The Silence of the Lambs — Phew!

27th April, 2017.

How long have you been reading Nik Nak’s Old Peculiar?

If you don’t mind my asking?

A long time, I hope.

Or, at least, long enough to realise I try and watch a film, every so often.

Long enough, I hope, to realise there’s only so films I watch — and then write about — twice.

Counting this post?

There’s only two films that I’d put on that list.

One … ?

Is Event Horizon: twice I’ve seen it, on those oh so quiet nights.

The other?

Is the film I had to sit down with again: having learnt of the recent death of its director, the late Jonathan Demme.

One of only three films of his — along side Philadelphia and Stop Making Sense — that I’ve ever seen.

The crime film that is … 

The Silence of the Lambs.

~≈Ê≈~

The Raven (2012): Better than Some Ravens I could mention …

The Raven poster

Edgar Allan Poe

John Cusack as Edgar Allan Poe

Screen Shot of Mac OS X 10•6•8 on my LCD TV screen

Bruce, on TELLY!

9th August 2012

You know, that’s a hell of a lot of photos for one post, isn’t it?

Isn’t it … ?

It is: especially when you consider that they’re mostly screen shots …

Oh … and a photo of my aging Mac Mini, Bruce, hooked up to my TV set.

I know it sounds daft, but it’s not something I’ve tried that often.

The once I did … ?   Was last night.   Which temporarily blew Bruce’s sound.

Happily, that’s something I’ve been able to reset: mostly by making sure that everything was reseated, and using the Apple Hardware tests on Bruce’s original Install disc.

Which was nice, from where I’m sitting …

But possibly not why this post caught your eye.

You’re probably wondering WHY I had an aging Mac Mini wired into a flat screen tv, aren’t you … ?

I’ll be frank.

I fancied seeing if I could watch the 2012, John McTeigue directed thriller, The Raven, that way.

The answer, there … ?   Is a definite yes.

‹‹•››

10th August, 2012.

Or, ay least, is a definite yes to watching a film on my TV, via Bruce.

You see, the model of TV I have has a vga socket, and matching audio jack: so in the case of films I’ve rented from iTunes — or stubborn video files that refuse to let themselves be converted into a format my TV can play — being able to hook the two up is useful.

And something I fancied doing with the copy I’d got hold of, of the 2012 film, The Raven.

Which — just so you know — isn’t the same as the 2006 film I’d caught at the same time as the DVD version of Black Swan.   The 2006 The Raven is a heap of dung that’s barely even usable as fertiliser … !

This year’s version, with John Cusack … ?

Well … 

‹‹•››

Named after the poem by Edgar Allan Poe, 2012 film, The Raven sees John Cusack as writer, Edgar Allan Poe, in his last days of life: living in Baltimore, hopelessly alcoholic, fast running out of cash … 

And secretly engaged to society débutante, Emily Hamilton: played by Alice Eve.

It’s at the point where our hero is being threatened by an enraged father, and fobbed off by an editor to ready to hire in Longfellow, that Poe is contacted by Inspector Emmett Fields (Luke Evans).

Baltimore’s finest isn’t after an autograph: isn’t even a Poe fan.

Oh, no … 

He’s got a crime scene, with a couple of dead bodies in it: that looks suspiciously like The Murders in the Rue Morgue.

Not long after that, one of Poe’s critics is found dead, having been killed by an equally suspiciously familiar looking pendulum.

‹‹•››

Now, I’ve got to confess, I’m asking myself a few questions, after all that lot.

Firstly, was hooking up my aging Mac Mini to my TV worth the time and effort … ?

Absolutely, I think: it let me watch a film I’d’ve not seen in any other way, in something approaching the way a film of that ratio’s meant to be watched.

The next question, of course, was whether the 2012 The Raven was worth watching?

I’m not too sure, actually: I do know it’s one hell of an improvement on the 2006 film of the same name.

Which, frankly, isn’t that hard: Absentia was one hell of an improvement on the 2006 film.

But in and of itself … ?

I’ll be frank with you, I’m thinking that even though The Raven is an enjoyable way to kill some time,  7 handles that idea — of a literary serial killer — with a lot more conviction.

You might want to think about that …

The Raven (2012)★½☆☆☆

Psycho: Because, sometimes, you just HAVE to watch that First One … !

Which is definitely a long title, I know …

But it’s also one that I feel is — vaguely — justified.

You see, I was an impressionable teen during the 1980s, when quite a few horror films were what’re now called Slasher films.

You know the sort of thing.

They feature a small group of teenagers, all on their own, out in the sticks, being killed off — one at a time and incredibly messily — by a deranged nutter in a mask.

Or featured a small group of teenagers, all on their own, somewhere out in the sticks and being killed off — one at a time and incredibly messily — by a deranged nutter with hideous facial scaring.

Ultimately … ?

I’m thinking a LOT of those Slasher flicks were — very loosely — derived from Tobe Hooper’s original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, complete with small group of teens, isolated area and — guess what? — deranged nutter in a mask.

Don’t quote me, though.

But I’m pretty sure Hooper said somewhere he had one killer in mind, when he made Texas Chainsaw Massacre: and THAT was Ed Gein.

Be that as it may, I had little to do, to night.

Except watch a film I’d recorded a couple of days ago.

One that’s still spoken of with a certain amount of reverence, today.

One that saw a certain Mr Hitchcock turn in one of his best known films, and features a central character, again, derived from Ed Gein.

A film and character that made a certain made Anthony Perkins’ career.

Psycho …

‹‹•››

Wolf Creek: Blood, Guts … And the Flip-side of Crocodile Dundee

7th November, 2011.

I’ve REALLY got to start having company over at some point, I really have.

Because I’m THINKING an old friend would definitely enjoyed the movie I caught, tonight …

‹‹•››

Although I think we possibly would’ve caught ourselves arguing the proverbial toss about genres, I’m thinking, here.

You see, the film I saw was the 2005 independent, Australian film, Wolf Creek.

And … ?

And much like The Silence of the Lambs, it’s a film I’m thinking will be very hard to define.

Wolf Creek sees Nathan Phillips, Kerstie Morassi and Cassandra Magrath as backpackers Ben, Kristy and Liz.

A trio of backpackers who — when their car breaks down in the wilds of Wolf Creek National Park — are happy to accept help from the seemingly friendly ocker, Mikey, played by John Jarrett.

Seemingly friendly …

Appearances … can be very deceptive …

‹‹•››

I’ll happily admit, Wolf Creek is going to be one of those films that, much like Silence of the Lambs, will be casually branded as a horror for years to come.

And for pretty much the same reasons, I feel: the central character is one who terrifies us.

But — even more so than either the Hopkins or Cox take on Hannibal Lecter — is eminently human.

And without the using the usual horror touches of a gruesome childhood backstory, a virulent signature weapon and a hideously deformed Captain Kirk maskº.

I’m ALSO thinking Wolf Creek going to be even more of a Marmite* movie than most: it’s going to be either loved or hated by all and sundry.

Personally … ?

Personally, I came away very impressed with Wolf Creek.

I think you might be, as well …

Wolf Creek

★★★☆

* Just for the benefit of my regular international readers, Marmite is a savoury spread that usually gets put on toast: and, according to the adverts, it’s something you either love or hate. (I personally love it. Preferably on toast, made from crusty white bread: the slices of which have to be VERY thick, so that both butter — or margarine — and the Marmite itself, are melting VERY deeply into the slice. Anything else is just a HEATHEN monstrosity …)

º Or even a leather one …