woot, a new monster flick

[Crash]

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/the_cave/medium.html


and it even has superman, again i dont give a rats ass about the fucking flick i just want to see interesting creature design, looks like it could have it.



sweet, i say

[0kelvin]

It was a pretty good trailer up until they showed the actual creature. Why would they do that? That's why people go see movies like these, to find out what the creature is! They blew their money shot in the trailer.



0kelvin

[N D Hill]

I don't know. It seems these days that most monster movies are just a rehash of Alien or Jaws. I can never seem to shake that feeling. The shot where they show one of the characters holding up the flair to reveal the creature clinging to the cieling seems like such a blatant ripoff of Alien3. From now on, no more bug monsters that cling to walls or shots with people wading in some water and getting jerked down. I'm sick of monster movies where the characters are heavily armed too. Movies are scarier when we can imagine ourselves in the situation. Not muscle-bound gun freaks who talk like they have a fourth grade reading level.

Bah. just ranting.

[jetpack42]

movie tag lines are so awesome. They help me feel the total mood of the movie, and really sum it up in a catchy sentance or two.

beneath heaven lies hell...
beneath hell lies...

THE CAVE!!!

*shudder*

[Brutillus]

I agree, the only reason I go to the trouble of seeing these movies is to check out what the concept artists have been up to. its a bit sad but also kind of cool that their work is often the only redeeming feature of these sci-fi/action flicks.
if you want to see GOOD movies there is so much great old stuff waiting to be discovered that I wonder why people bother with all this glitzy new crap.
must be the work of the concept artists ;)

[Denart]

I don't know. It seems these days that most monster movies are just a rehash of Alien or Jaws. I can never seem to shake that feeling. The shot where they show one of the characters holding up the flair to reveal the creature clinging to the cieling seems like such a blatant ripoff of Alien3. From now on, no more bug monsters that cling to walls or shots with people wading in some water and getting jerked down. I'm sick of monster movies where the characters are heavily armed too. Movies are scarier when we can imagine ourselves in the situation. Not muscle-bound gun freaks who talk like they have a fourth grade reading level.

Bah. just ranting.

http://gigbitchgraphics.homestead.com/files/emoticons/bow1.gif http://gigbitchgraphics.homestead.com/files/emoticons/bow1.gif dude, well fuckin said!

[Presence]

Exo I think you are bringing up a great point here. A bit of a what if?

What if? Just what if the Alien in Alien is the scariest thing period. I mean you look at the film and Alien and Aliens are near perfect, everything from the characters, production, direction and yes, the Alien.

It is kinda like...the seven samurai, no other film made has come close to it in terms of the genre and I am not sure if anyone can because like Alien it is water tight.

So maybe we have hit the point in horror that can't be passed. The problem also with that is the formulas it uses will of course be copied and reskined in a new monster with a new cast hoping to hit pay dirt.

When it simply can't.

[N D Hill]

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!
... And I haven’t even seen the movie, folks.


Step 1. People minding their own business, who just happen to be in an isolated setting, notice something weird happening or someone in their group goes missing.

Step 2: Someone decides to go figure out what's going on and wonders off into the dark. They're of course killed. It's usually at this point when everyone else figures out that somethings not right and we get the whole "we need to stick together speech." Or people figure it out after some big disaster strikes that traps them all in with the monster.

Step 3: People are picked off one by one. There are a lot of people screaming and saying stupid things like "those things are going to kill us!" "We're not going to make it out of here!".

Step 4: At least one person snaps and becomes so hysterical that you can't wait for them to be killed.

Step 5: The "Russian Spy" character (term coined by Dan O'Bannon) reveals himself and tries to pull some shit. He will of course die in a particularly gory fashion.

Step 6. The (supposedly) "cool" and "Badass" character makes a heroic last stand and says something corny like "Come get some" or "Chew on this" before he's killed, allowing the main character to escape with possibly one other (who is probably a kid, disabled, or a hot chick).

Step 7: There's some big final confrontation scene as the character/s is just an inch away from escaping. Usually "the whole place is gonna blow."

Step 8: The monster is killed is some dramatic way. It'll most likely explode, sending parts flying everywhere. It is NEVER shot or killed in a way in which it is not mutilated or dismembered.

Optional step: You know that comic relief character? Turns out he actually didn’t die! He was hiding like the coward he is waiting for you to kill the monster. Never the less, he’s back cracking jokes again so everyone can be happy!

Optional step 2: Uh oh! The monster's not really dead! Quick blow it up again! (note: one of the surviving characters may be killed at this point)

Step 9: It's over... For now. (dun dun dunnnn!!!!)

[jetpack42]

you forgot about the part where they add depth to a couple of the cardboard characters by showing another side of them (ie: they have sex), thus, humanizing them in a way we can all relate to.

[cotron]

ever notice that the "experts" that get sent to these sorts of expeditions are all hot 20-something models? what up with that? it would be nice to see normal people... fat, bald, ugly people...

[cthomp]

I don't know. It seems these days that most monster movies are just a rehash of Alien or Jaws. I can never seem to shake that feeling. The shot where they show one of the characters holding up the flair to reveal the creature clinging to the cieling seems like such a blatant ripoff of Alien3. From now on, no more bug monsters that cling to walls or shots with people wading in some water and getting jerked down. I'm sick of monster movies where the characters are heavily armed too. Movies are scarier when we can imagine ourselves in the situation. Not muscle-bound gun freaks who talk like they have a fourth grade reading level.

Bah. just ranting.

the whole not seeing the monster leving it up to the minds of the veiwer. i think that is what m. night shamilan(sp) does. i mean in signs you dont see the alein until alittle over halfway through the movie.

[Nimrod]

I saw the trailer in the theater... I thought it looked just like Pitch Black... It even has the guy who played Johns in it. And the shot with the flare is exactly like in Pitch Black when the guy blows fire from the liquor bottle and you see all the creatures for a split second. What's up with that?

[MuffinMan]

I saw the trailer in the theater... I thought it looked just like Pitch Black... It even has the guy who played Johns in it. And the shot with the flare is exactly like in Pitch Black when the guy blows fire from the liquor bottle and you see all the creatures for a split second. What's up with that?

EXACTLY!

[Sammy]

It seems
that there will never be another thriller like "Alien"
another parody like "Tremors"
another drama like "Fire in the Sky"
another cultural concept like "Alien 3"
another comedy like "Little Shop of Horrors"
another undertaking like "Jurrassic Park"
another as visually visceral as "The Thing"

It's amazing the range of concept within something as simple as a 'monster movie' ... I feel like these writers/directors aren't doing any research, or worse, they're just assigned the task of 'monster movie' ...

I'm not really bitching actually .. I love the fact that computer animation has brought back a flood of monsters not seen since the 50's ....
And 'The Cave' looks as fun and predictable as any, so they get my money.

But I'll be damned if I'm not begging for another legendary monster movie.

[2ma2]

Poor design and clichés, yup yup. But when it comes to great horrific cinema, it seems tha directors forgot everything about building suspense in the beginning of the 80's. It's like the slasher-movie came and ruined minds forever. Alien is a masterpiece not only because of Gigers amazeing design (ever tried to draw one? I have.. works best with loads of ink ;)), but the execution of tension and drama. I've think I've seen it a bit too many, still I'm shocked by the ventilation scene (that glorious moment when he turns the flashlight the right way. Wowza!). During my youth, I was traumatized by the Shining (who does work on the isolation cliché), but the most frightening thing was seeing that rascal biking down the corridors. No music, no nothing, just wheels on carpet contra wheels on wood floor. Now that is buildning suspense. And only two deaths! Two! Still, the black guy dies first, but still.. there's no need for the slaughterfest and the poor notion of human life. Because death is big. It's huge. And in large amounts it cease to be scary. It's just a shudder or a laugh.

Also, NEVER show the monster completely. Aliens (the second) fudged it up, and Alien Resurrection ruined it completely. If you see an alien, it's not scary anymore. The worst ghoul is in everybody's own head, the less you see, the better. Or you might fix it with what's mentioned below.

Where is the surrealism? Nightmaric photage? Subjective camera? We all know that glossy, slick imagery is not always the best thing. New wave of Asian horrormovies pick up on this, so does some European. Because a really fudged up setting, view, tease, flicker, whatnot could do wonders for your viewing. Sounds have been used to manipulate you since sound cinema came, so why not use the imagery itself aswell?

Where is the LACK of gorgeous babes, because for heavens sake, if you want to see boobies and blood, why not rent two movies! The connection between violence and sex is ofcourse deeply rooted; the whole vampire myth it's incarnation, but honestly, do we really? Really? I may point a finger to some artists on the boards aswell, do we really need the boobs, the lingerie and the big guns ;)

Just my .02 :)

[N D Hill]

It seems
that there will never be another thriller like "Alien"
another parody like "Tremors"
another drama like "Fire in the Sky"
another cultural concept like "Alien 3"
another comedy like "Little Shop of Horrors"
another undertaking like "Jurrassic Park"
another as visually visceral as "The Thing"


I agree with most of your selections. Especially Jurassic Park though. I remember when that first came out. I think I was in fourth grade. It was such an advancement from what I was used to seeing (mainly stop motion up until that point). Now that movie is about 12 years old and it still blows me away. I think if you're going to use CG effects, than Jurassic Park should be your standard. They mostly only used CG shots when something was off in the distance. No insane camera work or bullet time monsters. I guess the only way I could put it is that the CG dinosaurs were shot with some modesty so that they'd blend in more with Stan Winstons animatronic creatures.

Now the technology is so over used it's ridiculous. It's like you're watching two separate movies that have been spliced together. One with live action actors and another with ridiculous camera angles and creatures that are over-animated to a point where they look like cartoons.

[Sammy]

/\ /\ /\ /\

True True

There was so much passion, soul, control, and modesty put into "Jurassic Park"

They took their time and did their research since they were building a foundation of new technology.

Crash McCreary's dinosaur design was woven in so seamlessly into Phill Tippett's experience in animation.
I love the fact that Spielberg respected Pill Tippett's grasp of animation so much, that he had stop-motion motion capture models made so the computer artists could draw from Pill's traditional process.

nobody today seems to care as much ... They care so little, that they'll even show the creature in the trailer : |

[SJ Bennighof]

Well, the movie of Jurassic Park didn't compare to the novel on the stylistic whatnot, but it was an amazing achievement in movies. I found myself scared and in awe of the raptors, in dull horror at the Tryannosaur, wowed by Williams' soundtrack, and of course, Jeff Goldblum rocks, and he is the only person who could have played Ian Malcom.

[cotron]

lol this thread makes me want a copy of jurassic park on dvd

[Crash]

wtf, superman is NOT in it, its that sunset beach actor.






man this movie WILL SUCK.

[Ssenkrah Semaj]

Yup that ain't no dean cain dude and Wow yeah another crappy movie. Who may i ask is approving these movies these days???????? I mean Alone in the dark was one of thee worst movies i have ever seen and this movie looks along the same lines. Speaking of which has anyone seen Cursed what a large load of crap that was.

[Uziel]

Here is the other movie that also includes a cave and a new creature, funny that they are released the same year. http://www.apple.com/trailers/lions_gate/aloneinthedark/med.html
But this one includes a blonde babe Tara Reid instead of 2 brunettes.
I didn't see none of them and I prefer brunettes so I'll go for "The" cave
But the other one has bigass guns in it aaah what a dilemma for sucky movies ;)

[Carnifex]

i saw both trailers and i concluded that i won't see either of these films.
it's all generic shit...always those "man should never do this and never do that" things...always manymany monsters that kill a smaller group of ppl...it's nearly exactly as exo stated the whole points.
on a side note,anybody know that music which plays in the background of the alone in the dark trailer? that's the only thing that sounds good in the whole movie. though i find that scene in the cave trailer rather good where he just points the flashlight to the side and the monster is suddenly just there. it reminds me abit of the original alien,although as said perhaps that was the biggest horror film ever possible that cannot be topped.alien 4 wasn't any horror film more,but it still was better than those films nowadays,because there were atleast some scenes that were suspenseful.(think that scene where one actor totally slowly walks forward to get a gun and then that damn pipe comes down?that scared me shitless).
it is really as if everyone forgot how to achieve suspense. everyone's just saying "hey this is a horror film,let's show the audience really cool cgi monsters and make it all gory and slimy and stuff so that they are shocked".i'm so fed up with it.
even the x files manages to scare me more in some cases.and even...even one episode of "buffy".and that sure says alot.