I watched them back to back when I bought the complete Exorcist blu-ray set, and I must admit it was tough going after a while, especially watching the same actor in the same lead role. I prefer Dominion as well, but both were a disappointment overall, as every sequel has been since the masterful original film (yes, part III is a very good film but not really the same kind of story).Originally Posted by Hal...
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
You should read the novel Legion that Exorcist 3 was based on, if you haven't already. Killer.
I really enjoyed Censor! My sense of the ending was that as the main character experienced a breakdown the world gradually began to resemble the types of movies she was censoring? Hence the aspect ratio gradually changing to a VHS aspect ratio, starting right around the time the shocking violence happens (trying to be vague for the sake of spoilers).
We watched Blue Velvet and Richard Linklater's Suburbia the other night and they made an unexpectedly apt double feature. Two movies about the underbelly of suburbia, one about an idealistic student being corrupted and one about dropouts who are so afraid of idealism that they disengage from life. You can imagine the disturbed vet character from Suburbia eventually turning into Frank Booth; they both had this mix of violence and self-conscious melodrama in how they related to the world.
Listen to my music at https://electricbrainelectricshadow.bandcamp.com/
Saw the new David Croneneberg film "Crimes Of The Future" yesterday. This is one odd film with a story line set in a future where the human race no longer feels pain or can get infections. For reasons not exactly explained some humans are growing new organs / tumors in their bodies and surgeries have become performance art. Sound strange? Yea, it is an odd movie that only could have come from the mind of Croneneberg. The acting is outstanding in this one, although the story lacked in some ways for me. This is one of the few films released recently that I actually thought could have been a bit longer. A few of the characters could have used more background information as to why they do what they do in the film for me and the ending happens rather abruptly. It is also a film where the ending could be interpreted 2 different ways as to what actually happens. Overall it is an interesting film and is probably worth seeing for Croneneberg fans, but I think it could have been better.
Interceptor , Netflix. Requires higher than average suspension of belief. No name actors as far as I can see. Silly plot , involving terrorists trying to blow up the world by siezing control of an armed ocean platform. Not a huge budget film but makes good use of what they have to work with. Roles played with gusto , the film moves along at a brisk pace. Good solid mindless entertainment. I felt the time watching was not wasted .
We watched 200 Motels last night.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
The David Croneneberg film "Crimes Of The Future"
Looks awesome!!!
What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)
Not sure that I would have called it awesome, but it was a decent film.
Okay, thanks EBES
The problem with the Exorcist sequels is that studios have always wanted filmakers to add more horror and gore, whereas the directors have opted for a more psychological horror approach. It happened with Exorcist 3, with the studio insisting that an exorcism scene was added for the finale. And it looked and felt tacked on.
Don't know if anyone has mentioned it yet: Lamb.
My wife said I've got to see it. I'm glad I did, though, I really need to see it again. Rather slow going, but it's worth it. She-who-must-be-obeyed says I ruin a movie by talking about it to those who haven't seen it, so mouth shut, key thrown away.
Lou
Looking forward to my day in court.
Yes. And what makes the original so successful IMO is much less to do with the exorcism itself and more to do with the slow, steady decline of a sweet young girl into the hideous beast she becomes. There's such a thick sense of unease in that film that the sequels failed to replicate. No amount of flashy imagery or demonic faces can match the feeling one gets simply hearing the noises coming from behind Regan's closed bedroom door as Karras slowly climbs the stairs. Friedkin always said he wasn't making a horror, he was making a drama, and although I only partially agree there, I can see what he's saying. He allows plenty of time early on in the film for things to slowly begin transpiring, which is not a common trait in horror movies which tend to force-feed scares almost straight away.
Interviewer of reprobate ne'er-do-well musicians of the long-haired rock n' roll persuasion at: www.velvetthunder.co.uk and former scribe at Classic Rock Society. Only vaguely aware of anything other than music.
*** Join me in the Garden of Delights for 3 hours of tune-spinning... every Saturday at 5pm EST on Deep Nuggets radio! www.deepnuggets.com ***
I remember seeing the trailer for that back when movie theaters first opened up after covid, but it must have come and gone fast because we never saw it. It looked interesting and mysterious. What service is it currently on?
Showtime
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
I'm not the horror aficionado that many here are, but I'm always surprised that horror directors don't realize this. The best horror films are more about atmosphere and anticipation, not gore and jump-scares.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I've always said, the best horror relies on tension, anticipation, and especially the imagination.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
Like a ketchup commercial.
Stephen King said it best in Danse Macabre: Horror movies are only reaally effective until you finally see the monster. Then it's, "Oh, it's a six-foot cockroach. I can deal with that, I was afraid it would be a ten-foot cockroach." (Or whatever, that's quoting from rather-distant memory.)
Alien did a great job of not overshowing the monster. The sequels, not so much.
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
Seen recently: Santo in the Wax Museum (Santo en el museo del cera).
Definitely a popcorn film, it's my first luchador film. I mostly enjoyed it, I'll probably watch more.
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
I thought Aliens for an action film and even Alien III were worth worth watching. The same can be said for Prometheus, and Covenant to a degree. So far that franchise has done pretty well. But yeah, I think for me the first one stands up the best.
Tropic Thunder--rather odd movie. Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. lead an ensemble cast in 'Tropic Thunder,' an action comedy about a group of self-absorbed actors who set out to make the most expensive war film.
Last edited by hippypants; 06-08-2022 at 03:53 PM.
Alien and Aliens are too different genres entirely. I think James Cameron figured with Aliens, everyone now knows what the monster looks like so let's just make an action movie that NEVER LETS UP. The original is simply one of the best SF horror movies ever. The sequel is one of the best action movies ever. And, as with all great action movies, it had so many good lines and it spread them all around the cast.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
Totally agree.
Music isn't about chops, or even about talent - it's about sound and the way that sound communicates to people. Mike Keneally
I have enjoyed all of the "Alien" films, but the first two really stood out. As Jerjo says, they are totally different types of movies, but both work in their own way.
"Tropic Thunder" is a classic. Not sure it could be made today with the Robert Downey Jr. blackface character, but I thought it was a funny film.
I saw Tropic Thunder at an advance screening and the sound wasn't loud enough. During that one scene where Jack Black is tied up and engages in a salty monologue, a woman laughed nonstop and so freaking loudly that I heard incomplete sentences (but still caught the jokes).
For some directors, it's not their forte. The old guard did well with regard to that method, and by old guard, I actually mean a lot of 60s-70s-era directors, like Dan Curtis (Burnt Offerings), John Hough (The Legend of Hell House*), Michael Winner (The Sentinel) and even Don Coscarelli's initial Phantasm movie (some of the later films are good, some are ass).
*Richard Matheson wrote the screenplay for it, based on his novel Hell House, and scaled back the graphic content so the film would focus on atmosphere and general creepiness in lieu of gore and sex.
Fo sho. That's why torture porn sucks (except for the very first Saw, because the whole idea was still shrouded in ambiguity). Body parts flying across the screen is Dullsville.
A more recent horror film that I felt was successful was It Follows, due to a fairly unique premise and good direction and cinematography.
The first and best Alien is a horror film set in space. Everything else is sci-fi action.
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