Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. Edgar Allan Poe
I forgot about Red October. OK. Top 3 then
Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality. Edgar Allan Poe
Halloween ( 2018 )
Like many here, I adore the original Halloween. I haven't watched many of the others, but mostly because I haven't felt the urge to. I've seen 2, and that was ok. It was advertised as "More of the Night HE came home!", which basically translated as "More of the same, but with added gore following recent slashers." I've also seen 4, which was a respectable effort, and Rob Zombie's remake, which was less so. But I was super excited about this year's one, ever since Jamie Lee Curtis's tweet over a year ago.
My expectations were really high with this one. But honestly, this film didn't match them - it exceeded them. Frankly, I was incredibly impressed. Yes, it was inspired a lot by the original film, but it avoided being an easy copy of it. Laurie's character in particular was especially fantastic. One problem with two was because it was set on the same night, there was no room for development with Laurie's character, and when Michael came after her, we got a repeat of the incredibly tense final moments of the original film, but this time, at a hospital. The problem with trying to follow the success of the original film too closely is that there are inevitably going to be unfavorable comparisons as a result.
So I love that Laurie was a lot more badass in this one. Like Sarah Connor in Terminator 2, it's a very different portrayal, but it's also one that makes a lot of sense. Adjusting the mythology so that one key piece of Halloween mythology from 2 onwards has been thrown out was definitely an improvement.
I also love how scary Michael is once more. I like how a key theme with this movie is that so many are trying so hard to make Michael seem human, but he's anything but. You can't rationalize what he is. He might not be a supernatural monster (maybe), but he's nothing like the rest of us. I like that, once again, Michael is a force of nature.
Overall, Halloween was a great followup to the original film, and my favorite one of the many sequels and remakes out there. Nothing will ever beat the original, but this new take was definitely strong.
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You are a walking talking Doctor Who encyclopedia to me. - Melike
I want to see both films, but I suppose I'll have to wait for the DVD. Not in a position to visit a theater these days!!!
Sure would like it if I had some really nice guy shipping great films right to my door that I could then just stick into the ol' DVD player and view away!!! Right, RF????? lol J/K lol
mid90s:
Certainly a movie made with personal love and passion. The soundtrack (mostly obscure but popular tracks from the time-guided and aided by some original stuff from Trent Reznor) is tres cool.
Plot: Skimpy early teen boy constantly having his ass kicked by older brother, ignored by his (possibly hooker) mom, finds identity hanging with a skateboard group. Being the youngest "apprentice" he succeeds in finding a small identity for himself. Sappy ending actually dropped .5 beers off of my rating, but movie was brief and thus never really dragged.
3.5 beers on the RFSRS
I didn't quite love it as much as you did, but I agree with you on some of the things they got right. Especially making Michael scary again by making him completely unpredictable was very important to me. The scene where heSpoiler:was one of those, "Oh shit, he's not fucking around!" moments.
I also agree with you, it's probably the best Halloween film since the original. Not necessarily hard to do, but still.
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Bohemian Rhapsody:
Viewed in IMAX with Dolby Atmos sound.
Enjoyable biopic that fudges with timelines and facts, but still is compelling. Sound is fantastic, and ending the movie with the full Queen performance (~20-24 minutes) at the Live Aid concert is a stroke of genius, as is using Mercury's voice for songs throughout the movie (Rami Malek lip synced).
4.5 beers on the RFSRS
I finally got around to seeing Halloween. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Green's direction was magnificent. Some gorgeous shots in there and some creative ones too. I would've preferred if the story were a little bit more Laurie centric. It wasn't that I minded it also focusing on her daughter and her grand-daughter, but there were scenes with other characters which kind of took me out of it, especially ones with short-lived people. I'll give more thoughts in my review that I'll have up in a day or two.
4/5
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Overload. WOW. Not at all what I expected from the previews! Loved every min of it and hope to see it become a franchise. The first WW2 scene in the theatre was WOW. It’s the best War scene I have ever seen including the start of Saving Private Ryan. Oh my was it ever Intense. 9/10 and maybe even a 9.5/10. Go see this
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I thought Halloween was good. I think what I liked the most was how simple they kept it. Felt like an old horror movie, even a little grindhouse at times. Music and sound effects were great.
Spoiler:
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A Private War:
Tells the tale of famous war correspondent Marie Colvin (of eye patch fame), as portrayed by Rosamund Pike. Addicted to cigarettes, alcohol, but most of all addicted to telling the stories of of how war impacts civilians-primarily woman and children. This passion/addiction results in Colvin experiencing PTSD, and ultimately costs her her life. A very compelling biopic.
5/6 Beers on the RFSRS
A NEW GAME BEGINS
Overlord: Both more and less than what I was expecting. I was expecting there to be more of a 'zombie' feel to it, but there wasn't. There was a strong WWII feel to it though, and the characters were just developed enough and acted just well enough to really support the material. The opening sequence was really well done. The cast of relative newcomers impressed me quite a bit here. I'm mixed on what to give it. I appreciate the fact the film had a more deliberate pace than I was expecting and that it allowed time for the characters to make their mark, but I was also hoping for something more over-the-top than Overlord ended up being. A case of not quite getting what I wanted, but still enjoying what I got.
4/5
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Yesterday was "Watch Movies All Day" Day
Christopher Robin - 4 out of 5
Adam Sandler: 100 Percent Fresh - 3 out of 5
Against The Night - 1 out of 5
Blackkklansman - 4 out of 5
Edge Of Fear - 2 out of 5
Nun - 2 out of 5
Searching - 5 out of 5
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Has anyone watched Bird Box yet? Comes out today on Netflix no?
EDIT: I see that is fro the AFI release and December for us common folk!
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The opening doesn't quite match Saving Private Ryan, but boy is it freaking close!
I absolutely had a blast with Overlord. Like Matt, I was expecting more of a "zombie" (horror) film after watching the trailer. I was actually happy Overlord was more of an actual WWII film than anything else.
I have a soft spot for films that take a tried-and-true genre and put a twist to it. Another great recent example of this is the film Bone Tomahawk. Ironically, Tomahawk stars Kurt Russell and Overlord stars his son Wyatt Russell. Anyway, this is the kind of film we need more of. Take a genre that has worked a million times, but shake it up a little bit.
It's unfortunate that Overlord did so poorly at the box office. I could have seen this turned into a franchise. I honestly can't figure out mainstream audiences. The studio served up a trailer that should have had them coming out to the theater in droves.
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I had smoked a joint (which I NEVER do but since it is legal... you only live once right?) so for me that was one of the most intense war scenes I have ever seen. I LOVED IT. I also was really hoping for a franchise here. It could have been done so well. This and Upgrade are the best underrated movies most will not see all year...
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Speaking of underperforming movies...what about Suspiria? That was gone from my theater in a week. I didn't expect it to be a huge box office draw, but only a week in theaters? That surprised me.
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When did it come out? I forgot all about it. It's playing at one theater by me, but not sure it'll still be there this weekend.
Only the gentle are ever really strong.