Deep Red

Year: 1975
Director: Dario Argento
Writer: Dario Argento, Bernadino Zapponi
Genre: Horror: Thriller

First off, Dario Argento is one of my favorite horror directors out there. It was through his films that I sort of discovered my taste for more "modern" horror as opposed to classic Hitchcock drama. I always felt like I had already watched this movie but apparently not because it seemed a wholly new experience.

The story starts off with a psychic who is at an event and suddenly becomes overcome with the dreadful thoughts and feelings of a murderer in the crowd. Shortly after her premonition, she is murdered. From there a man who caught a glimpse of the killer is determined to find him. With an intrepid journalist beside him the two attempt to uncover what's going on.

The story isn't the most creative out there but the characters are likable enough and it's easy to get invested. The murder scenes are done quite well and excellently tense. There is not a huge focus on gore but most injuries are shown straight on with the camera, which might not be the best idea with 70s era special effects. Regardless, it works very well and I liked it. I especially have always enjoyed what looks like bright red paint they use for blood. It's obviously fake but something about it makes everything seem a bit more artistic somehow.

It's a nice little film. What I find odd is just how much content was cut for the US release (which I watched). The film is nearly 130 minutes in original form but clocks in a little under 100 for the US theatrical release. What exactly was lost? I'm not sure. However, near the end the film feels slightly schizophrenic so I'm assuming that's where content was lost. Aside from that though this is actually one of the more linear stories that has come from Argento.

The Baby

Year: 1973
Director: Ted Post
Writer: Abe Polsky
Genre: Horror: Thriller

Here's one of those movies you have to see to believe. The Baby is so aptly named as the film focuses around a baby, simply named "Baby". This isn't your ordinary baby though as our heroine comes to find but a full-grown man instead. Despite looking very mature physically he has about the same mental, verbal, and otherwise capacities of a baby. He is cared for by his mother and sisters an then finally the lead who is a public service worker of some sort. For some reason the mother character reminded me of Joan Crawford and I liked this because I like Joan Crawford. I'm probably the only one to make such a random connection though.

This isn't typical horror with any sort of monsters or demons. It's mostly a thriller attempting to be Hitchcock-esque with the plot and where it leads. Beyond that though it's mostly an odd piece of cinema with a very abrupt twist in the final minutes. I suppose you could gather what the ending would be from the multiple hints dropped throughout, but it seems mostly a cop out to be "weird" or "creepy".

Beyond that though it's a decent film. It kept me hooked despite being very 70s (which often turns me off for some reason). What I find most striking is that the movie Pink Flamingos also featured a grown "baby" character and came out a year before this. However, for that character nothing much was ever explained. It just seemed an interesting point to me when considering how close the films are in years of release.

I wouldn't really suggest this film unless you're into 70's thrillers. Otherwise, you won't be missing much by skipping right over.

Dog Day Afternoon

Year: 1975
Director: Sidney Lumet
Writer: Frank Pierson
Genre: Crime

I've had Dog Day Afternoon on my list of things to watch for a while now. Owning a copy of the VHS I just kept staring it at it and thinking it might be fun. One fine evening of browsing Netflix and I came to realize the film is available for streaming! So, I sat down and watched the whole two hour feature.

This is a movie I thoroughly enjoyed. Typical crime drama stories are not my thing but this isn't one of those stories. For one, the main character may be a bank robber but he's exceedingly entertaining. Played by Al Pacino, I wasn't expecting such a lovable guy. He robs a bank with a friend of his and all the bank staff are stuck in there with him. There's the manager, a security guard, and a flock of tellers.

The police catch on to the scheme rather quickly and surround the bank. However, due to the hostages, the situation gets drawn out for a long time. During that time frame the hostages mostly lose their fear of the robbers and discuss and pal around with them. It's really unexpected and makes things a lot of fun. It's also fun when the ever-growing crowd of spectators begin to take the robber's side and see him as sticking it to the man.

One of the most interesting things in the film to me was why the Pacino character wanted the money. I won't spoil it because the reasons don't come to light until later, but it's really quite unexpected (especially for the time period the film was produced). I suppose the reason the story is so outlandish is because it is based on a true story. And you know how that goes... true life is stranger than fiction and whatnot. I'd really suggest checking this film out if you've ever got a lot of time to spare and want to see one of Al Pacino's first big works.

Updates and Such

I've been pretty silent on here as of late, as well as my other blog. I've been busy with life as well as not finding myself entirely too compelled to watch much. It seems weird that after a few years of being really, really excited to watch movies quite often that I've suddenly felt the need for a break. I suppose that's what has to happen at least occasionally. That, paired with really exciting life circumstances have made me want to focus on those as opposed to sitting on a couch letting my eyes glaze over.

Either way, just today I found a really cool blog called The Oscar Completist. This person is in the process of watching every Oscar nominee and so far appears to have done a bang up job with it. He also makes sure to watch a film a day similarly to Horror Movie a Day, except, I guess not focused on horror. Seriously though, finding that blog reminded me how I wanted to watch every Oscar nominee as well. It reminded me how much I love films and how much I still need to see.

Every year around Halloween I have horror movie month to the extreme where I watch more and more films. Last October I watched 60 at least. I always feel like there are no more good horror films to watch when I'm done with those months, but there is always more. Seeing people that are able to watch movies daily and always find something new and good encourages me to press on. There is so much out there in the horror genre (and others) that are waiting to be unearthed.

So, basically I'm saying that I was feeling a little down about movies lately but am now ready to press on once more.

Birdemic: Shock and Terror

Year: 2008
Director: James Nguyen
Writer: James Nguyen
Genre: Horror: Animal attack

What the hell is this movie?

Birdemic: Shock and Terror is the tale of two people who meet, go on a date, go to a motel together, and then wake up to birds attacking. It's basically The Birds except without any level of class and effects that are so much worse. I can't even believe this is available on Netflix.

It basically looks like a really terrible student movie. Except, unlike most student movies, it's a full length film! The characters cannot act, the video quality is bad, the effects are horrendous, the music is goofy, and to top it all off the story could have been cobbled together by an elementary school student.

The birds make the same horrendous cawing sounds over and over and over. Their animation is basically one loop of wings flapping. The birds are very obviously CGI and beginner CGI at that. The script is painfully awkward and only the children characters deliver their lines with any ounce of authenticity. Everything about this movie is terrible.

Because it's so terrible it ends up being rather funny. It's still pretty annoying though with the constant horrible cawing sound effects and stupid characters. Still, if you need a movie to watch with a big group of friends (who enjoy bad movies) it is a nice choice.

Heavenly Creatures

Year: 1994
Director: Peter Jackson
Writer: Fran Walsh, Peter Jackson
Genre: Drama

Why did Peter Jackson ever leave his really cool style of films to pursue huge Hollywood ones? I guess I should be happy with it but after he created Bad Taste, Dead Alive/Braindead, and this I kind of wish he had never hit it big. Well, it's too late now!

Heavenly Creatures is a departure from Jackon's previous films. It's not a horror film but just a sort of interesting drama, romance, coming-of-age thing. The story focuses on two imaginative girls who create a whole world together. They create characters to inhabit their world and all the backstories that come with them. It's a pretty interesting look into youthful friendships.

The characters feel pretty damn real which is appreciated. Normally, it might seem odd that 14 or 15 year old girls would be creating such elaborate fantasy worlds together but it fits them. What especially interested me was the relationship between the girls. It seemed to be so true for a fiction narrative. I guess that's the sign of a good movie though.

Honestly, I can't really think of what to say. I really enjoyed the film and would watch it again if a friend was interested in it.

Movies I've Watched Recently

Not every single movie I watch gets a nice little post about it on here. I know that kind of invalidates the point of my blog where I wished to "remember" every film with a post... but it's hard sometimes! Here's a listing of some films I have watched over the past month and don't intend to write about.

• Freakonomics
• One Nation Under God
• Fall From Grace
• Fish Out of Water
• Call Me Malcolm
• Playing Columbine

They're all documentaries and all pretty good ones in one way or another. I especially liked Fish Out of Water and Call Me Malcolm. The first is a documentary which seeks to discuss all the main reasons that people use to discredit gay marriage and show what's wrong with the reasons. It's a very nice film and probably would help people who were on the fence with the idea of supporting gay marriage or not. 

Call Me Malcolm was also pretty sweet. It is one transman's journey across the country where he talks with friends, family, and others about transgender topics. It's a good movie to show to someone who doesn't really know what trans is, although a few points could have been shared in a clearer fashion.