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Post by commond on Oct 10, 2024 8:55:23 GMT -5
Planet of the Vampires (Mario Bava, 1965)
Fairly low budget, though Bava did his best to create a creepy atmosphere. The plot was thin for a 60s sci-fi show let alone a feature length film, and there wasn't a ton of horror or scares, yet somehow it was a likeable film. I liked the twist ending.
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Post by berkley on Oct 10, 2024 9:07:22 GMT -5
Maniac (1934), directed by Dwain Esper: I'm not usually too keen on the whole idea of "so bad its good" type things - often I find that they're so bad they're simply dull and boring; other times, that they're not really all that bad, just made in a different era with different sensibilities. But this is one that really is very entertaining and a lot of the entertainment value does come from the overall ineptitude in almost every department: amateurish acting, nonsensical story, you name it. Recommended.
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Post by Hoosier X on Oct 10, 2024 9:21:49 GMT -5
Maniac (1934), directed by Dwain Esper: I'm not usually too keen on the whole idea of "so bad its good" type things - often I find that they're so bad they're simply dull and boring; other times, that they're not really all that bad, just made in a different era with different sensibilities. But this is one that really is very entertaining and a lot of the entertainment value does come from the overall ineptitude in almost every department: amateurish acting, nonsensical story, you name it. Recommended. I haven’t seen Maniac for a long time but I remember being fascinated by it. I think I saw it three or four times over a six-month period. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Oct 10, 2024 11:14:45 GMT -5
Watched another new one last night: Die Fabre (or The Color Out of Space)  This 2010 German adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's "The Colour Out of Space" might just be my favorite adaptation of Lovecraft's work to date. For one, the black and white cinematography really hits a soft spot for me in bringing back that feeling of German Expressionism that was so prevalent in the old Hollywood horror films but on top of that it actually fits the plot rather than just being a gimmick. The whole point of that movement was to highlight and replicate the artist's or character's emotions rather than the straight reality of the situation and so much of what makes Lovecraft's stories work is that you're never really sure if what the narrator is presenting is real or not and a lot of the horror comes not from the monsters being told to us in the story but the nagging feeling that the narrator is just demented and that you too could become just as crazy. So the subtle plays of shadow here rather than CGI tentacles really works to the plot's advantage, making you question if what you were seeing was actually happening or was just a representation of how the warped mind of the narrator might have seen what happened. It's an incredibly atmospheric throw back to the early years of cinema and definitely one of my new favorites. |
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 10, 2024 11:35:50 GMT -5
Planet of the Vampires (Mario Bava, 1965) Fairly low budget, though Bava did his best to create a creepy atmosphere. The plot was thin for a 60s sci-fi show let alone a feature length film, and there wasn't a ton of horror or scares, yet somehow it was a likeable film. I liked the twist ending. I have that one on my list to watch. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Oct 10, 2024 12:56:36 GMT -5
The Ghoul (1933)
I don't think I've ever seen this one. Back when I was watching horror movies of this vintage I believe this film was still "lost." It's not a great film, but I'm glad it's no longer lost. Apparently this was the first British talkie horror movie. I do think I like it better than a lot of people. Karloff really wasn't given much to do. Ultimately I'd say that Cedric Hardwicke was the baddest of the many baddies in the film. My biggest problem with it was that it felt about 15-20 minutes too long. And in a 77 minute movie, that's a problem. It was definitely atmospheric though. And it was the film debut of Ralph Richardson. So it has that going for it.
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Post by berkley on Oct 10, 2024 19:09:44 GMT -5
The Ghoul (1933) I don't think I've ever seen this one. Back when I was watching horror movies of this vintage I believe this film was still "lost." It's not a great film, but I'm glad it's no longer lost. Apparently this was the first British talkie horror movie. I do think I like it better than a lot of people. Karloff really wasn't given much to do. Ultimately I'd say that Cedric Hardwicke was the baddest of the many baddies in the film. My biggest problem with it was that it felt about 15-20 minutes too long. And in a 77 minute movie, that's a problem. It was definitely atmospheric though. And it was the film debut of Ralph Richardson. So it has that going for it.
I saw this for the first time just a couple years ago. Yes, a flawed film but still entertaining. I can see myself watching it again but probably not for a few years.
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Oct 10, 2024 19:22:04 GMT -5
Watched another new one last night: Die Fabre (or The Color Out of Space) Das muss ich sehen! |
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Post by Jeddak on Oct 10, 2024 21:21:01 GMT -5
Amityville in Space - 2022 - What the hell did I just watch?
So a priest shows up to exorcise the infamous Amityville house. The house floats into the air and disappears. Then, in the year 3015, we find the Wyoming 227, on a deep space mission to find and destroy rogue black holes (whatever that means). They find a giant black hole, the house and a flaming pentagram floating in space. Weird stuff happens. Luckily, they find the priest stuck in a closet, and together they must find a way to defeat the demon once and for all.
I wasn't expecting much, but damn. The dialogue is bad, the acting is worse. Only one of the characters comes off as a real person. The effects range from actually okay to laughably bad. At one point, two characters are mocking the tv in the house for looking so primitive, when it looks more advanced than the computers on their ship. The backdrop of their control room is some shiny material they hung up, which shakes whenever somebody walks by it.
There are a couple of bits that might have turned into something. The spaceship crew thinks of all religion as superstition; more could've been made of their having to deal with a real demon. And the med officer hints that their long mission might be having some effect on the crew. But nothing comes of these things.
Look, I can respect the fact that these folk got a movie made with no money (or talent). But you have to give me something, action, humor, a new twist on an old story. Something.
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Post by berkley on Oct 10, 2024 22:05:37 GMT -5
Amityville in Space - 2022 - What the hell did I just watch? So a priest shows up to exorcise the infamous Amityville house. The house floats into the air and disappears. Then, in the year 3015, we find the Wyoming 227, on a deep space mission to find and destroy rogue black holes (whatever that means). They find a giant black hole, the house and a flaming pentagram floating in space. Weird stuff happens. Luckily, they find the priest stuck in a closet, and together they must find a way to defeat the demon once and for all. I wasn't expecting much, but damn. The dialogue is bad, the acting is worse. Only one of the characters comes off as a real person. The effects range from actually okay to laughably bad. At one point, two characters are mocking the tv in the house for looking so primitive, when it looks more advanced than the computers on their ship. The backdrop of their control room is some shiny material they hung up, which shakes whenever somebody walks by it. There are a couple of bits that might have turned into something. The spaceship crew thinks of all religion as superstition; more could've been made of their having to deal with a real demon. And the med officer hints that their long mission might be having some effect on the crew. But nothing comes of these things. Look, I can respect the fact that these folk got a movie made with no money (or talent). But you have to give me something, action, humor, a new twist on an old story. Something.
I've never seen the original Amityville Horror but might try to finally get around to it in the next few days since I'll be moving on from the 20s/30s into the 70s/80s once I finish the book I'm reading, which should be tomorrow.
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Post by Jeddak on Oct 10, 2024 22:34:54 GMT -5
Amityville in Space - 2022 - What the hell did I just watch? So a priest shows up to exorcise the infamous Amityville house. The house floats into the air and disappears. Then, in the year 3015, we find the Wyoming 227, on a deep space mission to find and destroy rogue black holes (whatever that means). They find a giant black hole, the house and a flaming pentagram floating in space. Weird stuff happens. Luckily, they find the priest stuck in a closet, and together they must find a way to defeat the demon once and for all. I wasn't expecting much, but damn. The dialogue is bad, the acting is worse. Only one of the characters comes off as a real person. The effects range from actually okay to laughably bad. At one point, two characters are mocking the tv in the house for looking so primitive, when it looks more advanced than the computers on their ship. The backdrop of their control room is some shiny material they hung up, which shakes whenever somebody walks by it. There are a couple of bits that might have turned into something. The spaceship crew thinks of all religion as superstition; more could've been made of their having to deal with a real demon. And the med officer hints that their long mission might be having some effect on the crew. But nothing comes of these things. Look, I can respect the fact that these folk got a movie made with no money (or talent). But you have to give me something, action, humor, a new twist on an old story. Something.
I've never seen the original Amityville Horror but might try to finally get around to it in the next few days since I'll be moving on from the 20s/30s into the 70s/80s once I finish the book I'm reading, which should be tomorrow.
I saw the original a long time ago. I remember not liking it, but that may have been backlash due to all the hype, the claims that the movie was based on actual events. Maybe someday I'll give it another chance. It's gotta be better than this turkey. |
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Post by berkley on Oct 10, 2024 22:45:26 GMT -5
I've never seen the original Amityville Horror but might try to finally get around to it in the next few days since I'll be moving on from the 20s/30s into the 70s/80s once I finish the book I'm reading, which should be tomorrow.
I saw the original a long time ago. I remember not liking it, but that may have been backlash due to all the hype, the claims that the movie was based on actual events. Maybe someday I'll give it another chance. It's gotta be better than this turkey.
Yeah, I don't have huge expectations for it, more a feeling that I should give it a try since it was such a popular movie in its day. I was thinking of using it as a "palate-cleanser" or something to turn my brain off for a while in-between a few of the heavier things I might try to see, e.g. Herzog's Woyzeck, Tarkovsky's Stalker.
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 11, 2024 1:37:40 GMT -5
Tonight's entry was the Disco Dracula classic, Love At First Bite. It's stupid as hell, but it just kind of works, largely thanks to George Hamilton striking the right note, amusing but not campy, and thanks to Richard Benjamin as the neurotic psychiatrist/Van Helsing descendent. Arte Johnson milks a few laughs out of the lame jokes, largely through character work. Really, that's what holds together the film: character performances. It's filled with fine character actors, who know how to play the material, even if the writer never really rises to funny. Oh, it's amusing the first time you see it; but, after that, it's the actors who keep you smiling, rather than the jokes. There are a few choice scenes, like Hamilton's first line, as wolves are howling and howling: "Children of the Night.....SHUT UP!!!!" Then, after a mix up of coffins at the airport, Dracula awakens to find himself in the middle of a funeral, where "Good Evening" is put to excellent use.
Hamilton, when motivated, was a fine actor and fairly adept at comedy and he plays this quite well; never winking, just committing to the character and is able to pull of charming and amusing. Susan St James mostly seems to sleepwalk through this (and is never convincing as a high fashion model, attractive as she was); but, she gets a few good lines, off of expert feeds by Hamilton or Benjamin.
Sadly, the edition I watched is missing Alicia Bridges' "I Love the Night Life," the signature piece from the film's dance sequence, at a disco, featured in the trailers and a massive disco hit. Instead, we get some lesser disco song about dancing the night away. I have trouble believing the song was THAT expensive. Shout Factory later restored it in their edition; but that is not the one I found on-line. It's not WKRP substitution bad; but it ain't good. Imagine Casablanca without "As Time Goes by;" it's that significant to the film.
Hamilton had the rights to do a sequel but could never get the financing together. I doubt it would have worked twice, but this gave his career a shot in the arm, until Zorro The Gay Blade underwhelmed at the box office (mostly because of poor delivery of jokes by everyone except Brenda Vacaro, 'cause the script was hilarious).
This is the way the film should have been.....
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Post by codystarbuck on Oct 11, 2024 2:04:16 GMT -5
Tonight's entry was the Disco Dracula classic, Love At First Bite. It's stupid as hell, but it just kind of works, largely thanks to George Hamilton striking the right note, amusing but not campy, and thanks to Richard Benjamin as the neurotic psychiatrist/Van Helsing descendent. Arte Johnson milks a few laughs out of the lame jokes, largely through character work. Really, that's what holds together the film: character performances. It's filled with fine character actors, who know how to play the material, even if the writer never really rises to funny. Oh, it's amusing the first time you see it; but, after that, it's the actors who keep you smiling, rather than the jokes. There are a few choice scenes, like Hamilton's first line, as wolves are howling and howling: "Children of the Night.....SHUT UP!!!!" Then, after a mix up of coffins at the airport, Dracula awakens to find himself in the middle of a funeral, where "Good Evening" is put to excellent use.
Hamilton, when motivated, was a fine actor and fairly adept at comedy and he plays this quite well; never winking, just committing to the character and is able to pull of charming and amusing. Susan St James mostly seems to sleepwalk through this (and is never convincing as a high fashion model, attractive as she was); but, she gets a few good lines, off of expert feeds by Hamilton or Benjamin.
Sadly, the edition I watched is missing Alicia Bridges' "I Love the Night Life," the signature piece from the film's dance sequence, at a disco, featured in the trailers and a massive disco hit. Instead, we get some lesser disco song about dancing the night away. I have trouble believing the song was THAT expensive. Shout Factory later restored it in their edition; but that is not the one I found on-line. It's not WKRP substitution bad; but it ain't good. Imagine Casablanca without "As Time Goes by;" it's that significant to the film.
Hamilton had the rights to do a sequel but could never get the financing together. I doubt it would have worked twice, but this gave his career a shot in the arm, until Zorro The Gay Blade underwhelmed at the box office (mostly because of poor delivery of jokes by everyone except Brenda Vacaro, 'cause the script was hilarious).
This is the way the film should have been.....
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Post by EdoBosnar on Oct 11, 2024 2:15:42 GMT -5
Love at First Bite and Zorro the Gay Blade are both hilarious films. They are George Hamilton's finest work.
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