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AVPGuyver21 added 1 item to 31 Days of Horror (Halloween) 2020 list
Date: 10/7/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch
Note: Vampire Hunter D is truly a special anime to me because I still remember watching it on the Sci-Fi channel back in the 90s when they used to air anime. I was probably six years old when I first saw it and I loved every bit of it. Seeing that this year is the 35th anniversary of this movie, I felt like it was the perfect time to watch it again. I did revisit both Vampire Hunter D movies in 2015, but I didn't have an LB account at the time. After watching this movie again, I still feel like this movie is awesome. I still think the second Vampire Hunter D movie is better, but that's my own personal opinion.
The thing that I love the most about Vampire Hunter D is the world that the series takes place in. Vampire Hunter D is set in a strange futuristic world that is a mixture of gothic horror, a spaghetti western, and cyberpunk. The aesthetics in the movie is amazing thanks to the wonderful art direction from Yoshitaka Amano (Angel's Egg). He helps create the unique world that this series is set in. You also have many cool and strange monsters that are very creative looking. While the story is pretty simple, it's still well-told for what it is. This movie is not deep and it's not meant to be. You have a fun cast of characters that you actually like and care about. Not to mention, you have plenty of bloody action sequences that are awesome. Seeing D (The main character) kill monsters is always fun to watch.
What's also cool about this movie is the lore. The movie may not give out every detail behind the mythos that exist in the film's universe, but it still keeps you intrigued. It's like in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) where they mention stuff from the past that the audience does' not know about, but you are still fascinated by the world that these characters exist in. D himself is a total badass main character that is silent and deadly. He may not have much personality to him, but that's the point. D himself is almost similar to The Man with No Name from Sergio Leone's Dollars Trilogy (1964-1966) where he is a character with a mysterious presence around him with an unorthodox sense of justice. Not every character needs to have a backstory to be cool or interesting.
The animation is wonderful because Toyoo Ashida did a great job of creating so much detail with the aesthetics in the film. Most anime fans these days will be turned off by the outdated art style, but I love it. While I do like the rest of the characters in the movie, I do feel like they could have been developed better. Rei and Lee have the best development compare to the other cast of characters. Doris Lang is a fun female character, but I wish she had a stronger role in the movie. I also hate the panty shots in this movie because they serve no purpose other than to be fan service.
Overall, Vampire Hunter D is a solid movie that is worth checking out. I do recommend it to both anime & non-anime fans alike. 4 years, 5 months ago
October 2020 HorrorfestAVPGuyver21 commented on a list
Movies the giraffe watched in 2020: September (28 movies items)"Nice list. I hear good things about #Alive and I will probably check it out soon."
4 years, 6 months ago
AVPGuyver21 voted for list
Movies the giraffe watched in 2020: September (28 movies items)4 years, 6 months ago
Watched in 2020
AVPGuyver21 added 1 item to 31 Days of Horror (Halloween) 2020 list
Date: 10/2/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch
Note: I haven't seen this movie since I was 10 on VHS when a friend of mine and I watched it after school. I picked up the German Blu-Ray that is region free on Diabolikdvd back in May and I haven't had the chance to watch it until now. After watching this movie again, I still think it holds up pretty well in my opinion. Death Machine is not a masterpiece, but it's still a fun sci-fi horror movie nevertheless.
The story is nothing original or groundbreaking, but it's still entertaining. The movie borrows inspiration from movies such as Alien (1979), The Terminator (1984), and Hardware (1990) because this movie has similar themes and characters to those movies. Just like most cyberpunk theme movies, the movie has an anti-consumerist capitalist message to it. Similar to Robocop (1987), you have big companies that don’t care what harm they do as long if they make money. The value of a dollar is more important to them than the lives of innocent people. Sadly, you have the same problem in our reality.
I do like the cast of characters in this movie because some of them are pretty memorable. Brad Dourif's character is a fun over the top goofball villain that enjoys having fun. You also get to see Rachel Weisz (The Favourite) in her first major movie role long before she became a major star in Hollywood. Richard Brake (Game of Thrones) also plays a fun and cheesy over the top role too. The acting in the movie is nothing award-winning, but it's still pretty good for what it is.
My favorite thing about this movie is the aesthetics because the movie looks and feels awesome. I love the general vibe that this movie has with the cool outdated high tech gadgetry, the dark color scheme, and the use of fog during scenes of the movie. It has everything that I love from old cyberpunk movies from the 80s and early-mid 90s. Even the special effects hold up pretty well and I always love the design for the Evil Robot in this movie. You also have some really cool gory moments in the movie that are fun to watch.
Another awesome thing about this movie is the techno-industrial music from Crispin Merrel. The music in this movie is very catchy and I can listen to it all day long. This movie also runs at 2 hours and it moves at a nice pace. Not once did I feel like that the story was starting to move slowly or too fast. If I had to pick one thing that I didn't like about this movie, it would be the humor. Some humor in the movie works while other times it does not. The humor can be pretty stupid and annoying at times because you can tell that they were trying to make the movie into a serious film.
The Blu-Ray release of this movie is excellent because the picture and sound are fantastic. Watching the movie in 1080p allows you to see the visuals in a clearer way. I do wish that the Blu-Ray had more bonus content like the behind the scenes or a commentary track from Stephen Norrington. Either way, I'm happy that someone restores this underrated gem in HD.
Overall, Death Machine is a fun movie and I do recommend checking it out if you've got time to spare. 4 years, 6 months ago
AVPGuyver21 posted a list
31 Days of Horror (Halloween) 2020 (42 movies items)4 years, 6 months ago
AVPGuyver21 added 1 item to 31 Days of Horror (Halloween) 2020 list
Date: 10/1/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray
Re-Watch
Note: I decided to kick off October by watching a silent classic horror movie like I normally do. Kino Lorber recently released this movie on Blu-Ray just in time for this movie's 100th anniversary. I also haven't seen this movie in a long time and I remember I only have seen the bad US release of this movie probably over 10 years ago. After watching this movie again on Blu-Ray, this movie is awesome. The 4K restoration of this movie is amazing because it helps restore the movie with its original tinting intact. The movie is wonderful to look at with the amazing set pieces.
I always love the art direction that this movie has because it helps creates a surreal fantasy feeling to it. During the opening scene of the movie, it feels like you are opening up a book to a fairy tale from many centuries ago. The atmosphere in the movie feels so creepy and yet authentic. It's hard to describe it, but I can't help to love the authenticity of silent movies especially silent horror films. Silent Horror movies in general are even more surreal and authentic because they use dark imagery and body language to create a chilling movie. Paul Wegener does a great job of playing The Golem and The Golem itself would later become an iconic movie monster. Making The Golem possibly one of the first major movie horror icons predating the Universal monsters by a decade.
Paul Wegener as The Golem is scary, strong, and yet somewhat yet sympathetic. The Golem is almost like a robot that has no free will from his own monstrous creators. When watching this movie, you can see how this movie was a big influence on the 1930s Frankenstein movies and possibly the creation of The Hulk from Jack Kirby and Stan Lee. I also love how Paul Wegener uses his facial expressions to create a scary-looking monster. By today's standers, this movie is not scary for most people. Back in the 1920s, this movie probably did scare many people who saw it at the Cinema. The movie does suffer from typical romance clichés, but I'm not bothered by it too much. I still think The Golem has a well-told story with interesting characters and a warning of creation going against its creator. A similar theme that Fritz Lang would later use several years later in Metropolis (1927).
It's still strange to think that this movie is the third movie in a franchise and the other two are lost. In the 1910s and 1920s, people probably have seen the other two movies and would probably talk about them regularly similar to the movie franchises that we have now. Now the first two movies are lost, and they will probably never be found. It would be like finding out in 100 years from now that Army of Darkness (1992) is the only Evil Dead movie left (I hope that never happens). Even if they are not as good as the first two, it would be interesting to see how those two movies are.
Overall, The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920) is a great work of art and an important movie in cinema history. Check out this movie if you haven't already.4 years, 6 months ago
AVPGuyver21 added 1 item to Movies I watched in September 2020 list
Date: 9/30/2020
Viewed: DVD
First Viewing
Note: I could not sleep last night and I need something to help me fall asleep. I bought this movie along with a few other movies a while back at Dollar Tree. I got five movies for $5, and I was like "If these movies are shit. At least I didn't pay much for them". After watching this movie for the first time, it was okay. Demon Hunter is not a good movie, but it's not a terrible movie neither. The story is pretty cliché and unoriginal because the movie's story reminds me of the Blade trilogy (1998-2004) and the Devil May Cry video games. The acting is not very good and none of the supporting cast is interesting. At least, the movie is not boring because the movie does have some fun moments. I also can't help enjoy the bad movie charm that this movie has.
The movie has some good production values for a low budget movie because the makeup for the demons is not bad at all. Niamh Hogan does a good job of playing a demon hunter that is both cool and attractive looking in my opinion. This movie also feels like it was made in the early-mid 2000s and was somehow released in the mid-2010s. You have characters wearing trench coats and black leather similar to movies from the early-mid 2000s. When watching this movie, I almost thought music from Evanescence would start playing during the fight scenes. I also do admit that the fight scenes are enjoyable and the music is not bad at all.
Overall, Demon Hunter is an average movie at best. I only recommend this movie if you have nothing else to watch on a rainy day or if you want to watch a bad movie with some friends. You can find the movie on Amazon Prime or Tubi if you are curious. 4 years, 6 months ago
AVPGuyver21 added 1 item to Movies I watched in September 2020 list
Date: 9/30/2020
Viewed: DVD
Re-Watch
Note: Seeing that I recently rewatched the original Anthropophagous movie a while ago, I felt like it was time to revisit the remake. The last time I saw this movie was probably back in 2012 on Youtube, and I was in the mood to revisit it. I do remember seeing this movie on a VHS tape with no English subs back in 2002 with a friend of mine (Who was also a tape trader) and we had no idea what was going on. The movie was not even labeled as Anthropophagous 2000. After watching this movie again on DVD, I still enjoy it for the most part. I don't hate this movie as most people do, to be honest. However, I do get why people don't like it.
While the original Anthropophagous movie is not a masterpiece, I still consider it to be a solid horror movie in my opinion. Andreas Schnaas is one of my favorite guilty pleasure directors because his movies are enjoyable for all the wrong reasons. His movies are stupid and trashy, but I love watching them for being so bad. Movies from Andreas Schnaas have that low-budget edgy charm to them that makes me smile. This movie is no different from the other movies from Andreas Schnass because you have bad acting, cheesy dialogue, the poor shot on video quality, and over the top blood & gore. This movie is arguably more violent than the original movie and you have enough blood & guts to sink your teeth into.
The death scenes are so bloody and gory that it comes off as laughable. Some death scenes in this movie feel like they are ripped straight from a Mortal Kombat video game. Andreas Schnaas did a good job of making the blood and gore in this movie look so cool with a low budget. Outside the blood and gore, the movie is pretty dull. The movie lacked the suspenseful atmosphere and the story is nowhere as good as the original. The story in the original movie was interesting and you almost feel sorry for Nikos. The writing feels very rushed, and they didn't do anything new with the story except for a couple of scenes. When they recreate scenes from the original movie, it comes off as very lazy in my opinion. Thankfully, the movie is only 81 minutes long and it does not overstay its welcome.
Overall, Anthropophagous 2000 is a mixed bag and I only recommend it if you are curious. 4 years, 6 months ago
AVPGuyver21 added 1 item to Movies I watched in September 2020 list
Date: 9/30/2020
Viewed: Blu-Ray (Arrow Video)
Re-Watch
Note: It's been a while since I have seen this movie and I recently bought the Blu-Ray released by Arrow Video. I hear Arrow just lost the rights to the movie, and I was lucky to buy a copy on Amazon for $20. I do have a nostalgic soft spot for this movie because I remember watching it when it came out on VHS with my dad. After watching this movie again, I think it holds up very well. Ronin is a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish. This was the last good movie from John Frankenheimer before he died sadly.
The movie is 2 hours long and it flies by quickly. There is not a single boring moment in this movie because every action sequence in this movie is so entertaining. John Frankenheimer did a wonderful job directing the action sequences by making the action feel so fluent. The car chase sequences in the movie make the car chases in the Fast & Furious series look like child's play (not the movie BTW). In this movie, you don't get dumb slow-motion scenes or shaky cam nonsense like you do in most today's action movies from Hollywood. I also like the tone that this movie has because it has a serious and rustic tone similar to the other movies from John Frankenheimer that he used to make before his career jump the shark after the 80s.
The acting in this movie is fantastic and everyone did a great job with their roles. I love the chemistry between Robert De Niro's character and Jean Reno's character. Michael Lonsdale (RIP) also does a good job in the movie as well. The Blu-Ray release from Arrow Video is fantastic because the movie looks and sounds so good. I know that the old Blu-Ray release has a mediocre release when it comes to the picture and sound. The transfer of the movie looks so good on my 4K TV because it looks so clean and crisp. The backgrounds look nearly photorealistic when watching the movie.
Overall, Ronin is a great action movie and I do recommend checking it out.4 years, 6 months ago
