

Out of curiousity, did you see Stanley Kubrick's version of "The Shining"?

Yes. Absolutely loved it. Never been a huge fan of Kubrick's work but he did a fantastic job with what is one of my favorite King novels. Plus I love Jack Nicholson when he's crazy

 

 

Oh, and if you can get a copy of the original Exorcist, I suggest you do. There's not a lot different between the original and "The Version You've Never Seen," but for me it still holds a strong impact.

 

Thinking of some of my older and weirder horror films, Herschell Gordon Lewis' "Blood Trilogy" is...an interesting set.

The first movie, Blood Feast (1963), is dubbed as the first gore movie and I have to say, while the blood is a tad bright, there are some decent and still relatively realistic moments in it. The plot is terrible: some weird Egyptian man is hired to cater an authentic feast for a young girl's party - the feast was originally designed to resurrect some Egyptian goddess and involves our caterer 'shopping' for a lot of organs and body parts. As I said, terrible, but hilariously funny.

Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964), is without a doubt the best of the three. Six unsuspecting yanks are lured into a small Deep South town (pop. 2000...hmm...) for a Centennial celebration. A celebration that involves torturing and killing the yanks as revenge. My personal favorite is the nail studded barrel roll. "The South's gonna rise again!"

Color Me Blood Red (1965), is about a mediocre artist becoming a huge success after he starts adding human blood to his works. The story was ok, but for me it was the hardest one to get into...I blame the watercycles.

 

These three aren't easy to come by, but having said that they're also not worth going out of your way to find. There was once a saying that you couldn't call yourself a horror fan until you'd seen Blood Feast, but to be honest, this film's reputation seems to have gotten ahead of itself.

[Wyvern]

There've been a number of interesting-looking films hitting U.S theatres as of late, and I recently had the chance to see two of them: "Babel" and "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan."

 

"Babel" is a drama that deals with issues of miscommunication through three interconnected stories. The film's three stories are rather loosely connected plotwise, but this is ultimately a good thing since it gives us a wider variety of issues and settings. The stories occur in Morroco, Mexico, and Japan, and include Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchette, and Gael Garcia Bernal on the prolific actor side of things. Still, "Babel" felt a bit forced to me, mainly because of the way that each of the stories revolves around tragedies piled upon tragedies without the slightest sense of hope. Bleak can be good, but here it felt a bit over the top and I doubt that this'll be a film that'll stand out in my memory down the line. On a side note: Cate Blanchette is reeeaaallly good looking in this film, though you only have time to absorb her beauty in the first 20 minutes or so since she's pretty much soaked in blood for the remainder of the picture.

 

I wasn't planning on seeing "Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan" since I've never been the biggest fan of Sacha Baron Cohen or "Da Ali G Show," but decided to check it out after watching several funny Borat clips on youtube. I may need to reevaluate Cohen's past work after seeing this movie... Absolutely hilarious, in the most outrageous and audacious ways imaginable! Cohen really flexes his roleplaying skills throughout, staying faithful to the character of Borat as only an expert comedian could. He also shows that he knows how to go that extra mile to really shock people and send them into hysterical fits of laughter. Much of the film involves interviews and activities with real people rather than actors, and a large part of the fun is watching how dumb Americans react to Cohen's outrageous schtick. It's impossible to really tell which parts of the movie are improvised and which parts are scripted (does anyone know if Pamela Anderson was in on that book signing scene?), but regardless of how they were made they were damn funny. So forgive me for doubting Mr. Cohen's work... at the very least, he's delivered this gem.