Hello everyone, what movie features a death by a stuffed toy snake in a car or pick-up truck? I'm pretty sure it was late 80's or early 90's. It's beyond cool that Kindertrauma.com exists, you guys are the best.
Doug P
Hi there! For years I've been trying to find a fire safety film I watched in elementary school back in 2003. Here's what I've managed to remember from the movie:
I remember the camera zoomed into the fire as she was screaming and there was knocking heard at the door. I also remember one of the scenes after the fire was of the girl (I think her name was Jamie) walking down a hospital hallway covered from head to toe in bandages like a mummy, walking with a walker. Another scene I remember is of her and her mom in either her bedroom or a hospital room and she was asking her mom if she could take her bandages off because they were hot and itchy. Other friends of mine remember it as well, but none of us can find it. Hope someone here can help!
–Meg N.
As far as let downs go, GODZILLA VS KONG isn't so bad. It delivers some true eye-popping spectacle or maybe I'm just the easiest mark when it comes to buildings being destroyed and flashy neon colors. I wonder if it's possible I might have enjoyed it more if I was able to see it in my beloved (but now dead-by-Covid) local movie theater? Maybe. On the other hand, I didn't mind watching in sweats with a fridge full of beer either. Ah, why blame the victim (me) though? The sad truth is that this is a movie that does a great job with monsters destroying things and a terrible job creating anything remotely human. I'm a big disaster movie fan so I'm not asking for much as far as characterization goes. I just need a few quick but juicy brush strokes. I'm not looking for more backstory, more info or more time spent with the characters; I just need them not to be dried out charmless husks. I'm curious if anyone can confirm if director Andrew Wingard appeared younger after filming because it truly appears that he sucked the life energy from his cast.
We all want to see the monsters fight its true. We all know going in that we're going to have to endure a bunch of scenes with people looking at maps and computers speaking gobley-goop. It's an agreement we all sign up for. Usually in a well done film the downtime works to create anticipation for the promised eye-candy and may even accentuate the eventual cathartic release random destruction brings. But GVK seems to take it a couple dozen painful steps further and the non-action scenes play like dead air and white noise. I'd say every other movie in this monster –verse series (GODZILLA, KONG: SKULL ISLAND, GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS) dealt with pretty much the same format but were still able to install a sense of wonder and a variety of good and bad human-types to get behind or root against. I'm not sure how nothing remotely like that happens here. To render Rebecca Hall uninteresting, Alexander Starsgard uncharismatic and Millie Bobbie Brown a dead weight is really some sort of unholy cinematic alchemy.
This is a flick that introduces something called the "hollow earth" a stupid concept that a Saturday morning cartoon would be embarrassed to try to sell and yet it's sadly appropriate for such an empty vessel. GODZILLA VS KONG is beautiful, mighty beautiful. There are some incredible visuals that brilliantly call back Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES but I'd almost rather check them out in a special effects reel. Again, I don't think I'm asking for much just to have the bare minimum of believable story and at least remotely relatable characters. Heck, I don't even think my pal Godzilla came across very well, somehow he even seemed like he was there to pick up a paycheck and split and he's (to the best of my knowledge) pure CGI; how does one suck the energy out of something that isn't even alive? Oh well, I loved the fight against the backdrop of neon buildings in Hong Kong, In fact, I'd say its worth the price of admission alone, I guess. Plus there's a pretty nifty surprise special guest star monster I was Mecha-delighted to see. Maybe next time add a puppy in peril though and give me something to wring my hands about.
Wait a minute; something weird is going on here. I'm very much familiar with renting a movie hoping it will be great only for it to be clearly NOT great but it's very rare that I rent a movie hoping it will be dopey and it ends up being pretty damn awesome. Turns out, THE EMPTY MAN is far from the empty-headed, millionth, teens vs. creepy pasta demon its (should-have-been-changed) title suggests. This movie is a chilling and intelligent mind-screw with too many layers to count in one sitting and a delightfully maddening aftertaste. It shouldn't be clumped in with the BYE BYE and SLENDER men of the world; it's more in line with brain-twisters like JACOB's LADDER and neo-noir journeys to hell like ANGEL HEART (BLADE RUNNER, PRINCE OF DARKNESS and A CURE FOR WELLNESS also popped into my head). Mostly though, this is epic cosmic horror that can't be easily explained or contained. It's crazy good or at least, totally my bag. Thank God I had rented every other movie at Redbox and finally gave it a chance.
After an extended unsettling prologue that eradicates any question of the film's quality, we meet grieving former detective James Lasombra (a convincingly pestered James Badge Dale) who has been asked by a friend to find her missing daughter. What briefly starts out as a possible supernatural investigation reminiscent of THE MOTHMAN PROPHECIES (that's a compliment) miraculously and consistently expands to involve cults, conspiracies, occult rituals, Tulpa theories, nightmarish hallucinations and an incredibly impressive amount of mythology and world building. I'm going to say I won't say more so as to not ruin things but the truth of the matter is that I'm still trying to wrap my head around it. I don't feel bad though, THE EMPTY MAN is built in such a way as to almost demand multiple viewings and interpretations. There's so much going on its like watching five movies at once.
THE EMPTY MAN is based on a graphic novel by Cullen Bunn and Vanesa R. Del Rey that I'm not familiar with so I can't say how loyal this adaption is but I'm curious to find out (note to self: put it on hold from library). I can tell you though that director, writer, editor David Prior astounds with his attention to detail and he's rather a maestro at creating lingering visuals and a sense of paranoid dread (his resume is packed with work directing DVD extras for David Fincher films and that puzzle piece fits snugly). As implied above, I'm definitely going to have to revisit this monster of a movie to decipher its possibly infinite assertions but suffice to say this is satisfying cinema that makes you feel as if you've just finished a great meal or book. As much as I enjoyed it, I can't shake the feeling I'm only viewing the tip of the vexing, hypnotic, colossal iceberg.
Yikes, I feel like I haven't written in a long time and am getting very close to the "and he never did again" zone so here I am forcing myself. Let's talk about THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW because I love that movie and that should take the edge off. I mean, this flick offers two of my favorite things (wolves and snow) right in the title! How often does that happen? And it delivers so much more; it's genuinely funny, legit scary, surprisingly soulful and it's finely crafted all around (the cinematography and score are exquisite). It's perfectly cast with memorable characters and it just happens to be the last film to feature the great Robert Forster (to whom it is dedicated). It can stand on its hind legs right up there with the best werewolf films of all time.
Jim Cummings stars as John Marshall, a small town cop dealing with multiple savage (and old school gory) murders while also juggling AA meetings, a snippy daughter and a father who may be more ill than he is letting on. The guy is literally splitting at the seams under the pressure and it's both highly comical and painfully relatable. Cummings is fantastic in the role and he has the type of intense, manic energy that reminded me of horror legend Jeffrey Combs. Here's the thing that blew my mind though- that I didn't figure out until the closing credits: Jim Cummings not only stars in TWOSH, he also wrote and directed it (!!!) This blows my mind because I can't think of many talents that could do all three and the ones I can think of don't do werewolves and can't crack me up heartily multiple times throughout a film. Color me impressed.
SNOW HOLLOW miraculously has got me putting it in the same camp as my lifelong faves AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON & THE HOWLING (not an easy accomplishment by any stretch). The effects are top notch and as humorous as it is, it also has a haunting quality as it takes the time to humanize its multiple victims. Actually, there's an abundance of humanity on display here; the way Cummings juxtaposes lycanthropy with the pitfalls of alcoholism is brilliant. Riki Lindhome (who was also great in the LAST HOUSE remake) brings much quiet power to her patient detective sidekick role and Jimmy Tatro delivers a crazy amount of depth with a handful of scenes. Robert Forester is Robert Forster and he rules. It's fantastic, well-earned kismet that he should close out his career with such a respectable role in a genre film. Talking about this movie just makes me want to see it again and I'm looking forward to many revisits in the future. Track down THE WOLF OF SNOW HOLLOW as fast as you can; don't let it get away.
There are ten differences between the image above (A) and the image below (B)> Can you find them all?
You must be logged in to post a comment.