Trevor

These "2009 DVDTalk Horror Challenge Day #" threads are for the discussion of the films in the 31 Films in 31 Days subset.

General discussion on the 2009 DVDTalk Horror Challenge goes here, your list for the Challenge goes here.

The plan is for everyone to watch this film on the October day in the thread title, and to start discussing it the morning of the following day. You may start discussion early if you want, but the preferred plan is for this to be as much of a group exercise as possible, with all of us viewing it "together" and discussing after.

Of course, you are totally encouraged to participate in these threads even if you haven't watched the movie on the designated day. Even if you haven't watched it in years, or are not participating in the Horror Challenge, please feel free to chime in.

Spoiler tags will not be needed, as it will be expected that anyone here has seen the film.

Do not read this thread if you have not seen the film, unless you don't mind the ending being spoiled for you.

SethDLH

Fantastic film, I don't know if I'll get to watch it during the challenge (just watched it last month for the 2nd time) but it is great. The atmosphere is thick, the acting is great and I find very few flaws in it. Make sure you watch it with the correct theatrical subtitles, it makes a world of difference.

OldBoy

loved it to hell. looking forward to watching the "correct" version!

really everything you want in a horror movie:
1. original as hell
2. great story
3. great acting
4. graphic (but not torture pornish)
5. chillng
6. terrifying
7. scary
8. atmosphere that oozes into your viewing area

Trevor

Best film of 2008.

Personally, I find most of the angst over the subtitles to be complaining for the sake of complaining.

LickTheABCs

I'm going to try to get another viewing in before the challenge is over, but I agree with everybody who posted so far.

You couldn't ask for more in a Horror film.

caligulathegod

My UK copy with the corrected subtitles from Amazon.co.uk just arrived in time to watch it this weekend. I usually think most of the bitching in this forum is just for the sake of bitching (see the Our Gang threads) and I think people make way too big a deal over subtitles but I really do believe that it makes a difference in this film. This film is so subtle, that having retarded translations lessens the film.

Trevor

My thoughts on subtitles are that no film, most likely, has perfect subtitles. Even English subs on English language films are often "wrong". All foreign to English subs are, by their very nature, translations that are open to wide interpretation.

Are the "broken" subs on this movie bad? Yes, but not that much worse than many films. And this is one film where you almost don't need the subtitles. The acting and direction are nearly perfect, and few faulty lines of English translation are easily fixed/ignored in my head as I'm seeing them.

Lutz

There is one part of me that thought the score was a bit overly dramatic but then there is the other part in me that loves overly dramatic scores.

Only a small nitpick.

Darkgod

Second time viewing... don't know how in the first time I saw this I missed that Eli is actually a boy.

Chas Speed

Could someone explain the whole "what if she wasn't a girl" thing. I don't know if you have to read the book or not to get that.

Dick Laurent

I had to look online about the scar/castration scene. I didn't get that in the film (or why it was there). I think that Eli is more of a not-girl, not-boy. I believe the point is to show the character as a monster. At least that's what I get since I didn't read the book. You could go deeper and say Eli is the biological representation of Oskar’s leaving kid-hood, and crossing into adulthood. That would make him a not-boy as well.

I agree with Trevor. Though I didn't see it in 2008, this is definitely the best made film for that year. The film delves so well into growing up and the pains inflicted by those around you. I had some not so great reminders of my parent's alcohol abuse during Oskar's father's drinking scene. That feeling of your parent choosing alcohol over you sucks.

Other than the adolescence reference and life lessons, the film also is terrific as a horror movie. The underlining growling and mood shots work really well. I was very impressed. One part that really got me was the kid tapping his finger on the desk during the first classroom scene. I was so annoyed by that sound, then I saw his finger in the far lower RT corner of the screen...

I bought the copy with fixed subtitles, so I can't comment on if that makes a difference. It seems to me that the movie works almost with no words. It's that good visually. My only complaint is why Eli didn’t get Oskar’s head out of the pool first. I know it works best how it is, dramatically, but the kid was almost drowning!

Great choice, glad I watched it.

takingchase

Im with Trevor on this one. I think the whole subtitle complaining is getting out of hand. When I see a foreign film I go into it knowing that the subtitles aren't going to be deadly accurate.

I first watched the movie before knowing about these incorrect subtitles and loved every minute of it. It was a powerful and chilling film. I loved it how I saw it so it doesn't bother me that the subtitles are a little off.

Chas Speed

I would like to see the fixed subtitles, but I don't think the new subtitles are bad. There have been films, like the laserdisc version of 400 Blows, where new subtitles ruined the film for me they were so bad, but it wasn't the case for this film. On the is she a girl or not question. They do have a shot of her naked in the film and it looked like there was a scar where her private parts should have been, but she did not have a penis. If anybody has read the book maybe they can answer this question.

tylergfoster

The reason I think the subtitle complaints were valid was because already had the right subtitles in theaters and then for absolutely no reason, changed them to be less right on DVD. They went out of their way to hire an entirely different translator to ultimately do a crappier job translating the movie than the track they had already had, and used on both the theatrical prints and any "screener" DVDs that were given to film critics. And then, when people got up in arms about their entirely nonsensical, for-no-reason change, they refused to replace the DVDs. I may not expect to get perfect Language X to English translations in a subtitle track, but I don't speak Swedish, so the only way I'm going to experience the movie is through the subtitles. Thus, the subtitles are basically the "audio" of the film that I'm watching, and I do expect to get the same film on DVD that I got in theaters, which, since they drastically changed much of the "audio", I did not.

Chas Speed

I agree with you. I always say that if they can find someway to screw up a DVD release they will do it every time. I just wouldn't want it to frighten anyone away from seeing the film, because if they hadn't seen the original they probably won't be bothered by it.

Drav3n

ill agree w/ some of the posters that this one of my favorite movies of 2008. After watching this (and then going online to find out eli was a boy), I ordered the book on amazon. The book reveals it about midway through that she was actually a boy named Elias. Once it was revealed they then switched from referring to eli as a 'she' to a 'he.'

Plus, the book focuses ALOT on the supporting characters as well. Still, a very good read and definitely recommended to fans of the movie!

caligulathegod

I was watching it again today and one scene I didn't understand was the one where he wanted to see what would happen if she came in without an invitation. Didn't he already invite her in earlier when she came into his room and got into bed with him?

SethDLH

I'm pretty sure Eli has to be invited in every time

caligulathegod

I dunno. That has NEVER been part of vampire lore. If they were going to do something that different, I would think they would make a point of making that explicit.

Chas Speed

I still don't get why in the movie they would show her/his private area with a scar and no penis if it was a boy. Do they explain what happened to it in the book?

SethDLH

Its been used before, in The Lost Boys they used it.

OldBoy

i think the thing with the subtitles, for me at least, is like what people complain over and over about correct aspect ratio and 5.1 audio on originally stereo or mono older movies...

you want to see the movie how it was originally intended and if that exists in the medium you want to watch it, be vocal.

me- i loved the movie not knowing i was watching basterdized/incorrect subtitles. did it bother me after the fact- nope. did i want the correct version, knowing it existed- yup.

SethDLH

I feel the same way you do. I saw it before there was any word about the subs being changed and still loved it. Afterwards I knew I wouldn't watch it again without the corrected subs and thats how its been.

Drav3n

yea its explained in the book that (s)he was castrated. once i saw that scar in the movie i looked it up online to find out it was suppose to be a castration scar. the movie hints so hard that eli isnt a girl too.

Chas Speed

They also used the "vampire must be invited" bit in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". It's one of the old vampire legends, but it's not mentioned that much. Do a search on "vampire must be invited" online and you will see it referenced often.