quote:

ORIGINAL: Mister Coe

Good call, Dr Lenera, I really like MISSION TO MARS. It's not perfect but there's some damn good stuff there, not least the scene where one of the headlining actors exits the film halfway through. Deffo not deserving of the terrible reviews it got.

And Morricones score is excellent.

quote:


 
Typically for De Palma, Mission To Mars echoes many other films while still being entirely its own movie. The Abyss and 2001: A Space Odyssey are two which especially came to mind when I last viewed the film. Now an especially criticised aspect of the picture is Morricone’s score, perhaps because it’s so different to the typical ‘sound’ of a film of this kind, but to me that just sums up the narrow-mindedness of some critics. The composer seems to emphasise the wonder and beauty of space and other worlds with some gorgeous pieces, while often using atypical instruments such as the electric guitar and the organ. His music for the final scenes is truly beautiful and uplifting. Maybe it’s a little corny, but some corn is good for you once in a while. There is a lot about this movie that doesn’t really work, but there are some very good things in it, it had ambition to spare, and I’m not sure I would want it any other way.

Rating: 7/10

quote:


 
Ghosts of Mars is quite a gory film though the decapitations etc. are mostly of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-them type. Overall it doesn’t exhibit much imagination in its look except for one scene in a room full of dead bodies which is lit with Mario Bava-style hues. It shows laziness all-round. At the beginning, a point is made of stating that the film takes place in a matriarchal society, but it has no bearing on the rest of the film, a good summing-up of the attitude that makes up the whole film. And yet a bit of me wonders if this is actually a not-exactly misunderstood but maybe the most purely personal picture Carpenter ever made, and how can you not like a film which finishes with the lines:

Let’s go kick some ass

[reply] It’s what we do best

Rating: 4.5/10

quote:

ORIGINAL: losthighway

I'm still around just been silly busy... most recent watch was ROOM 237. A documentary regarding various theories/hidden meanings within The Shining. As the film is one of my favourite films ever I was intrigued to see it. Sadly a good 70% of it is utter bullshite but there's three theories which actually make some sense and one in particular is downright creepy (if indeed it was Kubrick's intention!?)... All i'll say is forwards and backwards. If you've not had chance to see it, it hits DVD in Feb 2013. Worth a watch at least once. Overall: 3/5

quote:

ORIGINAL: losthighway

I'm still around just been silly busy... most recent watch was ROOM 237. A documentary regarding various theories/hidden meanings within The Shining. As the film is one of my favourite films ever I was intrigued to see it. Sadly a good 70% of it is utter bullshite but there's three theories which actually make some sense and one in particular is downright creepy (if indeed it was Kubrick's intention!?)... All i'll say is forwards and backwards. If you've not had chance to see it, it hits DVD in Feb 2013. Worth a watch at least once. Overall: 3/5

quote:

ORIGINAL: Mister Coe

Good call, Dr Lenera, I really like MISSION TO MARS. It's not perfect but there's some damn good stuff there, not least the scene where one of the headlining actors exits the film halfway through. Deffo not deserving of the terrible reviews it got.

And Morricones score is excellent.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

GUILTY PLEASURE MARS DOUBLE BILL


In 2020, on the evening before the first manned mission to the planet Mars, astronauts Woody Blake and Jim McConnell say farewell to Luke Graham, who is the leader of the mission. Upon arrival, the team discover a crystalline formation within a mountain in the Cydonia region. Hearing a strange sound on their communications system, which they assume to be interference from their planetary rover, they are then attacked by a large whirlwind made of sand which kills them all except for Luke. After the vortex subsides, a large humanoid face is exposed. Luke manages to upload an emergency transmission and a second ship is hastily readied for a rescue mission, headed by Woody and Jim…..

While the second film on this double bill is unashamedly a B-movie and needs to really be treated as such, Mission To Mars is something else, a would-be Hollywood blockbuster with a big budget, major stars etc. It’s a glorious folly, a wonderfully strange and rather brave film that doesn’t really deliver what you might expect, but is very interesting and certainly attempts to be more intelligent than most other science-fiction films of the time. At times it’s somewhat poor, but on other occasions it’s quite magnificent and certainly isn’t a blot on director Brian De Palma’s CV, though it is often treated as such. It’s certainly better than the other Mars movie of 2000, the dull Red Planet, and even if you hate it, you have to admire its sheer cheek. It seems to blithely ignore commercial considerations, and its ambition cannot be faulted. In aiming for the stars, De Palma doesn’t quite reach them, but he fails with honour.

Mission To Mars was, believe it or not, inspired by a Disney theme park ride with the same name. It was originally planned as a medium budget film with Gore Verbinski, then not much of a name, at the helm, but Touchstone Pictures, sensing a hit, upgraded the budget and Verbinski, at the time not comfortable with such a big movie, left [though he would later make a certain three films about pirates based on another Disney ride], and De Palma took over. He seems to have instigated some script rewrites but when the film was almost completed, the studio, not really liking what they were seeing, cut the budget, meaning that the ending, which was intended to be an enormous spectacle, had to be cut down and rushed. The picture was something of a flop and received mostly poor reviews. De Palma was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry award, something I find very bizarre. Interestingly though it was a success in France, where the magazine cahiers du cinema named as the fourth best film of 2000. I’m not sure I would go that far, but it does prove once again how perceptive of cinema they are in France.

Mission To Mars begins with a long conversation between three astronauts, and I should say right away if you haven’t seen it, this film has an awful lot of chat and can be very slow at times. Is this automatically a flaw? I personally think the film could have done with a bit of tightening here and there but it looks great throughout and, though many disagree, the dialogue is also rather good in its comic book way. “Let’s light this candle” may sound corny, but it was actually said by Alan Shepard, the first American in space, just before lift-off. To me Mission To Mars looks and sounds very authentic, with even the scenes on Mars really looking like they were filmed on the red planet. The giant face that appears in the film was actually based on a photograph taken from one of the Viking missions in the 1970s, which revealed what appeared to be a face-like shape in the surface features. The special effects convince for the most part, and you can say all you want about the CG sandstorm that appears near the beginning [including the fact that it had not long been done better in The Mummy], but it wouldn’t automaticaly look any better now; in many ways CGI has not improved at all. in fact sometimes it’s got worse as more and more things are done digitally.

Said sandstorm scene, replete with a rather gruesome death for a ‘PG’ film, is the only thrill in the first third, and the film does drag for a while, but the performances are good [even if Gary Sinise wears some very odd eye makeup that makes him look like a drag queen] and De Palma’s usual cameraman Stephen H. Burum gives us some great camera moves which show us around the ship. Then a gas leak occurs, and for the next twenty minutes or so we are treated to a master class in sustained tension as things just get worse and worse. The special effects are superb, the editing is perfect and Ennio Morricone’s scoring, a simple synthesised beat with an organ that sometimes goes into full-blown orchestral emotion, perfectly backs up the action. This is De Palma working near his best, technically astounding, totally riveting and rather emotional. He also shows himself entirely comfortable in the world of special effects, never ignoring the human element and conveying a realistic sense of peril amongst all the spectacle.

It’s fair to say that after this the film never reaches those giddy heights again. There’s a considerable amount of suspense as the astronauts near the secret on Mars that will reveal everything, and a hugely entertaining performance from the underrated Don Cheadle to enjoy as Luke the survivor of the opening sequence, but the film refuses to give us the expected action climax. Then again, Mission To Mars often perversely refuses to show us what we might expect; for instance we don’t see any of the rockets taking off. Instead it gives us a potted evolution history and a possible explanation of our origins. The visuals alternate between being tacky and being rather cool, while the ideas are perhaps not as original as all that; Quatermass And The Pit offered up pretty much the same thing, and it seems that Prometheus, in turn, used the same basic concept. I love the ending anyway for its plain bizarreness and its ambition though I can’t stop wondering what the original conception would have been like.

Typically for De Palma, Mission To Mars echoes many other films while still being entirely its own movie. The Abyss and 2001: A Space Odyssey are two which especially came to mind when I last viewed the film. Now an especially criticised aspect of the picture is Morricone’s score, perhaps because it’s so different to the typical ‘sound’ of a film of this kind, but to me that just sums up the narrow-mindedness of some critics. The composer seems to emphasise the wonder and beauty of space and other worlds with some gorgeous pieces, while often using atypical instruments such as the electric guitar and the organ. His music for the final scenes is truly beautiful and uplifting. Maybe it’s a little corny, but some corn is good for you once in a while. There is a lot about this movie that doesn’t really work, but there are some very good things in it, it had ambition to spare, and I’m not sure I would want it any other way.

Rating: 7/10

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

I agree, one of the weaker Corman/Poe's, looks great of course and is effectively morbid and depressing, but is rather lacking generally. Think you missed out Pit And The Pendulum though?!

And I love De Palma's Obsession

quote:

quote:

ORIGINAL: DAVID GILLESPIE

quote:

ORIGINAL: evil bill

CORMAN/POE the AIP years.
The Fall Of The House Of Usher was released in June 1960,and its box office success took AIP's James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff by surprise. Corman admitted, "We anticipated that the movie would do well, but not half as well as it did." According to screenwritter Richard Matheson, "When the first film was a hit, they still didn't consider doing a Poe series. They just wanted another movie with a Poe title fixed to it".Of course this changed with this second film,which was an even bigger critical and box office hit,and convinced AIP and Corman to continue with more Poe stories for another six films, five of them starring Price.There influence on the Italian directors is so powerful,the way Corman and his team used widescreen and colour.This second film alone can be seen in Dario Argento's Deep Red ,and Mario Bava's The Whip And The Body,both in style and story.What film am i talking about,well;
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)


Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price),is the son of a notorious Spanish Inquisition torturer,his wife Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) has died under mysterious circumstances, prompting Elizabeth's brother Francis (John Kerr) to arrive at the Medina castle to investigate. The tormented Medina believes that Elizabeth was buried alive, and is convinced that he can hear his wife's voice calling out to him. In truth, Elizabeth has faked her death, part of a plan concocted with her lover Dr. Leon (Anthony Carbone) to drive Medina mad. She succeeds in this goal (albeit to her own grief, as the film's very last shot reveals), pushing Medina over the brink. Convinced that he's his own father, Medina dons Inquisition robes, straps Francis to a table,and arranges for a huge steel-bladed pendulum to descend on his helpless victim.

The Pit & The Pendulum was also shot on the budget and schedule of a B film,and to make sure it all went smoothly the production's shoot was kept short with a comprehensive pre planning.Once again he used Floyd Crosby director of photography and Art Director Daniel Haller,so everyone knew exactly what to do, barring any last minute inspirations on the set.So when they moved into the studio it took just for fifteen days of shooting,which i can't imagine any modern horror being shot in such a short space of time.Plus still look awesome with eerily evocative color camera work and sumptuous art direction,all for just $300,000,though as usual the costs where kept down by using old discarded set's and stock footage.

For the climactic torture sequence they built the pendulum eighteen feet long and weighed over a ton, and was constructed with a realistic rubber cutting blade. The pendulum was rigged from the top of the sound stage thirty-five feet in the air and would later find its way into the 1966 spy spoof Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, which also starred Vincent Price.The haunted castle was owned by American-International and is used to full advantage in Roger Corman's Pit & the Pendulum,though the climax in Richard Matheson's script bears little resemblance to the Edgar Allen Poe original story, though there are echoes throughout of Poe's The Premature Burial.It's the reoccurring theme of being buried alive,which is something that appears to have fascinated Edgar Allen Poe as it appears in a number of his stories.It fascinates me also to imagine the terror of being alone in an enclosed space with nobody or nothing to help you escape and that's what makes it so horrifying, and such a great springboard for a Gothic horror film.This is what truly great end Gothic horror films do,and this is Corman's Poe homage in a grandiose way,that only Corman and his team could do.

The cast this time is even better than the House Of Usher,with Vincent Price once again taking the lead role,making his powerful presence even more twisted,as he goes from melodrama to utter horror,some find this ham over-the-top melodrama but it suits Poe's adaptations,giving them that Shakespearean feel. John Kerr makes a terrific counterpart and his performance is very believable,as Englishman Francis Barnard,who on his trip to Spain he has received news of the death of his beloved sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele).Barbara Steele unfortunately, doesn't get a lot of screen time and it's a shame because the aura of mystery round her suits perfectly the atmospheric horror of the film.Though a small role in this she did become a big star of horror in Mario Bava's Black Sunday,which also suited her ample talents.Luana Anders like Steele not only shows off her beauty,but also her talent for melodrama as Medina's sister Catherine,though for me she never out shines Steele.

Overall the film is near perfect and a great joy to watch,even though Richard Matheson script is not really a faithful adaptation,it is a cleverly written story that blends many different Poe stories into one.The characters are the film's soul and Matheson knows this as he forms the bonds and relationships between them which powers on the story and actors talents to there limit. The mystery of Elizabeth's death and Medina's castle is very well-handled and the unexpected climax is a classic horror moment that captures Poe's obsession with death,love,ancient buildings and Gothic settings.Corman's lavish Gothic set's once again give this an epic feel,and the unique use of color only add to the overall effect of the film.The last 20 minutes is horror film pure gold as Corman orchestrates flashback sequences in a blue red bloody tint,as he closes the camera's eye in on a character retelling a past occurrence.This is this film's flagship sequence the pendulum scene,where Corman took out every other frame to give the impression that the pendulum was swinging faster than it actually was. The way the pendulum swings across and gets lower every time depicts another horrible way to die,with the click click in the swing reminding us of a ticking clock and impending doom/death.Pit and the Pendulum is a masterpiece of low-budget film-making, a movie that looks even better than most of the big studios productions of even today even with all there CGI.10/10

Totally agree with you on this, a timeless classic. Certainly does not look low budget. Spot on review, mate.

Thanks mate glad to see your still floating around,and hope to get up the next couple of reviews soon,as i'm just about to watch??? now that would be telling.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zBaJDQ21W0s?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

GUILTY PLEASURE MARS DOUBLE BILL

Wow wow wow! No where will you find such an insightful review of a hugely underrated sci-fi gem like this film, than this thread! Thank you Dr Lenera for a balanced and revelatory review! I say revelatory because i didn't know some of the things that you have cited about Mission to Mars - like the fact it was originally based on a Disney theme park ride and it was well received in France. I find it a really intriguing film. Its quite unlike most of the other sci-fi pics of the time as you have said. The score by Morricone is really superb. Did you know i got my four year old boy (who's really into all things space) to watch it and he loved it! But then again he does have a wide ranging taste in films which i think he gets from his dad!

Once again thanks for an awesome review!

quote:

ORIGINAL: paul.mccluskey

Went to see Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2 last night. Like the other films, it's beautifully shot, but, like the previous movies, it's everything you would expect from this franchise. There is a scene at the end that had the whole audience gasping then laughing it was so out of the blue.

Anyway, now we can get back to watching proper vampire flicks !

quote:

ORIGINAL: joig

My vote would be for critters.

The person who thought of this line is a genious:

"You Are what they eat"

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zBaJDQ21W0s?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Always have a sweetspot for this movie, this nice eighties nostalgia.

quote:


Oh ffs how do I get the youtube to work?

quote:

ORIGINAL: evil bill

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

GUILTY PLEASURE MARS DOUBLE BILL

Wow wow wow! No where will you find such an insightful review of a hugely underrated sci-fi gem like this film, than this thread! Thank you Dr Lenera for a balanced and revelatory review! I say revelatory because i didn't know some of the things that you have cited about Mission to Mars - like the fact it was originally based on a Disney theme park ride and it was well received in France. I find it a really intriguing film. Its quite unlike most of the other sci-fi pics of the time as you have said. The score by Morricone is really superb. Did you know i got my four year old boy (who's really into all things space) to watch it and he loved it! But then again he does have a wide ranging taste in films which i think he gets from his dad!

Once again thanks for an awesome review!

Toltally agree,in fact i've said it before and i'll say it again,the Dr should do a book on his favoritie films,cause i for one would buy it,he seems to be able to unearth facts that i've not seen in any other reviews around.And talking of books seems Platter has been a busy boy,i wish him all the best with his writing even if i find some of his reviews rubbish.

quote:

ORIGINAL: evil bill

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

I agree, one of the weaker Corman/Poe's, looks great of course and is effectively morbid and depressing, but is rather lacking generally. Think you missed out Pit And The Pendulum though?!

And I love De Palma's Obsession

I know your under pressure mate but old age may be creeping up on you too
Page 484 IE one back and even David read it last week.
But to save you flicking back here it is,and yes i am doing them by the year,so you know whats next???

quote:

quote:

ORIGINAL: DAVID GILLESPIE

quote:

ORIGINAL: evil bill

CORMAN/POE the AIP years.
The Fall Of The House Of Usher was released in June 1960,and its box office success took AIP's James H. Nicholson and Samuel Z. Arkoff by surprise. Corman admitted, "We anticipated that the movie would do well, but not half as well as it did." According to screenwritter Richard Matheson, "When the first film was a hit, they still didn't consider doing a Poe series. They just wanted another movie with a Poe title fixed to it".Of course this changed with this second film,which was an even bigger critical and box office hit,and convinced AIP and Corman to continue with more Poe stories for another six films, five of them starring Price.There influence on the Italian directors is so powerful,the way Corman and his team used widescreen and colour.This second film alone can be seen in Dario Argento's Deep Red ,and Mario Bava's The Whip And The Body,both in style and story.What film am i talking about,well;
The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)


Nicholas Medina (Vincent Price),is the son of a notorious Spanish Inquisition torturer,his wife Elizabeth (Barbara Steele) has died under mysterious circumstances, prompting Elizabeth's brother Francis (John Kerr) to arrive at the Medina castle to investigate. The tormented Medina believes that Elizabeth was buried alive, and is convinced that he can hear his wife's voice calling out to him. In truth, Elizabeth has faked her death, part of a plan concocted with her lover Dr. Leon (Anthony Carbone) to drive Medina mad. She succeeds in this goal (albeit to her own grief, as the film's very last shot reveals), pushing Medina over the brink. Convinced that he's his own father, Medina dons Inquisition robes, straps Francis to a table,and arranges for a huge steel-bladed pendulum to descend on his helpless victim.

The Pit & The Pendulum was also shot on the budget and schedule of a B film,and to make sure it all went smoothly the production's shoot was kept short with a comprehensive pre planning.Once again he used Floyd Crosby director of photography and Art Director Daniel Haller,so everyone knew exactly what to do, barring any last minute inspirations on the set.So when they moved into the studio it took just for fifteen days of shooting,which i can't imagine any modern horror being shot in such a short space of time.Plus still look awesome with eerily evocative color camera work and sumptuous art direction,all for just $300,000,though as usual the costs where kept down by using old discarded set's and stock footage.

For the climactic torture sequence they built the pendulum eighteen feet long and weighed over a ton, and was constructed with a realistic rubber cutting blade. The pendulum was rigged from the top of the sound stage thirty-five feet in the air and would later find its way into the 1966 spy spoof Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, which also starred Vincent Price.The haunted castle was owned by American-International and is used to full advantage in Roger Corman's Pit & the Pendulum,though the climax in Richard Matheson's script bears little resemblance to the Edgar Allen Poe original story, though there are echoes throughout of Poe's The Premature Burial.It's the reoccurring theme of being buried alive,which is something that appears to have fascinated Edgar Allen Poe as it appears in a number of his stories.It fascinates me also to imagine the terror of being alone in an enclosed space with nobody or nothing to help you escape and that's what makes it so horrifying, and such a great springboard for a Gothic horror film.This is what truly great end Gothic horror films do,and this is Corman's Poe homage in a grandiose way,that only Corman and his team could do.

The cast this time is even better than the House Of Usher,with Vincent Price once again taking the lead role,making his powerful presence even more twisted,as he goes from melodrama to utter horror,some find this ham over-the-top melodrama but it suits Poe's adaptations,giving them that Shakespearean feel. John Kerr makes a terrific counterpart and his performance is very believable,as Englishman Francis Barnard,who on his trip to Spain he has received news of the death of his beloved sister Elizabeth (Barbara Steele).Barbara Steele unfortunately, doesn't get a lot of screen time and it's a shame because the aura of mystery round her suits perfectly the atmospheric horror of the film.Though a small role in this she did become a big star of horror in Mario Bava's Black Sunday,which also suited her ample talents.Luana Anders like Steele not only shows off her beauty,but also her talent for melodrama as Medina's sister Catherine,though for me she never out shines Steele.

Overall the film is near perfect and a great joy to watch,even though Richard Matheson script is not really a faithful adaptation,it is a cleverly written story that blends many different Poe stories into one.The characters are the film's soul and Matheson knows this as he forms the bonds and relationships between them which powers on the story and actors talents to there limit. The mystery of Elizabeth's death and Medina's castle is very well-handled and the unexpected climax is a classic horror moment that captures Poe's obsession with death,love,ancient buildings and Gothic settings.Corman's lavish Gothic set's once again give this an epic feel,and the unique use of color only add to the overall effect of the film.The last 20 minutes is horror film pure gold as Corman orchestrates flashback sequences in a blue red bloody tint,as he closes the camera's eye in on a character retelling a past occurrence.This is this film's flagship sequence the pendulum scene,where Corman took out every other frame to give the impression that the pendulum was swinging faster than it actually was. The way the pendulum swings across and gets lower every time depicts another horrible way to die,with the click click in the swing reminding us of a ticking clock and impending doom/death.Pit and the Pendulum is a masterpiece of low-budget film-making, a movie that looks even better than most of the big studios productions of even today even with all there CGI.10/10

Totally agree with you on this, a timeless classic. Certainly does not look low budget. Spot on review, mate.

Thanks mate glad to see your still floating around,and hope to get up the next couple of reviews soon,as i'm just about to watch??? now that would be telling.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Platter



I wrote a novella called Barker Woo.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Barker-Woo-ebook/dp/B00A6OQOWS/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1353055169&sr=1-1

Like ninety-nine point nine percent of the world’s population I don’t have access to film industry contacts. What if I want to make a movie? Tough. It isn’t going to happen.

What I realised I could do was write a novella out of a movie idea in my mind. I don’t need contacts, money or even permission from anyone. I can just do it. So I did. It’s like having Warner Brothers in your back pocket willing to finance literally anything, no matter how big the budget.

The story was conceived from the ground up as prose. No compromises have been made in favour of any supposed movie version. There’s no point deferring to something that will never be.

I haven’t timed the novella but it should probably take two hours to read.

I’ve published it as a download on Amazon. The intention was to make it available for free. Unfortunately Amazon insists on a minimum price. So sadly it’s 77p to download.

Luckily I’ve set up a short term promotion on it. So it’s free to download until the 20th this month. You don’t need to have a Kindle as it can be read on your computer.

-----------------------------------------------------

Product description:

Enthusiasts of surrealist films by David Lynch (Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive), Luis Buñuel (The Exterminating Angel, Diary of a Chambermaid, Belle de Jour and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie) and to a lesser extent Kenneth Anger (Fireworks, Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome and Lucifer Rising) should find a lot to enjoy in this novella.

Dean and Claire Rusk are a happily married couple. They are members of an up and coming post-rock art band called Barker Woo. Preparations are underway for a short tour, and to start the writing and recording of a second album.

They return home from rehearsals to find a dark wooden box in their house. The title of a newly created song has been carved into the lid. They crack open the lid and peer inside. They see something disturbing.

They quickly realise that it’s not real. Instead it’s an intricate model. They wonder if it’s a practical joke or the work of a deranged fan. How did it get indoors? ‘We don’t have many fans, but the ones we do have are just a bit too interested in us.’ No one else beyond the band and a roadie could know about the new song, and they wouldn’t have enough time to create such an item.

They check the house to see if anything is missing. Everyone they talk to denies having anything to do with it.

The next morning Barker Woo embarks on the start of their short tour.

On the road they discover another sculpture. It seems someone might be sharing the same mental headspace as Claire.

“‘We were very interested in a sculpture of yours we saw. It fits something we’re doing as a band. We’re musicians.’
‘Yes. I know. That sculpture was made for you.’
‘Really?’
‘I hope it met with your approval?’
‘It was very spooky. Very unnerving. How did you know it would mean so much to me?’
‘I’m just a candle, here to set a mood. My only job is to prepare the both of you. It is important that you can appreciate the immensity of what is going to happen. The right frame of mind will be essential to your future work.’
‘That’s very vague,’ points out Claire.”

There will be blood by the end.

-----------------------------------------------------

If someone reads it and then tries to imagine a film version, they might point out that the music is going to be a big problem. More than likely any music created for the fictitious Barker Woo rock band will not be up to standard. The audience will laugh at how lame it is. My solution is simple. Have no music. At all. As soon as a member of Barker Woo starts playing kill the soundtrack, including ambient noise and sound effects. Only spoken dialogue can still be heard shouted over the racket. It’s an idea I had from the start so I don’t see it as a compromise.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie

quote:

ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

GUILTY PLEASURE MARS DOUBLE BILL


In 2020, on the evening before the first manned mission to the planet Mars, astronauts Woody Blake and Jim McConnell say farewell to Luke Graham, who is the leader of the mission. Upon arrival, the team discover a crystalline formation within a mountain in the Cydonia region. Hearing a strange sound on their communications system, which they assume to be interference from their planetary rover, they are then attacked by a large whirlwind made of sand which kills them all except for Luke. After the vortex subsides, a large humanoid face is exposed. Luke manages to upload an emergency transmission and a second ship is hastily readied for a rescue mission, headed by Woody and Jim…..

While the second film on this double bill is unashamedly a B-movie and needs to really be treated as such, Mission To Mars is something else, a would-be Hollywood blockbuster with a big budget, major stars etc. It’s a glorious folly, a wonderfully strange and rather brave film that doesn’t really deliver what you might expect, but is very interesting and certainly attempts to be more intelligent than most other science-fiction films of the time. At times it’s somewhat poor, but on other occasions it’s quite magnificent and certainly isn’t a blot on director Brian De Palma’s CV, though it is often treated as such. It’s certainly better than the other Mars movie of 2000, the dull Red Planet, and even if you hate it, you have to admire its sheer cheek. It seems to blithely ignore commercial considerations, and its ambition cannot be faulted. In aiming for the stars, De Palma doesn’t quite reach them, but he fails with honour.

Mission To Mars was, believe it or not, inspired by a Disney theme park ride with the same name. It was originally planned as a medium budget film with Gore Verbinski, then not much of a name, at the helm, but Touchstone Pictures, sensing a hit, upgraded the budget and Verbinski, at the time not comfortable with such a big movie, left [though he would later make a certain three films about pirates based on another Disney ride], and De Palma took over. He seems to have instigated some script rewrites but when the film was almost completed, the studio, not really liking what they were seeing, cut the budget, meaning that the ending, which was intended to be an enormous spectacle, had to be cut down and rushed. The picture was something of a flop and received mostly poor reviews. De Palma was even nominated for a Golden Raspberry award, something I find very bizarre. Interestingly though it was a success in France, where the magazine cahiers du cinema named as the fourth best film of 2000. I’m not sure I would go that far, but it does prove once again how perceptive of cinema they are in France.

Mission To Mars begins with a long conversation between three astronauts, and I should say right away if you haven’t seen it, this film has an awful lot of chat and can be very slow at times. Is this automatically a flaw? I personally think the film could have done with a bit of tightening here and there but it looks great throughout and, though many disagree, the dialogue is also rather good in its comic book way. “Let’s light this candle” may sound corny, but it was actually said by Alan Shepard, the first American in space, just before lift-off. To me Mission To Mars looks and sounds very authentic, with even the scenes on Mars really looking like they were filmed on the red planet. The giant face that appears in the film was actually based on a photograph taken from one of the Viking missions in the 1970s, which revealed what appeared to be a face-like shape in the surface features. The special effects convince for the most part, and you can say all you want about the CG sandstorm that appears near the beginning [including the fact that it had not long been done better in The Mummy], but it wouldn’t automaticaly look any better now; in many ways CGI has not improved at all. in fact sometimes it’s got worse as more and more things are done digitally.

Said sandstorm scene, replete with a rather gruesome death for a ‘PG’ film, is the only thrill in the first third, and the film does drag for a while, but the performances are good [even if Gary Sinise wears some very odd eye makeup that makes him look like a drag queen] and De Palma’s usual cameraman Stephen H. Burum gives us some great camera moves which show us around the ship. Then a gas leak occurs, and for the next twenty minutes or so we are treated to a master class in sustained tension as things just get worse and worse. The special effects are superb, the editing is perfect and Ennio Morricone’s scoring, a simple synthesised beat with an organ that sometimes goes into full-blown orchestral emotion, perfectly backs up the action. This is De Palma working near his best, technically astounding, totally riveting and rather emotional. He also shows himself entirely comfortable in the world of special effects, never ignoring the human element and conveying a realistic sense of peril amongst all the spectacle.

It’s fair to say that after this the film never reaches those giddy heights again. There’s a considerable amount of suspense as the astronauts near the secret on Mars that will reveal everything, and a hugely entertaining performance from the underrated Don Cheadle to enjoy as Luke the survivor of the opening sequence, but the film refuses to give us the expected action climax. Then again, Mission To Mars often perversely refuses to show us what we might expect; for instance we don’t see any of the rockets taking off. Instead it gives us a potted evolution history and a possible explanation of our origins. The visuals alternate between being tacky and being rather cool, while the ideas are perhaps not as original as all that; Quatermass And The Pit offered up pretty much the same thing, and it seems that Prometheus, in turn, used the same basic concept. I love the ending anyway for its plain bizarreness and its ambition though I can’t stop wondering what the original conception would have been like.

Typically for De Palma, Mission To Mars echoes many other films while still being entirely its own movie. The Abyss and 2001: A Space Odyssey are two which especially came to mind when I last viewed the film. Now an especially criticised aspect of the picture is Morricone’s score, perhaps because it’s so different to the typical ‘sound’ of a film of this kind, but to me that just sums up the narrow-mindedness of some critics. The composer seems to emphasise the wonder and beauty of space and other worlds with some gorgeous pieces, while often using atypical instruments such as the electric guitar and the organ. His music for the final scenes is truly beautiful and uplifting. Maybe it’s a little corny, but some corn is good for you once in a while. There is a lot about this movie that doesn’t really work, but there are some very good things in it, it had ambition to spare, and I’m not sure I would want it any other way.

Rating: 7/10

Wow wow wow! No where will you find such an insightful review of a hugely underrated sci-fi gem like this film, than this thread! Thank you Dr Lenera for a balanced and revelatory review! I say revelatory because i didn't know some of the things that you have cited about Mission to Mars - like the fact it was originally based on a Disney theme park ride and it was well received in France. I find it a really intriguing film. Its quite unlike most of the other sci-fi pics of the time as you have said. The score by Morricone is really superb. Did you know i got my four year old boy (who's really into all things space) to watch it and he loved it! But then again he does have a wide ranging taste in films which i think he gets from his dad!

Once again thanks for an awesome review!

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ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

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ORIGINAL: evil bill

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ORIGINAL: Dr Lenera

I agree, one of the weaker Corman/Poe's, looks great of course and is effectively morbid and depressing, but is rather lacking generally. Think you missed out Pit And The Pendulum though?!

And I love De Palma's Obsession

I know your under pressure mate but old age may be creeping up on you too
Page 484 IE one back and even David read it last week.
But to save you flicking back here it is,and yes i am doing them by the year,so you know whats next???

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ORIGINAL: DAVID GILLESPIE

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ORIGINAL: evil bill

The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)

 
10/10

Totally agree with you on this, a timeless classic. Certainly does not look low budget. Spot on review, mate.

Thanks mate glad to see your still floating around,and hope to get up the next couple of reviews soon,as i'm just about to watch??? now that would be telling.

Sorry mate missed it, yeah must be old age, or effects of too much partying over the years, or something......anyway,another great review, this film is the first one of the series I saw, I think, and still one of the best-I remember getting real nervous during the pendulum scene as a lad...

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ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie



BLADE RUNNER


Blade Runner is without doubt, the greatest science fiction film ever made.

It is my favourite film. And upon viewing, it isnt hard to see why. It is a visually stunning, spectacular and unforgettable masterpiece. The imagery is so potent as to sear itself into the mind, its poetic language so perfect as to rival John Keats (Roy Batty's 'i've seen things' speech, infact its very similar to Keats' own ''On first looking into Chapmans Homer'' poem). Indeed, I can run out of all superlatives to lavish upon this masterpiece and still, I wont even come close to describing the beauty of this film.

From the opening shot over a breath taking view of the 'hades' landscape of a future L.A, bleak yet beautiful. Lights like distant stars flickering in the night, and fire erupting through towers towards the heavens from the bowels of the city.

It is a beautiful nightmare.

And of course Vangelis' majestic score, sending shivers down the spine of the beholder. A 'spinner' comes into shot flying towards the screen (the level of details in this film is truly astonishing!) Vangelis' soothing synth score swells up, and I have yet to hear music in a movie as majestic as that of Blade Runner. It is quite simply the greatest opening sequence ever put on film.

The story in brief, is about a bounty Hunter, Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) who is tasked with 'retiring' four replicants (later five) who have gone AWOL, killing all the crew on an off world space shuttle before returning to earth. Deckard is tasked with finding them and retiring them. Of course, it is not as simple as it sounds. Along the way, Deckard meets and falls in love with Rachael, who is a replicant herself. Questions are asked about his own humanity - whether he himself is a replicant or not (i am from the school of thought that believes Deckard is human) and he finds the meaning of life through the death of a replicant.

The actors in the film are an inspired choice. From Harrison Ford as Deckard, Sean Young (Rachael), Daryl Hannah (Pris) and Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty, leader of the renegade androids. He is an enigmatic and fiery figure, sprouting poetry and not un-prone to fits of violence. But he is the beating heart of the film. And this is where I believe Deckard is a human, becuase he is cold, almost like an empty shell, wheras Roy Batty is the opposite, full of life, humour and love.

The level of detail in this film is truly astonishing, to the aztec like architecture of the sky scrapers, to the neon lit streets bathed in perpetual smoke and rain. It is a vision to beguile the sight! A jalgemation of the future (2019) and the past (1950/60's).

One of my favourite scenes in this film (or indeed ANY) is the poetic and poignant death scene of Roy Batty. He is holding a dove (symbol of life) and in his dying moment, his brilliant Soliloquy gives Deckard the meaning of life;

'' I've seen things you people wouldnt believe. Attack ships on fire off the coast of Orion. I watched C-beams glittering in the dark near the Tannhauser Gates. All those moments, will be lost like tears in rain. Time to die..''

There is so much one can read into about this majestic film. Indeed, the theme and motifs of the eye, and religious symbolism is quite prevalent. From the opening shots of an eye (Roy Batty's?) with the hades landscape reflected on it. To the scene in the eye shop where Roy and Leon interrogate Hannibal Chew. He (Chew) tells them he designed their eyes, to which Roy replies ''..if only you could see the things I have seen with YOUR eyes..''. The religious symbolism is clearer toward the end when Roy creates a stigmata by driving a nail through his hand. Also, he is holding a dove in his final speech (see above), which he releases, an allegory perhaps of his 'soul' ascending to heaven?

There are so many deeper themes running through this film, that I can write a 100 page essay on it! And I havent even started on the Deckard Vs Replicant debate! I will however state that I feel Deckard is HUMAN because if he were to be a replicant, then the contrast between Deckard's soulless humanity and Roy's poetic inhumanity would no longer work. But of course, there are evidence in the film to suggest he may be a REPLICANT. Among them is the 'unicorn dream' that Deckard has. Later we see Deckard find a unicorm origami outside his appartment (left by Gaff) suggesting perhaps that he (Gaff) knows of Deckards 'unicorn dream' or implanted memory which means Deckard is a replicant.

But Frank Darabont (Shawshank Redemption) makes a compelling case against the Unicorn theory on a mini doc titled 'Deck-A-Rep' on the excellent 5 Disc collector Edition. His theory is that the Unicorn 'dream' that Deckard has is in fact RACHAEL'S MEMORY! The wisdom being that Deckard already has access to Rachael's profile, and he knows the memory's which have been implanted in her. So along with the Spider memory, the Unicorn may have also been Rachael's memory, and Deckard may have been pondering upon this specific memory when we see him sat at the piano. As for the Unicorn origami, it is nothing more than a sign left by Gaff to show that he too knows about Rachael. It's almost telling him 'go ahead, take her and run' and Deckard gives a knowing nod.

Ridley was of the opinion that Deckard is a replicant, hence all the clues left in the director's cut version. On the contrary, Harrison Ford was against that idea and believed Deckard was a human ''otherwise, the audience would have no one to root for'' went his argument. There are arguments (both valid) FOR and AGAINST the human/ replicant theory. In the end it is up to the viewer to make up his/her mind.

This debate is part of the lore of Blade Runner. We will never get a definitive answer to this question, just like the briefcase in Pulp Fiction.

10/10

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ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie

Wow thanks for bringing those other films to my attention evil bill! I'll check them out. And i concur - Blade Runner would be less of a film without the input of such genius' as Douglas Trumball and Syd Mead - even Jean Girard Moebius Oswell (we know Scott drew heavily on Moebius' style) it is the coming together of all these people which has helped to make Blade Runner the masterpiece it is today. You mentioned 2001 in your review - that also is another stunning achievement in sci-fi cinema. God i so wish Kubrick was still alive....

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ORIGINAL: evil bill

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ORIGINAL: Nexus Wookie

Wow thanks for bringing those other films to my attention evil bill! I'll check them out. And i concur - Blade Runner would be less of a film without the input of such genius' as Douglas Trumball and Syd Mead - even Jean Girard Moebius Oswell (we know Scott drew heavily on Moebius' style) it is the coming together of all these people which has helped to make Blade Runner the masterpiece it is today. You mentioned 2001 in your review - that also is another stunning achievement in sci-fi cinema. God i so wish Kubrick was still alive....

Well now you mention the late great Kubrick here's a couple of revamped reviews i'd planned for you,knowing what a big sci/fi fan you are.
2001;A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)

The controversial ending of 2001 seems to be a big sticking point with those that find it just to vauge,but instead of trying to give my opinion on what i belive it means i'l just say this.Every time i watch this masterpiece i come up with a different meaning to the enigma that is the film as a whole,but it seems to get better as you get older as you open your mind to deeper feelings and emotions.It is not an easy watch as it movie's at a very slow pace,but this is a thought provoking movie not an auctioneer sci/fi like Star Wars,or the latest breed of Fantasy movies.It is a film that requires you to relax,let yourself experience the strange and beautiful images without feeling guilty that there is no complex plot or deep meanimgful complex characterization.There's no neat resolution, no definitive full stop, because then you the audience would stop thinking after the final scene and head home happy you got just another Sci/Fi fantasy.But Kubrick isn't going to let us off lightly,he wants us to think not be guided by others,but use are own minds,to save whats left of are humanity before it's to late.Personally i think this is the Greatest Sci/Fi movie of all time,and Stanley Kubrick's finest masterpiece,maybe even the greatest movie of the 20TH century.10/10

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ORIGINAL: evil bill

A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
 Classical Music-loving proto-punk Alex (Malcolm McDowell) and his "Droogs" spend their nights getting high at the Korova Milkbar before embarking on "a little of the old ultraviolence," such as terrorizing a writer, Mr. Alexander (Patrick Magee), and gang raping his wife (who later dies as a result). After Alex is jailed for bludgeoning the Cat Lady (Miriam Karlin) to death with one of her phallic sculptures, Alex submits to the Ludovico behavior modification technique to earn his freedom; he's conditioned to abhor violence through watching gory movies, and even his adored Beethoven is turned against him. Returned to the world defenseless, Alex becomes the victim of his prior victims, with Mr. Alexander using Beethoven's Ninth to inflict the greatest pain of all. When society sees what the state has done to Alex, however, the politically expedient move is made.

From its opening shot of Malcolm McDowell staring with evil intent directly into the camera (which pulls back to reveal him drinking a glass of milk), Stanley Kubrick's brilliant AClockwork Orange,which unlike 2001 became a big hit in the States hot on the heels of New York Film Critics Circle awards as Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, Kubrick received Oscar nominations in all three categories.It was based on the chilling masterpiece by Anthony Burgess's a culture-shaking novel about a young man growing into adulthood,and set in an unidentified future .The first part of the film shows Alex McDowel unable to shake his huge problem with authority figures,and his DROOGS  indulging in what they refer to as "a little bit of the old ultra-violence." Alex later on gets caught and forced to undergo controversial treatment that will make it impossible for him to commit violent acts??