tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708292649664624419.post5318136413663189334..comments2023-09-10T10:47:35.670-04:00Comments on Roads? Where We're Going, We Don't Need Roads.: Mulberry StreetDanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03050879099756585371noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708292649664624419.post-44108210453736524782010-10-29T23:26:45.235-04:002010-10-29T23:26:45.235-04:00Still love those rat-men, though.
You know, it...Still love those rat-men, though.<br /><br />You know, it's kinda weird to think of the classic monsters that went on to be icons and essentially reshape the way we imagine some of these tropes. IE, Bela Legosi's DRACULA has come to define how a Vampire looks, acts, thinks. But it could just have easily been Murnau's ratty NOSFERATU -- in which case we'd have more rat-men in movies and I personally think life would be significantly better for all concerned parties.<br /><br />I think human-animal hybrids have not yet been sufficiently explored; or at least, explored by anyone with much talent for getting the most out of them. Time to get one that one, I think.Mr. Subtletyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16243495225217139453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708292649664624419.post-43114777290783488462010-10-29T15:40:28.765-04:002010-10-29T15:40:28.765-04:00"I guess the difference is that those films a..."I guess the difference is that those films are more artfully made and atmospheric"<br /><br />Heartily seconded. Horror has long been a genre plagued by weak scripts/dialog, bad acting, etc. What redeems a lot of the great ones that suffer these problems (which a lot of people, not unreasonably, can't see past) are those purely cinematic elements of craft, atmosphere, tone, etc., that are unique to this particular genre in this particular medium.<br /><br />Carpenter and Argento are both great examples (although Carpenter is more likely to work with good actors and good screenplays) are of filmmakers who can redeem weak elements with strong style and craft. As much as I loved, say, THE SOCIAL NETWORK, I'd trade 10 screenplays of that quality for just one scene as aesthetically/conceptually powerful as, say, the final scene with the mirror in PRINCE OF DARKNESS, or the first 10, hallucinatory minutes of INFERNO.<br /><br />MULBERRY STREET has cool moments, and its heart is in the right place, but stylistically speaking it's just 28 DAYS LATER reheated. Only not done as well.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03050879099756585371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3708292649664624419.post-9698630252554909102010-10-29T15:28:49.659-04:002010-10-29T15:28:49.659-04:00I caught this on the sci-fi channel awhile back. I...I caught this on the sci-fi channel awhile back. I loved the gnarly rat-men so much that I really wanted to love the movie-- or at least like it-- but its pretty bland in virtually every other way. <br />Reminds me of the After-Dark Horrorfest flicks like BORDERLANDS or THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE which have some good ideas in them and make you really root for them to win you over, but then flub the execution so bad you just can't.<br /><br />It's weird, though, that these modern horror films alienate me with their general shittiness in writing, acting, etc, becuase of course plenty of older horror films that I love have worse issues in those areas (PRINCE OF DARKNESS, INFERNO, etc). I guess the difference is that those films are more artfully made and atmospheric, where these new films have a forced "gritty" feel which doesn't mesh as well with akward dialogue and delivery?Mr. Subtletyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16243495225217139453noreply@blogger.com