What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

I really want to see Mindhorn, but don't expect it to be brilliant or as good as the trailer makes out. Although it will probably make me laugh, it will also probably have a few too many dead spots. As long as I'm entertained, that's really what I want from a movie like that.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Antoine Fuqua's re-imagining of the classic 1960 western with a less well known cast but a script that races along.

Starring Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke, i wasn't sure how this would play out when compared to messrs Brynner, McQueen, Coburn, Bronson et-al, so personality and screen presence wise they didn't stand a chance, however this version retains several elements as well including Elmer Bernstein's classic theme and when added to the fact Fuqua's film is fast, slick and incredibly entertaining meant i enjoyed it a lot.

[Dave Boy]

The-Shallows-Poster-the-shallows-39717769-2048-1536.jpg
THE SHALLOWS (2016)

While surfing at a remote beach, Nancy is knocked off her board and injured by a shark. Finding refuge on a rock only visible at low tide, the shark continues to circle her. Witnessing the deaths of two other surfers and with the tide coming in, she needs a plan..

Pretty good survival movie. Blake Lively has to carry the film herself and does a decent job, helped by the fact that she looks pretty awesome in surf gear.
I was surprised how well the CGI shark looked. Very well done.

[MrBarlow]

Transylvania 6-5000 1985

Two Journalists (Jeff Goldblum and Ed Begley jr) travel to Transylvania after seeing a video of Frankenstein but find a mad scientist/Doctor, the Wolf Man and a female vampire and other oddballs.

This is done like a Mel Brooks comedy style, lots of humour, and some good one liners, I wouldn't say it's a classic movie but it is enjoyable, especially seeing Genna Davis in a to quote a James Bond phrase...a nice little something she is almost wearing. 7 out of 10.

[bleakshaun]

Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV
Prequel to the game, the film is set in the moments leading up to the events of the game itself.
The story centers around the Kingsglaive; a special unit set up by King Regis for Spec Ops, after a botched mission against the Niflheim Empire, many members are given separate tasks with the announcement of a peace treaty between Lucis and the empire, however the empire betrays the kingdom and invades, crippling the defences.
This is a great animated film, which unfortunately has some flaws with it. If you are playing FFXV, then you'll be fine: It makes sense. However if you stumble upon it and are not a fan of the game (or even playing it) then there will be issues with the plot in a contextual sense.
For fans of the game more than anybody else.
8/10

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[bleakshaun]

Zone Troopers
A squad of US soldiers led by a hard sarge, are trapped within enemy lines. After a few moments 2 of the squad go hunting for deer but discover a nazi camp where they are captured with an alien and the other 2 look for them but instead discover an alien craft. Its now up to the soldiers to escape from the Nazis and protect the alien.
Charles Bands ww2 flick is nothing less than you expect from Band - which is to say it's trash, but as with other films from him, it is entertainment and there's nothing else to it. No point griping about the effects or acting because what you see is what you get.
6/10

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[bleakshaun]

Scarecrows
A group of robbers hijack a plane to get back the money they stole from one off their colleagues. This takes them to an abandoned field, which is mostly filled with scarecrows. There they are killed off one by one.
This horror has a great premise and some great kills. Unfortunately it doesn't pace well and at times you are just watching and waiting for something to happen and by the time something does happen, it is anticlimactic. An ok horror film with a great concept.
6/10

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[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bleakshaun

Scarecrows
A group of robbers hijack a plane to get back the money they stole from one off their colleagues. This takes them to an abandoned field, which is mostly filled with scarecrows. There they are killed off one by one.
This horror has a great premise and some great kills. Unfortunately it doesn't pace well and at times you are just watching and waiting for something to happen and by the time something does happen, it is anticlimactic. An ok horror film with a great concept.
6/10

I've always liked Scarecrows. Owned the region one dvd since it hit shelves. Maybe it's the whole scarecrow as a symbol of horror thing that i find most effective.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Hidden in the Woods (2014)

An English language remake of the Chilean film of the same name by that films' director Patricio Valladares. This US remake co-produced and starring Michael Biehn is an intensely brutal affair. It tells the story of two sisters raised in isolation by their father (Biehn) and subjected to abuse throughout their short lives. When he's finally put in jail the girls end up having to answer to their uncle (William Forsythe) a local drug kingpin who is looking for his stash of merchandise which went missing when Biehn was arrested.

I'm not entirely sure if Asda knew exactly what they were selling for £3 in the case of Hidden in the Woods, although BBFC approved it's tough going. Utterly downbeat, it's a depiction of graphic rape, incest, murder, and sex from the off. It feels realistic thanks to it being digitally shot and using natural light in the majority of scenes. Both Biehn and Forsythe are utterly unlikable but the girls - Jeannine Kaspar and Electra Avellan - have our sympathies for the torrent of abuse they suffer throughout.

In no way could the film be classed as fun or even entertaining, but it is grimy, gritty, and disturbingly repulsive.

I know some steer clear of films with sexual violence which this film has in spades so here is what the BBFC has to say. It's uncut by the way.

There is strong violence throughout, including several scenes of sexual violence in which young female characters are raped. An abusive father rapes both his daughters, one of whom subsequently gives birth to a child with a developmental disability. During other scenes of violence there is a strong emphasis on bloody injury detail. A character kills two people with a chainsaw and another character has his ear shot off.

I'll definitely be getting the even more gruesome Chilean original in the next few weeks.

[Demoncrat]

HITW is an effective wee treat for sure ... and twas nice to see Biehn again.