
Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
- Jinnistan
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- Takoma1
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Regarding The Headless Eyes:
- crumbsroom
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Kudos to a true 15 pointer!
I think you mostly nail my feelings, even though I get a little more rapturous about these kinds of movies since they are exactly in my wheelhouse. It has considerably more craft than most give it credit for, it has a sense of humor, and it also is stupidly ridiculous at times (which I like, since I'm fine with drastic shifts in quality and tone from scene to scene). I also don't feel the violence is overly exploitative and more hints towards ugliness than actually shows it. While I didn't actually expect you (or anyone) to watch it, I felt that its use of violence wouldn't be something you would find as bothersome as you might in similar films.
All the overtly hostile criticisms to it, even from within the horror community, once again make me feel that too many people are really unable to separate what works in films like this from what doesn't. It's easy to just look at it and make assumptions that its lack of sheen or its primitivism directly translates to garbage. This is just more proof that too many people just don't know how to movie. But for me this is very much the kind of oddity I hope to find while trudging through endlessly empty like minded films. Far from any kind of masterpiece, to be sure, it's got some juice in its veins. There is a legitimate attempt to do something here, regardless of their financial and sometimes artistic limitations. I'd put it in the same club as the consideraby better, but way considerably meaner, House on Dead End Street. I'm a fan.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
It was a lot better than I expected based on what you'd said about it. I would say that the main reason I'm not a fan of tonal shifts, especially in lower-budget films like this, is that it feels like it implies a lack of control or focus from the filmmaker. The film is already kind of "fighting" the stuff that comes with a lower budget (not as good supporting actors, cheaper looking sets/costumes, etc), and the tonal shifts to me often convey a sort of amateurism. But I think that the film is actually better than what it shows in those sillier moments. Like that part where the news reporter is interviewing people and he gets talking to the older lady (and if she is an actress she deserves an award--I kind of assumed she was a real person they found while filming) and she goes into a classic "older person telling a long story" mode and the reporter eventually has to be like "SO ANYWAY!". To me that was intentionally funny. But the monologue with the weird accent? That was more like, "Did the actor make that choice? And did the director really think that was cool?".crumbsroom wrote: ↑Tue Sep 24, 2019 1:27 amIt has considerably more craft than most give it credit for, it has a sense of humor, and it also is stupidly ridiculous at times (which I like, since I'm fine with drastic shifts in quality and tone from scene to scene).
Well, like I said, the film never treats the killings as opportunities for tearing the clothing off of the women. Aside from seeing the first woman's underwear while she struggled on the bed I don't even remember there being nudity. And the film makes the very important distinction that it's not the women who are at fault or to blame for the killings. The first woman is defending herself. The prostitute is just trying to be kind to someone who looked troubled. One victim is just a secretary trying to do her job. It's clearly the killer who is the problem here, or the "alternate self" that came to the forefront after he lost his eye. And ultimately the killings are in service to his own ego as an artist.I also don't feel the violence is overly exploitative and more hints towards ugliness than actually shows it. While I didn't actually expect you (or anyone) to watch it, I felt that its use of violence wouldn't be something you would find as bothersome as you might in similar films.
It surprises me that people wouldn't like this or at least appreciate what it's after. It feels like a distant cousin to something like God Told Me To. It's low budget but it's not inept and it manages to work in some effective scenes of horror/gore. I agree that you can tell there is effort. I do still think that the sillier stuff hurts the film because it blurs the line between which parts of the film are intentionally funny and which are "so-bad-it's-funny". Had they just done away with a few of those elements, I think it would actually be a much more effective film. The killing of the prostitute is really the standout sequence for me (spoon self-defense notwithstanding), and the progression from humor to horror is really well done. So, again, why did we have to get a monologue with a silly accent? Why not take a little more time to explore the fact that he says he wants people to appreciate his art, and yet a single person complimenting his work sends him into a crazy emotional tailspin?All the overtly hostile criticisms to it, even from within the horror community, once again make me feel that too many people are really unable to separate what works in films like this from what doesn't. It's easy to just look at it and make assumptions that its lack of sheen or its primitivism directly translates to garbage. There is a legitimate attempt to do something here, regardless of their financial and sometimes artistic limitations.
- Jinnistan
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
I'll settle for a Peabody, I guess.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Amateurism isn't a dirty word for me. Can it be frustrating if you think the movie is almost there? Sure. But I look at it with the hope that the amateur won't fall into the trap of 'making things work' all the time. I like the endless possibility that exists in art when people aren't being edited, and because they don't necessarily know any better, maybe throw as many bad ideas out there as good. Maybe even more. It breaks up the sometimes monotony of worth.Takoma1 wrote: ↑Tue Sep 24, 2019 1:52 amI would say that the main reason I'm not a fan of tonal shifts, especially in lower-budget films like this, is that it feels like it implies a lack of control or focus from the filmmaker. The film is already kind of "fighting" the stuff that comes with a lower budget (not as good supporting actors, cheaper looking sets/costumes, etc), and the tonal shifts to me often convey a sort of amateurism.
I guess my opinion on this here is pretty strongly affected by the fact that a lot of times I just look at a lot of films as primarily being artifacts of a bunch of people just going out there and making something. Recordings of that enthusiasm. Or that sometimes misguided gumption. I really think the parts they flub can have a curious beauty all their own. Also reflect a kind of vulnerability. I guess I just like things aesthetically that are a little marred in a way. It doesn't really bug me thinking about whether or not the movie could be better. I'm real good at shrugging and just eating up whatever is in front of me. As long s there is something interesting or honest there.
That said, I agree that this probably actually could have gained a lot more respect as being a decent movie if it had trimmed the goof off shit. And I'd probably like to see that movie. But I also want to see this kind of shittier version, with dumb accents, and looped screaming and an (amazing and annoying) score that drowns out stretches of dialogue.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
A Wharton diploma.
Ain't no grave gonna hold this body down
- Jinnistan
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
I think they give Peabodys for fiction.
Whatever you do, don't give me an Emmy. I can't even.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
um... did anyone verify that Takoma's review met the 500 word minimum? I expect this game to adhere strictly to its rules.
Oh, who am I kidding? As if she'd let a detail like that get by her. She probably wrote 501 words just to cover herself.
Subtract 15 points from me for trying to be a tattle-tale.
Oh, who am I kidding? As if she'd let a detail like that get by her. She probably wrote 501 words just to cover herself.
Subtract 15 points from me for trying to be a tattle-tale.
- crumbsroom
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
rules lolCaptain Terror wrote: ↑Tue Sep 24, 2019 3:48 pmum... did anyone verify that Takoma's review met the 500 word minimum? I expect this game to adhere strictly to its rules.
Oh, who am I kidding? As if she'd let a detail like that get by her. She probably wrote 501 words just to cover herself.
Subtract 15 points from me for trying to be a tattle-tale.
I should deduct points simply for assuming such a pedestrian thing as rules.
- Takoma1
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
I don't mind a bit of amateurism either. But I expect a story to either flow or be joyfully disruptive. I kind of need to be in one mode or the other as a viewer, and getting a mash-up of the two styles tends to pull me out of what I'm watching.crumbsroom wrote: ↑Tue Sep 24, 2019 3:50 amAmateurism isn't a dirty word for me. Can it be frustrating if you think the movie is almost there? Sure. But I look at it with the hope that the amateur won't fall into the trap of 'making things work' all the time.
I'd be happy to watch either the "good" version of this film or the crappy/crazy version. But I found it frustrating at times that it landed somewhere between the two.That said, I agree that this probably actually could have gained a lot more respect as being a decent movie if it had trimmed the goof off shit. And I'd probably like to see that movie. But I also want to see this kind of shittier version, with dumb accents, and looped screaming and an (amazing and annoying) score that drowns out stretches of dialogue.
- Apex Predator
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
President of the United States
- Jinnistan
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
DP's joke was much better.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Once in a while I whip out a good zinger.

Ain't no grave gonna hold this body down
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
I doubt I'll click that.
- Jinnistan
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Let's try Mark of the Witch.
Wait. Did Capt Terror already guess that?
- crumbsroom
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- Jinnistan
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
One clue please: is it vintage 70s or one of these recent trendy horror films made to look vintage 70s?
- crumbsroom
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Anguish?
"We're outgunned and undermanned. But you know somethin'? We're gonna win. You know why? Superior attitude. Superior state of mind." - Mason Storm
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- crumbsroom
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Nurp.
Let's make it six points.
Let's make it six points.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Schizo?
"We're outgunned and undermanned. But you know somethin'? We're gonna win. You know why? Superior attitude. Superior state of mind." - Mason Storm
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
At Midnight, I'll Take Your Soul?
- Jinnistan
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
I can't figure out how to use the IMDb keywords to solve anything. I try to look up "horror" "playing cards", and Evil Dead pops up. So I wade through stuff like "object in vagina" and hit the keyword for playing cards again, and it gives me a list of over 5000 films.
I feel like I'm playing Wheel of Fortune in Mandarin.
I feel like I'm playing Wheel of Fortune in Mandarin.
- Takoma1
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
No Blade of Grass?crumbsroom wrote: ↑Wed Jul 17, 2019 1:52 amCan't imagine this will help anyone, but this is all I got from this movie.
5 points
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- Takoma1
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
There are a LOT of biker gang films from the 60s/70s. A LOT.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
I used it to solve the house of cards clue here earlier.Jinnistan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2019 2:45 amI can't figure out how to use the IMDb keywords to solve anything. I try to look up "horror" "playing cards", and Evil Dead pops up. So I wade through stuff like "object in vagina" and hit the keyword for playing cards again, and it gives me a list of over 5000 films.
I feel like I'm playing Wheel of Fortune in Mandarin.
Mind you, it doesn't work as well as the see every trailer in existence that Takoma uses. But it is useful.
- crumbsroom
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
I believe in you!Jinnistan wrote: ↑Thu Sep 26, 2019 2:45 amI can't figure out how to use the IMDb keywords to solve anything. I try to look up "horror" "playing cards", and Evil Dead pops up. So I wade through stuff like "object in vagina" and hit the keyword for playing cards again, and it gives me a list of over 5000 films.
I feel like I'm playing Wheel of Fortune in Mandarin.
- Takoma1
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom

Was this one guessed already? It's City of Women.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Aha! Even crumbs needs a cheat sheet! Sacrebleu!
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
You posted this on July 22. I watched City of Women on July 12. Please deduct every last goddamn point I have.
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
A few years ago my office situation was such that I had enough down time to engage in this approach myself, and there's nothing like that feeling when you make a positive ID. It's especially rewarding when you start with a bare-bones google search such as "horror movie snake" or something, and 3 hours later you find a match. I miss those days.Apex Predator wrote: ↑Fri Sep 27, 2019 2:03 amit doesn't work as well as the see every trailer in existence that Takoma uses.
- Rock
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
What are the odds this guy's twirling his mustache as he writes this?
"We're outgunned and undermanned. But you know somethin'? We're gonna win. You know why? Superior attitude. Superior state of mind." - Mason Storm
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom



Now back to 2 Points
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Tales from the Crypt?
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom

This one is Count Yorga, Vampire
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
The Manitou
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Pretty sure I'm out of pictures for that one that wouldn't immediately give it away
- Rock
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Re: Guessing Movies Wrong with crumbsroom
Asylum?
"We're outgunned and undermanned. But you know somethin'? We're gonna win. You know why? Superior attitude. Superior state of mind." - Mason Storm
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