I had a lot of fun with this just could of done without the scenes of the killer watching the movie throughout the film.

^
To be fair ... after the performance from the band :lol: in it, I was sort of in a trance :laugh:
Rewatch!

Polaroid

Do you believe that the camera can steal your soul when it takes your picture?
Well, forget that :lol:
When a shy loner acquires an old camera, things get slightly blurred. It's a reasonable premise ... just naffly imagined. Grace Zabriskie squandered. Avoid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ImbdfE4bxnE

The last of Cormans , Poe films and for me probably the weakest . The usual Poe tale with madness, premature burial and black cats. Price is excellent as usual. 6.5/10

Now watching The Blood Beast of Terror.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuD6jY12360

Has a bit of a bad rep, it's not the greatest of films but I've have a soft spot for. Peter Cushing is a police inspector in small village were a number have taking place, it's soon becomes apparent that something none human is responsible for the deaths. 6.5/10


Now watching The Man from Planet X.

Delirium Photos of Gioia (1987)

The past couple of times i've seen this i found it thoroughly enjoyable but on third viewing (Don't think i've seen it this decade i might add) it seemed a little ho-hum.

It really doesn't have a lot going for it other than allowing the viewer to see victims from the killers absurd viewpoint giving them grotesque and honestly a bit silly, facial features.

It's other main selling point is it's star Serena Grandi. Voluptuous doesn't really begin to describe her, and co-star Sabrina Salerno. Lads of a certain age will remember Sabrina for her raunchy pop video Boys, boys, boys...in fact Salerno's death scene in this is basically a sped up run through of that music video as she does the same arms in the air choreography, it's just that in the pop video she wasn't being attacked by fake wasps.

So what we are left with is a pretty average giallo that nicks elements from better films such as Blood and Black Lace but is ultimately a case of style (and boobs) over substance.

You had me at boobs :laugh:
Very even handed review D. I thought it was pond scum :laugh:;)

Saturday Night Fever (John Badham)

Dance Demon Dance!! :lol:
Tony Manero knows his time is running out ... the weekly vid on TOTP sorta put me off this for years. But a friend showed me this version back in the late 80s. Far grittier than you would think. Based on a Nik Cohn short story, we follow Tony and his pals chasing skirt and dealing with big city life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NTyfzd-sg3A


A couple of scientist , a reporter and one of the scientist daughter discover that a rogue planet has entered our solo system , not long after a craft from the planet lands near the scientists , they come upon the occupant in a state of distress and take it back with them, one of the scientists tries to force the alien to give up its scientific knowledge, when it won't comply he leaves it to die. But it doesn't and it starts controlling members of the village to seek its revenge . Atmospheric with a surprising gothic feel to it. 6.5/10


Now watching Project : Metal Beast.

That's The Way Of The World (1975, Sig Shore)

As "music biz" films go, it's fairly honest if not a little meta really ;), a Bryanston release no less ahem.
The Bad Lieutenant is an A&R man with his finger on the pulse baby. But when the higher ups foist a "family act" on him, his conscience is severely pricked. If I ever hear their muzak again, I will not be held responsible :whip:
Ahem. It's a bit rough round the edges, but Earth, Wind & Fire smooth over the cracks.

Dumbo (2019)

Tim Burton's reworking of the early classic Disney cartoon is in my opinion an improvement on the original. During a first half that goes down the cutesy route you might expect, the second half which takes place at the very Burton esq Dreamland is at times a scary fantasy which evokes Batman Returns more than once and certainly has that Burton visual flair especially when accompanied by Danny Elfman's thunderous score which again evokes Batman Returns at times.

It's more an exercise in style over substance as the script has various plot holes but i enjoyed the performances from stars Colin Farrell, Danny Devito, Michael Keaton (There's that Batman Returns link again) and the always watchable Eva Green. The totally CGI elephant with huge ears is the star of the show of course and at times it looks wonderfully realistic.

Depressingly the film goes down the 21st century route of shaming the past especially circus animals which grated somewhat and completely ignored ideas from the original such as the other animals basically bullying the young elephant. It's no surprise that there ain't a crow in site either. The words MUST NOT OFFEND were surely at the top of all production dossiers.

As 100 minutes entertainment it certainly did the trick, but how memorable it actually was remains to be seen. I have my doubts.

As I have fond memories of the original (trip to pictures with my old man etc), I would not put myself through that.
Walt Disney being PC :pound: is an absolute joke considering its creator's proclivities AHEM. Shame THAT past mouseketeers ;)

Room in Rome (2010)

Depicting the emotional and sexual relations of two women throughout a single night in a hotel room in Rome, despite the two girls both being gorgeous and nude throughout more or less and featuring numerous sex scenes this was strangely un-sexy stuff.

Testament to the film makers in that i was invested in the girls as people and how their one night stand turned into a fully rounded relationship over the course of this single night. The script is soulful, redemptive and often quite funny as well as romantic and thankfully it never veers into schmaltz.

Although the film worked for me this time i'm not sure it's one i'd want to revisit as there's not what you'd call an awful lot of drama involved and i suspect it could become tedious on subsequent viewings as, at getting on for two hours, despite the good performances it did drag at times especially during the frequent sexual encounters. At one point i was comparing it to a Jess Franco film or rather how Jess might improve the shagging with frequent camera zooms. When your mind wanders like that it really can't be a good thing.

Really enjoyed rewatching George Miller's first Mad Max film as my Sunday afternoon movie (whilst my wife is at work). It's quite remarkable what Miller achieved on a low budget.

I have to say that the UK Warner Brothers blu-ray is really quite odd. It looks excellent but the original soundtrack is lossy whilst an American dub is lossless. What on earth were WB thinking?

Who out there really wants to watch Mad Max with a dodgy American dub? Come to think of it, why did an American dub even exist in the first place? It's in English isn't it? :rolleyes:

:laugh:

Yes, WHY indeed? I blames the cocaine ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIY6YjCz3iA


After a CIA agent kills a werewolf , he injects its blood into himself and it's not long before he goes on a killing spree and is killed by his boss, the body is put on ice and a number of years later the boss takes control of another project which is to do with artificial skin for burn victims , but has the unfortunate side effect of the skin Harding as strong as steel, which is what he wÃ*nts. The body is experimented on and it's not long before the werewolf comes alive and goes on a killing spree now with skin as hard as steel. 7/10

Weird Science 1985.

Two unpopular teens decide to create the perfect woman via the computer but she turns their lives upside down to make them popular.

from writer/director John Hughes comes this madcap comedy Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-smith play Gary and Wyatt, two unpopular and bullied teens who are watching Bride Of Frankenstein and decide to create their perfect woman and Kelly LeBrock walks in. Bill Paxton stars as the dominating bully older brother Chet who seems to enjoy being a total a@shole, Robert Rusler and robert Downey Jr stars as Ian and Max who do anything to humiliate Gary and Wyatt until they realise what they can do with their computer. From start to finish still has its's laughter and a small cameo appearance from Michael Berryman and Vernon Wells.

Er, SOLD methinks :nod:

The Night Stalker.


The first of the Tv movies that introduces Carl Kolchak investigative report who is giving the case of some murdered girls by his boss Tony Vincenzo. Carl soon learns that there is something unnatural about the killings and it appears to be the work of a vampire, which puts him at odds with his boss and the police department. 7.5/10


The Night Strangler

The second Tv movie, this time Carl has located from Las Vegas to Seattle, where he comes on Vincenzo who offers him a job, Carl's first assignment is the death of a number of women that have been strangled . It soon becomes apparent that there is something unnatural about these killing as the same type of killings have been going on ever 21 years for over a hundred years. Once again Carl has to contend with the police and Vincenzo. Enjoyed this more than the first thanks to the relationship between Carl and Vincenzo. We also have some familiar faces, Richard Anderson ( 6 .million dollar man), Al Lewis(grandpa munster) , John Carridine and Margret Hamilton who played the wicked witch in the wizard of oz. 8/10

Now watching the Vindicator (1986)

Just watched this again, but without any alcoholic stimulants.

Fook me! It's shit. In fact it's the most amateurish film i think i've ever seen. It's only entertaining because it really is so bad.

Indicator...Why is this not in the Warren box set i ask? :lol:

Star Trek: The Motion Picture. A mysterious energy wave devastates everything in its path and is headed on a collision course with Earth, with the newly refurbished (and untested) Enterprise the only thing standing in its way. The very first Star Trek film from 1979 has long been regarded as the black sheep of the franchise, being judged at the time to be far too slow and ponderous and lacking in action, though there has been some re-evaluation in recent years. I have vague childhood memories of finding it boring too, which is why despite having it on Blu ray for several years I only just got around to watching it last night, and had no idea what to expect.... and, to my surprise, I thoroughly enjoyed it. No, it's not an action movie, but it is a slice of real cinematic SF with an interesting and compelling story, some stunning special effects (there's some dated/ropey stuff early on but all the stuff inside the energy wave looks bloody amazing even 40 years on), the cast, particularly good old William Shatner, are all on point, and with a running time of 2 hrs 15 my attention never wavered. Unexpectedly terrific. :nod:

Attachment 217506

MYSTERIOUS DR SATAN (1940)
REPUBLIC SERIAL 15 CHAPTERS

Bob Wayne takes on role of vigilante The Copperhead from his father when Dr Satan schemes to create an army of robots...

Originally to be a Superman serial, the story was re-worked for new hero The copperhead. Notable is the heroines name, still called Lois.

Good cliffhanger serial in which The Copperhead is left in peril after each episode usually involving falling from heights, car crashes and crushing walls.
DR Satan's robot is the traditional Republic pictures robot.

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20161002041431 http://www.westernclippings.com/imag...atan_robot.jpg

The Great Rock N Roll Swindle

Well, I had to really. Ostensibly McLaren's attempt to become 'the act' (he's in nearly every frame :rolleyes:), it is kind of hard to watch now. I still remember how Channel 4 butchered it on it's first tv screening, which pissed me off royally. It is a tissue of lies of course and that's why Temple came crawling back to tell the real story. Ahem.

I'm probably in a minority of one (hell I'm use to that) but I luv all the animation stuff, I'm quite partial to friggin in the riggin...they should of done a cartoon spin off like the Beatles cartoon show...

:laugh:

Look, I do still love it really. Sid's intro to My Way is comedy central. And the murican footage is spellbindingly awful. Ahem.

Deep Red 1975.

A jazz pianist working in Rome witnesses a murder of a psychic, he teams up with a journalist to figure out the murder unaware he could be the next target.

One of Argento's finest films finally released uncut, mixed with Italian and English audio which is a bit confusing as well as some of the plot doesn't make sense. David Hemmigs takes the lead role as Marcus who sees the murder happen and tries to help solve the case, Daria Nicoldi plays Gianna the journalist looking for her big story. Luigi Kuveiller provides great cinematography and catches the bright colours of the setting, only downside for me was the music provided by Goblin seemed a bit toned down for the suspense aside from that still enjoyable to watch.

First saw Deep Red on a godawful vhs, then a godawful dvd. But its quality still shone through. This new print is a revelation imo. Rewatch!!!

It was cool that Scorsese used Sid's My Way at the end of Goodfellas...

Midsommar
A woman who's boyfriend is thinking of splitting up with her loses her family and is destroyed, a few months later she tags along with her boyfriend and his friends to a Swedish festival that only happens once every 90 years.
Em........ I don't know how I feel about this one, looks visually beautiful some great acting throughout and it doesn't rely on jump scares. I think a rewatch in the future.

Sent from my PRA-LX1 using Tapatalk

Indeed Ron. It was a pleasant surprise to hear it in that context :nod:

Darkness (Jaume Balaguero)

A family with a troubled past moves to a new house, that usually ends well doesn't it?? :lol:
I'm only 40 minutes in and I is intrigued already. Not as nerve shredding as Mother! (thank Cthulhu :lol:)
Back soon!!

Noted b!! :pop2:

I saw this at the cinema and completely forgot to write anything about it.

Okay, this is coming from someone who loved Hereditary and didn't want to be disappointed by Midsommar, Ari Aster's follow-up. Perhaps fortunately, it is nothing like his previous film in terms of narrative, though tonally and aesthetically there are similarities.

What it does have is a pervasive and long-lasting sense of weirdness to the point where you are never quite comfortable – I never had a chance to relax or have any 'breathing room' because the whole setup is so incredibly strange and, like every viewer, I knew the visitors are completely out of their depth. That's really as much as you do know, because the titular festival is completely unknown to outsiders and fiercely protected by those in the (for want of a better word) commune. I wasn't quite sure if the drink they passed around (is it inspired by Jim Jones' 'Kool-Aid'?) was safe or not

It's a film that doesn't rely on jump scares, but does benefit from the unexpected, and when something catches you unexpectedly, it does have an impact. It would be obvious and a little lazy to draw parallels with The Wicker Man, but it also has a lot in common with Tarkovsky's The Sacrifice, and I would guess they were both reference points when Aster was writing Midsommar.

I'd be lying if I said it was a film I liked because it isn't really 'fun', but it was a film I appreciated and admired a great deal and will buy it when it's available. There were moments where I didn't quite know whether to gasp or laugh, probably laughing and then felt a little awkward having done so. I think it'll be one of those which grows in my estimations with time and repeated viewings, and I hope I'm right in that assessment.

hello Darkness my old friend.....
 

Well, I didn't see that coming. If you know from 'magic realism' ... then you'll know what to expect. But if all you know is the Magic Roundabout .... :laugh:
Ahem.

Hot Fuzz. Not seen this for a few years and forgot how good it is. The best of the Cornetto Trilogy, this very English take on the hollywood action movie references most of them to be fair, along with Crocodile Dundee and countless others. The script is top stuff, as is Nick Frost, "He's not Judge Judy and executioner!" as Danny and the 'Andies' featuring Paddy Considine, "Don't go being a twat now." Also features pretty much every comedy actor in the UK, along with The Hound, James Bond and The Queen.

Very quotable.

I fit all the lights and did the fire alarm in the supermarket from Hot Fuzz, it’s actually (or was) a Somerfield :nod:

I Walk The Line (1970, John Frankenheimer)

The usually morally upright Gregory Peck for once plays a more tarnished sort this time. Yes, there are Johnny Cash songs on the ST :rolleyes:
Had to laugh at this ... Scene with Peck and his deputy, who you first see ogling a nudie book. Camera switches ... and it's a young Charles Durning!!! :hail:

The Adventures of Robin Hood 1938.

Sir Robin of Locksley rebels against Prince John he fights back as an Outlaw with a small army of men.

This was a classic and delightful adventure movie, Errol Flynn portrayal of Robin Hood was amazing aswell as Claude Rains as Prince John with Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy. Oliva De Havilland plays Maid Marian. There is some good comedy moments and even the tights Errol wears look a bit to uncomfortable. Tony Gaudio and Sol Polito do manage to capture great cinematography even without any special effects that are out today this was a great film.

Blood Legacy 1971.

A family arrive at a victorian house for a reading of a will only to die one by one.

This had a good star cast from John Carradine as the father and abuser of the household, Merry Anders, Jeff Marrow, Faith Domergue, and Brooke Mills as the siblings who will inherit a fortune if they stay in the house with the servants. This was a messed up film that seems to drag on slower than an old age pensioner driving down a road, how I managed to watch this all the way through to the end I don't know, if boredom is something you want check it out, but other times avoid.

Yarp!

And now the screaming Starts(1973)

Charles (Ian Ogilvy) and Catherine Fengriffen(Stephanie beacham) are newlyweds who move into his posh castle. And she starts seeing visions of a chap with no eyes and a missing hand. and discovers that there is a family curse.

a full length feature film from Amicus that is pretty entertaining and well worth a watch. And with a great cast including Patrick Magee and herbert lom. Peter cushing also gets lead credit as his role of a doctor, but it is a good 45 minutes before he even makes an appearance in the film. Stephanie beacham gives a solid performance too even if it is a little hammy at times. but her heaving bosom is always a pleasure to watch. :lol:

Recommended for all gothic Hammer type film fans, with nice sets and period costumes. and with a mean spirited flashback were a chap's new wife gets raped by the squire and then cut off his hand. 72 out of 100.