What Films Have You Seen Recently? - Page 2459

Demdike@Cult Labs · #**24581** 25th August 2013, 05:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I'm not sure why, but I've never seen the Tim Burton version of Planet of the Apes – it's one of those 'I've never got around to it' situations.

I know it is very poorly regarded, but I want to see it anyway.

Its certainly watchable and well made, just don't go into it like a remake of Planet of the Apes and i'm sure you'll enjoy the majority of it.

PaulD · #**24582** 25th August 2013, 06:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rik

Smiley (2012)- American slasher film based on an urban legend like "Candyman" or "Bloody Mary". The basic premise revolves around a group of teenagers who discover that typing the phrase "I did it for the lulz" three times into a "chat-roulette" style online chat website, makes a killer called Smiley appear behind the person they're chatting with and slaughter them, before waving at the camera and disappearing.
10 or 15 years ago, this would have made a great slasher film, the ideas are all there and pretty original too, but sadly it just didn't offer anything we haven't seen hundreds of times before.

4/10

I saw this too and also thought it was pretty rubbish. The ending was really stupid too.

Demdike@Cult Labs · #**24583** 25th August 2013, 06:02 PM

The Psychic (1977)

One of the few classic Fulci horror / thriller films i had yet to see. The Psychic also known as Seven Note in Black (What a fantastic title) turned out to be a bit of a damp squib. His last work before the legend that is Zombie 2, The Psychic displays none of the enthusiasm of that film. It begins well with a woman tumbling down a cliff, her head splitting open as it smashes against the rocks on the way down, so far so good. Then we delve into the main plot of a woman who experiences visions of a murder, she then begins investigating to clear her husbands name of said crime.

The main problem with The Psychic is that is far too talky. Ages go by, scene after scene of discussion and thats it. On the plus side this allows the viewer to listen to the quite stunning score by Fabio Frizzi which is elegant and beautiful and a long way from the typical Giallo soundtrack. Despite my reservations the film will be re-watched as it almost redeems itself with a tense and harrowing final twenty minutes and one of the most downbeat endings i've seen in a long time.

Wes · #**24584** 25th August 2013, 06:33 PM

Things to Come (Network Blu)... If Solaris was the Russian answer to 2001 A Space Odyssey, then Things to Come is surely Britain's own Metropolis. This 1936 film, an adaptation of HG Wells' The Shape of Things to Come doesn't quite have the sweep of Fritz Lang's film, but this is entertaining stuff nonetheless, as it chronicles almost 100 years in the life of Everytown (or London) from the outbreak of war and the devastation that follows right thru to reconstruction into a highly advanced technological society. The film creaks in places but the special effects are often extremely good and the vast sets can still wow even the seasoned sci-fi fan. Directed by William Cameron Menzies who burned down Atlanta in Gone With the Wind and later directed another sci-fi classic Invaders from Mars. One unforeseen aspect of the story was the enemy forces' use of poison gas on the people of Everytown, and with the recent events in Syria, it lent the film a disquieting touch...

keirarts · #**24585** 25th August 2013, 06:39 PM

DEAD AGAIN (1991)

I'd not seen this Kenneth Branagh film until just now. I know it got a critical mauling on release and it somehow passed me by in spite of me having a soft spot for Branagh's films. Picked it up in order to sell on but thought i'd check it out first.

Glad I did. It's a film worthy of a critical re-appraisal in my opinion. It's a noirish tale of a private eye who ends up helping a woman with amnesia. Past life regression and a murder from the 40's are mixed in as it turns out the private eye (played by Branagh) and the woman (played by Emma Thompson) are reincarnations of the victim and the man sent to death row for killing her. Add in Derek Jacobi as an antiques dealer/hypnotherapist and Robin Williams as an unhinged Psychiatrist working as a shelf stacker in a supermarket and chuck in the bloody ending that feels ripped from an italian giallo the whole enterprise was refreshingly nuts for me to enjoy.

Most of the people who appear are thespians who have worked with the director previously and the American acting contingent is in the minority, but well supported by Andy Garcia as well as Williams.

Perhaps there are those who may disagree, but I actually enjoyed the film and hope it gets a blu-ray reissue. Hopefully the critics will take another look as well.

Wes · #**24586** 25th August 2013, 06:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keirarts

DEAD AGAIN (1991)

I'd not seen this Kenneth Branagh film until just now. I know it got a critical mauling on release and it somehow passed me by in spite of me having a soft spot for Branagh's films. Picked it up in order to sell on but thought i'd check it out first. Glad I did...

Wow, is it 22 years since I saw this movie ? I didn't much like it at the time but I'd surely love to see it again. Having said that I recently caught some of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein on TV and time has done little to improve this one. Bram Stoker's Dracula remains the better of the two. I'll definitely keep an eye out for Dead Again...

keirarts · #**24587** 25th August 2013, 07:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wes

Wow, is it 22 years since I saw this movie ? I didn't much like it at the time but I'd surely love to see it again. Having said that I recently caught some of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein on TV and time has done little to improve this one. Bram Stoker's Dracula remains the better of the two. I'll definitely keep an eye out for Dead Again...

I must confess to really enjoying mary shellys frankenstein. Perhaps its my soft spot for branagh as a filmmaker i even sat through the full hamlet!

Currently watching house of usher. Absolutely amazing pq. Knocks the socks off the midnite movies release. Really hope they have plans to restore and release more of the corman/poe titles.

Wes · #**24588** 25th August 2013, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by keirarts

I must confess to really enjoying mary shellys frankenstein. Perhaps its my soft spot for branagh as a filmmaker i even sat through the full hamlet!

Currently watching house of usher. Absolutely amazing pq. Knocks the socks off the midnite movies release. Really hope they have plans to restore and release more of the corman/poe titles.

Funnily enough the Hamlet Blu is on my list of things-to-get as I'm a big Shakespeare guy...

And yeah, I'm strongly considering upgrading my Corman/Poe titles, the word has been so good about House of Usher. Nic Roeg's camerawork in Masque of Red Death in HD...phew!

Nosferatu@Cult Labs · #**24589** 25th August 2013, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wes

what's the Rise of the Planet of the Apes like ? I seem to remember that getting good notices when it came out...

It's really good and brilliantly shows how Caesar became Caesar and why the human to ape ratio is the way it is in the original Planet of the Apes. Andy Serkis is brilliant using the motion capture technology to make Caesar so realistic.

keirarts · #**24590** 25th August 2013, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wes

Funnily enough the Hamlet Blu is on my list of things-to-get as I'm a big Shakespeare guy...

And yeah, I'm strongly considering upgrading my Corman/Poe titles, the word has been so good about House of Usher. Nic Roeg's camerawork in Masque of Red Death in HD...phew!

Henry v would be nice to get on blu as well. Given the high quality film hamlet was shot on it should look amazing.

I will certainly be looking at the scream factory price boxset thats coming out but it would be nice if arrow continued to release them. Masque of the red death should look fantastic.