D-Man

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Posts posted by D-Man

  1. Despite the fact that I'm pissed you saw Paranormal Activity without me, I'm glad you saw it in a theatre and that it's doing so well at the box office. It's great to see independent horror cinema taking a slice of the pie and sticking it to the Saw franchise.

  2. That's cool. Any format is gonna be better than the awful vhs I saw it in lo' those many years ago.

    I have somewhat fond memories of this flick. It's dark, low budget and pretty much a rip off of Terminator and Blade Runner but it packs fair amount of cyberpunk style. A genre I was crazy insane for during the period this came out.

    This and Stephen Norrington's Death Machine are two of the better examples of the kind of independant Sci-Fi that was going around at the time.

  3. I don't know why we didn't touch on this during our Trick 'r' Treat review but I thought it was interesting the number of connections to the X-men franchise this movie contained. Producer Brian Singer directed the first two X-men films. He brought in a few players from those projects for TrT including Anna Paquin and Brian Cox. Director Michael Dougherty wrote X2 and Superman Returns for Singer. A pretty tight nit group. It speaks well of Brian Singer and the loyalty he seems to inspire; especially after the abortion called X3. I haven't seen Superman Returns but it would seem that great technical/artistic skill was applied to a misguided concept of what Superman should be.

    Lastly, TrT was shot in Vancouver. All three of the X-men films were shot there. It's funny, I had an inkling of this fact while watching TrT. Something about the houses; the porches, the steps and the doors just called out West Van. It wasn't until I checked the credits later that my hunch was satisfied.

    But none of this explains why the film was handled so poorly by the studio. IMDB hints that it may have had something to do with the poor box office receipts for Superman Returns. Does this ring true for anyone? Not for me, really. Why sink the chances for one film because of the performance of another film in a completely different genre, with a fraction of the budget and completely different expectations?

    Additionally, rumor has it that Singer is being romanced to possibly return to the X-men franchise. That would be great. Maybe we'll get a decent Wolverine picture out of the deal. Please, please, please send Wolvie to Japan to battle the Hand. I want a hard R bloody Ninja-sploitation flick with real drama and real jeopardy for our hero.

    Oh yeah, and a Trick 'r' Treat 2 would be nice, also.

  4. Yeah, you're right to an extent. The passive/aggressive approach was indeed the right way to go but the use of the slimy veggies as a visual shorthand to define their differences struck me as going only part of the way with their characters.

    "She serves natural health foods that are slimy so she's a progressive hippy earth-mother. Mother-in-law turns her nose up at the hippy food and speaks of the miracle of modern medicine. She's so stiff and old fashioned. These two will never see eye to eye. You can tell by the prickly faces they make at each other."

    Pretty shallow, if you ask me. I would rather see characters developed through smart dialogue that reveals depths beyond their stereotypical facades. I just found myself floating on the surface of this story, unable see past some of the stylistic flotsam and jetsam.

    Remember a flick by Cronenberg called Dead Ringers? There was a psychosexual thriller with smart writing and sharp dialogue. Just because your characters are passive/aggressive doesn't mean they shouldn't have anything to say.

  5. I agree, but I'm not sure why it is. I had chalked it up to my own tiredness but it seems we both experienced the same dilemma. When we started doing these reviews together I came to the conclusion, fairly quickly, that it's easy to pan a bad film and it's easy to gush over a great film but it's hard to review an ok film. These two recent films are actually quite good but something just holds them back from being great. For me, and I think I touch on this in both reviews, it's perhaps the writing. I can't help thinking a couple more passes through the rewrite machine could have sharpened both films to a finer edge.

    In the case of Grace, this was a tough one, maybe a couple more scenes involving the mom and the mother-in-law in face to face conflicts of will would have hightened the drama? I dunno. That could easily tip it into cheese as well. Perhaps the dinner scene at the beginning could have done a better job at establishing the personality conflict between them. Instead, the scene focuses on the food at the table to illustrate their differences. A stylistic choice that kinda' muddies the water when pointed dialogue, sharply delivered could have done the job more effectively.

  6. I actually feel that Kill Bill, taken as a whole, is more "weighty" than Inglorious Basterds. IB feels a little like a highlight reel for a film Tarantino would like to make. Setting aside the tenuous connective tissue forming an over arching plot, consider the almost complete lack of relationship between characters. I didn't feel a single emotional connection between any of the characters beyond their lightly sketched personalities and their context to the story. I submit for your consideration:

    Exhibit A: The Basterds themselves. In a Tarantino world I would liken the Basterds to a WW2 version of Mr. Pink and the gang from Resevoir Dogs. However, while the Dogs were superbly fleshed out individually and in relation to one another the Basterds were not given a single opportunity to banter among themselves or establish any differences outside their defined jewish soldier Nazi scalpers existence. I wanted to know these guys. What did they talk about when they weren't scalping Nazis? How did the Boston guy get along with the Brooklyn guy get along with the Harvard guy (if such existed. I wouldn't know). Our view of the Basterds is seen only through the lens of Lt. Aldo Reigns. A colorful and entertaing lens to be sure but a narrow one, none the less.

    Exhibit B: The love triangle (or lack thereof) between Shosanna, Pvt. Zoller and Marcel. In my review, I likened Shosanna to the Bride from Kill Bill. In KB it is around the Bride's relationships and histories with the other characters which the film pivots. The same should have been true for Shosanna since her motivations are very similar to the Bride's. But her relationships in the film suffer from a descending scale of sketchiness and lack of dimension in character development. Shosanna herself we come to know (in no particular order) as jewish, beautiful, revenge fueled, cool, brave and kind of a non conformist during a time when non conformity could get you killed (see brave). Oh, and she runs a movie house in Paris. Not bad. All the ingredients are there for a truly three dimensional character but my emotional investment in her was never as strong as my unabashed love for the Bride. Her would be suitor, Zoller is defined by how others view him and how he wishes to be viewed. A movie buff, a movie star, a hero, a soldier, a lover, a killer, a political pawn. He's obviously a sociopath who is enjoying his newfound fame and looking for a partner to share it with but Shosanna is not once fooled or charmed by his charade. Neither are we, the audience. Zoller is rendered, then, by his transparent nature into a merely two dimensional character. Lastly we come to Marcel. This won't take long. He's black, he's a projectionist in Paris, He loves Shosanna. That's it. He barely has any lines. He's probably the single most one dimensional character ever in a Tarantino film except maybe for that kid that gets his head blown off in the backseat of that car in Pulp Fiction. Who the hell is this guy? What's his story? He didn't have a single scene together with Zoller, his competitor for Shosanna's heart. He doesn't once get to assert himself once in the film. He simply follows Shosanna's orders without question. He is not really a character at all. He is a plot device. Something to allow Shosanna to talk to herself without actually talking to herself and to allow her character to, essentially, be in two places at once; The projection booth and behind the screen, lighting the film canisters. I hold up poor, flimsy, undeveloped Marcel, higher even than the strict Basterd rationing, as my prime example of what was wrong with this picture. My 4.5 rating still stands but it stands with the above caveats to consider.

  7. Just to set the record straight, Mimi Leder directed The Peacemaker, not Katheryn Bigelow. Bigelow directed K-19: The Widowmaker starring Harrison Ford. Also, the other James Cameron film featuring Bill Paxton was...wait for it...Titanic. The record is now straight.

  8. Mother. Fuck.

    Wicker Man is not a Hammer Film. I knew it and for some reason I didn't. Thanks go to Thomas from Better in the Dark for pointing out the dumbassery.

    There will be reparations. Horror Express will get its commentary and, Suavestar, there's news of another commentary in this episode.

    Excuse me? You made me sit through 90 minutes of great acting, engrossing story and Britt Ekland's breasts and it's not even a Hammer film?

    Fuck you, sir.

  9. Slothian, you're right. Des and I do have pretty similar tastes in film. I guess I like my horror a little more mainstream than he does but he may have something to say about that. I believe our widest opinion split was on Martyrs which Des loved and I despised. I'm sure there will be other films that test our man love for one another.

    I didn't totally dislike Plague Town. I just thought it required some tighter editing, a few extra shots to establish spacial relationships in some scenes, and a little more 'oomf' during the action beats. I also thought the father's demise was pretty weak. It did, however, provide some creepy atmosphere, some convincing gore shots, and a believable relationship among the principles. Not bad for a directorial debut.

  10. When I was a kid I was a total Marvel zombie and the Secret Wars was a big deal for me . I used to read those final issues over and over again. The image of all those dead heroes with Cap's broken shield in the foreground. Powerful stuff to a twelve year old. I used to try simulating the Secret Wars using the Marvel Superheroes Roleplaying Game. What a glorious mess. I am a big fan of Mike Zeck's artwork. His work, back in the day, on Shang-Chi, that Punisher limited series where Frank Castle busts out of prison and the Spider Man limited series where Kraven buries Spidey alive and takes his identity. Awsome.

    I found Secret Wars 2 to be a deeply moving experience (in my bowels).

  11. I just wanted to say that I agree with everything you wrote, Stavros. I can't get this film out of my head. It was so good.

    I agree about the mask. I think he used it as a fear inducer but that doesn't exclude the fact the mask makes him effectively blind and deaf. A dangerous circumstance while infiltrating a house full of enemies. Even stupid animals can pose a threat if surprised or cornered. ( On a related note, during our review I used sentence structure that makes it sound like I am claiming to be a trained commando. I am not. I am actually a ninja;)

    Also, Stavros, your mention of cinema-verite style put me in mind of my Jim Jaramouch reference. I mentioned Ghost Dog but, oddly enough, parts of DMS actually reminded me of Broken Flowers. The still vignettes of domestic neighborhoods and dwellings and some of the hand-held camera work in particular. Great stuff.

    Regarding Paddy Considine. Apparently, he is in a spanish film with Gary Oldman called The Backwoods. A suspense tale about vacationing couples who run afoul of local villagers after they rescue a mutilated girl from an abandoned cabin. I've read mixed reviews but I am intrigued by the thought of seeing these two powerhouse actors on screen together.

    Lastly, I'll bet those unfavorable reviews for DMS in america had more to do with the heavy accents in the movie than anything else. Their loss, I guess.

    Nuff' said.

    PS: Just wanted to quickly go on record saying that Dread's Khan impression is the worst I've ever heard and that alone makes this episode worth the price of admission.

  12. Thank You, Everyone. I'm still just a junior on this site but I've already had a lot of fun with you all.

    I'm heading to the West Coast with my family for the weekend. It just so happens that my father-in-law and I share a birthday.

    I'm sure, between the two of us, many dogs will be shot but I'll be sure to tilt one while thinking of you guys.

    Thanks again.

    P.S. For my birthday " I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!"

    I do believe that guy's even the same age as me. I should look him up. See if he wants to get together for drinks.

  13. Ha! Guess what D-Man and I were doing earlier this evening...and clearly he's still doing it.

    And Nicolette, what a coincidence, I'm drunk in my honor too. Sadly this is not just a yearly thing.

    What the fuck do you mean, "clearly?" That was a perfectly coherent and heartfelt post, muther fucker.

    (the thing that gets me is that, yeah, i'm drunk but i'm totally editing my posts for proper syntax so that Mr. English doesn't pull out the red marker on me.)

    BURN

  14. Happy Birthday you fuckin' mother Fucker Douche Nozzle Fucker. Totally download that Where the Wild Things Are trailer in 1080p or I will fucking keel you. And get the whole fuckin' album (Funeral) because the second song is so David Byrne it's not even fuckin' funny you mother fuckr. You are so fuckin' old it's not even funny. But I'm laughin' anyway because you are so fuckin' old...that...that.., your age is actually offensive to my sensibilities. Oooold..Fuck, yeah. Old rules. You so have kids, like n' old mother fucker your like a daddy too Preston Nelson. You want to give him life advice but he's like, "Fuck off old, over the hill guy, I don't need you're shit right now. I got it all figured out. Fuck Off!" Not that I want to put words in Preston's mouth but that's totally what he's thinkin'. He's such a fuckin' rebel. Yeah. He is.

    Anyway, Happy Birthday, Des. Your a good egg.