Let's talk about Knightriders

[Skold]

So, holy crap i just watched Knightriders again. Like all of us, i've seen Dawn and Day over 50 times each, Night a little bit less, and the last three less than two each (get it?).

We need to discuss this more!

Holy sh!t Knightriders is such a great movie.

* Motorcycle fights? nuff said.

* Tom Savini is awesome in it. Chiseled body aside, he made the movie. In Grindhouse he made me think "not an actor" but he killed here.

* Ken Foree. Is he ever not awesome?*

*Pip coming out as gay. GAR does this in 1981. Nicely done, George my hero**.

* Holy shi!t that was Rhodes and Miguel! i am one of those guys that thinks that Pilato was great in Day, but he shouts the same way in this movie. Still, it was exactly the part. Type-cast maybe?

* The beard completely hid Roger from me :p

* lol Miguel

*Patricia Tillman. Wow she is so hot in this. Later to be cast as Barbara in Night

*This movie is an analogy about his movies and big hollywood. Turns out he was right. His small movies are better. ***

*That ending makes me cry every time. i admit it!


* Trick question. The answer is yes. See: Dawn 04
** For Dawn
*** We should also talk about Martin more

[EvilNed]

haha. Im gonna have to see the film after reading this post.

[MinionZombie]

I moved this into Media Discussion.

I've only seen the movie once (well, twice, as once with commentary) - but I must see it again as that was a long time ago. It's perhaps a little bit long, but the spirit of the movie is excellent - it really is an ode to the good old days of the Romero band of filmmakers. The likes of Night/Dawn/Day/Creepshow/etc get a lot of airtime, but Knightriders is one of those that slips through the cracks a bit, or gets far less airtime, so it's nice to have something that kinda feels undiscovered - it feels special. It's got that vibe of a bunch of friends getting together for the summer to make a movie - to ride bikes, dress up, and play about, but all the while there's a nifty message in there which is essentially indie-versus-hollywood film.

[wayzim]

So, holy crap i just watched Knightriders again. Like all of us, i've seen Dawn and Day over 50 times each, Night a little bit less, and the last three less than two each (get it?).

We need to discuss this more!

Holy sh!t Knightriders is such a great movie.

* Motorcycle fights? nuff said.

* Tom Savini is awesome in it. Chiseled body aside, he made the movie. In Grindhouse he made me think "not an actor" but he killed here.

* Ken Foree. Is he ever not awesome?*

*Pip coming out as gay. GAR does this in 1981. Nicely done, George my hero**.

* Holy shi!t that was Rhodes and Miguel! i am one of those guys that thinks that Pilato was great in Day, but he shouts the same way in this movie. Still, it was exactly the part. Type-cast maybe?

* The beard completely hid Roger from me :p

* lol Miguel

*Patricia Tillman. Wow she is so hot in this. Later to be cast as Barbara in Night

*This movie is an analogy about his movies and big hollywood. Turns out he was right. His small movies are better. ***

*That ending makes me cry every time. i admit it!


* Trick question. The answer is yes. See: Dawn 04
** For Dawn
*** We should also talk about Martin more


Fun fun bit of cinema, sort of a proto Bronco Billy for the romero fans. Ed Harris has always been one of the coolest low key actors around ( IMHO, even in this one and Creepshow. ) and the headtrip aspects of Knightriders were never the "Getting Hit Over The Head. " lessons they could've been. It's past time we resurrected this cult classic and had a go at it.

Wayne Z

[Mr.G]

I love this movie! It's my favorite non zombie GAR movie and probably 2 or 3 overall. Great scenes, great dialogue, great characters...it's like one huge analogy of the inner thoughts of GAR on making movies. I can't wait for the new blu ray from Scream Factory. The Arrow (UK) Blu Ray is a must buy for a fan of this film.

[Trancelikestate]

Oi, I'm sorry to say this. I haven't seen it in years but from what I remember it's insufferably boring and I couldn't wait for it to end. Fun seeing all the people from Romero's movies in one. Seeing Stephen King is always fun and "Wooley" being a drunk dick of course. Sure I may need to watch it again to appreciate some of the hidden messages. My favorite Romero movie is Martin. My brother thinks it's boring too but for me it blows Knightriders out of the water. It's my least favorite Romero movie. I'd rather be tied to a chair and made to watch Survival 5 times then this once more.

[krakenslayer]

I really like Knightriders. Very much a change in pace from Romero's other stuff, and shows that he is very capable of making great non-horror movies. I loved the way he wove mythological themes and stuff through it.

One small flaw would be the weird narrative setup, however. The opening tournament goes on for like an hour and has it's own three-act structure, which leads the viewer to think that the entire movie is going to be set around this one event, and when it comes to an end you almost feel like the movie is nearly over. Actually you're less than half of the way in and a good chunk of the character development is yet to happen, let alone all the conflict and stuff that is still brewing. It didn't both me too much, but my other half got pissed off with the film, despite liking it in the beginning, because I think this kind of threw her.

[MinionZombie]

I'd agree with you kraken, the pace of the film is a bit tricky ... it doesn't need to be as long as it is. The tournaments are good fun, but they are overlong and some judicious editing would have helped the overall pace of the movie. It does make for a slightly awkward one-shot viewing, but in spite of that, it's the kind of movie that shines more afterwards when you think about it and go over the vibe of it all ... at least to me, anyway.

Yeah, I've got this 'on the list' to re-watch whenever I get a chance to. I absolutely love that old school Romero filmmaking troupe vibe of it all - the familiar faces, the family atmosphere - just listening to the commentary really brought you into how great it must have been to spend that summer shooting that movie. :)

[shootemindehead]

Yeh, was never a big fan. 'Knightriders' could really have done with some extreme cuts. It's interminable. The only real interesting thing in it for me is seeing 'Dawn of the Dead' faces in a non-zombie world. Other than that, I really couldn't care less.

[MoonSylver]

Absolutely love Knightriders. One of my favorite movies, Romero or non. Even when not viewed through the lens of GAR's thoughts on film making, it's still a thoughtful meditation on dreams, dreamers, & the cost of following your dreams & the difficulty of keeping them alive in the "real" world, or of being someone who "doesn't belong" or "fit in". Some random thoughts:

Brother Blue is awesome.

Love the mystical bent woven in & out throughout with the Raven Knight.

I felt very much like King Billy when I discovered this movie, so I related to it strongly growing up.

Like the parallels w/ Lancelot & Guinevere. As an Arthurian fan I could appreciate this.

The end....I could cry like a little girl every time.

The movie has a sad, melancholy, wistful, longing vibe that tickles my depression & ennui bones mightily.

Makes a great double feature with "Excalibur". ;)

[Philly_SWAT]

*Patricia Tillman. Wow she is so hot in this. Later to be cast as Barbara in Night


You SHOULD have said...

*Patricia Tallman. Wow she is TOPLESS in this :)

[Mike70]

Yeh, was never a big fan. 'Knightriders' could really have done with some extreme cuts. It's interminable. The only real interesting thing in it for me is seeing 'Dawn of the Dead' faces in a non-zombie world. Other than that, I really couldn't care less.

Amen. a lot of "Knightriders" should have been left on the cutting room floor. that film is WAY overlong and WAY too talky for my taste. its subject matter just does not warrant a movie that is over 2 and a half hours long.

[MoonSylver]

Amen. a lot of "Knightriders" should have been left on the cutting room floor. that film is WAY overlong and WAY too talky for my taste. its subject matter just does not warrant a movie that is over 2 and a half hours long.

It may not warrent it, but if you're one of the ones in love with it, it's wonderful, because it gives you a sense of really getting to "inhabit" their world, in a way I don't know if it would have in 90 minutes. :) I would have figured a D&D geek like you would have been all over this one. I know I was. ;)

[Skold]

You SHOULD have said...

*Patricia Tallman. Wow she is TOPLESS in this :)

Haha perhaps! She had that thing with the pink sweater and hair ribbon tho...
(writes note to wife about possible cosplay idea...)

i had no idea how polarizing this movies is. Fascinating. i totally get the "GAR familiarity" aspect - i probably would've hated Savini if i didn't know all that he has done (same goes for him in Dusk Till Dawn, actually). i love the theme though.

It does seem like GAR's life. i wonder how he looks at it now, post-Land?

[MinionZombie]

I agree with Moon, the movie wouldn't have worked at say, 90 minutes, but on the other hand at 2 hours and 25 minutes (according to IMDb) it's a smidge overlong - it probably could lose 10 minutes, even 15, and not feel too much of an impact. Yes, this is definitely on my rewatch 'to do' list.