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Jason Hall recommended The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) in Movies (curated)
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated The Hills Run Red (2009) in Movies
Jun 22, 2019
Wilson Wyler Concannon was a director who made a horror film twenty years ago that was said to be so gory, so disturbing, and so traumatizing that it was pulled from theaters after only a handful of people got to see it. Now, in the present day, Tyler is obsessed with The Hills Run Red even though a copy of the complete film doesn't seem to exist. After doing countless hours of research on this lost horror gem and seeing the trailer more times than he can count, Tyler decides to make a documentary as he, his best friend Lalo, and girlfriend Serina travel outside the city. Tyler only has one lead to fall back on and that's Alexa Concannon, the daughter of Wilson Wyler Concannon. Tyler feels like this is the break he's been waiting for as he thinks he'll either get to meet the director he's grown to admire or see this lost classic in its entirety to see if it lives up to the hype. But is there really light at the end of this tunnel? For what reason would a film not be released for twenty years? How does the killer, Babyface, fit into all of this? As stated earlier on in the film, some films should stay buried.
Going by the DVD cover and title alone, The Hills Run Red looks like it's just capitalizing on the success of The Hills Have Eyes remake from 2006. So going into the film, that's pretty much what I was expecting. Since it's a horror film that was released straight to DVD, expectations should never be high since they're usually released that way for a reason. Surprisingly though, that wasn't the case this time around as this turned out to be a pretty solid little horror flick. The film winds up bearing little resemblance to the Alexandre Aja directed The Hills Have Eyes as it delivers a fairly original concept and a satisfying experience overall.
The film will pretty much reel any horror fan in with the opening sequence as the atmosphere for the film is set up early on and doesn't shy away from blood and gore. Lack of nudity and sexual content isn't an issue either as there is plenty of that to go around. With all that in mind, this pretty much has everything any horror fan could ask for already: lots of blood and tons of T&A. The acting is also a bar above what you're probably expecting for a release like this. To be honest, it's pretty decent and there really isn't much to complain about in that department. Although, I do think William Sadler steals the show but he's also probably the only recognizable actor in the film. Babyface actually turned out to be quite sadistic and better than his origin let on. When you're shown how he got his name and who he really is, it's kind of lame at first. The concept eventually grows on you though and is pretty original as far as serial killers from slasher films go.
If you ever saw Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, one of its peaks was that it not only pointed out cliche moments in other horror films and dissected them but also wound up breaking most of them while going in a different direction. The Hills Run Red touches on this a bit, as well. Some examples are cell phones actually work out in secluded areas, a gun is brought just in case they run into trouble, and flares are brought in case flashlights don't work. Horror movies need to be as fresh as possible as it seems like just about everything has been done, which is probably one of the reasons remakes are so popular right now. It's just refreshing to see a movie not follow the same generic formula.
You can't always rely on your first impression as The Hills Run Red seemed like nothing more than a copycat horror film that was rushed straight to DVD. In all actuality, however, it turns out to be a sexy, blood-splattering wet dream for horror fans with a better than expected storyline, above par acting, and what could be a new face in the horror franchise. If you like films like this, give this one a go. You may be pleasantly surprised and be sure to catch the extra scene in the middle of the credits at the end.
Going by the DVD cover and title alone, The Hills Run Red looks like it's just capitalizing on the success of The Hills Have Eyes remake from 2006. So going into the film, that's pretty much what I was expecting. Since it's a horror film that was released straight to DVD, expectations should never be high since they're usually released that way for a reason. Surprisingly though, that wasn't the case this time around as this turned out to be a pretty solid little horror flick. The film winds up bearing little resemblance to the Alexandre Aja directed The Hills Have Eyes as it delivers a fairly original concept and a satisfying experience overall.
The film will pretty much reel any horror fan in with the opening sequence as the atmosphere for the film is set up early on and doesn't shy away from blood and gore. Lack of nudity and sexual content isn't an issue either as there is plenty of that to go around. With all that in mind, this pretty much has everything any horror fan could ask for already: lots of blood and tons of T&A. The acting is also a bar above what you're probably expecting for a release like this. To be honest, it's pretty decent and there really isn't much to complain about in that department. Although, I do think William Sadler steals the show but he's also probably the only recognizable actor in the film. Babyface actually turned out to be quite sadistic and better than his origin let on. When you're shown how he got his name and who he really is, it's kind of lame at first. The concept eventually grows on you though and is pretty original as far as serial killers from slasher films go.
If you ever saw Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, one of its peaks was that it not only pointed out cliche moments in other horror films and dissected them but also wound up breaking most of them while going in a different direction. The Hills Run Red touches on this a bit, as well. Some examples are cell phones actually work out in secluded areas, a gun is brought just in case they run into trouble, and flares are brought in case flashlights don't work. Horror movies need to be as fresh as possible as it seems like just about everything has been done, which is probably one of the reasons remakes are so popular right now. It's just refreshing to see a movie not follow the same generic formula.
You can't always rely on your first impression as The Hills Run Red seemed like nothing more than a copycat horror film that was rushed straight to DVD. In all actuality, however, it turns out to be a sexy, blood-splattering wet dream for horror fans with a better than expected storyline, above par acting, and what could be a new face in the horror franchise. If you like films like this, give this one a go. You may be pleasantly surprised and be sure to catch the extra scene in the middle of the credits at the end.
Phillip McSween (751 KP) rated Ben-Hur (1959) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Solid Conflict but Falls Just Short of a Classic For Me
Jewish hero Judah Ben-Hur rises up to challenge the Romans after they make him a slave.
Acting: 10
I understand that Charlton Heston’s performance as Ben-Hur is a point of contention with this movie, but I thought he delivered a strong performance. Was it perfect? Nope, but he gave me enough of a fiery presence to keep me entertained and to give me someone to root for. One thing I will not contend is that Stephen Boyd’s performance as Messala was the best in the movie. He’s an easy person to hate, but Boyd also helps you sympathize with the role as well. There’s a quiet fierceness about him that you loathe and respect at the same time.
Beginning: 5
Oh, that this was just about the Overture. It’s not. I understand full-well that a lot of classics had an Overture before the start of the movie. That wasn’t my problem. There were at least sixty minutes that could have been cut from this movie and twenty of them come from the beginning. By the time Judah and Messala converse for the first time, I was almost fully checked out. It took me a minute to get involved in the story again.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
You expect an epic like this to deliver on the visuals and Ben-Hur doesn’t disappoint. The movie takes you throughout a number of different setpieces, each of them just as beautiful as the last. From the Coliseum to the Valley of the Lepers, director William Wyler puts you right where you need to be. I was captivated by the magic of the visuals and, as a result, never bored.
Conflict: 9
It is hard to stretch conflict out over the course of almost four hours, but Ben-Hur really succeeds here. You know the Romans are bad news so you feel the trouble brewing when they start marching in Judah’s city. From there, through Judah’s captivity, to his return home, there is a consistent amount of action that drives and pushes the story forward. There are some slow parts but the chariot scene alone makes up for those parts. It is historically viewed as a classic scene and it doesn’t take long to see why. By the end of it, I was cheering harder than when I watched Rocky beat up the Russian.
Genre: 7
Memorability: 9
Pace: 6
Plot: 8
Ben-Hur’s story is beautiful for the most part. Again, it definitely could have been cut quite a few times, but I still rather enjoyed the adventure. It makes you really feel like you are a part of something special. If only it hadn’t overstayed it’s welcome…
Resolution: 4
Overall: 78
I refuse to call a movie a classic because everyone else does. A classic is something you want to watch over and over. When it comes to Ben-Hur, once was absolutely enough.
Acting: 10
I understand that Charlton Heston’s performance as Ben-Hur is a point of contention with this movie, but I thought he delivered a strong performance. Was it perfect? Nope, but he gave me enough of a fiery presence to keep me entertained and to give me someone to root for. One thing I will not contend is that Stephen Boyd’s performance as Messala was the best in the movie. He’s an easy person to hate, but Boyd also helps you sympathize with the role as well. There’s a quiet fierceness about him that you loathe and respect at the same time.
Beginning: 5
Oh, that this was just about the Overture. It’s not. I understand full-well that a lot of classics had an Overture before the start of the movie. That wasn’t my problem. There were at least sixty minutes that could have been cut from this movie and twenty of them come from the beginning. By the time Judah and Messala converse for the first time, I was almost fully checked out. It took me a minute to get involved in the story again.
Characters: 10
Cinematography/Visuals: 10
You expect an epic like this to deliver on the visuals and Ben-Hur doesn’t disappoint. The movie takes you throughout a number of different setpieces, each of them just as beautiful as the last. From the Coliseum to the Valley of the Lepers, director William Wyler puts you right where you need to be. I was captivated by the magic of the visuals and, as a result, never bored.
Conflict: 9
It is hard to stretch conflict out over the course of almost four hours, but Ben-Hur really succeeds here. You know the Romans are bad news so you feel the trouble brewing when they start marching in Judah’s city. From there, through Judah’s captivity, to his return home, there is a consistent amount of action that drives and pushes the story forward. There are some slow parts but the chariot scene alone makes up for those parts. It is historically viewed as a classic scene and it doesn’t take long to see why. By the end of it, I was cheering harder than when I watched Rocky beat up the Russian.
Genre: 7
Memorability: 9
Pace: 6
Plot: 8
Ben-Hur’s story is beautiful for the most part. Again, it definitely could have been cut quite a few times, but I still rather enjoyed the adventure. It makes you really feel like you are a part of something special. If only it hadn’t overstayed it’s welcome…
Resolution: 4
Overall: 78
I refuse to call a movie a classic because everyone else does. A classic is something you want to watch over and over. When it comes to Ben-Hur, once was absolutely enough.