Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I find it funny how many people have the same tastes in movies and yet there will be one or two that they completeley disagree on. Why is that? I think this thread would be more informative if we had a list of movies to rate and see what we each liked or disliked about them. Curious if some people like certain movies for the same reason other people dislike them.
I find it funny how many people have the same tastes in movies and yet there will be one or two that they completeley disagree on. Why is that? I think this thread would be more informative if we had a list of movies to rate and see what we each liked or disliked about them. Curious if some people like certain movies for the same reason other people dislike them.
Interesting idea. I bet we would find that to be true.
Shawshank Redemption: its good, I guess. but I never understood what the big deal was about that film.
I think the big deal was the triumph of the human spirit under adverse conditions, and never giving up hope. And friendship.
Also, it worked because it appeared that Andy Dufresne had accepted his fate and adjusted to his imprisonment when in fact he had been planning and working on his escape all those years.
One of my coworkers kept a poster in his office of Andy's upturned face in the rain when he crawls out of the pipe and stands up outside the walls of the prison. He said that was how he was going to feel at retirement. He made it out last year! LOL.
after what seems like hours, the plot seems to be Jamie Lee Curtis is going to babysit later...and the maniac is kinda like stalking her? i never make it to any of the killings. i saw nothing speacial in the way of acting in that movie... and nothing at all interesting happens (i guess until the end maybe, and i've not made it that far.)
what am i missing?
It's not so much the plot that exemplifies "Halloween" as a classic of horror. You have to look at it in the context of 1978. By today's standards, "Halloween" is not very scary but that's not because the movie itself isn't scary. With the benefit of technological advances, we are able to see excessive amounts of gore in movies and you know what? It all looks real. Not only is gore a factor, but the slashers/monsters/villains of today are much more twisted and sadistic in their ways. In my opinion, we have become desensitized to horror because we go into a horror movie knowing that most of it has already been done before. We have seen so many vile, disgusting things on screen that weren't even imaginable 35 years ago in 1978. That's why you rarely see horror movies these days receive overly positive accolades. None of it stands out. Not only did "Halloween" stand out in 1978, but it reinvigorated and revitalized the slasher genre. It spawned countless imitators. No Michael Myers, no Jason Voorhees or Freddy Krueger or even Chucky. "Halloween" is impressive for many reasons. It was filmed in less than one months' time on a budget of $325,000 which, adjusted for inflation, amounts to roughly $1,160,000 today. How many modern movies are filmed on a budget like that and yet bring as much success in revenue as "Halloween" was able to? About half of that tiny budget was spent on panavision cameras so it could be filmed in a 2.35:1 scope. In addition, "Halloween" was an independent film. Nobody, especially director John Carpenter, thought this movie would become as big as it did. It was supposed to be nothing more than a cheesy B-horror flick, much like say, the original "Piranha" (released the same year as "Halloween").
By the way, I've tried to show "Halloween" to an 11-year old cousin of mine and you know what? He was so terrified by the theme song alone on the opening credits, he couldn't even make it to the movie itself. That theme (and frankly the entire soundtrack) is part of what makes "Halloween" so memorable. I've seen the movie dozens of times and that theme still sends chills down my spine. Try showing a pre-teen youngster "Halloween." Teens and college kids and adults know at the end of the day that "it's just a movie" and as a result, we don't scare as easily. Kids, on the other hand, will find plenty to jump at in "Halloween." Frankly, the only time I ever jump when I see a horror movie today is when I get to one of those "false alarm" scares that only makes me jump more due to the sudden loud noise versus what's actually happening on the screen.
Since you didn't get very far in the movie, watch this 58 second clip of Dr. Sam Loomis (played by Donald Pleasence). Nobody in my opinion has "sold" the image of a serial killer in a movie better than Pleasence did right here:
Michael is not after revenge, he's not love-scorn, he's not mad at the world, he's just simply evil. Think of it this way. The less you know about a serial killer, the scarier he becomes because you don't know what he's going to do next. When all you know is that this killer is evil and has no sense of life or death, right or wrong, that, to me, is much more scary than any witch or ghost or zombie or any creature or monster. It's a sense of unpredictability and knowing that, at any time, even the most likable character in the film could be killed off. That brings me to another aspect of modern horror I dislike, particularly in the slasher genre. Why do so many movies make EVERY character dislikable? It defeats the purpose of a horror movie. You WANT to see these characters get offed and thus, the horror element of it disappears. When each character comes off as pompous and annoying, you find yourself rooting for the serial killer or monster and now, rather than a horror film, it's closer to exploitation than it is to horror. Know what I mean? In "Halloween," sure, Annie and Lynda can be a bit annoying; particularly Lynda for overusing the word "totally." But in reality, these girls are no different than any other. They're high schoolers with raging hormones who hate school and are just trying to get through another day. But there is not one character in "Halloween" that I root for to die. Even worse is when I see a horror movie where the director wants its audience to "relate" to the killer in some way. I hate that! That's what director John Carpenter specifically wanted to avoid when he wrote the "Halloween" script; a killer who couldn't be related to on any level.
As to your point about the "lack of action," yes, "Halloween" does take a bit of time to get to the kills. But that's because there's more to the movie than just the kills. The film takes its time in order to build suspense and a creepy atmosphere. Give me a 90-minute film with half a dozen kills that takes its time to set up a plot and characters and build suspense over a film of that same length with 20 gory, brutal kills just to show off "how cool" the CGI special effects are. Carpenter was heavily influenced by Alfred Hitchcock and "Psycho" and it shows. If you thought "Halloween" was boring, you would loathe "Psycho" because there's even less of a body count and aside the infamous shower scene, the movie doesn't get really intense until it's almost over. It just comes down to what we as horror enthusiasts expect from horror in 2013 versus what was expected back in the day, and what we know and have seen from horror today versus then. "Halloween" doesn't "fit in" with horror movies today but for its time, it was genuinely terrifying. I just can't stand when "Halloween" is called the "scariest" movie ever for two reasons: 1. There is no single, universal definition of "scary" in terms of horror movies. What is scary to one might not be scary to another. 2. In the context of 2013, 1978's "Halloween" is very tame. It might not be the scariest horror movie ever, but it is certainly one of the BEST ever (yes, there is a difference) and one of the highest grossing independent films of all time.
None of what I said may make you think any more highly of "Halloween", but you will hopefully at least respect and appreciate what it accomplished in its time and the impact and influence it brought and still brings in the modern day.
It's not so much the plot that exemplifies "Halloween" as a classic of horror.
Carpenter's Halloween is a deeply flawed classic.
It's easily one of the most influential and imitated horror films ever made. The camera work and shots are really beautiful in many scenes. It completely re-invented the movie maniac. Donald Pleasance and Jamie Lee Curtis are brilliant in it. The music is one of the best uses of movie music ever done. It's utterly genius in its simplicity.
And the way the movie plays with the horror movie theme has seldom been done better. Carpenter once said there are 2 types of horror stories:
1. The Evil is "out there." If we stay close to the fire and say the right incantations and stick together, we can defeat the evil "out there." Evil is an objective, exterior element. This is the classic monster movie.
2. The Evil is "inside" every one of us. We are all in a constant battle of evil within each individual, within society, etc. Evil is a subjective, interior element. This is the psychological serial killer story so popular over the past 30 years. Psycho invented this genre and has seldom been topped.
What is so brilliant about Carpenter's Halloween is that it masquerades as the second kind of horror story (the evil inside; Michael Myers is a psychopath, an escaped lunatice, etc.), but it's actually the first kind (Evil is a Force).
Michael kills his sister and is sent to an asylum. He escapes, and everyone thinks they simply have an escaped psychopath on their hands. But Loomis spends the entire movie screaming at everyone that they don't know what they are dealing with. Michael is not just insane. He is Evil. And you can hear the capital E in his voice every time he says it. But because we live in a modern world of Freud, no one believes him. In fact, they think Loomis is more than a little nutty. And Carpenter never really tips his hand -- until the very last scene. Then we know: Loomis was right. Michael is not just an escaped loon. He is a Force. An Evil Force.
It's brilliant.
That being said, it's also a very flawed movie. Every attempt at humor falls completely flat. "I have a place for that!" Some of the dialogue and much of the acting is ... well, really poor to put it nicely. We're supposed to be in an Illinois autumn, but you can clearly see palm trees in one scene. The movie's opening scene, brilliant as it was for the camera tricks involved, makes no logical story sense whatsoever. Michael's final killing spree on Halloween night defies all logic and seems more of a set of gore gags than anything else. The first half of the movie is a brilliant set up of suspense. The pay off is rather disappointing.
So a masterpiece? Yes. But not one without very glaring flaws.
Incidentally, I think the fact that Carpenter's film was a good old fashioned Evil is a Force movie is one reason so many people hated Rob Zombie's remake. Carpenter's movie really is about a monster masquering as a psychopath. Zombie's movie was about a psychopath.
I may have posted about these in the other thread, but I think these movies are terrible, and I don't "get" all the love people seem to have for them.
Pretty Woman: Lots of women I know love this movie, and don't seem to care that she's a prostitute, an actual card-carrying prostitute. She's upset when saleswomen treat her like a lowlife and Richard Gere's friend (George from Seinfeld) tries to have sex with her. But, you are a hooker, dear.
Thelma & Louise: Another chick-flick I never "got." Two women exercise extremely poor judgment over and over again until they die. Nothing to admire, terrible portraits of womanhood. They are not heroic in the least. So why do women who are BFFs like to refer to themselves as "Thelma & Louise"?
Scarface: Every guy I ever met seems to love this movie. I just don't understand. It's definitely no Godfather. Pacino in too much bronzer and black eyeliner with a fake Cuban accent.
The Graduate: Every baby-boomer gushes about this piece of drivel. Stupid plot, mediocre acting, no actual "message." The only redeeming thing is the soundtrack. People say it had a huge influence on their entire lives and it changed the world. Meh, not so much.
Easy Rider: Another one baby-boomers get all creamy over. Please, it's awful. And yes, I've tried watching it with and without the benefit of "substances" just to give it a fair shot. Still don't get the attraction for it. Sooooo boring, when I tried to watch it, I kept getting distracted by things like reading the back of a box of crackers and re-folding my socks.
after what seems like hours, the plot seems to be Jamie Lee Curtis is going to babysit later...and the maniac is kinda like stalking her? i never make it to any of the killings. i saw nothing speacial in the way of acting in that movie... and nothing at all interesting happens (i guess until the end maybe, and i've not made it that far.)
what am i missing?
Everything. Lol. I love the score, the lighting, I don't know even the cheesy acting I love. I've seen that movie so many times it's actually cozy to me.
Incidentally, I think the fact that Carpenter's film was a good old fashioned Evil is a Force movie is one reason so many people hated Rob Zombie's remake. Carpenter's movie really is about a monster masquering as a psychopath. Zombie's movie was about a psychopath.
I hated Zombie's remake. Probably because I'm a Halloween purist, I don't know. I kept thinking while watching the remake, "No. No no no, that's not how it's supposed to be."
I may have posted about these in the other thread, but I think these movies are terrible, and I don't "get" all the love people seem to have for them.
Pretty Woman: Lots of women I know love this movie, and don't seem to care that she's a prostitute, an actual card-carrying prostitute. She's upset when saleswomen treat her like a lowlife and Richard Gere's friend (George from Seinfeld) tries to have sex with her. But, you are a hooker, dear.
Thelma & Louise: Another chick-flick I never "got." Two women exercise extremely poor judgment over and over again until they die. Nothing to admire, terrible portraits of womanhood. They are not heroic in the least. So why do women who are BFFs like to refer to themselves as "Thelma & Louise"?
Scarface: Every guy I ever met seems to love this movie. I just don't understand. It's definitely no Godfather. Pacino in too much bronzer and black eyeliner with a fake Cuban accent.
The Graduate: Every baby-boomer gushes about this piece of drivel. Stupid plot, mediocre acting, no actual "message." The only redeeming thing is the soundtrack. People say it had a huge influence on their entire lives and it changed the world. Meh, not so much.
Easy Rider: Another one baby-boomers get all creamy over. Please, it's awful. And yes, I've tried watching it with and without the benefit of "substances" just to give it a fair shot. Still don't get the attraction for it. Sooooo boring, when I tried to watch it, I kept getting distracted by things like reading the back of a box of crackers and re-folding my socks.
Um, this Boomer does not get all creamy over Easy Rider. For me, like The Exorcist, ER does not *quite* stand the test of time.
OTOH, it broke boundaries back in its day and will forever be a cultural landmark.
Same with The Graduate, which may not be a great movie, but is a good one. Dustin Hoffman won an Oscar and proved that a leading man need not be tall, dark and handsome.
For these and the rest of the movies on your list that you don't get, I am reminded of post #22 in this thread.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
