The Omen's Recent Activity - Spout

Film:The Omen

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:39:03 GMT

Title: The Omen
Year: 2006
Director: John Moore
Plot: A child that will steer humankind down the road to hellfire has been born, and as his evil flourishes in a world full of hate, the ominous Biblical prophecies slowly begin falling into place in director John Moore's remake of Richard Donner's 1976 horror classic. Robert (Liev Schreiber) and Katherine Thorn (Julia Stiles) were as loving parents as any young boy could ask for, but as fate would have it, their new son Damien is far from the typical child. Now, as the mysterious boy's growth begins to share frightening parallels with the Biblical passages detailing the rise of the Antichrist, and the lives of all who seek to reveal his true nature are cut gruesomely short, Robert and Katherine are forced to face the horrifying prospect that their child has been sent from Satan to hasten the fall of modern civilization, and that there is little they can do to curb his prophesied path of ultimate destruction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 18
Number of Lists: 16
Number of blog posts: 3
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 2

Spout Post: Re:The Last House on the Left (2009)

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:56:41 GMT

Post By: seely
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 1/27/2009 9:56:41 AM
Body: [quote user="Dr_Gor"] I wouldn't doubt it. Recently I watched The Omen remake for the second time (don't ask me why) and all I could keep thinking throughout the entire movie was WHY? It is almost an exact scene for scene and word for word copy of the original but with less talented actors. WHY? Much like that hideous Psycho remake from a few years ago.... What is the point? WHY??? I guess I will never understand it... < GOR > [/quote] I get the feeling that a lot of directors confuse "paying homage" to a film with copying a film. In some twisted sense, they seem to justify the remake as a way of paying tribute to, or bringing a "new generation" to an awareness of a great film. Really, what they should be doing is trying to bring some of the old classics back to the theatre, and not trying to duplicate something that has already been done, with flashier effects. Too many directors get George Lucas syndrome, where they feel that the technology makes the film. Lucas proved that by waiting decades to make the final installments of the StarWars series. The technology is way better now, but the later movies absolutely sucked (IMHO). The same can be said for the remake of The Omen, which despite its elaborate sets and technical eye-candy was about as scary as a bag of puppies. Now, I think that a remake is not to be confused with a re-interpretation of a film. I can see a re-imagining/re-interpretation as a legitimate art form if its done well, but to simply copy a film and not try to improve on the storytelling is absolutely pointless, and in no way an homage to a great film--in fact, given the fact the remakes generally sucks, its probably doing a great disservice to a classic.

Spout Post: Re:The Last House on the Left (2009)

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 01:32:16 GMT

Post By: Dr_Gor
Post To: HORROR MOVIES 101
Post Date: 1/26/2009 8:32:16 PM
Body: [quote user="Dr_Gor"] [quote user="mercurial"] The trailer for Wes Craven's remake of his own film The Last House on the Left was just unleashed on apple.com/trailers. Honestly, I didn't really care for the original. I appreciated it; the plot, savagery, and it had some fairly incredible scenes, but overall I didn't love it. The remake seems to be following the original but with a little Devil Rejects feel to it. What does everyone think? Remakeable or stick with the original? [/quote] You are talking about one of my favorite horror films. I first saw Last House on the Left at the drive-in at a very young age (my Dad took me). I have watched it a few times since then and it will always be one of my favorites. I loved the comedic bits they threw in to try to "lighten" the movie a bit but, under the circumstances, they weren't really funny at all.... only more disturbing... I am a HUGE fan of Wes Craven and I thought Nightmare on Elm Street was something of a masterpiece. I am usually not a big fan of remakes and I think it would be difficult for ANYBODY to top the original version of this. But if Wes Craven would like to update and re-do his own masterpiece I am more than curious to see it... < GOR > [/quote] Wow. I just read my own confusing and misleading post! I REALLY need to start drinking more... Of course I was talking about Last House on the Left at the end of that post when I was talking about Wes Craven re-doing his own masterpiece and NOT A Nightmare on Elm Street ! I only mentioned that one in passing as one of my favorites. I think you all got what I was trying to say, anyhow, in the context of the post. ("caveman", remember?) ... Although I DID read a rumor somewhere that a Nightmare remake was looming on the horizon (!) ... AND with a different Freddy Krueger (!!!) ... I wouldn't doubt it. Recently I watched The Omen remake for the second time (don't ask me why) and all I could keep thinking throughout the entire movie was WHY? It is almost an exact scene for scene and word for word copy of the original but with less talented actors. WHY? Much like that hideous Psycho remake from a few years ago.... What is the point? WHY??? I guess I will never understand it... < GOR >

Spout Post: Re:'Worst 'Modern' Retelling of a Classic' DVD Giveaway Contest!

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:00:10 GMT

Post By: mercurial
Post To: Worst Movie Ever
Post Date: 1/19/2009 9:00:10 PM
Body: I think Julia Stiles is the queen of starring in horrible modern retellings of classic films and novels. O - You beat me to it, but damn, that was one terrible re-imagining of Othello. Hamlet - Another butchering of Shakespeare. Just bad. The Prince & Me - No, no, no, no, no. 10 Things I Hate About You - Ok, so I kinda liked this one, but it's here because it contributed to future butcherings like Another Cinderella Story. The Omen - What could possibly have been improved on the original?

Spout Post: 666 was a bore.

Sat, 18 Aug 2007 07:28:51 GMT

Post By: AlienLazer
Post To: AlienLazer Blog
Post Date: 8/18/2007 3:28:51 AM
Body: I thought this movie was going to be great, but aside from a few wickedly awesome scenes I caught myself drowling from boredom. They could have made a 15 minute short outta it, and it would have been worth it. I would watch something like that 100 times, but I can't stay awake for 10 minutes of this movie after the first full length tormentation. Although, I have to say that the boy is one cute little freak, I liked the older versions of this satanic tell better.

Spout Post: The Omen - Twelve and Holding

Wed, 18 Jul 2007 23:55:00 GMT

Post By: MovieBabe
Post To: MovieBabe Blog
Post Date: 7/18/2007 7:55:00 PM
Body: By Tricia Olszewski In the 06/06/06 version of The Omen, Damien is just so adorable when he scowls. Of course, the little devil is meant to be menacing—he is, after all, the Antichrist. Admittedly, the kid is sometimes a bit freaky, what with the way he seems to be sealed into a world of his own, aloof, apparently deaf and mute, and definitely in tune with the universe’s all-pervading Evil. But mostly he just narrows his eyes at silly adults and dismisses them like any unfiltered grown-up would love to do, and it’s just so gosh-darn cute. Surprisingly, the utter lack of spookiness of the contemporary Damien (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) in John Moore’s remake of the 1976 classic doesn’t entirely damn this latest in the seemingly never-ending parade of redos. He and The Omen’s original writer, David Seltzer, even added a notable opening scene—though whether it’s truly chilling or truly tasteless is up to you. After the sighting of a comet, two priests fearfully tick off a list of pre-Armageddon events (probably containing a little dramatic tweaking) and the filmmakers accompany a few of them with real news footage. The warnings include massive, deadly floods (the Christmas tsunami, Katrina), a flaming star (the Columbia crash), and balls of fire falling to the earth (yes, the Twin Towers). All that’s left to set the end of days well and truly in motion is the birth of a special bundle of horror, which occurs in Rome on June 6 at 6 a.m. Elsewhere, Katherine Thorn (Julia Stiles) ends her own pregnancy with a stillbirth. When a priest tells her husband, Robert Thorn (Liev Schreiber), the news, he also offers the grieved dad a deal: Another child, born at the same time, has lost his mother. Perhaps a swift switcheroo would spare Katherine the sorrow, and hey, it’ll be the men’s little secret. Astoundingly, Daddy, who’s dumb as a rock (a quality Schreiber nails), agrees. Fast forward to London, where Robert, an ambassador, was appointed after a former official’s freak death. You know what happens next: At Damien’s gigantic fifth birthday party, his nanny joyfully hangs herself. There’s that red-eyed dog, too. Really, this Omen isn’t as ridiculous as all that might make it seem. Moore amps up the original’s simple eeriness with some updated yet still smartly restrained frights: the required monster-in-the-mirror trick, a silent montage of the satanic images that haunt Robert’s dreams, some unexpected, from-out-of-frame attacks. The gore is minimal by today’s standards, but a couple of the kills are somewhat entertainingly built up with outrageous Final Destination–style complexity. (Expect a desensitized audience to cheer during a particularly graphic beheading.) And the film as a whole is gorgeously stylized, with both the always-stormy outdoors and the Thorns’ mostly white, museumlike home periodically punctuated by flashes of blood red. It’s an especially nice touch when Katherine, whom Satan particularly has it in for, drapes a crimson shawl over her all-white outfit when once again trying to convince Robert that either she’s going nuts or their spawn is, well, a spawn. The acting is another story. Besides Davey-Fitzpatrick’s low placing in the spooky-child category, there’s the rather inexpert casting of Damien’s parents. The 25-year-old Stiles, with a face fresh enough for Save the Last Dance 2, is hardly mom material, especially when paired with the 38-year-old Schreiber, who was probably born looking middle-aged. Of course, neither of their roles is very taxing—although Stiles, whose main responsibility is to appear spooked, does a better job than the monotone Schreiber. Both make it a pleasure to watch Michael Gambon chew a scene as Bugenhagen, who appears briefly to advise Robert on how to kill his kid (“He’s my son. I raised him for—” Robert says. Bugenhagen, nearly pogoing in frustration, spits out, “He’s not your son. He’s a beast!”). Other minor roles are well-played by Pete Postlethwaite, who serves as the priest who cryptically tries to warn Robert, and Mia Farrow, who here is happy to take care of Rosemary’s baby as the Thorns’ bad-news replacement nanny. The Omen’s last chapter adds plenty of ghoulish touches to its various flashbacks to that fateful day in the hospital, but the story rarely rises above the level of rote—and sometimes pointless—remake. Indeed, horror nerds will likely find the laughs outnumbering the improvements. But with throwaways such as An American Haunting, Silent Hill, Wolf Creek—stop me whenever—recently sullying the screens, Take Two on the Antichrist’s birth is, at the very least, a small step up in the genre. The evil that boys do isn’t a result of supernatural beings in Twelve and Holding, director Michael Cuesta’s sometimes over-the-top follow-up to his tragedy-ridden first film, 2001’s pedophilia-themed L.I.E. You might pity the poor tweens trapped in television writer Anthony Cipriano’s script, though to continue to do so for the whole movie will require a significant suspension of disbelief. How many soap-operatic experiences can even a bunch of adolescent boys go through in 94 minutes? As Twelve and Holding begins, twin brothers Rudy and Jacob (both played by Conor Donovon) are running to the safety of their treehouse, chased by two bullies. The brothers are physically identical, except that Jacob has a birthmark covering one side of his face, which he prefers to hide behind a hockey mask. In terms of personality, though, they’re, yup, opposites: Rudy’s the outspoken fighter; Jacob’s the guy who would rather be quietly invisible. So it’s Rudy who throws a bucket of urine on their tormentors, prompting the tougher one, Kenny (Michael C. Fuchs), to threaten, “You are dead!” And only Rudy and obese friend Leonard (Jesse Camacho) later go off in the middle of the night to protect the treehouse. As promised, the thugs in training return—with Molotov cocktails. The boys are sleeping at the time. Leonard escapes with only a head injury that takes away his sense of smell and taste. Rudy is engulfed by flames and dies. The death sets the emotionally knotted Jacob, Leonard, and another close friend, Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum), spinning in radical directions as their parents react with equal extremity. Jacob absorbs the anger of his mother (Jayne Atkinson) instead of the it-was-an-accident acceptance of his father (Linus Roache) and begins to visit and intimidate the detained Kenny. Leonard, no longer enjoying his usual fatty diet and given nutrition and exercise books by his concerned gym teacher, takes to eating apples and jogging—and tries to force his lifestyle change on his grossly overweight parents. The precocious Malee, who’s desperate for her absent father and not given much attention by her therapist mother (Annabella Sciorra), develops an obsessive crush on Gus (Jeremy Renner), one of her mother’s adult patients, going to awkward and ultimately shocking lengths to get him to requite her puppy love. Cipriano isn’t subtle in driving home Twelve and Holding’s theme of how a tragedy singes all of those who come near it. There’s the accident, the fact that Gus is a haunted former firefighter, and Blue Oyster Cult’s “Burnin’ for You” rather ridiculously woven into the plot. But the film really falters whenever Leonard’s parents (Marcia DeBonis and Tom McGowan) show up: Both look like full-grown Oompa-Loompas, and they’re constantly shown eating piles of junk food and reacting furiously to Leonard’s desire to get fit. Murders, suicide, pedophilia, assisted homicide, and, oh, a gas leak are included to move things along, too. Yet the film’s piling of tragedy upon tragedy is undercut every time Cuesta and Cipriano ask us to make fun of an adult rather than empathize with a child. The idea, presumably, is that parents just don’t understand. Twelve and Holding’s script is eye-rolling, even if its characters’ predicaments are heartbreaking.

Spout Post: Heed the Review

Thu, 31 May 2007 16:59:14 GMT

Post By: The1TheOnlyJP
Post To: The Paxton Log
Post Date: 5/31/2007 12:59:14 PM
Body: Five years ago senior American diplomat Robert Thorne's (Liev Schreiber) wife Katherine (Julia Stiles) had a delivery that resulted in the death of their newborn child. The thing is, she doesn't know anything about it. The hospital priest, Father Spiletto (Giovanni Lambardo Radice) convinced Robert to take and raise another child born that same night whose mother died during delivery. The child's name, Damien. (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) Years pass and Damien is happy as well as healthy. Everything appears perfect. That is until now, beginning at his birthday party where his nanny commits suicide. The occurrences continue with warnings from a strange priest, Father Brennan (Pete Poslethwaite) claiming Robert must defeat the son of the Devil. As the story progresses and more out of the normal events take place, Robert slowly begins to piece together the puzzle and realize the horrid truth. Damien is no ordinary child, he is none other than the Anti-Christ. It is then he learns that in order to stop the dreadful catastrophe yet to occur he must kill his own son. Or so who he believed to be his own. Sounds interesting doesn't it? Perhaps it might be if the exact story hadn't been told in theaters thirty years ago. There lies one of the problems with this extremely unnecessary remake of 'The Omen'. It is so similar in almost every way it's disappointingly scary. Aside from a few death scenes and an added sixteen second dream sequence, the only real difference here is the characters have cell phones, digital cameras, & the internet. The other problem, the acting. It was so close to grisly it just barely slides by as mediocre. Julia Stiles certainly did not amaze by any means. It isn't until shortly before we last see her that she almost manages to get a hold of her character and begin to come through. Possibly her next role as Glenna in 'Edmond' being released next week in select theaters will suit her better and give her a chance to shine. I really wanted this remake to surpass its predetermined God-awfulness, but it didn't. Director John Moore tried to go a good job here but was unable to succeed. What he couldn't seem to grasp is when you re-make a film, you're supposed to bring and present the same feeling and likeness the initial movie contained, while still making it your own and adding your own print to it. Not rehash the same one and wrap it in a new package. He wanted to bring back a classic horror film and make it great all over again, but it didn't just happen. The fact it's practically scene for scene the same as the original is mindlessly idiotic. Heed my words, see the original 1976 'Omen', not this lousy remake. In it you'll find far better acting and an overall more enjoyable viewing experience. - originally written on Jul. 8 '06

Spout Tag:murder

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:57:25 GMT

murder
Number of films tagged: 8748

Number of people who tagged: 157

Number of times used: 830

Spout Tag:remake

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:13:01 GMT

remake
Number of films tagged: 155

Number of people who tagged: 71

Number of times used: 203

Spout Tag:religion

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 03:31:00 GMT

religion
Number of films tagged: 1123

Number of people who tagged: 67

Number of times used: 176

Spout Tag:disappointing

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:25:18 GMT

disappointing
Number of films tagged: 75

Number of people who tagged: 53

Number of times used: 101

Spout Tag:pregnancy

Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:22:12 GMT

pregnancy
Number of films tagged: 1306

Number of people who tagged: 44

Number of times used: 110

Spout Tag:boy

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:02:48 GMT

boy
Number of films tagged: 1318

Number of people who tagged: 36

Number of times used: 60

Spout Tag:child

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:19:37 GMT

child
Number of films tagged: 2821

Number of people who tagged: 32

Number of times used: 99

Spout Tag:god

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:34:41 GMT

god
Number of films tagged: 474

Number of people who tagged: 31

Number of times used: 67

Spout Tag:priest

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 03:09:32 GMT

priest
Number of films tagged: 703

Number of people who tagged: 24

Number of times used: 35

Spout Tag:fate

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:56:35 GMT

fate
Number of films tagged: 207

Number of people who tagged: 23

Number of times used: 32

Spout Tag:demons

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:59:54 GMT

demons
Number of films tagged: 30

Number of people who tagged: 21

Number of times used: 36

Spout Tag:devil

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:01:59 GMT

devil
Number of films tagged: 71

Number of people who tagged: 18

Number of times used: 28

Spout Tag:satan

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:53:24 GMT

satan
Number of films tagged: 180

Number of people who tagged: 15

Number of times used: 23

Spout Tag:prophecy

Mon, 15 Jun 2009 20:45:25 GMT

prophecy
Number of films tagged: 113

Number of people who tagged: 11

Number of times used: 11

Spout Tag:antichrist

Sun, 03 May 2009 16:03:42 GMT

antichrist
Number of films tagged: 38

Number of people who tagged: 6

Number of times used: 10