What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[nosferatu42]

Mafu Cage

91prwdawutl-_sl1500_.jpg

Picked this up on a UK dvd retitled "Don't ring the doorbell", it's a really shitty sub VHS transfer that was too dark to make out what was really going on in a few scenes but still i liked the film a lot.

Two sisters live alone in a old house, one played by Lee Grant (Omen 2) is the serious but stable sibling, whereas the other played by Carol Kane (When a stranger calls) is totally insane.

Their father was an anthropologist studying African culture but after he died the
sisters are left in the family home that is filled with all his African artifacts, centred around a room overgrown with plants and containing a giant cage where Kane keeps Mafu (a pet ape).

unnamed (3).jpg

This is a film that attempts a classy vibe, it's more psychological than overt horror, but it has its moments, Kane has serious daddy issues, there's implied incest between the sisters and she ends up beating the animal to death before the films halfway point, so we know it's not going to end well.

The film's ending is subdued and downbeat, which was a shame as it could have been an intense cat and mouse game of death.

But, and it's a big but, Carol Kane is a force of nature here, she's basically cared for by Grant and kept isolated in the house, trapped in an environment where she can do as she pleases, which consists of pining over her father, drawing then beating on apes, throwing tantrums, listening to jungle music and dressing up in tribal inspired outfits.

hqdefault (5).jpg

Her character is completely mentally unstable, at times gentle when she is producing her art (which as the film progresses spreads over the walls of the room), sometimes manipulative and aggressive when she loses her patience, smashing stuff up and hitting out while yelling "you dumb shit" repeatedly.
Yet you can emphasize with her character too, being isolated and left to fester in her own disturbed world.

MV5BMzVkNWE2YmQtMDMyYy00MWM0LWIxZTEtYmE5YzRiODVmZTJiXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzU4ODM5Nw@@._V1_.jpg

So the film has many flaws with pacing and the ending, (the shitty copy probably didn't help) but i found Kanes performance compelling and the unusual atmosphere, art direction and soundtrack made it something unique.

I'm seriously thinking of getting the US blu ray at some point and giving it a reappraisal as it was definitely an interesting watch.

the-mafu-cage.jpg

7/10

[Demoncrat]

Blazin' Saddles

When a new railroad has to be diverted into the path of an unsuspecting frontier town, two scheming politicians find a really unique way to get what they want.
Sadly for them, their "joke" turns the tables on them and justice prevails ... ?


And

" ..... You've all had enough beans!!!"

Still remarkably silly. Recommended to the last 3 people on earth whom haven't seen it ....

[Demoncrat]

Sun Choke (2015, Ben Cresciman)

An odd, slightly glacial wee thing. Margo lives by an imposed regime. It seems cruel, but looks can be deceiving?? Hmmm. Kept me guessing this one. And Barbara Crampton plays her erstwhile "warden". Hmmm.



How I Spent My Summer Vacation (2012, Adrian Grunberg)

Hmmm. Does the director have something against Mexicans??? . The Gibson gets an insight into a little known part of culture across the border. Violence occurs. Brisk though a tad saggy I felt.

[iank]

The Brides of Dracula. Van Helsing swashes his buckle to save a young woman from the attentions of a vampire she's inadvertently released back into the community. Despite the title, the second film in the franchise doesn't feature Dracula, but Peter Cushing is back as his nemesis. This is okay, and the final showdown is pretty cool, but the new vampire is no Christopher Lee and this is one of the lesser entries in the series to me.

[trebor8273]

An enjoyable bit of sci-fi/ horror , when a body is found without any bones a doctor seeks help on the mainland and brings back two scientists to investigate, while investigating the home of a local scientist they soon discover a group of creatures responsible for the killings , which we soon learn were created by one of the scientists experiments, a way has to be found to destroy the creatures which appear indestructible before they kill the entire population . Has a 70s doctor who vibe even though made in 66. 7/10


Next up tonight either cabin in the woods or beast in the cellar.

Edit

Went for breasts in the cellar as not seen it since I was a kid when ITV should horrors on Friday night's, great times and what probably got me into horrors.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by trebor8273

An enjoyable bit of sci-fi/ horror , when a body is found without any bones a doctor seeks help on the mainland and brings back two scientists to investigate, while investigating the home of a local scientist they soon discover a group of creatures responsible for the killings , which we soon learn were created by one of the scientists experiments, a way has to be found to destroy the creatures which appear indestructible before they kill the entire population . Has a 70s doctor who vibe even though made in 66. 7/10


Next up tonight either cabin in the woods or beast in the cellar.

Edit

Went for breasts in the cellar as not seen it since I was a kid when ITV should horrors on Friday night's, great times and what probably got me into horrors.

Is it just me who is desperate to make a comment about that last sentence?

[trebor8273]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Is it just me who is desperate to make a comment about that last sentence?

Whoops!

I'm not some perverted serial killer, honest!

[Demoncrat]

Ah, the fun we have.

Beryl intoning "It puts the lotion in the basket, dear!"

[Demoncrat]

The Night Of The Devils (!972, Giorgio Ferroni)

Crumbling gothic pile? Family with hideous secrets?? Ah, home again
Last saw this on crumbling vhs back in the day cough. It looks slightly betterer now. Now I can see the edge at least . A genuine joy to behold this. Based on the same folk tale as filmed by Bava, it manages to keep your attention. Well, it kept mine anyhow.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Three Men in a Boat (1956)

This Victorian set comedy has quite a lot of charm once everyone stops childishly f*cking about in Hampton Court Maze and we finally get Laurence Harvey, Jimmy Edwards and David Tomlinson partaking in their Thames sail boat holiday.

The guys are very amiable and the three parasol toting girls (Shirley Eaton, Lisa Gastoni and Jill Ireland) they try and hook up with as radiant as the morning sun. The scrapes they get into messing about on the river have that quaint nostalgic appeal. However it's the lovable Terrier in the boat with them that steals every scene from under their noses.