Excited for this one. Went to look at theater seats available via Fandango. and all the taken seats were signified by coffins instead of the usual x’s or gray boxes.
I wasn’t particularly thrilled by it, but found it an interesting mashup of the Peter Jackson LoTR universe (which itself is kind of a mutated version of the original Tolkien) and Japanese fantasy anime, with a definite fanfiction vibe.
It did take a while to get into the film; it still kind of weirds me out to hear ostensibly Middle-earth characters saying things that Tolkien didn’t actually write. But overall, I support the Middle-earth saga becoming a genuine folk epic, and that means reimaginings at all different levels of “authenticity” by different creators. Naturally, not all folk are going to like all of them.
Had I not known there was a modern remake I would have thought you were talking about the 1922 silent classic directed by F.W. Murnau and starring Max Schreck as the inimitable Count Orlok. Schreck was so reclusive and odd that rumours circulated that he was a real vampire, a theme explored in a great modern recreation of the filming, Shadow of the Vampire (2000) with Willem Dafoe and John Malkovich.
Anyway, Nosferatu (2024) seems highly regarded, and I’d love to see it, but I’ll wait until it’s streaming so I can see it at home.
The Iron Claw 2023 on MAX
My cable carried World Class Championship Wrestling from Dallas on Saturday nights at 10 or 10:30? My dad watched regularly. I often watched with him if I was home.
I saw all the Von Erichs wrestle. Fritz even had an occasional match.
Kevin was consulted during the development of the movie. David died first in Japan under questionable circumstances. Officially it is enteritis. The other brothers suicides are a significant tragedy for that family.
The movie is pretty good. Old time wrestling fans will probably enjoy it. A lot of bad stuff in their personal lives was glossed over. But it’s enough of a family tragedy without getting into the drugs.
The Dallas Sportatorium was taken down in 2003. Ending their legacy.
https://screenrant.com/iron-claw-movie-brother-missing-kevin-von-erich-response/
We watched Juror #2 and The Dead Don’t Die on Christmas (don’t ask…).
Juror #2 has possibly the most contrived plot in history. Past that, it’s just ok. Forgettable.
The Dead Don’t Die had its’ moments. Bill Murray is still Bill Murray. Some real wierd directing decisions going on, though. Pointless breaking of the 4the wall, and an unexplained alien character, for example. Some funny moments, and decent zombie decapitating, but also only OK.
The Substance. I’m not an aficionado of body horror, but if it gets more extreme than this I don’t want to see it. I liked the dark humor and story, though. Demi Moore turns in a really deep and believable performance, in contrast to every other cast member (including Margaret Qualley) playing a cartoon character. Which makes the whole thing even more unsettling. Recommend if you can stomach the gore.
I will also offer the tiniest of spoilers to reassure people who care: there are cats in this movie but nothing happens to them. I was concerned when I saw ‘em but they’re fine.
Everyone here who recommended Quiz Lady were right on the money! What a delightful comedy. Just the kind I like but don’t see too often anymore. I liked how I thought I knew where it was going, but it kept surprising me, even in its own low key way. I’ll be rewatching that on the reg, I think.
It did make me wonder if Jason Schartzman and Steve Carell should play brothers in something.
And also if a live TV quiz show would be a good idea.
I didn’t qute get this and would like to at least discuss the plotline. It struck me as a Cronenberg type of movie which starts solid and then as soon as the effects kick in the logic goes to hell.
It started at least with a single consciousness switching bodies, right? Because otherwise there is no actual advantage to it if it’s not her (no different than hiring a young actor to be her). Then the consciousness divided and there were two of them, right? That seems the only real explanation to me, and it wasn’t explicitly explained.
@Smid
I had some momentary confusion about that but just put it down to the same kind of mind set that allows you to do gratifying things in the present that will only have bad consequences for “future you”. Before the “experience” she already had a love/hate relationship with herself.
Watched the 1981 adaptation of Endless Love for the first time today. Egads, what an absolute mess the second half of that movie is.
The first half was okay and established the unhealthy nature of the relationship reasonably well; of course, you have to power through the gratuitous love scenes (we get it Franco; they’re young, beautiful and like to screw!).
Jade’s father gets cast as the villain sort of, which doesn’t make any sense. The dude was reacting to the events like any sane person probably would have. Her mother was super creepy as well, and they seemed to be trying to make her a sympathetic character (to the audience and to David).
If the movie came out today with the same ending, social media would go absolutely insane and rightfully so. Today, the ending would have been something like David actually travels to Burlington to see Jade, find her in a relationship with a new guy and have that be the final catalyst to help him snap out of his obsession and find a way to move on with his life. If they wanted to have a “happy” ending, they could even have David meet a new girl and start an adult, healthy relationship with her. As it is, the moral of the ending that was made seems to be “creepy stalker behavior is perfectly okay, as long as your stalker truly is THE ONE for you.”
I will say that I did enjoy Brooke Shields performance; she actually did a great job playing a teen who is still very much a child in the early part of the movie, but then carrying herself in a more adult and mature manner when she shows up again at the end.
There are also a surprising number of supporting parts played by actors who went on to bigger things. Shields’s two brothers in the film are played by James Spader and Ian Ziering. Tom Cruise has what is basically a glorified cameo, but which is integral to the plot and Jami Gertz also appears (though I missed spotting her).
Texas Chainsaw Massacre 1974 Marilyn Burns
I was surprised Peacock streams it. Apparently, it’s digitally restored. Looks a lot better than I remember at the drive-in.
It was a natural progression from Psycho to Teas Chainsaw. Hitchcock filmed in Black and White to skirt by the Hayes Code. The blood splatter was less shocking.
Chainsaw was filmed after the Hayes Code ended. It inspired a lot of slasher films afterwards. But I still believe Chainsaw did it best.
I’ve always admired the commitment to Independent films. The actors also served as crew. The house used in Chainsaw had no AC. Long hours in that Texas heat. Marilyn said later that the infamous dinner scene took 27 hours to film. The blood prop didn’t work, so the actor actually cut Marilyns finger. They all just wanted to finish the shot.
Highly recommended for its originality.
SPOILERS
Link https://culturedarm.com/earthy-anecdotes-the-texas-chain-saw-massacre-hellish-dinner/
Movies involving King Kong, Godzilla or any combination of colossal monsters are meant for the Saturday night when you just want to turn off your brain and relax with something mindless and fun. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is certainly mindless to the Nth degree but seriously lacking in fun. It’s by far one of the dumbest, most uninvolving movies I’ve ever seen, an afront to the memory of the two lead characters, for whom I hold a deep affection.
The human actors are like cardboard. Dan Stevens, if he has any self-awareness, must have thought at some point “I went from “Downton Abbey” to crap like this?”
Finally sat down and watched Alien: Romulus. A worthy addition to the series, even if some of the CGI looked terrible and actors didn’t get much to do. Entertaining.
Kraven the Hunter (2024) Some good performances and a bit of a nuanced family dynamic, but it went on too long. They could have tightened the script and changed one of the scenes to be a post or mid credit scene. The visuals for the most part were great with some notable exceptions. On the whole mildly entertaining.
//i\\
You might need to watch it again. There’s no blood splatter in Psycho – it’s virtually bloodless. The only blood we see is circling the bathtub drain, and a cut on the PI’s face as he falls down the stairs.
As it turns out, though, the entire Krampus scene was irrelevant padding that added nothing to the search for Santa. The whole film was disappointing – all the best stuff was in the trailer.
Just FYI, Gryla (the witch) is a real thing in Icelandic folklore. She’s an ogre with 13 children known collectively as the Jolasveinar, or Yule Lads.
I haven’t seen Psycho in years. I’ll watch again. It’s a very good movie.
And that wasn’t even blood; it was chocolate syrup!
The Faculty (1998). “A group of high school kids vs aliens” tells you pretty much all you need to know about this movie, and the age group it’s aimed at. The kids discover than an alien parasite is turning the school faculty into aliens themselves, and it may have infected a few of their own gang, too. Not really recommended, unless you’re a fan of that kind of juvenile sci-fi/horror schlock, although the special effects aren’t bad. Fun fact: the guy who looks oddly similar to Jon Stewart is … Jon Stewart!
Yet another thank you to Dopers for cluing me on to a movie that, surprisingly, I had not know about. The Bishop’s Wife is absolutely charming and delightful, and will now definitely be part of the Christmas-season rotation. I was amazed to read that David Niven was originally cast as the angel and Cary Grant as the bishop, and they were switched after the movie got a new director. They’re so perfect in those roles that I can’t imagine the movie being cast any other way.