The Gonk (goodxxgod)

To say this is the original slasher film, would do a disservice to those who came before. 1960's "Psycho" set the trend for slasher films in a more subdued way. Much in the same way, 1974's "Black Christmas" took the idea of a murderer and used stylish camera shots and sense of dread only realized by the audience to root for the safety or the slaughter of those caught in the killer's path. While Psycho has become a classic in it's own right, John Carpenter's now classic 1978 film "Halloween" catapulted the genre into mainstream success. Audiences were now being turned onto real stories of terror, gone were the magical and mythical creatures of past horror hits. Halloween's impact can be summed up with the fact that it turned slasher films in that era "mainstream". While we'd had films of this nature before yes, but until Halloween came out, big studios were not putting up money to produce their own "Halloween". That's a true testament to the film's legacy and to John Carpenter's career. About the film itself it is my favourite horror film of all time. The mood and set up for the film is amazing, Michael lurks and stalks his victims ever so carefully, skillfully that even today the movie still WORKS. Michael could be anywhere, and in that tone Carpenter nick named him "The Shape" which gave reference to the fact that Michael in himself was the night, that shadow that lurks. It does not need to be gratuitous, like it's 2007 remake. Also at the center of it all is Donald Pleasence, as Dr. Loomis, hunting down his patient of 15 years in what could be considered an over the top but effective performance. The then youngsters Curtis, Keyes and Soles are adequate and enjoyable as the desire of the murderous Michael Myers. What's also important on a final note is the powerful storytelling of this film, in that it's very restrained. What makes this work much like what makes Black Christmas work is that we don't know what's going on, why this man is doing what he's doing, what his motives are and what his compulsion is towards murder and death. He is just simply the Boogeyman, Pure....EVIL.

I gotta say, I love Time Bandits. One of those films I saw as a youngster. It actually came out the year I was born and before I even realized it, I was a fan of Terry Gilliam. What sold me on this film was just the larger than life imagery of what was being presented. The scene that stuck out to me was the giant, with the boat on his head as he rose from the sea. Terry Gilliam is such a great visual director and his ability to make his adventures larger than life and to leave his unique stamp on his films is what makes him a great director in my eyes. He is very effective with children's stories such as this. This is a children's story by the way, about a child who travels through time with these little people who were working for "The Almighty Creator" but stole a map, which told them about time portals. Now these people are traveling through time stealing valuables (hence the title "Time Bandits"). David Warner plays "Evil" who tries to steal the time map from the little guys and the protagonist of the story. While traveling through time we meet a few notable names like Napolean (Ian Holm), Agamemnon (Sean Connery in a really strange cameo) Robin Hood (John Cleese) among others. I'd be hard to do this film justice in a review, because it's a mighty great adventure through time and space, which deals with such themes as consumerism (the protagonists parents are always trying to keep up with the Jones' when it comes to the latest technology) and dealing with Good and Evil, and it's funny! I'd say though if you are British you would more than likely enjoy the humour of the film more. While I wouldn't say this is Gilliam's best work, it definitely has to be a favourite of mine just for the nostalgia it brought upon viewing it again. I can't also claim to know how popular Time Bandit's is, but if you want your children to watch a thoroughly crafted and memorable children's film with funny characters and a great adventure, you can't beat Time Bandits!