tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post4484738985365332684..comments2024-01-09T04:01:00.672+00:00Comments on Breakfast In The Ruins: Top Fifteen Hammers:Part # 3.Benhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14951955227326548340noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-57977551338763560092013-07-03T11:10:45.294+01:002013-07-03T11:10:45.294+01:00Hi Casey - glad you enjoyed the Hammer stuff, and ...Hi Casey - glad you enjoyed the Hammer stuff, and hope you enjoy catching some of the films for the first time as much as I did/do.<br /><br />And yeah, I think you're right about 'Captain Kronos'; doing a swashbuckling action/adventure vampire film was a great idea, but sadly I think the film that actually emerged is a total mess, despite having some neat touches here and there.<br /><br />It definitely has a more 'modern' feel than most Hammer horrors though (sort of knowingly pulpy, action-focused etc.), and as such, yeah, it could stand up very well to a modern re-make... after all, improving on a failure should be a far more appealing task for a filmmaker than rehashing a classic...Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951955227326548340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-77582909508445504212013-07-03T05:37:59.212+01:002013-07-03T05:37:59.212+01:00Thanks for this whole series on Hammer! I now fee...Thanks for this whole series on Hammer! I now feel worse than ever that I've seen so few of them, haha. Burning with desire to see most of what's on your lists, especially "The Gorgon" and "The Damned." By the way, how do you feel about "Captain Kronos, Vampire Hunter"? For some reason, it's one of the few Hammers I've seen. I know it was a flop but I thought it was quite intriguing in some ways, despite serious flaws. While I'm usually fanatically anti-remake, it seems like one movie that might be worth doing over. In any event, thanks for this great series! Caseyhttp://caseyellis66.wordpress.com/author/caseyellis66/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-84203534433177821532013-06-17T12:03:31.705+01:002013-06-17T12:03:31.705+01:00Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Devil Ride...Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the Devil Rides Out issue Jesse... I've heard similar feedback from a few people, but what can I say, I'm just stubborn (and happier with the old version on DVD, tbh - should pick one up whilst it's still available..). And you're right, including an option on the disc for playing the original version would have left everyone happy, so a real shame they didn't put the effort into sorting it out.<br /><br />And guess we'll have to agree to disagree on '..Monster From Hell' Elliot - as outlined in the post, I think it's a fine addition to the series, displaying as much quality in writing, directing & performances as any of the earlier films, in spite of greatly reduced financial circumstances.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14951955227326548340noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-11481156557429476912013-06-15T18:48:16.522+01:002013-06-15T18:48:16.522+01:00"I like the fact that the supernatural appari..."I like the fact that the supernatural apparitions in this film simply appear, plain as day, with no thunder or lightning or palaver. The way that bug-eyed genies and giant spiders just turn up like they popped round to borrow a cup of sugar makes things all the more frightening, and surprising, and just plain weird."<br /><br />I wish they had presented a branching option on the blu ray to watch with unaltered effects, but the changes are more minimal than you are suggesting here. I don't know if you've seen the blu ray yourself, but the apparitions like the spider and the devil still just fade into existence in the same way, I think the only scene of an apparition appearing that was tweaked was when the Angel of Death appeared on his horse, they added some light streaming out of the door he seemed to come through. They also added some blue flames in the background of the very brief shot of the Angel of Death's face, made the lightning effect more realistic-looking, and did some other minor tweaks like cleaning up some of the more noticeable matte lines, adding clouds in the background of a shot of a building, giving the giant spider a shadow...there's a list of the changes <a href="" rel="nofollow">here</a>, and you can see screengrabs of the changes <a href="http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/09/28/blog-enhanced-effects-restoration-or-desecration/2/" rel="nofollow">here</a> and <a href="http://www.homecinemachoice.com/news/article/the-devil-rides-out-special-edition/14124" rel="nofollow">here</a>. Nothing that looks out of place in terms of what was possible with 1960s effects, as far as I could see.JesseMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09993568347649474812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3369610344911858466.post-16217466232222453812013-06-15T06:48:02.900+01:002013-06-15T06:48:02.900+01:00Monster From Hell only proves that any Cushing is ...Monster From Hell only proves that any Cushing is better than no Cushing. It's the only Hammer Frankenstein I dislike, unworthy of the great Peter.Elliot Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964519903027517480noreply@blogger.com