Is this a first time watch or a rewatch? I loved it but I’m nervous that it won’t hold up on subsequent watches.

First watch. I think I can already say that it's my favourite Edgar Wright film. And considering he made Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, that's really saying something.


Mindhorn (2016)

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHw39LmnRJU


Christopher Reeve IS Superman forget that guy from Man Of Steel who has the personality and charisma of a plank of wood, Reeve nails the character perfecty and we have none of that edgy/dark crap of MoS and BvsS what we have is a fun and charismatic movie. 9/10

Age Of Heroes (2011, Adrian Vitoria)
Dyer and Bean team up again to fight some Jerries in WWII. If it had been maybe Jack O'Connell instead ... but he did something that took me right back to Human Traffic and out of the film. Decent enough if you could care less :lol:

The Sender (1998, Richard Pepin)
Once in a while .... a movie comes along that just is. Accept it ... to struggle would end in a padded cell. No it's not the one with the killer telepath. That classic makes sense. :lol:
Recommended ... to those who like a dare. And to think I passed over it many times .... sigh. DTV Film of the year. :nod::lol:

Feel free to let me know what happens to Bean in this film.

mother!

The first thing to bare in mind when you go see mother! is that this is definitely NOT your run of the mill horror movie. The fact that people are walking in expecting another conjuring is probably down to bad marketing. It is a horror film though. It's a Horror the same way that The Fountain is a science fiction film & Noah is a biblical epic. I should also add that these two pictures are probably the closest thing to mother! in director Darren Aronofsky's back catalogue. He has a lot of things to say and its all best framed here in terms of a Horror movie.
There's no serial killers, Demons or witches in mother! The horror here is people. Basically the way people attach themselves to causes, ideas or belief systems and are prepared to defend these things to the death. It's main theme seems to be about creators, primarily the artist and his relationship to his audience. The need for the Artist to engage with his audience and the conflict with the need for solitude and the effect on the loved ones in the creators life. It also looks at creation myth, dealing with the cycle of birth, creation and then death. It also deals with themes of ecological destruction and even religion with definite nods to things like original sin, Caine & Abel and even a depiction of the eucharist framed as a desecration.
Pretty heavy going then. It pretty much explains the wildly mixed reactions to the film. I've talked about marmite films before but this is probably the most extreme case of that so far. I personally love it. Aside from cure for wellness, another film I praised simply for going against the grain of the cliche ridden Hollywood machine, mother! deserves to be a bigger hit than it is. It feels genuinely fresh and original yet at the same time, the audiences out there seem to only seek familiarity so its quite depressing.
Given that the first 30-40 minutes feel more like a comedy of manners, with the horror more as a subtle, slowly creeping menace its a tough sell for people used to scares placed regularly based on some mathematical formulae. mother! is a genuine nightmare, if you've ever had one of those loss of control dreams where everything seem to spin out of control then you will probably know where i'm coming from. I'm recommending it but I won't guarantee you'll like it.

I was going to go on Monday after work but I felt pretty run down so thought it a bad idea, I think I'm glad I did now. I'm planning to go and see it on Monday afternoon as I have a day off work, I'll be fully focused on it then!

It really needs to be seen. :nod:

SNAPSHOT
A girl quits her humdrum, poorly paid hairdresser job and enters a murky world of advertising, but soon finds that someone wants her dead, in this Aussie thriller. Alternatively titled THE DAY AFTER HALLOWEEN, this has nothing to do with Carpenter's classic or any of its ilk. Took a chance on this one and really enjoyed it, mainly thanks to an excellent central performance from Sigrid Thornton. Slasher fans should look elsewhere though.

THE RECKONING
Nicol Williamson stars as a Liverpool born lad of Irish descent, whose hard drinking, fast living, womanising life takes a further hit when the death of his father seems to have involved foul play.
I was completely hooked on this from the word go, mainly due to Williamson's powerful performance in the title role - he totally dominates every scene he's in ( which is pretty much the entire film ). Great to see Indicator uncovering seldom seen UK gems such as this ( with more to come, hopefully ). Recommended.

The Driver (1978)

If you’ve seen Edgar Wright’s Baby Driver, and loved it as I did, then you need to see this if you haven't, as it's one of the film's main influences.

**** out of *****

XTRO 2+3
TERRORVISION Love this movie!

Going rough a load of commentaries & making of's lately, Arrow's Psycho 2 is pretty definative, great commentary & interviews, features on Robert Bloch & the discussion with Tom Holland and Mick Garris is very interesting.
Currently watcjing the Amityville commentary with Hans Holzer, erm very opinionated, so take it with a pinch of salt if you know any of the "facts" concerning the real Amityville case. Lots of quiet moments so you kind of get engrossed in the film midway through, but worth a listen.
After that I think Island of Lost Souls extras & old Dark House commentsry.

Really want to go through the extras on all the Bava titles but probably need a week off work! Lol!

The Old Dark House has a cracking commentary. Do you mean the Network release?

Yep, think it's Newman & Jones, they are always entertaining & know a disturbing amount about movies lol!

Nice one.

In my opinion they are the best chat duo about for info and entertainment.

DEATH SHIP – Surprised I'd never seen this one before – when I was a kid, I mentally linked it with 'Das Boot' for some reason, and that really put me off, as I'm no Mark Corrigan when it comes to my viewing habits as I'm sure you're all aware. My loss back then became my gain yesterday afternoon, 'cos 'Death Ship', well, I wouldn't call it 'great', but it is a fine example of old early eighties creakiness and is actually a delight in places. Cranky George Kennedy is a pissed off cruise liner captain about to pass on the mantle to his second in command when disaster strikes in the form of a big menacing ship full of Nazi ghosts (or something like that). Cruiser gets rammed by said Nazi battle ship, protags escape in a boat in a hilarious “hours later, after all that crisis at sea stuff happened off screen cos we didn't have the $ to film it” scene, climb aboard Nazi death liner and so begins what's basically a novelty 'haunted house' type scenario. 'Death Ship', like so many of its ilk, does drag a little in places, but it also features a lot of what made its era great – bursts of ominous electronics on soundtrack, a smattering of prosthetic corpses and mouldy faces, sudden lurches into showboating effects-based non-sequiturs like that random shower of blood, slo-mo bits, acidy flashbacks / forwards / sideways, basically the whole grindhouse bag of tricks. It's pretty dumb, but, whilst the hokeyness sets it on a certain level, it does manage to work up some creepy atmosphere by virtue of its derelict location, which is all rusty machinery and dark, oppressive corridors. The camerawork is pretty good, whilst directing, acting, editing etc etc are either set to 'bland' or 'hysterical'. The whole is greater and more charming than the skronky parts. All in all, senseless fun to fill the void while your frontal lobes are taking a nap.

Of all the ghostly ship movies i think Death Ship is the best. It's a genre i like, lord knows why as most of them are clunkers.

The 2002 film never betters it's opening sequence, the Lewton film is basically a captain gone mad film rather than anything ghostly and Vernon Sewell's 1952 film isn't exactly chilling but it's okay.

The Fog isn't really a ghost ship film as such, neither is The Ghost Galleon. or Virus.

Below (2002) is quite decent, although it's submarine set rather than a ship.

I have noticed new takes on the genre in the good old world of DTV shite but i'm too chicken to check them out.

Tomorrow Never Comes (1978)

Finally got to see this uncut ( as uncut as possible anyway) Oliver Reed,Stephen McHattie and Susan George star in this British/Canadian drama/thriller.

The plot is about

Stephen McHattie oming back from an extended business trip, Frank discovers that his girlfriend Janie is now working at a new resort hotel where the owner has given her a permanent place to stay, as well as other gifts, in exchange for her affections. In the course of fighting over this development, tensions between Frank and Janie escalate out of control until he is holding her hostage in a standoff with the police. As the negotiators try to talk Frank into giving himself up, the desperate man feels himself being pushed further and further into a corner.

I have seen it quite a few times but only in a tv version that is up until last night.

I say uncut as possible as this screening on London Live last night had the bad language and violence intact (apart from the 10mins into the movie where some atrocious overdubbing substitutions "who the F**k are you" became "Who the hell are you" etc.:lol::lol:) the strangest thing with this movie when released on video and DVD back then (can not vouch if a Blu Ray exists or not ) it contained a TV version only where ALL the bad language/violence was toned down to the point that you can see the awful redubbing.

I would like to know if all the newer DVDs/Blu Rays still contain the old TV print and not the newer one?

Also finally watched The Transfiguration, another one of those "next big thing" horror movies that have had lots of great reviews (think The Void, Don't Breathe, Get Out, Babadook, It Follows, The Witch etc-I'll let others decide what lived up to the hype & what didn't).

Young Milo, an orphaned boy in New York is obsessed with vampire movies and mythology, forms a romance/friendship with Sophie, lots of angst and silences follow as his interests suggest a darker side to his personality.

It is literally "Let The Right One In meets Martin" (there is even a quote to thar effect on the back), I was hooked for about 30 mins, found it difficult to see the middle 40 (seriously, this film's interior shots are DARK), then the last 20 are ok. It is ponderous but well meaning, and you will need to be in the right mood to sit through the whole thing, the acting is amazing from the young leads and it has moments of emotional involvement, however, it is very quiet, almost documentary-like in it's approach.

Their H3 comm is very good also.

Sir!! I applaud thee!!! :hail:

Oooooh The Reckoning. Not since a late night showing on telly. SOLD !!!!:loveeyes:

Who Dares Wins (1982, Ian Sharp)
Had to get the taste of that tepid Age ... out of my eyes. Basically an extended Professionals episode, watch it with The Bullshitters as supporting feature ;) ;), Why didn't we make more films like this? Pure Exploitation from the fake Profs main theme to the wacky stunts (the boat leap :scared::hail:) and the leaps in logic. Patrick Allen.:hail: It's the only British Polizetesschei .... ah I never remember how to spell that :laugh:


Film!!!:behindsofa:

The Bounty Killer (1965)

After being on the receiving end of some hard knocks, mild mannered Willie Duggan decides the way to make some quick money and provide for his new love is to become a bounty hunter.

The Bounty Killer is a genuinely surprising film. Playing out quite differently to other films of the period. Dan Duryea is excellent in what is essentially a character study of how a man's personality changes through the terrible business of killing. Duryea isn't someone i'd normally associate with nice roles as Duggan is in the film's first few acts but he carries it off with charm and ease as he falls in love with saloon singer Audrey Dalton. His transformation from character actor to leading man, effortless. His metamorphosis into a sawn off shotgun wielding killing machine is shocking to witness.

The film isn't perfect though. In truth Duryea is, at 55, too old for the role and especially as a lover for Dalton who was 26 years his junior and the final scene is predictable and you'll see it coming (perhaps not who though) a good ten minutes before it happens.

Oh, finally. Look out for Larry 'Buster' Crabbe, from the old Universal Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials.

On the whole, The Bounty Killer is an excellent western that i really enjoyed.

Ah, you had me at Duryea.
Sold. :nod:

If you are genuinely interested D, the Odeon dvd is currently £3 at HMV. I used it as an add on item a while back to guarantee free postage on something else.

I've no doubt this film was better than the main event. :lol:

https://store.hmv.com/fopp/hollywood...-bounty-killer

Sold then. I'll nip on tomorrow. Ta!

I wouldn't guarantee it will be instore.

But it might be. If you hit the link you'll notice it's a Fopp promotion on HMV's website.

https://store.hmv.com/fopp/hollywood...ge=1&view=grid

Ah, meant at library. :lol:
Ordering feck all on this phone ;)

Sex Lives of the Potato Men (2004)

Johnny Vegas, Mackenzie Crook and Mark Gatiss star in this modern take on the classic British sex comedy from the 70's.

Following a great credits sequence with an extended version of Motorhead's Ace of Spades playing, the film goes downhill very quickly and it soon becomes clear that vulgarity is not the same as good old smut. (For all the crude sex jokes, there's absolutely no nudity whatsoever in this film.) Whilst the three leads are all okay, the material they have to work with is an embarrassment that barely raises a titter, whilst the film itself plays out like a poorly put together series of sketches rather than a cohesive plot.

I'm glad you reached the same conclusion as me, particularly regarding the difference between comedy through innuendo/wordplay and just being crude. :nod:

Yeah, sadly i did.

Once you've used every swear and genitalia word in the book in the opening ten minutes there was nowhere for the film to go in terms of shock value or in an attempt to raise laughs and it was never going to attempt any other sort of comedy with which to entertain. It was a film which truly shot it's load prematurely.

If anyone's interested, Sex Lives of the Potato Men's language makes Superbad seem like keeping Up Appearances.

American Ninja
Story is about a soldier who along with others is ordered to escort the colonels daughter and a truck, they get attacked by mercenaries and ninjas who try to steal the truck. Our hero escapes saving the colonels daughter, only to be confined to his quarters.
This cannon flick is alright, the problem comes from the action scenes are few and far between as well as also being rather average.
5/10

Sent from my MediaPad T1 8.0 Pro using Tapatalk

https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon....82,268_AL_.jpg


A Lonely Place to Die (2011)

A group of five mountaineers are hiking and climbing in the Scottish Highlands when they discover a young Serbian girl buried in a small chamber in the wilderness. They become caught up in a terrifying game of cat and mouse with the kidnappers as they try to get the girl to safety.

Stars Melissa George, Ed Speleers, Karel Roden, Eamonn Walker, Sean Harris and Kate Magowan

Clever, well made and enjoyable. It's an interesting low budget film that moves along quick enough and keeps you watching 8/10 RECOMMENDED

Although I haven't seen it since it was first released for home viewing, I remember it being a thoroughly depressing experience, perhaps because the main characters lead such thoroughly pointless lives, and perhaps because it's a complete waste of public money.

Ha, yes, that's just what i thought when the closing credits went up. Another reason why i don't do the lottery.

There's an article in The Guardian from the films director which is worth reading.

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2004/feb/27/2

What he doesn't seem to get is that being crude is not shocking or offensive anymore and it can be funny. There are plenty of very crude films i've laughed my head off at as i'm sure the film critics who panned his film have as well.

I'm sure i'd have enjoyed the film a lot more if i was as drunk as a skunk with equally hammered mates but i wasn't. I was hoping for a few laughs though which should have been achievable no matter my level of intoxication.

I actually like Vegas (I've had a beer with him after a small gig in Colne where he constantly took the piss out of us during his act), Crook, Gatiss and Julia Davis (Have you seen her series Nighty Night? - very dark and very funny), so from a casting point of view i looked forward to the film. In fact the actors were all pretty good. It's just what they had to work with was largely a one trick pony which although crude ended up being not very funny as swearing soon grates when it takes the place of actual comedy. The jam and fish joke was initially amusing, but the script used it at least eight times so the comedy value wore off really quickly.

I completely understand what you're saying, because just as with anything, shock value quickly wears off and turns to irritation. Imagine if someone is standing in your room popping balloons. The first couple of times might cause you to jump, but you're likely to want to punch them in the face shortly thereafter.

Similarly, you can have some great films which will make children laugh from beginning to end because they have a balanced output and others which are slapstick or fart jokes from beginning to end, and they become grating in two minutes.

I don't find Chubby Brown funny. Some of his gags can be amusing, but most of what I've seen/heard (some of them were on audio tape when I was a teenager) was offensive in its crudity, and Sex Lives of the Potato Men seemed to fit into this category of 'humour'.

In terms of the funding, the UK Film Council, who I think put up much (if not all) of the money, could have spent the money by funding (in whole or part) a film by Mike Leigh, Morgan Matthews, Ken Loach, Debbie Tucker Green, Shane Meadows, Yann Demange or someone completely unknown, making the next Dead Man's Shoes, '71, X+Y, Kes, Second Coming or Secrets and Lies instead.

Watched this not long ago I enjoyed this as well, it is a recommended watch

In terms of the funding, the UK Film Council, who I think put up much (if not all) of the money, could have spent the money by funding (in whole or part) a film by Mike Leigh, Morgan Matthews, Ken Loach, Debbie Tucker Green, Shane Meadows, Yann Demange or someone completely unknown, making the next Dead Man's Shoes, '71, X+Y, Kes, Second Coming or Secrets and Lies instead.[/QUOTE]

Some great directors and films there (one or two I don't know or haven't seen)

Dead man shoes and kez 71 are utter brilliant in many ways , British films at their best
71 was filmed round and behind my friends house ..