Hey there guys. Wecome to the Monday Round Table of The Movie Blog Uncut. Tonight we have a VERY full house as all the regulars are here. Darren, Bruxy, Doug and I are ALSO joined by Movie Blog Los Angeles correspondent Sharon DeWitt since she’s here visiting in town. On tonight’s show we discuss:
1) AFI party at the Toronto Film Fest
2) The G.I. Joe movie controversy and why making Joe a multi-national team is the RIGHT thing to do
3) The new Iron Man trailer
4) Indiana Jones 4 gets a title
5) New John Rambo trailer
6) Halloween (and why the original Halloween sucked)
7) Shoot Em Up
All this and a few things more.
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You can visit each member of the round tables sites here:
John Campea’s Site
Bruxy Cavey’s Site
Darren Conley’s Site
Doug Nagy’s Site
“I think some people just have a hard time watching older films in context of the time they were made.”
this is very true. since so many films took the template that Halloween set, watching it might seem like just another slasher movie to a lot of people. For me it can be the same way with a lot of famous films that are known for one line… I mean, when I watched “Chinatown” the first time I sat impatiently for the famous “forget it, its Chinatown” line, because that was pretty much all I knew about it in advance… and thats the last line of the movie. Watching it the second time I watched it in a different way. When I first saw Raging Bull and even the Godfather, I was overcome by so many of the famous conversations thinking “oh, its this part. I know this part!” rather than buying into the moment. Some famous movies really are at a disadvantage by having iconic moments that people who’ve never seen one frame know by heart.
I’ll agree with Goon in that Halloween is definitely not my favourite Carpenter film. I’ll also agree that the acting is pretty bad. However, Donald Pleasance’s performance in the film isn’t a realistic portrayal that missed the mark. The melodrama and over-the-top delivery is exactly what they were going for.
In regards to what makes Halloween a classic in my eyes (and others), it’s the cinematography, music and Hitchcockian suspense. Not to mention it led the way for many more slasher films to come. (Even though Bob Clark’s ‘Black Christmas’ pre-dated Halloween and in turn influenced Carpenter)
Whether or not it sucks is up to the individual. (I don’t think it sucks in the least) However, there’s no arguing its influence. I think some people just have a hard time watching older films in context of the time they were made. Most seem to compare them to modern movies that thrive on thirty years of technical advancements in filmmaking and acting.
” his over-the-top lines really so different from Quint’s in Jaws?”
Robert Shaw never took it over the top; he was more subdued than Pleasance in ‘Halloween’ (note: when the series continued, then the Loomis character became corny- especially in Halloweens 4-6)
As for Gio Camepa, his comments didn’t shock me. Hell, the other day he wrote that Transformers was more entertaining than Jaws. He must be getting bored. I would have loved it if Serena was there and gave him some debate….or someone.
It’s interesting to note, however, that trivia wise, Halloween wasn’t scary until John Carpenter put in the music. I wonder if John Williams didn’t score Jaws, how different that film would be.
because of Jay C I’ve been getting around to seeing all the Carpenter movies finally. i never saw halloween until this weekend, and to be honest… I was very disappointed, and its my least favorite Carpenter film.
I mean, it didn’t SUCK, however my appreciation for the film had much more to do with the aura/atmosphere, cinematography than the story and definitely not the acting. I think the acting in fact was so piss poor that it was counterproductive to the atmosphere Carpenter created. I bought it (it was cheap bc of Zombies in theaters) and sold it the next day. It was a 6/10 for me – I can see how it is important, I can see why a lot of people adore it, but personally i feel like I saw it way too late to appreciate it properly. I agree with John that it feels very dated, but I disagree vehemently with the notion that it outright sucks.
Keep in mind this is coming from someone who generally holds only a handful of horror movies in very high regard. I don’t dislike horror movies, however very few have managed to satisfy my specific taste.
oh and as for rambo 4….doesn;t anyone else think that trailer looks pretty depressingly desperate?
stallone makes this thoughful intelligent comeback with the truly great rocky balboa and then looks to flush all the new found respect and kudos away by making this ridiculous looking fucking thing.
it is just a bit sad to me. i love the rambo films but they were never as violent as that trailer makes this film seem.
it just looks a bit desperate to me….
well kristina forget the bits and pieces – you should watch the whole thing from beginning to end and then you will probably see why it is considered such a classic.
even if you don’t find it scary due to the fact it has been stolen from so much since it first came out you will see the foundations of modern horror right there in the film. it is a true classic.
I have never seen Halloween all the way through, only bits and pieces, and the bits and pieces didn’t impress me very much. Maybe if I watched it completely I’d like it, but I don’t get what the big damn deal is with that movie. The Exorcist is a good movie, but it didn’t really scare me, either.
First time listener. Completely loved the show! Count me as a new regular. First time I’ve come across a film podcast that is both insightful and hilarious. Great job.
John, your comment about Halloween, coupled with your extreme dislike of Tim Burton, has made me realise maybe you aren’t the god I once thought you to be. Sob, cry, sniff….
well if hokey and cheesy dialog turns you off halloween you must really hate all 6 star wars films yeah?
halloween is pretty much the perfect horror film.
The only reason it may not scare anyone fresh to it today is more due to the fact that it has been ripped more than other horror film in history. it is the template for this type of film….a lot of horro purists and “experts” like to harp on about black christmas preceding halloween and halloween not actually “inventing” this type of slasher film and while that is true halloween is by far the superior film.
there is a reason halloween is treated differently to say prom night or the prowler or even friday the 13th. because not only did it create an entire genre it perfected it too. it is a hugely important film not only in the world of horror but for film in general. it was at the time the most successful independant film of all time and that opened a lot of peoples eyes to what was achievable outside of the studio system.
the film has a great story, is told incredibly well and has no fat whatsoever and alos gave us one of the scariest on screen villains of all time in michael myers. a hell of a lot more iconic and scary as the deformed gollums in the descent thats for sure. well maybe they would be iconic if we could see them for more than a second but since the are totally obscured with the shakey cam you hate so much, quick cuts and darkness it is hard to tell.i was going to avoid going into a “you hate this but like that?” type argument because they are pointless but i couldn’t help it. you said halloween sucks yet claim the descent is the best horror films ever. it is insane. in 30 years time people will still no who michael myers is. those cave thingys are already forgotten.
At the end of the day it is really your loss that you can so easily dismiss such a important film with a simple “it sucks”
but then again this is one of things I like about you most john.
i like the fact you are not afraid to say things like “brendan fraser is a terrific as a pure actor” or rate something as obscure as “noises off” as your favorite comedy of all time.
I am not being sarcastic either (well a little with the fraser thing) but one of the things I like about you is the fact you are not afraid to like what you like and hate what you hate but john for the most part 30 year old films are not considered classics and widely admired and loved by thousands and thousands of people 30 years on just because people think they should say they like it.
some films genuinely deserve to be remembered and totally earn their place in cinema lore as true fucking gems.
halloween is one of them.
Damn, I love Sharon’s mouth…
Good show gents.
As far as G.I. Joe is concerned, if john is right and they keep to the essentials of the mythos of Joe, then I’m completely fine with it being a international team.
Iron Man looks fantastic
Just don’t like the Indy 4 title at all
Rambo will rule baby
I so glad you said that john! Yes, Halloween has influenced a lot of movies. But john is right. That movie doesn’t hold up at all. Terrible lines, not scary at all and a cheesy transition from psychopath to supernatural monster who can take gun shots. Please. Darren’s example of Exorcist is much better. It holds up, is still scary and the dialog is 20x less corny.
Haven’t seen Shoot Em Up yet
Very entertaining guys. I haven’t listened in almost 6 months and you guys are better than ever. Well done.
I’m sorry Jane, you had me with you for a bit, but if you say “John also seems put off by dialogue-driven, deliberately-paced films” you clearly haven’t been reading the movie blog very long at all.
And WTF? Are you calling Halloween a dialog driven movie? Good fucking lord, The bloody transformers have better dialog than Halloween did. I know it’s a religion to worship Halloween, but at least be realistic. The dialog in that film is embarrassing.
Good call Jay..you can also hear how The Descent’s score is, at times, very derivative of the Morricone music used in Carpenter’s The Thing.
I saw the original Halloween a couple of years back in a packed theater with every age range in the seats. The film still holds up very well, the crowd was quiet and into the film….and jumped and screamed at the appropriate points throughout. The theater was appreciative of the fine storytelling.
I think the dialogue is actually rather well-done…especially in how Debra Hill wrote the talk between the teen girls: the girls in the original felt real, and were very fleshed-out. The Loomis character is a caricature in a sense, but is his over-the-top lines really so different from Quint’s in Jaws? The acting of Donald Pleasence is what sells the audience on those lines.
There is a reason that Halloween is a classic: it holds up over time. It’s an exercise in minimalism…it’s tight, taut and deliberate in its approach….and the fact that a new generation has embraced it as equally well over more current fare is proof in the pudding.
I think it’s fair to say at this point that John just isn’t into horror (or foreign) films, and that’s not a knock, just an observation. I mean, when Serena has to school John on Suspiria, it’s kinda obvious he has been dining on more mainstream fare. John also seems put off by dialogue-driven, deliberately-paced films, so it doesn’t shock me in the least that he was squirming in his seat at the slower-paced Halloween.
Here is a nice vid that gives another view of Halloween:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-c3nXYo-51M
There would be no Descent as we know it without the influence of Halloween or the films of John Carpenter. You don’t have to get to far into the Descent to see that. In fact, the opening credits pay tribute to Carpenter by using the same Albertus font Carpenter frequently used in his films throughout the eighties.
Uhhh… Sooorrryyy John but “Halloween”… is a Fuckin Classic!!!!!!!!!!
Plain & Simple… :) You’re right when you say films are subjective but DUDE… It’s Fuckin “Halloween”!!!! So many pics after John Carpenter’s classic came out trying to imitate his pic; should tell you a lot bro. Imitation is the best form of flattery!!! Enough said… :)
Serena, PLEASE knock some Horror Sense into Mr. Campea… PLEASE!!!!
Peace,
~B
Shoot Em Up is a fun little movie, but the fucking plot is incomprehensible near the middle part.
BTW im a wee bit drunk so sorry about the typos
Gio You Nubb Halloween is a classic words almost fail me soory to say but I normialy agree with you BUT you are wrong in the purest sense of the word wrong you call Halloween bad and say that the Descent was the best horror movie ever the Descent was great but its a fucking clown shoe compaired to halloween in the words of the immortal Dr. Sam Loomis “Death has come to your little web site sherif” BTW fuck Transformers Michel Myers would stab Optimus in his goddamn eye I reapet you are a horror nubb
“IronMan Vs RoboCop, place your bets! (Original Robo)”
Shellhead would blow away Robodude.
Rambo in his 60’s? …still don’t care – lets see some limbs fly!
GI Joe = Coalition of Freedom…?
IronMan Vs RoboCop, place your bets! (Original Robo)
Indiana: Finally – I love the idea of exploring the origins of the Crystal Skull. I have a little hope. (Make-believe or not)
One last thing…. did anyone pre-order their copy of “Bloodrayne 2” coming out tomorrow? The lines for this one is going to be loooonng!
(DTV – what a waiste of money, but a good way to gauge actors and actresses futures in the movie business)
– Jeff