The Wing Kong Exchange (feat. Inferno)

[Postman Dave]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

well Dark Knight was best of all... or were you talking about Dark Knight Rises lol

Dark Knight, or that one with teh joker innit.

 

[Eddie North]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Dark Knight was the one with Joker in it, Dark Knight Rises was the one with Bane... Dark Knight was the best of the trilogy

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

The Asphyx

Utilizing an experimental photographic device, Sir Hugo Cunningham captures what appears to be the image of the Asphyx, the ancient Greek spirit of the dead. With the help of his adopted son Giles, he conducts further experiments and concieves of a way to harness the Asphyx and thereby gain immortality. However, defying the laws of the natural and spiritual world will not come without consequences.

The Asphyx, released in 1973, is an atmospheric little piece of chilly gothic horror in the vein of the popular Hammer films of the day. While its story of "be careful what you wish for" is not uncommon, the film manages to tell it in a unique and interesting way. It also manages to raise a lot of questions about how much power we should yield and the effects of that power on the mind. The film is thus what one can call a sci-fi-horror-tragedy, which is a particularly interesting hybrid. It doesn't have the sort of jump scares or blood that the slasher crowd would be looking for, but it does create a subtly gripping environment that's always creepy. It's at its best when its being cerebral, and doesn't need to rely on cheap tricks to make an impact. The very premise of the film is frightening enough, and the moral issues it raises just enhance that emotion. The Asphyx may be a little dated, but its top notch entertainment for a dark and stormy night.

"Whoa, this light really does wonders for your boobs"​

The film was the only one directed by Peter Newbrook, a well known British cinematographer and second unit director who had previously worked on such films as Corruption and Lawrence of Arabia. For a first timer, his pacing is excellent, really allowing the story to unfold on its own. There's little to no need for plot devices here, everything just naturally progresses in due course. Newbrook enlisted his Lawrence of Arabia Director of Photography, Freddie Young to photograph the film and give it a proper tone and texture. He also managed to procure the services of production designer John Stoll (also of Lawrence fame), who created some truly lavish sets for the film. Together, the trio manage to create a flawless period atmosphere that literally comes to life and jumps off the screen. The script, written by Brian Comport from a story by Christina and Laurence Beers is rife with both great dialogue and sharp tension, and the entire thing plays out like a Greek tragedy. It may not be as well done as some of those great works, but the general idea is there and it does work quite well.

"Douche alert."​

Robert Stephens is cast in the lead role of Hugo Cunningham and gives forth a very convincing performance of a man slowly being consumed by his own selfish desires. As he's required to descend into madness at a snail's pace, Stephens drops subtle hints throughout the film that he's about to take yet another step down insanity boulevard, and each is just wonderful to see. Robert Powell plays his step son (and daughter's love interest no less) and does an equally good job playing the conscience of the film. His morality differs strongly from that of Hugo's, as he comes across more a man of faith than science, yet even he is capable of being corrupted by the power that comes with immortality. Powell handles this intricate character well and is a treat to watch on screen. Jane Laportaire also gives a strong performance as Cunningham's daughter, including some great moments when a look of sheer terror crosses her face. She doesn't have to scream to make us realize that something terrible is happening, its etched across every contour, though she does have a pretty good horror shriek as well. The rest of the cast are mostly just there for minor exposition, but each do an adequate job lending a sense of realism to the affair.

"All together now....AWWWWWWWWWWWWW"​

At its core, the film is about the consequences that come from the actions we choose to take and the guilt that arises from those consequences. Before the film is through, our main character has become a bitter and broken man, devoid of the very thing that makes us human, a soul. The bigger picture here is the idea of immortality in and of itself. Would it be a good thing to live forever? It's certainly romanticized in many films and books (most notably vampire-related works) but The Asphyx chooses instead to look at the darkness inherent in such a thing. That's a pretty heavy handed topic for a horror film, but it works here to great effect and leaves the viewer with a lot of things to debate when its over. Aside from the obvious moral message, there are some other nifty things going on here including the effect of The Asphyx itself. It does seem a little cheesy at first, but once you hear that blood-curdling, banshee-like wail coming from it, you know the fear factor has been ramped up to the max. Couple that with the overly creepy atmosphere that's just dripping with nasty intentions and you've got all the makings of a cult classic. The Asphyx represents the end of the Hammer-style gothic horror film, and while its certainly not perfect, its a good note to go out on and a strong film that's definitely worthy of your time.

"I love a good peep show."​

The Asphyx is not your average, run of the mill horror film, but that doesn't mean that its not scary as hell in its own way. It has developed a large cult following over the years and has been on television with great regularity as well as having several home releases, including a recent Blu Ray edition. It may be nearly 40 years old, but its still going strong and that may be the most impressive of its achievements. If you're looking for a horror film that takes a little time to develop but also makes you think, look no further than The Asphyx, last of the great gothic horror films and a truly eerie experience. 7/10.

"Tomorrow, find out exactly what that statement means."​

 

[Wang Chung]

I honestly can say that I am sure I have not seen this movie. It seems intriguing I will have to look it up.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

It's a good one if you like gothic horrors that make you think rather than relying on blood. Speaking of a film like that.....

The Omen

After his child is stillborn, Robert Thorn is approached by a priest at the hospital who suggests that they take a healthy newborn whose mother has just died in childbirth. Robert, wanting his life to be perfect and fearing for his wife's health should she learn of the death of their own child, agrees. Later, after Robert is made Ambassador to England and the family relocate to London, strange events and the warnings of a priest lead him to believe his son may be the spawn of Satan himself.

The Omen, released in 1976, is one of those seminal horror films that never seem to get tired or old and still serve as inspiration for many others. Like its predecessor, The Exorcist, it carefully balances tension and suspense with just the right amount of shock imagery that's requisite in films of this type. However, while The Exorcist chooses a more overt approach to its madness, The Omen is carefully subtle, preferring to toy with its audience for excruciatingly long periods before going for their throats. This method in turn serves to make The Omen a more disturbingly realistic piece and certainly allows it to slot in with many of the other hyper-realist films that were being released around the same time. That it does all of this while operating as a horror film is no small feat, and while films like The Exorcist tend to dwell in the realm of the fantastical, it is that attention to realism that puts The Omen head and shoulders above it. A legendary film not just for the final product but for the myriad of bizarre occurrences during filming, The Omen remains one of the truly great horrors of the last 50 years and required viewing for anyone who wishes to call themselves a fan of the genre.

"Burying the evidence of Gregory Peck's affair with Rock Hudson."​

The film was directed by Richard Donner (who would go on to do Superman and Lethal Weapon among many others), who chose to turn David Seltzer's screenplay into a more subdued type of thriller than an in your face horror film (like William Friedkin's Exorcist had been). Thankfully he managed to convince the studio heads to let him go down this route, because it is one of the main reasons why the film is so effective. His approach to directing the film is as clinical as it is concise and makes sure that nothing is completely over the top. Characters are properly fleshed out, their relationships firmly cemented and this in turn lends a sort of credible weight to the horrors that soon follow. Along with Donner's excellent work, special praise has to be given to cinematographer Gilbert Taylor and editor Stuart Baird, who worked tirelessly to give the film its tone and texture. Finally, the score by Jerry Goldsmith (an Oscar-winning one no less) is quite simply perfect at setting the mood. The eerie sound of somewhat improper chord progressions along with the constant Gregorian-style chanting really helps to enhance the creepiness factor and turn the film from good to great.

"I'd say he got the point."​

The entire ensemble here is superb and is certainly another reason why the film is so effective. Casting Gregory Peck as Robert Thorn was a stroke of genius, as it brought instant credibility to the entire project and raised it above the heights that the horror genre was known for at the time. Peck's performance is brilliant and is as subdued as Donner's direction is and watching his slow descent into paranoia and madness is a real highlight in a film that's already full of them. Lee Remick appears as Thorn's wife and does an admirable job with the character, giving her a sense of vulnerability and perfectly capturing the sense of tragedy and fear a woman in her position would feel. Joining these two are some very strong supporting players such as former Doctor Who actor Patrick Troughton (who's eating the spear in that picture above) and of course, Billie Whitelaw, who is easily the scariest character in the film, portraying Damien's nanny, Mrs. Baylock. Whitelaw's icy stare and fanatical devotion to her charge are simply chilling to the core and she is unbelievably effective in the role. Damien himself, played by Harvey Stephens, is not only cute but also does indeed have an air of evil around him. Comparing this kid with the one in the pathetic 2006 remake of this film only serves to enhance how strong he was in the role even though he had never acted before. Just take a look at his final stare before the credits roll and you'll have a hard time getting it out of your head...its just that effective. Finally, David Warner (a Fuji-Favourite from Tron) pops up as a really level-headed photographer, well at least he was until this happened to him....

Now that's what I call a "money shot" and its still as potent today as it must have been nearly 40 years ago. Along with that decapitation, there are some other really strong death sequences including the above-mentioned pole skewering and a vicious hanging that remains one of the most memorable scenes in the history of the horror genre. These scenes are shot in a relatively tasteful way though and do not need to rely on blood to get their point across. In fact, in that scene above, there is no blood at all, but Donner did choose to show a glass of red wine spill in front of the camera, which is a fantastic effect. However its not just the death scenes that serve to unsettle the viewer, its the very nature of the subject matter being dealt with. The film is more about paranoia and coincidence than it is about blood and guts, and that serves to allow it to get under your skin much easier. In fact, two of the most effective scenes in the film (the baboon and the tricycle sequences) don't even show death, but merely create an incredible amount of tension before paying off in spades. Rather than going for the jugular, they instead play on that feeling of paranoia and fear that the audience is now feeling along with the characters in the film and that in turn allows them to become much more powerful than simple shock scenes would have been.

"Hello Ms. Remick? Yes, we're just calling to tell you that you're still alive...for now."​

As I mentioned above, when you add in all the odd things that happened during filming (a plane with Donner and the only finished print of the film nearly crashed, a crew member's girlfriend was beheaded in an auto accident mimicking the Warner scene, a restaurant Peck was to eat at was bombed earlier in the day by the IRA), the film seems to be even scarier and if even half of those stories are true then its quite unsettling to say the least. Ultimately The Omen is a smartly mysterious film, one that challenges the audience with one chilling question. Can the events that occur during it be chalked up to circumstance and coincidence or are they the result of higher forces at work? The film makes sure to portray every "accident" as just that, perfectly normal accidents that, while random, are completely plausible. That then begs the question as to whether Damien is indeed the Antichrist or simply an innocent victim of the paranoia being exhibited by the adults around him? While the later films would firmly cement that he is the former, the ambiguity in this film is its strongest asset and the reason why it is the most memorable.

"Is this really the face of pure evil?"​

The Omen was shot on a budget of $2.8 million and ended up grossing over $60 million at the box office during its theatrical run. That was good enough for 5th highest of the year but more importantly than that, was the first major success for the fledgling studio Twentieth Century Fox. In fact, with the box office take from The Omen, the executives at Fox were able to clear up a few extra million dollars to give to young filmmaker George Lucas, who had recently pitched them a science-fiction project. So yes Star Wars fanatics, you have The Omen to thank in part for the birth of that particular franchise and that's no small potatoes to be sure. It also allowed a couple of Omen sequels to be made, two of which we'll be looking at in the next couple of days. Regardless of its financial victories or critical accolades, The Omen is simply top notch horror entertainment that demands attention and the mind of a cerebral viewer. If you go into it expecting a gore-fest, you're going to be disappointed, but if you can handle thinking while also being scared out of your wits, The Omen is marvellous entertainment and certainly a film you'll be thinking about after the final credits roll. 8/10.

"Tomorrow, a little older and a little deadlier, meet Damien for the second time."​

 

[Castiel]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Just read your TDKR review, I see where you're coming from with a lot of the points and I'm fine with them. I do feel you're letting your Nolan hate guide you a bit though, not that I love him as I think he's reaching James Cameron levels of overrated. Either way the review was still a good one. It was too obvious Talia would heel turn on Bruce sooner or later and even too obvious that she was really Talia. Bane's dialogue felt like they were trying too hard a lot of the time but honestly when I watched it I just let the fanboy in me take over and enjoyed the hell out of it. I love how Anne Hathaway proved everyone that doubted her wrong and of course JGL rocked it. I feel like any day now people are going to start the whole "JGL is so overrated" thing but hey, the guy shines every time you give him a role.

As for The Omen, I've been meaning to watch the trilogy since they're all on Netflix now and George Costanza once stayed up all night watching them. I enjoyed the review, especially the gif so I guess I'll enjoy the movie as well!

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

As for The Omen, I've been meaning to watch the trilogy since they're all on Netflix now and George Costanza once stayed up all night watching them. I enjoyed the review, especially the gif so I guess I'll enjoy the movie as well!

Right on, enjoy them and speaking of The Omen, here's the review for Part II.....

Damien: Omen II

It has been seven years since the events of The Omen took place. Damien is now 13 years old and is living with his Aunt and Uncle in Chicago. Attending military school, Damien is soon introduced to his new instructor, Sergeant Neff, who proceeds to explain his future calling to him. At first reluctant to accept that he is the spawn of Satan, Damien soon comes to realize his destiny and will stop at nothing to achieve it, even if it means killing everyone who finds out about him.

The Omen had proven to be such a profitable film for Fox that it was all too inevitable that a sequel would be released soon after. Seeking to capitalize on the name while it was still a hot commodity and riding a wave of resurgent interest in the horror genre, Damien was released less than two years after the original. Unfortunately, as is all too often the case with horror sequels, it pales in comparison to its predecessor in many facets. Where the original film focused on slowly built tension and suspense, the sequel went for shock value, high body counts and gratuitous violence. While this does lead to some interesting and unique moments, more often than not it tends to overshadow the simple story the filmmakers are trying to tell. Damien's "coming of age" film should have felt more like that, where instead it tends to feel like your standard slasher fare of the day save for the fact that there's no masked lunatic running around doing the killing. This lack of surprise does tend to hurt the film and cause the viewer to shake their head from time to time, but it still manages to provide just enough entertainment to hold your interest until its finished. Unfortunately that makes it a paltry imitation of its older brother, but at the end of the day I don't think anyone should have expected it to be anything but that in the first place.

"Oh look, its an omen."​

Directed by Don Taylor (Escape from the Planet of the Apes, The Final Countdown) and written by Stanley Mann (Sean Connery crapfest Meteor, Conan the Destroyer) and Michael Hodges (The Terminal Man) from a story by Harvey Bernhard (the film's producer), the film is quick to jump right into the action and that's where the problems begin. It's not that I have any particular issue with Taylor's direction because the film is properly paced and well executed, but even he couldn't do much with the lacklustre script that was dumped in his lap. It's almost as if the writers simply wanted to create scenarios that would lead them to the next kill rather than establish any sort of suspense or ambience. In fact, they don't really waste any time with the kills at all, offing two dudes at an archaeological site less than 5 minutes into the film! At the same time, the dialogue is at times excruciating, major plot points are just abandoned and only a couple of characters come across as genuine and likeable. I get that this was more of a cash grab film than anything else, but once again I fail to see why a little attention to minor details could have hurt. Comparing this film to the original actually kind of hurts your brain and your soul, so its best to just forget about that and try to get on with what little this one actually has to offer.

"Hey Holden, you missed another AA meeting."​

William Holden (who turned down the role Gregory Peck eventually took in the original) takes the lead as Damien's Uncle Richard and let's just say that he's not quite up to par here. This was most likely during one of Holden's famous "dry" periods, so his particularly juicy style of drunken acting is not on display, which is unfortunate. Thankfully he's cast opposite the excellent Lee Grant as his wife, and she manages to elicit a good performance out of a sober Holden, no small feat to be sure. Grant is actually quite good here, playing a sort of mirror universe version of Lee Remick's character from the original. She's fully aware of what's happening but chooses to ignore it, though her reasons for this are made clear during the incredibly anti-climactic ending of the film. Meanwhile, the great Sylvia Sidney gets a little time to rule the screen as Damien's Aunt Marion and though she doesn't last long she certainly makes an impact and also gets the only good dialogue in the entire film. Sci-fi/horror veteran Lance Henriksen shows up as Damien's "teacher" while Damien himself is portrayed by Jonathan Scott-Taylor, who does an admirable job considering the script he has to work with. I could feel his torment and at times actually did feel bad for him, though I had more sympathy for his cousin, played excellently by Lucas Donat, than I did for him. Perhaps if their roles had been reversed things would have turned out better, but then again simply changing the actors wouldn't change the myriad of issues I had with the script.

"So what if Damien wanted to dress up like Medusa for Halloween?"​

The main issue with this film is that there's just nothing mysterious about it at all. Where the original had you constantly guessing as to what was happening, here it was all on display for you to see and that really detracts from the overall feel. I find that horror films tend to become quite boring when nothing is left to the imagination and this one is a perfect example of that theory. One of the main subplots of this film is Damien's struggle with his destiny, and its basically glossed over in about 5 minutes so we can get back to the death scenes. If they'd bothered to expand on that a little more, I could easily have seen this film becoming a lot more about the chilling than the killing but unfortunately it was not meant to be. Don't get me wrong either, the kill sequences themselves are pretty cool, but that doesn't make up for the decided lack of tension in the film. In fact, there's one kill scene involving a bird pecking a woman until she's subsequently hit by a truck that comes across more humorous than frightening, which I don't believe was the intended effect. Basically the script called for anyone who found out about Damien to be killed almost immediately thereafter, which becomes pretty tiresome once its happened for the third time in less than a half hour. On the bright side of things, we do get to see the following scene, which is easily the best kill in the film and one of the best in the series itself....

[video=dailymotion;x11gx3]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x11gx3_damien-omen-ii_news[/video]​

Yep, I've got to say, there's nothing better than seeing Hollywood from Mannequin get sliced in half by an elevator cable...NOTHING I SAY!!!! Alright, maybe there is, but none of it is in this film as that proudly becomes the single best moment during it. There's another pretty cool scene featuring a character trapped under ice and an interesting death with a railway car, but outside of that there really just isn't that much to write home about here. There are some off the cuff allusions to Henriksen's character being War, one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse, but they never really go anywhere which is bothersome since that plot element alone could have made this film a lot better. At the end of the day though, I'm not really confident that the writers could have worked that in properly given the mess they made out of everything else. I've often wanted to read Bernhard's original story just to see if it made more sense than what the final screenplay became, but my guess is that this was more of a total fail on all the writers parts. Focusing on what made the original an excellent film, tension, paranoia and suspense, would have helped this one a great deal. Sadly they chose to go the conventional horror route instead and so Damien: Omen II is just a typical impostor, poorly masquerading as a sequel to one of the all time great horror films.

"Just like Star Wars except with the Antichrist instead of the saviour."​

Damien: Omen II was shot on a budget of $6.8 million and grossed over $26 million at the box office, making it another big hit for Fox and assuring that a third chapter would be on the way quickly. Of course we'll be looking at that one tomorrow as we end off this little foray into the world of The Omen so let's drop it for now and take one last look at Damien. Actually, never mind, I'd prefer never to watch this one again. It's boring, uninspiring, poorly written, overwrought with cliches and no amount of cool kills could possibly hope to atone for that. Damien: Omen II does make up the second part of a trilogy, so for completions sake it should be viewed, but make sure not to invest too heavily into it or you may find yourself seeking out a bird to peck you to pieces before doing a nose dive in front of a truck. 5/10.

"Tommorrow, when Damien gets older he turns into a Jurassic Prick."​

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Omen III: The Final Conflict

The Antichrist, Damien Thorn, has grown up and fully realized the extent of his powers, using them to create a sphere of influence in the political world. He's soon appointed Ambassador to England, the same job his late "father" once held, and he uses this position to further cement his control over the world. He soon realizes that the saviour has been reborn and determines that he must execute every first born child in the country in order to preserve himself. Will Damien succeed and usher in the apocalypse or can someone, anyone, stand in his way?

Omen III: The Final Conflict, released in 1981, is the third and final film in the Omen trilogy which began back in 1976 with the release of the original Gregory Peck masterpiece. After a relatively lacklustre second chapter, the idea was to finish off the story of Damien Thorn once and for all and to go out with as big a bang as possible. Unfortunately for all parties involved, the film instead tuned out to be nearly as muddled a mess as its predecessor and yet another paltry imitation of the near flawless original. In fact, the only saving grace to come from The Final Conflict is that it further serves to solidify just how excellent the original film was. Ok, that's not totally fair, there's some decent acting and a solid story here, its just that the execution is near maddening in its insanity. While the first film focused on suspense and terror and the second went the slasher route, The Final Conflict prefers to become a sort of gothic horror film without many of the themes or techniques that make that genre enjoyable. Perhaps the most fitting end to a trilogy that started out with such promise is that Damien's final reckoning does not explode the way it was intended. Instead it fizzles out like a wet firecracker, forever snuffing out that promise of better things to come.

"Praying for the end....of this movie."​

This time around, the producers chose unproven director Graham Baker (who would go on to direct minor cult hit Alien Nation) and writer Andrew Birkin to tell the tale of the adult Damien who plans to take over the world. Birkin's screenplay is pretty ambitious and has a real scope to it, a sign of the bigger and better things (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer) that were to come for him, but unfortunately Baker is simply not up to the task of directing it properly. His sense of pacing is all off, revealing way too much too quickly before deciding to pull back and attempt to keep us in suspense with things we already know the answers to. Later we're treated to leaps in logic that would require more faith than Abraham had in God before killing his only son (coincidentally a subplot in this film) before a conclusion that can only be described as laughable. In fact, the only really good part of this entire film is the first ten minutes, which I honestly think were shot by a different director since I can't fathom how Baker could be so on point with them and fail with everything else. In Baker's defense, its not like he's the only one who brain farted their way through this entire picture though, even great composer Jerry Goldsmith seems to have phoned in his theme from a scratchy rotary dial relic. So to sum it up we have a rookie director working with a crew that gives zero fucks. Yep, that seems like a winning formula to me, and even some decent acting can't possibly hope to save this one from becoming an absolute disaster and conceivably the very apocalypse that Damien was trying to bring about in the first place.

"Next up, interview with the Antichrist, film at eleven."​

Sam Neill, who most of you know as lovable palaeontologist Dr. Alan Grant from two of the Jurassic Park films, plays the adult Damien and actually manages to do an impressive job with the character. Neill gets the lion's share of the dialogue in the film and though some of it is hokey (a scene where he "prays" to his "father" comes to mind) he is quite chilling the majority of the time. He's at his best when he's ordering around the myriad of minions at his disposal and while waxing poetic to a Jesus statue that he has in his "secret place". The fact that Neill is capable of delivering dialogue like "Since the hour you vomited forth from the gaping wound of a woman, you have done nothing but drown man's soaring desires in a deluge of sanctimonious morality" with any sort of style is a minor miracle. Unfortunately that's where the great casting ends, since I can't be bothered to mention anyone else in this film for fear of having to remember how hideous their performances were.

"Even mother nature was pissed off at this film."​

There are obviously several major issues I have with this film but the first is perhaps the most glaring. In Damien: Omen II, there was a subplot introduced involving Thorn Industries and their plans to control the food supply of the Third World. This subplot is immediately abandoned in favour of Damien being the Ambassador as well as chairman of the United Nations Youth Committee. I really have to question why that happened given the fact that the logical endgame of controlling the food supply of impoverished nations is to use that control to create conflict within those countries, thereby ushering in the apocalypse that Damien's apparently working towards. Anyhow, clearly I'm a thinker and so I might as well just let that one go and concentrate on the plot we have to work with. Ok, so Damien is the chairman of the Youth Committee and you know, he really sucks at that job, since all he does while in the position is use his influence to get a list of all first born males and subsequently have them killed! If that's not cause for dismissal then I don't know what is but remarkably nobody suspects Damien, well except for seven priests who are charged with killing him. Unfortunately these priests all prove to be beyond inept and are dispatched one by one by the Antichrist himself. Well actually one of them simply trips and falls to his death...that's right, he TRIPS AND FALLS TO HIS DEATH!!! If it were me, I'd probably send some real tough guy assassins or at the very least Vinnie Jones, but it appears the church was more than happy to let Damien continue on his merry evil ways, which of course makes absolutely no sense.

"Probably the most convincing humane society commercial ever conceived."​

Thankfully these priests do take part in another relatively good scene, that being a fox hunt where Damien, as seen above, gets the upper hand with the help of some of his trusted canine friends. It's actually another really well shot scene so of course it follows that I don't believe Baker directed it! Unfortunately once its over we go right back to the boredom of watching a bunch of Italian's try to stab Damien in the back while we realize that this is actually the ultimate battle between good and evil. Man, if that's the case, I really want my money back, because for some reason I thought the apocalypse was going to be way more entertaining than this! Before its over we're treated to Damien whining about the Nazarene and challenging him to a fight while wandering around a cathedral like a total moron, bereft of any sort of evil that he may have had in the past. This is not the way the Antichrist is supposed to go out but I'd better stop now because I don't want to spoil anything for the two or three of you that are actually going to watch this crap after reading my review. Suffice to say, The Final Conflict is certainly final, which is a good thing because having to sit through another one of these films this week would probably drive me to drinking...well more than I already have while sitting through this one anyway.

"It's a miracle....this crap is finally over!!"​

Omen III: The Final Conflict was shot on a budget of $5 million and grossed over $20 million at the box office, respectable numbers considering how awful it is. As far as Omen films go, this is amazingly not the worst, having the pleasure of beating out Omen IV (crappy made for tv movie) and the abysmal remake of the original from 2006. Still, its certainly nothing you need to go out of your way to check out unless your a Sam Neill fan or enjoy watching increasingly inept priests perform their version of a Keystone Kops routine. So if that's your thing, by all means check it out, while the rest of you should run to the hills, run for your life or just go listen to Iron Maiden instead. 4/10.

"Tomorrow we find out exactly what's happening in this quiet little town."​

 

[Wang Chung]

I haven't seen this in years and forgot about everything but the dog scene.

I hope your nit going into the next ones especially the remake which pissed me off much like most of the remakes do.

Sent from my PG86100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Nope, I won't be doing any more Omen movies since they get even worse after this one.

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Children of the Corn

After a strange boy preacher named Isaac wanders into the small town of Gatlin, Nebraska, he quickly convinces the other children to murder all the adults. After doing so, the children form a community in a nearby cornfield, worshipping a being known as "he who walks behind the rows". Into this community come a young couple on their way to Seattle where the man has recently taken a position as a town doctor. After being involved in an accident, the two try and find some help only to discover the madness that has overcome the children of the corn.

Children of the Corn, released in 1984, is a film based on a Stephen King story that's a grand total of 25 pages long. Did you know that short stories don't always make for good 87 minute films? Well you do now, as Children of the Corn more than proves this rule multiple times throughout. From lackadaisical direction, an incredibly weak script, unbelievably bad special effects and actors who seem to be reading off of cue cards, its a practical cure for insomnia like no other I've come across before. It also suffers from being made too quickly and made on the cheap in an obvious attempt to cash in on the mega popularity that King was revelling in at the time. I never liked this film as a child and I was hoping that age would somehow improve it. Boy was I wrong, as Children of the Corn aged more like blue cheese than red wine; stinky. The simple fact is that King's work doesn't always translate well on the big screen (see The Lawnmower Man, Thinner, Graveyard Shift or The Mangler for more evidence) and for every Misery there are at least three Children of the Corn's. This is not one of the absolute worst King films ever made, but for all the hype it received back during its initial release, it sure doesn't come close to living up to it.

"They should have re-titled the film Ugly Children of the Corn."​

I'm really not sure where to begin with Children of the Corn, since there's literally a shit ton of bad going on in it. Let's examine the director and writer first, since they are the chief culprits in how this film ended up sucking Gordie LaChance's fat one. For starters, the director, Fritz Kiersch, had never directed a film before. Let's just say this probably wasn't the best first feature for him since it involved working with multiple child actors, something even the greatest directors claim to have issues with. Kiersch's style can best be described as "boring with a dash of valium" since this film just plods along offering nearly nothing in the way of substance or style. That's also the fault of writer George Goldsmith, who pukes up a bunch of ideas onto his plate but never bothers to pay off any of them. His dialogue is beyond hilarious at some points though, which would be great if this was a comedy. Sadly it is not, and so lines like "Any religion without love and compassion is false! It's a lie!", while amusing, do not really work the way they're intended to. The only good thing I can say about the technical side of this film is that the cinematography by Raoul Lomas is pretty good, particularly the corn-level shots that he uses. Unfortunately there aren't nearly enough of them to make the film good and I wonder how much better it could have been had they simply left the camera pointed at a husk of corn for 87 minutes!

"The talented actors are over there!"​

I'd think staring at the husk would actually have worked out a lot better, because once you get a chance to see the actors assembled for this turd at work you'll have second thoughts about taking another breath. A pre-Terminator Linda Hamilton shows up as the female lead and does a totally unconvincing job making me believe she's a woman who wants a commitment from her boyfriend. That boyfriend, played with all the gusto of your average turnip by Peter Horton, is completely annoying from the moment he first appears on screen and only gets worse as the film progresses. He tries his best to act tough and spout off intelligent rhetoric but it just comes across as sad and tawdry. Horton is as wooden as a baseball bat and so anyone who thought he'd make a good leading man should obviously be shot after having their testicles electrocuted. The children are a mixed bunch, mostly on the bad side, but two standouts for their pathetic acting are the main ones, Malachi (played by Courtney Gains AKA Super Ginger) and Isaac, played by John Franklin. Gains, who also played Hans in The 'Burbs, grunts and groans his way through his role while also using some of the worst facial expressions ever, while Franklin suffers from a robotic delivery that was surely influenced by the above-mentioned cue cards. These kids are SUPPOSED to be scary but they never seem all that threatening to me, even when they're killing off their parents at the beginning. So in summary the acting sucks almost as much as the direction and writing do, which is obviously not a good thing unless you're looking for excuses to swallow a vial of arsenic.

"The Last Temptation of Sarah Connor"​

I did find one thing somewhat amusing here and actually spent the majority of the film laughing about it. At the beginning, Burt and Vicky are driving along and I noticed a copy of Stephen King's Night Shift on the dash of their car. That is of course the very book that contains the story on which this film is based, but that's not the thing that made me chuckle. Nope, that would be the understanding of exactly how big King's ego must have been at this time. I mean not only is he getting product placement in the film, its based on one of his stories AND his name is above the goddamn title! No wonder he thought he could direct a better film than this one and for that we should be thankful because it did eventually bring us the fantastic Maximum Overdrive! In fact, I'm pretty shocked he didn't work himself into a cameo although he may have played "he who walks behind the rows" but you'd never know because we never actually see him. That's right folks, they spend an entire movie talking about this being but you never see it outside of some wonderfully awful special effects! I'd also like to take a brief moment to point out the ridiculousness of the entire plot but then again it actually all goes hand in hand with how bad this entire film is. To close this off on a positive note I'd like to mention that Linda Hamilton went on to bigger and better things like King Kong Lives and Beauty and the Beast before muscling up for T2, shagging James Cameron and getting a huge divorce settlement. Way to go Linda! Sadly that's about the only positive thing I have to say about Children of the Corn, a film so bad that all prints should be summarily destroyed for all time.

"They're coming to kill everyone involved with the making of this crap."​

Children of the Corn was shot on a cheap budget of $800,000 and ended up grossing over $14 million, further proof that people are suckers and will watch anything that has King's name slapped onto it even though the odds are 1 in 3 that it'll blow. Even more amazing than that is the fact that the film has since gone on to inspire 6 fucking sequels! That's right folks, there's 6 more of these atrocities kicking around (though I do recall the second one being somewhat decent). The best advice I can give you is to avoid this film like the plague and pick up a copy of Night Shift instead, where you can read the short story in less time than it takes to sit through this mess. 3/10.

"Next time....look, there's one of them now."​

 

[The Viper]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

........are they coming to get Barbara?

 

[Fuji Vice]

........are they coming to get Barbara?

Possibly, but they'll definitely be getting her brother Johnny and his driving gloves.

Sent from my BlackBerry 9900 using Tapatalk

 

[Fuji Vice]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Night of the Living Dead

After being attacked by a strange man and seeing her brother killed, Barbara retreats to an isolated farmhouse and soon discovers a dead body inside. Worse, once Ben shows up they discover that the dead have been returning to life and attacking the living. Together with a few other people who show up at the farmhouse, they begin a deadly struggle to survive through the night of the living dead.

There's not a lot that hasn't already been said about George A. Romero's seminal 1968 masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead. One thing I'd like to briefly mention is that after a week of horrible Omen sequels and Children of the Corn, its quite a welcome change to be watching a film of such magnitude. While it didn't cost a lot to make and features a cast of virtual unknowns, the end result is a horror film that has stood the test of time for good reason; it is simply a masterpiece. Featuring stark and horrific imagery shot beautifully in black and white, a story that shows horror from many different sides and even some social commentary, its power has not diminished in the 40 plus years since its release. That it was made by a crew who had only ever worked on commercials before is astounding yet a true testament to the "can do" attitude that seems to permeate the entire film. While other horror films of the day sought to use the bizarre nature of science to scare their audiences, Night of the Living Dead grounded itself in a heightened sense of realism and used the man vs. man theme instead. Zombies may be the chief antagonists on display but the true horror comes in the breakdown of the humans who are simply trying to survive and that is why Night of the Living Dead has long been regarded as one of the greatest horror films of all time. Is there a reason to argue that statement? Nope, so instead let's just bask in the glory of this one and realize that films like this truly come along once in a lifetime.

"They're coming for her...and she's not running away."​

George A. Romero can be credited with both writing (along with John Russo) and directing the film, but the simple fact is he basically did everything else on it as well, from the cinematography to the editing. Hell, he probably played a couple of the zombies, did a few stunts and maybe even did some of the makeup, because his imprint is all over this film. This total devotion to the film is part of the reason why it works so well, there weren't enough cooks available to ruin this particular broth and while it would never happen these days, the end result is nothing short of magnificent. Romero's camera work is brilliant and the use of the black and white medium was one of the best moves that he could have made. It's particularly funny to me considering it was simply a limited budget that forced the decision to shoot in black and white, as any other film of the day would most likely have been shot on color stock. Luckily that budgetary constraint worked in Romero's favour and allows Night of the Living Dead to have a creepy documentary style look that makes the film feel as old as Ric Flair. There's also a lot of soft and out of focus shots that give the film a real sense of dread since you as the viewer aren't always sure where you are or what's happening around you. Meanwhile, the screenplay lends itself to the action quite well yet still manages to find time to be both poignant and socially conscious, all the while disguising itself as a simple piece on dead people eating the living. Russo and Romero's writing can be pedestrian at times, and some of the characters do come close to caricature territory, but this serves as a means to an end and can be overlooked once the scope of the entire film comes into play.

"Johnny, the original hipster."​

Central to the success of this film is the cast and the chemistry they have with one another even though none had ever really acted before. Sometimes the amateur is the best possible solution, since they tend to gravitate towards the realistic in their performances rather than attempting to "play" characters. That is certainly the case with the cast here, as each brings a unique yet completely realistic portrayal to the screen. Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea have a lot of time together early on and play off of each other well even though Jones does most of the talking. O'Dea on the other hand makes a great "affected" character, staying in shock for virtually the entire film. Things really hot up once Karl Hardman (one of the films producers) shows up though, and the battle of wills between he and Jones' character Ben is the main crux of the film. These two end up hating each other more than the common enemy they share that is virtually inches away from them at all times. It's this breakdown of humanity that makes everything so scary; why worry about zombies when your neighbour is gunning for you as well? Jones and Hardman get this point across strongly and indeed it becomes a lot creepier to watch them bicker than it does to see the endless stream of zombies surround the house they're stuck in. I'd also like to give a quick shout out to Kyra Schon, the young girl who plays a spade-wielding zombie that attacks her parents. She's up there with the creepiest kids ever put on film and indeed her image is one of the most haunting in the entire picture.

"The end result of calling a spade a spade."​

That theme of humanity breaking down is clearly the most central of the entire film and certainly what makes it more horrific than your standard zombie gorefest. Even though it appears that the characters in the house are going to fight bravely to save their own lives, it pretty much seems to be a lost cause. While the true foe hangs around outside the house eating whatever flesh it can get its hands on, the people inside are hell bent on making bad decisions, all of which point to a mutually assured destruction. That they do this consciously is perhaps the most frightening thing of all; they simply cannot do the right thing either due to their own petty differences or the circumstances they find themselves in. Even characters that have the best intentions end up doing stupid things due to their situation, such as Tom attempting to shoot the lock off of a gas pump, a scenario that ends with typically explosive results. It's these completely flawed, if not completely unsympathetic characters, everyday people like you and I, that give the film its power. We have to step back and question exactly what we'd do in a similar situation and, sadly, most of us would end up doing the same things the characters do here. Romero's point here is to show that deep down inside, we really can't count on each other when the chips are down, which is a sad yet true assessment of humanity as a whole. Before the film is over we're treated to countless examples of this, to the point of nearly cheering for the zombies to just eat every one of these deluded "heroes", before the film ends with one of the most depressing finales of all time. Yep, that Romero was definitely a cheery fellow!

"You can't blame a zombie for being hungry."​

While Night of the Living Dead can certainly be credited with ushering in a lot of firsts, chiefly among them has to be the inclusion of a black hero as the main character. Obviously today things like that are commonplace, but in 1968 I'm sure it led to more than a few complaints from the good old boys down south. Upon listening to a commentary on this film, it seems Romero is adamant that he wasn't attempting to make a political or social comment with that casting decision, but its hard to buy that when he consistently does so in his other works. To his credit, he doesn't hammer home this point throughout the film, he merely leaves it out there for the audience to observe and react to in their own way. For that matter, the black hero doesn't really end up being all that heroic at all and it turns out that most of his decisions send people to their deaths. However, for all the good Romero did here he definitely didn't figure out the role of the woman in the film, preferring to make them weak and helpless, a characterization that was fast losing its popularity in Hollywood. While stronger female characters may have made the film even more interesting than it already was, the fact remains that even with these minor flaws its hard not to love everything about Night of the Living Dead. It's brutally honest in its portrayal of humanity while also helping to usher in the era of the zombie, a horror foe that would soon become well used throughout the 1970's and beyond. Basically, if you haven't yet seen this film you would be well served to find it immediately (if you're lazy the whole thing is available on YouTube) because it really is worth your time and still one of the most impactful horror films ever made.

"Ryan Gosling totally stole those gloves for Drive."​

Night of the Living Dead was shot on a budget of $114,000 and ended up grossing a whopping $42 million at the box office. More than that, it made Romero a household name and while he'd spend the next 10 years doing some different projects (among them The Crazies and Season of the Witch), the dead would once again rise from the grave in 1978 for the next film in his series, Dawn of the Dead, a sequel which at times surpasses the original. However we'll have to wait until tomorrow for that one while today all I can tell you is that Night of the Living Dead is beyond required viewing for horror fans and still packs quite a punch. In a time filled with torture porn and found footage shockers, its simplistic yet realistic approach feels quite refreshing, something we all need once in awhile. It may be tame by today's standards, but its strength cannot be denied and its power remains as potent as it did way back in 1968, which I believe is reason enough for anyone to check it out. 9/10.

"Tomorrow...Hare Krishna?"​

 

[Petty]

Re: The Wing Kong Exchange

Night of the Living Dead

After being attacked by a strange man and seeing her brother killed, Barbara retreats to an isolated farmhouse and soon discovers a dead body inside. Worse, once Ben shows up they discover that the dead have been returning to life and attacking the living. Together with a few other people who show up at the farmhouse, they begin a deadly struggle to survive through the night of the living dead.

There's not a lot that hasn't already been said about George A. Romero's seminal 1968 masterpiece, Night of the Living Dead. One thing I'd like to briefly mention is that after a week of horrible Omen sequels and Children of the Corn, its quite a welcome change to be watching a film of such magnitude. While it didn't cost a lot to make and features a cast of virtual unknowns, the end result is a horror film that has stood the test of time for good reason; it is simply a masterpiece. Featuring stark and horrific imagery shot beautifully in black and white, a story that shows horror from many different sides and even some social commentary, its power has not diminished in the 40 plus years since its release. That it was made by a crew who had only ever worked on commercials before is astounding yet a true testament to the "can do" attitude that seems to permeate the entire film. While other horror films of the day sought to use the bizarre nature of science to scare their audiences, Night of the Living Dead grounded itself in a heightened sense of realism and used the man vs. man theme instead. Zombies may be the chief antagonists on display but the true horror comes in the breakdown of the humans who are simply trying to survive and that is why Night of the Living Dead has long been regarded as one of the greatest horror films of all time. Is there a reason to argue that statement? Nope, so instead let's just bask in the glory of this one and realize that films like this truly come along once in a lifetime.

"They're coming for her...and she's not running away."​

George A. Romero can be credited with both writing (along with John Russo) and directing the film, but the simple fact is he basically did everything else on it as well, from the cinematography to the editing. Hell, he probably played a couple of the zombies, did a few stunts and maybe even did some of the makeup, because his imprint is all over this film. This total devotion to the film is part of the reason why it works so well, there weren't enough cooks available to ruin this particular broth and while it would never happen these days, the end result is nothing short of magnificent. Romero's camera work is brilliant and the use of the black and white medium was one of the best moves that he could have made. It's particularly funny to me considering it was simply a limited budget that forced the decision to shoot in black and white, as any other film of the day would most likely have been shot on color stock. Luckily that budgetary constraint worked in Romero's favour and allows Night of the Living Dead to have a creepy documentary style look that makes the film feel as old as Ric Flair. There's also a lot of soft and out of focus shots that give the film a real sense of dread since you as the viewer aren't always sure where you are or what's happening around you. Meanwhile, the screenplay lends itself to the action quite well yet still manages to find time to be both poignant and socially conscious, all the while disguising itself as a simple piece on dead people eating the living. Russo and Romero's writing can be pedestrian at times, and some of the characters do come close to caricature territory, but this serves as a means to an end and can be overlooked once the scope of the entire film comes into play.

"Johnny, the original hipster."​

Central to the success of this film is the cast and the chemistry they have with one another even though none had ever really acted before. Sometimes the amateur is the best possible solution, since they tend to gravitate towards the realistic in their performances rather than attempting to "play" characters. That is certainly the case with the cast here, as each brings a unique yet completely realistic portrayal to the screen. Duane Jones and Judith O'Dea have a lot of time together early on and play off of each other well even though Jones does most of the talking. O'Dea on the other hand makes a great "affected" character, staying in shock for virtually the entire film. Things really hot up once Karl Hardman (one of the films producers) shows up though, and the battle of wills between he and Jones' character Ben is the main crux of the film. These two end up hating each other more than the common enemy they share that is virtually inches away from them at all times. It's this breakdown of humanity that makes everything so scary; why worry about zombies when your neighbour is gunning for you as well? Jones and Hardman get this point across strongly and indeed it becomes a lot creepier to watch them bicker than it does to see the endless stream of zombies surround the house they're stuck in. I'd also like to give a quick shout out to Kyra Schon, the young girl who plays a spade-wielding zombie that attacks her parents. She's up there with the creepiest kids ever put on film and indeed her image is one of the most haunting in the entire picture.

"The end result of calling a spade a spade."​

That theme of humanity breaking down is clearly the most central of the entire film and certainly what makes it more horrific than your standard zombie gorefest. Even though it appears that the characters in the house are going to fight bravely to save their own lives, it pretty much seems to be a lost cause. While the true foe hangs around outside the house eating whatever flesh it can get its hands on, the people inside are hell bent on making bad decisions, all of which point to a mutually assured destruction. That they do this consciously is perhaps the most frightening thing of all; they simply cannot do the right thing either due to their own petty differences or the circumstances they find themselves in. Even characters that have the best intentions end up doing stupid things due to their situation, such as Tom attempting to shoot the lock off of a gas pump, a scenario that ends with typically explosive results. It's these completely flawed, if not completely unsympathetic characters, everyday people like you and I, that give the film its power. We have to step back and question exactly what we'd do in a similar situation and, sadly, most of us would end up doing the same things the characters do here. Romero's point here is to show that deep down inside, we really can't count on each other when the chips are down, which is a sad yet true assessment of humanity as a whole. Before the film is over we're treated to countless examples of this, to the point of nearly cheering for the zombies to just eat every one of these deluded "heroes", before the film ends with one of the most depressing finales of all time. Yep, that Romero was definitely a cheery fellow!

"You can't blame a zombie for being hungry."​

While Night of the Living Dead can certainly be credited with ushering in a lot of firsts, chiefly among them has to be the inclusion of a black hero as the main character. Obviously today things like that are commonplace, but in 1968 I'm sure it led to more than a few complaints from the good old boys down south. Upon listening to a commentary on this film, it seems Romero is adamant that he wasn't attempting to make a political or social comment with that casting decision, but its hard to buy that when he consistently does so in his other works. To his credit, he doesn't hammer home this point throughout the film, he merely leaves it out there for the audience to observe and react to in their own way. For that matter, the black hero doesn't really end up being all that heroic at all and it turns out that most of his decisions send people to their deaths. However, for all the good Romero did here he definitely didn't figure out the role of the woman in the film, preferring to make them weak and helpless, a characterization that was fast losing its popularity in Hollywood. While stronger female characters may have made the film even more interesting than it already was, the fact remains that even with these minor flaws its hard not to love everything about Night of the Living Dead. It's brutally honest in its portrayal of humanity while also helping to usher in the era of the zombie, a horror foe that would soon become well used throughout the 1970's and beyond. Basically, if you haven't yet seen this film you would be well served to find it immediately (if you're lazy the whole thing is available on YouTube) because it really is worth your time and still one of the most impactful horror films ever made.

"Ryan Gosling totally stole those gloves for Drive."​

Night of the Living Dead was shot on a budget of $114,000 and ended up grossing a whopping $42 million at the box office. More than that, it made Romero a household name and while he'd spend the next 10 years doing some different projects (among them The Crazies and Season of the Witch), the dead would once again rise from the grave in 1978 for the next film in his series, Dawn of the Dead, a sequel which at times surpasses the original. However we'll have to wait until tomorrow for that one while today all I can tell you is that Night of the Living Dead is beyond required viewing for horror fans and still packs quite a punch. In a time filled with torture porn and found footage shockers, its simplistic yet realistic approach feels quite refreshing, something we all need once in awhile. It may be tame by today's standards, but its strength cannot be denied and its power remains as potent as it did way back in 1968, which I believe is reason enough for anyone to check it out. 9/10.

"Tomorrow...Hare Krishna?"​

I remember as a kid, my mom used to get so mad at me, I would rewatch this movie, over and over, she even told me I used to recite every line from the movie. I was four watching this, but Jaws gave me nightmares, and this didn't. XD Amazing review of a true classic.