Well the movie only cost $15 million to make, which today is considered low budget, so it has a very good chance of making a profit. Enough people I think will go see it in the theater out of curiosity due to being an online reviewer or just simply a horror fan to where it can make that $15 million back. Only way I can see it not breaking even is if it's an Oogieloves situation where absolutely nobody is going to see it.

So I managed to a whole lot of JGL movies, thanks to some recommendations out here. Here are some thoughts.

Brick: I enjoyed this movie for that element of chaos in the writing and how the scenes were played out. I loved how the roles being played were actually meant to be played much older actors but the fact that they were just high school kids, made it interesting in a way. I don't know much about film noir but I felt that it did fit the genre. There were many subtly dark comedic moments, some good some just average. Anyway, I can probably see why people could be impatient and restless during the film...because of the structure of the script. Too chaotic I suppose.
Rating: 8/10

The Lookout: A pretty straight-forward story line with some good acting by JGL and Jeff Bridges. Without giving away too much of the plot, some of the scenes where the protagonist was utterly remorseful and how shit was being thrown at him in daily life felt very real and credible. JGL played his character's disability quite well.
Rating: 7/10

Mysterious Skin: I wouldn't describe this as overly pretentious, as darkeningday mentioned earlier...but I think this movie attempted to grapple itself with a big taboo-ed problem being faced around the world in people's basements so to speak. I'm not sure how the film was promoted at that time, whether it was positioned as an indie film or was it more mainstream. Anyway, the movie takes two kids (who turn into teens later on) on different journeys where they encounter sexual abuse and how impactful it was in their lives. The movie had an NC-17 rating primarily because of the content but nothing was explicitly shown to be frank. I wouldn't watch this movie again, but it was certainly a good watch.
Rating: 7.5/10

Hesher: This wasn't mentioned by FSM or Empyreal but a friend recommended it and boy did I love it the most from these movies. It was hilarious for the most part of it, while drama being the foundation of the movie. I think JGL played a great role as a vagabond destructive metalhead who forcibly starts staying with a family mourning the loss of a family member. At first sight of JGL in that attire, I was skeptical and thought to myself..."he couldn't be serious, looking like this" but a minute later, that was overlooked as the plot started to unfold. Rainn Wilson's acting was stupendous in the movie. He played his character perfectly in my opinion. The unexpected comedic moments courtesy the Hesher is what makes this movie memorable - his interactions with the kid, the grandmother, with Natalie Portman's. All in all, I loved it.
Rating: 8.5/10

It most likely will make more than 15 million and won't be a bomb but look at John Carter, most through word of mouth still think that was a bomb even though it made more than it's budget back, I still believed it until I researched it. Popular slander through the media or word of mouth can cause just as much a stir these days. What I'm saying isn't in the fine print, it's just a thought people should keep in mind when considering the future of Sam Raimi compared to someone like Peter Jackson.

A Serbian Film is one beautiful looking film, the sets and lighting are so good to look at that you almost forget how insane it becomes. It really fucks with your head and that's what I like about it, it's saying there are no moral boundaries and with that this is the result and consequence. It's as oppressive as hell and there's no relenting until the climax and even then it's not what you want. In dealing with extremely dark subject matter you can either use subtly or extremity, Saw and Hostel movies do it but the difference is it has a progressive self contained point, it shows the mental anguish in trying to deal with it, it's gratuitous and gross because it has to be to show the horrors man is capable of, we as the audience are supposed to feel outrage and disgust, not bloodlust or a dark sense of joy. The shocking thing is that A Serbian Film could have gone further, I think it dissuades viewers who seek out extreme cinema.

This is at the core of every Wes Anderson movie

And Moonrise Kingdom did a great job with that theme.

About A Serbian Film, it's a 10/10 movie for me. Besides the already said, you can even see the ending and the whole movie in a positive way, like 'people with bonds with/loves each other can overcome anything'. Even it makes you think about the whole pointless reasons why people argue, taking into account all they went thru and managed to stay together as a family.

I want to see Lynch's 'A Straight Story'. My wife won't see it, as she said she saw it and cried like a week.

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead: solid film with really good acting (but what else can be expected from the awesome Phillip Seymour Hoffman), really believable and logical twists, and stupendous nudity. I thought it was cool that they told the story through different perspectives in time without ever being disjointed. Quite a bleak movie overall. I woudn't have chosen that ending though. It fits within the context of the movie, but it felt like their could have been another scene afterwards.

watched the Lord of the rings trilogy for the first time straight after reading the books,the fighting scenes were better than the book ,but apart from maybe the orcs and a few other characters,the rest was a bit disappointing.I hate it how they always have to change heaps of stuff from the book.I know most of the time it is to make things work better,but i felt there was a lot of scenes that they did not necessarily have to delete or change.
Probably would have been a good kids fantasy movie,but after reading the book ,it kind of ruined it,i guess i just expected too much

yeah when they try and re-make those old splatter films it never works out.Even if it's an alright movie it never has that same 80's early ninety's feel.Cgi just cant beat those old rubber monsters

I'm on a Vincent Price marathon, and I just watched The Tingler. Damn, I can't believe how creative and original old horror movies used to be. It really opens your eyes to how dry, uninspired and downright boring the current industry is.

It also doesn't help that mummies, blobs, and shambling pots-and-pans robots aren't really scary to anyone anymore, so that limits what your horror movie villains can be.

yes,these day's have to turn to human centipede's and baby fucking,which isn't really even scary its just disturbing.

Speaking of the dry uninspired and downright boring industry, here's a list of movies TIME came out with to watch out for in 2013.
http://entertainment.time.com/2013/01/0 ... itely-not/

I didn't know they were rebooting the Die Hard franchise. Also, Stoker seems pretty gruesome (plot-wise) and it's directed by the guy who shot Oldboy. Good stuff.

Fair enough, but zombies don't scare anyone either anymore, yet they still seem to be all over the place. If their portrayal on the big screen can evolve to meet the scare-standards of the 21st century audience (and I am NOT implying that this is being done well), so can that of all other classic movie monsters, mummies included. Vampires too have become a parody of themselves, though understandably so since they've adapted to a different target audience. In any case, I was referring to original ideas. It seems that these days the only way a really original movie can be made is if it is produced independently, and even then it's usually original because it's just plain weird or over the top (perfect example: Don Coscarelli's John Dies At The End). Not to say that this kind of 'originality' can't make terrific films.

All I'm saying is that I watched The Tingler and I loved it because it was interesting and original. They don't make horror films like that anymore.

EDIT: I hope I don't come across as the pretentious nostalgic. I am 19 fucking years old. I think we all more or less agree on this subject, though. As for that list of upcoming movies, notice how one is a horror remake and the other is a teen zombie romance.

There's a lot of terrible stuff on that list. Also, I guess it's the year for scifi? I like scifi but Elysium is the only one that looks good.

Also, Django Unchained was a goddamn revelation.

Yup, terrible doesn't even begin to describe them. That's why I didn't bother to mention any of them. There are just too many poopy scifi movies with the same world apocalypse plot >_>

I think After Earth could be interesting, but the plot twist will be that Jaden's father turns out to be an alien, and the one with Tom Cruise, just eh. I like Tom Cruise. I think he's a great actor, but that movie seems a little too generic for me.

I know a lot of World War Z fans are very passionate about the novel and are both looking forward to and dreading the film adaptation. Competently written novels tend to make decent adaptations, so we'll see.

I find the ant-like wall of zombies to be both the most fascinating thing they could've done... and also the fucking dumbest.

Has anybody seen the 1992 Buffy The Vampire Slayer film? Interested in checking out more movies that on the surface, I may not like, and since I have zero interest in the t.v. series, (always seemed like kitschy teen shit), I figured the movie is a good way to go. Plus, Kristy Swanson is a total fucking babe.

Rutger Hauer and Peewee Herman play vampires in it. That should be all you need to know.


Honestly all of those things can be scary if they're handled properly (even pots-and-pants robots, see the first Tetsuo). The main problem is that horror has been relegated to a ghetto in the major film studios so practically no one with any real skill ever touches them these days. There are so few genuinely good horror movies to serve as role models that aspiring directors/screenwriters hardly ever try to write a serious horror film, instead going for the cheap jump-scare, lowest-common-denominator Halloween movie (the holiday, not the Carpenter film). It's a shame since there are just reams of great horror short stories out there that beg to be adapted. "My Work Is Not Yet Done" by Thomas Ligotti for example would work quite well, since it's rather simpler than most of his stuff and has a fair amount of action and gore (to make it marketable). Stephen King also has way better horror material than what has been adapted so far. It's just a shame since sci-fi has had tons of classy treatments, fantasy has finally crawled out of its ghetto thanks to LOTR, while horror is still full of endless Paraboring Activity sequels and brainless monster movies.

Saw a French movie called Rififi a few nights ago on TCM. It was a very good 50's crime movie about a guy who just got out of jail and his buddys want to rob a jewelry store so they do and other stuff happens which I won't share as not to spoil the ending. On paper the plot doesn't sound like anything super original and it wasn't extremely groundbreaking story-line wise but it was shot beautifully. The scene where they actually are robbing the store has no talking or music for close to a half hour but it still was interesting and suspenseful. I'd give the film as a whole a 4/5. Any other fans of the older black and white gangster movies or film noir on the board?

Isn't "The Stand'' getting made into a movie,directed by Ben Afleck?I know there's already been a mini series, but an updated full movie version could be good.
I know Joe Hill's (s.k's son) "Horns" is getting made into a movie which should be good,because the book was fucking awsome!



and crappy torture porn trying to out do saw....i think they are already re-making the first saw again too,for fux ache

Mom (1991) 3/5
There are reports of grizzy deaths of pregnant women across the country; now the incidents are starting to occur in Los Angeles. The attacks appear to be caused by an animal, though the police aren't ruling out homicide. An older lady rents out an extra room to a transient (Brion James) new to L.A. Her son gets weirded out by the relationship his mom has with the transient, so he follows her. After watching his mom kill and eat a vagrant, he gets angry and dispenses of the transient once he learns the transient has changed his mommy (through intercourse?) into a cannibal monster vampire/werewolf ghoul. Now the good son must care for his mother. Funny stuff sometimes, like when he brings his mom a hooker to eat. I cannot believe how terrible hair was at this time! Watch with My Mom's Werewolf, The 'Burbs, Parents, Serial Mom, and Meet the Applegates.

Zombiethon (1986) 3/5 {*}
A compilation of scenes from several zombie flicks. The clips for Zombi compromise like 20 minutes effectively giving us a mini-movie version for those too impatient to watch the entire film with the story and dialogue and all that fancy stuff. Also shown are parts of two early Nazi-zombie suck-fests, Zombie Lake and Oasis of the Zombies. Mostly unmemorable stuff except I now must seek out Astro-Zombies for sure.

TerrorVision (1986) 3.5/5 {*}
The man of the house damages the satellite dish as he is installing it, though it appears to be working fine at first. The extended family argues about what to watch as they flip through their new channels. They watch a porno together for a little bit (they are a rather porn-obsessed family), but the daughter wants to watch Alice Cooper. Later her boyfriend sports a WASP shirt; the father is not a fan of the "metal" look. Soon an alien invades through the TV. The alien consumes the grandpa and nearly kills the young boy. All this while the mom and dad are having a couple over for an orgy, with some great misunderstandings as to what is "Greek". (The kids even think they see grandpa joining in to make it a five-some!) Luckily, the alien is into metal and food so the kids are able to appease him for a bit as they seek help from an "Elvira"-type character, Medusa. Soon the boy and his sister battle the evil alien with their dead grandpa's arsenal from his Confederate flag-covered bomb shelter. Watch with Deadly Spawn.

Scarecrows (1988) 3/5
A team of paramilitary bank robbers steal millions of dollars from a military base, take hostages (one resembles Naomi Russel), and hijack a plane only to be double-crossed by one of their own. (The filmmakers did not use their budget for that part at all; that portion of the story is told through dialogue and background newscasts.) The double-crosser parachutes from the plane into a rural area with more than his share of the loot as the others give chase. Unfortunately, they happen upon a old house protected by evil scarecrows, and then they add to scarecrow population. The lone female member of the team does her best impersonation of Dr. Elsa Schneider at the end of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Some attempts at humor (cute dog munching on the corpse) and some genuine scares plus cool 80s gun play.

Waxwork (1988) 4.5/5 {*}
What starts out as a typical 80s college-age kids comedy, quickly becomes a gory horror story. A waxwork opens in a neighborhood (zoning laws?) and some oh-so-cool college kids decide to pay the place a visit one night. Not all return so a police officer investigates. Not happy with the lack of progress in the investigation, a couple of the kids head back to museum to snoop around. Once one crosses the threshold of the display you enter its horrifying reality. Very good, all the elements I love in a film!

Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) 4/5 {*}
Sequel to the fabulously fantastical 1988 film, this starts where the previous ended. A murderous hand (ala Evil Dead 2) survives the inferno and goes on to spray mustard in a gal's face (oh, and kill her daddy). Opening a time-portal, the two surviving kids travel from one time-place to another. Basically the same premise as the first film, with a different framing story. A number of hilariously graphic events befall them in these alternate realities which include send-ups to Dawn of the Dead, The Raven, Alien, Frankenstein, Jack the Ripper, Godzilla, Nosferatu, and several others. Some are better than others with a few dragging on. Bruce Campbell and David Caradine both star (guess the director got them from his previous film Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat)! With its comedy and gore, this is a sequel as good as its predecessor in almost every way!

Barbarella (1968) 1.5/5
Hanoi Jane is travelling through space. She crash lands only to be attacked by the planet's inhabitants. When she is rescued she offers sex in exchange for the guy fixing her space ship. Then some stupid shit happens. Then she has sex with a guy with wings who saves her. The some more stupid shit happens. Then then the evil queen wants a taste. Then she gets put in an orgasm-machine which will kill her. More silly than sexy, actually more stupid than either. For fans of the equally-sucky Flash Gordon (1980). Jane's costumes are TITillating.

After Porn (2010) 4/5 {*}
A documentary which shows where a handful of ex-porn stars have ended up after that career ends. Discussed are how they ended up in porn and why they got out as well elaborating on other parts of their life. A wide spectrum of personalities here with some totally rejecting their past (Crissy Moran is an anti-porn Christian activist, Houston has lost jobs as well as the respect of her daughter because of her past, and Roxy runs an anti-porn organization) yet others embracing it (Nina Hartley still is a major figure in the business). Some have started new careers (Tyffany Million is a bounty hunter and Mary Carey is a reality TV star; super-hot Raylene who talks of how her son saved her from that life must not have succeeded in real estate because she is back making movies as is Seka - the last two bits of info I have garnered through my own "research"). Others are completely retired (Asia Carrera is a single mom who moved to a small Utah town for its conservative-values). Also interviewed are the children of the "stars" as well as some directors, producers, writers, etc from the business. Most say they are happy with the decisions they have made, yet Luke Ford rightly points out no one really knows what torment goes on in another's head. A great point made is that "X is forever", these people can never escape their work because porn is so ingrained in our society. The Jewish influence in porn is extremely evident throughout this film. Pretty interesting.

Oscar nominations are out. I'm glad to see Silver Linings Playbook got so many nominations, it's a great film; possibly my favorite this whole year. De Niro easily deserves the best supporting actor nod.

I'm a little late to know about this but here's something for all you closet romantics - 'Before Midnight' is slated to be released sometime early this year. I enjoyed the two prequels (Before Sunrise, Before Sunset) very much. Here's what Ethan Hawke had to say:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDqmN65WFas

I had no idea they were filming that. I'm a fan of the two others but I really wonder where they'll be taking these characters.

Yeah, me neither. I was looking up stuff on Julie Delpy (coz she's cool) and saw the imdb page for the movie. All it states is that Jesse and Celine meet in Greece after a period of 9 years. I think irrespective of all the pre-movie speculation and even the final outcome of it, at least it'll give closure to this really cool movie series.

Good Day to Die Hard isnt a reboot. Hes in Russia with his son(who's cia, or something similar), Die Hard 5.

Toys (1992)
1.5/5

Is just saw Toys (1992) for the first time. What the FUCK? What a weird movie. It had a few things going for it, but it fell flat. It was actually pretty creepy. Apparently it was nominated for an award for set/art design, which isn't surprising, but also nominated for a Razzie for worst director. In all fairness it does seem like the film could have benefitted from better direction. The color, lighting and plot were way off in many instances. What a strange, yet expansive cast. Michael Gambon and LL Cool J? Joan Cusack? The whole film had a very strange vibe about it.

Django Unchained: The kind of movie that can only described using many expletives. The action was amazing and stylized, the story never lulled despite the movie being very long (it's split into quite structured parts) , the soundtrack was the shit, and none of the actors delivered a weak performance. Of note was Christoph Waltz, he stole every scene he was in. Even when he was going head to head with DiCaprio, who was a joy to watch in this movie. Him and Tarantino (who had another one of his pointless but funny cameos here. His acting has always been terrible but I got a laugh out of him showing up and attempting an Australian accent,) were born to work together. Some of the scenes in this movie are TENSE. Like Reservoir Dogs at it's best. The ending was predictable and somewhat cheesy but I really liked that. Even Jamie Foxx, whom I never liked, kicked copious amounts of ass here. I think it might have been Tarantino's second best movie, time will tell.

I meant the series in general.

I watched 'Drive' yesterday. As much as I think that Ryan Gosling has a weird looking face, I feel he did a good job in the movie. The movie revolves around this mysterious stunt driver who gets caught up with the bad guys when a heist goes wrong. I say 'mysterious' because no one knows where he's come from and why the fuck is he so emotionally void and nonchalant. For those who haven't seen it, it's a decent watch and one of RG's better movies to date.

I really wasn't sold on him as an effective brutal killer, and his meak quiet voice makes him seem all the more ill fitting, then all those never ending passages of cutesy silent stares make him suck as even his usual charming womaniser role. With that said it was still a pretty good film, interesting to see a film so... efficent in its violence, no stray bullets without meaning, no extended fight scenes, if someone's gonna die, they get right on with it. Kinda expected more/better car chase scenes too, given the title and plot.

I really enjoyed 'Drive'. I was reluctant to see it, as I thought it'd be another car chase/heist movie (which aren't usually my thing); the eerie, cold abstraction of it made quite an impression on me. I'm not a fan of Gosling, generally, but I thought he pulled this off rather well; I'd like to see him in more roles like this one.

^ I felt the same way about being misled by the title. I went solely on the *cough* imdb ratings. I don't regret doing that on this occasion.

@ Ghengis - Haha, I wouldn't have pegged him as someone to have anything to do with those seemingly violent scenes as well. But damn, he sure is portrayed as you put it 'effective brutal killer'. The elevator scene was quite epic.

Fully agreed on Django Unchained, Necroticism174. I thought it was especially telling that the movie was almost three hours long but never really felt like it. Definitely an all-around better work than Basterds. The soundtrack is awesome, but I gotta admit I would probably have preferred a one-hour recording of Waltz going on about business transactions and bounty hunters with his gentle, precise and polite inflection. God almighty, how I love that guy. Performances were good all around, but yeah, he simply prevails.

Well, the word 'drive' has other meanings not related to cars. The title is a clever play on words. I had mixed feelings on the movie, though. I really liked the mood of the first half. The opening scene was really cool, but the film just sort of switched gears (hur hur) a little too suddenly for me. The music fit quite well, too.
As for Gosling, most of his career is darker, more serious work and he has become one of my favorite working actors. Yes, he was a member of the Mickey Mouse club, but that is way behind him. I'd recommend seeing Half Nelson or Blue Valentine for those less familiar with what Gosling is doing with his career these days.

I enjoyed Drive quite a bit. I liked Ryan Gosling's character. Very awkward, but very smooth and meticulous at the same time.

In regards to A Serbian Film, I don't know how you guys can consider that such a well made movie. Some of the scenes in the movie were very shocking (read: cool) and the ending was fucking insane although I didn't really understand it. Other than that it just seemed to me like a movie that was trying to outdo every other shocker flick (which it does very well).

By "very well made" I mean that it's very well acted, it looks gritty and in the dirt, and it's insanely effective at making the viewer uncomfortable. Brad Jones from The Cinema Snob equated A Serbian Film to being "like if Blood Sucking Freaks wasn't stupid".

A Serbian Film just tried too hard and sucked pretty hard. Movies like Megan is Missing are much more shocking.