Bit of a catch up here...
Rubber (2010) - Hmmmm.....what's all this then? A murderous car tyre? Now that's something I haven't seen before. Not sure quite how to describe this, it's like a slasher movie filtered through David Lynch. Existentialist horror, maybe? Well, whatever it is, I really quite enjoyed this thoroughly bizarre offering about a car tyre that takes on a life of its own and, through sheer psychic power, it can make people's heads explode. So there's plenty of gruesome carnage. Maybe this film should've been called
Scanner Tyre? It's really odd but very entertaining. Well worth a look.
Dog Pound (2010) - Gave this Blu-ray rental a spin not expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. 3 young lads find themselves incarcerated in a Montana youth facility/prison and have to contend not only with the guards, but with the bullying inmates too. It's provocative stuff and no shortage of brutal violence. But it's more of a character study than an out-and-out prison film. Quite enjoyed this. Worth a look.
Battle: Los Angeles (2011) - It's all gung-ho action all the way, but it's incredibly entertaining. I nearly joined the Marines, it's such good propaganda.
But yeah, really enjoyed it. It's like
Black Hawk Down meets
Aliens. It's silly, but fun.
The Mechanic (2010) - Jason Statham returns to the screen in another hardman role, predictably enough. This time he's a hitman who's hired to kill his boss and mentor and this sets him on a path of revenge on those who hired him. It's the usual nonsense, but enjoyable enough.
The Stendhal Syndrome (1996) - Poor policewoman Anna Manni (Asia Argento) suffers from the titular Stendhal Syndrome, a condition that causes its victims to faint and hallucinate in the presence of beautiful art. This makes her easy prey for the rapist-killer that she's tracking. It's a film about obsession and insanity, when the lines between reality and fantasy get blurred. It's not in the same league as some of Dario's other works, but it has some interesting ideas, but overall it's not too great. The Blu-ray from BU is okay-ish, but has some strange grain stuff going on.
The Swarm (1978) - Michael Caine is Brad Crane (which rhymes with Caine
) and he's on the trail of a swarm of killer African bees that are threatening a local American town and could be heading to Houston! This is from Irwin Allen, purveyor of fine disaster movie fare, but this one's a bit of a misfire. Caine pretty much wanders through the movie, not doing much, for an expert he's pretty much ****ing clueless. But in the last five minutes, after 2 hours and 20 minutes have passed and numerous people have died, he finally comes up with a plan. Whoop-de-****ing-doo. About bloody time.
But still, with a decent cast on display it's not unwatchable, and I enjoyed it in spite of its shortcomings.
The Fighter (2010) - Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) and 'Irish' Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) are brothers who are also both boxers. Eklund is past his prime though and a crack addict to boot, whilst his younger brother wants to get out from beneath his brother's shadow and become a fighter in his own right. It's brilliantly done, though, and Bale steals the show completely. It's clever in that there's a film crew following Dicky around and we presume they're making a documentary about him as a fighter - but it turns out to be a documentary about crack addiction. It's riveting stuff and everything turns out well in the end. Thoroughly enjoyed this one. Bale is superb, his performance is Oscar material, I reckon.
The Skull (1965) - Picked this up on Blu-ray and it is a marked improvement over the DVD. The skull of the Marquis De Sade becomes the focus of Dr Christopher Maitland's (Peter Cushing) obsession. It's all nonsense and silliness but Cushing and Lee make it thoroughly entertaining. Anything with this pair in is worth watching.
The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959) - Also grabbed this on Blu-ray and it's worth the upgrade. Anton Diffring is a man who is 104 years old and needs a life-saving operation so that he can continue living. Lee is the candidate for operating and Hazel Court is the love interest. It's all good fun and top notch entertainment. Probably not top tier Hammer, but damn fine enjoyment nevertheless.
Death Race 2 (2010) - Less of a sequel and more of a prequel, with former Bros member Luke Goss taking the lead role this time round. In this one we get to see the origins of the Death Race and how one of the notorious characters in the first film came into existence. It's daft and stupid, but there's enough wanton violence and destruction to keep it interesting. Not great, but not too bad either. When will I....will I be famous? Sorry, it's seeing Luke Goss again that's done it...
The Resident (2011) - Juliet Devereau (Hilary Swank) moves into a new apartment, but the landlord, Max (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), isn't as nice as he first seems. Nice to see Christopher Lee popping up in this, if only briefly. File this under 'Creepy Landlord Movie'. Not a bad effort from the newly resurrected Hammer, I must admit. Hammer has Risen from the Grave!
RED (2010) - Bruce Willis leads team of ageing retired ex-CIA operatives when they learn that all their names are on a hit list. It's good fun though and I really quite enjoyed this one. Nice cast too, with some good Brit stars in there for good measure, like Mirren and Cox. It's silly but it knows it and plays on that. Recommended.
Guns of the Magnificent 7 (1969) - In this, the third entry in the series, George Kennedy takes the lead role of Chris. The plot is basically a rehash of the first two, nothing really new here I'm afraid. You know the drill, poor Mexicans hire Chris to bust their leader out of jail, Chris then hires 6 specialists, they become heroes. What does set it apart is that the tone is a lot more grim here than in the first two and has some striking moments of cruelty and violence, like all the men buried up to their necks and then the soldiers riding horses over them. It's not graphic, but it's still quite sadistic. In spite of everything, I did really enjoy the film and I do love a good western.
44 Inch Chest (2009) - Had this on Blu-ray rental and it's brilliant. A real powerhouse of a film with a cast that are on fire, including Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Ian McShane and Tom Wilkinson. It basically all revolves around Winstone and his marriage break-up and his descent into madness and back again. Winstone has never been better. Brilliantly scripted and perfectly executed. It's an incredible film and I highly recommend it.
The Prophecy (1997) - It's all religious mumbo-jumbo but it's all done so well it's impossible not to enjoy it. Chris Walken is on fine, twitchy form as the embittered Gabriel who is at a loss as to why humans were given souls and elevated above the angels in the eyes of God and Mortensen is smooth and cunning, just as Lucifer should be. All round great performances and an interesting, if silly, story.
The Prophecy 2 (1998) - Christopher Walken returns as disillusioned angel Gabriel. This time he's hunting down a human woman who is carrying the child of an angel. This just won't do and he's on a mission to terminate the woman and her pregnancy. It's as silly as it sounds. It does seem as if the original story was far more lavish and ambitious, but it had its budget cut and this was the best they could do. Some interesting fantasy concepts and Walken is good, as ever, but it all feels a bit uninspired and bargain basement.
Deep Rising (1998) - Haven't seen this in over 10 years, so thought it might be time for a revisit. Basically what you have here is a monster movie wrapped up in an action film aesthetic. It's all action, tough talking and undersea monsters on the rampage. When a group of criminals head out to sea with the intention of taking over a pleasure cruiser and looting it, they are unprepared for what they find there. The ship appears deserted and there are signs of devastating carnage. It soon becomes apparent that they are not alone on the ship - there is something monstrous aboard and they have to fight for their survival and escape this underwater menace.
It's loads of fun and I enjoyed revisiting this one. The film holds up surprisingly well and the CGI, whilst a little primitive by today's standards, is used sparingly and efficiently and is very effective. Treat Williams is good as the unlikely hero and Wes Studi is a reliably menacing as the villain. Stephen Sommers actually manages to make a decent film here, compared to some of his more CGI-heavy recent disasters. Van Helsing was stupid and the Mummy films succeeded in boring me to tears. Shame he couldn't have stayed on course (excuse the pun) that he set out on with
Deep Rising.
Overall, solid entertainment.
Hobo with a Shotgun (2011) - Rutger Hauer is a hobo who gets off the train and finds himself in the town from hell, where criminality, lawlessness and violence is rampant. When he finds himself in possession of a shotgun (and a seemingly never-ending supply of shells) he goes on a bloody rampage himself, delivering justice his way. It's daft as a brush but I found myself getting into the spirit of things and really enjoyed it.
Doc (1971) - Stacey Keach is Doc Holliday, who picks up a whore on his way to Tombstone, where he and Wyatt Earp hatch a plan to take over the town and get rich in the process. But Earp becomes fixated on vengeance whilst Doc begins to find he wants out. It's a fascinating character study and it's Keach's film all the way. You can see his anger at his uncontrollable coughing and his anger at knowing his time is short. Brilliant performances all round.
'You can't solve things with a gun.'
'You'd be surprised what you can solve with a gun.' The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1940) - Charles Laughton is Quasimodo in this RKO production and he positively steals the show. His performance is incredible and has pretty much made it impossible for anyone to follow his foosteps in this role. Quasimodo lives in Notre Dame under the patronage of the church, but soon finds himself in trouble with the powers-that-be when he falls for the lovely gypsy girl, Esmeralda. This is a true masterpiece and I'd forgotten just how impressive it is.