It's funny, I've never bothered much with 'Elm Street' either. I've seen the first and third a few times, but at most only ever caught glimpses of the others. Same goes for most of the other big franchises, barring the 'Friday 13th' 'retrospective' I did recently. They all seemed to epitomise something I didn't like (at the time) about eighties horror, what I thought of as crass commercialism. I had quite a rarefied view back then, which I've since managed to overcome whilst still remaining as pretentious as humanly possible of course ha ha. Well, you've read my reviews. Anyway, 'Elm Street' was a particular bête noir, but I saw the box set going for fifteen quid recently and thought 'sod it'. So I shall watch them all, even the painful later entries which I'll probably damn myself by quite liking.
Speaking of...

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: DREAM WARRIORS – Commonly thought of as the best of the series after the original, ‘Dream Warriors’ arrived at the peak of the eighties horror moment. It bears all the hallmarks of the mid to late decade – rowdy special effects set pieces, rock video aesthetics (lots of gelled lighting etc), lengthy dream sequences, comedic lightness over grindhouse squalor. Freddie is in his element as a kind of degenerate MC, but if the wisecracks flow at least they’re not insufferable, and even lend a bit of zest to this tale of ‘kids ganging together to defeat the menace’ (another eighties trope). The performances of the likes of Langenkamp and Arquette are good, and John Saxon returns as burned out cop dad. I always enjoy dipping back into this one, it never sets me alight but it’s a prime example of where horror was at in its day.

SUBURBAN SASQUATCH – A mad ‘classic’ of late SOV from 2004, probably around the time the term was becoming meaningless with the advent of cheap hi-def. Not that there’s anything remotely hi-def about ‘Suburban Sasquatch’. The film itself is perhaps not unlike its namesake, lurching from scene to scene with complete disregard for human sense-making capability, leaving behind nothing but the wreckage and an audience haunted by questions it can’t answer. Flying rubber limbs pile on top of vision quest segues. ‘Birdemic’ level CGI will make you retch. The dialogue is the best, a mumbled library of mystical non sequiturs and banality. I like bigfoot’s random malevolence and its powers of teleportation. If you want the basics, it’s about a Native American hunter and a feeble journalist who stalk Sasquatch as it murders people in the forest near a new housing development. But it is so, so much more. A monument to outsider vision.

It's a great film, one I saw at the cinema and, after buying the Blu-ray release, have watched several times since then.

Saoirse Ronan is sublime in the lead role, helped by Nick Hornby's deft script and a fine supporting cast including Domhnall Gleeson, Jim Broadbent, Emery Cohen, and Julie Walters.

It looks really good in HD, with that 1080p picture showing off the location shooting and extremely convincing period design.

Wyvern. 2009.

After global warning melts the ice caps, a prehistoric creature known as a Wyvern awakens and attacks a small Alaskan town.

We got a made for TV movie about a mixed creature that we have a character telling the tale about it half way through. Don S. Davis in his last role as the old army colonel who the townsfolk think he is loopy. Barry Corbin is the old hillbilly who is eventually believed that he saw something in the sky and Nick Chinlund as the local trucker dealing with the loss of a family member. Given the budget, the effects of the creature are decent except the explosion which is CGI and very daft, it this was a decent film. The pacing is good and kept going and never got dull or boring. Most of the kills are offscreen and we see the after effect. I'd happily return to this one.

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After all of this talk of Brooklyn I decided I was actually going to watch it instead of just thinking about watching it. I loved it, just what I needed this morning. It made me cry, it made motion angrily at the screen, I also laughed quite a bit, there is some great dialogue in this!

It's on iPlayer for the next 28 days if anyone else wants to watch a love story in 50's New York.

I'm pleased you enjoyed it, Justin. :)

Really happy that you loved it, Justin. A terrific film.

I have this on dvd. A highly entertaining film with good special effects. Seen it a few times.

I'm now hoping i can't find one of the many fifty movie box sets i have this on seeing as i'm dying to put myself through it again. :pound:

Edit - Unbelievable. One was literally about 10 cm behind the chair i'm currently sat it.

100mins? You cannot be serious!

The Head Hunter (2018)

In medieval times a fierce warrior collects the heads of beasts that terrorize a nearby kingdom waiting for the one that killed his daughter.

There's a lot going for this low budget film. It looks gorgeous. Shot entirely in forest locations the cinematography is lovely and it looks a million dollars however there's only so many times i can watch the hunter thrust some creatures head onto a spike from a fight we haven't been witness to before it becomes tedious.

The narrative isn't helped by there only being a single person in the entire film and a total lack of dialogue. Couldn't he have talked to himself a bit? I simply didn't feel anything whilst watching other than how beautiful it looked.

Whilst The Head Hunter is aesthetically brilliant it's minimalism in it's story telling really let it down for me. A movie of what could have been i think.

Roman Holiday (1953)

Audrey Hepburn swans round Rome for the day with Gregory Peck and the city becomes the epitome of post war cool.

For those who haven't seen it, Hepburn plays a European princess who falls for an American reporter (Peck) during an official visit to Rome in the early fifties. However neither princess or reporter want the other to know who they are.

Whilst Gregory Peck is excellent (Is Peck ever not excellent?) it was the newcomer Hepburn who became the sensation in her debut major screen role. Elevated to equal headline billing on Peck's insistence during filming Hepburn positively shines.

It's credit to director William Wyler who wanted someone unlike the typical curvy Italian actresses of the day and he thought Hepburn the prime candidate saying "She was perfect ... his new star had no arse, no tits, no tight-fitting clothes, no high heels. In short a Martian. She will be a sensation" - He wasn't wrong.

It has just the right level of will they or won't they romance to avoid being saccharine and similarly honed levels of comedy. In fact it's a model in style and grace in both performances and script. It's beautifully shot by Wyler but even with all the superb compositions around the city his final shot of Peck walking out of the palace trumps them all.

A film to treasure.

Cradle 2 The Grave. 2003.

DMX is the artistic jewel theif with crew Anthony Anderson, Gabrielle Union and Drag-On who manage to steal some black diamonds that aren't what they appear to be. Jet Li is the Taiwanese detective who wants the stones and to destroy them. Mark Dacascos is the antagonist who plans on selling the stones to the highest bidder of world terrorists.

Jet Li seems like he has very little dialogue and mostly saddled as a co star rather than the lead, DMX does take the lead and and has a mix of a tough guy and sentimental father that is a bit laid back. Anthony and Tom Arnold team up again from Exit Wounds and share screen time together at the end talking about the previous film mentioned and totally take the piss discussing the characters. The fight scenes are decently choreographed especially with the cage fight 1 on quite a few and the finale mixed with a bit of girl on girl fight. Not the best but entertaining.

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Watched latest Mission Impossible. Feel a bit disappointed.

btw I thought films 4-6 were great. It's a hard film to judge as opening half hour, a segment where Pegg is trying to defuse a bomb (early on) and the last 25 minutes are excellent but the rest of this 150 minute film didn't do too much for me. Not quite the slam dunk that I was expecting.

Much of the remainder felt like a step backwards. If you also love the first three then you will probably also like this. I'm a bit torn, I certainly wouldn't pay full price for it and I think that I probably can't properly judge it until the second half arrives.

Further btw I got a bit fed up by the sheer number of times a new character shafted over Ethan, became a bit tiresome.

Excalibur (1981)

I'm no stranger to John Boorman's take on Arthurian legend but after seeing this on Blu-ray for the first time last night i'm still undecided as to whether this is a visionary piece of film making or a convoluted self indulgent mess.

Whatever it is Excalibur is a film you can't take your eyes off thanks to the crazy speed at which pivotal events unfold. Boorman's filming is strange and very off kilter for the era everything has a kind of smoky shine to it giving the film a truly ethereal feel to it and whilst characters come and go with many under developed Excalibur 's magic lies in it's eerie weirdness rather than any film making logic.

Interested to read your thoughts on Excalibur Dem. It's a film I'd wanted to see for years, I remembered looking with fascination at the artwork a number of times over the years. Yet despite having the Premium release for well over a year now, I've still not got around to watching it...

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You should definitely give it a go. Although plan for it as it's almost two and a half hours long.

Mission Impossible: Dead Awakening Part 1

Tom Cruise and the gang are back and this time they are trying to get to A AI machine that can be used as a weapon. There are some good Action sequences and a car chase involving a yellow mini but it's too long and I knew that I wasn't getting a conclusive ending to this Movie.

Anchorman 2: Legend Continues

Ron is fired from his job when his Wife gets a promotion so he and his friends end up working for the 1st 24 hour News Channel and end up being the most popular on the channel. I believe that this is the better of the 2 but it's rather hit and miss. Harrison Ford is quite good as his former boss and James Marsdan is funny as his arrogant rival as well as the cameos for the battle scene near the end.

Sworn To Justice

Cynthia Rothrock is attacked in her home and her Sister and Nephew is Murdered but she ends up gaining a psychic ability and becomes a Vigilante. A rather decent and enjoyable effort with some appearances from the 90's Martial Artist P/M Entertainment Films I liked. Not sure if there was meant to be a sequel or some TV Series because there was a sort of set up for one.

Switch

Jennifer Aniston wants a Baby so she get's a Donor (Patrick Wilson)and at the Insemination Party (Yes I know but it was on the cover) but her best friend (Justin Bateman) accidently destroys the sample so has to replace it. Seven years later, she has the kid but has his neurotic tendencies. It sounds like a Comedy but it's more of a Drama but I really enjoyed it. It has some really good performances and I liked that they didn't make anyone a jerk. Jeff Goldblum and Juliette Lewis co-star.

Dead Reckoning. ;)

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (2009)

A military action movie with strong sci-fi elements based on the Hasbro toy line G.I. Joe. Anyone who is familiar with the toys / characters of Duke, Ripcord, Storm Shadow, The Baroness, Scarlett, Snake Eyes, Destro and Cobra Commander, well they are all here. Some albeit very briefly.

The plot is far too complex to sum up in a couple of lines here but this is a fun movie with a superb 12 minute action sequence set in Paris that begins with a couple of characters running and culminates with the Eiffel Tower crashing to the ground.

This happens at the midway point and though the film never betters this sequence what follows is still a wild ride. The script borrows snippets from everywhere and there was a definite Vader, Luke and the Emperor vibe going on with the Baroness, Duke and Destro for starters.

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra won't change your world but it should entertain you for a couple of hours. It did me.

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After the Guardians are attacked by an unknown very dangerous but quite well spoken and polite golden man his failed attempt to kidnapp Rocket leaves the gaurdians devastated as Rocket is left fighting for his life. Inside Rockets chest they find a kill switch that is stopping them from saving him and the only way to deactivate it is to go to the place Rocket came from to get the code.

I don't watch many superhero films but I do love the Gaurdians it has it all genuinely funny and the dynamic between the characters is spot on you just believe they are family and love each other and visually these films have always been amazing and with chapter 3 they really push the visuals into the stratosphere it looks absolutely crazy. There are so many different creatures and the places they visit are all mind blowing honestly at stages I felt like I was in some sort of strange psyadelic dream.

As with the first two films the acting is excellent keeping that strong bond going between the characters and keeping the humour flowing especially Drax without doubt my favourite character in the Gaurdians sadly this was Dave Batista's last one.

It's not all sunshine rainbows and blowing sh!t up there is a real gloomy feel to most of the film with Rockets origin story giving a lump in the throat every single time there is a flash back it doesn't ruin the film but it's makes it a different experience for sure.

The soundtrack is pretty great but a couple of more recent songs didn't do it for me but maybe that's just me.

My only real complaint was Sly Stallone is only in two scenes just a waste he could of been funny.

For some reason I can’t keep it in my head that Guardians 3 is actually out. I want to watch it it’s the best of the Marvel Universe. I might get around to it shortly :)

I think Doctor Strange was the last one I watched it might have ruined it for me lol

Child's Play 3 (1991)

Eight years after the events of the second film the Play Pals company begins once more manufacturing Good Guy dolls. Meanwhile a now 16 year old Andy has been sent to a military academy having not settled in several foster homes.

A much better film than the second one. The setting of the military academy allows the film to adopt a Full Metal Jacket or Heartbreak Ridge angle with Andy at the mercy of drill instructors as well as the psychopathic doll. The acting is a step up as well with Justin Whalin's Andy nowhere near as annoying as whiny Alex Vincent whilst fellow cadet Kristen (Perrey Reeves) gives Andy more to think about than just dolls.

I have now seen all seven of Don Mancini's Child's Play films on Blu-ray and on the whole it's a very good series. The latest two Curse of Chucky (2013) and Cult of Chucky (2017) being the best with 1990's Child's Play 2 comfortably the worst but even that had it's moments.

Renfield. 2023.

Usually Nicholas Cage films are a bit and miss for me, I did enjoy Willy's Wonderland and to see him play Dracula was questionable but I'm surprised how good it was. Nicholas Holt is the manservant Renfield in a self help group of people in bad relationships and how to get out of them and move on. The comedy is on top form right at the start it does take homage to Dracula 1931 in Transylvania and then heading to America after a hunter attack.The gore count is a lot but also add in some dark humour and you have 90 minutes well worth passing by.

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The Horseman. 2008.

A nice little revenge flick from Australia that is a bit like Death wish, a normal working Joe's life is turned upside down and seeks revenge. Our vigilante played by Peter Marshall works as in pest control receives a tape of his late daughter in a sex tape being roughed up and now wants answers as to who is behind it all. This is brutal, the film does start with a killing and goes a bit slow then picks up. There is a bit of long moments of slow torture and a great deal of violence and the main character can take a beaten or two. As much this is a revenge flick there is a nice bit of drama involved that shows the guy being pushed to violence but still has father instincts in him.

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The Hard Way. 2019.

Michael Jai White stars as a retired soldier now a club owner who's brother died in Romania on a mission and seeks answers teaming with his brother's partner Luke Goss. Both actors have got decent films to their credentials but this is really not the best for both of them. There is some decent fight scenes even though Luke manages to throw a punch or two and Michael able to kick the balls out of the bad guys and take a punch back. The plot seems to be a copy of another film that has been done before.

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Wait... you think Child's Play 2 is worse than Seed of Chucky?

Okey-dokey....:confused::nono::behindsofa::laugh:

Excision. 2012.

A disturbed teenager who is dominated by a over bearing mother dreams of becoming a surgeon and sets out to prove she can escape her mother's grasp.

This was a bit of a weird one, a teen seeing a psychiatrist who doesn't seem like one but nearly practises in hearing confessions is decently played by John Waters. Traci Lords plays the over bearing somewhat religious mother that can almost put Carrie Where's mother to shame who wants what she thinks is best for her daughter and putting up with a quiet husband and sick young daughter.

Annalynne McCord does play a great part as the young adolescence teen going through puberty and learning about the human body, does seem outdated and bullied but sticks up for herself while having dreams of people in pain and bloodied while almost achieving orgasms.

Right from the start we basically want to slap the mother and we see how ill her other daughter is and how the father is even scared to open his mouth. Although it's tabled as a horror this is more psychological sexual themed thriller mixed with some dark humour that deals with split or multiple personality disorder. This may not be for everyone's taste.

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Given the choice between the two, I'd much rather watch Seed of Chucky than Child's Play 2.

Seed of Chucky may not be a great film, but it's much more inventive, fun, and (to me) enjoyable than the first sequel, which I remember being quite formulaic.

Despite the on-screen presence of Jenny Agutter and Grace Zabriskie being significantly better than Hannah Spearit and Redman, I really like the subversive humour, the gore effects, and every scene with John Waters, so Seed of Chucky would get my vote.

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Struggling to find the proper sound for their 10th album Dave and Co head off to a house up in the hills that was the scene of a serious of gruesome murders of the last band that tried to record there. Haunted cursed or what ever who cares because you will never get that drum sound again anywhere else. Struggling from writer's block Dave wonders the house looking for inspiration when he discovers a secret room under the house he may pay for a new found creativity with his soul.

When this was announced I was not overly interested until I saw a clip with Lionel Richie and I was sold instantly:lol: Honestly I don't think I have heard the F word so many times in one film since the 90s especially Dave it's like every second word and that just the first 10 minutes :lol:

There are plenty of laughs and some brilliant over the top gore and a few amazing cameos like the already mentioned Lionel Richie John Carpenter who also performs the soundtrack and Kerry King as the band Drum Tech the film also feature Whitney Cummins the stand up comedian who I'm not really a fan of but she was ok here. I'm not the biggest Foo Fighters fan but I have loved Dave since the Nirvana days he has a great passion for music and he is always a good laugh in interviews. Even if your not a Foos fan you can enjoy this none of their music is in the film at all well two intro riffs Dave plays but that's for comedic value :lol:

The Foo Fighters themselves do a great job with the acting well Pat Smear is a little ropey but he almost looks embarrassed to be in a film so the performance is very genuine and for that I can't criticise it at all.

Studio 666 is honestly fun but at 1- 45 I think it was a little long if they trimmed it back to a 90 minutes film it would of flowed a little bit better cause a couple of bits do drag ever so slightly. You have to take into consideration that this is a rock band making a film so that's where your expectations should be going in and who knows like me you may be pleasently surprised and get a kick out of it .

Pearl Jam high 5 Jeremy has Spoken :lol:

Suburban Sasquatch (2004)

My tolerance levels for shot on camcorder shite have dropped severely in the past couple of years. Not helped by the fact this film was interlaced to death on my dvd.

What i did watch was a couple in discussion about going to a party whilst driving through the backwoods before stopping as you do and being attacked by a bloke in a gorilla suit wearing a Poundland Halloween mask who then promptly attacked the bloke as some sort of demented proto CGI gore that appeared to look like a building block was seen in a blink and you'll miss it moment.

A few minutes later the sasquatch / man in a Halloween mask attacked a couple of fishermen, one of whom was desperately in need of acting classes, before it became too much...mainly due to the terrible image quality.

Summed up perfectly. Thanks.

Seed of Chucky every time for me.

White of the Eye (1987)

A serial killer is on the loose in and around the small community in the Arizona desert outside Tuscon, and housewife Joan White (Cathy Moriarty) gradually comes to suspect that her opera-loving hi-fi engineer husband Paul (David Keith) might just be the killer.

I really didn't get on with this the first time i saw it. I didn't take anything from the meandering narative and endless shots of the Arizona desert. However on a second viewing last night i came to appreciate it more.

White of the Eye is more Italian Giallo than typical American thriller especially in the beautifully shot death scenes which would give Dario a run for his money. Director Donald Cammell doesn't really meander as i initially thought but provides a kaleidoscope of imagery and ideas from native folklore to the emotional destruction of a marriage. Ideas that don't undermine but segue alongside the serial killer being tracked down by Art Evans' detective.

Tamara. 2006.

A unpopular school teen Tamara is lead into a prank that backfires and is killed. She rises from the dead too seek revenge.

Another horror that sees a good deal of bullying and a teacher trying to stand up for the pupil and then karma comes calling in some little brutal way. This is something that started off decently with Jenna Dewan playing the lead and having a bit of a day dream about seducing her teacher Matthew Marsden and then being brought back to reality. When Tamara rises again, either the director or actress must have thought let's change the tone of acting that does go way to much OTT to the point it becomes cringe worthy. How she gets her revenge is probably the saviour of the film that has decent effects with the so called loser of the gang which is decently. It may not be the best but can be entertaining.

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The Cold Light Of Day. 2012.

A Spanish sailing trip gone wrong with Henry Cavill who ends up saving the day. Here a plays a wall street broker with a supposedly average Joe father Bruce Willis, mother and brother who end up being kidnapped. Bruce Willis ends up with a very short screen time and reveals he is C.I.A. Cavill ends up becoming a new action hero being chased by Sigourney Weaver and a hitman. It's not the best film of anyone's career and you do pick up on a few bits, the ending was predictable on what was to be offered to our lead character. It may not be the best spy film made but can help pass by time.

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The Reef (2010)

I love going into films cold and although i'd seen this previously when i first bought it on dvd i'd completely forgotten how it played out.

The story involves five people on a small yacht which capsizes seemingly miles from anywhere off the Australian coast. Deciding the yacht is slowly sinking four of the five decide, rightly or wrongly to swim for it in the hope of sighting land otherwise they'd eventually be even further away as the upturned vessel drifted further out to sea before sinking.

What follows is a desperate bid for survival as the four struggle against the tide before realising they are not alone in the ocean.

Parts of this film are utterly gripping, i don't mind admitting at the finale i had my hand covering my mouth and my eyes wide open with tension. It created a build up of fear and terror in me i haven't experienced in a long time from a movie.

It's also genuinely thought provoking film. Do you stay on the upturned yacht or do you swim for it with no land in sight?

The characters are brilliantly realised. There's no bitching and moaning. Decisions are arrived at sensibly and this helped create the air of tension no end.

The shark attacks when they came seemed extremely realistic in their approach. This is no daft shark movie. The production uses actual shark footage with the actors rather than CGI as the Great White hunts them down one by one.

As for the question do you stay or swim? - I am actually a pretty strong swimmer myself and have awards for it, but there is no way i would have even attempted the swim.

The Reef is one hell of a nail biting film. Highly recommended.

The Reef is excellent, quite frightening. The first attack genuinely looks like someone captured the real thing with a camera. And the rest also looks good. It was a bit annoying that I had to import a blu-ray from Germany (on the plus side, the image is great).

I was disappointed with the recent sequel, considering that it was the same director, was really nothing that special. I was very indifferent about it. In case anyone is wondering how they did a sequel, it's a new story with different characters also encountering a shark.

I was wondering about the sequel from last year. Pleased you've discussed it.

As shark films go, it's still one of the better ones (so many shark films are really bad). But it's absolutely nowhere near as impressive as the original. Worth seeing once but certainly don't go out of your way to seek out a copy. It wasn't something that I felt I needed to own, or ever revisit.

Speaking of Aquatic/Shark films. I saw the trailer for The Meg 2 the other day, it looks really fun. There are 3 Megs this time around!

Totally took me surprise the director of this one!!!

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