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How could you make me choose between Perfect Blue and Jennifer's Body 
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Mar 26, 2021 13:37
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Aw, sad about the outcome of this round but not surprised. Loving all the new stats for the tournament, it's really appreciated! And as a fellow hater and avoider of anime, Perfect Blue is a Real Movie. There's nothing anime about it other than the fact that it's animated. Of course don't let it fool you into thinking other anime might not terrible, it's just Satoshi Kon and he's dead now.
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Mar 26, 2021 13:38
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I'm happy that Jane Doe pulled it out because I feel like STAC's creature feature team has a lot more to offer going forward than HGL does. I just hope the team pulls anything but Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark next round, it'd be a shame to lose them without Del Toro getting a selection. This should be a good week, Perfect Blue is a movie that's been on my radar for years but there's never been a convenient opportunity to see it, and I'm always down for a new Yuzna film.
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Mar 26, 2021 15:07
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Anime is a medium, like any other, there's good and there's bad. I'm sure we bristle when people say all horror is terrible and not worth watching.
Debbie Does Dagon fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Mar 26, 2021 |
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Mar 26, 2021 21:47
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I think there's practical roadblocks with anime that go beyond a genre bias. Animation is obviously fundamentally different from live action and speaking for myself I find it disengaging and an extra level of disconnect. Animation is also fundamentally different from making a movie with a camera and creates a different kind of language and approach. Then I think there's cultural and stylistic things which connect with some people and don't with others. Of course there's no reason these things can't be overcome. An animated film can use its art and animation to create as much of a live production as cinematography does. Performances and characters can be strong enough to overcome language barriers or "dubbing" like disconnect. Stories and presentation can bridge cultural gaps and expose people to new things. For every 4 or 9 animated things I've seen I thought sucked for reasons that seem distinct to animation/anime there's been at least 1 standout. If anything its just that the ratio isn't good enough for me to feel worth it generally. It sounds like Perfect Blue is the sort of movie someone like me should be giving a chance to break those assumptions about the genre and try and break through. So I'm curious. My main concern is that animation aside, the sort of films and content the reviews seem to suggest the film is like aren't my thing anyway. So its entirely possible it ends up a perfectly fine film I just didn't like anyway. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Mar 26, 2021 |
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Mar 26, 2021 22:01
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I like and respect Jennifer's Body but Perfect Blue absolutely stomps it. Very neat matchup, though.
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Mar 26, 2021 23:54
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I couldn't sleep and was in the mood so I jumped the gun on the streams. 2. (STAC Goat’s Daddy Issues) Christopher Landon’s Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse vs. 15. Brian Yuzna’s Beneath Still Waters I watched Scouts Guide once before and completely forgot everything about and that's clearly because its a totally forgettable film. Its obviously reminiscent of better films like Shaun of the Dead and Zombieland but it kind of just does the same thing perfectly adequately but unspectacularly and adding nothing new. It feels a little similar to Happy Death Day but the comedy's not there yet, its not doing something original as HDD did, and it doesn't have the show stealing performance of Jessica Rothe that elevated that film. Tye Sheridan was just very vanilla and fine as the lead and I have already forgotten his character's name. The film has some funny gags but they're already beginning to fade. Its steps over the line of bad juvenile teenage boy humor a couple of times but not to a degree that dragged down the film for me. I don't have any real complaints but I don't have any real compliments either. I'm glad it didn't do the thing where the teenage nice guy ends up with the older stripper as it felt like it was heading, and that would have felt a little icky and too trite. But that kind of sums it up, really. It didn't do the thing I was hoping it wouldn't do. It didn't do anything I really feel like ranting about. It was the walking definition of "fine". Beneath Still Waters sucked though. I was kind of expecting that going in having seen some of Yuzna's cheap Spanish stuff and generally not thinking very highly of his overall directorial skills. He's great at practical effects and is at his best when doing them for a better director or with a better writer's story. So I went in expecting a bad movie with some good gore and makeup and that's mostly what I got but the balance is way off. There's maybe a grand total of 5 minutes of good Yuzna stuff spread out across 90 minutes of bad storytelling, characters, and an overall cheap film. Like the film didn't even feel in focus at times. And those good effects are balanced out by a lot of bad, cheap CGI. I gotta assume Yuzna just didn't have the money to do more but he and his cast don't know how to make a compelling film without. Yuzna ramps stome stuff up to 10 for the finale and if you can get through the previous 80 minutes still engaged maybe that will be enough for you. But I just couldn't care less. I'd call this a bad SyFy movie but honestly, that feels like an insult to SyFy. Scouts Guide loses a lot of weeks against a lot of films but I think it should win here. I do think Beneath Still Waters will have its votes. Some of Yuzna's extremes will click with people and some of Scout's broier lows will ping some people more. I think we've seen those patterns a few times now and it could make for another close battle I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Yuzna win this on the strength of his name and last year. But Scouts easily has my vote. Its not a very good movie, but its fine and Beneath Still Waters is bad.
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Mar 27, 2021 09:16
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STAC Goat posted:It sounds like Perfect Blue is the sort of movie someone like me should be giving a chance to break those assumptions about the genre and try and break through. So I'm curious. My main concern is that animation aside, the sort of films and content the reviews seem to suggest the film is like aren't my thing anyway. So its entirely possible it ends up a perfectly fine film I just didn't like anyway. Satoshi Kon is probably the best example for showing off how animation is distinctive and can be used to create something that isn't remotely an approximation of a filmed movie. His films are also unquestionably made for adults, so you don't have to worry about the typical teenager-level focus that's associated with anime in particular. In terms of it being a foreign film, there is going to be a cultural disconnect that is unavoidable. I think with Kon it's more his own personal weirdness, so it's not just tied to Japanese culture (or if it is as in something like Millenium Actress, he tends to make it a bit more accessible).
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Mar 27, 2021 14:24
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I think an all anime team came from me spitballing with Debbie, and then it was a complete group project after Perfect Blue. I picked the title, but even that was work-shopping the joke for the biggest laugh in Discord. This is a fun match. I’ve never seen Perfect Blue and I haven’t seen Jennifer’s Body since theaters.
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Mar 28, 2021 02:29
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My roughly worked out feelings on rewatching Jennifer’s Body while seeing Perfect Blue for the first time, is that when you give a complete vision like Perfect Blue, and had to draw the visual material out of the minds working on the movie to animate it, having it breath feels like a greater accomplishment to me than Jennifer’s Body, for all the things i liked about it. So I’ll be voting for Perfect Blue.
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Mar 28, 2021 03:35
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7. (A Conglomerate of People Who Hate Me’s Team It's Not A Cartoon, Mom! It's Art! 😫) Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue vs. 10. (STAC Goat’s Team XX) Karyn Kusama’s Jennifer’s Body You know what I think sums up my key problem with Perfect Blue and by extension animation? No one blinks. I noticed this half way through the film and then I couldn't stop noticing it. There's a few big dramatic blinks, but no one just blinks like we all due. And I think that kind of encapsulates the "uncanny valley" hurdle I have with a lot of this stuff. I think this is my key hurdle to animation. I'll tell you its stuff like the language of cinema or the animation itself but at its core its whether the film can actually feel "alive" to me. Muppets feel alive to me. Roger Rabbit feels alive to me. Into the Spiderverse, Wreck It Ralph, Corinna, Nightmare Before Christmas. They're all films that felt alive to me in some way or another. But a lot of animation just doesn't come alive, it feels flat and like pictures on paper. And this never got past that for me. Its a better story than a lot of the bad/mediocre animation I've seen but it never got over the bar animation is at with me. There's no acting performances for me to praise. There's very little in the way of cinematography or filming for me to comment on. The animation didn't feel special or overly good to me. And I just didn't connect with the character and her plight. I think the film does a good job telling its story, and its a much deeper narrative and character construction than a lot of the animated films I've seen. I say I'd like to see this in live action, but I feel like I have, which is another problem. But Perfect Blue might have originated some of the ideas or themes but if it doesn't feel like its happening to a person, just a flat drawing... I get nothing from it. Jennifer’s Body has flaws. I kind of hate its narrative structure, for one. Its essentially a flashback in a flashback in a flashback. As Tarnop pointed out that’s a little pedantic of me since its just a framing technique and 90+% of the film takes place linearly. But it does create this weird anticlimactic thing where the narrative 3 deep builds to this big battle but then has to backtrack to the previous narrative’s actual conclusion which then has to backtrack to the film’s ACTUAL ending. Its weird and leaves me unsure of how I feel about the film. And its a film that has a lot of that, from its hyper stylized dialogue and logic of reality. Things exist and happen in the film kind of just… because. And that’s not terrible. Jennifer’s Body builds its own little world and its really confident in that world. And that kind of confidence goes a long way. And Kusama does a good job holding it all together without it just coming apart at the seems. I get why people love this. Its very unique and creative with its own voice (and language). Its very much a time capsule of a time and place to the point where I started wanting to listen to bands like Lifehouse when I didn’t even remember Lifehouse existed and would rather not too. Its also got some very of its time casual slurs so that’s not fun. But like, if you grew up with this. If it was one of the first unabashed lesbian/bisexual themed films you saw. If you really connect with that Cody writing (I myself have never even seen Juno). Yeah, I get why its such a cult classic. And I think in a lot of ways its kind of a perfect cult classic because to me they’re films that do something really unique and special and swing hard for the fences but fall just short. And that’s kinda what Jennifer’s Body feels like to me. A good film that I’ve seen a bunch of times and will probably see again, but one that’s a little bit of a mess and missed the mark of a great film. But for me its a fairly easy vote. Narratively Perfect Blue is probably a better constructed story but there’s so many other elements in Jennifer’s Body to in me over. Perfect Blue feels flat and lifeless and like a moving comic book. Jennifer’s Body is a world of life. Weird, sometimes awkward life. But its alive. And to me that wins out at least in this case.
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Mar 28, 2021 07:10
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Days later and I'm still struggling with my vote in the Jennifer's Body/Perfect Blue matchup. I'm kinda leaning towards Jennifer's Body because I'm trying to not overreact to having seen Perfect Blue for the first time. Like, yea I had a positive reaction to Perfect Blue but I don't want to vote for something just because it's new to me and the other film feels like old hat. And if I really boil it down to which one of these films is more my thing, it's Jennifer's Body. I really was impressed with Perfect Blue though. It did a much better job of being off-putting and creepy than I expected, and there were some legitimately scary moments.
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Mar 29, 2021 15:04
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I'm pretty much aligned with STAC on the Scouts Guide/Beneath Still Waters takes and said some similar things in discord. I don't think Scouts Guide is particularly good and the humor is not my thing, but it was at least more engaging than Beneath Still Waters which had me bored out of my mind. I had only seen Jennifer's Body once before this, but it held up well. Most weeks it would be an easy pick for me. But I got really wrapped up in Perfect Blue and I already want to watch it again, it was very impressive. It's getting my vote.
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Mar 29, 2021 16:31
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I'm struggling between Jennifer's Body and Perfect Blue as well, but I think ultimately, as fun as JB was, there's nothing there that really affected me or moved me. Perfect Blue, on the other hand, is exceptionally touching and well-written. The "rape" scene for instance moved between blood-curdling, to oddly touching, and back again effortlessly. I think it also has so much more to say thematically, Garbage Baby put it better than I ever could:quote:This was really interesting to watch after having seen the recent documentary about Britney Spears. Perfect Blue really captured the very real pressures of stardom that women in the entertainment industry face. The film also echoed the sense of losing one's identity by trying to fit what everyone else wants one to be and the fact that fans are reticent to allow their idols to evolve as people and in their careers. Whereas JB dives into toxic friendships between high-school girls and the ramifications of sexual assault, but in a way that ultimately feels a bit meandering and unsure of itself. For instance, the ultimate revenge of the film seems focused on the band, and yet they are largely absent as players throughout the second and third acts. Why didn't Jennifer seek revenge? Why did Anita seek revenge on behalf of the person who clearly ruined her life? And the sexual tension there seems teased coyly without any actual commitment, the dialogue is also so awfully insincere in places. So while Perfect Blue does leave me slightly cold, it's an easy win given my endless reservations about JB.
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Mar 29, 2021 20:27
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So, ugh, bye Yuzna? The Scouts movie would lose to most of the movies we've already seen this tourney, but Beneath Still Waters is just bad and boring to a degree that Scouts isn't. Both do have a few moments to shine with creative effects and a few gags, but Yuznas flick is so much more boring and at times ugly as hell to look at.
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Mar 29, 2021 21:12
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I still think Yuzna has a chance on the strength of his name, last season, and Scouts rubbing some people really bad with its worst moments. And I can't begrudge that. I don't really want that result just because I think the rest of the Daddy Issues team has good stuff and I don't think Yuzna is a very good director. But them's the breaks of the draw. But yeah, Beneath Still Waters was a bottom tier movie in this tournament to me. Not as overtly bad or offensive as some films but just a really, really poorly made film.
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Mar 29, 2021 23:29
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Ok, Peacoffee made a passionate argument in Discord about ho misogynistic Scouts Guide is and why advancing it is bad. I do agree that there's lots of casual misogyny in it, bad teenage boy hormone overload, and terrible standout thing where that really lovely kid gropes a zombie who's character only exists to be hot and for that payoff. I admit, I still didn't hate the movie or have as strong a reaction but I can't really defend it or feel comfortable pushing back on that. And I still think Beneath Still Waters is a terrible movie with its own touch of casual misogyny that is common to Yuzna's work. I still think Landon's other work is better than this, treats women better, has standout women performances, and are worth seeing. I still think Yuzna isn't very good and has only bad films left. But I can't in good conscience vote for Scouts. I've been convinced. So I abstain.
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Mar 30, 2021 07:28
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If that's a winning argument in your book, Yuzna should be disqualified for life after we watched Faust last time.
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Mar 30, 2021 16:48
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Last tournament grudges belong in the past!
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Mar 30, 2021 16:55
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Faust was fun 
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Mar 30, 2021 18:35
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Yeah I liked Faust, but I suppose some people had an extremely negative reaction to one specific plot point at the end. I'm pretty cold on Yuzna overall but both movies in this matchup are so dire that I'm abstaining too.
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Mar 30, 2021 19:13
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I don't worship Yuzna the way I do Stuart Gordon but I'm reaaallly sick of zombies so I might end up voting for Yuzna just by default.
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Mar 30, 2021 19:39
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Irony.or.Death posted:If that's a winning argument in your book, Yuzna should be disqualified for life after we watched Faust last time. That's my counter and I think Yuzna is in some ways just as bad and representative of a more persuasive longterm misogyny in horror. Even Beneath Still Waters has a character who exists solely to get naked and have a gross out sex scene with a zombie, something Yuzna's done before and which the Discord rightly gave Scouts poo poo for. But two wrongs don't make a right so that's why I decided to just abstain. STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 21:09 on Mar 30, 2021 |
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Mar 30, 2021 20:26
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Its that time of the week again. About 29+ hours before voting closes. Vote until 3 AM EST Apr 2nd (or when I wake up). So still some time to catch a movie or two if you missed it.
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Apr 1, 2021 00:26
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I think I made my feelings about Scouts Guide more than well-known during the stream; I loving hated it. This is a movie that has a fem character, who has zero dialogue, and her entire character is that she has large breasts and is then graphically molested in slow motion by a lead actor. This is a movie that has a third act coming-of-age rallying-cry speech, that literally states that you should just walk up to women you like and make out with them, and they'll appreciate it. This is a film that has a heroic fem character, and in her moment of being a badass, they placed into her mouth a line of sex-worker shaming dialogue. Not only this, but they later undercut her badass credentials by having her reply to the question "Where did you learn to shoot like that?" By having her credit her abilities to the guidance of an ex-boyfriend. They also made her disappear before the final confrontation for no reason other than it would ruin their bullshit male self-fellating power fantasy. If Beneath Still Waters is boring, good, boring is a step above reprehensible, and easily gains my vote as a result.
Debbie Does Dagon fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Apr 1, 2021 |
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Apr 1, 2021 01:31
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I voted for Beneath Still Waters over Scouts Guide because boring (with some fun effects!) for me is better than something which I found negatively energizing. Debbie's post sums it up pretty well. As an American one is used to these kinds of votes.
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Apr 1, 2021 01:49
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I have to admit I kinda zoned out during Scouts Guide and missed a lot of what Deb has described. If you're willing to remove 1 vote for it on my behalf since I already voted, STAC, I'd appreciate it.
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Apr 1, 2021 02:00
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You can actually edit your own vote. Just click back on the link.
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Apr 1, 2021 02:05
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Hey, how about that! Thanks.
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Apr 1, 2021 02:06
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Perfect Blue is basically a perfect movie. It pushes the boundaries of animated storytelling and narrative conventions with an engrossing and disturbing story. I also loved the 90's aesthetic, especially Mima learning how to use her new PC. Jennifer's Body is fun and good, if a bit muddled and, as was pointed out in earlier posts, weirdly timid when it needs to be more bold. Perfect Blue easily gets my vote.
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Apr 1, 2021 03:34
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Ok, its that time. We had 17 ballots this week, nearly tying our best. So I guess it turns out anime is a draw on the internet. Who knew?  To no real surprise we have an upset! On paper a 15 seed knocking off a 2 seed is as big as we’ve had this year and more or less matching 16 seed Kaneto Shindō knocking off 1 seed Rob Zombie last year. In reality even before this week Yuzna seemed a bit under seeded for a guy who made the Final Four last year and Landon/Perkins were definitely the oddball bye handed out of the 8. But however it happened, we have a huge upset and while some of that might come down to Yuzna’s name and rep, a lot of it is definitely how badly Scouts Guide’s casual teenage hormone driven misogyny (as written by a grown man in Christopher Landon) bothered a lot of voters. There were a number of abstentions as Yuzna’s film wasn’t super well received on its own merits, but in the end he advances one more time. And he’ll face off against Fran, Deb, and Co’s Team It's Not A Cartoon, Mom! It's Art! 😫 who just easily ran past Karyn Kusama’s Jennifer’s Body and my Team XX to the point where there’s nothing clever to say about it. For Kusama that’s her second 1st round elimination in two years. For me that’s Anime 1, Goat -2. Tough week. And this might be another ahead… 2. Wes Craven’s Cursed vs. 15. Lloyd Kaufman’s Return to… Return to Nuke ’Em High AKA Vol. 2  Roughly a year ago Wes Craven was a 5 seed and this Goat guy was all grumpy about this tournament and him drawing his controversial Last House on the Left and falling in the first round to Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. Its hard to imagine that now the same grumpy rear end would be running the show and Wes would be sitting as a 2 seed. His draw isn’t THAT much better though as he gets one of his later, less celebrated films regarded as a film heavily compromised by studio interference and production problems. But lets face it, its 50/50 with Wes. He’s going against Troma’s legendary head Lloyd Kaufman who shaped a whole studio and sub genre of gore and juvenile proto-edgelord humor and stuff. This is his first go and Nuke Em High is a familiar name, but this is a 2017 sequel so really, all bets are off. Its two legendary names with 2 of their latest works in a very curious matchup to see which advances for the first time. I promise I’ll be chill this time. Sequel Alert: Kaufman’s Nuke ‘Em High is the FIFTH Nuke ‘Em High. This is kinda why I floated that “reset to the first one” rule. So yeah… I guess I’m gonna binge five Troma films across 4 decades in a day or two. That should be… fun? Join me? Maybe this matchup could be the Monday stream, Deb? Buy some time? Class of Nuke ’Em High is on Youtube. Class of Nuke ’Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown is on Amazon Prime in the US. Class of Nuke ’Em High 3: The Good, the Bad and the Subhumanoid is on Amazon Prime in the US. Return to Nuke ’Em High Volume 1 Return to… Return to Nuke ’Em High AKA Vol. 2 Cursed is on DirectTV and Cinemax in the US. 7. (Debbie Does Dagon’s Family Friendly) Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away vs. 10. (Kangra’s Team Sister Act) Andy Muschietti’s Mama  More anime… and I foolishly helped put this team together. See how much I’ve changed? And honestly, this seems academic. Just as last week’s film Miyazaki’s Spirited Away might stretch the boundaries of “horror” but is one of the more celebrated anime films out there. Mama on the other hand is a recent film that I remember having some buzz for its creature design at the time of release but seems to have become a lightening rod for a lot of the often toxic negativity towards modern Hollywood horror (as has its director). Even if this didn’t seem like just an escalated version of last week’s matchup it would still feel moot, but now? I guess you gotta play them out. Sorry, Kangra. The random number generator is cruel. Spirited Away is on HBOMax in the US. Mama That’s our week. We’re out of March Madness and we can actually see the end of the first round in the distance. One 2 seed has already fallen, can another? You decide. Vote until 3 AM EST Apr 9th (or when I wake up) Bracket & Noms Spreadsheet Letterboxd List Next Week! 2. Mario Bava vs. 15. Radio Silence (Joe Swanberg, Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Glenn McQuaid, Tyler Gillett, Justin Martinez, and Chad Villella) 7. Roger Corman vs. 10. Kôji Shiraishi STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 13:14 on Apr 2, 2021 |
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Apr 2, 2021 08:01
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Also worth noting after running the numbers, Perfect Blue and Satoshi Kon join the leader boards with 13 votes. Perfect Blue only picked up 76% of the ballots so doesn't break through that Top 5. Beneath Still Waters meanwhile despite dominating its matchup only had 53% of the ballots thanks to all the abstentions. That puts it in the bottom tier of winners tied with I Stand Alone and just beating out Bones and Mother Joan of Angels, all 3 of whom were in three way matchups. The only 1on1 advancers with a lower percentage are Bruiser and Phantom of the Opera which tied (but also had an abstention). I'm gonna pretend someone cares about this random meaningless info besides me. I am the STAT Goat.
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Apr 2, 2021 08:19
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I have never seen a Troma film
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Apr 2, 2021 09:17
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I watched Toxic Avenger a couple of months ago but that's it. It was ok but I didn't think anything special. It wasn't quite as offensive as I feared and was surprising well made for trash. So I don't know what to expect from the 5 Troma films across 40 years I'm about to experience but the reviews gave me some pause. Cursed isn't very good but I don't recall it being especially bad either. Just there. So it feels like its gonna come down to what side of the trash/edgelord scale Kaufman comes down on.
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Apr 2, 2021 09:24
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Ooh, I've not seen a single one of these movies, might be a first! Also now that it's over I'm morbidly interested in Still Waters and Scout's Guide...
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Apr 2, 2021 14:03
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My issue with Cursed was that Wes just had way too much confidence in the CG effects and so he's putting the werewolf out there in extended shots with bright lighting and there's just nowhere to hide. If he'd taken a more artful approach with it I think the movie would stand the test of time a lot better. Anyway the more I rewatch something the more forgiving I am about bad special effects so maybe I'll rewatch it and enjoy the story and the characters more than last time. It's not like I'm a huge Troma guy so it's certainly possible that I'll end up voting for Wes here. I'm excited to finally see Spirited Away, Myazaki is probably one of the biggest holes left in my film experience, I don't think I've ever sat down and actually watched any of his films from start to finish.
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Apr 2, 2021 14:17
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I'm so happy and excited to be introducing Spirited Away to so many people! Miyazaki is imho particularly good at two things, and that's truly stunning animation and absolutely heartbreaking storytelling. When people say "I don't like anime" it's usually followed with "but I love Miyazaki", so I have tremendously high hopes that a few shrunken anime-hating hearts with grow three times this week. Over to my other nomination, Lloyd Kaufman, I'm not sure "edgelord" is fair. While you're all going to see some jokes this week that I wish didn't exist, one of which I know is deeply transphobic, Troma has always been more punk than edgelord. I'm sure other people than I can speak on punk flirtations with the right at one point or another, but generally the focus seems to be to attack and dismantle everything in the spirit of countering some deep societal wrong, unlike edgelord humour which is simple punching down to increase our own feelings of self-worth. Having said that, you will see some indefensible poo poo this week and it should be rightly scorned, but I think it's coming from a good place generally. How's that for a lukewarm defence?
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Apr 2, 2021 15:22
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I've watched the first two Nuke Em Highs today and the bar is set real low for Wes for me right now. Especially if the slurs and misogyny and stuff keep up in these Troma films.Debbie Does Dagon posted:Over to my other nomination, Lloyd Kaufman, I'm not sure "edgelord" is fair. While you're all going to see some jokes this week that I wish didn't exist, one of which I know is deeply transphobic, Troma has always been more punk than edgelord. I'm sure other people than I can speak on punk flirtations with the right at one point or another, but generally the focus seems to be to attack and dismantle everything in the spirit of countering some deep societal wrong, unlike edgelord humour which is simple punching down to increase our own feelings of self-worth. Having said that, you will see some indefensible poo poo this week and it should be rightly scorned, but I think it's coming from a good place generally. How's that for a lukewarm defence? I phrased it as "proto-edgelord" because I know Kaufman's thing is before the modern "edgelord" thing. But I dunno. In the two films I've watched today there's countless gratuitous women shots with maybe one woman being more than a sex object, a bunch of homophobic humor, lots of "punching down" to "nerds" and fat people, and a dude in quasi black face with tribal rings through his nose. Troma/Kaufman aren't earning much benefit of the doubt from me just because they also say "gently caress corporations" every now and then. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST) STAC Goat fucked around with this message at 15:36 on Apr 2, 2021 |
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Apr 2, 2021 15:23
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I haven't seen Nuke Em High 2 but the first one owns
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Apr 2, 2021 15:45
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General thoughts: Cursed While I have not seen Cursed, I am excited to! I spent so much of last year filling in my Wes Craven gaps that he was my most-watched director, and yet I still didn't get to his werewolf movie! I am a big fan of the easy listening horror podcast With Gourley and Rust, and last week's episode for Drag Me To Hell, Paul Rust talked about how much he loves Cursed, and said it's one of the best horror movies that captures LA. Return To Nuke 'em High 2 This a Troma film I've missed, but the first one is a pretty strong example of Punk Cinema with cult following. I'm not going to defend Troma's sense of humor, because audiences and comedy evolves and things don't age well, and everyone's sense of humor is a unique amalgamation of tastes, and you have a right to be offended by what offends you. I will provide a context in that most Kaufman-helmed projects is that's kinda the point. They are outrageously offensive and vulgar on purpose. Troma's sense of humor isn't punching down, cuz they are a dirt-poor indie company, they are in the gutter. So I think of them as the drunk trying to fight and swinging fists wildly in all directions. There isn't any hatred in Troma's jokes, usually the jokes being lobbed are so stupid and tongue-in-cheek, they aren't to be taken seriously. I think the most hateful joke I've seen in a Troma film is directed at Spielberg and JAWS. They are angry at status quos, not individual weirdos. The rest are misfits making fun of other misfits. It's like how Family Guy and South Park and The Simpsons has literally made jokes about everyone and everything, but it's never to be taken as sincere. Now, you may not think those are funny, and you might not think Troma is funny, which is totally fair. But it also should be pointed out that Troma's open-door policy towards talent in all fields, including actors, writing and directing, also led to queer inclusion on films, including some opportunities for queer filmmakers to make their own projects, like the gender-bending sci-fi adventure Vegas In Space written/directed/performed by members of the San Francisco Drag Scene, and the queer sci-fi adventure Superstarlet A.D. In their messy way, Troma does seem to want to comment on animal rights, same-sex relationships, environmentalism and economic doom in the original Nuke 'em High, although I don't know how much of that is in the sequel up to vote! Anyway, I hope this gives everyone new to Troma bit more context with it. It's still 2021 and attitudes have changed, and even Troma movies I really like have aged very poorly in regards to their plot. Spirited Away I'm constantly surprised by the popularity of this movie, which if fully deserves, because the level of imagination and fantasy is so unique and kind of surreal/absurd in that Shintoism sorta way. Not only that, but the emotional journeys of the characters, I feel, are more complex than other Ghibli films like Kiki's Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro. I'm very excited to rewatch this. I've only seen it on the big screen, where (pre-pandemic) it would play annually across America. Hell, even in pandemic times it's already played at the local drive-in theater three times. Mama I saw this in theaters and thought it was creepy and great. There's a lot of excellent physical effects, I think all the performances are wonderful, and at it's core it's a horror film about motherhood and adoption, which is pretty neat. Probably won't win against Spirited Away, but that's not a knock against it. Franchescanado fucked around with this message at 16:18 on Apr 2, 2021 |
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Apr 2, 2021 16:08
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