What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Did you find it lacked focus or maybe needed tightening at times?

Yes, in some areas - although my main ethos was just to 'go with it' and treat it more as a visual and audial experience rather than a film... something that it didn't 100% quite succeed at either though.

Have you seen Refn's Only God Forgives? I feel that used similar aesthetics much more effectively.

[Inspector Abberline]

Ulzana's Raid (1972)

Directed by Robert Aldrich written by Alan Sharp,this is a western that tries to address the balance and show that it wasn't just the Apaches who could be brutal ,although by now Soldier Blue and Little Big Man had also covered this ground. That said the Apaches and JoaquÃ*n MartÃ*nez as Ulzana,and his war party are pretty damn mean bunch,and are portrayed as bloodthirsty savages who not only mutilate there enemies but in some case's cut out parts of there intestines and throw them about like they are playing beach volley ball. In fact any one who get in the way of Ulzana and his raiding party is in for a pretty sticky time,women are raped and the men usually mutilated and staked out on the ground,with one poor fella having his dead dogs tail stuffed in his gob for good measure. But its not all one sided,Aldrich shows us that the cavalry men sent out to capture Ulzana can be just as brutal,and are not adverse to mutilating the dead bodies of any Apache killed or shooting a woman rather than let her be caught by the Indians and raped. Although Aldrich is trying to redress the balance a bit, by showing that both sides can be just as brutal as each other,Westerns when dealing with Native Americans can not help themselves from being racist,and of course its always been in the best interests of American audiences to show that they are not the bad guys. Or is it an allegory for the Vietnam war? MEH At any rate its a interesting and violent tale ,with some great performances from Burt Lancaster as McIntosh the grizzled know it all tracker,Bruce Davison as Lt. Garnett DeBuin a virgin soldier who is given the job of tracking Ulzana and Jorge Luke as Ke-Ni-Tay ,McIntosh loyal scout. JoaquÃ*n MartÃ*nez as Ulzana has the thankless job of being the head baddie,there is very little in the way of characterisation for the Apache's,and we take it as red that they are just evil. Uk version has noticeable cuts for horse falls,but otherwise uncut for violence to humans.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Yes, in some areas - although my main ethos was just to 'go with it' and treat it more as a visual and audial experience rather than a film... something that it didn't 100% quite succeed at either though.

Have you seen Refn's Only God Forgives? I feel that used similar aesthetics much more effectively.

Yes, i have. I really liked that after being underwhelmed by Drive and the dire Valhalla Rising.

Looking forward to The Neon Demon. He seems to have amped up the fetishistic aspect in that one.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Yes, i have. I really liked that after being underwhelmed by Drive and the dire Valhalla Rising.

Yeah, I loved Only God Forgives.

Soundtrack aside, I wasn't a massive fan of Drive either. I haven't seen Valhalla Rising. I'd highly recommend his Pusher films and Bleeder though if you haven't seen them.

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Looking forward to The Neon Demon. He seems to have amped up the fetishistic aspect in that one.

Me too.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Inspector Abberline

Ulzana's Raid (1972)

Directed by Robert Aldrich written by Alan Sharp,this is a western that tries to address the balance and show that it wasn't just the Apaches who could be brutal ,although by now Soldier Blue and Little Big Man had also covered this ground. That said the Apaches and JoaquÃ*n MartÃ*nez as Ulzana,and his war party are pretty damn mean bunch,and are portrayed as bloodthirsty savages who not only mutilate there enemies but in some case's cut out parts of there intestines and throw them about like they are playing beach volley ball. In fact any one who get in the way of Ulzana and his raiding party is in for a pretty sticky time,women are raped and the men usually mutilated and staked out on the ground,with one poor fella having his dead dogs tail stuffed in his gob for good measure. But its not all one sided,Aldrich shows us that the cavalry men sent out to capture Ulzana can be just as brutal,and are not adverse to mutilating the dead bodies of any Apache killed or shooting a woman rather than let her be caught by the Indians and raped. Although Aldrich is trying to redress the balance a bit, by showing that both sides can be just as brutal as each other,Westerns when dealing with Native Americans can not help themselves from being racist,and of course its always been in the best interests of American audiences to show that they are not the bad guys. Or is it an allegory for the Vietnam war? MEH At any rate its a interesting and violent tale ,with some great performances from Burt Lancaster as McIntosh the grizzled know it all tracker,Bruce Davison as Lt. Garnett DeBuin a virgin soldier who is given the job of tracking Ulzana and Jorge Luke as Ke-Ni-Tay ,McIntosh loyal scout. JoaquÃ*n MartÃ*nez as Ulzana has the thankless job of being the head baddie,there is very little in the way of characterisation for the Apache's,and we take it as red that they are just evil. Uk version has noticeable cuts for horse falls,but otherwise uncut for violence to humans.

I really like Ulzana's Raid, Inspector. It's actually refreshing to see Indians in a western. They really aren't in that many you know. I have around 150 of them, westerns not Indians, and i bet they don't even feature in a quarter of them.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Army of Frankensteins. (2013)

For a film with an IMDB score of just 2.8 i found Army of Frankensteins wildly entertaining.

The film is imaginative beyond belief with crazy ambitions that could never be achieved on such a low budget production. What starts out in a supermarket with a lad attempting and failing to propose to a girl ends with the theatre assassination of Abraham Lincoln. With huge nods to Back to the Future and populated by charming and not so charming characters along the way, what other film gives you the chance to see Karloff like Frankenstein monsters wading into Confederate soldiers on the battlefield? Not to mention hot air balloons and Army of Darkness Ash types complete with arm cannons?

Hindered only by lack of funds, Army of Frankensteins was a refreshing change from the norm in the rancid world of indie-horror.

[Prince_Vajda]

I seriously can't remember when I last watched a film...

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Prince_Vajda

I seriously can't remember when I last watched a film...

Whats stopping you? You could watch something now?

[Prince_Vajda]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Whats stopping you? You could watch something now?

I can't concentrate. New films, personal favourites, trash grenades... I've tried almost everything. 20 to 30 minutes into the film, I'm already opting out.

[nosferatu42]

I get like that sometimes, maybe a tv show or a game.
I often find games better if i'm in that mood, something quick and simple that takes your mind off everything.