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Escape from New York Kurt Russell and Carpenter reunite to deliver possibly the greatest low budget action movie ever. Set in the distant future of 1997, New York has become a maximum security prison where criminals are dumped and left to rot. When Air Force one crashes in the Prison and the president is captured by the inmates, Prison chief Hauk, played by spaghetti western megastar Lee Van Cleef offers anti hero Snake Plisskin an ex special forces veteran turned bank robber, a pardon in exchange for the rescue of the president. Snake is implanted with two micro explosives set to go off in 22 hours and is sent into the prison on a rescue mission that seems increasingly hopeless. A big part of the charm of this film is Snake himself. A surly anti-hero who comes across as a more belligerent version of Assault on Precinct 13's Napoleon Wilson. Russell plays the role to perfection, so much so that one of the major complaints over a remake is that its almost impossible to think of someone else inhabiting the role. That said, Carpenter does a great job of world building here, making the audience fully aware of the world their in without messing up the breakneck pace of the film itself. A lot of its not actually shot in or near New York but the film does ots job so well its difficult to notice. The Thing Sadly, Carpenters biggest picture. His first foray into studio film-making would fail spectacularly at the box-office. Released at the wrong time of year, to a critical reception from critics who frankly didn't get it it failed spectacularly. The film is so good however that in spite of everyone falling in love with the diabetes inducing E.T. With its lovable stool sample alien and un-challenging plot, The Thing has stood the test of time far better and was ultimately so successful on home video the joy vampires at universal decided to make an unnecessary prequel and declined DP Dean Cundy's offer to work on the film. The Thing is probably most well regarded for its practical effect which for the most part are genuinely phenomenal (lets not get into the Blair monster too much ;) ). However setting aside the effects work, Carpenter delivers a highly paranoid ensemble piece with a cast of frankly amazing actors doing the best work they can. Still a stone cold classic imo. |
Rabid Dogs (1974) **** out of ***** |
1 Attachment(s) Wolfman (1979) Colin Glasgow returns to his ancestral home on the death of his father and realizes he has inherited more than just the estate, he's also got the family curse. A curse that makes you howl under a full moon. Producer Earl Owensby is one of those prolific regional film makers that made their name with low budget films that made money but rarely were seen outside of the area they were made. In Owensby's case, Georgia and the South. Owensby who also plays Glasgow isn't the greatest actor, think an American Paul Naschy and you're part way there, however his co-star, Kristina Reynolds is excellent reminding me of a raven haired Blake Lively. It's a shame she made a paltry two films. Yes Wolfman is cheap but it's also well made and nicely atmospheric, set in the late nineteenth century it has a creeping Gothicness about it - think swirling fog and musty old houses with added Occultisms with that quaint tv movie vibe of the time, which as Keirarts alluded to earlier isn't a bad thing in the late 70's America. Wolfman has a reek of stale bourbon soaked Southern Gothic and is a film i always enjoy. |
1 Attachment(s) House on Haunted Hill (1959) The best of producer / director William Castle's "experience" films. The audience experience in this case being a skeleton that comes out from the screen on wires and hovers around the audience. Whilst always a fun film with a great atmosphere, House on Haunted Hill certainly has plenty of chills. Ghostly spectre's appearing out of nowhere then disappearing just as quickly, the creepy corridors and dank cellers with their flickering lights help create a startling Gothic atmosphere. The final thrill of the skeleton surfacing from the acid trap then slowly chasing Annabel Loren round the cellar is particularly memorable, even if sadly clearly implausible. The film has an excellent cast. Not only Vincent Price and Carol Ohmart as the scheming hosts but also Elisha Cook Jr whose constant worried expression is completely at home in this film. In fact its a credit to all the cast who play it beautifully straight faced when it could have been a farce. House on Haunted Hill is an easy watch, which always has something going on and a film i come back to frequently. |
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ue80QwXMRHg Along with winter soldier and guardian of the galaxy films this is my favourite marvel film which is largely thanks to the change of pace with it more in tune with guardians of the galaxy. 9/10 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6DJcgm3wNY Thier is a good film here trying to get out but it's let down by poor direction and being disjointed, the opening scenes on Krypton are great as are the scenes with Johnathan Kent but it's let down by the poor writing/direction and a superman with zero charisma. It looks nice n 4K but it makes the poor CGI look even worse which is very noticeable in the smallville fight. But it does show us just how powerful the character really is 5/10 |
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Southern fried oddity from 79?. SOLD :laugh: Well I watched a few things ... In tribute to Ray Lovelock I watched LDATMM and La Settima Donna (Francesco Prosperi) A grim and dour wee film. But if you know the director's more infamous exploits, this is no surprise. :lol: A gang of bank robbers hide out in a retreat for Catholic schoolgirls. Now if that hasn't grabbed your attention .... I have misread my audience :lol: As home invasion films go .... it's in the top 5 :nod: with a churning inevitablity to the proceedings. Due to modern 'advances' the ending not as shocking as it once no doubt was. See this film. To boot it has the archetypal 70s Italian ST to rival any other film from this period. Or I may just love that stinging guitar. :loveeyes::laugh: |
1 Attachment(s) The Demoniacs 1974 A band of pirates rape two girls who survived a shipwreck, arrive at a haunted Island. They are given supernatural powers to seek revenge. Jean Rollin created this bizarre movie, the photography is good, the set piece is amazing, the plot is OK but does get confusing at times and does get slow and dragging on. With a Rollin movie there is plenty of nudity but little gore. The acting is not good and not bad, if there is nothing else to watch try this film. |
Street Trash (1987) ***1/2 out of ***** Only the Brave (2017) **** out of ***** |
1 Attachment(s) A Clockwork Orange 1971 The film follows Alex a lover of Beethoven and with his droogs go on a rampage of ultraviolence. Alex goes too far becomes a murderer, sentenced to 15 years and tries a experiment to be reformed citizen. From the novel by Anthony Burgess by the same name, film maker Stanley Kubrick brought us this futuristic movie. The film was made 46 years ago and is still talked about. Malcolm Mcdowell performance as Alex is spectacular. As the movie goes on you hate him but may have sympathy for him. The film is brilliant, stunning and disturbingly entertaining, it's no means of a easy film to get through as many will be turned off by the violence and the rape scene, but if you look at it now it's like the way teens are now, out of control. Kubrick himself dealt with a lot of issues after the film's release as it was reported the film spawned copycats portraying the antagonistic tendencies of violence and Kubrick receiving death threats to which he banned the movie from the public eye until his death and was re-release. So sit back and watch a real horrorshow oh my brothers. |
Fear City (1984) **1/2 out of ***** |
3 Attachment(s) Alien (1979). Theatrical cut. Attachment 198972 :star: :star: :star: The beginning of a legendary franchise. Although it sometimes looks slightly outdated (just look at those displays...), it's still a great film. A perfect cast (especially Weaver, Hurt and the brilliant duo of engineers played by Kotto and Stanton), creature effects that still look convincing after so many years and therefore still successfully terrify the viewer, the claustrophobic setting – the pace is not perfect (especially near the end), but this film is definitely still a fine example of well-made sci-fi horror. Recommended. Aliens (1986). Special Edition. Attachment 198973 :star: :star: :halfstar: Sequels rarely live up to their predecessors, and this one is no exception. Despite being definitely a well-made film, it is no masterpiece. Both the theatrical cut and the special edition are overly long; the pace is unbalanced, and for the most part, the film is quite slow. The action scenes are absolutely okay (especially given the year of production), but most of their power just fizzles out due to flat camera work and inconsistent cutting (although cutter Lovejoy was nominated for an Academy Award in 1987). Still, it's a pretty good film. Weaver is a tough lady and as convincing as ever, Biehn is a great soldier with lots of charism, and Henriksen the best android ever (although Fassbender comes in a very close second in Prometheus). The final minutes after the alien queen's first appearance are brilliant. Alien³ (1992). Theatrical cut. Attachment 198974 :star: :star: :star: :halfstar: Troubled by pre-production quarrels, a haphazard script, and high expectations after Cameron's highly praised Aliens, this film was bound to fail. Director Fincher, a totally unexperienced film and quite successful music video director back then, even disowned the film and blamed the producers for the final result. Interestingly enough, the final result (i.e. the original version shown in cinemas, not the odd “assembly cut” created without the participation of Fincher) is a highly entertaining film with only minor flaws. The scenes with Weaver and Dance, for instance, are full of fondness and sincerity and their dialogue goes well beyond your average Hollywood cinema chit-chat. The rest of the cast is also fine, with stand-out peformances by real-life convict Dutton (who shows that humanity still has its place even in a world that has lost its moral compass) and Yorkshireman Glover (as the strict prison warden). There are a few plot holes (mainly: how did the alien queen embryo get inside Ripley?), but they don't really interfere with the main story. Alex Thomson's cinematography is excellent. Highly recommended. --- highest rating: four stars |
Because I like to have something on in the background while I do my lesson planning, I decided to watch the 4 hour Elm Street documentary Never Sleep Again yesterday, so today for some strange reason (also while lesson planning) I felt like watching the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. Yes, it’s pretty poor in comparison with the original and some of the sequels, but I still quite like it for what it is. :nod: |
I totally agree with you Prince Vajda regarding the Alien films. On all three counts. |
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Followed ANOES (2010) with another remake of a Wes Craven film- Last House on the Left (2009). I really like it, it’s definitely more violent than Craven’s original, but not as grim tbh. Still worth a watch and along with the Hills Have Eyes (2006), a decent remake of a Wes Craven film. |
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Star Wars (1977 .... well parts of it are from then :lol:) Watching this with the comm, which is fun if you want a few cherished memories destroyed :laugh: The new bits still scream CGI LOOKA ME!!! And still add nowt to it. Yes George, if you had the tech then blah blah blah. Whatever. |
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"In this climate where just about every horror film of the last century is up for a remake, one I wasn’t expecting was Wes Craven’s notorious shocker The Last House on the Left. Craven’s debut feature is a gruelling watch and still unavailable in its uncut form in the UK. The remake was Craven’s idea and he and Sean Cunningham (who worked with him on the original) produced Dennis Iliadis’ film. The plot is fairly simple and follows the basic template of a rape-revenge movie: the girl is raped, beaten and left for dead. The perpetrators unwittingly seek refuge from a storm with her parents, who gradually figure out who their guests are and what they have done. Filled with hatred, they wreak bloody revenge on the gang. This isn’t a shot for shot remake of the original and there are some changes to the plot – one actually makes more sense, as the parents in this version don’t know that their daughter is missing when they invite the bedraggled strangers into their home. There are substantial changes to Krug’s gang, with his girlfriend no longer a Manson-esque force of nature, his brother a fairly dull character and his son a sympathetic loner, rather than a strung-out heroin addict. The daughter, Mari, is a resilient girl, who remains composed through her ordeal and has the wherewithal and inner strength to get away and survive, making her way back to her parents. This is a major problem as the original used the ‘eye for an eye’ maxim to help you empathise with Mari’s parents, but here the brutality is gratuitous and not contextualised. Craven claimed that his film drew on Vietnam for the violence and it’s possible that Iliadis is responding to more recent conflicts. This is a very polished film, well scored and shot, but one that fails to engage due to the poor characterisation and hateful ending." I did write more about the disc and a summary of my thoughts, but that's probably not of interest. |
1 Attachment(s) Attachment 198979 I hadn’t planned on watching it, but when I put ANOES back on the shelf I spotted it and realised I’ve had the blu ray for 3 years and hadn’t watched it (I’d previously rented the film and watched it on TV) |
I do remember laughing out loud when a microwave was operated when the door was open! |
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It only worked with the door open because it was faulty, which was mentioned earlier in the film. But yeah, that is a ridiculous scene :nod: |
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For me, the biggest failing was Mari living, therefore massively diminishing the justification for her parents exacting vicious revenge. |
Bloody Wednesday (1987) We open in grisly fashion at the aftermath of a massacre. With its rather flat photography, it seems like the slow cousin of Henry at points as we trawl through the recess of yet another maniac's tortured thought process. But there is something here. Whether it's just the sets but I will be rewatching this sharpish. |
I saw HAPPY DEATH DAY at the cinema today and thoroughly enjoyed it. Things take a little while to get going, but this pays dividends later on as the character development and locations are more defined than if it was rushed. I was surprised that I didn't guess the ending as I'm normally very good at figuring out a film's denouement before it is announced, and even more surprised that In Da Club, seemingly the protagonist's ringtone, does not feature at all! It's not as much of a horror film as I expected, with more humour, but the scenes that call for tension and violence are suitably suspenseful and have a Scream-type slasher and sometimes even classical giallo aesthetic. I was pleased they acknowledged the obvious influences and Groundhog Day is mentioned in dialogue and imagine it will be something I buy in about a year when it is what I consider to be appropriately priced. |
1 Attachment(s) The Paranormal Diaries: Clophill (2013) A well made but ultimately lacking found footage investigation into mysterious goings on at the ruined Church of St Mary The Virgin in Bedfordshire. The whole thing is given creedence as real locals are interviewed about real goings on at the church over the years. From body snatching to Occult rituals. Rather than the fictitious events of say The Blair Witch Project these things actually happened at St Mary's Church. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Mar...urch,_Clophill The ruined church is a fabulous location for a film such as this and based on what historical events occurred, is a place i'd quite like to visit. Although the interviews are interesting there's not an awful lot of shaky cam horror until the final five minutes when, admittedly, it is decidedly creepy (no spoilers and don't look on Google Images either) It's a pity as the footage is well filmed, you see what's going on rather than staring at the ground or the contents of someone's nose. For those who enjoy found footage / documentary films then i'd certainly recommend this. To everyone else, probably not. The film was released by Second Sight and the dvd is loaded with extras. |
Noted D! The Cassandra Crossing (1978, George Pan Cosmatos) Sweaty Swede spoils several stars sojourn? :laugh: A disaster and a half movie this. Not only are the protagonists trapped on a speeding train with an incurable disease on board ... the Lancaster has a fiendish solution to their problems .... :scared: I love this film. The sheer weight of the implausability nearly buckles it at points but tis all part and parcel of this genre. 9/10 ... because George Kennedy's not in it! :confused::lol: |
I recently re-watched Murnau's Nosferatu and got stung by the itch to re-watch Shadow of the Vampire. I dug around in the attic for half an hour and managed to find it. I was pleased as Punch to find that I still love the film as much as I used to, even at my jaded age. I know that most of you worthy people have seen this strange and wonderful film so I won't bore you with details but I will comment on some of the features which struck me on this refreshment of my experience. I will often let a film "wash over me", a lazy term for a lazy occupation, but last night I paid some attention. Hats off to Eddie Izzard and Alan Rickman for "nailing" their respective roles especially Rickman as the drained photographer he always seemed to portray tired characters rather well. Dafoe's scheming Count Orlock was a masterpiece and, I would argue, perfectly under-played for such an over-the-top role. But the crowning glory of the piece is John Malkovich's Murnau. He throws out an aura of self-importance like only Malkovich can, except in the last third when he starts to realise his folly. Ah! I think that I am sated until the next time I get "one-of-those-itches." As I already knew that Shadow of the Vampire was a 28/10 film I can't complain about wanting to watch it again, can I? |
It's good to see you back T!! :nod: |
3 Attachment(s) Alien: Resurrection (1997). Theatrical cut. Attachment 199026 :star: :halfstar: After Ripley's untimely death (one could really debate whether it was indeed untimely... at the end of Alien³, she must have been around 90 years or something... alright, I forgot hypersleep...don't you get any older during hypersleep...questions upon questions...) in Alien³, scientists don't allow her to stay dead. They use blood samples to clone her – and the cosy little alien queen inside her. It's easy to understand why they do that – I'd be interested in an outer skin that can withstand acid as a replacement for blood, too. Honestly, in 2379, researchers should be able to clone human beings – no objections. Unfortunately, it appears that they have lost the ability to read reports and/or to listen to voice recordings, as they still need pavlovian conditioning to find out that the alien species is quite intelligent. Or they suffer from dementia – they simply have forgotten that the crews of both the Nostromo and the Sulaco and almost the whole penal colony Fiorina "Fury" 161 were wiped out by alien creatures in the previous instalments. Luckily, they have kept Ripley's clone alive as well. She still is the power and the glory (Weaver seems to be one of the few female creatures whose sex appeal keeps growing...and growing... and growing), and with a little help from her friends (amongst them an incredibly bad-ass Perlman - and the sexiest android ever, played by Winona Ryder, although Fassbender comes in a very close second in Prometheus), she still kicks alien ass. Seriously now - this is one of the trashiest films I've ever seen – and I've watched BloodRayne and The Corpse Grinders. The story is something between non-existent and incredibly silly, there's more than one scene with a(n) (un)healthy dose of unintentional overacting, and the “child” of the alien and Ripley looks so silly you have to weep. Still, it is the last film with the Ripley character, and it has its moments. Half a star for Weaver, another one for Perlman... only one star, you ask? Alright, one more for this short dialogue between the two: Ripley: Who do I have to **** to get off this boat? Johner: I can get you off. Maybe not the boat. Prometheus (2012). Attachment 199027 :star: :star: :star: See post #44142 of this thread. Addendum: The basic idea (a prequel to the Alien franchise) is brilliant. Most of us want to know where the buggers originally come from. The film itself is one of the better films of this decade, and a great effort by original Alien director Scott. Slowly paced, Prometheus succeeds in recreating the threatening mood of the 1979 film and still uses all the advantages of modern film-making – without currying favour with the modern trend of fast cuts and fountains of blood. This is one of the few films that would have benefited from a few more minutes of character development and an extended opening scene. Still definitely recommended. Alien: Covenant (2017). Attachment 199028 :star: After a stellar burst, the crew of the Covenant is in trouble. Despite a damaged ship,conflicts amongst the crew, and a dead captain, they immediately react to a signal from a nearby planet, hoping to avoid another round of boring hypersleep. Don't ask me how the aliens appear this time and once more succeed in killing many crew members – I guess it has to do with biology, pollen, hysterical women, and ignorance. A fellow researcher who has arrived at the new planet together with you suddenly pukes blood all over you? No problem, just take him on the spaceship! An android who wants to create his own species? Why not! A director who neglects his past and bows down to modern viewing patterns? Sure! To keep this short and sweet: this is one of the major disappointments of 2017. Bold, unimaginative, ordinary – three words that aptly describe Scott's most recent (and mabye last) major film. Dialogue, style, cast, suspense – all the merits of Prometheus (and the original Alien) gone astray. Lots of CGI of varying quality, a huge amount of fake blood, and way too many close ups of the creature. Seriously, Mr Scott – how about those people who have been waiting for a compelling prequel trilogy to complement the original franchise? Now I already know what the alien looks like. Darn! --- highest rating: four stars |
Train to Busan. Had this to watch for ages and finally felt like watching it. Pretty tense stuff that manages to mix horror, suspense, and tugging on the heart-strings that the Koreans are so good at. One or two cliche characters don't detract too much from a nail-biting ride. The bit where they crawl along the luggage racks above the zombies' heads in the darkness is one of the best scenes i've seen for a while. Not too much grue on offer, but enough to let you know it isn't family viewing. If they'd upped the gore content, might have been looking at one of the best zombie flicks ever. As it is, the tone is more World War Z than Zombie Flesh Eaters. Well WWZ turned up a notch, anyway. |
3 Attachment(s) Call girl of Cthulhu (2014) Attachment 199029 Heard of this awhile back but it never received a U.K release, which is a shame because although low budget it's a sleazy,bloody and endearingly silly film that i found really enjoyable.:cool: Basically a girl shy young, virgin artist (Carter) wanting to get laid runs into a hooker who he develops a crush on, he hires her but instead of screwing he wants to paint her, they get talking and end up on a date. (for free!!) Unfortunately she has a Cthulhu cult trying to find her, (due to her being the prophesied woman who would give birth to Cthulhu's baby and unleash the Old ones on the earth.) because she has a weird birthmark on her arse. Carter is also asked by an old eye patched woman and her sidekick to draw illustrations from an old book (Necronomicon?) into a new copy (to confuse the cult), in doing so he finds information that could possibly save the world. Attachment 199030 In truth the effects aren't great but are at least practical and serviceable in a B-movie way and didn't detract from my enjoyment of the film, which to me came off as a 80's style monster/gore/comedy along the lines of a Stuart Gordon film crossed with Frankenhooker with a pinch of Troma thrown in.:clap: The lead artist guy,his housemate and the call girl all came off as better actors than you really would expect in this kind of film, but there are also a couple of hammy performances but these just added to the entertainment value for me. The whole film is tongue in cheek with many cheeky references to Lovecraft stories such as 'Cool air' freshener,'Deep Ones' condoms and this housemate's music CD being called 'The Unnamable' because it defied description. There is plenty of cheesy gore and a fair amount of tits too, so plus points for that too, I wasn't expecting much and because of it's throwaway tone i really enjoyed it, great title too. Attachment 199031 The U.S disc is going for a fair amount at the moment so i watched it on Youtube. It's a shame this isn't released over here considering a lot of the unwatchable low budget shite that is.:rolleyes: Recommended 8/10 :pop2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwqJ9IXn4WU |
4 Attachment(s) Blood and Lace (1971) Attachment 199036 Not the Bava film, but an early 70's American chiller thriller B movie. This ones about a young girl who ends up in an orphanage after someone took a hammer to her prostitute mum and a client, the girl arrives to find the place under strict rule by a stern woman and her drunk handyman. Attachment 199037 The small group of boys and girls are given tasks to do and small amounts of food, if they rebel they are punished by being tied up and are deprived of food and drink. Understandably some want to escape only to be chased and killed,(obviously the deaths are kept hidden from them), the girl wants to escape to find her absent father and whilst attempting to unearths the places secrets. Meanwhile a disfigured man wanders about the place with a hammer and also stalks the girl. Attachment 199038 This is pretty low budget film and has a kind of T.V feel to the way it is shot, also it seems to use some bizarre stock footage style music, but i found it entertaining. The kills are not particularly gory but it makes up for it with a grubby vibe. (pretty much every adult character is unlikeable, being either sleazy and lecherous or totally nuts.) Even though it feels grimy there is no nudity, but the performances of the girl and adult female leads are reasonable and these make the film work. Also there are some strange plot points that are a bit bizarre,such as corpses being kept in the belief they will be brought back by science and a final twist that is pretty downbeat.:cool: Attachment 199039 Strangely i watched 'The house that screamed' last week, both films share many similar plot points and it is interesting to compare the styles, 'House..' is definitely the superior film though. Still this film had enough good stuff going on to keep me interested. I liked it. 7/10 :pop2: |
Strike of the Tortured Angels Hong Kong WiP exploiter that offers nothing new to the genre but does have one of the actors in black face and an Afro wig as I presume there were no black actresses free to make the film. Exploitation gold for that alone. |
1 Attachment(s) Cul-De-Sac (1966) More garbage from Roman Polanski (See also The Fearless Vampire Killers). Supposedly a black comedy i found it neither dark nor funny... just rubbish! Having said that it had some nice black and white photography that made Lindisfarne look interesting, other than that i was bored from the outset as the film's style was there for all to see. I don't plan to get rid of the Odeon disc, it may well entice me to give it another go next year. Perhaps i just wasn't in the mood. |
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