Whatcha Been Watching?

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KissMammal
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by KissMammal »

Physical on Apple TV+

I was kinda expecting something along the lines of GLOW, but it's definitely a lot stranger and darker than that.

I like it so far, but I'm having a bit of trouble getting a grip on what the overall tone is, where the story is going and who or what I should be rooting for.
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Seph
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Seph »

I saw the two Fear Street films they put out on Netflix recently. I was a big fan of the Goosebumps books when I was a kid, but when I tried the Fear Street series I just found it a bit too dark for my primary school sensibilities. Either way, an RL Stine adaptation will always pique my interest.

My initial reaction can be summed up in one word: blimey! I was not expecting anything as extreme as this. These have to be the most gory films based off a series of kids books, ever. The first one in particular has one of the most horrific killings I've ever seen, and I've watched most Saw films, a lot of zombie stuff and Martyrs.

All in all, they're a great bunch of slasher films that look back without being overly knowing or cheesy, but also don't take themselves too seriously. A strong recommend if you're into this sort of thing. Think of it as a long-form anthology.

I'm looking forward to the final one as it looks like it'll take a more folk/witch horror angle, which is a sub-genre I've always found fascinating and creepy.
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stvnorman
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by stvnorman »

I’ve really enjoyed Fear Street so far. Nothing new for me, but as Seph said, it doesn’t pull its punches and I can’t wait for the conclusion next week. The new Resident Evil Infinite Darkness anime (also on Netflix) is exactly what you expect, but I watched all of them so it must have something. Or maybe I have…
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Miririn
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Miririn »

I feel like a horrible ghoul because I wanted the "Fear Street" films to be scarier and sillier and gorier. I also really took against the main characters in the first two films (except for the young boy and the ex-girlfriend in the first film). I assumed this was intentional because in those eighties slasher flicks everyone is horrible because then you watch them all meet their sticky ends, but by the end I got the impression the film wanted me to like the leads?? Am I just a horrible person?

Is the Sheriff Nick going to turn out to be horrible or do I just distrust him because I can only ever see him as Nate from "Succession"? Also if the second film wasn't a flashback I would have assumed he was lined up to die because of the Stephen King references and the fact his name is "Nick" :P

I'll watch the third one because I love a good story about a cranky witch. But I want it to be scarier!
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Seph
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Seph »

You want these to be gorier?! I can't see how they can manage that without the BBFC rapping a few knuckles. I imagine if they got theatrical releases they'd have been toned down, so I'm thankful for that.

About the leads, I just see them as normal, flawed kids. Usually the protagonist is a wholesome goodie-goodie, but I like focusing on people with some dirt under their nails. Plus it leaves open the possibility that no one is safe (but they probably will be).

I agree about the scary point though, I don't think anything has made me jump. I these films are so rote on purpose that there's not really anything that takes me by surprise (except for some of the incredibly gory deaths).

And yeah, Nick seems like a bad 'un, that whole family does.
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Miririn
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Miririn »

Oh no now I'm worried that I've become horribly desensitised :P :P Maybe "gorier" wasn't the right word... "cartoonish"? "OTT"? Apart from one gruesome death involving what I can only assume is a bread slicer, it felt like most of the deaths were just whacks on the head with an axe. I think for me if a film is going for an over-the-top slasher homage rather than trying to be frightening, then maybe the deaths need to be sillier, "Final Destination" or "American Horror Story" style ridiculous gore. That may just be me being picky!

I do like a flawed character, and I guess the drug-dealing valedictorian and her stoner boyfriend were pretty fun... but the main character came off as so whiny and unsympathetic to me. You're mad because your girlfriend moved... an hour away? So you cause her boyfriend's car to skid off the road and get destroyed? She is a child and has no choice in the matter if her parents move? And it's just for one more year until they graduate? And the moving girlfriend didn't want to break up? I know they're teenagers and I know she was probably a wee bit possessed by the ghost of a witch (aah that old excuse) but I feel the film wanted me to be emotionally invested in a John Hughes teenage angst way and I just couldn't. (...possibly I'm a bitter old crone).

Similarly in the sequel when the younger sister says some HORRIBLE things to the older one (and I'm a younger sister! I'm primed to be sympathetic to the younger sisters!!) and her older sister said one mean thing back and we were meant to... be shocked and appalled? I just found the leads in both films so grating and unsympathetic.

Nick and his whole family are sus. I think the legacy is some sort of "protect Sunnyvale from the witch" role that gets passed down from son to son.
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Feirsteax
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Feirsteax »

Had a bit of a double bill this week with Hereditary earlier in the week and Midsommar last night.

Both are Ari Aster films, and I can see the similarities in them. Really enjoyed both, but they are definitely quite difficult to stomach at times.

He doesn't shy away from putting his characters through hell, and that's where most of the horror of these films actually comes from for me. There was some more traditional scary sequences and jumps here and there, but the most affecting and unsettling moments were more to do with the characters' pain at the circumstances they found themselves in.

Hard ones to reccommend, actually, because even though I really enjoyed them, and the cinematography and sound design are consistently superb across both, the subject matter is extremely rough, not feel-good by any stretch of the imagination.

But yeah I loved both of them actually, makes me want to watch more horrors like this if anyone has any reccs!
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Marlew »

Feirsteax wrote: July 16th, 2021, 4:26 pm But yeah I loved both of them actually, makes me want to watch more horrors like this if anyone has any reccs!
I've not seen Hereditary but I've got a couple of companion pieces to Midsommar for you.

First is The Ballad of Narayama, which won the Palme d'Or in 1983. It's set in 19th century Japan and portrays an ancient ritual whereby at 70, the eldest villager is carried up to the mountains to die of exposure and starvation. It's not horror, more of a drama, but it is brutal. Far from drab, though, it's influenced by kabuki theatre so it's very stylised and poetic and beautiful in its own way. It's not easy viewing but it's beautiful, powerful and life-affirming.

I'd also recommend, on the slim chance you haven't seen it, the British 1970s folk horror, The Wicker Man. Midsommar borrows a great deal from it but goes in its own direction and has its own own cultural touchstones. TWM is very British, very 70s and features one of Christopher Lee's best ever performances, but the whole cast is excellent. The soundtrack is also legendary, some amazing songs and atmospheric incidental music. One of my favourite ever films. I rewatched it recently with my wife, her first time, and she absolutely loved it. Even knowing every beat of the film, I was still gripped throughout.

If you want some over-the-top mindless fun, I can't recommend Demons enough. I just watched it this week. It's an 80s Italian slasher with serious pedigree, directed by Lamberto Bava, son of legendary giallo director/cinematographer/FX guy Mario Bava, and produced by Dario Argento, the most famous of all Italian horror directors and screenwriters. It's lurid, sleazy, colourful, funny, camp, terrifying at times and frankly ridiculous. Set in a cursed cinema which becomes overrun with demons, it's one of the great 'one location' horror films and one of the best 'film within a film' pictures I've seen. Everyone involved is clearly enjoying playing dumb. Despite that, it's far from amateurish. The cinematography, direction and soundtrack are all a cut above. Hearty recommendation if you can stomach the gore and the 80s fashion.
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Miririn
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Miririn »

I love "Midsommar" so much. I think I've seen it ablut six times now, haha. ("Hereditary" is good fun too!)

They're not all similar to Aster's stuff in theme but some horror films from the last decade that I've enjoyed (if you're looking for some more recent stuff):

- "It Follows" (probably the best horror film idea since "Ringu". Such a fantastic, creepy concept)

- "The Babadook" (a bit like Australia's answer to "Dark Water" - a good shout if what you liked about "Midsommar" or "Hereditary" was horror as an outlet for the characters' emotional pain. It kind of ended up being a bit of a meme, and while I was watching it I wasn't frightened - I'm mostly pretty immune to horror films, sadly - but since I first watched it there are one or two scenes I've caught myself thinking about randomly at 2am in the dark haha)

- "The Witch" (centered around a strong female performance like Aster's films are, possibly the best goat you'll get to see in a film)

- "Kill List" (if you want more cults, and atmospherically this has a bit of a "Hereditary" vibe)

- "Saint Maud" (not really a horror but if you enjoyed Florence Pugh going slowly crazy while the camera does a close-up pan of her face, there will be stuff for you to enjoy here)

Not sure how into horror you are generally so tried to recommend new-ish films. I tried to make my cut-off be roughly 2010, but "Dark Water" and "Lake Mungo" are two good mid-2000s films that nail the emotional horrorr stuff.
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paulag
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by paulag »

Marlew wrote: July 16th, 2021, 5:02 pm I'd also recommend, on the slim chance you haven't seen it, the British 1970s folk horror, The Wicker Man. Midsommar borrows a great deal from it but goes in its own direction and has its own own cultural touchstones. TWM is very British, very 70s and features one of Christopher Lee's best ever performances, but the whole cast is excellent. The soundtrack is also legendary, some amazing songs and atmospheric incidental music. One of my favourite ever films. I rewatched it recently with my wife, her first time, and she absolutely loved it. Even knowing every beat of the film, I was still gripped throughout.
I also watched this movie last week, and the atmosphere was...something else. Just the strange, unnatural way the characters were acting, in combination with the way it was filmed(like documentary-style) and where it took place gave me this intense feeling of dread throughout.
Another great is “She Who Must Burn,” it’s a slow burn (no pun intended) thriller. Gives similar vibes compared to The Wicker Man, but it involves a religious cult.
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Miririn
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Miririn »

I can't believe I forgot "Under the Skin". Ignore everything else I said and watch that.

It has one of the most difficult to watch scenes I've ever seen in any film. If you've seen the film you know the one. Zero gore in the scene, nothing to make you jump, and yet even thinking about it now, seven years later, makes me feel disturbed and upset on a visceral level. Incredible film. It should have won every award going, but I guess the difficulty slapping a label on it (is it horror? sci-fi? arthouse? thriller?) worked against it. You won't be scared while watching (disturbed is a better word) but it sticks with you after.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Marlew »

Some great recs and write-ups there, Miri. Agreed on all. I laughed at 'best goat in film'.
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Miririn
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Miririn »

Marlew wrote: July 16th, 2021, 9:00 pm Some great recs and write-ups there, Miri. Agreed on all. I laughed at 'best goat in film'.
I love your recs too! "The Wicker Man" is a classic :)

He was indeed a marvellous goat.
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Alex79
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

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I watched Thor: Ragnarok last night. One of the better Marvel films I've seen so far, and genuinely funny in places - the banter between Thor and Hulk had me laughing several times.

After that I started The Punisher series on Netflix. It seems to have had middling reviews, but it's one of the best series so far I think. Only seen 2 episodes, but enjoying it more than Iron Fist, Defenders and the beyond boring Inhumans.
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Angry_Kurt
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Angry_Kurt »

I’m no horror aficionado but my one recommendation for horror but not too scary, more unsettling would be Get Out. I’m a huge fan of that film. I also enjoyed Jordan Peeles follow up Us but not as much as Get Out
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Seph
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Seph »

Miririn wrote: July 16th, 2021, 11:33 am Oh no now I'm worried that I've become horribly desensitised :P :P Maybe "gorier" wasn't the right word... "cartoonish"? "OTT"? Apart from one gruesome death involving what I can only assume is a bread slicer, it felt like most of the deaths were just whacks on the head with an axe. I think for me if a film is going for an over-the-top slasher homage rather than trying to be frightening, then maybe the deaths need to be sillier, "Final Destination" or "American Horror Story" style ridiculous gore. That may just be me being picky!
I get what you mean there. That bread slicer moment was just incredibly violent in way I thought we'd never see again outside the world of sleazy, low budget, straight to Shudder trash. The second one wasn't as inventive with the kills though, but as it was riffing off Friday 13th that makes sense. While these films are very gory, it doesn't feel like a gimmick, so in a way I'm glad they haven't gone too over the top with most of it.

In terms of recommendations, if you liked Ari Aster's films then the aforementioned Get Out, The Witch and Kill List are great shouts. Midsommar is brilliant but really fucked up, and it's rare you get a horror this disturbing that takes place almost at daytime.

I thought Apostle was a really interesting film, though maybe a bit long for a horror. I've not seen it, but I've heard great things about Raw too. I also haven't watched it yet, but I'm hoping Fear Street: 1666 is along the folk horror lines too.

And while it's not in the same subgenre as Ari Aster's stuff, I have to mention Lake Mungo as an almost forgotten work of genius. I don't want to say anything other than just watch it, it's excellent.
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Miririn
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Miririn »

That's a good point about "Friday the 13th". It's probably my issue that I was thinking more of nasty "Saw" or "Final Destination" stuff when the films themselves were homages to different types of movies, as you pointed out.

Yes, "Lake Mungo"! I watched it for the first time this year, about fourteen years late, and was surprised how it got to me. I watch a lot of horror films and mostly am not scared by them (overexposure to the genre is the culprit, I think) but watching LM I felt increasingly uncomfortable and on edge. And this was despite being spoiled in advance. Very unsettling and unnerving and sad.

The horror films or stories that end up frightening me most tend to be stories about:

A. "Strange"/dream-like things that remain unexplained.

And

B. Things that aren't resolved, characters that are never saved, or danger that can never be dealt with.

...so the ending of "Lake Mungo" got to me. Really smart.

"Midsommar" is one of my favourite horror films... probably one of my favourite film films, but it didn't frighten me at all, although it is disturbing. This is normally a mark against a horror film for me but this time I didn't care :P

Unrelated boring "Midsommar" anecdote: none of my IRL love horror films so I always have to go and see them alone. But my fashion aesthetic/general vibe is very... uh... twee? Girly? Not... horror-y? My friend had to ban me from dog and cat rescue websites because I would read all the descriptions and cry? I own a lamp shaped like a hedgehog?? That kind of thing. Twee.

So I remember going to see "Midsommar" alone at a sold out screening in Central London. I sat next to a lad and his girlfriend and he looked at me: in a Cath Kidston Disney collab Jungle Book dress, pink bag with a cat driving a prosecco van (............I accept no judgment), pink glitter phone case, and a big glass of wine. I think the poor guy was genuinely worried I had stumbled into the wrong screening and was meant to be at the chick flick next door, ahaha. But I was there for the boyfriend sacrificing and big hammers!!! And maybe the "Midsommar" vibe itself is very me ;) In that it's about unspeakable horror but all the women are in pretty girly dresses with flowers in their hair!
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Feirsteax
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Feirsteax »

:D Some amazing reccs, I've a lot to keep me busy

I have actually watched Under the Skin and i think i know the scene you're talking about. Definitely deserves a rewatch though because it was a while ago and it was excellent.

Scarlett Johansson was such an odd character in that film, really cool concept.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Alex79 »

On Jay's recommendation, I just watched Hostiles on Netflix. It's a revisionist Western with Christian Bale, who gives a great, understated performance as the world-weary 'about to retire' solider, given one last task. I won't say any more, but it's a solid genre film, albeit one without any real twists or turns, it tells a straight story, but does it well. Worth a look if you like these types of films. I enjoyed it. You've only got a couple of weeks if you want to catch it on Netflix before it leaves the service.
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Re: Whatcha Been Watching?

Post by Alex79 »

Following another recommendation from Jay I just watched The Nightingale (available on Netflix). It was excellent. Uncomfortably brutal in places, but not in a celebratory Tarantino style, just harsh, miserable brutality. The film is set during the days of colonial Tazmania, and the treatment of the indigenous people by the British invaders is portrayed with unflinching realism. It's a story of revenge and friendship and really gripped me from start to finish. Most times I'm sat playing on my Switch whilst I watch a film, but I haven't even got it out the dock, and that honestly says more than anything else!
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