love

Author Topic: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018  (Read 31109 times)

oldkid

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 19044
  • Hi there! Feed me worlds!
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #120 on: October 18, 2018, 02:24:51 AM »
The Descent

This one took a bit to get it's groove.  The intro was choppy editing, mugs by the actors, clips of relationships that aren't followed up on and then tragedy followed by stupid jump scares. A year later, it's some poor character development and poor dialogue. 

And then they enter the cave.

It takes a minute for things to warm up, but once it gets intense, it never lets up.  Like Hereditary, there are different kinds of horror going on here-- disaster, betrayal, claustrophobia, monsters, and basic survival. You never know what horrible thing will happen next, but once it begins it doesn't let up.  This was tension, fear, horror, grotesque, and hurt all wrapped up on one.

If you are looking for an aerobic workout while sitting on our couch, this is the one for you.

4/5
« Last Edit: October 18, 2018, 02:30:13 AM by oldkid »
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Beavermoose

  • Godfather
  • *****
  • Posts: 5006
  • Samsonite! I was way off!
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #121 on: October 18, 2018, 02:38:02 AM »
Unsane
Soderbergh makes a campy horror movie. Shot on Iphone it almost feels like a Dogma movie, the look did throw me off at first but once I really started getting into the story it sort of made sense to have this "not quite reality" aesthetic. The whole seemingly contrived kafkaesk premise of her getting interned without her consent is resolved as a critique of the american health care system. It felt incredibly current given the current governments push against any kind of public healthcare. The plot device that she is being stalked is also very relevant to current state of women's rights in America and when Foy finally starts fighting back it is one of the most powerful scenes of the year.

The Love Witch
I watched this with my queer housemate who was completely on board with the film's campiness and style. Those colours are incredible. The movie is definitely too long at 2 hours but the tongue in cheek humour and deconstruction of gender and sexuality is right up my alley. Let's face it, we definitely need more men crying in cinema.

Frailty
Holy shit I hated the ending of this movie. It felt like a conservative's wet dream. A "good guy with a gun" type argument to justify brutal murders. I know he's not portrayed in a positive light but it was still just awful. I predicted the "twist" really early in as well. I actually like Bill Paxton less after watching this movie, not just because of his character but because he actually made this. The premise had lots of potential but the way this entire movie played out just made me angry rather than frightened.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36128
  • Marathon Man
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #122 on: October 18, 2018, 09:21:35 AM »
The Descent

This one took a bit to get it's groove.  The intro was choppy editing, mugs by the actors, clips of relationships that aren't followed up on and then tragedy followed by stupid jump scares. A year later, it's some poor character development and poor dialogue. 
I was hooked right away with the shock of the initial tragedy. Perhaps because of the film's pace, that shock carries me through all the scenes before the cave. I remember the follow-up jump scares, probably my least favorite thing about the film.



I had Frailty down for a rewatch this year, but something kept it as a low priority. Now, I'm certain it'll wait.

Knocked Out Loaded

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 1914
  • I might remember it all differently tomorrow.
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #123 on: October 18, 2018, 11:28:48 AM »
Val Lewton: The Man in the Shadows (Kent Jones, 2007)

RKO Pictures was in a bad state financially after the debacle caused by The Magnificent Ambersons. Val Lewton, who previously had worked for David O. Selznick, was brought in to produce cheap horror films for the company. The first movie was Cat People (1942) which cost about USD 130,000 to make.

Lewton produced ten more movies for RKO before he moved on to Paramount Studios. Several of these are labelled as horror movies at the IMDb. At the same time they also are poetic and surpriseful. The lighting design is an important factor to the quality of the movies as the title of this documentary suggests. Val Lewton died in 1951 at the age of 46.
Extraordinary (81-100˚) | Very good (61-80˚) | Good (41-60˚) | Fair (21-40˚) | Poor (0-20˚)

FLYmeatwad

  • An Acronym
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 28785
  • I am trying to impress myself. I have yet to do it
    • Processed Grass
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #124 on: October 18, 2018, 09:34:14 PM »
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

This thing is fine, but if I was going to see a Jack Black Halloween thing (he's barely in this anyway), it'd probably be the Roth. But I didn't see that. I saw this. And it was fine. In a number of ways it was more of a Goosebumps thing than the first because it really takes its time to focus on Slappy in the way the first film sort of just crammed in as many monsters as it could. This gets there, but it doesn't make it so overt, nor are they 'pure' Goosebumps baddies, but also I sort of missed that, I guess, so who knows what I want.

To be honest, I want a bunch of shorts brought to life, but that's not going to happen. Or just a legit RL story that he writes for the big screen, assuming he even writes anymore, but I'd even settle for a ghost writer. There are parts here that are funny, the cast is solid, I had fun and enjoyed my time, it just never captured that spirit. Or even made me scared like the show still can.

On a scale of scary, I would give this a...

Sandy

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 12075
  • "The life we build, we never stop creating.”
    • Sandy's Cinematic Musings
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #125 on: October 18, 2018, 10:27:00 PM »
8 more films is a good amount. You won't run out of de Havilland films for a while. :)

Are you kidding? That's a lazy weekend for 1SO.

:D

You're right!

But, for some reason, he's been parsing out the Havilland films, perhaps not wanting to come to the end of the list.

Sandy

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 12075
  • "The life we build, we never stop creating.”
    • Sandy's Cinematic Musings
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #126 on: October 18, 2018, 11:19:58 PM »

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36128
  • Marathon Man
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #127 on: October 18, 2018, 11:56:24 PM »
But, for some reason, he's been parsing out the Havilland films, perhaps not wanting to come to the end of the list.
I want to give equal time to Bette Davis, Rosalind Russell, Ginger Rogers and Myrna Loy. (Also Barbara Stanwyck, but she's even closer to completion.)

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36128
  • Marathon Man
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #128 on: October 19, 2018, 09:36:01 PM »
The Haunting of Hill House - Episode 5: "The Bent-Neck Lady"
★ ★ ★ ½
Here is where the show goes from being really good to being potentially Essential. A lot of threads in the time line - I can't believe how smoothly the narrative flows considering how it's always jumping back and forth in time - get connected here. However, I'm curious if the episode can also stand on its own. I'm seriously considering showing it apart from the rest of the series to Mrs. 1SO because the central tale of Nell's inability to sleep connected to a mysterious ghost I think works as a self-contained chilling tale. Either way, the end of this episode is the first Asuperplus scene of Mike Flanagan's career. (I always knew he had it in him.) I had to stop and reflect and today I watched the episode again. I hope the series can continue at this high level of quality.

oldkid

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 19044
  • Hi there! Feed me worlds!
Re: Shocktober Group Marathon 2018
« Reply #129 on: October 20, 2018, 12:22:32 AM »
I came on here tonight to give the highest praise to Episode 5 of the Haunting of Hill House.  Oh, my goodness, it all comes together in just a few fine, tearful, frightening scenes at the end.  It is worth the hours of watching, wondering if it is worth it.  It is, certainly.  For anyone.  All the best and worst of family in this case makes the best horror series I've seen. 

I'm going back immediately to continue.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

 

love