GHOSTS OF MARS ahoy!

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Griff [Mola]
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GHOSTS OF MARS ahoy!

Post by Griff [Mola] »

Alrighty, you spoilt American brothers and sisters, not long to go now. Let's hear some opinions on this flick. I'm just hoping for a kick arse beer drinking movie so tell me it delivers on that level or I'll gouge my eyes out with kangaroo cocks and never go to the cinema again.

[This message has been edited by Griff [Mola] (edited 08-23-2001).]
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Chris Slack
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Post by Chris Slack »

Get those Kangaroo cocks ready! I'll keep it short and bitter. While there are some good "creature" makeup and a couple of tasty KNB gore effects, "Ghosts of Mars" is at best a rental flick. It did have a few good moments but the overall experience just didn't cut it for me. You'll see lots of "Assault on Precinct 13" in the situation but not necessarily in a good way. I'll give this another chance when it comes out on video but right now I'm just kind of bummed as to what it could have been. I probably should have just gone to "Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back"!

Oh yeah, the GOM banners will be disappearing as soon as I find out if I won any prizes Image

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[This message has been edited by Chris (edited 08-24-2001).]
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Darth Tanner
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Post by Darth Tanner »

I for one was real iffy about this one as well. When I first heard about it, I did have high hopes for it. But after seeing the uninspiring previews and hearing more about it, I decided to pass on it. I went to see JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK instead and was glad that I did. If I see this at all it will probably be on video. It didn't exactly have a very strong opening so it might not last too long in theaters anyway. According to DVDFile, Columbia has announced a DVD release date of 12/4....so that should tell you something.


While we are on the subject, does anyone else think that John Carpenter has followed in the ranks of Tobe Hooper and others as "directors who have lost their touch"? Don't get me wrong I like Carpenter a lot, but when was the last time he made a really impressive movie like THE THING? OK he did make some good ones like BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA and VAMPIRES (although his VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED remake sucked), but they all lack the punch of his earlier films. I hope that whatever he is cooking up now will get him back to his roots. But I seriously doubt he will ever make another movie as good as HALLOWEEN or ASSAULT ON PRECINT 13.

[This message has been edited by Darth Tanner (edited 08-28-2001).]
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Post by DylanDog »

Well, I really liked In The Mouth Of Madness and even Prince of Darkness grew on me a little after the 2nd viewing, but the trailer for Ghost of Mars looked just terrible, imo. It pretty much sapped any enthusiasm I may have had for the movie.

I recently watched a lot of Carpenters stuff though and must say he's done a lot more good than I had ever thought he did. In addition to the 2 mentioned above, The Thing, Assault on Precinct 13, Big Trouble, and Halloween are all pretty damn good movies so I have a hard time getting totally down on the guy (even though I hear he's an asshole).

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Post by Scott »

To tell you the truth, I was rather surprised by Ghosts of Mars. I mean it certainly doesn't measure up to his earlier films, but it was a decent action flick. And it had a great musical score too. Worth a good night's entertainment. He's certainly faired better than Tobe Hooper who IMHO has hit rock bottom.
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Post by Remo D »

Since when is "dumb but fun" good enough for a John Carpenter film? The last one I really, really liked was IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, even though VAMPIRES had plenty of moments. But GHOSTS OF MARS suffers from the single worst script ever used in a Carpenter film--either that, or they changed the hell out of it without looking back. I didn't bother reviewing RUSH HOUR 2--now THERE's a film where "you know what to expect, and it does its job" will suffice. But dammit, we have the right to hold Carpenter to certain standards.

What good there is: Natasha Henstridge should be very pleased that she got a strong female lead role that didn't require nudity (though they couldn't resist just one little Ripley underwear shot, could they?). KNB has nothing whatsoever to be ashamed of--there's plenty of effective flesh-rending, no doubt about it.

Now, the rest of it...

Have you ever seen Ice Cube act in a movie? Then you've seen him in this one already--he's got charisma, but I couldn't believe how one-note he was this time. "See you later, you big M-Fer???" Sheesh.

What an unbelievable waste of PAM GRIER, for God's sake!

The score? Same old, same old--wasn't it just the THEY LIVE theme sped up?

The seduction scene out of nowhere? Yeah, that made sense...

SPOILER TERRITORY:

Could there have been just a bit more genuine emotion/reaction to the loss of a brother?


What about the drug that ejected the evil spirit? Completely forgotten for the sake of the "blow the reactor" gag?

"We'll kill the host bodies, but we have no idea how it's going to affect what's in them." Oh, boy--great plan, then.

A bunch of posturing instead of an ending? What exactly do our heroes plan to DO? Blow the hell out of the ghosts? Kill the possessees and hope they don't get taken over themselves? Blow another reactor?

A few good moments, a few good effects... I for one say that it's NOT ENOUGH! I love beer and I love movies, but a movie that's not good enough without beer doesn't deserve a good review on drunken potential alone. Tie me kangaroo down, Griff-buddy! And I mean that with all proper respect.



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Griff [Mola]
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Post by Griff [Mola] »

Although I value your humble opinions, folks, I think it best if I waited for GHOSTS to rock up on these shores before I let the marsupials out of their enclosure. Sorry to disappoint you.

I've pretty much accepted that none of my favourite directors of yesteryear will revisit their glory days in the same capacity as before. Although in Carpenter's case, he hasn't yet made a film I can't appreciate.

But is GHOSTS really that poor? I mean, beyond not meeting the high expectations that come with a Carpenter flick, does it really deserve to languish a few rungs below the likes of JURASSIC PARK 3? Are we getting personal here or does it fail to even meet Hollywood's mediocre standards?

I'll be sure to share my sentiments come Oct 25 or thereabouts...

Griff.

P.S. I notice Roger 'Fatty' Ebert gave this 3 stars. Say what?!
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Post by T.Luster »

...and if Spike Lee directed GHOST OF MARS,Roger Ebert would've given it four stars :-)
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violentm
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Post by violentm »

Yeah all you need to do if fill your movie with black people and Ebert will praise it to high heaven!!
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Post by ROBERT »

Ebert is a fucking P.C hypocrite, of the worst kind. If a film is directed by a new talent who happens to be a visible minority, he'll praise it, even if it's a total piece of crap.

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Post by Remo D »

In all fairness, Ebert thumbs-downed Spike Lee's BAMBOOZLED (which I liked).

One of my very posts to Mortado's had to do with Ebert and his review of THE BEYOND, among other things. I've tried more than once to get him to answer my very detailed questions regarding his approach to horror films, and I've come to the unsurprising conclusion that he just doesn't understand how and why they work (or fail to).

Yes, he's thumbs-upped some classics--yes, he's blasted some stinkers. But that doesn't mean he actually has a grasp on the genre. Read his "I Hated, Hated, Hated This Movie" book and count the howlers and contradictions.

My theory: Roger Ebert is neither an unintelligent man nor an unintelligent critic, but no one person (myself included) can thoroughly absorb and understand EVERY type of film under the sun. As a horror specialist (though of course I like all kinds of movies), I have no doubt that my experience in this field has come to outrank his, and I've finally given up trying to get him to acknowledge my take on the genre--I have simply accepted that he doesn't get it and that he never will.

Notice that he often refuses to review horror films altogether? In the past few years leading up to yesterday, where, for example, were BRIDE OF CHUCKY, HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL and JEEPERS CREEPERS? It's annoying to see them slighted, but let's be reasonable--what do you think he would say if he actually saw them?

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Post by Darth Tanner »

I myself don't agree with critics (who can?), but I always wondered what makes a movie great/bad in Roger Ebert's eyes. As I recall he trashed HANNIBAL (which I thought was a decent movie) and THE BEYOND by giving them each one and 1/2 stars. So how in the world does something like GHOSTS OF MARS rate that much higher in his opinion? True I haven't seen GOM yet, but there is no way that movie could be above the level of HANNIBAL. I'll admit this guy is a great movie buff (which is quite evident by his script for BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS), but I just can't comprehend his values as a critic. Maybe he would be better off writing screenplays for Russ Meyer. Who knows...if Ebert comes up with a decent script he could coax old Russ back into making another movie Image But then again he is one of the few critics who I can recall praising THE PHANTOM MENACE and NATURAL BORN KILLERS, so maybe there is hope.

The one critic who really drives me up the wall is Daniel Neman, the head film critic for Richmond Times-Dispatch. While he has praised some real gems and rightfully trashed well-deserved stinkers, I find myself disagreeing with his on when it comes to certain genre films. He only gave X-MEN *1/2 and seemed to miss the whole film entirely based on his review. I also found it funny that he gave HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL ** and called it "dull". I also think that he is another one that doesn't quite understand why horror films work. But I was quite surprised that he gave JAY AND SILENT BOB STRIKE BACK ***.

It seems like the only good place to find dependable reviews for my type of films is this board. I have not once had a different opinion on any film Remo has reviewed, so that makes him a dependable critic in my book Image
"I have existed from the morning of the world and I shall exist until the last star falls from the heavens. Although I have taken the form of Gaius Caligula, I am all men as I am no man and so... I am a God." - Malcolm McDowell, CALIGULA
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Post by ROBERT »

Ebert thumbed down a Spike Lee film? It boogles the mind! However, I agree that Ebert should stay away from horror films, altogether. When you have a blatant condescending atittude toward an entire genre,it's best to do you're viewers(or readers)that one favour. And his horror film reviews do reek of it. His misunderstanding the genre aside.

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Griff [Mola]
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Post by Griff [Mola] »

Well, it finally opened here in Australia yesterday.

Man, I dunno how to say this but... I enjoyed GHOSTS OF MARS! Granted, it wasn't 100% right on the money but there was definitely enough there to savour. I dunno, it had a certain... lunacy ...that I got off on. I found it quite funny and entertaining. The ending was predictable but I was glad when it came, almost as if I knew where I was and what I was watching, like I was in on some sort of joke. A drunken FORBIDDEN PLANET maybe? Perhaps I had prepared myself for the worst or maybe I'm just too damn easy to please. Maybe it was the threat of eye gouging kangaroo cocks, I dunno. I think I'd best not analyse it too much lest the holes appear and I start making excuses for the movie. It is what it is and I think it'll have a good life in my DVD collection. I wasn't too thrilled with VAMPIRES when I first saw it but now I take it with me wherever I go. Obviously there were wasted opportunities (a full scale seige on that train would've been a great way to round up the action, not too mention blah, blah, characterization, blah) but overall, I'm glad there's still people out there to make flicks like this. My apologies, I'm just some sort of freak of nature and should be punished severely. Get in line.
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Post by Chris Slack »

I'll give it another go when it comes out on DVD. Maybe I was just expecting too much when I saw it on opening night.

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"Regrettable... I was hoping for a colleague, but at least we have
another experimental subject..." -Mesa of Lost Women

Don't forget to check out our music site Gravemusic.com
"Regrettable... I was hoping for a colleague, but at least we have
another experimental subject..." -Mesa of Lost Women
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