They seem like actors rather than characters. Feels like they just turn up when needed and their motivations are to move the plot forward rather than an actual want or need.
Willem Dafoe feels like he stepped off the set of Lighthouse to do his bits
Film The Redcafe Movie review thread
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Willem Dafoe feels like he stepped off the set of Lighthouse to do his bits
They seem like actors rather than characters. Feels like they just turn up when needed and their motivations are to move the plot forward rather than an actual want or need.
Willem Dafoe feels like he stepped off the set of Lighthouse to do his bits
Yeah it's all very "theatre'y" bordering on "panto'y". I mean I know it's a remake of a silent movie but still, it just made it all feel a bit silly to me. None of the horror elements really hit.
Yeah, I felt the same as your review. Great opening scene, amazing visuals and the first half was good. Second half became the world's most expensive soap opera, not helped by the dialogue.
Also, the main villain looked like Dr. Eggman, which was so distracting
Yeah, I felt the same as your review. Great opening scene, amazing visuals and the first half was good. Second half became the world's most expensive soap opera, not helped by the dialogue.
Also, the main villain looked like Dr. Eggman, which was so distracting
Ffs yes
The "disagreement" between King and Kubrick wasn't just about a few artistic choices - it was an absolutely calculated choice made by Kubrick for fundamental reasons.
Kubrick deliberately downplayed the "haunted house made me do it" vibes in the book because he was fascinated that the book was written as a "defence" of the domestic violence done by the "writer" in the story...when he believed that the ACTUAL writer of the book was violent and aggressive towards his family based on how he wrote it.
Kubrick had wanted to do a horror film and looked at hundreds of other horror novels as source materials and found them all to be straightforward morality tales. King's "The Shining" caught his attention because he believed the writer didn't even realise he was trying to defend his own actions. (I don't know if King's checkered family past was in the public domain at this point but Kubrick claimed to have seen this in the writing).
So Kubrick played it that the hotel ghosts played on Torrence's pre-existing suspicions and violent temper to bring him round to doing their bidding.
For me that's why I loved Dr Sleep...it says that you CAN overcome your own demons (Danny's traumatic past) and can be a better person despite the demons in that past...his father and the actual demons of the hotel.
First the Peele wars, now the Pitt wars. Next up: the Polanski wars. Actually, scratch that...
That is utter nonsense and an urban myth.
That would be Armageddon. Ain't nobody ready for another round of the Polanski Wars.
Thanks for added info.
Hereditary (2018)
Having recently watched Longlegs, I decided to give another horror movie a try and landed on Hereditary. Pretty great horror flick, I'd say. It's kind of a slow burn for the most part - maybe a bit too slow in the middle part - but then it seriously picks up pace towards the very end. I thought it was genuinely unsettling at times, and downright scary at others. The plot wasn't super easy to follow (or maybe I'm just a bit dumb), but it does come together in the end. It's a bit out there, but that's kind of par for the course in ghost/possession/demon movies, and I liked how it ended - it was fairly original. And the movie does you keep you guessing until almost the end. My main criticism of the movie is that none of the main characters are really likeable, so you aren't really rooting for them. More could have been done to establish sympathy for Annie and Peter especially.
But all in all very watchable. 8/10.
Any other horror/thriller movies worth watching? Haven't a lot of the modern stuff.
Having recently watched Longlegs, I decided to give another horror movie a try and landed on Hereditary. Pretty great horror flick, I'd say. It's kind of a slow burn for the most part - maybe a bit too slow in the middle part - but then it seriously picks up pace towards the very end. I thought it was genuinely unsettling at times, and downright scary at others. The plot wasn't super easy to follow (or maybe I'm just a bit dumb), but it does come together in the end. It's a bit out there, but that's kind of par for the course in ghost/possession/demon movies, and I liked how it ended - it was fairly original. And the movie does you keep you guessing until almost the end. My main criticism of the movie is that none of the main characters are really likeable, so you aren't really rooting for them. More could have been done to establish sympathy for Annie and Peter especially.
But all in all very watchable. 8/10.
Any other horror/thriller movies worth watching? Haven't a lot of the modern stuff.
Hereditary is the gold standard of recent times. The VVitch and The Conjuring are also excellent and I have a soft spot for The Babadook.
For pure thrillers, Nightcrawler, Prisoners, Shutter Island, Parasite.
The VVitch, Insidious, The Conjuring, Sinister & Talk To Me.
It Follows, Lights Out, They Come At Night, Mama.
New Suspiria was very good to add to the above.
Talking about this in the pub just now. This is a golden age for horror movies, right? Feels like the proportion of good/interesting movies that are in the horror genre is miles higher than it would have been 10 or 20 years ago.
As well as the movie already mentioned, check out Midsommar, Infinity Pool, Barbarian and Strange Darling.
I saw Dredd this week, the 2012 film. I know it's grimness and visual style are supposed to be interesting, but I thought it was flat, needlessly gory, and narratively uninteresting. Style over substance, and I didn't much like the style. 3/10
I also saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the 2023 animated film. I thought this was quite good. The animation style is great, the jokes are good, and while virtually any superhero story is pretty boring, the film kept going nicely enough. 7/10
Back in Action was fun as well. It's a new Netflix action comedy, about a spy couple that has retired and now has to deal with difficult teenage kids, but the family gets drawn back into action when they get found by spies that want a McGuffin back. You could probably call it by the numbers in every way (overall plot, difficult teens, main characters), but there's enough fun and wackiness to the film (including song choices during some action scenes) that it's really quite enjoyable. 7/10
I also saw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, the 2023 animated film. I thought this was quite good. The animation style is great, the jokes are good, and while virtually any superhero story is pretty boring, the film kept going nicely enough. 7/10
Back in Action was fun as well. It's a new Netflix action comedy, about a spy couple that has retired and now has to deal with difficult teenage kids, but the family gets drawn back into action when they get found by spies that want a McGuffin back. You could probably call it by the numbers in every way (overall plot, difficult teens, main characters), but there's enough fun and wackiness to the film (including song choices during some action scenes) that it's really quite enjoyable. 7/10
They're making a lot, i dont know if theres that many interesting movies relative to other times. Its mostly economics really, they're cheap and relatively easy to make your money back - they have a fairly loyal fan base who will watch your movies even if they're terrible. This thread being a good example of that
Its probably not that healthy for their long term health
Isn't most of that low quality repetitive crap?
Disclosure: I haven't found a film scary since The Omen and Exorcist came out and I wasn't even a teenager then.
I wouldn’t say golden age. that’s a weird term anyways. but it’s a great time to be a fan of the genre. they are cheap to make and there is a good demand for them.
talk to me is also a really good watch. I remember saint maud being a fun watch too.
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I feel like its nearly every other genre has died on its ass and horror is the last one standing.
They dont need to be scary to be enjoyable
What is the point of horror if it isn't scary?
Cheers. Will check out the descriptions on these and pick one. I do remember hering good things about 'It follows' so maybe that's a place to start.
Excellent place to start. The least gory one out of all of them, so perfect if you’re a bit squeamish about horror. It is very scary though!
Not really, although I found that Longlegs kind of stayed with me for a while. For longer than Hereditary, even though I thought that was the better movie. And I think a lack of gore is good thing - it tends to be very cheap. Hereditary has one very gory thing happen, but it's so well-executed because it focused on the impact on the character rather than just zooming in on the gore (actually you don't really see it, if I remember right).
Having just watched those two movies, I'd say it seems like horror directors just put a ton of care into their craft. The excellent cinematography, all the little details and foreshadowing moments, great music and sound design, etc. I love watching analysis and reviews of the movies afterwards to catch the things I've missed. And then you get actors you've never heard of before, because the A-listers don't really do a lot of horror. The performance from the lead actress in Hereditary blew me away, and I had no clue who she was.
Funny you say that, as Toni Collette genuinely is an A-lister
You should add The Sixth Sense to your to-watch list ;-)Ok, I've seen The Sixth Sense, but like a gazillion years ago. Just going over her filmography, I think the only other movie with her from this millennium I've seen is Knives Out.Funny you say that, as Toni Collette genuinely is an A-lister
She's a B+ lister at best
I would not say golden age, yeah there is quite a few decent horrors of late, but nothing like Nightmare on Elm Street, The exorcist, The Oman when they first came out they were actually scary and then there is the Shinning, still one of the best horror I have watch and its what 40+ years old.
The VVitch, Insidious, The Conjuring, Sinister & Talk To Me, Midsommer, It Follows, Lights Out, They Come At Night, Mama The Babadook all mentioned already, are all very good
I really like both the Conjuring and Sinister films, the Conjuring one about the Enfield Haunting was excellent.
The Conjuring spin offs Annabelle and The Nun I liked also.
I was gonna recommend It Follows as I love it but I've also heard off many people that don't like it so thought I'll go safe with my recommendations.
@Mike Smalling how do you not know who toni collette is?!
Seems like opinions on horror movies can be a bit all over the place. They are often lukewarm on IMDB, even when critics love them. I saw a lot of negative user reviews on Longlegs, for instance, but I quite liked it. Probably it's just a matter of giving it a go and forming your own opinion.
I don't know, don't bully me
!But seriously, what projects beyond The Sixth Sense (which is really, really old), should I know her from?
first of all watch muriel’s weddingI don't know, don't bully me
But seriously, what projects beyond The Sixth Sense (which is really, really old), should I know her from?
I find that also, I tend to take no notice of reviews on imdb.
Longlegs I found it just OK , should have been much better.
Horror possession films are my personal fav, but most are really not good, Late Night with the Devil was decent.
B+ seems fair.Ok, I've seen The Sixth Sense, but like a gazillion years ago. Just going over her filmography, I think the only other movie with her from this millennium I've seen is Knives Out.
She's a B+ lister at best
Horror TV shows, on the other hand, are definitely in a golden age, largely thanks to Mike Flanagan. The Haunting of Hill House is elite television, regardless of genre.
Yes I agree with you
Evan Almighty. It's been ages since I've seen it, but I remember Bruce Almighty as a fun film, so I thought this might be at least okay. It's not. The plot is lame and full of holes, the sentiments are all over the place but mostly dumb, some of the acting is terrible (Evan's often seems to have no idea what facial expression she needs for specific moments), and there are surprisingly few jokes. I generally like Steve Carell though, and he manages to save a number of scenes, and there is some good stuff from John Goodman (insofar as he's allowed any creativity) and Wanda Sykes (she had all the best one-liners of the film) as well. But no. 4/10
Princess Mononoke. Ghibli again. Overall, I thought the film was excellent, even amazing until the end. The animation, liveliness, the characters, the themes - all amazing. I also love how Miyazaki here doesn't deal in absolutes, and the messiness of trying to find balance between progress, spiritualism, nature, human expansion, and so on is laid bare without simplistic solutions. I wasn't a fan of the last half hour though: the film just seemed to exploded in somewhat random chaos. I have no idea how else the story could have ended without a single 'winner' (which is exactly what the themes go against), but somehow it just didn't work well for me. Maybe I should watch it again to better get the feel for it. Anyway, 8/10.
Princess Mononoke. Ghibli again. Overall, I thought the film was excellent, even amazing until the end. The animation, liveliness, the characters, the themes - all amazing. I also love how Miyazaki here doesn't deal in absolutes, and the messiness of trying to find balance between progress, spiritualism, nature, human expansion, and so on is laid bare without simplistic solutions. I wasn't a fan of the last half hour though: the film just seemed to exploded in somewhat random chaos. I have no idea how else the story could have ended without a single 'winner' (which is exactly what the themes go against), but somehow it just didn't work well for me. Maybe I should watch it again to better get the feel for it. Anyway, 8/10.
I'm not a fan of horror TV shows.
I liked Haunting of Hill House, Midnight Mass was ok, Marianne was fantastic. From is pretty good too.
I think that's about it from more modern ones.
Surprising.