|
Post by DSR on Feb 17, 2009 3:22:49 GMT -5
I could actually go for another nice horror anthology movie. That's a concept that I just can't get enough of. I even really love Creepshow 2 - ya gotta give up some love for "The Raft", a story which STILL legitimately creeps me out. I first saw this flick when I was six years old, and this image scared the holy hell out of me... As well as this one... "Thanks for the ride, lady!!" Creepshow 2 is alright, I guess, but it kinda drags a lot (the first story spends a good 10 minutes acting like an "old people life insurance" commercial). The Raft was sorta okay, and that one chick's boobs were certainly a treat ( Horlicks University, indeed!), but I saw the "monster" and said "that's a garbage bag" the first time I saw the movie. And that last story took a long time to say really nothing. And the animation was corny as hell. Okay, Creepshow 2 really wasn't alright (save for that girl's breasts...mmmm). But when the original Creepshow is my favorite horror movie of all time (and my second favorite movie of all time, overall), you kinda have to expect ME to be quite let down. Maybe they should've kept "Pinfall." But, anyway, YES, I would enjoy a good new anthology horror movie. As I said before, I LOVED Creepshow and Tales from the Crypt. Torture Garden, as I mentioned earlier, was a fun little picture. I'm also quite fond of Tales from the Hood. I'd love to see a new, well-done anthology film (I've not seen Creepshow 3 yet, though I hear its all kinds of atrocious...I'll see it eventually, but I'm not exactly looking forward to it).
|
|
|
Post by Rorschach on Feb 17, 2009 13:13:35 GMT -5
Anyone else checking out the TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE volume 1 DVD? I've just finished watching the first disc, and let me tell you....they could have done a better job with this, it seems.
From the outset, the first thing you'll notice is the picture quality, which is pretty damn poor. I am honestly at a loss as to why this would be. After all, it's not like the DVD transfer treatment hasn't cleaned up films that were in way WORSE shape. So WHY is this series so damned blurry and out of focus looking? Seriously, it's like you're watching ABC's Wide World Of Sports from 1967 at some points. BLERRGH.
That aside, the next thing that strikes me is how....well....mediocre this first disc's offerings are. Growing up on TALES FROM THE CRYPT may have jaded me quite a bit, but honestly, I expected BETTER from these episodes, especially considering some of the actors and the premises they're working with. Let's look at this episode by episode, shall we?
We kick things off with Trick Or Treat, wherein a town's miserly storekeeper invites all of the children of the adults who owe him money to come to his house and hunt for their debit stubs. If the kids can find the stubs before the old man scares them off, the debt of their parents is forgiven. If not....too bad! See you next year. Now, like I said, this is an interesting premise, and the old man storekeeper is played to the hilt by Barnard Hughes. But the premise is soon overcome by the need to throw an honest to God WITCH into the plot, for no OTHER reason than apparently, the writers thought that would be a nice way for the old man to get a taste of his own medicine. It's never explained WHO this witch is, why she's hunting the old man down, or what stake SHE has in ANYTHING. She simply shows up, does a Russo-esque run in, and scares the old man to death, leaving the last, meek child to show up and claim ALL the debit stubs, which the good witch has the courtesy to shower down on him like rain. ERRGH. This is the pilot episode, so I won't be too harsh on it, other than to say that the series literally had nowhere to go but UP. *1/2.
|
|
erisi236
Fry's dog Seymour
... enjoys the rich, smooth taste of Camels.
Not good! Not good! Not good!
Posts: 21,904
|
Post by erisi236 on Feb 17, 2009 13:26:39 GMT -5
'Tales from the Darkside' only really has 4 or 5 good episodes in my own humble opinion. The into itself is scarier then 90% of the actual episodes which are mostly goofy comedy with a 25$ budget.
Episode 7 'Inside the Closet' is about as good as it gets.
|
|
Ken Ivory
Hank Scorpio
This sorta thing IS my bag, baby.
Posts: 5,282
|
Post by Ken Ivory on Feb 17, 2009 13:46:52 GMT -5
fridaythe13thfilms.com have posted a blog addressing the "Jason protecting his weed" theories about the remake. I can't really post the link as there's a swear word in the url so you can see the blog listed at www.fridaythe13thfilms.comWARNING: LANGUAGE
|
|
Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
|
Post by Lick Ness Monster on Feb 17, 2009 13:56:11 GMT -5
That's a funny blog, Ken. Good to know that the folks at F13 are still maintaining an active website. I used to post at their forum way back in the day - greetings from MST3KFan! Since we're talking horror anthologies, one of the crown jewels of my DVD collection: www.amazon.com/Amazing-Stories-Complete-First-Season/dp/B00005JN8Q/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1234896342&sr=8-1I also realize that Amazing Stories isn't strictly a horror series - it falls more under the rubrick of "generally bizarre," but I absolutely loved this series. There's two episodes in particular in this series' first season that really stand out. One is "The Mission," with Kevin Costner and Kiefer Sutherland playing World War II bombers whose plain is hit, and having to make important choices about who lives and dies based on their own sense of duty. A very moving episode which predates Spielberg's own Saving Private Ryan's messages by more than a decade. Then there's "Mirror, Mirror," about a troubled writer who has some serious issues with reflections. That one scared the bejeebers out of me as a kid. I really wish they'd release Season Two, which contains "Go to the Head of the Class," starring Christopher Lloyd as the most evil teacher in the history of television, and Mary Stuart Masterson as a cockteasing girlfriend to Scott Coffey.
|
|
|
Post by Rorschach on Feb 17, 2009 14:21:45 GMT -5
'Tales from the Darkside' only really has 4 or 5 good episodes in my own humble opinion. The into itself is scarier then 90% of the actual episodes which are mostly goofy comedy with a 25$ budget. Episode 7 'Inside the Closet' is about as good as it gets. Yeah, that intro is definitely CREEPY. *Brrrrr* Episode two is called The New Man and is about the travails of a recovering alcoholic, who is visited at work one day by his youngest son. Problem is, he only has ONE son that he remembers. So we're led to wonder....is he really on the wagon, or has he fallen off and forgotten his youngest son in an alcohol induced blur? The episode is actually on par with the first. No real horror here, but merely paranoia that ALL IS NOT RIGHT. This one REALLY feels like it could have been a home run as a "TWILIGHT ZONE" episode, but here, despite the best efforts of Vic Tayback as the alcoholic Alan Coombs, it just falls flat, with a limp final twist that really does NOTHING for what could have been a really tight, suspenseful story. *
|
|
Welfare Willis
Crow T. Robot
Pornomancer 555-BONE FDIC Bonsured
Game Center CX Kacho on!
Posts: 44,259
|
Post by Welfare Willis on Feb 17, 2009 14:48:36 GMT -5
That's a funny blog, Ken. Good to know that the folks at F13 are still maintaining an active website. I used to post at their forum way back in the day - greetings from MST3KFan! It's funny you mention that. Blake and Brenna (the old webmasters) don't actually run the site anymore. The site is ran by John Klyza. The man behind the official sleepaway camp and retro slashers website. John is a super guy and builds a great website. I'm not sure how much if any input B&B have over the website now. You didn't really need to know this, but as a old poster from the Ft13th forum myself (ToJarJa) I thought I'd let you know what was going on.
|
|
|
Post by BoilerRoomBrawler on Feb 17, 2009 17:00:21 GMT -5
That's a funny blog, Ken. Good to know that the folks at F13 are still maintaining an active website. I used to post at their forum way back in the day - greetings from MST3KFan! Well, what a pleasant surprise: I remember you! Anyway, I too miss horror anthologies, especially since a lot of horror movies are longer than they need to be. It would be nice if a company tried to make one of these for a change. What are the box office performances of such movies?
|
|
Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
|
Post by Lick Ness Monster on Feb 17, 2009 23:58:31 GMT -5
Yeah, I remember both of you guys from the F13 forum - much more prolific posters than me. I'm surprised I'm remembered there at all for something other than the massive flameout that was the 2004 election thread. Note to the mods: you have my eternal applause and gratitude that the "No politics" rule is as strictly enforced as it is. Left untethered as it was on that forum, it only leads to trouble - which is what brought me to this here message board.
There also probably won't be any movie reviews from me for a while. I'm FINALLY getting around to watching the sixth season of 24 (big fan), and for as much as it's getting to suck after the first four episodes or so, it's just as addictive as it ever was.
|
|
Ken Ivory
Hank Scorpio
This sorta thing IS my bag, baby.
Posts: 5,282
|
Post by Ken Ivory on Feb 18, 2009 4:12:00 GMT -5
That's a funny blog, Ken. Good to know that the folks at F13 are still maintaining an active website. I used to post at their forum way back in the day - greetings from MST3KFan! I had joined the F13 films forum just before it closed it's doors, posted twice in the "Introduce Youself" Thread....then it shut down
|
|
andrew8798
FANatic
on 24/7 this month
Posts: 106,084
|
Post by andrew8798 on Feb 18, 2009 5:46:34 GMT -5
The forum should be back up by Friday
|
|
Ken Ivory
Hank Scorpio
This sorta thing IS my bag, baby.
Posts: 5,282
|
Post by Ken Ivory on Feb 18, 2009 6:13:33 GMT -5
|
|
Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
|
Post by Lick Ness Monster on Feb 18, 2009 12:50:02 GMT -5
Well, what a pleasant surprise: I remember you! Anyway, I too miss horror anthologies, especially since a lot of horror movies are longer than they need to be. It would be nice if a company tried to make one of these for a change. What are the box office performances of such movies? Yeah, generally speaking they didn't do too well. I believe that both Creepshow theatrical movies flopped, as did Tales From the Hood, Tales From the Darkside, as well as Twilight Zone: The Movie - which, by the way, I'm a HUGE fan of. Pretty much everyone agrees that segments three and four - the Joe Dante and George Miller segments which are remakes of popular Twilight Zone episodes - rock, but I'm even a big fan of John Landis' original short with Vic Morrow suffering a major league comeuppance for his personal attitudes. Plus, it's got a Steven Wright sighting. As an added nerdy trivia fact, it was Twilight Zone: The Movie that inspired Spielberg to create Amazing Stories. And Spielberg's segment was by far the most mailed in out of any story in the movie. Love Dan Aykroyd and Albert Brooks' opening vignette, as well! Still, perhaps my favorite segment from any anthology film ever is in this movie - Joe Dante's awesome, offbeat, quirky, and sometimes even downright disturbing remake of the classic episode "It's a Good Life"...
|
|
|
Post by DSR on Feb 18, 2009 14:22:58 GMT -5
Well, what a pleasant surprise: I remember you! Anyway, I too miss horror anthologies, especially since a lot of horror movies are longer than they need to be. It would be nice if a company tried to make one of these for a change. What are the box office performances of such movies? Yeah, generally speaking they didn't do too well. I believe that both Creepshow theatrical movies flopped, as did Tales From the Hood, Tales From the Darkside, as well as Twilight Zone: The Movie - which, by the way, I'm a HUGE fan of. The first Creepshow made almost thrice its budget in the US alone.
|
|
Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
|
Post by Lick Ness Monster on Feb 18, 2009 14:56:12 GMT -5
The first Creepshow made almost thrice its budget in the US alone. I stand corrected.
|
|
|
Post by Rorschach on Feb 18, 2009 16:24:18 GMT -5
MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN (Starring Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, Vinnie Jones, and Brooke Sheilds) Ok, so you're lionsgate films. You own the SAW series, and for the last couple of years, that franchise has paid your bills and then some. Suddenly, you're presented with a film by noted horror genius, and icon in his own right Clive Barker called MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN. The film is truly frightening, original, and gory as all hell. In fact, if released properly, it could make your studio TONS of money and spawn another franchise. So what do you do? Well, if you're Joe Drake, you act in a completely childish and unprofessional manner and bury MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN as far into the dollar theaters as you can jam it. No ads, no posters, nothing. And why? Because, silly, YOU have an interest in another horror film that opens around that time, and you DO NOT want competition of any sort. Thus, many of us, myself included are only now, with the DVD release, getting to experience MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN. What an experience it is, too! Centered around the story of Leon, a photographer whose pictures have life in them, but could use a little something MORE, MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN is a vicious, brutal, take-no-prisioners ride which may, at times have you wanting to get off. But trust me on this....staying put until this TRAIN reaches it's station is a treat no horror fan should miss out on. The gist of the story is, as I said above, that Leon is looking for his big break, and when a powerful publisher (Brooke Sheilds, whose involvement truly surprised me) tells him his photos need more edge to them, Leon takes to New York City's streets after midnight to truly capture the heart and soul of the "city that never sleeps". It is during one of these sojourns that Leon happens upon Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) a hulking mute brute who viciously murders anyone foolish enough to get on the last train of the night along with him. MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN, directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, delivers the goods when it comes to gore, rest assured of that. While I wasn't overly enamoured of the stylistic, "inside the head and coming out" CGI shots of some of the kills, you cannot deny that they are BRUTAL and a few of them will make you cringe outright. Ted Raimi's death in particular is so over the top, it becomes laugh out loud funny. But just as soon as that laughter starts, Kitamura cuts it off with a painfully REALISTIC kill to bring you back to your senses and remind you that this is NOT Iguchi's MACHINE GIRL or anything of that sort. This is a drama, and he handles his actors well in that sense. Jones is perfectly suited to playing this kind of mute, hulking badass, and Cooper as Leon and Bibb as his girlfriend are actually pretty believable as a young, yuppie couple who get in way over their respective heads as they become obsessed with Mahogany and his "midnight meat train". Honestly, lionsgate's treatment of this gem of a film is deplorable, and I believe that Barker's MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN deserved better than it got. One of the best horror films I've seen all year. I put it right up there with My BLOODY VALENTINE 3D, in fact. **** Oh and be sure to check out the audio commentary on the film. Barker and Kitamura both take it to Lionsgate, and deservedly so.
|
|
Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
|
Post by Lick Ness Monster on Feb 18, 2009 17:58:50 GMT -5
Awesome review, Rorschach. There's another movie that's going in my Amazon queue.
|
|
|
Post by Bullhead on Feb 18, 2009 18:01:55 GMT -5
Watched Sleepaway Camp 2 & 3 recently. Boy were they terrible. Maniac Cop 2 wasn't too bad though.
|
|
Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
|
Post by Lick Ness Monster on Feb 18, 2009 18:12:56 GMT -5
Watched Sleepaway Camp 2 & 3 recently. Boy were they terrible. Maniac Cop 2 wasn't too bad though. I'll respectfully disagree on the Camp sequels - or at least the second movie. The third one is a little forgettable, but I absolutely love Unhappy Campers. To me, the flick is pure genius - it's just so ridiculously over-the-top and exaggerated, with an Angela played with such gusto by Pamela "Yes, my brother is Bruce" Springsteen, that I can't help but have a smile on my face when I'm watching it. Sleepaway Camp 2 was actually the single biggest influence on a horror script that I wrote called Commencement - which is the living embodiment of every bad slasher cliche known to man. ;D
|
|
King of Fighters
Unicron
Me and you, we get Superman, were from the streets
Posts: 3,418
|
Post by King of Fighters on Feb 18, 2009 18:51:28 GMT -5
Not watching Midnight Meat Train when it was on Fear Net On Demand has been one of my biggest f*** ups for awhile. I really need to kick myself for missing it.
|
|