Halloween 2015

[jellydonut25]

Tremors 5 - Well, I still don't think there's a Tremors film that I absolutely HATE...but I'm not sure if I enjoyed this movie enough to ever bother with picking it up. It's got some interesting ideas, and I don't hate the graboid redesign, and I even think they pulled a smart (for this series) move by pushing the action to a different locale, in order to justify their redesigns. The assblaster design SUCKS though, and doesn't even look like it's the same species as the graboids, let alone an "offspring."

I've seen/heard a few people complain about the lack of Shriekers, but I personally thought it was a thematically appropriate way to continue on from the end of part 3 (since 4 is a prequel, this is technically a sequel to 3). We've seen Graboids, Shriekers, and Ass-Blasters, and we know the life-cycle reboots from there...so to show us a sort of transitional time in the life-cycle was, in my opinion, a solid choice. We're at the end of an Assblaster cycle getting ready to kick things off with some more Graboids, so it makes sense that Shriekers have yet to appear and don't figure into the plot.

It's also nice to see Michael Gross and he gets to do some fun things here. Unfortunately, Jamie Kennedy is a bit too much of a "straight badass" at times. It was as if he said, "alright, fine...I'll do it, but only if I can throw a grenade like a badass and jump away from the explosion like an action star." This character should be nowhere near those kinds of things.

Maybe a repeat viewing will one day be in order to see if I wind up enjoying it a tad more on a day when I haven't just gone through one of the more enjoyable cinematic viewing experiences of my life (check out The Martian, seriously), but it's just basically an "average" movie for me right now. 2.5/5



BTW, klen - in terms of a movie really EMBRACING its premise: check out Fido, if you never have. I'm not promising GREATNESS, I'm just saying if, "Zombies being used as servants/pets in an idyllic 1950s small-town setting," seems like a concept you want to see embraced and taken just about everywhere that you'd ever want it to go and it could possibly be taken, Fido is the movie that does it.

[klen7]

I really liked Fido, talked about it earlier in this thread. With Tremors 5 redesigns I did not like also could have done without 3 piss sequences

[lhb412]

The Wolf Man. This is my favorite Universal Monster film that isn't directed by James Whale. It's smart, looks great, and has a terrific cast. All is asks is that you accept the leap that Claude Rains could father not one, but two Lon Chaney Jr.s!

How great is Maria Ouspenskaya? The script is at times poetic, and while the poem about werewolves has become ubiquitous I think I might prefer the prayer Ouspenskaya says purely because of her wonderful delivery:

"The way you walked was thorny, though no fault of your own, but as the rain enters the soil, the river enters the sea, so tears run to a predestined end. Now you will have peace for eternity."

[Dr Kain]

We went to the TCM Dracula double feature event today.

It was odd watching the Lugosi movie without the Glass score after so many years. The movie is enjoyable and Renfield is absolutely amazing in this movie, however, I'm not a fan of them combining some of his role with what should have been Jonathan's. Also, they completely forgot about Lucy being a vampire. The ending is now really the greatest either, but the moments between Van Helsing and Dracula are fantastic, especially the bit when Helsing notices Dracula has no reflection in the cigarette case. Overall, no where near my favorite of the Universal Classics, it is still a good movie. I give it a 7/10.

This was my first time seeing the Spanish version and I thought it was better in some areas but inferior in others. I just can't help myself but find Dracula down right hilarious in this version. He looks so goofy when he tries to do the stare and his grin is so damn funny. He was definitely no Lugosi. One area I did like was the further development for Eva (not sure why they didn't keep it as Mina) and they did remember to kill Lucy, albeit off screen. Thanks to the night time filming there was a lot more atmosphere at times, but that alone can not make it better. The reflection scene was lackluster and Dracula had a long delayed reaction to it, but I did like how he shattered the box. In the end, I'm going to also give this one a 7/10 because while it may not be better than the US version, it is at least on par.

[lhb412]

^People went gaga over the Spanish Dracula when it was first recovered, but aside from more mobile camerawork and resolution for Lucy I think it's inferior. It's not as creepy. It lacks the strength of Lugosi, Frye, and Van Sloan performances - and Dracula acts goofy as hell!

[klen7]

Rise: Blood Hunter - a Lucy Liu vehicle. The most interesting thing about this vampire flick is that the vampires don't have fangs, they carry little daggers to start the feed. I like Lucy Liu, but other than "Cypher" and "Lucky Number Slevin" (maybe Kill Bill) I really don't like her films

[jellydonut25]

The Spanish Dracula is sexier and has better camera work. That's about it. If you could put those two things (especially the camera work) in the American version, it'd be basically flawless.

[Dr Kain]

[tbeasley]

[lhb412]

Frankenstein Must be Destroyed is a solid entry to Hammer's Frankenstein series. Baron Frankenstein hasn't been this villainous since the first film (haven't seen Monster From Hell yet, so I can't comment on villainy level there).

[klen7]

Casper - Cute family ghost movie, not much to say about this other than its another check-box on my path to 31 days of Halloween.

[Dr Kain]

Trick r Treat - One of the best horror movies of all time, especially for a movie based around Halloween. The stories are all fun with great twists and this movie just keeps getting better with every viewing. 9/10.

[DannyBeane]

[Dr Kain]

[DannyBeane]

[lhb412]

Man, I always hated when Halloween fell on a school night.

[DannyBeane]

[jellydonut25]

In my home town, we ALWAYS went Trick or Treating on the 30th. ALWAYS. I have no idea why. It's called Beggars' Night, and Wikipedia has a small entry for it calling it a "scaled down version of Halloween," but I don't think that's wholly true. My parents had over a thousand kids last year and my whole old neighborhood is bumpin' on Beggars' Night. I hope to take my kids one day (in what? 6 years or so? when it's on a Friday/Saturday again?)

[gfan1984]

Well here in Pa, trick r' treat night is always on the thursday before Halloween. I always thought it defeated the purpose but its suppose to keep kids safe. Also around my area I read the local paper and all registered sex offenders have to be at a mandatory class that night too. Not sure if this is just here or all places.

[Dr Kain]

We only went TrT on Halloween and that was the only day my parents would give out candy.

That doesn't make sense to do it on a school night when Halloween is not on one. In fact, that is down right ******ed.

[XvGojira]

As a kind trick or treating was always done on Halloween. Although there was one year that it fell on a Sunday and there was a push to have it on Saturday. So while it sounds cool being able to go trick or treating on two days, it just meant you went trick or treating for double the time for half the amount. Even after the two days, I had less of a haul than previous years.

[canofhumdingers]

Has anybody else watched the newest Treehouse of Horror episode? It has a really awesome treat for kaiju fans! I won't spoil it except to say that the middle vignette is titled "Homerzilla". It's great!

[Dr Kain]

[canofhumdingers]

Yeah the episode as a whole was ok but not super. But I loved Homerzilla. And I HAVE to believe the last part was referencing G'98 and not G'14. And I LIKE to believe that the writers actually knew about toho rectonning G'98 into "Zilla" and were actually being quite clever.

[lhb412]

I've been thoroughly Corman-ized by a viewing of the Price/Karloff/Lorre dueling sorcerer vehicle The Raven. Not scary at all, in fact; it comes off as only slightly edgier than a Disney film, but it is quite delightful.