Bravo's 30 Even Scarier #22: American Psycho (2000)

This film is on Bravo's 30 Even Scarier Movie Moments. While I'm not a huge fan of that list, I am a huge fan of this movie, so I decided to put this review from 2008 here. It clocks in at #22. 

I really enjoyed this film. It was really, really, funny and very well crafted.

It's the story of Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale), a wealthy wall street hot shot who has buried himself so deeply in the 80's yuppie culture that people don't even know who he is. In fact, several characters think he's actually someone else; all of the names are different. That's how generic he is. The thing is, he's also a murderous psychopath whose losing control of his "tendencies". So, I suppose that makes him unique. Bale is great as a pompous, overstuffed, emotionless psychopath who feels nothing but greed and anger. He does have other interests, though. He loves music, food, and fine things.

This movie, in my opinion, is a black comedy before it's anything else. The murders are more comically over the top than scary; there's not a ton of suspense. But the comment on the absolutely self-absorbed new rich in the 80's is just hilarious. They call each other by the wrong names and don't even realize, nor do they care. They obsess over who has better clothes, a better car, a better apartment, or a better haircut. My favorite scene is when they're comparing business cards, all of which look identical. They're all so preoccupied that they don't even notice if Bateman mentions that he killed someone the night before, or realize that he has a body in his overnight bag (only that it's a great bag).

Now, there's a lot of violence, sex, swearing, and nudity in this film, which makes no difference to me, but if you're offended by such things, you're probably not going to enjoy this movie. However, it's really funny and smart, so if you can stomach it, I highly recommend this film. A dern good time.

Best line in the whole thing: "I have to go. I have a lunch meeting with Cliff Huxtable at the four seasons."

Bravo's 100 Scariest #99: Creepshow (1982)

This has become a favorite of mine. It's #99 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments. This post is from 2008.

I loved this movie. I thought it was absolutely hilarious. If you have a dark sense of humor at all, you'll find this very entertaining. I'll go through the segments one by one:

"Father's Day" features a really snooty family and a laughing corpse who wants cake. It's very funny and over the top gorey.

"The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill" stars Stephen King himself in the title role. It's the story of a yokel who finds a meteor filled with mysterious goo. Soon, Jordy realizes that touching that meteor wasn't such a good idea after all, as a strange neon green plant begins growing on everything, including him. This one wasn't as funny as some of the others, but it was still really good and Stephen King was great.

"Something to Tide You Over" has Leslie Neilsen in it. 'Nuff said.

"The Crate" stars Hal Holbrook as a professor whose friend finds a pre-historic monster in a crate in one of the school's science halls decides that it's the perfect way to get rid of his overbearing and obnoxious wife, played by Adrienne Barbeau. This one was my favorite. Perfect balance of funny/scary.

"They're Creeping Up on You" features a cold-hearted and agoraphobic old Billionaire (can't help but think Howard Hughes) whose apartment is suddenly overrun by cockroaches. This one was very good, too. The old guy was really funny and the cockroaches were very creepy.

So, if you liked Tales of the Crypt, you'll probably like this. I would recommend it; it's a darn good time.

AFI 100 #9: Vertigo (1958)

This is an interesting film. It's listed as #61 on the original AFI 100, but on the 10th anniversary list (2007) it jumps all the way to #9. They also list it as the #1 Mystery. It's also on Bravo's 30 Even Scarier Movie Moments, at #6. Great Film. Another post from '07. I'll start posting new ones soon, I promise. 

Wow, Hitchcock films continue to amaze me. Vertigo has all the stuff that you would expect from a old Hitchcock classic- Murder plots, intrigue, madness, sleuthing, heartbreak...blonds. They're always blond; you notice that?

Anyway, It's the story of John "Scotty" Ferguson, played by the incomparable James Stewart, who has to retire from the police force because he discovers he has severe acrophobia. It's so bad that he gets vertigo (dizziness, sometimes leading to fainting) whenever he gets up high. He decides to just sit tight for a while before he figures out what he should do next, but his old college buddy calls with a favor to ask. He wants Scotty to follow his wife around; he thinks she might be losing her mind. Scotty is reluctant, but eventually agrees.

I got confused in the middle for a few minutes, but I think you were supposed to. This is an excellent, excellent film. I'm not sure I liked it as much as I liked, Rear Window, but that may just be the lack of Grace Kelly. I would highly recommend it.

Bravo's 100 Scariest #54: The Changeling (1980)

This is one of my favorite horror films, another post from 2007 about #54 on Bravo's 100 Scariest list, The Changeling. Great flick.

There are few films that I can classify as chilling. Scary? Yes. Spooky? Sure. Dare I say, even creepy? plenty. However, there is something about this film that is utterly chilling. It reaches into your bones and latches on. It's rather slow moving, so you have to be patient, because all of that set up time adds to the effect.

I think the reason that this film is so effective is that it's not only creepy, but it's heart-wrenching. All the characters are so tragic. There are no villians, per say. Only victims.

The film stars the incomparable George C. Scott playing a man who has lost his wife and daughter in a tragic accident. He moves from New York to Seattle to start over, and rents a beautiful old house from the historical society to live in. Strange things begin to happen right away and so he sets out on a quest to learn the history of the place. He doesn't exactly like what he finds.

If you like movies that are completely psychological, say, like the original The Haunting; you will love this film. There is only one scene that uses anything even close to a special effect and only one scene where any blood is shown. The atmoshpere of the old house is perfect and the use of sound effectsis amazing.

One last thing, the music is fantastic. This was an HBO movie, so it's a little hard to find, but it's worth the effort. It was released on DVD, so keep lookin'!

(As a side note, I first saw this movie when I was six, and it effected me so that I didn't sleep for a week. Literally. Didn't sleep for a week.)

Bravo's 100 Scariest #45: The Wicker Man (1973)

Another post from '07, this time about #45 on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments list, The Wicker Man.

In case you haven't noticed, I'm on a bit of a classic horror kick. Today I watched The Wicker Man.

It's a British film about a police officer who goes to a small private island after receiving a letter about a missing girl. When he gets there, he finds a pleasant, but rather strange community. They seem to be a mix between a pagaen cult and a hippie commune. Song-singing, uninhibited sex, and acient rituals honoring the "old gods". Very upsetting for the straight-laced Sgt. Howie, who is a devout Christian and lives a chaste and lean life. Even more upsetting, is the fact that nobody seems to remember the girl, denying that she ever existed.

I won't give away the ending, but the movie is definately worth seeing. They manage to make you relate to the rather pompous Sgt. Howie, as you go along with his investigation. The people in the village seem fun and free spirited at first, but soon turn creepy and strange. My only complaint (and it's a small one) that some of the sexuality and songs seem a little forced, as if it were there to shock us, not necessarily to add to the story. Go rent this film and I think that you won't be dissappointed.

By the way, this is the original 1973 film with Edward Woodward, not the recent remake with Nicholas Cage. I haven't seen that one yet, but my mom said it was pretty good.

AFI 100: #42 Rear Window

This is a post I did on another site about Rear Window, back in 2007, when I first saw it. Since this post, I've actually taken a class on Hitchcock, but I figured, since this blog is for my first impressions, that I'd leave this post unedited. Rear Window was #42 on the 1998 AFI 100, #48 on the 2007 list, and #3 on the Top 10 Mysteries. 

For the hell of it, I put Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window on my Blockbuster que because I realized that while I knew the story ( I mean, who doesn't?) I had never actually seen it.

They just don't make them like this anymore. It has everything. It's so full of suspense and you're not sure whether the murder actually happened or if James Stewart is just going stir crazy. It also has some wonderful moments of humor.

The actors make this whole movie. 90% of the film is spoken. This is no blood & very little action. James Stewart is wonderful as L.B. Jefferies, a free-spirited photographer who travels all over the world, but at the moment is stuck in his apartment because of a broken leg. When the film opens, he's already been there for six weeks and he's going a little goofy. His insurance company provided nurse, Stella, provides most of the comic relief. He's visited daily by the positively enchanting Grace Kelly, whose trying to get him to marry her. However, he doesn't think she's tough enough to handle his lifestyle. There's a wonderful menagerie of characters that live in the building across the courtyard, and he's been spending his time watching them and making up stories to go along with their sometimes inexplicable actions. But when Mrs. Thorwall suddenly disappears and her husband starts acting strangely, the story involves a little murder. His friends, including dectective Doyle, tell him that it's just a story his frustrated mind is making up, but Jefferies knows better.

Amazing movie. Loved it. Hitchcock was a genius. If you haven't seen it, and you like smart, susupensful movies (or Grace Kelly!) go rent it. You won't be disappointed.