Movies: Last Movie You Watched and Rate It | Cinema at the End of the World Edition

[kihei]

Inside (2007) - 6/10 (Liked it)

A pregnant woman living alone and grieving the loss of her husband fights for her life when a stranger intrudes into her home. This French home invasion horror is like the most frightening part of Rosemary's Baby stretched way out and dialed up to the extreme. It's up there with Martyrs in being brutal, violent and bloody to an almost shocking degree, but isn't as "out there" because there's a real-life basis for it. You've seen characters have rough nights in films before, but this is a true nightmare... especially, I imagine, for expectant women. The film should come with one of those warnings if you are or are planning to become pregnant. There isn't much plot to excuse the shock value, but at least it doesn't get too absurd or try to justify itself with pretentious philosophy like Martyrs. It's just a straight and simple slasher, but with a twist. It's a bit illogical and unrealistic at times and there's a little CGI that's unnecessary and silly looking, but it's still effectively intense and disturbing. If you have a strong stomach for blood, gore and subtitles, it's on the Criterion Channel (believe it or not) and for rent for a handful bucks on other services, like Amazon.

What a double feature Inside would make with this year's best from Cannes, Titane.

 

[kihei]

Titane (2021) Directed by Julia Ducourno 6C

Alexia is a nasty little girl who causes her father to have a car accident in which she is seriously injured. She is left with a titanium plate in her head and a very ugly and visible scar over her right ear. When she grows up, she takes on two distinguishing characteristics: she likes to kill people, a crochet needle doubling as a hair pin being her weapon of choice; and she likes to have sex with cars (not in cars, with cars). On the run from the law, she brutally alters her appearance and is adopted by a fire fighter chief, thinking she is his long-lost son. The guy, shall we say, has a number of peculiarities of his own. They develop a relationship that is certainly one of a kind. The situation is further complicated by the fact that she is pregnant—by the car. You may suspect this will not end well. You would be right.

Titane may be the oddest duck ever to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. I didn’t watch this movie so much as viscerally experience it—one truly imaginative gross-out twist followed rather closely by another (there are a lot of them). In addition to graphic and really queasy violence, we get all kind of unimaginable kinks that are way, way off the beaten path. Most have to be seen to be believed. Titane recalls some of the more extreme works by such directors as David Cronenberg, Gaspar Noe, Leos Carax, and Tikashi Miike. This flick is Class “A” Midnight Madness material, but is it art? I’d say no. While the movie is effective at what it does and garishly well photographed, its attempt by the end to cram in a message about the transformative power of love is both lame and tame. The more Alexia starts to care, the more conventional the movie becomes. However, if all you want to do is to squirm in your seat because of the creative audacities taking place in front of your eyes, then look no farther.

Sidenote: Pregnant women don't want to see this one either.

subtitles

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

This flick is Class “A” Midnight Madness material, but is it art? I’d say no.

I haven't seen the film, and probably won't for a while, but I can't understand that comment... Great art, maybe not, but art? Well, cinéma is an art, no?

 

[NyQuil]

I haven't seen the film, and probably won't for a while, but I can't understand that comment... Great art, maybe not, but art? Well, cinéma is an art, no?

Paging @Shareefruck.

 

[kihei]

I haven't seen the film, and probably won't for a while, but I can't understand that comment... Great art, maybe not, but art? Well, cinéma is an art, no?

No, not all movies are art. Most movies are commercial products. Some of them may attain the status of art as well, but those are relatively few and far between. Works that appeal to the lowest common denominator may be works of considerable craft, but I would very rarely, at best, refer to any of them as works of art.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

No, not all movies are art. Most movies are commercial products. Some of them may attain the status of art as well, but those are relatively few and far between. Works that appeal to the lowest common denominator may be works of considerable craft, but I would very rarely, at best, refer to any of them as works of art.

As much as I agree with you about the product status, I think it's still very hasardous to call a film "not art" - especially one that's written and directed by the same person and that (looks like it) does things somewhat differently. Is the last Liam Neeson film art or is it painting by numbers and technics? I'd still say a little of both. Low art, sure. Aunt Lilly painting in her basement is "making art", to some level at least.

It's not something I'd go to war on (it's not the pretentious étiquette!), just something I wouldn't dare going for myself.

 

[kihei]

As much as I agree with you about the product status, I think it's still very hasardous to call a film "not art" - especially one that's written and directed by the same person and that (looks like it) does things somewhat differently. Is the last Liam Neeson film art or is it painting by numbers and technics? I'd still say a little of both. Low art, sure. Aunt Lilly painting in her basement is "making art", to some level at least.

It's not something I'd go to war on (it's not the pretentious étiquette!), just something I wouldn't dare going for myself.

Me, I got no problem at all being "hazardous" on this one.

 

[ItsFineImFine]

Dune (2021) - 7.5/10

Certainly the best-looking Blockbuster I've seen of the century but also one of the coldest. From pacing to characters, it always feels a bit off, almost like Villeneuve is parodying himself the way it felt like Nolan was doing on Tenet. The unfortunate feeling in the entire second half of the film that it's setting up a sequel and milking the concept of a saviour also doesn't help but there's some good tension in the middle. A small nit-pick, it feels off in films like this with American accents, it feels too casual. Everyone should have a British accent or some variation.

 

[nameless1]

Being There-1979

A man who has been sheltered for much of his life is forced out into the world when his benefactor passes away. He doesn't know how to read or write, has never ridden in a car but he does know gardening. A chance accident leads to befriending a wealthy lady and her husband who's health is on the decline. The man's laid back demeanour wins over his new friends and leads to interesting encounters as he charms those he meets.

Peter Sellers is really good. Melvyn Douglas too, he made me think of J. Paul Getty. The gag reel over the end credits is funny. Seems like there are so few good mature comedies, enjoyed this film.

I thought it is fun, but that is about it. People often put this one on a pedestal, for some reason, so much so that it is cited as an example by different respected critics and film makers, but I do not find it to be that profound.

That said, after the past five years in the United States, the movie seems to reveal a psychological explanation for what happened, so it probably deserves a second look, but I believe it is more of a coincidence than its overt purpose, so I will still look at it as a comedy.

 

[Chili]

I thought it is fun, but that is about it. People often put this one on a pedestal, for some reason, so much so that it is cited as an example by different respected critics and film makers, but I do not find it to be that profound.

That said, after the past five years in the United States, the movie seems to reveal a psychological explanation for what happened, so it probably deserves a second look, but I believe it is more of a coincidence than its overt purpose, so I will still look at it as a comedy.

I just appreciated the subtle humour and how people see others which may be far from reality. And I really liked the performances of some of the leads. Reminded me of the film Meet John Doe (Gary Cooper, Barbara Stanwyck).another case of an identity which can be created by the media.

 

[Pink Mist]

Jason and the Argonauts (Don Chaffey, 1963)

Classic Greek tale of Jason, an adventurer, who goes on an epic journey to find a golden fleece and encounters gods and monsters along the way. Considered a cult classic and beloved by many who saw it in their childhood, but sorry I watch this one as a kid and I didn’t vibe with this film as an adult. The characters and the acting in this film is just so flat and uninteresting. Todd Armstrong, who plays Jason, is not a convincing actor, and he doesn’t get much help from his supporting cast either. The action is also just poor, especially any of the swordfighting. I don’t think I’ve seen worse swordfighting in a film before. The real star of the film of course is the stop motion animation by Ray Harryhausen which is integrated into the live action film. I kept waiting for whatever mythical monster or beast would appear on the screen next and wanting to skip through all the bland and uninteresting human story. Somethings I guess you really need to have seen with a child’s eye to appreciate.

Also this is the second film I've watched this week with skeletons in them. This one had fighting skeletons and the other film, The Forbidden Room, had sexy female skeletons. It was nice to see, we don't have enough skeletons as characters; they usually just exist for jump scares.

 

[OzzyFan]

Dune (2021)
No Rating Given

See it on the biggest screen possible. I was blown away. The visuals and sound are amazing and alone worth the watch and/or cost of a ticket. The worlds created are transporting and players in them are well done and well acted, especially in consideration of everything being balanced. Narrative quality is definitely there. I haven't read the book, but it's supposedly very close and faithful to it. I don't want to rate it for a few reasons, and because the experience alone is top notch and different from almost anything I can think of, I won't.

Dune (2021) - 7.5/10

Certainly the best-looking Blockbuster I've seen of the century but also one of the coldest. From pacing to characters, it always feels a bit off, almost like Villeneuve is parodying himself the way it felt like Nolan was doing on Tenet. The unfortunate feeling in the entire second half of the film that it's setting up a sequel and milking the concept of a saviour also doesn't help but there's some good tension in the middle. A small nit-pick, it feels off in films like this with American accents, it feels too casual. Everyone should have a British accent or some variation.

I wonder if the off part you feel is maybe from the 'coldness' for some of the story and actor delivery from what is going on?

I'd disagree on the 2nd half. I think it builds the story forward fairly well, introducing new things and putting in motion some character development/growth and 'twists'. Obviously it pushes the 'chosen one' commentary because he's the main character. I have no complaints.

 

[Osprey]

Raw (2016) - 5/10 (Medium)

A young, timid vegetarian goes to veterinary school and learns the pleasures of the flesh... literally. She goes from "animals have rights" to "MOAR MEAT!" in less than a week after arriving on campus. Talk about being quick to lose your veg-inity. This French semi-horror is from the director whose new film involves a woman having sex with cars (see kihei's review above). It seems that she's 2-for-2 for films with weird sexual fetishes. It's artistically made, nicely shot and well acted. It also appears to be one big coming of age metaphor, just replacing carnal desires with carne desires. Being artistic and metaphorical makes the critics drool, but it was a little too much so for my taste. Despite having meaning, it seemed like it didn't really leave much to chew on in the end. I also found it somewhat predictable and a bit of slow cooker. I wasn't bored, but I wanted it move along and get juicier and it never really did. For a horror, it's rather tame, though a few scenes can get under your skin. It's well made, but didn't really meat my expectations. You can try it out for yourself on Netflix, though, as long as you don't have a beef with subtitles.

 

[kihei]

Bergman Island (2021) Directed by Mia Hansen-Love 8B

Tony (Tim Roth) and Chris (Vicky Krieps) visit Faro Island, off the coast of Sweden, the place where the great Swedish director Ingmar Bergman lived and shot many of his most famous and most intense psychological dramas like Scenes from a Marriage, Persona, Hour of the Wolf, Cries and Whispers and many others. The island has become a tourist destination for those interested in Bergman memorabilia. There are tours and guides and film libraries devoted to the director and the nooks and crannies on the island where he filmed have become points of exploration for visitors. The older Tony and the still youthful Chris are both filmmakers; he is much older and way more successful than she. They have come to the island for a little inspiration. Bergman Island focuses on their relationship and the strains that seem inevitable when two artists with different sensibilities and life experiences try to find a way to cohabit with one another intimately.

Bergman Island is a subtle and complex piece of direction by director Mia Hansen-Love. There is a movie within a movie here as Chris tells Tony of an idea that she is considering making into a film. Her plot deals with a young girl (Mia Wasakowska), visiting Faro Island for a wedding, who meets once again an old flame (Anders Danielsen-Lie). She wishes romance would rekindle, and is left with a sense of longing when it doesn’t. In a further reflexive twist, the present seems to slip effortlessly into the future and Chris’ movie appears to have been completed, with the crisis seemingly confronting Tony and Chris having been averted along the way.

We get a lot of Bergman lore (he had nine children by six different wives, but took virtually no responsibility for parenting). We get a lot about the complex dynamics of two artists living together. But if this all seems a little too much like artful navel gazing, we also get a moving examination on how love can linger and ache long after its embers would appear to have been extinguished. Hansen-Love calm steady hand shouldn’t be confused for lack of depth or insight. Bergman Island is one of the most complex, well acted and beautifully structured films of the year.


Best of '21 so far

1, The Power of the Dog, Campion, US
2. The Cloud in Her Room, Zheng, China
3. Bergman Island, Hansen-Love, France
4. The Year of the Everlasting Storm, Panahi, et al, various countries
5. Red Moon Tide, Patino, Spain
6. Identifying Features, Valadez, Mexico
7. Undine, Penzold, Germany
8. The Green Knight, Lowery, US
9. Manor House, Puiu, Romania
10. The Dig, Stone, UK


Sidenote: I think this is the latest I have been finally able to cobble together a top ten in my viewing history.

 

[Puck]

Titane (2021) Directed by Julia Ducourno 6C

Alexia is a nasty little girl who causes her father to have a car accident in which she is seriously injured. She is left with a titanium plate in her head and a very ugly and visible scar over her right ear. When she grows up, she takes on two distinguishing characteristics: she likes to kill people, a crochet needle doubling as a hair pin being her weapon of choice; and she likes to have sex with cars (not in cars, with cars). On the run from the law, she brutally alters her appearance and is adopted by a fire fighter chief, thinking she is his long-lost son. The guy, shall we say, has a number of peculiarities of his own. They develop a relationship that is certainly one of a kind. The situation is further complicated by the fact that she is pregnant—by the car. You may suspect this will not end well. You would be right.

Titane may be the oddest duck ever to win the Palme d’Or at Cannes. I didn’t watch this movie so much as viscerally experience it—one truly imaginative gross-out twist followed rather closely by another (there are a lot of them). In addition to graphic and really queasy violence, we get all kind of unimaginable kinks that are way, way off the beaten path. Most have to be seen to be believed. Titane recalls some of the more extreme works by such directors as David Cronenberg, Gaspar Noe, Leos Carax, and Tikashi Miike. This flick is Class “A” Midnight Madness material, but is it art? I’d say no. While the movie is effective at what it does and garishly well photographed, its attempt by the end to cram in a message about the transformative power of love is both lame and tame. The more Alexia starts to care, the more conventional the movie becomes. However, if all you want to do is to squirm in your seat because of the creative audacities taking place in front of your eyes, then look no farther.

Sidenote: Pregnant women don't want to see this one either.

subtitles

This is a film ' people will either like or dislike'. The former will enjoy psychoanalysing it. I fell into the latter category. I would not bother arguing with the former group though. After winning at Cannes, I suppose it gets instant film cred. There is a lot to dissect there, but I don't have the Freudian chops to do that. I gather at the end the Director was asking us to not just accept but embrace the new 'auto-gender' life-form much like its Mother did in her voyage of learning how to love at the end? Fine. But I still didn't like the movie, nor the 'shock-voyage' the Director took me on. To her credit though, I think she has created a new film genre, 'auto-madic'. I will enjoy reading other posters impressions of the film when they see it, I think they will (post a reaction), it will be hard not to. This film just screams for an emotional reaction.

List of body horror media - Wikipedia

 

[HanSolo]

Dune 8/10

Wrote a longer review in the movie's thread. But what Villeneuve signed up for is a gargantuan task and unfortunately Dune 2021 proves that the only way to do this story justice would be a very high budget mini series that would need at least 10 hours.

However, knowing we're getting pretty much just 5 when the sequel is out, Villeneuve did as strong a job condensing this story and bringing this world to life as you could reasonably hope for.

It's a visually stunning movie that is beautifully realized and set to an incredible Hans Zimmer score. I'd recommend anyone with even the faintest interest I seeing it to see it in IMAX.

Though while Villeneuve did his best I can't say the narrative is perfectly set out. A story of this scope is hard to do in under 3 hours. Perhaps some set pieces and atmosphere building shots could have been sacrificed to beef up the narrative but I don't think sacrificing the biggest strength the film has would be any benefit. The story may not be executed cleanly, but Herbert's world is realized and depicted as magnificently as I could imagine.

And in that sense, to me Dune 2021 will likely stand as one of the more artistically iconic Sci fi films of this era.

I'll just never shake wishing that there was enough money out there to make a miniseries with this level of production mastery and acting talent to fully realize what Dune is. I wouldn't necessarily say Villeneuve failed here. He did as good a job as you could with the time constraints present. But it would be incorrect to say this is a perfect adaptation of this portion of Dune's narrative.

 

[kihei]

Dune 8/10

Wrote a longer review in the movie's thread. But what Villeneuve signed up for is a gargantuan task and unfortunately Dune 2021 proves that the only way to do this story justice would be a very high budget mini series that would need at least 10 hours.

However, knowing we're getting pretty much just 5 when the sequel is out, Villeneuve did as strong a job condensing this story and bringing this world to life as you could reasonably hope for.

It's a visually stunning movie that is beautifully realized and set to an incredible Hans Zimmer score. I'd recommend anyone with even the faintest interest I seeing it to see it in IMAX.

Though while Villeneuve did his best I can't say the narrative is perfectly set out. A story of this scope is hard to do in under 3 hours. Perhaps some set pieces and atmosphere building shots could have been sacrificed to beef up the narrative but I don't think sacrificing the biggest strength the film has would be any benefit. The story may not be executed cleanly, but Herbert's world is realized and depicted as magnificently as I could imagine.

And in that sense, to me Dune 2021 will likely stand as one of the more artistically iconic Sci fi films of this era.

I'll just never shake wishing that there was enough money out there to make a miniseries with this level of production mastery and acting talent to fully realize what Dune is. I wouldn't necessarily say Villeneuve failed here. He did as good a job as you could with the time constraints present. But it would be incorrect to say this is a perfect adaptation of this portion of Dune's narrative.

Technically amazing movie, but I found it dour and serious. No fun.

 

[nameless1]

Sidenote: I think this is the latest I have been finally able to cobble together a top ten in my viewing history.

You just need Belfast, and I think you got all the contenders.

 

[Osprey]

Technically amazing movie, but I found it dour and serious. No fun.

Dour, serious and no fun, but visually amazing? Sounds like my last girlfriend.

 

[OzzyFan]

Island of Lost Souls (1932)
3.35 out of 4stars

"The mad doctor Moreau conducts ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked sailor who finds himself trapped there."
A pre-code horror movie that's as mentally stimulating as it is visually. It is visibly shocking with it's island of humanoids being explored. The atmosphere created by the "unknown" inhabitants, and the excellently played by Laughton doctor role, is just as distressing prior to as it is after the big reveal for their existence. The how and why this is being done also only adds layers to this fear and moral issues at hand and inferred. The "house of pain" is as imaginatively fear and sadness evoking as it is spoken in the film. And purposely or not, there is a lot of commentary to be taken from this movie including subjects as nature vs nurture, the scientific abilities and rights of man, the pros and cons of scientific research/testing and it's subjects consequences, power dynamics, human dominion, and colonialism. An interesting historical fact, it was infamously banned in Britain after it's initial release.

The Omen (1976)
3.25 out of 4stars

"American diplomat Robert (Gregory Peck) adopts Damien when his wife delivers a stillborn child. After Damien's first nanny hangs herself, Father Brennan warns Robert that Damien may not be the harmless child he appears to be."
A very well done horror classic that excels in both it's story building and scares with near perfect balance. The score is intense and amps up the terror to 11, especially the latin chant pieces. The film earns the gravity of it's proposed apocalyptic situation alongside it's diabolic phenomena in excellent fashion. Kudos to turning a 5year old child into possibly the most frightening person on the planet. I applaud this movie for what it accomplishes, because the margin of error for this material turning into something silly, unbelievable, or over the top was huge, yet successfully avoided.

Scream (1996)
2.85 out of 4stars

"A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game."
A fun satire on the horror slasher genre that almost has as many scares as it does giggles/surprises, and boasts a great score. I don't think it's as scary as it tries to be or inventive as it wants to be from the purely slasher side of things, but it's still a breath of fresh air and a lot of fun. Interestingly on that front, the original cut of the film earned an NC-17 rating and that version may have changed my opinion a bit on that topic. A quality satire, albeit not on the same level of a Cabin in the Woods or Shaun of the Dead imo.

Carnival of Souls (1962)
2.70 out of 4stars

"Mary Henry ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident through mysterious circumstances. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted by visions of a fiendish man. As the visions begin to occur more frequently, Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town."
Psychological horror that creates a living nightmare for it's protagonist with no clear answers in sight. An excellently matched organ score/soundtrack adds another layer of creepiness to the story. The 'romantic interest' side story doesn't work in the slightest, but everything else does well. The twist is predictable, but the journey is worth it.

Creep 2 (2017)
2.40 out of 4stars

"A video artist looking for work drives to a remote house in the forest to meet a man, later claiming to be a serial killer having a mid-life crisis. But after agreeing to spend the day with him, she soon realizes that she may have made a mistake."
A fairly short, fun simple weird dark comedy horror tale that thrives on it's unsettling feeling and awkwardness from start to finish. Duplass plays a great psycho and the plot works. Not everything in the movie lands, but more than enough does to make it enjoyable.

The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)
2.15 out of 4stars

"In Britain, a crack test pilot lands to find the planet has been devastated by some unknown forces. There are a few survivors, so he organizes them in a plan to ward off control by a group of killer robots controlled by aliens."
Slightly different spin on the alien apocalypse/invasion film. Rather straightforward survivalist film though, yet it's well acted and there are a few fun elements and scenes. You will find those things in this film either cheesy or breezy, I found them mostly breezy.

Lamb (2021) (Subtitles)
2.35 out of 4stars

"A childless couple, María and Ingvar discover a mysterious newborn on their farm in Iceland. The unexpected prospect of family life brings them much joy, before ultimately destroying them."
Unquestionably more a folk fantasy drama than a horror movie. I don't know why but I was just expecting something completely different and not sure if that is the trailer's fault or my fault. I'm going to rant now because I need to let this out, so stop reading if you don't want to hear me "complain". The movie has an unsettling vibe, but there are no more than 4 horrific events in the whole movie, and 1 is the plot of the movie, 2 of the others are of the more ordinary variety, and the last is the shocking ending. And even the unsettling vibe is because you expect "horrific" or "weird" things to happen due to the plot and only a couple of these 'horrific' things happen beyond the initial one. It's more of a couple/family drama, their repetitive boring dull life, and opportunity for joy and a child they had never had or lost at a young age through a lamb/human hybrid that may or may not be ethical. I don't know why but I was just expecting something completely different and not sure if that is the trailer's fault or my fault. Any style of the horror variety would have worked, yet they chose a supernatural plot to explain a metaphorical theme which created more of a distraction than depth necessary for the subject matter, or I'm not giving the mother nature side of it enough credence, which imo still weakens the impact of the main story. Also there were a lot of beautiful shots of Iceland in the movie for the record. Sorry for my whining on that, just not sure if I should be upset at myself or the trailer/movie description for my expectations and the onscreen product and it's overall quality.

 

[HanSolo]

Technically amazing movie, but I found it dour and serious. No fun.

I don't know. Maybe my enjoyment would have been dimmer if I hadn't read the half of Dune that was adapted by the film. Dune as a book isn't exactly fun either.

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

Island of Lost Souls (1932)
3.35 out of 4stars

"The mad doctor Moreau conducts ghastly genetic experiments on a remote island in the South Seas, much to the fear and disgust of the shipwrecked sailor who finds himself trapped there."
A pre-code horror movie that's as mentally stimulating as it is visually. It is visibly shocking with it's island of humanoids being explored. The atmosphere created by the "unknown" inhabitants, and the excellently played by Laughton doctor role, is just as distressing prior to as it is after the big reveal for their existence. The how and why this is being done also only adds layers to this fear and moral issues at hand and inferred. The "house of pain" is as imaginatively fear and sadness evoking as it is spoken in the film. And purposely or not, there is a lot of commentary to be taken from this movie including subjects as nature vs nurture, the scientific abilities and rights of man, the pros and cons of scientific research/testing and it's subjects consequences, power dynamics, human dominion, and colonialism. An interesting historical fact, it was infamously banned in Britain after it's initial release.

The Omen (1976)
3.25 out of 4stars

"American diplomat Robert (Gregory Peck) adopts Damien when his wife delivers a stillborn child. After Damien's first nanny hangs herself, Father Brennan warns Robert that Damien may not be the harmless child he appears to be."
A very well done horror classic that excels in both it's story building and scares with near perfect balance. The score is intense and amps up the terror to 11, especially the latin chant pieces. The film earns the gravity of it's proposed apocalyptic situation alongside it's diabolic phenomena in excellent fashion. Kudos to turning a 5year old child into possibly the most frightening person on the planet. I applaud this movie for what it accomplishes, because the margin of error for this material turning into something silly, unbelievable, or over the top was huge, yet successfully avoided.

Scream (1996)
2.85 out of 4stars

"A year after the murder of her mother, a teenage girl is terrorized by a new killer, who targets the girl and her friends by using horror films as part of a deadly game."
A fun satire on the horror slasher genre that almost has as many scares as it does giggles/surprises, and boasts a great score. I don't think it's as scary as it tries to be or inventive as it wants to be from the purely slasher side of things, but it's still a breath of fresh air and a lot of fun. Interestingly on that front, the original cut of the film earned an NC-17 rating and that version may have changed my opinion a bit on that topic. A quality satire, albeit not on the same level of a Cabin in the Woods or Shaun of the Dead imo.

Carnival of Souls (1962)
2.70 out of 4stars

"Mary Henry ends up the sole survivor of a fatal car accident through mysterious circumstances. Trying to put the incident behind her, she moves to Utah and takes a job as a church organist. But her fresh start is interrupted by visions of a fiendish man. As the visions begin to occur more frequently, Mary finds herself drawn to the deserted carnival on the outskirts of town."
Psychological horror that creates a living nightmare for it's protagonist with no clear answers in sight. An excellently matched organ score/soundtrack adds another layer of creepiness to the story. The 'romantic interest' side story doesn't work in the slightest, but everything else does well. The twist is predictable, but the journey is worth it.

Creep 2 (2017)
2.40 out of 4stars

"A video artist looking for work drives to a remote house in the forest to meet a man, later claiming to be a serial killer having a mid-life crisis. But after agreeing to spend the day with him, she soon realizes that she may have made a mistake."
A fairly short, fun simple weird dark comedy horror tale that thrives on it's unsettling feeling and awkwardness from start to finish. Duplass plays a great psycho and the plot works. Not everything in the movie lands, but more than enough does to make it enjoyable.

The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)
2.15 out of 4stars

"In Britain, a crack test pilot lands to find the planet has been devastated by some unknown forces. There are a few survivors, so he organizes them in a plan to ward off control by a group of killer robots controlled by aliens."
Slightly different spin on the alien apocalypse/invasion film. Rather straightforward survivalist film though, yet it's well acted and there are a few fun elements and scenes. You will find those things in this film either cheesy or breezy, I found them mostly breezy.

Lamb (2021) (Subtitles)
2.35 out of 4stars

"A childless couple, María and Ingvar discover a mysterious newborn on their farm in Iceland. The unexpected prospect of family life brings them much joy, before ultimately destroying them."
Unquestionably more a folk fantasy drama than a horror movie. I don't know why but I was just expecting something completely different and not sure if that is the trailer's fault or my fault. I'm going to rant now because I need to let this out, so stop reading if you don't want to hear me "complain". The movie has an unsettling vibe, but there are no more than 4 horrific events in the whole movie, and 1 is the plot of the movie, 2 of the others are of the more ordinary variety, and the last is the shocking ending. And even the unsettling vibe is because you expect "horrific" or "weird" things to happen due to the plot and only a couple of these 'horrific' things happen beyond the initial one. It's more of a couple/family drama, their repetitive boring dull life, and opportunity for joy and a child they had never had or lost at a young age through a lamb/human hybrid that may or may not be ethical. I don't know why but I was just expecting something completely different and not sure if that is the trailer's fault or my fault. Any style of the horror variety would have worked, yet they chose a supernatural plot to explain a metaphorical theme which created more of a distraction than depth necessary for the subject matter, or I'm not giving the mother nature side of it enough credence, which imo still weakens the impact of the main story. Also there were a lot of beautiful shots of Iceland in the movie for the record. Sorry for my whining on that, just not sure if I should be upset at myself or the trailer/movie description for my expectations and the onscreen product and it's overall quality.

Haven't seen the two recent ones, but otherwise I overall agree with you on everything, EXCEPT Scream - I would have that lower than Carnival of Souls.

Also:



(that really was more for myself than anything else)

 

[Jussi]

Copied from the Dune thread:

More underwhelming than I hoped for. I've seen the Lynch movie, watched the miniseries, read the book in English yet no memories from any of them. Does a really poor job of world building. Characters are not opened enough and some feel cardboard. Empty worlds. Great visually, Zimmer's music was bit too monotonous at times and f*** his BASS BOOM which was about to give me another headache like with Dark Knight Rises and I had to put my headphones down for a while. LOTR: Fellowship Of The Ring did far better job at world building than this. 6½ or 7- /10 for me.

 

[Chili]

Boomerang!-1947

A well liked priest is murdered in front of several witnesses but the man is able to flee. A manhunt begins and a suspect is identified, the evidence builds. Good murder mystery/courtroom film. Some of the story seems implausible but it is based on a real incident. Good cast (including a cameo by Arthur Miller in a police lineup), an early Elia Kazan film.

Escape from Alcatraz-1979

Another film based on a real incident, the title tells the plot. Have watched it several times, appreciate how the camera tells much of the story. Reminds me somewhat of Papillon, especially the inmates arriving on ship. Well done.

Interesting in both films, there is still a remaining mystery.

 

[Mario Lemieux fan 66]

no time to die: 7.5/10 solid bond movie especially the beginning. Daniel Craig will be a tough act to follow.

Dune : 7.5/10 As someone with no prior knowledge of Dune, it's a good movie. Incendies and Polytechnique are still Villeneuve best movies to me.

Titane: 2/10 pure garbage. That's a shame after a solid first movie with Raw. Spike Lee must have been quite high to give the Palme d'Or to that movie.