What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I have booked tickets to see Spider-Man: Homecoming followed immediately by Despicable Me 3 on Thursday, which should be an interesting doublebill. I'll do my best to post some thoughts on here sometime that afternoon/evening or Friday morning.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I have booked tickets to see Spider-Man: Homecoming followed immediately by Despicable Me 3 on Thursday, which should be an interesting doublebill. I'll do my best to post some thoughts on here sometime that afternoon/evening or Friday morning.

I'd prefer it if you'd post thoughts about your latest 88 releases or other cult films rather than summer blockbusters.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I'd prefer it if you'd post thoughts about your latest 88 releases or other cult films rather than summer blockbusters.

I'll do my best to spend 15-30 minutes tomorrow morning writing a list of things I've seen over the past week or so with a few thoughts. I did post about The Oily Maniac in the 88 Films thread, but mostly to say that I couldn't give any definitive review until after a second viewing. The AV quality is superb and, as I said there, the interview with Calum Waddell is what made me reappraise what I had seen and makes a second viewing shortly after watching the interview compulsory.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I should really get into a habit of spending a few minutes every morning writing about what I saw the evening before and either post it there and then or keep it as a 'diary' to post each weekend.

Before that, I need to get into the habit of working on my dissertation – those things don't write themselves!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I'll do my best to spend 15-30 minutes tomorrow morning writing a list of things I've seen over the past week or so with a few thoughts.

Nice one.

This is Cult Labs not mainstream Hollywood labs after all. Reviews of Spiderman and such like are all over the place on sites like Den of Geek etc.

[Susan Foreman]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

Before that, I need to get into the habit of working on my dissertation

Yes, you do, young man

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

those things don't write themselves!

Truer words were never spoken

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Killer Barby's (1994)

One of the last of Jess Franco's films to get any sort of mainstream dvd release. The film about a punk band - Killer Barbies - who end up at an old castle after their tour van breaks down. Unfortunately for the band the castle is home to Countess Von Fledermaus, an ages old vampire who needs fresh blood to survive.

Basically it's Franco's take on the Countess Bathory legend but much sleazier. The film has a Gothic air to it but not in the same way as Hammer for example. No this Gothic air is slightly more polluted in a way only Jess could make it.The band in the film are a real Spanish punk group lead by singer Silvia Superstar, who's the heroine of the piece. Sadly the soundtrack contains only two of their songs which are initially very good but seeing as they are played on the soundtrack almost continuously, become hair pullingly repetitive.

There's plenty of nudity on offer and plenty of pointless humping as well as the revived Countess performing a sexy blood letting ritual with one of the band members, but on the whole this is a bit of a clumsy affair. Having said that Killer Barby's does have it's charm. The gorgeous red haired Silvia Superstar is very good and make the rest look ever so amateurish, although no one is helped by some terrible dubbing, and the castle is typically vampiric in it's decor. The film is very bloody in places, not seen in a Franco film since 1981's Bloody Moon.

I can't recommend Killer Barby's but i kind of enjoyed it and will certainly watch it again.

[iank]

REC. A young female journalist and her cameraman are doing a story on a typical night for a local fire service when they are trapped - quarantined - in an apartment building where a terrifying virus is running rampant and turning the residents into flesh-eating zombies in this late 2000s "found footage" Spanish horror flick that is absolutely one of the best (if not the best) of its genre. Tense, adrenaline-fuelled and often watch-through-your-fingers scary.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by iank

REC. A young female journalist and her cameraman are doing a story on a typical night for a local fire service when they are trapped - quarantined - in an apartment building where a terrifying virus is running rampant and turning the residents into flesh-eating zombies in this late 2000s "found footage" Spanish horror flick that is absolutely one of the best (if not the best) of its genre. Tense, adrenaline-fuelled and often watch-through-your-fingers scary.

Must be honest i only found the last five mins or so of REC to be particularly creepy.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Wild One (1953)

The film which cemented Marlon Brando as cool as f**k Hollywood bad boy. In The Wild One he scorches the screen as Johnny, the leader of vicious biker gang the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club. who invade a small, sleepy Californian town.

Beginning as a hip, cool, almost musical piece with plenty of dancing and jive talking of the day, the gang soon piss off the locals with their antics and things swiftly turn sour. If i'm honest the film is fairly slow until Lee Marvin and his rival gang turn up, then the film comes up trumps with suspense, violence and sadism and also turns morally dubious as the towns folk take things into their own hands.

Brando is excellent, coolness personified, yet also distant. It's not until the final scene that we see a hint of a smile from him. Lee Marvin though seems slightly miscast as he's clearly too old for his role and looks like he's rolled off the set of a Naval war movie. As well as Brando the other star of the show is the motorbike or rather the symbolism of rebellion it gains and it's place in movie history that would influence many a film in the decades to come.