What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[davcol]

I viewed Wonderland on the old Lovefilm app about a dozen years ago. What I remember is that this is a story about addicts who fall foul of gangsters. What it is not is some fun Boogie Nights golden age of porn parable but something much darker. I liked it and I like Val.Kilmer. His film from 1989 called Kill Me Again is also a great little thriller.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs

I also recommend Wonderland, a fine film which, to my surprise, I've just discovered isn't in my collection, so onto the wishlist it goes!

The artwork on the US Blu-ray is a bit of a mess. Seeing as it's a fairly gloomy film to look at i think i'm happy to stick with my UK dvd from Tartan.

[MrBarlow]

Gold. 1974

Roger Moore leads the star cast set in South Africa and new foreman of a mine and becomes the hero when a plot to flood the mine is oncoming and force the owners to get the gold market to rise in price.

This seemed to fit into a few genres of comedy, action, thriller and some drama which didnt seem to fit the plot of the film and a love affair with leading actress Susannah York and with a few racial slurs mixed in. In some places you do get the feeling of claustrophobia withnthe effects that are decently created for the film and decent cinematographer for the areial shots. Ray Milland and John Geilgud are always perfect to watch on screen and bring their own method of acting which made the film more worthwhile. There is some violentnscenes that may be upsetting to some, thinkma re-watch will happen.

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[MrBarlow]

American Yakuza. 1993.

Viggo Mortensen plays recently released prisoner Nick who gets a job in a factory and stops a shootout and rescues Japanese businessman Ryo Ishibashi and is recruited by the Yakuza. Early 90s B grade movie that is a bit slow to start with and does get better as it goes along with some decent shootouts and very little martial arts fighting. Michael Nouri plays the Italian/American gangster who wants to own all the territory and be the number one guy. Viggo's character/ dialogue could have been a bit better and seems a bit wooden at times and character has a somewhat plot twist. Entertainment for a Saturday morning viewing.

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[Frankie Teardrop]

THE BLACK CRYSTAL – I have massive soft spot for eighties / nineties SOV and that demimonde of horror movies made by fans in their backyards – ‘The Black Crystal’ was shot on 8mm, stock choice of the true auteur. It’s about a guy who enlists the help of a witch after a backroad run-in with a cult. You can see a degree of professionalism in the camerawork and the composition, something usually absent from this level of cinema; the downside is a consequent lack of gonzoid charisma, but we can’t all be Nathan Schiff. ‘The Black Crystal’ is not without its charms, and does rather well with the atmospheres that flow from woodland scenes and arid roads. Some of the dialogue is quite amusing, intentionally and otherwise. Director Mike Conway went on to make several sci-fi genre flicks in the noughties.

PROJECT: WOLF HUNTING – Korean action horror set aboard a makeshift prison ship, where the cons have staged a full-scale breakout. Unfortunately for them, also travelling is some kind of genetically enhanced zombie ‘super-prisoner’, who basically spends a good hour of ‘Project: Wolf Hunting’ murdering the living crap out of all in his path. Slick and brimming with ultra-violence, though it does well to stretch it past the two-hour mark; I groaned when I saw the run time, but in the end I have to say that it keeps afloat without hitting any doldrums, mostly by falling back on some nicely engineered tension. Looks set up for a sequel. Recommended if you’re in it for the gore, or just want to see a well-made South Korean sci-fi action horror film.

THE SIGNAL – Society collapses when a strange television signal transforms its audience into a violent horde – three people give their perspectives. I remember watching ‘The Signal’, a lively mid noughties portmanteau effort, on a really cheap DVD back in the day and feeling quite impressed. Its three overlapping tales are essentially based on the age-old theme of zombie apocalypse, but it’s pulled off with an indie brio that plays with quite severe tonal swerves (i.e., from the kind of brutal scrabble we’re used to seeing to borderline sketch show stuff about a dinner party going wrong) and makes them work, so the effect is quite original. Worth a watch; my previous impressions were confirmed by this latest viewing, this time of a really cheap blu-ray.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

THE SIGNAL – Society collapses when a strange television signal transforms its audience into a violent horde – three people give their perspectives. I remember watching ‘The Signal’, a lively mid noughties portmanteau effort, on a really cheap DVD back in the day and feeling quite impressed. Its three overlapping tales are essentially based on the age-old theme of zombie apocalypse, but it’s pulled off with an indie brio that plays with quite severe tonal swerves (i.e., from the kind of brutal scrabble we’re used to seeing to borderline sketch show stuff about a dinner party going wrong) and makes them work, so the effect is quite original. Worth a watch; my previous impressions were confirmed by this latest viewing, this time of a really cheap blu-ray.

I must return to this. Seen it a couple of times in the past but not for years. It's always a joy rediscovering these films. You have to make an effort to see them as the head always draws me to more celebrated movies when i fancy something from years gone by.

[Frankie Teardrop]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I must return to this. Seen it a couple of times in the past but not for years. It's always a joy rediscovering these films. You have to make an effort to see them as the head always draws me to more celebrated movies when i fancy something from years gone by.

Definitely, it's from that funny time when there was a lot of strange and unusual stuff floating around in the genre, the noughties. I wonder whether the fan-driven boutiques of tomorrow will be pumping out 4K revisions of the likes of 'The Signal' and assorted other weirdness from the time. I guess it's something that's going on anyway maybe, Severin have put out 'Bad Biology' recently for example, but I think that whole era will be underserved for a while yet and so many of those titles have kind of floated of into obscurity for now. Maybe someday I'll get my 'Teeth' blu ray.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Frankie Teardrop

Definitely, it's from that funny time when there was a lot of strange and unusual stuff floating around in the genre, the noughties. I wonder whether the fan-driven boutiques of tomorrow will be pumping out 4K revisions of the likes of 'The Signal' and assorted other weirdness from the time. I guess it's something that's going on anyway maybe, Severin have put out 'Bad Biology' recently for example, but I think that whole era will be underserved for a while yet and so many of those titles have kind of floated of into obscurity for now. Maybe someday I'll get my 'Teeth' blu ray.

A nice Blu-ray of Splinter would be welcome.

[Demoncrat]

Metalocalpyse: Army Of The Doomstar (2023, Brendon Small)

Deathklokk return.
With just the tiniest bit of woke inserted deftly, it's business as usual with our frowning five piece hogging centre stage all over the place as always. Hail. The cast have fun with it and the songs always work as songs regardless of plot desires, something I've always loved about this series. Sigh.
Recommended .... but not as an intro cough.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Berlin Syndrome (2017)

Teresa Palmer plays an Australian backpacker in Berlin who meets a school teacher and has a night of passion with him then realises she's trapped in his out of the way apartment and basically his captive.

An interesting piece which has a slow build up of tension along with good performances from Palmer and Max Riemelt as her captor. Unfortunately following a few grisly moments and several others that show Palmer being physically dominated it kind of peters out in a climax that's both pretty forgettable and ultimately underwhelming.

Set in what would have been East Berlin this generates the same gloomy atmosphere as Żuławski's Possession (1981)

Pet (2016) was a far more cutting edge film about male domination than this.