Monday, July 31, 2017
Thursday, July 27, 2017
Letterboxd Showdown: My Favourite Zombie Movies
No order to it, I just really like my Zombie genre. All these movies to me are recommended to watch or rewatch.
I excluded the original Dawn of the Dead because I have to rewatch that before I can give it a verdict. Also it's gonna be on every other list anyway...
- Dawn of the Dead
- Shaun of the Dead
- Night of the Living Dead
- Night of the Living Dead
- The Return of the Living Dead
- Cemetery Man
- Braindead
- Train to Busan
- Maggie
- Dead Snow
...plus 8 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, 1980 - ★★★½
I really really liked this. It's not so much about him actually eating the shoe, but about why he eats it. He explains the reason, and it's kind of more than you'd expect from a movie with this title.
Monday, July 24, 2017
Koyaanisqatsi, 1982 - ★★★★
I just waited for Neil Flynn to walk by, giving me the evil eye!
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, 1958 - ★★★★★
Sometimes you have no special effects. You have no extraordinaire sets. All you have is great actors. And sometimes, that's all you need.
So this is one of those "people sitting in a room/building for an hour and scream at each other" kind of movie. I generally like these movies because they are about dialogue and characters.
The whole dialogue in this movie is just so enjoyable. I couldn't keep my eyes from the movie, couldn't stop listening to what they had to say.
Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman were great in this. Especially for a 50s movie, they just felt real. I believe that they are a couple. That they went through things.
I also believe how they resolve their issues. It made sense. It felt real.
Every performance is great. And I like that the "sister woman", as they called her lovingly, was an actual shitty character that you love to hate, because with everyone else you really sympathize at one point.
I fully enjoyed this more than I would have expected. I enjoyed it so much that I'm actually rating it 5 out of 5 stars and a like. It's just great.
Superman, 1978 - ★★★½
I watched the directors cut of the movie.
This movie clearly has its charme.
Watching it, the special effects of the 70s weren't as good. The flying looked kind of weird. But even these flaws make this movie more charming.
Christopher Reeve was awesome as Superman and as Clark Kent both. You actually believe that people would never guess that Clark Kent is Superman.
These days every Superhero movie (especially DC) is dark or at least somehow realistic. So I really loved seeing Gene Hackman as just a bad guy, with a comedically evil plan.
I really enjoyed this movie for what it was. It wasn't the greatest movie ever. But the charme and the great acting is what made me enjoy this movie and actually be excited for the sequels.
I'm rating Superman 3.5 out of 5 stars and a like.
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Ed Wood, 1994 - ★★★★★
Ed Wood is just my happy place.
The movie might have flaws. Every movie has flaws. But in this case they don't matter to me at all.
I've always said that for me it's very important that there is some heart in the movie. That's why I can never get fully behind these big budget blockbuster reboots that are just made to make a profit.
In Ed Wood, you can clearly see and feel the love put into this movie by the filmmakers and actors. Johnny Depp fully disappears into this role, in this movie I don't see Johnny Depp, I see Ed Wood.
The same of course happens with Martin Landau who simply becomes Bela Lugosi. His death that was overshadowed by Romero dying on the same day, was the reason I decided to rewatch this movie.
I've seen this movie before I've seen any of Edward D. Wood Jrs movies and I have to say it helped me appreciate those movies. Ed Wood was not in it for the money. He just loved making movies. Just like Burton clearly didn't make this artsy black and white Comedy about the worst director of all times to make money.
I just love everything about this movie and I could literally watch it all the time. I'm rating it 5 out of 5 stars and a like. Watch it if you haven't seen it yet.
Monday, July 17, 2017
Nerve, 2016 - ★★★½
Dave Franco is just really good at playing these characters that seem kinda interesting but also not trustworthy and creepy.
Nerve is about a new online game in which you have to fulfill dares to earn money and viewers. The shy wallflower Emma Roberts, who no one even wants to date, is turned into a rebel and daredevil thanks to that game.
Despite many obvious flaws, like Emma Roberts being the nerdy wallflower, or the games logistics, or those peoples phone batteries, I still enjoyed this movie.
You just have to not think about the games logistics, because I'm pretty sure this would be impossible to pull off, but see the rest of the movie. People dared to do crazy shit for followers and money.
I mean, that's pretty good social commentary. Just imagine it taking place in the future or like, if it was a movie from the 90s set in 2017. For them this might have made sense.
Still, the story and idea are fun and interesting, the characters feel real and not stupid, and it's visually well shot.
I enjoyed Nerve in the end, and I'm rating it 3.5 out of 5 stars and a like.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Friday, July 14, 2017
Tower XYZ, 2016
Let's get rid of the ghetto.
Let's get rid of the ghetto.
Let's get rid of the ghetto.
Saw II, 2005
I just wish there was at least one likeable character. Instead, you just want everyone to die a horrible, painful dead.
My favourite scene is when Jigsaw is beat up and has his fingers broken.
Saw, 2003 - ★★★½
Let's be real, I'd finance that movie if I had the money.
Also I love that this short was basically remade shot for shot as the "Amanda scenes" in the feature length movie.
Saw, 2004 - ★★★★
Lots of people hate on the franchise. "It's just torture porn". And for the follow-ups, that's basically true. But for the first Saw, directed by James Wan and written by Leigh Whannell, they are wrong.
It's the first feature length film of James Wan and you can see his masterful directing already. There are many great shots in this movie.
Also it's really more about the twists and turns than it is about torture. And it didn't start a franchise out of thin air. With almost no budget and just a great story they managed to have an intriguing mystery, making you watch and be interested.
You might not like this movie. But just saying "it's some torture porn crap" is bullshit, it's one of the most influential horror movies we got in the last 20 years.
Train to Busan, 2016 - ★★★★½
One of the best Zombie movies of this decade so far. There are 3 more years left, but I'm not sure much better Zombie movies will come out.
Bokeh, 2017 - ★★★★
Iceland is just stunningly beautiful.
When a couple makes a trip to Iceland, one morning they realise everyone is gone. Not a single human seems to be left in the whole world.
I really loved this movie. The two leads, Maika Monroe and Matt O'Leary, work together perfectly. Their relationship feels real.
The story is deep and scary on a whole different level.
Just fyi, the reason for the people disappearing is not given, so if you want answers, this is the wrong movie. It's all about reaction. It's not about people disappearing. It's about those who didn't disappear and what they would do.
4 out of 5 stars and a like.
Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, 2016 - ★★★★
I'm sorry, but I'm just a Tim Burton apologist. I love all his movies and while I see what people don't like about his more recent work, I really liked Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.
After Big Eyes was pretty realistic, set in a normal world, I was happy to hear about this movie. It's a new fantasy world with lots of creativity.
I'm sure it has problems. No movie's perfect. But for me this was once again just a trip to a different world. The characters are fun, it's kind of like X-Men, but with children. I was a bit confused by the loops, but in the end it all made sense.
Visually the movie was great, I loved the effects and that it was kind of scary in some parts.
I'm rating this movie 4 out of 5 stars and a like.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Down by Law, 1986 - ★★★★
You can hear my thoughts on Down by Law on the upcoming Episode of the Filmhaus Podcast (Episode 7).
I was really surprised by this movie as I knew nothing going in. I think it's a fun buddy movie. Most importantly, it felt more real than most movies I've seen before.
Night of the Living Dead, 1990 - ★★★½
I'm usually not a fan of Remakes. They often feel unnecessary and like a quick cashgrab. In this instant I was actually intrigued though. A horror movie directed by Tom Savini, starring Tony Todd. Also we know Savini worked with Romero and has his blessing.
The story is not that different from the original. The biggest change is probably the role of Barbara, who is actually Bad-Ass in this story, while she is mostly silent in fear of the Zombies.
Of course the gore is ramped up with great practical effects as you'd expect. Gore was never a big thing in the original movie, but it certainly adds to the story.
The casting is kind of interesting, with Tony Todd being the lead and star of this movie, closely followed by Patricia Tallman and Tom Towles, all stars who you don't really hear of. Also barely more than a cameo appearance by Bill Mosely, who later rose to fame thanks to Rob Zombie.
In the end I really enjoyed the movie, it's not better than the original, but it's a remake worth seing. Also I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I prefer the original ending to what Savini chose.
I'm rating this movie 3.5 out of 5 stars and a like.
Monday, July 10, 2017
The Shining, 1980 - ★★★★★
Rewatched the Shining for the next episode of the Filmhaus Podcast, where you'll soon be able to hear more of my thoughts on it.
It's really a masterpiece, one of the greatest movies ever made, and one of the scariest horror movies I have ever seen. What more is there to say about it? Everyone should see it, asap.
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, 1965
I watched this movie as a random pick of my 1001 movies you have to see before you die book. I knew almost nothing about it, just that it was an exploitation movie, and that it looked cheap.
I didn't expect an actually interesting story that somehow managed to keep me wondering what was going to happen. I didn't expect actual characters that might not go as deep as you wish, but at least they are not completely flat but instead interesting.
All in all I really enjoyed this more than I would have guessed and I could clearly see the influence it had on other movies.
Also the short runtime of 83 minutes really helped.
Easy A, 2010 - ★★★★
This might end up being the Clueless or mean girls of that Generation. At least it's the only High School comedy I remember coming out recently (not counting Superbad because that's not really about life in a High School).
It's a fun movie, even though it's much more raunchy than the predecessors, I enjoyed that very much.
Also you can't go wrong with Emma Stone as the leading girl.
Friday, July 7, 2017
Monday, July 3, 2017
White Chicks, 2004 - ★★★
I mean this is not a masterpiece. And it has no right to be as funny as it is. But to be honest I had a great time.
While it is stupid as hell it still manages to be charming and funny, making me laugh out loud multiple times.
The biggest reason this is so funny is Terry Crews who is one of the funniest actors gracing this earth right now.
So while it's pretty stupid it manages to make me keep watching and have a fun time and actually recommend it to people who've never seen it. It's just a fun time.
That's why I'm rating it 3 out of 5 stars and a like.
Sunday, July 2, 2017
Saturday, July 1, 2017
Wrong, 2012 - ★★★★
Opening shot: a firefighter kneels down to shit on the ground. In the backround we see more firefighters chilling. Moving the camera, we see a burning car. Queue titlecard. "Wrong". Cut to the alarm clock, showing 7:59. We wait... clock moves... 7:60.
If you've seen "Rubber" and liked it, you'll be in for a treat! It almost felt like "Being John Malkovich" from how weird everyone acts and reacts.
It's the story of a loving dog owner, whose dog goes missing. Of course he wants to get it back.
But that's just a setup for director Depieux to lead us into a world weirder than anything imaginable. While usually we get at least some straight man to help us grasp what's happening, even our straight man, portrait by Jack Plotnick, goes to work at a place he's been fired from years ago.
It's absurdist, but everything that happens makes sense... in the world it's set in.
To all the fun we're having add some of the most beautiful cinematography you'll find in indie cinema today and just have a great time.
4 out of 5 stars and a like from me.