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  #26911  
Old 13th January 2014, 12:10 PM
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The Cry of the Owl. (2009)

A man in the midst of protracted divorce proceedings is caught spying on a young woman in her home late at night.

A nicely constructed thriller with horror undertones and an atmosphere of unease throughout. I enjoyed The Cry of the Owl. Starring two established character actors in Paddy Considine and Julia Stiles, the film comes across as a thought provoking study of relationships and trauma yet is also an easy watch due to its stars seemingly natural reactions to the unfolding events. The story moves along at a stately, but involving pace that i'm not going to discuss as it would spoil it for any potential viewers. The ending is somewhat ambiguous, indeed the entire plot isn't one that's spoon fed to the viewer which is refreshing as it constantly toyed with my thoughts and ideas.

Based on a novel by Patricia Highsmith (Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr. Ripley), i recommend this little known thriller to all who enjoy a good story.
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Last edited by Demdike@Cult Labs; 13th January 2014 at 12:30 PM. Reason: Can't believe i spelled Stiles with a Y.
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  #26912  
Old 13th January 2014, 12:27 PM
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The Cry of the Owl. (2009)
Another fine review, and a DVD now high priority on my Lovefilm queue!
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  #26913  
Old 13th January 2014, 12:29 PM
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Another fine review, and a DVD now high priority on my Lovefilm queue!
Thanks for that Nosferatu.

Is it a film you've heard of previously?
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  #26914  
Old 13th January 2014, 12:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
Thanks for that Nosferatu.

Is it a film you've heard of previously?
No, that was the first time I've heard the title. I'm sure my parents (ardent crime fiction fans) have read the book. I'm a massive fan of Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr Ripley (films – I haven't read the books), so I'm sure I'll like this Patricia Highsmith adaptation as well.
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  #26915  
Old 13th January 2014, 04:52 PM
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Recent viewings



plus an Aki Kaurismaki marathon

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  #26916  
Old 13th January 2014, 08:27 PM
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Spirits of the dead

Enjoyed this, the first two stories are ok but really enjoyed the last one with Terrance stamp who gave a fantastic performance in a completely bonkers story with great imagery and weird and wonderful characters and that little girl was so disturbing and chilling. 7.5/10

Next up some rowdiness with they live and maybe if enough time TCM 2.
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  #26917  
Old 14th January 2014, 06:37 AM
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Started watching 'Breaking Bad' last night. 4 episodes in and it's fantastic. Hoping to get to season 3 before going back to work at the end of January. Got a lot of films to watch as well.
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  #26918  
Old 14th January 2014, 08:28 AM
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Frankenstein's Army.

A group of Russian soldiers travelling behind enemy lines come across an abandoned village and discover horrifying experiments being conducted by Nazi scientist Frankenstein!

This was a fun little film with some great effects work on the creatures. It's done as a 'found footage' film which detracted a little from the film as the film doesn't really need it and could have worked just as well made in a more 'traditional' manner by someone who framed, shot and edited the film in the correct way. Given the nature of cameras in that era it just doesn't feel right. That aside its still worth a look as overall its a nice take on the Frankenstein tale.

That aside i've been mainly revisiting THE WIRE. Still the best US cop drama i've seen. Each episode can stand alone as a film in its own right . Every so often I like to dig my complete box set out and give it a watch.
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  #26919  
Old 14th January 2014, 08:34 AM
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I also had a problem with Frankenstein's Army being in widescreen and looking pristine as, even if it had been shot with a 'special camera' in 1945, it still would have been full frame and the quality of the film would have been badly damaged and degraded by now.

Apart from that, I really enjoyed it and plan to watch it again soon.
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  #26920  
Old 14th January 2014, 08:40 AM
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Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs View Post
I also had a problem with Frankenstein's Army being in widescreen and looking pristine as, even if it had been shot with a 'special camera' in 1945, it still would have been full frame and the quality of the film would have been badly damaged and degraded by now.

Apart from that, I really enjoyed it and plan to watch it again soon.
Glad it's not just me then. Sat through the whole thing wondering why they chose the found footage approach.
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