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Fantasia Day 5: The Harvest
I'll skip day 3 and 4 for now and come back to them at some later time. Monday at Fantasia is a relaxed affair with only two slots. I had seen all of the films playing the first slot (Thou wast mild and lovely and Cold in July) and while both are brilliant and worthy of a second viewing I took the opportunity to visit Quebec city and returned just in time for the 21:30 showing of John McNaughton's return to directing after a decade long hiatus The Harvest. The film is the story of Maryann a young girl who following the death of her parents moves in to her grandparents isolated house. While out exploring she meets Andy a young boy of similar age who is confined to be bed by a degenerative disease that has left him paralysed. A friendship quickly develops through their shared interest in baseball, but the relationship is frowned on by Andy's parents, particularly his doctor mother, played brilliantly by Samantha Morton, who appears to be on the verge of a mental breakdown. While sneaking around the house Maryann discovers a secret that provides a fresh perspective on Andy's disease and his dysfunctional family. Perhaps best known for Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer McNaughton presents a very different, and perhaps unexpected film, with The Harvest. The film has the feeling of a fairy tale, with Morton as the wicked witch whose behaviour towards Andy and her husband starts as cold and distant but becomes increasingly cruel as she undergoes a breakdown. It's a quiet film whose growing sense of unease and dread becomes almost unbearable and towards the end there are scenes where you really want to turn your face away. Brilliant film making with a superb cast and script this was worth waiting for. Based upon this return I hope that we won't need to wait another decade for McNaughton's next film. The Harvest will play Fright Fest and should be essential viewing for anybody who is attending. |
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Watched The Birds. Still peerless. Jealous of mate who saw this at cinema....he said the ST was "industrial" in places. I can well believe that. 9.5/10.
__________________ [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC] [B] "... the days ahead will be filled with struggle ... and coated in marzipan ... "[/B] |
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Watched Children of Men last night, i think thats my 4th time watching it, just decided my daughter should give it a go as she always moaning about the stuff her mum makes her watch, good news she really enjoyed it, even though i did have to explain some of the more complex themes to her. Having read the original book i can say there is very little surviving from that, just basic ideas and names other than that not a lot. I love the dirty grimy feel to the film, its a perfect worn out london but with obvious technological advantages, but not thrown in your face. My main gripe is the cars used in the film which are obviously current to the time the film was made but with bits added to make them futuristic. The "one take" action scenes for me are stunning i love the Car attack scence and the final battle too, really puts you in there with the charactors, Clive Owen is good in the fim, as is the actress who plays Kee and Micheal Cain as the Asphex Twin Loving pot head, for me the film could of been a bit longer but i generally find that with films i enjoy. Anyhow for me this is a good film and ill enjoy watching it a few more times still.
__________________ Whatever you do, don't fall asleep! |
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The Secret Invasion (1964) Roger Corman was given the largest budget he ever had to work with up until that time by United Artists (approximately $600,000) to make this one. A lot of the budget probably went to the paycheck of some of the actors though so what remained wasn't that much. Interestingly Corman's "original Dirty Dozen" makes up for the lack of budget in other ways. Corman was used to working on a small budget and pre-production was very important to him which together with post-production turns this into a tight and fast-paced film that generally succeeds in hiding it's low budget and offering plenty of thrills. Btw don't watch the trailer before watching the film as I just noticed it contains major spoilers.
__________________ bdcs-hk-taiwan-dvd-vcd-wants-page |
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Just watched Sabotage. Arnie and chums have a shoot-out with a drug cartel and try to nick some of their money. Drug cartel hunts them down. People get shot in the head a lot. Good fun, with some decent performances from the majority of the cast (Mireille Enos' performance as Lizzy was more aggravatingly baffling than engaging). Great action sequences and a car death that's been done before, but never this realistically or gruesomely (that I've seen, anyway). I look forward to adding it to my Schwarzenegger collection. 7/10 |
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City For Conquest (1940) Classic Cagney as he plays a club fighter who turns pro to finance his composer brother's (Arthur Kennedy) dream of writing a great New York symphony and his girl's (Ann Sheridan) dancing profession. A poignant drama with hints of classic gangster movies yet City For Conquest is much more. It's a moving film, full of heartbreak and joy as Cagney battles blindness as his world collapses around him. Highly recommended. Last edited by Demdike@Cult Labs; 25th July 2014 at 10:22 PM. |
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