"The Chain Reaction"

http://www.beardyfreak.com/rvchain.php


Aussi Nuclear waste releases conspiracy thriller about contaminated water supplies.

Despite what the documentary “Not Quite Hollywood” led me to believe there is actually very little of the promised “Mad Max” car action/violence here as I had hoped.
Although definitely cinematic in its look the film often plays like a TV conspiracy thriller with added nudity and a bit of late in the day violence.
In fact, 66 minutes in and we have had only one short car chase, no action to speak of and not much plot progression either.

But what’s really frustrating is that this long downtime between the action is not spent upping the tension or ramping up the threat.
We have no scenes of townsfolk consuming polluted water, not townsfolk feeling a bit ill or anything like that.

No, instead of threat, action and dramatic tension we instead spend far too much time watching four characters, in two separate groups, sitting around talking, talking, talking for about half the film!
Literally nothing happens.

Luckily Hugh Keys-Byrne is nearly as weird and off the wall here as a good guy, environmental activist as he was in "Mad Max" as a bad guy, biker gang, psycho so he livens the film up a bit when it needs it the most.
Steve Bisley is as rough, tough but likable as ever and has a real everyman feel about him.
And Ralph Cotterill is theatrical and campy as all hell as the suited and booted killer.

And look out for a one scene, one sentence, cameo by Mel Gibson and a slightly bigger, opening, support role for hard man Roger Ward ("Mad Max", "Turkey Shoot") looking all wrong with his wave of ginger curls!

We can give much thanks to the Cinematic Lord above that the movie finally deliver the action goods 80 (yes, count ‘em) minutes in when we get some more growling, super fast, super skilled car driving/stunt work and a little bit of shotgun bloodshed, although to be frank that shotgun violence is only one scene and it was shown in the trailer.
Ho hum.

But even now some sadness creeps into this rare action scene as much of it looks exactly the same as the earlier chase scene because it’s the same two vehicles involved, doing basically the same thing, on the same stretch of road!
In fact I’m not sure that some shots of the two vehicles side by side is not the exact same footage in both sequences!

It wants to be “Mad Max” but lacks the action, grit and violence, it wants to be “The China Syndrome” but lacks the dramatic tension, expert plot structure and serious acting chops.

So overall “The Chain Reaction” is a missed opportunity.
Its intentions are good, it’s technically solid, well enough acted and has the very, very occasional exciting moment.
But it’s extremely drawn out and static for much of the running time and far from the exciting action thriller it should have been and ultimately feels like two genres stuck together, with the joins painfully visible.

Has some worth, but was ultimately a rather big let down sadly.

Just seen Nightmare on Elm Street remake.
Where do I start, they changed bits of it and some bits made me laugh.
It was alright but not great, the dream sequences were pretty cool but the bad CGI ending proper ruined it. Plus Jackie Earl's voice was the same as in Watchmen so every time he spoke trying to be scary I kept thinking of Rorshak. I didnt expect it to be any good but if they put in more effort it could have worked. It was not that bloody either and I suspect only reason it got a 18 would be the lines about "wet dream" and "your mind says no but your body says yes". They explained the backstory a bit more which I liked. They said it has quite a few scenes missing so known Platinum Dunes they will release a "unrated" or "extended" version on dvd with more scenes like Friday the 13th.

Watched recently

The Harem (1967) (Impressive drama/thriller all'Italiana)
Death Occurred Last Night (more of a police procedural than a giallo but a nice unusual approach)
Monster of Florence (interesting and brutal,based on real events)
Clap,You're Dead (Love it!,really fun giallo)
Manhattan Baby (better than I remembered,considering the production problems it's pretty decent)
The Black Cat (1981) (solid very late Italian gothic,an update of the classic tale)
Return of the Living Dead (untouched original version,classic status is well earned)
Night of the Demons 1+2+3 (the original is without a doubt the best one)
The House by the Cemetery (always feel I need a shower after watching this one but solid gothic influenced horror,a fumetti come to life!)
Sadomania (good ideas but no budget)
Dead Snow (not bad but could have been much better)
Total Recall (need to see this once a year,fantastic sci-fi)
Blue Steel (not bad at all and even refreshing when viewed now)

Sounds like a really over the top sexual health film! :laugh:

Erotic Inferno

Typical but surprisingly mean-spirited Brit sex comedy from the 70's. Two brothers (one of them a young Chris Chittell) return to claim their late father's inheritance but find themselves at odds with his freaky butler (who turns out to be their brother). In the meantime they bonk every girl in the village.

Familiar names and faces including Jenny Westbrook, Michael Sheard (Grange Hill's Mr Bronson), Heather Deeley and Mary Maxted (ie Millington). I watched the Hokushin pre-cert which features the 'uncut' UK version (before the cinema cuts) and, though the film has the usual silliness and typical 70's sex scenes (and music) it also has a mean side, with a vicious scene where Jeannie Collings is beaten and almost drowned in a bathroom. A sadistic side of these films, which was also echoed in The Amorous Milkman and Adventures Of A Plumber's Mate.

Unpleasant and not recommended. Eskimo Nell was much funnier.

;)
Actually it's a reference to a clapboard since the murders all revolve around a movie that's being made.
It's a fun send-up of the Italian film industry.

DRAWN TOGETHER THE MOVIE
HERE WATCH THIS
KICKASS(Again)

I watched this just yesterday and thought exactly the same, I did enjoy it but I expected more.
Straight after I then watched Razorback which I thought was brilliant. It's easily the best Ozploitation film I've seen so far. Well acted, beautifully shot with wonderful cinematography and superbly directed. All disguised as a low budget animal horror. Other than the low budget look of the Razorback it was a solid effort from the Aussies. Loved every second of it.

I went to cinema last night and had a double wammy. First I saw Iron Man 2. I thought it was great, if you like the first one (which I really did) you'll like this. It's no worse but no better than the first one which is quite a rare thing for sequels. Throughly enjoyed it, it had humour and great action pieces. The Iron Man films are easily the best Comic Book adaptions out there.
Then went for dinner and came back to watch Nightmare on Elm Street and I thought exactly the same as Nekromantik, couldn't have put it better myself.

The important question is: Is The A Nightmare On Elm Street remake better that the piece of crap that is the remake of Friday The 13th?

This is a weird one. I have seen a lot of people giving good words about Razorback in retrospect. When it came out it was largely considered a stupid piece of crap from a self-deluded pop video director. WHen I saw it I agreed. I thought it was absolutely awful. I hated it and all other Russell Mulcahy films I have seen. The man is singularly untalented, in my opinion.

But now everyone seems to be heaping praise on Razorback! This is the stupid giant pig film, yeah? Jaws meets Mad Max with none of the skill of either, yeah? What's going on? What did I miss?

I think it might be time to revisit the film. I am intrigued.

I haven't seen the Friday the 13th Remake but Nightmare wasn't all that bad a film it was just lacking a little something. It's worth a watch.

Yeah it's the stupid giant pig boar thing one. I thought it had some really great artistic camera shots, and great use of colour for the different settings in the film. I didn't realise it was from a pop video director but i can definitely see that style in it's filming. I really did think it was great fun, maybe because I wasn't expecting much at first but found it to be more mature than other Ozploitation flicks of it's era.

Well, the fact that you said 'wasn't all that bad' tells me that it's a billion times better than F13th! I'll probably (hopefully) will see it in the cinema soon. :thumb:

Yeah, Russell Mulchay of "Wild Boys", Total Eclipse Of The Heart" and Highlander infamy!

Actually, the video for "Wild Boys" is probably the best thing he ever did. He did make one watchable film, I remember now - a cop vs Killer flick with Denzel Washington called Ricochet. That wasn't bad.

What films have you seen recently?
 

ANTICHRIST
I enjoyed this film, though not really a fan of the director's past films,
but I read some reviews about it and it's mixture of art film/eroticism/horror and some weird narratives, especially the ending.....
Overall, good
It's also a film, with some scenes which you don't forget easily!

I watched this tonight for the first time. It's bleak tone and atmosphere is outstanding. The exploitative elements are a bit needless, I didnt think certain visual gags were neccesary to be honest.

However, as you say I wont forget it in a hurry. Which is why it's a brilliant film. The performances were real - what the two characters were going through and how it was presented was really well captured. It's a bit pompous at times (like 'Let the right one in') but thats european art house for you!

Great film.

Watched DEFENDOR yesterday

The Cassandra Crossing (decent contamination film,the train setting is interesting,but could have been better)
The Fourth Protocol (solid cold war spy thriller in the "Harry Palmer style")

Daybreakers. Good fun.

Yes its better then F13!
But thats not really saying much :lol:

I enjoyed that was got the Blu pre ordered :)
Although the ending was kinda...dunno what to make of it. :lol:

I just seen Demons!
It was a fun flick, good gore and some funni moments too.
Need to watch part 2 but people saying its not as good. :(

People saying that was the reason I waited years before watching it.
I think the main reason people disliked it when it first was released is that it's no real follow-up to the ending of the original.
They were expecting some sort of "Dawn of the Demons" or something. ;)

Brill french horror
 

just watched french infection/zombie flick mutants which has now kicked of a day of modern euro gore RECand REC2 /dead snow/frontiers/apocolypse of the dead/
that will do for today
this could take a few days to get through them all the quality of horror/thrillers coming out of mainland europe in the last few years is amazing:clap::clap:

"Vinyan"

Looks great.
Well acted.
Creepy.
Unsettling.
All seems well....

Then the end arrives and you realise that you just spent 85 minutes being groped, in the hope of a damn fine **** to come, only to have the director spurt his load in your face before he runs off laughing at you.

The ending was a nonsensical farce that pushed ambiguity so far it shattered all over the audience's face, just like the director's own release as he finished his masturbatory workout at our expense!

Not explaining all the details is one thing.
Not remotely explaining anything at all, about anything at all, is just taking the piss.
You'll hear 500 differing explanations of the ending, and hear nothing about the other, seemingly endless, unanswered questions at all.
So don't bother to listen, as really they're as ****ing clueless as you and each other.

The conclusion is so full of completely unexplained past and current events and is so utterly obscure it makes "Lost Highway" seem like a 'Janet and John' read-a-long book for pre-school kids.

So I have a message for Mr Fabrice Du Welz;
Don't feel me up and get me all hot and eager, only to then laugh in my face, run off and leave me utterly unsatisfied! You pretentious tosser!

A Nightmare on Elm Street 5- Not bad, better than i thought it would be.

A Nightmare On Elm Street (remake)

Truly, truly awful.

The best thing about the region 2 disc is that it's the episodes complete with opening and closing credits instead of one long movie like the region 1 disc.I probably couldn't have made the choice.

So I've heard.I told a friend not to bother,without having seen it myself.Turns out I was right.

:lol:
Yeah I will watch it soon

Creepshow - brilliant!

watched movies
 

watched BLACULA 1972 A GOOD MOVIE.AND JENNIFER'S BODY A FUN FILM.CANT WAIT FOR CITY OF THE LIVING DEAD MY OLD VHS HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS.

Creepshow
 

what was your fave story.mine has too be something to tide you over.with the great Leslie Nielsen.

"Vexille"

Stunning CG Anime that utilises a varied soundtrack (everything from 'Dead can Dance' to 'The Prodigy') to great effect and combines it with some great aural FX to create a stunning soundscape that matches the stunning visuals perfectly.

Most importantly though it has an engaging, emotional, exciting, action packed plot and storyline that mixes bits of "Star Wars", with "Bladerunner", "AI", "Dune" post apocalypse flicks and good old slam bang Mecha to create an utterly satisfying experience.

Only negative is a small one.
And that it's a shame a multi-lingual audio track, that's mostly in Japanese with subtitles but flips to English when American characters, in America, are speaking to each other, was utilised.
It's a bit weird to have an explicitly American vs Japan plot set-up with everyone speaking Japanese, even when in America with no Japanese around.
It jars with the actual Japanese characters speaking to each other.

But that's a small thing in an otherwise stunning Sci-Fi Anime that plays out as well as it looks and sounds.

Last of the Living - The best low budget Zombie film I have ever seen, it's sooooo funny.

The Independent - Pure genius, everyone should own this film.

Caligula Blu-ray - Explain to me how that got an uncut 18 certificate

1408 - Creepy head f*!k of a film, enjoyable indeed.

Memphis Belle - Good fun feel good buddy film

The New York Ripper - Whats with the ridiculous duck noise, it cheapened the story. Still well filmed and enjoyable though.

The King of Kong - One of the best documentaries I've seen, surprisingly touching and heartwarming yet gripping too.

Religulous - I'm an Atheist so I completely admired this funny and controversial look on Religion and it's sheer ridiculousness.

The Crate, Father's Day & Something To Tide You Over are mine! Savini's monkey monster & Adrienne Barbeau, Ed Harris doing the funky chicken, and Leslie Nielsen are what make these my particular favourites. :D

Nightmare City

It's........SUPER FREDDY! :pound:

I rented Sexy Killer the other night. It was a god fun female serial killer/reanimated zombie film. worth a look for those who like that kind of thing.

There were a bunch of trailers on the rental dvd. One was for a zombie film, it looked quite low budget. The thing I remember most about it was four people coming down an industrial lift holding weapons into a horade of zombies. It reminded me of the video game Left4Dead. There were also clips of some really awsome looking zombie carnage. I'd like to see this but have forgotten the title (it was 2 words one may have started with s), can anyone help me out????

Superlative cheese 'n' trash! :cool:


Currently watching "Creepshow" myself.
Still think it was a stupid idea to go to all that trouble in making an 'EC' style movie...and do it with great care...and then have utterly alien swearing in the film that was never in the comics.

Not a bad flick at all, good fun, top Savini work and a great cast.
The first tale though is weak, "Father's Day", as it really does play like something designed to scare and surprise 1960's 8 year old and so it falls flat now. Thank God for Ed Harris' funky dance moves!
Rest is much better...but the swearing sticks out like sore thumb.

What films have you seen recently?
 

I agree with you completely about RELIGULOUS - a very funny doc and has a lot of truth in the absurdity of religion altogether
THE NEW YORK RIPPER - one of Fulci;s best
CALIGULA - very underrated and it was long overdue for an uncut cert, shame the blu ray hasn't got the commentaries, I have the standard dvd anyway
MEMPHIS BELLE - typical wartime American crap