Only By Night
Just watched "Mandy" with my girl and her older brother, and it was very enjoyable. Slow burn, but the cinematography here is so good, and loved the dream sequences that Red (Nicolas Cage) had when turning into animations of Mandy herself. Glad I finally got around to watching this one.
Active Member
Good film. The music by Johann Johannson (RIP) is fantastic too.Originally Posted by Self.Destructive.Pattern
Only By Night
Oh yes! Forgot to add that as well. There was one track that had that 80's synth to it that added another layer to the scenes it was used in. Really loved it!
tempus est umbra in mente
I'm watching The Uninvited, a haunted house movie from 1944, and it's amazing. The Criterion dvd is beautiful. Highly recommended
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0037415/
I was nobody. Nothing.
Wait...ok. I obviously respect your opinion, but how, exactly...I don't see how that one could possibly be considered a "slow burn."
Slow burn, for me, = The Witch, Neon Demon, Bone Tomahawk, MAYBE like Hereditary, or Rosemary's Baby.
With Mandy, though: it's been four years, but that movie, the way I remember it, descended into batshit craziness PRETTY fucking quick.
Only By Night
It takes an hour for the movie to really get going. Yea, some stuff happens in the beginning to set up the balls to the wall middle to end, but the first two chapters are dreary, with some cool looking visuals after Mandy gets taken.
After she gets burned in front of Red is where things really take a turn, for me personally.
Throbbing Member
Yeah, Panos Cosmatos has a glacial pace to his films. Mandy has that chainsaw sequence but it also has a lot of build, atmosphere, LOTS of transposed imagery and washed out photography, etc. It's a mood piece that just so happens to end with a classic Nic Cage insane final act.
Have you seen Beyond the Black Rainbow? It is very much a slow burn and doesn't have the nutty Cage aspect. But it is by far the better film of his two films. Also has an absolutely amazing synth score. And it's just a weird mindfuck.
Last edited by burnmotherfucker!; 09-13-2022 at 05:02 AM.
Only By Night
I checked out his filmography after watching Mandy, and read the summary for Black Rainbow and was instantly hooked! I'll get around to it at some point.
I have to say, out of all the Nic Cage nutty performances, this one went straight to the top of the radar for me. It was a bit more focused for me, and the "YOU RIPPED MAH SHIRT" scene is so good, and I'm glad that it wasn't so over the top with the dialogue in every scene. It was driven by a lot of the visuals, and Cage's raw performance. The scene when he takes the dab of the suped up LSD, lol!
Throbbing Member
Yeah I agree it is one of Cage's performances that work. What he does can really work in a film when the director knows how to incorporate it into the story properly. I'd also put Color Out Of Space up there with it in terms of using him the right way.
But Beyond the Black Rainbow is different in that it removes the camp, with the exception of a single scene. Definitely a unique film unto itself. And Michael Rogers, who hasn't acted in a whole lot, is excellent in the lead role. Genuinely creepy, restrained performance. He also recently had a small role in We're All Going to the World's Fair, which was an excellent low budget found footage film. Not really a good horror movie but it was a great character study that explored isolation and the internet. And I hate found footage films.
Only By Night
Color Out Of Space has been on my list for a little bit now. I'll get to these soon! Thanks for the explanation!
RA-MEN ROPPAI
Which scene do you consider campy? If it's the one I'm thinking of, I'd consider that more "cosmic horror": we are all inconsequential as humans in the Grand Scheme... and oh, so frail. I would definitely agree that BtBR is its own experience, though. I've read about some of the "homage films", and none of them are quite what Black Rainbow is.
Throbbing Member
Well, I don't want to spoil anything but it was just the one scene that had a bit of comic relief to it. I think it fit ok and I actually think it served an important purpose for the ending. I'll just be vague and say it was the two guys outside scene.
FATUM NOS IUNGET
Just tickles my balls!
FATUM NOS IUNGET
Just tickles my balls!
Just tickles my balls!
Just tickles my balls!
Active Member
Checked out a film called My Heart Can't Beat Unless You Tell It To last night. A bleak, understated vampire tale. Currently streaming on Peacock for those who might be interested.
Throbbing Member
Just watched the trailer for it and it gives me Let Me In vibes. I love a good vampire movie so thanks for the recommendation. Vampires are very hard to get right on film for some reason so I'm always looking for a good one.
tempus est umbra in mente
I'm actually getting really stoked for the new Hellraiser movie
Active Member
It has good reviews so far. Too bad it went straight to VOD, it would have been cool to see in the theater.
RA-MEN ROPPAI
I'll probably be in the minority around here, but that new Hellraiser movie was extremely mediocre (5/10). There was definitely some good in there, but overall, it felt like MTV's Hellraiser or something. Ranks right about in the middle for me as far as the series goes.
I was one of those weird people that enjoyed III (Hell on Earth), IV (Bloodline), and V (Inferno; I know this wasn't originally a Hellraiser script).
Throbbing Member
Count me in the minority as well then. I just watched it tonight and it was a massive letdown for me. Boring. Bland characters and no sense of tension. The writing was pretty run of the mill. I never cared what happened to anyone at any point in the film. So yeah, basically it was middle of the road Hellraiser for me. I'm starting to think it isn't even possible to have a good movie in this franchise.
Also, I agree with you Inferno is underrated. It isn't necessarily good, but for this franchise it's one of the better ones.
tempus est umbra in mente
I was disappointed, but fuck it Jesus wept
Active Member
The new Hellraiser was certainly better than most of the sequels, but it kind of felt like the Blumhouse version of Hellraiser. For all the talk of pushing boundaries and going over the edge, it felt rather tame for the most part. It needed to be creepier, weirder, and yes...kinkier. I enjoyed watching it, but I don't really see myself watching it again.
I was nobody. Nothing.
WAIT wait wait. Middle of the SERIES?
Lucifer bless my Hellbound Heart.
That's not good.
Honestly, the last one I really adored was the second one.
Edit: fuck.
@Jinsai @BRoswell @burnmotherfucker! , I value all of your opinions.
Should I even WATCH it? I mean, good god.
The clock is ticking.
I don't have TIME for bad movies.
Last edited by elevenism; 10-08-2022 at 11:22 AM.
Active Member
I wouldn't call it a bad movie, just a bit shortsighted. It's worth a watch in my opinion.
tempus est umbra in mente
the new Hellraiser had its moments, but lost so much potential
In my opinion, it was as good as any other decent sequel, but didn't live up to 1 or 2
Maybe it was better than 3... but even 3 has these epic moments.
Priest: you'll burn in hell!
Pinhead: Burn? Such limited imagination
Last edited by Jinsai; 10-08-2022 at 12:09 PM.
I was nobody. Nothing.
True.
3 also had the "I...AM...THE WAY" bit, too, didn't it?
Well, hell.
I'll check it out.
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