Our Feature Presentation

Oriphiel · 01-02-2015, 04:50 PM

Heh, I remember watching "Shock". A little on the uneventful side, but Vincent Price was great.

Unknown Soldier · 01-02-2015, 04:59 PM

A similar titled film with Vincent Price is the Shocker or as I know it The Tingler, a William Castle classic.

DeadChannel · 01-02-2015, 05:33 PM

@UnknownSoldier: glad you enjoyed the movie and (hopefully) the review. Is that what you call a review of a review btw?

Regardless, thanks for the support. It's definitely a classic.
Oh, and good catch about the budget. I can't seem to find any information about what it cost to shoot, sadly. It makes sense that it would cost more than I initially thought, though.
I've not seen "The Shocker". Is it worth a watch (and maybe a review)?
Thanks for the support.

@Oriphiel: I enjoyed it for what it was worth, and Vincent Price was what really made the movie.

DeadChannel · 01-02-2015, 06:59 PM

Previously watched film #3

Come and See is a 1985 Russian war film starring (and introducing) both Aleksei Kravchenko (Florya) and Olga Mironova (Glasha) and directed by Elem Klimov. It's a beautiful and terrible example of soviet cinema. I've heard it compared to Tarkovsky's seminal 1962 war film "Ivan's Chilhood", which more people have seen in the west (Tarkovsky being similar to directors like Kurosawa, Leone, Godard and Truffaut in regards to western recognition), but I honestly like Klimov's film better.

Speaking of Truffaut, he clearly hadn't seen this movie when he said "There is no such thing as an anti war film, because war, by it's very nature, makes for exciting spectacle."
Well, this movie is actually very low on exciting spectacle. It doesn't so much make you want to pick up a gun (or, to cheer on those that have) as hide under a rock.

In this purpose, it is an absolute success. It is maybe the most terrifying, intense, horrible account of war that has ever been captured on celluloid. If another film exceeds it in those regards, I might not want to ever see it (for my own sanity). In one scene, a girl is brutally raped by Nazis. In another, a church full of children is burned to the ground. It's an incredibly real feeling depiction, while still being, at times, completely absurd.

The film is an account of Nazi occupation of Belarus (at the time part of the USSR). It follows a young boy named Florya, who witnesses the whole thing. Along the way, his family is killed, he becomes deaf and he meets a girl named Glasha. Neither lead had acted in a film prior to this.
Despite this fact, they both give terrifically traumatised performances. Aleksei Kravchenko particularly, is incredible. Some people would say that he's overacting, but this is exactly how I think a person would act under these conditions. This makes sense, as it's a very method performance. So method, in fact that the director wanted to have him hypnotized after shooting was finished. Unfortunately, this ended up not being particularly effective. Olga Mironova plays an even more disturbed character. I'm just going to describe her performance as "bat**** crazy". In the best possible way.

The music compliments what's happening on screen perfectly. It's seriously some if the most provocative movie music ever. I guess you could describe it as ambient, but, like, the most unsettling ambient music EVER (okay, probably not, but when paired with the movie...). There are also a lot of points where classical music is mixed with what's already here, which is used to great effect. At some point, I'd like to do a full review of the soundtrack, but that's for another day.

The picture was largely shot on steadicam (a cylindrical thing that keeps the camera steady -- I want one). It also looks like, at times, they used a lot of practical lighting (that is, light that was available in the environment rather than light from on set lights). The colours are very drab and muted. Most of the time, greens and browns dominate. When all of this is put together, it gives the movie a very real feel. Often, it looks like a documentary (if a documentary had feature film type production, that is. It by no means looks rushed or on the spot). I also noticed a few split diopter shots (a lens split in two parts, with each part having a different focal length, often used to get deep focus, see THIS). Rather than simply using these shots for deep focus, the film creates some really beautiful visual compositions.

So, what did I think? Well, to put it simply, Come and See is a masterpiece, and among the greatest war movies ever made. I can't recommend it for the faint of heart, but if you want to see something truly great, go and see.

10/10

CoNtrivedNiHilism · 01-03-2015, 12:09 AM

I'm just getting warmed up with movie recommendations. I usually do not get any bad feedback from any foreign movie I suggest someone check out, I think I have pretty good taste in foreign cinema and hopefully you'll be another individual that tells me you loved what I suggest you watch.

There's a pretty great film called Mother that you should look in to as well. Then there are the IP Man movies, too. One of my favorite foreign actors plays Ip Man in those movies, Donnie Yen; he's got other great movies as well, dramas, comedy/action/to straight up action packed madness.

I'll go through my collection and post other films I think you'd enjoy.

Unknown Soldier · 01-03-2015, 03:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeadChannel

@UnknownSoldier: glad you enjoyed the movie and (hopefully) the review. Is that what you call a review of a review btw?

Regardless, thanks for the support. It's definitely a classic.
Oh, and good catch about the budget. I can't seem to find any information about what it cost to shoot, sadly. It makes sense that it would cost more than I initially thought, though.

Needless to say because of the violence his films, they were always under threat of censor and for the US market they were often heavily cut. I think it was only in France that they were never cut.

If you really like spaghetti westerns I heavily recommend the Alex Cox book "10,000 Ways to Die" it's an essential read as he reviews loads of films in detail, it's a bit biased at times but his knowledge is unsurpassed on the subject.

Quote:

I've not seen "The Shocker". Is it worth a watch (and maybe a review)?
Thanks for the support.

Nearly every Vincent Price film from this era is worth a watch, but "The Tingler" is a real cult classic, as it's about a creature that forms in the human body on the spine when a person reaches extreme fear..... so of course it's worth watching

I noticed you did an Ulmer film and I'm a big fan of films by German/Austrian émigré directors/actors like this that fled to the USA in the 1930s from Nazi Germany and include people like Fritz Lange, Ernst Lubitsch, Peter Lorre, Erich Von Stroheim, Richard Siodmak and Edgar Ulmer etc.

Edward Ulmer was a bit uneven but if you haven't you really need to check out the low budget "Bluebeard" with John Carradine and the classic "Black Cat" one of the very best Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi films.

Oriphiel · 01-03-2015, 03:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoNtrivedNiHilism

I'm just getting warmed up with movie recommendations. I usually do not get any bad feedback from any foreign movie I suggest someone check out, I think I have pretty good taste in foreign cinema and hopefully you'll be another individual that tells me you loved what I suggest you watch.

There's a pretty great film called Mother that you should look in to as well. Then there are the IP Man movies, too. One of my favorite foreign actors plays Ip Man in those movies, Donnie Yen; he's got other great movies as well, dramas, comedy/action/to straight up action packed madness.

I'll go through my collection and post other films I think you'd enjoy.

Hey man, if you like martial art movies, surely you know of the Shaw Brothers?

CoNtrivedNiHilism · 01-03-2015, 04:20 AM

I'll be honest Oriphiel, I've not heard of them. I'll look in to watching the above movie you posted though.

Oriphiel · 01-03-2015, 05:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CoNtrivedNiHilism

I'll be honest Oriphiel, I've not heard of them. I'll look in to watching the above movie you posted though.

If you like martial arts and cheesy drive-in flicks, you'll be in heaven! Here's an example...

Plankton · 01-03-2015, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeadChannel

@Plankton: broken link...

Sorry 'bout that.

Adventures of Power: In his quest to become the world's greatest air-drummer, a small-town dreamer must overcome obstacles and ridicule to save the day.

Adventures of Power (2008) - IMDb

01-02-2015, 06:59 PM	#24 (permalink)
DeadChannel Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 1,259	Previously watched film #3 Come and See is a 1985 Russian war film starring (and introducing) both Aleksei Kravchenko (Florya) and Olga Mironova (Glasha) and directed by Elem Klimov. It's a beautiful and terrible example of soviet cinema. I've heard it compared to Tarkovsky's seminal 1962 war film "Ivan's Chilhood", which more people have seen in the west (Tarkovsky being similar to directors like Kurosawa, Leone, Godard and Truffaut in regards to western recognition), but I honestly like Klimov's film better. Speaking of Truffaut, he clearly hadn't seen this movie when he said "There is no such thing as an anti war film, because war, by it's very nature, makes for exciting spectacle." Well, this movie is actually very low on exciting spectacle. It doesn't so much make you want to pick up a gun (or, to cheer on those that have) as hide under a rock. In this purpose, it is an absolute success. It is maybe the most terrifying, intense, horrible account of war that has ever been captured on celluloid. If another film exceeds it in those regards, I might not want to ever see it (for my own sanity). In one scene, a girl is brutally raped by Nazis. In another, a church full of children is burned to the ground. It's an incredibly real feeling depiction, while still being, at times, completely absurd. The film is an account of Nazi occupation of Belarus (at the time part of the USSR). It follows a young boy named Florya, who witnesses the whole thing. Along the way, his family is killed, he becomes deaf and he meets a girl named Glasha. Neither lead had acted in a film prior to this. Despite this fact, they both give terrifically traumatised performances. Aleksei Kravchenko particularly, is incredible. Some people would say that he's overacting, but this is exactly how I think a person would act under these conditions. This makes sense, as it's a very method performance. So method, in fact that the director wanted to have him hypnotized after shooting was finished. Unfortunately, this ended up not being particularly effective. Olga Mironova plays an even more disturbed character. I'm just going to describe her performance as "bat**** crazy". In the best possible way. The music compliments what's happening on screen perfectly. It's seriously some if the most provocative movie music ever. I guess you could describe it as ambient, but, like, the most unsettling ambient music EVER (okay, probably not, but when paired with the movie...). There are also a lot of points where classical music is mixed with what's already here, which is used to great effect. At some point, I'd like to do a full review of the soundtrack, but that's for another day. The picture was largely shot on steadicam (a cylindrical thing that keeps the camera steady -- I want one). It also looks like, at times, they used a lot of practical lighting (that is, light that was available in the environment rather than light from on set lights). The colours are very drab and muted. Most of the time, greens and browns dominate. When all of this is put together, it gives the movie a very real feel. Often, it looks like a documentary (if a documentary had feature film type production, that is. It by no means looks rushed or on the spot). I also noticed a few split diopter shots (a lens split in two parts, with each part having a different focal length, often used to get deep focus, see THIS). Rather than simply using these shots for deep focus, the film creates some really beautiful visual compositions. So, what did I think? Well, to put it simply, Come and See is a masterpiece, and among the greatest war movies ever made. I can't recommend it for the faint of heart, but if you want to see something truly great, go and see. 10/10 Last edited by DeadChannel; 01-03-2015 at 08:57 PM.

01-02-2015, 04:50 PM	#21 (permalink)
Oriphiel Ask me how! Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: The States Posts: 5,354	Heh, I remember watching "Shock". A little on the uneventful side, but Vincent Price was great.

01-02-2015, 05:33 PM	#23 (permalink)
DeadChannel Music Addict Join Date: Dec 2014 Location: Canada Posts: 1,259	@UnknownSoldier: glad you enjoyed the movie and (hopefully) the review. Is that what you call a review of a review btw? Regardless, thanks for the support. It's definitely a classic. Oh, and good catch about the budget. I can't seem to find any information about what it cost to shoot, sadly. It makes sense that it would cost more than I initially thought, though. I've not seen "The Shocker". Is it worth a watch (and maybe a review)? Thanks for the support. @Oriphiel: I enjoyed it for what it was worth, and Vincent Price was what really made the movie.

01-03-2015, 12:09 AM	#25 (permalink)
CoNtrivedNiHilism Because I Am, I Can! Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1,128	I'm just getting warmed up with movie recommendations. I usually do not get any bad feedback from any foreign movie I suggest someone check out, I think I have pretty good taste in foreign cinema and hopefully you'll be another individual that tells me you loved what I suggest you watch. There's a pretty great film called Mother that you should look in to as well. Then there are the IP Man movies, too. One of my favorite foreign actors plays Ip Man in those movies, Donnie Yen; he's got other great movies as well, dramas, comedy/action/to straight up action packed madness. I'll go through my collection and post other films I think you'd enjoy.

01-03-2015, 04:20 AM	#28 (permalink)
CoNtrivedNiHilism Because I Am, I Can! Join Date: Aug 2014 Posts: 1,128	I'll be honest Oriphiel, I've not heard of them. I'll look in to watching the above movie you posted though.