ClownTown (2016)

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


The Purge: Election Year (2016)

*** out of *****


De Palma (2015)

**** out of *****


Halloween (2007)

*1/2 out of *****

A couple of quickies.

Skyline (2010)

From the brothers Strause, yes them of the ill conceived Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007). Skyline is a fast and frenetic mixture of sci-fi and action. Predominantly set on the rooftops of LA, the film has a decent array of lively set pieces and some original alien invaders as a group of youths battle to survive. Decent cinematography and a downbeat ending should have ensured better fan responses than it originally received.

Island of Lost Souls (1932)

A first time viewing for me and i don't think it fair to do a proper review on a film such as this after just the one watch. However i will say that it's certainly one of the most chilling products to come out of thirties Hollywood with it's Hays code baiting sequences of vivisection on Dr Moreau's grotesque human / animal hybrids.

Charles Laughton as Moreau, whilst down playing made me think of Peter Kay, and Bela Lugosi, even under creature make up comes over as Bela Lugosi. It's set on a Polynesian island for god sake, where did they find a Hungarian ham? Thankfully Kathleen Burke's sexy panther woman makes up for everything.

Fine sets, superb make up and a pacy script ensure i'll be visiting the Island of Lost Souls again quite soon.

Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)

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


Halloween II (2009)

*1/2 out of *****

The Myth (2005)

Jackie Chan action adventure which begins promisingly as as Indiana Jones meets warring Chinese dynasties romp, culminating in an outrageous set piece at a rat glue factory.

However the second half soon gets bogged down in immortality pills, levitation, asteroid powers and clunky CGI in a tedious final forty minutes that makes you forget all the good work in the opening hour or so.

Attachment 182995

Yeah thats right i watched it big whoop wanna fight about it .

Truth be told i actually feel like punching myself in the face repeatedly for watching this but no point complaining about it without watching it first so i did.

Story

Convince the people of New York that ghosts exist and then stop said ghosts.

Going in my expectations were at an all time low but i still went in with an open mind and gave it a chance. First off the ghosts look really good and the colours really do jump out of the screen it really does look great but eye candy is all this film has going for it. The jokes are just pure shit it actually made me angry the jokes were so bad and out of the four Ghostbusters the character of Holtzmann is one of the most annoying characters i have ever seen in any film ever and just when i thought it could not get any worse Chris Hemsworth strolls in now lets get one thing out of the way i cant stand Chris Hemsworth in any film so he was at a disadvantage right off the bat and it didn't take long to realise that i was not allowing my distaste of the actor cloud my judgement of his character but the character himself is just so so badly written he is suppose to be a bit of a bimbo type character but his jokes fall flat and his stupidity is waaaaay too stupid to be funny two examples he wears glasses with no lense so he does not have to clean the glass no glass no dirt and when there is a loud noise he covers his eyes instead of his ears to blink out the noise it's just lame and this is the sort of "stupid" he is supposed to be. I really cannot recommend this at all.

Final thought

Ghostbusters 2016 is like watching porn it's easy on the eye but it leaves you feeling empty, numb and covered in ectoplasm ;)

And that my friends it both a sexual joke and a ghost joke thank you you're too kind i'm here all year.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai in the Eighth Dimension.

I want to criticise this film but i can't actually pinpoint what was wrong with it. Its way out there, it finished ten mins ago and I'm damned if i really know what happened.
Peter Weller is Buckaroo Banzai, an everyday rockstar/neurosurgeon/martial artist/general super scientist sort. John Lithgow is a twat.
There's some Rasta aliens.
Banzai is the frontman of a rock band, the Hong Kong Cavaliers. They have to save the world from...something...
Negatives, it's occasionally boring. Given the sheer energy of this film there's no excuse.
Positives, the cast, Peter Weller is cool as hell, oozing charisma as Banzai, the guy carries damn near every film I've ever seen him in, by all accounts he's a bastard to work with but i think he deserves a bigger career. You've got Lithgow, Jeff Goldblum, the gorgeous Ellen Arkin, Christopher Lloyd, another great character actor that brings something magical to almost every film he's in but didn't seem to ever get the career he deserved. There's others here too, the brilliant Clancy Brown, Vincent Schiavelli, Dan Hedaya, and its a credit to each and every one of the cast that they play it so straight because without this the film would completely collapse in on its absurdities...
So any good? Yes, i was entertained, will i rush to watch it again?? Doubtful.

31 – Eagerly awaited by some, '31' marks Rob Zombie's return to the horror fold following 2012's 'Lords of Salem'. I really liked the latter, although it split his core audience – not everyone was into the more subdued approach. Those who were not will probably warm to '31'. It's not quite full throttle Zombie, but, with its maniacal clowns, plentiful gore and Malcolm McDowell dressed as an 18th cent aristocrat it certainly signals a move back in the direction of his trademark territory, which I guess is 'slightly hallucinogenic gory horror with aspirations to grindhouse homage' if we're going to get brand focussed about it. '31', set on Halloween night 1976, is about some fairground employees who get abducted by M McDowell, the aforementioned Louis 14th wannabe , who appears to hold court in some kind of power station in the middle of nowhere. Whilst I do like the randomness of that, I also thought 'huh?' Anyway, the fairground people get chased around by clowns of various hues before being violently murdered for Mc Dowell's entertainment. That's kind of about it, really. '31' does not skimp on graphic horror, although I can't say whether the version on Amazon currently available to rent is the unrated one or not. More than gore though, '31' has that griminess, that 'life is a gutter' feel that you get from most R Zombie flicks – everything seems filtered through a gauze of seedy decrepitude, and we get to witness scenes like the one where the main killer character bangs someone up the arse in a dirty room lit only by a flickering television set showing 'Nosferatu' (twenties version). Not bad for sleaze stylistics, but then Zombie films are always very stylised, and '31' is no exception. He certainly knows how to throw a few visuals together, and the aesthetic here is more eighties than seventies, with lots of blue lit sets soundtracked by synth warbling. It does occasionally feel like an episode of 'The Crystal Maze', with mucho running around from room to room and the same thing happening again and again, but as those rooms and those same things happening tend to involve Germanic clowns dressed in exaggerated Y-fronts who say things like “come here, I want to fu*k you”, you can't really complain. All in all, definitely worth checking out and I hope he scores a hit with it.

I liked 31 as well but felt it had one major flaw. The moments between the action, before another 'head' is set on the group would have been perfect for character development and help establish character arcs for each of the carny's. However I left the film knowing as much about each of the characters as when I went in. Putting that to one side its an entertaining slice of schlock and Richaed Brake steals the whole film as 'Doomhead'. A memorable villain and a nasty son-of-a-bitch.

The lack of characterisation could certainly be seen as a flaw, but I was watching it in 'schlock' mode more than anything else. Richard Brake was really good in it, I agree.

City of the dead

Not the Fulci gorefest but a B&W British classic from John Moxey. It sets the action in new england opening with a witch being burned at the stake and cursing the townsfolk. Several hundred years later a young folklore student heads to the town at the urging of her professor (Christopher Lee) only to discover the place is a mist shrouded hive of satanism ultimately leading to her becoming a victim of ritual sacrifice. Concerned at her dissapearance her friend heads to the town to find her..
City is a terrific, atmospheric chiller thats beautifully shot and written. It actually classes as one of the first Amicus pictures courtesy of the involvment of Milton Subotsky and shows some of the qualities of some of the studios better output. The VCI blu-ray looked decent on my little tv but im sure there are people with screencaps keen to show some of the flaws, the film seems to be in the wrong ratio as well but I could be wrong on that count. I'm basing my opionions on the older DVD release.

Starrey eyes

A real 'slow burn' picture that started life as a kickstarter project I first caught this at Grimm up North festival in Manchester (to which I will be heading week after next ;)) and really dug it. The Blu-rays been sat on my to watch pile for a while so I decided to revisit it and see if my opinion still stands.
I'm glad to say it does still hold up, with a great central performance, some bloody violence and body horror. Its a great take on the idea of the Hollywood system operating as some faustian pact that involves eradicating your old life and self, manifesting itself physically in a transformation that is in places stomach churning.


Offspring

Estentially THE WOMAN is the sequel to this film with Pollyanna Mcintosh appearing as the woman. Adapted from the first of Jack Ketchums trilogy, its about a tribe of feral children operating in the new england area, surviving on midnight home invasions to supply food and mates. The film is short, punchy and very nasty. Its not as layered as the woman and pretty much feels like a darker take on a hills have eyes scenario but is nontheless entertaining and bloody enough for what it is. Theres a uk friendly Blu-ray out in the states that come with a commentary track.

The Witch

I watched this on Friday night and, initially, thought the huge amount of praise it has received was unwarranted. However, as the film progresses and tensions between the characters, and the events which follow, increase, it grips like a vice and I was engrossed all the way to the final credits. I intend to watch it again this evening before sending the disc (oddly a DVD) back to Lovefilm tomorrow and purchase the BD next month.

Blue Crush

Rented from Lovefilm on Demdike's recommendation, this features a fairly young (late teens) Rachel McAdams as a Hawaiian surfer girl trying to make ends meet due to absent parents (alcoholic mother in Las Vegas) and surrogate mother to her younger sister. With an upcoming surf competition and some NFL players on holiday on the island, the stage is set for her to earn some money as a surf teacher and gain some sort of redemption amongst her peers when braving the big waves.

The comparisons to Chalet Girl are inevitable because it is basically the same story, though the British film does feature a slightly more concrete back story and a wonderful relationship between the protagonist and her father (superbly essayed by Bill Bailey) so it doesn't altogether matter that the story is flimsy at times. They are both feelgood films and I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy Blue Crush and would happily watch them again.

Slap Shot

Mostly based on true events and the real story of a minor league ice hockey team which was being sold because of lack of interest from the fans, leading the players to increase interest by escalating the on-ice violence exponentially. Paul Newman is brilliant as the old player-coach and the dynamic shift caused by the Hanson Brothers (real brothers who were professional hockey players at the time) – basically violent thugs with childlike minds – makes this comedy a great watch and one of the best sports films I've ever seen. I watched it with the commentary by the Hanson Brothers, who provide an insight into the realities of minor-league hockey in the 1970s.

Natural City

Another Demdike recommendation, but not one I enjoyed as much as Blue Crush, perhaps because I was constantly comparing it to Blade Runner. The futuristic setting and design is beautiful to see, but it pales in comparison to Ridley Scott's superlative piece of future noir and I didn't find myself as engaged with the main characters (cops hunting down renegade cyborgs) as I should have been. That said, I would like to watch it again at some point to try if I can judge it on its own merits.

Glad you enjoyed Blue Crush and to a lesser extent Natural City and of course The Witch.

First time i watched The Witch i ended up turning it off and going to bed. Its a film that requires complete attention and absorption i found because watching it alone in my loft with the sound cranked up and no distractions it was brilliant. Not a lot really happens but every sound and detail is important. It was a sensory experience as much as anything i thought. Also the director Robert Eggers is apparent behind a remake of Nosferatu, which initially seemed a bad idea but based on The Witch he might well pull it off.

Green Room.

Punkers versus Boneheads to the death. Tense and brutal thriller that demands your attention. Highly recommended.

Nice one, J. ;) I've been wanting to see this as soon as I saw the trailer. Is Patrick Stewart as loopy as he looks in the trailer?

I'd completely forgotten what Green Room was. I even saw it at Asda the other day and ignored it.

Definitely one to purchase for me.

He plays it cool and controlled which adds to the overall sense of hopelessness for the punks.

Out of the Dark (2014)

A couple and their daughter move to Colombia to take over a family manufacturing plant, only to realize their new home is haunted.

A film that promised much with it's Columbian setting but delivered little. Concentrating a tad too much on big business than the nitty gritty of ghostly children. Even the collective talents of Julia Styles, Scott Speedman and Stephen Rea couldn't lift this out of the mire. One or two scenes aside - the sighting of shadows at the window, the obligatory bouncing ball (Thanks Mario) - and some effective ghostly kids, Out of the Dark failed to produce many chills and ended up a disappointment.

Striking Distance (1993)

Bruce Willis stars as a Pittsburgh cop demoted to river patrol after an internal affairs investigation into police brutality in which he denounced his partner. Blah, blah, blah. Basically it's Bruce hunting a serial killer on the Pittsburgh rivers.

A film i'd seen once previously on vhs and didn't think much of it as i recall. However last night i really enjoyed it. Featuring a good cast of character actors - Dennis Farina, Tom Sizemore, John Mahoney, Tom Atkins and Brion James - as well as the oft maligned Sarah Jessica Parker (whom i thought looked really pretty here) who all complement Willis well especially Parker as his river cop partner.

At 95 minutes it's quite short and the action flows well following a pacy script as it twists and turns with the river. Despite it being a story of murder and police corruption it never gets bogged down or convoluted with either and the action scenes ensure it all remains lively.

As far as Bruce Willis' action thrillers go Striking Distance is no Die Hard, nor Die Hard 2 but it's a far superior vehicle to A Good Day to Die Hard.
Recommended.

Gonna watch Girl with All The Gifts tonight, heard good things and I haven't seen a good zombie type film for a while.

Anyone else seen it yet?

I.D. (1995)

**** out of *****

Yeah, decent movie mate. Saw it on telly a few years back and as you say SJP looks mighty fine!

Magnificent seven

Ok, I have to admit I like this. In fairness as the 'original' was a remake of seven samurai its somewhat difficult to argue about this getting another makeover. It could have been a turd but Antoine Fuqua knows how to deliver an action scene, I actually gave a shit wether the characters lived or died and it throws in some nice ideas like the villain being a southern robber baron in order to take a few sideswipes at modern capitalistic greed and giving the 'coward' PTSD from the civil war, therebye strengthening his character arc and ultimate redemption. Its far better than it has a right to be. My only gripe is the score can never (and isn't) be better than the first films.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iteRKvRKFA

The Brood (1979)

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


Body Double (1984)

**** out of *****

The girl with all the gifts

Don't want to say too much about this but the basic outline is the remenants of the an Army base must escort a child that may contain the cure for the Zombie plague that has decimated mankind.
Its actually a lot more original than it sounds and feels like classic, hi concept sci-fi/horror that Britain used to make in the 70's. The zombies are well realised and the make-up reminds me of Fuci. The film itself is genuinely interesting and well realised and about mid-way heads off in a direction you might not expect. Check it out!

It sounds really good, k. I'll definitely endeavour to seek it out. :nod:

The Girl With All the Gifts (2016)


http://cdn.bleedingcool.net/wp-conte...-the-Gifts.jpg

A great cast of Paddy Considine, Glenn Close and the lovely Gemma Arteton plus fantastic direction by BBC veteran (Sherlock, Doctor Who, Peaky Blinders) Colm McCarthy in a post apocalyptic zombie(?) drama slash horror.

Basic premise is that humans are infected by a fungal virus which turns them feral and flesh eating, yes, we've heard this part before. However there are a bunch of children who were born to infected mothers that have some sort of tolerance to the infection and can on the whole function as normal, as long as they're strapped down and can't smell uninfected flesh that is...

On the surface it doesn't seem like an original film at all, we have zombies, we have a military lock down, we have epic herd-like invasions of infected, we have deserted overgrown city landscapes. However it feels like a breath of fresh air.

I'm not going to say much about it, I hate reading spoiler reviews. There are a lot of worse things you can do than go and see this on the big screen and soak in the atmosphere and the the incredible score/sound design that's presented in this film. Give it a go!

Saw this for my Birthday yesterday, really good birthday treat. Thought it was a fresh breath of air aswell with great performances, a fantastic soundtrack as you mention, some cool cinematography and some effective bits of humour. A vey solid 9/10c for me.

Did the zombie make-up also remind you of the zombies in Zombie Flesh Eaters?

I would also definitely recommend this.

Thanks to a friend of a friend, I got a chance to see this.

It was wonderful. It makes you wish De Palma would do commentaries. It's a simple enough documentary as it just has De Palma talk about his films in chronological order. But, as you already know, De Palma has one of the most fascinating filmographies out there.

De Palma is likable host, honest enough to admit his failings but able to identify his strengths without sounding arrogant. He doesn't blame others for his mistakes either like other filmmakers would try and do (as in the case of Bonfire of the Vanities he admits that he tried to make it more mainstream friendly after the poor reaction to Casualties of War, rather than the studio pressuring him). He understands he has his critics but he doesn't seem too bothered by it nor he seem dismissive of them either. He has a wonderful dry sense of humour too. His feelings towards the Carrie remake is hysterical.

Overall, it's a highly entertaining document about an extremely talented filmmaker and I hope the DVD / BD will come with extended interviews with him.

Yeah, they had that Giannetto De Rossi crusty look for sure!

The Monster Squad (1987)

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


Jaws (1975)

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

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CKhE80_UcAAz8X2.jpg:small

Metal + Gore + Metal + Boobs + Metal = F***ING AWESOME

This was total heaven for me or should i say HEEEEELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL in a good way of course :lol:

A complete blast and good time from start to finish great characters and some great gore effects sadly there was some cgi but it can be overlooked for the few times it was used and the practical gore was great buckets of blood faces ripped off heads and spinal columns ripped out death by dildo and anal love beads and of course boatloads of METAAAALLL and a few good laughs to boot :rockon:

This is one i will watch over and over again :hail:

I'm hoping to catch this one as part of my October horror viewing.

Hope you enjoy it.

It's scheduled as part of Decemberdike so i didn't even read Nordy's review other than the last line.

Do you mind telling me wtf he is on about I can't see a film title or name?

Deathgasm.

wish I never asked now.

It's Nordy. You can't expect titles and other valuable info like that. He's not from Barcelona but he might as well be.