| Author | Message | ||
     Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.244.147.43 |
Hi gang. I am just back from the screening of Doomsday at the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. Neil Marshall introduced it. In a word: for the most part it was huge FUN and it got a big applause at the end. Now that I am back I had a look at the trailer. Frankly the movie is a lot more FUN than the trailer would suggest. Yes of course, it's barbaric and it plays homage to all those great B-movies we loved in the past. The director however doesn't simply ape these classic movies but he really brings energy to his movie. As I wrote, the main reason to see it, and to see it on the BIG screen is that it is just big dumb FUN! It starts off as a cross between Escape from New York and 28 days later, then it briefly plays homage to Aliens, then Escape from New York again. Following this, suddenly we find ourselves in The Lord of the rings (yes, really) and then we are treated to a variant of the famous chase of The Road Warrior (the best Mad Max in my opinion). Marshall is in my opinion a director to watch, I liked his first two movies, and here you can see that he can handle a bigger budget as well. So, indeed, it is not original but as an homage to the days of the great B movies, I thought that it worked a LOT better than Deathproof or Planet Terror. There is plenty of sadistic humor in it as well. It's really in another class than recent B movies like AVP2. What's not so good: the action is sometimes cut too nervously leaving us wondering what's happening, the car chase goes on a bit too long and especially there is a rock concert that's just too dumb. You'll see what I mean. Considering previous movie comments here on the board, I think that most of you'll enjoy it. Tom ps and now for something completely different, the movie I am looking forward to most on this festival is "The Aerial", an obscure gem (well, I expect it to be) made in b&w from Argentinia. Quite surreal and partly a tribute to Metropolis. I guarantee you, when you see the trailer, you will not rest until you've seen it (scroll a bit down for the trailer): http://tinyurl.com/29ksqa | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.244.147.43 |
Oh an I forgot to add: in the reference to Escape from New York, there are the same kind of amusing simple vector computer graphics on the map screens. Even the music sounds a bit like Carpenter's at moments. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.244.147.43 |
And here are two reviews for "The Aerial". Man do I want to see it ! http://tinyurl.com/26kvy3 http://tinyurl.com/2arhng | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.96.240.83 |
THE ARIEL looks amazing, Tom. I'm also pleased to hear that DOOMSDAY is exactly what I hoped it would be. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.244.147.43 |
I think that if you accept it for what it is: an unpretentious but FUN and well-made homage to classic B-movies, then you will surely like nearly everything in it. I will post next friday evening about "The Aerial" and a bit later about the Thai thriller "13 beloved", which will be remade in Hollywood-but I prefer to see the original! | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.161.168.215 |
THE ARIEL does indeed look good. It'll be even better when Hollywood remakes it...  | ||
| Karim Ghahwagi (Karim) Username: Karim Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 212.97.200.24 |
The Ariel looks great- what a good trailer! Part Citizen Kane, Metropolis and the Hudsucker Proxy and then add some Sky Captain- sort of. Still not quite convinced about Doomsday however. Thanks for the heads up on The Ariel Tom. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.170 |
Karim, I will inform about Aerial after the movie showing on friday but it seems like exactly the kind of movie I like to discover. Doomsday: I can only summarise that it was what I expected it to be, and it was as much fun as I hoped it to be. No pretense, but well-made. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 218.168.193.147 |
THE AERIAL sounds interesting, Tom - thanks for the tip. I'm glad you enjoyed DOOMSDAY. I will see it eventually, but I'm still not optimistic. I just can't take seriously the idea that in that kind of situation people would revert to an early-eighties faux-punk look. The lame tongue-waggling in the trailer really turned me off too, to be honest. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.170 |
> I just can't take seriously the idea that in that kind of situation people would revert to an early-eighties faux-punk look. Well, it's not exactly a movie to take seriously anyhow! Faux-punk look: I see your point, but again, it's an homage to this kind of 80s B movie, so I didn't mind. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.219.8.243 |
If I were in that situation the first thing I'd do is shave my hair into a mohawk, dye it pink and green, and get some facial piercings. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.170 |
This review conveys the experience of the movie better than I can write it: http://www.scifi.com/sfw/screen/sfw18534.html enjoy, Tom ps > If I were in that situation the first thing I'd do is shave my hair into a mohawk, dye it pink and green, and get some facial piercings. You would have been barbecued "crispy and raw inside" before that |