A few reviews

[ArtisDead]

Eyes Wide Shut The Eyepainter Edit

I have always loved most Kubrick films. A Clockwork Orange became one of my favorite movies as a kid when I snagged the video disc (the ones that look like records not big cds) from one of my parent's video disc rental stores. 2001 changed my entire outlook on SF films when I was a kid. I was that nerd who ducked his head in the Star Wars crowd because I liked Kubrick more than Lucas.

That being said, I was immediately drawn to Eyes Wide Shut when it was released. I couldn't fathom Top Gun Tom and his trophy wife in a Kubrick film.

I was surprised, neither were bad and seemed entirely in their element playing surreal characters.

When my friend, @Eyepainter first announced that they were going to put their spin on this Kubrick classic, his last dance before the big one, I was curious?

The length of time that it took to finish the commentary track made me almost forget about the edit. The controversy surrounding the nudity in the art that I did for the edit kept me interested (the original uncensored art is a bonus included in the download).

I'm not going to give the edit away but I will say that Eyepainter accomplished what they set out to do with this edit. It's top notch.

It seems a bit soft and a little grainy to me but that didn't take me out of it.

Excellent work, as always, my friend! See you in Gotham City!

 

[TM2YC]

Dune: Part One (2021)
This showed up on Amazon Prime so I fancied a pt.2-prep rewatch, having last seen it in the cinema 3-years ago. My opinion hasn't changed much. It looks epic in scope and the designs of the technology are awesome but the whole film is very bland visually and lacking in colour, everything is so grey and brown that you probably wouldn't guess it was supposed to take place on multiple planets, with multiple cultures, if the on-screen titles didn't tell you. Aside from the brief moments when Paul's "prophecy" theme comes in strongly, the Hans Zimmer score is close to wallpaper. Zendaya's constant presence every 10-minutes in a film she's not really in until the last scenes gets tiresome. Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet and Jason Momoa as Duncan are definitely my highlights casting wise but everybody is good. It's still amazing how little of the book is in this first part, it might be only 25% of the content, considering the generous 2.5-hour runtime. That's inexcusable given that the film drags in the middle and has a nothing ending. With 'Part Two' now in the bag (which was not even confirmed last time I saw this) I'm excited to wait for the inevitable 1-film fanedits that will put the two parts together and sort out the structural and pacing problems and make this into what will probably be a total 'Dune' masterpiece!

 

[asterixsmeagol]

I did enjoy Part 1, and I'll probably re-watch it again a few days before Part 2, but I wouldn't want to do a back-to-back viewing. Seeing both parts as the "extended" edition, I'd also like to see a condensed 2-in-1.

 

[TM2YC]

Ride with the Devil (1999)
Given the pistol-popping poster and title, I quickly overcame my disappointment upon pressing play, that this was not an action-packed Western but a sombre American Civil War epic. Sleet Ulrich was distracting because with long hair and similar beard, he looks 95% identical to Johnny Depp. I imagine some might find the script directionless but I was engrossed by the way it meanders with no guarantees where it's going, or which characters we are going to be in the company of by the end. Such is the chaotic nature of this brutal conflict, where nobody is wholly noble, or ignoble and there is no completely right side to be on. Ang Lee can turn his hand to any genre.

 

[TM2YC]

Melancholia (2011)
I saw this described as the story of "two sisters" which left me a little confused for the first half, as it only follows one sister but then of course it switches over to the other. I became less interested at that point, Charlotte Gainsbourg gives a fine performance but it's nothing compared to the mesmerising turn from Kirsten Dunst in part 1. The first half is also very funny, farcical and filled with fascinating supporting characters played by incredible actors like John Hurt and Stellan Skarsgard. Some might take issue with plot holes and the scientific logic of the apocalyptic premise but it didn't bother me, this is simply what is happening, accept it and see how the troubled characters deal with it, in their own ways. Some of the imagery is beautiful, dreamlike/nightmarish and unforgettable. It's probably wise to avoid any spoilers.

 

[TM2YC]

Oppenheimer (2023)
Like with 'Interstellar' and 'Dunkirk' I made a 4-hour round trip (and a day off work) just to see 'Oppenheimer' in IMAX 70mm and as before, it was worth it. Reclining in the seat and feeling the screen envelope you with blistering detail, while the vibrations of the bass shake the seating from the back through to the front of the theatre really added to experiencing the age of atomic power. The sound mix was fantastic. The script is a perfect fusion of a powerful and personal biopic of the man and a dramatisation of the excitement of the scientific discoveries. Unlike 1989's similar 'Fat Man and Little Boy' which felt derailed by showing the inconsequential lives of the characters outside of Los Alamos, 'Oppenheimer's pace was driven by the title character's eventful personal life. This would make a great quadruple bill with 'The Aviator', 'Citizen Kane' and 'Amadeus'. The huge cast were faultless, Cillian Murphy was of course outstanding but I was particularly impressed with the actor who played his friend Rabi, David Krumholtz. I can't recall seeing him in anything before, please cast him in everything from now on please Hollywood. This also reminded me how great Josh Hartnett can be and I'm always happy to see 'Dredd' co-star Olivia Thirlby on screen. The one niggle I had with the film was the score, when it works it works but when it's trying way too hard to amp up a simple dialogue scene, it really pulled me out of the film.

 

[mnkykungfu]

in IMAX 70mm and as before, it was worth it. Reclining in the seat and feeling the screen envelope you with blistering detail, while the vibrations of the bass shake the seating from the back through to the front of the theatre really added to experiencing the age of atomic power. The sound mix was fantastic.

^I know a ton of people complained about the soundmix in TEN3T, and I'd heard that Nolan's defense of it was that it was mixed for IMAX theaters and that you didn't get the proper experience if you watched it elsewhere. Sounds a bit pretentious and auteur-y, but I'll give him the benefit of doubt. Seems that he found a happy medium with Oppenheimer now though, since I haven't heard any similar complaints from normal theater-goers.

 

[TM2YC]

^I know a ton of people complained about the soundmix in TEN3T, and I'd heard that Nolan's defense of it was that it was mixed for IMAX theaters and that you didn't get the proper experience if you watched it elsewhere. Sounds a bit pretentious and auteur-y, but I'll give him the benefit of doubt. Seems that he found a happy medium with Oppenheimer now though, since I haven't heard any similar complaints from normal theater-goers.

Yeah a few lines of important exposition dialogue in the first opera scene in 'Tenet' were near impossible to hear (at the cinema and at home) but I wasn't able to see that one in IMAX to say if it was any different. Nolan has said prior to 'Tenet' that he intentionally mixes it so we have to strain a little to hear dialogue at points of heightened drama. Some might disagree with that choice but it's not by accident, he just took it too far on 'Tenet' in places IMO. 'Oppenheimer' does the loud thing again but not to excess. Considering how few places can show his films in IMAX 70mm, I imagine he's able to exert a high degree of control over how they are shown and mixed. Where as for the most part it's going to be digital theatres where you're just lucky if they show the film the right way up . That might explain why if he's fine tuned the audio just so, it sometimes plays less well in multiplexes that he has no control over.

I just got back from seeing it again and while the sound was significantly less punchy than the IMAX setup, the overall mix was just as good...

Oppenheimer (2023)
I went to see 'Oppenheimer' again in vanilla digital scope and I liked it even more. The score worked so well for me on the second viewing, only the climactic end to the two interrogation scenes felt overcooked score wise. The best scene (I got goosebumps both times) is when Oppenheimer is receiving applause for his achievement and it starts to morph into the screams of the dying. This is enhanced by knowing the drumming of feet from the scene is mixed in all the way through the film. I don't know if it was intentional or just me reading it into the scene but I thought the people crouched on mattresses during the trinity test looked like prayer mats turned to Mecca and away from the "unholy" thing behind them. Then this is contrasted by others watching intently from vehicles like it's a drive-in movie, showing the dual horror/fascination of the bomb. I'm bumping this up from 4.5 stars, to a straight 5 out of 5.

It might just be me but... The opening notes of the score (while the film logos are still on screen) reminded me of 'Turn the Page' by The Streets:

and the strings during the black and white scene round the table with the flowers was just like those in Madonna's Bond theme:

---

Brokeback Mountain (2005)
I'd seen the second half of this before, years ago, so I knew how it would end for the "star crossed" lovers but the film feels like it was heading in that direction anyway. It was a big deal 18-years ago that a queer movie would be a mainstream box-office smash. I'm not sure if Ang Lee assembled a young all-star cast for this one, or if the success of this movie made everyone in it a star. Jake Gyllenhaal is perfect but despite Heath Ledger's excellent and moving overall performance, I was distracted by the mumbling "I'm a cowboy" voice he goes with. It's clever the way the film is able to skip forward across 20-years, with whole chapters of the two character's lives happening between a cut, without ever feeling like we missed anything we needed to see.

 

[asterixsmeagol]

I'd heard that Nolan's defense of it was that it was mixed for IMAX theaters and that you didn't get the proper experience if you watched it elsewhere. Sounds a bit pretentious and auteur-y, but I'll give him the benefit of doubt.

Even if that's true, it just means that they should have produced a different audio mix for the vast majority of non-IMAX screenings, or they should have required it only be shown in IMAX theaters. The fault still lies with the director, sound engineer, and studio for releasing it that way.

 

[TM2YC]

Some more SPOILER thoughts on 'Oppenheimer'...

I might have to watch it a third time to check but the movie has been rolling around in my brain and it occurred to me that the arc of the script and the arc of Cillian Murphy's performance is deliberately linear, although the structure is non-linear. So Cillian goes on a journey from confident/positive, to depressed/guilty (to put it in simplistic terms) but this flows over the out of sequence structure (but not to the point where it's immediately obvious, or unnatural). For example, the start and the end of the sequence where Oppenheimer meets Strauss and then Einstein by the lake, is at the start of the film, where Oppenheimer is upbeat, cocky and sweeping around "That's why I'm considering it!". We only see the middle of that scene, where he talks to Einstein about what he's unleashed on the world, towards the end of the movie, where his attitude is downbeat and world weary. Of course the two parts are first from Strauss' "black and white" perspective (who clearly views him as impious and arrogant) and then secondly Oppenheimer's "true" account of the meeting. Fascinating stuff!

 

[TM2YC]

Mad God (2021)
I was really looking forward to this, in fact it’s the reason I subscribed to Shudder for a month. ‘Mad God’ would be the best Metal music video ever, or a jaw-dropping, endlessly inventive stop-motion FX reel but as a full movie it’s pretty tiresome. The sheer inventiveness in every shot of Phil Tippett's oozy, violent, dystopian underworld vision will be enough for some but I need a vague nod towards a story, characters, or just some dialogue, to sustain 83-minutes. Even silent movies had inter-titles. I'm an extra bit down on this because I was praying for it to be over but it kept having these false endings "please be over, please be over... aaaggghh". It was a nice surprise to see Director Alex cox in a cameo though.

 

[mnkykungfu]

^Somebody should make a fan-edit of that, re-cut to match up to some later TOOL songs that never got videos.

 

[TM2YC]

I don't think I've seen any of these films before. The series was over long before I was old enough to watch them and I'm the sort of person that I can't watch just one of a thing, so it's taken a while for me to decide to sit down and watch all 10-12...

Friday the 13th (1980)
I enjoyed this much more than I would have if I hadn't already known who the killer was beforehand. I know it would have made me indescribably angry if I'd spent an hour trying to work out which of the suspects was the killer, only to be told it's this other character the film forgot to mention before. This first 'Friday the 13th' entry is much as I thought it would be, a cheapo slasher which you have to get out of the way to get to the later more distinctive films in the series. Although parts of Harry Manfredini's score are derivative of Bernard Herrmann's 'Psycho', other parts are fantastically original.

---

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
More than double the budget allows this sequel to feature a noticeably glossier line-up of babes and hunks to get slashed. I quite enjoyed the bluntly efficient way this film goes for kill after kill, with just enough plot and characterisation to string them together. It's not quite the iconic Jason yet but it's getting there.

---

Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
A fair amount of unintended fun can be had with laughing at the bizarre 3D moments, when viewed in 2D 41-years later. A spear gun bolt shooting out of the screen, or an eyeball popping work but more frequently it's just random objects being held out for far too long. The varied selection of endearing quirky characters (with actual personalities) are more memorable than the interchangeable groups of teenagers from the first two parts. The hockey mask finally makes it's appearance and looks so iconic. The funky synth main title theme is almost up there with a Goblin track.

 

[Moe_Syzlak]

Wait what was Jason wearing in part two if no hockey mask? I’ve seen the first one and won’t spoil it for those who haven’t (since you didn’t), but I don’t think I’ve ever seen part two.

 

[TM2YC]

Wait what was Jason wearing in part two if no hockey mask? I’ve seen the first one and won’t spoil it for those who haven’t (since you didn’t), but I don’t think I’ve ever seen part two.

Not really a spoiler because he's just wearing it for no reason when he appears but in Pt2 Jason is cosplaying as the killer from this 1976 proto-slasher:

 

[asterixsmeagol]

I don't think I've seen any of these films before. The series was over long before I was old enough to watch them and I'm the sort of person that I can't watch just one of a thing, so it's taken a while for me to decide to sit down and watch all 10-12...

Friday the 13th (1980)
I enjoyed this much more than I would have if I hadn't already known who the killer was beforehand. I know it would have made me indescribably angry if I'd spent an hour trying to work out which of the suspects was the killer, only to be told it's this other character the film forgot to mention before. This first 'Friday the 13th' entry is much as I thought it would be, a cheapo slasher which you have to get out of the way to get to the later more distinctive films in the series. Although parts of Harry Manfredini's score are derivative of Bernard Herrmann's 'Psycho', other parts are fantastically original.

Friday the 13th Part 2 (1981)
More than double the budget allows this sequel to feature a noticeably glossier line-up of babes and hunks to get slashed. I quite enjoyed the bluntly efficient way this film goes for kill after kill, with just enough plot and characterisation to string them together. It's not quite the iconic Jason yet but it's getting there.

Friday the 13th Part III (1982)
A fair amount of unintended fun can be had with laughing at the bizarre 3D moments, when viewed in 2D 41-years later. A spear gun bolt shooting out of the screen, or an eyeball popping work but more frequently it's just random objects being held out for far too long. The varied selection of endearing quirky characters (with actual personalities) are more memorable than the interchangeable groups of teenagers from the first two parts. The hockey mask finally makes it's appearance and looks so iconic. The funky synth main title theme is almost up there with a Goblin track.

I watched all of the Friday the 13th movies in October 2020 (along with Halloween and A Nightmare on Elm Street). Here are my (very) brief reviews of each of them. Follow the link if you're interested in my thoughts on the rest of the 31-movie binge.

Friday the 13th (1980)
Not great, but it sets up a good story and I love that the murderer is just an old woman in a sweater.

Friday the 13th, Part II (1981)
I actually like this one better than the original. The acting is better and the characters feel more three-dimensional (for a slasher movie at least).

Friday the 13th, Part III (1982)
Probably the worst of these so far. Shelly straight up sucks, but at least he provided the hockey mask. The biker gang was SUPER 80s. I hated them, but also loved them?

 

[TM2YC]

Creepshow 2 (1987)
I don't really like anthology horror films and this wasn't as good as the first one but it was entertaining enough for 92-minutes. I think I enjoyed the deliberately treacle-sweet old couple played by George Kennedy and Dorothy Lamour the most, even though that part has no horror, until young Holt McCallany (from 'Mindhunter') turns up in native American brown-face and blows them away. The bit where our "hero" gets rapey in the 2nd segment and Lois Chiles' constant unmotivated monologues to herself in the 3rd segment both felt misjudged.

 

[mnkykungfu]

Friday the 13th (1980)
I enjoyed this much more than I would have if I hadn't already known who the killer was beforehand. I know it would have made me indescribably angry if I'd spent an hour trying to work out which of the suspects was the killer, only to be told it's this other character the film forgot to mention before.

I'm pretty harsh on most Horror movies anyway, but I never watched this until about 10 years back when it was playing as the midnight movie on a cruise ship of all places. Talked my girlfriend into *finally* getting into these iconic films...only for her to fall asleep like 20 minutes in and me to wake her up in rage at the insult of an ending. "How the hell did that ever get a sequel?!" I kept saying, storming out of the converted aqua theater.

 

[TM2YC]

Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984)
An all-round step up in quality for the series. More inventive practical FX kills (thanks to the return of the master Tom Savini), more style to the camera work and more sex and nudity too (and for once the guys strip off too). Crispin Glover and Corey Feldman add a touch of class on the acting front. Unlike the previous three movies, this time there is a genuine sense of uncertainty as to who will survive.

 

[TM2YC]

Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1984)
I knew this had the reputation for being a misfire but I thought it was the best one so far. I loved it's trashy sensibility and goofy sense of humour. Any film where a crazy potty-mouthed old lady looks at the camera and shouts "You big d*ldo, eat your f**king slop!" is a winner in my book. It's got a proper suspect-filled whodunnit misdirection structure (delivering on what the 1st movie totally failed to do), which makes full use of the previous film's ambiguous cliffhanger ending. The central characters are well rounded and engaging and it's got a chainsaw vs machete duel to cap it off! The kills are maybe a little lacklustre after Part-4, most of them are "turn and look surprised at unseen attacker, grab, stab, repeat".