The Birds - Lisa's Review

Back to the 60's for this weeks movie.  As many people know, I have never been a big fan of older movies, but having this challenge to watch these movies has forced me to watch films I otherwise wouldn't have.  In doing this, I've had to concede there are a lot of good oldies out there.

As much as Alfred Hitchcock is not someone I personally admire (he was a bit of an arse), I have to admit, he was a genius when it came to the world of film.  The Birds is adapted from a book by Daphne du Maurier, but I can't imagine any other director would have thought to do with it what Hitchcock did.  I'm not going to go into a premise of The Birds, as to be honest if you haven't seen it or at least know what it's all about, you're in the wrong place.

I first saw The Birds as a child and I do remember being a bit wide-eyed at the section where the school children are running down the street being chased and attacked by the birds.  Having watched this same scene a few times since and again last night, the effects are laughable in these days, but we have to remember it was 1963!  The terrible acting by some of the kids is amusing though, especially one little lad who can't seem to stop himself from smiling.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) - Will's Review

A Nightmare on Elm Street was the first movie box set I owned on DVD, even going so far as to import the North American version (back when that meant shopping with relatively small companies based in Canada, because the likes of Amazon weren't importing / exporting then) to make sure I got all 7 movies and the bonus disc (the UK version at the time only had the first 6 movies, and we're still waiting for an official release of the 8th disc). A few years ago Never Sleep again was released, and I knocked out the whole thing (a 4 hour documentary, 8 hours of extras, and the documentary again with commentary) in a couple of days.

It's fair to say I am a huge Freddy fan... But that hasn't always been the case.

The Birds - Will's Review.

I've noted before how important en ending is; a mediocre ending can drag down a great film, and a brilliant ending can elevate an average one. But what of a superb film with literally no ending?

It ruins it.

I've seen The Birds twice before; the first time I saw it it was on commercial TV; I blinked and missed the copyright card which appears at the 2 hour mark (the movie has no closing credits) sat through the adverts (this was when you used to generally watch things as they aired, and fast forwarding wasn't an option) then was most dismayed when another program started!

The Changeling - Will's Review

Following the tragic death of his wife and child, composer John Russell (George C. Scott), moves cross-country where he rents a large, eerie mansion. It isn't long before a presence makes itself known in the house and John, at first thinking it may be connected top his own recent loss, sets about trying to solve the mystery of his new home's ghost.

Week 197 - The Birds

Reviews / Author Comments due: 21/02/2014
Position on TimeOut list: 24
More Info: Wikipedia, IMDB
DVD: Link

TRAILER:

The Changeling - Lisa's Review

***SPOILERS ***

I had never heard of this weeks movie before sitting down to watch it.  It was one of those movies where I 'felt' I should know of it when I started watching it.  Where I had seen the lead actor George C Scott (who plays John Russell) also bothered me for an entire movie as he was SO familiar.  Having checked his filmography, I honestly still can't recall where I've seen him as there are no movies / programs which are well known to me.  This of course is no reflection on a wonderful actor.  It's rarely I am very impressed by an actors performance, but I was by Mr George C Scotts here.  I shall no doubt check out a lot more by him now.  He didn't come to acting young having served time with the marines and completing a degree in journalism before performing in a university production and catching the acting bug.  Interestingly he also refused Oscar nominations as he hated the whole concept.   Enough about Mr Scott though, this is a review of the movie.

We start the movie with a scene which leads to the tragic death of John Russells wife and young daughter.   They had a car breakdown and the girls push the car to the side of the road so John can call for help at a nearby phone box. While John calls for help, a truck smashes into his parked car and his wife and daughter who are playing alongside it by the roadside.  He witnesses it all.  He spends a period of time trying to come to terms with what has happened and eventually decides the home he shared with his family in New York holds too many memories, so he moves to Seattle to take up a teaching position at a local college.

He soon find himself housed in a large, beautiful but long empty mansion thanks to his friend and local housing agent Claire (interestingly played by Georges real wife Trish Van Devere).   A large piano left at the property clinched the deal.  It was too expensive for the previous owners to move it, so it was left behind.  As a composer and pianist, it was ideal for John, who, feeling inspired, composes a new piece of music immediately.  There's no doubt about it though, the house is creepy so when John is awoken early one morning by loud clanging noises, claims by his handyman that it is down to the old houses heating system seem realistic, even though they start every morning at precisely 6am.  Making a reference to my early mention of how impressed I was at George C Scotts acting; his reaction to being awoken from a horrible nightmare to these reverberating bangs is just wonderfully convincing and makes it very easy to be taken along on this ride.  The fact that the movie is based on real events experienced in the home of Co Screenwriter Russell Hunter also adds to the creepiness.

Videodrome - Will's Review

I love David Chronenburg's more linear work, but I'm not always a fan of his more surreal / abstract movies. As such I can safely say I appreciated Videodrome... But I didn't really enjoy it.

It begins straightforwardly enough; Max (James Woods) is the owner of a small TV station, which keeps its viewers by showing a steady stream of sleaze, violence. And soft porn. Max is delighted when a friend of his discovers and decodes a scrambled satellite signal of a show called "Videodrome" a plotless (fake?) snuff show, in which a bound person is beaten, tortured, and murdered. Believing that Videodrome could be the next big thing for his station, Max sets out to track down the makers of the show, with hope of buying the rights and bringing it to his channel.

Week 195 - The Changeling (1980)

Review / Author Comments due:
Position on Timeout List: 26
More Info:IMDB, Wikipedia
DVD: Link

Trailer

Videodrome - Lisa's Review

I'll start this weeks review by putting it out there - I hated Videodrome!  I seem to be standing out there in a very lonely place with that viewpoint.  I've read so much about manipulation of mass media, subliminal messaging and how clever the movie is, but it most certainly isn't something that I would choose for a nights viewing.

The movie is directed by David Cronenberg who is known for his love of movies with an underlying message.  He also is a big fan of body horror, which Videodrome definately falls into the category of.  I am no Cronenberg fan, it has to be said., with the exception of a small number of his movies that I can count on one hand and still have some fingers left over, I find his work incredibly dull and self indulgent.  The effects artists he works with on movies are where the talent lies.  I will admit some of the actual body horror itself is impressive in a disgusting kind of way.  That's where I find myself intrigued and glued to the screen.  If I wanted to start watching political movies or movies with a specific hidden agenda, I would.  Mostly I just want to be entertained and carried away to somewhere much more interesting not educated on "the impact of mass media perversity on the human psyche".

The Blair Witch Project - Will's Review

I've only seen this movie once before; I saw it at the cinema right in the middle of all the hype.

In case you don't remember, back in 1999 Blair Witch was reviewed as "the scariest film ever", in its initial US run some clever marketing had people questioning if it was real, and even after the gig was up on the reality front, people were still running from cinemas to throw up, or being dragged out having fainted. There was outcry in the national press when the BBFC gave this supposedly terrifying special a 15 rating. Thanks mostly to its incredibly low budget it quickly became (proportionately) the most profitable film of all time, and blew the "found footage" genre wide open, launching a wave of movies that continues to this day. It's fair to say that without Blair Witch there would be no [rec.], no Paranormal Activity parts one through 27, no V/H/S, and no Cloverfield.

Week 194 - Videodrome (1983)

Review / Author Comments due: 07/02/15

Position on Timeout List: 27

More Info: Wikipedia, IMDB

DVD: Link

Trailer