What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Dave Boy]

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COMA (1978)

Dr. Geneviève Bujold becomes suspicious when a number of healthy patients go into a coma when brought out from anesthetic after an operation.
Her investigations take her to the sinister Jefferson Institute..

Great thriller directed by Michael Crichton. The music by Jerry Goldsmith kicks in nearly half way through the movie as events start to take a menacing turn at the Institute and the coma patients scene there is haunting.
It's about time this move had a UK Blu ray release..or any release!

[Demoncrat]

Safari (2013, Darrell James Roodt)

2 couples go on holiday to Africa. When a tour guide suggests they can see "the real Africa", off they blithely go .... guess what happens next?
Hilarious in parts tbh. Anything bad that can happen does ....
Moral of this story? Always carry a compass Westerners!

[Graveyard]

Robert Clouse (director behind Enter the Dragon and others) gives Jim Kelly a moment to shine - a kung fu movie with a lots of comedy, amazing dialogues lile "Wesley, I'm gonna slap the black off you." and an amazing final battle full of car wash foam

Recommend!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Prey (1977)

Norman J Warren's sci-fi shocker is an exercise in what you can do with three actors - Barry Stokes, Glory Annen and Sally Faulkner - and barely any budget and still come up with a well made slice of pulp horror.

I've seen this countless times over the years and whilst i do like it i also acknowledge it's not Warren's best film.

Last night i rewatched it whilst listening to the informative, engaging and entertaining commentary between English Gothic author and critic Jonathan Rigby and the likable Norman J Warren himself.

You'll be sadly missed Norman J. Rest in peace.

[Dave Boy]

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THE TEN COMMANDMENTS (1956)

Epic spectacular! The movie employes several different effects techniques for the story and the movie won an oscar for the special effects.
Talk about a cast of thousands, the Exodus looks incredible!
One thing that always bugs me though, is that not all the plagues are shown, just mentioned.
Listen out for one of the horn sounds as the Exodus begins as The Ewoks use it in Return Of The Jedi, ha ha!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

The Curse of El Charro (2005)

Not even some semi decent religious / horror imagery and a brief cameo from Lemmy can save this long winded - nothing happens until ten minutes from the end - college girls get knocked off by evil Mexican spirit movie. Andrew Bryniarski plays El Charro but you'd never know.

Alice Cooper's daughter, Calico, plays exactly the same role as she does for her dad on stage, but it's very blink and you'd miss it.

[Demoncrat]

The Bat People (1974, Jerry Jameson)

An odd one. A doctor falls foul of a winged pest, which puts paid to his career in various ways. Real bats, no fake ones either!
The local sheriff gets involved (COUGH) when folk start with the unexplained dying and that y'all. Slightly sombre in tone and all the betterer for it ahem!

[nicholasrope]

See No Evil, Hear No Evil

Richard Pryor is Blind and Gene Wilder is Deaf and they are accused of a murder that they both were there for. Cue madcap shenanigans in which they frustrate the Police chasing them and the 2 killers (Joan Severance and Kevin Spacey) I thought that this film would be a bit outdated (Other than a potential scene) it isn't, It's quite a decent watch really.

Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone

A Space Traveler tries to rescue 3 women who were kidnapped by Michael Ironside on a distant planet. He is assisted by Molly Ringwald. The F/X are definitely of it's time and I'm guessing Colombia Pictures were trying to get their version of Star Wars and Indiana Jones out there.

St. Trinians

Recent update which sees Rupert Everett as The Headmistress of the Boarding School with the quite mischievous pupils. Certainly as quite the cast including Gemma Arterton and Colin Firth. It's silly, can't be taken seriously but I find it thoroughly entertaining.

A Walk Among The Tombstones

Liam Neeson is The Private Eye who is hired by a Drug Dealer to find the sadistic killers of his wife. Whilst still enjoyable, when I initially watched it, I found it to be completely enthralling but I found it be a bit slower from what I remembered.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)

The next time i want to watch a movie where our heroes hang out in caves before blowing up a bridge i'll stick with Force Ten From Navarone because this over talky dirge bored the pants off me and by the time it came to blow up said bridge with twenty minutes to go out of two hours forty i was nearly asleep.

When you think Metallica wrote their best song using the exact same title.

I blame Hemingway!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Island Zero (2018)

Written by novelist Tess Gerritsen and directed by her son Josh, Island Zero is a well crafted horror thriller about the inhabitants of an island off Maine cut off from the mainland when they lose all power and the ferry stops coming. Adding to the tensions, anyone who ventures towards the mainland in a boat are never heard from again.

Dealing with subjects like isolation and dwindling food supplies in stores, this felt rather too realistic in this age of Covid 19. A slow burn movie, Island Zero quietly builds mood and tension thanks to some realistic acting - a special mention to Laila Robins here. It's not often a sixty year old tv actress plays the heroine in a movie such as this, and she's brilliant as the island doctor - excellent island locations and some impressive photography.

The atmosphere becomes stifling in a heady Stephen King / John Carpenter like way enhanced no end by what can only be described as a Carpenter-esq soundtrack giving the film a feel of The Fog or Storm of the Century.

Whilst Island Zero is low budget (From what i understand a mere thirty five people worked on it) every penny is well spent in what i would describe as a thoughtful sci-fi horror film which i enjoyed very much.