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Reviews
Charles Manson Superstar (1989)
Here it is. The definative documentary.
I must say, this documentary/interview is the purest most uncensored look into the mind of Charles Manson I have ever seen on film. I you are one who is seeking knowledge on this subject, I would recommend "The Family" by Ed Sanders (the definative book on the subject) and this film, which charts it's way through a good part of the history, myth, and reality of Manson. Unfortunately, this video is a little hard to find. Check ebay or search whatever avenues you have to but check this one out.
The Dead Next Door (1989)
Why zombie movies hit an all time lull
Sometimes special effects that are really good for even a low budget studio movie can't save a low budget independant horror movie. When the acting is pathetic (even when you assume that's what they were shooting for) enough to make you embarrassed for the film-makers you know you are in for a bad stretch of film. This movie has so few positive qualities that I just can't say anymore.
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
be careful what you seek...
Ok, here's my two cents. I've probably seen thousands of horror movies and made a couple of my own so I feel a little qualified to comment on this one. I loved it. Original and scary. The tension builds in a smooth crescendo until the final five or ten minutes when it becomes so high that the theater is permeated with it. Everyone on the edge of their seats. As usual, ignore the hype and just see it. I think this would have been way cooler had I just discovered it on the shelf at a video store with a layer of dust on it. But then these folks who made it wouldn't be getting paid what the certainly deserve for kicking Big Hollywood in the ass. This is a wake-up call. CGI is not scary!!!!! Try some originality!!! Alot of people who like this movie have said it's a refreshing break from the resurgence of splatter films we are experiencing. What resurgence? Along with all the campy splatter/slasher movies of the seventies and eighties there were some real gems. Argento, Soavi, Romero, and even John Carpenter defined horror in those days. The Blair Witch Project should not be compared to those kinds of films. That's just not what it is. It's a little closer to Polanski's "Repulsion" or something. A thriller not a splatter. I heard people walking out of the theater after the show I saw lamenting that no one "got their arm ripped off". That's a shame. I'm just waiting for Warner Bros. and the rest of them to try to make $50 million look like $5,000. That will be hilarious! Jan Du Bont with a palmcorder! Ha, ha, ha!!!
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
Despite the hype, for and against, Ep. I squeaks by to it's rightful place.
Well, it's finally over. The anticipation for Episode I has broken and all I heard beforehand was how horrible it was from reviewers. Only proving I usually don't agree with critics. They said it was too busy, Lucas had lost it, even kids would hate it, etc..I'll only comment briefly as I am sure this forum will be swamped if it's not already. Too busy? How can you be too busy with SW visuals? We've waited for this for 15 years I would have hoped it would be jam packed with new creatures, action, subtle references, and hitherto unseen technology. And it is. Lucas lost it? Well, sometimes the dialogue was awkward, and he does seem a little rusty but wasn't it a little akward in the original at times? It's always been a simple fairy tale story and this one is too. Yea, Jar Jar is annoying and so is that two headed guy at the pod race. But you can look over that if you try. Liam Neeson is very convincing as is Ray Park as Darth Maul. It could have survived with about three less poop jokes, too. But who's counting? It's Star Wars! And it's still the greatest show on earth no matter how much the media tried to ruin it for us.
Dark City (1998)
Lovecraft and Pinhead in souped up spaceship with a Bladerunner on their tale.
Dark City is one of those movies where you see the trailer and think "great imagery, awesome sets, good actors, big budget...Mmmmmmm. There is no way it's going to live up to this (i.e. The Crow)". But it does. This is a movie with tremendous power. Power to make you think. An original script. In the same sort of chew your reality up and spit it on the floor genre as Lost Highway or more recently The Matrix. I can't say enough about the atmosphere and the way it all comes together. Costumes, sets, music, actors(I was suprised and delighted to see Richard O'Brien looking as gaunt and creepy as ever). This movie will silently go down in history as one of the best sci-fi horror experiences that can be had. I see a Bladerunner/THX1138 kinda status for it in the future. A lot of control issues. Almost a cross between William Burroughs and H.P. Lovecraft. The lovecraftian elements being those that deal with the fragility of our minds clinging to a reality that's only as real as we think it is. Or as they want us to think it is. I'm waiting on another version to come out on DVD or video. A director's cut or something. Because that ending seems a little too Hollywood for the rest of the movie.
Tenebre (1982)
Rare top-notch horror
Being a fan of Argento's work it's kinda strange I hadn't seen Tenebrae until recently but I would have to rank it among not only his best but a cut above 90% of horror out there. Argento has always had a knack for making a movie that is as much suspense as splatter and Tenebrae is certainly no exception. Ok, so some of the acting is cheesy. Well, as usual with any horror or sci-fi film you must learn to suspend belief. And once you've got that down you can sit down to one of the most twisting turning shocking gruesome and yes, funny, movies of the whole damn genre.