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Awix (3310 KP) rated Witchfinder General (1968) in Movies
May 10, 2018
Famously nasty cult horror movie looks a bit like another Poe-Corman-Price adaptation (and was marketed as such in the States) but is really the work of a much darker sensibility. No actual supernatural elements, just people being sadistic to each other in the middle of a vicious civil war.
The story is a pretty standard revenge melodrama, made distinctive by the sheer bleakness of tone throughout the movie. At a time when pretty much every Hammer movie concluded with the defeat of the forces of evil (at least until the next sequel) the sheer amoral nihilism of Witchfinder General is distinctive.
Notable for the closest thing to a completely straight performance you will ever find Vincent Price contributing as the star of a horror movie, and also for the censor-troubling levels of violence and general grisliness. As is standard for British horror films of this period, fun is also to be had spotting youthful appearances by people who went on to have rather distinguished appearances in less extreme material.
The story is a pretty standard revenge melodrama, made distinctive by the sheer bleakness of tone throughout the movie. At a time when pretty much every Hammer movie concluded with the defeat of the forces of evil (at least until the next sequel) the sheer amoral nihilism of Witchfinder General is distinctive.
Notable for the closest thing to a completely straight performance you will ever find Vincent Price contributing as the star of a horror movie, and also for the censor-troubling levels of violence and general grisliness. As is standard for British horror films of this period, fun is also to be had spotting youthful appearances by people who went on to have rather distinguished appearances in less extreme material.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Agent of Chaos in Books
Apr 1, 2019 (Updated Apr 2, 2019)
Weirdly prescient pulp sci-fi novel. 'The great tyrant ruled with solar system with absolute terror. Only one man dared to fight back!' The man in question being one Boris Johnson, who (laser gun in hand) heroically sets out to bring down the government and plunge the world into complete anarchy (this really is the plot, and yes, the book was written in 1967).
Obviously the book is unintended comedy gold for UK readers nowadays, but as something you might actually want to read for pleasure, or for any other reason, it is quite hard work: the plot is hackneyed, the characterisation thin, and much of the book is taken up with lengthy discussions of chaos and order and anarchy and so on. This has given the book a cult following, although I think it depends on how old you are when you first read it. If you're not into radical philosophy and not amused by the doings of Boris Johnson, there's not much else here to enjoy.
Obviously the book is unintended comedy gold for UK readers nowadays, but as something you might actually want to read for pleasure, or for any other reason, it is quite hard work: the plot is hackneyed, the characterisation thin, and much of the book is taken up with lengthy discussions of chaos and order and anarchy and so on. This has given the book a cult following, although I think it depends on how old you are when you first read it. If you're not into radical philosophy and not amused by the doings of Boris Johnson, there's not much else here to enjoy.
The Nature of Monkey is Irrepressible
Only mildly unhinged Japanese adaptation of the famous Journey to the West stories, which became a cult TV show when exported to the UK, Australia, and South America. Classic 16th century Chinese novel is transformed into something almost indescribable; a mixture of off-the-wall humour, hyperactive martial arts sequences, and cheesy special effects - the English dub may take a few liberties with the original scripts as well.
A representative episode sees our heroes visiting a small village terrorised by a giant catfish monster, which proceeds to eat three of them; they end up going to a disco which is held in the bad guy's stomach, before persuading him to vomit them up so they can fight him and his followers. Frequently silly, and the low budget often shows, but made with relentless energy and cheerfulness; hugely imaginative, often genuinely very funny. A generation of UK viewers grew up able to sing the theme tune 'Monkey Magic' (and misremember the name of the show as a result).
A representative episode sees our heroes visiting a small village terrorised by a giant catfish monster, which proceeds to eat three of them; they end up going to a disco which is held in the bad guy's stomach, before persuading him to vomit them up so they can fight him and his followers. Frequently silly, and the low budget often shows, but made with relentless energy and cheerfulness; hugely imaginative, often genuinely very funny. A generation of UK viewers grew up able to sing the theme tune 'Monkey Magic' (and misremember the name of the show as a result).
Awix (3310 KP) rated The Day Shall Come (2019) in Movies
Oct 15, 2019
Offbeat comedy-thriller from Chris Morris never quite coheres when it comes to raising a laugh or making a serious point. It feels like the story would have been more topical ten years ago: essentially it's a critique of the FBI for entrapping relatively harmless individuals on spurious terrorism charges, simply for the kudos and publicity involved - offering to give people guns and then arresting them for possession of firearms, for instance. In this case an unhinged Miami cult leader's need for cash results in him getting mixed up with the police and FBI.
Well, there is potential here, I suppose, but on this occasion Morris never quite shakes off the lingering traces of his background in TV comedy to make something that feels like an extended cinematic narrative, and too often the story is silly rather than funny. The story feels contrived and a bit manipulative, too. Anna Kendrick works incredibly hard to lift the material she's given, but in the end the film is wildly uneven and seldom more than mildly amusing.
Well, there is potential here, I suppose, but on this occasion Morris never quite shakes off the lingering traces of his background in TV comedy to make something that feels like an extended cinematic narrative, and too often the story is silly rather than funny. The story feels contrived and a bit manipulative, too. Anna Kendrick works incredibly hard to lift the material she's given, but in the end the film is wildly uneven and seldom more than mildly amusing.
Gemma (26 KP) rated The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) in Movies
Oct 18, 2019
This movie is odd for me. It's seen as a cult classic and a 'must watch' but when I watched it I found myself extremely disappointed.
It's not that the movie is bad, don't get me wrong it's not... But it's so hyped up that you can't help but feel disappointed when the gore level is low and so is the kill count.
Be that as it may it is a good movie. The acting is decent, the plot is good and the characters are memorable. It's also greatly improved for any serial killer nerds like myself when you see all of the connections to Ed Gein throughout the movie and Leatherface being inspired by him. Not to mention the respect you gain for the cast and crew when you see the filming conditions they had to put up with.
So yeah, this movie is good and any horror fan should watch it at least once but..... Don't get your hopes up for a full on blood bath.
It's not that the movie is bad, don't get me wrong it's not... But it's so hyped up that you can't help but feel disappointed when the gore level is low and so is the kill count.
Be that as it may it is a good movie. The acting is decent, the plot is good and the characters are memorable. It's also greatly improved for any serial killer nerds like myself when you see all of the connections to Ed Gein throughout the movie and Leatherface being inspired by him. Not to mention the respect you gain for the cast and crew when you see the filming conditions they had to put up with.
So yeah, this movie is good and any horror fan should watch it at least once but..... Don't get your hopes up for a full on blood bath.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Blade Runner (1982) in Movies
Nov 25, 2019 (Updated Nov 26, 2019)
Cult thriller from Ridley Scott. In present-day Los Angeles, investigator Harrison Ford finds himself obliged to hunt down and destroy four androids who have illegally returned to Earth from colonies in outer space. Yes, yes: I know it's a timeless classic and a visionary piece of science fiction (if not a particularly accurate piece of prognostication), but it's not a film I've ever found myself able to particularly warm to.
One of the prettiest and most visually dense films you will ever see, of course, but Ridley Scott seems much more interested in the film's visual impact than the actual story (even so, much of the imagery is rather clunky). Harrison Ford doesn't get much to do in his drab and perfunctory section of the plot - the film only really comes to life when it concerns Rutger Hauer's oddly sympathetic homicidal android, who ends up dominating the movie. Most of the book's quirky sense of melancholy disappears, though. For all its strengths it just feels rather superficial and hollow to me.
One of the prettiest and most visually dense films you will ever see, of course, but Ridley Scott seems much more interested in the film's visual impact than the actual story (even so, much of the imagery is rather clunky). Harrison Ford doesn't get much to do in his drab and perfunctory section of the plot - the film only really comes to life when it concerns Rutger Hauer's oddly sympathetic homicidal android, who ends up dominating the movie. Most of the book's quirky sense of melancholy disappears, though. For all its strengths it just feels rather superficial and hollow to me.
Erika (17788 KP) rated Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in TV
Mar 29, 2020 (Updated Mar 29, 2020)
What the f--- did I just watch? All of these people were cuckoo-cuckoo for coco puffs.
This documentary features some of the strangest flipping people I've ever watched, all big cat enthusiast. I love cats, so I was most interested in them. I could not handle if there was anything mean done to them, and was thinking, well, your ass should be mauled at this point.
There was a strange sex cult big cat place, a sanctuary, and a rural, hick, white trash zoo. The craziest person was Joe Exotic, a gay, mullet-haired, polygamous, obsessed with big cats and killing the lady of the big cat sanctuary. Did the big cat sanctuary lady kill her husband? Was there really a murder for hire plot?
The one negative is the organization of the docu-series. It didn't make sense to me, and could have been better.
Anyway, if you want to see an interesting cross-section of America, and love cats and true crime documentaries, this is the show for you. Crime docs are one of the only things Netflix does right.
This documentary features some of the strangest flipping people I've ever watched, all big cat enthusiast. I love cats, so I was most interested in them. I could not handle if there was anything mean done to them, and was thinking, well, your ass should be mauled at this point.
There was a strange sex cult big cat place, a sanctuary, and a rural, hick, white trash zoo. The craziest person was Joe Exotic, a gay, mullet-haired, polygamous, obsessed with big cats and killing the lady of the big cat sanctuary. Did the big cat sanctuary lady kill her husband? Was there really a murder for hire plot?
The one negative is the organization of the docu-series. It didn't make sense to me, and could have been better.
Anyway, if you want to see an interesting cross-section of America, and love cats and true crime documentaries, this is the show for you. Crime docs are one of the only things Netflix does right.
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