Pur considerandolo un mito,
Tobe Hooper mi ha sempre lasciato l'idea d'aver azzaeccato un po' di film (neanche tanti, ad essere onesti) più per caso che per effettive capacità.
Space Vampires (
Lifeforce), anche se risulta certamente tra i suoi prodotti più decorosi, suscita strane sensazioni: in particolar modo perché, pur essendo del 1985, tutto appare così indicibilmente anni '70 da risultare un poco stucchevole.
Una missione congiunta europea-americana porta uno shuttle nella scia della cometa di
Halley: qui scopre - dopo alcune scene di basso sciacallaggio da
Alien - un'astronave che contiene tre "persone" in stasi.
Solo un membro dell'equipaggio si salva e viene recuperato e riportato sulla
Terra assieme ai tre sotto-vetro: due bei fustacchioni di cui ci disinteresseremo completamente e - motivo del suddetto disinteresse - una
patatona di proporzioni intergalattiche.
Codesta patatona si sveglierà e inizierà ad andare in giro come mamma-patatona l'ha fatta, offrendo un ampio numero di inquadrature ginecologiche e chiedendo in cambio solo la
forza vitale di chi vi entra in contatto (
Space Patatona: può dare assuefazione, usare senza alcuna cautela).
Vittime su vittime, che a loro volta si tramutano in pseudo-zombie e contagiano altri, si finisce che l'intera
Londra si zombizza e toccherà ai nostri eroi salvare il salvabile.
La trama alla fin fine c'è anche, non si è neppure risparmiato sul cast che presenta alcuni nomi noti (non ultimo un comunque-non-giovanissimo
Patrick Stewart); gli effetti speciali sono un po' poveri, certo, ma rispetto al budget abituale di zio Tobe siamo ad alti livelli. E poi c'è la
galactic big potato, che fa sempre punti...
Però i dialoghi e le situazioni risultano così vecchi ed impostati da rovinare molta dell'atmosfera, e contribuiscono a renderlo un prodotto invecchiato molto peggio di altri film dell'epoca. Il che è un peccato, perché bastava poco, per diventare davvero un classico anche per il grande pubblico (e non solo un film di culto).
Voto: 6--. Ho già detto della patatona?
Tags: horror, fantascienza, thriller, vampiro, vampiro spaziale, cometa, Halley, apocalisse, contagio, forza vitale, telepatia, zombie, Londra, shuttle, alieno, professore, dottore, cadavere, morte, salvataggio, nudo, nudo integrale, patatona.
Hooper, Tobe
Data di nascita: 25 January 1943
Coniuge: Marcia Zwilling::(? - ?) (divorced) 2 children
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Before becoming a filmmaker, Tobe Hooper, a native of Austin, Texas, spent the 1960s as a college professor and documentary cameraman. In 1974, he organized a small cast that was made up of college teachers and students, and then he and Kim Henkel made The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). This film changed the horror film industry. Hooper based it upon the real-life killings of Ed Gein, a cannibalistic killer responsible for the grisly murders of several people in the 1950s. Hooper's success with "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" landed him in Hollywood and it remains a horror-film classic. Hooper rejoined the cast of "Texas" and with Kim Henkle again for Eaten Alive (1977), a gory horror film with Mel Ferrer, Carolyn Jones, William Finley, and Marilyn Burns (who played the lead in "Chainsaw"). The film centered around a caretaker of a motel who feeds his guests to his pet alligator. Also in the film was Robert Englund, whom Hooper helped advance his career and worked with him again in the future. "Eaten Alive" also won many awards at Horror Film Festivals. Hooper was assigned to the Film Ventures International production of The Dark (1979), a science-fiction thriller. After only three day, he was fired from the film and replaced with John Cardos. Instead, Hooper had greater success with Stephen King's 1979 mini series Salem's Lot (1979) (TV). In 1981, Hooper directed the teen-slasher film The Funhouse (1981) for Universal Pictures. Despite its success, "The Funhouse" was a minor disappointment. In 1982, Hooper found greater success when Steven Spielberg hired him to direct his production of Poltergeist (1982) for MGM. It quickly became a top-ranking major motion picture, despite some differences that were resolved by Spielberg himself taking over Hooper's directing duties. "Poltergeist" was perhaps a greater success than "Texas Chainsaw Massacre," but it was three years until Hooper found work again. He signed a three-year contract with Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus's Cannon Group, and directed more films, including Lifeforce (1985), the minor remake of Invaders from Mars (1986), and the disappointing sequel The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986). Since then, Hooper's career has gone downhill. He also directed two more Robert Englund films, Night Terrors (1993) and The Mangler (1995), in 1995 and he has also directed numerous horror television sitcoms. Recently, Hooper was asked to write a new script for Michael Bay's remake of Hooper's original Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which was released in 2003.
Trivia random: He directed the music video "Dancing With Myself" by Billy Idol.
Citazione random: [on horror] "You've got to send a physical sensation through and not let them off the hook. I like to make it faster and faster and faster and pumping and banging until I get into you."
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Lifeforce (1985)
Space Vampires
Regista: Tobe Hooper Scrittore: Colin Wilson,
Dan O'Bannon Genere: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Valutazione: 5.7/10 (3493 voti)
Durata: 116 min
Paese: UK
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:A space shuttle mission investigating Halley's Comet brings back a malevolent race of space vampires who transform most of London's population into zombies. The only survivor of the expedition and British authorities attempt to capture a mysterious but beautiful alien woman who appears responsible.
Trivia random: The BBC newsreader early in the film, John Edmunds, really was a BBC newsreader from the 1960s to early 1980s.
Citazione random: Colonel Tom Carlsen: It was the hardest thing I ever did.::Dr. Bukovsky: We understand. It must have taken great courage to try and...::Colonel Tom Carlsen: No, you don't understand. Part of me didn't want to leave. She killed all my friends and I still didn't want to leave. Leaving her was the hardest thing I ever did.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Alien (1979)
Regista: Ridley Scott Scrittore: Dan O'Bannon,
Ronald Shusett Genere: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Valutazione: 8.4/10 (110163 voti) [#51 nella top250]
Durata: 117 min
Paese: UK, USA
Lingua: English
Cast:Trama:When commercial towing vehicle Nostromo, heading back to Earth, intercepts an SoS signal from a nearby planet, the crew are under obligation to investigate. After a bad landing on the planet, some crew members leave the ship to explore the area. At the same time as they discover a hive colony of some unknown creature, the ship's computer deciphers the message to be a warning, not a call for help. When one of the eggs is disturbed, the crew do not know the danger they are in until it is too late.
Trivia random: Originally to be directed by Walter Hill, but he pulled out and gave the job to Ridley Scott.
Citazione random: Kane: Oh, I feel dead.::Parker: Anybody ever tell you you look dead?
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
May, Mathilda
Nome di battesimo: Haim, Karima Mathilda
Data di nascita: 8 February 1965
Altezza: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Coniuge: Philippe Kelly::(2000 - present), Gérard Darmon::(1994 - 1999) (divorced) 2 children, Paul Powell::(2 December 1991 - 1993) (divorced)
Ultimi lavori: Trivia random: Released an album in 1994 that she described as "funk."
Citazione random: I never imagined before that I would be able to act, because as a dancer you learn that you need to work for many years before you can perform correctly. After tasting that great pleasure I couldn't take a dance class for three months. Acting was no pain and you could talk to people. I didn't want to go back and suffer. I prefer to keep my private life private. I would like people to be interested in me because of what I do more than what I am. I don't know if that makes sense but it is how I feel.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Stewart, Patrick (I)
Data di nascita: 13 July 1940
Altezza: 5' 10" (1.78 m)
Coniuge: Wendy Neuss::(25 August 2000 - present) (filed for divorce), Sheila Falconer::(3 March 1966 - 1990) (divorced) 2 children
Ultimi lavori: Biografia:Born Mirfield, Yorkshire, England. Member of various local drama groups from about age 12. Left school at 15 to work as junior reporter on local paper; quit when Editor told him he was spending too much time at the theatre and not enough working. Spent a year as furniture salesman, saving cash to attend drama school. Accepted by Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 1957. Professional debut 1959 in Repertory in Lincoln; work at Manchester Library Theatre and a tour round the world with the Old Vic Company followed in the early 60s. Joined Royal Shakespeare Company in 1966, to begin 27-year association. Following a spell with the Royal National Theatre in the mid 80s, he went to Los Angeles to star in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), which ran from 1987-1994, playing the role of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. He plans to return to theatre work on the end of this series.
Trivia random: Along with Colm Meaney and Armin Shimerman, he is one of only three actors to appear in the pilots of two different 'Star Trek' series. ("Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987), and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" (1993))
Citazione random: When asked if he had any memorable production memories from Star Trek: "[I had a letter] from a Las Vegas police sergeant. He wasn't asking for anything, he just wrote and said how much the show meant to him, and that he loved his work but there were many times when it made him very low and very despairing about society. When that happens, I go home and watch The Next Generation and it restores my belief that the world will get better." (Sept/Oct 2006, Star Trek Magazine issue #1)
Salario massimo: $14,000,000, per Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb. 
Nessun commento:
Posta un commento