What Films Have You Seen Recently?
 

*Zombie Lake*

This film is a bit like that Morecambe and Wise sketch. He's playing all the right notes, but not necessarily in the right order!

This film felt so disjointed I didn't really know what was going on. The individual scenes were pretty good, but joining them all together left them making little to no sense. I went the majority of the way through the film thinking that the full thing was a flashback, with the mayor telling the journo the whole gory story. Then, in rural France, the journo suggests napalming the Zombie's. What?!

The PQ on the new screenbound release is really good, but the lighting for the film is pretty bad at times, and having green zombies wearing camouflage having a fight in the woods left them almost invisible on the screen at times, which was occasionally a good effect, but during close ups your reviewer was straining his eyes trying to make out what he was supposed to be looking at.

The make up was bad. The dialogue was bad. The story was ... weird, but the film definitely has its charms, even without all the nudity and candid underwater camera angles during swimming sequences. It's a decent low budget effort, and would probably have won a film student a plaudit if submitted for end of term coursework or something.

I'll defo watch it again at some point. Good for a laugh with some mates and a few tinnies.


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I’ve been slack on the film watching front as of late, as I’ve just had a four seasons marathon of Vikings, and I’ve been catching up with Bates Motel. I've started making up for it...

Sanjuro (1962)

****1/2 out of *****


High-Rise (2015)

***1/2 out of *****


Rogue One (2016)

**** out of *****

*Prom Night*

I picked up the 1980 version of Prom Night in a charity shop yesterday, and watched it last night having never seen it before.

The movie is a bit slow to start with, but you can feel the tension building with the back story of the covered up accidental death, the sex offender who was wrongly accused and attacked over it, the sex offender escaping the hospital, the dead nurse, the creepy phone calls, the excitement and the happiness being felt by the youths who are getting ready for their senior Prom (which, while not all too important an occasion here in the U.K. is obviously is a milestone for a American kids). But then the tension gets completely killed off by this really dragged out disco dancing sequence that wouldn't have been out of place in a film that was actually about disco dancing! After the dancing, the tension destroyed, the film goes on to some fairly tame kill scenes. *shrug*

In saying all that the film was full of twists, turns and had red herring after red herring! The final scenes were very exciting and really had me gripped to the screen waiting on the mask being pulled from the killer's face! The killer was gialloesque - completely dressed in black and never really appears on screen enough to give you any clues as to the gender. I didn't have a clue who it was going to be!

Overall I enjoyed the movie. It's one of these really famous slashers which all genre fans should watch...cause it is good!

Plus JLC is in it, which is never a bad thing.


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The Man from Nowhere

Rather good Korean action flick with a passing resemblance to Statham's SAFE. It has a spectacular stabby end scene as the hero takes out the baddies.

Bleed for This.

Based on a true story of a two times world champion boxer who breaks his neck in a car accident only to beat the odds and return to the ring....

I was slightly underwhelmed with this, the fight scenes look too staged and the cast all have Oscars in their eyes as they emote in heavy Italian American accents. Oddly for what is a remarkable true story, this lacks any emotional depth or real sense of the struggle the main character goes through. I think the problem is that the film is too short at just shy of 2 hours. There is way too much time spent prior to the accident to allow a more in-depth picture of the physical rehab process and the effect this has on the characters.

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947)

A rather splendid ghostly love story about the recently widowed Gene Tierney who rents an old house on the English coast only to find it haunted by the ghost of a sea captain (Rex Harrison).

The opening half hour is reminiscent of The Uninvited (1944) as Tierney rents the house and explores it that same night, candles flickering, a storm raging, curtains billowing, and ghostly shadows dancing across the walls. It's all nicely atmospheric and suitably Gothic.

What follows is a gentle love story as Tierney becomes aware of the ghost and following the shock begins to get to know him. It's these scenes where Tierney and Harrison really shine together, Tierney stunningly beautiful and Harrison cool and charismatic, and i'd forgotten about the spooky beginning due to their chemistry which was aided by some choice lines of dialogue.

It veers off track around the hour mark as Tierney meets and falls for lothario George Sanders as the romance and comedy makes way for drama, however it's not long before the film comes full circle as the years pass and Tierney, Sanders just a distant memory, ... well lets just say it becomes a brilliant tear jerking fantasy.

The Ghost and Mrs Muir is a true gem that i strongly recommend.

Hanger

Not that bad...pretty puerile though. Soundtrack was ok and there's a clear Basket Case influence.

The Last Dragon (1985)

***1/2 out of *****

my mate brought over last night 2 films: el topo and holy mountain.
with Jodorowsky, i have read his comics but never saw his films.
the plots are rather convoluded (is that the word?). however el topo is much easier to follow than the holy mountain. out of them both i prefer el topo. but holy mountain is still great, even if the ending pretty much says you have just wasted your time watching this.

Exquisite Tenderness (1995)

A cracking fast paced psycho/slasher horror thriller set in a hospital, Exquisite Tenderness aka The Surgeon is light on plot but high on gore and palm clenching entertainment.

For what is essentially an exploitation film it has a remarkable cast including Malcolm McDowell, Peter Boyle, Charles Dance, Teryl Rothery and James Remar who give the film a sense of gravitas it possibly doesn't deserve as it's little more than a popcorn thrill ride, yet it's one that has stuck in the memory from the days of vhs when i used to own it as a big box ex-rental. Probably the plot doesn't bare close scrutiny as any medical conundrums soon give way to slasher movie formula, but i scarcely notice as the action is relentless and the gore twisted and horrible.

As a final thought. What is it with the Chordettes and hospital themed horror? From Mr Sandman in Halloween II to Lollypop which features throughout Exquisite Tenderness. Their simple tunes always suddenly become creepy funereal harmonies.

Just watched the Stooges documentary Gimme Danger.
Recommended to anyone who has a pulse.
Minor quibbles aside ... this is one story that needed to be told.
:hail:

Its about time a documentary was made on Larry,Moe and Curly..

Their influence pervades everything I grew up listening to.
Curly's drumming a foundation stone
;);)

Also finally perused
American Ninja V (1993, Bobby Gene Leonard)

David Bradley's hot date gets snatched by a ninja in a cape.
He, funnily enough, does not let this lie.
Even saddled with a troublesome teen ... Bradley is twice the action star that Dudikoff was.
Pulling the sort of constipated expressions that is de riguer in these things with aplomb. The main villain's ENgliSh accent is a small delight btw cough.

Green ninjas!! :laugh:

Easily the looniest of the quintet.
Recommended

It is on my list to watch. You might be interested in DANNY SAYS a doc about Danny Fields the man who got the Stooges, MC5 and the Doors signed before he managed the Ramones for 20 years. He was friends with Nico and Warhol too. I watched it on Netflix.

Duly noted! :)

His contributions are hearfelt for sure .....:nod:

Mission Terminate

'Nam vets, stolen gold, secret armies and a karate expert soldier sent to investigate...yep, shit blows up!

Stunt Squad.

A gang of terrorists are blowing shit up, at a loss, the police form Stunt Squad...a team of martial art experts who can shot a bullseye whilst doing a wheelie on their motorbikes...sadly every time they face off with the baddies one of them seems to die. Excellent film but Shit Squad would have been a more accurate title.

Dark Sanity

A recovering alcoholic starts having visions of murder when she moves into a new house. I enjoyed this strange mix of cackhanded melodrama mixed with a heavy dose of Teardrop lite weirdness with its jolting visions, poor editing and a strange performance from the lead actress that ranges from natural to mugging it up like a good 'un. Worth watching alone for the killer's death scene that is so dumb it is beautiful.

Yeah, he seems a genuine fan in love with the product he is selling.

Jason Bourne (2016)

Fookin' hell this was shit!

How so?

The first hour was incomprehensible bollocks. Action packed but i found myself flicking salted peanuts to the dog to pass the time.

The second half improved, but it couldn't have gotten any worse. It was almost redeemed by a thrilling vehicle chase around the Strip in Vegas. But almost isn't good enough i'm afraid.

True
Have ye read Wonderland Ave?



Demonoid (1981, Al Zacharias)
Samantha Eggar's heid must still have been twatted fae The Brood when she signed up for this bizarre hotch potch of evil Mexican deities & marital problems.
Watched on vhs
Atrocious looking tis :nod::lol:

Watched two Billy Wilder films recently, Witness for The Prosecution which was absolutely amazing, probably my favourite Wilder film now after Sunset Boulevard and Ace in The Hole which was also pretty good.

Witness in particular has a stunning finale that makes Shyamalan look like an amateur. Great performances by Charles Laughton and Marlene Dietrich in particular and a very very sharp, funny and witty script which keeps you hooked throughout.

Never seen a Wilder film I would give anything below a 8/10, he is that good in my eyes.

Also watched an interesting doc on the Soviet Hockey Team during the 70/80's called The Red Army which I very much enjoyed.

I will wait for it to be on TV then or supermarket cheapie.

It was a supermarket cheapie - a fiver i think.

Greengrass' direction is just OTT shaky cam, no better than 100 direct to dvd and filmed on a mobile phone, horrors.

I'm not even sure there was a story to it aside from the usual send a hitman after Bourne scenarios.

Ok it's not the laugh riot that tis Maskhead
But it still a funny film

:laugh:

There was loads of complaints about this , how the camera was constantly shaky and blurry eg when looking at phone etc or some paper where you had to read what it said it you struggled to see it, but main complaint was it was to zoomed into the action you couldn't really see the action especially the fight scene at the end, if it doesn't make sense then it would if you seen the film

Maskhead any good? I don't why I waste my money on this crap....I only ever watch these kind of movies once...Hunters was another one...pretty boring once you've got the stomach for such fare...I'm sure I'll continue adding to th collection though :rolleyes:

Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013)

*** out of *****

So last night i watched star trek beyond.
for a film that was released around the time of the star trek 50th you would expect something better than this.
the plot is basically the enterprise gets wrecked and every one gets marooned on a planet. the bad guy wants to get revenge on the federation for leaving him and his crew. so it's about them trying to stop this guy from destroying a space station. the only thing that kept me going through this crap was karl urban bones - the best character in the reboot if i'm honest.
the plot is what really ruins it. for me they could've continued from into darkness in the sense that the villains could have been the klingon empire. but sadly no. i seen this at the cinema weekend of release with a friend and we made a better story on the journey back home.

Yeah, fantastic book. I love the part when Sugarman phones the police to report the theft of his record collection except the Doors and Iggy lps and he is questioning the thief's taste in music only for his friend to tell him he sold them for drug money that night. His first use of heroin is pretty funny too.

It is a great book people even if you have no interest in the LA music scene of the late 60s and 70s. It is a tinsel town Catcher in the Rye with a great soundtrack.

Had the house to myself this weekend, a fridge full of beer and the Merseyside Derby was a fantastic way to kick things off, I then watched the following in peace -

The Ninth Configuration - I love this film so much. Creepy, hilarious and at times incredibly moving. It's the best film Blatty has been involved in and I include The Exorcist in that. I catch something new every time and my appreciation just grows and grows.

Thief - I still consider this to be Michael Mann's best film, largely because of James Caan's powerful performance, he adds a real grittiness to the role. Brilliant.

Raising Cain - Third time I've watched this and I still don't like it, despite generally being a big Deal Palma fan. Lithgow is fantastic and is clearly having a ball, but there's just something about the film I find really off putting. I haven't watched the 'reconstruction' yet, hopefully I enjoy it more. Arrow's release looks stunning though.

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cop out
 

The Laughing Policeman (1973)

Although fondly remembered for his comedy roles most notable being alongside Jack Lemmon in Odd Couple etc, Walter Matthau made some rather gritty thrillers back in the mid and early 1970's Charley Varrick The Taking of Pelham One Two Three and a drunk in the film Earthquake.After a machine gun massacre on a bus leads to the death of an off-duty police detective. Matthau discovers it was his partner, and that the killings all lead back to an early unsolved murder case. What sets apart this film from the slew of cop thrillers that litter the 1970's cinema is that it pretty much sticks to a realistic police procedure movie rather than driving around the streets of San Francisco blasting people away with a magnum and crashing through innocent stacks of disregarded cardboard boxes. (although that is fun as well) Matthau is as always brilliant as the world-weary dogged cop and Bruce Dern is also his usual gangly laconic self as Matthau newly appointed partner.This has more in common with the recent spate of nordic noir than it does say of Kojak or Starsky and Hutch of its time The one thing that did spring to my mind was how closely a scene involving a SWAT team entering a house reminded me of Romero Dawn of the DeAD where his SWAT team first break into the apartments.

McQ (1974)
Big tough cop, played by big John Wayne (my god he had massive hands) who in no way resembles another big tough cop called Harry Callaghan is investigating the murder of his partner ( wait a minute this sounds awfully familiar???) who is seemingly blasted in the back with a shotgun for no apparent reason. Well McQ does what all loose cannon cops do he infuriates his captain is insolent to his superiors he drives his green Pontiac Firebird like he was Steve McQueen in Bullit, he beats up main bad guy and leaves him laying in the urinals and is generally very destructive and violent, and that does not include machine gunning water-filled trash cans either. Well, it's hard not to ba a loose cannon cop when your in the midst of corruption, drugs and holding a mac 10 machine gun.John Wayne lumbers through the film like Godzilla,only instead of stomping with his big size feet he just punches and shoots his way through any obstacles that may get in his way like due process or people's rights. Apparently, Wayne made this after regretting turning down Dirty Harry, so that's him and Frank Sinatra then.

Brannigan.(1975)
Chicago cop Brannigan who does things his way or not at all,is sent to London to extradite Ben Larkin (John Vernon) of course being a Chicago cop in England things do not go that smoothly, apart from the fact he does not wear a tie in the Garrick club and he persistently carries a gun around with him puts him at odds with Commander Swann (Richard Attenborough).Yes you guessed it John Wayne is a fish out of water cop,how the hell will he cope with our lousy hamburgers and not being able to shoot people on the spot like they does back home,well he copes quite well actually considering a hitman is out to blow his head off with a shotgun and then just to doubly make sure even blows up his toilet in case having no head was not an incumbrance. Like all American movies made in England in the 1970's,every ****ing landmark of London is crammed into the running time ,and just in case we forgot it was London lets have another red double decker bus pull into shot. Brannigan is if nothing else entertaining and another nostalgic look at jolly old London in the 70's, And beside's there cannot be that many films that have John Wayne throw Baldrick into the Thames.

Two John Wayne classics there, Inspector. Nice one. :clap:

Dead of Night (1977)

Disappointing anthology film from Dan Curtis in the Amicus vein. Sadly this tv movie is rather weak and it's stories on the whole fairly non-descript. The first story about a car and time travel could have influenced Back to the Future but it was all fairly dreary and after a fun opening petered out somewhat.

The second, No Such Thing as a Vampire, filmed on a studio backlot is a reasonable attempt at the Gothic starring Patrick Macnee and Horst Buchholz in a tale of vampirism and intrigue. It's all quite cleverly done with a macabre finale and the best of the three segments in my opinion.

The final story Bobby, about a grieving mother who will try anything to get her drowned son back is quite formulaic. It's reasonably atmospheric but it's nothing you won't have seen before.

American Commando

This starts out as a condensed version of Death Wish as Chas Mitcham kills the street punk junkies who kill his son and rape his wife before switching to post 'Nam action as Chas and the boys blow shit up taking the war on drugs to the source in Asia. Good stuff.

The Ninja Avenger

A female ninja wishes to leave the criminal gang she is forced to work for...

Excellent trashy martial arts film with a great opening scene of cobras being milked of their venom which is then coated on a shit load of bladed weapons before the heroine launches an assassination from a giant kite with a crossbow. Recommended.

I don't think Ninja Avenger rings a bell. Cheers, J. I will have to keep an eye out for that. :cool:

Inspector ... TLP is a stone cold classic.
MTDS ... Ninja Avenger SOLD ;)



Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970, Joseph Sargent)

Could this film BE any more paranoid?? :lol:
Well meaning boffin invents a "super computer" to help out. As this isnae a Disney flick ... things take a turn for the worse. Like The Satan Bug, this is cold war central. A period piece certainly .... but so is The Andromeda Strain.
Recommended ( and if yr in any way pc literate ...enjoy :laugh:)

9th Config is a joy to behold .... and I only have it on vhs :lol:
Thief is an amazing film.
Brian "I've never seen any Argento" de Palma. Yeah ...whatever :laugh:

I watched it on Amazon Video. They have just whacked loads of martial arts films, Italian western and cop films on Prime over the last couple of weeks and everyone's favourite Bigfoot cock ripper is on there too!