A lot of people hate this movie because of how violent it is. Sure, it's gruesome, but there have far more violent movies since its 1980 release. If you can look past the violence, this is a great movie. Maniac is a slasher/thriller, and if there's one thing slasher movies are notorious for, it's being crappy. This is one of the few slasher movies that actually bothered to try to be a good movie. And it excels in every category.
The story was original for the time, before slasher movies became really popular, and the script itself is truly disturbing. It centers around Frank Zito, a psycho who takes up killing women as a result of his tormented childhood. The characters are all fairly believable, but Frank in particular is horrifically captivating. The character development is spectacular, and we really get to see into Frank's mind, and it's a very disturbing look. Speaking of which, Tom Savini did the makeup for this movie, and he is excellent at what he does. The special effects and makeup for the deathscenes are very realistic, and most of them still hold up pretty well.
The cinematography is really nice, too. There's a lot of handheld and point-of-view shots, giving the movie and almost documentary-like feel to it at times. The score is really cool, too; it's a very creepy synthesizer-based score. The acting from the minor characters is decent, but Joe Spinell steals the show, being the main character and such.He looks and sounds like a regular guy most of the time, and that just makes him all the creepier.
Strangely enough, the ending is very bizarre and surreal, but it's fitting, given that the main character is mentally unstable, and we're not sure whether it's all going on inside his head or not.
Overall, this is a very unnerving, suspenseful, and downright disturbing movie. Highly recommended for those with a strong stomach and a taste for exploitation-type movies.
Quality: 4/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081114/
January 2, 2012
Movie Review- The Funhouse
Today's Movie- The Funhouse (Carnival of Terror)
The Funhouse, also known as "Carnival of Terror", is an often overlooked slasher flick from the early 1980's. Seeing as I like underrated movies like this, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I can totally see why this gets overlooked. It's directed by Tobe Hooper, of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist" fame. He made this movie a lot better than it could have been.
I both liked and disliked this movie. On one hand, it has some of the best cinematography I've seen in a slasher movie, but on the other hand, the script is very boring and not scary in the least. The setting is a nice change-up from the usual slasher fare, it takes place in a seedy travelling carnival. But while it's a nifty location, the script doesn't take much advantage of the potential the setting had. The plot is just like any other slasher movie; a bunch of dumb teens get chopped up by a deformed psycho. But the originality put into the film falls flat. Heck, we aren't even introduced to the killer until more than halfway through the film. And when the killer does show up, he looks like a guy wearing a bat mask. On top of that, he does nothing but scream the whole time, which gets really annoying.
While the body count is pretty high (six people including the villains), they're very bland and not at all inventive. Even the villain's death is boring, which was really disappointing. And to make matters worse, nobody dies until about two-thirds of the way into the movie, so we're forced to sit through an hour of virtually nothing happening. The main characters pretty much just hang out at the carnival for an hour, and there's a weird subplot about the main character's little brother who pretty much just hangs out at the carnival, too. The acting is pretty lame, as well; the actresses virtually do nothing but scream for the last third of the movie, and the guys aren't any better. The characters themselves are unlikable, though, so that doesn't really help their performances.
Overall, a strange combo of crap and some nice cinematography. It's not a good film by any means, but it isn't terrible. As I said, I simultaneously liked and disliked the movie. If you're looking for a slasher movie that isn't Friday the 13th, I'd give this one a watch. Heck, you might enjoy it more than I did.
Quality: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082427/
The Funhouse, also known as "Carnival of Terror", is an often overlooked slasher flick from the early 1980's. Seeing as I like underrated movies like this, I thought I'd give it a whirl. I can totally see why this gets overlooked. It's directed by Tobe Hooper, of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "Poltergeist" fame. He made this movie a lot better than it could have been.
I both liked and disliked this movie. On one hand, it has some of the best cinematography I've seen in a slasher movie, but on the other hand, the script is very boring and not scary in the least. The setting is a nice change-up from the usual slasher fare, it takes place in a seedy travelling carnival. But while it's a nifty location, the script doesn't take much advantage of the potential the setting had. The plot is just like any other slasher movie; a bunch of dumb teens get chopped up by a deformed psycho. But the originality put into the film falls flat. Heck, we aren't even introduced to the killer until more than halfway through the film. And when the killer does show up, he looks like a guy wearing a bat mask. On top of that, he does nothing but scream the whole time, which gets really annoying.
While the body count is pretty high (six people including the villains), they're very bland and not at all inventive. Even the villain's death is boring, which was really disappointing. And to make matters worse, nobody dies until about two-thirds of the way into the movie, so we're forced to sit through an hour of virtually nothing happening. The main characters pretty much just hang out at the carnival for an hour, and there's a weird subplot about the main character's little brother who pretty much just hangs out at the carnival, too. The acting is pretty lame, as well; the actresses virtually do nothing but scream for the last third of the movie, and the guys aren't any better. The characters themselves are unlikable, though, so that doesn't really help their performances.
Overall, a strange combo of crap and some nice cinematography. It's not a good film by any means, but it isn't terrible. As I said, I simultaneously liked and disliked the movie. If you're looking for a slasher movie that isn't Friday the 13th, I'd give this one a watch. Heck, you might enjoy it more than I did.
Quality: 3/5
Enjoyment: 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082427/
December 31, 2011
Movie Review- Zelig
I really like Woody Allen, he's a great writer/director/actor. He's just as good as I expected he'd be in this movie. It's a very interesting concept, and it's executed wonderfully. The film is shot documentary-style, and revolves around a man from the late 1920's named Leonard Zelig, who has the strange chameleon-like ability to imitate those who surround him. If he spends enough time around doctors, he starts acting and talking like one, if he hangs around with guys with beards, he instantly grows a beard, and so on and so forth. This of course makes him a big celebrity. The film raises a lot of questions about individuality and conforming, and is very thought-provoking and well written. The cinematography is very interesting, the scenes that supposedly take place in the 1920's actually look and sound like they were filmed in the 1920's. There's also a good deal of stock footage from the 1920's that seamlessly blends in with the rest of the film, creating a very authentic documentary feel to it. The humor ranges a good bit, though, from subtle and witty dialog, to slapstick and a few visual jokes. Unfortunately, the the slapstick and visual humor, while still funny, seems out of place with the rest of the movie, and doesn't feel like it should be in a documentary. There's a good bit of parody of the culture of the time; Zelig becomes a marketing sensation and spawns a dance craze called "The Chameleon", among other things. The acting is really nice, Woody Allen in particular. He took a potentially silly character and made him strangely heartfelt. Overall, a very odd and inventive movie. The plot's a bit slow in places, much like real documentaries, but other than that, this is a great movie. Really recommended. 4/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086637/
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086637/
December 28, 2011
Movie Review- The Man With Two Brains
I really like Steve Martin, he can be quite the funny guy at times. But this flick was lacking. The premise revolves around Steve Martin who plays a brain surgeon that falls in love with a disembodied brain's personality. This would be an interesting premise if the pacing had been a bit faster; nothing really interesting happens until about halfway through the movie, but given the sense of humor, it seems like the plot should have moved along a lot faster. I say this because the plot buildup doesn't really add to the story, there's some bit of character development, but it could have been handled a lot more quickly than it was.
But that being said, the movie can be quite funny at times, such as the scenes with the paper-thin laboratory, and the exchange between Steve Martin and Merv Griffin towards the end. Overall the film falls flat, mostly because the movie is all over the board with what it wants to do. For the most part, The Man With Two Brains is filled with slapstick humor, but there are elements of science fiction and romantic comedy that don't blend well together. Steve Martin is pretty decent in this role, though, and he makes the film a lot better than it could have been. All that aside, it's an okay movie at best, and it's not all that enjoyable. It has some funny moments, but overall it's just not that good of a movie. Not recommended. 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085894/
But that being said, the movie can be quite funny at times, such as the scenes with the paper-thin laboratory, and the exchange between Steve Martin and Merv Griffin towards the end. Overall the film falls flat, mostly because the movie is all over the board with what it wants to do. For the most part, The Man With Two Brains is filled with slapstick humor, but there are elements of science fiction and romantic comedy that don't blend well together. Steve Martin is pretty decent in this role, though, and he makes the film a lot better than it could have been. All that aside, it's an okay movie at best, and it's not all that enjoyable. It has some funny moments, but overall it's just not that good of a movie. Not recommended. 3/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085894/
Movie Review- Commando
Gee, what a cool movie. Not a great one, mind you, but a cool movie nonetheless. Commando stars the manliest man of manliness, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as John Matrix, a former war hero who has to rescue his daughter from terrorists. But essentially this is 90 minutes of physics-defying fistfights, car chases, and explosions. It's a crappy plot, but really fun to watch. Schwarzenegger gives his usual soulless and robotic performance, but he's just so gosh-darn cool, it's easy to look past his crummy acting. The pacing is fairly decent, and that's really the only positive quality about the film, but you shouldn't go in to an Arnold flick expecting something good.
The fight scenes are great, by the way, with some really creative uses of garden tools near the end. The dialog is average, but the one-liners are quite funny, albeit cheesy ("Let off some steam, Bennett"). There are plot-holes galore, and improbable feats of manliness (jumping from a moving plane and surviving without a scratch), but it's a good kind of mindless fun. I don't really have any problems with this movie, it's just a straight-up awesome and campy action movie. Highly recommended.
Quality: 2/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088944/
The fight scenes are great, by the way, with some really creative uses of garden tools near the end. The dialog is average, but the one-liners are quite funny, albeit cheesy ("Let off some steam, Bennett"). There are plot-holes galore, and improbable feats of manliness (jumping from a moving plane and surviving without a scratch), but it's a good kind of mindless fun. I don't really have any problems with this movie, it's just a straight-up awesome and campy action movie. Highly recommended.
Quality: 2/5
Enjoyment: 5/5
IMDB Page- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088944/
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