I just watched The Shape of Water last night and I really enjoyed it too! I am going to call it " Cocoon meets Aqua Man". All the action / adventure ...( evil Russian Cold War era spies etc ) of an Aqua Man with the feel good/ alien weirdness of Cocoon. Best Picture? Meh....it was gorgeous visually, there was even a musical sequence like La La Land for crying out loud! Richard Jenkins and Octavia Spencer were great in supporting roles and Sally Hawkins carried the film in my opinion. The amphibious creature was kinda hokey, Michael Shannon was the bad guy and he was really really bad. Not as good as Alan Rickman as Hans Gruber...or some other bad guys out there....but he definitely creeped me out.
But if you are on the fence about the Shape Of Water, do give it a chance. I was pleasantly surprised.

( I also watched and enjoyed Professor Marston and the Wonder Women. )

Amanda from Seattle

Best Picture? Meh....

I am a huge film buff so I always have opinions. lol I think many people, me included often look at a choice for Best Picture and go "huh?....uh...no....not really". That's what I did last year for La La Land. Most years I would very be hard put to vote for just one.

And I think that since they opened up the nomination category to 9 films instead of 5 for best picture.....think last year was the first year they did that.....it has kind of weakened the field, if that's the right term to use. Obviously they did it for the bottom line.....nominated films get a bigger audience but I would have preferred they didn't do that.

I also saw Professor Marston and the Wonder Women and really liked it a lot. Aside from the fact that it I liked it as a good film, I never knew any of that stuff surrounding the creation of Wonder Woman and it was SO interesting.

I saw this trailer today and it's kind of upsetting to see a name I've used for a couple of decades being associated with something horrifying. My trailname was inspired by a poem I read in 4th grade (35 years ago). It was a very peaceful poem about a lake. Maybe I should feel guilty for saying so, but I hope this movie flops so no one will remember it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WR7cc5t7tv8

Semicolon and I used to be LaMaze teachers thirty-five years ago when that was a thing. Along with pant-blow and kegel exercises, women in labor practiced imagining going to a Quiet Place while doing effleurage.

I thought of you when I saw the trailer. I remembered how you chose your name . I thought you might not like the name of this movie. :(

Kitty - Based on your 100 list, we watched To Catch a Thief and loved it. I saw it long ago and Doublesaj had never seen it before. It premiered on my top 100 list at #30. We are going to watch Ghost Breakers with Bob Hope, maybe tonight, also from your list.

Old Blue

Ever since I saw this being advertised, I have been waiting for it come to Susanville. After a grumpy day and several attempts, I was finally able to see it.

Per the advertisement, the movie is about a family who has to live in complete silence to avoid attracting the attention of "something terrifying".

It begins on "Day 89" and the family is "shopping" for medicine for the eldest son. What happens next sets the tone for the mood of the family for the remainder of the film.

Very little information is provided about "how" everything came to this point but it's very clear "what" has happened.

Set on a farm, in a small, mountainous nameless town, the family works together to survive. To add to the current toll of their lives, this family is expecting a baby.

This film features a total of 8 people, baby included. But despite it's small cast and simple backdrop, there is no shortage of haunting images or money vested into the creatures. It's all first rate. It stars real life husband and wife John Krasinski, whom you may know as Jim from the hit series "The Office", and Emily Blunt, who is making every other movie out there. Very talent woman. Having said this, on to the Kitty Paws Ratings:

Kitty Paw Ratings:
One Kitty Paw for it's decent jumps.
One Kitty Paw for it's tense/intense scenes.
One Kitty Paw for the children's committed performances.
One Kitty Paw for it's haunting images. (The Old man scene in particular.)

I did however have a few problems with it. The following three issue is not necessarily spoilers but the fourth issue is definitely revealing. So, please proceed with caution.

To begin with, as one critic said, "There is no fat in this film". This is very true. The movie starts and goes from there. As I said before, there is very little information given about the how, and you are left on your own to make connections and understanding of things. I kinda don't like that approach to story telling movies. You are telling a story. Be inclusive if you can.

I also had a problem with it beginning at "Day 89". I kinda felt that that was way too soon for our civilization to have fallen and for them to have the set the up that the family had. (i.e. sand lines, not wearing shoes.)

Another issue I had was, John Krasinski portrays an intelligent man who was trying his best to discover the secret to fending off these monsters. He had a whole system of silent communication (white light vs red light) and knew very well that sounds and noise was the enemy. So, it baffles me that he did not have a series of noise making counter measures should their farm be invaded, to serve a means to distract or draw the creatures away. Granted, you don't want a whole lot of noise, but still, if you see the movie, you'll understand why this frustrated me.

And finally, *** possible spoiler*** I don't think I liked how it ended. I was probably too vested. But I really hate it when the it's the end of the movie and bad things happen and then things get figured out. And you are happy but sad. I hate "Happy but sad" endings.

csk

I stumbled upon this Netflix movie one night and noted it. I poked around some websites, trying to get a feel for the movie and after some hawing and hemming, tonight my husband and I sat down and watched it.

It begins with five friends having drinks at a pub and they are discussing their next bro-cation together. Leaving the pub, Luke, a rather sulky guy decides to step into a liquor store for some liquor and he is followed by his friend Rob (Robert). What follows next, haunts them all, especially Luke.

After this night, it cuts to 6 months later, when the men are trekking a trail somewhere in Sweden. As it happens, Dominique, the pegged overly dramatic one, stumbles and severely twists his knee. Refusing to be left behind and rescued, he pleads his case. The group decides to cut through the forest, leaving the trail, to cut time off their hike back to the lodge.

Naturally, it begins to rain. The men then seek cover in a strange, uninhabited cabin where they find a rather unsettling alter. Despite this, the men decide to sleep in the cabin and thus begins their trial of horrors.

"The Ritual" is based on a book written by Adam Nevill. It is a British film, shot in Romania, though the backdrop is Sweden. Since I did not recognize any of the actors, I checked their IMBD backgrounds. The main character Luke is played by Rafe Spall, best known to me as one of the Andys in "Hot Fuzz". Hutch, the toughest guy in the group, is portrayed by Robert James-Collier, Thomas Barrow to you "Downton Abby" fans.

Per Amazon, "The Ritual" is sitting at an average of 4 out of 5 stars. I would argue this is a bit high for me. It reminded me of a cross between "Blair Witch" (the original) and "The Hills Have Eyes" with a touch of the mystic. 3 Kitty Paws is the highest I believe it's worth.

But the truth is, I am not a fan of these types of stories and how this film ended. Though believe me, it has nothing to do with the getting lost in the woods and being hunted scenario. I've been known to duck and cover in many a "forest films" and be happy with the good scare. And since I don't want to spoil anything for any potential viewers, I will just leave it at that.

csk

We watched it. Though not our usual fare either, we enjoyed it enough. I agree with 3.

DZ

Pretty dumb--men making poor choices. "Yeah, let's take the shortcut through the scary forest instead of staying on the trail." It was fun seeing Thomas out of his Downton livery.

I watched this movie because of the mention of Sweden, thought I'd see some beautiful landscapes.
It was stupid! And as far as I know the trail they were walking goes mostly over treeless country, maybe some small birches grow there.
Since I'm a stickler for details like that that was enough for me to not like it.(Gave up watching Gladiator when I saw Mount Whitney in the background)
But the story was the typical "stupid people making stupid mistakes"

Bokmal

I read the book a while back and the first half of the book is the scariest thing I've ever read. The second half was so stupid, I was furious I wasted time on it. So the movie is a bit like that. Parts of it are well done, but the rest of it muddles through the really bad source material of the second half. Skip the movie and read the first part of the book, then put it down and walk away. The movie really isn't all that faithful and they erased the scariest part of the whole book! For a really stupid death that made no sense and didn't exist in the book that way at all. Bah. I'd give the movie a 2 1/2.

Just got home from seeing SOLO and just loved it. How much better can PAL day get. You list some boxes then go to the movies. If you're a Star Wars fan you'll love this one and the eye candy is great. Who doesn't love a tall hairy man!!!!

Tall? Yes! Hairy? Not so much!

Who doesn't love a tall hairy man!!!!

Tall? Yes! Hairy? Not so much!

Maybe she was talking about Chewy.

To add to tall, and hairy, there is a great shower scene of him and SOLO covered in mud . That should make you all want to go see this movie.

Last night I went with my gal pals to check out Book Club.

The premise is as followed: Since college four friends meet once a month, each rotating choice of book that they read together and discuss. There’s Diane (curiously enough, played by Diane Keaton) who’s a widow with overbearing kids who see their mother as too old to live alone and we have “revamped our basement for you to move into”. There’s Vivian, the no strings attached and likes men-a lot, hotel owner who is played by 80 years old but looks hella good Jane Fonda. Then there’s Sharon, who’s still recovering from divorce 18 years ago but really didn’t like her husband in the first place, and is stuck in a rut. She’s a federal judge and is my favorite character above all. Finally, there’s Carol, played by Mary Steenburgen. Carol has had a rock solid marriage but for the last 6 months, has been neglected by her husband.

The choice of book: 50 Shades of Grey, recommended of course by Vivian, as the others would be too posh (maybe not so much Carol) to even consider picking up the book.

To counter these divas are some lovely, stunning men. Andy Garcia. Don Johnson. Craig T Nelson. Andy Garcia plays a pretty determined, strong-willed man. There’s a scene when Andy Garcia takes charges and I think every woman moaned and blushed in the audience. And I was with college educated, strong-willed women.

The storyline it’s self is a bit predictable. And Diana Keaton acts with her hands too and touches her face too much. In fact there’s a funny moment when her “daughters” do the same thing to her but I don’t know if that was intentional or what.

But sometimes a predictable movie is okay. Sometimes you just need to see a movie with your girls and see that you are not the only one with these thoughts or fears or personal issues.

Of the cast of women, Candice Bergen/Sharon was my favorite. She nailed the role of a tough woman who is clueless about the dating scene world NOW. She’s the one who really didn’t love or husband or enjoyed her marriage but never moved past it. And curious enough, her “ex” is Ed Begley Jr. who, when they are on screen together, you can see how mixed matched they are. And then there’s his “tweeny” fiancé that Candice has the perfect “look” in response too. And there’s a great moment with her cat and vet. Loved the cat’s name, btw. Totally laughed out. I think I related to her best because, even though I am NOT that old, I remember recovering from divorce, sitting at my table with my son and his girlfriend being in love and realizing, I-this person right here- really need to do something!

Also of the cast of women, my least favorite was Carol. She was a bit whiney and really comes off as “you aren’t paying enough attention to me!” Augh, roll my eyes. To be fair though, I don’t really care for her “acting”. Mary Steenburgen always seems to have the whiney/pouty roles and it’s old. (No pun intended.)

Having said more than enough, on to my Kitty Paws:
One Kitty Paw for Candice Bergen’s solid performance.
One Kitty Paw for the great banter between the women.
One Kitty Paw for classy approach to the older/wiser peeps, playing to their age while seeking out what they need without slamming or shaming the younger generation in the process.

More importantly, I think I enjoyed the movie most because minus the overbearing daughters and acting like their mother is too old and fragile and leaving her with the old people sleeping, I do think that movie does a very good job of displaying issues, fears and personal concerns that is transcending to the young and old. The fear of putting yourself out “there” again. The fear of getting hurt and running from love. The fear that your decisions will hurt others. It’s good to see that you are not alone.

I agree! I went with the gals and it was better than we thought it would be! It’s good to giggle! Not enough to laugh at these days...

Being of the YMJD group, yes it was very funny and great laughs, also being a member of the 70+ age group (soon 72), I thought it was hysterical!!!!

Wendy

For a while now I have scoured both American and Foreign “all time best” Scary film lists, and have noted the ones that have caught my attention. In no particular order, they are:

Goodnight Mommy, Australian, 2014
The Haunting, American, 1963
Ghost Stories, British, 2018
Cargo, Australian, 2017
Veronica, Spanish, 2017
The Orphanage, Spanish. 2007
The Innocents, American, 1961
The Wailing, South Korean, 2016 (checked!)
Don’t look Now, American 1973
Hereditary, American, 2018 (Fingers crossed it comes to Susanville!)
Let the Right One In, Swedish, 2008
The Nun, American, 2018 (Fingers crossed it comes to Susanville!)

Minus The Nun and Hereditary, both of which has yet to be released here in Susanville, I will put the titles on a slip of paper and put all slips of papers in a jar. Then by random draw, I will watch, review and post.

csk

After viewing and truly enjoying Train to Busan, a South Korean film, I was willing to try another South Korean scary film. The Wailing, another South Korean film, also came highly recommended.

Now before I begin I feel it is necessary to mention why I have waited for so long to view this film. According to the recommendations, it is noted that this movie is longer than most movies but promises a “stunning” ending. On Sunday I finally decided to check it out.

Set in a small, rural Korean village, a police sergeant, Jong-goo, is called to work because a woman has died/killed. Now before he goes, his mother convinces him to eat before he goes to work. Needless to say, he’s late to the scene of the crime and hears about it from his boss but tensions are already running high as it seems that it was not just one woman but two people murdered by an uncle who seems to be “out of it” and extremely sickly.

Despite the horrors of this grizzly incident, the police are ready to wash their hands of it, citing the tainted/toxic mushrooms found in the uncle’s blood levels. Our easy going Sergeant is not overly convinced, and starts hearing the locals talk about how this terrible deed happened after the arrival of an unknown Japanese man. (There does seems to be racial tension about this, just an FYI.) But again Jong-goo shirks it off as people being racial/superstitious . . . But shortly there after there is another incident of a woman, seemingly out of her mind, slaughtering her family.
At this point, Jong-goo’s failings as a serious police officer is obvious and you aren’t certain if this a comedy or a scary movie. But to be fair, it does not seem like this is something they have to deal with on a regular basis, either.

But our hero does his best to try and figure out what is going, as it clear that this is not just tainted/toxic mushrooms. He then speaks with a witness who claims that the Japanese man is the cause of all this, and having heard enough about the Japanese man, he and his partner takes the witness to the Japanese man’s house. (The Japanese man has no formal name, so I have to refer to him as the Japanese man.)

Once there, things start to get very interesting, including the fact that Jong-goo’s own daughter seems to be afflicted by the same “disease” as the others. And from this point on, we see the evolution of Jong-goo, from a slow, pokey police officer to a man determined to save his daughter.

At the last 30 minutes of the film, we see all the “people” in play in what is a battle of Good VS Evil and even I was startled by the turning of events.

Hong-jin Na directed The Wailing and has won a few awards for it. For it’s ending, I can see why but . . . I really believe that he was put too many themes and morals and a “too long” story here. As I said before, this movie is longer than most movies, and I suspect Na was taking his time to tell this story but he certainly could have done it a shorter amount of time and he could have done it focusing more on one theme and moral. The first 50 minutes, I was not sure why this was a labeled a scary movie, as our “hero” Jong-goo seems to be Barney Fifing it through all the “zombies” scenes and then the movie turns into a battle of Good vs Evil. Again, too many themes.

Aside from this, only three things really irked me about this movie. 1) the lack of communication between people and 2) it’s 2018, people. I don’t care if you live in small Korean village in the jungle, everyone should know what a zombie looks like. (But this second issue is more personal than the first issue.) And 3rd, I really thought the explanation from the "good" as to why “him” was crappy.

Having said enough, on to the Kitty Paws:
One Kitty Paw for our “hero” Jong-goo. We like him. We want him to save his daughter. He is a good husband and father.
One Kitty Paw because you really don’t know who is who until the last few moments. You doubt, double doubt and second yourself.
One Kitty Paw because there is a curious twist that I did not see coming.
One Kitty Paw because Na’s direction seems to get better and more focused as the film goes along.

But for the things that irked me, I take away One Kitty Paw.

So, if you are in the market for an extra long foreign film that does have a decent ending with a curious twist, and you have a free Sunday afternoon, then at 3 Kitty Paws, consider this your next film.

csk

One bit of warning though, this foreign film contains ritual scenes that include animals. Not much is shown but you should know. Also, there’s a scene where a vicious dog goes after our hero for the second time and while you don’t see anything, you know what happens. FYI

What, no Exorcist!?

I call your attention to the second on the list! I seem to recall an LTC of that name... ;)

We watched Train to Busan and were very impressed with it. We'll have to check this one out too. Is it on Netflix?

Thanks,
sun7flour

Yes! Netflix has it.

csk

I call your attention to the second on the list! I seem to recall an LTC of that name... ;)

Correct!

The LTC title sparked my interest in the movie, so I placed it on the list.

csk

What, no Exorcist!?

What???

Oh, wait. I have already seen it and the director's cut that gave me nightmares!

csk

is it captioned? Or in English?

Captioned in English.

Pegged as "inspired by true events" and so scary people have been known to flee the theater or turn off the rented movie, Veronica made my Halloween scary movies list to see.

Being honest, hearing that it's so scary has kept me at bay. But I summoned up my courage and my protection pillow and with my friend Jaime, we turned it on.

The premise is as followed:

Veronica is a 15 year old girl, living in Madrid, with her mother and three much younger siblings. Veronica is responsible for caring for her siblings. Having recently lost her father, Veronica purchased a OUIJA board to see if she could connect with him. However the day she and her friends decide to try it is a day of a solar eclipse. And despite the ominous warnings regarding the eclipse, the girls make their way down the school's basement and make contact. ONLY not with her father.

As expected, something terrible happens and Veronica is immediately targeted by a demon.

On to my Kitty Paws:
One Kitty Paw for wonderful young cast. You really enjoy all of the children, including Veronica.
One Kitty Paw for suspense of the film. This is not a jumpy film like The Conjuring, though there are one or two jumps. It's more suspenseful.
One Kitty Paw for pulling you in and keeping you there.
And yes. One Half of a Kitty Paw for no adult related scenes. Wow, imagine that. But I gotta warn you, the Spanish are a little more relaxed about nude moments. In short, there is one scene of a naked man. When you see it, you will understand.

Is it as scary as people are reporting? I shake my head, no. It's not. It is however currently on Netflix with English captions.

So, at 3.5 Kitty Paws, it's definitely worth a night of the best popcorn, no cellphones and with some great friends who like scary movies too.

csk