[WraithApe]

A day of quality programming from the FrightFest team for Halloween...

Hostile - 4/10

Part small-scale post-apocalyptic survival movie, part romantic drama, inter-cutting between the two through flashbacks. By the end though, the ball is firmly in the court of cheesy romantic drama. Not what I was expecting at all!

The Black Gloves - 1/10

Supposed to be a homage to thrillers of the 40s but just shooting something in black and white doesn't make it Hitchcock. Appallingly bad sound mix (half the dialogue was rendered inaudible by the music), terrible acting and a stupid plot involving an owl-headed spectre and a haunted ballerina make for a total train wreck.

It Came From the Desert - 6/10

About as good as you reasonably expect a modern day B-movie about giant ants to be. Very much plays it for laughs, and generally gets them. The ants are nothing to write home about, effects wise, but some good writing and 80s-fueled nostalgic good will keep this one afloat.

Housewife - 5/10

Technically fairly well-made but without an original bone its body - nothing here that hasn't been done better by Polanski, Del Toro, Cronenberg et al. Takes a turn for the Lovecraft at the end, but that's not enough to elevate what is otherwise very mediocre fare: a confusing mishmash of cult programming, astral projection and body horror leads nowhere very exciting.

Beyond Skyline - 3/10

If ever a film didn't need a sequel it was probably 2010's Cloverfield wannabe, Skyline. This one is more in the Independence Day spirit and adds kung fu into the mix for good measure. Cheesy, predictable, CGI-heavy nonsense that I was praying would end from at least the half way point. It's hard to see this overblown action sci-fi guff appealing to anyone over the age of about twelve.

Terrifier - 7/10

Finally! A horror film worthy of the name; this is unashamedly old-school, harking back to the golden age of exploitation and video nasties. Expanded into a feature from his own short of six years earlier, Damien Leone's film doesn't over-reach the limitations it sets for itself and as a result delivers a taut, gleefully nasty little slasher that really gets the juices flowing. Makers of It take note: this is how you do properly scary clowns.

 

[Hutnicks]

Holy smoke. Were it not for Terrifier I would have thought you made a wrong turn and wound up at Dreckfest.

 

[WraithApe]

Un Flic - 6/10

Not one of Melville's best. This story of a cop on the edge chasing down a gang of armed robbers is strangely cold and unengaging. Visually, it's a cut above, with Melville's trademark cool, crisp style and assured camera work, but the story is lacking. The eponymous cop, Alain Delon's inspector Coleman, doesn't have to do a lot of detective work - everything seems to fall into his lap and bringing the gang to justice proves to be anticlimactic.

Dialogue is minimal. There's a lot of attention to detail lavished on the two main jobs - the bank heist at the start and then the train robbery - but almost too much detail: watching Richard Crenna's character de-robing, washing and combing his hair doesn't make for riveting viewing! It also seems the budget didn't really stretch to filming a helicopter hovering over a moving train, so models were used but they're so obviously models that it makes me think it would have been a wiser move not to insist on a long shot at all.

Delon is a blank slate, and by the end of the film, we don't really know Coleman any better than at the beginning. He's a cold character, and his callous interaction with a transgender informant also reveal him to be a bigot. The main point seems to be that honour exists nowhere - neither the cops or the robbers, who would as soon as murder their injured colleague as deal with the hassle of moving him from one hospital to another. All in all, it's a cold, minimalist crime drama mainly distinguished by stylish cinematography. The opening scene on a bleak, rain-lashed promenade is particularly memorable and sets the tone for the rest of the film.

 

[oqvist]

Jackie 5/10. Can't really stand that voice did Jackie really do baby talk

 

[Redcarmoose]

Saw this in 2000, but kept being reminded of it in popular culture.

8-10

 

[Redcarmoose]

Don't remember my thoughts on this in 2012? Still my wife loves Bond movies, which means I see them a lot. One thing about this movie though,............. it's it's top notch production values. Heads above most I would say. Though as normal the story and action are far removed from the plausible. 8-10

 

[WraithApe]

Saw this in 2000, but kept being reminded of it in popular culture.

8-10

I'm also a fan of this adaptation. Have you read the book? It's a lot more graphic and hard-hitting (in the places where it's violent that is; it's also interspersed with long sections of Patrick itemising things in his head!) but I think Mary Harron wanted to take it more down the black comedy route and it really works well. Bale is perfect casting for Bateman!

 

[Redcarmoose]

I'm also a fan of this adaptation. Have you read the book? It's a lot more graphic and hard-hitting (in the places where it's violent that is; it's also interspersed with long sections of Patrick itemising things in his head!) but I think Mary Harron wanted to take it more down the black comedy route and it really works well. Bale is perfect casting for Bateman!

He was great and a perfect star for the show! Yes, seeing the movie, it seems it would make a better book as a readers mind could wander more, where a film has to be less ambiguous, unless it was animated maybe. But on second screening 17 years later, the line about returning VHS tapes was even more funny. Also you could tell it's really a woman's movie and social commentary of the times, also men in general! HAHA

 

[Redcarmoose]

4-10
Number 8 in the series. Didn't know this was not shot in Texas till I read the credits at the end. Still it has a very slow and interrelated plot and comes off as the definitive prequel even telling the story before Texas Chainsaw 1. It's OK but maybe the worst of the series in total. That said there has been some great modern additions to the series, so it's too bad this one does not hold it's own.

 

[Hutnicks]

Saw this in 2000, but kept being reminded of it in popular culture.

8-10

Odd that as I am reminded daily. There is a school closure here at the end of this year and it has some parents upset. We have "Save Bateman" signs all over the place.

By all means give the dismal and largely unknown sequel a miss.

 

[WraithApe]

He was great and a perfect star for the show! Yes, seeing the movie, it seems it would make a better book as a readers mind could wander more, where a film has to be less ambiguous, unless it was animated maybe. But on second screening 17 years later, the line about returning VHS tapes was even more funny. Also you could tell it's really a woman's movie and social commentary of the times, also men in general! HAHA

The book is certainly more ambiguous, especially in its resolution. The film leaves you in little doubt that Bateman is just a fantasist. Ambiguity and unreliable narration is Easton Ellis's strong suit though; it's a common theme with his work. I'd recommend reading the book, if you can stomach it!

4-10
Number 8 in the series. Didn't know this was not shot in Texas till I read the credits at the end. Still it has a very slow and interrelated plot and comes off as the definitive prequel even telling the story before Texas Chainsaw 1. It's OK but maybe the worst of the series in total. That said there has been some great modern additions to the series, so it's too bad this one does not hold it's own.

Saw this at FrightFest earlier in the year. Don't really disagree with you, but I seem to remember I was slightly kinder to it Thought it was a competent enough horror movie, but the identity of young Leatherface is never really a mystery, despite the film's attempts at misdirection, and it's all pretty conventional - should have been a lot weirder if it wanted to get close to being in the same league as Tobe Hooper's original masterpiece!

 

[Redcarmoose]

@ Hutnicks ....

Yes, I purchased the sequel and it was bad. So bad maybe it may be good in another 5 years? Or maybe not?

Don't remember much except it was a female killer, a university? I think I tossed it in the trash. Maybe the worst attempt at a movie ever?

 

[Hutnicks]

@ Hutnicks ....

Yes, I purchased the sequel and it was bad. So bad maybe it may be good in another 5 years? Or maybe not?

Don't remember much except it was a female killer, a university? I think I tossed it in the trash. Maybe the worst attempt at a movie ever?

Yup female killer at University filmed in Vancouver and starring Mila Kunis in a career killer of a role.

 

[Redcarmoose]

• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
• Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
• Texas Chainsaw 3D
• Leatherface

I remember the franchise getting a kickstart with how good "The Next Generation" was though come to think of it " Texas Chainsaw 3D" didn't do much for me either. Surprising they went to Bulgaria for this last installment? They sure made Bulgaria look like Texas, I'll give them points for that!

Edit:

Actually it was the 2003 remake of the original that I though kicked off the enthusiasm again.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chainsaw_Massacre_(2003_film)

 

[Hutnicks]

• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2
• Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III
• Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
• The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning
• Texas Chainsaw 3D
• Leatherface

I remember the franchise getting a kickstart with how good "The Next Generation" was though come to think of it " Texas Chainsaw 3D" didn't do much for me either. Surprising they went to Bulgaria for this last installment? They sure made Bulgaria look like Texas, I'll give them points for that!

Edit:

Actually it was the 2003 remake of the original that I though kicked off the enthusiasm again.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Texas_Chainsaw_Massacre_(2003_film)

Thing is, when you take a raw desperado directors vision and try to package it into a "big Mac" wrapper it all goes south of creative.

Heres hopin that true horror will rear it's head and we will soon see a film with Weinstein Rapes, And Spacey on Cruise.

Simply stated, true horror is not some leatherface or Jacon Vooheese, it is the insiduous manipulation of those in power. That said, it is an insight into the whole hollywhore fiasco. Cannot wait till |Clooney replaces Trump as president:

I am oh so sorry for getting political. In Justification. may I offer up Swedens " Blue Eyes" as an apology?? A somewhat prescient precition two yeas ago about the mess we are in now.




AAS More opinions of the new Blade Runner film are required.