If you're in the Los Angeles area there's going to be a Friday The 13th Marathon. You can see all 8 films shown in 35mm on Friday November 13th at the New Beverly. Tickets here
A thousand times YES. I have loved this movie since I was a kid, so much fun, and the appearance of SW toys sure helped sell it. I caught it on cable randomly one time, was thoroughly entertained, and it stuck in my mind ever since. It seems to [sadly] remain more or less unknown, but I am glad someone else appreciates it. Thanks for bringing that up again David, I thought I mentioned it here somewhere before one time, but am glad it is out there now. And Q, ha! Another 'gem' I used to have on video.
Definitely a project I would to see happen, and would welcomely contribute towards if I was more able. A bit of a pity that they don't have some more posters or visual awards - heck, one of that stamp set featuring all of the posters would be just great. I hope we can get to see the final doc.
If you like that, you should check this out. http://www.amazon.com/VHS-Video-Cover-A ... de+designs The Dude Designs does a lot of faux-retro DVD cover art and he has a true passion for cult film. He put out this book recently and it is fantastic. It's a collection of VHS covers and film history.
That looks like a cool book, have to add it to the ever growing wishlist. One of the things I truly lament about the modern era is the loss of perusing that video stores and libraries allowed for. So many great films (and books) were discovered by simply wandering the aisles and losing one's self in the fantasy worlds. Nowadays, when you feel like watching something, it is actually incredibly difficult to just stumble upon a random suggestion for a genre or something [without knowing a specific title in mind], when you want to be entertained. As flawed as the business model became in its dying throes, I for one miss them. A lot. And yes, some do still exist, but with the exception of a few cult ones in major centres for dedicated fans, the remainder still rely on the 'Blockbuster' model which is exactly why they went extinct.
In Atlanta we have an awesome cult video rental store called "Videodrome". They've got imported DVDs, out of print stuff, with a lot of it bleached by the sun. You can find some weird ass stuff there and I LOVE IT. But yeah, it is definitely a dying industry. You can only find a very small handful of places like that period, and they'll only be in major metropolitan areas. Austin TX has quite a few.
I was going to buy that VHS covers book, but discovered it was of UK video covers. I'm sure it's still pretty awesome, but it just wouldn't have the same resonance for me.
A lot of the art is identical to the U.S release. Case in point, the Video Dead. I took these photos just now to give you an idea of what to expect. Honestly, if you love VHS and cult film, this book is FANTASTIC. It's huge with a ton of great, really obscure stuff. I picked out 2 of the less obscure titles. Plus I've met the dude and he is awesome. Anything to support people like him continuing to make such awesome stuff is money well spent.
I watched Bone Tomahawk on vod last night. Its being described as a horror western. It felt a bit more action/adventure to me though. It lacked that horror atmosphere that I look for and the protagonists reactions to the situations they found themselves in were more heroic than horrified too. But its actually a really fun little movie for the budget with a surprisingly big cast. Not for the squeamish either Definitely check it out!
I enjoyed it too. There was a really interesting contrast between the realism of the western aspect(like how difficult it is to travel from one place to another and how an injury is totally unforgiving with the lack of medical advances)and the almost comical brutality of the cannibals. No matter what happened everyone treated it as so matter of fact it was kind of crazy. I was surprised that almost every actor was so famous. Seemed like it would be a low budget no name cast type of thing.
Bone Tomahawk seemed to have the pace and outcome of a found footage film while being a normal film. I thought the acting swayed between good and "we just learned out lines 5 minutes ago". Almost a good film but several scenes that could have been edited out. Why did the wife have that psychic moment at the end? Seemed out of character for the film. Going to watch Final Girls for Halloween. Looks good. <- OMG that was a load of fun. Loved it!
Quoting myself like a fool just to let you all know this movie is streaming on netflix now. Really worth the watch.
I enjoyed it. Had some really good creepy moments. If I had watched this in the dark of night I think I would have been pretty freaked out. I was bummed by the ending, though.
I saw an excellent restoration of the original Tod Browning "Dracula" in a cinema last week ... I haven't see the whole thing since I was a kid, and that was edited prints of poor quality on TV. I'm sure people familiar with the film already know this but something I found super-creepy and chilling about the movie was the complete lack of background music. It didn't take anything away from the experience, rather it added as much to the cold and antiquated atmosphere as Dwight Fry's psychotic laughter or Bela Lugosi's intense hypnotic gaze. I love a good horror soundtrack but in the case of this classic Talkie, the lack thereof was a bonus.
Was it the print that TCM has been touring? I heard that they were showing it as a double feature with the Spanish-language version that was filmed at the same time. I've never had the pleasure of seeing either version projected. Both used to haunt my VCR on a regular basis.
Yes, the TCM presentation. It was clear that they'd used different sources because some sequences were clear and sharp while others looked pretty badly damaged over time. The Spanish-language version (which I'd never seen before) was even cleaner for some reason. I'm not sure I agree with those who say the Spanish version is better. It's longer, there's more character development and it's fascinating as a compare-and-contrast exercise, but nothing beats Lugosi and Frye. Anyway, it was a reminder that almost everything looks better on the big screen. I'd love to see a good print of Whale's "Frankenstein" in a cinema some day.
I'd love a chance to get to see Erle C. Kenton's House of Frankenstein up on the big screen. It's a much lesser film than Whale's efforts with the character, but giant fun nonetheless. I'm also a big fan of his House of Dracula, and it hardly need be said that everyone here should have a look at Island of Lost Souls.
Glad you enjoyed it. I watched it in the middle of the night with someone who jumps at everything so it was pretty freaky and fun. The ending was brutal though.
Without question. Something people so often forget, even for films which we have loved for decades. Nothing matches the experience of seeing them the way they were meant to be experienced. And, often enough, we can carry those memories with us of when we see a really good film that way. I know there are a few such true movie-going experiences that I will always remember. I admit to feeling a little envious of your Dracula screening. Speaking of Lost Souls, has anyone else checked out the doc on Stanley's version of 'Moreau'? Sort of in the lines of Lost in La Macha. Not a great film exactly, but it does make you think about the possibility of what might have been, and cringe - once again - at the travesty that we got. Anyhow, to bring it all back to horror, [and that was a horrible film] Hardware will always be held up there as a great piece of entertainment.
