What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[fuzzymctiger]

Originally Posted by ArgentoFan1987

Maybe it's a 15. Almost certain it's not an 18.

Just did some research, it's a 15

It's not awfully violent or gory, but extremely disturbing, and still a bit gory, so I suppose it can get away with the rating.

It's rated the equivalent rating in Australia

[Zann]

The Seasoning House

...zzzzzzzz...took about an hour to get going and then turned out to be a damp squib. Found the filming locations utterly unconvincing. Total rubbish that only deepens my worst prejudices against the UK film industry.

[Linbro]

Watched this today - another first watch for me, and I really enjoyed it. Some nice extras too.

[Linbro]

Followed by this - one of my all time faves, first time I've seen it on BD.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Frankenstein's Army. (2013)

With the Second World War coming to an end, a Russian patrol somewhere in Germany stumble upon whole villages raised to the ground, bodies left to rot by an unknown terror. Does a secret abandoned underground factory hold the truth?

Frankenstein's Army is essentially a reworking of the story of Frankenstein, brought kicking and screaming into the twentieth century and thrust head first into WW2. The film is well made, thankfully shot on film rather than digitally, and on the whole well acted. Its main downfall is its opening two thirds, which if i'm honest we've seen many times before. A weary platoon on patrol, an independent cameraman filming proceedings for a propaganda film back in Russia. The hand held footage does get tiresome especially during the first encounters with the strange mutations in the factory as you never get a good look at what is attacking the soldiers and it does get a little frustrating. However as the camera man is a professional war correspondent the hand held camera doesn't spend the film staring at the floor or ceiling which is a relief.

Its not until the surviving patrol members locate Frankenstein during the final twenty five minutes that the film really gets going and ventures out of its all too familiar shaky cam film making style. Frankenstein played by Karel Roden (He's Victor Frankenstein's grandson ) is the star of the show, possibly the maddest of all the big screen Frankenstein's. Roden's performance ranges from the brilliance of a scientist to the insane ramblings of a lunatic let loose in the asylum. Thankfully Frankenstein decides he wants to show off his work and become the star of the film so he positions the shaky cam in a steady place and gets to work on his latest bout of brain surgery which the viewer gets to watch in all its gory detail.

Frankenstein's macabre creations are right out of a steam punk version of Hellraiser. Creatures patched together with mechanical parts and weapons from the period. When we finally do get to have a good look a some of them its then when the film gets really interesting as they are terrifying patchworks of true horror. I was sat there glued to the screen twitching at the horrifying experiments yet unable to divert my fascinated gaze from Frankenstein's grotesque fusions of flesh and steel, which really are genuinely frightening and yet almost beautifully inventive.

Frankenstein's Army is a lot of gruesome fun with a final third that sticks in your memory long after you remove the disc.

[bdc]

Project A-ko (1986)

"Project A-ko is the typical love triangle of three school girls and their confrontations with aliens, giant robots, and women who look like burly men."

"The film was originally intended to be a part of the infamous erotic series, _Kurîmu remon (1988) (V)_. It was changed because the producers felt the film would be more profitable as a comedy. B-ko's bath scene is all that remains from that phase of the production."

I guess the lesbian overtones are purely coincidental then?

Gloriously silly nonsense that provided loads of fun.

Highly recommend to old school anime fans with a sense of humour.

[JoshuaKaitlyn]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Abduction (2011)

Had i known who Taylor Lautner was i wouldn't have bothered with this film, it was only now i learnt he starred in the Twilight films.

I'm pleased i did though as Abduction is a decent, lively, easy to watch action thriller. Lautner unfortunately has the charisma of a tooth pick, his co-star Lily Collins isn't much better either. Luckily the rest of the cast is made up of people you would want to watch - Sigourney Weaver, Alfred Molina, Maria Bello, Jason Isaacs and Dermot Mulroney.

The film has some fun set pieces which added to a reasonable story, admittedly with a couple of plot holes, and a quickfire pace, makes an undemanding couple of hours of entertainment.

Recommended with caution.

This didn't do it for me! I'd read that it was a decent thriller but Lautner just plain ruined it! Too much the pretty boy, (and he knows it), with his perfect teeth! Its one of those films that belong to the 'Super and/or Special Teen hero' movies 'I am Number Four', 'City of Bones', 'Percy Jackson and the whatever' filled with young pretty things usually with a stereotyped wise cracking black actor thrown in to add contrast to the moody misunderstood white actor! Actually excuse me while I go throw 'Abduction' into my for sale pile......

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by JoshuaKaitlyn

This didn't do it for me! I'd read that it was a decent thriller but Lautner just plain ruined it! Too much the pretty boy, (and he knows it), with his perfect teeth! Its one of those films that belong to the 'Super and/or Special Teen hero' movies 'I am Number Four', 'City of Bones', 'Percy Jackson and the whatever' filled with young pretty things usually with a stereotyped wise cracking black actor thrown in to add contrast to the moody misunderstood white actor! Actually excuse me while I go throw 'Abduction' into my for sale pile......

How's your medication doing?

Thats was some rant for a largely inoffensive film.

[Rik]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Frankenstein's Army. (2013)

.

I've got this to watch, heard mixed things about it so I'm going in with an open mind

[JoshuaKaitlyn]

Codeine! Got a stiff neck and arm! Didn't mean to rant I just think that theres way too many examples of this type of movie about! They're just too formulaic!