What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[monkeyscreams]

Originally Posted by Handyman Joe

Persona - Not as out there as I was expecting (after Inland Empire nothing is) but I can see how it changed the game back in the 60s. Looks incredible in this Criterion Blu ray, it's certainly compulsive, but, I have to say I wasn't blown away. Had the same experience with Marienbad - you feel you should be enjoying more than you actually are - a feeling of mild dumbness ensues. Will certainly be giving it another go though.

Persona is one of my favourite films of all time. One of Bergman's best in my opinion. You are right about how it changed the game back in the 60's.

[J Harker]

Watched Stagefright last week, brilliant and looks amazing on blu.
Edge of Tomorrow, Groundhog Day via an alien invasion movie, Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt. I loved this film.
Sin City 2 last night, nowhere near as good as the first one but still very enjoyable.
Tonight we're watching American Hustle. All great actors, acting great. Playing characters i couldn't give a rats arse about in a story i also couldn't give a rats arse about. Very disappointing, the soundtrack is probably the best thing about it.

[keirarts]

Final day of grimm....

open grave

So glad i have this pre-ordered off zaavi. The film opens with the well worn plot device of amnesia and develops into somthing quite compelling and moody. Try not to read to much about the film as its best going in not knowing what to eexpect. The real acid test for this one will be with the second viewing.

dead snow 2

Was supposed to be shivers but some last minute issues forced a change to this. I was happy as i enjoyed the original a lot. This one really ups the gore and laughs and is a rare beast indeed. A sequel that surpasses the original.

get some

Entertaining short about a steve irwin-esque zombie hunter. Looks like it may be getting developed into a tv series.

life after beth

Quirky indy comedy with a relatively starry cast about a grieving young man whose girlfriend comes back. A lot better that i had thought i suspect i will be watching it again.

the woman.

Last minute replacement for the german film the samurai. Not much new i can say on this one suffice to say its still as shocking as it was on its first viewing.

wolf cop

Exactly what it sounds like. Good trashy fun with plenty of gore.

the canal

A frankly unsettling and genuinely frightening ghost story that starts with slow burning menace and gets gradually more terrifying as it progresses with a genuinely shocking end. Well worth checking out.

the samurai

Finally they got it working. To sum the film up i would describe it as transvestite samurai sword massacre inspired by homosexual panic. Beautifully shot and darky humourous, the film is an inspired rage at small town homophobic predjudice.. it a film that requires some level of analytic dissection to pick apart its various themes but is definately one to see if you can.

[Demoncrat]

Book Of Shadows: Blair Witch 2 (2000, Joe Berlinger).
Sue me, I thought this was a lot better than on first viewing. Them pesky witches etc etc. If they ever make a 3rd, it should be a musical....

Jason X ( 2001, Jim Isaac).
"We love premarital sex!!" . Still just the hoot that it is. And even half frozen Hdder still more imposing that the chap they got for the redo.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Man Who Lies (1968)

Going into these Robbe-Grillet films with absolutely no prior knowledge perhaps places me at a disadvantage but i'm not even going to pretend i know what The Man Who Lies is about, unless it's title and subject are one and the same. The boxset carries no synopsis and i haven't read the booklet yet for fear of plot spoilers.

A man returns to his village at the end of the second world war. Seemingly no one recognises him and as he tells of his exploits he gains the interest of three beautiful girls. Are his stories of heroic deeds just tall tales or are they real? If he's from the village then why does no one know of him? Or perhaps even notice him? Is he a figment of the girls imagination? Are they the ones telling stories to each other about their encounter with a mysterious stranger?

Whilst i was never bored, the photography and atmosphere always hold the attention, with some fine performances and one or two mild S&M games. The vagueness of the storyline and it's apparent similarity to the previous years Trans-Europ-Express ensured The Man Who Lies never truly enthralled or captivated me. My lack of understanding makes it the least of the three Robbe-Grillet film's i've seen so far.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

What does anyone else think of The Man Who Lies?

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

What does anyone else think of The Man Who Lies?

It was one of the films in the Robbe-Grillet box set that I hadn't seen before, so I was really looking forward to checking it out. I wasn't disappointed, and I actually found it to be one of the more enigmatic films from the set, imbibing a peculiar charm that to me was oddly (and unexplainably) comfortable and familiar. It conjured up comparisons to Rollin's Fascination in some ways. Overall I found it to be a beautiful, engaging, and hypnotic film.

[SShaw]

Like a number of other members I also spent most of the weekend at Grimm Up North:

Of course the highlight was Goblin's live performance of Suspiria

Of the programme I had already seen the majority of the main screen films (and have commented on them earlier).

Dawn of the Dead
Coherence
Housebound
Let Us Prey
Reconstruction of William Zero
Suburban Gothic
What we do in the Shadows
Zombeaver

The things I hadn't seen:

Starry Eyes This was an interesting film, dealing with the mental breakdown of a young actress under the pressure of trying to succeed in Hollywood. But, I am not sure I liked it. I will need to watch it again.

Devil's Mile I really liked this, it doesn't really make a great deal of sense and seems a bit of a mess until the final scene. It's a bit of a jigsaw puzzle of a film in which you can't see the picture until the very final piece is put in place.

Forgotten, The A distinctly average haunted house thriller.

Julia Another gritty and dirty entry in the rape-revenge genre. My first film of the festival.

LFO Smart and funny Scandinavian science-fiction. Well worth looking out for when it hits DVD.

Open Grave This plays a lot like a video game. Beginning as it does with a group of characters who can't remember anything. But as they explore locations and objects reveal more and more of the story and their characters. It works quite well. My last film of the festival which means that I missed almost everything on Sunday (although with the exception of The Canal and The Samurai I had seen everything previously).

Sororal The overall festival programme was extremely strong but without any real standout films that we will be talking about in 5 years time (that statement will probably sum up 2014 for me). We may be talking about this neo-giallo, but only to comment on how bad it was. Clearly the film makers have watched a lot of giallo, but they don't seem to have learned much. In aping (perhaps kinder members might use the word referencing) what they have seen before they completely forget to establish their own identity. The swirling twilight like sperm near the end was laugh-out-loud funny - but I am sure that was not what the filmmakers hoped for or intended.

Well, The More post-apocalyptic survivor science-fiction in this U.S. film. I liked it. Many didn't.

I will be working in Cambridge and London either side of next weekend and have managed to convince work to pay for me to stay over the weekend, so I hope to catch a couple of screenings at LIFF - I have a ticket for the Cannon documentary which I am really looking forward to.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

It was one of the films in the Robbe-Grillet box set that I hadn't seen before, so I was really looking forward to checking it out. I wasn't disappointed, and I actually found it to be one of the more enigmatic films from the set, imbibing a peculiar charm that to me was oddly (and unexplainably) comfortable and familiar. It conjured up comparisons to Rollin's Fascination in some ways. Overall I found it to be a beautiful, engaging, and hypnotic film.

Good answer. Totally vague about the plot as well.

[SShaw]

Originally Posted by PaulD

Aha, I think I spotted you; the Arrow tshirt caught my attention. I was wearing a red Thriller: A Cruel Picture tshirt but had a dark blue blazer on top of it. Was an excellent night.

If I'd known Sororal was being screened I'd have come down earlier as I really want to see that.

You really didn't miss anything. Perhaps the only film I would avoid if I could do the festival over again.