The Ohio Sci-Fi and Horror Marathons

OK...so, like...I don't have a film to review yet, but I will on Monday. I plan on seeing Zodiac this weekend and maaaybe The Abandoned or Black Snake Moan. I know, I know, they are horror films, but I didn't title this thread "Sci-fi film reviews", so anything goes. Hey, if you want to review Norbit, I don't care.

Anyway, post your reviews here. It doesn't have to be a full review. Could be, "Dude, it was cool!" I guess, if it were a bit more in depth, that would probably be better. So review your movies here, on this thread.

For starters, has anyone seen the Astronaut Farmer?

I saw The Abandoned last November as part of the After Dark horrorfest. I liked it a lot. It was atmospheric, moody, scary. Though it doesn't follow a linear plot, it's kind of like a crazy Japanese horror film or David Lynch movie in that regard. My girlfriend and I both liked it a lot. I could have had rose colored glasses on because I saw The Gravedancers before that and I hated it. Plus it's directed by Nacho Cerda who directed Aftermath which was a sick and pointless. But I do highly recommend this to horror fans.

_________________
"I came here to chew bubble gum and kick a**. I'm all out of bubble gum."

Just returned from seeing ZODIAC. It's a haunting masterclass study of obsession and its consequences. Tremendous acting all around (Downey, Ruffalo and Gyllenhaal are all in rare form), with one of the best ensemble casts in recent memory (including the always intriguing Philip Baker Hall. who was also in last year's THE ZODIAC (!) and Elias Koteas in smaller roles.) I'll cede the reins to Carter for the first review, but at some point I'll post further thoughts. Highly recommended.

A zombie splatterfest called To Kako(called EVIL here in the US) made in Greece back in 2005 has just gotten its official DVD release here in the States. I just purchased it last night at a Sam Goody and all I've got to say is that if you enjoy the zombie genre or comedic gore like Evil Dead then this film is a must buy. For those who may be wondering it has English subtitles but no English language track. As for me, I loved it, just don't expect anything thought provoking or deeply philisophical. Check your brain at the door and enjoy the extremely insane ride!

Here is a short trailer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDXiphS4Swo

Click here for more info.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0813129/

_________________

I can’t imagine much of middle America liking Zodiac. Most will walk into the theater expecting a taught, suspenseful, serial killer movie, but what they will get will be an artful movie about obsession centered on the lives of those who tracked the Zodiac killer over the years. That’s not to say that it isn’t suspenseful, because in parts it is, and in parts it is also disturbing and scary. It reminds me of Fight Club in that, I think, most expected a bare-knuckle fight movie, but what they got was an art film about what it is to be a man, and the male image, and self image, and society’s expectations - not even clooooose to a testosterone driven fight movie.

The movie’s pacing is also going to turn people off. It is very deliberate. It kinda feels like – this happened, and then this happened, and this happened, and then this, etc. But it all builds and leads somewhere, it just doesn’t lead to a dramatic confrontation with the protagonist and the killer. You have to be more patient. It’s more of character piece. It has more in common with the movies from the time period in which it is set than it does with the movies of the time period in which it were made. I actually liked the pacing and editing. It’s a very hard thing to sustain, and I think this film does it well.

Joe already mentioned the ensemble cast. Yes, it is brilliant. Mark Ruffalo deserves an award for this film, but I am sure he will be loooong forgotten by the time award season rolls around again. Robert Downy Junior is also good as well as the huuuuge supporting cast – Brian Cox, Phillip Baker Hall, Chloe Sevigny, Anthony Edwards, Charles Fleischer, and Elias Koteas. Yes, Jake Gyllenhall is also good as the lead.

David Fincher has impressed me with every film he has made. He is a meticulous director who obsesses with every detail of his productions, from art direction, lighting, camera, and costumes. Interesting that such an obsessive person directed this movie about obsession. He is so meticulous, that I kind of think of him as a modern Hitchcock in that he cares about everything, including the color of the potted plant that is in the background. I remember hearing a story in film school about how Alfred Hitchcock had his art department crew saw of the branches of a tree so that it would have a “Y” split in it’s formation, because his film had the reoccurring theme of criss-cross (two lives intersecting). I think it was Strangers on a Train. Not that I think Fincher is like Hitchcock, but I do think that he is like him in this regard.

I would love to see more films by Fincher, but because he is so detailed oriented when it comes to making films, it takes him several years to make them. Not quite as bad as Kubrick, but still. I’m sure he researches and researches and researches and plots and plans. He is the opposite of someone like Takeshi Miike who seems to almost make it up as he goes along. By the way, I also love Miike and his style.

Anyway, go see it. Just don’t expect Se7en.

Luckily, Fincher has already started shooting his next film, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, for May 2008 release (according to IMDb). So we won't have to wait another 4 or 5 years. From what I hear, Zodiac took so long to make because it was originally at Sony/Columbia, which put it into turnaround, and because of the subject matter and cost it took that long to finally get it going again. They had to get 2 different studios to split the cost because they didn't think they would make their money back.

Loved the movie. Excellent piece of work.

So I went to Circuiot City yesterday and was stoked to see that they broke street date on the Night of the Comet DVD. Then when I tried to buy it the registered, flagged it and wouldn't sell it to me until Tuesday. But it was kind of disappointing to see that it was a bare bone DVD without even a trailer. I know it's a stretch, but imagine what they could do with a special edition: Commentary, maybe a discovery channel documentary about comets and doomsday, but most important, they could put the Benson episode where they spoofed the movie in a dream episode. Am I the only person on Earth that remembers that episode? I think I'll go to go the mall.

_________________
"I came here to chew bubble gum and kick a**. I'm all out of bubble gum."

Finally had the opportunity to catch "Zodiac" in the theater and I felt I just had to echo what Carter and Pancake Joe have said here. This is a tremendously fine example of filmmaking, on all counts.

The antiquing is a tad hamfisted in parts (the film does an incredibly good job with the subtleties, it really didn't need more), but it's a riveting story that's masterfully told.

I highly recommend seeing this film in the theater ... it plays much better when you can let yourself become engrossed in the storytelling. I think people's attention may stray trying to watch it on DVD. But, in 158 minutes I never looked at my watch once.

_________________
David A. Zecchini; Creature of the Wheel, Lord of the Infernal Engines
"Damnati Im Ludum" (VitruvianZeke@att.net)

In the "Probably Should've Brought This Up Earlier" department: did anyone other than me (and Carter) catch THE FOUNTAIN? Thoughts?

The Fountain was great.......not really Sci-Fi but it was fantastic. Truely a moving film, the performances and the direction (Darren Aronofski) are great. Being a theater manager I saw alot of people confused by the film, and the business was slow, but the people who invested in it seemed satisfied. I will say that this is NOT a good choice for the marathon.

_________________
http://www.ilmfan.com/credits/project_d ... project=26