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Last Film You Watched

get-your-coat-on said:
Saw they're bringing back The Thing to cinemas next month to celebrate it's 40th Anniversary.

Obviously had to watch it. Still an absolute stormer of a film. Hate to sound cliché, but they really don't make horror/sci fi like that anymore. Defo in my top 10.
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When cinemas re-opened after the pandemic but they industry was still a bit slow they showed The Thing in my local cinema.

I knew very little of the film but me and my pal thought it sounded like a decent film to go and watch stoned.

I was blown away. It’s incredible and the blood test scene is a masterclass.
 

dholliday said:
It's the practical fx that make those films special even 40 years later. CGI just doesn't cut it. See also 1986's The Fly, The Howling, American Werewolf in London, The Cage, Critters, Gremlins and many more.

well-made Practical FX are tangible...you can sense they're really there. With CGI i just feel like i'm watching a cartoon or computer-game cut-scene...not necessarily bad, can even be very good and effective. But practical-fx is where the really masterful work is done.


Another reason why these moody 80's creature-horror films are superior is pacing, dialogue, music and characters. Modern movies pack a ton of relationship baggage into the characters, have overblown formulaic orchestral scores, cringy shouty unlikeable dialogue and rush through scenes.



i'm a sucker for 70's synth musik...i wish more modern films used electronic scores.
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Yes, really nailed on the head there.

I think The Thing has one of the best opening sequences. The helicopter chasing the dog/wolf, trying desperately to shoot it. Ominous, bass heavy music pulsating with the chase. It's absolutely genius. You're only 1 minute in and you're like WTF is going on here?
Then as soon as we meet characters they're all extremely well defined, with purposeful dialogue. Love it.

Don't even get me started on how good the monsters are. Love the fact that the creature is always evolving with it's host - they got unbelievably creative with this.

Gonna watch it again tonight ?
 
get-your-coat-on said:
I think The Thing has one of the best opening sequences. The helicopter chasing the dog/wolf, trying desperately to shoot it. Ominous, bass heavy music pulsating with the chase. It's absolutely genius. You're only 1 minute in and you're like WTF is going on here?
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oh yeah so many modern fantastic-fiction films fail to grab you within the first scenes, yet many 70's/80's nailed it. See also Terminator, Star Wars and tons more.

get-your-coat-on said:
Then as soon as we meet characters they're all extremely well defined, with purposeful dialogue. Love it.
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aye, the characters are believable individuals. This is also what the first Alien did so well which the clichéd stereotypes of its sequels didn't (even Aliens already went with cliché rather than realistic characters).


Exception being a few of the found-footage horror films managed to paint realistic believable individuals, it was a return to that realist-style of acting we got from these classic movies.
 

dholliday said:
oh yeah so many modern fantastic-fiction films fail to grab you within the first scenes, yet many 70's/80's nailed it. See also Terminator, Star Wars and tons more.


aye, the characters are believable individuals. This is also what the first Alien did so well which the clichéd stereotypes of its sequels didn't (even Aliens already went with cliché rather than realistic characters).


Exception being a few of the found-footage horror films managed to paint realistic believable individuals, it was a return to that realist-style of acting we got from these classic movies.
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Scanners deserves a mention in this discussion.
 
Brett Angell Delight said:
Return of the Jedi. On a Star Wars binge with my kids at the moment. Sequel trilogy, Clone Wars and OWK to go. CBA with the other, spin-off animation shows.
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What's OWK?

Can't watch the 'Special' editions of RotJ. The CGI dancing aliens in Jabba's Palace are bad enough, but Vader's NOOOOOOOO! when Luke is getting zapped by the Emperor is unforgivable. Takes all the magical subtlety and suspense out of the scene.

The Despecialized editions are the way to go for the purist: HD-remaster but otherwise it's the original Original Trilogy. Even keeping the original Emperor scene in Empire Strikes Back: a good call as it turns out as the dialogue used by Ian McDiarmid's Emperor in that scene is too specific, feels very written rather than part of the organic scene.


That original-trilogy, minus Lucas's re-edits, are quality-wise a galaxy far far away from the other Star Wars films. They're genuine masterpieces of film. You can even forgive the inclusion of Ewoks in RotJ as the rest is so brilliant.

Prequels & Disney-era are nowhere near that immense film-making quality of those first three.


Brett Angell Delight said:
Hot take: Scanners is pretty boring.
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Excellent head-explosion effect, but agree the film itself is a barely-recommendable 6/10.


Brett Angell Delight said:
Hotter take: Scanner Cop >>>> Scanners
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Space Cop >>>> Scanner Cop
 
dholliday said:
What's OWK?

Can't watch the 'Special' editions of RotJ. The CGI dancing aliens in Jabba's Palace are bad enough, but Vader's NOOOOOOOO! when Luke is getting zapped by the Emperor is unforgivable. Takes all the magical subtlety and suspense out of the scene.

The Despecialized editions are the way to go for the purist: HD-remaster but otherwise it's the original Original Trilogy. Even keeping the original Emperor scene in Empire Strikes Back: a good call as it turns out as the dialogue used by Ian McDiarmid's Emperor in that scene is too specific, feels very written rather than part of the organic scene.


That original-trilogy, minus Lucas's re-edits, are quality-wise a galaxy far far away from the other Star Wars films. They're genuine masterpieces of film. You can even forgive the inclusion of Ewoks in RotJ as the rest is so brilliant.

Prequels & Disney-era are nowhere near that immense film-making quality of those first three.



Excellent head-explosion effect, but agree the film itself is a barely-recommendable 6/10.



Space Cop >>>> Scanner Cop
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Added to watchlist!

OWK = Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Couldn’t agree more about the remastered versions. It’s the Han/Greedo scene that does my box in most. Han was always supposed to be the reformed scoundrel; the “Greedo shot first” angle takes that away.
 
get-your-coat-on said:
Yes, really nailed on the head there.

I think The Thing has one of the best opening sequences. The helicopter chasing the dog/wolf, trying desperately to shoot it. Ominous, bass heavy music pulsating with the chase. It's absolutely genius. You're only 1 minute in and you're like WTF is going on here?
Then as soon as we meet characters they're all extremely well defined, with purposeful dialogue. Love it.

Don't even get me started on how good the monsters are. Love the fact that the creature is always evolving with it's host - they got unbelievably creative with this.

Gonna watch it again tonight ?
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Can't believe that film is 40 years old. Only seems like yesterday my young wife & I were watching it in the cinema with our jaws dropping at the incredible special effects, & hiding behind our tubs of popcorn at one of the many tense moments that the movie produced. Great era for horror films, thinking about Alien & American werewolf in London.
 

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