What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Delirium]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

HOME MOVIE - 'Found Footage' type affairs aren't usually my bag, but I thought this was quite good. A camcorder charts the violent breakdown of a young family. The initially likeable parents are in fact raging narcissists, so no wonder their objectified, silent children go on a murderous rampage. Some scenes manage to be both funny and harrowing - the scene at the thanksgiving dinner table, for example. Other aspects stretch credulity - the psychiatrist mother conflates her familial and professional roles in order to treat her children medically, whereas no-one in that position would take such an unsophisticated approach. Still, pretty disturbing viewing on the whole.

Sounds interesting. I'm usually quite suspicious of found footage films, but they still wield the odd gem. I saw a film not so long ago called Exhibit A, which sounds familiar in so far as the horror derives from the disintegration of the family unit - in that instance it's a British family under the microscope. I sought it out after reading a glowing recommendation on Stephen Thrower's blog - a critic I very much respect. But I didn't like it much, probably for the painfully accurate home-truths the film often represents which grated on me no end - the bleak, British suburban lifestyle, embarrassing 'crap dad' and irritating teenage son. Not a bad idea, but too much company spent in the time of people that I had no a shred of interest in.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Recent viewings:

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by Delirium

Sounds interesting. I'm usually quite suspicious of found footage films, but they still wield the odd gem. I saw a film not so long ago called Exhibit A, which sounds familiar in so far as the horror derives from the disintegration of the family unit - in that instance it's a British family under the microscope. I sought it out after reading a glowing recommendation on Stephen Thrower's blog - a critic I very much respect. But I didn't like it much, probably for the painfully accurate home-truths the film often represents which grated on me no end - the bleak, British suburban lifestyle, embarrassing 'crap dad' and irritating teenage son. Not a bad idea, but too much company spent in the time of people that I had no a shred of interest in.

I had a similar experience with 'Exhibit A', and came to it via the same route for the same reasons. Maybe I'll give it another go in the wake of 'Home Movie', although the latter is stronger as a piece of grotesque, not particularly realistic horror.

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Recent viewings:

BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW! Amazing film, I thought... should be better known.

[trebor8273]

yesterdays viewings. already watched black sunday when i first got blu ray so got around to watching i vampiri

[Delirium]

Django, Prepare a Coffin.

As much as I love the original, I've hardly seen any of the number of Django influenced knock-offs. And despite expecting little, this particular one wasn't bad at all. Based as a prequel to the original, Django is robbed and shot by bandits, his wife killed in the process. Years later our hero works as a hangman, secretly faking their deaths in order to create a gang of his own in order to reap revenge.

Terrence Hill (My Name is Nobody/Trinity) replaces Franco Nero (who was initially cast, but dropped out due to other commitments) and holds his own as the mysterious man in black. He also bears a striking resemblance to Nero, which helped him land the role.

It's not as good as the original of course, but the pacing is fun and there's two main bad guys that old Django has to contend with - a corrupt politician (Horst Frank) and a shady gang leader (George Eastman) - both of whom make worthy foes. Great music too, courtesy of Gianfranco Reverberi and Gian Piero Reverberi.

As I say, I've little basis for comparison, but I can see this being one of the better 'Django' films.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

BEYOND THE BLACK RAINBOW! Amazing film, I thought... should be better known.

Me too. I loved it, and am looking forward to giving it a re-watch in the near future.

[SShaw]

This afternoon I watched German action thriller Schutzengel (Guardian Angel) which is about a former soldier not working as a police witness protection officer who becomes emotionally attached to his latest "subject" a 14 year old girl who witnessed the murder of her friend by a prominent German industrialist/arms dealer. Despite being a German production it is very "American" but don't let that put you off. This is a superbly made and entertaining action film. Brilliant. Recommended. The German blu-ray has English subtitles.

[keirarts]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

I had a similar experience with 'Exhibit A', and came to it via the same route for the same reasons. Maybe I'll give it another go in the wake of 'Home Movie', although the latter is stronger as a piece of grotesque, not particularly realistic horror.

Theres a found footage film out there somewhere called HATE CRIME which is nigh impossible to find even online. It was shown at Grimm up north and even one of the organisers there thought it 'went to far'. Its possibly one of the grimmest nastiest and near the knuckle found footage movies ever (certainly it gives even mordem a run for its money for sheer nastiness) Basically its a bunch of neo-nazi skinheads performing a home invasion on a middle-class jewish family. Its refuses to pull any punches, this means however it dosent seem to be getting picked up any time soon.

[Laban]