Housepets!

Seth wrote:

Radio Blue Heart wrote: Speaking of which I have a open question for everyone, what is your favorite comic adaptation films?

Howard the Duck. Instant classic.

Ugh!

If you like Marvel misfires, check out the 1990 version of Captain America. It has a heck of a pedigree. The director also did bad movies like "Alien From LA" and "Nemesis". The 1994 version of Fantastic Four was bad but at least it was never released. But you have to see Japanese Spider-Man! It is out there!

Just got back from seeing The Dark Knight Rises. That was a pretty good movie, and a solid end to the Nolan films in my opinion.

Although, after all the drama, all the action, all the questions about morality, power, and madness, it basically came down to this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4v1hAnfy1I

Penwrite wrote:Just got back from seeing The Dark Knight Rises. That was a pretty good movie, and a solid end to the Nolan films in my opinion.

Although, after all the drama, all the action, all the questions about morality, power, and madness, it basically came down to this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4v1hAnfy1I

, spot on
Just saw it tonight and even though it was a bit cheesy I loved it.

This was definitely the most "comic book" of the Nolan trilogy, and that was fine by me. I've had my fill of Nolan doing these films, let's see what someone else has in mind now. Hopefully something leading into Justice League.

Spoiler Alert about the movie Brave, so if you haven't seen it, don't highlight the black rectangles! X3

I liked Brave, but did no else think it was odd that they didn't even mention bears in any manner during any previews? I mean, turning her mother into a bear was a major plot device, but every preview I saw depicted the movie as about some free-lanced Scottish girl realizing her independence and strength as a young woman. Of course the movie was still about that and ultimately reached the same conclusion, but the whole bear thing just seemed like a total curveball in an unflattering way to the movie. She was the first Disney princess who didn't need to be saved by a prince, and I just feel like they could have done so much more with this movie.

Beagle wrote:Spoiler Alert about the movie Brave, so if you haven't seen it, don't highlight the black rectangles! X3

I liked Brave, but did no else think it was odd that they didn't even mention bears in any manner during any previews? I mean, turning her mother into a bear was a major plot device, but every preview I saw depicted the movie as about some free-lanced Scottish girl realizing her independence and strength as a young woman. Of course the movie was still about that and ultimately reached the same conclusion, but the whole bear thing just seemed like a total curveball in an unflattering way to the movie. She was the first Disney princess who didn't need to be saved by a prince, and I just feel like they could have done so much more with this movie.

Something that needs to be understood is that there is usually very little connection between the people who make the movie and the people who advertise it. Like how John Carter was a riveting pulp sci-fi adventure in the vein of Star Wars, but it got advertised as a fairly generic sci-fi action movie.

Well the false advertising normally isn't as bad as it was with Brave.

(I also enjoyed Star Wars immensely, but I fell asleep at the 9:30 showing of John Carter. I can't tell if I was too tired but I don't really know what happened. John Carter was soooo long as compared to my normal hour and a half films.)

"Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things".

That title just says it all! From the director of "A Christmas Story".

Can I count this as my favorite movie?

http://blip.tv/nostalgiacritic/to-boldy ... -2-6273717

I haven't seen a movie in theaters in 6 months, it was J. Edgar. I really wanted to see the re-release of Singing in the Rain for its 65(?) anniversary, but I wasn't able to.
I did recently watch Charlie Chaplin's Great Dictator, he's never made a bad movie in my opinion.

After all the talk about the Hellboy movies over at the MLP thread, I have been on a kick for them lately. If you have not seen them I recommend them highly. You don't even have to have read the comics to appreciate them.

Another Mike Mignola creation that has made it to the screen is his comic "The Amazing Screw-On Head". Its about a steam punk robot that fights monsters for Abraham Lincoln. It is as weird and funny as it sounds. It was created as a pilot for a series that was never picked up, so I guess that it can be reclassified as a short film at this point.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow8bBPPOe9w

It includes such dialogue gems as

"Yes, it is as I always say: All really intelligent people should be cremated for reasons of public safety."

So... earlier today I watched Roger Corman's Galaxy of Terror for the first time.

That was an... unpleasant experience.

I JUst finished watching Mission Impossible. Mind Blowing!

Penwrite wrote:So... earlier today I watched Roger Corman's Galaxy of Terror for the first time.

That was an... unpleasant experience.

Ha ha ha! It takes a certain kind of person to sit through that one. I hope that it did not damage you too badly.

Can you believe that a young James Cameron was the assistant director and special effects designer on it? They all had to start somewhere!

In that case you should also avoid the Corman production "Humanoids From The Deep".


To take your mind off that, might I suggest something more silly. I was just reacquainting my self with the horror/comedy "Class of Nuke 'Em High" and its sequels. I think that you would like those. Its about that craziness going on around a high school that stand less than a mile away from a nuclear power plant. You get biker gangs, monster and assorted craziness!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMGCPRJNKUg

Also, I cannot believe that this is a real movie!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXQWcQfdwEY

Brazil - Director's cut
Blade Runner - Theatrical cut, though the most recent director's cut is pretty decent.

Actually, I can believe that James Cameron worked as assistant director on Galaxy of Terror. It was very well-shot and directed, if nothing else, and he probably took a lot away from it in terms of doing a lot with a small budget.

In fact, a lot of big and influential directors have gotten their start working with Roger Corman. This includes Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Jonathan Demme, and Ron Howard.

In other words, we have Corman to thank for such films as Taxi Driver, The Godfather, Silence of the Lambs, Willow, and the entire Terminator franchise.

Hmm...favorite movies...

Akira
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
Princess Mononoke
Inception
The Shining
Kill Bill (both volumes)
Paranormal Activity

Eh...yeah. That's my list.

Stuff. wrote:Hmm...favorite movies...

Akira
Spirited Away
Howl's Moving Castle
Princess Mononoke
Inception
The Shining
Kill Bill (both volumes)
Paranormal Activity

Eh...yeah. That's my list.

Lots of Miyazaki there... nice.

The director's cut of "Nightbreed" is finally getting a DVD release! Its going to be called "The Cabal Cut". I saw it played at "Mad Monster Party" back in March. If you have not seen this movie, wait for the The Cabal Cut, it is worth it and far superior to the "Studio took the film away from the director and re-cut it" version that is now available.

Also, low budget horror at its best. "The Video Dead"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXKYs8tQU6c

Just watched the Powerpuff Girls movie for the first time in ages. Forgot how good that movie actually is.

A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad and The Ugly.
Three of the best western movies ever, also my favourite trilogy. Sergio Leone is one of my favourite directors too.

I just saw Goodfellas for the first time, loved it.

wahahahahahahhaahhah?! ahhhhhh! (I actually screamed for a bit.)
sooo, Home alone5 is being produced in Manitoba Winnipeg, Canada Right here where I live. not Chicago.

this kid is the actor.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63132871@N04/6839504810/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63132871@N ... otostream/

and nobody is aware of it

Punchy wrote:A Fistful of Dollars, For A Few Dollars More, The Good The Bad and The Ugly.
Three of the best western movies ever, also my favourite trilogy. Sergio Leone is one of my favourite directors too.

I just saw Goodfellas for the first time, loved it.

What about "Once Upon A Time In The West" and "Duck, You Sucker"?

Radio Blue Heart wrote:What about "Once Upon A Time In The West" and "Duck, You Sucker"?

I actually haven't seen Duck, You Sucker yet.
I did recently see My Name Is Nobody, which Leone co-produced and co-directed.
And I really want to see Once Upon A Time In America (a story about the life of a Jewish gangster) as soon they complete the restoration.

texascat018 wrote:wahahahahahahhaahhah?! ahhhhhh! (I actually screamed for a bit.)
sooo, Home alone5 is being produced in Manitoba Winnipeg, Canada Right here where I live. not Chicago.

this kid is the actor.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63132871@N04/6839504810/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/63132871@N ... otostream/

and nobody is aware of it

Home Alone 5...?

Just...why?

Can't be worse than Smurfs 2...

Part 5? I didn't even know they went past 2! This is like one of those jokes from "The Critic", right?

Radio Blue Heart wrote:Part 5? I didn't even know they went past 2! This is like one of those jokes from "The Critic", right?

Here's the trailer for Home Alone 3. It was okay, nothing special.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0idXoXpCeSw

Home Alone 4...meeeehhhhhhh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG6sZKqdu60

Penwrite wrote:

Radio Blue Heart wrote:Part 5? I didn't even know they went past 2! This is like one of those jokes from "The Critic", right?

Here's the trailer for Home Alone 3. It was okay, nothing special.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0idXoXpCeSw

Home Alone 4...meeeehhhhhhh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG6sZKqdu60

I found it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jdeT4bfst8

Radio Blue Heart wrote:

Penwrite wrote:

Radio Blue Heart wrote:Part 5? I didn't even know they went past 2! This is like one of those jokes from "The Critic", right?

Here's the trailer for Home Alone 3. It was okay, nothing special.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0idXoXpCeSw

Home Alone 4...meeeehhhhhhh...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG6sZKqdu60

I found it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jdeT4bfst8

I'd watch that movie.

Has anyone seen Dances With Wolves? Me neither. But anyway I recently watched Thunderheart, arguably a better movie about native Americans. It's a crime drama about a murder investigation in a Sioux reservation; Val Kilmer is great as the reluctant FBI agent with Sioux heritage assigned to the case, and so is Graham Greene, one of the best Native American actors ever (actually he's from Canada). The movie very accurately depicts the Sioux culture, and is based on actual events in the 1970s in the Sioux reservations. The cinematography is quite lovely.

I try to avoid movies that say they're based on a true story. It's just a personal rule. They always either smudge details to make one person into a clear bad guy and another person into a clear good guy, or they end right before everything the main characters were working for comes crashing down and they fail.

I really, really like Silent Hill. It's probably the best adaptation of a video game so far (maybe even the only good one ) and shows how to make it right; it distills the confusing story of the original to a coherent whole, succeeds in evoking the games' atmosphere (the director set up a big TV playing one to recreate different shots) and even uses the awesome original soundtrack.

It's sad this film underperformed and they go into a bad direction with the sequel coming out later this year by making it "more accessible", read: dumb it down to the lowest common denominator and turn it into one of these dull slasher horror flicks a lá the Nightmare on Elms Street remake.

Liam wrote:I really, really like Silent Hill. It's probably the best adaptation of a video game so far (maybe even the only good one ) and shows how to make it right; it distills the confusing story of the original to a coherent whole, succeeds in evoking the games' atmosphere (the director set up a big TV playing one to recreate different shots) and even uses the awesome original soundtrack.

It's sad this film underperformed and they go into a bad direction with the sequel coming out later this year by making it "more accessible", read: dumb it down to the lowest common denominator and turn it into one of these dull slasher horror flicks a lá the Nightmare on Elms Street remake.

That's funny, all the fans of the Silent Hill series I've heard from consider the movie a complete betrayal, ruining characters, messing up the story, using the wrong Silent Hill monsters for the characters, and just being a big mess. The only compliment I've heard for the movie is that the soundtrack's good.

Now, having never played a Silent Hill game, I can't say if these judgments are valid or not, but I do know I liked the atmosphere and visual aesthetic the film had. And Liam, I'm not sure where you got the idea this new movie's going to be a dumbed down slasher flick. Have you seen the latest trailer for it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMWrZmD0AN4

I don't see it. *shrug*

Meh, there are always unpleasable fanboys. I think the top comment of that trailer says everything there is to the "they didn't slavishly carry over every single detail one-to-one; now it sucks!" criers. How do they think the bloated, confusing mythology of the originals would work as a film?

They turned it into a teenie slasher with the addition of that boyfriend guy and shoehorned the Order into the established movie continuity, what will probably lead to plot holes. Sorry, but signs are pointing to a step down the ladder.

I liked the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, they are good in their own right. They are more Dark Fantasy than slasher. But even then, slasher films are what they are.

Studios like to make films as "lowest common denominator" as possible. They know they have something but the try to squeeze extra money out of it.

Speaking of slasher films... "Stage Fright"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJqYE8mdtBA

and Bodycount!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbDG3ALkGno

But being Italian films, they are more Giallo than slasher films.


I am not a gamer, but I liked "Silent Hill" as a film. I am also a huge fan of Chritsophe Gans. He directed one of my all time favorite French films "Brotherhood of the Wolf".

Just re-watched semi-pro for about the thousandth time and I've come to the conclusion that it's the most underrated comedy of all time.

Radio Blue Heart wrote:I liked the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, they are good in their own right. They are more Dark Fantasy than slasher. But even then, slasher films are what they are.

Studios like to make films as "lowest common denominator" as possible. They know they have something but the try to squeeze extra money out of it.

Speaking of slasher films... "Stage Fright"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJqYE8mdtBA

and Bodycount!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbDG3ALkGno

But being Italian films, they are more Giallo than slasher films.


I am not a gamer, but I liked "Silent Hill" as a film. I am also a huge fan of Chritsophe Gans. He directed one of my all time favorite French films "Brotherhood of the Wolf".

I've never understood this, and you sound like you'd know. What's the difference between a Giallo and a slasher?

Penwrite wrote:

Radio Blue Heart wrote:I liked the "Nightmare on Elm Street" films, they are good in their own right. They are more Dark Fantasy than slasher. But even then, slasher films are what they are.

Studios like to make films as "lowest common denominator" as possible. They know they have something but the try to squeeze extra money out of it.

Speaking of slasher films... "Stage Fright"!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJqYE8mdtBA

and Bodycount!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbDG3ALkGno

But being Italian films, they are more Giallo than slasher films.


I am not a gamer, but I liked "Silent Hill" as a film. I am also a huge fan of Chritsophe Gans. He directed one of my all time favorite French films "Brotherhood of the Wolf".

I've never understood this, and you sound like you'd know. What's the difference between a Giallo and a slasher?

Giallos tend to be a bit more cerebral and mystery based, but do not skimp on the violence and adult content. Not that some slasher films don't keep you guessing who the killer is. But, I think it has to do more with the unique flavor of Italian cinema and technique. I suppose they could be considered the middle ground between the films of Alfred Hitchcock and the films of Sean S. Cunningham. Although many might consider this a cinema blasphemy, I have never really like Hitchcock, with the exceptions of a few camera tricks and quick editing, his films have always seemed king of flat. Give me Dario Argento or Mario Bava any day.

Come to think of it. "The Birds" or "Psycho" could have easily been Roger Corman movies when you consider their content. Corman's films only really lacked the name cast and the backing of a major studio. Some critics have even said that "Jaws" was nothing more than a big budget Roger Corman movie.

And that leads to one of the pillars of thought upon which I have build my philosophy of cinema. Maker's intent means everything. Some of the best movies around, like Jaws, Alien, Jurassic Park, Star Wars, and nearly everything made by Quentin Tarantino, are all B movie concepts treated with respect and care (and money), elevating the finished product to A movie status.