#richard chaves

[hannahwatcheshorror]

PREDATOR (1987)

This movie could have also been called Green Hell and that would have been an appropriate title because they are in a lush green forest and they go through Hell. All in all the movie wasn’t very compelling until the end when you can actually see the beast, otherwise it was just the woods killing folks (see The Evil Dead).

⭐⭐⭐.5

Arnold Schwarzenegger and his crew (who are not expendable until this alien-thing comes into play) are trying to navigate the jungle and a mission that is low-key a suicide mission but they make it out okay (that is until the alien-thing, that is). The Predator appears as a stealthy thing camouflaged to look like the forest around him, you can hardly see him when he is first appearing in the movie. He ends up killing most of the crew without really being spotted. It isn’t until the end with Arnold (Dutch) that he takes off his mask and shows his true, terrifying face. He found a real match in Dutch and as it was stated in the film, the Predator didn’t go after anyone without weapons because it wasn’t sporting. The Predator likes a challenge. That is also why the unarmed girl is able to survive the event, somehow. She wasn’t packing and I guess the Predator just kept ignoring her because she didn’t have anything to fight him with. Wack.

But all the men were fair play because they had guns, gadgets, and gizmos. This chameleon creature comes out of the forest and one by one takes everyone out gruesomely. It gets to the point where it is just Dutch and the Predator and after Dutch tumbles down the waterfall he ends up covered in mud. This actually is a good thing because it makes it so the Predator cannot see him! Wow! Now Dutch has a way to protect himself a little bit against this terrible threat!

The best fight happens near the end, between Predator and Dutch when we can actually see the Predator, hell, he even takes off his mask for us (well, for Dutch). We can see his gross alien face and it is really rather scary! With cunning and strength Dutch is able to defeat the evil Predator and win the day! He gets to the chopper and the weaponless girl is there. Roll credits.

[as4nkahe4rtbl33ds]

Hyperfixation is kicking my behind!!

Having stopped thinking about these three, I’ve loved the movie and franchise since childhood and I wish we saw more of them. Or their backstory.

[theoscarsproject]

Predator (1987). A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior.

As it turns out, I definitely prefer my machismo soaked 80s action films when they're slashers. 7.5/10,

[my-movie-diary]

April 11, 2024. 👍 rewatched streaming on Hulu. When the urge hits to watch a modern classic, who am I to deny it?

[roskirambles]

Horror Movie of the Day: Predator (1987)

Hunting. Since the dawn of man, people have been taught how to slay an animal, how to skin them, how to cook their flesh and sharpen their bones. But as civilization rose, what used to be done out of survival became a sport. Humans may not have the sharp claws of tigers, the horns of oxen or the strength of bears. But with ingenuity they can prevail over the beasts at the top of the food chain.

So... what if you're in the other end of that? What if something picked the very best humans can muster in the art of combat just for it's own amusement? The military rescue team lead by Major Alan Schaefer learn that the hard way. Whatever is following them is on the hunt.

For a movie with such a corny overlap of the explosion filled, militaristic action of the 80's and the slasher genre, it has a lot more sapience than to praise brute strength. You'd think it will be a testosterone overdose, but the macho act only gets you so far when your enemy is stronger than you, better equipped and is actively hunting you down. As it stands it’s the intelligence of a woman what first gets the team to start their path of actually surviving a threat that would mow them down like cattle otherwise.

It certainly isn’t bravado or strength what gives Arnie a chance here but craftiness and ingenuity. And while there’s still the typical glorification of military action through explosive spectacle you see in a LOT of 80’s cinema, it’s balanced by an absolutely iconic monster that steals the show. Because let’s be honest, it takes one hell of a monster to outshine Arnold freaking Shwarzenegger and the late Kevin Peter Hall certainly delivered.

Don't get me wrong, it's still decidedly a power fantasy, but the execution has enough care that the ride is thrilling and creative instead of merely eye rolling. The kind of powder keg that only would be possible in the 80's, it's engaging and self critical in just the right amount.

[nerds-yearbook]

In 1988, terrorists accidentally awaken Martian invaders from the original War of the Worlds invasion. By accidentally exposing the Martians to radioactive waste the germs were killed that kept the aliens dormant. This time around the aliens decided to invade a little lower key and reveal that they have the ability to take human bodies as disguises. A survivor of the original attack is soon wise to their reappearance and starts to hunt them with his colleagues and military handler. ("The Resurrection", War of the Worlds, TV)

[marcelskittels]

🇪🇨🇬🇧🇪🇺🇫🇷🇩🇰🇦🇹🇩🇪🇺🇸🇱🇺🇰🇿🇸🇮🇳🇱🇨🇴

[geekcavepodcast]

The Nun II Trailer

Set in The Conjuring Universe, The Nun II follows Sister Irene as she once again must face the demon nun Valak.

New Line Cinema's The Nun II stars Taissa Farmiga (Sister Irene), Jonas Bloquet (Frenchie), Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell (Marcella), and Bonnie Aarons (The Nun). Michael Chaves directs from a screenplay by Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing and Akela Cooper. The story is by Cooper, based on characters that were created by James Wan & Gary Dauberman.

The Nun II hits theaters on September 8, 2023.

[thebutcher-5]

The Nun 2

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo siamo tornati a parlare di animazione e, dopo veramente tanto tempo, abbiamo ripreso a discutere dei classici Disney, prendendo in esame un’opera che aveva degli elementi veramente interessanti ossia La principessa e il ranocchio. Tiana è una giovane donna afroamericana che lavora duramente per guadagnare abbastanza soldi e realizzare…

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Nun II (2023)

I wasn’t looking forward to The Nun II for the same reason that I wasn't looking forward to Annabelle: Creation in 2017. Like 2014's Annabelle, The Nun was an inferior, largely uninspired Conjuring spinoff. To my surprise and delight, this sequel is far better than its predecessor. It even sort of goes back to address some of what made the original so underwhelming in a way.

Four years after the events at Saint Cartha’s monastery, the Church dispatches Sister Irene (Taissa Farmiga) to investigate a series of deaths across Europe. These gruesome incidents, all eerily similar to the ones attributed to the demon Valak (Bonnie Aarons) follow Sister Irene's friend, Maurice (Jonas Bloquet), who now serves as the caretaker at a boarding school that used to be a church. Though seemingly defeated, the demon hides inside him.

One of the reasons I was so skeptical about this sequel is that it felt like there wasn't anything left to tell. We saw how Maurice became “infected” with Valak at the end of the first movie and the scene during the end credits reminded us that we knew he was going to be possessed by the demon because we heard about it while watching The Conjuring 2. Well, it turns out some elements of the story were missing. Enough that it would've kept us up at night if this movie had never been made? No, but the film’s last act contains quite a few surprises that make me say “This was worth coming back to”.

While this film’s status as a sequel to a prequel means we’ve seen the monster enough times for it to be less frightening than it was in 2016, director Michael Chaves brings some neat tricks to the screen. The film's best scene has Sister Irene running down a dark street at night when she suddenly stops in front of a magazine stand. The wind blows the pages over and over, the images revealed combining to make what looks like a shadow emerging from the floor. I’d tell other filmmakers to rip off this scene, but it’s so visually striking and memorable that the theft would immediately get called out.

I’m also going to give this film a recommendation for its ending. Early in the film, Sister Debra (Storm Reid), a young novice accompanying Sister Irene on her quest confesses that she has difficulty believing in the miracle of transubstantiation (the transformation of wine into the Blood of Christ). I don’t blame her, specifically because of the way The Nun concluded. In the first encounter with Valaak, our heroes have this big vial filled with the blood of Christ and they use every drop. I know it’s a powerful demon that does all sorts of scary stuff but I kept thinking to myself “Guys! This blood is a hot commodity! Save some for later!”. That concern is addressed here. Now, before you think this movie is going deep into Christian theology, understand that the screenplay by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing and Akela Cooper doesn’t explore this idea very much, instead taking some religious concepts and spinning them to their own needs in a way that I think is (dare I say it?) kind of cool and fitting for this expanding cinematic universe.

In several ways, The Nun II is what I would call a “Box Set Movie”. I don’t think you’d ever buy the DVD/BLu-ray/4K and add it to your shelf unless it was so you could have all of the Conjuring universe together, or because you got it as part of a box set. "The Nun II" is not as scary as it should be but it has enough memorable scenes for the scales to tip in its favor. Enough that maybe you wouldn’t mind seeing it again if you happened to add it to your collection. (February 14, 2024)

[as4nkahe4rtbl33ds]

I drew this a while back, thought I’d post it! It’s Poncho! (It’s not that good but I like it)

[cultfaction]

The Nun II "Relic" teaser released

The Nun II is an upcoming American gothic supernatural horror film directed by Michael Chaves, with a screenplay written by Ian Goldberg, Richard Naing, and Akela Cooper from a story by Cooper. It stars Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet and Bonnie Aarons, Storm Reid and Anna Popplewell.

[paperandsong]

A trilha sonora do filme “Ainda Estou Aqui”

“A Festa Do Santo Reis” – Tim Maia

“Jimmy, Renda-Se” – Tom Zé

“É Preciso Dar Um Jeito, Meu Amigo” – Erasmo Carlos

“Acaua” – Gal Costa

“Je T’aime Moi Non Plus” – Serge Gainsbourg e Jane Birkin

“Alexander” – Philip May, Alan Walker, Richard Taylor Clifford, John Povey

“Take Me Back To Piaui” – Juca Chaves

“Baby” – Os Mutantes

“Agoniza Mas Não Morre” – Nelson Sargento

“As Curvas Da Estrada De Santos” – Roberto Carlos

“Como Dois E Dois” – Roberto Carlos

‘The Ghetto” – Donny Hathaway

“The Fight” – Johann Johannsson

“Fora Da Ordem” – Caetano Veloso

“Petit Pays” – Cesaria Evora

“Um Indio Live In Brazil” – Caetano Veloso

“Falsa Baiana” – Gal Costa

[trjno]

The Holy Mountain (1973)

Em 1929, ao escrever o Manifesto do Surrealismo, o poeta francês André Breton ponderou sobre como o homem tornou-se pertencente, de corpo e alma, a uma espécie de “imperativo prático” que sufoca a expansão dos gestos, das ideias e da capacidade do sujeito de se conectar com experiências excepcionais – como o amor –, restringindo e constrangendo sua própria capacidade de transformação e transcendência.

Ao procurar resolver a contradição entre sonho e realidade, a arte surrealista permite-se imergir no universo dos sonhos, do irracional e do inconsciente, do fluxo e influxo da imaginação e dos desejos, do delírio, do torpor e da catarse.

Solve et coagula.

De acordo com Breton:

A imaginação talvez esteja prestes a reafirmar-se, a reivindicar seus direitos. Se as profundezas de nossa mente contêm forças estranhas capazes de ampliar aquelas da superfície ou de travar uma batalha vitoriosa contra elas, há toda razão para agarrá-las — primeiro para agarrá-las, depois, se necessário, submetê-las ao controle da nossa razão (BRETON, André. Manifestoes of Surrealism. Translated from the French by Richard Seaver and Helen R. Lane. The University of Michigan Press, p. 10) (tradução livre).

A par disso, e depois de quase dez anos, assisti novamente “The Holy Mountain” (1973), do diretor chileno Alejandro Jodorowsky.

Lembro-me de ter lido uma resenha que definia o filme como sendo uma “jornada iniciática”, e melhor definição não há. O Mistério – guiado pelo próprio Jodorowsky, aqui Alquimista – se traduz na exploração de conceitos como riqueza terrena e imortalidade, e na influência contracultural que eles exerceram (especialmente) no século passado.

Nele, um grupo de peregrinos se lança em uma jornada rumo à uma ilha mítica onde deverão escalar a Montanha Sagrada em busca de iluminação espiritual. Cada um desses peregrinos representa um planeta do sistema solar, e, como tal, incorpora uma forma e exerce uma função, em nível individual e coletivo. Em meio ao todo subjaz o Ladrão-crístico, no qual o próprio espectador se espelha, sujeitando-se aos ordálios do seu Destino (Fate) e às surpresas do terrível e fantástico Desconhecido (Unknown). 

Crítico à cultura bélica ocidental, aos Estados Unidos e às tensões políticas entre Chile e Peru, o filme adota uma linguagem mística, torta, e não raro subverte os signos, em um ambiente de estranheza, transgressão e simbolismo existencial cru, por vezes sacrílego, frequentemente ultrajante e quase sempre hipnótico.

O homem propõe e dispõe. Ele, e somente ele, pode determinar se é completamente senhor de si mesmo, isto é, se mantém o corpo de seus desejos, diariamente mais formidável, em um estado de anarquia. A poesia o ensina a fazê-lo. Ela carrega em si a compensação perfeita para as misérias que suportamos (BRETON, André. Op. cit., p. 18) (tradução livre).

E então, afinal de contas, qual é o significado do filme?

Depende.

Conforme propõe Jacques Lacan (e a referência, aqui, se deve ao meu recente interesse pela psicanálise lacaniana), não há significados fixos. Embora eles sejam determinados pela relação entre significantes dentro do registro do Simbólico, formado tanto pela linguagem quanto pelas regras sociais que organizam a comunicação, as relações e o desejo, a posição do sujeito no campo simbólico influencia sua experiência do significado.

Experimente-o, portanto.

Diz-se que a obra provocou feroz controvérsia no Festival de Cinema de Cannes de 1973. Não tenho dúvidas de que ela continue instigando a mesma inquietação em alguns espectadores do Séc. XXI, especialmente dentre aqueles que se levam muito a sério.

O filme termina com uma aviltante piada, da melhor forma possível.

Duração: 92 minutos.

Atualmente indisponível para streaming no Brasil.

Para finalizar, algumas curiosidades.

Além de ser reconhecido especialista do tarô de Marselha (é dele o famoso livro "O Caminho do Tarot", publicado no Brasil pela Editora Chave), o próprio Jodorowsky é dado como alternativa ao Arcano 1 – O Mago, do tarô “Terra Volatile” (eu só soube disso ao manusear o deck).

"The Holy Moutain" é referenciado no curta metragem "Born Villain", lançado por Marilyn Manson em 2012 (direção de Shia LaBeouf).

[brokehorrorfan]

The greatest evil in The Conjuring Universe returns in The Nun II, in theaters September 8 via Warner Bros. I’m giving readers in the Boston area the opportunity to see the anticipated horror film early - and for free!

Broke Horror Fan is sponsoring an advance screening of The Nun II at AMC Assembly Row in Somerville, MA this Wednesday, September 6, at 7pm. Click here and follow the instructions to download complimentary passes while supplies last. Seating is first-come, first-served and not guaranteed, so be sure to arrive early!

The sequel is directed by Michael Chaves (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) and written by Ian Goldberg & Richard Naing (The Autopsy of Jane Doe) and Akela Cooper (M3GAN). Taissa Farmiga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid, Anna Popplewell, and Bonnie Aarons star. James Wan produces.

Having survived her last encounter with the demon nun Valak, Sister Irene is summoned by the Vatican to investigate a string of grisly murders across Europe. Has Valak returned? And if she has, can Irene not only survive, but banish the ultimate evil back to hell?

[70s80sandbeyond]

Richard Chaves, Sonny Landham, Carl Weathers, Bill Duke, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Shane Black and Jesse Ventura in "Predator" (1987)