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'True Grit'. Fantastic Cohen brothers western, that had me completely involved from start to finish. As usual, not sure why it took me so long to getting around to watching it. |
1 Attachment(s) Break (2009) A gleefully sadistic Swedish made backwoods horror about a group of girlfriends who go camping in the Canadian mountains only to be raped, tortured and murdered by a couple of good ol' boys. In all honesty for people like me who love their outdoor survival horror films there isn't anything new here. The genre has been churning out stuff like this since The Most Dangerous Game back in the early thirties, taking in Deliverance and Southern Comfort, before becoming ultra exploitative in the last twenty years with films such as Wrong Turn and Pig Hunt. The story was a little two paced with a pretty slow opening half hour followed by a breakneck speed final two thirds. The acting was fine if unremarkable and the two hillbilly types the typical cliches, even if one of them did appear to have a snout rather than a nose. I guess that's inbreeding for you though. Break was refreshing in that, despite it being a fairly low budget film, plenty of effort had been made with the photography and beautiful woodland locations for the viewer to appreciate these aspects of the film rather than just the usual slaughter. Recommended to fans of Backwoods horror. |
Godzilla..(Gareth Edwards) MOSTLY great. The final fight between Godzilla and the two mutos is frankly brilliant and a real treat for fans of Gojira. It was however a little let down by the Call of duty fetishism that seems to infect any Hollywood picture with plenty of military hardware on display. I could live with it for most of the picture but then the US enacts a frankly baffling plan that involves them ignoring at least two key fact about the mutos and seems really puzzling until you realise its all to let the Us military play a part in the end monster rumble because why let Godzilla steal the thunder of these brave patriots..... Sorry but I PAID TO SEE GODZILLA TRASH A CITY AND FIGHT MONSTERS. To have the epic fight play partly as background noise for the medal of honour heroism is frankly a step too far and put me off loving the film. Still worth watching but Pacific rim was better. |
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dogma first viewing and i say it will be getting many more. great cast and story hilariously funny and actual has a message, don't really see how the church got upset, granted it pokes fun at some of the more stupid beliefs, but it actually very positive on a lot of other stuff. 9.5/10 well next up one of the dr who dvds i picked dup today the ice warriors |
http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/b...e2b0df4b6c.jpg A test pilot in 1960 travels through a time barrier to the year 2024. He finds the earth now ravaged by a plague. Only a few survivors can talk. The rest are deaf and dumb and sterile. Those that can talk, survivors from the year the plague hit in 1973 are treated as outcasts. They hatch a plan to help the pilot get back to his own time and try to stop the disaster from happening. Rather talkie film but still enough to hold your attention for the end reel when the mutants are freed to help with the escape of the pilot. The scenes when the pilot lands at his air base in the future are good and quite eerie. |
1 Attachment(s) War and Peace (1956) This 3hr 28 minute film of Leon Tolstoy's classic novel has a fine cast including Henry Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, Mel Ferrer and Herbert Lom playing a very good Napoleon. As with all these Hollywood epics, this Italian co-production looks fantastic with excellent sets and costumes. The first hour and a half is far too talky, even to the point of boredom. According to Henry Fonda, director King Vidor took the script away with him each evening and rewrote the dialogue for the next days shooting, thus "all the genius of Tolstoy went out the window." However the following two hours are a distinct improvement, centering on political intrigue and conflict rather than romance, giving us a cast of thousands in some well staged battle scenes. The final forty minutes depicting the French retreat from Moscow borders on harrowing and is compulsive viewing. |
I haven't seen that version of War and Peace but, because I thought the book was a masterpiece, I should really add it to my 'watchlist'. |
'Videodrome' - another one of my all time favourites. First time viewing on BD, via the Koch Media 3 disc mediabook, and it looks superb. Maybe the same transfer as the Criterion? Still have a disc of extras to watch, will try and get to them next. The film BD offers the theatrical version, or directors cut - which is fully uncut, of course. The effects have stood the test of time, and the film itself still packs a punch. |
Tourist Trap (1979, David Schmoeller). Mate turned up with the Blu (yes, I told him......). Hadn't seen this, and dug the rather haphazard style of it. Dvd for me though methinks!! Must get me that Mad Bomber as well......;) |
My little girl and I went to see "Godzilla" today, my son doesn't want to see it because "the 'real' Godzilla is a man in a suit!" We approached the cinema with a little trepidation, would it, indeed, could it live up to our expectations or would it just be another bag of 'All American' tripe? The consensus of opinion was "Yeehah!" to which The Daughter of Darkness added "I'm glad that they decided to make Godzilla a superhero again!" All I can add is "AMEN to that!" a resounding 22/10 (would've been 25/10 but too much schmaltz in the middle section).:rockon: |
Night of the comet. AKA Teenage comet Zombies. An ultra low-budget B movie that slowly but surely became regarded as a classic sees most of the planet wiped out by a comet leaving all structures ect intact. Sort of like a neutron bomb. Except Neutron bombs don't leave a bunch of red dust and a certain portion of the population crazed zombies. Two valley girls and Chakote from Star Trek voyager must survive this depopulated future hounded by zombies and mad scientists. Scream factory's disc is great quality and offers three separate commentary tracks and a whole bunch of extras. I first caught this many years back as part of Alex cox's moviedrome season, I'm fairly certain it was around the time they screened Terminator. Its pretty tame stuff in many respects but a great deal of fun. |
Megan is missing. Low-fi assembly of 'found footage' depicting the abduction of two north hollywood teenage girls. Possibly one of the roughest films i've seen in a while the ending is possibly as nasty and difficult to watch as some of the August underground stuff. Allegedly the intent is to highlight the dangers of teens meeting predators in internet chatrooms and the drug fuelled teen lifestyle is depicted unflinchingly. A difficult watch. |
1 Attachment(s) The strange colour of your body's tears Attachment 136159 Rented this Arthouse/Giallo hybrid from amazon. I really enjoyed it but if you're looking for a story that makes sense you might as well forget it. As with Amer by the same directors what we get is a film full of Giallo/horror style images that look stunning, interlaced with tunes lifted from cult films. It's best to just let the film just wash over you, I thought i had the meaning all tied up for a moment near the end but then lost it again.:confused: Definitely a film i will pick up when it hits dvd, and if you enjoyed Amer you should give this a watch, there's more dialogue in this but not enough to distract from the visuals. The opening sequence titles and first main track really got a hold of me and as with Amer it's the interesting camerawork that gripped me, the music based scenes are beautiful and beguiling.:clap: I also love all the architecture used that reminded me of early Argento films, and there are many nods to Giallo/ horror i noticed, notably What have you done to Solange?,Blood and black lace, New york Ripper, Macabre, House by the cemetery, Inferno, Tenebrae. (at least i think so anyway).:loco: Sure it's style over substance but i can live with that.:nod: I do think that if the filmmakers combined their style and visual sense with a slightly more coherent storyline we could have a real masterpiece on our hands one day.:) Recommended 8.5:pop2: |
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Exactly what I thought about it! Favourite film of the year thus far for me. |
1 Attachment(s) Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) Steve Martin and John Candy are in irrepressible form as they attempt to get from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Classic comedy from eighties maestro John Hughes. Still stands up nearly thirty years and many repeat viewings later due to a witty script and both laugh out loud visual gags and wonderful dialogue. Almost passes for fun for all the family were it not for Martin's expletive laden rant at the car rental agent. 18 f**ks in one minute - We're in Goodfellas territory here. |
Rob Zombie Horror Picture Show Ok so not really a film more a visual experience, i was left slightly disappointed but mybe was expecting too much, the Disc came with no extras apart from a picture gallery, and ran for just over 80 mins, there was no booklet or anything. Visually its good with only a couple of niggles, the big one for me was the use of what looked like mobile phone footage in some parts which for me isnt what i buy a Blu Ray to see, the vintage style sometimes used was fine, the other slight niggle was the fact that as it was recorded over two nights sometimes the intercutting of them nights means he isnt positioned correctly between takes which irks me. Sound wise it is loud, had to turn my hifi down from normal settings but that wasnt a bad thing, some vocals are out of breath etc but its a high energy live show. Big plus it has some nice titties on show, and even a girl that can jig her tits to the beat. So all in all its good just wished for more. |
The Keeper (1976, T. Y. Drake) Christopher Lee plays the titular villain. The hero is called Dick Driver. There is a comedy policeman (actually several, but he gets the most lines). Inept, shoddy and kind of embarrassing to watch, I loved this odd Canuck offering (from Lionsgate!!) unreservedly. At least I enjoyed it more than........ Parker (2013, Taylor Hackford) I just felt that it wasn't Statham's kind of film really. Sequels abound though, so hopefully the next one will be a bit less Hollywood........I won't hold my breath though. Ho hum. |
http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/9...632879bc39.jpg A group of scientists are experimenting with a view screen that can see hours into the future. During the experiment things go wrong and the viewscreen becomes a time portal in which they can walk through to 170 years into the future. The Earth surface is a wasteland and they are chased by mutants until they are saved by the only humans left on the planet. The humans are building a rocket to another planet and need to leave before the mutants break into the complex. Not able to take the scientists,and with the original portal collapsed, they help them to try to build a new time portal before time runs out...... I found this very enjoyable. There are some good effects on show here that look like magic tricks and illusions. One of the mutants look to be played by a real life guy with hand deformities. There is also a good scene in the android factory where we see android workers being made. I believe that this film put the idea forward for the tv show 'Time Tunnel'. |
Went to see the new X-Men today. Very good, was great to see a comic book movie that wasn't dumbed down for kids, this was quite obviously aimed at adults. |
http://images.yuku.com/image/pjpeg/e...10c1d0b935.jpg The mighty Mothra heads to New Kirk City to rescue two fairies that have been taken from Infant Island. Enjoyable classic Japanese monster movie (1961) |
1 Attachment(s) The Screaming Skull (1958) A recently married woman begins to lose her grip on sanity when she and her husband move into their home. She soon comes to believe the ghost of her husband's previous wife has come back to haunt her in the form of a terrifying apparition of a skull. Although largely unheralded by the majority of critics and seemingly little love in fan circles, to me it's one of the great horror films from fifties America. It has a simple yet highly effective storyline with a twist you probably won't see coming and some decent skull effects and scares. The director goes for creepy thrills such as banging windows rather than outright crash bang wallop, which together with some nice atmospheric, crisp, black and white photography, propel the film along and make it a worthy addition to any classic horror collector. This film was part of a Horror Movies 4 You set from Timeless / Shout. It's accompanied by The Vampire, The Bat People and The Vampire Lovers. The Screaming Skull was the reason i bought the set as it uses the original print from Orion Pictures and looks superb for the very first time. |
X-Men: Days of Future Past - 9/10 Well done Bryan Singer for managing to bridge the gap between his films and the continuity hellhole that was First Class, now we just need to send him back in time to convince his younger self not to make that shitty Superman film, and to make X-Men 3 instead as originally planned! Roll on X-Men: Apocalypse :rockon: |
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"I want giant aliens, and soldiers, and lots of guns, and tanks, and can we have it in the sea cos' i really want boats in it." |
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Got to jump on the Battleship bandwagon as well. Went to the cinema blind to watch it not expecting anything special and came out smiling like a cheshire cat. Was one of those films where you just switch off and enjoy the over the top spectacle. Plus there were a couple of ac/dc songs in there. Think it was the first blu-ray film i bought as well. Saw Godzilla on Friday as well and although it was a good film, to me it just didnt have the same feeling as some of the old japanese godzilla films. Not saying it was a 'bad' film as i did enjoy it and would say its worth a watch if you are a fan of the genre. Last film i watched, well just finished watching Bitch Slap. In all honesty i enjoyed it for what it was but the dirty old man in me wishes there was more boobage going on. I mean it was a trashy sort of film but to me it could have been trashier if that makes sense. Next film on my list is Ms 45 but will be a while as looking for somewhere to buy the least censored version (if anyone is selling it or knows where i can get it from, please feel free to help a new guy to this wonderful world of cult cinema out and send me a pm to advise and ill be very grateful, will even try to write a small review and try to get some screen caps if its not been done already). |
1 Attachment(s) Wrath of the Titans (2012) The sequel to the remake of The Clash of the Titans, this is more of the same. Fast and furious action intercut with a few scenes of exposition. Don't modern day film makers know what made the original film and its ilk so special? You just want to shout "Whoa boy...Slow down, take a breather, let's have a look around." It is such a joy to gaze upon the stop motion creatures Ray Harryhausen so lovingly created for his mythical adventures, you could appreciate them for the care taken. With today's non-stop CGI everything passes by so fast. Are they ashamed of their work? Who knows? To me the film works better when it allows it's actors to breathe. It boasts a fine cast. Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Rosamund Pike and Bill Nighy, but they all seem unable or unwilling to take the film by the scruff of it's neck due to whatever blue screen creation is round the corner. Unfortunately this doesn't hold a candle to the original film or indeed any of the other films Harryhausen worked on. Having said that, Wrath of the Titans is enjoyable for what it is, it's just a shame what it isn't. |
I have this, but haven't watched it yet, me and my boys loved the first one (although we rightly prefer the original of course), might have to put it on next week during the half term holidays :nod: |
Watched Absentia last weekend. Great little movie. Have Robocop and Friday the 13th part V lined up for tonight :) |
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GRACE. Vaguely disturbing, horror about a mother and her baby... The film abounds with the feel and influence of early Cronenberg and Polanski. Recommended. |
Anchorman 2...... I love the first film. But this was terrible. Brick made me laugh a few times but it wasn't great at all which sucks balls because i really enjoy the first film a lot. Aliens...... Finally i watched this film from start to end and i have got to say, after years of alienating myself from friends, that i truly believe i have been correct in my assumption that Aliens is poo. The first film is one of my all time favorite films but the second film has so many problems with it that i just can't enjoy it. The Happening - by M. Night. Shamilamlimlamerlam..... In our house Sci Fi films about killer foliage go a long way, we love em, if Triffids were real i bet my fiancee would be planting them in the garden before you can say 'grab yer shit we gotta leave town because of killer plants' but this film took the biscuit. Not a lot happened in 'The Happening' Not great folks. We got to the end but it didn't pick up. The genius that gave us 'The Sixth Sense' seems to have lost his ability to entertain in our house. |
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I agree Dem, I never understood why folks enjoyed his films past the Sixth Sense. To be honest that film had a short re-watch value as well, The film 'The Others' has more of a re-watch value for me than this does now. |
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I saw The Sixth Sense at the cinema and bought the US dvd as soon as it came out way back in 99. I still haven't watched it. :shocked: I've seen The Others a few times. |
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