Blogs Against Humanity - Adventures in Sympathetic Misanthropy

This, the third film-adaptation of Jack Finney's 1955 novel, "The Body Snatchers", does quite a lot of things right, but ultimately falls a bit short.  "They get you when you sleep." - Andy  This is going to get spoilery, so if you haven't watched this flick and don't like spoilers, then you may want to skip this review.  So, as I mentioned before, this is remake month, and as was the case with DRACULA (though not to the same extent), there are more than two film adaptations of Jack Finney's 1954 science fiction novel "The Body Snatchers" to choose from. So, before I hit this version, I watched both of the previous versions, titled INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS , from 1956 and 1978, respectively.   Those adaptations are widely considered to be absolute classics by movie-buffs and critics alike, so, when compared to its predecessors, BODY SNATCHERS has some very big shoes to fill. We have another new setting, this time out of an Army-base...

DRACULA (1931) ***1/2 Tod Browning's Dracula is adapted from the then-popular stage-play, and the influence is quite obvious upon viewing, as the film eventually becomes quite stagey and static. A lot of the camera-work is pedestrian, and the scene transitions are often short and somewhat jarring. Too much exposition also slows down the film, and when compared to its contemporary, James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN, it simply doesn't fare as well. As some critics have remarked, its essentially a stylistic holdover from the silent-film era. And, as a last critique, this film doesn't end so much as simply STOP, and there's a big difference between these two concepts. However, for all its flaws, this movie definitely deserves its classic status. Even without a pair of fangs, Bela Lugosi set a standard as Count Dracula against which all others would be measured to this very day. His Dracula is stiff and formal, yet prone to sudden bursts of quick-fury. He's quite obviously...

So, let's take a quick look at how I rated the 10 films I watched for the pre-show: CHILDREN OF MEN - *****   Best movie of the pre-show, a phenomenal, moving film, with powerful performances and some extraordinary cinematography. I cannot recommend it highly enough.   CONTAGION - ****1/2   Easily the best pandemic-type film in terms of the science. great acting all-around, some surprises, and very prescient.   RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR - **   Starts off strong, claustrophobic and bleak, ultimately let down by bad science. BOO-ums!   PONTYPOOL - ****1/2   Extremely clever, well-acted, low-budget thriller in what amounts to a stage-play on film. Stephen McHattie is a Canadian national treasure. 12 MONKEYS - *****   A sci-fi tragedy by Terry Gilliam. A great film that I don't personally love.   REC - ****1/2   Easily one of the best found-footage style horror-flicks ever made, very much in t...