dimakorou
Highlights
2015 Oscars
Lifetime Total
50+
Lifetime Plot
10+
Poll Taker
10x
IMDb Member
11 years
Reviews
The Thing (1982)
While "The Thing" comes with a splendid and original plot accompanied by truly terrifying moments, its clunky execution harms its infamous reputation...
------------- MY RATING: 68/100 -------------
*CONTAINS SPOILERS!*
"The Thing" is another classic horror film from the 80s. Unfortunately, it seems I am the only one who struggles with the 80s sci-fi movies...
The plot is indeed an innovative one, an alien life form crashed on Earth 100.000 years ago is being discovered and revived by a Nordic research team in Antarctic. The alien functions on the cellular level with unknown original appearance and infects any life form and absorbs it to create a mutated combination of anything it absorbed so far and all that on multiple hosts. Being smart and adaptive, it can take one form at a time to imitate an ordinary organism and it seems it can even absorb memories and habits to adapt even further when it has taken a intelligent life form (ex. a human). The American research team will soon find out that the crazy Norwegian who chased for miles a dog wasn't that crazy and will have to come up with their own plan to survive when the discovery of the mutated form hits the plot.
"The Thing" does a great job scaring you under a confusing and unpredicted predicament. It's visual effects are great and horrifying and the disturbing "fade to black" scenes of the movie are hiding you what you need to know to keep yourself relaxed and "in control" of the plot.
However, the movie is seriously hurt by multiple problems. While the plot is great, cinematography is mediocre and writing is clunky, convenient and unrealistic. Some examples:
1) When the dog is led to the room with the other dogs we have great lighting. When the dog transforms and while the other dogs are screaming, one of the characters, in almost zero visibility and complete darkness, calmly opens the door only to realize that there is something horrible inside. As they burn the creature for 2 seconds with a flamethrower, the alien dies immediately and without any second thoughts they distinguish the fire and carry it without quarantine measures to examine it. Then, the doctor has a perfect super computer which can run cellular simulations and calculate the probabilities of infection.
2) Throughout the movie and until the last minute, while it is more than clear to the dumbest that the creature strikes those who are separated, our characters are conveniently and stupidly separated all the time, making it extra easy for the creature to devour them. After the 7th time, it really gets annoying, massively downgrading the movie and making you build great frustration.
3) Initially, the characters are not really surprised with the discovery, making you look more surprised, despite you are located in your safe sofa in the real world.
4) While the characters are trying to save themselves individually and seem so selfish for the 3/4 of the movie, they unrealistically offer to burn down the entire complex and freeze to death in the end.
5) The scene with the shark-stomach is voted as one of the most hilarious death scenes of all time and the spider head nearly makes its escape without any of the characters realize it, despite that thing was making noise and it was too big to leave unnoticed. And let's forget that it didn't simply run but waited to be killed by the flamethrower (again)!
6) While the creature makes a full reveal in the end and was always devouring its victims immediately, it just stares at our protagonist growling, giving him enough time to use a dynamite to blow it up!
All and all, the movie is classic with a great, original plot and truly disgusting horror scenes to shake your spine but the film itself will probably leave you more frustrated than scared.
*CONTAINS SPOILERS!*
"The Thing" is another classic horror film from the 80s. Unfortunately, it seems I am the only one who struggles with the 80s sci-fi movies...
The plot is indeed an innovative one, an alien life form crashed on Earth 100.000 years ago is being discovered and revived by a Nordic research team in Antarctic. The alien functions on the cellular level with unknown original appearance and infects any life form and absorbs it to create a mutated combination of anything it absorbed so far and all that on multiple hosts. Being smart and adaptive, it can take one form at a time to imitate an ordinary organism and it seems it can even absorb memories and habits to adapt even further when it has taken a intelligent life form (ex. a human). The American research team will soon find out that the crazy Norwegian who chased for miles a dog wasn't that crazy and will have to come up with their own plan to survive when the discovery of the mutated form hits the plot.
"The Thing" does a great job scaring you under a confusing and unpredicted predicament. It's visual effects are great and horrifying and the disturbing "fade to black" scenes of the movie are hiding you what you need to know to keep yourself relaxed and "in control" of the plot.
However, the movie is seriously hurt by multiple problems. While the plot is great, cinematography is mediocre and writing is clunky, convenient and unrealistic. Some examples:
1) When the dog is led to the room with the other dogs we have great lighting. When the dog transforms and while the other dogs are screaming, one of the characters, in almost zero visibility and complete darkness, calmly opens the door only to realize that there is something horrible inside. As they burn the creature for 2 seconds with a flamethrower, the alien dies immediately and without any second thoughts they distinguish the fire and carry it without quarantine measures to examine it. Then, the doctor has a perfect super computer which can run cellular simulations and calculate the probabilities of infection.
2) Throughout the movie and until the last minute, while it is more than clear to the dumbest that the creature strikes those who are separated, our characters are conveniently and stupidly separated all the time, making it extra easy for the creature to devour them. After the 7th time, it really gets annoying, massively downgrading the movie and making you build great frustration.
3) Initially, the characters are not really surprised with the discovery, making you look more surprised, despite you are located in your safe sofa in the real world.
4) While the characters are trying to save themselves individually and seem so selfish for the 3/4 of the movie, they unrealistically offer to burn down the entire complex and freeze to death in the end.
5) The scene with the shark-stomach is voted as one of the most hilarious death scenes of all time and the spider head nearly makes its escape without any of the characters realize it, despite that thing was making noise and it was too big to leave unnoticed. And let's forget that it didn't simply run but waited to be killed by the flamethrower (again)!
6) While the creature makes a full reveal in the end and was always devouring its victims immediately, it just stares at our protagonist growling, giving him enough time to use a dynamite to blow it up!
All and all, the movie is classic with a great, original plot and truly disgusting horror scenes to shake your spine but the film itself will probably leave you more frustrated than scared.
A Single Man (2009)
Despite its perfect melancholic tone and superb cinematic filming, "A Single Man" is damaged by unrealistic additions that only delay the inevitable...
------------- MY RATING: 73/100 -------------
*CONTAINS SPOILERS*
"A Single Man" is a film involving around a mid-age homosexual Englishman in the 1960s who resides in the US, works as a professor and suffers from the loss of his boyfriend in a car accident.
The movie has the perfect melancholic tone which is only enhanced by its majestic soundtracks and probably the best cinematic filming for a drama movie. As the movie progresses and with the knowledge that the protagonist is to kill himself at the end of the day, we get to see how a man who is about to die (and knows it) reacts his last hours. He is getting distracted at his work, he notices undetectable facial and body details and sees the colors much more brightly.
Undoubtedly, the movie, through its protagonist, makes you wonder about several important things. First, about our society and how fear is distorting facts (or "fake facts" as the splendid professor would say) only to manipulate the masses in the end, starting with consumerism and political ideology to fascism and racism. How a set of stereotypes are forbidding willing individuals to live their lives without fear and how political correctness is shaping a convenient, boring and predictable society. Secondly, how youth is full of energy, optimism, nosiness and confidence and how an older man is curious about those attributes which diminish with age. Thirdly, how "unwaiting" events can fundamentally change your mind while it is fate which will have it its way in the most ironic way. I will never forget how George put his gun in the desk and locked, how he burned the letters he made for his suicide, only to die minutes later from heart attack. And fourthly, how surprising and depressing is to realize that for every man there is only one possible future: death.
The movie also has (at least for me) a spiritual side. The colleague enters George's life and makes him reconsider his decision to kill himself. We even see him taking George's gun and sleep with it to prevent him from his act, without explaining us how the young man knew the protagonist is planning to die. For me, the young man who step in the last day of George's life is some sort of a "guardian angel" or Jim's reincarnation.
However, "A Single Man" is damaged by unnecessary/unrealistic additions (like Carlos and even the colleague), distorting the direction the movie is heading from its first minutes. I, personally, would like to see how a man who is going to kill himself spends his last day, every preparation and detail and then go on with the inevitable act, all dressed up with the memories and the reasons our character has taken this tragic decision. Spawning a homosexual colleague who notices that his professor shares the same sexual preference and a Mexican who originally tries to get a free bottle of whiskey are unnecessary, unrealistic and a bit of cliché. Cliché goes for the character as well, why all homosexuals must be portrayed as Englishmen?
All and all, the movie delivers in the end. Just not exactly what you expected...
*CONTAINS SPOILERS*
"A Single Man" is a film involving around a mid-age homosexual Englishman in the 1960s who resides in the US, works as a professor and suffers from the loss of his boyfriend in a car accident.
The movie has the perfect melancholic tone which is only enhanced by its majestic soundtracks and probably the best cinematic filming for a drama movie. As the movie progresses and with the knowledge that the protagonist is to kill himself at the end of the day, we get to see how a man who is about to die (and knows it) reacts his last hours. He is getting distracted at his work, he notices undetectable facial and body details and sees the colors much more brightly.
Undoubtedly, the movie, through its protagonist, makes you wonder about several important things. First, about our society and how fear is distorting facts (or "fake facts" as the splendid professor would say) only to manipulate the masses in the end, starting with consumerism and political ideology to fascism and racism. How a set of stereotypes are forbidding willing individuals to live their lives without fear and how political correctness is shaping a convenient, boring and predictable society. Secondly, how youth is full of energy, optimism, nosiness and confidence and how an older man is curious about those attributes which diminish with age. Thirdly, how "unwaiting" events can fundamentally change your mind while it is fate which will have it its way in the most ironic way. I will never forget how George put his gun in the desk and locked, how he burned the letters he made for his suicide, only to die minutes later from heart attack. And fourthly, how surprising and depressing is to realize that for every man there is only one possible future: death.
The movie also has (at least for me) a spiritual side. The colleague enters George's life and makes him reconsider his decision to kill himself. We even see him taking George's gun and sleep with it to prevent him from his act, without explaining us how the young man knew the protagonist is planning to die. For me, the young man who step in the last day of George's life is some sort of a "guardian angel" or Jim's reincarnation.
However, "A Single Man" is damaged by unnecessary/unrealistic additions (like Carlos and even the colleague), distorting the direction the movie is heading from its first minutes. I, personally, would like to see how a man who is going to kill himself spends his last day, every preparation and detail and then go on with the inevitable act, all dressed up with the memories and the reasons our character has taken this tragic decision. Spawning a homosexual colleague who notices that his professor shares the same sexual preference and a Mexican who originally tries to get a free bottle of whiskey are unnecessary, unrealistic and a bit of cliché. Cliché goes for the character as well, why all homosexuals must be portrayed as Englishmen?
All and all, the movie delivers in the end. Just not exactly what you expected...
Blade (1998)
With its undisputed elements and a superb antagonist, "Blade" almost makes it enjoyable...
------------- MY RATING: 55/100 -------------
*CONTAINS SPOILERS!*
The concept is very good but it is being delivered heavy damage by unrealistic plot shifts. For example, the young hematologist girl (Karen) brought big and heavy med equipment from her hospital without being caught. Then, she noticed that a chemical liquid is disintegrating vampire cells and then she created a cure (!!!) for those who are turned vampire by being bitten and all that in a few days! Creating a cure for such a condition should take decades, not a few days and I am sure someone else in the vampire world should have already tried to find a cure to use as a weapon for the non-pure-bloods. Another example is that the antagonist (Frost) was able to capture the Vampire Authority members pretty easily, like capturing humans in an alley. And yet another example is that the protagonist (Blade) burnt Quinn and then left him to be delivered to the hospital where he created such a mess. Why not end him with his blade at the beginning of the movie?
Great acting skills can be noticed on the antagonist (Frost) and maybe Whistler and Quinn but I can not say the same for the protagonist (Blade) and Karen. Especially the scene where Blade is feeding on Karen is so corny.
The atmosphere is pretty dark and blood and gore is everywhere to be seen. The plot is delivering rapid accelerations and decelerations to itself which makes the journey for the viewer unpredictable but also frustrating.
Great and disputing additions are the Vampire Bible which actually is the vampire history and the vampire god which I bet is the incarnation of the original vampire that empowers Frost's body after the ritual.
To sum up, the dark and bloody atmosphere with an insane and superb antagonist are the pros for this movie and those pros outweigh the cons as described above, delivering us a watchable (but not a masterpiece of the genre) vampire movie.
*CONTAINS SPOILERS!*
The concept is very good but it is being delivered heavy damage by unrealistic plot shifts. For example, the young hematologist girl (Karen) brought big and heavy med equipment from her hospital without being caught. Then, she noticed that a chemical liquid is disintegrating vampire cells and then she created a cure (!!!) for those who are turned vampire by being bitten and all that in a few days! Creating a cure for such a condition should take decades, not a few days and I am sure someone else in the vampire world should have already tried to find a cure to use as a weapon for the non-pure-bloods. Another example is that the antagonist (Frost) was able to capture the Vampire Authority members pretty easily, like capturing humans in an alley. And yet another example is that the protagonist (Blade) burnt Quinn and then left him to be delivered to the hospital where he created such a mess. Why not end him with his blade at the beginning of the movie?
Great acting skills can be noticed on the antagonist (Frost) and maybe Whistler and Quinn but I can not say the same for the protagonist (Blade) and Karen. Especially the scene where Blade is feeding on Karen is so corny.
The atmosphere is pretty dark and blood and gore is everywhere to be seen. The plot is delivering rapid accelerations and decelerations to itself which makes the journey for the viewer unpredictable but also frustrating.
Great and disputing additions are the Vampire Bible which actually is the vampire history and the vampire god which I bet is the incarnation of the original vampire that empowers Frost's body after the ritual.
To sum up, the dark and bloody atmosphere with an insane and superb antagonist are the pros for this movie and those pros outweigh the cons as described above, delivering us a watchable (but not a masterpiece of the genre) vampire movie.