Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on May 31, 2009 19:48:15 GMT -5
Ahhhh, Opera...I freaking LOVE that movie. Well, except for the ending. Man, I wish they would have stuck with the original one.
Also, I'd like to post this little rant. I have another thread going on right now about movies with bad reputations, and how most of the time, they are well-deserved, and figured here was as good of a place as any to annoy everyone with these thoughts.
Halloween III: Season of the Witch. One of the most polarizing movies you'll ever find. Some people find it to be the absolute best movie in the entire series, while some fans whine constantly about it "not being a real Halloween movie." As I've stated several times, I fall into neither extreme camp, but I still feel that Halloween III is a pretty dreadful motion picture. And while there's a small but vocal group of horror fans who oh-so-conveniently can blame its dislike on the series' regular fans throwing the "Where was Michael Myers???" hissy fit, I actually feel that those whinings are deserved.
See, not a whole lot of people (read: "normal" people who decry "stupid scary movies") want to admit it, but the first two Halloween movies contain fantastic acting and storytelling. And not just by horror movie standards - "real" movie standards. Jamie Lee Curtis and Donald Pleasence created characters that are able to reach through the screen and captivate you, and the portrayal of Michael Myers in those first two films is nothing less than the sum of our greatest fear. He is what lurks in the dark, and as DSR once said, with his plain white mask we can pin our own vision of evil upon him. Long story short, those first two movies are unbelievable classics.
Halloween III? Cheesy acting, a global domination plot that makes no sense, and extremely lazy, in-your-face "satire" that beats you over the head with its "capitalism run amok" message for the duration of the film. Supporters of the film love to blame fans of the Michael Myers storyline for killing the series' original plan to turn the Halloween series into an anthology, but you know what? Had the film been, you know, GOOD, that plan may have very well gone through. And after the first two phenomenal entries in the Halloween series, average moviegoers and horror fans alike could tell that Season of the Witch was a BIG dip in quality from where the series had been...and hence the cries for the return of Michael Myers. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to cry for, seeing as how the Myers storyline concluded perfectly at the end of II, but I can definitely understand the reaction.
Just my $.02. Flames welcome.
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andrew8798
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Post by andrew8798 on Jun 1, 2009 16:48:25 GMT -5
Dimension Films has sent us the official plot crunch for Alexandre Aja's Piranha 3D, 2010's first big 3-D horror film.
Jaws...lots and lots of jaws. From acclaimed director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) comes the new action thriller PIRANHA 3D, in the latest eye-popping 3D technology. A new type of terror is about to be cut loose on beautiful Lake Victoria. After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area’s new razor-toothed residents. But our heroine (Elisabeth Shue) is seriously outnumbered, and with only one chance to save the lake and her family from totally being devoured, she must risk everything to destroy the aquatic carnivores herself.
The film also stars Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Richard Dreyfuss, Dina Meyer and Jerry O'Connell. Look for it in theaters on March 10, 2010.
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Post by Rorschach on Jun 1, 2009 17:04:59 GMT -5
Dimension Films has sent us the official plot crunch for Alexandre Aja's Piranha 3D, 2010's first big 3-D horror film. Jaws...lots and lots of jaws. From acclaimed director Alexandre Aja (The Hills Have Eyes) comes the new action thriller PIRANHA 3D, in the latest eye-popping 3D technology. A new type of terror is about to be cut loose on beautiful Lake Victoria. After a sudden underwater tremor sets free scores of the prehistoric man-eating fish, an unlikely group of strangers must band together to stop themselves from becoming fish food for the area’s new razor-toothed residents. But our heroine (Elisabeth Shue) is seriously outnumbered, and with only one chance to save the lake and her family from totally being devoured, she must risk everything to destroy the aquatic carnivores herself. The film also stars Adam Scott, Ving Rhames, Richard Dreyfuss, Dina Meyer and Jerry O'Connell. Look for it in theaters on March 10, 2010. Dude...call me a mark for 3D films if you wanna, but I am seriously excited for this. It has all the makings of a really fun time at the cinemas. |
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thump
Tommy Wiseau
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Post by thump on Jun 1, 2009 18:19:59 GMT -5
I'm so far behind on this thread it's not funny. Just a few notes: I haven't bought the Argento box, I actually still haven't see Do You Like Hitchcock?. I have the original releases for Phenomena and Tenebre, as well as the Dragon release for Phenomena (since it has some extra footage that doesn't add much to the movie...). I'm holding out though, hoping that Anchor Bay will give us some Argento on Blu Ray. The old discs that I have aren't even anamorphic, so I hardly ever throw them in anymore. I have a friend who bought the Puppetmaster box. I'd consider it, but I'm much poorer now than I used to be. I have a hard time sitting through any of those movies after part 3. I watched The Card Player from the set recently (while playing infamous) and I thought it was a okay film. While not nearly as gory as his early work I thought Argento did have an interesting and weird story. Not bad, but not one of his better works I feel. Maybe watch it if you really want to watch the man's body of work as I am doing. Next up is Do you like Hitchcock? for me...then I may order Opera and I'm not sure after that. I'm not as wild about Opera as some are, but it's still a damn good movie. I find the heavy metal even more distracting than I did in Phenomena, but there are far more pluses than minuses. One of Argento's notorious murder set pieces is present, which I won't ruin for you if you haven't seen it. What do you think of the packaging of the Argento set? I was surprised when I saw how small it actually was. I'm in the middle on Halloween III also. It's pretty fun for what it is and the jingle is insanely catchy. I know I'm on the minority here, but I actually think that Halloween II is a dopey and largely uninspired sequel. There's a few things I like, but not much. |
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Post by Rorschach on Jun 1, 2009 22:20:37 GMT -5
Finally got around to it.....  DRAG ME TO HELL (2009) Directed by Sam Raimi Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver *Sigh* When will people learn not to f*** with gypsies? I ask myself this every time I see a movie with a plot like this one, which admittedly isn’t too often. No, it’s not often that you get the “gypsy curse” storyline, but when you do, THAT’s the question you inevitably ask. In Sam Raimi’s much touted return to his horror roots DRAG ME TO HELL, it’s the character of Christine Brown (brilliantly played by Alison Lohman) who learns this lesson the hard way, when she refuses a loan to sickly old Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver). See, its make or break time for both of these women, with Christine being told that a big promotion is riding on her ability to make the “tough decisions” in her job, and old Mrs. Ganush facing the prospect of foreclosure on her house due to missing payments. Christine, determined to show her boss she can be tough, rejects Mrs. Ganush despite the old woman’s begging, pleading, and groveling. Push literally comes to shove right there in the office, and Christine has the old woman escorted out by security, enraging and shaming Mrs. Ganush. Things are far from over between the two of them, however, and after a long day’s work, Christine heads for her car down in the parking garage….only to find a seriously pissed off Mrs. Ganush waiting for her. What happens next is CLASSIC Raimi, and is a direct callback to the best fights between Ash and the Deadites in the EVIL DEAD series. After a smackdown of epic proportions, Christine has a button of her coat torn off by the evil old woman, who places a curse on it...the details being that after three days, a demon will arrive that will literally drag Christine to Hell. That’s all the plot details you’re going to get from me….now on to the meat and potatoes of the review: Is this film worth seeing? Yes…but know what you’re getting into when you do. This is a film that is a direct descendant of EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS. This is Raimi at his slapstick best, though there are plenty of jump scares thrown in for good measure. The laughs come almost as often as the gross out moments, and brother, let me tell ya: there are plenty of both. I thoroughly enjoyed this film for what it was, and would recommend it to any and everyone who loved Raimi’s EVIL DEAD work. Don’t go expecting a super-intense gore fest, or a serious scare fest either…know what you’re getting into, and you’re going to have a blast. The acting was spot on, and I particularly have to applaud Lorna Raver for her manic work as Mrs. Ganush. My goodness, what that lady does with this role is nothing short of genius, and the physicality of it alone is something that she pulls off with aplomb. I always hear people raving about Bill Mosely and Sid Haig as these great character actors...but after seeing Raver’s performance in DRAG ME TO HELL, I might just have to add her to that pantheon of gifted horror actors. Justin Long….is Justin Long, and he, well…he’s adequate for what his role calls for, and he doesn’t steal any scenes from Lohman, that’s for sure. Speaking of whom…Alison Lohman is a good actress in her own right, and I think she was perfectly cast for this role, as she does a great job as the distaff Bruce Campbell that Raimi evidently saw her as. I do have to deduct a star for the time being (until I see the DVD release) for a dangling plot point concerning Christine’s weight that goes NOWHERE, yet is brought up no fewer than three times. What’s up with that, Sam? Was there supposed to be more to it, or do you just get off on calling normal looking women fat for the hell of it? I don’t know…my friends and I came to the conclusion that there must be some footage missing or a deleted scene where they pay off all the “weight comments”….so I’ll hold off on final judgment, but until I learn for sure, DRAG ME TO HELL doesn’t get a perfect rating from me. However, the caveat to that is that I am by no means saying that you shouldn’t see this film…you should, by all means. Again, just know ahead of time what you’re signing up for. **** (Oh and watch for the goat scene…that was a HUGE crowd pleaser in the theater I was at!) |
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
Posts: 4,874
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Jun 1, 2009 23:02:47 GMT -5
Alright, somebody on here FINALLY saw the damn thing. And reading what it's all about...I just don't think it's my thing. I might pick it up on DVD, but I don't think I'm going to rush to a theater to see it.
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Post by Rorschach on Jun 2, 2009 2:54:06 GMT -5
Alright, somebody on here FINALLY saw the damn thing. And reading what it's all about...I just don't think it's my thing. I might pick it up on DVD, but I don't think I'm going to rush to a theater to see it. That's right...I remember you saying you didn't much dig the EVIL DEAD series. |
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Welfare Willis
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Post by Welfare Willis on Jun 2, 2009 6:13:32 GMT -5
I watched The Card Player from the set recently (while playing infamous) and I thought it was a okay film. While not nearly as gory as his early work I thought Argento did have an interesting and weird story. Not bad, but not one of his better works I feel. Maybe watch it if you really want to watch the man's body of work as I am doing. Next up is Do you like Hitchcock? for me...then I may order Opera and I'm not sure after that. I'm not as wild about Opera as some are, but it's still a damn good movie. I find the heavy metal even more distracting than I did in Phenomena, but there are far more pluses than minuses. One of Argento's notorious murder set pieces is present, which I won't ruin for you if you haven't seen it. What do you think of the packaging of the Argento set? I was surprised when I saw how small it actually was. Oh yeah, I was expecting something much bigger...akin to maybe their Bava box sets. How they fit 5 discs into a steelbook without those discs getting scratched up is a miracle. Although I like box sets that proudly display my movies and that's something this set doesn't do. Hell I'm a sucker for cover art from that era. As for Drag me to Hell, it sounds awesome. This will be a dvd pick up for me. |
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Lick Ness Monster
Dennis Stamp
From the eerie, eerie depths of Lake Okabena
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Post by Lick Ness Monster on Jun 2, 2009 9:56:23 GMT -5
That's right...I remember you saying you didn't much dig the EVIL DEAD series. Yeah, and a few years back I actually bought the limited edition tin DVD's of Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness (along with the "Book of the Dead" what have you of the original movie) based on two things: (1) being a horror fan, and (2) the insane amounts of praise that the movies get. And after blowing all that money, I didn't especially like any of the three films. One month later, I'd sold off all three DVD's on Amazon. And DSR - sorry if I offended ya with the Halloween III rant. It wasn't aimed at you, just the movie in general. And after all, I dig Van Sant's Psycho, and as far as I can tell I'm the ONLY person that likes the damn thing. Season of the Witch at least has a fanbase.  And one more thing - Rorschach, I just watched The Grudge 3...I dunno, I liked the ending, and the movie all the way around. Guess I'm just weird. On the rolodex of the three American Grudge flicks, I might actually like this one the best (and the first the least). And man, Kayako is PISSSD OFF in this flick. She's got some downright brutal kills. . And there's one very important thing you forgot to mention in your review - the fact that COUNSELOR TROI HERSELF is in this movie! Both an LOL and markout moment for yours truly. |
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Jun 2, 2009 13:32:39 GMT -5
What do you think of the packaging of the Argento set? I was surprised when I saw how small it actually was. Oh yeah, I was expecting something much bigger...akin to maybe their Bava box sets. How they fit 5 discs into a steelbook without those discs getting scratched up is a miracle. Although I like box sets that proudly display my movies and that's something this set doesn't do. Really? Just a standard steelbook? I was going to avoid it because I'm trying to be space-conscious right now (like I've said before, I don't have much left), but if all it is is a standard steelbook, I'd be happy to have it. |
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Post by Welfare Willis on Jun 2, 2009 13:52:13 GMT -5
Oh yeah, I was expecting something much bigger...akin to maybe their Bava box sets. How they fit 5 discs into a steelbook without those discs getting scratched up is a miracle. Although I like box sets that proudly display my movies and that's something this set doesn't do. Really? Just a standard steelbook? I was going to avoid it because I'm trying to be space-conscious right now (like I've said before, I don't have much left), but if all it is is a standard steelbook, I'd be happy to have it. Yup, not much bigger than a regular dvd case. |
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Post by Big DSR Energy on Jun 2, 2009 15:30:23 GMT -5
That's right...I remember you saying you didn't much dig the EVIL DEAD series. Yeah, and a few years back I actually bought the limited edition tin DVD's of Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness (along with the "Book of the Dead" what have you of the original movie) based on two things: (1) being a horror fan, and (2) the insane amounts of praise that the movies get. And after blowing all that money, I didn't especially like any of the three films. One month later, I'd sold off all three DVD's on Amazon. And DSR - sorry if I offended ya with the Halloween III rant. It wasn't aimed at you, just the movie in general. And after all, I dig Van Sant's Psycho, and as far as I can tell I'm the ONLY person that likes the damn thing. Season of the Witch at least has a fanbase. And one more thing - Rorschach, I just watched The Grudge 3...I dunno, I liked the ending, and the movie all the way around. Guess I'm just weird. On the rolodex of the three American Grudge flicks, I might actually like this one the best (and the first the least). And man, Kayako is PISSSD OFF in this flick. She's got some downright brutal kills. . And there's one very important thing you forgot to mention in your review - the fact that COUNSELOR TROI HERSELF is in this movie! Both an LOL and markout moment for yours truly. Like I've said numerous times, Evil Dead I is the only picture out of that trilogy I really enjoy. The other two are okay, but I don't think they deserve all the geek-hype and praise they get. Then again, slapstick doesn't really appeal to my sensibilities, so "splatstick" really isn't my forte. Oh, and I wasn't offended by your dismissal of Season of the Witch. If I hadn't seen it when I was a kid, I probably wouldn't hold it in such high regard. I mean, its got that mindnumbingly catchy song, snakes coming out of children's heads, Tom Atkins (who is awesome), an attractive woman's breasts, and androids! As you know, I'm willing to forgive some gaping plotholes for the sake of random awesome stuff happening. Blame my USA Up All Night upbringing. *shrug* Oh, and I'm probably gonna wait to rent Drag Me to Hell on DVD. Sounds okay, and I like Alison Lohman, but its not a must-see event movie for me. |
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Ken Ivory
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Post by Ken Ivory on Jun 3, 2009 5:33:13 GMT -5
Re: Halloween III, i've tried to watch it more than once but find myself switching it off. I want to give it a fair chance as a stand-alone movie (ala Friday The 13th Part V) but just can't seem to make through to the end.  |
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Welfare Willis
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Post by Welfare Willis on Jun 3, 2009 6:54:19 GMT -5
Blame my USA Up All Night upbringing. *shrug* Never! DSR, if movies like Sex and the Single Alien and Beaufort's Beach Bunnies are wrong I don't want to be right! |
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andrew8798
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Post by andrew8798 on Jun 3, 2009 17:40:37 GMT -5
Clive Barker Tweets:
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andrew8798
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Post by andrew8798 on Jun 3, 2009 17:44:15 GMT -5
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Post by GuyOfOwnage on Jun 3, 2009 17:50:54 GMT -5
You know the well has run dry when they announce a reboot of a 13-YEAR-OLD horror film. Something like Friday the 13th I get, because a modern audience probably wouldn't be willing to sit through a low budget film from the early 80s. But Scream? I don't get it. The original is still relatively "young", so I just don't see where it needs a modern update, because, for all intents and puposes, it's still a "modern" horror film. |
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Post by mysterydriver on Jun 3, 2009 18:04:29 GMT -5
I've said it once...I'll say it again... Clive Barker is awesome. |
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Post by Big DSR Energy on Jun 4, 2009 0:22:42 GMT -5
You know the well has run dry when they announce a reboot of a 13-YEAR-OLD horror film. Something like Friday the 13th I get, because a modern audience probably wouldn't be willing to sit through a low budget film from the early 80s. But Scream? I don't get it. The original is still relatively "young", so I just don't see where it needs a modern update, because, for all intents and puposes, it's still a "modern" horror film. Today's teens don't know who Neve Campbell is...? Yeah, I got nothin'. Considering the point of Scream was to do a self-aware story about horror movies, and now a good portion of horror movies are self-aware in their own right...whatever. |
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Ken Ivory
Hank Scorpio
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Post by Ken Ivory on Jun 4, 2009 3:12:09 GMT -5
Sidney Campbell NEEDS to be played by Tori Spelling!
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