Drive Angry (2011)

Loopy as f*ck action fest in which Nic Cage plays John Milton who escapes from hell to track down a satanic cult who murdered his daughter and took her baby. However Satan sends 'the Accountant' to Earth to track down Milton.

Seen this a couple of times now and it's riotously entertaining. Cage is on top, top form - witness the scene as he takes out a motel room full of bad guys as a blonde rides his :censored: ultimately getting the ride of her life when Cage is zapped with a cattle prod...okay it's so mad you couldn't make it up but it works brilliantly and roars by at an astonishing pace.

The only thing better than Cage in this film is William Fichtner who plays 'The Accountant', underplaying yet stealing each and every single scene he's in.

As one of the examples of modern Grindhouse film making that became a 'thing' around this time along with the likes of Hobo With A Shotgun, Crank, Tucker and Dale Versus Evil, the Machete films, Drive Angry remains so much fun.

Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge. 1991.

Berlin during WWII, The Nazi regime is looking for a drug that can re-animate the dead, Toulon and his puppets come under suspicion that his creations can move without strings. When his wife is murdered, Toulon vows revenge with the help of his friends.

This was a interesting entry into the franchise, Guy Rolfe plays another doll maker like his role in the 1986 film Dolls along with his wife played by Sarah Douglas who show off their stage shows to children. Richard Lynch plays the German Officer Major Kraus who wants the serum used to bring things back to life. This has gone back to the same character as William Hickey from the first film, the old gentle man and not a psycho and this one introduces us the the 6-arm gun shooting cowboy.

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Space Is The Place (1974, John Coney)

Easily one of the stranger SF flicks I've seen. When Herman Blount plays up a storm in a nightclub, he finds solace in the hope of better things to come.
Sun Ra's rather oblique take on separatism is a rough wee ride. The music is fun certainly. Was worth the wait tbh, and was kept me far more involved than any bloated Hypocritewood "epic". :nod:

Batman Begins (2005)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Three terrific Batman films from director Christopher Nolan. Batman Begins was pretty much copied by the excellent series Gotham although Nolan told the story in two and a half hours rather than five series.

The Dark Knight boasts a truly exceptional performance by the no longer with us Heath Ledger as the Joker and his Oscar given posthumously was richly deserved. The film does tend to lag when Ledger is captured and the focus turns to the less screen scorching Harvey Dent / Two Face.

I'd forgotten how good The Dark Knight Rises actually was. Tom Hardy as the ruthless Bane is almost the equal of Ledger in the compelling viewing stakes, unfortunately Anne Hathaway's Catwoman is underused so she never comes close to Michelle Pfeiffer's unforgettable performance in Batman Returns (1991). The final forty minutes is genuinely gripping cinema.

All three of Christopher Nolan's film have outstanding ensemble casts including Christian Bale as Batman, Michael Caine as his loyal butler Alfred, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Liam Neeson as Ra's al Ghul, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox...and that's before we get to Maggie Gyllenhaal, Katie Holmes, Joseph Gordon Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Rutger Hauer and Cillian Murphy.

There isn't a single superhero film since these that have even come anywhere near to being as good in my opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5exne0Il5Uc

Comes of across as mixture of blood from the mummy tomb and the omen , chuck Heston plays a archeologist who discovers the tomb of a Egyptian princess opening the tomb it's spirit possess the body of his newly born daughter , 18 years later the spirit starts taking control and people start dying , first chuck is reluctant to think his daughter is involved but he soon releases she is no longer his daughter and he has to kill her.

Enjoyable if a little slow paced.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AUBlW5EWnI

A very well acted and creepy film , all the population of a small village all collapses all at once hours later they awakening, days later we find all the woman are pregnant, they all give birth at same time to children with blond hair and strange eyes , the children grow rapidly and are highly intelligent and have strange powers , can these evil imps be stopped?

Greorge Sanders and Barbara Shelly are the parents of the leader of the children.

Now watching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1hat-Zwpos

Followed by.

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

Virus-32. 2022.

A fast acting virus turns people into zombies, a woman working in a old leisure facility tries to protect her daughter, meets a man Luis who is also seeking shelter.

A new film from Argentina that seems to follow the ways of 28 Days later with people turning very quickly and fast running zombies, this did have some good tense moments and decent acting aside from the subtitles. It does start off very slowly for the first 15-20 minutes then jumps straight in to the action, great cinematography and direction with a decent background score. Recommended.

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@Trebor - I have the same Village / Children dvd as you have and have watched both films once.

I thought Village was outstanding but was really disappointed with Children. However for some reason despite that it's really stuck with me surprisingly more so than Village.

I think it was the weird Quatermass vibe it has with the children taking over the church and the authorities en mass outside.

Look forward to watching both again, all that's stopping me is that i want them both on Blu so will have to wait for the next Premium Collection promotion which i'm guessing if like last year is July.

Host. 2020.

A group of friends decide to do a online zoom seance and welcome a demonic presence.

Someone came up with a good idea on how to pass time during lockdown make a movie with a twist and not leave the comfort of their own home. for a film that's only 56 minutes it doesn't take long to get in to the seance but nothing big seems to happen to the last 20 minutes and all hell breaks loose. At the start the actors do a convincing job with their characters and don't take things seriously until they realise it isn't a prank. if you have a hour to kill then this will help pass time away.

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Kandisha. 2020.

Amelie, Bintou and Morjana all hang out together during the summer spray painting, they come across a name Kandisha, a demon's name. Amelie is attacked by her ex and summons the demon, only then she and her friends realise the demons wants six souls.

Based on the old Moroccan urban legend, this was a interesting film by the makers of Livid and Inside and they do pull out everything on the gore card for the killings and can be fist wrenching. Mathilde Lamusse, Suzy Bemba and Samarcande Saadi who play the leads do a decent part and Meriem Sarolie plays the demon that is summoned like a Turkish belly dancer that isn't afraid to show her body. It does have the near same ending like a 1992 film but this was better than I thought it would be from the trailer. Worth a watch. (subtitled)

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The Fourth Protocol. 1987.

A British Spy has to stop a Russian K.G.B agent from detonating a bomb at a American air base in Enland.

This film I have always enjoyed especially with two great leads by Michael Caine as the British spy John Preston and Russian Agent Valeri Petrofsky played by Pierce Brosnan. Frederick Forsyth who wrote the source novel co-wrote this and managed to bring his characters to the screen even though there is more character build up with plenty of talking which can drag on for longer than necessary. It does have the feel of being a T.V movie and a predictable ending but interesting how it all plays out, with a good cast including Michael Gough, Joanna Cassidy, Ned Beatty and Julian Glover.

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

A brilliant cannon film and a fantastic and chilling performance from the late great Rutger Hauer here he plays a deranged hitchhiker that's picked up by C Thomas Howell it's not long before he suspects there is something off which his passenger getting him out of his car he thinks that's the last of it, but it's only the beginning as deadly game of cat and mouse as Hauer torture him both physically and mentally , the last act still shocks and the hitcher is truly evil individual with no sense of remorse or emotion , he appears and disappears almost at will giving a supernatural quality and with how utterly evil he is , could he be the devil?

A giant creepy crawly double bill for tonight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4URRp39XOo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtU1YYxQXJw

Underworld (2003)

Vampires vs Werewolves part one.

For the first hour this is pretty much bog standard nonsense memorable only for Kate Beckinsale in her latex catsuit as she doesn't really convince as lead material. However the whole thing bucks up with the introduction of Bill Nighy's great vampire as the plot gained a bit of substance and the film a bit of acting clout, culminating in a very decent last half hour.

The Medium. 2021.

A documentary crew travel to Thailand to film Shaman's and how they help people.

Shot in the style of found footage scenario, this felt a bit too long until half way through and got a bit more interesting, somewhat based on folklore and god/goddess and a medium who can help and heal people. This goes one way then gives out a good curve ball then another one. The acting is good and doesn't rely on jump scares but there is one or two scenes that can be upsetting, best watched in the dark and it is subtitled.

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Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)

I've only seen this and The Tenth Victim from Elio Petri's body of work and from what i've seen so far he's an excellent director. Some of the fluid camera work obviously influenced Dario Argento, especially thinking of a scene where the camera moves around the bottom of a spiral staircase moving up it taking in all the people gawping down at the police investigation below, the camera replacing the gaze of Gian Maria Volonte's police inspector.

The film is a classic Italian police procedural thriller at heart, although it must be said with a huge difference. The story involves said newly promoted inspector Volonte killing his mistress then covering up his involvement with the crime. However he also insinuates himself in with the murder via other methods. At one point a colleague tells him the only prints on the scene of the crime were the inspectors. On the door handle, on a glass, on drawers, in the bedroom, in the shower. It becomes almost farcical as the lower ranked officer has all the clues and then says but it couldn't have been you, you probably just became careless whilst investigating the scene.

The way the film then plays out is both gripping and absurd. I won't go into detail so as not to spoil it for any potential viewers. But will say it's a perverse satirical look at police methods and how power corrupts.

I was talking with @Justin on another thread about the film this week prior to seeing it and he suggested that my description of the film as a Poliziotteschi wasn't really accurate. I see now what he meant. It's still a Poliziotteschi for me but certainly not a typical example. It's like the film takes place utilizing the police officials ranked above the 'all action inspectors' played by the likes of Maurizio Merli and Luc Merenda. These cops aren't in it at all. The nearest example of a Poliziotteschi i've seen so far is No, the Case Is Happily Resolved (1973) in the way it deals with those seemingly above the law and the ludicrousness of the justice system.

A special mention of star Gian Maria Volante. He gives an absolutely mesmerizing performance. I couldn't take my eyes off him he's that good. In fact the same can be said of the film as a whole.

You won't be able to take your eyes away. It's that good!

Caveat. 2020.

Isaac who suffers partial memory loss is offered a job to babysit Olga, a young woman suffering from a psychological problem on a isolated island. Isaac accepts unaware on what comes with the job and what he will uncover.

This seemed like a decent film, isolation, a very creepy old house in the middle of nowhere and two main characters suffering trauma from their past. Generally it starts off with some righting a wrong, Barrett offering a man he hurt a job but as it goes on uncovering a hidden secret, this fell like a pancake landing on the floor. The pace is very slow, the acting isn't great, the atmosphere looses it's potential and the twist wasn't played out well. Not one for me to return to.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4URRp39XOo

A young girl is found in the desert in catatonic state, not long after there are a number of deaths , a scientist and his daughter arrive and the scientist believes giant ants are responsible, he is soon proven right , the military and a local cop set out too exterminate the nest unfortunately the queen escapes and sets of for LA.

Very enjoyable 50s monster movie and the blu ray looks great. Look out for a young Leonard Nimoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtU1YYxQXJw&t=26s

Another cracking monster B-movie made a year later . Here a scientist is experimenting on making giant animals , after a " accident" a Trantula escapes and grows larger and larger threating a small. It's up to the local doctor and military to try and stop it.

The town might look very familiar as it's none other than the courthouse Square from back to the future.


Now watching.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W13ja0ASRCg

Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers. 1956.

Extraterrestrials make contact with a scientist and release their plan to enslave the human race.

3 years after the release of War Of The worlds, the aliens are back in this film trying to conquer the earth, this has very little to do with the H.G. Wells story but based on a non fictional book by a retired U.S. Marine Major. Were people paranoid about Aliens coming to earth in the 50s that inspired all these movies in one era?

The acting is pretty decent from Hugh Marlowe and Joan Taylor who play the abductees and are told of the invasion and plan of the extraterrestrials and soon begin to attack. There is good direction and cinematography but think the person who should get more mention is Ray Harryhausen who created the special effects of the U.F.O.'S and the creatures we see in this.

Attachment 239902

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W13ja0ASRCg

A brilliant bit of bizzare cheese its the film of two Half's the first half is a hammer film a woman and her boy friend arrive in Romania the boyfriend is killed she is rescued by Paul Naschy who just happens to be a werewolf after some trouble from the pitchfork welding locals they both escape to London once there the woman visit's her friend who just happens to be the great grand son of Dr Jekyll he comes up with a plan that using his grandfather's formula he can cure him, but of course things don't go as bland when Mr Hyde takes control , this is when the movie jumps in to high cheese with Naschy running around groovy 70s London in top hat and tails killing people brilliant!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lrin0N8r1Ls

After a spectacular meteor storm most of the planet is left blind but this is not the worst of the earth's problems as the giant triffids are on the move and munching on everyone they come across , we follow some seeing Survivors which include Howard Keel as they try too survive. Thank I will watch the 1981 BBC version later this week too see how they compare.

Now watching

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiUU2ndjXr8

These Final Hours. 2013.

In 12 hours before a cataclysmic event will end life as we know it, James is on his way to all end party, along the way he rescues a small girl Rose searching for her father. With the burden and guilt he is forced to to go with what actually matters before time runs out.

Some apocalyptic films can be a hit or a miss for me but this one took me by surprise. Set in Australia Nathan Phillips plays James who seems to think for himself until he rescues Rose played by Angourie Rice and shows him that there is more to the end than a party. Both leads play their characters well and believable that two strangers can help and protect each other and never to late to change.

From the start there is sex and some harsh violence but isn't over done to the extreme that can shock us (machete and hammer attacks) and see it for a brief few seconds. The cinematography can seem a bit amateurish and shaky in some scenes that lasts a few seconds and a nice haunting background score by Cornel Wilczek. Worth a watch.

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Undergods. 2020.

In a dystopian future, the lives of two men K and Z look for dead bodies to sell for food and share their dreams and stories in which everyone is seen in a new world that connects to the present.

This had a good assortment of familiar faces of actors, set pieces for the ruined city look good and dark for a apocalyptic world but the segments shown seem to be unfinished or just intentionally left open to the viewers imagination as to what would happen to people. It seemed to go in one direction then crosses over to a different one, it can have it's good and slow pace moments but not one I will return to.

Attachment 239904

Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)

Probably my favourite of the Wrong Turn series although some of the writing and dialogue lets it down at times, especially the decision making of the protagonists.

As with all these films it's the gore that attracts the viewers and Wrong Turn 4 has it in spades with some really well executed kill sequences which in turn captivate and repulse at the same time. The camera is happy to ogle the neck slicing's, limb ripping, decapitations and cannibalism in gruesome close up much to my delight. In fact i'm quite sure had this been released during the early eighties it would easily have gone down in cult cinema folklore as a video nasty, been banned by the British censors and been heralded in the same terms as much of the other gory fun we've all come to love.

Ringu. 1998.

A journalist investigates a cursed tape that whoever watches it dies within 7 days.

One of the original and best creepy horror films to come from Asia, this doesn't rely on gore or blood splatter but quick blink and miss moments with good cinematography and direction, combined with Asian folklore and acting. The 2002 remake was good IMO but lacked some of the suspense, just a shame the Scary Movie makers had to rip it off.

Attachment 239912

Snake Eater II: The Drug Buster (1989)

Snake Eater III: His Law (1992, both George Erschbamer)


Back with the Renegade ahem ...
The two sequels are equally as Exploitative, with the third just edging ahead due to a nastier tone in general. :nod:

Lamas yet again just doesn't grab your attention as the main lead, like giving your favourite house plant the lead role ahem.
But the films themselves are rack full of fun stuff all done at that second tier level harumph.
Inner city crime and scuzzy bikers if you want details. So overall, I would say that the 3rd flick would be the one I'd recommend. There's a small overhaul of the structure that pleased the demon greatly in the end. :pop2:

To be honest, I preferred their "coming out of the tv" bit to the remake attempt .... :nod::behindsofa:

Started on No Time to Die last night. Turned it off after 45 minutes. Dear God, when did Bond get so BORING?! :confused::behindsofa:

Give it a chance, it's a lot better than Quantum of Solace

There's a box set somewhere, ones that contain Vincent Dawn/Italian Rip-Offs

Because Daniel Craig is far too serious. Connery, Moore and Brosnan interjected some humor into it.

A Good Day to Die Hard (2013)

Sorry but this mess is as far away from the first couple of Die Hard films as you can get.

Yes there are a couple of excellent action set pieces during the films first half but as it approaches the finale it becomes ever more tedious with cretinous dialogue, if you can call it that, of single word exclamations such as "F*ck", "Shit", "John" and "Jack". Whilst the villains are so unmemorable and poorly written they make you long for Die Hard 4's Timothy Olyphant, never mind the classic villains of the first three films.

Bruce Willis simply goes through the motions and co-star Jai Courtney has no motions to go through.

That was my third watch of A Good Day to Die Hard and it really doesn't get any better.

Ring 2. 1999.

Journalist Reiko takes her son Yoichi into hiding to escape the cursed video tape. Mai Tanako learns of the video tape after her professor has died and goes in search of Reiko and stop the spirit of Sadako.

This starts off right where the first film ends and seemed to start off pretty well then kind of goes to shifting of characters and goes at a snail pace and focuses on Yoichi and a psychic ability. 95 minutes long but this film seemed longer and slowly looses my interest then peaked up again. Did the director loose interest in giving up the good amount on tension there was in the first film.

Attachment 239918

Despite it's flaws I like A Good Day To Die Hard. No it's not really a Die Hard film but I don't think there has actually been one since Die Hard. Films such as Under Siege have come closer in spirit. It is a bit ludicrous but I think treated as a standalone film it's entertaining nonsense.

Sent from my SM-G780G using Tapatalk

It's certainly nonsense. The entertainment levels for me disappear following the hotel ballroom escape.

That car chase (If you can call it that) was excellent though. Should have made that the finale. Would have been a hell of a lot better.

Ring O. 2000.

A shy girl named Sadako joins a theater drama troupe and is cast as a lead actress when the original actress was found dead. A journalist looks into the girl's past and her spiritualist mother and believes there is something wrong when the troupe begin to die in strange ways.

The prequel i'm sure we all wanted to see and and how it all started for Sadako and the cursed tape, First time seeing this and like the previous films it has the Japanese folklore of spiritualism mentioned and two Sadako's, one good one evil but that's it, we see the snippets from the cursed tape but who made it? Did I miss something or is this explained in another film? This felt like more of a drama rather than horror, bit disappointed.

Attachment 239919

La Llorona. 2019.

A paranoid war criminal accused of ordering a mass genocide in Guatemala is housebound and feels that the sins of the pass have come to haunt him and his family in the form of a wailing woman.

After watching the 2019 The Curse of La Llorona and being disappointed I held off watching this film for a while but it came up and from the start it was intriguing to see how it goes. The cast are ones that I have never heard of nor the director, this isn't much of a horror its more political and coming to near end of life scenario but does have a dark atmosphere until the young new made comes in and becomes a somewhat haunted house then goes into a different path. This was interesting to keep me occupied, go with a open mind and another subtitled movie.

Attachment 239920

I still remember the first time I watched Die Hard. It was (at least to me at the time) quite unique in its presentation of the hero in this extremely restricted seige environment. Despite the scale of Nakatomi Plaza there is a claustrophobic feel to the action. That seige dynamic was something the series never really had again. I suppose Die Hard 2 tried but It didn't feel the same at all for me. In the end the franchise became more about Bruce Willis' vest.

Sent from my SM-G780G using Tapatalk

'Die Hard 2' was the last film I worked on when I was at the cinema before I was unceremoniously removed from my position and told never to darken the doors of the auditorium again!

THE PHANTOM OF THE MONASTERY ( 1934 )
A group of people get lost in the mountains and get invited to spend the night at a nearby Monastery, where they are greeted by a strange group of monks, who tell the tale of one if their brothers who suffered a horrible fate.
I took a punt on this and I’m glad I did. It’s a bit stagey at times but has an eerie atmosphere and some genuine creepy moments. Fair play to Indicator for putting out such an obscure movie in such an excellent presentation.

THE HEROIN BUSTERS ( 1977 )
Super cool Fabio Testi stars as an undercover cop helping top cop David Hemmings to smash a heroin smuggling gang in Castellari’s action pactked politiziotteschi.
As ever, there are several car chases, including a memorable chase in an underground train station and an unforgettable climactic aeroplane (!) chase which has to be seen to be believed. The stunts these guys did back in the day were insane. No CGI here folks.
Superb looking Blu Ray from Arrow.

Have you seen Highway Racer, Mojo?

The stunts in that really are insane. I have no idea how they got away with sending two cars on their rooves down the famous Spanish Steps landmark, and that jump at the end was even crazier.

I have Dem. I can’t say it’s a favourite of mine, as it just seemed to be ALL car chases and little else.
I agree though, the stunts are incredible.

I need to get Phantom of the Monastery, glad you liked it, the La Llorona one as well. Oh and the Adventures of box set, which i ended up canceling my preorder as i'd spent way too much this month.

Go get yourself Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. You'll love that, Mojo.