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Werewolf by night. Haven’t liked anything Marvel since Daredevil on Netflix. This really surprised me. Had the black and white movie monster feel down pat. And the werewolf looked great. Like the Wolfman. 2 thumbs up
 
Self Saboteur said:
Werewolf by night. Haven’t liked anything Marvel since Daredevil on Netflix. This really surprised me. Had the black and white movie monster feel down pat. And the werewolf looked great. Like the Wolfman. 2 thumbs up
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Did you watch the original black and white cut or the new color one?
 
Re-watched Over the Edge recently, and was surprised by how well it holds up.

 
If you can find the despecialized versions I highly recommend them, they take the OT back to the way it originally appeared in the theater
 
sharps54 said:
If you can find the despecialized versions I highly recommend them, they take the OT back to the way it originally appeared in the theater
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Have them but I also have fan edits that take out the rubbish additions but keep the good bits when they were re-released and return things to the OT in places but with cleaner visuals and audio. Best of both worlds, really are brilliant.

Empire is such an awesome film though, even just shots like this that are on screen for a second or two:

1698271389363.png

Composition is fantastic. Uncluttered, strong, simple.

The use of geometric shapes throughout the whole of Empire was really interesting. Star Wars always had it in the ships but its really nicely used in the incidental architecture and scenery.
 
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Gringnr said:
Re-watched Over the Edge recently, and was surprised by how well it holds up.

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Directed by Jonathan Kaplan!

One of the more underrated graduates of the Corman school, his run of b-movie classics in the 70s of The Slams, Truck Turner (one of the best blaxploitation films bar none) and White Line Fever would have been enough but then he moved into the mainstream with the eccentric Over the Edge, the documelodrama of Heart Like a Wheel and his Oscar-winning (but still good!) The Accused.

 
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I got Netflix for the month to watch the new Mike Flanagan series, The Fall of the House of Usher.

I really liked it, not as much as Midnight Mass which I think is a masterpiece, but a bit more than the Haunting of Hill House which had a lot going for it but I didn't care for the drab way it was shot.

Here Flanagan rather audaciously combines Poe's short stories with the pointedly political satire of the Sackler family, the ultrarich RL family implicated in the oxy pandemic.

Each episode is loosely but recognizably based on a classic by Poe: The Masque of the Red Death, Murders in the Rue Morgue, etc. He also fits in a lot of Poe's poetry, I thought I recognized excerpts of Poe'e mystical essay Eureka, etc. He even manages to obliquely and cleverly (to me) insert Poe's unfinished novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.



Bruce Greenwood and Mary McDonnell are great of course but it's a delight to see Mark Hamill, who has grown into a fine actor, get the opportunity to play a heavy in live action. Hopefully he becomes part of Flanagan's troupe as he's fun to see here.



This is far more darkly funny than anything else I've seen by Flanagan, which along with the often grotesque and violent set-pieces really capture the spirit of Poe's stories imo.

Odd though that he ultimately seems to steer clear of the overt theme of incest in his title story. One could consider that pressure from the suits but the Masque of Red Death episode and generally OTT sex (unusual for the usually staid Netflix) and violence throughout the show makes that seem unlikely. Perhaps he wanted to allow that central relationship some integrity for the emotional punch of the classic climax we all know is coming just from the title (if you've read Poe).

Although I loved the morose intensity of Midnight Mass I think he should consider more humour in his work going forward, it works well here.
 
If you want to watch something different and you either speak Spanish or don't mind sub titles check out the Spanish horror comedy Witching & Bitching, best to go in spoiler free but if you really need to see the trailer here it is

 
I've just binged the Continental - the John Wick Prequel - and I loved it.
I loved the story, the word building, the photographym, the music, the fight choreography. Everything.

Which is funny 'cause I've always found the John Wick films to be po-faced and a bit boring. Like there are a few good ideas but it's all drowned out in Keanu Reeves being invincible and killing mooks in the same way over and over again.

Somewhere in the whole Wickiverse is a Changeling game trying to get out but I just can't map all the moving parts together.
 
Speaking of John Wick....

I watched John Wick 4 and Expendables 4 the other night (I'm a few days behind posting about it, as things have been a bit crazy at work). I watched Expendables 4 first, and well, it wasn't very good. I liked the first 2, thought 3 was so-so, but this one was not very interesting. You've got Tony Jaa in it, and he's not very interesting until he gets one big fight scene towards the end. Iwo Uwais is decent as the villain, but again, underutilized. Hell, Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture were underutilized, but at least they made good use of what screen time they had to shine. Just a big disappointment.

As for John Wick 4: While I liked the basic story, the action scenes are getting way over the top now. I felt like some of it I've seen done before (and at times, even better) in other films. I thought Donnie Yen was the best part of the movie. The villain was just some arrogant, snot nosed looking punk who looked too young to be effective at being the main bad guy. Scott Adkins was kind of unrecognizable, which is a shame, as I like him (though he probably put the most hurt on wick when they faced off). I'm very interested in seeing where the next one takes us.

I also finished up The Void, an anthology of short films from different countries over on Tubi. It's a mixed bag, but there was a couple of good ones in there. There is a second one I hope to watch starting tomorrow
 
Netflix

Knights of the Zodiac is one of the most garbage pointless higher-budget action movies I've seen in a long time.

People laughed at me when I said "I, Frankenstein," was a fun, pointless romp. I still stand by that. It was fun.

At least I was multitasking.
 
Netflix

I just binged Pluto. Very impressive. A bit preachy, but one of the best anime shows its seen lately.

I can't speak to the animation itself, but the storytelling was exceptional and themes were on point. A bit preachy, but unavoidably so, given the themes.

Highly recommended.
 
Went to see The Killer this weekend. Definitely a good movie, but whether you like it or not depends on whether you like to root for your protagonist/can root for the unapologetically bad guy. Fassbender does make him likeable, but in the end, it's that same sort of quandary there is in The Professional.

It has an experimental/unique opening and it goes on for a while- it's strange at first, but you get used to it. Then it changes abruptly! I loved that!
 
I'm watching Five Nights at Freddies on Peacock right now. I know it is based on some game, but I've never played it, so I'm going into it with no knowledge of the setting. I'm planning on watching Willy's Wonderland next for a double feature.
 
urbwar said:
I'm watching Five Nights at Freddies on Peacock right now. I know it is based on some game, but I've never played it, so I'm going into it with no knowledge of the setting. I'm planning on watching Willy's Wonderland next for a double feature.
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I look forward to the comparison :thumbsup:
 
sharps54 said:
I look forward to the comparison :thumbsup:
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They're definitely two different films that have a similar premise. Freddies isn't so much a horror movie; it's more a mystery with heavy supernatural elements. Not much on screen bloodshed, so it feels made for a younger crowd. I liked it, but I wasn't wowed by it.

Willy's is what I expect from a Cage movie. The fact he never once talks, but is great with his facial expressions, really worked for me. His character doesn't once flinch at the crazy stuff. It's also amusing when his character does stuff like take his break right as he was getting ready to fight one of the bad guys alongside the female lead (leaving her to fight by herself until he comes off break). Totally absurd, but kind of genius in a very corny way. I definitely liked Willy's better, and glad I watched it after Freddie's
 
urbwar said:
They're definitely two different films that have a similar premise. Freddies isn't so much a horror movie; it's more a mystery with heavy supernatural elements. Not much on screen bloodshed, so it feels made for a younger crowd. I liked it, but I wasn't wowed by it.

Willy's is what I expect from a Cage movie. The fact he never once talks, but is great with his facial expressions, really worked for me. His character doesn't once flinch at the crazy stuff. It's also amusing when his character does stuff like take his break right as he was getting ready to fight one of the bad guys alongside the female lead (leaving her to fight by herself until he comes off break). Totally absurd, but kind of genius in a very corny way. I definitely liked Willy's better, and glad I watched it after Freddie's
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I believe Willy’s started as an early draft for the Freddie’s movie. That might also be true of The Banana Splits movie.

I really enjoy Willy’s, especially Cage. He does an amazing job acting as the silent protagonist of a video game franchise. The kids drag it down a little but all in all it is still a fun watch.
 
sharps54 said:
I believe Willy’s started as an early draft for the Freddie’s movie. That might also be true of The Banana Splits movie.

I really enjoy Willy’s, especially Cage. He does an amazing job acting as the silent protagonist of a video game franchise. The kids drag it down a little but all in all it is still a fun watch.
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I wasn't a big fan of the teens either. I would have been fine with Cage just doing his thing, and having the "monsters" come at him while he tries to do his job.
 
Watched Five Night at Freddies.

It wasn't bad for a pg-13/family friendly transitional horror (think Gremlins, Krampus). Managed to still be a bit gruesome through implication (and a clever use of shadows in one scene). The film managed to subvert some of my expectations - I was worried it would rely too heavily on jump scares because that's a major aspect of the games, but it was actually pretty reserved with using those, opting for a more "creeping dread" approach. The acting was good from everyone involved, but Matthew Lillard was an absolute treat, as always, even with a small role (if he had been the protagonist that might have elevated the film). But even the main child actor gives an impressive performance.
The plot gets a bit nonsensical and contrived by the end, and the film spends a long time on character development, which is....good? I dunno, usually I'd say it's good, and taken as a film in isolation it gives the main characters realistic motivations and genuine emotional stakes. But it does cut down on rewatchability, as the 5 Nights at Freddy's are the interesting parts, but the 5 days not at Freddy's are kinda boring. Moreover it's impossible to take the film in isolation for me, who waded neckdeep into the game lore.

So looking at the film as an adaptation of the games, my ultimate evaluation is that it's better than I was expecting going in, but it falls short of being great.

First, off, it's clear that the film-makers were big fans of the IP. The film is densely chocked full Easter Eggs, nods to the fandom, and subtle references. Youtube is already filling up with videos attempting to identify and list them all, and I expect that will continue for some time. These are, with one exception, not done obviously or exaggeratedly, so they didn't take me out of the film. It wasn't like those films where there's a blatant wink to the audience underscored with a blatant music cue that would leave a non-fan going "Apparently that's supposed to be significant to me, but this film hasn't told me why". The one exception I mentioned was the casting of a significant Youtuber fan theorist who is dropped in as a minor walk-in role and hams it up. It's fine, it's a throwaway B plot scene that doesn't affect the film's overall tension.

That said, the major appeal of the FNaF games is the labyrinthine lore that is hidden deep within the games and offshoot media, a series of nonlinear clues that are pieced together to tell a story hidden beneath the story. At this point, we kind of know what's going on in the original story (there s a new story currently unfolding in the more recent games), though there's various debates and interpretations of when and why certain events occurred.

And it's a really interesting generational horror story with an incredibly epic and satisfying revenge ending.

And I expected the film to go in one of two ways - to abandon that entirely and focus just on the surface premise of the games (making it something more like the rip-off films released over the last couple years - one with NicK Cage and one based on a 70's kids variety show, blanking on the nanes of both of them), or to deep dive into the lore, maybe even provide a linear retelling that fills in some gaps. I was hoping for the latter, but the trailer made me assume the former.

In truth it's neither - it has an original story that incorporates the surface premise of the games, and it...dabbles with a simplified version of the lore. Fans are arguing as to how much it directly contradicts the lore, but the sad truth is that there are multiple videos on Youtube just about the lore that are, ultimately, more entertaining than watching the film. And there is no moment in the film, from beginning to end, that ever even touches the epicness of these 5 minutes from FNaF: Security Breach:



Overall, I'd say it's worth watching even if you know nothing about the games (that might be an ideal initial viewing experience actually), but afterwards you should look up some of the game lore explanations and compare for yourself.

I give it a solid 7/10...verging on 8, but held back a bit by comparison to the material it's adapting.
 
urbwar said:
I'm watching Five Nights at Freddies on Peacock right now. I know it is based on some game, but I've never played it, so I'm going into it with no knowledge of the setting. I'm planning on watching Willy's Wonderland next for a double feature.
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As someone without prior knowledge of the lore, what did you think?
 
TristramEvans said:
As someone without prior knowledge of the lore, what did you think?
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I liked it, but it isn't normally the type of film I'd see. But I thought it was well done, and I thought the backstory was interesting. As I posted earlier, Willy's Wonderland was more my jam, but I can appreciate Freddie's for what it is. It just didn't wow me, as I thought it would be a bit more on the horror side. It being more of a supernatural mystery was fine though.

On another note, I went to see Huesera: The Bone Woman tonight at the Hollywood Theater. It's on Shudder (which I have), but I thought it would be worth seeing on the big screen. It's Folk Horror from Mexico, but a bit light on the horror (so maybe more Supernatural Suspense with folk elements). There's some good creepiness to it, but the more mundane stuff takes up most of the film. It could have used a bit more of that cut to make the movie pace better, but I enjoyed it.
 
Willy's was definitely more of an actual horror film. I saw it a while back when it first came out, and it was an OK evening's digression, an over the top popcorn low budget horror. It was blatantly unoriginal, but got to the screen before the FNaF film could crawl out of production hell. I don't like or dislike Cage, other than being glad he was never Superman. He was entertaining in Willy's as the silent badass.

I'm glad Freddy's wasn't basically a rehash of Willy's. It's a very different type of film. But it's definitely "family horror", not remotely scary at any point.
The Banana Splits is closer to Willy's than FNaF, though I think was maybe a bit better, while simultaneously being less effective as Horror than Willy's.

Actually maybe the best horror based on the Freddy's premise is the short film The Hug, which is basically the concept distilled down to it's very essence:

 
TristramEvans said:
Willy's was definitely more of an actual horror film. I saw it a while back when it first came out, and it was an OK evening's digression, an over the top popcorn low budget horror. It was blatantly unoriginal, but got to the screen before the FNaF film could crawl out of production hell. I don't like or dislike Cage, other than being glad he was never Superman. He was entertaining in Willy's as the silent badass.

I'm glad Freddy's wasn't basically a rehash of Willy's. It's a very different type of film. But it's definitely "family horror", not remotely scary at any point.
The Banana Splits is closer to Willy's than FNaF, though I think was maybe a bit better, while simultaneously being less effective as Horror than Willy's.

Actually maybe the best horror film based on the Freddy's premise is actually the short film The Hug, which is basically the concept distilled down to it's very essence.

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Thank you for sharing! I agree this is all you need for FnaF although as a Cage fan I’m sure I will revisit Willy’s in a couple years.
 
TristramEvans said:
I'm glad Freddy's wasn't basically a rehash of Willy's. It's a very different type of film. But it's definitely "family horror", not remotely scary at any point.
The Banana Splits is closer to Willy's than FNaF, though I think was maybe a bit better, while simultaneously being less effective as Horror than Willy's.
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I totally agree. The fact they share the same basic premise, but approach it from it like opposite sides of a coin is a good thing. I think I'd have been let down if FNaF was exactly like Willy's.

Of course now I really want to see that Banana Splits movie
 
urbwar said:
I totally agree. The fact they share the same basic premise, but approach it from it like opposite sides of a coin is a good thing. I think I'd have been let down if FNaF was exactly like Willy's.

Of course now I really want to see that Banana Splits movie
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I haven’t seen it since it came out but The Banana Splits is better than I thought it would be but not perfect, I’d have to rewatch to nail the specifics. I definitely didn’t think it was a waste of time and there are some decent kills if memory serves.
 
Just started watching DeadTube, the Japanese film that inspired the infamous manga*. I expect the film will be tamer (I guess it would have to be without including outright porn), but the first five minutes have a hyper-realistic enough-looking death scene that I'm a wee bit concerned (despite my love of horror, my tolerance for realistic gore isn't as high as one might expect).

*Yes I've read the manga, and yes, every horrible thing you might have heard about it is true, and so you probably already know if you should avoid it or want to seek it out. The thing is, the story is really compelling if you can stomach the contents. Hence me seeking out the film.
 
Finished Star Trek Enterprise and really enjoyed it, except for the last episode.

Then watched The Wheel of Time, Season 2, which was thoroughly enjoyable.

Watched Gen-V, which was excellent, but was missing the Series Finale (Episode 8) so was mildly irritated.

Then started watching the Interview With a Vampire TV series on BBC, but it wouldn't let me watch Episode 3, so I switched to The Fall of the House of Usher, which is excellent.
 
chuckdee said:
How did I never know about this before now?

www.primepremiere.amazon

Prime Premiere | Amazon | Exclusive Offer for Prime Members- Free One-Night-Only Early Screening in Theaters

Amazon Prime Members get free tickets to exclusive advance screenings of Amazon Original movies and series plus concessions and photo moments
www.primepremiere.amazon www.primepremiere.amazon

Free movie screenings for amazon prime members with popcorn and a drink.
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Only Amazon Prime US and Amazon Prime UK?
What about the rest of us Amazon Prime members?
Oh that's right, my country isn't real heh heh
 
Started Medici the magnificent. Couldn’t care less for the plot and only like a handful of characters. But the sets, landscapes, and costumes are fantastic. Very visually appealing. Would much rather prefer a series with the rogue Marco Bello as the protagonist though.
 
My fears regarding Death Tube were swiftly eliminated. Mostly spoiler-free review:

It was a very interesting viewing experience. It is a lower than low budget film - like less of a budget than Clerks. But they, for the first half of the film, made really good use of basically a one room set. In the second half of the film they move to "industrial warehouse they let us use", which, honestly was probably too ambitious. I could see what they were going for, but it made the budget a bit too obvious. The set is ridiculous, and ... and just as I'm thinking this during the film - which up to this point was like a less-violent low budget Squid Game (think Saw if the "traps" were "solve a Rubix Cube") that was kinda funny - the film takes a sudden about twist into really incredibly disturbing and uncomfortable territory. I...honestly don't know if that's a good thing. I didn't mind the "PG-13 torture porn" - the situation was compelling enough, the acting decent enough (except from one Old Lady NPC who is hamming it up like she's an extra in Kung Fu Hustle).

They use public domain classical music as the soundtrack, which is several times bizarrely discordant with my associations with those particular songs (and the audio isn't exactly THX). Like I didn't expect to encounter Holst's Jupiter in the middle of a horror flick. It doesn't ruin the movie, but it made the scenes feel sillier than I think they intended

Or, I mean, maybe they were, maybe they were going for a gut punch. I dunno, that first scene in the cold open - it was their best death, the only one that twinged my brain's "looks authentic" response. So, I can appreciate the decision to lead with that. It instantly sold the film's premise.

If you don't know or couldn't guess, "Death Tube" is a parody of YouTube where people upload videos of actual murders. It's simplified, and less developed as an idea, in the film, where it's basically like one of those Videodrome style "Red Room" sites that pre- adolescents think are on the Daaaaark Web.
In contrast, in the manga there is a participatory element - in that it's a site where anyone can upload videos and they get paid for clicks (so more like actual Youtube, but if Youtube would pay to cover up your crimes unless you got the lowest views of the month).

So maybe the film is deliberately structured in a way that's like - high impact opening to hook you, then goes slow and gives the viewer a false sense of security, and then is like "this is the perfect opportunity to traumatize the audience". If that was intentional, it is admittedly a very clever execution. But I'm unsure as to how much my personal viewing experience is coloured by different culture norms*.

*I am surprised, even to this day, at how much sexual assault is freely depicted in Japanese media (it actually put me off anime for a few years at the turn of the century), and likewise I am thus unsure if what to me was a sudden shift in tone would be read as such by the intended Japanese audience

So despite the film's second half, which was effective horror I guess, but I'm not sure I'd say it was entertaining, I generally thought the film was pretty good. I like high concept horror like Cube, Circle, Would You Rather?, The Belko Experiment, The Platform, etc. This was basically the amateur film club version. It had some OK deaths (and one really good one, even if it nauseated me a bit). The puzzle-solving element was a bit of a letdown (didn't get that same high as Alice in Borderland's puzzle games), but the bizarre nature of the situation kept it compelling. A 5/10.

Would I recommend it? Um, not to most people. If you are a seasoned horror fan, especially one experienced with J-horror, it might be a surprising treat. If your experience with horror doesn't extend much further than Hollywood fare, it might be off-putting (also, no dub exists that I am aware of, though the sub translation was good - didn't feel like it was done by google translate or anything). This is definitely "deep dive" cinema fare. But I appreciate it.

But how does it compare to the much better known (through online infamy more than anything) manga? Well, I knew it would be tamer. The manga is unfilmable - it honestly makes Martyrs or A Serbian Film look "tasteful" in comparison. So to say that the film is, in fact, tamer, seems like an understatement. It's tamer the way an episode of the Muppet Babies is tamer than the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

The film inspired the manga, but they just took the basic premise of mixing YouTube with the Purge and went totally in their own direction - a bit Death Note, a bit Hentai, a whole bunch of OMFGWTH.

The Manga is not just far more extreme, though, it is much better written. It is the Berserk of doujinshi. If you think you might be able to stomach it, I recommend reading the manga instead of hunting down the film. But if you can't (which is highly understandable, it earned it's reputation - think "if someone thought Elfen Lied was too family friendly"), but the premise intrigues you, the movie might be a decent alternative.

I'm watching the sequel tonight. Higher budget, better rated from what little in English I could find about it online.
 
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