What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[gag]

The boy

Another film i highly enjoyed,
It took me a while to figure out who the actress is, its lauren who plays maggie from walking dead, i kept looking at her thinking where i seen her before.

Any how when i hear of films about dolls i tend to not bother thinking there nothing new, or seen it before, or ends up being a disappointment.
Well to be honest this certainly isnt.
Its a slow burner, bit like house of the devil, and the others, it build up with tension, and some good atmospheric scenes,
She been hired as a nanny to look after brahms thinking he a young boy, but turns out to be a dummy, and as most people would think its bit bizarre and strange.
She has a helper grocery boy who keeps popping in from time to time and explains the doll to her, but is the doll really as it seems? as the film progresses youre still thinking its going to end up like most doll movies, wrong, you know there's going to be a explanation or a twist and when it comes, well lets just say you didnt quite see it coming, only downfall was the ending was a over a bit to quick and couldnt help wanting a bit more or being a tadge longer,
While it make no classic, its certainly will compared to the recent spate of doll movies and its a cut above the rest, i for one at one point will be adding this to my collection.

[Cinematic Shocks]

The Centerfold Girls (1974)

***1/2 out of *****

[Screaming Queen]

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)

Surprisingly the first time I've seen this. A friend gave me the Blu Ray so just gave it a look. I think a lot of it stands up as still being really eerie. The impressionist set design really does mess with you. Felt like I was having a nightmare for a lot of it. The pacing, the music and the art design was slowly lulling me to sleep but that's not to say it was boring at all. Actually quite hypnotic.

Now about to watch Zombi Holocaust! Quite the contrast.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Soulmate (2013)

Anna Walton plays a young woman whose husband was killed in a car crash. So full of despair she attempted suicide. (All off screen). Attempting to recuperate and get her life back into gear she lets an isolated old house in the Welsh countryside. It's not long before she begins to hear strange noises and discovers a locked room in the attic.

Produced by Neil Marshall and directed by his wife, Axelle Carolyn, Soulmate is a rather unusual horror film. As with classics like The Haunting (1963) it's the little details that add the chills to proceedings. A creak of a floor board, a door handle turning, a bump on the stairs...things we might ourselves find creepy if we were in that same situation in a house we didn't know. There's far more suggestion than jump scares involved and it plays out as a quietly classy affair with surround speakers showing their worth with every creak and groan making you glance nervously in the direction of your 5:1.

The film, especially in it's first half is held together by Walton in a strong performance, always vulnerable yet fighting to show strength in recovery. To say this film doesn't play out as a typical horror film is an understatement, but i won't go into detail for those who haven't seen it and fancy checking it out. Those who enjoy their Ghost Stories for Christmas should feel right at home with this one.

The dvd has a couple of short films, one starring Jean Marsh, the other Derek Jacobi, both directed by Carolyn prior to this, her feature debut. A promising career beckons.

[trebor8273]

Beverly hills cop. 9/10


Now watching fight club

[Cinematic Shocks]

Saw IV (2007)

** out of *****

Saw V (2008)

**1/2 out of *****

[gag]

They say things come in three, well this is the 3rd film I've seen this week thats another slow burner.
Debut from the duffer brothers who went onto make stranger things,
And if anything to go by with this and stranger things then their someone to keep a eye on.

This is another slow burner about a town where there been a virus outbreak, army flattening everywhere because of the outbreak not giving people much choice but to leave, a couple and their daughter find a bunker and live their for a while, until they get found out and forced out. But who really who and whats really going on? Bit of a slight twist to the film.
It has a slight 10 cloverfield lane to it.
Again another slow burner i wasnt disappointed in, if i keep finding films like these i could easily watch what ive seen all week, any day of the week over almost any Blockbuster /Hollywood films these days.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Hombre (1967)

An excellent revisionist western about a group of stage coach passengers at the mercy of a gang of robbers, who are helped by a despised half-caste Indian.

Paul Newman leads a distinguished cast in a variation on the classic stage coach theme, as various disparate characters are thrown together for a journey through the sweltering Arizona landscapes. As well as Newman, whose piercing blue eyes have never had as much screen time, we have a grizzly Richard Boone, veteran Fredric March, Mario Bava fave Cameron Mitchell and fine character actor Martin Balsam. Glamour is added to proceedings in the form of spicy red head Diane Cilento, in a pivotal role.

The film is beautifully photographed and director Martin Ritt, utilizing a screen play full of literate dialogue based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, delivers a tense piece of western cinema which makes many vital points on racism which are still evident today.

Hombre is one of the most rewarding westerns i've seen in a long time.

Highly recommended.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971)

Following the brutal murder of a young French girl in a park a tv celebrity is accused of the crime and brought to trial. Unbeknown to him his lawyer is having an affair with his wife and the case for the man isn't exactly being fought with utmost conviction. Once in prison however the murders begin again.

The Bloodstained Butterfly is a giallo but not as you know it. Leaving aside all the usual genre motifs, the film concentrates on police forensics and the ensuing court case over lurid sex and violence and black gloved killers.

Director Duccio Tessari isn't someone i'm really familiar with. (I think the Alain Delon thriller No Way Out / Big Guns is the only other of his in my collection) His CV, without translation, suggests this was his only gialli among a varied career of western, drama and crime. It's a pity as The Bloodstained Butterfly is a memorable and intelligent addition to the genre. The story is complex and the denouement surprising, although perhaps not so much in this field, and the way the storyline and characters weave together is delightful in it's intricacies. It's the stylistic flourishes of Tessari that ensure the film is one that stands out in the memory though. It's photographed beautifully, Tessari's camera entering scenes from the most varied angles creating fascinating cinematography by Carlo Carlinibut. However it's the stunning score that stands out for me and makes the film a favourite of the genre. Incorporating Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1 for Piano into a multi layered composition by Gianni Ferrio is a hypnotic experience and simply sublime in it's execution.

As a giallo it's not a film i can recommend because it differs so much from the norm, but as an Italian crime film it's really quite exemplary.

I watched this via Arrow's dvd from the recent Blu/dvd combo release and found it's colours to be completely natural, although blacks are a tad hazy at times. The picture, upscaled, is sharp but i've seen better from other giallo releases. This sounds like i'm being critical but i'm not. I wouldn't have even commented on the tech aspects had i not been asked. However as i was and i am, i will say that the soundtrack is stunning. The music beautifully mixed and voices crystal clear. I watched the English dub as there was so much missing from the subtitles, especially during the crime scene investigation, i just had to hear it all.

Highly recommended.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I have the disc as the rental from Lovefilm and watched it last night with the Italian track, intending to check out the English track and commentary tonight and tomorrow before sending it back on Tuesday.

I entirely echo what you have said about the film, and hope it is something which will stand up to repeated viewings, something I'll know when I watch it this evening without subtitles and the actors 'speaking' English. I wasn't watching it with a critical eye on the AV quality, but will try and report back on the HD picture tomorrow.