THREAD OF HORRORS (1 Viewer)

[Joe Karlosi]

I didn't discover this film until much later in life, but I'm glad I did. I'm very impressed how much the SFX hold up today, too. I watched it in the middle of the night in the A.M., and the whole bit with Hal was really scary at that time.

 

[Jim_K]

Well I was a huge Marvel nut (60's through the 80's) and the character really was all over the place especially in the 60's, starting out fully literate and bordering on a Mr Hyde type personality. Wasn't until the late 60's early 70's that they dumbed down his personality by becoming child-like and talking less "Hulk Smash puny humans" and all that. I don't remember a fully literate and child-like Hulk from the comics but it's been a long time since I've read the stuff from the 70's and 80's.

Anyway I had a blast with the movie, I was even in the mood to watch it again right after it was over which is a rarity with me.

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I think the problem for me originated with the Bill Bixby TV show (which I never cared for), and having a Hulk who always savagely ran about and angrily roared: "RRAARRRGGG!!!" Ever since then, it seems as though that's the interpretation most fans grew up with, and it's what they know (not saying you). Maybe that's why this is the main direction the movies take. I guess the filmmakers have to try and appeal to the majority. But as I said, at least the new film offered SOMETHING in the way of a more articulate Hulk character. Maybe in the next film? Maybe in THE AVENGERS? I just think the Hulk as a character has more potential than filmmakers think he does.

 

[PatW]

I took the twins to see this and they liked it alot more than I did. I don't think the movie had as much substance as the '59 version but Brendan Fraser is certainly likeable and because the girls loved it, I'll also be picking it up.

 

[Jim_K]

Agreed Pat. The 59 version is a classic despite the Pat Boone singing.


Out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

First time viewing in Red

Working my way through a stack of Blu-ray’s that came in October.

Iron-Man (2008) :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:
Robert Downey Jr elevates this one to the top of the Marvel comic heap. For an ex-comic geek Marvel pretty much got everything right as far as I’m concerned.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls (2008) :star: :star: :star: 1/2
Indy takes on Commies, Saucermen, killer ants, the atomic bomb and everything else they could think of. Certainly doesn’t reach the heights of Raiders or even the previous sequels but it’s no more absurd than the films and serials that inspired the character. Very flawed but it's still fun.

and I went a little nuts and bought a dozen vintage Horror DVD’s most of which I never even got to for the Horror challenge..........

The Haunted Palace (1963) :star: :star: :star: :star:
Corman and Price adapt HP Lovecraft. I don’t get why this one was critically panned or why I failed to pick this up before. I rate this to be as good as some of their best Poe adaptations.

then there’s all the DVR recordings to get through…..ugh.

 

[PatW]

I never paid too much attention before but this time I was noticing the graphics and it's just so mind blowing how sophisticated they were for the time.

I don't know if the Hal scene was scary for me but it certainly had me on the end of my seat. That was such a great battle of wills between Bowman and Hal. I also loved the sequence when Bowman is slowly shutting down Hal. That gave me the chills.

 

[Ruz-El]

I just never warmed to 2001. It wasn't until the 3rd viewing or so that I actually stayed awake through the whole thing. I can appreciate what it is, I just don't really care to see it again.

I got in a couple of titles I skipped in the challenge proper, and one dire piece of crap that fits in this thread.

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/7/77/htf_imgcache_36063.jpeg] [/url] The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior


What happens when an already shit film gets a direct to DVD sequel? This. Piss poor in every way, it's also geared at 8 year olds. Might be suitable for the Disney channel, but anyone wanting an adventure story on a Saturday night could do better...(read more) by hammering nails into their dick.

[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/5/50/htf_imgcache_36065.jpeg] [/url] Count Dracula


Staggeringly good version of Dracula. It all starts off rather stuffy and British, but ends up being one of the few genuinely creepy Dracula films. You see a bunch of stuff in this that clearly influenced Coppola in his remake, and Louis Jordan is ...(read more) outstanding as the Count. I skipped this in the challenge due to run time, and man, it would of been right up there with "Night Of The Demon" if I had seen it.

MICHAEL LIVES : THE MAKING OF HALLOWEEN (2008) 4/5 - This is the 4.5hr documentary by Zombie on the making of his version of the film. To say it's exhaustive is an understatement! It kept me interested for the running time, hence the 4 stars, but I would of liked a bit more commentary and reflection then just the series of clips fro every day of filming. Would of given it a bit more depth.

I also watched the extras on the "ULTIMATE" edition of "THE EVIL DEAD". Found the 3 disc set cheap so I grabbed it. The new doc is great, the collection of unused footage not so much and I haven't got around to disc 3 yet. Pretty good deal to get a nice full screen and widescreen transfer of the film, I found it for $10. I figure I'm ahead of the cure then some others since I only bought this one 3 times (once on VHS, twice now on DVD.)

 

[PatW]

11/3 The Seeker: The Dark Rising (2007) 1/2 :star:

I'm babysitting all week and this movie was on tv which my granddaughter was interested in watching. Neither of us should have bothered. With the good adaptation of the Narnia and Potter books I guess I expected too much here. This is so unlike the book and watching it was an actual waste of time. Even my granddaughter who is more forgiving hated it.

 

[Ockeghem]

Joe and PatW,

The most chilling part of 2001 (top five all time films for me) is the segment where Bowman says, "Rotate the pod doors please, Hal." We know that it is done as a test to see if HAL can hear he and Poole. The chilling part? We know in retrospect that HAL does not hear them, but that he can read their lips -- yet he does NOT rotate the pod doors as he is asked. Astonishing.

Fun fact: HAL transposed by one letter each = IBM.

 

[PatW]

11/3 Batman Begins (2005) :star: :star: :star: :star: 1/2

I've pre-ordered The Dark Knight so I thought I would watch this one again in anticipation of that movie. I must say, between the two, Batman Begins has a slight edge. I enjoyed Christian Bale's performance better in this movie but I've only seen the Dark Knight once so that might change. No offense to Tim Burton but Christopher Nolan has done a superb job with these movies giving it a much darker edge. The cast is all superb in this movie with the exception of Katie Holmes and she's growing on me. What I like is that you see the roots of the character and how he develops into what he is. This is such a complex well-developed story, my favourite of the super-hero genre so far.

 

[John Stell]

11/01/08 Nightmare Detective (2006) :star::star::star:

A serial killer has found a way to invade the nightmares of those with suicidal tendancies. When the detective on the case finds out about a loner with the ability to enter a person's nightmares, she asks for his help. This Japanese horror film is a mostly effective melding of Se7en, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and Dreamscape. The lead characters - the lead officer and the nightmare detective - are well drawn and have their own demons to battle. The director creates an effectively chilling atmosphere.

 

[Radioman970]

I'll just be watching this time....

 

[Ockeghem]

Radioman,

And me as well, I think. I am having difficulty even posting lately, given various projects I've got going at the moment.

But I did manage to watch ST IV: The Voyage Home the other night.

 

[Radioman970]

Same here. and I have a job prospect so I'm trying to get a resume completed so I can deliver it down the road.

I haven't watched a single movie since last Friday. :frowning:

 

[Ruz-El]

I'm currently watching one of the Gold Diggers musicals... I'm waiting for a monster too appear. :S

 

[Tim Tucker]

Well, maybe when Hugh Herbert shows up...

 

[Ruz-El]

And guess who just walked through the door while I was watching... well done Tim!

 

[PatW]

Well I just wrote a longish review on Hellboy II, my computer froze and I lost it before I had a chance to post. Anyway here is a brief review. I might post more at a later date.

11/4 The Day the World Ended (2001) :star: :star:

An adopted boy believes that his father is an alien and one day will come back for him. When a series of gruesome murders occur in his small town, the boy believes it's his father committing them. The movie has some interesting ideas but on the whole was unsatisfactory.

11/5 Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008) :star: :star: :star: 1/2

Not as satisfying as the first, and the story not as entertaining. Alot of the problem was the lack of interest in the main villian who seemed to pale in comparison to Rasputin in the first. There was some cringe-inducing moments in this film; the Abe and Hellboy duet for one, but Ron Perlman as Hellboy is always fun to watch and is perfectly cast in the part. Some of the creatures are reminiscent of Pan's Labyrinth but alot are uniquely drawn. Visually this movie is stunning. I wish I had seen it in the theatre but I'm quite happy to own it on Blu ray. This movie is recommended with some reservations.

11/6 Aliens (1986) :star: :star: :star: 1/2

Not as satisfying for me as the original but still a wild ride even over 20 years later. Most of the characters were unlikable and the Bill Paxton character was beyond annoying but the aliens were great and I suppose that's why we watch.

 

[Jim_K]

I enjoyed Paxton's wise-ass character in Aliens.

Ratings out of :star: :star: :star: :star: :star:

First time viewing in Red

Grindhouse (2007) :star: :star: :star: :star:
Well I’d seen Death Proof and Planet Terror once last year but this is the first time seeing both films in the double-feature format. It was cool to see all the fake trailers, Werewolf Women of the SS [url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/9/99/htf_imgcache_36174.gif][URL="https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/9/99/htf_imgcache_36174.gif"] [/url][/URL]edging out Machete as being my favorite but I prefer the longer cut of Death Proof (the missing reel gag was irritating here). I guess when it comes to the individual films vs. all the clamor for the Grindhouse cut [url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/c/c2/htf_imgcache_36175.gif][URL="https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/c/c2/htf_imgcache_36175.gif"] [/url][/URL]on DVD/Blu-ray I don’t get what all the fuss is about (aside from getting all the fake trailers). I'll be picking up the individual films on Blu-ray when they come out next month.

City of the Dead (1960) :star: :star: :star: :star:
Another Horror DVD I bought last month that I never got around to. A.K.A Horror Hotel - Christopher Lee sends his student to a haunted New England village “where…. There…. Be…. Witches”. Creepy and atmospheric with shades of Psycho and Bava’s Black Sunday. An often overlooked classic.

The Illustrated Man (1969) :star: :star: 1/2
Rod Steiger is the “Illustrated Man” covered in tattoos, but don’t stare at them or you’ll suffer a hallucinogenic trip or is it a psychodelic shift in the space-time continuum? I couldn’t figure out which…..Dig it man? Grooooovy. [url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/1/17/htf_imgcache_36176.gif][URL="https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/1/17/htf_imgcache_36176.gif"] [/url][/URL]

Curse of the Crimson Altar (1968) :star: :star:
Satanic cults, Barbara Steele painted blue and muscle men in funky leather S&M gear, Iconic cast with Christopher Lee, Boris Karloff and Steele but that’s about all it has going for it. Disappointing. [url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/a/ac/htf_imgcache_36177.gif][URL="https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/a/ac/htf_imgcache_36177.gif"] [/url][/URL]

Blood Legacy (1971) :star:
A group of people stay in a creepy house to win an inheritance…..yep it’s a tired plot and it’s a crap movie. Has anyone starred in more shit-horror films than John Carradine? [url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/a/a7/htf_imgcache_36178.gif][URL="https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/a/a7/htf_imgcache_36178.gif"] [/url][/URL]

Dawn of the Dead (2004) :star: :star: :star: :star:
Still prefer the original but this one of the better Horror remakes of the past 30 years and the best zombie film since……eh whatever. I don’t know if that says all that much in a sea of shit remakes and an ocean of craptastic zombie films but there you go.[url=https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/9/9e/htf_imgcache_36179.gif][URL="https://static.hometheaterforum.com/imgrepo/9/9e/htf_imgcache_36179.gif"] [/url][/URL]

I'm hoping to dig into some James Bond Blu-ray's and a massive Planet of the Apes set over the next week or two.

 

[TravisR]

Same here. I know when Grindhouse comes to Blu-ray, I'll buy it but it'll basically be only for the trailers. Eventhough the extended cut of Planet Terror is pretty close to the theatrical cut, when I watch that movie, I'll probably always go for the longer cut. And Death Proof is vastly superior in its extended form so I'll never watch the shortened version again.