VideoGameHollywood

Now this is a movie I have personally been waiting for since I first saw the original movie when I was a kid. John Carpenter's THE THING is my favorite movie ever made and for good reason. It's a violent, intricate, horror/sci-fi movie that has an atmosphere that has never been replicated in film. All of the actors in the original take their roles very seriously and there is a genuine feel of paranoia and fear throughout the entire film.

So how was the prequel? In short... not that great.

I've went to see this movie twice now and am still thinking about certain scenes that really hurt the overall movie. Without giving to much away, I'll say the biggest issue was the use of CGI. The original John Carpenter masterpiece relied on practical effects that were pulled offed wonderfully, but this new film just had the same problems that most Hollywood movies suffer from these days. The old days of practical effects and model building are dead, and now its far easier to rely on a computer to generate a woman's chest bursting open. At times I felt like I was watching Men in Black 3.

But not all of the movie was bad. I was very impressed by the overall acting and never had any real issues with any of the characters (except for the doctor who was just a bit cliché). When first hearing about the movie and a lead female role, I was disappointed and knew this would be a typical Hollywood movie. Too my surprise, Mary Elizabeth Winstead actually pulled off the role extremely well. She took the role seriously and was very believable throughout the film.

Overall I enjoyed watching The Thing Prequel and I'm glad they made it, but it just can't live up to the original. It was a nice companion piece but the film really fell short in the last quarter of the film.

Rating = C+

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Before watching this film, all I heard about the movie was that it was filmed in first person and was french... Then I saw who directed it, Gaspar Noé. I've seen Irreversible and must say it was overrated garbage, but there were a few scenes that very well done. Many people think that Gaspar Noe's films are artistic and inspiring, but I only see them as a cheap gimmick. Throughout Enter the Void, there is a blend of great shoots and then the worst closeups of a florescent light or wall that just sits there for over 5 minutes. I really felt the movie had only a few important scenes then the rest was just music video, screensaver, nonsense.

Reading the summary, "A drug-dealing teen is killed in Japan, after which he reappears as a ghost to watch over his sister." is not a good description at all. It was more like "Drug- dealing teen brother and sister are in a weird love relationship, brother dies, sister gets pregnant from Japanese thug, brother is reborn"....

The movie just forces you to watch unpleasant situations and calls it art. If you are a fan of this film and watching unpleasant rape scenes then this film is for you, but you need to have your hard drive checked by the FBI if you truly enjoyed this film.

Rating = D-

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The Best Worse Movie, is a look at the making of the film Troll 2 and its journey from being crowned the "worst film of all time" to a cherished cult classic. Troll 2 is a perfect example of the "so bad it's funny" category. Very few movies get everything, I mean everything so far from right, except for Troll 2.

The Best Worse Movie was made by the child actor from the film, he manages to find all of the cast and discusses with them how the movie changed there lives. It was funny to see the reaction from everyone involved who either wrote the film off as an embarrassment or just a good laugh. Except for the Italian director of Troll 2, who still regarded the film as a masterpiece.

I was very shocked how much I enjoyed this documentary. I enjoyed it as much as "King of Kong", and really enjoyed the story of how a film can go so wrong in every department. It goes to show how beloved some of these terrible campy 80's movies are today with the Nintendo generation.

Rating= A+

UPDATE: After watching this documentary, I went out and watched Troll 2, and yes, it was as bad as they say.