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BankofMarquis (1832 KP) rated The Invisible Man (2020) in Movies
Mar 6, 2020
Pleasantly Surprised with a Great Lead Performance by Moss
I really had no desire to check out the Blumhouse re-imaging of the classic Universal horror classic THE INVISIBLE MAN, but I was hearing positive comments on it - especially about the lead performance - so I figured I'd better check it out.
And I'm glad I did. For this INVISIBLE MAN is taught and tense with (of course) a strong leading performance. And...it has something else...
Intelligence.
Originally, THE INVISIBLE MAN was supposed to be part of the ongoing Universal Studios "Dark Universe" series of films - Universal's answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the DCEU - but when the first film in this series THE MUMMY tanked at the box office, Universal made a "first look deal" with Blumhouse Studios (makers of such low budget horror films as PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and THE PURGE) to make stand alone films with the classic Universal Studios characters.
First up...THE INVISIBLE MAN...replacing Johnny Depp in the titular role and changing the focus of the film from THE INVISIBLE MAN to a woman (Elizabeth Moss) being harassed (or is she?) by THE INVISIBLE MAN.
And...an inspired choice it is. I was surpirsed by the restraint and intelligence that Blumhouse - and Director Leigh Whanell (UPGRADE) - show with this material. Whanell ratchets up the tension and let's the audience sit in the uncertainty that the main character has.
And...when that main character is performed as well as Elisabeth Moss (THE HANDMAID'S TALE), then it is 2 hours well worth your time. Moss' performance is the glue that holds this film together. If she isn't as good as she is in her role, then this film doesn't work. She is...and it does. Some say that she should earn an Oscar nomination for this work. I wouldn't quite go there (if any actress in a Horror film deserves an Oscar nomination, it would have been Lupita Nyong'o in US last year) but it is a very, very good performance.
As is the performances of Harriet Dyer (as Moss' sister) and Aldis Hodge (as a friend of Moss' character). These two brought watch-ability, and believe-ability, to their characters and situations. And this is good for, if I'm to be honest, this film does fall down in the believe-ability factor. I have a tendency to turn that part of my brain off in these types of films, but there are HUGE plot holes and gaps in logic that I just couldn't ignore, which brought this film down a peg or so.
As does the performance of Oliver Jackson-Cohen in the title role. I just didn't like what he was doing in this role, but fortunately, we don't see much of him (rim-shot).
Overall, a pleasant enough surprise with an intelligence I wasn't expecting and a lead performance that is worth the price of admission.
Letter Grade: B
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
And I'm glad I did. For this INVISIBLE MAN is taught and tense with (of course) a strong leading performance. And...it has something else...
Intelligence.
Originally, THE INVISIBLE MAN was supposed to be part of the ongoing Universal Studios "Dark Universe" series of films - Universal's answer to the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the DCEU - but when the first film in this series THE MUMMY tanked at the box office, Universal made a "first look deal" with Blumhouse Studios (makers of such low budget horror films as PARANORMAL ACTIVITY and THE PURGE) to make stand alone films with the classic Universal Studios characters.
First up...THE INVISIBLE MAN...replacing Johnny Depp in the titular role and changing the focus of the film from THE INVISIBLE MAN to a woman (Elizabeth Moss) being harassed (or is she?) by THE INVISIBLE MAN.
And...an inspired choice it is. I was surpirsed by the restraint and intelligence that Blumhouse - and Director Leigh Whanell (UPGRADE) - show with this material. Whanell ratchets up the tension and let's the audience sit in the uncertainty that the main character has.
And...when that main character is performed as well as Elisabeth Moss (THE HANDMAID'S TALE), then it is 2 hours well worth your time. Moss' performance is the glue that holds this film together. If she isn't as good as she is in her role, then this film doesn't work. She is...and it does. Some say that she should earn an Oscar nomination for this work. I wouldn't quite go there (if any actress in a Horror film deserves an Oscar nomination, it would have been Lupita Nyong'o in US last year) but it is a very, very good performance.
As is the performances of Harriet Dyer (as Moss' sister) and Aldis Hodge (as a friend of Moss' character). These two brought watch-ability, and believe-ability, to their characters and situations. And this is good for, if I'm to be honest, this film does fall down in the believe-ability factor. I have a tendency to turn that part of my brain off in these types of films, but there are HUGE plot holes and gaps in logic that I just couldn't ignore, which brought this film down a peg or so.
As does the performance of Oliver Jackson-Cohen in the title role. I just didn't like what he was doing in this role, but fortunately, we don't see much of him (rim-shot).
Overall, a pleasant enough surprise with an intelligence I wasn't expecting and a lead performance that is worth the price of admission.
Letter Grade: B
7 (out of 10) stars and you can take that to the Bank(OfMarquis)
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Dracula (1958) in Movies
Nov 5, 2020 (Updated Nov 5, 2020)
The Vampire Rises Once More
Dracula- is a great movie. Hammer films is a excellent studio, cause their brought back the universal monsters and put their own spin on it. And with Dracula their put their own spin on Dracula. And did it work, yes.
First Christopher Lee played as the creature in The Curse of Frankenstien, now he plays as Dracula. When you think of Dracula you think of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Christopher Lee played Dracula more times then Bela Lugosi. But both actors are iconic, legends and icons.
The plot: On a search for his missing friend Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is led to Count Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle. Upon arriving, Van Helsing finds an undead Harker in Dracula's crypt and discovers that the count's next target is Harker's ailing fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh). With the help of her brother, Arthur (Michael Gough), Van Helsing struggles to protect Lucy and put an end to Count Dracula's parasitic reign of terror.
In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.
Its a excllent film.
First Christopher Lee played as the creature in The Curse of Frankenstien, now he plays as Dracula. When you think of Dracula you think of Bela Lugosi and Christopher Lee. Christopher Lee played Dracula more times then Bela Lugosi. But both actors are iconic, legends and icons.
The plot: On a search for his missing friend Jonathan Harker (John Van Eyssen), vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing) is led to Count Dracula's (Christopher Lee) castle. Upon arriving, Van Helsing finds an undead Harker in Dracula's crypt and discovers that the count's next target is Harker's ailing fiancée, Lucy Holmwood (Carol Marsh). With the help of her brother, Arthur (Michael Gough), Van Helsing struggles to protect Lucy and put an end to Count Dracula's parasitic reign of terror.
In the United States, the film was retitled Horror of Dracula to avoid confusion with the U.S. original by Universal Pictures, 1931's Dracula.
Its a excllent film.
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LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Monster Squad (1987) in Movies
Mar 13, 2021
The Monster Squad is of course a 80s classic, and one of the great gateway horrors for a younger audience to enjoy.
Its biggest selling point is it's premise and the subsequent rogues gallery of classic horror monsters, as a group of misfit school kids (and Rudy, that weird older teenager who hangs round younger kids because it makes him feel cooler or some shit) take on the likes of Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolfman, The Mummy, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and their leader Count Dracula. It's a hell of a lot of fun, especially for people who enjoy the old Universal movies.
The whole cast are pretty likable, a decent screenplay thanks to Shane Black and director Free Dekker, and delivers some solid effects work to top it all off.
Its biggest selling point is it's premise and the subsequent rogues gallery of classic horror monsters, as a group of misfit school kids (and Rudy, that weird older teenager who hangs round younger kids because it makes him feel cooler or some shit) take on the likes of Frankenstein's Monster, The Wolfman, The Mummy, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, and their leader Count Dracula. It's a hell of a lot of fun, especially for people who enjoy the old Universal movies.
The whole cast are pretty likable, a decent screenplay thanks to Shane Black and director Free Dekker, and delivers some solid effects work to top it all off.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Frankenstein (1931) in Movies
Mar 25, 2021
Frankenstein represents some of the best material from the original Universal Monsters run.
Considering it came out just a few years after feature length talkies were even a thing, the plot moves at a swift pace, and never gets boring. We know all that we need to about the characters involved with no unnecessary padding out, and boasts wonderful dialogue that is engaging throughout
What's more, it's runtime is brimming with incredible shots, from Frankenstein and the monster on top of the mountain, to the monster accepting a flower from a little girl, to the mob of townspeople marching towards the windmill (a shot that has always stuck with me since being a child).
Frankenstein is a fantastic realisation of the misunderstood beast narrative, and an incredibly important stepping stone in the history of horror. Iconic in every way.
Considering it came out just a few years after feature length talkies were even a thing, the plot moves at a swift pace, and never gets boring. We know all that we need to about the characters involved with no unnecessary padding out, and boasts wonderful dialogue that is engaging throughout
What's more, it's runtime is brimming with incredible shots, from Frankenstein and the monster on top of the mountain, to the monster accepting a flower from a little girl, to the mob of townspeople marching towards the windmill (a shot that has always stuck with me since being a child).
Frankenstein is a fantastic realisation of the misunderstood beast narrative, and an incredibly important stepping stone in the history of horror. Iconic in every way.
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated The Invisible Man (1933) in Movies
Mar 4, 2020
Universal Monster
This movie is such a classic, it came out after dracula, frankenstein and the mummy. Out of all the universal monster movies, i like this one the most. It combines sci-fi, horror, psychological espects, and overall the invisible man just being a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway. This classic movie is based off of a H.G. Wells novel, and if you dont know who that is, look him up..."The War of the Worlds".
The plot: While researching a new drug, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) stumbles on a potion that can make him invisible. When he reveals his new ability to his old mentor (Henry Travers) and his fiancée (Gloria Stuart), it's clear that a side effect of the potion is insanity. Jack goes on a violent rampage, and the police struggle to hunt him down, unable to see their target, while his mentor and his former partner (William Harrigan) desperately try to devise a plan to capture him.
You have Claude Rains playing "The Invisible Man", he is excellent in this film. Cause like i said his charcter is just a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway but has a heart of gold for his love.
If you havent seen this film, i would highly recordmend it, cause it is fantasic and phenomenal.
The plot: While researching a new drug, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) stumbles on a potion that can make him invisible. When he reveals his new ability to his old mentor (Henry Travers) and his fiancée (Gloria Stuart), it's clear that a side effect of the potion is insanity. Jack goes on a violent rampage, and the police struggle to hunt him down, unable to see their target, while his mentor and his former partner (William Harrigan) desperately try to devise a plan to capture him.
You have Claude Rains playing "The Invisible Man", he is excellent in this film. Cause like i said his charcter is just a dick/asshole to everybody in his pathway but has a heart of gold for his love.
If you havent seen this film, i would highly recordmend it, cause it is fantasic and phenomenal.
Rob Zombie recommended Young Frankenstein (1974) in Movies (curated)
Luke (12 KP) rated Young Frankenstein (1974) in Movies
Oct 2, 2017
Stand out performances from Gene Wilder, Peter Boyle, and Marty Feldman. (2 more)
Written by Gene Wilder and Mel Brooks
Great parody of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Young Frankenstein is a comedy horror film from 1974 directed by Mel Brooks, also known for his work on Blazing Saddles and Spaceballs. The film follows Gene Wilder's character of Dr. Frederick Frankenstein, or should I say Froderick Fronkenstein, as he discovers that he has inherited the estate of his grandfather Victor von Frankenstein. It's interesting to see Wilder go from a calm and collected neuroscience professer to a stark raving madman throughout his performance. The film also benefits from being filmed entirely in black and white, evoking the style of old Universal horror movies from the 1930s. Most of the jokes land, making this film a treat to watch. However, some of them are a bit crude and reference sexual activities, so some people may be a bit turned off by them. The good thing is that there aren't that many of these types of crude jokes so it's not quite so overbearing. In conclusion, this is really one of Mel Brooks' best films and one of Wilder's best performances in his career. Go check it out this Halloween.