Movie Talk: The Raven

[JBird]

Before I continue, how would it be best for the community to decide on which movie to watch from Netflix (or any other movie streaming service), provided it's available? I don't want to feel like I will be the one who dictates what everyone should watch in order to participate in the discussion. I'm more curious to see what people can recommend.

This week for Movie Talk, I chose to watch the Raven, directed by James McTeigue and starring John Cusack as the macabre poet, Edgar Allen Poe.

Originally Posted by Netflix

After discovering that a string of baffling murders seems to be inspired by the macabre short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, Baltimore cop Emmett Fields turns to the brilliant-but-boozy author to help solve the crimes.

Now, aside from having read the Raven and the Tell-Tale Heart for high school, I don't know much else about Edgar Allen Poe. Just from skimming through his Wiki article, I can see that he has led a depressing life. That said, I can't really comment on Cusack's portrayal of the man to know if he's being accurate to how he behaved.

As for the film, on the whole, I quite enjoyed it. While not the best, it was an interesting thriller/mystery that had me wanting to see it to the conclusion. When the killer was revealed, however, it didn't really feel impactful; as if the movie was in need of a quick ending. I'm not one for gore, but I felt disappointed in the use of CGI early on in the movie, when a critic of Poe's work was being sliced in half by a pendulum. It didn't look terrible, but it was still noticeable. (Research shows that the actual critic despised Poe enough that he wrote an unfavorable obituary and a scathing biography. The two writers of the movie wrote in his death as "revenge".)

I've always been a fan of John Cusack, and he was pretty compelling in the movie as Poe. The fear he felt from knowing his work of fiction was being used a blueprint for serial killings was authentic enough.

[DalekSec]

No wonder I like you...

He, along with Lovecraft are among my all time fave authors. Both quite mad in their own strange ways.

Perhaps this is a poor admission on my part but, I truly enjoyed The Raven (yes, I Netflix, too). Much like Lincoln as a vampire hunter, the premise of the movie, (Poe as part Holmes, part action hero) made me smile.

Much like Lincoln or League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, it does take a stretch to see the sickly and deranged Poe as being able to function at all, let alone jumping about but, it works. As one who grew up on such classics, I think it is brilliant, all these new takes on historical and fictional sorts that we know so well.

[JBird]

Now all we need is Mark Twain: Werewolf Private Eye :P

Honestly, Raven felt more in league (no pun intended) with the Robert Downey, Jr Sherlock Holmes films than LXG and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; on a lesser budget, obviously. If anything, the Raven felt more like a really well-made TV movie; and I mean that in a good way. Had this leaned more toward supernatural shenanigans, it would have lost it's appeal, in my mind.

I just realized something: the Raven is kind of like Sleepy Hollow, minus the supernatural elements.

[DalekSec]

Originally Posted by JBird

Now all we need is Mark Twain: Werewolf Private Eye :P

Honestly, Raven felt more in league (no pun intended) with the Robert Downey, Jr Sherlock Holmes films than LXG and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter; on a lesser budget, obviously. If anything, the Raven felt more like a really well-made TV movie; and I mean that in a good way. Had this leaned more toward supernatural shenanigans, it would have lost it's appeal, in my mind.

I just realized something: the Raven is kind of like Sleepy Hollow, minus the supernatural elements.

Hey, I would watch that and I am not even a fan of Twain.

Indeed, good point about the most recent revival of Holmes that took a gleeful delight in reversing a few, key bits of the literary Sherlock. Not least of which was his OCD view of his own personal hygiene.

I do think the rise of Steam Punk as a genre has managed to breathe new life into many of the figures of both history and fiction of the times. I have long suspected that Tesla was a displaced Time Lord with a few decidedly cool issues tucked away in his TARDIS.

Another factor is fairly simple to explain. It is easier to work off of existing characters with some license than trying to formulate some new entry into the world of fiction. Even as I enjoy Defiance, for example, I can not ignore the elements of such classic television as Gunsmoke, that it incorporates.

[Mewsdragonball]

I like Poe too, but he's hard to do justice on film, here are my fave movies based on his work:

Murders in the Rue Morgue: A 1932 film starring Bela Lugosi fresh off of Dracula

The Black Cat: A in name only adaptation from 1934 featuring Lugosi and Karloff in their first movie together.

The Raven: A Universal film from 1936 starring Lugosi and Karloff again.

House of Usher: A 1960 film directed by Roger Corman with a screenplay by author Richard Matheson and features Vincent Price in a fantastic performance as Roderick Usher.

The Pit and The Pendulum: Price teams up with Corman and Matheson again in this second film of Corman's Poe series for American International

Premature Burial: The third film of Corman's Poe series and the only one to not feature Price, it instead stars Ray Milland. One again the script was by Matheson.

Tales of Terror: A anthology film made of three stories: Morella, The Black Cat and The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar. Price appears in all three, playing a different role in each, including the titular Valdemar. Peter Lorre co-stars in The Black Cat while former Sherlock Holmes Basil Rathbone joins in for "Valdemar". It's also the fourth film in Corman's Poe series.

The Raven: A great little horror comedy that is the fifth of the Poe series. Price and Lorre are once again paired together as two sorcerors, one of whom (Lorre) is turned into the titular Raven twice in the film. Boris Karloff, Hazel Court and a young Jack Nicholson join this time around.

Before I continue, I have to say, yes, there is another Poe film in between The Raven and my next listed film...but it's actually an adaptation of Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. AIP slapped the title of the Poe poem The Haunted Palace on the movie and placed the poem at the start and end to connect it to Corman's Poe movies...

Masque of the Red Death: In the penultimate film of the Poe series, Price is once again teamed with Hazel Court. This was planned to be done after House of Usher, but Corman decided to to wait since he was afraid of the similarities to The Seventh Seal.

Two Evil Eyes: Another Poe anthology film, only two stories this time, and both have a different director. First up is a modern version of The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar starring Adrienne Barbeau, E.G. Marshall, Jonathan Adams (Rocky Horror's Dr.Scott) and Tom Atkins. Then, it's The Black Cat starring Harvey Keitel as a forensic photographer named Roderick Usher (Yes, they took a name from ANOTHER Poe story). The segment also stars John Amos, Kim Hunter, Psycho's Martin Balsam and future Dexter co-star Julie Benz. The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar was directed by George A. Romero and The Black Cat was directed by Dario Argento.

I really recommend these movies for not only Poe fans, but also horror fans.