40Cent @ the movies

[Nefaro]

The new hotness in horror is The Witch.  It opened last night and I went to see it with some friends.  It was very, very good - but there's a caveat: it isn't what some people think of as a "standard" horror film, and has been unfairly attracting criticism from some quarters as a result.  Some people expect jump scares and rivers of blood in horror films, and The Witch has neither.  Instead it is a painstakingly researched, beautifully shot period piece which is genuinely unsettling and downright horrific in places.  The mood throughout the film is menacing and paranoid.  Within the first fifteen minutes it goes somewhere few films dare to go.

I won't say any more, except this: if you like genuine horror films and don't need jump scares to be entertained, go see it.  It's a work of art.

Hrmmm...

..now I may have to check this out sometime.  I like well done horror, but most of the trailers I see are of those cheap "jump scare" cookie cutter type bullshit (same movie as last month, different title). 


I almost never watch horror-ish type movies at the theater due to all the repetitive trash out there.  But I also want to see 10 Cloverfield Lane.  See what JJ does with that Cthulhu-esque theme, but without the original's shitty shaky hand-cam & found doc bullshit that should've remained in 1999, from whence it came.

[Huw the Poo]

..now I may have to check this out sometime.  I like well done horror, but most of the trailers I see are of those cheap "jump scare" cookie cutter type bullshit (same movie as last month, different title). 

Absolutely.  Even though horror is probably my favourite genre, I have to disregard 90% of it because to most people horror just means scary, and scary means put in a load of "frightening" events to make the audience jump and forget about actually making a good film.  The Witch was a very welcome breath of fresh air.

But I also want to see 10 Cloverfield Lane.  See what JJ does with that Cthulhu-esque theme, but without the original's shitty shaky hand-cam & found doc bullshit that should've remained in 1999, from whence it came.

Agreed again, sir.  I saw the trailer for this before The Witch and it showed just enough to pique my curiosity; looks like it could be excellent if done well.

Edit: If you want to see The Witch you should probably hurry; I can't imagine it being on a very wide or long release.

[Huw the Poo]

I finally got around to watch Another Earth today.  Not sure how much I liked it...it certainly isn't brilliant, but it's probably worth a watch.  It's about a perfect replica of Earth is found in the solar system, and gradually approaches our Earth.  However, the second Earth barely features in the film, which focuses instead on the life of a young woman and a man whose life she accidentally ruined.

It's very nicely filmed for such a low budget (and was something of a Sundance darling, I gather), the dialogue is pretty good too.  However the issue of the second Earth is too far in the background and the film almost seems boring a lot of the time, even though the pacing is pretty balanced.  The ending is very good.  I wish I'd watched it on Friday night because it certainly wasn't a Sunday afternoon film!  It was quite melancholy really.

[OJsDad]

Wow, long time since anyone posted here.

Went with the family to see Sing today.  Pretty good.  No real great gut busting laughs and predictable story line.  Give it a 32 outa 40.