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  #26851  
Old 9th January 2014, 08:46 PM
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Django prepare a coffin.

Terrance hill replaces Franco Nero and does a decent job in this fun spaghetti western. More revenge and betrayal with a ton of gold thrown in and some politics as well. Nice to see George Eastman as well.


Vengence.

Another spaghetti western. This one with Richard Harrison and directed by Antonio Margheretti. It's one of the more poverty row italian westerns but thankfully Margharetti rescues it with decent direction.

The Sentinel.

One of Michael Winners better films (though i'm not as down on his work as some) with a woman renting a flat with a sinister secret. The film was apparently an influence on Fulci's The Beyond. The use of actual deformed people to play the denziens of hell is perhaps more than a little politically correct but its still a really effective and creepy ending. Loads of stars in this one and also a superb audio commentary from Michael winner himself.
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  #26852  
Old 9th January 2014, 08:59 PM
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My bloody valentine original

First time watching this and really enjoyed it a superior slasher with likable and interesting characters and some good gore. Watched the uncut version, the picture quality dropped dramatically when added scenes showed. But after watching it the normal version must of been very tame as seemed very little gore/ violence apart from uncut parts. 8.5/10


Bride of the monster

I actually really enjoyed this and found it to be a better film technically than plan 9 which isn't hard. Was it just me or did the main lead look a little like a young dean stockwell. 7/10

Wax mask

Wasn't expecting much but enjoyed this more than I should of. A decent story with some good gore. 6.5/10

Black Sunday

Classic bava gothic horror, with great atmosphere. A classic 9/10

The brood

Not much more to say about this chilling and disturbing classic. One of croneburgs best. 9.5/10

Night of the creeps.

Fist viewing and really enjoyed this. A great mix of horror/ comedy/ sci fi. Tom Atkins steals the show and is a joy to watch. A film that will be getting many more viewings. 10/10

Next up the fury.

Last edited by trebor8273; 9th January 2014 at 09:29 PM.
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  #26853  
Old 9th January 2014, 10:54 PM
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DRACULA III: THE LEGACY. Set in a near future Romania where vampires prowl the land and have taken control of the government, the film follows two vampire hunters as they travel across country looking for the big D. This starts out as the usual East Europe as backwards hell that seems so common in American films, the Romanian people look like extras from an inn in an early Hammer Dracula film before a sudden turn and things start getting sexy and weird. A third way into the film there is a complete change of feel and artistry, gone are the peasant population and slimy human traffickers and in come vast amounts of gothic high jinks, vampire stilt walkers, spooky merry go rounds, clowns, rows of impaled priests and zonked out orgies of vampires feeding. It's all a bit daft but highly entertaining. I really enjoyed it.
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  #26854  
Old 9th January 2014, 11:24 PM
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Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly View Post
DRACULA III: THE LEGACY. I really enjoyed it.
It sounds just up my street.
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  #26855  
Old 9th January 2014, 11:27 PM
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Originally Posted by trebor8273 View Post
Wax mask

Wasn't expecting much but enjoyed this more than I should of. A decent story with some good gore. 6.5/10
Why shouldn't you have enjoyed it so much Trebor?

On the whole Its a well regarded film by those who have seen it . A film crying out for a decent release on blu or even dvd.
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  #26856  
Old 10th January 2014, 02:28 AM
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Why shouldn't you have enjoyed it so much Trebor?

On the whole Its a well regarded film by those who have seen it . A film crying out for a decent release on blu or even dvd.
I had the same approach with regards to Wax Mask. With it being made in '97 and having seen many other Italian horror offerings from that period I went in not expecting much, irrespective of the Argento, Fulci, and Stivaletti combo (after all this film came out a year before Argento made Phantom of the Opera and Fulci had long since stopped making films due to poor health... plus we know what most of his latter-day films were like). I was pleasantly surprised with what I got though

I echo your sentiments in regards to a decent release too. I own the Film 2000 DVD and it is far from fantastic.
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  #26857  
Old 10th January 2014, 08:37 AM
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An Arrow double bill for me last night

Squirm - I've always enjoyed the easy going nature of this movie and listening to Jeff Liebermans commentary enhanced the experience even more - I'll never watch the sea of worms scene again without picturing a load of boys scouts underneath providing the motion. Keep em coming Arrow - Blue Sunshine and just Before Dawn for 2014 please.

Runaway Train - I'm embarrassed to say that I'd never seen this movie before - wow, it is an incredible fusion of full on action and arthouse. I found it thrilling, haunting, occasionally frustrating but overall the best new (for me) film since Deep End. The scene where Voight and Roberts are fighting and all of a sudden a self awareness of the futility of it all hits the characters is just amazing. And that last shot. Damn!
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  #26858  
Old 10th January 2014, 11:15 AM
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
Why shouldn't you have enjoyed it so much Trebor?

On the whole Its a well regarded film by those who have seen it . A film crying out for a decent release on blu or even dvd.
sure i heard bad things about it, and my score seems a bit low. 7/7.5. will definitely pick it up if it gets a blu ray release
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  #26859  
Old 10th January 2014, 12:32 PM
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THE PURGE - I approached this with caution following some negative reviews, which tended to accuse the film of doing little with its central idea (ie every year, America suspends the legal process and all 'crime' goes unpunished) beyond laying on a standard home invasion scenario. There's some truth in this, but I thought 'The Purge' was very effective and enjoyable, providing suspense and a satisfying whack of violence in place of truly engaging social commentary (which it seems to want to attempt, but like may mainstream efforts, it hedges and bungles when it comes to the cards on the table). Maybe it's not a "Death Race 2000" type critique of American brutality - a broader canvas and steelier resolve would've helped - but as far as multiplex exploitation goes, you could do way worse.

RED LIGHTS - I liked it. Two parapsychologists tangle with psychic Robert De Niro and weird shit happens. There's a great atmosphere throughout, full of portents and ominous foreboding, and some ace dream-like sequences (a weird, threatening TV interview - scenes in psychic Bob's layer). A lot of people have maybe come away from the 'twist' at the end with a sense of 'erm... OK...', but, whether a bad decision or not, the last five minutes are probably the only way of making sense of the film without going a more obvious route. I say, give it a go.

HIDDEN IN THE WOODS - Chilean nasty which has two sisters and their deformed brother hiding out in, yep, some woods in an attempt to evade drug dealing gangsters. It's quite intense and oppressive, filmed in tight, close sequences, and moves along pretty quickly and gorily. Is it being remade in America or something? If so, I bet they handle some uncomfortable aspects (ie relationship between bad dad and his daughters) with slightly more 'tenderness'. If you're up for something sleazy and unremittingly brutal (which I imagine you possibly are), then 'Hidden In The Woods' delivers.

SATAN'S CHILDREN - Seventies exploitation from Florida. A disaffected teen leaves his arsehole family and ends up the unwelcome guest of a hippy-satanic commune (after being brutally raped and left for dead). It's really confusing. Some commentators have pointed to the fact it hosts blatant homophobia alongside obvious homoeroticism - whether the filmmaker was an arch-enigmatic or merely confused himself is probably up for grabs. For those interested in testing this strange riddle of a film, it does glow with that specifically seventies grindhouse aura of queasy, dream-like dread.

ONLY GOD FORGIVES - I loved it, what a triumph - easily contender for last year's best, and certainly IMO the pinnacle of the director's work so far. Yeah, maybe my 'aura of queasy, dream-like dread' line from the last review is better placed here. I liked the ways it pitches a really tranced out contemplative atmosphere against nail biting suspense and visceral kicks. It seems to be the tale of Gosling's oedipalisation and eventual castration at the hands of his symbolic Father, a despicable fascist copper. In fact, everyone in OGF is pretty despicable and almost completely unlikeable, so how it manages to ratchet up so much tension without all that much character identification is a mystery and a testament to Winding Refn's skills. I know it's been really divisive and everyone here has probably seen it and has an opinion on it already, but if not, watch it and get one.

ZOMBIE ASS: TOILET OF THE DEAD - From the heights of 'Only God Forgives' to the depths of 'Zombie Ass's shit pit is quite a journey, but maybe one worth talking about. Well, I just don't know how to take 'Zombie Ass' - it amazes me that films like this are made with commercial intent. Actually, maybe it's not such a bizarre thing - this kind of utter gross-out is only a step away from Troma, although feels much weirder in some ways. Basically, there are some stereotypical J-teens in a forest and there are tapeworms, shit covered zombies, graphic body function gags and endless lunacy. The 'whacky' humour didn't irritate me as much as it normally does because it was undercut by a sheer nastiness and noxiousness which was at least inventive, particularly in the latter half of the flick, when overtures are made towards mild tentacle porn (with excrement smeared tapeworms, nice). This is obviously an example of the kind of extreme Japanese horror which was in vogue five or ten years ago and was typified by the likes of 'The Machine Girl' and 'Tokyo Gore Police' and seems to have oozed along ever since, spewing out bewildering travesties like 'Helldriver' and 'Mutant Girl Squad', each one trying to outdo its forebears in terms of depravity, excess and weirdness. Somehow they often and up being closer to Peter Jackson than anything genuinely mind bending, but, for those into this slimy niche, 'Zombie Ass' is a lavatorial step further.
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  #26860  
Old 10th January 2014, 12:52 PM
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Another fine review post Frankie.

I still can't see me wanting to watch Gosling staring into the distance for two hours, no matter how many on here like Only God Forgives.
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