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jasonwtx
Reviews
La guerre du feu (1981)
Interesting piece of nostalgia
I first saw this movie when the video came out. I guess I was probably 10. We all got someone's mom to rent it for us at a slumber party b/c we knew there was sex in it and she didn't. At that age, that was pretty much all we paid attention to between Cheetoes and Dr. Peppers. Heck, I was 10.
Saw it the other day for the first time since then. It is actually a pretty darn good movie. As others have said, the way it tells a story without any dialog is very well done. Certainly better than "Clan of the Cave Bear," but it is not for everyone.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)
Pretty Darn Good
I'm not going to write an essay here like some have chosen to do, but this is a good horror movie. It is not better than the original, but it is better than any other TCM up to this point. It has some pretty good acting and the best part is that it is not campy. It really tries to convey that there is some bad stuff going down. If I had to complain about something it would be the editing. It is cut so fast that it is often hard to tell what is going on at times. A worthy tribute, but I would have shot it with an old cheap camera to give it that old-school realistic look.
Gacy (2003)
Major Let Down
This film had the potential of being something absolutely terrifying. It deals with what is known to be the worst serial killer in U.S. history. The absolute perversion of John Wayne Gacy is horrific. Posing as Pogo the Clown to entertain little kids on one side and then committing homosexual torture rituals with a body count nearing 30 on the other. I don't think you could make a true to life movie about this guy with out it being rated NC-17. Maybe I was seeking out a slasher movie, I don't know, but the feel you get from this is a made for T.V. movie with the use of certain four letter word to get an "R" rating.
I'll echo a previous poster. The movie focuses much on the crawl space, the maggots, and the stink, and it never really scares you into understanding the grizzly actions of this person, and yes, the way the timeline is handled is just stupid.
I'll say the same thing I said about the movie "Speck" (about another serial killer). If you want to be scared, wait for "Great Crimes and Trials of the 20th Century" to re-air on PBS and for the Gacy episode. No blood, but you may have a hard time sleeping for a while.
3 out of 10 stars.
Speck (2002)
Feels like a made for TV movie.
Richard Speck was always one of the most scary true-life serial killers so I was hoping to be frightened by this picture.
It starts off with a warning saying that the film has been edited so it could gain an "R" rating. So I'm thinking this is going to be some nasty gore-fest.
If there was any gore, it was all edited out, and badly.
Richard Speck is one terrifying dude, but this film comes across as something you might see on UPN.
Wait for "Great Trials and Crimes of the 20th Century" to re-air on PBS and look for the Richard Speck segment. It will scare the pants off of you.
This is pretty bad
2/5 stars.
Communion (1989)
weird but scary
I guess different things haunt different people. This movie absolutely terrifies me. First off... I don't believe in aliens. That being said, the scene with the alien looking around the wall of Walken's house has been burned into my retina and I will never forget it. Nothing has kept me up at night like that since "The Excorcist."
Sure - there is bad stuff in this film, and Walken's character is almost too eccentric to take. But if you want a sit-alone-in-the-dark film that isn't Hollywood or hack/slash and will scare the snot out of you, give it a try.
Victory (1996)
About as close as you are going to get to the book.
"Victory" by Conrad is probably my favorite book of all time. So when I saw the bad reviews on IMDB, I was scared to watch it. It popped on cable the other day and I decided to give it a shot. First off, the casting is spectacular. Almost all characters are what I pictured in my mind reading the book. *ESPECIALLY* Sam Neill as Mr. Jones. I'm not sure why someone was complaining about the cinematography. It's not epic or anything, but it isn't bad. Set layouts were great as well, just as I had pictured from the book. Acting is great throughout. I'm not sure if one would like it though unless they are a fan of the book or a Conrad fan. It is a bit different. It is certainly not a Friday night joe-six pack with a pizza movie. But I thought it was great.
The Last House on the Left (1972)
Troubling at points, but not that scary.
Maybe part of it is was that I was born the year this film came out and have been desensitized to movie violence. Maybe it was because I've always "heard" about this film and how shocking it was. I just really didn't get a scare out of this. I'll admit that the rape scenes were disturbing, but all of the other violent scenes were pretty weak.
If you want a generally visceral film from the '70s - go rent The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Everyone remembers it as being more violent that it actually is b/c the way the shot is actually that disturbing.
Jacob's Ladder (1990)
Brilliant film. Questionable ending. *SPOILERS*
I am one of those people who cannot accept the ending of a film/book to be "left open to the reader" to figure out for themselves. Therefore I have to assume that the entire movie was in Jacob Singer's mind before he died. It took a couple of viewings for me to fully understand that, but once I did I felt cheated. It reminded me of that season of "Dallas" where the entire year turned out to be a dream.
I still think the film is done incredibly well and is super creepy. I think everyone should watch it. Just the whole aspect of saying the entire film never happened was pretty lame.
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
Beautifully sad...
I just saw this movie for this first time since I viewed it in in the theater back when it came out in 1990. I was 17 then and maybe really didn't appreciate it as much since there were no big explosions. This time around I saw it for what a truly beautiful and sad movie it is. Edward is menacing to look at at first, but Depp brings true childlike innocence to the character with his face. Watching the town turn on him is like watching a child being tormented. The relationship between him and Kim is touching to watch as it changes, as is how the end shows us how the town changed Edward.
I gave this movie 8/10. I probably would have given it 9/10 if it were not for the "Battle Royal" at the end. It seemed kinda shoe-horned in if you ask me. Didn't really seem to fit the theme of the rest of the movie. (I'm not talking about the prologue, that was cool).
Lastly, a lot of folks have commented on how all the houses are solid colors. Actually during the fifties many homes came close to that. The idea was that it made it easier to paint. Obviously Burton took it to another level, but just FYI.