What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Gojirosan]

Originally Posted by SharonLynette

Just watched the 1989 version of "The Woman in Black" as I haven't seen it in years and I'm now off to have nightmares.

I watched that the other day!

Top stuff.

[Slippery Jack]

Phantasm

Ugh, rubbish! A pretty inept handling of suspense, and none of the scares worked. The storytelling felt so confused and poorly plotted (think the 'oh, that main guy died' ending was probably the worst). The Tall Man was a rubbish bad guy, totally lacking menace (saying "boy" and struggling to keep up with a running child - ooh, scary!). Was he meant to be controller of the death balls? Why didn't we have a cool scene showing him controlling them, coming out of his hands or something? What was the deal with the stabby graveyard sex woman? Were the death balls meant to transform folk into hooded dwarves? Why didn't we have a cool scene showing that happen...?

[SharonLynette]

Originally Posted by Gojirosan

I watched that the other day!

Top stuff.

Have you read the book? I haven't but I'm curious to what changes were made which made Susan Hill dislike the '89 version? I'm thinking about checking out the recent version too, mainly because I'm a fan of tenuous links.

[Pete]

TUCKER AND DALE VS EVIL - Didn't fancy it but turned out to be very enjoyable.

ALIEN VS NINJA - Crap but probably got great reviews just because it's Japanese and a bit weird.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Slippery Jack

Phantasm

Ugh, rubbish! A pretty inept handling of suspense, and none of the scares worked. The storytelling felt so confused and poorly plotted (think the 'oh, that main guy died' ending was probably the worst). The Tall Man was a rubbish bad guy, totally lacking menace (saying "boy" and struggling to keep up with a running child - ooh, scary!). Was he meant to be controller of the death balls? Why didn't we have a cool scene showing him controlling them, coming out of his hands or something? What was the deal with the stabby graveyard sex woman? Were the death balls meant to transform folk into hooded dwarves? Why didn't we have a cool scene showing that happen...?

Heretic!!!

Only kidding. Phantasm is another one of those love them or hate them kind of movies, mainly because the entire film is structured as a very bad nightmare, so a lot of what happens falls back on the idea that the film works somewhat on dream logic.

Lat night I watched HELL'S GATE. A late eighties/early nighties italian schlockfest by umberto lenzi and released by EC entertainment. It's about a group of scientists doing an isolation study, monitoring one of their group whose living alone in the cave system for a prolonged period of time. When something appears to go wrong the group head down to rescue their mate only to find a bunch of demonic ghost monks down there set on butchering the whole lot of them. This is a technically dreadful movie that like a lot of genre films from italy of the same perod, manages to be a lot of cheesy fun in spite of iteslf. Theres some pretty gorey death scenes and lots of plot that makes bugger all sense! I liked it but then I enjoyed SODOMAS GHOST as well. The EC release is full screen and not the greatest quality, its in italian with english subtitles and no cheesy dub which was somewhat dissapointing.

I also went to the cinema to see THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN. Not as good as the first two films but a lot better than the third. The /cg is mostly good and the film is well paced, also Andrew garfield makes a much better peter parker than Tobey maguire. The film is NOT part of Raimi's trilogy regardless of what the advertising claims as the whole film is a re-telling of the origin story. Nontheless very entertaining, I just which marvel studios had been able to make it and incorporate it into the cinematic marvel universe their building.

[PaulD]

Originally Posted by keirarts

I also went to the cinema to see THE AMAZING SPIDERMAN. Not as good as the first two films but a lot better than the third. The /cg is mostly good and the film is well paced, also Andrew garfield makes a much better peter parker than Tobey maguire. The film is NOT part of Raimi's trilogy regardless of what the advertising claims as the whole film is a re-telling of the origin story. Nontheless very entertaining, I just which marvel studios had been able to make it and incorporate it into the cinematic marvel universe their building.

When have they ever said that? They've been very clear from the start that this is a reboot of the franchise, completely unrelated to Raimi's trilogy.

[Slippery Jack]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Heretic!!!

Only kidding. Phantasm is another one of those love them or hate them kind of movies, mainly because the entire film is structured as a very bad nightmare, so a lot of what happens falls back on the idea that the film works somewhat on dream logic.

Hmmmmmm, really? Well Don Coscarelli sure aint no David Lynch . . .

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by keirarts

Lat night I watched HELL'S GATE. A late eighties/early nighties italian schlockfest by umberto lenzi and released by EC entertainment. It's about a group of scientists doing an isolation study, monitoring one of their group whose living alone in the cave system for a prolonged period of time. When something appears to go wrong the group head down to rescue their mate only to find a bunch of demonic ghost monks down there set on butchering the whole lot of them. This is a technically dreadful movie that like a lot of genre films from italy of the same perod, manages to be a lot of cheesy fun in spite of iteslf. Theres some pretty gorey death scenes and lots of plot that makes bugger all sense! I liked it but then I enjoyed SODOMAS GHOST as well. The EC release is full screen and not the greatest quality, its in italian with english subtitles and no cheesy dub which was somewhat dissapointing.

Both are certainly cheesy, but it wasn't so much the lack of technical excellence these films possess that propogates my dislike for them, more the fact that as trashy 80s Italian horror films go, they were both very, very dull films. I'm certainly no saint, and love some awful, trashy poor excuses for films, but your trash tolerance must be very high indeed, Mr keirarts!

[Gojirosan]

Originally Posted by SharonLynette

Have you read the book? I haven't but I'm curious to what changes were made which made Susan Hill dislike the '89 version? I'm thinking about checking out the recent version too, mainly because I'm a fan of tenuous links.

Yes. Nothing leapt out at me as drastically changed. The recent version is a potentially OK film ruined by miscasting of the lead. Really ruined.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by PaulD

When have they ever said that? They've been very clear from the start that this is a reboot of the franchise, completely unrelated to Raimi's trilogy.

The poster states "THE UNTOLD STORY" suggesting the film is supposed to take place in some segment of time in the Raimi continuity.