150 Movies You Should See Before You Die by Steve Miller Read Free Book Online Page B

the principle that if if he threw enough violence and gore onto the screen, no one would notice the lazy writing.
    Thumbs Down Rating:
    The Crappies
    The Worst Writing Award goes to … Dario Argento for inane dialogue and worse plotting. Sometimes gore just isn't enough. And the Worst Actor Award goes to … David Hemmings for sleep-walking through most of the picture. Of course, he might have been trying to convey the fact that on more than one occasion his character acts like he was dropped on his head as a baby.
    They Really Said It!
    Marcus : Gianna, there's someone in the house absolutely trying to kill me! Betcha Didn't Know
    The R-rated version widely released in the United States is 98 minutes long, while the full version is unrated with a run time of 128 minutes. The version titled The Hatchet Murders is the shorter, rated version.
    Despite an additional thirty minutes of screen time, the unrated version does nothing to fix the plot lapse mentioned above, not to mention the several other blunders the film contains.
    Trivia Quiz
    Which of the following actresses received her first major screen role in a Dario Argento film?
    A: Jennifer Connelley
    B: Uma Thurman
    C: Milla Jovovich
    D: Diane Lane
    Answer: A. Jennifer Connelley, who starred in the 1985 Argento-written/directed supernatural thrilled Phenomena. She portrays a girl who can psychically communicate with insects.
DEMONS
DACFILM, 1985
    PRODUCER Dario Argento
    WRITERS Dardano Saccheti (story), Dario Argento, Lamberto Bava, and Franco Ferrini (script)
    DIRECTOR Lamberto Bava
    STARS Urbano Barberini ( George ), Bobby Rhodes ( Tony ), Natasha Hovey ( Cheryl ), Fiore Argento ( Hannah ), Karl Zinni ( Ken ), Genretta Giancarlo ( Rosemary ), Nicoletta Elmi ( Ingrid ), and Paola Cozzo ( Kathy )
    The audience at a screening of a horror movie is sealed in the theater and one by one transformed into the hideous creatures featured in the film.
    Why It Sucks
    Evidently the director of this occasionally scary movie decided that story was an optional extra and what the audience needed was a string of transformations and violent murders to be satisfied. The focus is on gore effects, and the ending doesn't fit with anything that happens earlier in the film, compounding the feeling of blood-drenched chaos. Any viewer watching for more than gore will quickly feel his patience running thin.
    Thumbs Down Rating:
    The Crappies
    The Special Recognition for Most Nonsensical Apocalypse Award goes to … Somehow, by the end of the movie, the world is overrun with demons. So why was it necessary to trap the characters in the theater?
    And the Worst Director Award goes to … Lamberto Bava for carrying on his father's tradition of making films that feature some great visual set pieces but that have halfbaked, awful scripts.
    They Really Said It!
    Tony : We got to stop it I tell you, we got to stop the damn movie!
    Betcha Didn't Know
    Lamberto Bava cites this as his favorite out of the thirty-four films he has directed.
    Lamberto Bava is a third-generation Italian filmmaker. His grandfather, Eugenio Bava, was a cameraman and trailblazing effects artist during the early days of cinema, and his father, Mario Bava, was a prolific cinematographer, director, specialeffects artist, and writer.
    Trivia Quiz
    How did Lamberto Bava gain his first directorial experience?
    A: He took over as director on A Shot in the Dark after Blake Edwards quit the film
    B: His father, director Mario Bava, pretended to be ill during the filming of Shock so Lamberto had the opportunity to direct a few scenes.
    C: He bet Dario Argento that he could script the gore scenes for Demons in less than a week. He won the bet and got to direct the film.
    D: His father, Mario Bava, was a good friend of Dario Argento and asked Argento to give Lamberto a chance to direct Inferno .
    Answer: B. His father pretended to be ill, so his son could direct some scenes.
THE MACHINE GIRL
Fever Dreams, 2008
    PRODUCERS John Sirabella