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May 19, 2024, 03:25:22 AMDistrict 9 |
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| WHAT THEY SAY |
| From producer Peter Jackson (The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and director Neill Blomkamp comes a startingly original science-fiction thriller that "soars on the imagination of its creators" (Peter Travers, Rolling Stone). With stunning special effects and gritty realism, the film plunges us into a world where the aliens have landed... only to be exiled to a slum on the fringes of Johannesburg. Now, one lone human discovers the mysterious secret of the extraterrestrial weapon technology. Hunted and hounded through the bizarre back alleys of an alien shantytown, he will discover what it means to be the ultimate outsider on your own planet. |
MY THOUGHTS |
| WOW! I loved this movie! I loved the documentary look and how seemlessly the special effects integrate in the image. At times, I forgot they were special effects. The creature effects in particular are really well executed. The bipedal tank at the end of the movie is awesome too! The movie has just the right amount of gore for the type of movie it is. Love the effects of the zapper with the exploding humans left and right! And you know what makes this work so well? It is not too far fetched to imagine this happening in the real world. An alien ship lands on Earth. So what do we do? Ghetto them into a slum and exploit them. Typical. You don't even need to be alien for this to happen. Anyways, great sci-fi action flick. |
RATING |
(From RossRoy's Random Viewings on January 5th, 2011)
Member's Reviews
The Evil Dead, a review by Jon
The Evil Dead
4 out of 5
A group of friends go for a break in a cabin in the woods, but little do they know it is surrounded by a demonic force waiting for an opportunity to lay siege.
This is independent film-making at its best, a true classic of the genre made for pennies. Could easily be dismissed as junk, but it has such heart, humour and real talent, it’s impossible to ignore. If you haven’t seen it, you should really look it up, even if you’ve seen the sequel/remake, Evil Dead II. That is the better film in many respects, but this is scarier and darker. Turn the lights off and the sound up, and strap up your jaw before it falls too far!
The Evil Dead is an important film for many reasons, not least because it was one of the first video hits. Released in cinemas and on video at the same time, it proved the home market was viable beyond porn. And here we are today.
It was also one of the original video nasties, but unfairly. Of course, none of those notorious titles deserve to be on such a list as we are adults and can decide for ourselves, but some are mean spirited so the average viewer is easily put off and left in ignorance. The Evil Dead hasn’t got many evil thoughts though. It’s a very graphic comic book. Ok, one of the girls gets raped by a tree, but who are we to judge?
The story is a horror staple; the lonely cabin in the woods. But as it was released in 1981 when I was 6, I can’t work out if it created the cliché or honoured it. Either way it is pretty much definitive. Like religion in The Omen, I’m a sucker for hidden worlds of demons. Where are the rules? Do demons have rules? Who knows! Much of the atmosphere is down to the very well prepared Book of the Dead prop and the tape recordings which are capable of sending a shiver down your neck. Though not as much as the cellar…
Raimi directs the hell out of this film, which is one of the things that sets it apart, even today. His enthusiasm that seems to throw everything at the screen is only matched and tempered by his talent. He really knows how to manipulate the audience. His editing and sound design is excellent, with inventive and ambitious shots. There are sound effects you wouldn’t expect, perhaps not even needed, but add to the atmosphere and the films unique identity. I particularly liked the point of view shots as the characters were being attacked. Then there’s the gore! Plenty of body parts flying around and blood everywhere and here it really shows its roots. Especially near the end with the vomit inducing time-lapsed decomposing.
The cast for the most part are pretty standard. You aren’t going to attract the best actors to something like this, but they’re good enough and good sports for all the make-up. But a key element to the whole success might just be Bruce Campbell. The man is a legend!
The Anchor Bay DVD has DTS sound put to excellent use and some worthy features, some hidden as eggs. The cover shot is from the Region 2 limited edition, made to look like the Book Of The Dead.
(From October Marathon: Horror! on October 29th, 2008)
Member's TV Reviews
Tom's TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom
 | The Addams Family: Volume One (1964/United States) IMDb | Wikipedia
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Plot:
They're creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, and now for the first time, they're on DVD! The Addams Family, America's first family of ghastly giddiness, are here in all of their ghoulish glory in the original TV series based on the delightfully demented imagination of Charles Addams. Tarantulas, torture racks, and tombstones have never been so much fun! Join Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, Lurch, Cousin Itt, and the rest of the gang for a fiendishly funny and altogether ooky experience. It's time to pay a call on...The Addams Family!
The Addams Family
1.01 The Addams Family Goes to School
Writer: Seaman Jacobs (Writer), Ed James (Writer), Charles Addams (Original Characters By)
Director: Arthur Hiller
Cast: Carolyn Jones (Morticia), John Astin (Gomez), Allyn Joslyn (Mr. Hilliard), Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester), Ted Cassidy (Lurch), Blossom Rock (Grandmama), Lisa Loring (Wednesday), Ken Weatherwax (Pugsley), Madge Blake (Miss Comstock), Nydia Westman (Miss Morrison), Rolfe Sedan (Postman), Itself (The Thing)
I always enjoyed this series when I caught it on TV. But it is not a series I can watch many episodes after another. This is why I still have my volumes 2 and 3 unwatched.
The canned laughter was especially annoying here. I am already quite used to series without laugh track.
Rating:
(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on March 25th, 2011)