The Shawshank Redemption- This is a queer experience. Watching arguably the most populare film of all time for the first time and wondering what all the fuss is about. Lavish with excelent performances from Freeman and co. but it just didn't live up to the tidle wave of hype. A very heart warming movie yes but certainly no more so than others. A solid A as it was very good.

Shawshank is the kind of film that grows on people, the more you watch it the more you'll find. It failed upon release but is now a modern classic because of it's rewatchablity.

Mother's Day - 2010 US d: Darren Lynn Bousman

Nearly, but no. Though not a remake (good move) this new Mother's Day isn't anything new either. It's just another home invasion flick full of home invasion clichés and stock home invasion characters. Pretty much, the whole production is "efficient" - efficiently shot, efficiently acted, efficiently managed all around. There is just no spark. It's just a dreary Hollywood attempt to cover ground handled so much better by many other films. This is not Funny Games, this is not Ils, this is not Cold Eyes Of Fear, The Desperate Hours, Death Weekend, In Cold Blood, Fight For Your Life or Lady In A Cage. Hell, I don't even think this is The Strangers or The House On The Edge Of The Park!

It's derivative, a bit tedious and a slog to get through. I can't recommend it, but I don't think I can fully dismiss it either. If nothing else, it features the astoundingly beautiful Deborah Ann Woll!

Watched The Return of the Living Dead bluray this afternoon. I don't' get the masses of love bestowed upon this film. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike it, I just find it hard to get really excited about and suspect everyone else gets a lot more out of it than I do(I think I find horror-comedy a bit hard to swallow as a genre). Nice-looking bluray though and still looking forward to the extras

THE DIVIDE - From the director of 'Frontiers'. Citizens hole up in a cellar following a nuclear strike on NY... their group dynamic disintegrates and lets in savagery. Pretty good and never boring despite its constrained environs. I thought the more obvious moments were eclipsed by some real intensity, particularly in its latter half. Even so, I was pissed off by the apparent ease of some of the character's respective descents into degenration, in particular Rosanna Arquette, who I felt should've been doing something less passive. But yeah, overall, good.
THE EXTERMINATOR - NY grimfest sees vigilante off some bad guys. Despite the cardboard set up, has interestingly ambiguous politics (waves the reactionary vigilante flag, but shows eveyone undone by The Man in the end). Pretty hard hitting though, and bleaker and nastier than I remembered it. Not really up there at the very pinnacle of New York exploitation - it's no Ms 45 - but packs an early eighties punch and leaves a harsh aftertaste. Entertains in that somehow smeared kind of way.

Not everyone loves this film....i've always thought that people who don't watch a lot of films think it's the greatest film ever because theyve never seen Nostalgia or Stalker or Lemora;)

True. I think it's just okay. I don't wish to be picky but the fact that it's big twist/ending isn't fully thought out properly and doesn't make sense really does spoil it for me

Lemora eh, dunno that one. Hmm, £9.44 on Planet Axel with the free shipping...?

OK, ordered . . .

Lemora is boss.

One of my favourite vampire films.... I love lemora.

I really like this film but I love the soundtrack it is amazing, I have it somewhere on vinyl.

Yeah, I'm a big fan of The Cramps so it's good to hear "Surfin' Dead" on there

Yeah, love The Cramps (was lucky enough to see them a few years back in Nottingham, before Lux Interior died) it is just a well rounded soundtrack.

Good man! I thought you seemed a decent, sensible sort of chap! :D

Another Cramps fan here! ;)

Recent viewings

You got gooood taste (for a gucci bag carrier)

Almost forgot about it but last film marathon one of the films I watched was "Clockwork Terror" bloomin' amazing film.

Is that AKA 'Murder in a Blue World'? I like the way they felt they could throw a few 'Clockwork Orange' and giallo references around until a movie magically appeared... nice trash though, and I seem to remember the ending as being incongruously disturbing. Maybe you know 'The Cannibal Man' by the same director, which is really bleak and feels perhaps a bit more personal.

That's the one, I actually thought it was a decent film, but my taste is questionable! Will have to check out The Cannibal Man I don't think I've seen it, at least not recently.

Cannibal man is a cool movie. :rockon:

Hmmm... I may have to give Cannibal Man a rewatch, as I didn't think too much of it first time around.

Just watched Final Destination 5, a film franchise which, ironically and against all odds, seems to have cheated death at every possible turn. I'm sure the script for this was identical to the previous film but with 'speedway track' changed to 'bridge accident' using Microsoft Word's 'find and replace' feature. It's absolutely, utter rubbish but really silly, enjoyable utter rubbish. The twist at the end is kind of neat although it would have been nice if there'd been something during the film to perhaps hint at that

It also boasts arguably the most ridiculous music video tie-in for a film ever:



NEW ROMANCE - Miles Fisher - YouTube

I have a love hate relationship with those films, I think they have steadily gone downhill and they creep me out but I almost can't be bothered any more. They make me feel on edge.

Without watching that video at first I thought it was that old TV show "Spatz", possibly wishful thinking.

Oh god, I remember Spatz!


I always find it odd that no-one ever really mentions how much of a rip-off of a small section of The Omen the Final Destination films are.

Kill List - 2011 K d: Ben Wheatley

Crikey!

When I first put this on last night I was concerned by the Ken Loach type Realist approach, which -more often then not - I find a very off-putting style of film-making. However, Shane Meadows had successfully used that style to give us a harrowing horror drama in Dead Men's Shoes, so I vowed to watch it all tonight (my BD player was acting up and it was late, so I didn't see it through last night). Which I did.

It's a superb film, but it did take its time to win me over. By the end though, I knew I had seen something special. At times Bergmanesque in its portrayal of interpersonal relationships, it really does depict character with a depth and skill rare in modern film-making. It fascinates and intrigues and is a pretty damned harrowing ride to go on.

I was made to think of some kind of bizarre hybrid of A Serbian Film and The Wicker Man.

Top stuff.

Have you seen 'Down Terrace' by the same guy? It's very good.

Indeed, i have NO problem with the original story funnily enough.....but as prison films go, it's no Silent Scream;)

'Bridesmaids' - 'Sex and the City', but with a different cast!

Chick flick, but maybe I should be wearing more pink!!!

ha I was just thinking I don't list all the "uncool" stuff I'm watching - mainly because I watch a lot of stuff from my computer but the special stuff, the horror film marathons get my full attention.....will be watching Bridesmaids tonight - sky premiere or just a coincidence? I just like Wendi McLendon-Covey, mainly because of Reno 911!

and I keep forgetting it's Paul Feig, loved Freak & Geeks, loved his books.

I adored Freaks & Geeks - a brilliant TV series.

I was completely disappointed by Bridesmaids. I like this kind of film done well - my adherence to US teen flicks is a testament to such - but sadly Bridesmaids was more The Hangover than Mean Girls. Crass, unfunny and crassly unfunny with only a great performance from Melissa McCarthy of any interest. I was so disappointed and annoyed.

No - cheers for the heads up!

Watched Bridesmaids and I agree. Watching the trailer this film looks funny and great. The Marketing guy is a genius:nod: I too agree this was like the Hangover with women. This then sparks the argument: are men just funnier than women?;)

No offence, but this is getting quite http://i.imgur.com/X2xPA.gif

I saw the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street last night.

I have no love at all for the original series of films and have never owned the dvd, but i have seen them all. However this remake i thought to be pretty good, in fact very enjoyable.

It was fast moving, introduced Freddy quickly and wasn't afraid to show him. Its probably my lack of interest in the originals that made me enjoy this. Jackie Earle Hayley sported a more realistic burn make up rather than a dried up pizza and dispensed with the unfunny one liners which annoyed me so much about Robert Englund in the role.

Rooney Mara was very good as Nancy, i despised Heather Langenkamp in the original film, so all in all the elements the film is probably harshly criticised for are the things i think improve the film.

Recommended for those who think the originals are a load of tosh. ;) :)

I didn't like it to be honest, and am not a fan of the original. :happy:

Interesting analysis, Dem - and to a large extent I agree with you.

I, too thought Jackie made a decent Freddie and Rooney a decent Nancy (I can't stand Langenkamp either, and Englund's one-liners were indeed one of the major failings of the original films).

However, the remake just didn't work for me. Mainly because the terrible CGI effects completely destroyed any sense of atmosphere or terror that the film tried to create. Add to this the bland script and poor supporting cast and the remake was just (yet another) missed opportunity, for me.

I had troubling getting my head around this.:lol:

I cannot believe that emoticon even exists! :eek:

From what i could remember the script was the same as the original, and the crap supporting characters are only there to die anyway.

I was never bothered by the sfx.

My thoughts may be flawed as i'd just watched series one of Californication before it and didn't start viewing it till 5 am.