Recently watched movies!

[lhb412]

^ The Black Christmas remake at least has a cool writer behind it: April Wolfe, who hosts Switchblade Sisters, a cool podcast where female filmmakers are interviewed about their favorite horror and action films.

Horror certainly is killing it now. It feels like there's a big one coming out every month or so, and it's the most... I don't know, 'reliable' genre? We even have several directors who are gaining quite a bit of prestige as horror movie directors, essentially forming their own brands independent of relying on franchises. This feels like a massive leap for the genre.

[superhedorahsaiyan]

finally got around to see Audition. fantastic and disturbing movie. put me off acupuncture for life.

[sentaison]

War of the Worlds, the 1953 version. Still the best updated retelling of Welles classic. Even with the now dated f/x it still has a punch in the scenes where the Martian war machines deal out destruction. Admittedly I have a bias as this was a favorite to watch on tv growing up, but it's still got classic designs on the Martian invaders and their tech.

[O.Supreme]

^ Agreed, it is a classic, and still an amazing film. Around the time of the Tom Cruise/Spielberg version (which admittedly I don't hate), there were a bunch of Asylum level rip-offs. One of them however, was a *probably* nearly 3 hour version that was pretty faithful to the original novel. Set in 19th century England etc... Unfortunately the effects were PS1 level looking, so I eventually got rid of it. I'd still like to see a faithful adaptation of the original novel done right. With the increased budget offered by various streaming platforms, one would think this would be a ripe candidate for a micro series, maybe 3-4 hour long installments?

[Dr Kain]

[lhb412]

[Dr Kain]

It 2 - "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!"!!!! 10/10

[O.Supreme]

MIB International. A lot of critics stated it seemed everyone acting in this film was just *phoning it in* to collect a paycheck. I don't agree. I think they had fun. The plot is at least different, whether it's better or worse I'll let each person decide for himself. It certainly is the weakest in the franchise, but not a terrible film. In an age when there are so many awful films. A *boring* film I'll take as a victory if nothing else.

[superhedorahsaiyan]

recently rented Nightmare Cinema. Like with most horror anthologies, the stories are going to be hit or miss. has some decent directors behind it. 3 out of 5

[Dr Kain]

It 1990 - Oh boy, where do I start? First, I guess I should give you a spoiler warning since I'm going to be mentioning things from Chapter 2 of the new movie.

Anyway, okay...

1. Where the friggin hell is Bill's guilt over Georgie's disapp... uh... death? None of that was present at all.

2. Henry served absolutely no purpose in this thing at all. It doesn't help that he was a bumbling idiot. Hell, Bulk and Skull were far more threatening than this turd wad and his goons.

3. No horocrux search.

4. No Lepers, no derelict house, no headless creatures, no deformed face picture monster, no giant statute of Paul Bunyan coming to life, no trio of Scary doors, no disembodied kids that were taken, no George taunting Bill, no backstory to Pennywise or even the arrival of the Dead Lights, no Losers Club breaking up for a month, no first encounter with Pennywise as a group, etc.

5. They never actually did anything to go into detail on Beverly's dad. All it seemed like was he was a jerk, not a molestering abusive monster.

6. They hardly did "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" with the history of Derry itself. Most of the stuff about it was just some quick passing comments and nothing more.

7. No pacing. The scene where George meets Pennywise had no build up whatsoever. In fact, it felt like the scene was sped up.

8. They beat Pennywise with a rock and their fists. ARE YOU "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" KIDDING ME?!

9. Ben's poem makes no sense since Beverly was not a red head.

10. No funhouse scene. Or amusement park at all.

11. Mike's parents are alive, destroying his entire character arc as a child.

I could go on and on but holy "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" did this suck. Even without comparing it to the newest movies it lacked any sense of suspense or tension. The clips I saw over the years told the truth, Pennywise was just some dumbass who thought he was scary, but there wasn't a single shred of atmosphere to make him scary. It was just Tim Curry in a clown suit, that's it. He got beat by a rock. A ROCK! Twice no less.

The acting was pretty awful too as Young Bill and Adult Beverly were bad, really bad. Furthermore, neither actor for Bill was able to pull off the stuttering as it felt forced. Like in the new movies, Stan is by far the most worthless character of the club, which explains why he is the one to die as an adult. His whole purpose was just to be there to die.

I guess this is definitely one of these movies you had to watch when it first came out in 1990, though with such amazing suspenseful films like The Thing, Alien, Halloween, and The Fog, I have no idea how anyone would find this the least bit scary. Maybe I would think differently if I had any sort of nostalgia for this film, but I just can't take anyone seriously that says this one is better than the new ones. The only scene I can really praise is when all of the fog surrounded the kids when they were in the sewer towards their "climatic" battle with Pennywise.

Overall, my entire response to this movie is summed up by Pennywise's laughing scene in the library that is used as a joke in YouTube reviews. This adaptation was a joke. 5/10.

[Dr Kain]

My review for Ch 2:

[lhb412]

It: Chapter II

Not as good as the first by virtue of how the chunk of the story adapted into movie #1 was perfectly streamlined into movie form. In having to adapt the rest of the story the form is... lumpier, not as elegant - but the amiable cast and amiable storytelling make you not mind much and the three hours manage to go by not feeling like three hours at all. James Ransone and Bill Vader are terrific. They carry the film.

[klen7]

Crying Freeman - If I had seen this when it came out, it would have been my favorite movie for years. Now the action is a bit dated compared to the films it inspired (interestingly a key scene in John Wick 2 is almost verbatim the climax of this film, also the main actor, Mark Acascos stars in John Wick 3) and it feels very 90s (which had me smiling throughout) but there's a visual sense that Christophe Gans (Silent Hill, Brotherhood of the Wolf) manages to capture in his films that elevates it into a pleasant viewing experience to date. This has been a movie I have wanted to watch for years, but had trouble tracking down for one reason or another, which had to do with some legal issue that kept it from ever being released on home video in the US. It's on Amazon Prime streaming now but there are no subtitles for the Japanese or Chinese dialog (which are in regular supply) -- interestingly this movie seems to transition language to language in the same conversation. The more i think about, the more I like this flick, I wish there was a decent release with more complete subtitles.

[Dr Kain]

Went to see It 2 again. Still a near perfect masterpiece.

[EricDent]

[Tom R VanSlambrouck]

It Chapter 2- I thought it was ok. It was a bit to long for my tastes and I probably would have enjoyed it a bit more if the drunk guy sitting two seats next to me on his date would have kept his mouth shut for the entire movie, but no he had to blabber on and get REALLY loud. I should have gotten up complained to the theater staff and got my money back as well as get that "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" kicked out of the theater but I guess I'm a bit nicer than that. I really hope that was his first date and the dbag ruined any chances of a second date with the girl.

Brightburn- Again I thought this was okay, pacing was good and the plot was interesting but it could have been better. I am interested in seeing where they take this franchise if they decide to continue it.

[Dr Kain]

Twilight Zone The Movie - I have no idea what the hell they were thinking with this one, but it was bad, really bad. The opening segment with Brooks and Akroyd was fun. The first story was interesting at first but the dude had no redemption arc at all. The Twilight Zone is supposed to give any of its main douchebags a chance to redeem themselves, but they dropped the ball big time here. The second story was an okay take on Kick the Can. It wasn't bad as Crathers really made it enjoyable. On the other hand, this piss poor whatever the hell you call this "adaptation" of It's a Good Life was hardly recognizable. Though, it just got worse with that joke of an adaptation of Nightmare at 20,000 Feet. Good god was that dreadful. There was absolutely no suspense, no tension, no atmosphere at all. In fact, that is the biggest issue, this movie lacked any atmosphere. It was just some modern filmmakers saying, "Hey, let's take a masterpiece and "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" all over it, but audiences will eat it up." I'm not mad I watched it, as I'm glad I did, I just expected so much better. I'm going to give it a generous 4/10.

[H-Man]

[lhb412]

^ and Steven Spielberg, wanting to wash his hands of the whole sordid affair but contractually obligated to direct a segment, switched she his segment from the more meaty and dramatic Monsters Are Due on Maple Street into a kinder, gentler story in Kick the Can.

Totally disagree with Kain there about the last two segments. They are definitely the highlight of the movie, and while they don't have the subtlety of the original TV versions The over-the-top, EC Comics inspired madness of them is quite appealing.

Started this year's Halloween viewing. Started with Scream, which I have never seen before because the popularity of it and the movies that came after it had created just before my teens. It's quite good, and Wes Craven is such a master of manipulation that even though I knew the twist ending the movie somehow convinced me my knowledge was wrong and I got to be suprised by an ending I already knew!

The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) came next. One of the greatest of all time.

Saw the original Child's Play and, having been used to the later, more comedy oriented incarnations of Chucky I was surprised by just how scary and effective this first movie is. The moment where he comes to life for the first time onscreen in the mom's hands had to be a great moment to see in a theater the first time!

[Dr Kain]

[XvGojira]

Child's Play 2019 - Way better than expected. I had low expectations to begin with and It's not anything grand or ground breaking but for being a remake of a slasher franchise it does exactly what it intends to do. I was surprised at how much of Chuck was practical effects, although his mouth movements are mostly crude open/close but there's a literal magical reason voodoo Chucky's mouth can do more than what the "real" Good Guy dolls can do in either film. Mark Hamill is adequate for the most part as an advanced children's toy AI. Some of the murder quips aren't really up to snuff. Having him say "This is for Tupac" before a kill because the kids were making him say it earlier made some narrative sense but felt like a waste of an opportunity and a lame joke. Hamill shines best though when Chucky is overly protective, overly jealous, that's when he starts getting psychotic. Neither version of Chucky want to harm Andy but for different reasons, although I could, if sequels happen, see AI Chucky going Kathy Bates in Misery on Andy. Also Bear McCreary's theme is awesome. I had it playing on a loop for like a week straight.

Although I wish this wasn't a total reboot. I would have loved it if the post credit stinger was OG Chucky seeing the news and getting pissed some robo schmuck was stealing his thunder. But I'm sure I'm in the minority with that.

[Edit] Wrong Kathy Bates movie.

[lhb412]

^ A mid-credits scene where OG Chucky flips out about some imposter would've been great!

Horror Noire is a great horror documentary about black people in American horror films where all interviewees are black. The only problem with this movie is that it's too short! They have so many interesting things to cover and at an hour and twenty minutes or so you just wish that it was an hour longer (and more Ken Foree and Keith David talking to each other!).

Pieces is a Spanish/American slasher film from the director of Pod People. It also stars the same guy who played Rick in Pod People. You see his dick and later his balls explode.

C.H.U.D. is pretty dull.

[Dr Kain]

Batman Hush - What a crock of "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" this was. It is by far the worst adaptation of any Batman story I have ever seen. Hell, it makes the Adam West show look amazing. I'm not even sure where to start with this bastardization. No Killer Croc, no Talia, no Ra's al Ghul, Lex Luthor is a member of the Justice League despite him not even being in the comic, Waller is a super model, Batgirl was there, Damien was there, what the friggin hell kind of bullshit adaptation is this? It should have been called SHUSH because it was not even remotely trying to be faithful to the source material at all.

Should I even get into the bullshit reveal of Hush's identity? Who was the dumbass moron that thought THAT was a good idea? It completely diminishes a top notch Batman villain and turns them into the most generic garbage ever. Jesus this thing was utter "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!".

It also doesn't help that the music was beyond forgettable. Hell, it was barely even noticeable which is NOT how I should be feeling about a Batman movie. The best thing about this movie was the development of Catwoman because no one else had even a single shred of development at all. Batman was the same jackass "OH GODZILLA! WHAT TERRIBLE LANGUAGE!" at the end of the movie that he was in the beginning. I'm done talking about this wretched waste. 3/10.

The Sgt Rock Showcase short was quite enjoyable though. I loved getting to see the Creature Commandos in animated form. This short gets an 8/10 from me.

[O.Supreme]

^ That's what happens when they try to shove everything in a *contrived* new 52 continuity. I wish they would just make these stand alone films more faithful to the source.

[XvGojira]