| Author | Message | ||
     Paul_finch (Paul_finch) Username: Paul_finch Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 92.0.204.9 |
Anyone seen this Aussie croc horror yet? I saw it last night, and must admit to enjoying it thoroughly. Thought it was a bit limited in terms of its narrative, but wow, what a landscape, and I have to say it was the scariest croc I've ever seen in a movie. More like a dragon. Very tense sequences when it was attacking. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Yeah, it's not a bad film, is it? (And directed by the guy who did Wolf Creek, fact fans.) Black Water is the best killer croc film I've seen, though: it's excellent. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.232.47 |
What about that one with a foul-mouthed Betty White? I've not seen it, but heard it's not bad.... | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I thought 'Wolf Creek' was brilliantly directed, real edge-of-the-seat suspense and one of the best horror-thrillers of the decade imo. So I'll make a point of seeking out 'Rogue'. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Yet another "best of the decade"? It was very good (and extremely exploitative of the real case that inspired it), but not that good. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
It was a cracking supense horror-thriller as shocking and well made as 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' imho and YES it was one of my "best of the last decade" - Top 20 at least, if not higher, as I've consistently said since seeing it (a cinema experience I'll never forget). | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Stevie, I've suddenly realised what you do for a living: you're the guy who writes the hyperbole for cinema posters and DVD boxes, aren't you?  | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.209.217 |
I hated WOLF CREEK. Technically swish and slick, well-performed (especially by the lead psycho), but ultimately a good hour or two of watching women getting tormented, brutalised, terrorised and butchered. It left an ugly taste in the mouth. It's not edgy or ground-breaking or challenging. It's just ugly, shallow, misogynistic dreck. If you want a film that takes that template and subverts it, try Haneke's FUNNY GAMES. I don't have much intention of watching that again either, but that's because it was genuinely disturbing. Both films manipulate the viewer's expectations. FUNNY GAMES, though, does so to try and hold a mirror up to the viewer. WOLF CREEK- IMHO- does so out of a poisonous, exploitative cynicism. If I want to watch a good recent psychological horror film, I'll put ILS (THEM) or COLD PREY on. I'll give ROGUE a go, though... | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
I disgaree, Simon - I thought Wolf Creek was a superior exploitation flick. Yes, it left a nasty taste in the mouth. But it was meant to. And I'd say the film itself was ultimately misanthropic rather than misogynistic. Very gruelling, I thought. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.26.154.208 |
I thought Wolf Creek was the real deal. Unsophisticated in the way Texas Chainsaw is, but still unflinchingly effective. | ||
| Joel (Joel) Username: Joel Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 217.37.199.45 |
I agree with Simon about Wolf Creek. It had no sensitivity, no moral compass, no imagination. It was exploitative and sadistic. The 'based on true events' epigraph is no excuse: no-one is making films based on Amnesty International reports, because they wouldn't make money, though what they describe is often far worse that what we see in horror films. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.26.154.208 |
It was, as I recall, elevated by a quite mysterious opening half - that crater the kids visit. The juxtaposition of that with the brute vile human behaviour of the killer is quite striking, in my opinion. Otherwise, it's the guy's performance which worried me: that fireside scene bristles with uneasy humour and threat. And if it gets a tad vulgar after that, well, sure . . . but enough had already been done to set the film up as a superior example of its type. And I hate slashers. | ||
| Barbara Roden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 142.179.1.109 |
"What about that one with a foul-mouthed Betty White? I've not seen it, but heard it's not bad...." LAKE PLACID? Saw it years ago, and it's - well, not bad, from what I recall. Certainly worth watching if it turns up on telly or is available in the bargain DVD section. Betty White is indeed foul-mouthed, and quite wonderful. | ||
| Tony (Tony) Username: Tony Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.141.208.154 |
I just couldn't see the point of watching something so upsetting and horrible. Really. I mean, how are we meant to react? 'Oh, that's me done with the outback then' or what? I don't think films have to be so horrific. Any point that can be made with ultraviolence can be made without it. And it does bother me that people look to add strain to their already fragile and depressing lives. Nice photography though. | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
Wolf Creek is one of those rare films that was so effective and disturbing I actually don't want to see it again. I remember that "bad taste in the mouth" feeling when I first saw it and I also did get a misogynistic vibe from it. Something in one scene made me feel like I was being invited to laugh along with the killer and it just seemed wrong to me. The fact that I was disturbed by that unsettled me most of all because I *am* a slasher film fan, having grown up with them and championed them and defended them against all claims of misogyny. So I was forced to wonder then if "even I" had limits. Funny Games could have been brilliant, but Haneke's preaching and frankly offensive assumption that we only watch it through because we're as guilty as the bad guys in wanting the family to suffer really alienated me. Grr. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
Stevie, I've suddenly realised what you do for a living: you're the guy who writes the hyperbole for cinema posters and DVD boxes, aren't you? You're describing my dream job.. not my actual job, sadly...  It's hard to get enthused over paper-clips and Pritt stick. | ||
| Paul_finch (Paul_finch) Username: Paul_finch Registered: 11-2009 Posted From: 92.0.204.9 |
I don't think anyone would find ROGUE exploitative, but it's similar to WOLF CREEK in that it's almost like a drama-doc portrayal of a real event. People out of their depth in the middle of nowhere suddenly stumble upon an unstoppable force of nature - and that's basically it: they can't stop it. With the exception of the finale, which suddenly lurches into JAWS territory, there are no gimmicks or plot twists. It's just the retelling of a horrible incident that befalls a bunch of travellers. That said, it's beautifully shot, and more tense than WOLF CREEK in that the heroes at least have a fighting chance. It doesn't have the nasty streak, either, that WOLF CREEK does. Human monsters are always more disturbing because of the sadistic, voyeuristic elements. In this one, it's a more traditional monster, so, though it's very scary at the time, you don't feel disgusted to be human. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
You've sold me on it, Paul. I'm gonna buy the DVD. Any bloke capable of directing suspense sequences like those in 'Wolf Creek' has to be worth following imho. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
As Paul suggests, the ending does let this one down - it was very good until then, though. Buy Black Water, too. That's a gem. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.12.129.12 |
"Something in one scene made me feel like I was being invited to laugh along with the killer and it just seemed wrong to me." That reminds me of the bit in Henry POASK where we watch one of the murders on a shakycam and as it finishes the camera pulls back to reveal the two killers watching the murder themselves on their TV. It puts you 100% in the killers head and is a rally disturbing piece of filmmaking. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Indeed, Weber. Regarding Funny Games, I don't find Haneke's device at all offensive and alienating...I found it utterly terrifing. There is a certain degree of complicity in watching this stuff, no matter how much we might like to deny it. I still maintain it's one of the most disturbing films I've ever seen (not scraiest; most distrubin). I felt emotionally numb afterwards. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Ignore the chuffing typos... | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.12.129.12 |
What's going on? The two Gary's have both agreed with me... This is getting scary | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
I'm going to watch Wolf Creek again this evening, to see if my opinion of the film has changed in any way over time. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'Funny Games' is a masterpiece and won my coveted (in my own mind) "Horror Movie Of The Year" award for 1997. I've been a fan of Michael Haneke since first becoming aware of him in the mid-90s with the equally disturbing 'Benny's Video' (1992). The redundant US remake of FG is the only film of his I haven't loved but he more than made up for it with 'The White Ribbon' - my "Film Of The Century" so far. I dare anyone to ask me what the film of the last century was lol. Yours truly, Narciso Walsh. xx | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Porkies is my film of the century. No fibs. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
'Once Upon A Time In America', you muffin...  | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
No, it's Porkies. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.248.64 |
I'm gonna have to go with the boring standard, for film of the last century: Casablanca. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Taxi Driver for me...the best film ever made. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.248.64 |
Are you talking to me, Zed?... I mean I'm the only one here. So who the f*ck do you think you're talking to? | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Porky. He's out for Revenge, you know. | ||
| John Llewellyn Probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
Zed - did I ever tell you that the only good remake of Taxi Driver would be one starring you? | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.26.154.208 |
Best film of the last Century: fittingly enough, 2001. | ||
| Gary Fry (Gary_fry) Username: Gary_fry Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 82.26.154.208 |
>>>What's going on? The two Gary's have both agreed with me... This is getting scary That just means that occasionally, very occasionally, you talk some sense, W. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.243.33 |
Near-total tangent, and a gigantic-sized generalization, but.... I've noticed something very basic, the difference between "old" movies, say through the 40s/50s, up until contemporary movies, 60s on roughly... again, this is a gigantic generalization: standing back at about the distance of the moon, and then blurring the eyes, and THEN generalizing what I see... BUT, having said all that.... I notice a basic difference in characters/protagonists, from the "older" films, to "films of today," and it's basically a complete reversal: - In older films, the main characters start out jaded, faded, world-weary, experienced, been-there-done-that, seen-the-dark-side, etc.; and then, through the course of the movie, work towards a very positive, idealistic, cookie-cutter, happily-ever-after reward. - in contemporary/modern film, it's the reverse: main characters tend to be idealistic and naive and innocent and unaware, and they go through trials in the course of a film, on their way to middling, weary, cautious, unsure, broken-down, rebuild-anything-you-can-on-the-ashes-and-call-it-done successes and victories, etc. Fwiw. | ||
| Gcw (Gcw) Username: Gcw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.158.238.131 |
Casablanca or Citizen Kane... gcw | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
You guys are talking some sense, my Top 10: 1. Once Upon A Time In America 2. The Godfather Trilogy 3. 2001 : A Space Odyssey 4. Citizen Kane 5. Taxi Driver 6. Casablanca 7. The Wild Bunch 8. 1900 9. Brazil 10. The Exorcist ...ask me tomorrow and 6-10 will be different. | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.5.11.251 |
The only one I've not seen from that list: 1900, though I've heard good things about it.... | ||
| Kate (Kathleen) Username: Kathleen Registered: 09-2009 Posted From: 213.122.209.76 |
I've never been able to come up with Top 10 lists but here's an attempt at a "favourites" list of sorts: Re-Animator Ed Wood Profondo Rosso Session 9 Hands of the Ripper The Howling A Clockwork Orange Ms. 45 Dressed to Kill Halloween The Shining Videodrome | ||
| Craig (Craig) Username: Craig Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 75.4.228.80 |
Never was a big fan of THE HOWLING.... I'm not sure I've ever seen HANDS OF THE RIPPER - I should go look for that one. (I just read a good Jack the Ripper short-story, btw - "An Awareness of Angels," by the late Karl Edward Wagner. Recommended.) | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
1900 is an awesome movie, Craig. The kind of sumptuous star-studded epic full of real emotion and the sweep of history they just don't make anymore. Have you noticed that Robert De Niro is in 5 of my Top 10 movies. His career in the 70s/80s (and sporadically since) is the reason he'll always be my favourite actor. |