I always think this one is a bit underrated. Great effects, serious tone, stark black and white photography=a winner in my book. Yes, interesting to think that the entire showa Godzilla series featured Godzilla #2.Originally Posted by Sturgeon's Lawyer
Neil
Finally got around to seeing Something Wicked This Way Comes (1983) last night. I haven't read the Bradbury novel, but the common opinion is that this one missed the mark and was interfered with, via studio tampering. There are some great elements....wonderful fall, rural outdoor setting and photography, two young boys as the main characters, evoking that warm childhood nostalgia, and the always fun dark, creepy carnival coming to town.
Yet, despite all this and the fact that the script is by Bradbury himself and it is directed by Jack Clayton (The Innocents (1961)), something doesn't quite gel and feels lacking. The actor playing Mr. Dark is decent but not amazing and it seems to plod along at times. Still, a fun watch.
Neil
Rather to my amazement, I enjoyed the whole almost-two-hours of that. Plus, there are now some movies on my to-watch list...
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
I went to see that movie when it was released just because Jonathan Pryce was in it as I felt he did an incredible job in Brazil. I thought he was very good in Something Wicked... I agree with your assessment of the movie, overall, tho.
“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Philip Marlowe
I'm not a huge movie guy, but I just want to say that I love the banter and information dropped in this thread. Entertaining and informative. Maybe some day I'll dig into my Prime backlog.
Carry on.
Yeah, it was fun wasn't it? I was just going to watch some of it, but watched the whole thing too, altho I may have nodded off some in the middle.
Watched this last night and enjoyed it. Much more violent than the original.
A Comfort Zone is not a Life Sentence
I remember seeing the original and considered it not bad. Nothing deserving of a remake, though. Nothing against the late Patrick Swayze, or against the fine actor Jake Gyllenhaal. There has to be more to a movie than fighting and romance. Or does there? I guess that's the plot of half the movies out there. Never mind. I'm sure they've remade less eventful films.
Frog in boiling water
Dream Scenario is a 2023 American black comedy fantasy film written and directed by Kristoffer Borgli and starring Nicolas Cage. This is one motherfucker of a crazy movie. Nicolas Cage plays a professor who becomes a dream celebrity and faces violent threats in his subconscious. Rotten Tomotos rates it at 91%. It so bizzare I would have a hard time explaining the plot but Cage's dreams appear in other people's dreams, sometimes in violent manner. Cage's life is turned upside down. Really weird ending. I think Cage's acting is really decent. Not sure how to rate this or how I actually feel about it. Definitely interesting. I'd consider second viewing.
What can this strange device be? When I touch it, it brings forth a sound (2112)
The best thing about the original Roadhouse is that a.) the romantic interest is Kelly Lynch, who is married to producer/writer Mitch Glazer, b.) Bill Murray and his brothers all know Mitch Glazer and have his phone number, c.) Roadhouse gets rerun all over the world, and d.) the Murray brothers will call Glazer every time they see it on TV and tell him his wife is getting banged up against the wall by Swayze. They have done this for years. YEARS.
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
My favorite Roadhouse scene is Ben Gazzara swerving down the road singing to the radio like he owns it. Good villian.
Reptile Netflix crime drama, it was okay but slow, about average yet had its moments.
Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis) on Netflix, In 1968, art students Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell made a trippy photo collage for their musician friends Syd, David and Roger. The resulting album and album cover, A Saucerful of Secrets, helped launch two careers: that of Pink Floyd, one of the 70s megabands, and of Hipgnosis, which, over the course of the next 25 years, designed a stream of iconic album covers.
This is exactly how I felt watching this years ago. Those elements you mentioned are why I was so drawn to it (always been fascinated with creepy carnivals), but totally agree that it lacks something. Had the potential to make it on my shelf, but just couldn't get there! I'd like to see it again though. Speaking of carnivals, I was also crushed when HBO's Carnivale was cancelled.
Swamp Thing ('82)
Fun, campy old romp this one is and still like to throw it in now and again. Funny seeing how bad the rubber suits look today. I've always enjoyed this...or anything with Adrienne Barbeaux really
5.9 out of 10 seconds of topless Adrienne
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
You're probably right, and I am selling Jonathan Pryce short. He's a very good actor. Perhaps the overall shortcomings of the film made it an uphill battle. Plus, there is the fact that Christopher Lee was long thought to be the perfect candidate to play Mr. Dark, which may have been so. Then again, Lee's extensive horror background may have actually worked against him, due to overfamiliarity.
Neil
Well, I survived over five minutes of commercials off the top and saw Godzilla x Kong The New Empire (2024) the other night at a cineplex. Certainly, it has nowhere near the emotional resonance, realistic character development and story depth of Godzilla Minus One, replacing that with stock Hollywood ciphers. Kong's exploration and discoveries in Hollow Earth are far more interesting than what any of the human characters get up to. But that was all to be expected. What it does have is some absolutely amazing battles and effects work, especially the titanic clash at the end. Glad I saw it on the big screen.
What I find very amusing is the vast disparity in ratings on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics average score: 54%. Audience average score: 92%.
Which only further confirms what I have known for decades now, that critic reviews are generally, not always, but generally useless to me in whether or not I want to see a film, or how I rate it. The main flaw in the basic review system I think, is having somebody review a horror movie, for example, who doesn't particularly like horror movies. Or they lose sight of the fact that movies can be very entertaining, even though they don't meet a certain criteria of plot, story or acting levels that most critics look for. I like, or even love, tons of films that are considered b-level trash, by many.
A film's job, first and foremost is to entertain you. Whether it is a so-called 'good' or 'bad' film, is often not the main factor in enjoying it. IMO.
Neil
^ Spot on. Your trash ain't nothin' but cash.
Alien: Covenant
Finally got around to this one. Technically it's pretty awesome with the great special effects and visuals. Some decent tension as well. However, the story was weak and the crew were a bunch of fuckin idiots
4.6 out of 10 useless crew members
"Who would have thought a whale would be so heavy?" - Moe Sizlak
Yes, Godzilla does perish in the first movie. Nothing ambiguous about it, unlike the ending of Godzilla 1984 (which I think is just as worthy a reboot for its time as the 2014 movie).
The recent (HBO) Max series was pretty awesome. The VFX were great, and it was a proper, dark storyline.Swamp Thing ('82)
Fun, campy old romp this one is and still like to throw it in now and again. Funny seeing how bad the rubber suits look today. I've always enjoyed this...or anything with Adrienne Barbeaux really
5.9 out of 10 seconds of topless Adrienne
I have a soft spot for the movie as a fan of the character and especially for the simple fact I got to see it at the drive-in...on a school night, no less!
All these decades later and I've still not seen the sequel nor TV series!
Marlowe - Liam Neeson in the lead, was better than I expected.
Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on progrock.com
https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-a...re-happy-hour/
Gordon Haskell - "You've got to keep the groove in your head and play a load of bollocks instead"
I blame Wynton, what was the question?
There are only 10 types of people in the World, those who understand binary and those that don't.
I'm one of the 212.
Kewl. Saw that available on Prime last night. I dig me some Marlowe/Raymond Chandler. Will put it on el listo grande.
Yeah, the amount of idiocy was just insane. One stupid act after another, with plot holes you could pilot a spaceship through.Alien: Covenant
Finally got around to this one. Technically it's pretty awesome with the great special effects and visuals. Some decent tension as well. However, the story was weak and the crew were a bunch of fuckin idiots
4.6 out of 10 useless crew members
I don't like country music, but I don't mean to denigrate those who do. And for the people who like country music, denigrate means 'put down.'- Bob Newhart
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