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  #38771  
Old 29th October 2016, 11:53 AM
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Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop View Post
HALLOWEEN NIGHT - A top tip from Dem (thanx, guy) in which a disfigured killer escapes from a psych ward and gatecrashes a Halloween party. Surprisingly, he murders a load of annoying teens. I really liked 'Halloween Night'. It's a dumb as f*ck, but it's allowed to be. In fact, it kind of has to be. The template has already been set down, we all know the score when it comes to a film like this. It can only survive by drilling the routine to the max, which of course 'Halloween Night' does, it couldn't be more formulaic, you know, you've got a public holiday and a house with a secret, what more do you want besides a load of tits and gore, also happily present. That being said, the closer a slasher adheres to formula, the more its idiosyncrasies stand out, particularly if it isn't very competently made, which is the case here. I liked the killer – he was burned as a kid, when he witnessed a brutal home invasion – it's what sent him over the edge. But instead of just having the scars of a burns victim, he looks like a zombie or a monster or something! It's ludicrous, and just adds to the weirdness. There are numerous other instances of questionable filmmaking skill lending a wtf factor to proceedings here, including the ending – how did that dude get in that bag? Why did that other dude pick up the hitch-hiker who couldn't look less like a serial murdering monster, particularly with that upside down face mask scrawled in biro? Why end your movie with a shot of some pavement? Although the UK DVD looks a bit ropey, 'Halloween Night' is solid latter day exploitation trash which I recommend to anyone who can stomach the fact that it was put out by The Asylum.
Great to hear you enjoyed it, Frankie.

I imported my copy years ago and it looks pretty decent.
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  #38772  
Old 29th October 2016, 12:54 PM
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Tales of Halloween (2015)

Ten stories are woven together by their shared theme of Halloween night in an American suburb, where ghouls, imps, aliens and axe murderers appear for one night only to terrorize unsuspecting residents.

It's impossible not to compare Tales of Halloween to Trick r Treat (2007). However whilst that film works a treat (ahem) the same cannot be said for Tales of Halloween. Not all of it anyway.

After a terrific opening half hour with the short stories hitting you thick and fast it suddenly became a bit of a chore to sit through. So much information attacking your senses. Ten stories in under 90 mins is just too much. It would have worked far more successfully with half that number. I wanted it all to stop or slow down and take it's time. Visually it's excellent with so many references to horror down the years you just don't have chance to take it all in.

Where Trick r' Treat really works for me is the loving way all the stories interconnect with each other and you notice scenes from one story taking place whilst watching another. There's nothing like this here with only a few references thrown in, mainly during the police investigation story at the climax. Some of the ideas used did seem to come from other films such as Jeff Lieberman's Satan's Little Helper (2004), but it was lovely to hear and briefly see Adrienne Barbeau reprise her role of late night witching idea DJ throughout the film. Shame there wasn't much of a role for Tiffany Shepis mind, not that anyone really had much screen time.

Some of the stories amuse, some repulse, a couple i felt didn't work at all. Mostly though Tales of Halloween is a fun and gory spectacle that i think i'll watch in three segments next year.

Finally whoever told me Axelle Carolyn's entry was The Halloween Kid was wrong. If you want to see that you'll still have to buy the Soulmate dvd.
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  #38773  
Old 29th October 2016, 04:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
Tales of Halloween (2015)

Ten stories are woven together by their shared theme of Halloween night in an American suburb, where ghouls, imps, aliens and axe murderers appear for one night only to terrorize unsuspecting residents.

It's impossible not to compare Tales of Halloween to Trick r Treat (2007). However whilst that film works a treat (ahem) the same cannot be said for Tales of Halloween. Not all of it anyway.

After a terrific opening half hour with the short stories hitting you thick and fast it suddenly became a bit of a chore to sit through. So much information attacking your senses. Ten stories in under 90 mins is just too much. It would have worked far more successfully with half that number. I wanted it all to stop or slow down and take it's time. Visually it's excellent with so many references to horror down the years you just don't have chance to take it all in.

Where Trick r' Treat really works for me is the loving way all the stories interconnect with each other and you notice scenes from one story taking place whilst watching another. There's nothing like this here with only a few references thrown in, mainly during the police investigation story at the climax. Some of the ideas used did seem to come from other films such as Jeff Lieberman's Satan's Little Helper (2004), but it was lovely to hear and briefly see Adrienne Barbeau reprise her role of late night witching idea DJ throughout the film. Shame there wasn't much of a role for Tiffany Shepis mind, not that anyone really had much screen time.

Some of the stories amuse, some repulse, a couple i felt didn't work at all. Mostly though Tales of Halloween is a fun and gory spectacle that i think i'll watch in three segments next year.

Finally whoever told me Axelle Carolyn's entry was The Halloween Kid was wrong. If you want to see that you'll still have to buy the Soulmate dvd.
Not sure you've really sold me this one.
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  #38774  
Old 29th October 2016, 05:31 PM
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Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

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  #38775  
Old 29th October 2016, 10:53 PM
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High Society (1956)

An enjoyable Hollywood musical with an impeccable cast of Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra as well as Louis Armstrong and his band.

The great things about this film are also it's flaws. Kelly whilst beautiful to look at is way out of her depth in a musical with Crosby and Sinatra and mumbles her way through a mere single song, it also wasted the chance to have Sinatra and Crosby sing with Armstrong and his band in what should have been one of the greatest jam sessions of all time.

Still we can make do with Bing Crosby fronting Armstrong and his band in a wonderful jazz routine on Now You Has Jazz and the timeless pair up of Crosby and Sinatra's version of Well, Did You Evah!.

Not the best musical around but one with some outstanding highlights.
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  #38776  
Old 30th October 2016, 10:47 AM
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Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs View Post
High Society (1956)

An enjoyable Hollywood musical with an impeccable cast of Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly and Frank Sinatra as well as Louis Armstrong and his band.

The great things about this film are also it's flaws. Kelly whilst beautiful to look at is way out of her depth in a musical with Crosby and Sinatra and mumbles her way through a mere single song, it also wasted the chance to have Sinatra and Crosby sing with Armstrong and his band in what should have been one of the greatest jam sessions of all time.

Still we can make do with Bing Crosby fronting Armstrong and his band in a wonderful jazz routine on Now You Has Jazz and the timeless pair up of Crosby and Sinatra's version of Well, Did You Evah!.

Not the best musical around but one with some outstanding highlights.
Although it is an enjoyable film, I find High Society difficult to watch because I always compare it to the far superior The Philadelphia Story, the impeccable 1940 film on which it was based. In that case, the cast of Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn was perfect and, as you said, is impossible to better because there is no weak link, as Grace Kelly proved to be here.
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  #38777  
Old 30th October 2016, 11:20 AM
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Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)

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  #38778  
Old 30th October 2016, 12:31 PM
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Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs View Post
Although it is an enjoyable film, I find High Society difficult to watch because I always compare it to the far superior The Philadelphia Story, the impeccable 1940 film on which it was based. In that case, the cast of Cary Grant, James Stewart, and Katherine Hepburn was perfect and, as you said, is impossible to better because there is no weak link, as Grace Kelly proved to be here.
I did think Kelly seemed to be channeling Hepburn on more than one occasion.
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  #38779  
Old 30th October 2016, 12:53 PM
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I did think Kelly seemed to be channeling Hepburn on more than one occasion.
I didn't notice that, but it has been a long time since I saw High Society. There's nothing wrong with channelling Katherine Hepburn (I think it worked really well when Anthony Hopkins did it to play Hannibal Lecter) but, although Hepburn was a great actress, I don't feel musicals would have been her strong point!
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  #38780  
Old 30th October 2016, 05:24 PM
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Doctor strange

Glad to say Marvel pulled it off, this was always going to be one of the tougher nuts to crack from the marvel stable of characters but it had me pretty much hooked. Visually its impressive and not only lives up to the material in the trailer but manages to conjur up some of the visual stylings of steve ditko. Its only real flaw is unavoidable and thats the world building. Strange is different enough to a lot of the regular marvel characters, but takes stuff from Marvels more cosmic characters that a lot of it is introducing the concept of sorcery to the Marvel universe. Nontheless I'll probably hit up the cinema again to see it again.
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