Recently watched movies!

[Dr Kain]

Frankenstein - This movie is a great one, but it has never been my favorite. I absolutely love Karloff's performance in it, but at the same time, I feel like the story is kind of choppy towards the end. My biggest gripe is how quickly the town just happens to go all postal in hunting the Monster, but you never actually see anyone actually see him. The monster breaks free, throws a girl in the water and runs away, and then he comes after Elizabeth, and in all that time, everyone in the entire town seemed to know of him and just starts hunting him way too easily. I'm not sure why, but it just doesn't seem convincing to me as if there is just one little important scene missing from the movie. Nevertheless, I do enjoy the movie quite a bit as again, Karloff's performance is nothing short of incredible. I give it an 8/10.

BTW, one of these days I really need to watch the Deniro Frankenstein movie, as I have been told that is a great adaptation that follows the book quite closely.

[jellydonut25]

It follows closer than any other adaptation I've seen, but "very close" is not how I'd describe it at all.

As to the film's quality, it's been too long since I last saw it, but I don't remember anything great.

[Dr Kain]

[Silver Kamen]

[lhb412]

Continued my Hitchcock viewing with The Birds (the optical compositing is still really impressive) and North by Northwest (perhaps Hitchcock's most 'popcorn' film).

Just watched The Tomb of Ligeia on TCM, a film which suggests that at some point in the '60s Roger Corman wrote "Scenes ripped-off from Le Belle et la Bete + Vincent Price = Movie" on a cocktail napkin. Creepy castles, black cats, a dreamlike feel - fun stuff!

[Dr Kain]

The only Hitchcock movie I have ever seen is Psycho. My g/f is requesting the 15 movie box set for her birthday or Xmas though, so if she gets it, I'll finally see 14 more movies.

The Bride of Frankenstein - You know, this one is considered to be superior to the original, and while I can understand why, on a personal level, I think I like the first one better. They are both equally enjoyable, but I really prefer Karloff's look as the monster in the first one and something just feels off with the cast changes and the added humor. That is not to say the humor is bad at all, but it just feels weird when watching the movies (almost) back to back. Pretorious is awesome and I love the way they make the bride move like a bird, but something feels off to me and I'm not sure what it is. The scene with the blind man is fantastic, but I think my favorite moment is with Pretorious in the cemetery with both the criminals and the monster. I also love the heart pounding sound in the score for when Henry is keeping the heart alive for the bride. In the end, this movie also gets a glorious 8/10 stars.

[XvGojira]

Carrie (2013) - I'll be honest, the original works better for me but this one is a fine updating. Two biggest issues I have with this is that it she seems to use her powers quite early and often. And the prom massacre seemed less like a person having a psychotic break and lashing out at everyone and more pointed revenge. And I'm sorry but if you want to make Chloe Grace Moretz frumpy looking you're going to need make-up effects appliances, she's just too damn cute, although she does well with the acting on the part of Carrie. There just wasn't enough style in this movie, especially compared to DePalma's version.

[Silver Kamen]

[klen7]

^ if you consider when it came out, its a very epic and exciting thriller that kind of set the stage for the genre through present date.

[Dr Kain]

Son of Frankenstein - I have some mixed feelings on this movie. For a narrative stand point, I feel it surpasses the previous two entries in the series. Unfortunately, the movie itself is kind of forgettable as the characters are not all that interesting. It also doesn't help that I kept thinking about the Mel Brooks movie throughout the entire thing. I liked how the two was very suspicious of Wolf from the get go, and rightly so, but Wolf did not do anything to prove them wrong. On the other hand, I was not thrilled with how hypocritical Wolf just suddenly became when Ygor introduced him to the monster. Overall, I give a 7/10 as it has some good story points, but blah characters.

The Ghost of Frankenstein - Meh, this movie pretty much sucks. I have never found this movie to be all that good, in fact, it is pretty boring. Ygor surviving Wolf's gun was kind of stupid, but my god, the monster's make up just looks awful. Not to mention the story does not make sense because obviously it has to be not too long after the previous movie, but it seems to screw up the timeline. I can definitely see why Karloff turned down the role for this movie as it was pointless, added nothing to the character, and pretty much spit on the set up James Whale did with the first two movies. This movie gets a poor 3/10 from me.

[Silver Kamen]

[lhb412]

[Dr Kain]

Garo Soukoku no Maryuu - THis movie rocked!!! It was unique, it was funny, it had some wicked battles, incredible designs, and awesome characters. This just goes to show that Amemiya is the only man that knows how to do Garo correctly. Not to mention it was nice to see the real Garo again! Plus, it showed that if you make your story and characters interesting, you don't need to over do the armor scenes. My favorite character of the movie is without a doubt Kakashi, he freaking ruled!! Overall, I give this movie an excellent 9/10. Now excuse me while I go and play some Onimusha.

[jellydonut25]

[Dr Kain]

Hurricanger 10 Years Later - This was actually quite enjoyable. It wasn't perfect, but it felt like it was a continuation of the show as the characters did not feel out of place or different. Not to mention it was kind of cool seeing how the cast has aged and how the writers handled what a ranger team would be like years after they have defeated the villains. I won't go into too much detail beyond, but I felt the flashback scenes were kind of pointless and it was also nice to have a Sentai adventure WITHOUT a mech battle for a change. I give it an 7/10.

The Wolfman - What can I say about this movie? It is incredible. Lon Chaney is amazing in it. The story and characters are great. The music is spectacular and fits the mood. And the make up for the Wolfman is just down right phenomenal. The only thing I have to complain about is the confusion about the "rules" of turning into a werewolf. I don't think it is possible to have a full moon four nights in a row, which is makes the concept of a man transforming into a wolf during the full moon confusing as hell. Either that or four months fly by throughout the movie with lightning speed and no one responds to it. Nevertheless, this movie is by far my favorite of all of the classic monster movies from Universal (has been since I was a kid) and I give it a nice 9/10. There was absolutely no reason to remake it, especially with a poorly done one as Universal did four years ago.

[lhb412]

[Dr Kain]

[lhb412]

[Dr Kain]

Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman - So I loved this movie as a kid. It was always one of my favorites. So what do I think of it now? Honestly, it isn't that great of a movie. It is only half as good as The Wolfman is, only it makes things far more confusing. Once again, I just don't understand how the full moon most work in their world, as it seems like he transformers three nights in a row. Add on top that Elsa now has this thick German accent and everyone speaks of if her father was the one who created the monster, it really throws the movie off. The two minute throw down at the end between the Wolfman and the monster is pretty much the only thing to watch for, but the fight itself isn't even that good outside of "OMG, TWO MONSTERS ARE FIGHTING IT OUT!!!" mentality. If I put on the nostalgia, I would give the movie a 7, but without it, and that is how it showed be, it gets a 5/10. At least it is better than Ghost of Frankenstein even if it makes even less sense.

The Phantom of the Opera (1943) - Being that I know next to nothing about the story or adaptations outside of the god awful Schumacher movie from a few years back, I was not sure what I was going into. What I got was a movie that, while no where near as good as the standard monsters was very well told with some great set pieces and a unique "monster." It was a little too silly at times, but the silliness was funny as hell, so I can forgive it for that. I liked the characters and I loved the way they did the Phantom, especially in design. I'm giving this movie a 7/10. It is probably my least favorite movie in the BD set, but that does not mean it is a bad movie at all. I look forward to future viewings of it that will probably increase my enjoyment even further as time goes on.

King Kong - I have loved this movie since I was like 7 or 8. It was the first movie I owned on VHS and remains one of my favorite movies of all time. The only issue I have with it is the Brontosaurus attack since they are not meat eaters, but other than that, this movie rocks. It has a great set up, excellent atmosphere, and incredible effects. Not to mention the whole Beauty and the Beast angle is pretty unique too. I give this movie a 9/10.

[lhb412]

Creature From the Black Lagoon

The Gill Man might very well be the best monster costume ever. He's gorgeous! It's amazing how many monster films follow the template (or at least large chunks of it) of this movie. Jaws, Alien, Aliens, Predator, Jurassic Park - all have obvious Creature DNA.

[Dr Kain]

Psycho - Another down right incredible movie. This movie is one of those rare cases where nearly everything is pretty much done right. It has the right amount of suspense. The right amount of horror. The right amount of build up. Not to mention it has an excellent twist that is always a pleasure to rewatch as the movie never seems to get old. I give this movie an excellent 10/10 because it is just so great.

[jellydonut25]

[Dr Kain]

[XvGojira]

[jellydonut25]