Killer Design YIFY
I love serial killer movies. This was not that. At best, a weak plagiarized Rear Window(down to the injured protagonist.) At least Disturbia updated the "stuck at the window" premise.Reasons not to watch:Terrible acting,
Ridiculous dialogue,
Awful camera work (with weird zooms, shaky at times, out of focus at times,)
Exposition narration in the form of dialogue (where a person would come onscreen to say a few sentences, then the movie would movie would go on to another scene, with no acknowledgment of who the person was talking to,)
Bad sets and costume design,
Terrible facial expressions,
Weak score/soundtrack,
Entirely unlikable, dumb characters,
Zero tension or mystery.
I could go on and on. Anything going on in this movie is extremely bad. I will never watch it again, and I recommend that you not either. If this is playing at a friend's house, go for a walk. Fresh air is better than this atrocity.
Killer Design YIFY
KILLER KLOWNS FROM OUTER SPACE is a cheesy, campy, B-movie horror flick of the 1980s that fits in well with the fellow likes of NIGHT OF THE CREEPS and THE BLOB. The story is simplicity in itself and concerns a troop of aliens who arrive on Earth disguised as the creepiest-looking clowns you'll ever see; their job is to go around town and kill and capture as many humans as possible. Truth be told, this is a film which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and the human characters are very much left in the background. However, it's still a lot of fun, particularly triumphing in terms of the set design and excellent look of the villains themselves. Expect rubbery gore scenes, lots of vivid bright colours, John Vernon hamming up a treat, and lots of sheer weirdness on display.
You can scan thru many publications and they will tell you that Robert Siodmark's adaptation of Ernest Hemingway's story The Killers is quintessential noir, and whilst I haven't seen enough of the perceived classics to make a sound judgement, I do understand why this one ranks so high.Perfectly directed by Siodmark because it is washed with a moody ambiance that befits the script, the main players in the piece are bang on form to realise the mood and sombre tempo that makes the film a winner. The story basically revolves around Burt Lancaster's Swede Anderson who upon learning that hired killers are out to fulfil a contract on him, promptly stays horizontal on his bed and awaits his fate. We then follow Edmond O'Brien's insurance investigator Jim Reardon as (thru a series of flashbacks) he reconstructs Swede's life and what caused his demise.The story encompasses one of film noir's most well known femme fatales in Ava Gardner's foxy Kitty Collins, and it's certainly the film's driving force as we observe her part in Swede's life, for better or worse as it were, but ultimately it's the classy framing of the film that marks it out as essential viewing. It's oppressive, it's almost stifling, and it's certainly story telling of the highest order, but mainly it just looks so fecking gorgeous you feel privileged to have been part of it. 9/10
Regarding the latter, that is saying quite a lot seeing as Ernest Hemingway's work is very difficult to adapt and has met very mixed success on film. What is remarkable about The Killers is how it takes a very good and remarkably powerful short story and expands further on it, one of the few Hemingway adaptations to be just as good as its source material and at times be even better than it.This said it is a fabulous film too on its own terms, and is quintessential film noir, audacious, taut, exciting and suspenseful when it could have been overblown, overwrought or dull if done wrongly. And as much as I did like the 1964 remake, mostly because of Lee Marvin, the 1946 original is the far superior film, with an obvious difference for the better being the production values. The remake was hurt by its rather rushed and cheap made-for-TV look, whereas the production values is one of the strongest things about this version, with its crisp photography, brilliantly atmosphere production design influenced by Edward Hopper and shadowy lighting, that bring such an effective noir-ish atmosphere, the opening scene is particularly striking in this regard.Miklos Rozsa's music here is one of his most ominous and stirringly orchestrated, used sparingly but with palpable effect, really allowing the atmosphere to speak and enhancing it even further when it features. So good in fact, that it was used again for the TV series Dragnet. Robert Siodmak's expertly direction, which maintains a powerfully bleak tone throughout, and a cracking screenplay are further great things, as is a story that is tightly paced and excitingly taut with tons of suspense and intrigue and intricately done and never confusing flashbacks, not getting dull for a minute. This viewer for one was riveted throughout and never found herself confused.Strong acting also helps, with Burt Lancaster thoroughly convincing in his first starring role, his best moments in fact are stunning, and Ava Gardner in the femme fatale role is wonderfully beautiful, classy and mysterious. Albert Dekker and Edmund O' Brien are the standouts in support, Dekker is splendidly larcenous and O'Brien drives the investigation with such taut aplomb. Charles McGraw and William Conrad are chilling too, and you wish the film developed their characters just a little more. While the characters are not the most well-developed, they are still interesting and carry the narrative without any annoyances or irrelevance.All in all, superior version and quintessential film noir in its own right. 10/10 Bethany Cox
This review has a few major SPOILERS, you've been warned. So this movie is standard lifetime, mystery and suspense. The same middle class families and turmoil that goes with someone being some type of underhanded killer. It revolves around three teenaged girlfriends who are on the track team. My issue is that the crazy boyfriend, who is definitely a decoy character, was dating one of the friends, who was killed early on in the movie. When all the dusts settles and the happy ending begins, this boyfriend character suddenly turns into a nice guy, then he asks the other friend out on a date! Why the F would they do this and think it's okay? If my friend was killed, I wouldn't date her boyfriend after her murder/manslaughter was solved.
Jolly, but evil old toymaker Joe Petto (a wonderfully spry performance by the legendary Mickey Rooney) and his weird, surly teenager son Pino (a genuinely creepy portrayal by Brian Bremer) create deadly toys which are designed to kill people. Director Martin Kitrosser, who also co-wrote the bizarre and imaginative script with Brian Yuzna, treats the deliciously loopy premise with admirable seriousness while still adding nice touches of wickedly amusing dark humor (the scenes with the toys attacking people are a riot, with a sequence involving a pair of lethal rollerblades rating as a definite gut-busting highlight) and pulling out all the wacky stops for a gloriously freaky and demented over-the-top surprise conclusion. Moreover, the murder set pieces are staged with real flair and there's a decent amount of splatter. The competent acting by the solid cast qualifies as another substantial asset, with especially praiseworthy work by William Thorne as traumatized mute boy Derek, Jane Higginson as Derek's sweet, loving mother Sarah Quinn, Tracy Fraim as Derek's estranged absentee father Noah Adams, and Neith Hunter as Sarah's spunky best friend Kim. The yuletide setting and Yuzna's characteristic kinky sexual streak (towards the end of the picture we get one of the single most nutty and perverse attempted rapes ever committed to celluloid) give this picture an extra warped kick. James Mathers' polished cinematography boasts a few smooth gliding tracking shots and some strenuous slow motion. Matthew Morse's shivery score hits the spine-tingling spot. Kudos are also in order for Screaming Mad George's funky and creative special effects. Well worth a look for those seeking something different and original.
Not as well done as Monte Hellman's surprisingly good entry in this rather weak horror franchise, but this fifth installment of Silent Night, Deadly Night is likely the second best in the series. Mickey Rooney plays elderly toy maker Joe Petto (get it, Geppetto) who lives with his oddball grown son Pino (you know, Pinocchio) who designs toys intended to kill their owners (which would be children). But the main characters are actually a mother and son who fall into the orbit of Joe and Pino's toy shop following the mysterious death of the boy's father at the hands of a killer toy left on their doorstep. There's a lot of twisted humor throughout the film, which you might expect from producer/co-writer Bryan Yuzna ("Society" "Re-Animator" "The Dentist"). One standout example is a hilariously repulsive scene where a couple in bed don't realize a sentient toy hand has joined late night trysts, making it an unwitting threesome. And without spoiling anything, the film's climax is particularly unexpected and entertaining. Top that off with a supporting role for Clint Howard and you've got a solid fifth sequel for a rather lame horror franchise. However, there's a lot of dullness in-between the interesting bits, but overall it's still worth watching for horror fans. FUN FACT! Mickey Rooney spoke out in protest against the first "Silent Night, Deadly Night" film in 1984, saying the "scum" who made it should be "run out of town" for having sullied the sacredness of Christmas. FUN FACT #2! The building used for external shots of Sarah's workplace is the headquarters of the now defunct Live Home Video, the company that released the movie on VHS!
The Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise is a weird one, the first was about a man who went on a killing spree in a santa suit, the second was about the same mans brother doing the same, the third picked up where the second left off and then suddenly they dropped that whole storyline with part 4 and told a dodgy story about witches.Well here in part 5 it's another Christmas themed movie with absolutely no connection to the original plot.It tells the story of a boy traumatised after watching a Christmas toy kill his father. It turns out that someone is creating killer toys, parcelling them up in gift wrapping and sending them to people for Christmas.Though the movies sfx both practical and cgi aren't great they are saved by some originality. Truth be told I quite liked it despite its glaring flaws.Starring Mickey Rooney and with a cameo appearance by Silent Night, Deadly Night 4 (1990) star Clint Howard this is an interesting (If a little goofy) horror movie.The funny thing is that Rooney infamously slammed the creators of the first movie back in 1984. He deemed it disgusting that they'd make a horror movie set during Christmas and publically kicked up a stink about it, then several years later here he is starring in one!I think this is the best of the Silent Night, Deadly Night franchise but treat it entirely as a stand alone film as that's exactly what it is.The Good:Mickey RooneyQuite originalWell constructedGreat twistThe Bad:Eyebrow raising finaleLot of 90's clichesThings I Learnt From This Movie:Having the same actor play a different character by the same name in the same franchise is logical, right? 041b061a72