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The Thing, a review by Jon

The Thing
5 out of 5



In John Carpenter's update of a 50s b-movie classic, a research team in Antarctica are attacked by a shape-shifting alien that could be any one of them...

This is a gory and powerful update to The Thing From Another World and unlike most remakes, is more than a classic of the genre in its own right. The story bears a lot of comparison with Alien and the subtle mood is similar too, except instead of the team hunting an intruder, they're hunting themselves, because this particular parasite can imitate anyone perfectly.

Well, first it has to eat them and each sequence is a marvellously disgusting exercise in special effects and the modern benchmark for any anti-CGI debates. The invention of these horrible creations is astonishing; "You've got to be f***ing kidding me", says one character and your jaw will drop too. He was referring to a severed head growing spider legs and scuttling away, but there are several scenes like that!

Carpenter's lean and focused screenplay features distinct variations of food for the Thing, effectively brought to life by a first-class cast of character actors, led by Kurt Russell, Donald Moffat and Keith David. As I said before, Alien was a clear inspiration for the approach and they are all similarly weary and memorable, so you feel it as they get picked off. There is a stand-out moment with several of them tied together while Russell tests their blood.

The music by Ennio Morricone (as well as Carpenter's usual synthesiser motifs) is sombre and builds a tense, doom-laden mood from the off, matched by sharp cinematography. Carpenter makes the most of the bleak landscape, but breaks it up with contrasting sets and lighting. The moment the generator fails is brilliantly done. As a side note, I watched the Blu-Ray edition and the bits featuring fire are particularly fine.

This is a milestone in the horror genre. The nature of the story means the parasites forms are limited only by imagination, yet never appear gratuitous and only add to the atmosphere. Above all this a character piece as you see them quickly break down under the paranoia. And it's difficult to work out who has been assimilated and how, so this brilliantly puts you in the same position as the characters.

It makes you bite your nails, jump out of your chair and threatens to make you throw up too! You'll be in a hell of a mess by the end of this film, but that's what the best horrors do. 

(From Jon's Marathon of Horror! 2009 on October 11th, 2009)

Let the Right One In, a review by addicted2dvd

Let the Right One In (2008/Sweden) IMDb |Wikipedia |Trailer | Magnolia Home Entertainment, Magnet Director: Tomas Alfredson Writing: John Ajvide Lindqvist (Screenwriter), John Ajvide Lindqvist (Original Material By) Length: 115 min. Rating: Rated R : Some Bloody Violence Including Disturbing Images, Brief Nudity and Language Video: Widescreen 2.35:1 Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1, Swedish: DTS-HD Master Audio: 5.1 Subtitles: English, Spanish

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Stars:Plot:
Lonely, 12-year-old Oskar is regularly bullied by his stronger classmates. A new friendship develops when Eli, a pale, serious young girl who only comes out at night moves in next door. Coinciding with her arrival is a series of inexplicable disappearances and murders. As Oskar becomes more aware of Eli's tragic plight, he cannot forsake her. However, Eli knows that to continue living, she must keep relocating. But when Oskar faces his darkest hour, Eli returns to defend him the only way she can...

Extras:

• Scene Access
• Deleted Scenes
• Featurettes
• Gallery

This is the first time I ever seen this one. Though I have heard a lot of great things about it. So I was hoping going into this one that I wouldn't be disappointed due to all they hype I have read. But thankfully that wasn't the case. I found I enjoyed this one very much. It is at a slower pace then I am normally used to... but that really works with this storyline. I liked the way this movie handled entering a home without an invite. An idea I never seen before... as the way I normally see it the vampire just cannot enter... like there is an invisible force field in the way. So I got to see something I never seen in a vampire movie before... and with all the vampire movies I ever seen... that is saying a lot. This is one I definitely recommend... if you never seen it... give it a chance!



(From Weekend Movie Marathon: The Blu-ray Experience on July 13th, 2013)

Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

18. Vatman (3/13/94)
Superman discovers there's a powerful new villain in town: Superman! Lex Luthor develops a Superman clone with all his powers and just one goal: destroy the real Man of Steel.

My Thoughts:
This is a fun episode... but there was something about the way that Dean Cain played being child-like that I didn't much care for. I did like the storyline itself though.



(From Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Marathon on July 20th, 2009)