What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[keirarts]

Halloween 2 (rob zombie) unrated directors cut on blu-ray.

halloween2zombie.jpg


(note, unlike the theatrical edition this blu-ray is totally region free)

If you dislike mr zombies films (and many do) this expanded and slightly altered cut wont win you over. If like me you actually quite enjoyed it (and for the record I prefer zombies 2nd outing in the halloween franchise to the first.) this is definately worth checking out. Theres a different and somewhat less satisfying ending but the real reason to watch is a lot more character development, more grue and the whole thing feels a lot more 'complete' than the theatrical edition.

[James Morton]

SUSPRIA blu ray
despite some criticisms I still think its an excellent bd
most colourful horror ever!

[Paul@TheOverlook]

Originally Posted by James Morton

SUSPRIA blu ray
despite some criticisms I still think its an excellent bd
most colourful horror ever!

I agree - looks and sounds amazing to me.

[Rik]

Watched the I Spit On Your Grave remake last night. I was expecting to hate it, but I really liked it. The revenge in this was far more creative and better executed(pun intended) than the original, plus it was good to see Joey from Elm Streets 3 & 4 playing a villain. Of course it was the cut version I saw from Lovefilm so I think I'll get myself a copy of the US unrated DVD to see what the BBFC won't let us see.

[Demoncrat]

Watched Anguish (Bigas Luna, 1987) This is a real oddity, way before postmodern horror, this really takes the proverbial biscuit barrel. Going even beyond CH in audience disorientation imo, this charming tale won me over with its insistence upon itself.

The Devils (Ken Russell) Now hear this! GO AND BUY THIS. NOW. THIS MINUTE. A beautiful package (hefty too, means you can lug at haters and they'll come off worse haha) and if it looks this stunning on me tv etc.....

[Handyman Joe]

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders - Criticising this film for being pretentious and vague is like having a go at custard for being yellow - it is what it is, an arty, poetic piece of art emanating from Czech bohemia. It really depends on your mood whether you find it infuriating or bewitching - I found myself oscillating between both camps. What can't be denied is the visual beauty and the gorgeous soundtrack. A good bet for these unusually sunny times!

[Daemonia]

Reptilicus (1961)

Scientists unearth a piece of living tissue and take it back to the lab for tests. Unfortunately, the tissue is able to regenerate itself and it's not long before it's transformed itself into a massive monster that goes on the rampage. It's all really daft but great fun. The scenes of Reptilicus demolshing the city are very reminiscent of Godzilla, and all the better for it. Thoroughly enjoyed this crazy slice of sci-fi horror.

Citizen Kane (1941)

I've somehow managed to avoid seeing this until now. I'm glad, really, as I probably wouldn't have appreciated the fine details of this mesmerising drama when I was younger. Orson Welles writes, directs and stars (at age 26!!) in this film about Kane, a newspaper tycoon with a whole host of opersonal demons he battles with. Success doesn't bring him happiness and he's haunted by the childhood trauma of being sent away by his parents to live with someone else. It's a very clever film and groundbreaking for its time. The use of light and shadow is brilliant and the film evokes that sense of Hollywood Gothic. Brilliant film, but, I have to admit, not as great as I expected it to be. Nevertheless, it was a defining moment in cinema history, no doubt about it.

Real Steel (2011)

Hugh Jackman is a man who boxes with robots and he's down on his luck. Then when he gets lumbered with his estranged son things take a different turn when his son finds an old scrapped robot and takes it home. Father and son quickly discover this is no ordinary robot and can fight like no other. It's a blast and the CGI rendering is perfect. The fight sequences are all noise and spectacle, but I liked that. The film is only let down by its sugary sentimentalism at the end - but then what do you expect with Spielberg as producer? He loves that sort of thing. Aside from that, it's a great film and highly entertaining and one I'd definitely watch again. No better recommendation than that.

The Wrong Box (1966)

I wasn't sure if I#d seen this before or not, but once it started rolling I remembered having seen it a long time ago. Michael Caine heads up an all-star cast in this Victorian farce about two families trying to outlive the other in order to win a lottery with a big cash prize. Things get sticky when they start believeing one or the other is dead, when neither are. Ralph Richardson was the best in it for me, with his boring rambklings boring the shit out of anyone who would listen. Peter Cook and Dudley Moore are brilliant as the scheming cousins and Nanette Newman is lovely as the beautiful but fragile love interest. John Mills is suitably grumpy and Caine holds it all together with a solid, grounded central performance. Also loved the butler, he made me laugh. An absolute gem and I can't recommend it highly enough.

Carriers (2009)

A group of young people are travelling across the country in a car. A plague has all but wiped out humanity and they're a few of the remaining survivors who remain uninfected. Along the way they encounter some hairy situations and it all winds up with a suitably downbeat ending. Not bad at all.

Kill the Irishman (2011)

Ray Stevenson plays the Irishman in this true story of how Irish-American Danny Greene rose up through the ranks of the local crime family in Cleveland. But when faced with criminal charges of corruption, he escapes prison by turning insider-informant for the FBI. The local Mafia make numerous attempts on his life, but fail each time. It's a riveting watch and a fascinating story based on truth. It's also amusing to see how many assassination attempts he evades through sheer luck and pure audacity. It has to be said that Stevenson is excellent. Well worth a look.

Paranoiac (1962)

Finally got hold of this on Blu and it looks terrific. Ollie Reed is on top form as the unhinged brother and son and his sister might be mad too. In fact, they all might be mad! It's full of brooding atmosphere and the HD transfer really brings out the best in this film. Absolute winner. The scenes in the delapidated chapel are quite creepy and surprisingly unsettling. A neat neo-Gothic suspense thriller.

Rambo III (1987)

Thought I'd chuck this one on. Rambo (Stallone) goes on a one man mission to save his friend the colonel who is being held by the Russians in Afghanistan....and wins! It's all guns and explosions but it's great. Nice to see it uncut too, this film held the record for highest numbers of BBFC cuts, even beating Evil Dead. Something like 76 separate cuts. I couldn't see anything offensive in it personally.

Also, gotta love the end title card that states how great and honourable the Afghan people are. Bet they're eating their words now.

The Colditz Story (1955)

John Mills heads a stellar cast playing Pat Reid. The story centres around the multinational POW's being held at the Nazi prison camp of Colditz and the determination of the POWs to escape. It's rousing stuff and riveting from start-to-finish. Thoroughly enjoyed revisiting this again. The cast are excellent and the British stiff upper lip attitude prevails. Well worth a look if you haven't seen it.

Battle of Britain (1969)

"I'm not very interested in propaganda. If I'm right, they'll turn back. If I'm wrong, they'll be in London within the week."

Picked this up on BD and it's a cracker of a film. The story principally revolves the air battles that raged between the British and the Jerries during the early part of the war. It's all brilliantly staged and Guy Hamilton (Bond veteran) directs with a sure hand. It's probably not the greatest war film ever made, but the incredible Brit cast is worth seeing alone. It's like a who's who of Brit cinema. And the film really does capture that these air battles are pivotal to how the war is going to turn out. Hitler had got as far as France and now ruled Europe to all intents and purposes - but just couldn't beat us dear old Brits. We must have annoyed the **** out of him.

I did feel that some of the actors are a bit underused, but it's a minor complaint. Overall it's a thoroughly engaging war tale and is packed with enough visual spectacle to keep things interesting throughout. Really enjoyed revisiting this again. Although I'm a bit mystified why MGM/Fox used the MPEG-2 codec to encode the film. An HD codec like VC1 or MPEG-4 AVC would have been far more efficient and might have freed up some space for some extras (MPEG 2 is a greedy codec and will gobble up all the available space it can find). Yes, you read right, there's zero special features on this Blu-ray - not even a menu screen! Saying that, the transfer does look excellent most of the time and is a definite step up from DVD. I just would've liked some special features - a film like this deserves them.

Best scene is when Edward Fox parachutes and lands in a greenhouse and a kid runs out with a cigarette for him. Brilliant.

Tombs of the Blind Dead (1972)

Time for a revisit to the BU set. A hapless group of travellers stumble upon the burial site of the Blind Dead, a group of Templar Knights who were blinded for their heresy in Medieval times. Having their resting place disturbed the undead Templar Knights rise from their graves to continue their bloodlust.

This is no gore epic but relies heavily on atmosphere and is all the better for it (not that I'm averse to gore in horror movies but it's unneeded here). The scenes with the Templar Knights riding in slow motion are haunting and chilling. Also, it has to be said, but I'm positive the scenes of the Blind Dead rising from their graves provided inspiration for similar scenes in Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires.

So, yes, overall, this is a great film and it's easy to see why it's become such a cult favourite.

Right, on to the second film soon, then....

[Paul@TheOverlook]

Reel Steel isn't bad at all. A lot better than I expected.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Another fine review post Daemonia. I have just ordered The Wrong Box after reading it.

Can't go wrong for £3.99.

[James Morton]

Originally Posted by Rik

Watched the I Spit On Your Grave remake last night. I was expecting to hate it, but I really liked it. The revenge in this was far more creative and better executed(pun intended) than the original, plus it was good to see Joey from Elm Streets 3 & 4 playing a villain. Of course it was the cut version I saw from Lovefilm so I think I'll get myself a copy of the US unrated DVD to see what the BBFC won't let us see.

got the uncut R1 Anchor Bay w/commentary etc
one of the few good remakes