What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[nosferatu42]

I love Santa Sangre, If El Topo is Jodorowsky's obsessions filtered through a western and The Holy Mountain a dissection of religion, then Santa Sangre is primarily a Psycho/Horror film.

It's still totally nutzoid but it is more easily accessible and slightly more straight forward, basically the story of a boy who is consumed by the shadow of his twisted family, his father is a circus performer and mother a religious fanatic.

The circus stuff draws in influences from Freaks and the mother fixation is Psycho inspired in my mind.

There are some murders mixed in, but the beauty of scenes with the boy and a young girl are really touching, I haven't seen it for a while but think I might have to have a rewatch soon now i'm thinking of it.

Recommended from me.

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by Nordicdusk

No still not seen that shame it wasn't in the Arrow set.

Buy the Severin 4k disc
Produced by Argento's brother Claudio, they wanted it to be a giallo-esque slasher, but they got much more than that.

[MrBarlow]

Originally Posted by Justin101

Buy the Severin 4k disc
Produced by Argento's brother Claudio, they wanted it to be a giallo-esque slasher, but they got much more than that.

I forgot Severin released it on 4K, good call there Justin

[Justin101]

Originally Posted by MrBarlow

I forgot Severin released it on 4K, good call there Justin

I have the UK blu too which looked pretty good but the 4k is like seeing for the first time it looks amazing! The reds really pop and for a film about blood that’s quite a good thing! The scene outside of the church looks spectacular!

[J Harker]

Mortal Kombat. Simon McQuoid. 2021.

The latest attempt to bring the classic video game franchise to the big screen.
Our world, the Earthrealm is but one of a series of other worlds. At intervals throughout history a tournament is held to decide control of the realms. Outworld, ruled over by the evil Shang Tsung has won 9 straight tournaments. One more and Shang Tsung will gain control of Earthrealm forever, and presumably lots of bad things will happen and it will be unpleasant for humanity.
Step in Cole Young, a former pro MMA fighter and unbeknownst to himself the descendant of Hanzo Hasashi a formidable and legendary ninja warrior.
Cole Young (an original character created for the film) is joined by ex special forces operatives Jax and Sonja Blade and sets out to fulfill his destiny and kick some Outworld butt. All this is largely irrelevant, a silly plot for a silly film. Is that a bad thing? Not one little bit. Mortal Kombat is loud dumb and stupid entertainment and it doesn't attempt to be anything else really. The opening ten minutes or so are probably the highlight of the film if I'm honest, set in feudal Japan we meet Hanzo Hasashi (Hiroyuki Sadana), aforementioned fearsome ninja who appears to have settled down to a life of peace with his family. Within minutes Chinese warriors from a rival clan have invaded his compound and we are treated to some superb fight choreography as Hanzo chops and lops limbs off as blood, albeit cgi enhanced, splashes around the place. The whole opening sequence looks amazing and promises something grander than is ever delivered. Were the rest of the film not such an easy entertaining watch then the disappointment would have been much higher.
I've always had a soft spot for the original Mortal Kombat movie from 1995 made by Paul W.S.Anderson. If you enjoyed that then you should find plenty to entertain here, its of a similar vein to much of Paul W.S.Andersons work and say what you will that sort of stuff rarely disappoints.
There's some ropey effects here and there, plenty of humour and a surprising amount of gore, though being the games never shied away it shouldn't really be a surprise.
Entertaining, recommended if you find it cheap. Rather forgettable if I'm honest bit then that's not always a bad thing. Means I can watch it again. Perfect film to watch when the brain isn't firing on all cylinders.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Not reading that review ^ as i haven't watched my Blu yet.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Not reading that review ^ as i haven't watched my Blu yet.

What you like it for then man?
I've tried to avoid spoilers. I generally try to even on older films everyone has seen. I remember watching Star Wars (Episode IV as it's now known) for the first time in 1998. I genuinely didn't know what was coming. Some bugger who happened to walk into the room decided to tell me.

[MrBarlow]

Se7en. 1995.

Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman star as the veteran and rookie detectives who are partnered together until a body is discovered of a obese man then a high class lawyer both killed under a sin, Sloth and Greed which sends them on a path to find who is killing people under the deadly sins.

David Fincher who nearly gave up directing after the problems on Alien 3, gave us this tense psychological thriller written well by Andrew Kevin Walker and shows how good of acting the both leads are. Kevin Spacey who turn up 3/4 of the film as "John Doe" who enjoys playing the mind games as will as playing his own sadistic games.

The film takes place in a dark bleak present city that's never really named and always seemed to be in constant rain. The two detectives are not really buddy buddy and try to rely on their education and literature knowledge which is something that's hardly done even though it does seem to tend on biblical matters and purgatory beliefs. One film I forgot about how good this was.

p17198_p_v12_an.jpg

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

What you like it for then man?

Because you took the time to write a review and it's appreciated.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Baba Yaga (1973)

Utter nonsense about a middle aged seductress calling herself Baba Yaga - God knows why, someone clearly doesn't understand their folklore - who becomes infatuated with a local photographer so much so that she gives her a porcelain doll in bondage gear which enables Baba Yaga to control her.

A semi fetishistic fantasy with a fun almost Dickensian performance from Carroll Baker as Baba Yaga whilst Isabelle De Funès is Barbarella like as the photographer. It's great to see George Eastman playing against type as an uncharacteristic heroic leading man.

It's based on a comic and feels like it with it's almost surreal bubblegum style atmosphere of sleek seventies chic, but not once is it scary or even tense and it's really only the final scene that makes you remember it's supposedly a supernatural thriller.

All told Baba Yaga is a bit of a mess but it's a stylish and cool mess.

I was disappointed not to see a house on chicken legs.