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You've piqued my interest with this one. I don't like horror movies, but this one seems tame enough with a PG-13 rating. Is it?
It has zero violence aside from a not-graphic fatal car accident that's vital to the plot line. There's no bloodletting and all of the suspense comes from people seeing things that don't make sense and doubting their own sanity, especially the unfortunate character played by Will Patton. Scares are all bump in the night variety.

It's unusual in that there are no villains; everybody in the cast is earnest and decent but scared because they don't know what's going on in their little town. Unlike some "ripped from the headlines" horror movies, this one condenses the real events in Point Pleasant and respects the characters who went through this, culminating in the horrifying bridge collapse. It's a curiosity among horror movies.

The town still has a Mothman festival and a Main Street museum about the events.



I just finished watching Bo Burnham: Inside on Netflix. I really enjoyed it. Written, directed by and starring only Bo Burnham (with no crew or audience), this musical comedy special is a strange blend of parody, social commentary, personal confession, silliness, and sadness. And it works really well. The songs are really good, even when he is arguing with a sock or singing about sexting, white women's instagram, or Facetime with his mom. Bo Burnham: Inside is certainly a memorable and unique experience. My rating is a
.



The Woman in the Window (2021, Netflix)


Went in to this movie with high expectations, but pretty disappointed after the watch. It's clear the makers were going for an atmospheric, Hitchcockian thriller vibe, but what we get instead is an overwhelmingly dull, dreary mess of a film.
And the surprise reveal at the end was laughably bad.


Amy Adams gives it her all, but the stellar supporting cast is completely wasted - Julianne Moore & Anthony Mackie are relegated to thankless cameos ; the rest (Wyatt Russell, Gary Oldman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry) have nothing much to do with their shoddily written characters.
Overall, I'd rate this a 2.5/5.



The Mothman Prophecies is odd. Definitely creepy, but it's hard to describe why. There's at least one scene there that totally freaked me out, even though on paper it doesn't sound significant at all.

It might help that, yes, there are lots of Mothman legends nearby (PA abuts West Virginia and it's a pretty short drive there), and that they actually filmed it here in Pittsburgh and I recognize a couple of the locations in the film.

If you haven't seen it and like spooky, psychological terror, definitely give it a watch.



I forgot the opening line.
Ahh, The Mothman Prophecies is very creepy. There aren't nearly enough films out there that can unnerve you like that one can.


By Studio and or Graphic Artist - Can be obtained from film's distributor., Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62400573

Antebellum - (2020)

On a plantation run by Confederate soldiers, slaves are subjected to violence, torture, rape and other privations to the extent that not many survive long. Escape is critical - but when and how? This film loses a lot of it's momentum...

WARNING: spoilers below
...when we're transported to the present day and it never quite manages to regain it's footing. The movie also caught some flack for altering scenes in it's trailer to deceive the audience into thinking the movie to be a supernatural tale.


The first half-hour or so is both hard to watch and impossible to look away from.

5/10


By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62969300

After Midnight - (2019)

The start of After Midnight left me with little hope this would be anything other than a low-budget, incompetent affair - but that improved a bit as it went on. There is some decent humour in it, especially after we've been introduced to Hank (Jeremy Gardner) and his various friends. The plot is very simple. Hank's girlfriend Abby (Brea Grant) has left to think things through. Cue happy flashbacks as Hank remembers their time together. Unfortunately, this coincides with a monster trying to gain entrance to his house night after night.

There's obviously a few things the monster in this film represents, and I'll leave it to you to wonder if...

WARNING: spoilers below
...Abby returns, and if she does what this effect has on the monster.


After Midnight has some unexpected laughs and character development once the movie gets going which elevates it to a just passable level.

5/10



Victim of The Night
Haven't seen this in a long time but man was it a favorite when I was young.
And to say I had a huge crush on Jackie Bisset is the understatement of the year.



Spiral (2021) -

The story is by the numbers, but not too bad. I mainly just wanted to see Chris Rock play a rugged horror protagonist. CR was good, but I can't disassociate that voice from his wide-eyed comedy. On the flip side, I can't help but root for him for the same reason. When the killer was giving his reasoning monologue, I just wanted to hear: WHATEVA HAPPENED TO CRAZY




Gohatto (1999)

Interesting film about the tensions that arise in an elite samurai training camp when a new recruit arrives. The new recruit is a very pretty boy and stirs a lot of suppressed homosexual feelings in the all-male environment. It's a canny wee tale about how the desire can reveal the worst in people.




DEEPSTAR SIX
(1989, Cunningham)
A film with the number 6 (Six, Sixth, etc.) in its title • A horror film



"We have no idea what type of marine life we're dealing with!"

DeepStar Six, the film, follows the crew that then has to deal with this creature, as well as dealing with their respective attitudes and agendas. The crew includes submarine pilot McBride (Greg Evigan) and love interest Joyce Collins (Nancy Everhard). As for the rest, well, they don't matter that much because the plot is so predictable, that 10 minutes in, you can probably guess who's gonna live and who's gonna die, who's the hero and who's a weasel ($20 if you said Miguel Ferrer).

And that's the main issue with the film. There's a certain laziness to it that pretty much neuters any potential effect that the film could have. From its obvious rip-offs of Alien to the amount of stupid exposition and decisions that the characters make. To make matters worse, for a film that's plagued by such a stupid script and dumb characters, you would've thought they would decide to jump right into the nitty gritty, the kills and the gore; but director Sean S. Cunningham decides to spend a whole hour with the empty banter between the members of the crew before the sh-it hits the fan.

Grade:



Full review on my Movie Loot
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Originally Posted by Thief
DEEPSTAR SIX
(1989, Cunningham)
A film with the number 6 (Six, Sixth, etc.) in its title • A horror film
I like Deepstar Six a little more than you did, but I rank Leviathan above it since it's ever so slightly more fun. The Abyss, however, is the best "ragtag underwater researchers discover something dangerous" movie from that year.



Sorry if I'm rude but I'm right
愛情萬歲 [Vive l'amour] (1994) -
[REWATCH]



A couple of lose thoughts:
  • A Tsai Ming-liang film that I wasn't crazy about when I first watched it back in 2013 (that was already 8 years ago - are you kidding me?!). It's still not my favorite of his but I feel like I loved it much more this time around.
  • I remembered it as slower. I was surprised by how fast-paced it actually was. I kept wishing some scenes went on longer. The reason I'm not watching as many slow films anymore is that firstly, I've already seen all well-regarded ones, but also secondly, because they make me contemplate. Contemplating makes me forget to blink, and that consecutively makes my eyes sore after some time. I know this may sound weird but when watching a slow film I'm more focused than when watching a super fast-paced action film and I actually start... meditating? For lack of a better word. Doesn't happen with every slow film, just "good" ones.
  • Back in a day when I watched it for the first time I downrated a film if it didn't have what I called metaphysics. I still can't come up with a better word to describe it. Yeah, this film doesn't have it but I no longer decrease ratings for films that don't.
  • Tsai Ming-liang has some unfathomable fixation on water. It's not as visible in this particular film.
  • Tsai Ming-liang uses sex in a very interesting way. He's a naturalistic filmmaker and treats sex in a physical way, for what it is.
  • Tsai Ming-liang mixes humor and sadness in really unexpected ways. The scene with the couple having sex on the bed and the guy hid underneath the bed is as darkly comedic as it is sad. Once the guy gets out from under the bed we relearn how incredibly lonely he really is.
  • Tsai's fixation on sadness and loneliness is as exaggerated as anecdotally entitled. My friend from Taiwan points out that the Taiwanese are by no means as lonely and sad as Tsai portrays it, and that it's only his own feelings taking over his vision of the world. That's absolutely fine and a thing of an auteur so what gives.
  • I wish the final scene went on for 30 minutes.
  • I absolutely love how this is one of these movies that you cannot spoil. You can show somebody the final scene and then the person can go and watch the film and they won't feel like anything has been spoiled to them or that they lost anything by having seen the ending alone beforehand. Werckmeister Harmonies is another such film. I guess if an ending of your film can spoil the entire experience of watching it, then you're in trouble.
  • Pretty chill film with only some moments of sadness, more understood than felt. Apart from obvious displays of loneliness such as the suicide attempt, I'd say these people lived some pretty chill single lives. Why meet other people then? I'm afraid I'm asocial!!!
  • Yamada, Kino****a, Obayashi, et al ruined my perception of masterpieces and I subconsciously think that any film that didn't make me cry is inferior, which is wrong because whether it made you cry is only one element of what can make a film great, not to mention not all filmmakers even aim to make you cry, but oh well I've really grown fond of melodramas in the past couple of years.
  • It's been two days but I'm still thinking about this film. Doesn't happen very often. I kind of miss films that make you think a lot and films that leave a mark imprinted on your brain. Sure, some of the recent masterpieces I watched did that, too, but in a completely different way.
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I like Deepstar Six a little more than you did, but I rank Leviathan above it since it's ever so slightly more fun. The Abyss, however, is the best "ragtag underwater researchers discover something dangerous" movie from that year.
Ha! Somebody told me on Twitter "Don’t remember this one. But LEVIATHAN is where it’s at!" It qualifies for this month! (film that starts with K or L) so I'm strongly considering it to round up my underwater monster binge

I remember liking The Abyss, but I haven't seen it since the 90s. Should probably give it a shot too one of these days.



The Abyss is my favorite Cameron film, but I think the director's cut is a massive improvement over the theatrical cut. I generally feel like director's cuts don't add much to the original versions, but in this case, the DC felt like a magic wand and ironed out the flaws of the original cut. That's the version to watch if you're planning on revisiting it.
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Boldly going.
Real Steel (2011)
8.5/10

I gained an even better appreciation for this movie when I watched the DVD's special features. Sugar Ray Leonard trained Hugh Jackman in boxing, which in turn gave the movie's boxing some authenticity. They actually built scale-size robots for the movie, too, which enhanced the actor's reactions towards them and gave the animators a sense of what the robots should look like for the CGI that they did use. Real Steel is the whole package: it has character development, humour, action, a bit of romance and shows a lot of heart. I often watch this movie around Father's Day because of its relationship themes. Real Steel's definitely one of the most underrated movies of the past decade.

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The Truth (1960) -


I struggled with this one, I must admit. It's definitely well-made and I enjoyed quite a bit about it, but I had some difficulties with getting on board with the story, though I recognize my issue is more of a subjective thing.

Seeing Dominique get pushed around, mistreated, and abused throughout the entire film (with the exception of the first couple acts or so) made for an effective tragedy, I suppose, but it ultimately left me feeling worn down when I finished it. Not a film I'd be eager to revisit. With the exception of Dominique's lawyer seemingly caring for her - though the ending complicates that - it seemed to have bleakness baked into almost every scene (again, save for the opening couple acts). Of course, something like this isn't necessarily a flaw per se. It just made the film hard to watch since I generally don't do well with films where characters are hurt throughout long periods of time. As a comparison, The Whisperers from the 24th HoF was similar in how bleakness filled almost every scene, but its hopeful ending made it an easier film to watch.

Even though this film wasn't for me though, I did enjoy a few things about it. Most notably, how your opinion on Dominique and Gilbert changes throughout the film. Initially, I disliked Dominique since Gilbert and Annie suffered as a result of her free-spirited lifestyle. I also felt sorry for Gilbert since he was often pushed around by Dominique in the first couple acts of the film. I eventually hated Gilbert though once he grew emotionally abusive, while feeling sorry for Dominique since she was treated poorly by him. I found this shift interesting and I think the film found the right balance to make it work. Also, I haven't seen Bardot in many films, but I think she did a great job here. I found the emotions she showed throughout the film, especially in the courtroom scenes, quite convincing. Her final outburst in the courtroom, in particular, was terrific. This is definitely my favorite performance from her.

Overall, while I think this film is well-done, it isn't one I can see myself revisiting. Out of the three films I've seen so far from Clouzot (The Wages of Fear, Les Diaboliques, and this film), this one is my least favorite. Regardless though, I'm still glad I watched it.



I forgot the opening line.

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47178660

Marguerite - (2015) - France/Czech Republic/Belgium

This was a hoot. A funny, touching film about Marguerite Dumont (I'll say more about the true inspiration for the film later) and her attempts to launch a singing career, despite being perhaps the worst singer in all humanity. Not helping the wealthy Dumont is the crowd of hangers-on who insist her singing is marvelous, thereby convincing her she's one of the greats. Hearing Catherine Frot sing as Marguerite is perhaps one of the funniest things I've come across this year :



Adding more pathos to this 1920s drama are an artist who uses her singing to make a point, a journalist who writes an ironic column which is duly delivered to Marguerite and reinforces her delusions and her husband who is afraid of what will happen when the truth finally dawns on her. The film was inspired by Florence Foster Jenkins, and in 2016 a British/French film called Florence Foster Jenkins was produced starring Meryl Streep (who was nominated for Best Actress at the 2017 Academy Awards for playing Florence.) I really want to see that now, but fear it won't be as good as Marguerite.

7/10


By Warner Bros. - http://screenrant.com/wp-content/upl...-the-gifts.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50996877

The Girl with All the Gifts - (2016)

Another Zombie movie, this time ripping off 2013 Video Game The Last of Us. I could imagine for those who have never played through the game this film might seem quite innovative. I Am Legend also seems to be an influence, as some of the next generation zombies in this are half-human, and see people who are fully human as the monsters. Glenn Close plays the scientist who wants to dissect young Melanie (Sennia Nanua) to try and find a vaccine.

The plague in this world is caused by fungus and spores, and the zombies eventually reach a plant stage where thousands of spore pods are awaiting opening - and the end of the human race. The make-up and locations (some filming was done in Pripyat - the abandoned town in Ukraine close to the Chernobyl power plant) - they all look good, but I could never forgive the derivative plot and lazy screenplay.

3/10





In The Heights (2021)

The most controversial film of the year...well not really because everyone involved is so very sorry that they didn't have enough black people in the story. Well except for Benny who is black but he's not black latino and that's wrong because...telling a story about Dominican's in Washington Heights needed to have more darker brown people.

Y'know back in my day we allowed artists to tell their stories without needed to fill out some check lists to make everyone happy. That doesn't seem to exist anymore, and frankly any time In the Heights enters the political arena or moves towards Benny's story the plot stutters and my eyes roll. This is an average musical with no songs I'll remember a month from now. It's anchored by some very strong work from Anthony Ramos, Leslie Grace and Melissa Barrera. Sadly the Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Dominican actors are to "light skinned" so the film has failed to some people.

The film runs two and a half hours and it has a number of high spots. Theirs a particular song/performance by Olga Merediz and somes scenes with Jimmy Smits that should get Oscar attention. This is likely the best work of Smits career I'm a little bummed that we didn't get more from him and his relationship with his daughter because that's the stuff that really hits home. The idea of staying, succeeding and living in New York is a powerful idea..it's not gone into enough.






By Warner Bros. - http://screenrant.com/wp-content/upl...-the-gifts.jpg, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=50996877

The Girl with All the Gifts - (2016)

Another Zombie movie, this time ripping off 2013 Video Game The Last of Us. I could imagine for those who have never played through the game this film might seem quite innovative. I Am Legend also seems to be an influence, as some of the next generation zombies in this are half-human, and see people who are fully human as the monsters. Glenn Close plays the scientist who wants to dissect young Melanie (Sennia Nanua) to try and find a vaccine.

The plague in this world is caused by fungus and spores, and the zombies eventually reach a plant stage where thousands of spore pods are awaiting opening - and the end of the human race. The make-up and locations (some filming was done in Pripyat - the abandoned town in Ukraine close to the Chernobyl power plant) - they all look good, but I could never forgive the derivative plot and lazy screenplay.

3/10

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gi..._All_the_Gifts


I don't know if it was a ripoff but the source material came out in 2013