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  #30261  
Old 4th November 2014, 12:31 PM
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Ahh knew I'd find the fanatic! :P

Thank you very much for your advice, with the amazing and very thorough list, and for this. Both sound great, so I'll give them a watch at some point soon hopefully If they're any good, ill pick up the blu ray set with the prequels.
The prequels don't really add anything to the original film, except undermining the dialogue about Father Merrin's experience ("The exorcism supposedly lasted months. I heard it damn near killed him."). Of the two, Paul Schrader's is better than Renny Harlin's version, but that's because for Schrader is an interesting filmmaker and Renny Harlin is a hack!
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Old 4th November 2014, 01:27 PM
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Of the two, Paul Schrader's is better than Renny Harlin's version, but that's because for Schrader is an interesting filmmaker and Renny Harlin is a hack!
Seen a lot of Schrader's films have you Nos?

I've seen two and thought them both poor. - Exorcist Dominion and American Gigolo.

Harlin has some very enjoyable action films to his name - Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Mindhunters, 12 Rounds and a very good horror in Prison.

To me there's only one winner.
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Old 4th November 2014, 02:19 PM
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Schrader is certainly a better screenwriter than he is a director in my opinion, although I haven't seen a great deal of his directorial work.

However, with writing credits for Taxi Driver, Obsession, Rolling Thunder, and Raging Bull under his belt there is little doubt that the guy can transfer a good story very well to the silver screen.
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Old 4th November 2014, 03:30 PM
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Seen a lot of Schrader's films have you Nos?

I've seen two and thought them both poor. - Exorcist Dominion and American Gigolo.

Harlin has some very enjoyable action films to his name - Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Mindhunters, 12 Rounds and a very good horror in Prison.

To me there's only one winner.
Have you seen his remake of Cat People? It is very different to the Jacques Tourneur film, but visually striking and with plenty going on, both plot-wise and in the subtext.
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Old 4th November 2014, 03:35 PM
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Schrader is certainly a better screenwriter than he is a director in my opinion, although I haven't seen a great deal of his directorial work.

However, with writing credits for Taxi Driver, Obsession, Rolling Thunder, and Raging Bull under his belt there is little doubt that the guy can transfer a good story very well to the silver screen.
He is definitely a better writer than director, but I find his films interesting because they aren't just popcorn action movies and always seem to have something to say, whether they are completely successful or not.
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Old 4th November 2014, 04:49 PM
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Have you seen his remake of Cat People? It is very different to the Jacques Tourneur film, but visually striking and with plenty going on, both plot-wise and in the subtext.
Forgot about Cat People. I've not seen it for twenty years at least. I have had the dvd knocking around unopened for at least three years.
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Old 4th November 2014, 04:50 PM
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He is definitely a better writer than director, but I find his films interesting because they aren't just popcorn action movies and always seem to have something to say, whether they are completely successful or not.
What else do you recommend?
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Old 4th November 2014, 04:58 PM
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What else do you recommend?
It's tough to know what to recommend as you've seen the two I would primarily suggest (American Gigolo and Cat People), but Affliction and The Comfort of Strangers are good places to start.
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Old 4th November 2014, 05:51 PM
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Monolith Monsters


A some what intresting take on the usual 50s monster movie, instead of a monster or alien the Mence here is a rock/ crystal.

The film opens with a metor strike in the desert. A sample is taking back to the local town. The next morning the man who found the sample is found dead near a large crystal structure and in a sort of petrified state. It's not long after we find out that the crystals/ rocks absorbe the silicon from what ever touches them but only when they come into contact with water. Things take a turn for the worse when after a storm the crystal grow to fanatstic size and then collapse shattering into pieces which themselves grow and collapse and the cycle continues. Until the point where it they destroying the town and if not stopped will spread over the entire american continent if someway is not found to stop it. At times it's as slow moving as the crystals but it was still very enjoyable and has to have the one of the strangest/ most unique creatures 6.5/10

Now what bing world without end. Which from the little I have seen reminds me of the time machine and a classic Star Trek episode.
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  #30270  
Old 4th November 2014, 06:18 PM
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
Seen a lot of Schrader's films have you Nos?

I've seen two and thought them both poor. - Exorcist Dominion and American Gigolo.

Harlin has some very enjoyable action films to his name - Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger, The Long Kiss Goodnight, Mindhunters, 12 Rounds and a very good horror in Prison.

To me there's only one winner.
Schrader is a brilliant filmmaker - he's made great films (Blue Collar, Hardcore, the aforementioned American Gigolo) even his failures are fascinating and Dominion fits into the latter camp.

Schrader is a writer first and foremost but unlike many other scribes who've made the transition to directing he has a very unique vision - his films LOOK amazing. His influence is incredibly big too - the aesthetic of American Gigolo was what became that of almost every Bruckheimer produced film (pop-filled soundtrack, gorgeous visuals) and has had a massive impact on the mainstream.

Harlin made some solid action films but he's a bit of a "director for hire with little that sets his work apart from many other similar films, IMO.
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