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umintj · 6 months

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𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝟐

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cratoons · 7 months

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Paranorman, (2012).

#icons #paranorman icons #halloween #agatha prenderghast #agatha prenderghast icons #aggie prenderghast #paranorman #halloween icons #spooky season #twitter icons #icons sem psd #icons without psd #girls icons #coral #cartoonedit #dailycartoon #cartoons icons #stop motion icons

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filmgoop · 2 years

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paranorman icons 👻🦠💀

like if you save

#icons #no psd icons #film icons #halloween icons #paranorman icons #norman babcock icons #neil downe icons #courtney babcock icons

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editswhite · 7 months

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HALLOWEEN MATCHING ICONS♡

#halloween #halloween icons #matching icons #corpse bride #the nightmare before christmas #paranorman #coraline #icons

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pxsieszn · 6 months

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Tim Burton Films: Matching Profile Pictures

#matching icons #matching pfps #matching profile pictures #matching pictures #matching icon #matching couple #matching couples #the nightmare before christmas #coraline #paranorman #corpse bride

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rebelse · 2 years

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Coraline was my all time favorite movie growing up!

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stevebuscemieyes · 2 years

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ParaNorman, 2012

Dir. Chris Butler,Sam Fell

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coffeebookslovegt · 6 months

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El verdadero misterio del mundo es lo visible, no lo invisible.

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salty-an-disco · 1 month

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Hey bud! If you had to give your favorite voice a favorite movie, what would it be? And would their matching vessel like or dislike it?

I know this wasn’t the assigned task, but I couldn’t resist–

Here’s me headcanoing a fave film for every single voice and their respective princess’ opnion on it–

Hero: Shrek 2. No it is NOT just because of the Holding Out For a Hero scene, tho that is a very nice scene that always makes him start bouncing on his seat the moment it starts playing. It isn’t Default Princess’ favorite (she prefers Shrek 1), but she still appreciates the satire and subversion of common fairy tale tropes and the exploration of Shrek’s character here.

Contrarian: The Emperor’s New Groove. It’s memeable, it’s funny, it has such iconic characters, what else could he ask for? Stranger likes what they saw of it well enough, but they can’t really bring themselves to focus on a movie for the entirety of it. Would rather be doing something that requires them to be proactive.

Cheated: Fight Club. I haven’t watched Fight Club myself, but from what I hear from it, sounds like something Cheated might enjoy. Razor isn’t allowed anywhere near a TV.

Cold: Inside Out. Am I projecting? Yes. Do I care? Absolutely not. She watches Inside Out over and over again, imagining those little emotion guys as some of its friend, and getting a weird tight feeling in its chest when the control panel starts going gray because of Riley’s increasingly depressive state. Spectre likes the movie :)

Paranoid: Paranorman (I didn’t realize how similar those names are, but holy shit that’s funny), she finds Norman’s struggles to fit in and being seen as a ‘weirdo’ relatable and finds the way he’s fascinated with horror weirdly compelling. Both the fact it’s a stop-motion movie, and that it’s ‘children’s horror’ helps Paranoid feel safe watching it, and she doesn’t even jerks her arms once! Nightmare finds the zombies funny and gets… weirdly emotional during reveal at the end.

Hunted: The Lion King. It’s pretty, it’s colorful, the scenery and characters makes it feel at home, and it’s really compelled by the lion hamlet storyline. Beast tries to paw at every animal on screen and starts howling sadly when Mufasa dies.

Opportunist: Says it’s The Devil Wears Prada, but actually, it’s Legally Blond. The musical, specifically. Constantly has ‘Gay or European?’ playing in his head. Witch also loves The Legally Blond musical and is constantly grumpy that it’s also Oppy’s favorite.

Stubborn: Kung Fu Panda. It has FIGHTS, it has a panda struggle to become stronger, it has a compelling emotional core, he loves that shit! Adversary prefers John Wick, personally, but she’s also cheering for that white leopard guy every time he’s on screen (yeah, she knows he’s the villain, so what?).

Broken: Winnie the Pooh. It’s comforting and so nice to watch! It always makes them feel better. Tower doesn’t concern herself with this kind of leisure.

Smitten: The Princess Bride. Do I need to explain this one? Damsel also likes it, though she prefers Enchanted; especially the animated bits, she finds animation much more compelling than live action. :D

Skeptic: Knives Out. The mystery is compelling, the characters are engaging, and the set design! Skeptic could spend hours dissecting every frame of this movie and he did. Prisoner thought the culprit was too easy to figure out.

Extras–

Long Quiet is very fond of the Rio movie, while Shifty really likes Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (she’s also fond of The Lego Movie :))

#slay the princess #stp voices #stp princess #< uuuuurrrrggghhh. not tagging all of them #stp headcanons #sal rambles #mailbox

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randomartz · 9 months

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My notes on mutant mayhem !!!

If ur inclined (hopefully I tagged it well to avoid spoilers for folks who don’t want them )

XxxxxxxX

Everyone was characterized very well

Particularly Leo and Splinter

Thought it was interesting they made Leo have a crush instead of Donnie. Fresh take!

Love the brother razzing

They relied a lot on modern day references for dialogue which will date it BUT it is how kids talk and it didn’t feel as forced as it could have AND if they’ve only experienced dialogue through their phones/TikTok it makes perfect sense

Love that they share a room and have their own lil pods 🥹

Loved Paul Rudd

I also loved all the character design!!! The organic shapes reminded me a lot of Paranorman which you know I Love

Lovedddd Leatherhead is a Ladyyyyo

I was truly just soaking in the animation!!!! I will forever be indebted to Sony Animation who changed the game after spiderverse thank you so MUCH FOR THE FOOD YUM YUM YUM

Their longing looks when they were watching the movie KILT ME

Dr Utrom was a good nod and a potential plot pointttt

The Laird and Eastman High were excellent Easter eggs

Glad they didn’t make Leo a stick in the mud; very much a kid struggling with responsibility and also being a kid

and they were so GIDDY after they met April and were walking home omg

Splinter was a hoot love him sm he loves his boys !!!!! I also think they maybe did a nod to a couple of live Jackie Chan action moves in his fight but I could be wrong

When he broke his leg I think that was a missed opportunity to introduce his Iconic Cane

Love love love when Splinter fights

They were so excited when they won the fight in the garage!!!!

I’m also low key pleased April puked Just a Bit on the news to show that she’s still nervous lol

Bittersweet they lost their masks when they went to school

Liked the set up for the Shredder. I wonder what the Foot will look/act like

When will my man Agent Bishop get the theatrical debut he deserves !!!!!!

#teenage mutant ninja turtles mutant mayhem #tmnt mutant mayhem #tmnt mm #tmntmm #mutant mayhem #mutant mayhem spoilers

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elle-thinks · 1 year

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Wendell and Wild Commentary - Tim Burton vs. Black People

About a month ago, I watched Wendell and Wild on Netflix. I know it's been a minute, but I had to sit on my thoughts for a while. You see clay-mation horror films contain a feeling of nostalgia for me, considering the popularity of classics like The Nightmare Before Christmas and Coraline. Wendell and Wild, being directed by the same master of clay animation, Henry Selick, seemed to purposefully contrast the image of Tim Burton's family horror genre in its capacity to include people of color. This purposeful and creative insertion of Black people, Black culture, and contemporary issues made me question the validity of my nostalgic memories and assess the messaging behind the film.

Tim Burton has occasionally alluded to Black people and characters not fitting the aesthetic of his films, when asked about his primarily White casting. That, folks, is a can of worms if I've ever seen one. Without getting into the psychology of his statements, they were very controversial remarks that served as a talking point within the Black community. Additionally, Selick's continued partnership with Burton gave Selick much creative freedom but resulted in primarily Burton's acclaim. Ultimately, Selick does not share the same views about Blackness in horror media, and he decided to reach out to the iconic Key and Peele with an idea for a new project.

Whether it was purposeful or not, (likely it was, due to Peele's progress in the Black horror genre) the trio would create a counterargument of a film to challenge the concerns of Burton. Though most would likely agree that style, artistic expression, and various aesthetics are raceless and genderless, a contemporary example is always helpful. In Wendell and Wild, we are presented with a Black, goth girl as our protagonist who certainly doesn't hold back when it comes to teenage angst and supernatural surprises. We are also shown a compassionate, transgender character who was pleasantly multi-dimensional in both the plot and in personality. The dialogue is filled with AAV, Afro-centric subliminal messages, and some hilarious, Black-inspired one-liners. There is also some educational commentary on the school-to-prison pipeline which largely affects Black and Latin demographics, and you can read more about it here.

The artistic style of the film and the animation quality was top tier. I would recommend watching the film just to see what an amazing production the film actually is for the eye. Additionally, there were interesting interpretations of various environments, like hell being an amusement park or a manifestation of consciousness being a neon green, internal landscape. There was a lot of creativity in this film, resulting in a whacky whimsicalness that children are sure to love. The new take also held my attention as an adult viewer, because I was curious about the world-building aspects.

While I personally enjoyed watching the film, I don't find it to be particularly memorable. Perhaps I cannot compare it to the emotions I felt while viewing the other aforementioned films because I no longer have the lens of a child. I worry the film did not gain the popularity it deserved in relation to other hits like Paranorman and Corpse Bride. Obviously, the Wendell and Wild is fundamentally different from the other films in many ways, but something about the tropes in the plot or the incorporation of progressive modernism grounded the fictional movie in too much reality. It felt very much as if I was watching a television special rather than a children's feature film. Though many new concepts were introduced, it was predictable enough to leave little room for imagination of the viewer.

Ultimately the film proves that Black writers, actors, characters, and other marginalized groups, are more than worthy of being in the horror animation space. As a Black viewer, I actually had a lot of joy watching the film and could relate well to some of the characters. Though I don't see the film establishing quite the same legacy as some of Selick's other works, I hope it serves as a pioneer for others to follow in its niche.

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randomalistic · 4 months

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🎬 MY 2023 MOVIE LIST

THIS YEAR I WATCHED:

44 DIFFERENT MOVIES

30 NEW MOVIES 17 REWATCHES

28 ANIMATED MOVIES 16 LIVE ACTION MOVIES

I’ve also linked a few posts with my initial reactions/discussions

MUST-WATCH LIST: at least imo. teehee.

Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)

Labyrinth (1986)

ParaNorman (2012)

The Last Unicorn (1982)

Nimona (2023)

Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022)

Wreck-it Ralph (2012)

How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

Megamind (2010)

Coraline (2009)

Kung-Fu Panda (2008)

The Book of Life (2014)

Corpse Bride (2005)

Isle of Dogs (2018)

Tangled (2010)

I hope I keep this up !!! Maybe I can watch more TV shows or play more games next year :)

+ SOMETHING COOL TO TRY: Watch 2 similar movies back to back more often. You’ll be able to make interesting connections between them and it's fun!

-- Extended list below --

———————

ABSOLUTE FAVORITE

Watch it!!

Good but had some problems

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1-12-23: Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) ACTUALLY PEAK FILM. AMAZING VISUALS, EPIC FIGHT SEQUENCES AND VERY HEARTFELT . I love piss in boots. MUST WATCH.

3-9-23: The Steven Universe Movie (2018) (rewatch) Spinel is in this. The songs are amazing. Fun to revisit !!!

3-24-23: Labyrinth (1986) DAVID BOWIE AND INTRICATE PUPPET CREATURES 80s FANTASY MOVIE I AM IN LOVE. Must watch

4-8-23: ParaNorman (2012) hit me harder than I was expecting, really subverts your expectations. AMAZING. MUST WATCH.

4-28-23: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) I watched this on my birthday :) It made the child in me so happy

5-8-23: Tinker Bell (2008) (old rewatch) Pixie hollow is a legitimately communist society. Fun to revisit !!

6-18-23: The Little Mermaid (2023) ew live action remake lol. But it’s one of the better ones. ok honestly i'm mad that i sorta liked it upon initial viewing. maybe its just cuz i havent seen the original (WHAT ARE YOU DOING!????? oh mygod please watch the original one OK FINE I WILL........)

7-17-23: The Last Unicorn (1982) really a product of its time. So beautiful and unique in its own way. Must watch

7-28-23 Run Lola Run (1998) Indie german crime/thriller film that was fun and experimental, I loved the late 90s trance soundtrack and had a good time, it went by quick!

8-3-23 Barbie (2023) ITS BARBIE !

8-19-23 (Most of) Aladdin (1992) (old rewatch) gGenie………. The animation is GODLY. the early CG is a bit rough but hey it was 1992

8-25-23 Nimona (2023) MOST QUEEREST COOLIEST MOVIE I SEEN HITS VERY HARD AND ITS SUPER GOOD OHHHH…. PLEASE MUST WATCH!!!

9-8-23 Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio (2022) finally got around to this one, what a special experience. MUST WATCH

9-15-23 The Road to El Dorado (2000) White savior movie but otherwise fun characters. Tulio and Miguel are the gayest straight guys I’ve ever seen

9-15-23 The Emperor’s New Groove (2000) GENUINELY HILARIOUS AND SO GOOFY. It was fun seeing this right after el dorado.

9-21-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (old rewatch) brooooo this moviie sucs I hate it so much i. please watch

9-22-23 How to Train Your Dragon (2010) very powerful music and showcases a very touching relationship between humans and nature/the unknown, must see !!!!!

9-29-23 Little Miss Sunshine (2006) dysfunctional family road trip with chaotic/dark humor. ITS FUNNY I LIKED IT

10-1-23 Elemental (2023) REALLY didn’t deserve the hate, it’s a sweet romance/immigration story. A little cheesy but it’s charming. The visuals are a feat to behold

10-4-23 Napoleon Dynamite (2004) some outdated language/humor but otherwise a Very specific brand of silly/charming

10-5-23 Marcel The Shell (2021) unexpectedly touching and unique movie presentation style - I may have cried

10-7-23 Megamind (2010) (old rewatch) ICONIC and hilarious supervillain film and aged very well. MUST WATCH!!??

10-21-23 Coraline (2009) (rewatch) this movie has such a distinct, creepy identity and it’s enthralling each time. MUST WATCH

10-27-23 Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) has tonal problems and it wasn’t confident enough to go all out all the way through, which is so unfortunate… But AMAZING otherwise. The architecture ??! And Frollo. Evil priest characters you are so cool

10-27-23 Kung-Fu Panda (2008) (old rewatch) Legitimately amazing animated martial arts movie and embraces self love. we all know this. It’s even better on rewatch. MUST WATCH !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

10-27-23 Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) (old rewatch) SURPRISINGLY POWERFUL AND A REALLY GOOD SEQUEL. Hi shen blushes

11-4-23 The Book of Life (2014) this film is such an UNDERRATED TREAT. Absolutely gorgeous celebration of Mexican culture. Incredible world and characters and the style is so distinct. Must WATCH !!!???

11-5-23 Five Nights At Freddy’s (2023) :) I’ve been waiting for this ever since I was 13 and I had so much fun watching it. This was a highlight of my year!

11-12-23 Corpse Bride (2005) Really really good Tim Burton Halloween movie with so much stylization. So much fun to watch!!!! And so ethereal at times. MUST WATCH

11-12-23 Frankenweenie (2012) Very cute but disappointing ending, too safe. It could have been more impactful if they pushed it further. Watched this after corpse bride and the parallels were FUNNY.

11-18-23 The Wizard Of Oz (1939) (old rewatch). The real life abusive filming process makes this movie Hard to Enjoy with peace of mind- but the finished product is truly groundbreaking and whimsical

11-20-23 The Bourne Identity (2002) AWESOME THRILLER ACTION MOVIE EHEHE

11-21-23 Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) unpopular opinion - the movie suffers when you don’t see it in its original intended form (in a movie theater . In 1977.) I SWEAR. I STILL ENJOYED IT THOUGH. ….

11-22-23 Austin Powers: The Spy who Shagged Me (1998) SO SILLY but mean spirited/offensive humor at times. ITS AUSTIN POWERS…

11-23-23 Monsters University (2013) (rewatch) MOST UNDERRATED DISNEY SEQUEL/PREQUEL. FUN AND IMPACTFUL COLLEGE FRIENDSHIP MOVIE

11-25-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (rewatch AGAIN.) haha

12-1–23 Isle of Dogs (2018) Incredibly unique/distinct presentation style. My friend who’s a Japanese major loves this movie. MUST WATCH

12-1-23 Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009) another silly goofy little dysfunctional family unit, a bit yikes at some parts but overall pretty lighthearted. It was cool seeing this immediately after isle of dogs cuz you could see the inspiration in the visuals between the two

12-8-23 The Mitchell’s vs. The Machines (2021) silly robot apocalypse family road trip movie with AMAZING visuals (everyone in the family is autistic)

12-17-23 Prancer (1989) Unexpectedly heartwarming movie about a little girl helping an injured reindeer. VERY SWEET and great message about the impact of kindness and the wonders of being a child. MADE ME CRY.

12-18-23 Wreck-it Ralph (2012) (3rd REWATCH) get a hold of yourself oh my god ‼️

12-19-23 The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) (rewatch) classic muppet Christmas movie :)

12-22-23 The Muppets (2011) (old rewatch) SURPRISINGLY CATCHY SONGS and a silly muppet movie. Fun to revisit. Tex Richman my beloved

12-23-23 Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964) Mediocre writing and mean spirited at times <3 BUT ITS A CLASSIC. so ofc i liked it

12-24-23 Tangled (2010) (old rewatch) I forgot how good this movie was. ACTUALLY PEAK and so fun to revisit. Such a fresh take on a fairytale story, great songs, amazing romance, and also empowering about overcoming an abusive parent … MUST WATCH!!!

12-26-23 Klaus (2019) (rewatch) it’s so great to see a new 2D animated movie come out, and such a great story too. Cute origin story of Christmas and POSTAL WORKER APPRECIATION!!!!!

12-31-23 Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022) (rewatch) started off the year with this movie and then ended with it! What a treat!! I even wrote a short essay about it 1 semester ago :)

———————

In conclusion, I love movies !!! But my favorite movies are those that are confident in their identities and don’t hold back. Like share your message to the fullest !!!!

I watched a lot of stop-motion movies this year. I wanna watch more studio ghibli movies next year

And maybe I should purposefully try watching bad movies… it might make me appreciate good ones more and easier see what they do right. But also. I really dont wanna watch ralph breaks the internet.

#movie #film #movie review #review #txt #movie list #2023 #film list #fav #new year

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cratoons · 7 months

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Paranorman, (2012).

#icons #paranorman icons #halloween #halloween icons #aggie prenderghast #agatha prenderghast #agatha prenderghast icons #spooky season #icons sem psd #icons without psd #twitter icons #girls icons #coral #cartoonedit #dailycartoon #cartoons icons #paranorman #stop motion icons

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ohchristmasbri · 8 months

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Halloween is just around the corner, and what better way to celebrate the spooky season than with a movie marathon filled with spine-tingling chills and eerie adventures? Whether you're gathering with friends, family, or looking for a solo scare fest, our handpicked selection of Halloween and fall-themed movies has got you covered. From classic horror to animated tales and everything in between, this ultimate movie guide will take your Halloween and Fall-filled experience to new heights.

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Animated: Cartoons for the Playful Spook: Dive into the enchanting world of animated Halloween tales. From mischievous chipmunks to lovable monsters, our collection of animated movies offers the perfect blend of humour and spooky fun. Explore the ghoulish adventures of Alvin and the Chipmunks, embark on a journey through the afterlife in "Coco," and unravel the mysteries of haunted houses with beloved characters like Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein

Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman

Corpse Bride

Coraline

Coco

Fun Size

Frankenweenie

Hotel Transylvania

Hotel Transylvania 2

Hotel Transylvania: Summer Vacation

Hotel Transylvania: Transformania

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown

Monster House

ParaNorman

Scoob! (2020)

Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School

Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf

Spirited Away

The Addams Family (2019)

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit

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Live Action: Live Action Thrills: For those seeking heart-pounding excitement and hair-raising suspense, our live-action movie suggestions are sure to deliver. From Tim Burton's signature dark fantasy style to iconic horror franchises, you'll find a variety of options to keep you on the edge of your seat. Immerse yourself in the quirky world of "Beetlejuice," and revisit the supernatural charm of "Hocus Pocus."

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Annabelle

Annabelle Comes Home

Annabelle: Creation

Beetlejuice

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Carrie

Casper

Creepshow

Dark Shadows

Day Shift

Death Becomes Her

Double, Double, Toil & Trouble

Donnie Darko

Edward Scissorhands

Fido

Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters 2

Get Out

Goosebumps

Goosebumps 2

Halloweentown (1-4)

Hereditary

Hocus Pocus

Hocus Pocus 2

Interview with the Vampire

Muppets Haunted Mansion

Practical Magic

Shaun of the Dead

Sleepy Hollow

The Addams Family

The Addams Family Values

The Craft

The Curse of Bridge Hollow

The Haunted Mansion

The Little Vampire

The Love Witch

The Munsters (2022)

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (2016)

The Witches (1990/2020)

The Witch

Twilight (Series)

Vampires Suck

Warm Bodies

What We Do in the Shadows

Zombieland

Zombieland 2 ---

Vintage Horror: Vintage Chills and Classic Horrors: Step back in time with a selection of vintage horror films that have stood the test of time. Experience the captivating performances of horror legends like Vincent Price and Boris Karloff in classics such as "House on Haunted Hill" and "The Mummy." Journey into the eerie worlds created by Alfred Hitchcock in "Psycho" and explore the timeless terror of "Dracula" and "Frankenstein."

A Nightmare on Elm Street

Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein

Arsenic and Old Lace

Bride of Frankenstein

Carrie

Child's Play

Comedy of Terrors (1963)

Creature from the Black Lagoon

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)

Dracula (1931)

House of Wax (1953)

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)

Labyrinth

Night of the Living Dead (1968)

Psycho

Tales from the Crypt

The Birds

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

The Exorcist

The Invisible Man

The Last Man on Earth (1964)

The Mummy (1932)

The Shining

The Wolf Man (1941)

The Blob ---

Horror: Modern Scares for the Brave: Ready to be spooked by more recent releases? Our modern horror movie picks will satisfy your craving for contemporary scares. Immerse yourself in the psychological depths of "Hereditary," navigate the terrors of found-footage in "The Blair Witch Project," and experience the relentless pursuit of a masked killer in "You're Next."

A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)

All Hallows Eve

Annabelle

Annabelle Comes Home

Annabelle: Creation

Cabin in the Woods

Child's Play

Get Out

Halloween (Series)

Hereditary

Insidious

IT

Midsommar

Psycho (1998)

Rosemary's Baby

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Silence of the Lambs

Sinister

The Babadook

The Blair Witch Project

The Conjuring

The Conjuring 2

The Hills Have Eyes (1977)

The Nun

The Ring

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Trick 'r Treat

Us

You're Next With this carefully curated collection of Halloween and fall-themed movies, you're all set for a spooktacular movie marathon! Whether you're in the mood for animated delights, vintage scares, modern horror, or family-friendly fun, there's a movie for every preference and every scare threshold. So, gather your loved ones, prepare the popcorn, and get ready to embark on a cinematic journey that will leave you delightfully haunted and thoroughly entertained this Halloween season. Watching these movies alone? Read this: Looking to pair these movies with an activity? Check out our activity and date ideas.

SEE MORE HERE

#christmas #xmas #fall #autumn #winter #spring #summer #cozy #cosy #hygge #cottage core #anxiety #depression #safe space #seasonal blog

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oddygaul · 6 months

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LAIKA movies

Ira and I visited Seattle at the end of August, and happened upon the Laika exhibit at the Museum of Pop Culture. In the exhibit were tons of the sets, models, armatures, and clothing from all their movies. Seeing it all made me realize that for how much I’ve thought of Laika as an amazing studio and how impressive I thought Coraline and Kubo were… I’d actually only ever seen those two. So we decided to get caught up on the rest together, in release order.

ParaNorman

I felt nothing about this movie

The Boxtrolls

Damn, this one was great. I’m trying to remember why I never watched it; I think I must’ve just read the name and blurb and was uninterested. Clearly I never saw a trailer for it, because the setting and designs are gorgeous and incredibly unique. I love the fucked-up, stupid Cheese England setting, I love all of the costume design, I love the Boxtrolls themselves and how they move (especially the tandem platforming in the intro).

This one did strike me how it felt like a bridge between the more character-focused, close-in shots of Coraline (and ParaNorman) and the wide, sweeping landscape shots featured more heavily in Kubo (and Missing Link). While Coraline certainly had its large setpieces (the house is obviously iconic), it feels like this is the turning point where they started working more on showing off huge vistas to lend a larger sense of place to their worlds. The mountain cave Kubo and his mom live in was my ur-example of this; the lingering establishing shot of Cheesebridge from Boxtrolls now supplants it.

One of the things that stood out to me in the exhibit that I hadn’t considered much before was all the clothing. I guess, somehow, I imagined they were just part of the model, like you’d do in claymation… but in fact each character has separate, fully sewn and handcrafted outfits that are put onto and worn by the armatures. Seeing it in person was pretty incredible; there’s tons of tiny details nearly too small to see, let alone create, and lots of them seemed to be made with custom fabric / textiles to get the exact shades and patterns they wanted. With that fresh and front of mind, watching this movie was honestly pretty staggering. The texturework alone on the outfits of all the nobility and the snatchers…

Deborah Cook is the head costume designer at Laika, which I’m writing down here in hopes that I remember it.

Kubo and the Two Strings

I saw this one when it first came out, actually, and was somewhat disappointed. I think that while I liked the aesthetic, animation and action, I felt let down by the narrative and writing - I remember coming out of the movie thinking that every joke fell flat, all of the dialogue felt slightly off, and the wider narrative didn’t conclude in a way that felt particularly satisfying.*

Holy shit, it hit different seven years later.

I started to crack within the first five minutes, as Kubo tends to his catatonic mother who can’t even feed or clothe herself on her own anymore. Then, as night falls, she becomes alert enough to talk to him again, even if some of the words are wrong, even if she’s forgotten a thing or two, even if she can’t quite finish some of her sentences… and then as quickly as the lucidity came, it goes again, leaving her incommunicable. Why yes, certainly, as someone who in that seven year time gap has spent a lot of time dealing with a parent with Alzheimer’s, yes, that scene certainly did have a wholly different connotation to it, and yes, it certainly did immediately make me cry before even establishing much of the story’s premise.

The dialogue landed quite differently to me this time around, as well as the tone of the movie in general. I think my first impression may have just been an expectations issue; obviously animation doesn’t (and shouldn't) have to be aimed solely at younger audiences, but in western productions it almost always is, so I think I went in expecting a certain amount of levity. Instead, the movie is just intentionally pretty god damn serious the whole time. Monkey is grim nearly the whole movie - her introduction scene consists of her giving Kubo a sharp reality check and telling him there’s no more room for fuckups, and any jokes she gets to make are usually at someone else’s expense. Beetle has some great line deliveries that break the tension, but the jokes themselves are never laugh out loud funny.

The thing is, this kinda just makes sense - the leads are in a bad fucking situation and the movie takes it seriously. The movie is about Kubo, a child, who above all else Must Not Go Outside at night because his grandfather ripped his eyeball out and wants to rip out the other one, Going Outside Anyway and getting his entire village destroyed as a result. After spending the entire journey with Monkey and Beetle, he realizes they’re his parents only moments before they are killed in front of his eyes. The movie tries to end on an uplifting note by swelling the music and presenting an uplifting voiceover, but there’s really no getting around the fact that the closing shot is Kubo standing alone next to the ghosts of his two dead parents. What the fuck?

With this in mind, the tone and dialogue really worked for me this time. Monkey is dead serious, because she knows she’s dying and she has one last chance, with the time limit measured in days, to get her only son to safety. With that context, the stern demeanor, slight remove and awkward clip of their interactions fully click into place, and now I mostly just find myself impressed by how serious and genuine they managed to keep this story and still get it distributed.

*Well, and I also remember thinking it was criminal how little shamisen was actually used in the score, given that the main character is literally a goddamn shamisen bard - and despite acknowledging that it managed to be enough to be the reason I want to learn shamisen, I still fully stand by that criticism today. On rewatch, I will at least grant it that the Regina Spektor cover over the credits fucking slaps.)

Missing Link

After loving Boxtrolls and Kubo so much, I was really excited to get to this one and see what the most cutting-edge release of Laika’s had in store. Ultimately… disappointing?

After the absolutely killer opening sequence, I was all-in on the character of Sir Lionel Frost - from the intense Loch Ness Monster setpiece, the vibe I caught was a smarmy, uncaring exterior covering a heart of gold, a man who would fight through hell for his comrades despite his faults. Unfortunately, he then unrelentingly spends the entire rest of the movie being an intolerable piece of shit to every single person he’s around. It feels like a lot was cut from this movie, or it had some issues in the editing stage, because the character arcs felt more like character right angles, and none of the reconciliations or growth moments felt especially earned or natural to me.

Also, I found it odd to release a movie in 2019 about a racist, English colonialist explorer trope character and not really interrogate it much. It felt like they flirted with it a bit, with some of the monologues we get from the Society Chairman indicating he’s even worse than our lead, but the movie making Frost look good by comparison still doesn’t leave him looking especially good. I seriously felt like I was teleported into a movie from the 80s while watching the dinner scene with the yak cookies…yikes.

The action sequence in the tilting boat was great, though.

Unrelated to any specific movie, this was also the first time I really dug into Laika’s past as a studio and how exactly Travis Knight came to be CEO. I was previously aware that Travis Knight kinda forced his way in there via wealth, but figured, hey, he does seem to at least be a decent animator, and I have to applaud one of The Rich using their fortune to keep an incredibly niche artform alive rather than the multitudinous bullshit they usually use it for. After learning Laika was essentially formed from the ashes of the studio of one of claymation’s pioneers in a somewhat forceful takeover, though…

Well, I think the upshot for me is still largely the same, but it definitely does make me feel some sort of way now seeing Travis Knight be the one spotlighted in all the post-credits timelapses and featurettes, that’s for sure.

#will's media thoughts / virtual brain repository #movies #the boxtrolls #kubo and the two strings #missing link #paranorman

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luminities · 7 months

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Spooky tag ✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩⋆✦

It's my favorite time of the year, which means there'll be halloween themed layouts for everyone!! Under the cut you'll find some of the icons and headers with spooky/halloween vibes that I've posted over the years.

Note: you can find all of these under the #spooky tag, but I'll keep updating and posting more stuff to make this resource bigger.

Layouts

(x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

Headers (x) (x) (x)

Icons

(x) (x) (x)

Themed

C

Carrie

Coraline

G

Gravity Falls

H

Halloween (1978)

M

Midsommar

O

Over the garden wall

P

Paranorman

S

Scream (1996)

Scooby Doo

Suspiria

T

The craft

The nightmare before christmas

The witch

#spooky icons #spooky headers #halloween headers #halloween layouts #spooky

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