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#1
Bad Movies / Re: RECENT VIEWINGS (Bad Movie...
Last post by M.10rda - Today at 05:51:22 PMTHE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (1923):
The original adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel was a smash hit by early 20s standards, elevating Lon Chaney from well-regarded character actor to enormous star and prompting three subsequent film versions. The negative and all 35mm prints have been lost, thus the copies available today are struck from 16mm versions... and I'm glad it exists and we can watch it, but (probably like LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, alas) it isn't actually very good!
Wallace Worsley (who also directed Chaney in 1920's THE PENALTY, which I liked!) puts every cent onscreen - huge sets, huge numbers of extras, and puh-lenty of ludicrous fake facial hair.
He might've instead demanded a more expensive and better writer to adapt the source material. This thing is almost two and a quarter hours long and the eponymous main attraction is onscreen for maybe a third of the time. 
Waaay too much time is spent on less-thrilling social unrest and court intrigue subplots, as well as on the obligatory romance plot (which doesn't actually involve Quasimodo). To be fair this might be a criticism against Hugo - I dunno, I haven't read this novel, though I have read Les Miserables. Hugo wrote that one thirty years after he wrote Hunchback, and his grasp on plotting and incorporating themes seamlessly into his narrative clearly made remarkable strides in those three decades. To be further fair to this film version, I get bored w/ the Disney musical version of Hunchback, too, yet somehow I like the Charles Laughton version (huh, wonder why? 
). One clear misstep in the '23 HUNCHBACK is that Don Frollo (who is kind of the most important character) has been split into two less important and undeveloped characters, one purely evil and one purely benign (maybe to avoid trouble from American Catholics...?). This really hobbles the story here.
But, okay, how's Chaney? Well, he's working really hard, obviously - and deep beneath the body prosthetics and the facial appliances, it's clear he's giving a thoughtful performance. But - sorry for the heresy! - the face make-up (almost a mask, really) honestly sucks! The goofy fright wig does too. It does poor Lon no favors, as he's got one eye and his mouth to work with - and otherwise we're looking at a cheap 60s/70s Halloween party mask. I played the Phantom of the Opera in HS w/ no make-up
and, ya' know what? My performance was all the better for it! 
No one complained or was confused when Christine pulled off my mask, either. 
In this case, I wish Lon had been allowed to do more acting instead of just showing off some shoddy FX.
My unpopular opinion for today! 2/5
The original adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel was a smash hit by early 20s standards, elevating Lon Chaney from well-regarded character actor to enormous star and prompting three subsequent film versions. The negative and all 35mm prints have been lost, thus the copies available today are struck from 16mm versions... and I'm glad it exists and we can watch it, but (probably like LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT, alas) it isn't actually very good!
Wallace Worsley (who also directed Chaney in 1920's THE PENALTY, which I liked!) puts every cent onscreen - huge sets, huge numbers of extras, and puh-lenty of ludicrous fake facial hair.
He might've instead demanded a more expensive and better writer to adapt the source material. This thing is almost two and a quarter hours long and the eponymous main attraction is onscreen for maybe a third of the time. Waaay too much time is spent on less-thrilling social unrest and court intrigue subplots, as well as on the obligatory romance plot (which doesn't actually involve Quasimodo). To be fair this might be a criticism against Hugo - I dunno, I haven't read this novel, though I have read Les Miserables. Hugo wrote that one thirty years after he wrote Hunchback, and his grasp on plotting and incorporating themes seamlessly into his narrative clearly made remarkable strides in those three decades. To be further fair to this film version, I get bored w/ the Disney musical version of Hunchback, too, yet somehow I like the Charles Laughton version (huh, wonder why? ). One clear misstep in the '23 HUNCHBACK is that Don Frollo (who is kind of the most important character) has been split into two less important and undeveloped characters, one purely evil and one purely benign (maybe to avoid trouble from American Catholics...?). This really hobbles the story here.But, okay, how's Chaney? Well, he's working really hard, obviously - and deep beneath the body prosthetics and the facial appliances, it's clear he's giving a thoughtful performance. But - sorry for the heresy! - the face make-up (almost a mask, really) honestly sucks! The goofy fright wig does too. It does poor Lon no favors, as he's got one eye and his mouth to work with - and otherwise we're looking at a cheap 60s/70s Halloween party mask. I played the Phantom of the Opera in HS w/ no make-up
and, ya' know what? My performance was all the better for it! No one complained or was confused when Christine pulled off my mask, either. In this case, I wish Lon had been allowed to do more acting instead of just showing off some shoddy FX. My unpopular opinion for today! 2/5
#2
Bad Movies / Re: movies that namecheck anot...
Last post by claws - Today at 05:36:42 PMScream (1996) dropping a few movie titles:
John Carpenter's Halloween, Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, and Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
John Carpenter's Halloween, Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left, and Tobe Hooper's The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
#3
Off Topic Discussion / Re: Random Statements About So...
Last post by lester1/2jr - Today at 05:14:27 PMI haven't seen any movies or tv series' that take place during COVID yet. I can foresee a number of problems.
1. Too soon
2. If you pay for top acting talent, you don't want them to be wearing a mask (though it would make action sequences/ stunt doubling easier)
3. COVID was very boring.
4. Alien vs Predator During COVID
1. Too soon
2. If you pay for top acting talent, you don't want them to be wearing a mask (though it would make action sequences/ stunt doubling easier)
3. COVID was very boring.
4. Alien vs Predator During COVID
#4
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by lester1/2jr - Today at 04:52:36 PMCold Hell (2017) - This is sort of the "foreign film" version of a Cannon/ Michael Dudikoff action movie from the 80's. Generic and implausible plot stuff, but with artsy looking people and situations meant to press all the Friday night at Coolidge Corner Theater buttons. The big selling point is the main actress whatever her name is. She's very pretty and looks like what people think young women in Williamsburg, Brooklyn look like, though she's actually from Uzbekistan.
A cab driver in Austria gets seen by a serial killer who sees her looking out her window at him serial killing someone. Here's the first plot problem: when we first meet her, we learn she is a champion Thai kick boxer, of all things. She beats up 3 different men BEFORE she is seen by the serial killer guy. 100% of the people watching this will not understand why then is she so afraid of one guy holding maybe a knife at best? Why does she think he will come after her? Why would he if he (apparently) kills prostitutes and she isn't one?
This could have been cleared up by him having the thing called a gun and/ or maybe him GRADUALLY getting inside her head some way or something. The rest of the plot movements are similarly clunky, but the acting is pretty decent. You can kind of see it on their faces that they know it's sort of a mess.
A decent effort in some respects, but certainly not a home run.
I'll go 3.8/ 5
Foreign film buffs might put it higher, action/ thriller fans probably lower. Title is random.
A cab driver in Austria gets seen by a serial killer who sees her looking out her window at him serial killing someone. Here's the first plot problem: when we first meet her, we learn she is a champion Thai kick boxer, of all things. She beats up 3 different men BEFORE she is seen by the serial killer guy. 100% of the people watching this will not understand why then is she so afraid of one guy holding maybe a knife at best? Why does she think he will come after her? Why would he if he (apparently) kills prostitutes and she isn't one?
This could have been cleared up by him having the thing called a gun and/ or maybe him GRADUALLY getting inside her head some way or something. The rest of the plot movements are similarly clunky, but the acting is pretty decent. You can kind of see it on their faces that they know it's sort of a mess.
A decent effort in some respects, but certainly not a home run.
I'll go 3.8/ 5
Foreign film buffs might put it higher, action/ thriller fans probably lower. Title is random.
#5
Good Movies / Re: Historically inaccurate fi...
Last post by indianasmith - Today at 03:26:38 PMYa gotta hand it to Trevor, he is VERY consistent with his dislikes!
#6
Off Topic Discussion / Re: Random Statements About So...
Last post by indianasmith - Today at 03:25:37 PMMy Dad would have turned 100 this week.
#7
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by M.10rda - Today at 03:07:38 PMThat makes perfect sense. She only has one other credit on Letterboxd. She isn't a terrible actress, just less glamorous than the premise would suggest. Actually the loopy final moment makes a lot more sense if the entire movie was a vanity project.
#8
Good Movies / Re: Great movies with bad sequ...
Last post by M.10rda - Today at 03:04:46 PMI too like JASON X. I didn't hate ...GOES TO HELL, frankly. I've heard arguments in favor of pretty much all the F13s, but honestly I tend to prefer the more creative ones to the earlier formulaic ones. That said, I really detested MANHATTAN when I watched it as a kid. I know, some people also love that one, cheers to them.
#9
Bad Movies / Re: movies that namecheck anot...
Last post by zombie no.one - Today at 02:22:47 PMnice addition 
so long since I saw CLERKS...
so long since I saw CLERKS...
#10
Good Movies / Re: Great movies with bad sequ...
Last post by HappyGilmore - Today at 01:10:12 PMJason X is great. Granted I hated Part 9, so there's that. I'd love to have seen A Nightmare in Space.