Movie Thread

[Rushy]

Ravager was a bit of a mess though anyways. It's the only Phantasm movie that I don't think I could ever go back and watch. I will say that one particular scene with Mike, Reggie and Jody in the hospital was quite touching and sad.

Didn't that movie start out as a web series or something? I seem to recall that.

Yeah, back in 2008 I think Hartman got Reggie Bannister and filmed some stuff with him, and then Coscarelli was like "well, we might as well do another one at this point, we're not getting any younger".
I've watched it 2-3 times hoping it'll improve, but there's just no getting around the fact that the script is objectively crap. The acting's there(from the regulars), the passion's there, but Hartman's the wrench in the works. I totally get what he's trying to do which is why it's so frustrating to see him be so shit at it. Coscarelli knew to script the movie in accordance with the budget, but Hartman's incredibly out of his depth trying to put together this Inception-level complex film that also partially tries to be Avary's post-apocalyptic action extravaganza.

[Guest]

Decision time: 1999 Rachel Weisz or 2004 Kate Beckinsale?

Beckinsale at any point, really.

Even gross 50 year old instahoe Kate Bakesale?

[Kugelfisch]

I thought 1 and 3 were likely the best ones. Both for different reasons. I'd recommend 1 to absolutely everyone, though. I love the no bullshit pace of it. Almost every other movie that isn't a giallo would have the kid - sorry, the BOY - trying to convince somebody that what he saw is true for about an hour and failing.

Even gross 50 year old instahoe Kate Bakesale?

I know what I said.

[Guest]

I know what I said.

Sick.

[Guest]

Except none of that's true other than Dracula Untold, which was retroactively added to the Dark Universe in reshoots. Van Helsing was meant to try and replicate the success of The Mummy '99 and The Wolfman was never supposed to be part of any "Cinematic Universe". It started out as a medium budget horror movie until the budget ballooned out of control and a bunch of action scenes were added in reshoots.

Universal has been exploiting its classic monsters for decades, just like every other studio with recognizable characters. The problem is on the movie front they've consistently given them huge blockbuster budgets they have no chance of making back.

Watch The Mandalorian on Disney+! Streaming soon!

[Rushy]

I thought 1 and 3 were likely the best ones.

Why 3? It's mostly just Bannister, the Home Alone kid and the weird nunchucks lady.

I'd say 1 is obviously the best, and I really enjoy 4 straight after it. I love the idea of Mike and the Tall Man locked in this psychological battle in the desert. It's atmospheric, and it feels like the first film in a long while where the characters are real people - Reggie wanting to leave, but still staying true to his friends, Mike being bitter towards Jody, and ofc the Tall Man getting some intriguing backstory(not enough to take away from the mystery) including a badass origin scene. The flashbacks to the first film are more or less integrated well, especially since it's footage we hadn't seen before.

2 is mostly a frivolous retread and 5, well, it is what it is. I support the idea of Bannister's character struggling with dementia and ultimately dying(his acting in those scenes is the best part of the film by far), but they abandon any consistency whatsoever, so it's impossible to get attached to the characters. Gotta love that yellow CGI Angus Scrimm head they poorly pasted on a guy with a completely different body structure.

[Kugelfisch]

I thought 1 and 3 were likely the best ones.

Why 3? It's mostly just Bannister, the Home Alone kid and the weird nunchucks lady.

Oh, then I'm confusing 4 and 3. I've watched all of them too closely to another. It's the same with Hellraiser, where I watched all of them high as balls in two days. Hard to keep track of what happened in which one unless I read the synopsis.
3 was passable. I haven't watched 5 yet.

[Guest]

Watch The Mandalorian on Disney+! Streaming soon!

Will it change the game?

[Rushy]

where I watched all of them

I didn't know that was even possible.
Hellraiser is the worst horror franchise to go through, because like 90% of the movies are about forgettable assholes who'll never matter in the grand scheme of things, and then Doge Bradley cameos for two minutes in a scene that probably doesn't even make sense in the context of the series.

Hellworld belongs in the Texas Chainsaw Next Generation tier.

[Rushy]

I haven't watched 5 yet

It's kinda like a Hellraiser sequel actually. Reggie just keeps waking up in random environments and the movie tries to be clever by giving us contradictory answers as to what is going on and why. People defend this by saying Phantasm was never supposed to make sense anyway, which always triggers me.

Oh and the resolution to Mike's sphere in the head arc is so fucking hilarious. It's like if Return of the Jedi started with Han Solo back with the Rebel Alliance. "I got better".