Episode 58 - Ti West Afterthoughts

Ti West is a challenging artist to discuss at times because his films do not shy away from taking their time and being stylized. Not quite art-house horror seems to turn some people off and it is a shame because there is some wonderful cinema in there to take in. Lacking dependency on traditional film-making, as a viewer, opens the door to so many wonderful films.

A perfect example is 2009’s House of the Devil. A film rich in suspense, throwback subject matter and visual presentation, understated acting, and excellent cinematography are just a few of the reasons I love this film. HOWEVER, when this movie is mentioned the frequent dismissive review is: “it’s a slow burn”. Which is my main point of this post as opposed to waxing West’s car some more (listen to the episode, there is plenty of praise).

The term “slow burn” is synonymous with “I get bored easily” or “I cannot focus on a film”. Since when, did we as fans or critics punish a filmmaker for making an intelligent movie? Yes, House of the Devil does not hit you over the head with gratuitous sex, nudity, violence, and partying; but it does deliver steadily throughout and I think that’s what has become frustrating with the opinions held by many of today’s movie-goers. I find great storytelling in movies (like this) where my own intelligence is assumed to be present for much of the storyline so that we can focus on the artistic needs of the film. I can deduce the elements of the plot that are being put out there without an explanation through dialogue, move along.

I was enamored with this film the first time I watched it and quite frankly still am. So I get a little exhausted defending against the sentiment of it being slow. Maybe the films aren’t always slow, maybe the viewers are. Put down your phone, leave your laptop in the other room, and get into the movie or just don’t bother “watching” it at all. Until next time…..

Beware the moon

The Professor  

Episode 58 - Ti West

Kick off Halloween season with us as we focus on modern director Ti West! His unconventional approach to film-making has provided some very beautiful and terrifying imagery. Listen in as we discuss his filmography, for better and for worse, thus-far. We hope you will enjoy! 

Episode 58 - Ti West by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud

Episode 57 - Monster Mash XI Afterthoughts

Another mash episode has come and gone and I know that we have stressed how much we enjoy it. The feedback from those who have listened also has been favorable. All of that positive feedback is awesome and we appreciate it. But I must add that we love this format for the opportunistic juxtaposition and the chance to cover movies that we wouldn’t squeeze into a franchise or theme. This episode was no exception to this description as we covered an 80’s slasher, a more recent cult  sequel/remake, and a thriller rooted in deeper psychological and philosophical subject matter.

Now I do not want to spend any time on The Burning here. I think it is a pretty straight-forward selection and those who like slasher films from that era, particularly the work of Savini, like it. What I would like to mention quickly is the perception of films through popular opinion. First things first on this, I do not think that 2001 Maniacs is a better film than American Psycho so just calm down internet film police. But that idea is not too far off from being truthful. What I think is interesting, and always have, is how popular opinion sways common opinion so frequently. Here, we have two films that are at opposite ends in many different areas: budget, tone, execution, etc. American Psycho has many great things going for it, but it ends in a sloppy ineffective gasp and loses much of what it had built up to at that point unfortunately. Yet, it is considered a hip and wonderful film and you will be hard-pressed to find someone who will answer honestly that the ending was a poor segment of film-making and a disgrace to the book. One must wonder if a movie that rich in controversial symbolism is truly understood or acknowledged by many of those championing it. I would not blame many for failing to dig deeper into the film’s inadequacies when you can simply focus on the axe-wielding Huey Lewis fan and his Scorsese-like soliloquies.

On the flipside, you have a campy tongue-in-cheek sequel to an early campy gore-fest from 50 years before. It is low-budget, silly, and fun. It did it's job that it set out to do for the viewer, unlike American Psycho. But if you lined up a hundred horror fans and asked them about these two films, only American Psycho would be commonly known. 2001 Maniacs executes its purpose in spades but as time moves on, it fades away.

In closing, I want to reemphasize that I like both films and I recognize that American Psycho has much deeper efforts happening. However, I thought it was worth exploring the ideas of what constitutes a good film weighted with what the public turns its nose up at. Both should be watched by horror fans at the end of the day. Again, thank you as always for listening and we hope you enjoyed! Until next time…….

Beware the moon

The Professor 

Episode 57 - The Monster Mash XI

Another mash for your listening pleasure! Sit in with us as we discuss three films selected by each of us. This episode we cover American Psycho, The Burning, and 2001 Maniacs!

Episode 57 - The Monster Mash 11 by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud

Episode 56 - Wine-day the 13th Afterthoughts

There really isn’t much left to add to with this episode. It is a movie we have covered before in our Friday franchise episode and this is a commentary. So, let me be sure to link you to the website for Adrienne’s wine below. Additionally are a few pictures from our recording of this episode. We hope you have enjoyed it and please throw us some feedback and/or ideas for commentaries. Thank you!

http://adrienneking.com/CLW_1.html

 

Episode 56 - Wine-day the 13th - special commentary episode

Get out your copy of Friday the 13th and watch along with us, as we attempt our very first commentary! Long in the making, we finally sat down and committed to this idea. We hope you enjoy!

Episode 56 - Wineday the 13th - A special commentary episode by Midwestmonsterspodcast on Mixcloud