What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Handyman Joe

Watched Tenebrae twice over the past 24 hours - second with the Newman/Jones commentary. Firstly - what was the deal with all this foaming at the mouth over Arrows blu ray? Looks fine to me, 2 commentaries and loads of other stuff - currently 8.99 - if you're swithering just get it and ignore all the screen shot fetishists. Movie is totally ludicrous but highly enjoyable - the commentary was a great accompaniment - these guys love the film but aren't slow to point out each absurdity. That's the key to enjoying Argento I think - throw logic out the window, forget it, and just enjoy the ride. I do wish Alan Jones would stop going on about himself though - you're Dario's close mate, you've visited every set, you've written the definitive book - I GET IT, please stick to talking about the movie.

I agree, I understand the complaints as there are definate mistakes that have been made with the transfer, but I think as with most arrow products there has been somewhat of an overreaction. If the detractors want to see a genuinley bad job done on a hi-def transfer check out media blasters output.

I do feel screencaps are not an ideal way to demonstrate PQ and some of the hyperbole over the arrow transfers can make it hard for the average punter to discern whats mearly an unsatisfactory transfer from a genuinely bad one when the slightest issue causes some reviewers to react like they have been raped. When tenebrae gets picked up again a few years down the road and re-issued in a better transfer i'll probably pick it up but for now the 8.99 release will do me fine, especially since i'm watching the dammned thing through my ps3 on a 32" telly.

That said, check out any of the new redemption jean rollin blu-rays. As i've said elswhere, they stand proudly next to midnight legacy's alien 2 as a benchmark on how to present these older classics on hi-def.

[Handyman Joe]

Originally Posted by keirarts

I agree, I understand the complaints as there are definate mistakes that have been made with the transfer, but I think as with most arrow products there has been somewhat of an overreaction. If the detractors want to see a genuinley bad job done on a hi-def transfer check out media blasters output.

I do feel screencaps are not an ideal way to demonstrate PQ and some of the hyperbole over the arrow transfers can make it hard for the average punter to discern whats mearly an unsatisfactory transfer from a genuinely bad one when the slightest issue causes some reviewers to react like they have been raped. When tenebrae gets picked up again a few years down the road and re-issued in a better transfer i'll probably pick it up but for now the 8.99 release will do me fine, especially since i'm watching the dammned thing through my ps3 on a 32" telly.

That said, check out any of the new redemption jean rollin blu-rays. As i've said elswhere, they stand proudly next to midnight legacy's alien 2 as a benchmark on how to present these older classics on hi-def.

Funny you should say that I'm just about to watch my old DVD World copy of Grapes of Death to see where I stand with Rollin these days - haven't seen one in a while.

[Gojirosan]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

watched Footprints
and
Night Train Murders
whilst recuperating from a broken bone in me foot.

Ouch! Hoping for a fast recovery for you!

Both splendid films, but I just adored Footprints.

[Nordicdusk]

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All this Hammer Horror talk has me digging out the collection.

[sawyer6]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

watched Footprints
and
Night Train Murders
whilst recuperating from a broken bone in me foot.

FOTM was quite odd, though it missed a trick being practically without music.

NTM though, sheesh havent had to have a good wash after a film since Srpski easily goes into my top 1000 films of alltime if only for the unusual use of a flicknife!! Harumph!

I wish for a fast recovery! I rewatched after 20 or so years Red Heat and found it dull probably one of Walter Hill's worst films

[Frankie Teardrop]

LITTLE DEATHS - Brit horror attacked from a sexy angle. As the 'sexy' bit involves Brit-sex, well, it's all pretty saveloy. Anyway, it's an anthology, two thirds of which I liked. The first story was OK but a bit generic - middle class psychopaths humiliate a homeless woman S&M style, but it all goes wrong for Mr and Mrs Fascist Moneybags when homeless lady and band of followers turn out to be cannibal vampires or something. Then on to a piece by Andrew Parkinson. Let's just pause for a moment - I think Andrew Parkinson is great, I wish someone would give him a load of money to make freaked out psyche-horror and I wish someone would just put out 'Venus Drowning' on DVD. Here he's on top rankin' form with a tale of a mutant's huge cock jizzing out weird medication for recovering drug addicts. The problem is, the meds forge an empathic link between addict and mutant and bad things happen thereafter. It's more subdued-seeming than it sounds, but, well what can I say, it grew on me... 'Red, White and Blue' guy Simon Rumley finishes off with the threesome's best realised bit in terms of style and narrative - 'Bitch' is the tale of two kinky souls adrift in morbid London who get into weird roleplay dog-mask type situations. Ends with an act of cruel revenge. So yeah, overall, I liked it.
BEYOND REANIMATOR - Jeff Combs. What a guy. Or maybe I mean "Herb West - what a guy." Either way, both can do no wrong in my eyes. That said, I found myself consciously having to 'stick it out' with this one. I know comparisons with the still IMO zesty and audacious original are bound to be pointless, but looming precedents cast inevitable shadows. There's some pay off in the last half-hour (if you consider the sight of a rat fighting with an animated severed penis to be 'pay off', which sadly I do) and even a touch of the old delirium in places near the end, but not for me enough to redeem the film as a whole. But it is what it is - a mildly entertaining, well made B movie.

[Gojirosan]

The Rig (2010) - a cheesy and cheap but perfectly acceptable Alien rip-off. The "angry critter from the deep" disturbed by drilling may be a familiar theme (The Intruder Within; The Thing Below; that one with Craig Fairbrass; probably any number of other B flicks) but this seems unfairly lambasted on IMDb.
Let me put it this way: if this had been made in 1983, was British or Italian and we had grown up watching it on obscure label, fuzzy VHS, we'd all be creaming ourselves over it.
A good laugh and worth a watch.


Apollo 18 (2011) - extremely frustrating entry into the Found Footage horror sub-genre. You might hope that with people like Gonzalo López-Gallego and Patrick Lussier involved it might have a bit of verve and interest, Sadly they take a really, genuinely excellent idea and render it slowly and tediously all the while resorting to every cliché of story-telling and film-making style into which you might fear a film like this could tumble. OK, so it is much better than the likes of Cloverfield or Paranormal Activity but so it bloody should be! Ultimately it is just a wasted opportunity more likely to anger than entertain.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Handyman Joe

Funny you should say that I'm just about to watch my old DVD World copy of Grapes of Death to see where I stand with Rollin these days - haven't seen one in a while.

grapes is probably my favourite rollin movie, he's a love him or hate him kind of director, sort of the cinematic equivalent of marmite. Like paul naschy movies I wasn't a fan until I turned 30, then I found myself enjoying them far more.

[mark meakin]

BLASTFIGHTER (1984) still an enjoyable effort though it's a shame our hero only gets to use his awesome gun in the last 10 minutes,though use it he does exploding jeeps & bodies with glee.It's the uncut Scandinavian release I picked up cheap thanks to a fellow member mentioning it.I was dismayed at first as it played in Italian but the English language version could be accessed by clicking on the extras part of the menu.Cut by 12 seconds for video here possibly for an arm being blasted off & throat-cutting in a bath.Even so the film still comes in a minute longer than the UK Medusa video release.Could've been precut.

[Handyman Joe]

Originally Posted by keirarts

grapes is probably my favourite rollin movie, he's a love him or hate him kind of director, sort of the cinematic equivalent of marmite. Like paul naschy movies I wasn't a fan until I turned 30, then I found myself enjoying them far more.

I did enjoy it, he can definitely concoct an atmosphere and there's enough pus, vioIence and nudity to jolt one awake when the plot (!) begins to drift. I find it odd that I like Rollin but find Franco well nigh unwatchable, as they're not that disimilar.