Saw Drive yesterday. Rather overrated IMO (one of the rare movie on a french site where professional critics rate the movie higher than the public, but still a good mark). There's some nice camera work but that's about it. The no-name cowboy in modern days thing didn't really blow me away.
The pace is rather slow (maybe you've got to be in the right mood, and aware of it to appreciate it better) and the script rather minimalist.
And I didn't think the violent scenes add anything to the movie.
Also wonder if the cars' headlights still working after ramming another car is a massive goof or a way to show that the driver is in some kind of different state of mind (and a few other things like that, like "the 8 y.o. is asleep now let's leave him alone and go for a drive".
Still a cool movie but nowhere near the hype IMO.

melancholia

never has a movie pissed me off so much

Bubba Ho-tep Elvis and a black JFK battle a mummy in a nursing home. My kind of movie. Bruce Campbell does a surprisingly good Elvis impersonation, and the humour was peppered with reflections on the brevity of life. Not bad.

[Octillus]

Bubba Ho-tep Elvis and a black JFK battle a mummy in a nursing home. My kind of movie. Bruce Campbell does a surprisingly good Elvis impersonation, and the humour was peppered with reflections on the brevity of life. Not bad.

I think it's a hell of a movie myself, probably the last legit movie Bruce is gonna get unfortunately.

Oh well, the rest of his will still be fun.

[JuZ]

YOU ARE ALL WROOOONG!! MY PERSONAL TASTE IN FILMS IS SUPERIOR!

Notlisteningnotlisteningnotlistening.

You go Faff! Sometimes if you like something you just have to ignore everyone else.

And it appears that this is the perfect time!

Horror film of the day:

10/13: Tonight my horror film was Micheal Dougherty's "Trick 'r Treat." The film basically consists of four stories happening one Halloween night roughly simultaneously that somehow all interlace together, whether greatly or less so. Dougherty obviously finds great pleasure in All Hallows Eve, and this film is essentially an over-the-top and ridiculous romp for him to explore all he loves about the holiday-- and allows him to punish those who don't. I really enjoyed how the film doesn't take itself seriously whatsoever and is not meant to scare so much as to revel in the fun that is Halloween. The set-ups to the people to the scares to even the murders don't feel so much horrifying as they are funny, for lack of a better word, in how they are presented. It is in this that Dougherty really makes a unique, B-movie-esque film, and where he finds his talent. However, I did feel after watching that the first half felt far less original/imaginative than the second. These earlier stories (the teacher and school bus massacre tales) feel like reheated told-around-the-campfire stories with not enough in them to set them apart from the hundreds of stories like them. He surely tries but does not nearly reach the imagination he finds with the latter stories (the old man story and to a lesser extent the circle of teenage girls story). These stories have an originality to them that really showcases Dougherty's love-of-the-holiday aesthetic and in the shadow of them the other two just don't stand up. Over all, though, a great, fun Halloween movie with potential for further greatness.
8/10

http://lensesnbrews.blogspot.com/2011/1 ... treat.html

Hmm. After reading what y'all have been watching lately I'm a little embarrassed to say I've been watching sort of romantic stuff. Just in that sort of mood these days...
- Midnight in Paris - Woody Allen's latest, cute, witty, clever...the usual descriptors. But well, I liked it. Happy ending.
-Buffalo 66 - saw this years ago and enjoyed it again, makes me cry, very sad at some parts but again, a happy ending.
- Hanna - NOT a romance. Never heard of it but watched it with a friend and enjoyed it. Story kind of corny but definitely entertaining.

I don't go into a lot of detail.

Saw The Thing prequel tonight.
Not as good as John Carpenter’s film (of course), but not as terrible as some critics are making it out to be.
It’s plenty cold and bleak, makes good use of paranoia, and has blood and guts and nasty monsters galore; some of them are comparable to Rob Bottin’s effects. The CG doesn’t work as well as the practical, but for the most part they marry well.
Its main problem is that it’s more predictable than Carpenter’s movie. Compare the trailers of both films, and you can see what you’re in for. The original remake kept its trailer largely spoiler-free; this new film displays a few scenes that might impress those who haven’t seen the trailer, but everyone else will be braced for them; a shame really.
Many of the characters are easy to empathize with, but it’s not going to be difficult to tell who lives longer. That being said, there are a few genuine twists and plenty of thrilling moments to be had; and if you’re especially stubborn with thrills, you get the aforementioned graphic violence. The tests to see who’s still human are quite inventive, as well.
The ending has some sense of ambiguity to it, but is a bit flat. Still, do not leave once you see the director’s name, because a Dawn of the Dead-style last scene during the credits is going to show up, and this is key to merging into the 1982 film. All questions made in that film as to what happened to the Norwegian base are answered with both satisfaction and great respect, and that alone justifies its existence.
In short, a good companion piece to a classic film. 7/10.

[EphelDuath666]

The living dead at Manchester morgue/ Let sleeping corpses lie

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Livin ... -ray/6165/

A cop chases two young people visiting the English countryside, suspecting them of a local murder; unbeknownst to him, the real culprits are the living dead, brought to life with a thirst for human flesh by radiation being used by area farmers as a pesticide alternative.

this is one of my alltime favorite zombie flicks and finally got it on Blu-Ray this week. I only had a shitty bootleg on DVD prior to that (the movie was never officially released here and the UK DVD was sold out quick) so I really appreciate this Blu-Ray. The movie itself is an italian/spanish co-production and might be my favorite spaghetti zombie flick. Great atmosphere, pretty good gore effects (for a movie that was made in 1974 anyways) and just pretty well done. I suppose you have to be able to appreciate European horror flicks from that time though to get anything out of it.

Before that I watched

Black Sheep

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0779982/

Growing up on the family sheep farm was idyllic for smart, sensitive Harry Olfield, except for some knavish mischief from cocky brother Angus, until their dad has a fatal accident. Fifteen years later, Harry has finished sheep-phobia therapy and his ICT schooling and returns. Angus buys him out, all ready to present the genetically engineered Oldfield sheep he bred with a ruthless team. When environmentalist Grant steals a discarded embryo, which has sharp teeth, he gets bitten by it, and thus the first the be infected with predatory hunger and a mechanism that turns any mammal into a werewolf version. Running for the farm men, Grant's mate, student Experience, gets teamed up with Harry and his boorish but gentle pastoral youth friend Tucker. They must survive both the bloodthirsty sheep and their creators, who didn't realize this yet but dispose of an antidote.

imagine Braindead/ Dead Alive and replace the human zombies with zombie sheep....yes....zombie sheep. I don't think I need to say more than that. It sounds awesome enough! Love this movie!

Black Sheep is probably the only decent Kiwi movie that I have seen.

[Keeker]

The American - George Clooney did well in this, I thought. Tense little film. Sad ending though.

The Illusionist - Anglo-French animation based on a script by Jacques Tati. It certainly had his mark all over it. French mime/observational humour and much pathos. The animation of 1950s Edinburgh was really quite lovely and the gentle plot was endearing. I was quite moved when Tatischeff left the note on the table for the young girl, Alice, saying simply, "Magicians do not exist."

Yeah, watching two rather melancholy films in one evening probably isn't a great plan.

Another horror film:

10/14: Tonight my horror film was Oren Peli's "Paranormal Activity." When this film came out it slowly became huge due to the extremely effective add campaign surrounding it that consisted of "demanding" it in your local theory. After it blew up I feel that, like with anything that becomes popular, many people wanted to write it off as an overblown, overhyped movie that really had nothing going for it. I can't disagree more. Sure, it became popular, but for good reason. This is an extremely well done, genuinely scary horror film, and, especially for that latter part, how many horror films can you say that about? But to the movie at hand. Mood is created marvelously here with the anxiety of the characters around the demon in their midst and just what it will do next. The mood extends to the viewer as well; every time night comes fear enters your heart just as it does the characters. The home video aesthetic that has been done enough to start bordering on overplayed is used to it's true potential here. It makes you feel the scares, just as the characters do. And where I feel this films true power lies is in it's recognizing of what horror films back in the day used to understand: the less you see the more horrifying. Like Hitchcock's "Psycho" Peli realizes the power in not fully relying on graphic, gruesome gore. People fear what they can't see far more than what they can and Peli fully capitalizes on that. One thing I am glad about is that I did see this on the big screen initially as the scares are that much more powerful, especially in the sound; they boom out at you and shook the theater. At home that effect is lost (unless you have surround sound which I don't unfortunately). An incredible ghost story that actually scares and nods back to the knowledge horror filmmakers of old understood. I can't say enough about this film.
9/10
http://lensesnbrews.blogspot.com/2011/1 ... ivity.html

Dear god almighty excuse all the errors in that jeez. Guess that comes from writing at 2 in the morning lol.

[EphelDuath666]

watched Day of the Dead yesterday (Romero's Day of the Dead, of course). I guess it's not really the favorite of all the 'The Dead' fans but I really dig it. It's one of my favorite zombie flicks actually. Watched it on Blu-Ray and watched a lot of the bonus material. Poor Joe Pilato had to go through hell while this movie was made. Pretty funny stuff actually. If you are a fan of the 'The Dead' flicks and have access to UK Blu-Rays then I recommend the one from Arrow, it's not region locked. There's a pretty good 50 minute long interview with Joe Pilato on there, quite entertaining stuff actually.

Tonight I saw The Hunter, featuring Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill.
It's about a mercenary named Martin (Dafoe), who is sent from Europe by a mysterious biotech company to Tasmania to hunt down the last Tasmanian tiger, which is thought to be extinct.
The town near the wilderness he is sent to hunt (with the pretense he is a scientist studying Tasmanian devils) is divided into two main groups: conservationists trying to prevent logging, and the loggers, who are openly hostile to everyone else. The latter believe Martin is sent there to ensure they lose their jobs.
When not hunting or setting traps, Martin lodges with woman and her two children. Her husband has been missing in the bush for months, and over time he warms up to their attention. He also garners unwanted attention from others the longer he stays.
Much of the movie is silent and foreboding, with the landscape and Dafoe's expressions setting the tone for the scenes. Dialogue scenes are well played and generally believable, and the story evolves at a gradually measured pace. Every scene is beautifully shot, and manages to make the concept there may be a tiger left in the wild plausible. One can dream. 8.5/10.

[JuZ]

Ah if only mate, if only. What a wonderful thing it would be.