TED BUNDY

[EoghainFOKeeffe]

I looked through the message boards and I haven't been able to find a thread for TED BUNDY - the recent movie directed by Matthew Bright. If there is another one - feel free to move my post.

Has anybody seen this movie? I saw it two days ago and I thought it was excellent as a horror movie but disappointing as a biopic of Ted Bundy. But it was better than the recent DAHMER movie which failed in most areas. At least Ted Bundy was entertaining. Only problem was - I didn't think Matthew Bright was a good choice to direct it. He tends to emphasise the comedy aspect of this type of film (see FREEWAY and CONFESSIONS OF A TRICKBABY) and I really didn't want to laugh at Ted Bundy. I wanted to find out more about him. And I wanted to be shocked.

The acting was generally good - but the victims were uniformly terrible. None of the girls were convincingly frightened. And Ted's girlfriend was bad in every way - her part was very badly written and she was completely unbelievable.

What did you think of it?

(By the way - I posted a more extensive review on my website - www.angelfire.com/weird/eoghainokeeffe)

[Requiem-for-a-Dream]

Well, I loved Ted Bundy. The movie, not the guy.

I didn't love it like I love most horror movies, I loved it because of it's accuracy. The one quarrel I had with it was that it didn't dive into his childhood to explain his sick behaviour.

This is a very disturbing and sick film but all this did happen. It's not all that gory (besides some bloody corpses and beatings with a log) but it doesn't need to be.

I actually was quite impressed with Boti Bliss' performance (Ted's girlfriend). She was gorgeous and very talented. She was also perfectly picked for the role. The rest of the women were awful though.

Ted Bundy- 8/10

Matt

[Fulci_Fan]

I think they should've made one of these about Gacy, he was like one of the most notorius serial killers. He killed like 40 young teenage boys. Yuck... Sick stuff, and him as pogo the clown is just terrifying, that would be a creepy movie.

[EoghainFOKeeffe]

There are a couple of Gacy movies. I think Brian Dennehy was in one of them. I can't remember the name of the more recent one. Hmm...I'm no help at all, am I?!

[EoghainFOKeeffe]

Originally posted by Requiem-for-a-Dream


I actually was quite impressed with Boti Bliss' performance (Ted's girlfriend). She was gorgeous and very talented. She was also perfectly picked for the role. The rest of the women were awful though.


The problem with Boti Bliss wasn't her performance. Her acting was fine. The problem was that her character was very badly written. She didn't react the way a normal person would react at all. She was far too gullible, foolish and shallow. But that wasn't the actress' fault - it was the writers fault.

I agree with you about the rest of the women. Not one of the death scenes was believable - and that ruined any of the potential shocks.

[countchocula]

Originally posted by Fulci_Fan
I think they should've made one of these about Gacy, he was like one of the most notorius serial killers. He killed like 40 young teenage boys. Yuck... Sick stuff, and him as pogo the clown is just terrifying, that would be a creepy movie.

The made-for-TV To Catch a Killer dealt with Gacy's exploits, and another Gacy biopic, simply entitled Gacy, should be released soon (it might already be out).

[Requiem-for-a-Dream]

Gacy comes out on the 13th of this month. It's supposedly graphic and sadistic.

Matt

[Shatter]

Ted Bundy? Woah the dude from All My Children killed people?

Sorry, I was having a Beavis & Butt Head moment. I haven't seen this one yet, but it sounds like it's worth checking out.

[Scully1888]

I saw the premiere of Ted Bundy in Edinburgh, excellent film.

EoghainFOKeeffe said that s/he didn't want to laugh at Bundy. I think the point of the film was that when you find yourself laughing at Bundy one minute then the next minute he's beating someone to death, you realise that you too have fallen into his trap.

You can find my own review of it here:

http://veritasonline.co.uk/artsandentsstories/filmreviews.htm

[EoghainFOKeeffe]

Originally posted by Scully1888


EoghainFOKeeffe said that s/he didn't want to laugh at Bundy. I think the point of the film was that when you find yourself laughing at Bundy one minute then the next minute he's beating someone to death, you realise that you too have fallen into his trap.

I don't agree for a number of reasons. I think a 'laughing one minute, scared the next' approach would be excellent if it were fiction. That's why I said that I'd call this a brilliant film if it were just a fictional horror story.

But TED BUNDY is a true story. Real people died. It was tragic and, to make it worse, their family members are still alive to see this 'black comedy.' TED BUNDY is an irresponsible and misdirected movie. But it's not a bad movie.

And I'm not talking about the representation of Bundy himself. He was charming in reality, and he's charming here. I'm talking about the general zany atmosphere of the movie. It was very out of place.

Making light of ANY aspect of this story is like making a 'black comedy' out of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK.

[EoghainFOKeeffe]

Scully? I was hoping that you might respond to what I said! Does your silence mean that you agree with me?

[Scully1888]

Originally posted by EoghainFOKeeffe
Scully? I was hoping that you might respond to what I said! Does your silence mean that you agree with me?

No, it means I haven't been online for a couple of days. :)

I am not saying for one minute that Ted Bundy makes light of any aspect of Bundy's life. From what I have read, the film is a very accurate portrayal of the Bundy story, inclunding the fact that he was charming and humorous in order to win over his victims before killing them.

To incorporate this into the film is not, in my opinion, an attempt to make the film a 'black comedy', as you put it, rather it gives a deeper sense of realism and enables the audience to really see how manipulative Bundy was.

Sometimes you have to experience the highs before you really feel the lows.

[EoghainFOKeeffe]

I think we both interpreted the movie in different ways.

I thought it was a very good movie, I don't mean to give the impression that I didn't. But I never felt any revulsion at anything that Bundy did - I think this was due the three things: The actresses playing the victims were universally awful, the atmosphere of the movie was too colourful and 'airy' and the writers didn't put much effort into making the victims believable as real people.

And that bothered me. Usually, when I watch a true-to-life serial killer movie, I will end up thinking, 'Now I know what it was like to actually BE there.' But TED BUNDY just felt like a movie, to me, it never felt realistic. I felt a much stronger connection with the recent ED GEIN movie with Steve Railsbeck (at least I think that was his name) - and that movie showed me how horrific Gein's crimes really were. On the other hand, TED BUNDY was MUCH better movie than DAHMER.

[belial1134]

Along the same lines, has anyone seen Speck (based on the true events of Richard Speck who killed several nurses in Chicago) ?
Also, anyone seen Gacy yet? I believe it was also called The Crawl Space but released in the US on video as Gacy.

-Belial.

[The Delfonics]

Originally posted by Shatter
Ted Bundy? Woah the dude from All My Children killed people?

Blasphemy!! His name was Al Bundy and the show was called Married With Children...


Either way I thought this movies was a great. It had an American Psycho like feel going on with all the comedy and will still odd and violent at the same time. Im really interested in seeing Dahmer becaue Jeremy Renner, who Im convinced is probably my cousin, is in it.

[cellar door]

Don't waste your time with Dahmer, my friend. It's just monotonous.

I just rented Gacy tonight, I plan to watch it tomorrow and then I'll review it...

I also am going to grab Ted Bundy and Speck as well.