Unseen Movie 35
 

Fear And Desire. 1952.

Everyone starts off not so great at times with a directorial debut Stanley Kubrick gave us a melodrama/war movie about four soldiers trapped behind enemy lines and confronting their fears of being in a different land possibly surrounded by the enemy and the desires with some local native women.

Kubrick became one successful film maker and created memorable films and also a nightmare to work with, but this debut does feel very amateurish, very low budget and seems to be filmed in one location with the set pieces moved around to make it look more open. The acting is not very great due to the script being poor and lacking any entertainment value or actually keeping you engrossed.

Attachment 250450

Apologies to fans of it but I have a strong dislike for Giallo. The decision to also use Adrien Brody as the villain is an absolute film killer. It just can't recover from it. It amazes me that none of the makers realised that it simply wasn't going to work.

Apart from the fact that the appearance genuinely resembles a Bo Selecta character, the Brody villain performance is similarly dreadful. When it was screened at London's Fright Fest, the audience was in absolute hysterics whenever they saw him.

The film would have been massively improved by hiring a different actor to play that role. When the Brody villain is in the apartment towards the end, slapping on white make-up whilst smiling, I feel genuinely embarrassed.

My understanding is that Dario Argento has publicly disowned this film because the dodgy US producers locked him out of the editing process. But I'm not convinced that any amount of editing could save this film.

You've been a roll!

Not seen this or Hitchcock, not really been actively avoiding them but unless you seek out an import they're not easy to come by. I am interested though. These 2, Phantom and Dark Glasses are still outstanding watches for me.

In the post Opera era I've enjoyed Trauma, Sleepless and The Card Player, I thought Dracula was OK though and I hated Stendhal. I like Mother of Tears as well!

I'm in the majority of loving Opera, Tenebre and Sleepless, The Card Player and Dracula was never daft on along with The Stendahl Syndrome and hated Mother Of Tears.

I didn't even know it was Brody playing the villain. I just thought he was really dodgy anyway, the villain i mean not Brody's detective.

Like, Dracula is not good, but it was still very enjoyable if you know what I mean :lol:

Both Hitchcock and this were dvd's. Albeit Hitchcock was an import.

Don't know if i should watch Tears tonight or not. I've seen it loads over the years. It's not that long since i last endured Dracula. It's okay but the CGI dry ice is really distracting and most of the acting sub par. I don't hate it though.

Yep, dual role. The villain actor name is actually an anagram of Adrien Brody. :)

Edit: That explains why the villain looks so damn weird. Because they were using heavy make-up in an attempt to try to hide Brody's natural features.

Antz and A Bug's Life

There was a time, I thought that this was a Dirty Harry Movie.

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

The Ghostbusters are back and they are dealing with a entity that wants to freeze the Earth. It's not as bad as the critics are saying it is and it does go into teenage angst where McKenna Grace's character befriends a ghost. Again there is the nostalgic throwback of Walter Peck's comeback as well as the possibility of other legacy characters coming back for any potential Sequels.

I just hope that they don't do a Creed and eliminate the original characters.

Turkey Shoot

Australian Exploitation Film that sees Steve Railsback amongst others sent to a Re-Education Camp that is run by sadistic guards who want to hunt some of the Prisoners along with some rich civilians. I've always liked this one, it delivers what is promised.

Surprised this hasn't been released on Blu-Ray over here.

A Time To Die

Traci Lords is on Community Service as a Police Photographer but she photographs a dirty Cop committing Murder and has to go on the run. Richard Roundtree steals the show. This is one of PM Film's earliest efforts and boy this is so boring, it is very slow and there isn't much Action. PM Films have done way better Films.

Darwin Awards

Joseph Finnes is a former Police Analyst with a phobia of blood who goes on a road journey with Winona Ryder to investigate The Darwin Awards (Described as people who improve the Gene Pool by accidentally removing themselves from it) it's a Indie Type Film with the recreations of the accidents being really funny. It's not too bad if you come across it.

Day Of The Dead

George A. Romero's 3rd classic Zombie Film that is still as violent, gory and bloody as ever. It's been said that it ran out of budget, if that is the case, then I believe that it's done them a favor as the tight closed quarters enhance the tension between the Scientists and Soldiers.

And Rhodes's Death is still one of the best.

Escape From New York

New York is now a Prison and when the President Of The U.S.A. lands there, Kurt Russell is sent to rescue him. Haven't seen this in a very long while and it was still entertaining. Issac Hayes plays the lead villain.

Hired To Kill

Brian Campbell is a Mercenary sent to Country in order to overthrow a Dictator posing as a Fashion Photographer with a rag tag bunch of female Soldiers who were Prisoners poising as the Models. This is one of Nico Mastorakis efforts that is ok, nothing to write home about, Campbell is more suited as a Henchman. George Kennedy and Oliver Reed co-star.

Brewster's Millions

Richard Pryor is challenged to spend 30 Million in 30 days without telling anyone nor keeping anything. I've always liked this one, it's funny, interesting to see how it's spent as well as the pathos of people being angry with him for spending crazily as well as being concerned for him.

On a side note, Legend are showing the rather entertaining Gary Busey Film, Eye Of The Tiger

And I need to post my reviews more regularly instead of once a week lol.

Unseen Movie 36
 

The Killing. 1956.

Second Stanley Kubrick feature of the day, this time Sterling Hayden (the crazy general from Kubrick's Doctor Strangelove) is planning the heist of a lifetime and needs some cronies to help pull it off, the target is a racetrack. This is filled with crime-noir touches that form an absorbing whole that is hard to beat. The acting is top notch, the scenes are set in gold taking from every crime movie and creating a whole new movie that could not have been done so well by just a few directors from the 50s. Then there's the jazzy score that underlines the action which packs punch and atmosphere that just curdles off the screen and keeps you well engrossed to the end and it's a case of "Ha Karma served you well".

I am going to try...possibly at the weekend is to sit through Barry Lyndon...again, never managed to get all the way through the film.


Attachment 250462

I've never seen Giallo but would like to. Do you have the DVD or Blu-ray? As far as I'm aware, it's only had high-definition releases in Scandinavia, France, Germany, and Italy.

I know you weren't asking me but I own the Scandinavian blu-ray but previously had an Italian bd. The Scandinavian one has much improved PQ over the Italian option. It even has English subtitles for the (very brief) bits of Japanese dialogue near the beginning. So if you were looking for a high definition copy, I would recommend that one.

btw You'll never look at Adrien Brody in the same way again ("Gotcha, ya yellow fu#k!"). :)

That's very helpful, thanks.

It's the UK dvd release, Nos.

If it's so shit then why the hell have you bought it twice? :confused:

What's the AV quality like - would it be worth spending extra for a Blu-ray release?

It wasn't bad. Certainly better than the dvd releases of Sleepless and Trauma.

As i watched it i wasn't muttering to myself about it looking like a nineties tv movie as i was with those.

If you can get it for a couple of quid on dvd then if you don't like it you won't have wasted money on it.

That's very useful because I only have Sleepless and Trauma on DVD and am a little hesitant to spend >10 quid on the best HD version of a film I haven't seen and which has received predominantly negative reviews.

I would rather spend a fraction of that on a passable DVD which would allow me to watch the film and decide if I want to upgrade to one with better AV quality.

It's been a nice learning curve for me these past couple of weeks rewatching all these later Dario films.

I'd definitely like The Card Player on Blu now and i'd probably search for a Phantom of the Opera when i next want to watch it. I won't be upgrading Trauma though. I won't upgrade Giallo either as it's fine on dvd and although i enjoyed it, not enough to pay for a HD release of it when there's so much other stuff out there.

I'm obsessed with Dario Argento and am often upgrading the films on my Argento shelf. I've even pre-ordered the forthcoming Italian 4K UHD of Dracula. Edit: It's a pretty harmless hobby and I really do adore almost all of his output. Luckily my wife doesn't mind, she's actually quite a big Argento fan herself. btw I've attached a couple of photos of my wife and I meeting Dario. He very kindly signed my arm and I then had his autograph tattooed over, next to an already existing Suspiria tattoo.

Fantastic pics, SF. Can i be cheeky and ask you to post a pic of your Suspiria tattoo?

I don't mind sharing a pic of my arm. But first I must warn you that it has scars on it which have sliced through my old rough and ready Suspiria tattoo and the signature. I'm dependent on medication for paranoid schizophrenia and once, after not taking it for quite some time, unfortunetly I cut up both my arms. :( Sorry that this conversation has taken such a dark turn! :( Anyway, this is what my arm looks like today.

Thanks for showing, the signature looks really good. You must have been pleased it came out so well.

That's very kind of you to say so, it's a shame it got damaged. You should always take your medication is what it has taught me. Marv in Sin City would probably agree. :)

Currently working my way through a small pile of dvds, blu-rays and 4K UHDs.

I revisited the second Jurassic World on a cheap second hand 4K UHD (which thankfully played just fine). Really enjoyed myself. The only other film I've seen by this director, is the modern horror masterpiece The Orphanage. Bearing that earlier film in mind, it's probably not surprising that Fallen Kingdom is the closest in the franchise, to being a straight up horror film. As much as a PG 13 rating allows anyway. There's even some gothic type imagery involving dinosaurs, if such a thing is possible.

It's always nice to see Toby Jones making a supporting role appearance (same with Ted Levine and Geraldine Chaplin) and it was pretty cool to see Guillermo del Toro being given special thanks in the end credits. It's also probably the closest we'll ever come to seeing an adaption of the ageing Dino Crisis video game by Capcom. I seem to recall that this film was fairly poorly received at the time. Not sure why, I see it as an improvement over the prior movie. Was fun to revisit. If I had to award a score, it would probably be 7.5/10.

btw I sometimes get a bit fed up with the overuse of cgi in films. I think the classic example is a fake looking snake near the beginning of Terminator 3 (couldn't they just have filmed a real snake?). I don't mind using cgi when it's absolutely necessary and I have to say that here, the computer effects were absolutely flawless (even in 4K resolution), a real showcase for how to use digital technology.

Edit: Just ordered a cheap blu-ray of J. A. Bayona's A Monster Calls.

Cactus Jack. 1979.

Kirk Douglas plays Cactus Jack Slade, a cowboy who tries his best to rob a train that fails, blow up a bank safe that fails, is given a chance for freedom all he has to do is steel a box full of money from Ann-Margaret who is being accompanied by big Arnie. Certainly took a lot of inspiration from cartoons with Kirk using everything he can and it fails like Wile E Coyote, even at the start you can his train jumping skills aren't the best. This film is never to be taken seriously just good laughs and plenty of humour with Arnie trying to be a good citizen that also backfires on him a few times. Good comedy flick.

Attachment 250476

Mother of Tears (2007)

Dario Argento's third and final film in his Three Mothers trilogy. I've always thought it unfairly criticized. Perhaps due to the first two films being Suspiria (1977) and 1980's Inferno. For sure Mother of Tears doesn't compare to them, but what does?

The movie focuses on the third mother residing in Rome's underworld, Mater Lachrymarum, who has been awakened by the finding of an ancient tunic.

There are flaws. Rome falling to pieces under the spell of the witch of tears is hampered by budgetary constraints and should have been left out - a couple of men bashing a car with iron bars does not really suggest that modern society is breaking down - and the arrival of witches from across the globe into Rome is more St. Trinian's than the end of the world.

Despite this it's well paced with some tremendous gory set pieces courtesy of Sergio Stivaletti. Dario's daughter Asia, holds the film together well in what i think is her best screen performance, and the easy to follow script has several nods to the two earlier films in the trilogy and a creepily debauched wicked witchery feel to the second half of proceedings.

A special call out to Claudio Simonetti's soundtrack and especially the end credits song Mater Lacrimarum as performed by Simonetti and the band Daemonia with vocals by Dani Filth.

Some 27 years on from Inferno, Mother of Tears is actually a very good Italian horror film and a fitting finale to an excellent trilogy of terror.

Unseen Movie 37
 

Hercules In New York. 1970.

Feed up being at Olympus, Hercules decides to go to Earth and lands in New York.

Yes this is a movie I have never watched and always remember holding the Hollywood dvd in my hand at our local pound shop years ago and then placing it back on the shelf. Arnie in his first feature film plays the big man Hercules (in a dubbed voice) decides he wants to head to New York. I have never laughed so much in this, throwing guys about a boat, fighting people with a plank and then fighting a grizzly bear in Central Park and also finding love. Suppose everyone starts at the bottom of a barrel to be in a film and Arnie being embarrassed to discuss the film, can't say I blame him.

Attachment 250484

It's a powerful and moving allegorical film about grief with wonderful imagery and fine performances. It's not necessarily a film to enjoy, more one to appreciate.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Easter always feels like the time of year for epic films. Be it Biblical epics or in my case the near four hour classic by David Lean, Lawrence of Arabia.

Peter O' Toole gives a flamboyant performance as T.E. Lawrence, one of Britain's more enigmatic heroes - archeologist, army officer, diplomat and renowned author, and as this film depicts instigator of the Arab revolt against the Turks in 1916-18 in which he united warring tribes to defeat the Ottoman Empire.

O'Toole's Lawrence is funny and insolent to his superior officers and truly doesn't give a shit about anything, especially himself, with some courageous acts of bravery / stupidity.

Lean's film is epic by name and epic by nature, taking almost two years to shoot in Saudi Arabia, Spain and England it's a stunningly shot masterpiece of desert photography with what can only be described as awesome imagery such as the introduction of new star Omar Sharif via a mirage in long shot. It should also be added that Lean can frame a sunset like no other. This film was made for HD and it looks gob smacking on Blu-ray.

Winning seven Oscars including best film and best director (I was wondering how O'Toole failed to grab the acting award then saw he was up against Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird) Lawrence of Arabia is one of those genuinely timeless monuments in cinema history and the only thing preventing it having regular viewings is that bloomin' 3hr 50 min running time.

I find it a bit frustrating when people shit all over Mother of Tears. If you bear in mind, that it had a FAR lower budget (and shooting schedule) than Suspiria or Inferno, you should definitely cut it some slack. It's pretty darn good for such a lower budgeted film. And even the harshest critic should respect the very lengthy one-take Asia Argento investigation of the Mater Lachrymarum lair. I can also say this, the obelisk method of despatch of the main villain makes quite the impression on the big screen. Unfortunately it doesn't have anywhere near the same impact at home, it looses something. It's a film that I would always defend. Plus it's difficult to attack any horror film that pretty much opens with a character being strangled with their own intestines. :)

Edit: Sorry for finale spoilers, hopefully most have seen it by now...

Unseen Movies 38
 

Barry Lyndon. 1975.

Redmond Barry leaves his home town and joins the British army and deserts it and with his use of seduction and gambling becomes a nobleman and manages to make a enemy.

A film I tried to watch and could never get to even the middle or intermission but today I done it and glad I stuck it out this time. Such a great piece of cinematic history. Ryan O'Neil plays the title character from his troubled time to living in Ireland, falling in love and then having a duel with Leonard Rossiter that may have cost those around him a lot of money.

You really do have to admire Stanley Kubrick for even trying to produce and direct such a complex and expensive film that had all the ear markings of a financial and personal disaster. Not only did Kubrick manage to out do his last epic 2001 but he has created a movie that not only showcases the untapped acting abilities of some well known faces. The set pieces are amazing and the costumes are what you would expect to see in a movie with the timeline of the 18th century and a stunning background score that adds to the pace and tension of the last duel in the film.

Attachment 250489

KILL LIST - Every once in a while I like to revisit 'Kill List', Wheatley's second feature and the one that put him on the map. It's such a strong movie; the 2010s were a good decade for horror with a couple of stone cold classics in there, and I think 'Kill List' could creep into my top ten. Barebones, it's about two hit men on a job that outwardly entails snuffing a trio of horrible perps, but beyond the basics things get hazy, opening up to the creeping tendrils of cosmic conspiracy. It's a film that gets a bit of stick for being confusing, though in that it foreshadowed and possibly influenced the genre tendency, more apparent later in the decade and in strong ascendancy now, for increasing obliqueness and abstraction. What stands out is the sense of an awful, gnawing tension that permeates nearly every frame from pretty much the kick off. Wheatley sets out his stall with a nigh on unbearable dinner party scene brimming with a menace that seems to spread itself through the entire film. There's a suburban claustrophobia to 'Kill List', and I think what I love most about it is how the film warps the landscape of dowdy high street UK through moody, highly textured editing and sound - the discordant drone soundtrack is a definite highlight. Aside from that, Neil Maskell?s performance does the rest of the work and seems to embody the film's uneasy energy, going from a kind of bovine sullenness to scary volatility and throwing off sparks along the way. I don't think the payoff is equal to the film's masterfully grim mood, but 'Kill List' is a film of obvious quality that withstands repeated viewings, and you don't get many movies that throw Mike Leigh and HP Lovecraft in with a bit of 'Get Carter'.

THE SPIDER LABYRINTH - One of my fave little subgenres is late eighties / early nineties Italian horror, stuff made well after the glory days. Mostly I like it because it's ridiculous and floridly artificial - see the unintentional unreality of the Filmirage flicks for instance. Many of those films are not good, but some are, like the work of Michele Soavi. I would not hesitate to call 'The Spider Labyrinth' a good film, in fact one of the best from Italian horror cinema's last days. It's well crafted, mysterious and highly atmospheric, the kind of thing I lap up. A professor lands in Budapest in search of his lost colleague; he stumbles upon a cultic conspiracy that snares him in its web of slow burning dread. I'd seen 'The Spider Labyrinth' once before on a crappy bootleg that obscured its visual qualities, which are often gorgeous and set the dreamlike tone, so important for a film that follows in the footsteps of the greats of surreal Euro horror. The nods to Argento, particularly to 'Inferno', are obvious, though the candy-coloured phantasmagoria is comparatively subdued in favour of a vibe not dissimilar to something like 'The Tenant' by way of 'The Thing'(!) Yes, 'Spider Labyrinth' lets loose with a scattering of generously icky fx moments, not many but they do leave an impression, particularly the ones at the end. If I hoped there'd be more, I didn't come away feeling short changed, so taken was I with the film's virulent mood. I dunno, 'The Spider Labyrinth' is just one of those that make you think "yep, this is why I'm into horror." Total recommend, and a film I'll return to many times.

Two eloquently written reviews there, Frankie. :clap:

Klute (1971)

A classy thriller from director Alan J. Pakula in which Jane Fonda plays Bree Daniel, a high class call girl and wannabe actress who is seemingly stalked by a client who is also a suspected missing person. Aided by private detective Donald Sutherland as John Klute, who is investigating the missing person.

Pakula's direction provides the film with a stifling gritty atmosphere, the film is dark in every way. It inhabits the same seedy night time world as 1969's Midnight Cowboy and 1984's Tightrope and is fraught with a paranoia that Pakula would really hit home with during The Parallax View (1974) and All the President's Men (1976).

However this is as much a character study as suspense thriller as Klute's relationship with Bree plays out with more intrigue and indeed suspense than the actual case, teaching her the difference between cold sex and warm love between two people as she battles her emotions with a nervous, jumpy intensity. Klute is definitely a film to watch for the performances and a fine example of seventies adult cinema.

Unseen Movie 39
 

Bushwacked. 1995.

Daniel Stern plays a drug courier who goes on the run for a crime he is being framed for, when he learns that his name could be cleared in a cabin in the hills, he manages to pose as a scout leader and take a pack for a hike and camping trip. Right at the start I was in stitches with Stern doing a homage to Saturday Night Fever, walking down the street strutting his stuff. Surprisingly with this, the kids are well behaved and end up learning a few bad traits, like having a whizz over a hillside while singing in a chorus while Stern is acting like a army drill instructor. The laughs are few in between but can make you laugh out loud or it did with me :lol:

Attachment 250495

Unseen Movie 40
 

Detachment. 2011.

Adrian Brody stars as substitute teacher in a high school finds he has a connection with his students and dealing with personnel problems.

On the surface this deals with the crumbling American education system through the eyes of substitute teacher Henry Barthes who starts a new assignment in a new school with new teachers, in a new class with new pupils like he is obviously used to.Barthes makes clear that he is hollow and words can't hurt him which is his way of coping with a hopeless situation by neglecting his private life and detaching from the world. Like him every teacher seems to have developed his individual coping mechanism.

There is some dark humour, when you think you may be in for a laugh, the film changes into being a drama again and shows how American education system is viewed by politics, grades and how that can't effect outside the classroom and views of the other teachers and their personnel lives. James Caan, Christina Hendricks, Marcia Gay Harden, Lucy Liu, Tim Blake Nelson have small roles but provide a good on screen presence. One I'm happy to come back to.

Attachment 250496

Late night with the devil.
Slight spoiler alerts, but nothing actually gives away the film just more of the storyline,

Would have enjoyed this more if I wasn't sat in a boiling cinema, I can't do warmth and heat, reason being is when I'm like that and comfy it makes fall asleep, I fell asleep (no idea for how long but woke up on a crucial point of the film and missed part of it.

It was very well made, a decent and proper storyline, something a lot of films don't seem to have these days,
It wasn't just a film about the 70s it had that feel like the actual film was made in the 70s. Like a lost and undiscovered film.
Late night talk show with Jack Delroy who always wants to be the no one spot, but always missing out to other late night host,
After being quite and off screen for a few weeks due to his wife passing he wants to make it more special and decides to host it on Halloween night, so well presented you actually do feel like you are watching a late night show on tv, because it doesn't move around from one scene to another it's just one continuous shot with odd behind the scene footage as well,
They ask a young girl on specially for the night to make it go with a bang,
But another guest is always trying to ridicule him and all his guests because he is sceptic and always saying everything can be faked,
Until eventually it all kicks off.

Everything about this film is well made, done, presented etc and hits all the right notes in the right way, definitely a film that can be watched more than once and is worthy of having your collection when gets released.
Totally recommended shame more films weren't made as well as this.