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  #38371  
Old 16th September 2016, 11:04 PM
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Originally Posted by Buboven View Post
My fav found footage film is the relatively unknown Undocumented (2010), a found footage with a real social and political depth, especially in the toxic and extreme atmosphere in the run up to the US election.

I am afraid to say my memory of Watch Norio was not good, didn't find it creepy at all, just dull and predictable from what I remember, might need a rematch.

I would really recommend Undocumented though, I remember it having characters i could engage with and it might be because my own interest in politics but the fact it was very close to reality made it very disturbing for me.
Me too. I didn't even remember it until i looked it up and noticed it's alternate title.
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  #38372  
Old 17th September 2016, 10:38 AM
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THE STORY OF RICKY – Infamous HK action-gore flick set in a futuristic prison, in which 'Ricky' has been incarcarated after avenging his gf's death. Ricky has supernatural strength-related powers. We are told this in a flashback sequence, but it is obvious from the way his hand-to-hand combat maneuvers tend to rip through human flesh without him having to try very hard. This attracts the attention of the prison warden, a strange dude with a metallic claw who keeps mints in his false eye. He also, for slightly baffling reasons, keeps a massive porn collection on open display in his office. Warden is a bit bad-ass, and sets the prison community's 'top dogs', a bunch of badly dressed lags who look like they were conceived during the New Romantic era, onto Ricky. Bloodbath follows etc etc. You'd be hard pressed to find a film which matches 'The Story Of Ricky' for both charm and gore, for not only is this movie ultra-violent, it's endearing, too. You don't get that combination very often. I guess the presence of goofyness, intentional humour that falls a bit flat, a hero you're supposed to unambiguously root for and wholesome values concerning who's bad and who's good go some way to lending the film a weird kind of cuteness. On the other hand, I guess most sane audiences would balk at the notion they're supposed to be entertained by the frequent spurts of utter and unremitting sadism, so maybe I'm in a minority in finding 'Ricky' a bit on the winsome side. Whatever, there's so much to enjoy about 'Ricky', which is a trash fest to end all others. The threadbare sets, the fact that people mutate into monsters just so that there can be a mega-fight scene with a human mincing machine in it, the 'Cuckoo's Nest' type ending... it all washes over you with a kind of 'why not?' feeling attached. You've probably already seen it, but if not, remedy that right away.
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  #38373  
Old 17th September 2016, 01:10 PM
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Blade Runner (1982)

One of the most influential science fiction films ever. Ridley Scott's masterpiece based on a Phillip K Dick story pits Harrison Ford against dangerous human replicants in a violent eye popping neo noir epic.

Set in an American Chinatown, some sort of cross between LA and New York, in the far off year of 2019, the film sets the design standards of all neon drenched, rain swept metropolis's produced since.

As thought provoking as films come, Scott's film is a compelling noir thriller, it's vibe a total downer and were it not for the futuristic elements, the film would have sat prettily alongside anything from the pens of Hammett or Chandler from years gone by.

Of the cast Harrison Ford gives arguably a career best performance yet is usurped by a definite career best from Rutger Hauer who is exceptional as the blonde humanoid implanted with memories of a youth which never happened. His dramatic finale just jaw dropping as he whiles away his final seconds "I've seen things you people wouldn't believe." he begins, in possibly the greatest quote from 80's cinema.

Over the years the film has had many different guises from the original theatrical cut including a voice over from Ford which gave the film even more of a noirish feel, to a directors cut which dropped the voice over and added more depth allowing the film to feel more focused and finally a work print i still haven't watched even though i've owned a rather extravagant edition of it in a brief case, and what i watched last night, in fact the version i always watch, Ridley Scott's Final Cut. A staggering achievement over which the director had complete artistic control.
Excellent review Dem. I really need to revisit Blade Runner.
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  #38374  
Old 17th September 2016, 01:17 PM
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Excellent review Dem. I really need to revisit Blade Runner.
Thanks, J. Much appreciated.

I keep thinking i should watch the original voice over cinema version but for some reason always opt for The Final Cut each time.
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  #38375  
Old 17th September 2016, 01:21 PM
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I've had both the dvd and blu with multiple versions for years but I've still only seen the original theatrical version.
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  #38376  
Old 17th September 2016, 01:29 PM
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I've had both the dvd and blu with multiple versions for years but I've still only seen the original theatrical version.
You should definitely watch The Final Cut. If only because it is how Scott intended the film to be.
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  #38377  
Old 17th September 2016, 02:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by J Harker View Post
I've had both the dvd and blu with multiple versions for years but I've still only seen the original theatrical version.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
You should definitely watch The Final Cut. If only because it is how Scott intended the film to be.
It's been years since I saw the theatrical and director's cuts of Blade Runner because I also only watch the Final Cut, and have done ever since it was released. I've probably only seen the theatrical version once because I really didn't like the voice-over, so will only watch it for curiosity's sake.

The Final Cut is the definitive version so, once you have that one, there is no reason to watch the others other than to compare them or, as I said, for novelty value or out of curiosity.
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  #38378  
Old 17th September 2016, 07:40 PM
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31 (2016)

The first Rob Zombie film I've liked since 'The Devil's Rejects'. It's not quite as good as that but overall I enjoyed it. It’s far from being great there's still some of the filmmaker’s usual shit in it and the finale is anticlimactic but there's some solid direction here with nice visuals and some truly effective sequences of brutality. Despite the terrible name, Doom Head is probably Zombie’s best character to date - a highly memorable horror villain brought to life with a great performance by the hugely talented character actor Richard Brake.

*** out of *****

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  #38379  
Old 17th September 2016, 10:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs View Post
It's been years since I saw the theatrical and director's cuts of Blade Runner because I also only watch the Final Cut, and have done ever since it was released. I've probably only seen the theatrical version once because I really didn't like the voice-over, so will only watch it for curiosity's sake.

The Final Cut is the definitive version so, once you have that one, there is no reason to watch the others other than to compare them or, as I said, for novelty value or out of curiosity.
There is a good reason to watch one of the other versions actually - the original colour-timing. I always watch the Final Cut and love it, but it has a new colour scheme to make it look futuristic today so it is interesting to go back and see it how it looked originally.
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  #38380  
Old 17th September 2016, 10:30 PM
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Bit of a mixed bag this week...

Dekalog pt 6 aka a Short story About Love - superb. A compelling and intriguing study of obsession, loneliness and the fleeting nature of love, with a real sense of historical and national identity. Yes this is bleak and somewhat depressing but it undoubtedly leaves a lasting impression and is thought-provoking. Looking forward to watching the rest of the set.

Mask Maker - Young couple inexplicably move to a run-down money-pit in backwoods America and run into the local (resurrected in this case) nut-job. Seen this done 100 time before and 100 times better. Nothing to recommend here, sadly.

Children of the Corn II - Full disclosure, this is not a great film, in fact it's probably not even a good film but this is a lot of fun in my opinion. The dialogue is cornier than the fields of Gatlin as is the acting but what saves this are some inventive and, at times, hilarious set pieces. Death by being flattened by your own house, death by being steered into the path of a truck in an electric wheelchair, it's all there! Also, I still find the overall concept of the children turning against the adults quite creepy so I do enjoy the COTC sequels, no matter how crap they may be!
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