Posts tonen met het label An American Werewolf in London. Alle posts tonen
Posts tonen met het label An American Werewolf in London. Alle posts tonen

zondag 14 juni 2020

What's in a Movie Year - 1981

Taking a look at the year 1981, picking my 10 favorite movies from that year in random order.

Raiders of the Lost Ark
This hardly outdated film is an ode to the adventure film. Heroic archeologist Indiana Jones gets into trouble with an unreliable rival, who is commissioned by Hitler to search for the mythical Ark of the Covenant, a historical relic that is called to possess magical powers. It’s an exciting and funny film and an absolute highlight within the adventure genre.

An American Werewolf in London
Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists. A classic horror story with playful winks that constantly evoke chuckles. Director John Landis clearly plays with the genre. It wasn’t his primary concern to frighten the audience, while the horror scenes get more effect through the humorous approach. And that transformation scene was groundbreaking for that time. It even won an Oscar for make-up.

Chariots of Fire
A highly emotional reflection on the lives of two British athletes, who represent Great Britain at the 1924 Paris Olympics. The film focuses mainly on the social backgrounds of the young athletes at a time when fascism is strongly on the rise. A splendid image of two boys making their voices heard through sport.

The Evil Dead
This award-winning horror classic created by then 22-year-old Sam Raimi, starts out as a simple an clichéd genre film, where five youngster in a remote forest cabin are besieged by evil demons. But it actually is a brilliant horror flick, filled with amazing frames, hallucinatory sound effects and functional special effects. Lead actor Bruce Campbell grew into a cult phenomenon due to this film and its sequels.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior
Director George Miller surpassed himself with this second part of the acclaimed Mad Max trilogy. In a post-apocalyptic wasteland, the titular hero assists a group of villagers in defending their oil field and refinery. The hijackers on the coast are Lord Humongous and his motor gang. The action scenes are well choreographed and has some spectacular car chases.

My Dinner with Andre
Writer/ actor Wallace Shawn dines with his old friend Andre Gregory, a theater writer. Andre has been through some strange life experiences. They talk about it over dinner. They talk about their personal philosophies, for almost two hours. A daring and unique film, written by the lead actors. The moments of psychological insight, of drama and hilarity. This film is simply two actors at a table, talking. If that can captivate you for 110 minutes, you’ve done well.

Time Bandits
Young Kevin is startled by a group of dwarves who invade his bedroom. They appear to have stolen a map with which they can travel through time and space. Kevin joins the group and meets among other King Agamemnon, Napoleon and Robin Hood. Director Terry Gilliam, knows for his comedic work in Monthy Python, wrote the screenplay with fellow Python Michael Palin, but it’s mainly a Gilliam film. It’s a bizarre adventure with beautifully designed set pieces and costumes.

Das Boot
It shows us the claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat. This war movie directed by Wolgang Petersen is so beautifully detailed in conveying the suffocating constriction in a submarine. A long film, but really worth your time.

Escape from New York
Manhattan is a walled prison for the most violent criminals in America. When Air Force One crashes on the island, the vilified war hero Snake Plissken has to free the president from the local gangs. John Carpenter directed it and his masterly hand gives the film an eerily dark feeling despite the limited technical resources of the time.

The Fox and the Hound
The dog Copper and the fox Tod meet when they are young. But one day the hound has to go with his boss and discovers that his job is to help in the hunt for fur animals, such as foxes. It’s a nice Disney, that is a bit overlooked, but it does really stand out.

donderdag 30 april 2015

Top 5 Thursday: Movies I Watched for My Challenge (April 2015)

April wasn’t good to me. I didn’t watch that many new movies this month and I also didn’t see a lot of really good films either. But I did manage to make a top 5. Here are my favorite movies I watched this month for my challenge.

5. Nightmares and Dreamscapes
This wasn’t just one movie, it was a series of eight short films based on stories by Stephen King. Especially the stories with William Hurt, William H. Macy and Tom Berenger were really good. A fun time!
 
 
4. Brooklyn’s Finest
The fact that it was the same director as “Training Day” made me watch this movie. I enjoyed it, I always like movies with multiple storylines. Richard Gere did a good job, he showed us a different side of himself.
 
 
3. Oculus
I thought it was going to be another one of those cheesy horror flicks with a haunted house. Well, it was better than that. The acting was great, especially Katee Sackhoff. The movie had some good jump scares and was pretty clever. It surprised me.
 
 
2. An American Werewolf in London
A horror cult classic. I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it before. That transformation scene really amazed me, it looks so good. Especially for that time. It’s a great horror movie with humor here and there.
 
 
1. Avengers: Age of Ultron
This was one of the movies I was really looking forward to this year. And it didn’t disappoint me at all. I prefer the first, but only a little bit. Wonderful action sequences, vibrant characters and great acting. I want to see it again, right now actually…
 
 
They Almost Made the Top 5: Divergent, The Expendables 3

dinsdag 28 april 2015

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 52: An American Werewolf in London

Director: John Landis
Genre: Horror/ Comedy
Runtime: 93 minutes
Year: 1981
Starring: David Naughton, Jenny Agutter, Griffin Dunne, John Woodvine, Lila Kaye, Joe Belcher, David Schofield, Brian Glover, Rik Mayall, Sean Baker, Paddy Ryans, Anne-Marie Davies, Frank Oz, Don McKillop, Paul Kember, Colin Fernandes, Albert Moses, Michele Brisigoth, Mark Fisher, Gordon Sterne, Paula Jacobs, Claudine Bowyer, Johanna Crayden, Nina Carter, Geoffrey Burridge, Brenda Cavendish, Christopher Scoular, Mary Tempest, Cynthia Powell, Sydney Bromley, Frank Singuineau, Will Leighton, Michael Carter, Elizabeth Bradley, Rufus Deakin, Lesley Ward, George Hilsdon, Gerry Lewis, Dennis Fraser

Description: Two American college students on a walking tour of Britain are attacked by a werewolf that none of the locals will admit exists.

Review: “An American Werewolf in London” is a movie that, within its genre, has reached a cult status. The start of the movie says enough and tells us which direction it’s heading: full moon, warnings, a pentagram on the wall of the local pub and a hostile attitude from the villagers. Something bad is about to happen. It’s in the form of a werewolf, that attacks both David and Jack while on a nightly stroll. Jack is killed and David survives the attack. But that’s just the beginning of David’s nightmare.
This film has that cult status to thanks to the wonderfully visualized transformation, where David turns into a werewolf. Director John Landis wanted the camera to stay close and to shoot the scene in clear light. This makes the transformation very realistic, especially for its time. This scene is definitely the best and most memorable moment of the movie.
Aside from that one scene, the physical appearance isn’t that present. It’s often more short and quick scenes with a bloody werewolf’s head and some growling noises. Only a couple of times the beast is fully shown, mostly from a distance. This doesn’t make the movie less exciting or scary. Landis managed to create an oppressive atmosphere and a good build-up.
At the time the movie came out, it got mixed reviews. People weren’t sure in which category “An American Werewolf in London” belonged. That’s because of the mix between horror and comedy. Landis claimed it was a horror movie. And that’s the case. The comedy, also thanks to lead actor David Naughton, is just a little bit of relief from all the gore. If this movie is a horror comedy, we will leave that up to the audience.
“An American Werewolf in London” is one of the best movies in the genre of werewolf movies and will definitely make every horror fan happy.

Rating: 4/ 5