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Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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I watched Host last night and was very impressed. It's not really doing anything that Paranormal Activity didn't do, but that one hour runtime is so perfect for low budget found footage. I'm glad they had the confidence to go with it, and it makes me want to see what they'll do next.

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Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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I like the Suspiria remake, not quite as much as the original, but I'm glad it exists and I'm glad I watched it. It is, however, way too long.

I generally feel like a movie needs a drat good reason to be longer than 90 minutes, and I don't feel like Suspiria has a good reason. It does not tell a story that requires 2hrs 30 to tell, and in fact we have good proof that roughly the same story can be told in 50 minutes less.

I'm sure that by tightening up the film as a whole they could have got it down to 2 hours, but when people think about a film that feels too long it's natural to first consider hypothetical cutting of what feel like extraneous elements, and a significant chunk of the old man story is him going in a big circle and achieving nothing so that's what sticks out. I think this subplot could be kept in a cut that brought the movie down to a justifiable length, but that would require much more efficient storytelling than we got.

A good example of this lack of efficiency is the climactic scene. We've had, at this point, well over 2 hours to get to know the people in the dance school. Despite that, the film still demonstrates a complete lack of confidence in our ability to identify more than four or five of the people present because it has to use flashbacks to the voting scene to remind us why we should even care who is being killed and who is being spared.

Much like this post, it's a movie that would have benefited greatly from a ruthless editorial voice.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Kiss rocks? Why would anyone want to kiss rocks?

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Given the choice between watching Firefly or Alien Resurrection again, I'd pick AR every time. If I'm going to have to grind my teeth through several hours of Whedon dialogue then I'd rather it be accompanied by gory sci fi fun than Lost Cause bullshit starring a gamergater in chief

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Kvlt!, I hope you do the challenge because I like reading your thoughts about movies and you watch a lot of stuff that I've never even heard of

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Benito Cereno posted:

Speaking of the They Shoot Zombies list, what are people’s viewing percentages on that? Not as like a competition, I’m just curious how common some of these movies are. Sometimes I feel like all I do is watch horror movies, and I think I have a 43% on that list. My percentage on the IndieWire list is much higher, as there’s maybe 10-12 of those I haven’t seen

27%, a real poser. Not having watched a horror movie older than Psycho probably scuppers my score more than anything, and I'd say maybe 90% of the movies I watch are horror

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Franchescanado posted:

No. Something like Host is fine, but if it’s a Zoom equivalent of Halloween Horror Nights, no.

Like Host, but presumably not Host itself as it's only 55 minutes long

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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I saw Angst for the first time last week and thought it was great!

There isn't a single boring shot or angle in the whole movie (you can see why Gaspar Noe loves it), and that combined with a great soundtrack and the most oppressive voiceover ever recorded create a really unique atmosphere.

The voiceover in particular is a fascinating counterpoint to the Hannibal Lecter style of intelligent psychopath. The main character in Angst has almost no inner life to speak of and is a creature of pure instinct, and the voiceover reflects this perfectly.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Is Terminator a mummy movie?

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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So what are the essential qualities of a mummy movie?

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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TheOmegaWalrus posted:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFVhB54UqvQ

How on Earth did we come from Hitchcock + Olivier to this?

This looks so, so terrible.

I thought Olivier was pretty bad. 2hrs looking like whoever was next to him had just farted.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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lovely UK Netflix lineup, lovely geoblocking, grumble grumble.


As far as old horror movies goes, I know it's my blind-spot and the enthusiasm of people in this thread has made me resolve to watch some classics for Spooktober, and I'm obviously not making YouTube videos about the genre. It's in that weird spot where it's not technically gatekeeping because watching Nosferatu, the 10 best universal horrors, the best Hitchcocks etc is hardly a gargantuan task but at the same time it's not like the number of good horror movies is decreasing, so being educated on the genre is constantly getting more difficult for a newcomer. I'd rather talented video producers be able to make stuff about things they like than feel obligated to shut themselves in a movie basement for 100s of hours of homework before speaking their mind.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Tuxedo Catfish posted:

I dunno if there are multiple versions of Audition or if there's some lovely dub that completely drops the ball, but in the one I watched, Asami paralyzes Aoyama and starts driving needles into him, he "wakes up" and imagines an alternate sequence of events that end in her death, and then the very last thing you hear before the movie ends is one last "KIRI KIRI KIRI KIRI," implying rather heavily that the escape sequence was the dream and he's really dying at her hands.

This was how I read the ending too. I've seen the original DVD release and the version on Shudder and they both end the same way

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Karloff posted:

If I recall correctly the original Ringu doesn't really have any jump scares, though the remake has an all-timer with the "I saw her face" moment. The TV moment is scary becuase of how methodical it is, she doesn't come leaping out of the TV suddenly, she just kind of walks to the edge of the screen and then crawls out. So if you've only seen the remake then the original is less jump-scare oritented (though someone do correct me in this regard please if I'm misremebering), though I get it if the memories of the remake could make watching the original still a bit too much.

You're absolutely right, the original is almost entirely predicated on building an overwhelming and oppressive atmosphere that gets paid off in the TV scene. Jump scares prior to that would be a release valve that the film is not interested in providing. Everything that happens up to that point feels like it's designed to prime your brain to be incredible vulnerable to that one moment, and it worked on me because I had to move my TV out of my bedroom and sleep with a light on for two weeks.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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NUMBER 1 FULCI FAN posted:

God drat it I'm not gonna go to a theater, release this stuff on digital you nincompoops

This. Releasing movies in cinemas during a pandemic is stupid

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Kvlt! posted:

but if we watch them at home David Lynch will eat us while we sleep

Wasn't it just watching movies on phones that got him all riled up?

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Cinema screen = big phone?

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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If I wanted to read I wouldn't be watching films

:boom:

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Yeah I have neighbours, insomnia, and bad soundproofing so I save up all my subtitled movies for the early hours.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Franchescanado posted:

It takes more time to write up an argument in this thread about why you won't watch a Universal Monster movie than it takes to actually watch a Universal Monster movie and see what the hype is about.

I'm going to be watching a bunch of them in just over a fortnight since my Spooktober plan is to just work my way down the They Shoot Zombies list with movies I've seen filtered out.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Benito Cereno posted:

Germane to the Universal Monsters talk, recently somebody asked me about which ones are worth watching, and I gave them (among other things) the list of the “shared universe” movies that tie together, leading up to the monster rally movies of the late 40s.


https://benito-cereno.tumblr.com/post/626827988751859712/which-universal-monster-movies-are-still-worth

Bookmarked this for Spooktober, thanks!

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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I guarantee you there's some data that shows TV studios that you only have to put in the effort for the first two episodes and the finale of every season to keep people watching.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Lurdiak posted:

Eh, I'm rather fond of the Dracula format where they disturb the mummy's tomb and have a frightening encounter, most of them manage to escape, they return home and think everything's fine, but then the mummy starts picking them off one by one using curse powers.

Huh, so Final Destination is also a mummy/Dracula movie

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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I've got popcorn, I've got pink lemonade, and I'm about to watch Godzilla (1954) for the first time

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Godzilla (1954)

Well, that was brilliant. I was way too engrossed to livepost any of it, although there was one moment where I was tempted. More on that later.

The effects show their age but it doesn't matter. The soundtrack, the roar that sounds like two oil tankers colliding, and some superb lighting throughout the film create such striking moments that my mind was happy to fill in some blanks and patch over some of the rough bits. And really who cares when Godzilla silhouetted against the burning skyline looks that good (and horrifying).

No individual character is that deep or complicated but it doesn't matter. This is a story about collective decision making, collective struggle, and if course collective grief. A selection of broad but easily understandable characters come together and work through some really knotty moral questions and it's great to watch. It feels earned when a character delivers the films thesis statement almost straight to camera at the end. This is not a film that's interested in being subtle about its themes.

It's also really efficient filmmaking. It does not mess about getting to the monster himself appearing on screen. Crucially it doesn't skimp on the important stuff like seeing communities react to boats going missing, rather than dwell on the spectacle of them being sunk. When the counterattack is escalating there are no unnecessary scenes of commanders ordering air strikes, or handsome pilots running to planes in slow motion. It doesn't waste time with reaction shots when Godzilla's breath attack wipes out a crowd of civilians; it trusts you to be horrified.

I didn't cry at the end but that says more about my brain than the film's emotional heft.

Blimey.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Burkion posted:

It's hard to go 'here's why Godzilla is good' and come across sincere. You immediately fall into the problem of the Universal films that we talked about earlier.

Thankfully the OG Godzilla has a VERY modern sense of pacing. If Spielberg was taking notes, I'd believe it

Hopefully I did come across as sincere because I loved it. I agree completely that it felt much more modern than I was expecting

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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My next Godzilla is going to be Shin Godzilla I think, but I'm saving it for Spooktober

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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!!!!

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Oh, I suppose that's fair (although sucks for people who live alone like me). $20 is like 3 cinema tickets in the UK.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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That was my fave night of horror watching for some time. Deadbeat at Dawn, followed by Videodrome and Inland Empire with goons.

I definitely haven't got an effort post in me right now and I don't even know where I'd start with Inland Empire, but they're all great (first watch for everything except Videodrome)

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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I assume most of the sets were just legit abandoned buildings, so this grime is very authentic

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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alf_pogs posted:

I enjoyed Host a bit more when someone from this thread told me they all did their own stunts and direction and stuff for each segment. that's endearing and cool

It definitely gets scrappy underdog against-the-odds points, and also bonus for not trying to drag out a 55 minute story for 100

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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NUMBER 1 FULCI FAN posted:

Holy poo poo The Loved Ones

I went in blind and had no idea what to expect and was pretty blown away.

Awww yes, that's a heck of a blind watch. Glad you enjoyed it!

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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I'm watching anime to avoid horror burnout. This is what it's come to (although Haikyuu! is adorable)

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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You can start before the thread goes up?

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Basebf555 posted:

Technically no but nothing is really stopping you from watching movies now and logging them after the thread goes up.

The "rules" are pretty loose and nobody really takes them all that seriously, it's just a chance to challenge yourself and watch a ton of horror during the best month of the year.

Sounds like the only person I'd be cheating is myself!

MacheteZombie posted:

Do movies like Threads and Where the Wind Blows count for the October Challenge?

Threads is on Shudder and is a feature length movie full of horror and people being horrified, so I'd be amazed if it's not.

Where the Wind Blows I'm less sure about but if you log that, I'll log Grave of the Fireflies and we can present a united front for cute-looking animated horrors

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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I suppose the difference between When the Wind Blows and Grave of the Fireflies is that the latter e:former is at least speculative fiction which pushes it more towards horror.

I'd put Grave and Schindler's List in the same category as The Devils

e: from last year's OP, for reference

Franchescanado posted:

What Movies Can I Watch?
:ghost: Horror Movies
:ghost: Thrillers
:ghost: Horror Comedies (Tucker & Dale vs. Evil)
:ghost: Horror Musicals (Rocky Horror, Phantom of the Paradise)
:ghost: Movies Set During or Around Halloween (Hocus Pocus, The Guest)
:ghost: Documentaries
- about Halloween (The American Scream)
- about the supernatural
- about the horror genre (Horror Noire)
- about horror movies (Never Sleep Again)
-about a subject that is justifiably horror-related (The Act of Seeing with One’s Own Eyes, Cropsey)
:ghost: Family Friendly movies that meet the above requirements (Alvin & The Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein)

(If you have questions about whether or not a movie counts, feel free to ask me.)


What DOESN'T Count
:ghost: TV Shows
:ghost: mini-series
:ghost: Masters of Horror episodes

Tarnop fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Sep 22, 2020

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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It's amazing that Manhunter feels as coherent as it does. You can see the aesthetic and tone of Lambs in a lot of Tom Noonan's scenes, while so much of Will Graham is pure Miami Vice. It's a wonderful film.

Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Discord works almost exactly the same on mobile (I just used it to sync the start of a film I own, don't hurt me Mr. Lynch)

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Tarnop
Nov 25, 2013

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Kvlt! posted:

Revenge

100% this

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