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Post by In the Mouth of Shattered on Jun 24, 2008 13:01:22 GMT -5
Better late than never, eh? There comes a time when we all must ask. . . Do the people who claimed this film to be 'terrifying' truly find it scary or is it scary relative to the other films being released? Do they simply not know about the past's fine horror films that rise high above this film in terror? Or is the fear being somehow subconsciously inflated to make them think it was more frightening than it actually was? Because, to be honest. . . popping up behind windows, standing at the ends of driveways, and looming in shadowy corners can only be scary for so long before it gets old. I'll admit it: the first couple times gave me a little jump. But, after the fourth, fifth, and sixteenth times? Not very effective at all. Sadly, that's what happened here. The filmmakers beat these few scare tactics they had in their utility belt to death and it greatly hurt the effect the film had. What was left? Not much. . . The sparse, and sometimes boring, script and same old "hide in the closet. . . no, hide in the barn. . . no, hide in the pantry" pattern didn't work very well here. We needed something new. . . we needed Hollywouldn't to take a risk here and bring their horror to the next level, like an apology to all of us who still have even a tiny bit of (waning) faith in the town during this endless run of lack of originality. Sadly, they didn't do it and it failed. To be fair, there were a couple positives to the film. The acting was good: Liv 'Ironic First Name' Tyler did a fantastic job, and Scott Speedman's performance was more than adequate. Also, the ballsy ending did work for me. However, it was ruined for us by the (false) opening narration and Ils-Them. . . Ils, however, did it better, in my opinion. Overall, The Strangers fell flat as much as Liv Tyler's character in an escape from the masked invaders. Final Verdict: 5.5/10. . . at the most. -AP3- Best thing about the film: The Poster
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Post by shadowslasher on Jun 24, 2008 13:28:52 GMT -5
I think it's funny that you posted the same review of The Strangers on here after you were getting bitched at on IMDb by people (including me) saying that The Happening sucked. But no hard feelings, I like to have debates/arguments BTW, I loved The Strangers.
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Coffin Jim
Administrator
What is blood? It is the reason to exist!
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Post by Coffin Jim on Jun 24, 2008 14:16:45 GMT -5
I haven't seen it yet, but I've heard mixed opinions. I liked a point you brought up:
I think that's the most likely reason. After all the PG-13, shaky, ADD horror flooding the market over the past few years; people see an R-rated, slow film and they automatically praise it as being scary and tense. Nevermind the fact that the same scare tactics are used ad nauseam.
Like I said, I've yet to see it, so take the opinion above with a grain of salt.
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Post by pain93 on Jun 24, 2008 15:10:54 GMT -5
I was going to see it...but I dunno now. You gave a really good review. I want to see 'The Happening' but I dunno
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Post by yellowtapedrobot on Jun 24, 2008 15:52:25 GMT -5
I liked it a little more than you did, Shattered, but I know what you're saying. After about the halfway mark, I started realizing that the movie had not much going for it but suspense.
It didn't help that I saw Them (2006), a few weeks before hand. One of the reasons I prefer Them is because the couple is actually likeable. I cared what happened to them.
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Post by In the Mouth of Shattered on Jun 24, 2008 18:02:15 GMT -5
That's because I was hoping to have a discussion that didn't revert to the bashing of another, superior film, like The Happening.
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Post by shadowslasher on Jun 24, 2008 18:43:55 GMT -5
Superior? LoL. OK, OK, that's the last thing I'll say about The Suck..I mean, The Happening ;D
As for The Strangers, I loved it.
People are beginning to make it out greater than it really is, but I still loved it. The first 10 minutes annoyed me, so I was expecting it to be a dumb thriller. However, it progressively got better and better and better. The performances by the two leads won me over. I mean, Liv Tyler did an amazing job. The plot line is pretty thin, but there are enough scares that manage to help this flaw.
For a first-time director and writer, Bertino did an amazing job. The film was filmed beautifully and set-up amazingly well. He also did a great job with the atmosphere. I will admit there are some predictable moments. But so what? He managed to make an excellent thriller for his first-time and depended his movies on scares and chills, rather than gore.
If you can get passed the few flaws, you will enjoy this thriller. It's my favorite horror film of 2008 so far. 9/10
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Post by shaggyrand on Jun 24, 2008 19:17:08 GMT -5
I didn't like either very much. I'm not going to touch The Happening, because I want to keep things civil and to be honest I feel asleep during it, so I won't way that I've seen in... and will try again with the DVD. The Strangers.... the script was shit, but it was a decent first time directorial effort... but most of what I liked might have had more to do with the D.P Peter Sova. I do agree with most of the OP, but I do have to say that it looked really good.
Though I can't tolerate Speedman... he bores the hell out of me...
...Total side note... but my Karma has plummeted... that's just cold man... real cold...
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Post by In the Mouth of Shattered on Jun 24, 2008 21:47:37 GMT -5
I got your back there. haha.
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Coffin Jim
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Post by Coffin Jim on Jun 24, 2008 22:01:06 GMT -5
I may watch this tonight, just to see what all the petty quibbling's about.
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Post by shadowslasher on Jun 24, 2008 23:45:00 GMT -5
I may watch this tonight, just to see what all the petty quibbling's about. Just go in with an open mind. BTW, did you ever watch the YouTube video I sent you? The A.I.M. one (Addiction is Murder)?
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Coffin Jim
Administrator
What is blood? It is the reason to exist!
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Post by Coffin Jim on Jun 25, 2008 0:01:30 GMT -5
I may watch this tonight, just to see what all the petty quibbling's about. Just go in with an open mind. BTW, did you ever watch the YouTube video I sent you? The A.I.M. one (Addiction is Murder)? Me? You never sent me no video, son!
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Post by wank_herod on Jun 25, 2008 1:54:02 GMT -5
SW, I noticed on the other board that you were saying if someone didn't like 'The Happening', then they had misunderstood it. Since when does not liking something naturally equate to misunderstanding it? Sure, It can sometimes happen, but certainly not enough to level that rather patronising accusation at those who didn't enjoy Shyamalan's new film (which I've not seen btw).
Would it be okay for me to say that you've misunderstood 'Don't Look Now', which I know that you dislike? To take it further, would it be okay to say that by liking 'The Happening', then you've misunderstood it? The answer to both questions is 'of course not'. A movie is liked or disliked based upon one's own taste in movies, not another's.
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Post by shadowslasher on Jun 25, 2008 11:37:27 GMT -5
Just go in with an open mind. BTW, did you ever watch the YouTube video I sent you? The A.I.M. one (Addiction is Murder)? Me? You never sent me no video, son! Yeah I did! On your rival, IMDb ;D
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Post by Matttttttttttt on Jun 25, 2008 14:21:55 GMT -5
I actually really enjoyed this one. I understand what you're saying with people overrating the film because of the lack of good films out there recently, but I felt that it was really atmospheric and creepy. There's no doubt that this all plays a factor in all the hype going around though. It's one of the few films to actually frighten me in the past 10 years or so. The scariest thing about the film isn't experienced while watching it, but it's the feeling you get when you either leave the theater or are home alone after watching this. It touches upon a fear that all of us have. You make some good points, but I gave it a 9/10 for a lack of a strong ending.
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Post by shadowslasher on Jun 25, 2008 14:54:24 GMT -5
You didn't like the ending? I thought the ending was the best part of the film. And even though I knew it was going to happen, I still jumped when Liv Tyler screamed. It's been awhile since I heard a scream like that in a horror movie!
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Post by Matttttttttttt on Jun 26, 2008 12:45:52 GMT -5
I thought it was a bit of a letdown with all the cat-and-mouse going on. It just seemed a little sudden and not very much of an ending. It made me feel like the film just kind of...well, ended (I know that sounds stupid) without any type of closure. It's what I expected to happen the whole time and it really didn't bring anything new to the table. I'm not saying I need a twist, just something that I didn't KNOW was going to happen when I started watching the film.
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Post by shadowslasher on Jun 26, 2008 17:15:38 GMT -5
Are you talking about the killers taking turns stabbing the two or Liv Tyler screaming?
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Post by Matttttttttttt on Jun 28, 2008 17:39:21 GMT -5
The couple being killed is what I expected from the beginning, so the ending lacked any real surprise for me. Her waking up and screaming was just so stupid. You knew it was coming and it just reminded me so much of the movie below that I'm posting an extra spoiler for. The only reason I'm doing that is I don't know if you've seen it. They should have just kept her dead. Luke Wilson in Vacancy
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