I was originally contemplating getting it to hear that and watch the other extras, but hearing Newman constantly saying 'yallo' and 'yalli' drives me round the bend, so have decided to just give it a miss and stop supporting the Ritrovata remasters :lol:

Every Italian director or actor I have met or heard talking about the genre on commentaries or documentaries says giallo with a hard G, so I Newman says it with a Y is beyond me. Maybe he was misinformed by someone and no one has dared correct him!

I don't think i've heard him do a commentary on a giallo before so i've no idea if SJC is correct or just making an assumption.

He mispronounces it in every giallo audio commentary I've heard and in the Giallo documentary on the Synapse Tenebrae disc. What is so frustrating is that he usually has Alan Jones sitting next to him pronouncing it correctly...

There are some good interviews on here too, particularly the one with Helmut Berger!

I think he says it exactly the same on every interview I've seen, including the Video Nasties documentary by Nucleus Films.

Saw (2004)

*** out of *****

The Puzzle of the Red Orchid (1962)

German Krimi based on the crime novels by British author Edgar Wallace. The Puzzle of the Red Orchid, or Secret of the Red Orchid as it's known Stateside stars Christopher Lee as an FBI agent sent to London to stop two rival Chicago gangs extorting money from the English wealthy.

I have no idea if this was supposed to be a serious film but due to the dubbing it plays as a comedy crime thriller. Why Christopher Lee is playing an American i'll never know, but why dub his voice? He sounds daft, as does whoever dubbed co-star Adrian Hoven (playing a Scotland Yard detective) making him sound like a character from a Harry Enfield sketch such is the primness of his Queen's English. I won't even go into how awful Klaus Kinski sounds. Marisa Mell comes off slightly better sounding a little like Stephanie Beacham. In fact an early starring role for Mell is the prime reason for seeing this film.

As far as crime thrillers go, The Puzzle of the Red Orchid isn't particularly thrilling, although a six gun toting Christopher Lee is amusing, and a few nicely staged shoot outs maintain the interest, just. Sadly though it's impossible to suggest anything else except The Puzzle of the Red Orchid is a film ruined by dreadful dubbing.

Saw II (2005)

*** out of *****


Saw III (2006)

*** out of *****

Tango & Cash (1989, Andrei Konchavolsky)
From the Faux-tlmeyer score to the screamingly insincere lip service to current events, this is Hollywood at it's tawdry best. Brion James' accent still screams "international incident!!"....the unPC script....Jamie Gertz's Sheila E impersonation...the cloying and clunky ending. Lawdy!!
Twas nice to see real FX again though...crash..smash...boom etc.

Next up Assassins! :laugh::laugh:

Hush

Tbh i never heard of this until watching with a friend on netflix.
Boy was i blown away, dont know if this got a cinema release but i rather films like this be shown at the cinema and given more publicity, I for one would have gone and last film i bothered to see at cinema was raid 2.
a book writer hides herself from public out the way in a cabin in the woods to write her next story.
It doesnt bring anything new but its these type of films this prove horror/thriller/slasher isnt dead and breaths new life into these type of films like it follows. The women is deaf and enjoying life until a stranger shows up and terrorises her. Also like the fact from time to time they silence the whole scene for a few seconds to make us feel from her point of view. Bit like The strangers but one on one.
Type of film that grabs you at times like a sugar rush, and at times doesnt let go, a roller coaster ride, if not seen a highly recomended watch.
100% on rotten tomatoes

What Films Have You Seen Recently?
 

It was made for Netflix or distributed by them, so it premiered there. I really enjoyed it as well.

Do you agree or disagree.

Tbh i didnt think gods of egypt wasnt that bad. Not good but watchable (ish)

The 15 Worst Films Of 2016 So Far - Page 3 of 3

I'll let you know when/if I see any of them...

Ditto!

Zoolander 2 , the X-Men film and Gods of Egypt are the only three i'm likely to watch i think.

Tbh
Zoolander 2 would interest me 0% havent seen first and cant stand Ben stiller & owen wilson.
Likes of x men etc ive made clear ive no interest same goes for batman v superman
Gods of Egypt only one ive seen
Forget avoiding the rest like the plague, id rather have the plague than even think of watching the rest.

I want to see this. No DVD/Blu release date for it anywhere yet though.

I haven't seen any of them either.

The Intruder (1953)

Bond director Guy Hamilton was cutting his teeth in this early directorial effort about a former colonel of a tank regiment who has now lost touch with his men but is unknowingly paid a visit by one of them in his home.

Starring the always excellent Jack Hawkins as the colonel, Hamilton tells the story of Ginger Edwards (Michael Medwin) and how his life is in ruins following the end of the war and why he's taken up burglary. The story unfolds mainly in flashback as a series of conversations between Hawkins and the men who were under his command.

Hamilton excels during a couple of fine action sequences as British tanks come under heavy fire in Normandy, but it's the human aspect that wins through in the end in this absorbing drama.

The Network dvd looks and sounds very impressive.

Highly recommended.

The boy

Another film i highly enjoyed,
It took me a while to figure out who the actress is, its lauren who plays maggie from walking dead, i kept looking at her thinking where i seen her before.

Any how when i hear of films about dolls i tend to not bother thinking there nothing new, or seen it before, or ends up being a disappointment.
Well to be honest this certainly isnt.
Its a slow burner, bit like house of the devil, and the others, it build up with tension, and some good atmospheric scenes,
She been hired as a nanny to look after brahms thinking he a young boy, but turns out to be a dummy, and as most people would think its bit bizarre and strange.
She has a helper grocery boy who keeps popping in from time to time and explains the doll to her, but is the doll really as it seems? as the film progresses youre still thinking its going to end up like most doll movies, wrong, you know there's going to be a explanation or a twist and when it comes, well lets just say you didnt quite see it coming, only downfall was the ending was a over a bit to quick and couldnt help wanting a bit more or being a tadge longer,
While it make no classic, its certainly will compared to the recent spate of doll movies and its a cut above the rest, i for one at one point will be adding this to my collection.

The Centerfold Girls (1974)

***1/2 out of *****

The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (1920)

Surprisingly the first time I've seen this. A friend gave me the Blu Ray so just gave it a look. I think a lot of it stands up as still being really eerie. The impressionist set design really does mess with you. Felt like I was having a nightmare for a lot of it. The pacing, the music and the art design was slowly lulling me to sleep but that's not to say it was boring at all. Actually quite hypnotic.

Now about to watch Zombi Holocaust! Quite the contrast.

Soulmate (2013)

Anna Walton plays a young woman whose husband was killed in a car crash. So full of despair she attempted suicide. (All off screen). Attempting to recuperate and get her life back into gear she lets an isolated old house in the Welsh countryside. It's not long before she begins to hear strange noises and discovers a locked room in the attic.

Produced by Neil Marshall and directed by his wife, Axelle Carolyn, Soulmate is a rather unusual horror film. As with classics like The Haunting (1963) it's the little details that add the chills to proceedings. A creak of a floor board, a door handle turning, a bump on the stairs...things we might ourselves find creepy if we were in that same situation in a house we didn't know. There's far more suggestion than jump scares involved and it plays out as a quietly classy affair with surround speakers showing their worth with every creak and groan making you glance nervously in the direction of your 5:1.

The film, especially in it's first half is held together by Walton in a strong performance, always vulnerable yet fighting to show strength in recovery. To say this film doesn't play out as a typical horror film is an understatement, but i won't go into detail for those who haven't seen it and fancy checking it out. Those who enjoy their Ghost Stories for Christmas should feel right at home with this one.

The dvd has a couple of short films, one starring Jean Marsh, the other Derek Jacobi, both directed by Carolyn prior to this, her feature debut. A promising career beckons.

Beverly hills cop. 9/10


Now watching fight club

Saw IV (2007)

** out of *****


Saw V (2008)

**1/2 out of *****

They say things come in three, well this is the 3rd film I've seen this week thats another slow burner.
Debut from the duffer brothers who went onto make stranger things,
And if anything to go by with this and stranger things then their someone to keep a eye on.

This is another slow burner about a town where there been a virus outbreak, army flattening everywhere because of the outbreak not giving people much choice but to leave, a couple and their daughter find a bunker and live their for a while, until they get found out and forced out. But who really who and whats really going on? Bit of a slight twist to the film.
It has a slight 10 cloverfield lane to it.
Again another slow burner i wasnt disappointed in, if i keep finding films like these i could easily watch what ive seen all week, any day of the week over almost any Blockbuster /Hollywood films these days.

Hombre (1967)

An excellent revisionist western about a group of stage coach passengers at the mercy of a gang of robbers, who are helped by a despised half-caste Indian.

Paul Newman leads a distinguished cast in a variation on the classic stage coach theme, as various disparate characters are thrown together for a journey through the sweltering Arizona landscapes. As well as Newman, whose piercing blue eyes have never had as much screen time, we have a grizzly Richard Boone, veteran Fredric March, Mario Bava fave Cameron Mitchell and fine character actor Martin Balsam. Glamour is added to proceedings in the form of spicy red head Diane Cilento, in a pivotal role.

The film is beautifully photographed and director Martin Ritt, utilizing a screen play full of literate dialogue based on a novel by Elmore Leonard, delivers a tense piece of western cinema which makes many vital points on racism which are still evident today.

Hombre is one of the most rewarding westerns i've seen in a long time.

Highly recommended.

The Bloodstained Butterfly (1971)

Following the brutal murder of a young French girl in a park a tv celebrity is accused of the crime and brought to trial. Unbeknown to him his lawyer is having an affair with his wife and the case for the man isn't exactly being fought with utmost conviction. Once in prison however the murders begin again.

The Bloodstained Butterfly is a giallo but not as you know it. Leaving aside all the usual genre motifs, the film concentrates on police forensics and the ensuing court case over lurid sex and violence and black gloved killers.

Director Duccio Tessari isn't someone i'm really familiar with. (I think the Alain Delon thriller No Way Out / Big Guns is the only other of his in my collection) His CV, without translation, suggests this was his only gialli among a varied career of western, drama and crime. It's a pity as The Bloodstained Butterfly is a memorable and intelligent addition to the genre. The story is complex and the denouement surprising, although perhaps not so much in this field, and the way the storyline and characters weave together is delightful in it's intricacies. It's the stylistic flourishes of Tessari that ensure the film is one that stands out in the memory though. It's photographed beautifully, Tessari's camera entering scenes from the most varied angles creating fascinating cinematography by Carlo Carlinibut. However it's the stunning score that stands out for me and makes the film a favourite of the genre. Incorporating Tchaikovsky's Concerto No. 1 for Piano into a multi layered composition by Gianni Ferrio is a hypnotic experience and simply sublime in it's execution.

As a giallo it's not a film i can recommend because it differs so much from the norm, but as an Italian crime film it's really quite exemplary.

I watched this via Arrow's dvd from the recent Blu/dvd combo release and found it's colours to be completely natural, although blacks are a tad hazy at times. The picture, upscaled, is sharp but i've seen better from other giallo releases. This sounds like i'm being critical but i'm not. I wouldn't have even commented on the tech aspects had i not been asked. However as i was and i am, i will say that the soundtrack is stunning. The music beautifully mixed and voices crystal clear. I watched the English dub as there was so much missing from the subtitles, especially during the crime scene investigation, i just had to hear it all.

Highly recommended.

I have the disc as the rental from Lovefilm and watched it last night with the Italian track, intending to check out the English track and commentary tonight and tomorrow before sending it back on Tuesday.

I entirely echo what you have said about the film, and hope it is something which will stand up to repeated viewings, something I'll know when I watch it this evening without subtitles and the actors 'speaking' English. I wasn't watching it with a critical eye on the AV quality, but will try and report back on the HD picture tomorrow.

The forensic investigation of the park murder scene has so much dialogue missing from the sub track that it's possibly a different film.

If you imagine an episode of CSI. All the orders and instructions from Grissom about what they are doing is missing from the subtitle track. Huge swathes of dialogue.

That will be interesting to see in terms of whether it is infuriating or merely a curio.

Fight Club

Don't like it the one and only time I saw it, but rewatching it I enjoyed it and Norton's performance was brillant. 8.7/10


Wizard of Gore (2007) 5.8/10


Now watching the jungel book (2016) followed by Fury both which are first time viewings

What i did find interesting was the commentary is by Kim Newman and Alan Jones. Normally a Newman Jones chat track involves Stephen Jones. I didn't listen to it but i will do in the next few days.

Having looked at all Newman's coms it seems all the gialli are with Alan and the rest with Stephen.

Did you enjoy him saying yallo and yalli constantly? :lol:

Do you mean Stephen Thrower?

No Stephen Jones. Critic and author / editor. They do lively commentaries together such as I Walked With a Zombie, Carnival of Souls, Countess Dracula, Halloween II, The Shout and many more.

https://johnnyalucard.com/non-fiction/dvd-notes/

Been on a tv grind recently, so not many films seen, either at home or at the cinema. Tried to watch Night of the Living Deb on the horror channel the other day and lasted about 25 minutes. What a load of shite, i was hoping she got eaten the moment she opened her mouth. Not to mention it pretty much lifted the local shop scene from Shaun of the Dead. Bit early for an homage to that innit?

Anyway, utter tripe. What's that Scouts vs Zombies one like, any good?

I watched it the other night. It was shite but enjoyable shite that kept me watching to the end at least. I wouldn't buy it or recommend it in any way but if there is nothing on you can pass 90 minutes without too much hardship. There is one scene with a zombie dick that made me laugh out loud, worth a watch for that!! :lol::lol:

On a movies on Sky note look for American Ultra. Crap but really good crap, imo!

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about him and those commentaries. I've just started the one on The Bloodstained Butterfly and within the first five minutes there have been ample situations where Alan Jones has said giallo or gialli and Kim Newman says yiallo/yialli without any contradiction from his friend/colleague or Newman asking Jones why he is saying it with a "hard G"!