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  1. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Psycho This classic movie still works, although nothing can match the first viewing of it. This time, it seemed to lose a little steam during the second part. The scenes with no Norman and little or no great Bernard Herrmann music dragged a bit compared to all the rest. Maybe some of that was...
  2. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Aliens Outside of a dream sequence, it takes about an hour for the first aliens to show up. The movie takes its time in introducing us to the characters and their relationships, and this pays off later in the action scenes. We are invested in Ripley, Hicks, Newt, and the others, so we are more...
  3. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Scream 2 (first time viewing) 8/10 Scream 3 (first time viewing) 6/10 The ratings pretty much tell the story. The first sequel was strong, and the next one struggled. Neither of them is particularly scary, but the second one still had an interesting plot.
  4. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Fantasia has some amazing sequences in it. However, it does tend to drag in the middle (Rite of Spring, Intermission, and Pastoral Symphony), and Deems Taylor's introductions are less valuable on repeat viewings. My secret to making the movie better is enjoying it with some wine (or the chapter...
  5. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Friday the 13th (1980) (first time viewing) I cannot understand how this movie was the basis for so many sequels. It was incredibly boring. The deaths were not surprising or frightening, and there was no humor or drama in the camp scenes that worked. My apologies to Kevin Bacon, but the only...
  6. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) (first time viewing) Wes Craven and his team created a fantastic, inventive horror movie for the ages. I was fully invested in the story of Nancy and Freddy. I don't fully understand the ending. Going just from the information given in the film, it doesn't make...
  7. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    King Kong (1933) I really like King Kong, but I think I would have found it more amazing in 1933. Back then, the ending was unknown, and the effects were completely state of the art. Today, I appreciate what was done, but I can't immerse myself in it or be scared by it. The sequence with the...
  8. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Frankenstein (1931) Boris Karloff has the perfect combination of pathos and menace as Frankenstein's creation. Frankenstein and Fritz are also very well played. The look and style of the film are perhaps the best of Universal's classic monster movies. The way the villagers are shot during the...
  9. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Paranormal Activity - first time viewing This was pretty underwhelming after hearing so much buildup from other people. The scene in the attic was the most tense part of the movie, primarily due to the claustrophic area and extreme zoom. The foley effects and simple camera tricks did not serve...
  10. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Dracula (1931) This movie has a great, creepy atmosphere at the beginning in Castle Dracula. Once they reach London, however, the film fizzles out. Lugosi has some nice moments as the title character, but the shots of him with his face completely still with the strange light on his eyes are not...
  11. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    Twilight Zone - "The Lateness of the Hour" This is the one where the daughter of a reclusive couple is upset with the routine of their life and worries that their robotic servants have led them into a deadly complacency. This installment has plenty of juicy ideas to ponder, including the role of...
  12. Tarkin The Ewok

    Official 13th Annual HTF October Scary Movie Challenge 2012

    First time viewings are in bold. 10/2: Twilight Zone - "The Lateness of the Hour" :tu: 10/3: Dracula (1931) 5/10 10/4: Paranormal Activity 3/10 10/5: Frankenstein (1931) 8/10 10/5: The Wolf Man (1941) 8/10 10/5: Scream 9/10 10/9: King Kong (1933) 8/10 10/10: A Nightmare on Elm Street...
  13. Tarkin The Ewok

    Blu-ray Review The Lion King 3D: Diamond Edition Blu-ray Review

    This is a favorite of mine. I wish Disney would have kept the original logo at the start. I love getting a feel for when a movie came out by which logo was used at the start.
  14. Tarkin The Ewok

    Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Sound of Music (Combo Pack)

    I'm using a Sony Bravia HDTV and LG BD-370 Blu-ray player with Profile 2.0.
  15. Tarkin The Ewok

    Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Sound of Music (Combo Pack)

    I'm having trouble selecting the audio track I want for the My Favorite Things mode. I tried selecting both an audio commentary and the 4.0 English tracks on the main menu before entering the mode, but the sound reverted to the 7.1 English default, which my TV cannot process. Is there a...
  16. Tarkin The Ewok

    Blu-ray Review HTF BLU-RAY REVIEW: The Sound of Music (Combo Pack)

    There are a few items on the old DVDs that don't seem to be present in their entirety on the Blu-ray set, judging purely on the list: Salzburg Sight and Sound (36 minutes on the 5-Star Collection, 13 minutes on the Blu-ray) -Perhaps the rest is part of the locations section of the...
  17. Tarkin The Ewok

    Stanley Kubrick is overrated

    Since this thread went to sleep, I have seen The Shining and Spartacus. Neither one rated more than two out of five stars with me, so Stanley Kubrick is not likely to be added to my list of favorite filmmakers.
  18. Tarkin The Ewok

    Track the Films You Watch (2010)

    The Bridge on the River Kwai: 3.5/5 I wanted to see this movie specifically for Alec Guiness' performance, which is reputed to be one of his best. He was definitely the highlight for me. His walk from the oven to the office, his recruitment of the soldiers in sickbay, and his final moments...
  19. Tarkin The Ewok

    2010 at the Box Office

    They really did not do a good job of letting people know about the Wednesday release date. Today is the first I heard about that. I wonder if some of the potential viewers of Knight and Day fall into that category, too.
  20. Tarkin The Ewok

    Track the Films You Watch (2010)

    The Thing (1982): 2.5/5 The Thing has an effective atmosphere and a couple of standout scenes and lines, but the movie did not do much for me in general. The creature effects are extremely grotesque. As a movie fan, I can spot a lot of the fakery, but the visuals are still far from...
  21. Tarkin The Ewok

    Another one: 'Alien' prepares to be rebooted

    Alien is over 30 years old now, so the filmmakers of the prequel project cannot bank on their audience having intimate familiarity with the details of the original movie. My hope is that they are not so focused on the space jockey and company backstory that they forget to tell a compelling story...
  22. Tarkin The Ewok

    Track the Films You Watch (2010)

    The Prestige: 4.5/5 The first time through the movie in 2006, I didn't want to believe that Tesla really was a wizard who could do those impossible things. I also was rooting for Angier, who was being played by the same guy who did Wolverine. This time, I could accept that the magic was...
  23. Tarkin The Ewok

    2010 at the Box Office

    Part of the box office gross of a remake, sequel, or adaptation is absolutely due to the success of the original work or predecessor. However, the grosses will quickly fall off if the quality is low enough. Turning it the other way, even in this period of short turnarounds to Blu-ray/DVD, word...
  24. Tarkin The Ewok

    Track the Films You Watch (2010)

    Ikiru: 3.5/5 This is a beautiful film that gets at some of the most important considerations of our very existence. What and who are we truly working for? What can we accomplish when we realize that our time is a precious gift that should be used to the fullest? The story of Watanabe works...
  25. Tarkin The Ewok

    Track the Films You Watch (2010)

    The Birds: 4/5 The Birds is undeniably freaky. Anytime that they would chase people in swarms across the street or invade the home, the tension went through the roof. The chemistry between Taylor and Hedren was not sufficient to make me believe that she would buy him lovebirds and drive 60...
  26. Tarkin The Ewok

    Track the Films You Watch (2010)

    Marnie: 3/5 This one is an interesting film to watch, but the story is not all that great. The best reasons to watch it are for Sean Connery and the vault robbery sequence.
  27. Tarkin The Ewok

    2010 at the Box Office

    How about blaming their own writers' strike and the lackluster lineup of movies this summer instead of just the recession? The success of movies like Sherlock Holmes, Avatar, and Iron Man 2 shows that audiences will still turn out for movies that they think will offer a good time.
  28. Tarkin The Ewok

    *** Official PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE SANDS OF TIME Discussion Thread

    I have a question about the ending. Didn't they say that opening the top of the Dagger while it was in the Sand Glass would unleash the epic sandstorm over the world? Why did it instead turn back time to a convenient place for our hero?
  29. Tarkin The Ewok

    Track the Films You Watch (2010)

    Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time: 3/5 I'm being generous with that score, given that the middle drags so badly that I was tempted to walk out around the one hour mark. Knowing the general plot from the game, there were few surprises to be had for me, although even an idiot could figure...
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