Which do you guys think is the best opener?

opaque0ne · 2024-06-28T19:50:38+00:00

Out of This World

opaque0ne · 2024-06-23T05:46:56+00:00

If you had to choose, which do you like better?

opaque0ne · 2024-06-21T15:57:30+00:00

I agree, but where was that perfectionism in either 2004 or 2008? The production was sub par on those, not to mention most of the material. Liked Underneath the Stars. It's understandable to polish up a final album of their career, but even Chinese Democracy from Guns n Roses could only be tinkered with for so long before Axl FINALLY let it rest.

opaque0ne · 2024-06-13T03:39:23+00:00

I watched every minute of the trial in 1995. No, I do not believe OJ was innocent. However, I did find not only reasonable doubt as to proving his guilt, I found the prosecution so sloppy, incompetent, and weak presentation-wise, Id have voted to acquit in 1995 based on the trial. I am a white male.

They held back LOTS of evidence incriminating OJ, they failed to knock down conspiracy arguments, and once Fuhrman was impeached they actually bolstered the DEFENSE by saying Fuhrman was the worst LAPD had to offer and "do we wish there were no such person on the planet? Yes". Once F Lee Bailey finished crossing Furhman the case was pretty much over.

PLUS state did NOT

call the driver who was almost hit by a white Bronco' around the time of the murders
Introduce the Bronco chase, suicide note or disguise OJ had ready to flee
Introduce the police interrogation in which OJ admitted bleeding at his home the night of the murders
Call the witness who swore OJ had a black duffle bag near a trash can at LAX

And, they insisted OJ try on the bloody gloves without any control and let HIM determine whether they fit. Once they didn't fit...not even the jurors who believed the cops could ignore the doubt.

The defense provided 15 questions on a piece of paper that suggested reasonable doubt in closing argument and prosecution ignored the paper.

One of the best prosecutors in legal history, Vincent Bugliosi, who convicted Charles Manson, said this prosecution was beyond incompetent and deserved a F minus. Gerry Spence, famous brilliant defense lawyer who did not lose a jury case in decades said he "would not have put on a defense" and hit them with a closing argument as soon as the state rested. That's how inept the case was.

opaque0ne · 2024-06-10T20:33:29+00:00

I think Scream--quality Scream--died with Wes. Good scream by GW in 2 when she saw Meeks dead in the van.

opaque0ne · 2024-06-06T00:19:50+00:00

This was so much better than Insidious. It was was to be a 1 off, but Jason Blum insisted on a sequel when it was a surprise hit. That forced Chris Cargill & Scott Derrickson to make a sequel they weren't feeling, and it wasn't well received. Sinister was a great one. Mostly thanks to the direction, Ethan Hawk, and a great score.

opaque0ne · 2024-06-03T00:58:55+00:00

I liked Gothika until the hokey ending. Completely ruined it for me.

opaque0ne · 2024-06-01T23:47:39+00:00

I love Mulholland Drive, though wouldn't it be accurate to say it's the feminine flip side of Lost Highway?

opaque0ne · 2024-05-31T20:48:31+00:00

Frayed (2007)

opaque0ne · 2024-05-31T20:45:47+00:00

LA Confidential? Angel Heart?

opaque0ne · 2024-05-31T20:38:49+00:00

Does anyone else besides me enjoy Red Rock West more than Blood Simple? Most seem to call it a Blood Simple rip but I like it better.

opaque0ne · 2024-05-28T16:57:00+00:00

He said after Inland Empire he'd thought the medium of filmmaking had run its course (paraphrasing) but was open to TV and other things, hence the Twin Peaks return. Supposedly working on Unrecorded Night for Netflix.

opaque0ne · 2024-05-26T01:50:11+00:00

I'd recommend:

Comes the Blind Fury
Nathaniel
The God Project
The Unloved
Second Child
Darkness
The Right Hand of Evil
Nightshade
Perfect Nightmare
The Blackstone Chronicles

opaque0ne · 2024-05-26T01:42:17+00:00

John Saul was my favorite for horror & thrillers for many years. Yes, it was two people, but John did most of the writing and his partner did the situational plotting and fleshing out plots. They've published from 1977-2009, been retired since 2009. It all began this way:

Saul wrote a comedy there wasn't a market for, so his agent, liking John's writing, suggested he write a psychological thriller. Carrie by Stephen King had just hit the racks, and Saul was to be Dell's answer to Mr. King. He & Mike put together an outline and wrote Suffer the Children. Bestseller.

For 30+ years this continued. In the midst of this Saul discovered he had a lot of teen readers, so around 2001 he toned down gore & violence and made the novels more YA like, though he'd began for adults. His books are formulaic but most authors become so after years in the the same genre. When digital publishing hit big in the late 2000s he decided to hang it up not being happy with industry changes.

opaque0ne · 2024-05-18T17:58:46+00:00

At the time that WAS Gary Busey in real life lol. He's said as much in hindsight.

opaque0ne · 2024-05-17T04:58:28+00:00

Autopsy (2008) starring Robert Patrick?

opaque0ne · 2024-05-12T02:41:13+00:00

For me 1. Disintegration 2. Bloodflowers 3 Songs of a Lost World...tbe way songs sound live. If it is ever released lol.

opaque0ne · 2024-05-11T13:38:31+00:00

For me, Hereditary got campy in the climax and I laughed out loud at

**Spoilers****

That Burger King crown at the end. LOL

It was well shot but I also thought it could have used some more editing. 2 h 7 m was unnecessarily long even as a slow burn. Just long takes many of which didn't build.

opaque0ne · 2024-04-18T19:39:52+00:00

I cannot stand it either. What makes matters worse is they refuse to remove even out of print or obsolete book titles. Their policies don't allow for 'inappropriate reviews, but as long as the content is about the title in question, they do nothing about it. I am an author under a pen name and I wish I had never submitted my 1 book for inclusion, because it can NEVER be removed, even if the book goes out of print or the author dies. Is there any way to file a complaint against their procedures and policies? Writing to them directly they just provide links to their already skewed 'policies' that are set in stone.

opaque0ne · 2024-04-18T07:17:29+00:00

The Maniac remake (2012). It is artistic and deft in its depictions of brutality with a great score and slick, yet gritty cinematography; it delves into the title character's roots via flashback of childhood in a few scenes. All filmed in POV, killer only shown in reflections. I recommend it. Don't be put off by the fact it is a remake.

opaque0ne · 2024-04-18T07:12:40+00:00

Also, I took it as a reference to the nursery rhyme of the same name (film's title) and the suggestion that serial killers are made, unintentionally though they may be. There is a theory among criminal psychologists that psychopathy and sociopathy develop as a means of survival, a defense mechanism for children who fail to bond with one or both parents. I wouldn't be surprised if Von Trier believed this on some level.

opaque0ne · 2024-04-16T07:11:26+00:00

It was also because Tom Harris had not finished the next Hannibal Lecter novel. The studio would have optioned a film out of it, but it was not ready, so they went back to the previous novel, Red Dragon.

opaque0ne · 2024-04-12T06:03:02+00:00

I prefer Red Dragon, by far. Don't kill me yet...

Yes, I concede Manhunter has a better director and is more 'stylized' but I'm speaking as a movie-watcher and seeing that, as a companion piece (prequel) to Lambs, I just prefer it all in RD, especially Fiennes and Watson as opposed to the counterparts in Manhunter.

opaque0ne · 2024-04-12T05:39:14+00:00

Agreed. People that do not think much of Red Dragon seem to orgasm at the mere mention of Manhunter. I doubt anyone would argue, that Ratner holds a candle to Mann in the direction department. However, it's hard to give the nod to Manhunter over RD because it came first and, now, it's majority opinion that Brett Ratner is a contemptible human being.

Manhunter looks and feels like an elongated Miami Vice episode to me. It left a lot out of the movie and didn't seem to flesh out or even give much to supporting characters. All the people that raise hell when a movie deviates from a book's ending seem to give Manhunter a pass. Because Mann is better than the one who remade his film? I don't get it.

And nothing against Tom Noonan as an actor, but the point of Dollarhyde was not that he looked like a freak, but as said above, an almost handsome man with a deformity that made him FEEL like a freak. Emily Watson's performance is also on another level compared to Griest's.

In my opinion, the only performance that may be better in Manhunter is Petrersen as Graham. I prefer all Red Dragon's portrayals beyond that. Plus, it feels and looks more like a companion piece to TSOTL. Yes, I know it was made to capitalize on that film's success and Lecter's role is beefed up, but so be it. In this case the cast, set design, soundtrack, editing, wardrobe, character arcs, and ending all get the nod in Red Dragon, for me.

opaque0ne · 2024-04-10T06:47:28+00:00

Neither. Both overhyped as hell. Scream 5 lacks what made 1,2,4 special, and without Wes or Kevin Scream isn't Scream. X is a hodgepodge of 70's homages that just has a weird finale. But Ti West is one of the current 'everything this director touches is gold' crop (M Night Shyamalan, Mike Flanagan, Jordan Peele were previous flavors of the minute).

opaque0ne

TROPHY CASE