Colibel
Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.
Nonureva
Really Surprised!
Ketrivie
It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.
Celia
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Claudio Carvalho
The unbalanced teenager Martin Mathias (John Amplas) travels to Braddock, Pennsylvania, by train. During the night, he breaks in a cabin and kills a passenger in a peculiar way, injecting drug with a syringe and draining her blood to drink in a careful way. Then he meets his old cousin Tateh Cuda (Lincoln Maazel) in the station and they go to Cuda's home where Martin will live. Martin was raised by his dysfunctional mother and believes that he is an 84 year-old vampire. The religious Cuda also believes that the teenager is Nosferatu and uses crosses and garlic in the house to protect himself and his granddaughter Christina (Christine Forrest) that lives with him from Martin. Along the days, Martin befriends Christina, who has a problematic relationship with her boyfriend Arthur (Tom Savini), while continues to attack persons every now and then. Further, he uses the telephone to tell the truth about vampires to a radio show. Martin has a love affair with Christina, but when she commits suicide, Cuda does not believe that his granddaughter killed herself. "Martin" is a strange and bizarre low-budget vampire movie with a totally different story. There is a documentary on the DVD where George Romero gives details about the production that uses real locations. He also tells that "Martin" is his masterpiece. Martin's daydreams with black-and-white are ambiguous and the viewer never knows whether whey we recollections or his imagination. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Martin"
Lee Eisenberg
Some of George Romero's movies, beyond being gorefests, have political themes. "Martin" is an example. The main character is a young man (John Amplas) who may or may not be a vampire. His uncle (Lincoln Maazel) is convinced that there is a curse in the family and calls the boy Nosferatu. But could it merely be this family superstition that drives Martin to drink blood? The political aspect in the movie is the look at urban decay. The entire town in which the movie is set is falling apart. In a "making of" featurette, Romero noted that the town's mill had closed and the whole place was economically depressed. Much like how "Night of the Living Dead" looked at race relations and the breakdown of the nuclear family, "Dawn of the Dead" poked fun at consumerism, and "Land of the Dead" showed how the rich hide themselves from the chaos and the common people have to fend for themselves, "Martin" shows the end of the American dream.Anyway, it's a really fun movie, and it's especially cool that they pulled this off with a crew of only about 15. Guerrilla filmmaking at its finest! Also starring Christine Forrest (Romero's wife) and Tom Savini.
Will Neill
I saw this film a few years ago, so my memory isn't great... Martin is a film I first saw as a matinée for 50p, and I wish I could get that back. First of all, the picture is HORRIBLE. It all seems just... sh*t. I know it was the 70s but they should have had some production values. It might symbolise something, but I don't get it at all. Secondly, the ending seems rushed. I mean really, really rushed. All I remember was "NOSFERATU!" *stab* Finally, I was shocked that it was George A. Romero who made this. I can't say it's all bad, It is possible to look at it as a vampire satire. (Although, again,if it was I definitely missed that), plus it isn't as bad as the vampire abomination that is Twilight.
MWNiese
Few horror movies have dared to be so different. This may be one of Romero's finest moments. The cinematography is brilliant and the directing is genius. This film shows Romero's creative ingenuity, unspoiled by studio interference. "Martin" is raw. It's realism is intertwined with haunting scenes of abstract flashbacks. The musical accompaniment is beautifully alluring and emotional binding. Every shot has meaning, nothing is wasted or taken for granted. This film gives us a Romero that has been lost in our modern culture based on selfishness. "Martin" should conjure strong feelings for those of us that remember the 70s and be a learning experience for those whom were not yet born. This film has certainly been overlooked by mainstream movie goers. "Martin" is about a young man with a need for fresh human blood, similar to that of a vampire. But Martin isn't a vampire: He has no fangs, he walks in the sunlight, garlic has no effect, and has no fear of crosses. Yet, his need for blood compels him to kill. "Martin" is a one of a kind vampire film, if it can be called a vampire film at all. Doing so conjures up images of Hollywood's slick portrayal of vampires, which couldn't be further from Romero's work in this picture. "Martin" is far from Hollywood's idealistic vampire showing. Romero defies contemporary vampire conventions by steeping Martin's vampirism in realism and the harsh light of day in a dying city."Martin" certainly isn't for everyone. As an avid Romero film patron, this film means much more to me than a Romero novice will most likely take away from this picture. Romero does a cameo appearance as a priest, which is a must see for Romero admirers. I can see how this film might be difficult for younger film goers or for film goers that don't have a true understanding of cinematic production and creation. The cinematography is original and invigorating as it uses a dying urban backdrop to create an emotional plethora of depression, death, and hopelessness. At the same time this urban backdrop offers reconciliation and hope to even the lowest ranks of American society.This film is simply beautiful. It is more art than film. And for those of us that can't see the special nature of this production, I recommend that you stick to Michael Bay movies. Is "Martin" a perfect film? Far from it. BUT! It's filming techniques are an excellent lesson in the art of camera placement, editing, lighting, and direction. This is a film that should be acknowledged more for what it does do than for what it does not do. And what it does do is offer us a rare glimpse into intelligent film-making at a time and place that is now lost. "Martin" is an inspiration and deserves to be at least respected by informed film-goers.