What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Nosferatu@Cult Labs]

Yesterday, I watched Puss in Boots and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish back-to-back.

It had been three years since I saw the first film and wanted to refresh my memory about it before watching the sequel, a rental from Rakuten.

The basic plot is that the titular outlaw has used eight of his nine lives and is suffering a crisis of confidence. Learning there is an ability to cast a wish using a precious scroll, he sets out to steal it and follow the instructions to get his lives back. Unfortunately for him, many others want this powerful wish including Goldilocks and the three Bears, Big Jack Horner, and his nemesis/love interest, Kitty Softpaws, and he is also joined by a traumatised wannabe therapy dog.

I thoroughly enjoy the first one and found the second to be even better. It benefits from innovative and stylish animation, a painting-style aesthetic that really fits the fairy story nature of the movie perfectly, just as it did with the outstanding Spider-Man Into the Spiderverse.

Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek are again cast in the lead roles, and this benefits from an excellent cast including Olivia Colman, Ray Winston, Florence Pugh, and Harvey Guillén.

The film is funny, exciting, and moving, and will be added to my 4K Ultra HD collection in due course – highly recommended.

[nicholasrope]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret Of The Ooze

The Turtles are back and this time they come across the Ooze which turned them and Splinter into giant mutants however Shredder and the Foot Clan are back and wanting revenge. This was definitely a Film from the early 90's and that's still part of the charm, it's not bad but it kept me entertained.

Arena

Set in Space in the distant future, the biggest sport is Intergalactic Species Boxing and no human has ever won for 50 years until a new challenger emerges. Fun 1989 Movie with decent FX for it's time and budget.

Robot Jox

Set in the future, War is outlawed and territorial disputes are settled by people in Robots and battle it out. Again another fun Movie with some decent Robot Action.

[iank]

Times Square. Two teenage girls - one painfully repressed and introverted, the other aggressive and extroverted to the nth degree - escape from a psychiatric hospital and go on the razz in New York City, much to the delight of a shit-stirring radio DJ (Tim Curry) who turns them into cult figures and folk heroes. This 1980 drama is an enjoyable watch, bouyed by both the incredible sense of time and place (it still feels very 70s) and strong performances from the leads, one of whom I was somewhat bamboozled to find was a young Trini Alvarado. I've never seen her in anything pre-The Frighteners before, and had no idea she'd been around this long! Nothing spectacular but very entertaining nonetheless.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Spun (2003)

Three days in the life of Californian speed freaks, kind of Breaking Bad but more insane. Jonas Akerlund's film makes Roger Corman's The Trip (1967) seem normal by comparison. Spun is a film made up of crazy characters and even crazier editing.

You know those weird interludes of colour and images that show up in Rob Zombie movies? Well this is ninety minutes of them. Akerlund cut his teeth in music videos and it shows. However it's not a bad thing as it makes Spun feel and look totally original. Although it's a film with a clear anti drugs message it's also brilliantly funny with it and also extremely crude to boot with some imagery you'd think they'd never get away with even rated 18.

For a low budget indie production Spun has an incredible cast in Jason Schwartzman, Mickey Rourke, Mena Suvari, Brittany Murphy (And her green dog), John Leguizamo (You can't unsee him wanking into a sock), Patrick Fugit, Deborah Harry, Eric Roberts and Rob Halford as a sex store clerk.

Spun begins as it means to go on music wise with a wonderful drive through California as Billy Corgan in his Zwan guise sings an soothing acoustic version of Iron Maiden's The Number of the Beast in it's entirety during the opening titles. Zwan also perform numbers by Pat Benatar and UFO whilst the likes of Ozzy Osbourne, Motley Crue, The Hellacopters, Bathory and Satyricon (Who are in the film) add to the films fascination with me.

Like Trainspotting on overdrive Spun is as much a trip as it's subject matter and proves an incendiary feast for the eyes and ears.

[MrBarlow]

Walking Tall: The Payback. 2007.

A man returns to his hometown that is overrun by a gang and settled a score with his father's death.

Kevin Sorbo steps in as the new vigilante that has the law on his side, the original 70s flicks were decent and the previous film was inspired by the 70s film so why go in a different direction. The makers obviously wanted to do a revenge film and slapped on the title Walking Tall and put it out direct to DVD. Kevin Sorbo actually done a decent job in this but some around him like to very much over act their performances to the point the mute button was going to be pressed when they came on screen. The violence that was in the previous film is in this for all of 2 minutes, for me this had potential to be good but just slid down half way.

images (2).jpg

[MrBarlow]

Ironmaster. 1983.

Umberto Lenzi's adventure film based on cavemen who discover how to make weapons and use them on a tribe that expelled violent man George Eastman. Sam Pasco is the Arnie of the film who leads his band of fighters to battle against big George and we know how it will end. Nobody is going to say the sword fights were amazing as they do seem a bit laughable. Lenzi does try to add in his violence that we are use to seeing and may have been told to tone it down. It might be a bit of a slow burner at times but to be honest I enjoyed it.

MV5BNGU2NGY0NjEtOGM0Mi00MzUyLTkwNzQtNjdkMTljYTlmMjVjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ2MjQyNDc@._V1_FMjpg_UX100.jpg

[MrBarlow]

The True Game Of Death. 1979.

A inspiring Hong Kong actor is pressured to join a syndicate who want to promote his new up and coming movie. When the actor refuses, he is poisoned and presumed dead, only for him to be alive and seeking revenge.

You can tell by the title that this is a poor man's remake of Game Of Death, even at the start we are giving the narration of Bruce Lee's death and what may affect a new rising star's future. Even at the finale our star faces off against there fighters dressed in the same costume and uses the same weapons in the first stand off. The acting is not great nor is the dubbing. One if the Brucexplotation movies to be released and it's more comical than to be taken seriously.

MV5BM2EwZWNmNmItYmFkZi00NDBjLTlhN2ItZTNjYzI1OWRkMDQ4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTU3MDc2ODQ@._V1_.jpg

[Dave Boy]

bbbbb.jpg
THE PINK PANTHER (1963)

The first movie in which was to become a franchise. It is notable how different this movie is from later films. Clouseau is really a support character is this movie but the Peter Sellers role took the movies off in a different direction than what was originally going to be a movie series with David Niven's character.
The movie is good fun throughout with some very good slapstick moments even if Clouseau has limited screen time.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Warlock: The Armageddon (1993)

With the recent sad news of Julian Sands i decided to watch one of his films, one of the lesser known ones in fact. A direct to video semi-sequel to Warlock (1989)

Sands plays a warlock reborn on the trail of five magic stones so he can free Satan from hell with only a couple of youths in his way.

Basically this is nonsense about druids, magic and hell but as it's directed by Anthony Hickox of Waxwork, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat and Hellraiser III fame and stars the slightly crazed scenery chewing legend that is Julian Sands it is always highly watchable nonsense with gloopy special effects and bizarre light shows you only ever see in films of this era.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Welcome to the Punch (2013)

A superior British crime / action thriller starring James McAvoy, Mark Strong, and Andrea Riseborough.

Set mainly at night in London's financial district this is an absolute joy to watch on Blu-ray.

The whole film has that green / blue tint to it which i totally adore due to it's locations with glistening glass sky scraper exteriors it's darkness is left to it's characters and storyline rather than eye squinting night time that punishes the viewers eyes.

I love this film. It's violent, it's action packed, although not too much and certainly not over the top, it has great characters and performances - Strong is particularly fantastic - and director Evan Creevy admits was inspired by Hong Kong 'heroic bloodshed' movies about hard nosed cops 'n' robbers and the thin line dividing the two.

Excellent.