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The best version of the classic novel. Charles Laughton is fantastic as bellringer Quasimodo. The whole film looks like it was shot on location but RKO actually filmed it at their ranch in the San Fernando Valley!
Gothic, atmospheric and awesome.

DVD-The new release from Odeon Entertainment looks great and is the best I have ever seen the film. A couple of short extras are on the disc about the film and RKO pictures. Picture 4:3 sound mono.
:yo:

I can be quite pedantic at times, but had absolutely no problems with your post, enjoying your mini reviews, so there's no need to apologise.

What on earth is wrong with your grammar Vipp? Reads very well to me.

I only saw Cars for the first time 18 months ago.

I was totally underwhelmed and gave the film away. Annoyingly, it's actually stuck in my brain over the last few months and am thinking of buying it again...for keeps this time. :lol:

Razorback (1984)

Speaking of underwhelmed the first time i watched a film. Razorback was another one which left me puzzled to it's popularity.

Second time around and i think i'm a little wiser to it's charms. Admittedly i still dislike the two workers at the pet food factory. Horrible little creatures that thoroughly deserve what's coming to them. However i found the rest of the film far more enjoyable second time around.

Director Russell Mulcahy deserves great credit. His carefully constructed shots of each razorback attack is done with precision to make the viewer believe the creature is alive and not an animatronic pig. However it is his beautifully achieved photography and appreciation of the Outback that truly impresses and sets the film apart from every other killer animal movie. Astounding and breathtaking are two words that spring to mind when it comes to describe his eye for what is essentially a desolate landscape.

Credit must also go to Everett De Roche's script which throws us the curve ball of seemingly killing off the film's heroine during the first half hour. Little did we know that only one of the films actual leads had been onscreen for more than a couple of minutes by that point.

"Jaws on trotters" it may be but Razorback is an intelligent killer animal film which treats the audience with a bit of respect and the pleasing assumption they don't want everything served to them on a plate.

By the way Vipp. I have to agree. There's nothing wrong with your grammar.

keep the write ups coming. I love em'. :popcorn:

The same goes to everyone who contributes reviews on the thread.

Don't apologise Vipp you're a lovely person who cares about grammar mine sucks & besides yours is fine anyway!

Ticks.

I revisited this film which I last saw in 1993 on it's VHS release I rented it. I recall it being very good on a revisit I found it watchable and at times ridicolously laughable. The only original idea is Ticks are the creature of doom rather than spiders,everything else is more or less a carbon copy of Kingdom of Spiders,Slugs etc group of idiots end up dead via killer bug.

This is not a bad film but it isn't as great as I recall I guess when you're 11 like I was in 1993 you fail to see the humour yet are scared as you falsely believe these ticks may exist and near to home. 2 scenes stick out as bloody ridiculous clint Howards "I'm Infested" yell for help & the black guy turning into a giant tick.


American Werewolf in London

One of my all time favs on Blu disc has a slight pressing pause in the zoo scene film itself the finest I have seen it. Hilarious scene of David Naughton shouting the C word at Insp Brownlow from the Bill after slagging off royalty never fails to raise a giggle. The mass pile up outside Picadilly circus man 's head being run over & someone being thrown through windscreen is still a powerful shock scene. I also still respect the dream scene with the monsters in army uniform.



Alone In The Dark 1982.

After seeing clips in the terror in the aisles doco and getting help on here to identify the film I ordered it and then watched it. I was not disappointed I really enjoyed the film Martin Landau's Insane Grin & evil laugh where convincing Donald Pleasance as always on top form as Dr Loomis oops sorry Bains who has an odd way of treating insane Patients. Lyn Shaye in a short bizarre scene is always good + Jack Palance.
However the Italian Disc has appalling Audio especially at the rock concert scene the picture thankfully is better. This disc is clearly cheaply made so I'll have to reach hand in pocket and pay a stupid price for the OOP USA release.


Childs Play 3


My favourite of the sequels from 1991 on Blu Chucky looks great in HD. I think the dustcart scene will always be a form favourte. The film has always been spat on by the media due to the rubbish that the scum who killed James Bulger were influenced by this film,of course this was not the case.

4 Flies on Grey Velvet


Revisit for this one Shamless have done great with a beautiful picture on the DVD,for some reason though I cannot get into this film I find it complex and slow. I will try again soon!

Thanks for the info Dave.

It sounds like it's worth picking up. I've never seen it either. :blush:

I've not seen it years, but it is very good, definitely better than Hammers version, which I find a tad dull tbh

I've never seen the Hammer version either Rik. :confused: ;)

THE STUFF
Thought this was going to be a blast, but I was pretty disappointed. It's another great Arrow package with great pq, but the movie itself wasn't one of the label's better choices, imo.

THAT SINKING FEELING
Another one I saw years ago on Channel 4 when they used to show good stuff. Laugh out loud performances and ludicrous situations make this a real delight. Some good short films to back it up, but the main film is the real selling point. Recommended.

It's not bad, but by Hammer's standards it's pretty weak, probably on a par with The Reptile or She :nod:

You sure you're not thinking of The Phantom of the Opera. ;)

I replied to Dave's post regarding The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Do you know what, I am :doh:

And, I've not even had any alcohol today either :lol:


My original post still counts to some extent, the Charles Laughton version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame is very good!

We all do it. :o

Don't try and squirm your way out of it. :lol:

I could've edited my original post, but I'm not ashamed about making a mistake :)

I'm pleased you liked it.

Both yourself and Dave recommended it so i'll pick it up in their next sale. :nod:

The Tall Man -I thought this was incredible, although to go into the plot would be to give too much away. Morally ambiguous , disquieting and constantly surprising, this is the sort of film M. Night Shalyman used to make before he went a bit crap.

I really enjoyed it as well.

I did this mini review back in December if you're interested. http://www.cult-labs.com/forums/382332-post26440.html

Nice review Demlike and puts my lazy one-liner to shame :lol:. Completely agree re: Jessica Biel, who puts in a great performance and, to be honest, one I didn't think she was capable of. I think what I really enjoyed about this was that it 'toys' with audience without ever alienating them or upsetting the plot.

I've never seen 'Martyrs' but, after enjoying 'The Tall Man' so much, feel I need to rectify this soon :nod:

Well don't expect to enjoy 'Martyrs'.
It's a great film though, that needs to be seen.:nod:
I didn't realise this film was by the same director. I'm gonna have to get this now, i kept thinking it looked interesting tho.:pop2:

Recent viewing has been Corbuccis Hellbenders, which i really enjoyed and a nice change of pace. Bullet for the General, seen this countless times now my favourite Spaghetti Western and looking better than ever on BD. Django Kill, again another ive seen many times but had to watch it on BD and it looked very nice indeed.
When i get time i shall be watching a contemporary film for a change that is V/H/S part 2. I quite enjoyed the first one so ill give it a chance. Almost forgot that i watched a film called the Purge recently, it was an average thriller.

Clear History
 

Clearly brilliant. ****ing spelling BAH

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It's not as nasty as Curb could be on occasion, but I rather enjoyed this bittersweet tale as well......;)

Death Watch - the 1980 one directed by Bertrand Tavernier and starring Harvey Keitel and Romy Schneider. This felt like 2 different films - 3/4 a dystopian sci fi a la World on a Wire, with the last section resembling an Ingmar Bergman, complete with Max Von Syndow ruminating on the meaning of life. I enjoyed both parts, especially the first hour featuring crystal clear Glasgow circa 1979 locations, a great slimy Harry Dean Stanton and a cameo by young (thin!) Robbie Coltrane. The fact Schneider and her young son (who has a tiny cameo) died shortly after filming gives the whole thing added poignancy especially given she plays a terminally ill woman. The Park Circus blu is a tenner on Amazon just now - recommended purchase.

Just watched The Big Gundown, a film I'd not even heard of til recently that is now easily amongst my favourite westerns. The Grindhouse 4 disc set is also damn good, though I've not dug through the features yet the sheer amount of content for what (to me at least) is a relatively obscure spaghetti western is outstanding.

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This great chiller from 1933 was remade in 1953 as House Of Wax starring Vincent Price. Shot in 2 strip technicolor as was DR X (1932) also starring Fay Wray. If you are more familiar with the Price version, then there will be no real surprises here, just soak up the atmosphere of this 1930's classic.

Big Trouble In Little China (Arrow Blu) great fun and PQ was excellent.:)

The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears - 8.5/10

Improves upon the shortcomings of Amer, I enjoyed spotting all of the references, and the cheeky end credits music was the theme from All the Colours of the Dark :D I was ready to watch the film again as soon as it had finished.

Amusingly, the only other person in the screen with me was an elderly lady! Either she's a very adventurous viewer, or totally didn't know what kind of film she was in for :lol:

Mate where did you see this.:eek:

The Showroom Cinema in Sheffield, had a 1.5 hour train journey there and back by myself just for that film haha.

EAGLE SHADOW FIST. Jackie Chan has a supporting role in this tale of resistance to the Japanese invasion of China. A bit slow and talky to start with but by the end all manner of mayhem is unleashed as women are sexual assaulted, eyes are poked out, Jackie gets water boarded before being killed and a couple of children get their spines snapped for good measure.

RUMBLE IN HONG KONG aka THE YOUNG TIGER aka POLICE WOMAN. Fun crime exploiter with Jackie Chan as the head of a gang of street punks searching for a missing purse and being hunted down by a chop stocky police woman. Jackie sports a rather fetching hairy mole on his face in this one.

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Colourful and good looking production from the House Of Hammer. Filmed entirely at Bray Studios and not venturing out on location, this movie is driven along more through dialogue than anything else. Peter Cushing was originally up for the role of Dr. Georges Bonnet until sickness caused him to turn the role down. Columbia hid the film away on double bill showings and the film did not get much exposure,but like all of Hammer's films I find it rather awesome!

:yo:

The Survivor 1981

Aussie soap Verteran Denzil Howson Boards Robert Powell's Airplane with a bomb in his briefcase,causing the plane to crash killing all 300 on Board. Jenny Agutter walks around like a lemon for half an hour possibly looking for an American Werewolf in Melbourne? as she is apparently a psychic being contacted by a little girl with a cresote stain on her face and her BBQ'd Barbie doll. Little evil Girl soon Off's the psycho Nurse (Adrian Wright) from Prisoner Cell Block H & Martin Healy (Paul Sonika) from Son's & Daughters (who thankfully had no dialogue if his run in S & D is indicative of his acting skills.

Agutter wails and flounders like an alcoholic wasp convincing Powell to time travel to meet his ghostly passengers,she must be a crap psychic to not know he is also dead!

2 creepy scenes,otherwise this is a poor adaption of a Herbert Book,run of the mill yawnfest which frankly bores beyond words.

Beautifulprint from Scorpion but.


Long Weekend

More Aussie Horror. The Actress who Played Susan Rice in Prisoner (Briony Behet) (thank chrtist her acting in this is a vast improvement to prisoner) and her Husband abuse nature by accidentally squashing and mutilating every animal in the Aussie Wilderness whilst tossing fag ends,beer cans & food wrappings all over the beach & wilderness. This is actually a very good film with a fantastic Karma ending for both husband and wife. (Synapse release)

Dark Night of the Scarecrow

I fail to see the appeal of this made for tv horror. What starts off very well soon lapses into an overlong bloodless borefest,even Larry Drake couldn't save this one.

Boy Meets Girl

Not going to waste much time on this so called Horror comedy Samantha Mumba who had 3 songs out in 2000 1 which wasn't too bad has a dead Boyfriend and Brookside's Trevor Jordache (Bryan Murray) for a Father what could possibly go wrong? Not the worst film I have seen of late but It certainly won't be in my top 20 of all time anytime soon either!.

Transcendence - 4/10

Very disappointing. It's quite bland and just keeps defying logic, with the bizarre notion that nanobots are capable of EVERYTHING, resulting in magic rather than sci-fi. Also, Johnny Depp's character is completely emotionless and lacking in personality.

I really like this. Seen it a few times.

It's not demanding, just a nice easy watch with fun characters and dialogue and a decent amount of gore. One of the better zombie films from this century in my opinion.

NOAH.

In his black and wight debut PI, the films protagonist talks about how his mother told him not to stare at the sun so he did and nearly lost his eyesight as a result. It ends up as a metaphor for the whole film, about how forbidden knowledge can be a dangerous thing and man's ability to bring about his own downfall through his curiosity. The film blended modern mathematics with ancient Jewish mysticism in a film that explored both faith and rational science.

Director Darren Aronofsky seems to love exploring mythology. Be it the kabbalah of Pi, The fractured American dream in Requiem for a dream, the time spanning love story of the fountain, the modern american gladiators of the wrestler, and the intense dedication to perfection for art that results in total breakdown and Here in Noah a tale from the biggest selling collection of mythological tales ever produced, the Bible.

Certainly its not the tale those familiar with the King James bible might recognise. The Writer and Director have gone back to the version of the story that predates the edited down version found in modern bibles and tells a much darker, mythic tale than the sunday school version most are familiar with.

It seems to have become a tale of a man torn between and almost psychopathic level of religious devotion and his own moral compass. There is no god giving easy answers here, its back to the old testament wrath and frankly god comes across as something of a bastard as a result.

Personally I think this makes an excellent addition to Aronofsky's filmography. Its certainly epic, its chock full of human drama and offers no easy answers for anything. It's also bolstered with another great score from Clint mansell.

Acolytes

A Great Aussie Thriller about a group of teens who make the mistake of trying to blackmail a murderer,Not quite Wolf Creeks Mick Taylor standard but all the same the film has it's own Merits and is not well enough Known. It also has some shortcomings but that's Ozploitation for you. Look Out for the Fantastic Anthony Phelan who puts in a one scene appearance as a Murder victims Father.

House on Sorority Row.

I revisited this tonight as it was long overdue Enjoyed the 1983 slasher very much so much so I have ordered an upgrade with a copy of the new Blu. Fairly Original for it's setting & era not just a run of the mill carbon copy.

WHITE DOG – From the great Sam Fuller, ‘White Dog’ is about the rehabilitation of a racist hound programmed to attack black people by some sickly trailer trash. A young actress befriends the confused mutt after a close roadside encounter, but understandably freaks out when said beast starts going for her friends. An animal trainer with an agenda of his own is duly enlisted. Is ‘White Dog’ a lost classic? I don’t know, but I really liked it. It manages to pitch its social commentary alongside a fast moving ‘B movie’ quality without seeming clunky… in fact, what I liked about it most was that it just seems so odd (and slightly brave) in concept if not in execution. Ironically (or not), ‘White Dog’ fell victim to the kind of groupthink it was trying to skewer, this time by those crazy radicals at Paramount who suppressed the film, saying they were worried it might appear racist itself… don’t know whether they were being particularly sincere on this count, as the film’s message regarding racial violence is unambiguous, despite the pessimistic tone and ending.

SICK GIRL – About a young woman who struggles to bring up her bullied younger brother whilst her older sib is doing his bit for American imperialism overseas… things are difficult, so naturally she starts murdering and torturing the losers who are making said younger brother’s life a misery. I quite liked ‘Sick Girl’, but was possibly primed for something a bit more transgressive than what was ultimately on offer, having read plenty of reviews zeroing in on supposed oodles of twisted depravity. Well, there are a couple of obvious warped highlights, but nothing to massively perturb (although maybe I should be a lot more worried at the concept and image of bratty prom queen type being anally assaulted by a severed cock mounted on a plinth than I obviously am). There is a nicely bleak, downbeat quality to ‘Sick Girl’ that resonates more than its attempts to shock, and is somehow captured by the post-Carpenter synth dirge soundtrack.

OGROFF, THE MAD MUTILATOR – One for fans of zero budget no-fi fanboy super 8 back yard classics, ‘Ogroff’ is the notorious 1983 debut of Norbert Moutier and has only just made it in the last couple of years to legit DVDdom. I can’t remember whether I’ve reviewed it before now or not as I’ve had one of the many bootlegs for ages (not that I endorse that kind of thing etc etc etc). It doesn’t really improve with repeated viewings, that’s for sure, Basically, there is a silent, murdering psychopath who hangs out in some woods and kills a lot of people. That’s kind of it. OK, no, there are a quite few surprising aspects – ‘Ogroff’s hidden depths include a sort-of love story thread involving the mute psychopath and a fan who just seems to seek him out in his lair, a few political / satirical stabs, a final reel which is all about zombies, and Howard Vernon as a vampire. What really works for me is the dreaminess – the throbbing, pulsating semi-industrial electronics on the soundtrack, the knackered editing, the near wordlessness. The humour at play just seems a bit too cute at times, though. I still really like it. It’s obviously akin to Nathan Schiff, but, if it’s more knowing in its tongue in cheek way, it’s also a lot more ambitious on some levels… an acquired taste, but essential viewing for anyone interested in the evolution of microbudget horror.

DARKMAN – When I first saw this, years ago, I thought “Bollocks to you Sam Raimi, I hate you for not making ‘Evil Dead’ again”. I was a student know-nothing and it was late and I was drunk. Picking a copy up from CEX the other day and sitting down with it for the first time in over a decade I found a highly entertaining piece of hokum which rolled along nicely and threw in enough of its directors pre-big studio ‘wackiness’ (you know what I mean, crazy camera angles, florid outbursts of stylisation, bonkers montages) to keep me intrigued. As I’m sure all are aware, it’s a kind of comic book updating of ‘Phantom of the Opera’, with Liam Neeson as a disfigured scientist visiting revenge on the mobsters who left him for dead. Definitely recommended for those on the look out for trash with panache.

Isn't this one called Boy Eats Girl btw? ;)