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Watching "Alyce Kills" and I have to say.. the baseball bat is the best scene.
Edit: well my rating is 3.5/5
Edit: well my rating is 3.5/5
Horror Movie HoF
Alyce Kills
(Jay Lee)
(Jay Lee)
I wasn't too impressed with this one. I felt that a lot of the cinematography was lacking for an effectively shot film for the viewer to enjoy. Too many dark sequences when characters were not properly lit. If done on purpose, it was a poor choice as it ultimately was too distracting. Aside from the lighting, what about the sound mix? Why is it almost DEAD QUIET in the bar/club when a band is playing and there are dozens of people. Everything is the background is muted and that really took me out of it because it was obvious they wanted you to focus on the banal dialogue.
The film sure takes awhile before it gets going, all I knew about the flick was that Alyce Kills....get it? That's the title!!! The reason for her descent into this madness was not justified to me. People might be more impressed with the first 3/4's of the film, but I rather enjoyed it when she gave in to the murderous impulses, as weak as they were. The scenes where she goes after people who've wronged her were the best and most memorable parts of the film.
Gore factor? Not much here. It's mainly the "aftermath" we see. Lots of blood, but it doesn't really spill, it's just on the floor. Where's the fun or creativity in that? A good sight gag that I enjoyed is when Vince went to call someone while hanging onto his guts, once he reached for the phone, his guts fell out. I feel like this film needed a bit more of that for me personally to enjoy it. Play up on the absurd comedic aspects and this could be tolerable.
I will say this though, it had a great ending.
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Last edited by TheUsualSuspect; 07-11-17 at 08:42 AM.
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The Abominable Dr. Phibes
Simple story. A man names Dr. Phibes and his wife are presumed to be killed in a car crash. The wife is certainly dead but it turns out Phibes is alive, but horribly scarred. He sets off on revenge using the 10 plagues of Egypt.
What a liked the best is the overall tone of the film. Considering its a horror film the tone is sort of goofy and light, mixed in with always enjoyable British humor. As I may have mentioned before I don't get scared by horror movies so I don't go see them for the thrills and dislike slasher films. In conclusion, the story of Dr. Phibes was just what I needed.
I think I'll be watching it time to time for enjoyment in the future. And that's what I like best about movies. Also the main reason why horror films aren't my type of thing. Glad to have found a good one during this HoF. Favorite one so far. Thanks Swan.
(I must be crazy giving a horror films four popcorns...)
Simple story. A man names Dr. Phibes and his wife are presumed to be killed in a car crash. The wife is certainly dead but it turns out Phibes is alive, but horribly scarred. He sets off on revenge using the 10 plagues of Egypt.
What a liked the best is the overall tone of the film. Considering its a horror film the tone is sort of goofy and light, mixed in with always enjoyable British humor. As I may have mentioned before I don't get scared by horror movies so I don't go see them for the thrills and dislike slasher films. In conclusion, the story of Dr. Phibes was just what I needed.
I think I'll be watching it time to time for enjoyment in the future. And that's what I like best about movies. Also the main reason why horror films aren't my type of thing. Glad to have found a good one during this HoF. Favorite one so far. Thanks Swan.
(I must be crazy giving a horror films four popcorns...)
Last edited by Gatsby; 01-11-15 at 07:43 AM.
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Really glad you liked it, Gatsby. I can relate to your write-up in a way. Some times I just need a goofy horror flick. It's one of my many medications. 
Gatsby, I think you need to see Theatre Of Blood. 
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Alyce Kills
I wasn't too impressed with this one. I felt that a lot of the cinematography was lacking for an effectively shot film for the viewer to enjoy. Too many dark sequences when characters were not properly lit. If done on purpose, it was a poor choice.
The film sure takes awhile before it gets going, all I knew about the flick was that Alyce Kills....get it?. The reason for her descent into this madness was not justified to me. People might be more impressed with the first 3/4's of the film, but I rather enjoyed it when she gave in to the murderous impulses, as weak as they were. The scenes where she goes after people who've wronged her were the best parts.
Gore factor? Not much here. It's mainly the "aftermath" we see lots of blood, but it doesn't really spill, it's just on the floor. A good sight gag that I enjoyed is when Vince went to call someone while hanging onto his guts, once he reached for the phone, his guts fell out. I feel like this film needed a bit more of that for me personally to enjoy it. As of right now, I would have to rank the film near the bottom of the list of movies I've seen in this HoF.
I will say this though, it had a great ending.
I wasn't too impressed with this one. I felt that a lot of the cinematography was lacking for an effectively shot film for the viewer to enjoy. Too many dark sequences when characters were not properly lit. If done on purpose, it was a poor choice.
The film sure takes awhile before it gets going, all I knew about the flick was that Alyce Kills....get it?. The reason for her descent into this madness was not justified to me. People might be more impressed with the first 3/4's of the film, but I rather enjoyed it when she gave in to the murderous impulses, as weak as they were. The scenes where she goes after people who've wronged her were the best parts.
Gore factor? Not much here. It's mainly the "aftermath" we see lots of blood, but it doesn't really spill, it's just on the floor. A good sight gag that I enjoyed is when Vince went to call someone while hanging onto his guts, once he reached for the phone, his guts fell out. I feel like this film needed a bit more of that for me personally to enjoy it. As of right now, I would have to rank the film near the bottom of the list of movies I've seen in this HoF.
I will say this though, it had a great ending.
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Horror Hall of Fame
Suspiria
— 1977 —
The very first time I watched this film I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect but in fact I ended up being quite impressed with its experimental soundtrack and visuals, as well as the overall feel of the film. It was also my first Dario Argento and obviously I wanted to see more of this madness. I checked out Tenebrae a bit later on but never got through it. The reason was simply that all of what Suspiria didn’t succeed in stood so much sharper, in a film, where colourful visuals and aggressive atmospheric soundtrack wasn’t there to save it.
And when watching Suspiria for the second time I now knew what to expect and could focus more on the different elements of the film; the ones I noticed the first time, and those that went by fairly unnoticed. The soundtrack is still something I respect, mainly because I personally want to see more films doing this, especially in the horror genre, where the soundscape perhaps isn’t listenable on its own, but actually tries to get under our skin using unfamiliar techniques and unique approaches; something that triggers an emotion or feeling in you only by using a specific combination of sounds. But unfortunately the soundtrack showed more flaws the second time around, especially because I was able to turn the volume up higher this time, and therefore I could pick out a lot things I couldn’t the last time – most of which came across rather annoying or just unprofessional. But there were defiantly points in where the soundtrack worked tremendously well, but as I said I have more respect for it than I actually enjoy it. Although as I said, you don’t really have to enjoy it, but still, the potential that it has is higher than its unbalanced and hit-or-miss execution.
The visuals wasn’t as impressive this time around either, but I still really like them, and together with the soundtrack I still think it does a great job at creating this strange and gloomy atmosphere that lifts the film from being a truly boring watch. The story is okay I guess, but you don’t have to be a movie expert to point out the clear flaws of this movie. The acting is pretty bad, especially combined with some of the stupid characters that are being portrayed, the directing isn’t always on point and the low-budget feel is quite strong. If that is part of sub-genre I get it, but well, I’m not exactly a fan. Basically it is a very mixed bag of feelings that I have towards this one. Some elements I like, some I just respect, others I kind of hate, and a few I find downright annoying. But I understand its cult status and I could probably find myself watching it again at some point.
+
Suspiria
— 1977 —
The very first time I watched this film I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect but in fact I ended up being quite impressed with its experimental soundtrack and visuals, as well as the overall feel of the film. It was also my first Dario Argento and obviously I wanted to see more of this madness. I checked out Tenebrae a bit later on but never got through it. The reason was simply that all of what Suspiria didn’t succeed in stood so much sharper, in a film, where colourful visuals and aggressive atmospheric soundtrack wasn’t there to save it.
And when watching Suspiria for the second time I now knew what to expect and could focus more on the different elements of the film; the ones I noticed the first time, and those that went by fairly unnoticed. The soundtrack is still something I respect, mainly because I personally want to see more films doing this, especially in the horror genre, where the soundscape perhaps isn’t listenable on its own, but actually tries to get under our skin using unfamiliar techniques and unique approaches; something that triggers an emotion or feeling in you only by using a specific combination of sounds. But unfortunately the soundtrack showed more flaws the second time around, especially because I was able to turn the volume up higher this time, and therefore I could pick out a lot things I couldn’t the last time – most of which came across rather annoying or just unprofessional. But there were defiantly points in where the soundtrack worked tremendously well, but as I said I have more respect for it than I actually enjoy it. Although as I said, you don’t really have to enjoy it, but still, the potential that it has is higher than its unbalanced and hit-or-miss execution.
The visuals wasn’t as impressive this time around either, but I still really like them, and together with the soundtrack I still think it does a great job at creating this strange and gloomy atmosphere that lifts the film from being a truly boring watch. The story is okay I guess, but you don’t have to be a movie expert to point out the clear flaws of this movie. The acting is pretty bad, especially combined with some of the stupid characters that are being portrayed, the directing isn’t always on point and the low-budget feel is quite strong. If that is part of sub-genre I get it, but well, I’m not exactly a fan. Basically it is a very mixed bag of feelings that I have towards this one. Some elements I like, some I just respect, others I kind of hate, and a few I find downright annoying. But I understand its cult status and I could probably find myself watching it again at some point.
+
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Last edited by MovieMeditation; 07-05-15 at 01:39 PM.
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It's kind of funny that you and Raul both disliked the movie overall, but you liked the part of it that he disliked, and vice versa. That's a bad sign I think for the movie as far as finding viewers to enjoy it's whole. I loved the lighting; but then I sometimes complain that some movies are too brightly lit. I think in this case, it added to the overall dark tone of the movie. I guess that's just a personal preference.
The drug dealer was waxing poetic and he seemed to be the most natural even if his character didn't really ring true to me.
There were a few scenes that I thought were weird and definitely piqued my interest, all of which happen AFTER she has lost her mind. The war masturbation, Necrophilia boob touching and weird sex fight. These scenes are not the norm and when a film does something odd, it catches my attention. Unfortunately these scenes are not enough to save the film as a whole.
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Yea it's too bad; I still think a few more people will like it, but I probably should've realized it was too quirky for mass popularity.
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Nosferatu the Vampyre
I first saw this back around last February, so this was my second viewing. What I love most about this, and some other Herzog movies, is that he takes you to a different world. His movies aren't filmed on a set, or just in some city, but rather it seems in the darkest corners of the world, and it's beautiful to watch. The atmosphere he creates is amazing, and in this one it's both beautiful and creepy. Kinski and Herzog make a great team, and along with Ganz and Adjani, the 3 lead performances are very convincing. The musical score is also terrific. I find it a little slow at times, but overall I think it's a masterful horror movie.
I first saw this back around last February, so this was my second viewing. What I love most about this, and some other Herzog movies, is that he takes you to a different world. His movies aren't filmed on a set, or just in some city, but rather it seems in the darkest corners of the world, and it's beautiful to watch. The atmosphere he creates is amazing, and in this one it's both beautiful and creepy. Kinski and Herzog make a great team, and along with Ganz and Adjani, the 3 lead performances are very convincing. The musical score is also terrific. I find it a little slow at times, but overall I think it's a masterful horror movie.
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Watching Dr Phibes tonight. Looking forward to it. Also received dvd's for both May and Alyce so hopefully will get round to them asap.
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Nosferatu the Vampyre
I first saw this back around last February, so this was my second viewing. What I love most about this, and some other Herzog movies, is that he takes you to a different world. His movies aren't filmed on a set, or just in some city, but rather it seems in the darkest corners of the world, and it's beautiful to watch. The atmosphere he creates is amazing, and in this one it's both beautiful and creepy. Kinski and Herzog make a great team, and along with Ganz and Adjani, the 3 lead performances are very convincing. The musical score is also terrific. I find it a little slow at times, but overall I think it's a masterful horror movie.
I first saw this back around last February, so this was my second viewing. What I love most about this, and some other Herzog movies, is that he takes you to a different world. His movies aren't filmed on a set, or just in some city, but rather it seems in the darkest corners of the world, and it's beautiful to watch. The atmosphere he creates is amazing, and in this one it's both beautiful and creepy. Kinski and Herzog make a great team, and along with Ganz and Adjani, the 3 lead performances are very convincing. The musical score is also terrific. I find it a little slow at times, but overall I think it's a masterful horror movie.
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Not sure, I've had American Mary on my watchlist for a while.
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Agree with the point that its slow. But when you think about it, if it was speedy it wouldn't have had that irreplaceable special atmosphere of the film.
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Cricket, is Aylce anything like American Mary?
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Nosferatu the Vampyr
This was my first Herzog film, and he sure knows how to make the most of his atmosphere. The haunting music that surrounds the mystifying scenery gives the film a superb chill to it. The acting was really great, Kinski as the Count was as creepy as could be. Adjani and Ganz put in brilliant performances too, but perhaps my favorite of all was Topor as Renfeld and his progression as becoming a lunatic. I thought the movie was well paced; it could have added a few more points to the story but overall I think it did a good job of retelling the tale of Nosferatu. Probably will be a rather high one on my overall HOF list.
+
This was my first Herzog film, and he sure knows how to make the most of his atmosphere. The haunting music that surrounds the mystifying scenery gives the film a superb chill to it. The acting was really great, Kinski as the Count was as creepy as could be. Adjani and Ganz put in brilliant performances too, but perhaps my favorite of all was Topor as Renfeld and his progression as becoming a lunatic. I thought the movie was well paced; it could have added a few more points to the story but overall I think it did a good job of retelling the tale of Nosferatu. Probably will be a rather high one on my overall HOF list.
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