What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[MacBlayne]

THE THING

Since I’m stuck at home with COVID to prevent it from passing to others, I decided to rewatch what is now the most relatable of films – John Carpenter’s The Thing.

I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said countless times. Like Alien, Carpenter succeeds in locking a talented cast in an isolated horror that defies explanation. In a way, both films laid the blueprint for survival horror design, as in…

- a setting cut off from the rest of the world
- small cast of characters
- a threat of mysterious origins
- limited supply of resources
- lack of agency

Next time you boot up Resident Evil, tell me if you don’t notice the parallels.

Alongside Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing sees Carpenter’s immense talent matched by a large budget, and a crew of gifted technicians. Thanks to their contributions, the film immerses you within the confines of the Antarctica base. You can feel yourself succumb to the same paranoia and hopelessness that the staff feel. It would be so depressing if it wasn’t for Carpenter and screenwriter Bill Lancaster punctuating the intensity with strong gags. “You gotta be f**king kidding me!” is a line for the ages.

Speaking of Lancaster, a lot of praise must be given to his sparse script. Although a rare novelisation suggests that Carpenter deleted many sequences from Lancaster’s draft, it still forgoes exposition and long-winded character speeches. The characters of The Thing live in the moment. There is little need for background details, because the cast fill in whatever is missing in the page. Kurt Russell, Keith David, and Wilford Brimley have been rightfully acclaimed for their performances, but credit must be given to the supporting cast. Carpenter had the cast live together for a month to help them develop chemistry and rapport, and it shows onscreen. You really do get the impression that this is a crew that have worked together for months, if not years.

One aspect I always admired was towards the end, when

SPOILER:

it’s just MacReady, Childs, Garry, and Nauls left. Realising that they are on their own, they come to the quick decision that if they’re not going to survive this thing, then neither is it. MacReady, Childs, and Garry share a nod – they know what must be done, and accept it. Nauls, understands what needs to be done, but shows more reluctance. Not a word is spoken – it’s all in the eyes – and it tells us more about these characters’ backgrounds than a speech about surviving Vietnam would have done.

As mentioned above, the technical specs of the film help the cast sell their struggles. Cinematographer Dean Cundey and production designer John J. Lloyd present a believable location lost to the world, and ravaged by the elements. The sound design and Ennio Morricone’s foreboding score carry you to an alien wilderness. And Rob Bottin’s effects are still astonishing to this day. Thanks to Todd Ramsay’s careful editing, the effects sit in that uncomfortable zone between reality and surrealism. As hard as it is to comprehend, you will believe a man’s chest turns into a mouth.

The Thing is about as good as filmmaking gets. It features everybody at the top of their game to create an experience unparalleled within horror. And maybe that’s why critics at the time balked at it (although Gene Siskel was an early fan). Alien, as grim and cynical as it was, was set in a distant future in a distant setting. The Thing was closer to home, and presented humans behaving like humans, i.e. they all turned on each other. And while Alien closed

SPOILER:

with a sense of resolution, The Thing is far more nihilistic, with the story stopping rather than resolving. No answers. No hints. No hope. The world, the universe, the elements all around you, just the like the monster, just doesn’t care about you. You are not special.

Lovecraft would be proud.

PS: Here's a crazy fan theory. What if there were other Things around the world? What if they were waiting for one to wake up? Why can't Windows contact anybody? What if everybody else in the world has succumbed to the Thing?

[Demoncrat]

The Man From Hong Kong (1975, Brian Trenchard-Smith)

Some fun here. An HK cop is sent down under to extradite a scumbag. Whilst he's there, he keeps his hand in somewhat
Even saddled with "minders" including Hugh Keays-Byrne, he manages to kick and punch the baddies a lot.
Then tis revealed that the Lazenby is the kingpin here, so it moves into overdrive. A hoot.



Savage Harbour (1987, Carl Monson)

Frank Stallone and Chris Mitchum?? Yes please.
Our pair are sailors home from the sea, first port of call is the local sleazepit bar where they are greeted like returning heroes
The film wastes no time in letting us know that FS is rugged and manly, so when he saves a damsel in distress, love isn't far away (cue celestial choir )
An odd one. It looks like a film (properly edited, decent sound etc), but it makes less sense that Dangerous Men really .
The antagonists are a cliched bunch (giggling psycho, sleazy pimp etc) and are slightly underused. FS seems to have a glass spine as he always gets his arse handed to him until events take a sour turn.



Prey (2022, Dan Trachtenberg)

A film that I enjoyed in parts even if the design of you-know-what did leave me scratching my head ahem. Lovely scenery for all that.

[MacBlayne]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

The Man From Hong Kong (1975, Brian Trenchard-Smith)

I heard Jimmy Wang Yu was such a massive prick to everybody while making this. Nobody has a nice word to say about him.

[Demoncrat]

So I believe. Shame as he can do the business blindfolded it seems.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Splatter University (1984)

A deranged mental patient escapes his hospital, leaving bodies in his wake he ends up at a college campus and the killings begin again.

This is one hell of an odd film and could easily been simply dismissed as dross, however something about doing that would have niggled the rest of the day for me as there's a certain something that's great about Splatter University i just can't put my finger on.

The performances especially by the faculty students are dreadful, however the leading lady, Forbes Riley, is absolutely terrific, holding a basic script together and playing it straight whereas many are hamming it up for all their worth, spouting inane dialogue as if nothing ever happened on campus.

Taken as a stalk and slash film, Splatter University also fails pretty miserably. There are no terrifying set ups or suspense. We never stalk anyone like the best slasher films do, no Splatter University kind of dispatches it's victims almost matter of factly even if the killings are very much on the gruesome side which helps flesh the film out somewhat and maintain interest.

And yet there's something about the film that grabbed me, possibly it was Riley's believable performance floating atop the swill of scum and deadwood the rest of the cast are drowning in, i just don't know, it's all sort of wonky yet weirdly effective. Perhaps a third viewing will make it click in my head.

Or not!

[Demoncrat]

Felidae (1994, Michael Shaack)

German animated feature about an ickle kitty ?? AWWWWWWWWWWWW.

Ahem.
Moving into a new neighbourhood, our four pawed protagonist finds himself in the midst of an intrigue. Coming over all Sherlock, he delves headlong into the mystery with gusto.
This is not The Aristocats
Recommended if only for the fact that you haven't quite seen anything like this.
Plus it had more plot and character development than Prey in spades.
Harumph

[nicholasrope]

Tiger Cage

Hong Kong based Film in which a Drugs Unit tries to stop a shipment whilst dealing with crooked cops. Some decent Fight scenes and a rather nice kill

SPOILER:

Henchman just drops a woman from a block of Flats

in a decent watchable effort but not the greatest Film ever.

My memories are that Tiger Cage 1&2 got Video Releases but never got a DVD release, which would be quite shocking if true considering there was Tartan, Hong Kong Legends and Cine Asia releasing Films.

Loved that the English Trailer seemed to show the majority of the Fight scenes along with saying the other Title, Dragon Cops whilst the Tiger Cage Title simultaneously appeared on screen lol.

Evil Dead

One of the most well known Horror/Video Nasty out there sees Bruce Campbell and friends stay in a Cabin but get attacked by Zombies. Only saw it once before and thought it was over-rated and whilst there is some nice gore F/X, my original opinion remains.

[MrBarlow]

Santa Sangre. 1989.

A former circus artist escapes from a psychiatric hospital and rekindles his relationship with his arm-less mother and seek revenge on those who wronged her.

This is certainly not a strange movie from Alejandro Jodorowsky but certainly one of his most bizarre and violent movies that I have seen so far from the director. It certainly depicts on what is real and what is imaginary as the main character Fenix played by Axel and Aden Jodorowsky as the young and older character who witnesses his mother loosing her limbs and his father's demise.

Like his other movies, it does have a strange start then goes into the somewhat character build up but then goes in another direction with the second half and how a mother can still have a hold over her son, then gives out a good twist to the end. This may not be for everyone but any fan of the director will enjoy this.

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[MrBarlow]

Chopper Chicks In Zombietown.1989.

A group of tough female bikers head to a small town where zombies are kept in a cave and are released.

We love all these B grade Troma films, especially with Don Calfa appearing in another zombie flick, we got a bunch of female bikers in which one of the group seems to come from the little town, a mad doctor trying to bring back the dead and abandoned cave to store them in, quirky one liners. This is one film that doesn't take itself seriously but has the laughs.

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[MrBarlow]

ROT. 1997.

How I made it through this one is anyone's guess but when your night shift and it's quiet you will want something on to help pass the time, this one dragged the time by.

Right from the start with the acting, it was gonna be shit even with the very amateurish cinematography and cheap lightning used. Somehow a young girl is in a morgue with a dead body that's more than stiff in a few places, goes home and pukes then the loving boyfriend comes home makes out with him and in mid coitus she tells him what she has done.

To say he takes it well is a understatement, the morgue attendant is a Vietnam Vet who dealt with bio-chemicals and created a disease called Rot and the corpse was infected with it and turns people into zombies.

Save yourself from this one, the film Contracted: Phase I from 2013 is more entertaining and believable than this.

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