What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[JoshuaKaitlyn]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I find this easily the worst of the six movies to date.

I would have to agree with you there, with Empire the best of the lot.

[JoshuaKaitlyn]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Terrific action western from the team behind The Pirates of the Caribbean.

Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer are outstanding as Tonto and the Lone Ranger in a movie that surprised me with it's levels of violence, mixed in with light hearted comedy in a film reminiscent of A wild west Indiana Jones .

No matter what you think of the bulk of the movie, when Rossini's William Tell Overture kicks in during the thrilling last half hour and director Gore Verbinski wows us with a hell of a finale aboard two runaway trains you're bound to be grinning like a Cheshire cat. Well i was anyway.

Absolutely loved it!

Even though I have this I've yet to see it. Read and heard a lot of bad things about it so thats putting me off of it but your bit about the William Tell Overture sounds like fun.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Terrific action western from the team behind The Pirates of the Caribbean.

Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer are outstanding as Tonto and the Lone Ranger in a movie that surprised me with it's levels of violence, mixed in with light hearted comedy in a film reminiscent of A wild west Indiana Jones .

No matter what you think of the bulk of the movie, when Rossini's William Tell Overture kicks in during the thrilling last half hour and director Gore Verbinski wows us with a hell of a finale aboard two runaway trains you're bound to be grinning like a Cheshire cat. Well i was anyway.

Absolutely loved it!

Originally Posted by JoshuaKaitlyn

Even though I have this I've yet to see it. Read and heard a lot of bad things about it so thats putting me off of it but your bit about the William Tell Overture sounds like fun.

Same here JK, I've nearly picked it up a few times, its on Netflix too. Dems the first person I've heard say its any good though. In fact most seem to think its rubbish.

[iank]

I thought it was a perfectly average/mediocre modern "blockbuster". Nothing to write home about, but little to chuck bile at either, particularly in this day and age.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

The Lone Ranger (2013)

Terrific action western from the team behind The Pirates of the Caribbean.

Johnny Depp and Armie Hammer are outstanding as Tonto and the Lone Ranger in a movie that surprised me with it's levels of violence, mixed in with light hearted comedy in a film reminiscent of A wild west Indiana Jones .

No matter what you think of the bulk of the movie, when Rossini's William Tell Overture kicks in during the thrilling last half hour and director Gore Verbinski wows us with a hell of a finale aboard two runaway trains you're bound to be grinning like a Cheshire cat. Well i was anyway.

Absolutely loved it!

I was surprised at how bored I was for the bulk of the movie, irritated by Johnny Depp's slide into sub-mediocrity, mistaking acting with standing around in a silly costume, Gore Verbinski once again thinking contrived action is the same thing as storytelling, and appalled by the quality of the script. I didn't find the slapstick stuff funny, and thought it really dragged in the middle (it's far too long), but the train sequence at the end was pretty well done. However bad it was, I thought is better than the Pirates of the Caribbean films I've seen and, in terms of recent Johnny Depp films, is infinitely better than the god-awful Mortdecai.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

One of those cases where a review would be helpful.

I assumed most Labbers would have seen this one, but as you asked so nicely...

Chilling and eerie, this supernatural tale of good versus evil coils around twin brothers living with their grandmother in a sleepy rural area during the summer of 1935. After his grandmother encourages Niles to develop what seem to be psychic gifts, Niles starts to suspect that his twin may be involved in recent fatal accidents.

A pre-cursor to Donner's more well cited (and dare I say revered) The Omen, The Other whilst a very different film to the tale of Devil-spawn Damien, there are certainly some similarities here. Stephen King had also reportedly watched the film not too long before penning The Shining and there is more than a tenuous link between Danny Torrance's psychic gift and that of Niles'.

This was my second time watching the film (I think), and maybe it's just me, but it didn't seem to have the same impact that I remembered from my initial viewing. However that said, it's still a terrific, beautifully shot film with a great script behind it as well as some stellar performances. Overall a film that I'd not hesitate to recommend.

Originally Posted by J Harker

Ted Kotchefs Wake In Fright, still processing.

This one does tend to roll around in the old noggin for a fair while afterwards, doesn't it? A very powerful film with some equally powerful performances. Donald Pleasence is nuttier than a dozen or so fruit cakes.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

However bad it was, I thought is better than the Pirates of the Caribbean films I've seen and, in terms of recent Johnny Depp films, is infinitely better than the god-awful Mortdecai.

The first three Pirates of the Carribean films are brilliant so if you considered it better then i should definately enjoy it Nos!
I like most things I've seen Johnny Depp in, except The Rum Diary which i thought was dull beyond belief.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

The first three Pirates of the Carribean films are brilliant so if you considered it better then i should definately enjoy it Nos!
I like most things I've seen Johnny Depp in, except The Rum Diary which i thought was dull beyond belief.

I think I've only seen the first three PotC films and didn't like any of them. The Lone Ranger is similar in that it is bombastic, overlong, and overreliant on slapstick and action, with Johnny Depp overacting horribly.

I look forward to seeing Black Mass, which is apparently a return to form for a man who, with films like Edward Scissorhands, Donnie Brasco and Ed Wood (his finest performance), became one of the finest character actors around. Though The Rum Diary and Transcendence were very good without being vintage quality, I can't think of a standout performance since Public Enemies in 2009.

[Justin101]

Punishment Park (1971)



First time viewing for me, I picked this up without knowing much about it apart from the cover looked interesting and the premise sounded good.
What we have here is an anti-war film presented as if it were a documentary - and it's so well done that after about 5 minutes I forgot I was watching a fictional film and was utterly taken into the world.
Similar to most TV shows it has an a, b and c story and flits between the three. The first is a makeshift court-room or tribunal where political prisoners have to answer for their crimes and have a chance for defense. They are given their choice of state prison or to take their chance in Punishment Park. The park itself is essentially the South Californian desert, the prisoners are dropped off at one point and are told if they can make it to the American flag some 50+ miles away they will be free to go.
The b story follows the law enforcement officers who at first you believe are there as over-seers but soon is revealed that they are not about to let a bunch of activists go free and do what they can to prevent the kids get to the flag.
Finally the c story follows the prisoners in the desert in their ordeal.

It's a grim film and one which has you thinking. I can imagine that this caused some trouble upon it's release in the height of Nixon's America.

Recommended.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

This one does tend to roll around in the old noggin for a fair while afterwards, doesn't it? A very powerful film with some equally powerful performances. Donald Pleasence is nuttier than a dozen or so fruit cakes.

There's something incredibly surreal about the whole thing. I find a lot of Australian cinema has a somewhat alien feel to it, sticking Dr.Loomis in there just pushes it that bit further.
Its an odd one in that nothing really happens, by and large the lead character John Grant is treated to some admittedly unique hospitality and all anyone wants to do is show him a good time. And yet it all feels very unpleasant. Essentially the tale of a civilised man descending into moral degradation against his will and yet there is so much more. Mm, yeah gonna be thinking it over for a while.