What Films Have You Seen Recently?

[Demoncrat]

Originally Posted by nordicdusk

I recorded this on syfy I think the other night not watched it yet . Will give it a go tomorrow night after reading this.

Hope you have as good a time. Haven't laughed as much since The 3 Stooges film.

[Nordicdusk]

Originally Posted by Demoncrat

Hope you have as good a time. Haven't laughed as much since The 3 Stooges film.

Sounds like a good night in to me ill watch it tonight and report back later.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Chernobyl Diaries (2012) Urban Explorers (2011)

Two strikingly similar films with basically the same plot lines. A group of young tourists hire a local guide for an unofficial tour of (a) Pripyat, the town next to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant where all the workers lived and (b) underground tunnels and fortifications under Berlin.

For the first forty five minutes or so Chernobyl Diaries was by far the better film. Like the explorers, i was genuinely interested to see how the Chernobyl area might look since the nuclear disaster back in 1986. The film's characters were on the whole believable, the town of Pripyat a deserted wasteland with it's buildings intact standing rather creepy, with the real life backstory horrifying.

Urban Explorers fared less well during its opening. Whilst still creepy with an unnerving historical back story, the tunnels featured (The film was actually fully shot in Berlin) were, after all, just dark sewer style passageways making them a less interesting visual experience for the viewer.

It's during the second half where roles are reversed. Chernobyl Diaries goes down the secret military experiments route with various mutated creatures and humans, it's characters going from the believable to the absurd, somewhat like The Dyatlov Pass Incident. This outcome has become a little tired and stale so it was more refreshing during Urban Explorers to go down the well worn but slightly less common path of a deranged psycopath inhabiting the tunnels. This time in the guise of a former Berlin border guard. The guard is a genuinely nasty piece of work and proves a more terrifying foe than the nameless hordes in Pripyat with some strong torture and bloody gore.

Whilst not as good as Death Line or Chris Smith's Creep, Urban Explorers is better than most slashers of this ilk and a more rounded piece of work than the fractured, cliched, Chernobyl Diaries.

[trebor8273]

Trancers 2
My favourite of the trancers films. Six years after the first film Jack deth has settled into his life with his wife Lena but trouble is around the corner as the trancers return this time lead by dr wardo( the underrated and creepy looking Richard lynch). Things getting even more complicated when it's is found out another trancer agent has been sent "down the line" who turns out to be jacks dead wife, Alice Stilwell (Megan ward). We have small roles for barbara crampton and Jeffrey combs. 9.5/10

Day of the doctor

Absolutely fantastic on the edge of you're seat entertainment from beginning to end. Would love to see more of john hurts doctor. Would of liked to have had some sort of cameo for the rest of the surviving doctor actors. gallifrey falls no more. 10/10

Next up living dead of the Manchester morgue

[Mojo]

SHADOW OF THE CAT
A Hammer Film in everything but name, this oddity is a fun watch, thanks to great performances and some neat touches from one of my favourite Hammer directors John Gilling.
Lovely picture quality , the dvd includes an enjoyable 'talking heads' feature on the movie and also comes with a ( much better ! ) reverse sleeve. Recommended.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

ONLY GOD FORGIVES. Who would have thought God likes to sing karaoke after giving out a bit of Old Testament justice. Excellent stuff.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Despite watching a lot of films, I don't often 'talk' about them (yes, boo shame on me). However, I whipped up a few thoughts on The Massage Parlor Murders which I watched recently...

Massage Parlor Murders (1973)



What do you get if you cross Herschell Gordon Lewis and Michael and Roberta Findlay? The answer is quite possibly this film.

Massage Parlor Murders is a curious scuzzy gem dug up for mass consumption thanks to the fine folks at Vinegar Syndrome. The film trundles along to the tune of a mixture of funk and synth as our resident madman carves his way through the staff of the local massage parlor. Whilst the film does drag a little earlier on, patience is rewarded with some of the more unnecessary 'filler' scenes (and mild car porn) making way for more of blood 'n' breasts type fare, along with a 'peephole' topless classical dance routine; accompanied (of course) by a purple spandex wearing chubby man... add to this Brother Theodore from The 'burbs making plain his intentions of a "bouquet of broccoli" to replace his head at the time of his death and you know that you've stumbled across something a little special.

The bizarro slow-mo flashback murder montage conclusion is just the icing on this very odd, but ultimately satisfying cake.

[Make Them Die Slowly]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Despite watching a lot of films, I don't often 'talk' about them (yes, boo shame on me). However, I whipped up a few thoughts on The Massage Parlor Murders which I watched recently...

Massage Parlor Murders (1973)



What do you get if you cross Herschell Gordon Lewis and Michael and Roberta Findlay? The answer is quite possibly this film.

Massage Parlor Murders is a curious scuzzy gem dug up for mass consumption thanks to the fine folks at Vinegar Syndrome. The film trundles along to the tune of a mixture of funk and synth as our resident madman carves his way through the staff of the local massage parlor. Whilst the film does drag a little earlier on, patience is rewarded with some of the more unnecessary 'filler' scenes (and mild car porn) making way for more of blood 'n' breasts type fare, along with a 'peephole' topless classical dance routine; accompanied (of course) by a purple spandex wearing chubby man... add to this Brother Theodore from The 'burbs making plain his intentions of a "bouquet of broccoli" to replace his head at the time of his death and you know that you've stumbled across something a little special.

The bizarro slow-mo flashback murder montage conclusion is just the icing on this very odd, but ultimately satisfying cake.

I enjoyed this one too but have to disagree about the Findlay comment, it is nowhere near as scuzzy as the Divine Duos work...there's not a drop of poisoned spunk to be had in MPM!

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Make Them Die Slowly

I enjoyed this one too but have to disagree about the Findlay comment, it is nowhere near as scuzzy as the Divine Duos work...there's not a drop of poisoned spunk to be had in MPM!

It was indeed nowhere near poisoned spunk territory, yet certainly swayed more towards the sexual side of things than HGL's work tends to be. It conjured up thoughts of the infamous 'flesh trilogy' for me - that may be more to do with production values than overall content though!

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Thirteen Days (2000)

Michael Bay must wake up in a cold sweat when thinking about this film. Big boys with even bigger toys, their fingers poised on the triggers, yet shit DOESN'T get blown up.

Thirteen Days is an engrossing, dramatic and gripping depiction of one of the pivotal events in twentieth century history as seen solely from the American point of view. Excellent performances from Kevin Costner, Dylan Baker, Steven Culp and chiefly Bruce Greenwood as John F Kennedy ensure two and a half hours fly by without the viewer noticing barely a shot was fired in anger during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962.

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