Movie News & Miscellany

fade

fade

Staff member
How does The Conjuring keep landing on Top X Scary Movies lists? I thought that movie was dull, predictable, and not at all scary. It felt like someone watched Insidious and tried to copy the formula, but with a snoozer script.
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

fade said:
How does The Conjuring keep landing on Top X Scary Movies lists? I thought that movie was dull, predictable, and not at all scary. It felt like someone watched Insidious and tried to copy the formula, but with a snoozer script.
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You know they were made by the same guy, right?

I wouldn't put The Conjuring on a Top Scary Movies List, unless we get down to the particulars of years, but I also don't think movies are that scary anyway. If you get down to it, it's unlikely an adult is going to be afraid of a movie. So for movie to be scary, it needs to at least get you anxious about what's going to happen (which requires suspense, not jump scares) or to get under your skin so that even if you weren't scared during the movie, or even didn't think it was a good movie, it bugs you later. For example, I doubt my mom was scared while watching The Mist, but the ending bothered her for days afterward.

For me, a scary book is going to give me nightmares way more than any movie.

But horror and scary aren't the same; there are good thriller films that are scary, and there are good horror movies that aren't scary. A good horror movie can get you scared for the characters, but so can other genres. That's where I'm at with The Conjuring; I really enjoy the story and characters, so I don't want to see bad things happen to the characters. I also like the horror genre because when done right, it explores how people handle being afraid. The Thing (1982) is easily one of my favorite horror movies, if not the favorite, but I don't think it ever scared me; I was too old for that when I saw it. But I love the character stuff, the paranoia, the tension.

I like Insidious too and it knows how to play with the audience. Early on when the wife encounters the big guy ghost, she first seems him pass by the bedroom window. For me, that was creepier than a moment later when he appears in the room yelling at her a moment later. Or the kid ghost dancing in front of the record player. That movie's story started to unravel in the third act, but there were so many ideas present that they carried the movie to the end.

I'd say The Conjuring was more concerned with telling a straightforward story built on old ideas, while Insidious took more risks and new ideas even if it stumbled here and there.

;tldr scary and horror aren't the same. Fade, what are a couple movies you found scary and then what are your favorite horror movies?
 
fade

fade

Staff member
I don't really follow your point. I'm an adult and scary movies scare me. I get absorbed in the moment. The Conjuring failed to absorb me because the scares felt silly. They didn't build my psychological investment--it didn't absorb me at all.

I did not realize the director was the same. Doesn't change anything. Just means he tried to replicate his own formula on a weaker story.
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

I keep seeing people online going, "Even if new Ghostbusters is shit, keep seeing it, over and over! We gotta make this a franchise!"

On the one hand, a fool and his money are soon parted etc, but why would you subject yourself to something you thought was shit, repeatedly? If you wanted to do something so asinine, just buy many tickets like churches were doing for Passion of the Christ. Or why be so determined to make it a success if it's shit anyway? Last time I remember a big push for such a thing was Attack of the Clones--Star Wars fans disliking it, but seeing it multiple times anyway because they wanted to beat Spider-man's opening weekend (and they still failed).

This is not me passing pre-judgment on the movie; I'm intending to see it and I hope it's good. It just doesn't make any sense to campaign for something if you end up disliking it. It's ridiculous.
 
Null

Null

If it's good, word of mouth will spread and people will go see it. If it isn't, word of mouth will spread and people will stop seeing it. Look what happened with Batdark vs Supergrim: Dark of Grimdark.
 
Hailey Knight

Hailey Knight

Null said:
If it's good, word of mouth will spread and people will go see it. If it isn't, word of mouth will spread and people will stop seeing it. Look what happened with Batdark vs Supergrim: Dark of Grimdark.
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Right, for the rest of us, but those particular individuals who plan to see it multiple times even if they don't like it--they don't make any sense to me.
 
AshburnerX

AshburnerX

CynicismKills said:
Jackie

Jackie what the fuck are you trying to say

Time to stop getting kicked in the head
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For someone who makes movies, he sure doesn't understand how the business works in the US. Also... Warcraft is an American directed, American produced, American cast production... it didn't get bought by a Chinese conglomerate until well into production. How exactly is this a symbol of Chinese dominance? Because it made more money there? No. That's just a signal that the Chinese movie market is less demanding of it's films, not that it is the thermometer of what is hot.

Where are the hot chinese kids films? Little Door Gods only JUST made back it's production costs and others tend to flop because of lack of brand recognition outside of China.
Where are the hot chinese comedies? Stephen Chow makes good comedies but I'd hardly call them blockbusters. Even The Mermaid only made about 500 million.

Unless China plans to make 1.5 billion from it's domestic audiences, I don't see how Mr. Chan's vision could come to pass without China depending on foreign filmmakers to make their hits... and at that point, how is it not a product of foreign influences?[DOUBLEPOST=1465779051,1465778914][/DOUBLEPOST]
Terrik said:
Jackie Chan has been an ever-increasing CCP shill and his reputation among mainlanders has taken a huge nosedive. There has been much eyerolling on this on Chinese social media.
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Also this. It's been rumored that a lot of Jackie Chan's entourage are actually CCP agents there to ensure his compliance... there's a signifigant chance he could be the next Ai Weiwei if he doesn't keep towing the line, assuming that he's not actually onboard with the CCP program, which he could be. *shrug*
 
CynicismKills

CynicismKills

Yeah he says people should fear their movie industry but it's American movies making the mega-bucks, not theirs. I don't think we're going to see any Chinese films open nationwide here, let alone make billions.
 
Terrik

Terrik

AshburnerX said:
For someone who makes movies, he sure doesn't understand how the business works in the US. Also... Warcraft is an American directed, American produced, American cast production... it didn't get bought by a Chinese conglomerate until well into production. How exactly is this a symbol of Chinese dominance? Because it made more money there? No. That's just a signal that the Chinese movie market is less demanding of it's films, not that it is the thermometer of what is hot.

Where are the hot chinese kids films? Little Door Gods only JUST made back it's production costs and others tend to flop because of lack of brand recognition outside of China.
Where are the hot chinese comedies? Stephen Chow makes good comedies but I'd hardly call them blockbusters. Even The Mermaid only made about 500 million.

Unless China plans to make 1.5 billion from it's domestic audiences, I don't see how Mr. Chan's vision could come to pass without China depending on foreign filmmakers to make their hits... and at that point, how is it not a product of foreign influences?[DOUBLEPOST=1465779051,1465778914][/DOUBLEPOST]

Also this. It's been rumored that a lot of Jackie Chan's entourage are actually CCP agents there to ensure his compliance... there's a signifigant chance he could be the next Ai Weiwei if he doesn't keep towing the line, assuming that he's not actually onboard with the CCP program, which he could be. *shrug*
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If he's not onboard, then he really is a great actor. It's one of the reasons he's so disliked. He's been saying weird stuff for years now. Also his son getting busted for narcotics in Beijing didn't help things either.
 
AshburnerX

AshburnerX

Terrik said:
If he's not onboard, then he really is a great actor. It's one of the reasons he's so disliked. He's been saying weird stuff for years now. Also his son getting busted for narcotics in Beijing didn't help things either.
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Isn't he mostly estranged from his family? I know I've never seen him with them... ever.
 
Null

Null

CynicismKills said:
Yeah he says people should fear their movie industry but it's American movies making the mega-bucks, not theirs. I don't think we're going to see any Chinese films open nationwide here, let alone make billions.
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True. Among the most popular American movies that made HUGE money in China: Transformers Age of Extinction, Pacific Rim, and Captain America, both Winter Soldier and Civil War. Part of the reason is that the Chinese audience apparently really responds to the notion that one can love in their nation's ideals and heritage, while still not approving of the government's actions.

It's a weird thing, but the way American films have frequently added or included China in their plotlines, generally as a good/neutral setting or even as an ally, has not only vastly increased their overseas box office, but worked as a form of positive propaganda - "The Americans are making movies where we're part of the heroes, so they must not be so bad," more or less. It's better to have another superpower as a friendly trade partner than a bitter militaristic rival.
 
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