What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Rik]

Took my eldest boy for one final trip to Middle Earth this morning to watch the Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies.
A fitting conclusion to the trilogy IMO, yes there were times when the CGI looked bad and sometimes the editing was bad, but overall we both enjoyed it and as of this, I have started reading Tolkien's short novel again for the first time since I was about 11 or 12.
8/10

N.B We both looked at each other and had a little chuckle when Legolas ran out of arrows, seeing as in the LOTR trilogy he seems to have an endless supply of them!

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

Yeah Changeling. Do you remember if it was the original Momentum disc or the later Optimum one? Just wonder if there's a difference before i order.

Identical.
Optimum disc is probably cheaper mate.

Optimum re-released ALL Momentum's titles.Can't see them bothering with different transfers...

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by The Reaper Man@Cult Labs

Identical.
Optimum disc is probably cheaper mate.

Optimum re-released ALL Momentum's titles.Can't see them bothering with different transfers...

Apparently there's a commentary track on the Momentum one that's been dropped from the Optimum re-release Reaps.

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

I rarely watch extras/listen to commentaries mate.


You know something?
Christmas Night was the first time ever I sat and watched It's A Wonderful Life all the way through!!!!

[The Reaper Man@Cult Labs]

I watched the German Blu Ray of THE WANDERERS yesterday-it looked fantastic!

I don't think I'd seen this film since primary school on fuzzy vhs!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by The Reaper Man@Cult Labs

I rarely watch extras/listen to commentaries mate.

I'm the same. The odd Kim Newman commentary being the exception.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Rites of Spring (2011)

A ransom scheme turns into a nightmare for a group of kidnappers who become victims of a horrifying secret that must be paid every spring.

Rites of Spring is one of those films where two separate story lines seemingly with nothing in common merge into one another in the final third. For this the script should be commended for it's originality, however the journey there is seriously flawed with no characters you can really connect with and then a twisty turny ending that tries to throw every scenario you've ever seen in a kidnap movie. On top of this there's the plot line which is basically just average torture porn and the blood 'rites of spring' involving offerings to a creature kept locked in a cellar.

With a more refined script and better characterization Rites of Spring could have been excellent. Unfortunately what we see on screen is a mixed bag, but one that deserves kudos for attempting something a little different to the norm.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by The Reaper Man@Cult Labs

I rarely watch extras/listen to commentaries mate.

I don't get much chance to watch films never mind the commentary tracks but if there's a version with extras or a version without I'll always opt for the one with.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Naked Fear (2007)

A young girl is duped into moving to a small backwater town. Once there she ends up working as a lap dancer before being kidnapped, stripped naked, and dumped in the wilderness. She soon realizes she is the target of a deranged game hunter.

An excellent low budget horror thriller from Night of the Comet director Thom Eberhardt. The hunt doesn't begin for forty minutes which allows the very competent script to work the characters into our head, letting us get to know the unfortunate Diana, thus making sure we root for her throughout her ordeal. The performance from Danielle De Luca is excellent and when we finally find out what happened to her before being thrown to the wolves so to speak, it definitely nullifies a couple of her seemingly rash decisions once being hunted.

The first third of the story throws up a parade of suspicious characters including the towns sheriff played by Joe Mantegna, meaning you can't tell who is behind the sinister hunt, thus making the cut away segments in the films second half just as tense as the actual game of death.

Gripping, sleazy and with a lot of nudity, Naked Fear, which is apparently based on real life Alaskan hunter / serial killer Robert Hansen, is a superior horror thriller.

Recommended.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Shadow of the Cat (1961)

Tabitha, the pet cat of a wealthy lady, witnesses the murder of her owner by her husband and two servants. The cat seemingly becomes bent on revenge, while the murderers try to kill her, as the only witness to the crime.

Excellent second horror feature from director John Gilling and arguably his best. This oft forgotten Hammer film is a tightly directed mini masterpiece. The film has very stylish flourishes with his use of the camera which suggests the cat is indeed persecuting it's mistresses killers, especially by the use of subjective shots from the animals point of view changing the shape of the image onscreen to convey the cats slant eyed view of events.

Nicely acted by Barbara Shelley, Andre Morell, William Lucas et al, whilst making use of the sumptuous sets of Bray Studios. The Shadow of the Cat is a beautifully atmospheric Gothic tinged horror film which deserves to be better appreciated. Hopefully the excellent dvd from Final Cut Entertainment will allow people to reassess this underrated gem of a film.