What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Delighted you enjoyed Across the River, Frankie. Definitely one of my Decemberdike highlights.

[Crimson Blade]

I'm surprised that 88 Films haven't picked up Werewolf Woman yet. It would make a great addition to their italian collection.

Glad I imported the Raro Blu-ray a while back.

[bleakshaun]

Mega Shark vs Crocosaurus
The shark from mega shark vs giant octopus is alive and destroys a naval ship, in the meantime a large crocodile has awakened in the Congo now the US navy has to stop both of them.
Well dammit this is only slightly better than the previous film and that is only because of 2 reasons the first being Robert Picardo and the other being the crocosaurus sequences which is laughable to say the least.
6/10
Thankfully the torture is almost over............
For now.

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[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

A few reviews of films I've seen over the past few days:

SLAUGHTERHOUSE ROCK
I’m not sure whether it was the title of the cover, but I half expected this to be the campy, and extremely silly, Glam metal lovechild of Phantom of the Paradise and The Birdman of Alcatraz. It has a very weird vibe, due in no small part to the idea of one of the main characters being guided around by the spirit of a murdered heavy metal singer who was killed there and wants to help him fight the Demon who was possessed his brother. It sounds ridiculous and there are several occasions where it is. However, rather than reducing the enjoyment, this only made it more fun and I’m certainly looking forward to watching it again soon.

SWEET SIXTEEN
It’s been so long since I saw this that I’d completely forgotten the reveal and who was the responsible for murdering all the teenage boys who want to spend some ‘quality time’ with Melissa (the subject of a horrendously catchy song which plays over the end credits) who is approaching her 16th birthday. When it becomes clear she is the last person to see these boys alive, she becomes the prime suspect – is she hiding behind the facade of being a shy beauty, or is someone else responsible? I must admit to enjoying this one a great deal as well and, like Slaughterhouse Rock, I think 88 Films have released a disc with extremely good AV quality, and this benefits from an enjoyable and informative commentary by The Hysteria Continues team. They are both releases for slasher fans to buy.

THE BLOOD OF FU MANCHU
One of the weirdest aspects of this film is, a bit like the issue with Navajo Joe that I mentioned earlier this week, is the racism in the central casting, in this case Christopher Lee having the skin around his eyes pulled tight in order to portray a Chinese man. The story is simple enough: the titular villain has inoculated 10 women against a deadly poison, then infected them with it and sent them out on a mission to track down 10 world leaders, giving them all the ‘kiss of death’. It’s preposterous and far campier than (I assume) Jess Franco intended.

THE CASTLE OF FU MANCHU
The second film in the Fu Manchu collection (which I picked up on Demdike’s recommendation) is another piece of ridiculous shtick from Jess Franco with Christopher Lee as the evil Chinese mastermind, this time aiming to freeze the world’s oceans. It is stupid fun because it’s so outrageously ridiculous as people obey Fu Manchu, and facilitate his ambitions for world domination, for the promise of an extra few hours of life, or to (temporarily) spare the life of a loved one. In this case at least, they do things including performing a heart transplant when the donor hasn’t consented and when the surgical team consists of two people! Like I said, it’s completely preposterous, but I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t watch it again.

DOGS
Going back to the delivery from 88 Films and the latest from their Vault collection. It’s one of a number of films (Squirm and Grizzly being among them) which saw the appeal of Jaws and realise the potential of a horror film in which the antagonist can’t be reasoned with or predicted because it’s not human. Also, in this case, the killer is something you would usually consider friendly. This was my first viewing and felt it owed more to Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (1963) than the other films I’ve mentioned, turning a friendly, or perhaps neutral, creature into something malevolent and altogether terrifying. It’s extremely well made by Burt Brinkerhoff and far better than I was expecting from a killer animal B-movie.

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
I’m not sure if this was the first Ang Lee film I ever saw, but it was definitely my first experience of wuxia as I remember not knowing exactly what to make of people running up walls, flying through the air and effortlessly skipping across rooftops from building to building. I’ve seen many more since I bought this film as a blind buy on DVD, learning to understand and really like the world of wuxia, and the new Ultra HD release showcases the amazing cinematography (people who hate grain should stay well away), the brilliant soundtrack and occasionally breathtaking action set pieces. I consider it a masterpiece of cinema and it’s even better with the best available picture and sound quality.

THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE
This has been reviewed several times already so there’s not much I want to add. It is a simple story of a father and son pathology team who are presented with a case which is far from simple. The box makes this out to be a horror film and I was certainly bemused by the content of the first act which made me think of the word ‘horror’ was used for marketing purposes rather than as a genuine reflection of the tone and its effect on the viewer. I needn’t have worried because by the time the event rolled around I had jumped several times and been quite shaken at times. I don’t get the comparisons to The Babadook or It Follows beyond it being a genre film the last couple of years. My advice is to watch it without any preconceptions and you shouldn’t be disappointed.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

THE AUTOPSY OF JANE DOE
This has been reviewed several times already so there’s not much I want to add. It is a simple story of a father and son pathology team who are presented with a case which is far from simple. The box makes this out to be a horror film and I was certainly bemused by the content of the first act which made me think of the word ‘horror’ was used for marketing purposes rather than as a genuine reflection of the tone and its effect on the viewer. I needn’t have worried because by the time the event rolled around I had jumped several times and been quite shaken at times. I don’t get the comparisons to The Babadook or It Follows beyond it being a genre film the last couple of years. My advice is to watch it without any preconceptions and you shouldn’t be disappointed.

It was i who compared it to The Babadook and It Follows. Not because they are in any way similar but because i felt all three were distinctly original horror films, but unlike those two Jane Doe didn't gain the critical hype even though i suggest it is a far superior work.

Trebor then did my review practically word for word when he'd watched it, hence seemingly a lot of references to those two movies.

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

It was i who compared it to The Babadook and It Follows. Not because they are in any way similar but because i felt all three were distinctly original horror films, but unlike those two Jane Doe didn't gain the critical hype even though i suggest it is a far superior work.

Trebor then did my review practically word for word when he'd watched it, hence seemingly a lot of references to those two movies.

They are very distinct and original films – whether you like them or not – and I would much rather they be made and distributed than another remake or sequel in an established series, whether it's another instalment in the Conjuring, Saw, Paranormal Activity or Insidious franchises.

I'd much rather watch something new and innovative where filmmakers are trying to do something interesting than a remake, sequel or prequel to a known commodity and which (as far as the distributors are concerned) is a relatively 'safe' investment. If it's a DTV film on Netflix or cheap from Music Magpie, that is sometimes better than a big budget movie in the multiplex.

[bleakshaun]

Mega Shark vs Mecha Shark
Another megalodon is awakened from ice, this time the world has a plan: fight the shark with a robot shark.
Out of the 3, this is by far the most derivative pieces of trash, not only in many ways taking a leaf out of Pacific Rim's book, but even taking elements from films such as Stealth. Still good to see Christopher Judge in something that isn't Stargate and there are some enjoyable set pieces. 5/10
God I feel a bit like Nathan from South Park after all those shitty shark movies


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[Rik]

Christ, you must be a glutton for punishment watching all these films

(He says as he looks at shelves full of crappy Italian cannibal and zombie films )

[bleakshaun]

Originally Posted by Rik

Christ, you must be a glutton for punishment watching all these films

(He says as he looks at shelves full of crappy Italian cannibal and zombie films )

Well as I said earlier I have a lot of recordings from last year mainly from the horror channel. I think the term is masochism. But the good news is I don't have to deal with asylum bullshit for a while (hopefully never). Still, a new year a new selection of schlock and:


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[Demoncrat]

Good Time (2017, Safdie Bros)
R-Patz continues his escape route from Twilight with this reasonably entertaining story of two brothers on the wrong side of the tracks. When a bank robberry leaves one brother incarcerated ... the other is forced into a dire situation to resolve this.