DEEP IMPACT (1998)

Ahh yes, "The Great Asteroid/Comet Battle of 1998". DEEP IMPACT vs. ARMAGEDDON. Who could forget it? It was almost as exciting as "The Great Volcano Battle of 1997"!

One quiet evening, some young amateur astronomers are looking up at the sky when what do they see, but a gigantic comet headed straight for Earth! Holy fook!!! It's actually not that straightforward, but soon enough, word gets out that we're all going to die and everyone goes bonkers...dogs and cats living together...mass hysteria! But wait! Humanity has one last chance to survive in the form of a huge spaceship filled with brave astronauts that is going to travel out to the comet, drill holes, insert bombs and explode that bitch! There's also a side story about a national lottery that will give 800,000 Americans access to a newly build bomb shelter in Missouri that will survive the impact, but then they'd have to live in Missouri.  Just kidding, I've never been to Missouri, I'm sure it's fine.

Compared to ARMAGEDDON, DEEP IMPACT is more serious and in some ways a better film, but, as far as pure entertainment goes, ARMAGEDDON is the clear winner.  I did really like how DEEP IMPACT started out with the investigative reporter digging for clues.  That was a lot of fun.  The revelation about the impending disaster was cool too.  The place where DI falters is the very ending.  It's way too abrupt and not even close to satisfying.

Zero nudity, zero Aerosmith songs, touching moments overload, 90's-level CG destruction, good pacing, explosive outgassing, okay acting.  DEEP IMPACT is entertaining, especially the first half, but the ratio of sappy emotional moments vs. destruction was way off.

Fun rainy afternoon time-waster. I honestly watch it a few times a year. Seriously.

MANIAC (1980)

A potbellied loner spends his nights prowling around NYC looking for women to murder so he can scalp them and nail their hair on one of his many mannequins. That's pretty much the entire story, but what makes MANIAC unique is the genuinely creepy performance by Joe Spinell and the (almost) documentary style it's filmed.

I'm sure audiences back in 1980 were shocked by this gritty slasher, but I'd be willing to bet that first time viewers nowadays, especially after hearing all the hype around MANIAC's cult status, would be surprised at how boring it actually is. The one stand out scene (the shotgun scene) is fucking awesome, but other than that the rest of the film is kinda slow. Zero nudity, very little blood, very little gore, painfully low budget and although Spinell is creepy looking I'd be more worried about catching a disease from him than anything else.

Worth watching to see what all the hype is about, but don't get your hopes up too high. Double feature it with NEKROMANTIK for a night of 80's shockers that aren't really that shocking anymore.

Remake - Maniac (2012)

THE EXTERMINATING ANGEL (1962)

After an evening at the opera a group of high society snobs gather at the palatial mansion of Mr. and Mrs. Noble for a lavish dinner party. Later in the evening, when the party should be winding down, nobody leaves the room because nobody can leave the room. There's no mention made of the fact, instead they all make inconsequential pretexts to stay. It's like there's and invisible barrier holding everybody in. The servants have already left and now it's just the rich elitists shipwrecked in their own in private prison. Over time they begin to starve and revert back to almost cavemen.

As far as critical analysis goes I think the guy who paid for the film, producer Gustavo Alatriste, said it best: "I don't understand a thing in it. It's marvelous!" I agree. It's not a perfect film and it's not for everybody, but it is marvelous all the same. If you are into the finer side of Cinema then I recommend it. Or if you're into watching completely mindless garbage then there's always SLIMED.

As far as any symbolism goes this is what Bunuel himself had to say:

"I have not introduced a single symbol into the film, and those who hope for a thesis work from me, a work with a message, may keep on hoping! It is open to doubt whether EL ANGEL EXTERMINADOR is capable of interpretation. Everyone has the right to interpret it as he wishes. There are some who give it an interpretation that is solely erotico-sexual, others political. I would give it rather a historico-social interpretation. But when critics at the Cannes press conference asked Juan Luis why there is a bear in the film, wandering through the smart party, he answered, "Because my father likes bears." It's true. There are those who interpret the bear as the Soviet Union about to devour the bourgeoisie. That is nonsense. Then they asked him what was the meaning of the repetitions of shots in the film. I had anticipated this and told Juan Luis: "Answer that when I finished the film I decided it was still short, so to lengthen it..." People always want an explanation to everything. It is the consequence of centuries of bourgeois education. And for everything for which they cannot find an explanation, they resort in the last instance to God. But what is the use of that to them? Eventually they have to explain God."