Cult Labs - What Films Have You Seen Recently?

The Lovely Bones (2009)

Blu rental. A young teenage girl is murdered by her neighbour, but her body is never discovered, but she is presumed dead. The story is told from her perspective in the after life and from the perspective of the grieving family. And she watches as the killer goes about his normal life trying to avoid suspicion. It's all a bit overblown and you can tell Spielberg has his finger in it, as bits of it are overly sugary sweet. Nevertheless, it's a reasonably interesting effort from Peter Jackson, but nothing outstanding.

Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)

Lance Henriksen plays the Host of a Hellworld party. Hellworld is an online game based on the Cenobite mythos. Four young friends arrive at the party unaware that their host is the father of their friend who died recently and there may be more to things than meets the eye. Basically, it's rubbish, and the Cenobites barely feature. Waste of time really. The words idiotic and moronic come to mind. This is one of those rare things - a film that manages to actually insult your intelligence. The twist ending is ridiculous.

The Vengeance of Fu Manchu (1967)

Fu Manchu (Christopher Lee) is still very much alive and back again hatching a fiendish plot. He wants revenge on his persecutors and begins by creating a doppelganger of Nayland Smith of Scotland Yard. He then switches them and the fake Smith murders and is tried for his crimes, discrediting Smith in the eyes of the world. But all is not lost, Nayland may yet save the day! Cracking adventure yarn and Lee really does seem to relish his role as the evil mastermind. Some great locations, competent direction and a strong supporting cast make this a winner.

The question now is: am I brave enough to now try the two Franco Fu Manchu offerings?

And Soon the Darkness (2011)

This turgid remake isn't a patch on the original and tells the story of two young American girls on a cycling holiday in Argentina. After a girly fight, the pair split up, but then one of them goes missing...

The real problem I had with the film is that they've taken a classic exercise in tension and suspense and turned it into just another boring riff on the Hostel theme. As a standalone film it might not seem too bad, but knowing the film it's based on turns it into a bit of an insult. Whereas the girls in the first film are simply naive, here they're just plain stupid. Not very good I'm afraid.

Knives of the Avenger (1966)

Mario Bava directs Cmeron Mitchell in this sword and sandals adventure about a lone man seeking revenge on a tyrant, a man he once served under. That's the plot in a nutshell, and it's much more interesting than it sounds, coming from the maestro Bava.

What I found most intriguing about this film is that Bava is making a fantasy adventure of sword and sorcery, but he approaches it as a western. In place of a lone gunslinger, we have a lone knifeslinger. The visual set-ups mirror the spaghetti westerns of the time and even the music cues sound like they've been lifted right out of a western. It's a fascinating approach and it really pays off. The set ups, the plot devices - it's all spag western in style. Watch it and you'll see what I mean. Trust Bava to do something different.

Return of the Living Dead (1984)

Two guys working at a medical supllies facility unleash a deadly gas that zombifies everything it comes into contact with and it's not long before the dead are walking.

This film needs no real introduction so I'll get down to what you all want to know. How does the Blu-ray look? Well, Second Sight have presented a lovely looking HD transfer for UK fans, presumably taken from the MGM master. Thankfully very little (if any) DNR has been used and there's plenty of grain (and detail) on display. I thought it looked pretty decent and is a definite upgrade over DVD. However, I do think it could look better and we'll no doubt see a better transfer somewhere down the road. It's not knock-your-socks-off brilliant, but it's good enough. Packed with extras too - including the in-depth documentary More Brains. So it's a worthy package and well worth picking up.

Anonymous (2011)

The story presents the theory that Shakespeare didn't actually write anything and that he was in fact illiterate. That is to say, as an actor he could read, but he couldn't write. Instead, it is suggested that the plays and sonnets of Shakey were actually written by Edward De Vere, Earl of Oxford (Rhys Ifans) as a way of influencing the Queen politically, as she loved attending plays. There's plenty of skullduggery and it's interesting to see how reviled theatre was by the authorities, who saw it as subversive and evil. I particularly liked the scene where it's said that all artists are political because all artists have thoughts, feelings and opinions to share with the people. Quite insightful, actually.

It's also interesting in that the film uses Derek Jacobi as a narrator. Considering that Jacobi is an esteemed Shakespearean actor, it's curious that he should appear in a film that is basically anti-Shakespeare. Also of note, and it is true historically, there is no manuscript anywhere of any writing in Shakespeare's own hand.

Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this and thought it presented some real food for thought. Far more interesting than some standard historical drama with people prancing about; this was much darker in tone. And Rhys Ifans is outstanding, it has to be said, with solid support from Vanessa Redgrave and David Thewlis.

Jurassic Park (1993)

Big monster movie mayhem from Spielberg. There's no story, as such, it's just an exercise in suspense and a showcase for some spectacular FX. Still, I don't mind it. One of Spielberg's better films, for sure. The Blu-ray looks incredible, better than I've seen it look since seeing it at the cinema on release. The BD did struggle to play and the second film kept freezing up, so it's gone back for a replacement.

My Name is Nobody (1973)

This kind of spoof western from Tonino Valerii is a joy to watch. Terence Hill as Nobody and Henry Fonda as gunfighter Jack Beauregrad shine in their roles. Nobody worships Jack and wants to see him go out in a blaze of glory, whereas Jack just wants to finish his job and sail off quietly into the sunset. They compete slyly with one another and Nobody proves himself just as proficient with a gun as Jack. It's all good fun and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this one.

Maniac Cop (1988)

William Lustig gets back in the director's chair and delivers this slice of slasher mayhem penned by Larry Cohen.

A rogue cop is on the streets and killing anyone unlucky enough to stumble into his path. It soon turns out that it is in fact disgraced cop Matt Cordell (Robert Z'Dar) who frames Jack Forest (Bruce Campbell) for the murders. It's up to Jack to prove his innocence and uncover the true culprit.

It's all nonsense and fun and it's very entertaining. And with both Z'Dar and Campbell in the film, there's an abundance of chins. Maybe Maniac Chin would've been a better title?

The Blu-ray from Arrow is terrific and blows the old Synapse release out of the water. If you're a fan, the UK BD is well worth snagging. I grabbed it from Zavvi for a mere £5.95 (worth checking their site).

The Crater Lake Monster (1977)

This was part of a Blu-ray double feature from Mill Creek (better known for bootlegging). My expectations were low, this being from Mill Creek and all, so I approached with extreme caution. Thankfully, this looks ****ing amazing. I was well surprised. This looks stunning, considering its vintage and budget.

When a meteor crashes into Crater Lake it unearths a prehistoric egg that hatches. It's not long before a dino is crashing around and killing people and it's up to the local sheriff and some experts to save the day.

It's not a great film by any means, but you can at least see with this transfer that it's a competently made film in spite of its low budget. I really enjoyed it anyway, and that's all that really matters.

Night Train to Terror (1985)

God and Satan are on a train contemplating the fates of three individuals, their tales told in 3 separate stories. The first involves the harvesting of body parts, the second is about a 'death club, and the third is about a servant of Satan. Form what I can gather, the three stories are edited versions of full length movies, and one is taken from an unfinished movie. As such it's very disjointed and at times almost incoherent, were it not for a voiceover informing us of what was going on. It's very strange. Recommended for fans of weird cinema, but with reservations.

Caught this on one of those Mill Creek mult-film sets. Quality is like an average VHS, maybe a little better, but not unwatchable like some of the films in the set.

Oh, and someone shoot that ****ing awful unknown 80's band that keep popping up playing that appalling tune.

Lone Wolf McQuade (1983)

McQuade (Chuck Norris) is a Texas Ranger who comes up against big time criminal Rawley Wilkes (David Carradine). It's obvious who wins, because one is genuinely good at kung-fu and one....er....isn't.

It's good action fun and Chuck actually turns in a good solid performance here, if any of his acting could actually be called 'good'. But, still, it's Chuck Norris, that's good enough for me. LOL!