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#1
Off Topic Discussion / Re: People you find overrated?
Last post by HappyGilmore - Today at 12:41:38 PMQuote from: zombie no.one on Today at 12:23:24 PMI'll take it as one. I mean, the first movie, Drew Barrymore is gutted and hung from a tree in the first like, twenty minutes. It's always been a bit violent.Quote from: HappyGilmore on Today at 11:01:49 AMQuote from: zombie no.one on Today at 02:28:28 AMfeel like maybe Tobe Hooper fits into the overrated category... without TCM what would he be? and apparently most of that movie's good stuff was down to another guy on the production dept?I somewhat agree on Craven. And, I'm a huge Scream series fan. Those are pretty solid, but honestly my two favorite films in the series are Scream 5 & 6, and he didn't even direct them cause he passed away.
Wes Craven as well, for me. None of his stuff apart from LAST HOUSE... does anything for me (well HILLS HAVE EYES 2 is so bad it's good, I'll give him that!)... I guess this may be an unpopular opinion tho, as NIGHTMARE and SCREAM have legions of fans who will point out those movies are legit groundbreaking / quality
maybe it's just cause I saw it in the cinema, therefore added impact, but even as a horror/slasher fan I found the violence in SCREAM 5 to be gut churning. I guess that's a compliment? lol
Granted I grew up a Saw fan and that's torture porn.
#2
Off Topic Discussion / Re: People you find overrated?
Last post by zombie no.one - Today at 12:23:24 PMQuote from: HappyGilmore on Today at 11:01:49 AMQuote from: zombie no.one on Today at 02:28:28 AMfeel like maybe Tobe Hooper fits into the overrated category... without TCM what would he be? and apparently most of that movie's good stuff was down to another guy on the production dept?I somewhat agree on Craven. And, I'm a huge Scream series fan. Those are pretty solid, but honestly my two favorite films in the series are Scream 5 & 6, and he didn't even direct them cause he passed away.
Wes Craven as well, for me. None of his stuff apart from LAST HOUSE... does anything for me (well HILLS HAVE EYES 2 is so bad it's good, I'll give him that!)... I guess this may be an unpopular opinion tho, as NIGHTMARE and SCREAM have legions of fans who will point out those movies are legit groundbreaking / quality
maybe it's just cause I saw it in the cinema, therefore added impact, but even as a horror/slasher fan I found the violence in SCREAM 5 to be gut churning. I guess that's a compliment? lol
#3
Off Topic Discussion / Re: People you find overrated?
Last post by Leah - Today at 11:25:25 AMQuote from: Rev. Powell on Today at 09:47:56 AMI somewhat get the appeal to Journey as an arena soft rock group (somewhat similar to Foreigner, but if they were softer), but I do NOT like Steve's vocals.Quote from: Leah on Today at 09:16:14 AMI'll probably get s**t for this but Steve Perry, former vocalist of Journey. I honestly don't see why people love his vocals, I just find them grating. This is not me being a metal head either, I do listen to other music genres as well. I just cannot stand his vocals.
Can't imagine anyone would give you s**t for that. Never understood Journey's appeal.
#4
Good Movies / Re: Recent Viewings, Part 2
Last post by M.10rda - Today at 11:14:43 AMMAN OF 1000 FACES (1957):
I guess WEST OF ZANZIBAR finally clinched my admiration for Lon Chaney because somehow I watched this 121 minute biopic - not among my preferred genres - and it turned out better than I thought it would. James Cagney looks nothing like Chaney but per the title that isn't exactly an issue and at least he's the right (modest) height. (Oddly Lon Jr at his pre-alcoholic/Universal peak was 7 inches taller than his dad.) And Cagney is extremely dedicated to faithfully recreating Chaney's performances, probably setting a benchmark for 65 years of subsequent actors imitating highly visible/widely recorded performers. I struggled to think of a high-profile earlier example of a major movie where an actor plays a major movie star - public figures, maybe, but the target audience for MO1KF was clearly filmgoers who still remembered and admired Chaney's own movies and wanted to see Cagney recreate Chaney's roles. This is the focus of the film's whole second hour - also the stronger hour, which gave me more insight into how films were made during the silent era than something like BABYLON.
The first (occasionally tiresome) hour is dedicated to Chaney's life before movies, and it made me think oddly of the recent JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME. Similar to Candy, Chaney was a kind, empathetic man that people enjoyed working with, but also similar to Candy, Chaney lived quietly with a lot of darkness inside him. Whereas Candy primarily had one (very) serious tragedy afflict him early in life, Chaney's entire childhood was pretty messed up. Later Chaney marries a miserable, unsympathetic narcissist who wreaks havoc on his life and that of their son Creighton (aka "Lon, Jr").
Midway through MO1KF I thought the film could probably have done without that whole first hour and just given us more great sequences of Chaney on film sets. However the filmmakers eventually reveal the connecting thread, and one (somehow subtly!) grows to appreciate how all the physical contortions and abuse that Chaney subjects himself to are weirdly kind of a catharsis for the ennui he keeps bottled up inside. There's a wonderful climax of sorts in the final 20 minutes where the ex-wife shows up on set while he's shooting THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and he breaks out of character to confront her at last in complete Quasimodo make-up. Transcendent moment in an otherwise pretty good film.
Finally, legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans (who convincingly played a psychopathic outlaw in the following year's FIEND THAT WALKED THE WEST) has a large supporting role here as - presciently? - legendary Hollywood producer Irving Thalberg. Evans looks a lot like young Anthony Perkins here and gives a totally different performance than he gave in FTWTW, so it's really surprising he gave up acting so quickly...
3.5/5 I also wonder what Lon Jr. (who is portrayed a lot in this film but apparently had no role in its production) thought of this film.
I guess WEST OF ZANZIBAR finally clinched my admiration for Lon Chaney because somehow I watched this 121 minute biopic - not among my preferred genres - and it turned out better than I thought it would. James Cagney looks nothing like Chaney but per the title that isn't exactly an issue and at least he's the right (modest) height. (Oddly Lon Jr at his pre-alcoholic/Universal peak was 7 inches taller than his dad.) And Cagney is extremely dedicated to faithfully recreating Chaney's performances, probably setting a benchmark for 65 years of subsequent actors imitating highly visible/widely recorded performers. I struggled to think of a high-profile earlier example of a major movie where an actor plays a major movie star - public figures, maybe, but the target audience for MO1KF was clearly filmgoers who still remembered and admired Chaney's own movies and wanted to see Cagney recreate Chaney's roles. This is the focus of the film's whole second hour - also the stronger hour, which gave me more insight into how films were made during the silent era than something like BABYLON.
The first (occasionally tiresome) hour is dedicated to Chaney's life before movies, and it made me think oddly of the recent JOHN CANDY: I LIKE ME. Similar to Candy, Chaney was a kind, empathetic man that people enjoyed working with, but also similar to Candy, Chaney lived quietly with a lot of darkness inside him. Whereas Candy primarily had one (very) serious tragedy afflict him early in life, Chaney's entire childhood was pretty messed up. Later Chaney marries a miserable, unsympathetic narcissist who wreaks havoc on his life and that of their son Creighton (aka "Lon, Jr").
Midway through MO1KF I thought the film could probably have done without that whole first hour and just given us more great sequences of Chaney on film sets. However the filmmakers eventually reveal the connecting thread, and one (somehow subtly!) grows to appreciate how all the physical contortions and abuse that Chaney subjects himself to are weirdly kind of a catharsis for the ennui he keeps bottled up inside. There's a wonderful climax of sorts in the final 20 minutes where the ex-wife shows up on set while he's shooting THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME and he breaks out of character to confront her at last in complete Quasimodo make-up. Transcendent moment in an otherwise pretty good film.
Finally, legendary Hollywood producer Robert Evans (who convincingly played a psychopathic outlaw in the following year's FIEND THAT WALKED THE WEST) has a large supporting role here as - presciently? - legendary Hollywood producer Irving Thalberg. Evans looks a lot like young Anthony Perkins here and gives a totally different performance than he gave in FTWTW, so it's really surprising he gave up acting so quickly...
3.5/5 I also wonder what Lon Jr. (who is portrayed a lot in this film but apparently had no role in its production) thought of this film.
#5
Off Topic Discussion / Re: Regional food
Last post by HappyGilmore - Today at 11:03:18 AMQuote from: Dr. Whom on Today at 01:27:24 AMBelgian here, so we are quite fiercely protective of our beers, chocolates and fries. We sort of claimed the waffle. There are many varieties of waffle in North West Europe generally, and what became known as the Belgian Waffle is a kind of Brussels waffle that was marketed as Belgian in the US. It exists here, but it is just one variety and good luck ordering one in Liège. (I prefer the Liège variety myself)Big fan of the beer and chocolate. Haven't tried much of the other food, but my buddy loves it. He spent some time over there.
We share a bit of the asparagus madness with Germany, and you have the local staples like moules frites, carbonades à la flamande, chicons au gratin (the French call these endives, but what do they know) and vol au vent.
#6
Off Topic Discussion / Re: People you find overrated?
Last post by HappyGilmore - Today at 11:01:49 AMQuote from: zombie no.one on Today at 02:28:28 AMfeel like maybe Tobe Hooper fits into the overrated category... without TCM what would he be? and apparently most of that movie's good stuff was down to another guy on the production dept?I somewhat agree on Craven. And, I'm a huge Scream series fan. Those are pretty solid, but honestly my two favorite films in the series are Scream 5 & 6, and he didn't even direct them cause he passed away.
Wes Craven as well, for me. None of his stuff apart from LAST HOUSE... does anything for me (well HILLS HAVE EYES 2 is so bad it's good, I'll give him that!)... I guess this may be an unpopular opinion tho, as NIGHTMARE and SCREAM have legions of fans who will point out those movies are legit groundbreaking / quality
#7
Games / Re: Movie Title Chains
Last post by Rev. Powell - Today at 10:02:54 AMTo the Wonder (2012)
#8
Off Topic Discussion / Re: People you find overrated?
Last post by Rev. Powell - Today at 09:47:56 AMQuote from: Leah on Today at 09:16:14 AMI'll probably get s**t for this but Steve Perry, former vocalist of Journey. I honestly don't see why people love his vocals, I just find them grating. This is not me being a metal head either, I do listen to other music genres as well. I just cannot stand his vocals.
Can't imagine anyone would give you s**t for that. Never understood Journey's appeal.
#9
Off Topic Discussion / Re: People you find overrated?
Last post by HappyGilmore - Today at 09:43:12 AMQuote from: lester1/2jr on April 18, 2026, 03:37:25 PM😂Quote from: lester1/2jr on March 09, 2015, 04:35:52 PMJessica Alba looked really good in Idle Hands
she was 17, a***ole
Though, I'd say I'm in the clear here? She's older than me and I had a bit of a crush on her there and Dark Angel
#10
Off Topic Discussion / Re: People you find overrated?
Last post by Leah - Today at 09:16:14 AMI'll probably get s**t for this but Steve Perry, former vocalist of Journey. I honestly don't see why people love his vocals, I just find them grating. This is not me being a metal head either, I do listen to other music genres as well. I just cannot stand his vocals.