Midnight Meat Train 2008 USA

[William]

Hey,

I'm not a snob, I'll watch everything. Every once in a while I'll find an offbeat horror film just to see what the differences between horror and crime really consist of. Obviously, if there are werewolves, demons, vampires and such, it's horror. But then you have Freddy and Jason and while they're horror, "No Country For Old Men" is positioned as a "serious" film about the modern malaise or some such nonsense. For my money, the only difference in say a Jason flick and "No Country" is the lack of nubile misbehaving teenage girls in the latter. "No Country" is horror for old folks.

So a friend lends me "Midnight Meat Train" and it's directed by Ryuhei Kitamura who has done a handful of other films that I haven't seen. Based on a story by Clive Barker, it's the story of a photographer who stumbles across a horrific reality. Actually several horrors as Brooke Shields is in this film playing a gallery owner and art world mover and shaker and as is typical of this kind of film, the characters are flat and unconvincing.

[Sol L. Siegel]

William <wlah...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:cfe59060-c929-4c0b...@googlegroups.com:

> So a friend lends me "Midnight Meat Train" and it's directed by Ryuhei
> Kitamura who has done a handful of other films that I haven't seen.
> Based on a story by Clive Barker, it's the story of a photographer who
> stumbles across a horrific reality. Actually several horrors as Brooke
> Shields is in this film playing a gallery owner and art world mover
> and shaker and as is typical of this kind of film, the characters are
> flat and unconvincing.

This is on Comcast movies-on-demand. A lot. I haven't bothered.

- Sol L. Siegel, Philadelphia, PA USA

[Mack A. Damia]

On Sat, 4 Aug 2012 20:11:26 -0700 (PDT), William <wlah...@gmail.com>
wrote:

> the characters are flat and unconvincing.

Similar to your reviews.
--

[William]

And yet you hang on my every word. Snuggle my butt in hopes of a fart. Look at you and trotsky and calvin. You all hate me and yet that obsession with me forces you to read every word I write. Hahahaha. You make all the hate for me on this board worthwhile. You're making me into a star and you're too fucking dumb to see that. Get help.

[trotsky]

On 8/5/12 12:20 AM, William wrote:
> On Sunday, August 5, 2012 1:08:51 AM UTC-4, Mack A. Damia wrote:
>> On Sat, 4 Aug 2012 20:11:26 -0700 (PDT), William <wlah...@gmail.com>
>>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> the characters are flat and unconvincing.
>
>> Similar to your reviews.
>>
> And yet you hang on my every word. Snuggle my butt in hopes of a fart. Look at you and trotsky and calvin.

Troll alert.

[Mack A. Damia]

On Sat, 4 Aug 2012 22:20:01 -0700 (PDT), William <wlah...@gmail.com>

wrote:

>On Sunday, August 5, 2012 1:08:51 AM UTC-4, Mack A. Damia wrote:
>> On Sat, 4 Aug 2012 20:11:26 -0700 (PDT), William <wlah...@gmail.com>
>>
>> wrote:
>>
>> > the characters are flat and unconvincing.
>
>> Similar to your reviews.
>>
>And yet you hang on my every word. Snuggle my butt in hopes of a fart. Look at you and trotsky and calvin. You all hate me and yet that obsession with me forces you to read every word I write. Hahahaha. You make all the hate for me on this board worthwhile. You're making me into a star and you're too fucking dumb to see that. Get help.

The only star system I'm making you into, Honey Boo Boo Boy, is the
Big Dipshit.

Squeal some more............
--

[moviePig]

For me, Clive Barker is/was a modern H.P. Lovecraft, providing a
reliable well of escapist deep funk (...maybe why some druggies take
downers, come to think of it). So, I'd just as soon his characters
remained no more than mildly interesting, at best ...or maybe amusing,
a la Hawks's THE THING. Anyhow, I'd allow that MMT's 'underworld'
sequences did go on a bit too long for what, after all, was only the
punchline to a short-story. But, I'd have expected you to enjoy the
atmospheric descent and, in particular, the slick, albeit sick, subway-
car mayhem ...which I think I could've picked out of a lineup as the
work of an Asian director. (As for 'unconvincing characters', btw,
I'll bet you don't know who Vinnie Jones is...)

--

- - - - - - - -
YOUR taste at work...
http://www.moviepig.com

[William]

On Sunday, August 5, 2012 10:08:27 AM UTC-4, moviePig wrote:

> For me, Clive Barker is/was a modern H.P. Lovecraft, providing

> reliable well of escapist deep funk (...maybe why some druggies take
> downers, come to think of it). So, I'd just as soon his characters
> remained no more than mildly interesting, at best ...or maybe amusing,
> a la Hawks's THE THING. Anyhow, I'd allow that MMT's 'underworld'
> sequences did go on a bit too long for what, after all, was only the
>punchline to a short-story. But, I'd have expected you to enjoy the
> atmospheric descent and, in particular, the slick, albeit sick, subway-
> car mayhem ...which I think I could've picked out of a lineup as the
> work of an Asian director. (As for 'unconvincing characters', btw,
> I'll bet you don't know who Vinnie Jones is...)
>

What got cutoff of that review:


"The basic gist of this flick is that before time began there was a race of cannibals that now live under the city in the subways and since they can't kill people -- for unexplained reasons -- a human is selected to kill for them. According to the deal with the city -- I guess -- they get to eat everyone on the last late train. Well, they get to eat them after the human butcher kills them.

"It's one thing for a film to not take itself all that seriously and another to lack the conviction needed to make the story credible. One result of a lack of conviction is that you feel like you're watching the bloodiest and goriest episode of "Tales From The Crypt" or some other TV show.

"Not for the squeamish even though the blood and guts is so over the top as to lose any really force to frighten."

Two things: Vinnie Jones -- I did look him up and have seen him in numerous films -- and your point about him escapes me. And, I don't like Asian films because of their violence but because of their stories and style, and that is something I thought MMT lacked. These points are similar to our "Arang" conversation about how each of us see horror and I doubt we'll ever span that gap. I appreciate understanding the other side's view, as it were, although I don't think I'll ever get there.

[trotsky]

On 8/5/12 9:08 AM, moviePig wrote:

(As for 'unconvincing characters', btw,
> I'll bet you don't know who Vinnie Jones is...)

He's an actor in the movie.

[moviePig]

Not to sound defensive, but blatant "gore" loses me, too. However,
wrap it up in artful cutting (as it were), and, for better or worse,
I'm sadly able to applaud. Meanwhile, Vinnie Jones was the
quintessential, self-styled, self-promoted thug of the beautiful sport
of English football ...and the on-field role model for every soccer
hooligan you ever read about. His casting here -- and imo he was
rather okay -- added a little insider frisson. Still, I'm not sure
I'd have wanted to attend this movie in Liverpool...

[Rich]

William <wlah...@gmail.com> wrote in
news:cfe59060-c929-4c0b...@googlegroups.com:

The movie was terrific. You've been to "orientalized" to appreciate
truly good American horror.

[moviePig]

On Aug 17, 9:30 pm, Rich <n...@nowhere.com> wrote:
> William <wlahe...@gmail.com> wrote innews:cfe59060-c929-4c0b...@googlegroups.com:

> The movie was terrific.  You've been too "orientalized" to appreciate
> truly good American horror.

Made by a Japanese, based on work by a Liverpool short-story writer...

[Bill Anderson]

On 8/17/2012 11:14 PM, moviePig wrote:

>
> Made by a Japanese, based on work by a Liverpool short-story writer...
>

Liverpudlian. I learned at least a few things in the '60s.

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog

[Tom]

I read your continued comments below... nice assessment of what could
have been an entertaining movie.

The over the top gore seemed to be done just so the director or the FX
guy (or both) could say, "Hey! Look what we can do!" You're spot on...
there was no impact on me from the violence.

This was a big letdown.

Tom

[moviePig]

On Aug 17, 11:51 pm, Bill Anderson <billanderson...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On 8/17/2012 11:14 PM, moviePig wrote:
>
>
>
> > Made by a Japanese, based on work by a Liverpool short-story writer...
>
> Liverpudlian.  I learned at least a few things in the '60s.

No, I'm pretty sure he's full-sized...

[RichA]

But it wasn't the usual Korean-Jappo fare he usually reviews and was
nothing like them.

[Tom]

Jappo?

How is it you have not been beaten to death?

Tom

[art...@yahoo.com]

On Aug 4, 11:11 pm, William <wlahe...@gmail.com> wrote:

>
> So a friend lends me "Midnight Meat Train" and it's directed by Ryuhei Kitamura who has done a handful of other films that I haven't seen. Based on a story by Clive Barker, it's the story of a photographer who stumbles across a horrific reality. Actually several horrors as Brooke Shields is in this film playing a gallery owner and art world mover and shaker and as is typical of this kind of film, the characters are flat and unconvincing.

Brooke doesn't look too flat here:
http://images.bwwstatic.com/upload8/366965/brooke1.jpg

[Rich]

Tom <drs...@aol.com> wrote in
news:4a49c247-f8fc-442f...@f17g2000vbz.googlegroups.com:

> On Aug 19, 2:38 pm, RichA <rander3...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> On Aug 17, 11:14 pm, moviePig <pwall...@moviepig.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> > On Aug 17, 9:30 pm, Rich <n...@nowhere.com> wrote:
>>
>> > > William <wlahe...@gmail.com> wrote

>> > > innews:cfe59060-c929-4c0b-a9a0-fed
> ccdd...@googlegroups.com:

Have at it, geezer.

[Tom]

On Aug 24, 6:37 pm, Rich <n...@nowhere.com> wrote:

How old does one have to be to qualify as a geezer in your fantasy
world?

Tom

[dm16...@gmail.com]

Is a geezer the same as an old fart or is there an age difference?

Dave M

[Mack A. Damia]

Depends�
--

[moviePig]

On Aug 24, 10:08 pm, Mack A. Damia <mybaconbu...@hotmail.com> wrote:

That joke's getting too easy-peesie...

[Mack A. Damia]

Just as long as it isn't oopsie-poopsie....
--