Cult Labs - What Films Have You Seen Recently?

Halloween 4 (1988)

Mike's back for this outing and he#s come back to Haddonfield again - this time seeking a different relative. It's the usual slasher fare, though not as hard edged as most slashers. I don't mind it and it's always fun to see Donald Pleasance running around like a looney hunting Myers (Pleasance always stated that he never understood the Halloween films, and I must admit he does look confused in all the films, now I know why, he really is confused). The new UK Blu from Anchor Bay/Starz is lovely, if a little on the dark side. Miles better than the DVDs I've seen, though.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986)

The first sequel to Hooper's classic film lurches onto Blu courtesy of MGM and it looks brilliant. I've always liked this second offering, it's outrageous for completely different reasons. And it's got Dennis Hopper in a chainsaw duel with Leatherface - who can top that?

Stretch (Caroline Williams) is the resident DJ at K-OKLA and when a caller is murdered on the line by what sounds like to be a chainsaw, she tracks down 'Lefty' Enright (Dennis Hopper) who is hunting the chainsaw family. But then, having attracted the attention of this murderous clan, Stretch finds herself in their subterranean lair and fighting for her life - but Lefty's on his way, so it's cool. The set design is the real star of the second half of the show, it's pure, surreal brilliance. Hopper chews up the scenery, Williams is feisty but lovely, and Jim Siedow is hilariously warped as the 'head' of the family.

The Blu-ray from MGM is a cracker and well worth getting. Region-free and cheap as chips.

Halloween 5 (1989)

It's a year later after the previous film and Michael's still on the rampage hunting for Jamie (Danielle Harris). Of 4 and 5, I think this is the lesser film but gets the better treatment on Blu out of the two of them. The UK Blu is absolutely worth the upgrade if you're a fan - very impressed with the A/V quality of this presentation from Anchor Bay/Starz. As for the film, I didn't mind it, but it's probably my least favourite (after Resurrection) of the whole series.

The Devil Inside (2012)

A young woman, Isabella Rossi (Fernanda Andrade), travels to Rome to discover the truth about her mother's excorcism in which three people died. Skeptical about the claims of possession she teams up with two exorcists to conduct an unauthorised exorcism and end up with more than they brgained for.

Shot in shaky-cam style, this wasn't actually too bad overall. It does get a bit silly towards the end, but up until that point it's pretty intense and atmospheric. Definitely worth your time.

Stake Land (2010)

Mister (Nick Damici) and his young sidekick Martin (Connor Paolo) travel the wastelands of America dispatching vampires. It's very nicely done with atmosphere to spare and really engages you. I thought it was going to be low budget rubbish, but it turned out to be a really good film. It's unlike the current spate of vampire/zombie/plague films and has a sense of desolation about it. Hauntingly beautiful and brutally violent, I really enjoyed this one, Highly recommended.

Cabin in the Woods (2012)

A group of young friends head out for a weekend at a cabin in the woods. But they get far, far more than they bargained for.

To say anymore than this would ruin the fun for anyone who's not seen it. I loved it - I thought it was a neat twist on the horror tradition and basically throws everything into the mix from mermans to J-Horror, it's all present and correct. Recommended.

Wrong Turn 4: Bloody Beginnings (2011)

A group of friends go snowmobiling and lose their way and find themselves at an abandoned old building. They decide to take shelter for the night unaware that it's actually home to the cannibalistic freaks. It's not long before the blood is flowing and the bodies are piling up.

It starts out quite well but soon descends into formulaic and generic horror, which is a shame, as it has a neat premise to build on, but fails to do so. It's little more than 'okay'.

Resident Evil (2002)

I picked up the Blu boxset and thought I'd give the first film a whirl again. Alice (Milla Jovovich) awakens to a world gone mad. The Umbrella Corporation had a biological accident and a virus escaped turning all who come into contact with it into ravening zombies. Alice and a team are sent into the Hive to find out what happened.

I actually didn't mind it too much, but even a mere ten years' on it looks a little dated now. But I still found it very entertaining and the Blu transfer is top notch and knocks spots off previous DVD versions. I've never understood the male fascination with Milla though, she really doesn't 'do it' for me at all.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004)

Milla returns to the role of Alice. This time around the infection has spread and Racoon City is in lockdown mode and under quarantine. Alice is offered a way out of the city, but must first rescue the child of her helper. It's all fast action but short on actual gore, which is a bit disappointing. Still, for what it is, it ain't bad. Again, a sterling BD transfer from Sony.

Walking Dead Season 2

It gets off to a bit of a slow start with Rick and his band of disparate survivors arriving at a farmhouse where more survivors are holed up. About halfway through the series things pick up again and the zombie action kicks in with a vengeance. Hopefully season 3 will be better.

Creepshow 3 (2006)

I can understand why this one sat on the shelf unreleased for so long - because it's shit. 5 interconnected stories that are shit, with shit actors, shit direction, shit effects. It's shit.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation (Get the Gringo) (2012)

The film opens with Driver (Mel Gibson) being chased by cops at the Mexican border. He manages to escape the US authorities but is caught by the Mexcan border patrol. They arrest him and confiscate the $2m he has stashed in his car - and keep it for themselves. Meanwhile, as he adjusts to life in the Mexican prison, Driver starts to set things up so he can escape and be reunited with his money. And there's a love interest he picks up along the way.

I thought this was a lot of fun and the film just gets straight in there, no messing around, it throws you into the action straight from the start. It's a nice reminder that Gibson is actually a very good actor when given the opportunity. Hopefully this did good business and Mel with return with some decent films.

The Ghost (2010)

Ewan MacGregor plays a writer who is brought in to finish ghost-writing the memoirs of former Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan). But as he starts work, he begins to uncover some dark secrets that could put him in jeopardy. It's not really all that interesting and I felt it lacked pace and isn't the best thing Polanski has ever done. Maybe worth a single watch, but don't be in any rush to see it.

It's not a bad film, but it is a little slow and not a lot happens

The Hangover Part 2 (2011)

The friends from the first film meet up again for another bachelor party in Thailand, but things quickly go awry again with all manner of weirdness. Not as good as the first one, but there's a few laughs to be had. Not bad but not great.

Prometheus (2012)

The time is near the end of this century and a couple of archaeologists uncover a cave painting that indicates a solar syatem that lies far away. So off they go to explore this area of space and find evidence of an ancient civilsation that may well have created the human race. They discover what they call the Engineers, who are human-like giants, but they also discover something else, something more sinister.

Well, if this is Ridley's attempt at explaining the origins of the Alien species, I don't think it succeeds too well. It still leaves too many unanswered questions. Like, if the last surviving Engineer was killed and eviscerated by an Alien, then who was that the crew of the Nostromo found? That doesn't fit for one thing. For another, the Engineer gives 'birth' to only one Alien, so how did it procreate with the absence of further hosts? None of it quite makes sense.

Still, it's nice to look at and I can't say I didn't enjoy it, because I did. But I also couldn't help thinking how much better it could have been.

Super (2010)

'Shut up, Crime!'

Frank Darrbo (Rainn Wilson) is a bit of a sad specimen of a man, but somehow manages to snag himself a beautiful girlfriend, Sarah (Liv Tyler). But when she is whisked away by crime lord Jacques (Kevin Bacon) and reintroduced to her destructive life of drug abuse, Frank feels he needs to rescue her. The only thing he can think of is to become a Superhero and fight crime and, ultimately, save his love. However, he has no super-powers and merely cracks people's heads open with a spanner and haplessly tries to fight crime. It's funny and sad in equal measure and has some sharp observations on the human condition. I thought it was brilliant.

The Sopranos - Series 1 - 6 Complete

This acclaimed (and rightly so) TV show follows the fortunes of Tony Sporano (James Gandolfini) as he threads his way through a life of career crime in the Mafia whilst trying to hold his family together, attending psychotherapy, avoiding the Feds, and trying to keep his criminal empire intact. It's brilliantly done and every performance is pitch perfect. From his sidekicks Paulie and Silvio through to his drug-addled nephew Christopher, who aspires to be a Hollywood screenwriter (which results in cringe-inducing meetings with Ben Kingsley (playing himself) and Jon Favreau (playing himself)). There's an endless array of colourful characters and there's something surreal about a Mafia Don walking around occasionally singing Pink Floyd songs and is prone to sudden and unexpected outbursts of violence. Absolutely brilliant.

Red Lights (2012)

Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) and Tom Buckley (Cillian Murphy) are professional debunkers of psychic phenomenon. However, when psychic Simon Silver (Robert de Niro) returns after a 30 year hiatus it spells trouble. Margaret doesn't want to attempt to debunk Silver, because she feels he's dangerous and that he has already been previously debunked. Tom is determined, though, and continues on his own to prove that Silver is a fraud - or so we think...

This was actually quite a clever little film that kept you guessing. The middle act drags a bit, but the ending is worth waiting for and will take you by surprise. Not bad at all.

Murder By Decree (1979)

Jack the Ripper is on the loose and Sherlock Holmes (Christopher Plummer) is curious as to why he hasn't been called upon to help. He suspects, and rightly so, that the authorities don't want the killer found and that there's a conspiracy behind the killings. But he strikes out on his own anyway, but finds more than he bargained for.

Absolutely first rate horror/thriller with a sterling cast including Christopher Plummer, James Mason, David Hemmings, Anthony Quayle, Donald Sutherland and Genevieve Bujold. It's brilliant stuff and Canadian director Bob Clarke really surprises at how adept he is with the material, considering he's not a Brit. Cracking film, can't recommend it highly enough. A good companion piece to A Study in Terror.

Safe (2012)

Jason Statham is downtrodden ex-cop Luke Wright, who is also trained in armed and unarmed combat. Down on his luck and depressed following the murder of his wife, he allows himself to be used and abused by cops and criminals alike - until a young Chinese girl enters his life, who is being chased by cops, Russians and Chinese gangsters. She has a photographic memory and is a numerical genius - and she knows the combination to a safe. Wright enters the fray and soon it's hard action all the way as he tries to save the child, crack the safe, and find redemption. It's not bad actually, well worth a look. Statham is Statham, his acting range doesn't seem too big, but that's alright. I enjoyed it, anyway.

The Ballad of Cable Hogue (1970)

Sam Peckinpah directs this surprisingly light-hearted western and it's a cracker. Cable Hogue (Jason Robards) is left stranded in the wilderness of the desert by his two associates whilst on a search for water. After his former associates leave him for dead, he wanders through the desert and finds water! He promptly revives himself and lays claim to the land and starts to make money by charging for the water. He hooks up with a deranged priest Joshua (David Warner) and the unlikely pair make a go of things. There's also a love interest in the form of the lovely Stella Stevens. An absolute corker of a film - see it now!

Clash of the Titans (2010)

Perseus (Sam Worthington) is born of a woman but fathered by the God Zeus. When Zeus is tricked by Hades into unleashing the Kraken upon the city of Argos it's left to Perseus (with a little Godly help) to defeat the Kraken and restore order to the world. It's all CGI action but good fun nonetheless. Not quite in the same class as the 1981 film, but very good all the same. It's a film that needs CGI, so it's acceptable.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has hung up his cape and mask and retired form being the batman for 8 years. But trouble is brewing - Bane (Tom Hardy) has been hatching a plan to take Gotham City hostage and ultimately plans to destroy the City with an atomic bomb. Wayne is forced back into action as Batman and it's high octane action all the way. A flawless end to a superb trilogy and director Christopher Nolan should rightfully be proud of his work. Unmissable.

Back to the Future (1985)

Picked up the trilogy on Blu and decided to revisit the first film. It's still highly entertaining and we all know the story, so no need to go over it again. Needless to say the Blu-ray transfer from Universal is absolutely stunning. I enjoyed this again far more than I should, but I thought it was great fun. Would have been interesting to see how differently things would have turned out if Eric Stoltz had won the role of Marty McFly.

The Aggression Scale (2012)

A mobster wants his stolen money back and dispatches a team of killers to hunt down and kill the thieves and to return his money to him. But when they arrive at the home of the Rutledges they discover that their son, Owen, may be even more violently inclined than they are and things start to get messy as the son devises traps and starts picking them off one-by-one. An interesting idea but I found it rather poorly executed. I didn't find Owen all that menacing. Could have been better.

Dances with Wolves (1990)

Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) is dispatched to a remote fort outpost on the frontier. Alone and vulnerable he decides the best way forward is to befriend the local Indians and he learns their ways and is accepted by them. But white men are coming and he knows his idyllic life won't last. A sweeping epic that looks brilliant in HD but sadly the film doesn't have quite as much substance as it should have. Still, I enjoyed it, especially as I hadn't seen it before. Pretty good but no masterpiece (as some seem to think it is).